Notes to Chapter III 415 of Buddhism in Tibet is felt up to the present day For the life of Atisha, see Alaka Chattopadhyaya’s study, AtıŸa and Tibet (Calcutta, 1967) 20 Irreversible (phyir mi ldog pa) refers to the awakening mind of a bodhisattva at the stage of acceptance of the path of preparation, at which stage there is no turning back to the path of the Individual Way 21 The five early masters of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism: Sachen Kunga Nyingpo (Kun dga’ snying po) (1102-1158), Sönam Tsemo (bSod nams rtsed mo) (1142-1182), Drakpa Gyaltsen (Grags pa rgyal mtshan) (1147-1216), Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsen (Kun dga’ rgyal mtshan) (1182-1251), and Chögyal Pakpa (Chos rgyal ’phags pa) (1235-1280) These words, which Sakya Pandita attributes to the oral teachings of his master (most probably Drakpa Gyaltsen), are found in the Rite for the Formation of the Awakening Mind according to the Centrist System (dBu ma lugs kyi sems bskyed kyi cho ga) in the Collected Works of Sakya Pandita (Beijing: Bod ljongs bdo yig dpe rnying dpe bskrun khang, 1992), vol II, p 547 22 The first aspect refers to a beginner’s aspiring mind; the second, to the aspiring mind formed in a ritual; and the third, to preserving the purity of the aspiring mind The same applies to the three aspects of the venturing mind (H.H Sakya Trizin, oral communication) 23 The actual title of Shantipa’s work is Commentary on the Mandala Rite of Guhyasamaja (Guhyasam›jama˚˜alavidhi˛ık›; gSang ba ’dus pa’i dkyil ’khor gyi cho ga’i ’grel pa/ Zhi brgya lnga bcu pa’i ’grel pa) (Toh 1871) The citation is found on f 69b1 24 An approximate awakening mind is imputed or formed through indications or words (brdar btags pa/ rda las ’byung ba), while the subtle one corresponds to the ultimate (don dam pa) awakening mind “Formed through indications or words” refers to the aspiration to awaken in order to put an end to the suffering of all beings Because it is first hinted at or suggested by the words of a spiritual master, such an aspiration is said to “arise from indications.” Ultimate awakening mind is formed through the force of this aspiration for enlightenment; it is non-conceptual pristine awareness free from all mental fabrications, its focus being the selflessness of all phenomena (Shantipa’s Commentary on the Mandala Rite of Guhyasamaja, ff 68b1-69a6) The awakening mind hinted at by others is formed by repeating after a master the formula for its generation (Ashvabhava’s Commentary on the Scripture Ornament [Mah›y›nasÒtrala˙k›ra˛ık›; Theg pa chen po’i mdo sde’i rgyan gyi rgya cher ’grel pa] [Toh 4029], f 54a1) The ultimate awakening mind arises through the cultivation of merit and pristine awareness (Dharmashri’s Commentary on the Three Vows [sDom ’grel/ sDom pa gsum rnam par nges pa’i ’grel pa legs bshad ngo mtshar dpag bsam gyi snye ma] [Chorten Monastery edition, published at Deorali, Gangtok, Sikkim, by Dodrup Chen Rinpoché], f 34a5) 25 f 4b2-3 26 Appreciation (mos pa) is based on the confidence one has in the profound and magnificent subjects of the Universal Way (in particular, the subject of emptiness), but not on the direct realization of these subjects (Sthiramati’s CSO, vol Mi, f 52a7) 416 Buddhist Ethics 27 The seven impure stages (sapt›ŸuddhabhÒmi, ma dag pa’i sa bdun) are the first seven stages of awakening They are called impure because on these stages bodhisattvas have not yet purified a subtle form of pride This pride is eventually purified in the last three stages of awakening, which are therefore called the three pure stages (tri viŸuddhibhÒmi, dag pa’i sa gsum) According to Sthiramati, extraordinary intention (lhag pa’i bsam pa) denotes the mind that perceives the equality of oneself and others, which enables the bodhisattva to work for his or her own and others’ welfare Such intention is pure (dag pa) in that it is unpolluted by grasping to the reality of apprehended (objects) and the apprehending (mind) (CSO, vol Mi, f 52b1-2) 28 The awakening mind on the eighth, ninth, and tenth stages of the bodhisattva path is said to be mature because on these stages, non-conceptual pristine awareness is spontaneously present, and as a result, the bodhisattva engages effortlessly in generosity and the other perfections (CSO, vol Mi, f 52b3-4) 29 The first kind of awakening mind arises from its causes; the second, from pristine awareness; the third, from the elimination of what is to be forsaken on the path; and the fourth, from the realization of the goal, enlightenment (CSO, vol Mi, f 52b6-7) 30 f 2b5-6 31 Reading glu for klu 32 The similes for and qualities accompanying the awakening mind at different stages of development are as follows: (1) earth (sa), earnest desire (’dun pa); (2) gold (gser), intention (bsam pa); (3) waxing moon (yar ngo’i zla ba tshes pa), superior determination (lhag pa’i bsam pa); (4) fire (me), application (sbyor ba); (5) great treasure (gter chen), generosity (sbyin pa); (6) jewel mine (rin po che’i ’byung gnas), ethics (tshul khrims); (7) ocean (rgya mtsho), patience (bzod pa); (8) diamond (rdo rje), effort (brtson ’grus); (9) the king of mountains (ri’i rgyal po), meditation (bsam gtan); (10) medicine (sman), wisdom (shes rab); (11) spiritual friend (dge ba’i bshes gnyen), skillful means (thabs la mkhas pa); (12) wish-fulfilling gem (yid bzhin gyi nor bu), aspiration (smon lam); (13) sun (nyi ma), strength (stobs); (14) beautiful song (glu snyan), pristine awareness (ye shes); (15) king (rgyal po), clairvoyance (mngon par shes pa); (16) storehouse (bang mdzod), merit and pristine awareness (bsod nams dang ye shes); (17) highway (lam po che), factors conducive to awakening (byang chub kyi phyogs dang mthun pa’i chos); (18) conveyance (bzhon pa), mental quiescence and insight (zhi gnas dang lhag mthong); (19) spring (bkod ma’i chu), memory and eloquence (gzungs dang spobs pa); (20) echo (sgra brnyan), feast of Dharma (chos kyi dga’ ston); (21) the current of a river (chu bo’i rgyun), sole path (bgrod pa gcig pa’i lam); (22) a cloud (sprin), the dimension of reality of awakening (chos kyi sku) 33 Generosity up to and including pristine awareness make up the ten perfections 34 Thirty-seven factors conducive to awakening: see chapter II, note 183 35 The dimension of reality of awakening (dharmak›ya, chos sku) or the omniscient Notes to Chapter III 417 mind of a buddha, which is the buddha’s pristine awareness (jñ›na-dharmak›ya, ye shes chos sku) and its intrinsic dimension (sv›bh›vikak›ya, ngo bo nyid sku) or ultimate nature of emptiness 36 The small, middle, and great path of accumulation (sambh›ram›rga, tshogs lam) 37 Ten perfections: the six (generosity, ethics, patience, effort, meditation, and wisdom), plus means, aspiration, strength, and pristine awareness See section below entitled “The Six Perfections in Detail.” 38 Ten stages (daŸabhÒmi, sa bcu) of the enhanced realization of a bodhisattva, starting from the attainment of the path of seeing up to the final awakening: Joyful (pramudit›, rab tu dga’ ba), Stainless (vimal›, dri ma med pa), Illuminating (prabh›karı, ’od byed pa), Radiant (arci˝matı, ’od phro ba), Difficult to Conquer (sudurjay›, shin tu sbyang dka’ ba), Approaching (abhimukhı, mngon du gyur ba), Gone Far (dÒra˚gama, ring du song ba), Unshakable (acal›, mi g.yo ba), Good Discrimination (s›dhumatı, legs pa’i blo gros), and Cloud of the Teachings (dharma-megh›, chos kyi sprin) For a discussion of these stages, see chapter 19 of Gampopa’s Jewel Ornament of Liberation (JOL) (Dam chos yid bzhin nor bu thar pa rin po che’i rgyan) 39 See note 27 40 Saint (arhat, dgra bcom pa): one who has fully overcome the emotions, more often used to denote the goal of the Individualists, here equivalent to the state of a buddha The most common Tibetan translation of the Sanskrit term is dgra bcom pa (one who has defeated the enemy [of the disturbing emotions]) Another translation of arhat is mchod par ’os pa (one worthy of veneration), used sparingly by Tibetan translators 41 The correspondence between each simile and awakening mind is explained in different ways by the commentators on the Ornament of Realizations Vimuktasena, citing extensively the Buddha’s discourses, states: (1) The awakening mind of a beginner bodhisattva accompanied by earnest interest is like the earth in that it serves as the foundation for the attainment of the Buddha’s qualities (2) Awakening mind accompanied by intention, like beautiful gold, is the wish to help and make others happy through the practice of the six perfections, a wish that remains unchanged until the bodhisattva’s goal is reached (3) Awakening mind accompanied by superior determination, like the waxing moon, is a strong intention to enhance wholesome qualities to their fullest (4) Awakening mind accompanied by application, like fire, enhances the application of the three knowledges—of the foundation (gzhi shes) [the Individual Way’s understanding of the selflessness of phenomena], of the path (lam shes) [the knowledge directed to the actualization of the “perfect end” of emptiness], and the knowledge of all aspects (rnam mkhyen) [the final knowledge that directly comprehends in an instant reality as it is and as it manifests] 418 Buddhist Ethics (5) Awakening mind accompanied by the perfection of generosity, like a great treasure, satisfies countless beings through the gift of the teachings and material things (6) Awakening mind accompanied by the perfection of ethics, like a jewel mine, is a source of limitless good qualities (7) Awakening mind accompanied by patience, like an ocean, is never disturbed by the experience of many difficulties (8) Awakening mind accompanied by effort, like a diamond, is a firm, undivided mind (9) Awakening mind accompanied by the perfection of meditation, like the king of mountains, is unperturbed by distractions (10) Awakening mind accompanied by the perfection of wisdom, like a medicine, eliminates all illnesses of emotions and impediments to the attainment of omniscience (11) Awakening mind accompanied by the perfection of skillful means, like a spiritual friend, at no time neglects others’ welfare (12) Awakening mind accompanied by the perfection of aspiration, like a wish-fulfilling gem, accomplishes whatever it aspires to (13) Awakening mind accompanied by the perfection of strength, like the sun, brings practitioners to spiritual maturity (14) Awakening mind accompanied by the perfection of pristine awareness, like a beautiful song, reveals itself to inspire practitioners (15) Awakening mind accompanied by clairvoyance, like a king, accomplishes the welfare of others with unobstructed power (16) Awakening mind accompanied by merit and pristine awareness, like a storehouse, accommodates all merit and pristine awareness (17) Awakening mind accompanied by the factors conducive to awakening, like a highway, is traversed by the exalted ones, one after the other (18) Awakening mind accompanied by the union of mental quiescence and insight, like a conveyance, carries one easily, never leaving one in cyclic existence or in static peace (19) Awakening mind accompanied by memory and eloquence, like water from a spring, contains and gives forth unceasingly the teachings retained in the minds of bodhisattvas (20) Awakening mind accompanied by the feast of the teachings, like a melodious sound, proclaims the four seals—impermanence, suffering, selflessness, and peace—to practitioners who aspire to liberation [Kongtrul cites “echo” rather than melodious sound.] (21) Awakening mind accompanied by the sole path, like the current of a river, is entered spontaneously at the attainment of acceptance of the unborn [reality] and followed undividedly in order to fulfill others’ welfare (22) Awakening mind accompanied by the reality dimension of awakening, like a cloud, resides in the pure land of Tushita, accomplishing the welfare of others by teaching constantly Notes to Chapter III 419 (Vimuktasena’s Commentary on the Ornament of Realizations, [Pcavi˙Ÿatis›hasrik›prajđ›p›ramitopadeŸaŸ›str›bhisamay›la˙k›rav¸tti; Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong phrag nyi shu lnga pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan gyi ’grel pa] [Toh 3787], ff 18a1-21b6) 42 In this case, “beginner” refers to a bodhisattva on the path of accumulation or preparation 43 The preparatory part of a tantric initiation (dbang gi sta gon) and the main part of the initiation (dbang gi dngos gzhi) 44 Nagarjuna (N›g›rjuna, Klu sgrub): born in southern India in a Brahmin family, became the pioneer of the Centrist system of philosophy and one of the foremost proponents of the Universal Way He is said to have been called Nagarjuna (“One who has achieved his goal with the aid of nagas”) because nagas presented him with the large Transcendent Wisdom Scripture and other scriptures that were hidden in their world Asanga (Asaºga, Thogs med), tutored as a young child in fine arts, grammar, medicine, and debate by his own mother in Peshawar, became a great Buddhist monk and scholar However, still unable to fathom the message of the Transcendent Wisdom scriptures, he devoted himself to Maitreya as his tutelary deity After a meditation trial that lasted twelve years, legend says that he was taken by Maitreya to the pure land of Tushita, where he listened extensively to the teachings Upon his return to the earth, he gathered the fruits of his studies into the Five Works of Maitreya He become the second father (after Nagarjuna) of the Universal Way by pioneering the Idealist system of philosophy 45 Manjughosha, “the Sweet-Voiced” (Mañjugho˝a, ’Jam dbyangs) or Manjushri (MañjuŸri, ’Jam dpal): the bodhisattva who symbolizes transcendent wisdom Considered to be a source of mystic inspiration and a protector of Centrist philosophers, he is depicted brandishing in his right hand a sword with a flaming tip, and in his left hand, the stem of a lotus on whose corolla rests a scripture The system for the development of awakening mind derived from Manjughosha is said to be based on the Flower Array Scripture (Ga˚˜havyÒhasÒtra; sDong po bkod pa’i do) (Toh 44) and the Akashagarbha Scripture (fik›ŸagarbhasÒtra, Nam mkha’i snying po’i mdo) (Toh 260) 46 Aryadeva (firyadeva, ’Phags pa lha): born in the third century as the son of a Sri Lankan king, he became an ardent follower of the Buddhist teachings, the spiritual heir of Nagarjuna, and promulgator of the Centrist philosophy His most famous works are the Experientialist Four Hundred (Catu¯ŸatakaŸ›strak›rik›n›ma; bsTan bcos bzhi brgya pa zhes bya ba’i tshig le’ur byas pa) (Toh 3846) on the exoteric aspects of Buddhism and the Lamp Summary of the Practice (Cary›mel›pakapradıpa; sPyod pa bsdus pa’i sgron ma) (Toh 1803), a tantric work 47 Shantideva (⁄›ntideva, Zhi ba lha): an eighth-century Indian master and follower of the Centrist philosophy Due to his outstanding accomplishments, particularly his Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, he continues up to the present day to be an inspirational figure for followers of the Universal Way ... selflessness of phenomena], of the path (lam shes) [the knowledge directed to the actualization of the “perfect end” of emptiness], and the knowledge of all aspects (rnam mkhyen) [the final knowledge. .. studies into the Five Works of Maitreya He become the second father (after Nagarjuna) of the Universal Way by pioneering the Idealist system of philosophy 45 Manjughosha, ? ?the Sweet-Voiced” (Mañjugho˝a,... who has fully overcome the emotions, more often used to denote the goal of the Individualists, here equivalent to the state of a buddha The most common Tibetan translation of the Sanskrit term