A person at this level has just begun to desire the goal of Enlightenment, but has not yet reached the
immediate
direct experience of the Four Truths' significance of the higher levels.
Richard-Sherburne-A-Lamp-for-the-Path-and-Commentary-of-Atisha
[Stanza 27]
I shall practise the Pure Life,
And renounce sin and base desire;
I shall imitate the Buddha
By rejoicing in the vow of Conduct. " [Stanza 28]
And the Exhortation to Higher Intention Sutra:
"0 Blessed One, from this day forward, we make this solemn promise in the presence of the Tathagata. 0 Blessed One, from this day forward, if we talk about the failings of a person in the Bodhisattva Vehicle, be it true or not, we will be betraying the Tathagata, the Arhat, the completely perfect Buddha . . . "43
And you must study the siitra for the rest [of that idea].
The Beginner's Bestowal [of merit] is likewise un- remitting: study the Bestowal prayer in the Golden Splendour, the Ten Great Bestowals of the Bodhisattva yajradhvaja, and the Twenty Verses on Gathering Merit by Arya Nagarjuna, and others such as the Bestowal Chapter of the Progress in Practice.
His Resolve is also unremitting: read the holy Good Practice, the Ten Great Resolves of the Siltra on the Ten Stages, the Twelve Great Resolves of the king in the Glory_of the Blessed One, Vaidurya, Teacher of Healing, and Acarya Asvagho~a's Seventy Resolves, and so on.
[312b]
From time to time, recall the fifty [simile] teachings that
my Guru collected from quotes out of the entire body of Siitras: "Mother and Father-like" and "Son and Daughter- like" [is the BodhisattvaV4
? 104 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
Sutra Study
A Beginner should also read the whole Siitra collection through at least once. And why is that? Because the beginner has only studied a small part of the remedy and its superficial conditions; and so he needs to study the Siitras diligently [for basic understanding]. He should also read, listen to, and ask questions about the books that summarise the complete Siitra meaning: the Compendium of Sutras,
the Progress in Bodhisattva Practice, the Chapter on Conduct, and the Twenty Verses on the Vow. Since the great Acaryas of the past- and the great'and learned Gurus of our own day- gave much reflection to the meaning of the Mahayana Siitras, their treatises too ought to be studied, listened to, and copied.
He should also recite the Three Heaps three times a day and night, as the Questions of Ugra says:
"Washing himself three times a day and three times a night, and? donning clean robes, he should recite the Three Heaps. "45
And the Instruction on the Non-Production of All Phenomena:
"Three times a day as well as night, pay homage to the Bodhisattvas with head [to the ground]. "46
And the Cloud ofJewels:
"To all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, he performs
worship three times a day and three times a night. " 4 7
And in the Questions of Upali, it says: "He confesses day andnight. "48 (313a]AndAryaAsariga:
"The bodhisattva who wants to be enlightened swiftly, directly, and perfectly, must three times a day and times a night: pay Homage, perfom1 Worship, Confess his sins, Rejoice, make Entreaty, offer Petition, and make the Bestowal. " 4 9
? THE BODHISA TTV A VOW 105
For the beneficial qualities of these practices, study the Avalokitesvara Sutrq, the ,Hundred Explanations of the Doctrine, and Acarya Sura's Precious Garland of Discourses. They should all be performed as given in the text of the Good Practice, and the Three Heaps Sutra should then be recited again.
Kinds of Beginners
The keen and intelligent Bodhisattva, adorned with learning, will enlarge upon these ritual practices with the instruction he receives from his Guru - but only after he gas grounded himself in the holy Good Practice. Hence,
Santideva says in the Progress in Practice:
"Three times in the day and in the night
Recite the Three Heaps Sutra, and then
Relying on the Victor and Enlightenment Thought, The rest of your failings will be calmed. "50
So, following such methods, he makes the Three Refuges and confesses the wrong of his failings, and then creates the twofold Enlightenment Thought [of resolving and progressing]. He tells himself that he must practise the complete and entire Training of a Bodhisattva preached in the Mahayana Sutras. A full ritual for doing all of this c'an
be sought from his Guru. [313b]
A yogin who is not found lacking in these daily practices
can be said to be endowed with Three Excellences. As my own Guru [Bodhibhadra] put it:
"I will be in touch with happiness by means of Three Excellences: Excellence of Practice, of Intention, and of Prior Cause. By Excellence of Practice I am not con- tinually committing sins of body, speech and mind; and I confess my wrongs. By Excellence of Intention I am motivated by the Teaching, and not its contrary, like Wrong Livelihood, etc. And, caring about the goal of Great Enlightenment, I have no use for the goal of
? 106 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
worldly happiness. By Excellence of Prior Cause I have acted out of virtue and merit in previous lives, and therefore I am not now impoverished in food, clothing and the necessities. I am naturally diposed to share my lot with others. " 51
A beginning disciple of less keen intelligence should not embark on this path [of vowed Conduct] right at the start. The Gurus say that he should first have all the siitras and commentary explained to him which show him the wide scope of Bodhisattva Training. And, when he has mastered these, then let the [vow] ritual for entering the path of a beginning individual be applied.
Here I suggest [an examination by] Watches to determine the extent of his reverence for the Three Jewels, or renunciation of a~tachment, or mindfulness of death, keeping the Conduct uppermost, or his honesty and trusting reverence towards his Guru:
The eighteen hours [of a day] are divided into Six W atches [of three hours each]. I f there is a failure in the first or second hour of the Morning Watch, and in the third the Enlightenment Thought is forgotten, that individual [should be judged] weak. Let the [examen] be repeated in the next five Watches again. [314a]
The Superior Individual corrects his failures from hour to hour; the Mediocre in two hours; and the Inferior corrects his only in the last [hour of any Watch].
The superior-Superior corrects himself within a minute [of any failing], the mediocre-Superior corrects himself in two minutes, and the inferior-Superior in the last minute [of any given hour in which the fault is committed]. In this fashion the examination can be applied to all the rest of the nine [degrees]: superior-Mediocre, and so onY
There are, however, some famous learned Gurus who say that a Superior Person is one who corrects his fault immediately after it is committed, the Mediocre Person corrects his after two or more minutes, and the Inferior
[only] corrects his by the end ofthe six Watches.
THIS COMPLETES THE TEACHING ON THE TRAINING FOR HIGHER CONDUCT
? THE BODHISA TTV A VOW 107 Notes to Chapter 4
I Ot. 897,V ol. 35:178. 1.
2 Ot. 5538, Vol. 110:166-77. The nine topics of the Conduct Chapter are
3 4
5 6 7 8
9 10
Asanga's own verses, but by themselves do not give complete compre- hension of their content. All but topic [2], the All-inclusive, represent succinct meditational or ascetical practices. The ''all-inclusive" Conduct is a detailed description and enumeration of the entire Bodhisattva course, beginning with the development of the Enlightenment Thought, the con- ditions of a bodhisattva in both the lay and religious states, the prerequisite of Pratimok~a vows (the opinion Atisa follows), and a complete ritual with formulae and rubrics for taking the Bodhisattva Vow, along with a long list of Priitimok~a-like offences to be avoided by a bodhisattva.
The inspiration for this stanza is taken almost verbatim from Candragomin's Twenty Verses on the Bodhisattva Vow [Ot. 5582, Vol. 114:253. 1].
The entire paragraph here, although not indicated as a quotation in the text, is taken from Candragomin, op. cit. , pp. 266. 5f.
Ot. 5538. Vol. 110:169. 3 to 170. 2.
Ritual for Begetting the Thought and for the Vow, Ot. 5364.
Ot. 5336, Vol. 102:187. 2f.
One of Mafijusrl's rebirths as a king, recounted in the Ornament of Mafzjusri's Buddhafield [Ot. 760(15). Vol. 23:129. 2f]. and also quoted by Santideva in SS, p. IS.
op. cit. , pp. 177. 2.
SS: p. 19.
II BCA:V:lOO.
12 13 14 15
16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Commentary on "Twenty Verses on the Vow", Ot. 5584, Vol. ll4:276. 2f. SS: p. 19.
SS: pp. 12-13.
mi brda phrad-pa. The term is borrowed from the conditions surrounding the giving up of the Pratimok~a vows. See Chapter 3, note 31. The phrase "to give back the vow" (sdom-pa phul) has the technical sense of being legitimately released from it by appropriate authority for honest reasons. The Hooks of Mara (his "Evil Works") are found in SS: pp. 46f; the Fourteen Evil Things are described in SS: pp. 70-71.
Ot. 5584, Vol. 114:269. 1. See note 16.
op. cit. . pp. 175. 4f.
SS: p. 158.
op. cit. , p. 177. 1ff.
SS: pp. 17-18.
op. cit. , p. 266. 1.
ibid.
Candragomin, op. cit . . pp. 253. 1.
BCA: III:25-26.
Ot. 814. Vol. 32:278. 2.
Ot. 824, Vol. 33:159. 4.
The Three Conduct Trainings used for explanation here are taken from Asaitga's "All-inclusive Conduct" topic of the Conduct Chapter (see note 2), and form the broad outline for his treatment of Bodhisattva practices. These three Conduct Trainings should not be confused with the Three Higher Trainings (lhag-pa'i bslab-pa gsum): Higher Conduct, Higher Con-
? 108 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
30
31
32 33 34
centration. Higher Vision, which are also a common division of the elements of Bodhisattva life.
The practices mentioned here are again from Asanga's list in the Hearer's
Level [Ot. 5537, Vol. 110:37. 4f].
All of the graphic. examples listed here are taken from Bodhibhadra's explanation of this Conduct Training [op. cit. . p. 263. 3f. ].
op. cit. . p. 262. 2f.
Ot. 5522. Vol. 108:21. 1.
Santipa is also known as Ratnakarasanti (Rin-chen 'byung-gnas zhi-ba), but the quotation here. although obviously a commentary on Maitreyanatha's work. remains unidentified as no such commentary is ascribed to Santipa in the catalogues. The five types of effect. however. are classical Buddhist divisions in any discussion of the good and bad effects of actions (las/karma).
See A K(L VP): II:287ff.
I) Maturation (rnam-par smin-pa/vipiika): the effects of one's actions in
terms of level of rebirth: whether in higher or lower destiny.
2) Dominant (bdag-po/adhipati): external circumstances viewed as the result of good or bad actions: natural calamity. fire. flood, etc. from bad actions; friends. material sufficiency. pleasant surroundings. etc. from good
actions.
3 ) H u m a n - A c t i v i t y ( s k y e s - b u ' i byed-pa/puru~a-kilra): t h e i m m e d i a t e
effects in today's life of good or bad actions, as distinguished from the more remote effect in Maturation Effect.
4) Dissociation ('bral-ba/visaiflyoga): the necessary effect of knowledge gained; that is, the dispelling of ignorance.
5) Causa1ly-Similar (rgyu-mthun-pa/n~yanda): one's character retaining the good or bad tendencies toward which it was habituated by good or bad actions: a murderer toward more killing, a saint toward more virtue. Explanation ofthe "Treasure ofPhenomenology", Ot. 5591, Vol. 115:218. 5. Paths of the Ordinary Person refers to the Equipment and Practice Paths, also called Mundane or Worldly.
A person at this level has just begun to desire the goal of Enlightenment, but has not yet reached the immediate direct experience of the Four Truths' significance of the higher levels. See Chart I.
Supplement to the "Treatise on the Middle Way", Ot. 5261, chap. 6, vv. 4-5.
AK(LVP): IV: p. 252.
Ot. 775, Vol. 29.
phyin-ci-ma-log-pa/aviparyiisa.
Ot. 897. In SS: p. 134.
The quotation is from the Ornament ofManjufri's Buddhafield [Ot. 760(15), Vol. 23:129. 2f], the same siitra and verses Atlsa used in the root poem
[Stanzas 26-31] for the formula of a Bodhisattva Vow without a Guru. The discrepancy here is that the king's name is given as Akasa (nam-mkha'), whereas in the root text he is ca1led Ambaraja (am-ba-ra-dza).
In SS: p. 100.
The reference is to the Instruction on the Concise Meaning ofthe Sutra [Ot. 5395], translated by Atlsa and Tshul-khrims, but without mention of the author- either in the catalogues or in AtiSa's text here. The first metaphor given here reads "The doctrine is Mother and Father-like, as Emptiness and Compassion. There can be no bodhisattva who is not born of these two. "
In SS: p. 263. In SS: p. 101.
35 36
37
38 39 40 41 42
43
44
45 46
? 47 48 49
50 51 52
In SS: p. 264.
In SS: p. 165.
The same unidentified quotation is used again in Chapter 5, merely ascribing the familiar Sevenfold Worship to Asanga. The repetition possibly indicates insertion by later editors.
BCA: V: 98.
Bodhibhadra, op. cit. , pp. 276. 2.
The nine degrees means the three qualitative degrees that are applied to the three qualities of persons, totalling nine: superior-Superior, mediocre- Superior, inferior-Superior; superior-Mediocre, mediocre-Mediocre,
inferior-Mediocre, and so on.
THE BODHISA TTV A VOW 109
? PART TWO
Higher Meditation
? CHAPTER 5
The Superknowledges
Stanza Page
I RELATION OF CONDUCT TO
CONCENTRATION 114
II THE SUPERKNOWLEDGES
A Perfecting of the Equipment
B For the Good of Others
114
34 115 35 115 115 117
118 36-37 118
38 119 39 119
120 40 121 121 121 122 123
123
1 Dangers of Preaching
2 Need of the Superknowledges
3 NeedofaGuru
4 Relation to Calmness
III CALMNESS
A The Nine Limbs
B Defects and Remedies in Meditation
c Topics for Calmness
1 With Signs
2 Without Signs
D Practice of the Yogin
1 Of Keen Ability 2 OfSlowerAbility
? 5
The Superknowledges
Relation of Conduct to Concentration
The Path to Enlightenment is not a matter of just Conduct by itself. Y ou must develop Concentration and Insight too. However, from your foundation in Conduct, Concentration arises. As the holy Moon-Lamp says:
"The Concentration- free from afflictions is swiftly Attained: that is the advantage of purified Conduct. " 1
And Acarya Santideva:
"In Conduct, Concentration is achieved. . . . Hence we must understand that any activity concerned with Con- cent. ration is? [really] a part of Conduct. In striving for Concentration, we must have dispositions of mindfulness and deliberateness. . . . And in striving for Conduct also we must work on Concentration. . . . The interaction of both is what makes Conduct grow, and by means of both, purification of mind [Concentration] is achieved. "2
[314b]
So, if you cannot have Concentration without having Conduct, then you must strive for Conduct for the sake of having Concentration.
The Superknowledges
Through the Concentration born of excellent Conduct, one develops the Superknowledges. And the Superknowledges are the means both for working for the good of others, and for acquiring the Two Equipments. This I showed when I wrote:
? THE SUPERKNOWLEDGES 115
"ALL THE BUDDHAS HAVE HELD THAT
PERFECTING THIS EQUIPMENT,
THE NATURE OF WHICH IS MERIT AND KNOWLEDGE,
LIES ESSENTIALLY IN THE SUPERKNOWLEDGES. " (Stanza 34]
Perfecting o f the Equipment
Let me show briefly what I mean by this:
If a man wants to build up the Two Equipments, And has the constant desire to work for others' good, But has not developed the Superknowledges,
Then he is acting like a blind man,
And behaving as though insane-
A veritable brute beast, as it were.
If he cannot achieve even his own good, How will he (ever] achieve others'?
For the Good ofOthers
Dangers of Preaching
"JUST AS A BIRD WITH UNFLEDGED WINGS
CANNOT FLY UP INTO THE SKY,
SO WITHOUT THE SUPERKNOWLEDGES' POWER,
ONE CANNOT WORK FOR THE GOOD OF OTHERS. " (Stanza 35]
It is absurd to explain the (Buddha's] Teaching and to gather disciples, having only your own Insight from study- when you have not even yet acquired the Superknowledges or developed the Insight born of contemplation. 3 Hence the saying "How can it not be madness, to preach before even learning one's own measure? " Or to quote from the Exhortation to Higher Intention on this subject of liking to talk [about religion] and observing the evils that result from it:
"Proud of his learning, he has no respect;
He loves conversations with dispute and debate; (315a] He becomes unmindful and loses deliberateness- These are the evils of liking to talk.
His inner thought is quite far away; Neither his body nor mind become very pure;
? 116 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
His arrogance is turned into great humiliation- These are the evils of liking to talk.
He is a child too frail to reflect on the Doctrine; His thoughts turn unfriendly and become very harsh; He is a long way off from Calmness and Insight- These are the evils of liking to talk.
He is ever disrespectful of his Gurus,
And finds his delight in obscene conversation; Pointlessly he lives and lacking in Insight- These are the evils of liking to talk. . . .
At the hour of death, this child makes moan:
'Alas! my meditation's so weak! what shall I do? '
So with the depths unfathomed, his suffering is great- These are the evils of liking to talk.
Like grass in the wind, he is blown to and fro; His only conviction is that he's in doubt; Firmness of mind will never be his-
These are the evils of liking to talk.
He is like an actor before a crowd watching His play: he declaims the hero's virtues While his own character grows weaker- These are the evils of liking to talk.
He is a hypocrite and in despair;
He is remorse-stricken ever afterwards;
? He is far off from the noble and holy Teaching- These are the evils of liking to talk.
Of little ability, he is delighted by attention, And his ignorance makes him impulsive;
His mind is restless as a monkey's:
These are the evils of liking to talk. " 4
Further on, the Sutra continues:
"The man. who likes to talk at great length, [315b] And then still says that he's not had enough,
Would be far better off to reflect on a word,
And that one word would give him infinite delight.
The sugar-cane bark has no juice at all; The taste-giving delight is all found inside; The man who chews on only the bark Cannot find the sugar's sweet taste.
Talking is like the husk of the cane;
But thought and meaning, these are the taste.
? THE SUPERKNOWLEDGES 117 So renounce this delight in talking,
And be ever attentive and think on meaning. " 5 This same Sutra also has this passage:
"The Great Bodhisattva Maitreya questioned the Blessed One in these words:
'The bodhisattva who has rejected the highest Doctrine and is occupied with evil deeds will have very little Insight and his Insight will be impaired, will it not? '
And the Blessed One answered the Great Bodhisattva Maitreya:
'Maitreya, that is exactly how it is. The words you have spoken are true. Bodhisattvas who reject the highest Teaching and are occupied with evil deeds have very
little Insight. Maitreya, let me show you, and bear this in mind: bodhisattvas who lack zeal and meditation and renunciation, who do not do their recitation nor seek greater learning, such bodhisattvas have not entered the
religious life under the Teaching of the Tathagata. [316a] Maitreya, this teaching of the Tathagata unfolds only through meditation and renunciation. It is composed of wisdom and held together by wisdom, and only by great diligence can it be truly unfolded. But there can be no
such unfolding in the householder's way of life with its preoccupations and concern for worldly matters. A householder's diligence is misplaced; managing business and struggling for worldly success are the things that delight him in this cycle of rebirths. Bodhisattvas should have no desires for such things. " 6
Need of the Superknowledges
My Guru has spoken on this in his Chapter on Concentra- tion Equipment:
"The bodhisattva who has only studied the Doctrine should refrain from preaching it [yet). The Scriptures do not tell us that we can be helpful to others just from having studied the Teaching, and without first acquiring the superknowledges. . . . Therefore, there should be no preaching of the Doctrine just because we are very
? 118 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
learned. When we have the superknowledges, then at the very earliest we are ready to seek the good of others. . . . A man who is incapable of maturing disciples because he lacks the_superkpowledges is sinking toward death himself. As Acarya Santideva said:
'People all have their_preferences,
And if even the Victor did not please them, Then how much less a bad. one like me?
So give up the idea of [pleasing] the world. ' " 7
So also the great Acarya Nagarjuna commented on this subject:
"When you have acquired the five Superknowledges- Powers that will follow you in all rebirths -
Then strive constantly for the complete
Benefit and happiness of all creatures. " 8
Need of a Guru?
But to attempt Contemplation without instruction from a Guru and relying exclusively on one's own study of texts is prohibited [by the authorities I give] here in the following:
even though you strive diligently in such yoga, the Super- knowledges still will not come about, for the same reason that you have not yet reached the great and perfect Enlightenment. In the commentaries that treat this subject, the Brahmin Saraha the Great says this in his Kinds o f Ultimate Truth:
"What we call 'instruction of the Guru' is the essence of ambrosia. Anyone who does not drink to satisfaction, as it were, "will certainly die of thirst- like a man in the middle of a desert full of treatises. " 9
And Arya Nagarjuna again:
" A man may study a great many Tantras, and even purify himse~fcorrectly according to Scripture, but having little regard for a Guru he will not master that Scripture. He only defeats himself, and is mouthing treatises without
? THE SUPERKNOWLEDGES 119
authority. For him the texts are only reasons for argument. " 10
Relation to Calmness
The two stanzas that begin with the words "THE MERITS WHICH A MAN WITH THE SUPERKNOWLEDGES GAINS IN A SINGLE DA Y" [Stanzas 36 and 37] continue the same theme as the preceding ones. Hence, this great and perfect Enlightenment depends upon the Two Equipments [of
merit and knowledge]; and the two kinds of Equipment depend upon [effecting] the good of others; and that depends upon the Superknowledges. But the Super-
knowledges depend upon Calm'ness;11 and Calmness depends on Conduct; and that is why I taught about Conduct first of all. And so, since Calmness arises from
Conduct, and the Superknowledges arise from Calmness, I wrote:
AS LONG AS CALMNESS IS NOT ATrAINED,
THE SUPERKNOWLEDGES WILL NOT OCCUR; THEREFORE, IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE CALMNESS,
ONE MUST KEEP STRMNG OVER AND OVER. (Stanza 38]
Calmness
The Superknowledges which arise from Calmness, and for which you must [first] gain Calmness, are these: [1] Super- knowledge of godlike sight, [2] Superknowledge of godlike hearing, [3] Superknowledge of others' thoughts, [4] [317a] Superknowledge of previous liwes, [5] Superknowledge of miraculous powers, [6] Superknowledge that all impurities
have been destroyed. 12
The Nine Limbs
ONE WHO NEGLECTS THE LIMBS OF CALMNESS, EVEN THOUGH HE STRIVE TO MEDITATE
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, NEVER
WILL ACHIEVE CONCENTRATION. [Stanza 39]
? 120 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
The "Limbs of Calmness" are ninefold, beginning with Renunciation, as presented by my own Guru. The stanza is otherwise easily understood. By "NEGLECTS THE LIMBS" I meant that the nine Limbs given by the venerable Bodhibhadra in his Chapter on Concentration Equipment are appropriate for the person who has not as yet achieved
Calmness. Here is what he said:
"[1] Renunciation, [2] Preparation, [3] Avoidance, [4] Suppression of anxiety, [5] Dissatisfaction (with the world), [6] Mindfulness of benefits, [7] Diligence, [8] Integrating, and [9] Means of Staying. Besides just learning such Limbs, one must remain in them correctly. " 13
You should study the Chapter itself for the meaning [of each Limb].
D. efects and Remedies in Meditation
But here I will-write a little on what the last Limb means, giving what my Guru said in his Chapter:
"When a man has acquired the [first] eight Limbs, and has provided himself with suitable location and food, and has the appropriate life-style and clothing, and conducive companions, then he should compose his mind. . . . 14 [317b] I f he cannot compose it, let him strive again for his Equipment of Merit in things like reading the Perfection ofInsight, making offerings, and circumambulations. . . . When he does set himself to composing his mind, he
must cultivate eight [good] habits which avoid the evils that are opposed to them. [Now the Classification o f the Middle and Extremes says that]: 15
'The defects in concentrating are held to be fivefold: [1] laziness, [2] forgetfulness of instruction, [3] apathy and anxiety, [4] failure to achieve a level, [5] a false achievement. The remedies against these defects are the eight habits which avoid them; namely: [1] [desiring] this state, [2] [the effort to] remain in it,
? THE SUPERKNOWLEDGES 121
[3] [faith, which is] the cause, [4] [and its] result [in self-confidence], [5] mindfulness, [6] awareness of one's apathy or anxiety, [7] habitually avoiding [these defects], and [8] when calm, [actually] entering into the state [of composure]. ' " 16
The OrnamentofSutras says:
"The first thing is to make the effort;
The second is to bolster it;
The third is to focus [the attention];
The fourth is the actual remedy [of calmness]. " 17
Some prefer another explanation [of the five evils]: [1] craving, [2] ill-will, [3] sloth and drowsiness, [4] anxiety and guilt, and [5] doubt. The retinue of sloth and drowsiness includes things like weariness, lack of zest, restlessness, not taking the proper amount of food, and slackness of mind. These things make the mind depressed. Their remedy is
clear thinking. The retinue of anxiety and guilt includes interest in relatives, memories of past distractions, thrills, and frivolities. These do not calm the mind; and their remedy is Calmness.
Topics for Calmness
ONE CAN THEN SET THE MIND IN VIRTUE
FIXED ON ANY TOPIC HE CHOOSES. (Stanza 40]
Here the word "TOPIC" refers to the object of the mind, as in this quote from the Blaze ofReasoning [on the "Essence] of the Middle Way":
"The mind is a rampaging elephant: Tie it fast with the rope of mindfulness To the steady post of Topic; [318a] Then settle the mind in Calm. " 18
My words "ON ANY TOPIC HE CHOOSES" refer to Calmness- with-Signs as well as Calmness-without-Signs. 1 9 A s my Guru says in the Chapter on Concentration Equipment:
? 122 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
"Calmness is twofold: [1] with-Signs, and [2] without- Signs. Calmness-with-Signs is twofold: [a] signs that are internal, and [b] signs that are external. [a] The kind that are internal are twofold: topics on the body, and topics on what supports the body. The three topics on body are: the aspect of the god being the body itself;20 the
disgusting aspects of it,21 such as skeletons, etc. ; or a distinctive sign such as a trident. 22
"There are five topics on the supports of the body:23 the Breath, the Subtle Signs, the Drop, the Limbs of Light Rays, and Joy and Bliss. [b] Signs that are external are of two kinds: the special, and the ordinary. 2 4 The special topics are either [a Buddha's] body or [a Buddha's] words. . . .
"[2] Calmness-without-Signs is the same as Investiga- tive Insight/5 whence arises signless Higher Vision, the knowledge which is without discursive reasoning. . . . It is recommended that, rather than resting in Calmness- with-Signs, one proceed toward developing Higher Vision by? [first] focusing on Calmness-without-Signs. [318b] For it is only by being firmly established in Higher Vision joined with Calmness that the afflictions are cleansed away and thoroughly subdued - it is the only
basis for such a result. . . .
"I do not describe here how to contemplate, for fear of
enlarging my text, but also because guidance in con- templation is the kind that requires personal instruction from an experienced Guru. And that is because the details of the teaching on Calmness and Higher Vision must be explained, and because of the difficulty of learning contemplation just from reading books. " 26
Practice ofthe Yogin
The Gurus all say that such a yogin who has achieved Calmness will without doubt gain the five Superknowledges I mentioned before. And, as means of getting them, you should also take to heart the training precepts of the Sevenfold Way Sutra: Questions of Avalokitesvara, and recite the sutra itself now and then. Arya Asaitga says:
? THE SUPERKNOWLEDGES 123
"A bodhisattva who wants to acquire the Superknow- ledges quickly should diligently, three times a day and three times a night: pay Homage, perform Worship, make Confession of sin, feel Rejoicing, and make the Petition, Entreaty, and Bestowal. " 27
And he should also have, for all the equipment of Calmness, such things as few desires, frugality, content- ment, and true solitude. That a yogin abiding in Calmness correctly does have few desires and is frugal [is clear from] the holy One Hundred Thousand Stanza Perfection of Insight:
"Monks who catch even a little taste for meditation, [319a] think little about clothes and little about food-
and [yet] their complexions are healthy.
I shall practise the Pure Life,
And renounce sin and base desire;
I shall imitate the Buddha
By rejoicing in the vow of Conduct. " [Stanza 28]
And the Exhortation to Higher Intention Sutra:
"0 Blessed One, from this day forward, we make this solemn promise in the presence of the Tathagata. 0 Blessed One, from this day forward, if we talk about the failings of a person in the Bodhisattva Vehicle, be it true or not, we will be betraying the Tathagata, the Arhat, the completely perfect Buddha . . . "43
And you must study the siitra for the rest [of that idea].
The Beginner's Bestowal [of merit] is likewise un- remitting: study the Bestowal prayer in the Golden Splendour, the Ten Great Bestowals of the Bodhisattva yajradhvaja, and the Twenty Verses on Gathering Merit by Arya Nagarjuna, and others such as the Bestowal Chapter of the Progress in Practice.
His Resolve is also unremitting: read the holy Good Practice, the Ten Great Resolves of the Siltra on the Ten Stages, the Twelve Great Resolves of the king in the Glory_of the Blessed One, Vaidurya, Teacher of Healing, and Acarya Asvagho~a's Seventy Resolves, and so on.
[312b]
From time to time, recall the fifty [simile] teachings that
my Guru collected from quotes out of the entire body of Siitras: "Mother and Father-like" and "Son and Daughter- like" [is the BodhisattvaV4
? 104 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
Sutra Study
A Beginner should also read the whole Siitra collection through at least once. And why is that? Because the beginner has only studied a small part of the remedy and its superficial conditions; and so he needs to study the Siitras diligently [for basic understanding]. He should also read, listen to, and ask questions about the books that summarise the complete Siitra meaning: the Compendium of Sutras,
the Progress in Bodhisattva Practice, the Chapter on Conduct, and the Twenty Verses on the Vow. Since the great Acaryas of the past- and the great'and learned Gurus of our own day- gave much reflection to the meaning of the Mahayana Siitras, their treatises too ought to be studied, listened to, and copied.
He should also recite the Three Heaps three times a day and night, as the Questions of Ugra says:
"Washing himself three times a day and three times a night, and? donning clean robes, he should recite the Three Heaps. "45
And the Instruction on the Non-Production of All Phenomena:
"Three times a day as well as night, pay homage to the Bodhisattvas with head [to the ground]. "46
And the Cloud ofJewels:
"To all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, he performs
worship three times a day and three times a night. " 4 7
And in the Questions of Upali, it says: "He confesses day andnight. "48 (313a]AndAryaAsariga:
"The bodhisattva who wants to be enlightened swiftly, directly, and perfectly, must three times a day and times a night: pay Homage, perfom1 Worship, Confess his sins, Rejoice, make Entreaty, offer Petition, and make the Bestowal. " 4 9
? THE BODHISA TTV A VOW 105
For the beneficial qualities of these practices, study the Avalokitesvara Sutrq, the ,Hundred Explanations of the Doctrine, and Acarya Sura's Precious Garland of Discourses. They should all be performed as given in the text of the Good Practice, and the Three Heaps Sutra should then be recited again.
Kinds of Beginners
The keen and intelligent Bodhisattva, adorned with learning, will enlarge upon these ritual practices with the instruction he receives from his Guru - but only after he gas grounded himself in the holy Good Practice. Hence,
Santideva says in the Progress in Practice:
"Three times in the day and in the night
Recite the Three Heaps Sutra, and then
Relying on the Victor and Enlightenment Thought, The rest of your failings will be calmed. "50
So, following such methods, he makes the Three Refuges and confesses the wrong of his failings, and then creates the twofold Enlightenment Thought [of resolving and progressing]. He tells himself that he must practise the complete and entire Training of a Bodhisattva preached in the Mahayana Sutras. A full ritual for doing all of this c'an
be sought from his Guru. [313b]
A yogin who is not found lacking in these daily practices
can be said to be endowed with Three Excellences. As my own Guru [Bodhibhadra] put it:
"I will be in touch with happiness by means of Three Excellences: Excellence of Practice, of Intention, and of Prior Cause. By Excellence of Practice I am not con- tinually committing sins of body, speech and mind; and I confess my wrongs. By Excellence of Intention I am motivated by the Teaching, and not its contrary, like Wrong Livelihood, etc. And, caring about the goal of Great Enlightenment, I have no use for the goal of
? 106 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
worldly happiness. By Excellence of Prior Cause I have acted out of virtue and merit in previous lives, and therefore I am not now impoverished in food, clothing and the necessities. I am naturally diposed to share my lot with others. " 51
A beginning disciple of less keen intelligence should not embark on this path [of vowed Conduct] right at the start. The Gurus say that he should first have all the siitras and commentary explained to him which show him the wide scope of Bodhisattva Training. And, when he has mastered these, then let the [vow] ritual for entering the path of a beginning individual be applied.
Here I suggest [an examination by] Watches to determine the extent of his reverence for the Three Jewels, or renunciation of a~tachment, or mindfulness of death, keeping the Conduct uppermost, or his honesty and trusting reverence towards his Guru:
The eighteen hours [of a day] are divided into Six W atches [of three hours each]. I f there is a failure in the first or second hour of the Morning Watch, and in the third the Enlightenment Thought is forgotten, that individual [should be judged] weak. Let the [examen] be repeated in the next five Watches again. [314a]
The Superior Individual corrects his failures from hour to hour; the Mediocre in two hours; and the Inferior corrects his only in the last [hour of any Watch].
The superior-Superior corrects himself within a minute [of any failing], the mediocre-Superior corrects himself in two minutes, and the inferior-Superior in the last minute [of any given hour in which the fault is committed]. In this fashion the examination can be applied to all the rest of the nine [degrees]: superior-Mediocre, and so onY
There are, however, some famous learned Gurus who say that a Superior Person is one who corrects his fault immediately after it is committed, the Mediocre Person corrects his after two or more minutes, and the Inferior
[only] corrects his by the end ofthe six Watches.
THIS COMPLETES THE TEACHING ON THE TRAINING FOR HIGHER CONDUCT
? THE BODHISA TTV A VOW 107 Notes to Chapter 4
I Ot. 897,V ol. 35:178. 1.
2 Ot. 5538, Vol. 110:166-77. The nine topics of the Conduct Chapter are
3 4
5 6 7 8
9 10
Asanga's own verses, but by themselves do not give complete compre- hension of their content. All but topic [2], the All-inclusive, represent succinct meditational or ascetical practices. The ''all-inclusive" Conduct is a detailed description and enumeration of the entire Bodhisattva course, beginning with the development of the Enlightenment Thought, the con- ditions of a bodhisattva in both the lay and religious states, the prerequisite of Pratimok~a vows (the opinion Atisa follows), and a complete ritual with formulae and rubrics for taking the Bodhisattva Vow, along with a long list of Priitimok~a-like offences to be avoided by a bodhisattva.
The inspiration for this stanza is taken almost verbatim from Candragomin's Twenty Verses on the Bodhisattva Vow [Ot. 5582, Vol. 114:253. 1].
The entire paragraph here, although not indicated as a quotation in the text, is taken from Candragomin, op. cit. , pp. 266. 5f.
Ot. 5538. Vol. 110:169. 3 to 170. 2.
Ritual for Begetting the Thought and for the Vow, Ot. 5364.
Ot. 5336, Vol. 102:187. 2f.
One of Mafijusrl's rebirths as a king, recounted in the Ornament of Mafzjusri's Buddhafield [Ot. 760(15). Vol. 23:129. 2f]. and also quoted by Santideva in SS, p. IS.
op. cit. , pp. 177. 2.
SS: p. 19.
II BCA:V:lOO.
12 13 14 15
16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Commentary on "Twenty Verses on the Vow", Ot. 5584, Vol. ll4:276. 2f. SS: p. 19.
SS: pp. 12-13.
mi brda phrad-pa. The term is borrowed from the conditions surrounding the giving up of the Pratimok~a vows. See Chapter 3, note 31. The phrase "to give back the vow" (sdom-pa phul) has the technical sense of being legitimately released from it by appropriate authority for honest reasons. The Hooks of Mara (his "Evil Works") are found in SS: pp. 46f; the Fourteen Evil Things are described in SS: pp. 70-71.
Ot. 5584, Vol. 114:269. 1. See note 16.
op. cit. . pp. 175. 4f.
SS: p. 158.
op. cit. , p. 177. 1ff.
SS: pp. 17-18.
op. cit. , p. 266. 1.
ibid.
Candragomin, op. cit . . pp. 253. 1.
BCA: III:25-26.
Ot. 814. Vol. 32:278. 2.
Ot. 824, Vol. 33:159. 4.
The Three Conduct Trainings used for explanation here are taken from Asaitga's "All-inclusive Conduct" topic of the Conduct Chapter (see note 2), and form the broad outline for his treatment of Bodhisattva practices. These three Conduct Trainings should not be confused with the Three Higher Trainings (lhag-pa'i bslab-pa gsum): Higher Conduct, Higher Con-
? 108 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
30
31
32 33 34
centration. Higher Vision, which are also a common division of the elements of Bodhisattva life.
The practices mentioned here are again from Asanga's list in the Hearer's
Level [Ot. 5537, Vol. 110:37. 4f].
All of the graphic. examples listed here are taken from Bodhibhadra's explanation of this Conduct Training [op. cit. . p. 263. 3f. ].
op. cit. . p. 262. 2f.
Ot. 5522. Vol. 108:21. 1.
Santipa is also known as Ratnakarasanti (Rin-chen 'byung-gnas zhi-ba), but the quotation here. although obviously a commentary on Maitreyanatha's work. remains unidentified as no such commentary is ascribed to Santipa in the catalogues. The five types of effect. however. are classical Buddhist divisions in any discussion of the good and bad effects of actions (las/karma).
See A K(L VP): II:287ff.
I) Maturation (rnam-par smin-pa/vipiika): the effects of one's actions in
terms of level of rebirth: whether in higher or lower destiny.
2) Dominant (bdag-po/adhipati): external circumstances viewed as the result of good or bad actions: natural calamity. fire. flood, etc. from bad actions; friends. material sufficiency. pleasant surroundings. etc. from good
actions.
3 ) H u m a n - A c t i v i t y ( s k y e s - b u ' i byed-pa/puru~a-kilra): t h e i m m e d i a t e
effects in today's life of good or bad actions, as distinguished from the more remote effect in Maturation Effect.
4) Dissociation ('bral-ba/visaiflyoga): the necessary effect of knowledge gained; that is, the dispelling of ignorance.
5) Causa1ly-Similar (rgyu-mthun-pa/n~yanda): one's character retaining the good or bad tendencies toward which it was habituated by good or bad actions: a murderer toward more killing, a saint toward more virtue. Explanation ofthe "Treasure ofPhenomenology", Ot. 5591, Vol. 115:218. 5. Paths of the Ordinary Person refers to the Equipment and Practice Paths, also called Mundane or Worldly.
A person at this level has just begun to desire the goal of Enlightenment, but has not yet reached the immediate direct experience of the Four Truths' significance of the higher levels. See Chart I.
Supplement to the "Treatise on the Middle Way", Ot. 5261, chap. 6, vv. 4-5.
AK(LVP): IV: p. 252.
Ot. 775, Vol. 29.
phyin-ci-ma-log-pa/aviparyiisa.
Ot. 897. In SS: p. 134.
The quotation is from the Ornament ofManjufri's Buddhafield [Ot. 760(15), Vol. 23:129. 2f], the same siitra and verses Atlsa used in the root poem
[Stanzas 26-31] for the formula of a Bodhisattva Vow without a Guru. The discrepancy here is that the king's name is given as Akasa (nam-mkha'), whereas in the root text he is ca1led Ambaraja (am-ba-ra-dza).
In SS: p. 100.
The reference is to the Instruction on the Concise Meaning ofthe Sutra [Ot. 5395], translated by Atlsa and Tshul-khrims, but without mention of the author- either in the catalogues or in AtiSa's text here. The first metaphor given here reads "The doctrine is Mother and Father-like, as Emptiness and Compassion. There can be no bodhisattva who is not born of these two. "
In SS: p. 263. In SS: p. 101.
35 36
37
38 39 40 41 42
43
44
45 46
? 47 48 49
50 51 52
In SS: p. 264.
In SS: p. 165.
The same unidentified quotation is used again in Chapter 5, merely ascribing the familiar Sevenfold Worship to Asanga. The repetition possibly indicates insertion by later editors.
BCA: V: 98.
Bodhibhadra, op. cit. , pp. 276. 2.
The nine degrees means the three qualitative degrees that are applied to the three qualities of persons, totalling nine: superior-Superior, mediocre- Superior, inferior-Superior; superior-Mediocre, mediocre-Mediocre,
inferior-Mediocre, and so on.
THE BODHISA TTV A VOW 109
? PART TWO
Higher Meditation
? CHAPTER 5
The Superknowledges
Stanza Page
I RELATION OF CONDUCT TO
CONCENTRATION 114
II THE SUPERKNOWLEDGES
A Perfecting of the Equipment
B For the Good of Others
114
34 115 35 115 115 117
118 36-37 118
38 119 39 119
120 40 121 121 121 122 123
123
1 Dangers of Preaching
2 Need of the Superknowledges
3 NeedofaGuru
4 Relation to Calmness
III CALMNESS
A The Nine Limbs
B Defects and Remedies in Meditation
c Topics for Calmness
1 With Signs
2 Without Signs
D Practice of the Yogin
1 Of Keen Ability 2 OfSlowerAbility
? 5
The Superknowledges
Relation of Conduct to Concentration
The Path to Enlightenment is not a matter of just Conduct by itself. Y ou must develop Concentration and Insight too. However, from your foundation in Conduct, Concentration arises. As the holy Moon-Lamp says:
"The Concentration- free from afflictions is swiftly Attained: that is the advantage of purified Conduct. " 1
And Acarya Santideva:
"In Conduct, Concentration is achieved. . . . Hence we must understand that any activity concerned with Con- cent. ration is? [really] a part of Conduct. In striving for Concentration, we must have dispositions of mindfulness and deliberateness. . . . And in striving for Conduct also we must work on Concentration. . . . The interaction of both is what makes Conduct grow, and by means of both, purification of mind [Concentration] is achieved. "2
[314b]
So, if you cannot have Concentration without having Conduct, then you must strive for Conduct for the sake of having Concentration.
The Superknowledges
Through the Concentration born of excellent Conduct, one develops the Superknowledges. And the Superknowledges are the means both for working for the good of others, and for acquiring the Two Equipments. This I showed when I wrote:
? THE SUPERKNOWLEDGES 115
"ALL THE BUDDHAS HAVE HELD THAT
PERFECTING THIS EQUIPMENT,
THE NATURE OF WHICH IS MERIT AND KNOWLEDGE,
LIES ESSENTIALLY IN THE SUPERKNOWLEDGES. " (Stanza 34]
Perfecting o f the Equipment
Let me show briefly what I mean by this:
If a man wants to build up the Two Equipments, And has the constant desire to work for others' good, But has not developed the Superknowledges,
Then he is acting like a blind man,
And behaving as though insane-
A veritable brute beast, as it were.
If he cannot achieve even his own good, How will he (ever] achieve others'?
For the Good ofOthers
Dangers of Preaching
"JUST AS A BIRD WITH UNFLEDGED WINGS
CANNOT FLY UP INTO THE SKY,
SO WITHOUT THE SUPERKNOWLEDGES' POWER,
ONE CANNOT WORK FOR THE GOOD OF OTHERS. " (Stanza 35]
It is absurd to explain the (Buddha's] Teaching and to gather disciples, having only your own Insight from study- when you have not even yet acquired the Superknowledges or developed the Insight born of contemplation. 3 Hence the saying "How can it not be madness, to preach before even learning one's own measure? " Or to quote from the Exhortation to Higher Intention on this subject of liking to talk [about religion] and observing the evils that result from it:
"Proud of his learning, he has no respect;
He loves conversations with dispute and debate; (315a] He becomes unmindful and loses deliberateness- These are the evils of liking to talk.
His inner thought is quite far away; Neither his body nor mind become very pure;
? 116 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
His arrogance is turned into great humiliation- These are the evils of liking to talk.
He is a child too frail to reflect on the Doctrine; His thoughts turn unfriendly and become very harsh; He is a long way off from Calmness and Insight- These are the evils of liking to talk.
He is ever disrespectful of his Gurus,
And finds his delight in obscene conversation; Pointlessly he lives and lacking in Insight- These are the evils of liking to talk. . . .
At the hour of death, this child makes moan:
'Alas! my meditation's so weak! what shall I do? '
So with the depths unfathomed, his suffering is great- These are the evils of liking to talk.
Like grass in the wind, he is blown to and fro; His only conviction is that he's in doubt; Firmness of mind will never be his-
These are the evils of liking to talk.
He is like an actor before a crowd watching His play: he declaims the hero's virtues While his own character grows weaker- These are the evils of liking to talk.
He is a hypocrite and in despair;
He is remorse-stricken ever afterwards;
? He is far off from the noble and holy Teaching- These are the evils of liking to talk.
Of little ability, he is delighted by attention, And his ignorance makes him impulsive;
His mind is restless as a monkey's:
These are the evils of liking to talk. " 4
Further on, the Sutra continues:
"The man. who likes to talk at great length, [315b] And then still says that he's not had enough,
Would be far better off to reflect on a word,
And that one word would give him infinite delight.
The sugar-cane bark has no juice at all; The taste-giving delight is all found inside; The man who chews on only the bark Cannot find the sugar's sweet taste.
Talking is like the husk of the cane;
But thought and meaning, these are the taste.
? THE SUPERKNOWLEDGES 117 So renounce this delight in talking,
And be ever attentive and think on meaning. " 5 This same Sutra also has this passage:
"The Great Bodhisattva Maitreya questioned the Blessed One in these words:
'The bodhisattva who has rejected the highest Doctrine and is occupied with evil deeds will have very little Insight and his Insight will be impaired, will it not? '
And the Blessed One answered the Great Bodhisattva Maitreya:
'Maitreya, that is exactly how it is. The words you have spoken are true. Bodhisattvas who reject the highest Teaching and are occupied with evil deeds have very
little Insight. Maitreya, let me show you, and bear this in mind: bodhisattvas who lack zeal and meditation and renunciation, who do not do their recitation nor seek greater learning, such bodhisattvas have not entered the
religious life under the Teaching of the Tathagata. [316a] Maitreya, this teaching of the Tathagata unfolds only through meditation and renunciation. It is composed of wisdom and held together by wisdom, and only by great diligence can it be truly unfolded. But there can be no
such unfolding in the householder's way of life with its preoccupations and concern for worldly matters. A householder's diligence is misplaced; managing business and struggling for worldly success are the things that delight him in this cycle of rebirths. Bodhisattvas should have no desires for such things. " 6
Need of the Superknowledges
My Guru has spoken on this in his Chapter on Concentra- tion Equipment:
"The bodhisattva who has only studied the Doctrine should refrain from preaching it [yet). The Scriptures do not tell us that we can be helpful to others just from having studied the Teaching, and without first acquiring the superknowledges. . . . Therefore, there should be no preaching of the Doctrine just because we are very
? 118 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
learned. When we have the superknowledges, then at the very earliest we are ready to seek the good of others. . . . A man who is incapable of maturing disciples because he lacks the_superkpowledges is sinking toward death himself. As Acarya Santideva said:
'People all have their_preferences,
And if even the Victor did not please them, Then how much less a bad. one like me?
So give up the idea of [pleasing] the world. ' " 7
So also the great Acarya Nagarjuna commented on this subject:
"When you have acquired the five Superknowledges- Powers that will follow you in all rebirths -
Then strive constantly for the complete
Benefit and happiness of all creatures. " 8
Need of a Guru?
But to attempt Contemplation without instruction from a Guru and relying exclusively on one's own study of texts is prohibited [by the authorities I give] here in the following:
even though you strive diligently in such yoga, the Super- knowledges still will not come about, for the same reason that you have not yet reached the great and perfect Enlightenment. In the commentaries that treat this subject, the Brahmin Saraha the Great says this in his Kinds o f Ultimate Truth:
"What we call 'instruction of the Guru' is the essence of ambrosia. Anyone who does not drink to satisfaction, as it were, "will certainly die of thirst- like a man in the middle of a desert full of treatises. " 9
And Arya Nagarjuna again:
" A man may study a great many Tantras, and even purify himse~fcorrectly according to Scripture, but having little regard for a Guru he will not master that Scripture. He only defeats himself, and is mouthing treatises without
? THE SUPERKNOWLEDGES 119
authority. For him the texts are only reasons for argument. " 10
Relation to Calmness
The two stanzas that begin with the words "THE MERITS WHICH A MAN WITH THE SUPERKNOWLEDGES GAINS IN A SINGLE DA Y" [Stanzas 36 and 37] continue the same theme as the preceding ones. Hence, this great and perfect Enlightenment depends upon the Two Equipments [of
merit and knowledge]; and the two kinds of Equipment depend upon [effecting] the good of others; and that depends upon the Superknowledges. But the Super-
knowledges depend upon Calm'ness;11 and Calmness depends on Conduct; and that is why I taught about Conduct first of all. And so, since Calmness arises from
Conduct, and the Superknowledges arise from Calmness, I wrote:
AS LONG AS CALMNESS IS NOT ATrAINED,
THE SUPERKNOWLEDGES WILL NOT OCCUR; THEREFORE, IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE CALMNESS,
ONE MUST KEEP STRMNG OVER AND OVER. (Stanza 38]
Calmness
The Superknowledges which arise from Calmness, and for which you must [first] gain Calmness, are these: [1] Super- knowledge of godlike sight, [2] Superknowledge of godlike hearing, [3] Superknowledge of others' thoughts, [4] [317a] Superknowledge of previous liwes, [5] Superknowledge of miraculous powers, [6] Superknowledge that all impurities
have been destroyed. 12
The Nine Limbs
ONE WHO NEGLECTS THE LIMBS OF CALMNESS, EVEN THOUGH HE STRIVE TO MEDITATE
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, NEVER
WILL ACHIEVE CONCENTRATION. [Stanza 39]
? 120 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
The "Limbs of Calmness" are ninefold, beginning with Renunciation, as presented by my own Guru. The stanza is otherwise easily understood. By "NEGLECTS THE LIMBS" I meant that the nine Limbs given by the venerable Bodhibhadra in his Chapter on Concentration Equipment are appropriate for the person who has not as yet achieved
Calmness. Here is what he said:
"[1] Renunciation, [2] Preparation, [3] Avoidance, [4] Suppression of anxiety, [5] Dissatisfaction (with the world), [6] Mindfulness of benefits, [7] Diligence, [8] Integrating, and [9] Means of Staying. Besides just learning such Limbs, one must remain in them correctly. " 13
You should study the Chapter itself for the meaning [of each Limb].
D. efects and Remedies in Meditation
But here I will-write a little on what the last Limb means, giving what my Guru said in his Chapter:
"When a man has acquired the [first] eight Limbs, and has provided himself with suitable location and food, and has the appropriate life-style and clothing, and conducive companions, then he should compose his mind. . . . 14 [317b] I f he cannot compose it, let him strive again for his Equipment of Merit in things like reading the Perfection ofInsight, making offerings, and circumambulations. . . . When he does set himself to composing his mind, he
must cultivate eight [good] habits which avoid the evils that are opposed to them. [Now the Classification o f the Middle and Extremes says that]: 15
'The defects in concentrating are held to be fivefold: [1] laziness, [2] forgetfulness of instruction, [3] apathy and anxiety, [4] failure to achieve a level, [5] a false achievement. The remedies against these defects are the eight habits which avoid them; namely: [1] [desiring] this state, [2] [the effort to] remain in it,
? THE SUPERKNOWLEDGES 121
[3] [faith, which is] the cause, [4] [and its] result [in self-confidence], [5] mindfulness, [6] awareness of one's apathy or anxiety, [7] habitually avoiding [these defects], and [8] when calm, [actually] entering into the state [of composure]. ' " 16
The OrnamentofSutras says:
"The first thing is to make the effort;
The second is to bolster it;
The third is to focus [the attention];
The fourth is the actual remedy [of calmness]. " 17
Some prefer another explanation [of the five evils]: [1] craving, [2] ill-will, [3] sloth and drowsiness, [4] anxiety and guilt, and [5] doubt. The retinue of sloth and drowsiness includes things like weariness, lack of zest, restlessness, not taking the proper amount of food, and slackness of mind. These things make the mind depressed. Their remedy is
clear thinking. The retinue of anxiety and guilt includes interest in relatives, memories of past distractions, thrills, and frivolities. These do not calm the mind; and their remedy is Calmness.
Topics for Calmness
ONE CAN THEN SET THE MIND IN VIRTUE
FIXED ON ANY TOPIC HE CHOOSES. (Stanza 40]
Here the word "TOPIC" refers to the object of the mind, as in this quote from the Blaze ofReasoning [on the "Essence] of the Middle Way":
"The mind is a rampaging elephant: Tie it fast with the rope of mindfulness To the steady post of Topic; [318a] Then settle the mind in Calm. " 18
My words "ON ANY TOPIC HE CHOOSES" refer to Calmness- with-Signs as well as Calmness-without-Signs. 1 9 A s my Guru says in the Chapter on Concentration Equipment:
? 122 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
"Calmness is twofold: [1] with-Signs, and [2] without- Signs. Calmness-with-Signs is twofold: [a] signs that are internal, and [b] signs that are external. [a] The kind that are internal are twofold: topics on the body, and topics on what supports the body. The three topics on body are: the aspect of the god being the body itself;20 the
disgusting aspects of it,21 such as skeletons, etc. ; or a distinctive sign such as a trident. 22
"There are five topics on the supports of the body:23 the Breath, the Subtle Signs, the Drop, the Limbs of Light Rays, and Joy and Bliss. [b] Signs that are external are of two kinds: the special, and the ordinary. 2 4 The special topics are either [a Buddha's] body or [a Buddha's] words. . . .
"[2] Calmness-without-Signs is the same as Investiga- tive Insight/5 whence arises signless Higher Vision, the knowledge which is without discursive reasoning. . . . It is recommended that, rather than resting in Calmness- with-Signs, one proceed toward developing Higher Vision by? [first] focusing on Calmness-without-Signs. [318b] For it is only by being firmly established in Higher Vision joined with Calmness that the afflictions are cleansed away and thoroughly subdued - it is the only
basis for such a result. . . .
"I do not describe here how to contemplate, for fear of
enlarging my text, but also because guidance in con- templation is the kind that requires personal instruction from an experienced Guru. And that is because the details of the teaching on Calmness and Higher Vision must be explained, and because of the difficulty of learning contemplation just from reading books. " 26
Practice ofthe Yogin
The Gurus all say that such a yogin who has achieved Calmness will without doubt gain the five Superknowledges I mentioned before. And, as means of getting them, you should also take to heart the training precepts of the Sevenfold Way Sutra: Questions of Avalokitesvara, and recite the sutra itself now and then. Arya Asaitga says:
? THE SUPERKNOWLEDGES 123
"A bodhisattva who wants to acquire the Superknow- ledges quickly should diligently, three times a day and three times a night: pay Homage, perform Worship, make Confession of sin, feel Rejoicing, and make the Petition, Entreaty, and Bestowal. " 27
And he should also have, for all the equipment of Calmness, such things as few desires, frugality, content- ment, and true solitude. That a yogin abiding in Calmness correctly does have few desires and is frugal [is clear from] the holy One Hundred Thousand Stanza Perfection of Insight:
"Monks who catch even a little taste for meditation, [319a] think little about clothes and little about food-
and [yet] their complexions are healthy.
