Science of Mind

Transcription

Science of Mind

SUPPLICATION TO MAÑJUÌRI
I prostrate to the Bhagavat Mañjuàri.
Your mind is completely pure and luminous, like the sun free of the clouds
of the two obscurations;
You hold a text at your heart, since you see all the variety of objects
just as they are;
You love like your only child all the multitude of beings, who are trapped
by the darkness of ignorance in the prison of saÙsÏric existence
And are afflicted by suffering; your speech, possessing the sixty kinds of melody
Roars mightily like a dragon; thus you awaken from the sleep of the kleàas,
liberate from the chains of karma
And dispel the darkness of ignorance; you hold aloft a sword since you cut
all the sprouts of suffering;
You are primordially pure and have completed the ten bhâmis; you have perfected
all the qualities; the kÏya of the elder son of the Victorious One
Is adorned with the 112 ornaments. You dispel the darkness of my mind.
I pay homage to Mañjuàri.
THE SCIENCE OF MIND
INT200 Sourcebook
THE NALANDABODHI STUDY CURRICULUM
Under the Direction of The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
Nalandabodhi Study Curriculum 200 Series
Published by Nalandabodhi
P.O. box 95657
Seattle, WA 98145-2657
U.S.A.
© 2002 by Nalandabodhi
Individual articles by the Ven. Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche also
© 2002 by the Ven. Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche.
Individual articles by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche also
© 2002 by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche.
Cover: Calligraphy "Renunciation" by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche also
© 2002 by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche.
All rights reserved. Published January 2002
Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced
in any manner whatsoever without written permission from Nalandabodhi or The
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche.
This text is published as a part of the study curriculum of the Nalandabodhi Buddhist
Path under the direction of The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche.
For further information:
Nalandabodhi
P.O. Box 95657
Seattle, WA 98145-2657
curriculum@nalandabodhi.org
www.nalandabodhi.org
INTRODUCTION TO THE NALANDABODHI STUDY CURRICULUM
Nalandabodhi Study and Meditation Centers offer a comprehensive curriculum in
Buddhist studies, which adapts the traditional curriculum taught in Tibetan Buddhist
educational academies for Western audiences. Students progress sequentially through
basic Buddhist introductory topics, the increasingly complex topics of the HÓnayÏna and
MahÏyÏna studies, and conclude with the subtleties of the VajrayÏna. The curriculum is
also supplemented by an advanced Buddhist studies program provided at Nitartha
Institute. Such a systematically organized curriculum of Buddhist studies, which leads
students through a gradual path, is for the most part unavailable elsewhere.
The Nalandabodhi Study Curriculum is the product of many years of work in
transmitting, translating and adapting the traditional educational system for students in
the West. Completion of the curriculum provides a student with a comprehensive
foundation in all aspects of Buddhist studies.
The core curriculum is composed of original teaching materials, distinguished by their
thoroughness and accessibility, with extensive references to leading complimentary works
in Tibetan Buddhist studies. The core curricular materials were drawn primarily from the
teachings of The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, who designed the curriculum as well as the
advanced study program at Nitartha Institute.
Rinpoche is acknowledged as one of the foremost scholars of his generation in the
Nyingma and Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Schooled in the traditional Buddhist
educational system, Rinpoche has also studied in Western educational institutions and
has taught Western students for many years. Fluent in the English language and wellversed in Western culture, Rinpoche has been able to develop a curriculum, which
addresses the needs of Western students while maintaining a fidelity to authentic
Buddhist teaching principles.
Overview of the Curriculum
Buddhist studies may be classified into three categories: the HÓnayÏna, MahÏyÏna and
VajrayÏna, termed the three yanas, or vehicles. The Nalandabodhi Study Curriculum is
designed to allow students to master the basic ground, path and fruition teachings of each
yana.
Initially, the student may study introductory topics from courses such as "What is
Buddhism?" "Karma, Merit and Magic: an Introduction to the Three Yanas," "Life of the
Buddha" and "The History of Buddhism." Non-elective studies begin with the HÓnayÏna
and MahÏyÏna curriculum:
v
HÃNAYÀNA: THE PATH OF THE NOBLE ONES
(NALANDABODHI STUDY CURRICULUM 200 LEVEL)
MAHÀYÀNA: COMPASSION WITHOUT LIMIT
VAJRAYÀNA VIEW: DEVOTION AND ENLIGHTENMENT
Levels 100 – 300 of the curriculum are available to the general public. The 400 level of
the curriculum includes topics in the VajrayÏna ground, path and fruition teachings.
VajrayÏna is considered a division of the MahÏyÏna, employing different methods, but
traditionally is treated as an independent division for studies. For students interested in
this level of study, completion of the 200 and 300 level courses and membership in
Nalandabodhi are among the prerequisites for participation in the VajrayÏna curriculum.
The Nalandabodhi Study Curriculum is offered in conjunction with the Nalandabodhi
Practice Curriculum for Nalandabodhi students. Together, these two curricula, designed
and supervised by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, provide students with a thorough
training in the philosophical and meditative disciplines of the genuine lineage of the
Kagyü and Nyingma traditions. The Nalandabodhi Study Curriculum is developed and
maintained on an ongoing basis by the Nalandabodhi Curriculum Committee. For more
on the practice curriculum, contact a Nalandabodhi center near you.
We wish to express our deep appreciation to The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche for these
teachings and for transmitting their heart essence to us with such precision, clarity and
warmth and to Acharya Sherap Gyaltsen Negi and Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen for
their advice and continual support of students. May all those who travel this path of study
achieve realization and continue the sublime tradition of liberating suffering by pointing
out enlightenment.
vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
On behalf of The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and Nalandabodhi, we would like to
acknowledge and thank the individuals who contributed in various capacities to the
production of the materials for the Nalandabodhi Study Curriculum. We appreciate their
dedicated efforts offered with boundless generosity, patience and diligence in the areas of
archiving, research and compilation of teachings, transcribing, editing, proofreading,
design, formatting and production of the source books. We thank those who are involved
in the formidable task of translating the source books from English into other languages.
Additionally, we thank the study coordinators of the Nalandabodhi centers and Study
Groups, who implement the curriculum with precision and care. We are especially
grateful to Acharya Sherab Gyaltsen Negi for his astute guidance and his kindness in
sharing his knowledge of the details of this seemingly limitless path. May the collective
aspirations of these individuals to provide a genuine guide to beings of this age swiftly bear
fruit.
Special thanks to Tenzin Namdak Lama, Marty Marvet, Cindy Shelton and Tyler Dewar
for their extreme hard work in accomplishing this task. We also extend our sincere thanks
to: Robert Fors, Karl Brunnhoelzl, Amita Gupta, Carole Fleming, Lynne Marvet, Oona
Edmands, Jirka Hladis, Andrew Clark, Meg Miller, Daniele Klapproth, Lyle Weinstein,
Heidi Caltik, Kim McMeans, Kathy Penny, Jan Puckett, Jean Peters-Do, Deborah
Calloway, Gerry Wiener, Dylan Vaughn, Carmen Rumbaut, Rachel Cheatle, Kris Shaw,
Joshua Spett, Jesse Hollingsworth, Stella Young, Margaret Russell, Jan-Marie Martell,
Laurie Milner, Kristina Bischoff, Brigitte Schnoor, Ani Chonyi, Bruce Roe, Tashi
Wangmo and Migme Chodron.
While it is not possible to individually acknowledge the contributions of everyone
involved with all phases of the archiving, recording, transcribing, editing and final
production of the teachings included in this series, we are grateful to those students who
continually express their devotion and commitment through this important work.
Nalandabodhi wishes especially to thank Ari Goldfield, Dennis White and Clark Johnson
for their consistent and generous support in facilitating access to the teachings of
Venerable Khenchen Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and Very Venerable Khenchen
Thrangu Rinpoche for the Nalandabodhi Study Curriculum.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION TO THE NALANDABODHI STUDY CURRICULUM .................. V
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................ VII
CLASS 1: DISCOVERING THE SCIENCE OF MIND .......................................................... 1
BUDDHADHARMA: SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY ............................................................... 1
TRANSPLANTING THE GENUINE DHARMA ...................................................................... 2
Pure Water ............................................................................................................................................2
Obsessed By the Container....................................................................................................................3
Awareness and Skillful Means ...............................................................................................................4
Continuity of Enlightened Heart ...........................................................................................................5
HÃNAYÀNA: THE FIRST PATH .......................................................................................... 5
Attention to Details...............................................................................................................................6
Discovering the Heart of Renunciation.................................................................................................7
Individual Salvation...............................................................................................................................8
CLASS 2: ESTABLISHING THE VIEW ........................................................................... 11
STUDYING THE TEACHINGS OF THE BUDDHA................................................................ 11
Regarding Study as Practice.................................................................................................................13
Conceptual Understanding..................................................................................................................14
THE GREAT WHEELS OF THE TEACHINGS ..................................................................... 16
First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma................................................................................................17
Second Turning of the Wheel of Dharma ...........................................................................................19
Third Turning of the Wheel of Dharma..............................................................................................19
Indicative and Definitive Meanings.....................................................................................................19
Summary of Classifications ..................................................................................................................22
THE TWO VEHICLES OF THE TEACHINGS ...................................................................... 23
HÓnayÏna .............................................................................................................................................24
MahÏyÏna ............................................................................................................................................26
Collecting the Teachings of the Buddha .............................................................................................27
Three Baskets of the Teachings...........................................................................................................29
ix
Discovering the Science of Mind
ShÏkyamuni Buddha
INT200: THE SCIENCE OF MIND
CLASS 1: DISCOVERING THE SCIENCE OF MIND1
BY
THE DZOGCHEN PONLOP RINPOCHE
What is Buddhism? To begin to answer this question, we must learn to distinguish the pure
buddhadharma—the teachings of the Buddha—from its cultural container. Buddhadharma is
the content that we are trying to bring from one culture and language to another country and
another language. Pure buddhadharma is the dharma that deals with our mind. It is a genuine
science of mind that works with the basic potential of our mind. Like genuinely pure water, the
Buddhadharma takes the shape and color of its particular container, but remains essentially pure.
We begin learning about these teachings with the HÓnayÏna, sometimes called the "vehicle of
details." This path begins by looking in a detailed way at our own experience. It seems that no
matter what walk of life we may be following, there is always a sense of dissatisfaction, a
fundamental urge to search for something new all the time. On the path we learn how to
penetrate that experience, make something useful out of it, and thereby liberate ourselves from
that suffering.
BUDDHADHARMA: SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY
For anyone who reads "dharma books," goes to "dharma centers" and
"meditates on dharma," it is especially important to understand what
buddhadharma is. Buddhadharma is the content that we are trying to
bring from one culture and language to another country and another
language. Pure buddhadharma is the dharma that deals with our
mind. It is a genuine science of mind that works with the basic
potential of our mind. It points out our basic potential, the positive
aspect of the mind, as well as dealing with our negative emotions,
the negative mind of kleshas and ego-clinging. Dharma works with
these two aspects of our mind as a pure and genuine science of the
mind. Dharma is also a genuine philosophy of life, which not only
talks about our mind, but also about how to apply that
understanding in everyday life situations. Thus, it is a philosophy of a
way of life, a philosophy in action. It does not just sit in a professor's
1
Class materials are excerpted from lectures by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche on: 1) The Life and
Teachings of Guru Padmasambhava, Hamburg, Germany at Theksum Tashi Choling, 1997. Reprinted in
Bodhi, Issue 4, Fall 1999. 2) The HÓnayÏna Path, Treasury of Knowledge Retreat, San Antonio, Texas, 1998.
INT200: DISCOVERING THE SCIENCE OF MIND • CLASS 1
thesis as a theory of the mind, but it is also carried into our actions in
day-to-day life.
TRANSPLANTING THE GENUINE DHARMA
Pure Water
The content of dharma is like pure water—genuinely pure—which
we are trying to pour into different containers. In Tibet, with the
blessing of Padmasambhava, the Indian master who was largely
responsible for the establishment of Buddhism in Tibet, we prepared
containers of wood, brass, silver and gold and poured the water into
those. Water, having no shape or color of its own, takes the shape of
its particular container, and it reflects the color of the people who
created the container. It may even smell a little bit like butter tea,
because it is poured into that container. Nevertheless, water remains
water, all the time. The nature of the water is the same as the water
we saw in the Indian cup. When we bring the water of the genuine
dharma to the West, it is the same thing. We pour that water into
our Western container, perhaps a European container of beautiful
porcelain. We place the same water into our container here, and the
water takes the shape of the porcelain cup and reflects our color. It
even tastes and smells a little bit like its new country.
When we bring that same water into the American culture,
the water is the same, but the container is different. In this case, it is
a paper cup. Still, when the paper cup is strong and clean and pure,
then it performs the same function as a gold cup, or a crystal glass. It
does not matter. The container holds the water and performs the
function, but the container, the culture, is different. Pure dharma is
beyond culture and language. That can be experienced if you just
take a few seconds and reflect on it. What is dharma? When you
really reflect on what dharma is, you realize that it goes beyond any
language, form or culture.
2
Obsessed By the Container
One of the most powerful aspects of the dharma that we bring into a
different form and a different culture is its pure essence, devoid of
any cultural elements. When we reflect on the possibility of different
containers, it is crucial for us to contemplate the nature of this pure
essence, beyond all language and form, as well. It is easy to become
totally obsessed by the beauty of the container. It is always more
fascinating to look at something new and different. If we visit a
family in the same city and see something different, like different
silver, different china, or different interior decoration, it is
fascinating and refreshing. We are away from that boring stuff on our
wall that we have been looking at for twenty years. We are having a
great time seeing something totally new. Originally, there is a sense
of attraction to new objects. It is always very fascinating, but it will
not remain fascinating forever. We become so obsessed with a
certain object, perhaps a beautiful statue, that the object becomes
quite powerful, as a result. When we hold this statue in our hands,
our whole body shakes and shivers, and when we look at this statue,
tears come into our eyes. The experience is that emotional. It is such
a fascinating object. However, if we have that statue in our house,
sitting there on our shrine, in our bedroom, for twenty years, looking
at the same statue, we lose that original fascination. It becomes, in
some sense, a very boring object again. It has become no different
than our Picasso poster hanging on the wall.
For that reason, it is very important for us not to fall
impulsively into a reaction towards new fascinating objects. When
we do this, we get into deep trouble. We think these things are going
to save us from our boring old mind and from stuffy air. We think
they are going to give us fresh air and a refreshing mind. But if we
get trapped in the same obsession with form, we are going to be
trapped in this pollution eternally. There is no end to it. It is an
eternal chain, and it leads us into deep trouble. In America, they call
it deep shit. It is very expressive language, because you are really
getting into this deep ... thing, you know.
3
Awareness and Skillful Means
It is necessary to maintain a certain level of awareness and skillful
means, in bringing this pure water into different containers. It
requires tremendous precision, mindfulness, and compassion in order
to fully transplant the same dharma and have it take root in another
culture. The water cannot exist without a container. Therefore we
cannot totally ignore the container and say, "These forms are not
important, what we really want is the water." How, then, would we
keep the water?
In every culture, when buddhadharma comes, there seem to
be two extreme views, which are also obstacles. In one view, we
become totally obsessed by the container and develop attachment to
it. Then we work all the time to preserve the old container. In the
other view, we say, "All the containers are bullshit, we don't want
these containers. What we really want is the content. Just the
water." However, we have no idea how we are going to keep the
water without any container. In order to balance these two views,
we need to have a precise and skillful method to transplant, or
transport, this water from one container to another container.
That process of precision and skillfulness is described in an
example given by the great Indian scholar, Chandrakirti. He said
that if a monkey is attached to his old abode, which is an old tree,
and if that old tree is slowly dying and falling apart, then the monkey
needs to swing to another tree. However, Chandrakirti says that
skillful monkeys would not let go of their old tree branch until they
could really get a good grip on the branch of a new tree. Only then
would they let go of their old tree, happily and safely reaching the
new tree, full of life. Whereas, unskillful monkeys would let go of
their old tree branch before they could get a good grip on a new
branch. In that case, they would fall and die. Therefore, on the one
hand, this swing that history and time are taking is a very dangerous
swing. On the other hand, there is no option. We cannot just stay on
this old tree forever. We have to swing. Whether we like it or not,
4
we have to swing to the new tree. Not being attached to one
particular form is part of the dharma. That is part of our practice.
Therefore, we must take this swing in the skillful monkey way.
Continuity of Enlightened Heart
The pure, genuine dharma, which has continued throughout history,
is the continuity of enlightened heart. It is the continuity of
enlightened realization. It is not the continuity of form, culture and
language. It is like baking a very delicious bread, a very nice German
or Turkish bread, and trying to preserve it by putting it in the
freezer. That is one way of preserving it. However, in doing so, we
lose the meaning of freshness, the day-to-day experience of fresh
bread. The bread only lives as a museum piece. Whereas, if you
receive the lineage of baking delicious bread, and if you continue the
skill of baking such bread, then that continuity becomes a living
tradition. It becomes not only a living tradition, but a beneficial and
powerful tradition as well. Therefore, continuing the existence of the
pure and genuine dharma, like baking fresh bread, is more important
than preserving a particular form, which would be like keeping the
bread in a freezer.
HÃNAYÀNA: THE FIRST PATH
The first path in Buddhism is the path of HÓnayÏna, which means the
lesser vehicle, or the basic journey, which is extremely important.
The vehicle of HÓnayÏna in the classical Buddhist path is known as
the vehicle of details. This vehicle pays very detailed attention to very
fine levels of the path and the practices of discipline. This vehicle or
path of HÓnayÏna is the basic foundation, which is very necessary.
For this reason, this path of HÓnayÏna is known as the lower vehicle
or lower path.
When we say "lower" here we are talking about the lower part of the
building. For example, let's look at the pyramid of Egyptian culture.
The pyramid is a very beautiful example of architecture. However,
5
in order to reach that peak, so to speak, you really need to pay very
close attention to the foundation, to how you lay the foundation and
to how you build one level on top of the other. It is a gradual
process to reach the peak. You cannot start from the top and build
to the bottom. You have to start from bottom and build up to the
top. In a similar way, the HÓnayÏna is the path of details. It is the
basic ground—the foundation path.
Attention to Details
On this foundational path, when we say "details" what are we talking
about? Let's say, for example, that you are going to the Oscar
ceremony. You have won an Oscar, and you are going to receive the
Oscar award and to attend the party. When you are going to go to
the Oscars, what do you do? Where do you start? You take a bath.
You dress very fancy, and then, when you go there, you pay
attention in great detail as to how you want to present yourself. You
pay attention to how you want to appear and what you want to say.
You have to pay attention to all the aspects of these details.
You have to start from the point of taking a bath. Then you pick out
a nice pair of trousers, and you make sure that you have a belt so
that your trousers won't fall off when you are on stage receiving your
Oscar. It is very important, but we do not realize that. We do not
realize how important the role is that our belt plays. You must pay
detailed attention to these things. Then when you get there
everything, everything works out well.
In the HÓnayÏna path, we pay detailed attention to every
level of karmic cause and effect—to the consequences of our
actions—and we work with the path of discipline, which is directly
connected with the spiritual practice of working with our karma.
Therefore, the HÓnayÏna journey begins with the detailed journey of
a disciplined path. This discipline and precision is a very important
to our path.
6
We all have a very difficult time working with discipline. It is
difficult whenever we start to do anything new. It can be difficult to
do anything old, too. For example, going to work is such a drag
every day. You have to drag yourself. You have to have the
discipline to wake up early enough to have the time to prepare for
your work and so forth. These are all forms of discipline.
"Discipline" does not necessarily refer just to monasticism. This is a
misunderstanding. We always think of discipline as being an
element of the monastic path, but discipline exists in every level of
path in Buddhism. Therefore, even our practice of sitting in
shamatha meditation is a very important discipline. These
disciplines are based on the HÓnayÏna journey, the first and the most
basic journey of Buddhism. Thus, HÓnayÏna is the first, foremost,
and most important journey in Buddhism.
Discovering the Heart of Renunciation
On the HÓnayÏna path, what we really discover is the heart of
renunciation. Renunciation is connected to the suffering of saÙsÏra.
Renunciation, at this stage, is connected to the nature of
impermanence that we all experience in everyday life, in every
moment. Renunciation also is connected to the thought of seeing
the possibility of freeing oneself from saÙsÏra. Therefore, the main
principle of the path here is a strong sense of renunciation. We look
at saÙsÏra, our everyday life, the life of an emperor or the life of a
panhandler on the street. We look at every aspect of life. It seems
that no matter what walk of life we may be following, there is always
this sense of dissatisfaction. There is a fundamental urge to search
for something new all the time.
Whenever we find that new thing in our life, then we go
back to the same basic feeling or same basic experience of mind,
which is dissatisfaction again. Then we have an urge for look for
another new thing. It is an endless journey. That state of mind
actually shows clearly the basic suffering of saÙsÏra—the basic
suffering of our fundamental existence. Therefore, the HÓnayÏna
7
path emphasizes penetrating that suffering. One penetrates that
feeling and those experiences on this path and makes something very
useful of them.
Individual Salvation
That thought or feeling of dissatisfaction can lead us to the state of
enlightenment, the state of liberation, freedom, because that very
basic notion of dissatisfaction causes the renunciation of saÙsÏra. It
causes the thought of wisdom. It causes one to see that there is the
possibility of freeing oneself from such suffering and pain. Therefore,
there is a great benefit to this nature of renunciation, the thought of
renunciation. Consequently, the HÓnayÏna path is strongly
associated with the thought of renunciation and the path of
individual salvation.
In a way, there is the sense of a very ego-centered spiritual
journey taking place here, because our main concern is individual
salvation, individual freedom. This makes sense in the beginning
because, if we want to help someone, we must have what he or she
needs. If we want to feed someone, we must have food first. If we
do not have any food, then what are we going to feed this hungry
little being? Therefore, the HÓnayÏna notion is "In order to help
someone you must have some enlightenment first." We must attain
some stages of realization before we can help others. Accordingly,
the first journey we take on this path is totally concentrated on selfliberation. Individual liberation is the first path, the first journey,
which is called "the HÓnayÏna journey" in Buddhism.
8
Establishing the View
ShÏkyamuni Buddha
INT200: DISCOVERING THE SCIENCE OF MIND
CLASS 2: ESTABLISHING THE VIEW2
BY
THE DZOGCHEN PONLOP RINPOCHE
How do we approach the study of buddhadharma? Hearing or study is very much emphasized in
the practice of the Buddhist path and is regarded as practice. Study of the teachings of the
Buddha increases your wisdom, your insight, and your understanding. There are a variety of
ways that these genuine teachings, proclaimed by the complete and perfect Buddha, can be
classified. The complete Buddhist path is described in terms of the three great cycles of the
teachings (the three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma), the two types of meaning (indicative and
definitive), and the grouping of the teachings into two vehicles (HÓnayÏna and MahÏyÏna).
STUDYING THE TEACHINGS OF THE BUDDHA
All dharma practice, all aspects of the path of Buddhadharma, are
included in the three steps of hearing, contemplation and
meditation. These three steps contain all the various aspects of the
Buddhadharma. They can also be explained in other ways such as
ground, path and fruition or view, meditation and conduct. Since
there is a sequence to these steps, it is absolutely necessary to begin
with the step of hearing or listening to the dharma. Jamgön Lodrö
Thaye compares it to the ground that is necessary for there to be
crops. If there is no ground, nothing can grow. In the same way, if
there is no initial hearing of the dharma, there can be no
contemplation upon it. Without hearing and contemplation, there
can be no practice of meditation. For that reason, it is important in
the beginning to engage in impartial and wide hearing or study. This
means to learn to appreciate and understand the various aspects of
dharma within the HÓnayÏna, MahÏyÏna, and so forth.
At the same time, one’s study must not be restricted to the
formal study of Buddhism alone. It should include understanding
psychology, other philosophical systems, as well as some scientific
2
Class materials are excerpted from lectures by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche on The PrajñÏ of Hearing,
The Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma and The Three Dharmachakras, from The Treasury of Knowledge
Retreat (San Antonio, Texas 1993 and 1994). Rinpoche's talks here were based on Jamgön Kongtrül Lodro
Thaye's The Treasury of Knowledge.
training. This is actually recommended in the Treasury of Knowledge
by Jamgön Lodrö Thaye. To back up his recommendation, he first
gives a detailed presentation of what is called “The mundane path.”
In the context of his original text, it is a detailed presentation of
Hinduism, because Hinduism was the only non-Buddhist religion
with which Buddhists were then familiar. Nowadays we have access
to a variety of philosophical systems, a variety of religions, and a
variety of approaches to psychology and therapy.
Yet as was said by Lord AtÓsha,
“life is short, and there is lots to learn,” or “life is short,
and the things one could learn are endless.”
What is recommended is to take the approach of the swan
drinking milk out of water. There is a legend that if you pour milk
into water, swans can get the milk out without drinking any water.
When they are finished, you end up with just water. This signifies
that within the massive amount of things one could learn, one has to
prioritize and select what is actually going to be useful. Therefore, it
is necessary in the beginning to establish some hearing, or learning,
as a ground for one’s practice.
There is a saying in Tibet,
“meditation without learning, or without having heard the
dharma, is like trying to climb a rock face without arms.”
The Buddhist path is a path of knowledge, a path of insight,
and a path of wisdom. One can try to attain awakening through
meditation alone without knowledge, without insight, and without
wisdom. With only the intention, “I am going to meditate until I
attain full awakening,” one is unlikely to accomplish very much even
though it is an excellent intention. For example, if someone without
arms or hands were to say, “I am going to climb that rock face
without assistance,” while it may be an excellent intention, he is
unlikely to get there.
12
One of the most important teachers in the Kagyu tradition,
Lord Gampopa, said,
“The dharma is complete when one combines hearing,
contemplation, and meditation in one’s practice.”
Typically, first hearing or study is presented and then
contemplation, which is the actual training in prajñÏ. Then, on the
basis of that, meditation is presented.
Regarding Study as Practice
Hearing or study is very much emphasized in the practice of the
Buddhist path. Study of or hearing the dharma is regarded as
practice. Generally people have a slight misconception about the
relationship between study and practice in Buddhadharma. They
think that study is one thing and then there is real practice; which is
something else. They think that study is not real practice, that real
practice consists of things like visualizing deities and reciting
mantras. Sometimes they think that study is all well and good, but
that you need to accumulate a great deal of merit, which can’t be
accomplished through study since study is merely intellectual. One
of the reasons we tend to look at things this way is that we are sick of
studying. We have spent our whole lives studying and we feel that it
has not really benefited our minds. But the type of study involved in
the study practice of Buddhadharma is the kind of study that
increases your wisdom, your insight, and your understanding.
Actually, there is no better way to gather the accumulation of merit.
It was said by the Buddha,
“If you fill the entire universe with the most precious
jewels and offered it to each and every Buddha who is
present anywhere, you would accumulate tremendous
merit, yet it would still be measurable. If on the other
hand, in the midst of this age of decadence, you’ve learned
and explained properly even one verse or one sentence of
13
dharma, the amount of merit you accumulate is
immeasurable.”
Approaches to Study
There are many different aspects to hearing the dharma. There is
literally hearing it in the presence of the kalyÏÚamitra [spiritual
friend], the presence of the teacher. But the term “hearing the
dharma” includes all forms of study. It includes reading books of the
Buddha’s teachings and, given the examples of modern technology,
it also includes receiving instruction by watching videotapes,
listening to audiotapes, and so forth. All of this is genuine activity of
hearing the dharma. All of it is very important.
There are many methods that one can use for study. This is
especially important for western practitioners of dharma because,
generally speaking, westerners have good study habits based on the
western educational systems within which they have been brought
up. If these habits of study can be turned toward this genuine path,
then you can make great use of the insight, which has already been
produced by your education.
Conceptual Understanding
The prajñÏ or knowledge associated with this first step of hearing is
conceptual understanding. This refers to a conceptual
understanding of the meaning of the words that you are hearing or
reading. At the same time, when you first read a book and generate
an understanding based on what you have read, you gain a certain
level of understanding; but it is not necessarily the most that you can
get out of that book. When you read it a second time, you will
understand it in a different way, in a fuller way. When you read it a
third time, you will understand it in even more profound way, and so
forth. It is important to remember that your first take or your first
understanding on a book or text may not be the final one. So trying
to get more and more out of what you study or what you hear is the
practice of the prajñÏ of hearing.
14
The most important point is not to get puffed up with
arrogance right after you first read a book and think you understand
it. This seems to be a fairly common problem nowadays. Obviously it
is a waste of the prajñÏ that has been generated up to that point
through the practice of hearing. The type of knowledge that is mixed
with arrogance and the thought, “There’s nothing more to learn, I
now really understand it,” is called “twisted prajñÏ.” The remedy for
this is to remember that there is always more to learn. Remember
that when you have developed one level of conceptual
understanding, there is undoubtedly more that you could understand
about that particular text. If you maintain this attitude of being
willing to go further and learn more, then the prajñÏ that you
develop will become the genuine prajñÏ of hearing.
When studying the dharma and learning new terms, new
words, and new ideas, people sometimes experience having more
thoughts. They have the idea that all that study does is to give them
more thoughts—it makes their minds wilder than before. In fact,
that is not what is occurring. Because you are being exposed to these
ideas, you are simply starting to become more aware of how many
thoughts you have. It is not that they are increasing; in fact they are
becoming less. However, as they decrease, they become more
evident because the confusion is somewhat diminished. Therefore,
you might think that things are getting worse when they are actually
getting better. This was said to me by my teacher Khenpo Tsultrim
Gyamtso Rinpoche, and I regard it as true.
Jetsun Milarepa said,
“Understanding is like a patch sewn onto clothing.”
This means that conceptual understanding of dharma, as
necessary as it is, is still an understanding that is not yet mixed with
the fabric of your mind. Such understanding is just something that
has been superimposed upon your mind: It is like a patch that has
been sewn onto the fabric of old clothing. This means that so long as
15
all you have is a conceptual understanding, when you experience
mishaps and unpleasant situations, such understanding will prove
insufficient to protect your mind from suffering. While it may appear
vivid while things are going well, it will seem insufficient at a certain
point because it has not merged with and dissolved into the fabric of
your mind. If you can remember that from time to time, it will be
helpful. It demonstrates why there is really no reason to be proud of
conceptual understanding, which is like sewing a patch onto your
mind.
The main subject or the main emphasis in one’s gradual
study of dharma is what is called the supermundane prajñÏ, or
knowledge that is beyond the world. This is taught in all phases of
dharma, in both HÓnayÏna and MahÏyÏna. The main subjects of
supermundane prajñÏ are emptiness, and the presence of Buddha
Nature in the mind. Generating definite or certain understanding
about these is the training in the prajñÏ of hearing. If this prajñÏ of
hearing is applied to all aspects of the Buddha’s teachings, then this
generates authentic supermundane prajñÏ.
THE GREAT WHEELS OF THE TEACHINGS
There are a variety of ways that the genuine dharma, or the
sat-dharma, proclaimed by the SamyaksaÙbuddha, the complete and
perfect Buddha, can be classified. These are based on the viewpoints
of the different vehicles. If looked at from the main viewpoint of the
MahÏyÏna, it is said that all the various teachings of the Buddha can
be summed up into what are called the "Three Dharmachakras."
Different approaches to assigning a division among the Three
Dharmachakras have arisen. One approach is based on time. In this
approach, the teachings of the Buddha are divided into three
distinct periods. The other approach is based more on topic. In this
approach, the division is made based more on what he taught. We
will be following the approach taken by most scholars, which
distinguishes, between the Three Dharmachakras with regard to
16
their topic. The reason for this is the uncertainty of a definite time
sequence in his passing from one of these dharmachakras to another.
Whether the Three Dharmachakras are approached by means of
topic or of time, the first topic did occur first in time. Therefore, the
first dharmacakra is the one with which we will begin.
First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma
After the Buddha attained full awakening, he remained, abiding in
samadhi, alone in the forest for a period of seven weeks. Immediately
upon his awakening at Bodhgaya, he is said to have said the
following:
“I have attained a dharma that is like ambrosia, that is
profound, tranquil, beyond elaboration, luminous and noncomposite. But nobody would understand this, so it is
better that I remain silent in the forest.”
With that intention, he went from Bodhgaya to Varanasi;
remaining in the forest there for seven weeks.
Before the Buddha’s awakening he had engaged in the
practices of ascetic mortification for several years. During that time,
he had acquired a following of five companions who were his
devoted followers in that path. When he realized that this extreme
asceticism was not a genuine path, he accepted food that was given
to him and went to Bodhgaya to attain enlightenment. His five
companions developed the attitude that he had broken from his
discipline and they repudiated him. However, when he reached
Varanasi, they heard of his qualities and desired to see him again.
The Buddha was residing in an area called the Deer Park in
Varanasi. They went to meet him and, when they saw the Buddha,
they were immediately overcome with confidence in him. At this
time, the gods Indra and Brahma exhorted the Buddha to teach, and
not to remain silent. As offerings and encouragement to do this, they
offered him a one hundred-spoke golden wheel and a conch shell.
17
When the golden wheel was placed in front of the Buddha, two deer,
a male and a female, came and lay down on either side of the wheel,
intending to listen to the Buddha. The retinue of his five former
companions was present. The Buddha decided that all of this
together indicated that it was appropriate to try to teach after all. He
gave his first teaching, called the First Dharmachakra, of the Four
Noble Truths.
The Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths four times in his
first lecture or sermon. The order in which he taught them was first
the truth of suffering; then the truth of the cause of suffering; then
the truth of cessation of or liberation from suffering; and then the
truth of the path which is the cause of cessation. As he taught these,
the five former followers were immediately liberated, and they
became arhats, with remainder.
The Buddha’s presentation of the discipline and ordination
of individual liberation or prÏtimoksha, as well as his presentation of
the path of the shrÏvakayÏna, the vehicle of the listeners, begins
with this sermon. At this time, and for some time thereafter, the
manner in which the Buddha ordained people as bhikshus was
simply to say, “Come here.” These words, spoken by the Buddha,
were sufficient to bring about complete ordination. So originally
there were no rituals or elaborate ceremonies connected with the
ordination process.
Gradually, the Buddha began teaching what is now referred
to as the vinaya, or "the taming." All of the teachings he gave at this
time are included in the format of the Four Noble Truths. He
presented the path based on the discipline of individual liberation,
the antidote for the cause of suffering, which is karma and the
kleshas. Severing the cause leads to personal liberation or nirvÏna.
This path, which he presented in the format of the Four Noble
Truths, is the truth of the path, the fourth Noble Truth.
18
Second Turning of the Wheel of Dharma
Following this presentation, the Buddha began presenting what is
called the Second or Middle Dharmachakra. The name of this is the
“Dharmachakra of Essencelessness” because it teaches a lack of
essence or inherent existence to all things, from form all the way up
to omniscience. Among the vehicles, it is classified as the MahÏyÏna
teaching. Many of the MahÏyÏna sâtras are of this dharmachakra.
The Buddha taught this at Vulture Peak Mountain near RÏjagÝha.
The Buddha gave these teachings in the midst of the retinue of
bodhisattvas and MahÏyÏna practitioners, such as the community of
the MahÏyÏna sangha of 500, and so on. He taught what is called
prajñÏpÏramitÏ, "the Great Mother." There were two main topics:
the expressly stated topics and the topics stated by implication, or
hidden topics. The expressly stated topic is emptiness. The hidden or
concealed topic is the stages and paths of the MahÏyÏna. The
essence of the presentation of the middle Turning if the Wheel of
Dharma is called “The Three Doors of Liberation.” These are the
ground, which is emptiness; the path, which is absence of
characteristics; and the result, which is the absence of craving.
Third Turning of the Wheel of Dharma
The Third Dharmacakra, called the “Dharmacakra of Thorough
Distinction,” was taught in various places to a retinue of
bodhisattvas. It is called this because, in the teachings of this
dharmachakra, the Buddha made clear distinctions between his
various statements. He divided them into indicative statements,
those having indicative meaning, and definitive statements, those
having definitive meaning. He would say things like, “When I said
such and such, that was an indicative statement; but when I said
such and such, that was a definitive statement.”
Indicative and Definitive Meanings
What we listen to consists of the three presentations of the dharma
by the Buddha, which are called the Three Turnings of the Wheel of
19
Dharma. The first of these, the presentation of the Four Noble
Truths, forms the basis for what is called the “Common Vehicle,”
which is also known as the "lesser vehicle" or the vehicle of the
"listeners" or "hearers." The Second Turning if the Wheel of
Dharma is called the “Presentation of the Absence of
Characteristics.” In this phase of teaching, Lord Buddha emphasized
emptiness and selflessness, the lack of true existence. The third and
final phase of his teaching is called the “Dharmacakra of Full and
Final Distinction.” This means that in this final Turning if the
Wheel of Dharma, he most clearly and distinctly distinguished
between the indicative meaning and the definitive meaning of his
various teachings. These three periods of teaching are associated
with specific sites in India. The first turning of the dharma wheel
occurred at Varanasi, the second occurred at Vulture Peak
Mountain near RÏjagÝha, and the third occurred all over the place.
The need for the Third Turning if the Wheel of Dharma was
principally that, until then, the Buddha had taught in a few different
ways. He had taught on a level that has called the indicative
meaning. In other words, he taught through indicative statements
such as the First Turning if the Wheel of Dharma. The Second
Turning if the Wheel of Dharma was principally made up of those
statements that later produced the Mind-only school. This school is
considered to be based upon indicative and not definitive meaning.
Consequently, he needed finally to identify and characterize what he
had taught as being either one way or another, as being either
indicative or definitive. He only did this at the end of his teaching,
in the Third Turning of the Wheel. Therefore, according to the
Treasury of Knowledge of Jamgön Kongtrül Rinpoche, in this
tradition we identify the Third and final Dharma Wheel as the
Buddha’s ultimate statement of the definitive meaning.
Indicative Meaning
The point is that in his great compassion, by which we mean his
complete dedication to the welfare of beings, and his considerable
perfect skill, the Buddha was able and willing to teach in any way
20
that would lead beings on a correct path to liberation and, finally, to
Buddhahood. That was his main concern. The problem is that some
people would have become terrified and run away if he had taught
them about absolute truth, emptiness, and selflessness and so forth
in the beginning. The way he taught in those situations was designed
to lead those individuals on the path towards an understanding of
absolute reality. What that means is that those teachings were not
direct statements of or about absolute truth. Those teachings were
concerned with relative truth or relative reality. Such statements
and such types of teaching are called statements that lead one to the
truth rather than definitive statements of the truth. This is what is
meant by "indicative meaning." Indicative meaning, drangdon in
Tibetan, is translated as “the meaning that leads you toward the final
understanding.” In some contexts, these can also refer to statements
with a hidden intention.
To give an example of indicative meaning: In his initial
presentation of dharma, the Buddha taught as though beings had
some kind of true existence. He would say that there are these five
aggregates of which a person is made up and a person made up of
these five aggregates spins around and around and around in
saÙsÏra; which is translated as “spinning.” He did not present the
idea of the selflessness of persons right on the spot.
Another example: In his first presentation of dharma, the
Buddha did not talk about the mind of awakening, which is the
intention to bring all beings without exception to Buddhahood. He
did not talk about the need for great compassion. This is because
what we really want in the beginning, what we are really hoping for,
is our own freedom. Fundamentally, we want our own liberation. In
the beginning, our basic motivation for practice is the thought, “I
can’t take this suffering any more.” One cannot present dharma to
someone in that situation by starting out with why you should think
only of others and not of yourself. It is unrealistic and the result
would be that people would be frightened away. For that reason, the
Buddha emphasized seeking one’s own liberation in his first
21
presentation of dharma. He said that one’s own liberation is what is
important. He did not present the approach to awakening that is
found in the bodhisattva view.
Therefore, indicative statements by the Buddha are
statements that indirectly indicate the path to awakening without
being a direct or definitive statement of the final nature of
awakening. These statements are not misleading: They lead you in
the right direction in a manner that is appropriate to your particular
concerns at that time.
Definitive Meaning
The other type of teaching is called the "definitive meaning."
Definitive statements are statements that do not require
interpretation. They are direct and, to some extent, literal. They are
final and do not indirectly lead to the meaning but rather they are
direct statements of it. For example, included in this category are the
Buddha’s teachings on twofold selflessness; his teachings on
bodhichitta, the mind of awakening; and his statements that final
awakening depends upon this and this. These statements do not
require further interpretation. Included in this category are his
teachings on emptiness in the PrajñÏpÏramitÏ sâtras, such as:
“Form is emptiness. Emptiness is also form. Form is no
other than emptiness. Emptiness is no other than form.”
Especially included as definitive are his explanations of the
presence of Buddha Nature and that the dharmakaya of buddhahood
pervades the mind of each and every sentient being. These are all
called statements of definitive meaning.
Summary of Classifications
In brief, there are usually two ways in which we refer to the
dharmachakras. The common names for them are: the First
Dharmachakra of the Four Noble Truths, the Second Dharmachakra
of Essenselessness or Absence of Characteristics, and the Third
Dharmachakra of Full or Thorough Distinction. However, according
22
to the tradition of Àrya Nagarjuna and Àryadeva, these three are
referred to, respectively, as the Dharmachakra Which Dispels That
Which is Non-Meritorious, the Dharmachakra Which Dispels Fixation
on the Self, and the Dharmachakra Which Dispels All Views. The first
was taught principally to lead individuals away from wrongdoing to a
path of virtuous actions; the second was taught to eradicate the false
imputation of a self; and the third was taught to eradicate any form
of conceptual view or position.
Sometimes the First Dharmachakra is called the
Dharmachakra Which Says There Is a Self, and the Second
Dharmachakra is called the Dharmachakra Which Says There Is Not a
Self. The reason for this is that in the First Dharmachakra, in order to
convey the idea of the aggregates or skandhas, the Buddha sometimes
speaks of them as a burden in a way that implies the existence of an
individual who is carrying such a burden.
These three dharmachakras are the teachings of the Buddha.
They were taught in the three ways that we have discussed here.
The Buddha’s teachings were not compilations from previous
traditions; they were not putting together bits of Hindu tantra,
Brahmanism, and so forth, as some have claimed. The Buddha
would teach spontaneously from his wisdom, and his retinue of
arhats, bodhisattvas, and so on, would record these discourses
mentally. They had the faculty of complete recollection or total
recall, which is part of what one has as an arhat. These teachings
were not researched by anyone in libraries, or pieced together from
various other sources.
THE TWO VEHICLES OF THE TEACHINGS
The Buddhist teachings are described as consisting of 84,000
different types of presentations. These are all varying remedies to
the different mental afflictions, which are included in the three main
root afflictions. If all of these are summed up, they consist of what
are called the three vehicles and four schools, or four philosophical
23
approaches. The three vehicles can also be summed up further as
just two.
When characterizing the vehicles as two, they consist of
what is called the HÓnayÏna and the MahÏyÏna. There is a fairly
common misunderstanding of the term HÓnayÏna, which can be
translated as the “Lesser Vehicle.” The term “lesser,” or actually
“little,” does not mean inferior. People hearing the term often think
this must be an inferior form of Buddhism. They think therefore
that it will not be of any help and that they had better go for the
"better" kind.
HÓnayÏna
It is not the case that the result of the HÓnayÏna is in any way
inferior or that the teachings are in any way inferior. The term lesser
or little is comparative only in the sense of the gradation of progress
through the path. It is the first vehicle that is practiced, like entering
the first grade. It is the basic or fundamental vehicle. It is called
lower in the same way that one would call the foundation of a house
lower than the walls or the roof. But just as the first thing that has to
be established in building a house is the foundation, the HÓnayÏna is
the only possible foundation for the MahÏyÏna and VajrayÏna
presentations and practices. It may be more helpful to think of it as
the basic vehicle rather than as the lower or lesser vehicle.
Main Teachings of the HÓnayÏna
What the Buddha fundamentally taught in the HÓnayÏna is the cause
and result of saÙsÏra and the cause and result of nirvÏna. He showed
that the cause of saÙsÏra is the false imputation of a truly existent
self and the resultant three poisons or the three root mental
afflictions. He showed that the result of the presence of this
imputation of the self and the mental afflictions is all the various
sufferings of saÙsÏra, which is the pain and fear of the six realms. He
also presented the cause of nirvÏna, the cause of liberation from this
suffering, which is the method one uses to free oneself from this
saÙsÏra. This method is the path; which consists of the application
24
of the four noble truths and the twelve links of interdependence.
And he taught the result of this path; which is nirvÏna - the
cessation of suffering or the transcendence of misery. This is
essentially the presentation of the four noble truths, the first two of
which present the cause and result of saÙsÏra, and the latter two of
which present the cause and result of nirvÏna. All the HÓnayÏna
teachings can basically be included in the four noble truths.
Main Practice of the HÓnayÏna
The main practice in the HÓnayÏna is the discipline of renunciation.
This depends entirely upon the recognition that saÙsÏra is suffering
and the resultant disgust with saÙsÏra. If you want to have genuine
renunciation, you must recognize the presence and pervasiveness of
suffering. Obviously, if you do not recognize the presence of
suffering, you will have no reason to earnestly seek liberation. So the
basic practice is first of all to recognize the nature of saÙsÏra to be
the three sufferings; which produces genuine renunciation. It is for
this reason that the Buddha’s first teaching, the first truth presented
among the four noble truths, is a clear presentation of the presence
of suffering.
Generally speaking, we all know that there is a great deal of
suffering in saÙsÏra, but it is hard sometimes to recognize the
appearances of pleasure as also being, in essence, suffering.
Essentially, suffering is fear. Even when we are enjoying something,
experiencing pleasure or happiness, we are filled with fear. We are
filled with fear when we possess or enjoy something pleasurable
because, we are afraid of losing it. If we have position or wealth, we
live in fear of losing it. It does not matter how much you have or
how little you have, fear is fundamentally the same. If you are the
ruler of a country, you fear losing that position; if you are a homeless
beggar on the street, you fear losing that position. The fear of
suffering, which is not only the fear of losing what you enjoy but also
of encountering what you especially do not enjoy, is the same for a
king or for a beggar. If you clearly understand the pervasiveness of
25
fear, then you understand how the basic nature of saÙsÏra is
suffering.
Therefore, if you understand the truth of suffering, the first
noble truth, and you recognize the presence of suffering, you will
have genuine renunciation. This is basically the recognition that
wherever you are born in saÙsÏra, whatever your circumstances are,
it is basically an experience of suffering. So the main practice in the
HÓnayÏna is the cultivation of renunciation and the study of the four
noble truths; which leads to one’s individual liberation.
MahÏyÏna
Renunciation is also an absolutely necessary basis for the practice of
the MahÏyÏna, the great vehicle. Without genuine renunciation,
genuine compassion is impossible. Compassion fundamentally
consists of recognizing the suffering of others and, as a result,
generating the intense desire that they be free from that suffering. If
you do not see your own suffering, and therefore do not recognize
the pervasiveness of suffering, it is impossible for you to see or
empathize with the suffering of others. Without some degree of
genuine renunciation, you cannot have a genuine or stable
compassion. For that reason, renunciation is very important for
MahÏyÏna practice. Genuine renunciation leads to genuine
compassion, which becomes the genuine aspiration to bring all
beings to full awakening.
The practice of MahÏyÏna has two aspects to it. These are
the general MahÏyÏna and the special MahÏyÏna. The general
MahÏyÏna is the practice of the six perfections; therefore, it is called
the pÏramitÏyÏna or "the vehicle of the perfections." The special
MahÏyÏna is the VajrayÏna, also known as MantrayÏna or
TantrayÏna. VajrayÏna is not considered a vehicle separate from
MahÏyÏna, but as a variety of MahÏyÏna.
26
Generating Bodhichitta
The MahÏyÏna path starts when you generate genuine bodhichitta.
Fundamentally, bodhichitta here is altruism. It is the genuine desire
for the benefit and welfare of others. On the basis of bodhichitta,
one can practice the general path of MahÏyÏna; which is the
cultivation of the six pÏramitÏs or the six perfections. To practice
the special MahÏyÏna, the VajrayÏna, two things are necessary. The
first is genuine bodhichitta, as in general MahÏyÏna. The second is
receiving abhisheka, or empowerment. On the basis of that, one
cultivates the main body of the path; that is, working with the
iconography of deities, mantras, and wisdom.
That sums up the Buddhadharma with respect to the
vehicles.
Collecting the Teachings of the Buddha
Eventually, of course, the Buddha passed into parinirvÏna. At that
time, his various students, including humans, gods and so forth,
recognized that there was a potential problem. While they
themselves could recollect the teachings completely, people in the
future, lacking the faculty of total recall, would not be able to do so.
So they felt that they had better collect his teachings. The Buddha
had appointed KÏshyapa as his regent. KÏshyapa convened what is
called the First Council. There were signs, such as spontaneous rains
of flowers and so forth when this was going on, that the gods were
rejoicing in this.
This first council occurred the year after the Buddha’s
parinirvÏna. The rule was that there had to be 500 Arhats to
convene such a council. Unfortunately when they all gathered
together, they only had 499 because Ànanda, the Buddha’s cousin,
had not yet attained arhatship. The further problem with this was
that the Buddha had predicted that three of his students would
collect the three sets of teachings he had given so that they could be
written down: Ànanda would recite all the sâtras; KÏshyapa would
27
recite the abhidharma; and Utpali would recite the vinaya. So it was
a big problem that Ànanda had not yet attained arhatship.
What had been happening was that Ànanda had had a
very happy life. As the Buddha’s attendant, he had a very pleasant
time. He had been a little distracted by the contentment of being
around the Buddha all the time, so he had not yet practiced enough
meditation to attain arhatship. KÏshyapa realized this. He realized
that the problem was that Ànanda needed a little more inspiration
to develop renunciation: He had not yet had quite enough suffering.
Giving elaborate reasons for doing so, he expelled Ànanda from the
sangha. At this point, Ànanda became extremely depressed. The
Buddha had passed into parinirvÏna, and he had been kicked out of
the sangha. He then wandered to a town. He found a few monks
there and began teaching them.
The monks whom Ànanda taught were good shrÏvaka
students of the Buddha. Ànanda taught them very well, and they
practiced with great diligence. One of them attained arhatship, and
he realized with his arhat ESP that his guru, Ànanda, was still an
ordinary person who had not been liberated. He went to Ànanda,
and said, “You know, if you just put in a little effort, you are very
close.” At this point, Ànanda, encouraged both by the renunciation
he received at the hands of KÏshyapa, and the encouragement of his
student and teacher, practiced and attained arhatship. So if you
attain arhatship, please call to me in the same way!
Ànanda was then reinstated into the community and,
meeting with KÏshyapa and the others, the Council began. The 500
arhats laid their robes one on top of the other, and seated on top of
these 500 robes, each in his turn, were Ànanda, KÏshyapa and
Utpali. They recited what they were supposed to recite. While
Ànanda was proclaiming or reciting the sâtras, the rest of the arhats
listened for mistakes. In the same way, while KÏshyapa was reciting
the abhidharma and while Utpali was reciting the vinaya, the rest all
listened. It was decided that what had been recited at that time was
28
the tripiáaka, the three baskets of the Buddha’s teachings. The
teachings were not actually written at that time, but they were
established as a certain corpus of teachings with a definite content.
They were not committed to writing until sometime after that.
The MahÏyÏna teachings were collected and established on
top of a mountain in the center of Magadha, in central India, on
which was convened an assembly of 1,000,000 bodhisattvas. These
one million bodhisattvas established the teachings of the MahÏyÏna.
In the midst of this assembly, the MahÏyÏna vinaya was taught by
the bodhisattva Maitreya; then the MahÏyÏna sâtras were taught by
Vajrapani; and the MahÏyÏna abhidharma by was taught by Àrya
Mañjushri.
The point of this is that the teachings of the Buddha were
collected by arhats and bodhisattvas who had total recall. They were
in that way able to establish an authoritative formulation, or corpus,
of teachings. This is similar to the way we do it nowadays, except
that instead of arhats and bodhisattvas with total recall, we use tape
recorders with total recall. So the unbroken continuity of these
teachings of the tripiáaka of both the HÓnayÏna and MahÏyÏna, as
well as the implementation of these teachings and practice from that
time up to this time, is primarily and initially due to the kindness of
these arhats and bodhisattvas who with their total recall were able to
make these teachings available.
Three Baskets of the Teachings
The tripiáaka, which means three containers or baskets, contains all
the teachings that we have which were actually given by the
Buddha. The first of these is the Vinaya, or “Taming.” On an
obvious level, this is principally concerned with the rules and
outlook of monastic life, the organization and behavior of the
ordained sangha of monks and nuns. But if you look closely at the
Vinaya, it presents a social philosophy.
29
The second basket is called the Sâtra, which means “Brief
Discourse.” These are presentations by the Buddha of the stages and
paths of spiritual growth of the bodhisattva, the generation and
training of compassion, the practice of the six pÏramitÏs, and so
forth.
The third piáaka is called the Abhidharma, which means
something like “The way things are.” It presents the training in
prajñÏ, the training in knowledge. It presents the view of selflessness,
the view of emptiness, and shows that the root of saÙsÏra is the false
imputation of a truly existent self. Finally it presents the nature of
mind. It shows that the mind of any individual is sugatagarbha,
Buddha Nature, dharmakaya, the body of essential qualities; and
that it is an inherent cognitive clarity.
We mainly study these three baskets, which are the teachings
of the Buddha. The point of this study is to provide a basis for
contemplation. The point of contemplation is to provide a ground
for meditation. It is meditation, which leads one to awakening or
Buddhahood. Because of this relationship between these three
aspects of the path, they are always presented in this order of
hearing, contemplation, and meditation. Among these three, what
we are principally concerned with at this point is the practice of
contemplation, which is working directly with the generation of
prajñÏ or knowledge.
30

Science of Mind

Transcription

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