Khetsun Sangpo Rinbochay
TRANSLATED AND EDITED BY
Jeffrey Hopkins
Co-edited by Anne Klein
Preface 7 Technical Note 9 Part One: COMMON EXTERNAL PREPARATORY PRACTICES 11 I Introduction 13
2 Motivation 20
3 Listening to Instructions 32
4 Opportunities and Conditions 45
5 Meditation on Impermanence 57
6 Faults of Cyclic Existence 64
7 Suffering 73
8 Cause and Effect of Actions 86
9 Benefits of Liberation and Reliance on a Spiritual Guide 101
Part Two: SPECIAL INTERNAL PREPARATORY PRACTICES 111
10 Refuge 113
11 Mind of Enlightenment 125
12 Vajrasattva Meditation 141
13 Offering Mandala 154
14 Cutting Attachment 161
15 Guru Yoga 167
Part Three: THE GREAT PERFECTION 183
Part Four: DAILY RECITATION AND MEDITATION 195
Translator's Glossary 216
Bibliography 228
Notes 230
Index 233
Khetsun Sangpo Rinbochay is a Nying-ma lama trained in Tibet and capable of transmitting in complete form the special precepts of Nying-ma (Old Translation Order). Student of the Ge-luk, Sa-gya, Ga-gyu, and Nying-ma orders while in Tibet, member of the lay clergy whose many functions included the stopping of hail to protect crops, teacher in Japan for ten years at the request of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and author of an eight-volume series of biographies of Tibetan masters, Khetsun Sangpo Rinbochay came to the University of Virginia in the spring of 1974 to lecture on tantric Buddhism. In a series of lectures, during which I acted as his translator, he set forth the prerequisite practices for tantra, beginning with instructions on how to listen to religious teaching and ending with guru yoga.
During Rinbochay's visit to America in 1974 and my visit to India in 1972, I was fortunate to receive his teaching on Long-chen-rap jam's presentation of the nine vehicles in his Treasury of the Supreme Vehicle (Thep mchog mdzod),' the same author's presentation of the sutra system in his Treasury of Tenets (Grub mtha' mdzod), and Ba-drul f ik- may-cho-gi-wang-bo's Sacred Word of Lama Gun-sang (Kun bzang bla ma'i zhal lung) - Rinbochay's condensation of which forms the basis for this book. In the light of his teaching and of a twentieth-century commentary on the Sacred Word of Lama Gun-sang by Nga-wang-bel-sang, I collaborated with Anne Klein to edit Rinbochay's lectures on the Sacred Word of Lama Gun-sang and other teachings on the Great Perfection.
These provide the classical Nying-ma presentation of the preparatory tantric paths as well as a glimpse into the higher reaches of tantric realization. Khetsun Sangpo Rinbochay's transmission of the oral tradition vividly reveals the practicality that is at the root of all religious endeavour.
JEFFREY HOPKINS
Charlottesville, Virginia
The transliteration scheme for Sanskrit names and titles is aimed at easy pronunciation, using sh, sh, and ch rather than s, s, and c. With the first occurrence of each Indian title, the Sanskrit is given, if available. The full Sanskrit and Tibetan titles are to be found in the bibliography, which is arranged alphabetically according to the English titles of sutras and according to authors of other works. The Tibetan originals of key terms have been given in a glossary at the end.
Turrell Wylie's presentation of a transliteration scheme for the Tibetan alphabet' has been followed (except in that root letters are capitalized in names). For an explanation of the rendering of Tibetan names in a pronounceable form see the technical note to Meditation on Emptiness.'
Khetsun Sangpo Rinbochay's commentary on the first part of The Sacred Word of Lama Gun-sang, also known as Instructions on the Preliminaries to the Great Perfection Teaching Called `Heart Essence of Vast Openness,' the Sacred Word of Lama Gun-sang
The Instructions on the Preliminaries to the Great Perfection Teaching Called `Heart Essence of Vast Openness', the Sacred Word of Lama Gun-sang, was written by Ba-drul Jik-maycho-gi-wang-bo (dPal-sprul jigs-med-chos-kyi-dbang-po, born 1808). Each word in his title is meaningful. `Perfection' (rDzogs) means that there is no higher practice. It refers to the perfection of the five paths and ten grounds of the Mahayana and suggests all the auspicious qualities of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
`Great' (Chen) means that there is no greater or more expansive teaching. It signifies that this teaching belongs to the Mahayana (Great Vehicle) and not the Hinayana (Lesser Vehicle). The Mahayana has two types of paths, sutra and tantra. The Great Perfection (rDzogs-chen) teaches both, but is itself included within the tantric path. It contains the full meaning of all sutras and tantras.
What does `Vast Openness' (kLong-chen) mean? This is the openness (kLong) of thought of the Truth Body (Dharmakdya) as well as of all Conqueror Buddhas. Because its extent is limitless, it is called great or vast (then).
The thought of Buddha has three forms, that of the Truth Body, the Complete Enjoyment Body (Sambhogakdya) and the Emanation Body (Nirmdnakdya).
The Truth Body is the body of emptiness that is beyond all elaborations of thought, the ultimate truth fully realized. How is this? The Truth Body, which is the nature of Peace, has passed beyond all conceptions of object and subject; it is a state of having extinguished all elaborations of thought, and from its essence the Body of Complete Enjoyment arises. The Truth Body is like a clear glass, and the light coming from it is the Complete Enjoyment Body, a pure, eternal manifestation in form of the highest truth. Emanations from the Complete Enjoyment Body manifest in any form necessary to tame and help sentient beings. Each is an instance of an Emanation Body.
There are special female deities known as Mothers and Sky Goers for whom this teaching is as precious as the essence of their own heart. To those who cherish it, it is known as the `Heart Essence' (sNying thig).
The preliminaries taught here are of two types: common external and special internal preparations. Both are prerequisite practices for final teaching in accordance with the doctrine of the Great Perfection.
At the end of this long title, there is a shorter secondary one, `The Sacred Word of Lama Gun-sang.' He was the lama of the author, Ba-drul Jik-may-cho-gi-wang-bo, who wrote the book based on his teacher's lectures. `Sacred Word' means the unmistaken word that Lama Gun-sang spoke to him.
Before beginning the actual text, the author makes an obeisance, saying:`
I bow down to the glorious lamas having great inconceivable compassion. What does `inconceivable' mean? It is the inconceivability of subject and object. This compassionate mind does not conceive of subject and object; it does not posit inherent existence (svabhdva-siddhi) to an external object. A being with this compassion does not think that an inherently existent external object is cognized by an inherently existent internal mind. Is this `inconceivable', which is a negative expression, a sign of nihilism? Not at all. The negative indicates that the ordinary type of mind cannot conceive such compassion. Ba-drul Rin-bo-chay [the Precious Ba-drul] is paying obeisance to lamas who have this compassion, and he calls them 'glorious'.'
`Glorious' also refers to the glory of Lama Gun-sang himself, who freed himself from cyclic existence (samsdra) so that there is no chance of his ever suffering again. It also refers to his glory with regard to others - his compassion for those still in cyclic existence. The lama's special realization or mode of cognition prevents him from falling into cyclic existence.
There are two types of realization, visionary and cognitive, and within the visionary there are many different types. Here we will talk mainly about the visions of appearance, emptiness, and bliss.'
Just as there are many different objects that appear to our eye consciousness, so there are many objects that appear to our mental consciousness. These are visions of appearance. The factor of objects appearing to a consciousness without an inherently existent subject and object being posited is the vision of emptiness. When the vision of emptiness - the absence of the signs of subject and object - is seen, a bliss is generated within the person, and this is the vision of bliss. Ba-drul Rin-bo-chay bows down to the glorious lamas who have all these qualities.
He also pays homage to the Nying-ma transmissions:
I bow down to the lamas of the three transmissions, those through the Conqueror's thought, through the symbols of Knowledge Bearers [and through persons' ears]. Their fortune far surpassing that of other people, they were sustained by the excellent and perfected their own and others' welfare. Lama Gun-sang belongs to the Nying-ma order of Tibetan Buddhism. This has three transmissions, through the Conqueror's thought, the symbols of Knowledge Bearers, and ears. The transmission through the Conqueror's thought passes directly from the Complete Enjoyment Body, the pure eternal manifestation of the truth, to the trainee. This is a case of mental transmission where one being transmits his thought to another directly without words and symbols. The Complete Enjoyment Body, which in this case is Samantabhadra, transfers whatever he knows directly to the minds of his students. Disciples who appear directly to a Buddha can receive such instruction.
The second transmission is through the symbols of Knowledge Bearers. When thought cannot be directly transmitted, it is necessary to depend on symbols. For example, at a crossroad there are signs indicating directions; through seeing them you know where to go. There are no words involved, you understand them through certain arrangements of colour and shape. Vajradhara himself transmitted understanding to his students by using signs and symbols. He originated this transmission, and five different types of beings - gods, dragons, demons, lichavis, and yakshas - passed on the transmission after receiving it from him. Knowledge Bearers, those who bear knowledge of suchness in their minds, transmit this tradition. Knowledge of suchness, the immutable nature of all objects, is the means to escape from cyclic existence; without this knowledge you are trapped.
For those who cannot understand the teaching transmitted through signs and symbols there is a transmission through ears. Here the teacher's thought is expressed in words which enter the ear. How is the teaching done? One way is through empowering blessings, another through hearing scriptures, and a third through initiation. In dependence on such transmission, one engages in practice and actualizes the truth.
Ba-drul Rin-bo-chay next bows down to Long-chenrap-jam (kLong-then-rab-'byams), a great Nying-ma master:
I bow down to the omniscient king of doctrine [Long-chenrap-jam] who gained the thought of the Truth Body in the sphere of extinguishment of phenomena, who saw the pure land of the Enjoyment Body appear in the sphere of clear light, and who aids the welfare of living beings by showing Emanation Bodies to trainees.
Long-chen-rap-jam understood the Truth Body in the sphere of extinguishment which is the nature of phenomena. This refers to the gradual extinguishment of conceptuality within one's own mind. Like a fire burning fuel, the mind consumes conception by working with it. Longchen-rap-jam understood this sphere of extinguishment which is the final nature of objects.
The homage also refers to seeing the appearance of the pure land of the Enjoyment Body in the sphere of clear light. What is clear light? It is the substance of our dreams and visions. At first it is difficult to meditate on the clear light of sleep or dream because you find it hard to dream. But gradually you learn to increase dreaming. When a yogi does this, he increases his dreams to the point where he has them even before falling asleep. Then his dreaming gradually decreases, and finally the whole process turns into an experience of something like empty space. At that time it is possible for a very special mind endowed with bliss, clarity and non-conceptuality to appear from within. If you are able to cause this clear light to shine, you can know the minds of others.
If such practices and attainments exist, then why are there not many clairvoyants and mind-readers? Too many people spend their time on worldly affairs and do not meditate enough. However, if the activities of this life are laid aside and effort is directed toward meditation, one can develop many wonderful qualities. Long-chen-rap jam attained the clear light and in it was able to see the pure lands of the Enjoyment Bodies.
An Enjoyment Body has five definite features, those of teacher, retinue, doctrine, time and place. The explanation of these five features is very difficult to believe. The first definite quality is the teacher, who is the Enjoyment Body himself and who lasts forever. The retinue consists only of tenth-ground Bodhisattvas. The doctrine is that of the wordless Mahayana, which is taught continuously by the Enjoyment Body that never needs to rest. The time indicates that the wheel of teaching never stops turning. The place is the Highest Pure Land (Akanishtha). Ba-drul Rin-bo-chay makes a third obeisance:
I bow down to the Knowledge Bearer Jik-may-ling-ba ['Jigs- med-gling-pa] who sees with wisdom the suchness of all that can be known, whose rays of compassion shine for the glory of trainees, and who illumines the teaching of the highest vehicle, the profound path. Jik-may-ling-ba sees with wisdom the suchness of all existents; he knows all objects of knowledge - all things, from forms through to omniscient consciousnesses. What does it mean to see their suchness? He sees the final nature - emptiness - of each and every one of these phenomena which remains such unchangeably whether or not it is taught and realized. His compassion is like the sun; its rays enter his disciples and help them. He also illumines the teaching of the highest vehicle, the practices of the profound path.
According to the Nying-ma system there are nine vehicles. A vehicle is a system of practice by which one progresses to a higher state. The nine vehicles are arranged into three groups of three. The three external ones leading away from the source of cyclic existence are those of Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Bodhisattvas. The three inner ones involving all types of asceticism are the three lower tantras: Action, Performance and Yoga (Kriyd, Charya, Yoga). The three secret vehicles serving as methods of empowerment are Mahayoga, Anuyoga, Atiyoga. Badrul Rin-bo-chay pays homage to Jik-may-ling-ba who illumined Atiyoga, the highest of all systems of practice for developing the mind.
In a final obeisance he bows down to his own teacher, who was the incarnation of the deity Avalokiteshvara. He says:
I bow down to my kind fundamental lama [Padma Gun-sang] the deity Avalokiteshvara who assumed the ways of a teacher and through the sport of his speech set on the path of liberation all who were related to him. His activities appropriate for all trainees are infinite.
Why did Ba-drul Rin-bo-chay pay homage to his lineage? He praises them in order to receive empowerment from the Buddhas in the form of blessings so that he will not be interrupted while writing his book. He shows that it is important to praise the Buddhas before engaging in virtuous activity.
After his obeisance, he promises to compose the book:
In accordance with my ascertainment of the errorless word of my unparalleled Lama [Gun-sang], I will explain clearly in terms easy to understand the amazingly profound meaning, the complete teaching, the books of the omniscient transmission, the pith of quintessential instructions, the doctrine for complete enlightenment in one lifetime. I will explain the common external and uncommon internal preparations for the path.... May the lamas and gods empower me to do so. Buddha's teaching is of two types, verbal and realized. The former consists of words detailing excellent qualities of mind and practices for attaining them. The latter are realizations attained through following the verbal teaching just as it is. Therefore, the actual teaching of Buddha is identified as these two, whereas books and common teachers whom you can meet are just conventional instructors.
When Ba-drul Rin-bo-chay says that he will explain the complete teaching, he means that he will cover all nine vehicles. He will explain the books of the omniscient transmission, a lineage that includes all the famous lamas whom he has just mentioned. He will reveal the pith of quintessential instructions, doctrines by which a person in one lifetime, with his or her ordinary body, can attain complete Buddhahood.
The path to Buddhahood has two parts, preparatory and actual. There are two types of preparation: common external and special internal. These will be explained clearly and simply, and the meaning will be amazingly profound.
The six common external preparations are meditations on (i) the difficulty of attaining opportunities and conditions, (ii) the impermanence of life, (iii) the faults of cyclic existence, (iv) the causes and effects of actions, (v) the benefits of liberation, and (vi) reliance on a spiritual friend.'
Instruction on the difficulty of acquiring opportunities and conditions begins with advice on the motivation for listening to the teaching. A Bodhisattva's motivation is known as an altruistic mind of enlightenment with vast thought. Let me explain this.
We use the term cyclic existence to describe our type of life because we pass from one existence to another like links on a chain. Cyclic existence is beginningless; all sentient beings including yourself have been wandering from life to life since time without beginning. There is no one who has not been your mother or father on some occasion in the past. When as a newborn child - the son or daughter of any of these beings - you were unable to eat unaided, they sustained you with food. They took care of you from the time you were a tiny child until you were an adult. They gave you the very best and newest clothes. They looked after you, not with weak but very strong and dedicated love. Each and every sentient being has done this for you, and thus any living being you see is someone who has been very kind to you in the past. It is important to think about as many different types of sentient beings as you can and to reflect on their closeness and kindness to you.
What do all these beings want? They want what is good and satisfying, in short, happiness. If beings knew how to create happiness, they would indeed soon achieve it. However, the fact is that although they want happiness, they do not know its causes and so cannot effect their own wish.
What are the causes of happiness? We can enumerate them as the ten virtues:
Three physical virtues
abandoning killing and sustaining life
abandoning stealing and engaging in giving
abandoning sexual misconduct and maintaining pure ethics Four verbal virtues
abandoning lying and speaking the truth
abandoning divisiveness and speaking harmoniously
abandoning harsh words and speaking lovingly
abandoning senseless talk and talking sensibly
Three mental virtues
abandoning covetousness and cultivating joy for others' prosperityabandoning harmful thoughts and cultivating helpfulness abandoning wrong ideas and learning correct views.
The opposites are the ten non-virtues, which cause suffering: the three physical non-virtues of killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct; the four verbal non-virtues of lying, divisiveness, harmful speech and senseless talk; the three mental non-virtues of covetousness, harmfulness and wrong views. Because sentient beings want happiness but engage in the ten non-virtues which cause suffering, their wishes and actions are at cross-purposes.
You should practise the ten virtues for the sake of all sentient beings. The wish to help them all should be cultivated so that it motivates you to listen to and practise doctrine. You should practise virtue in order to be able to help others to do so, thereby making them happy. Highest enlightenment should be sought for the sake of freeing all sentient beings, and such altruism should be cherished whenever you hear or teach the doctrine.
The distinguishing feature of the Mahayana path is that all virtuous activity is accompanied by altruistic motivation. Whether you are listening to, thinking about, or actually achieving doctrine, your activity must be preceded and sustained by an attitude intent on the welfare of others. Whether your activity is little or great, it can never be Mahayana practice unless it is accompanied by altruism.
All practice should include the three excellences. The first occurs prior to a practice and consists of ascertaining why it should be done. One determines that it is for the sake of all suffering sentient beings in the world systems.
The second excellence consists of acting without conceiving the inherent existence of agent, action, and object. Whenever we practise with our ordinary consciousness, we think that each agent, action, and object of the deed exists inherently, in and of itself, and has its own mode of being. In this way we misconceive the nature of agent, action, and object. This pollutes even virtue with a sense of inherent existence and makes it possible for virtue to be ruined by circumstances that cause anger or desire to arise during the practice. Because such afflictions depend on a conception of inherent existence, it is important to understand the noninherent existence of the virtuous agent, action, and object when practising virtue.
The third excellence is the final sealing of the action through dedicating it to the welfare of all sentient beings. This not only increases the virtue but also prevents it from being destroyed. If virtuous activity is not dedicated after completion, its value can be lost through anger. Therefore, at the end of a session the merit should be dedicated to the welfare of all sentient beings, whereby it becomes related with a limitless field of beings and is thus so powerful that it cannot be destroy...
Sharmik