Jewels from the treasury vasubandhus ( (137)

FOREWORD BY Kpenchen Thrangu cT(inpoche Am ong the abhidharm a o f the Foundation and Great Vehicles, the main text that students in monastic colleges study these days is The Treasury o f Abhidharma There are many commentaries on the Treasury The great Chim Jamyangs commentary and the Eighth Karmapa Mikyo Dorjes commentary, The Springtime Cow o f Easy Accomplishment are very clear and good, but they are too long W hen new students study them, they are unable to find a way into them In order to help such students, the N inth Karmapa W angchuk Dorje composed a commentary that is very clear and concise Students who read it are able to develop definite com prehension of the abhidharm a in general, and within that, clearly understand the points taught in the Treasury o f Abhidharma T h at is why it is so beneficial that the N in th Karmapa Wangchuk Dorjes commentary on the Treasury has been translated Among the three baskets of Buddhist teachings, it is im portant to under­ stand the abhidharma teachings There are three main trainings: the superior training in discipline taught by the vinaya, the superior training in samadhi taught by the sutras, and the superior training in full knowing taught by the abhidharm a O f these three trainings, the prim ary one for destroying the afflictions and attaining the ultim ate result is the superior training in full knowing Developing this training depends mainly on the pitaka o f abhidharma, and that in turn depends mainly on the treatises of abhidharma O f all these treatises, the easiest and clearest is the Treasury o f Abhidharma, so if you study the Treasury, it will bring great benefit Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche Sarnath, India February 17, 2008 1T ranslator’s Introduction English-speaking students of Buddhism are very fortunate these days: there are more and more books on Buddhism, and in-depth study o f Buddhist philosophy and practice is becoming possible in an English medium Im por­ tant texts from all Buddhist schools and traditions, in particular the Indian and Tibetan, are becoming available in excellent, clear English translations that are understandable and beneficial for general readers and specialists alike Since many students of Buddhism are primarily interested in meditation, m any o f the texts initially translated focused on m editation But in order to receive the full benefits o f m editation practice, it is necessary to have a thorough understanding o f the views o f Buddhist philosophy As Master Vasubandhu says in the Treasury ofAbhidharm a: W ith conduct, listening, contemplation, Completely train in meditation In other words, in order to achieve results in our meditation practice, we must first m aintain the conduct o f good discipline and then develop the prajna or “full knowing” born o f listening and contemplation through study of the Buddhas words and the treatises that explain them W ithout study we are like blind people trying to climb a cliff, it is said, but with the proper understand­ ing that comes from thorough study and contemplation, our m editation will improve and we will be able to enjoy its fruits O f all the subjects to study, masters in all Buddhist traditions consider the abhidharm a to be one of the most important Abhidharma is like an encyclo­ pedia of Buddhism: it pulls together the teachings the Buddha gave in many different sutras and discourses and presents them in a systematic way Studying t r a n s l a t o r ’s i n t r o d u c t i o n it gives an understanding o f what things are and why they are called by the names they are given It provides a solid foundation for further study because other treatises often refer to concepts and phenom ena that are covered most thoroughly in the abhidharma But most im portant, it gives answers to such pressing questions as, what are the natures o f our bodies and minds? How are we born? How our minds work? How does karma work? W hat causes suf­ fering? How we free ourselves from suffering? Although the Buddha himself said that his teachings could be divided into the three baskets of sutras, vinaya, and abhidharma, it would be difficult to pinpoint a specific set o f his discourses that could be called abhidharma Rather, Shariputra, Kátyániputra, and other arhats collected and systematized the teachings the Buddha had given on many disparate occasions in many su­ tras and the vinaya, compiling what are called the seven treatises o f abhidharma As the different schools of Buddhism developed, each school also developed its own tradition o f interpreting and explaining the abhidharma, and so there came to be several distinct presentations o f the abhidharma T he basis for the study o f abhidharm a in the northern Buddhist tradi­ tions that spread to Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan was provided by Master Vasubandhu’s Verses on the Treasury o f Abhidharm a (often called the root verses) and his accompanying Explanation o f the Treasury o f Abhidharma (usu­ ally called the autocommentary) W ritten in the fourth century, these brilliant works eclipsed earlier treatises on the abhidharm a to such an extent that Tibetan translators did not even consider most of the treatises it was based upon necessary to translate W ithin the Tibetan tradition, Vasubandhu’s Treasury is considered one o f the five great works o f Buddhist philosophy The root is especially prized for the way in which it condenses an immense topic into clean concise, and memorable verses Several o f the verses are so often quoted in works on other topics that they are am ong the most com ­ monly quoted lines in Tibetan Buddhism W hen studying abhidharma, stu­ dents memorize the root— in some m onastic colleges, gathering every m orning to recite the verses aloud from beginning to end The meter of the verses makes them easy to recite and remember, so that as students recite them over and over, passages that at first seem impenetrable become clearer and clearer Eventually they become reminders th at flow easily over the tongue, bringing to m ind the meaning described in the commentaries For a student new to the abhidharma, however, Vasubandhu’s work on its own is difficult T he root verses are like a key that opens the gate to a vast field o f knowledge, but they are too terse to understand w ithout explanation O n the other hand, the autocommentary is imposing for beginners N ot only is it lengthy— one English translation was published in four volumes— it t r a n s l a t o r ’s i n t r o d u c t i o n covers m any doctrinal disputes between different Buddhist schools in such detail that beginners m ight find it difficult to discern what is im portant O ther points are given only cursory explanation, as if it is assumed that the reader already knows the point or that a master will explain it For these reasons am ong others, many Indian and later Tibetan masters wrote commentaries on either the root verses, the autocommentary, or both Among these, the N inth Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje’s explanation o f the root verses entitled Youthful Play is especially useful for those who are new to the abhidharm a About a third the length o f the autocommentary, its explana­ tions o f the root verses are succinct and clear; its synopses o f the disputes between different schools outline the m ain points w ithout providing so m uch detail that a new student might get confused; and it fleshes out several topics covered only briefly in the autocom m entary Youthful Play gives a thorough overview o f the abhidharm a for those who wish to study it but cannot so exhaustively and provides a basis for those who wish to delve further into abhidharm a studies W hen m ost students o f Buddhism first learn about the abhidharm a, at first it seems as if it is a set o f scriptures— one o f the three baskets or pitaka of the Buddhist canon However, this is only one aspect o f what the word abhidharma refers to In Vasubandhu’s presentation, there are three types of abhidharma: ultimate abhidharma, path abhidharma, and scriptural abhid­ harma Ultimate or genuine abhidharma is the stainless, undefiled full know­ ing that correctly discerns what is and what is not, as well as the five undefiled aggregates which accompany it The name abhidharm a is also given to the defiled full knowing and treatises through which one can achieve stainless wisdom The defiled full knowing of individuals on the path is path abhid­ harma, and treatises such as the seven treatises o f abhidharm a and this Treasury are scriptural abhidharma The reason it is im portant to study the abhidharma is that only this unde­ filed full knowing can liberate us from the suffering o f samsara Ordinary sen­ tient beings lack this full knowing and are unable to properly distinguish what is from what is not This confusion leads to greed for the things one wants and aversion toward things one finds unpleasant This in turn leads to the ac­ tions which on a longer timeframe bind us to the cycle o f rebirth, but in the short term as well lead to the difficulties o f our lives O ne only has to look at how many o f our everyday problems— whether major or petty, real or imag­ ined— result from misunderstandings or misplaced hopes and fears to see how im portant it is to develop the wisdom that sees what is as it is As Vasubandhu says near the beginning o f the Treasury: ... Abhidharm a (often called the root verses) and his accompanying Explanation o f the Treasury o f Abhidharma (usu­ ally called the autocommentary) W ritten in the fourth century, these brilliant... the abhidharma T he basis for the study o f abhidharm a in the northern Buddhist tradi­ tions that spread to Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan was provided by Master Vasubandhu’s Verses on the Treasury. .. aintain the conduct o f good discipline and then develop the prajna or “full knowing” born o f listening and contemplation through study of the Buddhas words and the treatises that explain them