Notes to Chapter III 445 chen po mngon par rdzogs par byang chub pa rnam par sprul pa byin gyis rlob pa shin tu rgyas pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po zhes bya ba’i chos kyi rnam grangs) (Toh 494), Nagarjuna’s Commentary on the Awakening Mind (Bodhicitta vivara˚a, Byang chub sems kyi ’grel pa) (Toh 1800), the Five Stages (Pañcakrama; Rim pa lnga pa) (Toh 1802) and others, present ceremonies for the formation of an ultimate awakening mind These are Secret Mantra procedures that take as their path the pristine awareness of the result Through such ceremonies, a facsimile of ultimate awakening mind is formed as a means to create the conducive circumstances for the actual attainment of ultimate awakening mind This facsimile has the nature of the aspiring mind, but is not the actual ultimate awakening mind which can only be formed through the strength of meditation The statement from the Hundred Rites of Renunciation and Fulfillment (sPang skong phyag brgya pa) (Toh 267) refers simply to a promise to form ultimate awakening mind, not to the ultimate mind itself Otherwise, if one accepts the notion that an awakening mind could be formed through a rite, one would have to endorse the consequence that ultimate awakening mind is born from indications (words) However, this is not the case because, as stated by Kamalashila in his Stages of Meditation, such a mind is actualized through the constant cultivation of mental quiescence and insight (Dharmashri’s Commentary on the Three Vows, ff 242b1-244a5) 194 Absolute dedication (yongs ’dzin), subsequent achievement (rjes sgrub), and realization (rtogs pa) In the following verse cited from the Scripture Ornament, the first aspect is conveyed by the words “well-honored” (rab mnyes); the second, by the words “merit and awareness have been thoroughly cultivated” (tshogs rab bsags); and the third, by the words “non-conceptual pristine awareness has arisen” (chos la mi rtog pa’i ye shes) 195 f 4b6 196 In his Explanation of the Scripture Ornament, Vasubandhu states that ultimate awakening mind attained on the first stage of a bodhisattva (called Joyful) is a mind of equanimity toward all phenomena that has realized the selflessness of all It is a mind of equanimity toward all beings that has realized the equality of oneself and others It is a mind of equanimity toward the activities of beings that wishes the end of all suffering of others just as one wishes the end of one’s own It is a mind of equanimity toward the Buddha that realizes the inseparability of oneself and the sphere of reality (f 140a7-b2) 197 GBL, f 8a1-2 This is verse 11 of chapter IV 198 JOL, ff 86b4-87a1 199 f 35a4-5 200 Vasubandhu (ESO, f 247b6) and, likewise, Sthiramati (CSO, vol Tsi, f 219b2) state that bringing others to spiritual maturity is accomplished on the first to the seventh stages of awakening, on which the bodhisattva converts the unfaithful to the Buddhist teachings, and leads them on the path 201 According to Sthiramati, the faultless state refers to the first bodhisattva stage It is called faultless because at that stage the bodhisattva has become free 446 Buddhist Ethics of the [speculative] adherence to the apprehended (gzung ba) and the apprehender (’dzin pa) (CSO, vol Tsi, f 219b1) 202 Sthiramati states: “The bodhisattva trains in making the environment of sentient beings appear with a crystal or golden hue” (CSO, vol Tsi, f 219b4-5) 203 Vasubandhu states that purifying one’s own buddha field and attaining non-abiding perfect peace refer to the three irreversible stages (phyir mi ldog pa’i sa gsum)—the eight, ninth, and tenth bodhisattva stages (ESO, f 247) 204 Both the Scripture Ornament (f 35) and Vasubandhu’s commentary on it (f 247b7) read dang (“and”) instead of lam (“path”) as Kongtrul has Here we are reading in accordance with Kongtrul’s text Sthiramati’s authoritative commentary (CSO, vol Tsi, f 219b6) reads byang chub mchog kyang rnam par ston (“demonstrating supreme enlightenment”) and explains that after awakening, the Buddha enters the womb of the mother, manifests in the world, demonstrates the path to enlightenment, and turns the wheel of the teachings 205 Lesser path of accumulation (tshogs lam chung ngu): the initial stage of this path, the basis for the subsequent middle path and great path of accumulation 206 The ability of a bodhisattva to create a buddha field (byang chub sems dpa’i rnams kyi sangs rgyas kyi zhing yongs su dag pa) The Buddha’s exposition on this quality is recorded in The Holy Teachings of Vimalakirti, trans Robert A F Thurman (University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1976) 207 See chapter II, note 315 208 The five aggregates of form, sensation, discernment, mental formations, and consciousness 209 See chapter II, note 182 210 See chapter III, note 38 211 The dimension of reality (dharmak›ya, chos sku) is the mind of a buddha The form dimensions (rÒpak›ya, gzugs sku) are the enjoyment dimension (sa˙bhogak›ya, longs sku) and manifest dimension (nirm›˚ak›ya, sprul sku) of a buddha These are known as the three dimensions of awakening (k›ya, sku) For further explanation, see chapter 20 of JOL Chapter IV: The Vows and Pledges of the Secret Mantra The new schools (gsar ma), which originated from the later translations (phyi ’gyur) of tantras from Sanskrit, refers to the lineages of the Kagyu (bKa’ brgyud), Sakya (Sa skya), and Geluk (dGe lugs) traditions The Kagyu (Transmission of the Oral Teaching) lineage begins with Marpa the Translator (1012-1099); the Sakya (Grey Earth) lineage, with Könchok Gyalpo (dKon mchog rgyal po) (10341102); and the Geluk (Virtuous Ones) lineage, with Tsongkapa (1357-1419) The Geluk tradition was rooted in the Kadam (Words of the Buddha as Personal Notes to Chapter IV 447 Instructions) tradition, which began with Atisha (982-1054) and his renowned disciple Dromtönpa (’Brom ston pa) (1004-1064) The main practices of these lineages are based on the tantras translated after the beginning of the eleventh century and during the later spread of Buddhism in Tibet The pioneer of these translations was Rinchen Zangpo (Rin chen bzang po) (958-1051) The ancient school (rnying ma), which originated with the early translations of tantras, was inspired by the mystic activity of the Indian master Padmasambhava in the ninth century The tantric texts translated from Sanskrit prior to the end of the tenth century and during the early spread of Buddhism in Tibet are known as the tantras of the early translation (gsang sngags snga ’gyur) Two-Part Hevajra Tantra, f 27a7 (Kye’i rdo rje mkha’ ’gro ma dra ba’i sdom pa’i rgyud kyi rgyal po) (Toh 418) The purificatory fast consists in the observance of eight precepts for a day (Bhavabhadra’s Commentary on the Hevajra Tantra [Hevajravy›khy›vivara˚a; dGyes pa’i rdo rje’i rnam bshad rnam par ’grel pa] [Toh 1182], f 271a1) For details, see chapter II of this work The ten areas of training refers to practicing ten forms of virtue (not to kill, etc.,) and renouncing their opposites (Vajragarbha’s Commentary That Epitomizes the Hevajra Tantra [Hevajrapi˚˜›rtha˛ık›; Kye’i rdo rje bsdus pa’i don gyi rgya cher ’grel pa/ rDo rje snying ’grel] [Toh 1180], f 117a3-4) Alternatively, the ten areas of training refers to the ten main vows of a novice (Kongtrul’s Commentary on the Hevajra Tantra [dPal dgyes pa rdo rje’i rgyud kyi rgyal po brtag pa gnyis pa’i tshig don rnam par ’grol ba gzhom med rdo rje’i gsang ba ’byed pa] [Rumtek, Sikkim: Dharma Chakra Centre, 1981], f 300b6) Two-Part Hevajra Tantra, f 27a7 The four trends of Buddhist philosophical thought See chapter II, n 13 Bhavabhadra states that the Analysts’ [view] represents the systems of the proclaimers and the solitary sages Those systems lead to the awakening of the proclaimers, the nature of which is the elimination of emotional impediments, and to the awakening of the solitary sages, the nature of which is the elimination of emotional impediments plus half of the impediments preventing the attainment of omniscience The Traditionalist view is based on a literal reading of the Buddha’s discourses The Experientialist view maintains that only consciousness is real The Centrist view is that all that exists is mere convention (Commentary on the Hevajra Tantra, f 271a3-4) Saroruha states: To elucidate the Analyst philosophy, teach the nature of the five aggregates and so forth For the Traditionalist view, teach the scriptures of the Universal Way For the Experientialist view, teach that all is consciousness And for the Centrist view, teach the emptiness that is devoid of being, not being, etc (Commentary on the Difficult Points of the Hevajra Tantra [Hevajratantrapañjik›padmin; Kye’i rdo rje’i rgyud kyi dka’ ’grel pad ma can] [Toh 1181], f 172a3-4) See also Vajragarbha’s Commentary That Epitomizes the Hevajra Tantra, f 117a4-b3 448 Buddhist Ethics Two-Part Hevajra Tantra, f 27b1 According to Saroruha, the various levels of mantra are the Action, Conduct, Highest Yoga, and Yogini tantras (Commentary on the Difficult Points of the Hevajra Tantra, f 172a3) Fruition Universal Way (’bras bu theg chen) refers to the Secret Mantra, while the Causal Universal Way (rgyu theg chen) refers to the Way of the Perfections The Secret Mantra is known as fruition because its practitioner employs meditative techniques in which he or she imagines having already attained the purities of the fruition stage of a buddha See Tsongkapa’s “The Great Exposition of Secret Mantra,” in Tantra in Tibet by H H the Dalai Lama, Tsong-ka-pa, and Jeffrey Hopkins, (Ithaca: Snow Lion, 1987) The Secret Mantra comprises two aspects: actual and nominal Actual mantra is the indivisibility of skillful means and wisdom Nominal mantra includes deities, mantras [as incantations], seals, sets of ritual activities and contemplations, forms of worship, praises, etc (Jnanashri’s Dispelling the Two Extremes in the Indestructible Way [rDo rje theg pa’i mtha’ gnyis sel ba] [Toh 3714], f 119b3) 10 gzung ’dzin gyi rnam rtog: grasping to subject and object as real, the basis of dualistic thought 11 The propensity for movement (’pho ba’i bag chags) refers to the propensity for the emission of the seminal essence (bindu, thig le) The seminal essence is the basis for the experience of great bliss; its emission or loss compromises the experience of the pristine awareness of great bliss and perpetuates cyclic life, in the outer sense of initiating the life of another being and in the inner sense of starting the process of dualism Thus, the Wheel of Time (Kalachakra) and other tantras speak of the propensity for emission of seminal essence as the cause of cyclic life (Kongtrul’s Commentary on [Rangjung Dorjé’s] Profound Inner Reality [rNal ’byor bla na med pa’i rgyud sde rgya mtsho’i snying po bsdus pa zab mo nang gi don nyung nu’i tshig gis rnam par ’grol ba zab don snang byed], ff 101a1-102a4.) 12 Pema Karpo states that “awareness” (vidy›, rig pa) in awareness-holder vows (rig ’dzin gyi sdom pa) refers to the pristine awareness of the union of skillful means and emptiness To remain in pristine awareness is “to hold” (’dzin pa) awareness The binding of the three doors—body, speech, and mind—effected by remaining in pristine awareness constitutes the “vow” (sdom pa) (Extensive Commentary on the Three Vows [sDom gsum rgya cher ’grel pa/ sDom pa gsum gyi rgyan ces bya ba’i rgya cher ’grel ba] [henceforth cited as TV], vol Nga, f 4b6.) 13 Two-Part Hevajra Tantra, f 20b2-3 14 Ibid., f 20b3 15 Kunda (kun da): the jasmine flower, often used as a metaphor for the seminal essence in the tantras 16 Vajragarbha explains that in the Universal Way, awakening mind (bodhicitta), the resolve to awaken for others’ sake, is considered to be the seed that develops into full enlightenment In tantra, while retaining this same meaning, awakening Notes to Chapter IV 449 mind is equated with the seminal essence, which is the seed or support of great bliss The relative aspect of awakening mind is the seminal essence itself, while the ultimate awakening mind is the bliss which is born from it When bliss arises from union with the lotus of the consort but subsequently ebbs due to loss of the seminal essence, the cycle of life is initiated When the seminal essence is retained, the experience is one of great bliss By binding that great bliss with the “chain” of the understanding of reality, one attains the vajra-like dimension of awakening Such awakening mind or great bliss is formed through the stages of self-blessing involving the descent of the seminal essence located at the crown of the head As the outflow of the seminal essence is blocked, non-recognition of bliss ceases; the essence is drawn back to the navel, heart, throat, and crown of the head, and is stabilized and absorbed at various places In this manner, cyclic life (the aggregates and other components) becomes perfect peace For this reason, the seminal essence (bodhicitta) is perfect peace (nirv›˚a) and embodies both the relative and the ultimate (Commentary That Epitomizes the Hevajra Tantra, f 98a1-b4) 17 Subhagavajra states that tantra (lit “continuity”) (rgyud) comprises two aspects: actual tantra (don gyi rgyud) and tantra of words (tshig gi rgyud) Actual tantra is threefold: tantra of the ground [or causal tantra] (gzhi’i rgyud); tantra of skillful means (thabs kyi rgyud); and tantra of the result (’bras bu’i rgyud) The tantra of the ground comprises the two truths; the tantra of skillful means, the two phases of tantric practice, creation and completion; and the tantra of the result, the reality and form dimensions of awakening Tantra (continuity) is so called because the three aspects of the actual tantra are interconnected: based on the ground tantra, the practitioner cultivates the tantra of skill in means, and as a consequence of that, he or she attains the resultant tantra (Stages of the Path of the Universal Way [Mah›y›napathakrama; Theg pa chen po’i lam gyi rim pa] [Toh 3717], f 193a1-4.) Kongtrul defines rgyud (tantra) as the continuity of natural clear-light awareness (’od gsal), the ever-perfect (samantabhadra, kun tu bzang po) mind of awakening (bodhicitta, byang chub kyi sems) that knows no beginning or end The clear light’s continuity is ever-present from time without beginning and knows no interruption This continuity has three aspects: the causal continuity (rgyu’i rgyud), the continuity of skillful means, and the resultant continuity The causal continuity refers to the sky-like nature of the mind that does not change in any given state, whether one is a sentient being bound by attachment or a buddha The skillful means continuity, in general terms, embraces all the stages of the experiential path from practice of the six perfections and the three spiritual ways up to the Yoga Tantra path More specifically, it refers to the two phases of the Highest Yoga Tantra that have been prepared for through the initiation, along with all the branches of these two phases The causal continuity freed from all adventitious stains is the result continuity: awakening itself, the dimension of purity (acquired purity and natural purity) and the foundation for actualizing the welfare of others (The Infinite Ocean of Knowledge [Shes bya mtha’ yas pa’i rgya mtsho] [Beijing: Bod mi rigs dpe bskrun khang, 1982] [henceforth cited as IOK], vol II, pp 612-615.) ... through the stages of self-blessing involving the descent of the seminal essence located at the crown of the head As the outflow of the seminal essence is blocked, non-recognition of bliss ceases; the. .. lead to the awakening of the proclaimers, the nature of which is the elimination of emotional impediments, and to the awakening of the solitary sages, the nature of which is the elimination of emotional... (1004-1064) The main practices of these lineages are based on the tantras translated after the beginning of the eleventh century and during the later spread of Buddhism in Tibet The pioneer of these