It is one of the four major schools in the
mahayana
tradition and its main tenet (to greatly simplify) is that all phenomena are menial events, clear light (Skt.
Khenchen-Thrangu-Rinpoche-Asanga-Uttara-Tantra
He doesn't not need to think, "Now I will act in this way.
" And with the
jnana of variety, the Buddha can act completely effortlessly and spontaneously.
[365] In the examples, the physical manifestation of the Buddha is represented by a lapis lazuli ground, the Buddha's speech by the drum of the gods, and the Buddha's mind by the clouds and so on.
? [372] Someone may think, "Well, one example would have been sufficient, why present all nine examples? " The reason is that buddha activity is so subtle that it cannot be represented by just one example. Examples have limita- tions and the limitations of each example call for another example. In the first example of the lapis lazuli ground, the limitation of the example is that Indra's reflection is only a physical reflection; but when the Buddha appears this
reflection is also accompanied by the sound of dharma giving rise to another example of the sound of dharma. The second example of the drum of the gods illustrates the effortless manifestation of the Buddha's speech, but it doesn't go far enough because the drum is sometimes beneficial and sometimes not depending on whether people take heed to what is heard. All the words of the Buddha's speech, however, help beings to reach spiritual maturity all the time.
[373] The third example of a rain cloud doesn't go far enough because a rain cloud can bring short-term benefit to beings, but it cannot eliminate impurities. Buddha activity has the additional long-term benefit of reducing the negativity of beings so a fourth example of Brahma is needed. Brahma can have a very positive influence on those who are directly around him, but he cannot be compared to the Buddha because he cannot remove the seed of the negativity.
[374] In the fifth example the sun dispels darkness but the sun can only dispel darkness during the day and at night the darkness returns, while Buddha activity can permanently dispel the darkness of ignorance. This makes it necessary for a sixth example to show the endless work of Buddha activity. In the seventh example the wish-
? fulfilling gem is solid, while the Buddha performs his activity while being completely non-existent creating a need for another example showing emptiness.
[375] The echo in the seventh example illustrates the non- existent quality but an echo must have a person and a rock to reflect the sound for an echo, while buddha activity is always present without any other conditions. So in the eighth example space is compared to buddha activity because it is always there and is naturally changeless, but
one cannot say space is the source of all the good qualities that arise, while buddha activity is the ground from which all happiness and all good qualities of Buddhahood arisd. So one needs the ninth example of the earth.
[376] The last example compares buddha activity with the earth showing that buddha activity is the ground from which all the qualities of enlightenment arise. Buddha activity is the ground from which the ultimate qualities of the Buddha, the levels of the bodhisattva, the qualities of
meditation, and the immeasurable virtues of the Buddhas arise.
? CHAPTER 11
The Benefits o f the Text
[377] The Uttara Tantra shows that all beings possess buddha essence. How these qualities manifest, what qualities develop once enlightenment has been achieved, what qualities will develop from enlightenment, and how these qualities continue to help all sentient beings are the four points of the Uttara Tantra. These are called the four inconceivables because most beings, including bodhi- sattvas, cannot understand these points directly.
[378] These points are inconceivable but the wise, meaning those with intelligence, diligence, and faith, will become a vessel for the multitude of buddha qualities. To have great faith and sincere aspiration and an indirect idea of what these qualities are is a good condition because one becomes a vessel to achieve all the qualities of freedom and maturity of the Buddha. So the Uttara Tantra is like the first step towards realizing the qualities of a Buddha because it gives one the confidence that one can actually achieve enlightenment. Those who have interest in these
qualities are planting the garden of delight in their minds and from these qualities all the virtues grow. It is the same as if one has planted a root which will give rise to a tree and grow. However, without planting a root, there is no hope of having a tree. Once one has planted a very strong root of virtue, it will grow until realization. Somebody with
? this type of virtue surpasses the virtue of any other beings, because it's the virtue that will bring one to the qualities. Studying and meditating on the Uttara Tantra causes greater benefit than practicing generosity, skillful conduct,
or patience.
The subject of this text is very precious because if
someone studies this text, it will definitely help him or her reach Buddhahood. Although this text is inconceivable to ordinary beings, if one studies this teaching with faith and practices it accordingly, one will reach Buddhahood. In more detail:
[379] Suppose a bodhisattva practices great generosity to reach enlightenment. Every day he or she would make as many offerings of golden lands adorned with jewels as there are atoms in the buddha lands. If another bodhisattva
just heard the words of this text and understood that this teaching is really a direct cause for reaching enlightenment and with faith and inspiration was moved to achieve enlightenment, this bodhisattva would have more virtue than the other bodhisattva who was making the offerings. [380] A second example shows how even the virtue of keeping very pure moral conduct is eclipsed by the feeling
of faith for this teaching. If a person aspires for enlightenment by keeping immaculate conduct of body, speech, and mind for eons and eons so that all bad actions are given up effortlessly were compared with a person inspired by this text, and had great enthusiasm, great joy, faith, and devotion, the virtue of the latter person would be much greater.
[381] Suppose someone had practiced meditative stabilUy to extinguish the fire of defilements that leads to the existence in the three dimensions of samsara and through
? this meditation had extinguished the fire of these defile- ments. If this person were compared to someone studying and practicing this text, the benefits of studying and practicing the text would be greater than the practice of meditative stability.
[382] How is it possible that the virtue of simply hearing this teaching and feeling interest and faith in it would be greater than the virtue that comes from very great generosity, skillful conduct, or meditative stability? The answer is that generosity brings affluence, the practice of skillful conduct brings rebirth in higher realms, and the practice of meditation decreases defilements. The Uttara Tantra, however, teaches the inconceivable points which can lead to prajna. The development of prajna decreases one's obscurations and as a result one develops the understanding and the qualities of realization which are the first steps toward Buddhahood. Hearing this teaching and developing an interest in it will cause one to achieve Buddhahood so the development of prajna is better than the development of other virtues.
There is a further benefit of this teaching. The Uttara Tantra teaches that there is buddha essence in all beings, but it is veiled by transitory obscurations. However, these can be removed so that enlightenment manifests. When this has happened there isn't a vacuum, but one develops full possession of the qualities of freedom and maturity. With the possession of these qualities, then spontaneously, effortlessly, and ceaselessly one will work for the benefit of all beings.
What is taught in the Uttara Tantra constitutes the exclusive domain of knowledge of all of the Buddhas. But if one hears this teaching and studies it, one will begin to
? understand that one already has the seed of Buddhahood in oneself and knowing this, one will be confident of becoming Buddha. So once one has heard this teaching and believed it, it would become the cause of becoming a Buddha. If one understands the four inconceivables, then this understanding will effortlessly give rise to the qualities of strong aspiration, diligence, mindfulness, meditative stability, prajna, and so on. These qualities will arise spontaneously and the bodhicitta wish to achieve
enlightenment to liberate all other beings will grow.
[388] Once we have understood these teachings, we won't fall back and the virtue we have accumulated will be brought to perfection by the practice of the other five paramitas. This is because when we study this teaching with aspiration,. \\e will develop a quality which is opposed to thinking in terms of "I" and "other. " This teaching can then vanquish triplistic thought and by vanquishing these thoughts we will be made complete and pure.
[389] Through the five paramitas of generosity, conduct,
patience, meditation, and exertion virtue is gathered. The virtue that comes from generosity is gathered through giving; the virtue from skillful conduct is gathered by keeping very pure conduct; the virtue of meditative patience and meditative stability comes from practice; and the virtue that comes from exertion comes from diligence in practicing all other qualities.
[390] The next benefit of knowing this teaching and practicing it correctly is that it helps eliminate obscurations. The cognitive obscurations are those of triplistic thougnts, meaning that one divides all actions into a subject, object, and the action between them. For example, with generosity the outer object may be the poor
? person, the subject may be a bodhisattva, and the action is what is given. Believing these links are real will make the generosity impure and create a cognitive obscuration. Emotional obscurations are negative thoughts such as those of greed which would prevent generosity. These obscurations keep us from enlightenment and with them, there is no way to achieve liberation. Even diligent practice of the paramitas will not eliminate these obscurations. The only way to eliminate obscurations is through prajna. This is why the practice of prajna is so important. We can develop prajna by studying sutras or the sastras on the profound teachings pertaining to absolute truth. This is why the cause for developing prajna is the study of the profound topics and why studying the Uttara Tantra is so important.
How the Uttara Tantra was Composed
[392] First, the Uttara Tantra was written by Asanga as a result of Buddha Maitreya's teachings. It was based on the words of the Buddha and written in accordance with the sutras, particularly two sutras about absolute truth.
Second, besides relying on the words of the Buddha, Asanga relied on logical reasoning to clarify doubts. He also used the direct cognition of the yogis. His purpose was to purify the buddha essence which is the very nature of the dharmakaya and help those who aspire to the mahayana path to achieve Buddhahood. One might think that if scriptural sources are used, one doesn't need to use logic. But a combination of both scriptures and logic is required. For example, if one looks at objects, one needs an external condition of a light of some sort such as the sun or a lamp
? and one needs an inner condition of good eyesight. It isn't enough to have just one condition. In the same way, a combination of the outer condition of knowledge of the meanings of the words and the inner condition of logical reasoning are needed to understand what the Buddha said.
Third, one needs to determine if one can trust these teachings of the Buddha. The teachings of the great sages remove all defilements connected with the three realms and show the benefit of peace. So, authentic teachings have to show the possibility of achieving nirvana and be closely connected with the dharma. They should remove the
defilements of all three dimensions of samsara and should give peace of mind once liberation is achieved. A teaching without these characteristics wouldn't be the Buddha's teachings.
The sastras, while not the Buddha's words, are worthy of respect and have the following characteristics. They should not be written out of a desire for fame, but written to help spread the teachings and help other beings on the path. Authors of the Sastras don't follow their fancy, but write with a completely unobstructed mind strictly in accordance with the Buddha's teachings. Their works also have the quality of being conducive to the path of liberation so it is possible through practicing the sastras to achieve liberation because these teachings are in harmony with the conditions that lead to liberation. Because those
who compose the sastras have pure motivation and because the teachings are so close to what the Buddha said himself, they are worthy of being placed on one's head in the same way one would place the words of the Buddha himself. 9
9 It is Tibetan custom that when one receives a religious object, one touches it to the lop of one's head to receive a blessing from it.
? [396] The Buddha has total knowledge of the nature of phenomena because of his complete purity. The bodhisattvas have many but not all of these characteristics. Whatever the Buddha taught in the sutras shouldn't be adulterated, meaning one shouldn't say that this part of the teaching is correct, but that part is not. This would be mixing everything up and the true teaching would be destroyed.
[397] Since dharma is so valuable, it is very harmful to abandon it. One might give up the dharma by not under- standing things the way they really are and therefore have contempt for the teachings. This happens because these persons are so attached to and involved their own ideas, that they can never change their minds. For example, one can dye a clean piece of cloth any color, but if it has grease stains on it, one can never dye it properly. In the same way, if the mind is clouded by fixed views even though it is exposed to the dharma, it just will not change its own ideas. This is an indirect cause for abandoning dharma. [398] A more direct cause of not making spiritual
progress is not having very good intelligence so that one does not understand the nature of phenomena. Another is the absence of an aspiration to goodness. Without this there's no wish to help other beings or to do anything good. When this aspiration is absent, everything becomes polluted and generates wrong views such as giving up the dharma. One may have great pride, boasting of qualities one doesn't possess. Or one may not have been exposed to
dharma in a previous life and obviously not practiced much and as a result, one is quite heavily obscured by ignorance. The next cause is being so heavily obscured that one confuses the expedient meaning of the Buddha's teaching
? with the absolute meaning or vice versa.
In addition, there are the six causes of wrong associa-
tions. If one associates closely with those who reject the dharma; if one avoids those who hold the teachings; if one has a low level of aspiration and enjoys things that are in contradiction with the dharma, then the teaching of the Buddha are likely to be abandoned. This is why one should know these causes and should try and eliminate them.
[399] Those who understand the dharma need not fear fire, venomous snakes, murderers, or lightning. One should instead fear losing the dharma because fire, snakes, murders, etc. can only make one lose one's life, but to lose the dharma causes the terrible sufferings of the lower realms and the suffering of samsara. Therefore losing the teachings is more dangerous than anything else.
[400] If one associates very closely with friends who en- courage one to do what is wrong, then very negative things will develop. Under this bad influence one may wish to kill the Buddha or kill one's own father, mother, or an arhat. One may also try to create a division among the sangha. These are the worst possible actions and are called the five actions of immediate result which means that when one dies, one falls immediately into the worst possible realm. There are even worse actions, but if one does these acts and then realizes the magnitude of these actions, one may use the four remedial powers to purify oneself and even reach liberation. So even these five very bad actions won't have such bad results if one is capable of purifying them. However, if one has wrong views of the dharma and
dislikes it strongly in the short term, it doesn't seem so bad, but in the long-term it could be very dangerous because one will remain involved with outer thing? , not
? seeing one's good qualities, and one may embark on the wrong path. Until one has given up the wrong attitude towards the dharma, one will never be able to reach liberation. If one never thinks in terms of reaching liberation, then one will never get there. This then is worse than committing the five actions of immediate results because with this attitude there is no prospect of ever obtaining liberation. This is why one must be careful of those who dislike of the dharma and those with wrong views.
Dedication
[401] The dedication is a wisdom prayer to Amitayus and is also a summary of the whole text. It begins with the prayer that whatever virtue Maitreya has obtained through properly explaining these seven vajra points may all beings be able to meet Amitayus who is the sage of boundless life and endowed with limitless life. To see him in his sambhogakaya form has a short-term benefit of having long life and a long-term benefit of being able to achieve perfect enlightenment once one's dharma eyes have been opened.
[402] Following is a recapitulation of this concluding chapter on the benefits of the text. The line "on what basis" refers to the first two lines of verse 392 stating the text was composed from the words of the Buddha and on the basis of logical reasoning. The two lines of this stanza answer the question "for which reasons" which is in order to purify oneself and to help other beings reach Buddhahood. The question "in which way" is answered in stanza 393 which states it was given by relying on the Buddha's teaching and
? relying on Maitreya's understanding using the example of the necessity of light and eyes to see something properly. "That which has been explained" refers to stanza 394 ort how to recognize a true Buddhist teaching and the Sastras which are defined in stanza 395.
[403] Next are the means for purifying oneself. One shouldn't change any of the Buddha's teachings and one should practice them as properly as possible (referring to stanzas 396 and 397). Then it refers to the causes for the loss of dharma (stanza 398) and what would be the results of this loss (stanzas 399 and 400). The immediate result is being reborn in a lower state, the ultimate result is being deprived of a choice for liberation for a long time.
[404] The last stanza of the text refers to the dedication (stanza 401) and shows the short-term and the long-term fruition. Through practice and dedication of virtue one can be born in the mandala of the Buddha, see the sambhogakaya aspect of the Buddha, and therefore be able to see the true nature of everything and achieve supreme enlightenment. This shows that if one attains the relative level of enlightenment of a bodhisattva, one is in the company of the sambhogakaya Buddha and once the dharma eyes are opened, one achieves the ultimate level of
enlightenment.
Summary
We Buddhists have to follow the path outlined by the Buddha. We have to practice according to what the Buddha taught in the sutras and the tantras and we should understand them just as they are. However, the sUtraS sometimes were answers to a given situation or a disciple's
? particular question and sometimes the Buddha would answer questions based on the understanding suitable to his audience at the time. So sometimes the sutras were quite difficult to understand because some passages are extremely clear and others less clear. Also a sutra would specialize in a particular topic so if one wanted to know the general concepts of Buddhism, one had to read sutras scattered throughout various books. This is why most Buddhists in Tibet resorted to studying the sastras. These made the deeper meaning of Buddha's words more accessible and they didn't change the meaning of the dharma. This is why the sastras were so extremely important.
The Uttara Tantra was composed by Maitreya who was no ordinary being because he is a representative of the Buddhas and will be the next Buddha in our world. So he is the most superior author of the Sastra that one could find. The Uttara Tantra was translated from Sanskrit to Tibetan by the great scholar Sadzana who was the nephew of Brahmin Ratnavajra, he who was from the "City of Glory" which we believe is the city of Srinagari, but we are not completely sure. It was also translated in that same City of Glory by the Tibetan monk Loden Sherab.
? Glossary
Technical Terms used in this Text
abhidharma (Tib. chd ngdn pa) The Buddhist teachings are often divided into the sutras (the teachings of the Buddha), the vinaya (teachings on conduct) and the abhidharma (the analysis of phenomena).
absolute truth (Skt. paramartha satya Tib. dondam) There are two truths or views of reality--relative truth which is seeing things as ordinary beings do with the dualism of "I" and "other" and absolute truth, also called ultimate truth, which is transcending duality and seeing things as they are.
arhats (Tib. dra chom pa) Accomplished hinayana practioncrs who have eliminated the kleSa obscurations. They are fully realized sravakas and pratyekabuddha.
bhumi (Tib. sa) The levels or stages a bodhisattva goes through to reach enlightenment. Also called the bodhisattva levels and usually described as consisting of ten levels in the sutra tradition and 13 in the tantra tradition.
bodhicitta (Tib. chang chup chi sem) Literally, the mind of enlightenment. There are two kinds of bodhicitta--absolute or completely awakened mind that sees the emptiness of phenomena and relative bodhicitta which is the aspiration to practice the six paramitas and free all beings from the sufferings of samsara.
bodhisattva (Tib. chang chup sem pa) An person who has committed him or herself to the mahayana path of compassion and the practice of the six paramitas to free beings from samsara.
buddha nature (Sk. tathSgatagarbha, Tib. deshin shekpai nying po) The original nature present in all beings which when realized leads to enlightenment. It is often called the essence of Buddhahood or
enlightened essence and is the topic of the Uttara Tantra.
Buddha ? akyamuni The Buddha, often called the Gautama Buddha, who is the latest Buddha and lived between 563 and 483 B. C. buddhakayas See kayas.
cakravartin (Tib. khor lo gur pa) A cakravartin, also called a universal monarch, is a king who propagates the dharma and starts a
new era.
? CittamStra school (Tib. sem tsampa) A school founded by Asanga in the fourth century and is usually translated as the Mind Only School.
It is one of the four major schools in the mahayana tradition and its main tenet (to greatly simplify) is that all phenomena are menial events, clear light (Skt. prabhasvara, Tib. dsef) A subtle state of mind and according to tantric teachings is the state of mind that highest realization is attained.
dharma (Tib. cho) Dharma has two main meanings: Any truth such as the sky is blue; second, as it is used in this text, the teachings of the Buddha (also called buddhadharma).
dharma of realization (Tib. tog pa chd) The dharma teachings which have been derived from direct realization. These contrast with dharma of statements.
dharma of statements (Tib. lung gi chd) Teachings based on the Buddhist scriptures. Also called scriptural dharma or the teachings of the Tripitaka.
dharmacakra (Skt. for "wheel of dharma," Tib. cho chi khor lo ) The Buddha's teachings correspond to three levels: the hinayana, the mahayana and the vajraySna with each set being one turning of the wheel of dharma.
dharmadhatu (Tib. chd ying) The all-encompassing space which is unoriginated and without beginning out of which all phenomena arise. The Sanskrit means "the essence of phenomena" and the Tibetan means "the expanse of phenomena" but usually it refers to the emptiness which is the essence of phenomena,
dharmakaya (Tib. chd ku) One of the three bodies of buddhahood. It is enlightenment itself, that is wisdom beyond refer nee point. See kayas, three.
dharmata (Tib. chd nyi) Dharmata is often translated as "suchness" or "the true nature of things" or "things as they are. " It is phenomena as it really is or as seen by a completely enlightened being without any distortion or obscuration so one can say it is "reality. "
eight mental fabrications Not having the eight mental fabrications is to be without a beginning, without a cessation, without nihilism, without etemalism, without going, without coming, not being separate, and not being non-separate.
five actions of immediate result These actions such as killing one's guru which cause one to be reborn immediately in the hell realm upon death.
? five aggregrates (Ski. skandha, Tib. pung po nga) Literally "heaps" are the five basic transformations that perceptions undergo when an object is perceived. These are form, feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness.
five levels of practice See paths, five.
form kayas (Sk. rupakaya) The sambhogakaya and the nirmanakaya. four extremes These are a belief in the existence of everything ("etemalism"), a belief that nothing exists ("nihilism"), a belief that things exist and don't exist, and a belie, that reality is something other than existence and non-existence.
four fearlessnesses (SkL catvZravaifaradya, Tib. mi jig pa) The four stages to be attained by bodhisattvas. They are being fearless in
abandoning all faults, fearless of complete realization, fearless in showing the path to others, and fearless in pointing out obscurations on the path.
four inconceivables or immeasurables (Skt. calvary apramanani, Tib. isad med pa) The four qualities that one achieves with complete enlightenment. Being inconceivable to ordinary persons they arc loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity,
four noble truths (Tib. pak pay den pa shi) The first teaching of the Buddha and the foundation of Buddhism. These are the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the cessation of suffering, and the eightfold path to enlightenment,
four particularities These are the characteristics of buddha nature when it manifests as complete enlightenment. They arc lucid clarity, purity, possessing characteristics of enlightenment, and the presence of nonconccptual andanalyticaljudgement
four unfavorable obstacles The four obstacles in reaching complete enlightenment are a dislike of the dharma, a strong belief in self, fear of suffering on the path, and lack of motivation to help others, ground, path, and fruition A logical method for describing something used in many Buddhist works. First one describes the causal conditions (ground), then the coming together of these causcs towards some goal (path), and finally the result (fruition),
hinayana (Tib. lek pa chung wa) Literally means "the lesser vehicle" which refers to the first teachings of the Buddha such as the four noble truths that developed into the 18 early schools of Buddhism. ATso called the Theravadinpath,
how-it-is see knowledge of how-it-is.
? hungry ghosts (Skt. preta, Tib. yidak ) A type of being who is always starved for food and water. Sec the six realms of samsara.
jnana (Tib. yeshe) Enlightened wisdom which is beyond dualistic thought.
Kagyu (Tib. ) One of the four major schools of Buddhism in Tibet headed by His Holiness Karmapa. The other three schools are the Nyingmapas, the Sakyas, and the Gelupas.
kalpa (Tib. kal pa) An eon which lasts in the order of millions of years.
karma (Tib. lay) Literally means "action" and karma is a natural law stating that when one does a wholesome action, one's circumstances will improve; when one does an un-wholesome action negative results will eventually occur from the act.
kayas, three (Tib. ku) The three bodies of the Buddha: the nirmanakaya, sambhogakaya and dharmakaya. The dharmakaya (the "truth body"), is the complete enlightenment of the Buddha which is unoriginated wisdom beyond form and manifests in the sambhogakaya and the nirmanakaya. The sambhogakaya (the "enjoyment body"), manifests only to bodhisattvas. The nirmanakaya (the "emanation body") manifests in the ordinary world and in the context of the Uttara Tantra manifests as the Sakyamuni Buddha.
kle? a (Tib. nydn mong) These are the emotional (in contrast to intellectual) obscurations and are often called "mind poison" and translated as "defilements" in this text. The three main poisons are ataachment (also translated as desire), aggression (anger or adversion) and ignorance (or delusion). The five poisons are these three plus pride and jealousy.
knowledge of how-it-is (Tib. ji ta ba) This is transcendent knowledge of the true nature of reality, not as it appears to individuals in samsara. knowledge of variety (Tib. ji nye pa. ) This is the transcendent knowledge of the variety of reality.
luminosity (Tib. sal wa) In the vajrayana everything is void, but this voidness is not completely empty because it has luminosity. Luminosity or luminous clarity allows all phenomena to appear and is a characteristic of emptiness (Skt. sunyata).
lung A Tibetan word for ritual reading. To perform a vajrayana practice, one must have a holder of the lineage read the text through (Tib. lung), give an explanation of the practice (Tib. tri) and give the empowerment for the practice (Tib. wang).
? madhyamaka (Tib. u ma) A philosophical school often called the Middle Way school founded by NagStrjuna in the 2nd century. The main principle of this school is proving that everything is devoid of any inherent independent reality, that is, the teachings of emptiness, mahamudrl (Tib. cha ja chen po) Literally means "great seal" and is the meditative transmission handed down especially by the Kagyu school.
mah&pandita A great Buddhist scholar (pandita).
mahayana (Tib. tck pa chen po) Literally means "great vehicle" and are the teachings of the second and third turning of the wheel of dharma that teach the path of a bodhisattva, compassion for all beings, and realization of emptiness.
Maitreya In this work this refers to the Bodhisattva Maitreya who lived at the time of the Buddha.
mSra (Tib. dud) Difficulties encountered by the practitioner. There ar;_ four kinds--skandhamSra which is incorrect view of self, klesamaia- which is being overpowered by negative emotions, mrtyumSra which is death and interrupts spiritual practice, and devaputramSra which is becoming stuck in the bliss that comes out of meditation,
mind only school. See Cittamatra.
nirm anakaya. See kayas.
nirvana (Tib. nya ngen lay day pa) Literally, "extinction" (of ignorance) and means liberation from samsara and suffering,
pandita A great scholar.
paramitas In SanskriL it means "perfections. " These are the six practices of the mahayana path: Perfection of generosity (dana), of discipline (slla), of patience (ksanti), of exertion (vlrya), of meditation (dhyana), and of knowledge (prajfia)
attachment, aggression and ignorance.
paths, five Traditionally, a practitioner goes through five stages or paths to enlightenment. These are The Path of Accumulation (Skt. sambharamarga) which emphasizes purifying one's obscurations and accumulating merit. The Path of Junction or Application (Skt. prayogamSrga) in which the meditator develops profound understanding of the four noble truths and cuts the root to the desre
realm. The Path of Insight or Seeing (Sk. darsanamarga) in which the meditator develops greater insight and enters the first bodhisattva level. The Path of Meditation (Skt. bhavanamarga) in which the meditator cultivates insight in the 2nd through 10th bodhisattva levels. And the
? Path of Fulfillment (Skt. aiaiksammarga) which is the complete attainment of buddhahood.
poisons, three The three poisons or major defilements also called desire or attachment, anger or aggression, and ignorance or bewilderment.
prajnS (Tib. she rab) In Sanskrit it means "perfect know-ledge" and can mean wisdom, understanding, intelligence, discrimination, or judgement according to context.
pratyekabuddha (Tib. rang sang gay) Literally means "solitary rcalizer" and in this text it is a realized hinayana practitioner who has achieved the jrtana of how-it-is and variety, but who has not committed him or herself to the bodhisattva path of helping others,
ratna (Tib. rin po che) Literally, a jewel but in this context refers to the three jewels which are the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha. relative truth (Tib. kunsop) There are two truths: relative and absolute. Relative truth is the perception of an ordinary (un- enlightened) person who secs the world with all his or her projections based on a false belief in ego.
rinpoche Literally, "very precious" and is used as a term of respect for a Tibetan guru.
salwa Tibetan for luminosity. In the vajrayana everything is void, but this voidness is not completely empty because it has luminosity. Luminosity or clarity allows all phenomena to appear and is a characteristic of emptiness (Sunyata).
samSdhi (Tib. ting nge dzin) An advanced state in which the mind is in one-pointed meditation. It is also called "meditative absorpiton. ? amatha (Tib. shi nay) See tranquility meditation,
sangha (Tib. gen dun) These are the companions on the path. They may be all the persons on the path or the noble sartgha which arc the realized ones.
sambhogakaya See the three kayas.
samsSra (Tib. kor wa) Conditioned existence which is characterized by suffering in ordinary life because one is still afflicted by attachment, aggression, and ignorance.
samvrtikSya There is the body of ultimate truth (Skt. paramarthakSya) and the body of relative truth (Skt. samvrtikaya). This is the
embodiment in relauve truth.
& stra (Tib. ten chff) The Buddhist teachings arc divided into words of the Buddha (the sutras) and the commentaries by others on the
? Buddha's works (Sastras).
six realms of sams&ra The possible types of rebirths for beings in samsara: the god realm in which gods have great pride, the asura realm in which the jealous gods try to maintain what they have, the human realm which is the best realm because one has the possiblity of achieving enlightenment, the animal realm characterized by stupidity, the hungry ghost realm characterized by great craving, and the hell realms characterized by aggression.
SrSvakas (Tib. nyon thos) Literally "those who hear" meaning disciples. A type of realized hinayana practioner (arhat) who has achieved the realization of the nonexistence of personal self.
stUpa (Tib. chd ten) A dome shaped monument to the Buddha which often contains relics and remains of the Buddha or great bodhisattvas.
sugatagarbha (Tib. der sheg nying po) Buddha nature or that enlightened essence present in all beings that allows them to have the capacity to achieve enlightenment. It is closely related to tathagStagarbha.
Sunyata (Tib. long pa nyi) Usually translated as "voidness" or "emptiness. " In the second turning of the wheel of dharma the Buddha (aught that external phenomena and internal phenomena are devoid of any real inherent existence.
sutra (Tib. do) These are the hinayana and mahayana teachings which are the words of the Sakyamuni Buddha. They are often contrasted with the Sastras.
supreme yogi An epithet for the Buddha,
svabhavikakaya Refers to the dharmakaya of the Buddha.
tathSgatas Literally, those who have gone to "thatness. " A title of the Buddhas.
tathatagatagarbha (Tib. de shin shek pay nying po) This is the seed or essence of tathata (suchness) and is also called buddha essence or enlightened essence.
ten powers of the Buddha These are special "miraculous" powers of the Buddha.
terma Literally means "hidden treasure" and are works hidden by great bodhisattvas and later rediscovered. They might be actual physical texts or they may come from "the sky" as transmissionstfrtom the sambhogakaya.
three jewels (Tib. kdn chok sum) These are the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha.
? three marks of existence These are the characteristics of impermanent objects and mean an object has a beginning, it has a solid existence in the present, and it decays or disintegrates into smaller constituents in the future.
tlrtbikas Religious people who believe in a personal self. Also referred to as icchantikas.
tranquility meditation (Sk. Samatha, Tib. shi nay) A basic meditation practice aimed at taming and sharpening the mind. It is also called basic sitting meditation.
Tripitaka Literally, the "three baskets. " These are the sntras (the narrative teachings of the Buddha), the vinaya (a code for monks and nuns) and the abhidharma (philosophical background of the dharma). triplistic thought Is believing in the solidity of relative reality by dividing all actions into subject and object and the exchange between the two. For example, on the relative level, one (subject) does a prostration (the action between) to a buddha statue (object).
Itaita heaven This is one of the heaven fields of the Buddha. Tusita is ? ?
in the sambhogakaya and therefore is not located in any place or time, twelve deeds of the Buddha Traditionally the Buddha per-formed 12 major deeds in his life.
updffya (Tib. tab) The skillful means used by enlightened beings to present the dharma taking the person's capabilities and propensities into account.
vajra (Tib. dorje) In Sanskrit a "thunderbolt" which was a weapon of Indra. In Tibet it generally means anything invincible or indestructible or "diamond-like. "
vajrayffna (Tib. dorje tek pa) One of the three major traditions of Buddhism (the hinayana, the mahayana and the vajrayana). The vajrayana was based on the tantras and became the major tradition of Tibet
victorious one One of the epitaths given to the Buddha,
vinaya (Tib. did wa) The teachings of the Buddha concerning proper conduct. Jhere are seven main precepts that may be observed by lay persons or various levels of monks and nuns.
wheel of dharma (Skt. dharmacarka) The Buddha's teachings correspond to three levels: the hinayana, the mahayana, and the vajrayana with each set being one turning.
ySna (Tib.
jnana of variety, the Buddha can act completely effortlessly and spontaneously.
[365] In the examples, the physical manifestation of the Buddha is represented by a lapis lazuli ground, the Buddha's speech by the drum of the gods, and the Buddha's mind by the clouds and so on.
? [372] Someone may think, "Well, one example would have been sufficient, why present all nine examples? " The reason is that buddha activity is so subtle that it cannot be represented by just one example. Examples have limita- tions and the limitations of each example call for another example. In the first example of the lapis lazuli ground, the limitation of the example is that Indra's reflection is only a physical reflection; but when the Buddha appears this
reflection is also accompanied by the sound of dharma giving rise to another example of the sound of dharma. The second example of the drum of the gods illustrates the effortless manifestation of the Buddha's speech, but it doesn't go far enough because the drum is sometimes beneficial and sometimes not depending on whether people take heed to what is heard. All the words of the Buddha's speech, however, help beings to reach spiritual maturity all the time.
[373] The third example of a rain cloud doesn't go far enough because a rain cloud can bring short-term benefit to beings, but it cannot eliminate impurities. Buddha activity has the additional long-term benefit of reducing the negativity of beings so a fourth example of Brahma is needed. Brahma can have a very positive influence on those who are directly around him, but he cannot be compared to the Buddha because he cannot remove the seed of the negativity.
[374] In the fifth example the sun dispels darkness but the sun can only dispel darkness during the day and at night the darkness returns, while Buddha activity can permanently dispel the darkness of ignorance. This makes it necessary for a sixth example to show the endless work of Buddha activity. In the seventh example the wish-
? fulfilling gem is solid, while the Buddha performs his activity while being completely non-existent creating a need for another example showing emptiness.
[375] The echo in the seventh example illustrates the non- existent quality but an echo must have a person and a rock to reflect the sound for an echo, while buddha activity is always present without any other conditions. So in the eighth example space is compared to buddha activity because it is always there and is naturally changeless, but
one cannot say space is the source of all the good qualities that arise, while buddha activity is the ground from which all happiness and all good qualities of Buddhahood arisd. So one needs the ninth example of the earth.
[376] The last example compares buddha activity with the earth showing that buddha activity is the ground from which all the qualities of enlightenment arise. Buddha activity is the ground from which the ultimate qualities of the Buddha, the levels of the bodhisattva, the qualities of
meditation, and the immeasurable virtues of the Buddhas arise.
? CHAPTER 11
The Benefits o f the Text
[377] The Uttara Tantra shows that all beings possess buddha essence. How these qualities manifest, what qualities develop once enlightenment has been achieved, what qualities will develop from enlightenment, and how these qualities continue to help all sentient beings are the four points of the Uttara Tantra. These are called the four inconceivables because most beings, including bodhi- sattvas, cannot understand these points directly.
[378] These points are inconceivable but the wise, meaning those with intelligence, diligence, and faith, will become a vessel for the multitude of buddha qualities. To have great faith and sincere aspiration and an indirect idea of what these qualities are is a good condition because one becomes a vessel to achieve all the qualities of freedom and maturity of the Buddha. So the Uttara Tantra is like the first step towards realizing the qualities of a Buddha because it gives one the confidence that one can actually achieve enlightenment. Those who have interest in these
qualities are planting the garden of delight in their minds and from these qualities all the virtues grow. It is the same as if one has planted a root which will give rise to a tree and grow. However, without planting a root, there is no hope of having a tree. Once one has planted a very strong root of virtue, it will grow until realization. Somebody with
? this type of virtue surpasses the virtue of any other beings, because it's the virtue that will bring one to the qualities. Studying and meditating on the Uttara Tantra causes greater benefit than practicing generosity, skillful conduct,
or patience.
The subject of this text is very precious because if
someone studies this text, it will definitely help him or her reach Buddhahood. Although this text is inconceivable to ordinary beings, if one studies this teaching with faith and practices it accordingly, one will reach Buddhahood. In more detail:
[379] Suppose a bodhisattva practices great generosity to reach enlightenment. Every day he or she would make as many offerings of golden lands adorned with jewels as there are atoms in the buddha lands. If another bodhisattva
just heard the words of this text and understood that this teaching is really a direct cause for reaching enlightenment and with faith and inspiration was moved to achieve enlightenment, this bodhisattva would have more virtue than the other bodhisattva who was making the offerings. [380] A second example shows how even the virtue of keeping very pure moral conduct is eclipsed by the feeling
of faith for this teaching. If a person aspires for enlightenment by keeping immaculate conduct of body, speech, and mind for eons and eons so that all bad actions are given up effortlessly were compared with a person inspired by this text, and had great enthusiasm, great joy, faith, and devotion, the virtue of the latter person would be much greater.
[381] Suppose someone had practiced meditative stabilUy to extinguish the fire of defilements that leads to the existence in the three dimensions of samsara and through
? this meditation had extinguished the fire of these defile- ments. If this person were compared to someone studying and practicing this text, the benefits of studying and practicing the text would be greater than the practice of meditative stability.
[382] How is it possible that the virtue of simply hearing this teaching and feeling interest and faith in it would be greater than the virtue that comes from very great generosity, skillful conduct, or meditative stability? The answer is that generosity brings affluence, the practice of skillful conduct brings rebirth in higher realms, and the practice of meditation decreases defilements. The Uttara Tantra, however, teaches the inconceivable points which can lead to prajna. The development of prajna decreases one's obscurations and as a result one develops the understanding and the qualities of realization which are the first steps toward Buddhahood. Hearing this teaching and developing an interest in it will cause one to achieve Buddhahood so the development of prajna is better than the development of other virtues.
There is a further benefit of this teaching. The Uttara Tantra teaches that there is buddha essence in all beings, but it is veiled by transitory obscurations. However, these can be removed so that enlightenment manifests. When this has happened there isn't a vacuum, but one develops full possession of the qualities of freedom and maturity. With the possession of these qualities, then spontaneously, effortlessly, and ceaselessly one will work for the benefit of all beings.
What is taught in the Uttara Tantra constitutes the exclusive domain of knowledge of all of the Buddhas. But if one hears this teaching and studies it, one will begin to
? understand that one already has the seed of Buddhahood in oneself and knowing this, one will be confident of becoming Buddha. So once one has heard this teaching and believed it, it would become the cause of becoming a Buddha. If one understands the four inconceivables, then this understanding will effortlessly give rise to the qualities of strong aspiration, diligence, mindfulness, meditative stability, prajna, and so on. These qualities will arise spontaneously and the bodhicitta wish to achieve
enlightenment to liberate all other beings will grow.
[388] Once we have understood these teachings, we won't fall back and the virtue we have accumulated will be brought to perfection by the practice of the other five paramitas. This is because when we study this teaching with aspiration,. \\e will develop a quality which is opposed to thinking in terms of "I" and "other. " This teaching can then vanquish triplistic thought and by vanquishing these thoughts we will be made complete and pure.
[389] Through the five paramitas of generosity, conduct,
patience, meditation, and exertion virtue is gathered. The virtue that comes from generosity is gathered through giving; the virtue from skillful conduct is gathered by keeping very pure conduct; the virtue of meditative patience and meditative stability comes from practice; and the virtue that comes from exertion comes from diligence in practicing all other qualities.
[390] The next benefit of knowing this teaching and practicing it correctly is that it helps eliminate obscurations. The cognitive obscurations are those of triplistic thougnts, meaning that one divides all actions into a subject, object, and the action between them. For example, with generosity the outer object may be the poor
? person, the subject may be a bodhisattva, and the action is what is given. Believing these links are real will make the generosity impure and create a cognitive obscuration. Emotional obscurations are negative thoughts such as those of greed which would prevent generosity. These obscurations keep us from enlightenment and with them, there is no way to achieve liberation. Even diligent practice of the paramitas will not eliminate these obscurations. The only way to eliminate obscurations is through prajna. This is why the practice of prajna is so important. We can develop prajna by studying sutras or the sastras on the profound teachings pertaining to absolute truth. This is why the cause for developing prajna is the study of the profound topics and why studying the Uttara Tantra is so important.
How the Uttara Tantra was Composed
[392] First, the Uttara Tantra was written by Asanga as a result of Buddha Maitreya's teachings. It was based on the words of the Buddha and written in accordance with the sutras, particularly two sutras about absolute truth.
Second, besides relying on the words of the Buddha, Asanga relied on logical reasoning to clarify doubts. He also used the direct cognition of the yogis. His purpose was to purify the buddha essence which is the very nature of the dharmakaya and help those who aspire to the mahayana path to achieve Buddhahood. One might think that if scriptural sources are used, one doesn't need to use logic. But a combination of both scriptures and logic is required. For example, if one looks at objects, one needs an external condition of a light of some sort such as the sun or a lamp
? and one needs an inner condition of good eyesight. It isn't enough to have just one condition. In the same way, a combination of the outer condition of knowledge of the meanings of the words and the inner condition of logical reasoning are needed to understand what the Buddha said.
Third, one needs to determine if one can trust these teachings of the Buddha. The teachings of the great sages remove all defilements connected with the three realms and show the benefit of peace. So, authentic teachings have to show the possibility of achieving nirvana and be closely connected with the dharma. They should remove the
defilements of all three dimensions of samsara and should give peace of mind once liberation is achieved. A teaching without these characteristics wouldn't be the Buddha's teachings.
The sastras, while not the Buddha's words, are worthy of respect and have the following characteristics. They should not be written out of a desire for fame, but written to help spread the teachings and help other beings on the path. Authors of the Sastras don't follow their fancy, but write with a completely unobstructed mind strictly in accordance with the Buddha's teachings. Their works also have the quality of being conducive to the path of liberation so it is possible through practicing the sastras to achieve liberation because these teachings are in harmony with the conditions that lead to liberation. Because those
who compose the sastras have pure motivation and because the teachings are so close to what the Buddha said himself, they are worthy of being placed on one's head in the same way one would place the words of the Buddha himself. 9
9 It is Tibetan custom that when one receives a religious object, one touches it to the lop of one's head to receive a blessing from it.
? [396] The Buddha has total knowledge of the nature of phenomena because of his complete purity. The bodhisattvas have many but not all of these characteristics. Whatever the Buddha taught in the sutras shouldn't be adulterated, meaning one shouldn't say that this part of the teaching is correct, but that part is not. This would be mixing everything up and the true teaching would be destroyed.
[397] Since dharma is so valuable, it is very harmful to abandon it. One might give up the dharma by not under- standing things the way they really are and therefore have contempt for the teachings. This happens because these persons are so attached to and involved their own ideas, that they can never change their minds. For example, one can dye a clean piece of cloth any color, but if it has grease stains on it, one can never dye it properly. In the same way, if the mind is clouded by fixed views even though it is exposed to the dharma, it just will not change its own ideas. This is an indirect cause for abandoning dharma. [398] A more direct cause of not making spiritual
progress is not having very good intelligence so that one does not understand the nature of phenomena. Another is the absence of an aspiration to goodness. Without this there's no wish to help other beings or to do anything good. When this aspiration is absent, everything becomes polluted and generates wrong views such as giving up the dharma. One may have great pride, boasting of qualities one doesn't possess. Or one may not have been exposed to
dharma in a previous life and obviously not practiced much and as a result, one is quite heavily obscured by ignorance. The next cause is being so heavily obscured that one confuses the expedient meaning of the Buddha's teaching
? with the absolute meaning or vice versa.
In addition, there are the six causes of wrong associa-
tions. If one associates closely with those who reject the dharma; if one avoids those who hold the teachings; if one has a low level of aspiration and enjoys things that are in contradiction with the dharma, then the teaching of the Buddha are likely to be abandoned. This is why one should know these causes and should try and eliminate them.
[399] Those who understand the dharma need not fear fire, venomous snakes, murderers, or lightning. One should instead fear losing the dharma because fire, snakes, murders, etc. can only make one lose one's life, but to lose the dharma causes the terrible sufferings of the lower realms and the suffering of samsara. Therefore losing the teachings is more dangerous than anything else.
[400] If one associates very closely with friends who en- courage one to do what is wrong, then very negative things will develop. Under this bad influence one may wish to kill the Buddha or kill one's own father, mother, or an arhat. One may also try to create a division among the sangha. These are the worst possible actions and are called the five actions of immediate result which means that when one dies, one falls immediately into the worst possible realm. There are even worse actions, but if one does these acts and then realizes the magnitude of these actions, one may use the four remedial powers to purify oneself and even reach liberation. So even these five very bad actions won't have such bad results if one is capable of purifying them. However, if one has wrong views of the dharma and
dislikes it strongly in the short term, it doesn't seem so bad, but in the long-term it could be very dangerous because one will remain involved with outer thing? , not
? seeing one's good qualities, and one may embark on the wrong path. Until one has given up the wrong attitude towards the dharma, one will never be able to reach liberation. If one never thinks in terms of reaching liberation, then one will never get there. This then is worse than committing the five actions of immediate results because with this attitude there is no prospect of ever obtaining liberation. This is why one must be careful of those who dislike of the dharma and those with wrong views.
Dedication
[401] The dedication is a wisdom prayer to Amitayus and is also a summary of the whole text. It begins with the prayer that whatever virtue Maitreya has obtained through properly explaining these seven vajra points may all beings be able to meet Amitayus who is the sage of boundless life and endowed with limitless life. To see him in his sambhogakaya form has a short-term benefit of having long life and a long-term benefit of being able to achieve perfect enlightenment once one's dharma eyes have been opened.
[402] Following is a recapitulation of this concluding chapter on the benefits of the text. The line "on what basis" refers to the first two lines of verse 392 stating the text was composed from the words of the Buddha and on the basis of logical reasoning. The two lines of this stanza answer the question "for which reasons" which is in order to purify oneself and to help other beings reach Buddhahood. The question "in which way" is answered in stanza 393 which states it was given by relying on the Buddha's teaching and
? relying on Maitreya's understanding using the example of the necessity of light and eyes to see something properly. "That which has been explained" refers to stanza 394 ort how to recognize a true Buddhist teaching and the Sastras which are defined in stanza 395.
[403] Next are the means for purifying oneself. One shouldn't change any of the Buddha's teachings and one should practice them as properly as possible (referring to stanzas 396 and 397). Then it refers to the causes for the loss of dharma (stanza 398) and what would be the results of this loss (stanzas 399 and 400). The immediate result is being reborn in a lower state, the ultimate result is being deprived of a choice for liberation for a long time.
[404] The last stanza of the text refers to the dedication (stanza 401) and shows the short-term and the long-term fruition. Through practice and dedication of virtue one can be born in the mandala of the Buddha, see the sambhogakaya aspect of the Buddha, and therefore be able to see the true nature of everything and achieve supreme enlightenment. This shows that if one attains the relative level of enlightenment of a bodhisattva, one is in the company of the sambhogakaya Buddha and once the dharma eyes are opened, one achieves the ultimate level of
enlightenment.
Summary
We Buddhists have to follow the path outlined by the Buddha. We have to practice according to what the Buddha taught in the sutras and the tantras and we should understand them just as they are. However, the sUtraS sometimes were answers to a given situation or a disciple's
? particular question and sometimes the Buddha would answer questions based on the understanding suitable to his audience at the time. So sometimes the sutras were quite difficult to understand because some passages are extremely clear and others less clear. Also a sutra would specialize in a particular topic so if one wanted to know the general concepts of Buddhism, one had to read sutras scattered throughout various books. This is why most Buddhists in Tibet resorted to studying the sastras. These made the deeper meaning of Buddha's words more accessible and they didn't change the meaning of the dharma. This is why the sastras were so extremely important.
The Uttara Tantra was composed by Maitreya who was no ordinary being because he is a representative of the Buddhas and will be the next Buddha in our world. So he is the most superior author of the Sastra that one could find. The Uttara Tantra was translated from Sanskrit to Tibetan by the great scholar Sadzana who was the nephew of Brahmin Ratnavajra, he who was from the "City of Glory" which we believe is the city of Srinagari, but we are not completely sure. It was also translated in that same City of Glory by the Tibetan monk Loden Sherab.
? Glossary
Technical Terms used in this Text
abhidharma (Tib. chd ngdn pa) The Buddhist teachings are often divided into the sutras (the teachings of the Buddha), the vinaya (teachings on conduct) and the abhidharma (the analysis of phenomena).
absolute truth (Skt. paramartha satya Tib. dondam) There are two truths or views of reality--relative truth which is seeing things as ordinary beings do with the dualism of "I" and "other" and absolute truth, also called ultimate truth, which is transcending duality and seeing things as they are.
arhats (Tib. dra chom pa) Accomplished hinayana practioncrs who have eliminated the kleSa obscurations. They are fully realized sravakas and pratyekabuddha.
bhumi (Tib. sa) The levels or stages a bodhisattva goes through to reach enlightenment. Also called the bodhisattva levels and usually described as consisting of ten levels in the sutra tradition and 13 in the tantra tradition.
bodhicitta (Tib. chang chup chi sem) Literally, the mind of enlightenment. There are two kinds of bodhicitta--absolute or completely awakened mind that sees the emptiness of phenomena and relative bodhicitta which is the aspiration to practice the six paramitas and free all beings from the sufferings of samsara.
bodhisattva (Tib. chang chup sem pa) An person who has committed him or herself to the mahayana path of compassion and the practice of the six paramitas to free beings from samsara.
buddha nature (Sk. tathSgatagarbha, Tib. deshin shekpai nying po) The original nature present in all beings which when realized leads to enlightenment. It is often called the essence of Buddhahood or
enlightened essence and is the topic of the Uttara Tantra.
Buddha ? akyamuni The Buddha, often called the Gautama Buddha, who is the latest Buddha and lived between 563 and 483 B. C. buddhakayas See kayas.
cakravartin (Tib. khor lo gur pa) A cakravartin, also called a universal monarch, is a king who propagates the dharma and starts a
new era.
? CittamStra school (Tib. sem tsampa) A school founded by Asanga in the fourth century and is usually translated as the Mind Only School.
It is one of the four major schools in the mahayana tradition and its main tenet (to greatly simplify) is that all phenomena are menial events, clear light (Skt. prabhasvara, Tib. dsef) A subtle state of mind and according to tantric teachings is the state of mind that highest realization is attained.
dharma (Tib. cho) Dharma has two main meanings: Any truth such as the sky is blue; second, as it is used in this text, the teachings of the Buddha (also called buddhadharma).
dharma of realization (Tib. tog pa chd) The dharma teachings which have been derived from direct realization. These contrast with dharma of statements.
dharma of statements (Tib. lung gi chd) Teachings based on the Buddhist scriptures. Also called scriptural dharma or the teachings of the Tripitaka.
dharmacakra (Skt. for "wheel of dharma," Tib. cho chi khor lo ) The Buddha's teachings correspond to three levels: the hinayana, the mahayana and the vajraySna with each set being one turning of the wheel of dharma.
dharmadhatu (Tib. chd ying) The all-encompassing space which is unoriginated and without beginning out of which all phenomena arise. The Sanskrit means "the essence of phenomena" and the Tibetan means "the expanse of phenomena" but usually it refers to the emptiness which is the essence of phenomena,
dharmakaya (Tib. chd ku) One of the three bodies of buddhahood. It is enlightenment itself, that is wisdom beyond refer nee point. See kayas, three.
dharmata (Tib. chd nyi) Dharmata is often translated as "suchness" or "the true nature of things" or "things as they are. " It is phenomena as it really is or as seen by a completely enlightened being without any distortion or obscuration so one can say it is "reality. "
eight mental fabrications Not having the eight mental fabrications is to be without a beginning, without a cessation, without nihilism, without etemalism, without going, without coming, not being separate, and not being non-separate.
five actions of immediate result These actions such as killing one's guru which cause one to be reborn immediately in the hell realm upon death.
? five aggregrates (Ski. skandha, Tib. pung po nga) Literally "heaps" are the five basic transformations that perceptions undergo when an object is perceived. These are form, feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness.
five levels of practice See paths, five.
form kayas (Sk. rupakaya) The sambhogakaya and the nirmanakaya. four extremes These are a belief in the existence of everything ("etemalism"), a belief that nothing exists ("nihilism"), a belief that things exist and don't exist, and a belie, that reality is something other than existence and non-existence.
four fearlessnesses (SkL catvZravaifaradya, Tib. mi jig pa) The four stages to be attained by bodhisattvas. They are being fearless in
abandoning all faults, fearless of complete realization, fearless in showing the path to others, and fearless in pointing out obscurations on the path.
four inconceivables or immeasurables (Skt. calvary apramanani, Tib. isad med pa) The four qualities that one achieves with complete enlightenment. Being inconceivable to ordinary persons they arc loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity,
four noble truths (Tib. pak pay den pa shi) The first teaching of the Buddha and the foundation of Buddhism. These are the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the cessation of suffering, and the eightfold path to enlightenment,
four particularities These are the characteristics of buddha nature when it manifests as complete enlightenment. They arc lucid clarity, purity, possessing characteristics of enlightenment, and the presence of nonconccptual andanalyticaljudgement
four unfavorable obstacles The four obstacles in reaching complete enlightenment are a dislike of the dharma, a strong belief in self, fear of suffering on the path, and lack of motivation to help others, ground, path, and fruition A logical method for describing something used in many Buddhist works. First one describes the causal conditions (ground), then the coming together of these causcs towards some goal (path), and finally the result (fruition),
hinayana (Tib. lek pa chung wa) Literally means "the lesser vehicle" which refers to the first teachings of the Buddha such as the four noble truths that developed into the 18 early schools of Buddhism. ATso called the Theravadinpath,
how-it-is see knowledge of how-it-is.
? hungry ghosts (Skt. preta, Tib. yidak ) A type of being who is always starved for food and water. Sec the six realms of samsara.
jnana (Tib. yeshe) Enlightened wisdom which is beyond dualistic thought.
Kagyu (Tib. ) One of the four major schools of Buddhism in Tibet headed by His Holiness Karmapa. The other three schools are the Nyingmapas, the Sakyas, and the Gelupas.
kalpa (Tib. kal pa) An eon which lasts in the order of millions of years.
karma (Tib. lay) Literally means "action" and karma is a natural law stating that when one does a wholesome action, one's circumstances will improve; when one does an un-wholesome action negative results will eventually occur from the act.
kayas, three (Tib. ku) The three bodies of the Buddha: the nirmanakaya, sambhogakaya and dharmakaya. The dharmakaya (the "truth body"), is the complete enlightenment of the Buddha which is unoriginated wisdom beyond form and manifests in the sambhogakaya and the nirmanakaya. The sambhogakaya (the "enjoyment body"), manifests only to bodhisattvas. The nirmanakaya (the "emanation body") manifests in the ordinary world and in the context of the Uttara Tantra manifests as the Sakyamuni Buddha.
kle? a (Tib. nydn mong) These are the emotional (in contrast to intellectual) obscurations and are often called "mind poison" and translated as "defilements" in this text. The three main poisons are ataachment (also translated as desire), aggression (anger or adversion) and ignorance (or delusion). The five poisons are these three plus pride and jealousy.
knowledge of how-it-is (Tib. ji ta ba) This is transcendent knowledge of the true nature of reality, not as it appears to individuals in samsara. knowledge of variety (Tib. ji nye pa. ) This is the transcendent knowledge of the variety of reality.
luminosity (Tib. sal wa) In the vajrayana everything is void, but this voidness is not completely empty because it has luminosity. Luminosity or luminous clarity allows all phenomena to appear and is a characteristic of emptiness (Skt. sunyata).
lung A Tibetan word for ritual reading. To perform a vajrayana practice, one must have a holder of the lineage read the text through (Tib. lung), give an explanation of the practice (Tib. tri) and give the empowerment for the practice (Tib. wang).
? madhyamaka (Tib. u ma) A philosophical school often called the Middle Way school founded by NagStrjuna in the 2nd century. The main principle of this school is proving that everything is devoid of any inherent independent reality, that is, the teachings of emptiness, mahamudrl (Tib. cha ja chen po) Literally means "great seal" and is the meditative transmission handed down especially by the Kagyu school.
mah&pandita A great Buddhist scholar (pandita).
mahayana (Tib. tck pa chen po) Literally means "great vehicle" and are the teachings of the second and third turning of the wheel of dharma that teach the path of a bodhisattva, compassion for all beings, and realization of emptiness.
Maitreya In this work this refers to the Bodhisattva Maitreya who lived at the time of the Buddha.
mSra (Tib. dud) Difficulties encountered by the practitioner. There ar;_ four kinds--skandhamSra which is incorrect view of self, klesamaia- which is being overpowered by negative emotions, mrtyumSra which is death and interrupts spiritual practice, and devaputramSra which is becoming stuck in the bliss that comes out of meditation,
mind only school. See Cittamatra.
nirm anakaya. See kayas.
nirvana (Tib. nya ngen lay day pa) Literally, "extinction" (of ignorance) and means liberation from samsara and suffering,
pandita A great scholar.
paramitas In SanskriL it means "perfections. " These are the six practices of the mahayana path: Perfection of generosity (dana), of discipline (slla), of patience (ksanti), of exertion (vlrya), of meditation (dhyana), and of knowledge (prajfia)
attachment, aggression and ignorance.
paths, five Traditionally, a practitioner goes through five stages or paths to enlightenment. These are The Path of Accumulation (Skt. sambharamarga) which emphasizes purifying one's obscurations and accumulating merit. The Path of Junction or Application (Skt. prayogamSrga) in which the meditator develops profound understanding of the four noble truths and cuts the root to the desre
realm. The Path of Insight or Seeing (Sk. darsanamarga) in which the meditator develops greater insight and enters the first bodhisattva level. The Path of Meditation (Skt. bhavanamarga) in which the meditator cultivates insight in the 2nd through 10th bodhisattva levels. And the
? Path of Fulfillment (Skt. aiaiksammarga) which is the complete attainment of buddhahood.
poisons, three The three poisons or major defilements also called desire or attachment, anger or aggression, and ignorance or bewilderment.
prajnS (Tib. she rab) In Sanskrit it means "perfect know-ledge" and can mean wisdom, understanding, intelligence, discrimination, or judgement according to context.
pratyekabuddha (Tib. rang sang gay) Literally means "solitary rcalizer" and in this text it is a realized hinayana practitioner who has achieved the jrtana of how-it-is and variety, but who has not committed him or herself to the bodhisattva path of helping others,
ratna (Tib. rin po che) Literally, a jewel but in this context refers to the three jewels which are the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha. relative truth (Tib. kunsop) There are two truths: relative and absolute. Relative truth is the perception of an ordinary (un- enlightened) person who secs the world with all his or her projections based on a false belief in ego.
rinpoche Literally, "very precious" and is used as a term of respect for a Tibetan guru.
salwa Tibetan for luminosity. In the vajrayana everything is void, but this voidness is not completely empty because it has luminosity. Luminosity or clarity allows all phenomena to appear and is a characteristic of emptiness (Sunyata).
samSdhi (Tib. ting nge dzin) An advanced state in which the mind is in one-pointed meditation. It is also called "meditative absorpiton. ? amatha (Tib. shi nay) See tranquility meditation,
sangha (Tib. gen dun) These are the companions on the path. They may be all the persons on the path or the noble sartgha which arc the realized ones.
sambhogakaya See the three kayas.
samsSra (Tib. kor wa) Conditioned existence which is characterized by suffering in ordinary life because one is still afflicted by attachment, aggression, and ignorance.
samvrtikSya There is the body of ultimate truth (Skt. paramarthakSya) and the body of relative truth (Skt. samvrtikaya). This is the
embodiment in relauve truth.
& stra (Tib. ten chff) The Buddhist teachings arc divided into words of the Buddha (the sutras) and the commentaries by others on the
? Buddha's works (Sastras).
six realms of sams&ra The possible types of rebirths for beings in samsara: the god realm in which gods have great pride, the asura realm in which the jealous gods try to maintain what they have, the human realm which is the best realm because one has the possiblity of achieving enlightenment, the animal realm characterized by stupidity, the hungry ghost realm characterized by great craving, and the hell realms characterized by aggression.
SrSvakas (Tib. nyon thos) Literally "those who hear" meaning disciples. A type of realized hinayana practioner (arhat) who has achieved the realization of the nonexistence of personal self.
stUpa (Tib. chd ten) A dome shaped monument to the Buddha which often contains relics and remains of the Buddha or great bodhisattvas.
sugatagarbha (Tib. der sheg nying po) Buddha nature or that enlightened essence present in all beings that allows them to have the capacity to achieve enlightenment. It is closely related to tathagStagarbha.
Sunyata (Tib. long pa nyi) Usually translated as "voidness" or "emptiness. " In the second turning of the wheel of dharma the Buddha (aught that external phenomena and internal phenomena are devoid of any real inherent existence.
sutra (Tib. do) These are the hinayana and mahayana teachings which are the words of the Sakyamuni Buddha. They are often contrasted with the Sastras.
supreme yogi An epithet for the Buddha,
svabhavikakaya Refers to the dharmakaya of the Buddha.
tathSgatas Literally, those who have gone to "thatness. " A title of the Buddhas.
tathatagatagarbha (Tib. de shin shek pay nying po) This is the seed or essence of tathata (suchness) and is also called buddha essence or enlightened essence.
ten powers of the Buddha These are special "miraculous" powers of the Buddha.
terma Literally means "hidden treasure" and are works hidden by great bodhisattvas and later rediscovered. They might be actual physical texts or they may come from "the sky" as transmissionstfrtom the sambhogakaya.
three jewels (Tib. kdn chok sum) These are the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha.
? three marks of existence These are the characteristics of impermanent objects and mean an object has a beginning, it has a solid existence in the present, and it decays or disintegrates into smaller constituents in the future.
tlrtbikas Religious people who believe in a personal self. Also referred to as icchantikas.
tranquility meditation (Sk. Samatha, Tib. shi nay) A basic meditation practice aimed at taming and sharpening the mind. It is also called basic sitting meditation.
Tripitaka Literally, the "three baskets. " These are the sntras (the narrative teachings of the Buddha), the vinaya (a code for monks and nuns) and the abhidharma (philosophical background of the dharma). triplistic thought Is believing in the solidity of relative reality by dividing all actions into subject and object and the exchange between the two. For example, on the relative level, one (subject) does a prostration (the action between) to a buddha statue (object).
Itaita heaven This is one of the heaven fields of the Buddha. Tusita is ? ?
in the sambhogakaya and therefore is not located in any place or time, twelve deeds of the Buddha Traditionally the Buddha per-formed 12 major deeds in his life.
updffya (Tib. tab) The skillful means used by enlightened beings to present the dharma taking the person's capabilities and propensities into account.
vajra (Tib. dorje) In Sanskrit a "thunderbolt" which was a weapon of Indra. In Tibet it generally means anything invincible or indestructible or "diamond-like. "
vajrayffna (Tib. dorje tek pa) One of the three major traditions of Buddhism (the hinayana, the mahayana and the vajrayana). The vajrayana was based on the tantras and became the major tradition of Tibet
victorious one One of the epitaths given to the Buddha,
vinaya (Tib. did wa) The teachings of the Buddha concerning proper conduct. Jhere are seven main precepts that may be observed by lay persons or various levels of monks and nuns.
wheel of dharma (Skt. dharmacarka) The Buddha's teachings correspond to three levels: the hinayana, the mahayana, and the vajrayana with each set being one turning.
ySna (Tib.
