Chapter 5: The Dags po 'i bka ' 'bum 232 To this end, the segment announces that it is going to teach an instruction (gdam ngag , *avaviida) 593 which is comparable to the sound of a piwang (pi wang, *pavang), a class ic al Tibetan stringed fiddle instrument, which is somewhat similar to the Indian veena (vfnii) It is said that the comparison means that the sound of the p iwang i s not produced by any single element of the instrument, such as the strings, the instrument's body acting as a sound box, or the efforts of the musician to play the instrument, but it is the combination of all these elements acting together that produces the sound S imilarly, the achievement of nirvii1:1a is accomplished by uniting spiritual methods (thabs, *upiiya) - in particular the cultivation of kindness (byams pa, *maitrl) , compassion (snying rje, *karu!iii), and the resolve for Awakening (byang chub kyi sems, *bodhicitta) - with the development of insight (shes rab, *prajffri), through which the practitioner realizes the profound emptiness (zab mo stong pa nyid, *gambhfrasilnyatii) of all phenomena By bringing together these two facets in his or her practice, the practitioner c an purify the obscurations (sgrib pa, *iivara1:1a) along with their tenacious tendencies (bag chags, *viisanii) and hereby end up achieving the non-abiding nirvii!W (mi gnas pa 'i mya ngan las 'das pa, *aprati�fhita nirvii!ia) Following this introduction, the segment proceeds to impart a concrete contemplative instruction consisting of four points (don bzh i) Each point is presented in the form of a short root text prose-sentence (rtsa ba) followed by an explanatory note (mchan bu) The first point i s the necessity of adopting (khyer) the understanding that smrzsiira ( 'khor ba) has the nature of suffering (sdug bsngal gyi rang bzhin, *du(ikhasvabhiiva or *du�khariipa) Such understanding is needed for turning the mind away from smJisiira ( 'khor ba la blo ldog pa) and to achieve this view the segment teaches a twofold contemplation of the shortcomings of smJisara ( 'kho r ba 'i nyes dmigs bsgom pa, *smJisiiriidfnavabhavanii) The involved contemplations are focused on suffering in the various forms of smJisiiric rebirth as well as on the basic suffering found in the life of a human being The second point is the necessity of adopting this understanding of suffering as a spiritual path (sdug bsngal lam du khyer) It is by contemplating the suffering endured by others that the Mahiiyiina practi tioner i s able to generate compassion and the relative resolve for Awakening Pragmatically speaking, the passage also stresses the need for relating to personal hardships as an incentive to practice , considering them as reminders for striving on the path of renunciation This is compared to the story of how the Buddhas manifest a golden drum in the heavenly realms to remind the gods , whose lives are filled with celestial pleasures, of the smJisiiric impermanence of all temporal happiness The segment then instructs the practitioner how to complete the development of kindness and compassion to the extent that these attitudes are felt towards all and anyone, whereupon the practitioner is told to contemplate the inborn empty nature of compassion, suffering, and the mind, and to relax into a state that is free of concepts This constitutes the third point, namely the importance of achieving freedom from states of mind that cling to the path as being a real entity possessing definable 93 Gdam ngag occurs frequently in the Dags po 'i bka ' 'bum as a Tibetan orthographic variant of gdams ngag The form cited here generally reflects the spelling found in the given passage of DK.A 233 Chapter : The Dags po 'i bka ' 'bum characteristics (lam dngos po dang mtshan mar 'dzin pa 'i blo dang bra! ha) The illusion like nature of things that is thereby realized is spelled out in the segment with quotations from the Siltra literature, such as the Sm?icayagathii Prajfiiiparamitii scripture (Sdud pa) The ultimate result is the attainment of dharmakiiya, which is the instruction's fourth and final point, namely the recognition that dharmakiiya (chos kyi sku) is nothing but freedom from the conceptual mind (blo bra! de ka) The segment also stresses that benefit for others flows spontaneously from this state It is pointed out that this is what is called non referential compassion (dmigs pa med pa 'i snying rje, *niralambanakant(iii) , which techni cally constitutes what is called " naming a result by its cause" (don la rgyu 'i ming 'bras bu la sbyar te btags pa) The segment ends with a short quotation from Saraha's Dohas Segment DK.ACa.4: The segment begins (DK.A.Ca.4.7a ) : /Ina mo gu ru/ bla ma rin po che 'i zhal nas/ bka ' sde snod rin po che rnam pa gsum/ It ends (DK.A.Ca.4.9b ) : da blo bral gyi don de dang bra! med par nyams su blang gsung ngo// 594 S imilar to the third segment and many of the segments that follow, segment four commences by summing up all the teachings of the B uddha and then stating what is considered their essential point Here, the Buddha's teachings are subsumed under the categories of the three baskets of the Buddha' s words (bka ' sde snod rin po che rnam pa gsum, *tripi[aka) and the four Tantra classes (rgyud sde rin po che rnam pa bzhi), along with the commentaries ( 'grel pa, *vrtti) and instructions (gdam ngag, *avavada) Their key meaning (brjod bya) is presented as being aimed at revealing the nature (gnas lugs sam yin lugs) of cause and effect (rgyu 'bras, *hetuphala), particularly the teaching on dependent arising ( rten cing 'brel bar 'byung ha, tpratftyasamutpada) It is added that the purpose of this teaching is to give understanding of what is to be practiced and what is to be renounced (blang dor) The teachings on cause and effect pertain to saryisara ( 'khor ha) as well as to nirva!ia (mya ngag las 'das pa) The segment explains the details thereof at length, pointing out the causes for sm?isara being the five mental poisons (dug lnga, *paiicavi�ab) and the results being rebirth in the six sm?isaric states of rebirth ( 'gro ha, *gati) Nirva!la is considered twofold, viz the nirvii!ia of peace (zhi mya ngan las 'das pa, *santanirva!ia) attained by Hinayana followers and the non-abiding nirvii!ia (mi gnas pa 'i mya ngag las 'das pa, *aprati�_thitanirva!la) strived for by Mahayana bodhisattvas The c auses for the first kind of nirva!ia primarily include realization of the selflessness (bdag med pa, *nairiitmya) of the individual and partially also of phenomena, and secondarily the perfection of the twelve ascetic practices (sbyangs pa 'i yon tan , *dhutagu!la or *dhutagu!1a) 595 The causes for the non-abiding nirvii!la are complete realization of the selflessness of the individual and of all phenomena, as well as the perfection of the four bases for gathering students (bsdu ba 'i 94 Correlated passage s : DK.a.Ka a3-86a2, DK.B Ca.4.7a 1-9b2, DK.P.Ca.4 05b4- l 08b6, DK.Q.Ca.4.90a5 -93a1 , DK.R.Ca.4 0bs- 5as, D K.T.Ca.4 pp w 723 S ee fn 577 DK.D.Ca.4.7a6- 0a3 , DK S Ca.4 2a1 - l 7�, 234 po 'i bka ' 'bum dngos po bzhi, *catu{ism.ngrahavastu), 596 the six paramitas (pha rol tu phyin pa), and four immeasurables (tshad med pa bzhi, *catvary aprama�iani) The remaining part of the segment provides an instruction (gdam ngag, concerned with these processes of cause and effect The teaching is compared to a rice seedling (s 'a lu ljang pa, *salistambha) , in the sense that a particular kind of seed in con trovertibly yields a given type of plant and no other; e g , a rice seed generates a rice and not a buck weed sprout The instruction again consists of four points (don bzhi), w hose presentation is structured around brief root text sentences (rtsa ba) and explanatory no tes (mchan bu) The first point is to contemplate how past actions function as causes (snga ma'i rgyu 'bras kyi las) The second point is to understand how present experiences of happiness and suffering (phyi ma bde sdug) are the outcomes of past actions Herewith, the practi tioner should recognize the unfailing principle of action and result and as a strive to practice good actions and avoid harmful actions At this point, the segment discusses whether beneficial actions have the power to purify baneful actions , arguing that it is possible through doing beneficial actions to purify and terminate the seeds (sa ban, *bija) of negative actions that are stored in the latent consciousness (kun gzhi, *alaya [vijnana] ) , but it is not possible to purify and avoid results of negative actions that have already ripened (rnam smin, *vipaka) The third point of the instruction is to view all workings of causality of SaJ?ISiira and nirvii�1a as constituting dependent arising (rten cing 'brel par 'byung ba, *pratltyasamutpada) and consequently as being empty (stong pa, *sunya) of inherent existence By realizing the true nature, all causes of actions and effects of deluded experiences are automatically purified, because every action has been performed by one's own mind and every experience it produces does not exist apart from the mind, When the mind is realized as not existing with any fixed identity, there is no longer any duality of good and b ad and thus no duality of good or bad actions Everything is under" stood as being one's own mind (rang gi sems su thag chod pa) and it is realized that the mind is dhannakaya, free of any defining trait, like the center of the sky This leads to the fourth and final point of the instruction, which says that such understanding brings about a state beyond thoughts (blo las 'das pa 'i dbyings) , meaning that the practitioner through these steps of practice can reach a level that is free of thoughts (blo bral) and without hope and fear Segment DK.A.Ca.5: The segment begins (DK.A Ca 9b ) : /Ina mo gu ru/ bla ma rin po che 'i zhal nas! spyir yang dag par rdzags pa 'i sangs rgyas kyis theg pa 'i rim pa bsam gyis mi khyab pa cig gsungs pa thams cad kyang gdul bya gang zag gi snod kyi rim pa dang sbyar nas gsungs pa yin/ It ends (DK.A.Ca l b ) : de la ltos pa med pa yang mi srid pas/ yod pa dang med pa la sags pa 'i blo thams cad dang bra l la byar med/ 'dzin med du gzhag go// 597 The fifth segment opens by summing up the B uddha's teachings in the categories of See fn 294 97 Correlated passages : DK.P.Ca 08b6- l l l b 4, DK.T.Ca.5 pp 72s-932 DK a.Ka 86ar 8b3, DK.Q.Ca a1 -95a1, DK.B Ca 9br 1 b1, DK.R.Ca a5 - l 9bi, DK.D Ca 0a3- l 2bs , DK S Ca l 7a4-22a2 , Chapter : The Dags po 'i bka ' 'bum 235 ' vehicles' or 'ways' (theg pa, *yana) 59 It is said that the Buddha taught an unfathomable variety of vehicles to serve as effective methods for followers having different capacities and inclinations, and consequently no B uddhist teaching should be regarded as being inferi or or deficient Looking down upon and disparaging a tenet system (grub mtha ', *siddh iln ta) , such as the * Sravakayana (nyan thos kyi theg pa) or the *Pratyekabuddha yana (rang sangs rgyas kyi theg pa), is paramount to the very serious negative action of abandoning the Dharma (chos spong gi las) The segment then turns to the Great Vehicle (theg pa chen po, *mahayana), s aid to constitute the highest path (lam mchog, *paramamarga) for the person who possesses the Mahayana predisposition (theg pa chen po 'i rigs, *mahayanagotra) A key feature of the Mahayana is here said to be the view (lta ba , *d!:j[i) of profound selflessness (bdag med pa, *nairatmya) and accordingly the segment proceeds to teach a fourfold instruction (gdam ngag, *avavada) on a progressive meditation on the meaning of selflessness (bdag med pa 'i don rim gyis bsgom pa) The segment compares this instruction to the manner in which a series of signs are conveyed to a deceased queen (rgyal po 'i btsun mo shi ba la brda rim gyis sprod pa) 599 The segment provides no explanation of what is meant by this compari son and its meaning is consequently unclear The first point is a series of contemplations on the equality of oneself and others (bdag gzhan mnyam pa bsgom pa) in terms of that everyone wishes to find happiness and avoid suffering The second is a meditation on that it is selfish behavior (rang don byas pa) that causes suffering, whereas the sublime qualities found in buddhas and bodhisattvas (buddha dang bo dhi sa tva 'i yon tan phun sum tshogs pa) stem from acting for the benefit of others Having thus identified the root of suffering to be the tendency to cherish oneself (bdag gees par 'dzin), the practitioner must resolve henceforth to act only in ways devoted to others' wellbeing, particularly by striving to attain buddhahood The third point is to meditate on that the self is unestablished as a real entity (bdag ma grub par bsgom pa) This is achieved by analyzing the five aggregates (phung po, *skandha), body and mind identification, and the transitory and unidentifiable nature of past, future and present instants of consciousness (shes pa skad cig ma mi rtag pa) The fourth and final point is a meditation on the unestablished, empty nature of both self and other, freeing oneself from any dualistic thought of being and non-being (yod pa dang med pa la sags pa 'i blo thams cad dang bra l The term yana is generally taken a s meaning 'vehicle' i n the l ater Buddhist traditions, but VETTER (200 : 62-67) has argued that it may first have been employed in early Buddhist Mahayana texts in the sense of 'path', 'way' or 'road' A yana is literally something on which or by which one moves (from the verb ya "to move, to go"), which accordingly may either be interpreted as a road that carries a traveler or as a vehicle, such as a chariot or cart, that transports the traveler 99 Alternatively, the phrase htsun mo shi could be interpreted as being a proper noun, " Queen Shi ba, " rather than taking shi as an adjectival p ast particple ( " deceased") of the verb 'ch i ha, in which case the comparison might refer to a particular story Yet, such a story or name could not be identified 236 Ch apter 5: The Dags po 'i bka ' 'bum ba) The segment contains several quotations from Satra texts and especially from S antideva' s Bodhicaryiivatiira Segment DK.A.Ca.6: The segment begins (DK A C a 2a ) : Ina mo gu rul bla ma rin po che 'i zhal nasl spyir sangs rgyas kyi bstan pa 'i don mtha ' dag bsdu nal lung gis chos dang rtogs pa 'i chos rnams gnyis su 'dus pa yin tel It ends (DK.A Ca.6 4b3) : thabs kyi mchog tu rtsir gyis bzungl ces gsungs sol 11 00 Like the previous parts of the text, the sixth segment begins by summing up all the B uddha's teachings in a general set of terms Here two broad categories are mentioned : the Dharma of the transmission ( lung gi chos, *iigamadhanna) and the Dharma of realization (rtogs pa 'i clws, *adhigamadharma) The former is explained as what has come down ( 'ongs pa, *iigama) via earlier generations through a lineage (brgyud, *paramparii) , referring to the words heard from earlier masters (bla ma gong ma rnams las thos pa 'i tshig), preserved in memory, and then taught to suitable students of the following generation s The latter category designates the realization (mngon par rtogs pa, *abhisamaya) born in the mind of a practitioner by transforming the received words of the teachings into personal experience through practicing in solitude in cave (phug dben pa) in the wilderness a I n view o f this , the question is raised as t o how the Dharma can b e put into personal experience to make it one's own (nyams su Zen , *svfkaroti) It is recommended that the practitioner first relies on a genuine teacher (bla ma dam pa, *sadguru) in order to study and understand the Dharma of the transmission Not being content with mere learning, the practitioner should then go to a place of solitary retreat (dben pa, *priivivekya) in the wilderness (ri khrod, *vana or '"parvatakanda ra) or in an isolated hermitage (dgon pa, *iirmJya) to meditate on and cultivate (bsgom, *bhiivanii) what has been learnt and understood during the preceding period of study The meditation practice of cultivation (sgom pa, *bhiivanii) is focused on following the path (lam, *miirga) consisting of the methods (thabs, *upiiya) of kindness (hymns pa, *maitrl) , compassion (snying rje, *karwJii) , the resolve for Awakening (byang chub kyi sems, *bodhicitta), along with the meaning of profound emptiness or selflessness of all phenomena (chos thams cad kyi zab mo stong pa nyid bdag med pa 'i don, *sarvadharmagambhfrasilnyatiinairiitmyiirtha) The cultivation should, moreover, develop the supportive aids for the path (lam gyi cha rkyen), namely faith (dad pa, *§raddlui) and drive or perseverance (brtson 'grus, *vfrya) Faith ensures that the practitioner, to begin with, will enter the path and not be consumed by doubt, while drive safeguards that he or she will foster development, given that the spiritual practice is not being postponed The segment here provides a short explanation on faith and drive, discussing the faith of opennes s (dang ba 'i dad pa, *adhimuktafraddhii) , the faith of aspiration ( 'dod pa 'i dad pa, *abhipriiyafraddhii), and the faith of conviction (yid ches pa 'i dad pa, *iip tafraddhii) , along with the armor-like drive (go cha 'i brtson 'grus, *smJmiihavfrya), the drive of engagement (sbyor ba 'i brtson 'g rus, *prayogavfrya) , and 60° Correlated passage s : DK.P.Ca 1 bs- 1 4b , DK.a.Ka 8b3- �, DK.Q.Ca.6.95ar98a3 , DK.B Ca 2a1 - 4h DK.D.Ca.6 2b - 5b4, DK.R.Ca.6 l 9br24a2, DK S Ca.6 22ar27�, DK.T.Ca.6 pp r l 2s ... explanation on faith and drive, discussing the faith of opennes s (dang ba 'i dad pa, *adhimuktafraddhii) , the faith of aspiration ( 'dod pa 'i dad pa, *abhipriiyafraddhii), and the faith of. .. Vehicle (theg pa chen po, *mahayana), s aid to constitute the highest path (lam mchog, *paramamarga) for the person who possesses the Mahayana predisposition (theg pa chen po 'i rigs, *mahayanagotra)... in the six sm?isaric states of rebirth ( 'gro ha, *gati) Nirva!la is considered twofold, viz the nirvii!ia of peace (zhi mya ngan las 'das pa, *santanirva!ia) attained by Hinayana followers and