LAM RIM

Graduated Path to
Enlightenment

featuring Lama Tsongkhapas

Foundation of All Good Qualities
& Lam Rim Chenmo

Commentaries by

Geshe Tenzin Zopa

Editors Note
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. The great Nalanda Pandit, Lama
Atisha understood this well and with a mighty heart of mercy & compassion,
set out to marshal the Buddhas 84,000 teachings found in hundreds of sutras
and thousands of verses into a logical, sequential set of teachings to guide the
spiritual seeker on the path, to emerge from ordinariness, to liberation and
onto full Buddhahood. This manner of presenting the Buddhadharma came
to be called Lam Rim, the Graduated Path to Enlightenment.
With a bodhicitta motivation and courage no less than that of Lama Atisha,
our Resident Geshe, the Virtuous Friend Geshe Tenzin Zopa embarked on
teaching Lama Tsongkhapas two well-known Lam Rim texts the concise
Foundation of All Good Qualities and the epic treatise Lam Rim Chenmo
the Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path. This book chronicles the
commentaries given by Geshela who energetically probed, prodded and
provoked us in thought so as to initiate within each listener & each reader, a
process of awakening reection transformation - realisation. Geshela says
Samsara is all upside-down and the Lam Rim aims to set us the right-way
up. Only then is lasting happiness and perfect wisdom within our reach.
This book is dedicated to our Gurus HH Dalai Lama, Kyabje Lama Zopa
Rinpoche, Khenrinpoche Lhundrup Rigsel and Geshe Tenzin Zopa who are
our lamps for the path to enlightenment, without whom we would be living
meaningless lives that merely exhaust whatever positive karma we have. To
these Upholders of the Teachings, we bow down.
huei

Founda on of all Good Quali es

by Lama Tsongkhapa
Commentary by Geshe Tenzin Zopa

Introduc on
We need to engage in the proper study of the Buddhadharma. Otherwise,
even if we have the inspira on to meditate, it would be like a crippled person
without limbs trying to climb a rocky mountain. We then need to apply the
Buddhas teaching into our daily lives to gain experien al realisa on of the
teachings. Buddha was like us in the beginning. In many life mes, Buddha
was born in the hell realm, in the animal realm, in the god realm, in the
human realm. He was a king, a beggar, a family person many mes over and
totally overwhelmed by the delusions of ignorance, anger a achment, self
cherishing, egois c mind and grasping. Therefore, Buddha was very much
like us.
Think of it - every being wishes only happiness and not suering. And the
wish is for las ng, ul mate happiness. However, this can only be achieved
when one becomes a Buddha. Therefore Shakyamuni Buddha while on the
Path, was inspired to obtain ul mate happiness, to become the perfected
one, to become omniscient, to be able to see every living beings mental
state in order to eec vely guide them.
Due to that, he cul vated the three principal aspects of the Path namely,
renuncia on, bodhici a and emp ness. Firstly, he renounced worldly
life. Then, he engaged into the supreme method called bodhici a, the
great compassion, uncondi onal love for all beings alike. He engaged in
the teachings on dependent-arising (which is Right View) and emp ness/
selessness. All these are embodied in the Lam Rim teachings, the graduated
path to enlightenment.
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The Lam Rim is the roadmap to enlightenment. It is like a GPS which helps
us nd our way to the des na on of Buddhahood. Without the map, our
kneeling in front of the Buddha statues, scriptures, relics whilst enabling us
to receive blessings, will not be enough.

How to study the Buddhas teachings

The Buddha gave 84,000 teachings embodied in these three important
aspects of the path (renuncia on, bodhici a and emp ness) in order for us
to overcome suering and become like him. In his wisdom, the Buddha also
gave advice on how to study the Teachings.
First, we need to cul vate the wisdom of listening to the Dharma (i.e. study
Dharma) to be familiar with the roadmap to enlightenment. Secondly,
Buddha advised to adopt the wisdom of contempla on (i.e. understand the
meaning of the teachings through analysis and integra on into ones daily
life) and thirdly, to adopt the wisdom of medita on which is to habituate
ourselves with the teachings.
Hence, the studying of Dharma is crucial and the star ng point.
During the stage of contempla on, you will reach a point where you nd an
approach advised by the Buddha which you nd really benecial and one
that you are able to keep in your heart. Keep familiarising your mind with
this through medita on and use it repeatedly in your ac ons, speech and
thoughts. Over me, the teachings will become so deeply embedded in your
mind that it will become second nature to you. Right now, we o en get
angry or anxious. This is because we constantly think angry thoughts and
thereby habituate with them. Replace these with virtuous thoughts instead!
Through frequent contempla on, virtue will become a habit and that will be
the sign of success of your medita on.

To help us gain some sense of faith and trust in these teachings, it is necessary
to know the history of the Buddhas teachings.

Brief history of the Buddhas teachings

Shakyamuni Buddha during the 1st Turning of the Wheel of Dharma at
Sarnath, taught the 4 noble truths to those of the Theravadan inspira on.
In the 2nd Turning of the Wheel at Rajgir (near Bodhgaya) he gave the
Mahayana teachings suited to those prac oners who aspired to achieve
great compassion/bodhici a and wisdom realising emp ness. At the same
me, Buddha revealed the teachings on Tantra at Amrava .
It needs to be understood that Buddhist Tanta is totally dierent from Hindu
tantra . There is a misunderstanding of tantra even in Tibet. Buddhist Tantric
dei es are o en depicted as wrathful and embracing consorts. Know that
these are symbols represen ng the unica on of compassion and wisdom
realising emp ness. They have nothing to do with ordinariness. Buddhist
tantric prac ce is about pure morality and discipline, so one should not mix
this with prac ces of other faiths.
In the 3rd Turning of the Wheel at Vaisali, Buddha gave the clarica on
teachings on the various schools of emp ness based on Ci amatra school.
Subsequently, many Buddhist ins tu ons were established and one of
the greatest was Nalanda University. Many great pandits emerged from
Nalanda including the renowned 17 Indian Buddhist Pandits like Nagarjuna,
Chandrakir , Kamalashila and Lama A sha just to name a few. They were
great scholars who spent their en re lives analysing the Buddhas teachings
(some of them were reputed to have had direct teachings from the Buddhas)
and meditated deeply un l they were convinced of the asser ons of the
Buddhas teachings. Buddha said that one should not believe in his teachings
based on blind faith but instead analyse the content and the benets of the
teachings as the means to a ain libera on from samsara and only then, adopt
6

them. In this way, the Nalanda Pandits studied, contemplated and meditated
on the teachings and upon gaining realisa ons they wrote Commentaries.
Thus the wri ngs of the Buddhist Pndits are valid teachings.
What we are studying here today is based on Lama A shas work in se ng
out the Buddhadharma in an orderly, sequen al manner (a graduated path
to enlightenment, which in Tibetan is called Lam Rim). This was done when
he was in Tibet. Lama A sha granted the lineage of the Lam Rim to his heart
disciple Dromtoenpa and Dromteonpa did the same to his trusted disciples.
From that me on, the Lam Rim teachings ourished in Tibet.
In Tibet, there were two dierent Kadampa tradi ons: Dromtonepa
established the earlier Kadampa tradi on and later, Tsongkhapa started the
new Kadampa tradi on and composed several Lam Rim texts, including the
text under study here, the Founda on of All Good Quali es.
Lama Tsongkhapa is the emana on of Guru Manjushri and lotus born Guru
Padmasambhava. Tsongkhapa is said to be Rigsum Gompo which means
the emana on of the three Buddha-dei es of Manjushri, Chenresig and
Vajrapani represen ng Buddhas wisdom, compassion and power.
Tsongkhapa himself lived the life of a celibate, fully ordained monk and
gained full realisa ons of sutra and tantra as well. He is one of the best role
models if one wants to learn more about Tibetan Buddhism.

Quali es of the Teacher and of the Student

When star ng out on studying Buddhism, it is important for both the
teacher and the student to have certain quali es. In this way, there would
be a greater chance of bene ng from the training.
In rela on to the teacher, the best is to nd someone like the Pandits perfected
in the 3 higher trainings and have direct realisa ons into emp ness; one
who lives life totally dedicated to bene ng others not only in a worldly
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sense (like providing shelter, food and medicine) but to bring ul mate
benet right up to Buddhahood; who has genuine concern and aec on
towards his students to benet them in an ul mate way (not like in ordinary
school where one aims to help students get a cer cate to get a job). A
Dharma the teachers responsibility is to show the right and complete path
to the student. For the Mahayanic teacher, he needs to have studied the 3
baskets of Sutra (discourse), Vinaya (moral conduct) and Abidhammakosha
(science/metaphysics) and live a life in the 3 higher trainings of morality,
concentra on and wisdom.
In the Lam Rim texts, it talks about the 10 quali es that Mahayanic teachers
need to have in order to lead students on the Path. The 10 quali es that a
Dharma teacher ought to have are:

The Teachers mind stream should be subdued by ethics

The Teacher should have stable concentra on
The Teacher needs to have the wisdom that pacies self-grasping
The Teacher should have more good quali es than the student
Have perseverance
Have great scriptural knowledge
Have realisa ons into emp ness
Is skilful at teaching
Has pure and uncondi onal love
Does not get discouraged

Thus if we want to be serious in our Dharma studies, one should nd a

qualied teacher and not simply a end just any talks by anyone and everyone
to the point of ge ng ourselves into total confusion in the end. Even during
the Buddhas me, this happened and that is why the Buddha set standards
for one to be a Dharma teacher. As a minimum, the teacher should at
least have a good understanding of the meaning of emp ness and be able
to guide the students without faults, through right view and right method.
A Mahayanic teacher must have genuine aspira on towards bodhici a and
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wisdom realising emp ness.

You however, are unfortunate to have only me who does not have such
realisa ons and quali es but I will try my best.
Students/disciples also should have quali es if they are to derive benet
from Dharma training there are ve quali es:
Honesty and non discrimina on i.e. avoiding being friendly to some and
hos le to others
Having the wisdom to know right from wrong
Yearning for the teachings
Having great respect for the Guru
Possess a virtuous mo va on for studying Dharma
From the students side, one should regard oneself as having a chronic,
scary illness which cannot be cured by ordinary medicine (but this does
not mean we should think we are hopeless and crazy, not like that). What
this means is that we should understand our existence as a samsaric-being
is one that is completely contaminated by delusion and karma, which locks
us into the con nuous 12 links of dependent origina on i.e. the cycle of
aging sickness, death, birth, aging, sickness death, without end un l we do
something about it.
The main sickness is the ignorant mind not knowing the reality of and
of phenomena. This is even worse than being a acked by cancer. If we do
not learn how to protect or rescue ourselves from this while we have this
human body and at the same me, con nue to allow ourselves to be totally
inuenced by ignorance, anger and a achment, our future life is the lower
realms. Once born in those realms, the suering is unbearable. As it is, some
of our human-realm problems already seem unbearable, let alone those of
a lower realm rebirth.
Therefore, we are seeking the ul mate cure. When we are sick, we look
9

for a proper doctor. From your young days ll now, you have been seeking
happiness and the cure for your problems.
Firstly, we need to acknowledge that we have a sickness (the samsaric,
ignorant mind). Secondly, we have found the doctor (Shakyamuni Buddha).
Thirdly, we have been prescribed the medicine which is the Buddhas
teachings as found in the Lam Rim. To be cured, we need to take the medicine
consistently un l we are cured i.e. when become a Buddha. That is the
a tude that we should have.

10

The actual text of the Founda on of All Good Quali es

Verse 1:
The foundation of all good qualities is the kind and
venerable guru;
Correct devotion to him is the root of the Path
By clearly seeing this and applying great effort
Please bless me to rely upon him with great
respect

This stanza is about Guru Devo on. Some people mistakenly think that
this teaching on guru devo on was created by the Lamas and that there is
no teaching on Guru Devo on in the Buddhadharma. This is incorrect. For
countless lives un l the Buddha a ained enlightenment, he relied on Gurus
to learn and progress on the Path.
In ordinary life, to learn a simple skill, we rely on a teacher. All the more
so in the spiritual path, there is the great need for a teachers guidance.
That is why in the Lam Rim, the topic of Guru Devo on comes rst. In the
West, it is common to skip the topic on guru devo on perhaps because
some people only want to hear about devo ng to themselves rather than
devo ng to someone else.
One begins the Guru-disciple rela onship a er one has found the guru.
When Asanga met his guru Maitreya, he had been in earnest Dharma

11

prac ce for 12 years. It is necessary to be thorough when searching for a

qualied guru.
How does on search for the Guru? Ini ally, to discover whether a person is a
qualied teacher, listen to his teachings and contemplate on them. Regard
the poten al teacher as a mentor, rather than as a Guru. Con nue this over
a period of me, observe and analyse.
How does one establish a rela onship between guru and disciple? There are
several ways. Having arrived at the point where you view the teacher as a
qualied teacher (as explained earlier), one can then express to the person
about ones full faith in him/her as the Guru and the Guru then accepts
to be ones Guru. Another way, is from your mind: If you have convic on
that a par cular master is your Guru and you have a chance to listen to
his teachings, at that point, the Guru-disciple rela onship is established.
Some mes, on rare occasions, a Guru of high realisa ons is able to see who
has the karmic anity with him to be a disciple and upon mee ng such a
person, the guru-disciple rela onship arises.
How does the Guru become the founda on of all our good quali es?
Through our having correct devo on, which is through two ways, namely
through thought and through ac on.
Devo ng through thought means to remember the kindness of the guru
and regard the guru as having quali es equal to the Buddha. No ma er
how you might think about the gurus behaviour towards you e.g. the Guru
might say harsh words to you or misunderstand you, one should regard it
as a teaching to you and not have a nega ve projec on onto the Guru. If
a disciple sees the guru ac ng in an imperfect manner, the disciple should
think that oneself has imperfec ons and thus projec ng those faults onto
the guru.
You may ask, If the Guru is enlightened, why does the guru have to go
12

through ordinary obstacles such as sickness? One should not regard

the situa on in an ordinary way i.e. as the guru experiencing illness as a
karmic consequence like an ordinary being. Instead, think that the guru is
using his own body as a teaching to illustrate impermanence, to remind us
to stop commi ng nega ve karma which has consequences. Thus, even
if ones Guru acts like a street dog - poor and wandering - for your own
spiritual development, ones faith should not be shaken. The day that one
has convic on in the Guru being a Buddha despite his outer manifesta ons,
that is the day one a ains realisa on in guru Devo on.
The last line of the verse requests blessings from the Buddhas for us to a ain
this spontaneous, unshakeable, everlas ng convic on that Guru is Buddha
under any circumstance. Without this convic on, there is no founda on, no
root for enlightenment.
Devo ng through ac on means to make oerings not only material things
but of service and best of all, of ones Dharma prac ce. Any form of benecial
services to sen ent beings e.g. being a hospice volunteer, sharing Dharma,
oering inspira on to others, is an oering to the Guru.
The supreme devo on through ac on is to thoroughly prac ce the advice of
the guru such as the 3 principal aspects of the path (renuncia on, bodhici a,
wisdom realising emp ness) and living an ethical life. Milarepa was a
renowned yogi, yet a materially very poor yogi, who expressed in his songs
that although he had no gi to oer to his Guru, he made the best oering
to his guru by living in accordance with Dharma advice of his Guru.
If we cannot succeed in guru devo on prac ce, no other realisa ons are
possible.
In conclusion, rst nd the right guru. Find the quali es and see whether
you have anity or not. When observing the poten al guru, remember that
you are there to nd quali es, not nd faults in the poten al guru. Thus,
13

one should not rush into nding a Guru.

Ques on & Answer Session

Ques on 1: There are oral transmissions by masters (a) what are
these transmissions (b) can an ordinary person who has received a
transmission from a master, transmit to others?
Ans: Transmission of teachings or prayers is like transmi ng a posi ve
frequency to the listener. The transmission of Dharma can happen
in a variety of ways. Some mes, the mere rustling of leaves is able to
awaken a posi ve inspira on. Some teachings are transmi ed through
the recita on of sutras and implan ng the imprint of the teachings to
the persons mind. The master who has received the transmission can
transmit it to any person but the listener must be a en ve and the
transmission must be complete without missing any words, hiccupping,
yawning and the like.
Whatever transmission is received by a prac oner, when that prac oner
obtains the Path of Seeing (the 3rd of the 5 Paths of cul va on to
enlightenment), all previous transmissions received and their meanings
will be remembered. Our Guru Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche is one of the
richest in transmissions, as he has received transmissions from all the
Tibetan Buddhist tradi ons in order to be able to benet others.
A er receiving the transmission, one can with a virtuous mo va on, oer
the transmission to anyone. In the case of mantras, example Om Mani
Padme Hum the dierence in the benet of reci ng a mantra before
receiving a transmission and a er a transmission, is 100 million mes.
This is due to the blessing of the transmission.
Ques on 2: Empowerments what are these?
Ans: The Mahayana has two parts the causal path (sutra/bodhisa va
path) and the resultant path (tantra). In order to receive the empowerment,
one has to have a rm founda on in Lam Rim [i.e. understanding morality,
karma, refuge, renuncia on, bodhici a, emp ness etc]. Thus if one asks
14

you, Are you ready to take this empowerment? The answer lies in
whether one is familiar with the Lam Rim teachings.
In the teachings it is said that it takes 3 countless aeons of merit to
become a Buddha. In Tantra or Vajrayana, with Lam Rim founda on and
by going through the dierent stages of prac ce which begins with an
empowerment (permission to enter into the prac ce of tantra) and the
cul va on of deity yoga which brings about the purica on of death, birth
and intermediate state, one can gain enlightenment in one life me.

Ques on 3: If we have Guru devo on, will seeing all our friends as Guru
also help in our Guru devo on?
Ans: Yes. Once we have established realisa ons in guru devo on, you
will nd that everyone and everything becomes a Dharma lesson and
thus you will gain immense benet from that.

Ques on 4: Lam Rim is a graduated path what order do the topics

come?
Ans: In the Lam Rim, the rst verse is the rst topic which is Guru Devo on
and it goes on. In the text we are studying, Lama Tsongkhapa wrote it
based on Buddhas teachings and simplied it to enable us to understand
the key points of the Buddhadharma. The Lam Rim is a structured method
of presen ng the topics to guide the student on the steps and things that
need to be prac ced to a ain Buddhahood.
Ques on 5:
When Lama A sha was about to pass away, his disciple Dromtoenpa
asked who shall be my guru and A sha answered The Tripitaka. What
does this mean?
Ans: The Tripitaka is made up of Sutra, Vinaya and Abidhammakosha.
Yes the teachings of the Buddha are the ul mate Guru.

15

Verse 2:
Understanding that precious freedom of this
rebirth is found only once,
Is greatly meaningful and is difcult to nd again,
Please bless me to generate the mind that
unceasingly, day and night, takes its essence.

The understanding referred to here is to know the teachings on the precious

human rebirth (PHR); contemplate on it and habituate our mind and our
lives with it.
The preciousness comes from the 8 freedoms and 10 endowments. Unlike
other beings such as animals, hungry ghosts and even many human beings,
we have obtained the precious life qualied by the 8 Freedoms and the 10
Endowments. Not all human beings have the precious human rebirth. It
depends on whether one has these.

What are the 8 freedoms

1. Freedom from being born with wrong view which asserts the non
existence of Triple Gem, karma, emp ness, of life and rebirths, nirvana,
Buddhahood; which holds that there is no right and no wrong. If we
assert such views, our life is not the precious human rebirth. A precious
human rebirth is one where although we have not yet a ained the
spiritual a ainment of nirvana, we have faith and convic on that if we
prac ce virtue, we can a ain it. Not all human beings have this view.
Some people have great wealth but have no view of karma, nirvana,
life and rebirth and thus, although they are rich, they do not have the
16

precious human rebirth. The precious human rebirth requires one being
born as a human being, then mee ng the complete Dharma which will
enable one to become exactly like Buddha. The Lam Rim addresses
3 types of capability beings i.e. the small capability being (shravaka
prac oners), middle capability being ( pratyeka Buddha prac oners)
and the highest capability beings (the Mahayanic Buddha prac oners).
2. Freedom from being born as animal i.e. in total ignorance. We look at pets
and think they have good life. But the nature of being an animal is to be
tortured by ignorance, fear and the loss of freedom to prac ce Dharma.
Cause for rebirth here is maintaining a dull mind and not preserving ethics.
3. Freedom from being born as a hell being which is an extreme experience,
with no opportunity to study Dharma due to the intense suering and this
generates even more nega ve emo ons thereby causing such a being to
remain there. The cause for such a rebirth is commi ng the 5 heinous
crimes; having strong delusions of ignorance, anger & a achment.
4. Freedom from being born as a hungry ghost - the specic suering is
of thirst and hunger. For us, going without water for 24 hours is a great
torment. For this realms beings, they suer this way for aeons. The main
cause for rebirth as a preta is miserliness; reluctance in helping others,
in giving Dharma to others, in giving protec on to others. Preta bodies
are huge but their limbs are small and their throats thinner than straw,
with the constant urge for drink and food. They see visions of lakes but
when they reach there, the lakes are lled with iron liquids and thorns.
When we nd out we have heavy illnesses like cancer, we should
rejoice because we have prayed for long me to be able to engage in
good spiritual prac ce, to be able to take on the suering of others
and give joy & virtues to them. Although illness brings discomfort,
with mental transforma on such as this, one can perform extensive
merit and when we pass away, we gain higher rebirth and are able
17

to benet even more beings. Tong (giving to others) Len (taking

on unfortunate condi ons of others) medita on is based on this.
5. Born at a me when Buddhas teachings s ll exist. There are so many
unfortunate mes where there has been no guidance on virtue and
beings do not know how to prac ce and thus constantly accumulate
nega ve karma. We are lucky to be born in a place and me with qualied
dharma teachers, teachings, sincere Dharma brothers and sisters.
6. Being born in a place where there is no access to Buddhas
teachings. There are many places in the world such as this.
7. Freedom from being born without full facul es such as
intelligence. Without these, it would be dicult to engage in
en re study, contempla on and medita on of Buddhas teachings.
8. Not being born in the demi-god realm and god realms. Whilst life in
the god realms are luxurious, it is an existence that sees the constant
exhaus on of good karma and without any interest in cul va ng virtue
to sustain the good karma. The cause for this is one commi ng only
worldly virtue, rather than Dharma virtue. We need to dieren ate
between virtue and Dharma virtue.
If we engage in any conduct without any sense of renuncia on, bodhici a
or wisdom understanding emp ness OR as a minimum, a fear of the
lower realms; or the need to purify samsara; or the need to purify for the
enlightenment for all, then our ac ons are not Dharma ac ons.
If we do good deeds or recite prayers just to be healthy, wealthy or have
good reputa on, there may be some virtue arising from it but it will not be
Dharma virtue. And if our virtuous acts are not based on Dharma , they will
not be the cause of libera on. They may bring temporary advantages and
enjoyable results but not libera on from suering.

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When the karma to experience god realm nishes, the next heaviest karma
will ripen and this is usually nega ve karma. The god-realm being sees its
next rebirth and starts to experience the sensa on of their next rebirth,
thereby suering tremendously. All the owers they previously saw now
appear totally decayed ; their radiant bodies fade; all friends abandon them.
Due to distrac on by sensual objects in the god-realm, there is not one
moment of Dharma cul va on. Thus even though we humans have up and
downs and life, we s ll have the inspira on and will to prac ce Dharma.
What are the 10 endowments
1. Being born human.
2. Being born place where there is Dharma
3. Being born with full facul es
4. Not being perverted by commi ng heinous crimes killing mother or
father, spilling blood of a Buddha or Arhat, causing a split amongst the
Sangha.
5. We have faith in Triple Gem, karma, 4 Noble Truths. Although we may
be born in a Buddhist family, we may not have the PHR if we do not have
sincere faith. Faith is the mother which produces the wish to cul vate
knowledge that leads to enlightenment.
6. Born at a me when the Buddha has come. The Buddha manifested birth
2600 years ago but dwells in us every single moment. By having this
understanding we will tend to behave because we know that Buddha is
always with us. Buddhas birth and deeds are teachings to us and if we
remember the Buddha every single moment, we will have protec on.
Had Brahma not requested teachings from the Buddha, the teachings
might not have come. Within our minds, we have 84,000 maras and
nega ve emo ons and for each delement the teachings oer an
an dote.
7. Born in the fortunate period when a Buddha has taught the Dharma.
8. Born at a me when the teachings.
9. Being born at a me where Dharma is being followed by people who
have interest in its study and prac ce. The best way to repay the kindness
19

of the Buddha and the great mahasiddhas and masters is to explore the
studies, familiarise with them and live in them.
10. Being born in a place where people are kind and support Dharma
ac vi es.
Our nature is to seek happiness. Un l we become Buddhas, there is no
ul mate happiness. Arharts are free from samsaric rebirth but have not
puried all delements. Thus we must use the human rebirth as the basis to
actualise enlightenment. We need to overcome the 3 limita ons of death,
the intermediate state and rebirth and transform them into the 3 bodies
of the Buddha, i.e. using death to achieve the wisdom-body dharmakaya;
the intermediate state to achieve the sambhogakaya (the Buddha state in
bodhisa va aspects) and rebirth to achieve the nirmanakaya i.e. like the
aspect of Shakyamani Buddha, which is able to interact with sen ent beings.
Based on Mahayana teachings, Buddha a ained enlightenment 3 aeons
before but descended to our world to perform the 12 deeds, to teach the
Path to human sen ent beings and enable us to adopt that Path to benet
all beings.
To gain the precious human rebirth (PHR), one needs to create 3 causes
namely (1) morality or ethics of avoiding the 10 non-virtues (2) engage in
the prac ce of the 6 Perfec ons (3) having the aspira on to gain the PHR.
The 10 non virtues
3 of body killing, stealing, sexual misconduct
4 of speech lying, harsh speech, divisive, gossip
3 of mind covetousness, ill-will, wrong view
The 6 Perfec ons are morality, generosity, pa ence, joyous perseverance,
concentra on and wisdom realising emp ness and also engage in 3 higher
training of morality, concentra on and wisdom.
As you can see how dicult it is to avoid 10 non-virtues are, the likelihood
of us gaining another human rebirth is highly unlikely. The PHR carries the
20

poten al of Buddhahood.
Therefore, how does one extract the essence of this PHR?
As a minimum, achieve the lower capability-beings path which
is to purify the causes for rebirth in the 3 lower realms; to
aim for another PHR to be able to engage in refuge prac ce;
Be er than that, achieve the middle capability beings path which
is to renounce samsara and engage in the 3 higher trainings of
morality/ethics, concentra on and wisdom to a ain nirvana;
Best is to pursue the highest capability-beings path which is to engage
into renuncia on for oneself and all beings (ncluding the renuncia on
of the self-centred peace of nirvana) to cul vate bodhici a and the 6
Perfec ons to actualise Buddhahood.
The verse concludes with a strong prayer to the Buddha to have a sustained
understanding of the teachings and the inspira on in our heart, day and
night, to prac ce to perfec on.

Ques ons and Answers

Ques on: Although we understand this PHR is precious, what can we do
to remind ourselves about this?
Ans: emember death and impermanence. You can see for yourselves how
many people suddenly pass away. We may be planning trip with friends or
have a seemingly healthy life and suddenly, death comes.

Ques on : You can only give happiness when you have happiness; you
can only give understanding when you have understanding Geshelas
comments please?
Ans: As for the 1st line - According to Mahayana teaching, the purpose of
21

ones life is to bring happiness to others, to liberate others from sorrow.

Unless ones mind is clear and free from delusions, there is no way to bring
happiness. Consider these words compassion and renuncia on - The
wish to free others from suering is compassion ; the compassion towards
oneself to be from of suering is renuncia on. Without renuncia on, there
is no way to give compassion to others.
As for the 2nd line to show the right path to someone, one also needs to
put eort into gaining understanding of the right path. For this, we need
to have condence and knowledge gained through exploring the scriptures,
studying, contempla ng and medita ng on them well. Only then is the
sharing of the knowledge benecial to others.

Ques on : As there are dierent Buddhist tradi ons, how will those
unfamiliar with Vajrayana be able to understand it?
Ans: Actually all the fundamental teachings of the various Buddhist tradi ons
are the same. Guru is Shakyamuni Buddha and the 4 Noble Truths are the
founda on teachings. What some people might think as dierent about
Vajrayana are the topics of guru devo on and tantra.
Shakyamuni Buddha relied on Gurus to a ain enlightenment. The reason
why Vajrayana prac oners regard the master whom they have a guru-
disciple rela onship as Buddha is because the teachings they give is exactly
the same as teachings given by the Buddha. Due to their devo on, the word
they use for the Buddha, they likewise apply to the teacher.
As for tantra, misunderstanding can come about due to the view that Buddhist
tantra is somehow associated with Hindu tantra. It is not. It is important
to know the dierence between Hindu tantra and Buddhist tantra. Hindu
tantra has elements of enhancing a achment. Buddhist tantra on the other
hand is to destroy a achment. Hindu tantra engages into esoteric, austere
prac ces like spearing the body. In Buddhist tantra, one cannot abuse ones
body, speech or mind (which includes the prohibi on on ac va ng desirous
a achment). Using the basis of renuncia on, compassion and emp ness
22

understanding, one mentally transforms oneself into the Buddha-deity for

the purpose of subduing the delusions.

Ques on : A community of sangha refers to there being a minimum of

4 Sangha members must they be physically together to be such a
community?
Ans: It is not necessary for them to be together.

Ques on : If due to something I said, I caused the person to break samaya

with his Guru, is it one of the 5 heinous crimes?
Ans: Not one of the 5 heinous acts. The ve are killing mother, killing father,
spilling the blood of a Buddha, spilling the blood of an Arhat, causing a split
amongst the Sangha community.

23

3rd verse:
This life is as impermanent as a water bubble
Remember how quickly it decays and death comes
After death, just like a shadow follows the body
The results of black and white karma follow.

Impermanence is one of the main teachings of the Buddha and par cularly
relevant to the small capability beings who seek to overcome this lifes
suerings and the lower realms. As for those prac oners who aim for
Amitabha Pureland, although they are usually classied under the Mahayana,
if their mo va on for being born in the Pureland is merely to be free from
samsara and avoid suering, rather than aspire to be in a conducive place to
cul vate bodhici a for the purpose of libera ng all beings , then they would
be grouped under the small capability beings.
Life is as fragile as a water bubble. When we talk about the impermanent
nature of our life, a reec on on 3 points is needed:
1. understand that death is certain
2. the me of death is uncertain
3. only Dharma can help us at the me of death.
Although one might have a large family or wealthy with bodyguards and have
access to expensive medicines, when death comes, only the mind that is subdued
with Dharma, the mind that has imprints of kindness, ethics and virtue, will
feel supported and protected from the unbearable fear of death. There is an
urgent need for us to gain those posi ve imprints because we all have to face
death and experience the dissolu on of our ve elements and consciousness.

24

It is not only at death do the elements dissolve. In fact, from the moment
we were born, the dissolu on of our elements already begin. Whenever
we discover a wrinkle, we get disturbed; when we experience illness, we
get disturbed. We cannot cope with prolonged cold nor intense heat. These
are all signs of the gradual dissolu on of our elements ability to sustain
life. The experience of the dissolu on of the elements and consciousness at
death- me can be fearful due to its intensity e.g. when the earth element
dissolves, one feels as if mountains are crashing onto us! This is not actually
happening but it is a mental projec on which is inuenced by past karmic
imprints.
At the me of death, throwing karma is ac vated and connects one to the
next rebirth. If a strong nega ve mind is present at death, it could lead one
to the lower realms.
As we do not experience the dissolu ons in a gross and extreme form while
we are alive and well, we neglect preparing for inevitable death. Hence,
Buddha advised us to understand the nature of death or else we will take it
for granted, fail to extract the essence of life and not prepare oneself for the
moment of death that is certain to come.
In Lam Rim, one of the most forceful ini ators to our engaging in
prac ce is the medita on on death and impermanence. We should not
have any concept of the self being permanent. Yet, though we talk about
impermanence, we constantly dwell on a vision for tomorrow (!) not
remembering that death could happen at any moment, including at this very
moment, on this very cushion.
Buddha manifested passing away at Kushinagar as an illustra on of the fact
that as long as one has the physical contaminated aggregates, these are in
the nature of decay and there is no way for life to be permanent. You can
think of many examples of many supposedly powerful people who are no
longer with us.
25

Time of death is uncertain We cannot think that Im healthy or Im s ll

young and will not die soon. Many of our young friends who should s ll
be with us, have passed away. Our rela ves and friends plan for business
projects and trips for the next 50 years but while holding onto those plans,
they pass away, leaving behind only their names. We hear of people who
are seriously ill in hospital yet remain alive, whereas their friends who are
healthy and on holiday, die earlier. There is no way to know who will die,
when and how.
Without much awareness, our lives pass us by. Due to not knowing
the moment of death, when it arrives and at that me, one has not yet
accumulated Dharma virtue, one faces that event with much fear, regret
and delusion, which in turn will trigger ones accumulated, exis ng nega ve
karma and be thrown into a lower realm rebirth. Birth in the animal realm
means that there is no opportunity to prac ce virtue. Rebirth into preta
realm is worse as the suering is much more intense, let alone the hell realm,
where one is completely tormented by extreme suering. We previously
discussed that this precious human rebirth is rare, as if obtainable only
once. If we do not use it to cul vate Dharma and virtue, there will be no
opportunity to prac ce again.
One of the most powerful prac ces to overcome the lower realm rebirth is
to surrender oneself completely to the protec on of the Triple Gem. This
means prac sing taking proper refuge and cul vate the refuge vows.
In order to qualify as an object of refuge such as the Buddha, one has
to overcome the en re aspect of samsara; overcome gross and subtle
delements and delusions; possess only virtue and negate even the slightest
of faults; possess perfect compassion and uncondi onal love for all beings;
have omniscience. By taking refuge in the Buddha, one takes the vow to
listen to the teachings and live ones life according them and never let our
devo on be swayed.

26

 In order to establish genuine refuge, we need to

(a) generate irreversible faith; and
(b) fear of the lower realms i.e. not supers ous fear but that which is
based on the understanding of death & impermanence, karma and
characteris cs of the lower realms.
Par cipa ng in a Refuge ceremony does not necessarily make us Buddhists.
For that to be, we need to have faith and reliance upon the Buddha due
to understanding his quali es; we require a clear comprehension of the
suerings of lower realms and the causes for such rebirths. In this way, when
we take refuge, our refuge will be genuine.
Refuge in the Buddha : Once we have taken refuge in the Buddha, it is
wrong for us to take refuge in spirits and worldly gods, ancestors, nagas.
Though culturally, we may con nue to make oerings to worldly gods, we
need to know that having respect and having refuge are dierent. One can
carry on ones cultural and parental wishes for us to - for example - oer joss
to worldly gods or ancestors out of respect but that does not mean we take
refuge in them. In our heart, one should take refuge only in the Triple Gem.
Or if our families want us to go to church, we can go out of respect and a
wish to make them happy but it does not mean we have to abandon our
refuge and convert to another faith.
Having taken refuge in the Buddha, one should respect all images of the
Buddha whether one regards the image of the Buddha as a poorly cra ed,
faulty image or not something we are familiar with or whose size is too
small. We should avoid having aversion or cri cism of any image of the
Buddha. We can comment on the ar stry of the Buddha image but cannot
say Oh, that Buddha is ugly; this Buddhas nose is too big ...etc. Every
image of the Buddha is to tame our mind. If we are unable to keep a Buddha
image, we can oer it to a temple or place it in a high clean place. Once
we establish genuine faith in Buddha, there will be real interest in studying
27

Dharma. We make oerings to the Buddha to delight the Buddha and plant
the seeds of generosity, thereby genera ng merits. However, the best
oering is the cul va on of the teachings.
Dharma Refuge : This is the actual refuge which has two aspects. The
conven onal Dharma refuge and the ul mate Dharma refuge.
Conven onal Dharma refuge refers to the Sutras, which contain the teachings
of the Buddha. The ul mate/resultant Dharma Refuge is the realisa on of
lack of inherent existence or emp ness/selessness. Whoever possesses
the direct realisa on on emp ness is an Arya being like the Arhats, like the
Buddhas. Emp ness/seless is the direct an dote to ignorance, the mistaken
view of the existence of self and phenomena. By removing ignorance, all
suerings end. Right now, we take external refuge (causal stage) to enable
us to actualise the resultant Dharma refuge.
In order to actualise the resultant the ul mate refuge, we rst rely on the
conven onal Dharma refuge i.e. teachings. It is through these that we learn
who we are, what is to be adopted and what is to be abandoned and why
there is no reason to have permanent clinging of self. Hence Dharma study
important.
However one must know that the Buddha advised us never to blindly rely on
this teachings but to listen well, then analyse the teachings, the same way a
goldsmith checks gold - he cuts it, burns it, scrubs it before concluding it to
be real gold. Likewise, the Buddha asked us to approach his teachings with
a ques oning mind. Only when one arrives at the point where one nds the
teachings as logical, one then meditates on it deeply and habituate our lives
with it.
Refuge in the Dharma includes paying respect to Dharma texts and even
parts of pages or words which contain Dharma. So we should not place
Dharma texts or scraps of paper with Dharma terms on the plain oor nor
28

on cloth that is made through great suering (like silk made by silkworms)
or on anything which was obtained dishonestly. Pay respects to them and
when you see those, remind oneself of the quali es and benets of the
Dharma refuge.
Sangha refuge : The actual Sangha refuge refers to Arya beings, those
prac oners who have gained the direct realisa on of emp ness/ selessness
they can be monks, nuns or lay people and of course the Buddha and
Arhats. Ordina on is not a criteria to be an Arya being.
Not all conven onal Sangha (monks and nuns) have direct realisa on of
emp ness but because of the vows they hold, if one oers respect from
ones heart to the conven onal Sangha, there will s ll be benet to ones
spiritual development. The ul mate sangha is about having realisa ons and
in par cular the direct realisa on of emp ness. When you become an Arya
being, any being who sees you, thinks of you, encounters you in person or
even in dreams, gains much merit. But it is not easy to arrive at this Arya
stage nor to meet Arya beings, so in mean me, there is the conven onal
Sangha to learn from.
Even though there may be fake monks in many countries, we must learn
not to cri cise them. In your heart, see them as the Sangha refuge, see all
beings as Buddha and doing so is for your own benet. If you meet a monk/
nun on a one-to-one basis, in terms of personal rela ons, one must always
have a ne line between oneself and Sangha so that one can con nue to
cul vate respect and refuge in Sangha. Having taken refuge in Sangha, we
should avoid having nega ve friends such as those who distract oneself from
cul va ng Dharma and upholding refuge.
The last line of this verse A er death, just like a shadow follows the body;
The results of black and white karma follow refers to the crucial and the
common teaching amongst the various Buddhist tradi ons, of Karma.

29

There are 4 characteris cs of karma

1. Once karmic ac on is commi ed, the results are denite to come.
2. Karma mul plies unless puried. Example, if we inten onally kill (e.g.
ants) and we do not purify the karma within something like 17 days, it
is equivalent to killing one human being. Likewise, even small virtuous
karma should be carried out due to the fact that karma mul plies.
3. We will not encounter results which we did not create the cause for. This
ows from the fact that posi ve causes bring posi ve results; nega ve
causes create nega ve results. Thus any problems we presently face
are from the nega ve karma we commi ed in the past which was not
puried. Like a polluted container, if one pours clean water into it and
then drinks from it, one will fall sick. Similarly, we cannot expect to have
happiness and be trouble free if we keep commi ng nega ve deeds!
4. Karma does not go away on its own accord i.e. without eort to purify
nega ve karma, it will not cease on its own because the nature of karma
is to ripen into the fruit/result.
We thus need to apply mindfulness to act as a guard overseeing all our
ac ons of body, speech and mind. Introspec on is another aspect of ones
mind which acts like an inspector. Hence, introspec on supervises the
guard of mindfulness to ensure that it does not become numb and slack.
With the help of mindfulness and introspec on, we will be secure against
nega vi es of body, speech and mind.

What is to be adopted and what is to be abandoned? Avoid the 10 non-

virtuous ac ons:
3 non virtues of body: Killing, stealing and sexual misconduct. For killing,
it includes that of dengue mosquitoes! We are bothered by mosquitoes
because we have killed many of them. We need to purify past karma and
30

avoid fresh causes in killing by keeping ones house clean or free of condi ons
that encourage mosquito breeding. Stealing includes taking things
from a park without permission). Sexual misconduct has several aspects
including having rela ons with someone already commi ed to another.
4 non virtues of speech Lying (including white lies), harsh speech,
divisive speech, gossip
3 of mind covetousness, ill-will, holding wrong views. An example of
wrong view would be not believing in the law of karma law, not believing
in the Triple Gem, the 4 Noble Truths.
Having commi ed all the 10 non-virtuous, 3 kinds of results will arise: Taking
the example of killing:
Ripened result e.g killing will bring about birth in the lower realms
Results similar to the cause e.g. ones life will always be in danger from
illness or harm
Environmental result e.g. born in a place where condi ons to support
life are few
One needs to know when an ac on is complete and will bring about the
full karmic result. For this, these are the 4 factors which need to be present
in rela on to an ac on
1. Inten on
2. Object
3. The act
4. The intended result and a sense of sa sfac on.
If all 4 factors are present, the 3 kinds of results will be experienced. If less
than the 4 factors are present, there will s ll be karmic consequences but
the results not be as intense.

31

Just as Mr Johns karma cannot be wiped out by Mr Gary, similarly, mother

sen ent beings karma cannot be wiped out by the Buddha. One needs
to purify past nega ve karma and avoid commi ng new nega ve karma.
Some prac oners do purica on but do not resolve to stop commi ng
new nega ve karma; or they focus on living their lives reci ng prayers and
go on pilgrimages but never take ac on to purify past karma. The result is to
con nue experiencing problems.
Wise prac oners engage in both purifying past nega ve karma and avoid
new nega ve karma. One also needs to engage in virtuous deeds because
even small karmic ac ons will mul ply. If you save one ants life, over me, it
is like saving one human beings life. So much good karma comes from saving
one life. We tend to engage in external things like a end Vesak events with
great fervour but on other days, we live as if Buddha has given us a holiday
from karma! (Laughter).
Is there any hope once we have commi ed nega ve karma? YES!! We can
purify by applying the 4 Opponent Powers (prayers and reliance on Buddha
alone is not enough). The Buddha taught in both Sutra and Vinaya teachings
that all forms of nega ve ac on including heinous crimes, can be puried.
The 4 Opponent Powers are :
1. Power of Refuge
2. Power of Regret (not to be confused with guilt). Regret is recognising
ones nega ve ac ons and the disadvantages of nega ve ac on. We
then need to understand that there will be consequences if we do
not purify past nega vi es and we should supplicate the Buddha for
blessings to help one purify ones mind.
3. Power of remedy With a heart of sincere regret, recite prayers such
as Vajrasa va mantra or meditate on the teachings. There are specic
32

an dotes to specic delusions example, the an dote to anger is

pa ence; an dote to a achment is detachment through reec ng on
the una rac ve aspects of the object of a achment.
The most forceful remedy is the reec on on emp ness/selessness.
Meditate that every single existence, including nega ve karma (and
virtue) are dependently-exis ng and merely labelled and is not solidly
there, never to be changed.
Another example: When one is angry at another, we should think
that we caused karma to encounter this dicult person. Hence, the
problem does not lie in others but in oneself and nega ve emo ons.
One should analyse this way to nd the true cause of ones emo ons
arising. Reect how one moment of anger destroys countless aeons of
merit and one moment of pa ence brings so much beauty to ones life.
Alterna vely, when we get angry, we can resort to viewing a Buddhas
image or Kuan Yin image. Holy objects have this benet of subduing
the mind.
4. Medita on on the Buddhas teachings is the most eec ve way to
purify the karma and more eec ve than mere recita on of mantra
Power of Restraint: Make a promise not to commit such nega ve
karma again. The me frame of the promise ideally should be ones
en re lifespan but since we might nd that dicult to carry out,
instead of promising en re life me, we can commit for a shorter me
frame and s ck to it i.e. not to get angry even at cost of ones life for
that commi ed period of me. By accomplishing the act of avoiding
the nega ve ac on for that period, the promise will be fullled and the
purica on complete. Have convic on in this.

Ques ons & Answers

Q: What is Geshelas view about the use of the Buddhas name in clubs,
33

pubs and airlines

Ans: Unless we know the actual mo va on of the persons using the name,
it is dicult to say or judge them. If one just uses the name for prot and
business, then as Buddhists, we would say it is the wrong use. But if one uses
it to create greater awareness of the Buddha, then it would not be nega ve.
From the Buddhas side, he would not mind his name being used as long as
the mo va on is posi ve, its probably alright.

Q: What about reading Dharma books in the toilet

Ans: Again it depends on your mind when doing this act. If you are able to
perceive every place as a pure place like the Buddhas mandala, then it is OK
to read books in the toilet. But if you view the toilet as a dirty place, then
it would not be proper to bring a Dharma book there. It depends on your
mind.

34

Verse 4
Finding rm and denite conviction in this,
Please bless me always to be careful
To abandon even the slightest negativities
And accomplish all virtuous deeds.

As a reminder, the Founda on of All Good Quali es contains the complete

Lam Rim (the graduated path to enlightenment) which contains the teachings
of the 3 scopes; the teachings from guru devo on, right up to the causes
and methods for enlightenment.
The small scope prac oners main prac ce is refuge and the goal is to avoid
rebirth in lower realms and aim for higher rebirth.
For the middle scope, there are 2 types of prac oners (1) Hearer
prac oners (2) Solitary Realiser prac oners. Hearer prac oners are
those who prefer to live a life prac sing Buddhahdarma through relying on
discourse and a teacher to gain libera on. Solitary Realisers are those who
rst learn Buddhadharma and then go to caves or jungles/isolated places to
do their prac ce alone un l they a ain libera on. Their main prac ce is 3
higher trainings (morality, concentra on and wisdom realising emp ness)
based on the 4 Noble Truths and the 8 fold-path to overcome the eect of
the 12 links and thereby overcome samsara.
The Great Scope prac oner refers to the Mahayanic prac oner, whose
aims not only for libera on but for full enlightenment for oneself and
all living beings. The Mahayanic prac ces will be discussed later. As an
introduc on, Mahayana categorised into 2 aspects the causal yana/vehicle

35

(the bodhisa va path which seeks not only to overcome samsara for oneself
but for all beings) and the resultant yana (tantra whose goal is similar to
causal yana but whose prac ces include deity yoga and mantra) . The causal
yana requires 3 countless aeons of merit to accumulate the merit needed
for enlightenment; the resultant yana achieves 3 countless aeons of merit
without requiring that span of me to do so.
In this Verse 4, With this rm convic on... refers to the convic on of
what was taught in Verse 3 namely, impermanence and death, karma, the
cause and results of karma and the need to purify.
Every single moment of our life requires full mindfulness in immersing our
body, speech and mind into virtue, even through simple gestures. In Nepal,
we travel to India by bus and no ce that the Hindu Nepali bus drivers who
drive past temples may not oer hand prostra ons but when they see
one red sindura mark (which is a symbol of their deity), they instantly pay
homage. Such small gestures illustrate how momentary acts of respect and
virtue that can arise. Likewise, we ought to supplicate Buddha to bless our
minds to have morality/ethics to prac ce Dharma.

36

Verse 5
Seeking samsaric pleasures is the door to all
suffering:
They are uncertain and cannot be relied upon.

Samsaric pleasures are decep ve. There are 6 faults of samsara

(i) Nothing in samsara is reliable including friends, loved ones, ones body,
wealth, protec on.
(ii) Samsara is never sa sfying. It cannot full ones need to achieve las ng
happiness; everything is temporary. Ordinary happiness is not real
happiness but merely a reduc on in the intensity of suering. Even if
one prac ses Dharma, if we do it only to full worldly purposes, one will
not gain sa sfac on.
(iii) Samsara forces us to repeatedly discard our bodies. We live our lives on
the assump on that we will live ll tomorrow or ll the next year. This
illustrates our strong grasping to permanence. We have been discarding
our lives for aeons.
(iv) Samsara requires us to repeatedly enter birth in the 6 realms. If we do
not purify ignorance and cease the 12 links, we cannot be free from
taking rebirth in 6 realms, to re-experience all the related suerings.
(v) Samsara causes us to remain in a uctua ng state. Even though we
may have the precious human rebirth today, we do not know what our
next life rebirth will be. In the past, we were god-realm beings but are
now ung into a rebirth which has so much lth and suering. With
the precious human rebirth, we have met the Dharma but con nue to
37

experience problems and are burdened with unstable condi ons. We

could be successful in business one moment and lose it all in the next.
Situa ons are very shaky. Or one was rich but due to investments going
badly, we become bankrupt. We were healthy in our youth but have
now lost vitality and endure physical degenera on. Even at birth, where
there is so much celebra on and ceremony, that too will come to an end
at death, where there will be no cake and no happy songs.
Thus, we need to request the Buddha to bless our hearts to realise and
remember this.
(vi) Samsara causes us to be isolated from one another. Ge ng together
is the start of separa on. There is so much pain when one has to separate
from loved ones. For me, my beloved father is gone; some of my Teachers
have also passed away. The pain of separa on is a torture.
Because of the above 6 faults, samsaric pleasure is deceiving because its true
nature is suering. Meditate on this. It will help us actualise libera on.

Ques ons & Answers

Q: What if we accidentally hurt an animal e.g. stepping on a frog.
Ans: Best is to recite Mani mantra and Medicine Buddha mantra. As regards
the Mani mantra each syllable relates to each of the 6 realms to bless
them; as for the Medicine Buddha mantra a er reci ng it, blow onto
the animal and it will provide it the condi on not to be reborn in the lower
realms. Mentally generate compassion towards the animal and dedicate
the prayers towards purifying all past nega ve karma and suering and for
it to have causes to a ain enlightenment.

Q: If one is passing away, what is best prayer to do

Ans: Recite Medicine Buddha sutra and mantra. This prac ce is from the
38

Buddhas own sutra. Another prayer to recite is called the King of Prayers
which is very benecial for the recently deceased, as it guides the persons
consciousness to a higher rebirth. Remember to dedicate.

39

Verse 6
Recognising these shortcomings,
Please bless me to generate the strong wish for
liberation.

We have now seen the shortcomings of samsara. To a ain enlightenment,

one needs to perfect the 3 essence teachings of renuncia on, bodhici a and
emp ness.
Renuncia on is the mental a tude of detachment towards samsara. By
seeing the suering of the 6 realms, of our own existence, we can see the
faults of samsara and engender the feeling of not wan ng to be part of
samsara any longer.
The small-scope renuncia on is to detach from this lifes samsaric existence
and aim for higher rebirth. However, there is not a single realm of existence
in samsara that has las ng happiness. This awareness then leads one to
seek libera on from samara totally, which is the middle-scope renuncia on.
The highest-scope renuncia on is realising that not only oneself is trapped
in samsara but that beings in all realms are similarly trapped. As all beings
have been ones parents many mes, the highest scope prac oner feels
a responsibility to free all beings from samsara and lead them to full
enlightenment.
This verse therefore illustrates the nature of the path to libera on, namely
renuncia on of samsara that is born out of understanding the suerings of
samsara and wan ng to be free from it.

40

Verse 7
Led by this pure thought,
Mindfulness, alertness, and great caution arise.
The root of the teachings is keeping the pratimoksha
vows;
Please bless me to accomplish this essential
practice.

Guided by the inspira on to a ain libera on, one engages in the prac ce
of the pra moksha vows. Learn about those vows, uphold them and live
in recogni on of virtuous acts and be vigilant in guarding ones mind to
act within the boundary of the vows and not to allow ones ethics to lose
strength.
What are the pra moksha vows? There are 8 dierent types
1. Full ordina on monk vows (253 vows)
2. Fully ordained nuns vows (364 vows)
3. Novice monks and nuns (36 vows)
4. Lay vows The 5 lay vows are against killing, stealing, lying, sexual
misconduct and intoxica on. These commitments are a life me
commitment. One needs to take them from a person who possesses
those vows and lives a life with those vows. The vow gran ng
ceremony is not a mere ritual but involves the grantor of the vows
being an upholder of vows and ethics and the person taking the
vows having a good understanding of the vows and of karma.
In this way, one can preserve the vows purely. Without knowledge

41

and convic on, it will be dicult to uphold vows perfectly as

karma can arise through ac on and through intent/thought.
How does the transgression of a vow occur? If one knows
the 4 factors of karma which will bring about the full karmic
result and s ll proceeds to do it. One is permi ed to take
only one vow or more and not necessarily take all the 5 vows.
By taking the vow for e.g. not to commit sexual misconduct, will relieve
you of so much problems in life. If one is married or in a commi ed
rela onship, having sexual rela ons with another person, even in thought,
gives rise to a breach of the no sexual misconduct vow. If husbands and
wives can honour this vow, married life will be blissful and the purpose of
being married will be fullled. Otherwise, we will be building up samsara
within samsara! One can see the importance of mindfulness and
introspec on here. Physically, when we are near other people, we must
make sure that we do not build up desire. Even though we do not have any
inten on to break vows, carelessness could cause it to happen. Verbally,
we should not tease too much nor be too blunt. Be like the Buddha, never
moving, always calm with a peaceful mind. Ordinary rela onships go up
and down; quarrels and accusa ons against each other are common.
That is why the Buddha encourages us to have non-samsaric love.
It is urgent for us to take vows, so that at least in the next life, we can gain
another human rebirth to con nue prac sing Dharma. One of the causes
for precious human rebirth is morality and the taking and upholding of vows.
Regarding the vow against intoxica on, some mes due to
business requirements, entertaining may be needed. If taking
this vow is dicult, at least take the vow of I will try my best to
avoid taking unless condi ons do not allow me to refuse but I
will ensure not to get drunk, which is the cause of many faults.

42

5. 8 precepts/ 1 day ordina on vow: These are the 5 lay vows plus 3
addi onal vows of not indulging in idle entertainment, not having the
a ernoon meal and the non-use of high/luxury beds. Preserving the 8
precepts is one of the greatest liberators. It is not dicult to do. During
the 8 precepts prac ce, be as mild as possible. Avoid swinging limbs when
walking. Be mindful of ones conduct at all mes. Avoiding a ernoon
food helps one to have a clear mind. If one has gastric, one cannot
neglect the body one needs a balanced approach. When one is on 8
precepts, one cannot consume thick liquid i.e. it must have no sediment.
One might wonder why some monastery areas are aected by earthquakes.
It is because not all monks prac ce precepts well - they have studies, some
have heavy work and doing all this without mindfulness can aect the
precepts. At the same me, some monks may be old and unable to run
yet they survive earthquakes because they earnestly prac ce precepts.
So its all about karma. Here is a true story out of Taiwan: A major earthquake
was predicted and Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche advised as many people
as possible to do 8 precepts. A Lama went to the TV sta on to lead the 8
precepts prac ce and the earthquake happened but it was a mild one and
what the scien sts predicted did not happen.
One of the best ways to engage in the path of libera on is the prac ce of the
4 Noble Truths. Buddha Maitreya said, The suering is to be known (the 1st
Noble Truth should be understood), the causes are to be abandoned (the
2nd Noble Truth); Health (3rd Noble Truth of cessa on) is to be achieved
and the medicine is to be taken (i.e. the 4th Noble Truth of the Dharma path
and vows to be prac ced) . When studying the 4 Noble Truths, one should
be familiar with its 16 aspects i.e. 4 aspects of each Noble Truth which are
its characteris cs; 4 aspects are the distor ons.
The 1st Noble Truth of Suering: Its characteris cs has 4 aspects
1. Impermanence because of being changeable;
43

2. Suering due to our aggregates being under the inuence of delusion

and karma
3. Empty because the aggregates are empty of independent self-existence
(we have an a tude that the I are unrelated to the aggregates which
is not so)
4. Seless I / aggregates are not established under its own power
it depends on causes and condi ons and does not exist from its own
side.
5. The 4 distor ons in rela on to the 1st Noble Truth
(a) Our mental a tude towards our aggregates is that they are
permanent
(b) We think our bodies are pure when they are lled with blood, pus,
degenera on
(c) Grasping at aggregates as happiness when we have a teh tarik, we
think Ahh pureland, perfect . (Laughter)
(d) Grasping at the aggregates as a self ge ng upset when someone
says something wrong to us or pinch our skin etc.. we feel that the I
which is real and permanently existent is being harmed. If you want to
perfect the realisa on of the 1st Noble Truth, we need to abandon the 4
distor ons.

The 2nd Noble Truth of the Cause of Suering: The 4 characteris cs are
cause, source, strong produc on and condi on
1. Cause of suering lies in the 6 delusions and 20 secondary aic ons
and zillions of sub nega ve emo ons
2. Source They are the source of all suering which occurs again and
again
3. Strong produc on because they generate intense suering
44

4. Delusions are the coopera ve condi ons to suering

The 4 distor ons in rela on to the 2nd Noble Truth

(a) Holding suerings as being without a cause and that is why when we
are sick or facing heavy problems, we ask Why me?
(b) Some people make the accusa on A er prac sing Dharma, all the
problems arise; a er chan ng prayers, my business collapsed they
ask this way because they never learned the 4 Noble Truths. Suerings
came about from wrong & nega ve causes. If we commi ed right and
posi ve causes, there will only be good results and never suering.
Just reci ng a one-line prayer will not give us everything we want.
A er all, if we perform only 10% posi ve causes, how can we expect
100% perfect results? Some people complain that they have been
prac sing for 20 years, yet s ll have problems and no realisa ons
they should analyse their lives honestly. Its not so simple.
(c) Holding suering as being produced by one cause only.
(d) Holding something as permanent but which is momentarily changing.
We can see impermanence, that life goes up and down but we s ll
grasp at permanence when someone close you know dies, we are
shocked. You are not convinced of impermanence. Note however that
even our problems are impermanent.

The 3rd Noble Truth of Cessa on : The 4 characteris cs of Cessa on,

pacica on, perfec on and denite emergence/evolu on.
(1) Cessa on is libera on from suering and its causes are the applica on
of the remedies.
(2) It is pacica on because it is separa on from delusion forever.
45

(3) The above two removes gross suering and delusions. Perfec on
in pacica on and cessa on refers to completely removal of the
delusions from the root
(4) One enters a totally dierent aspect where one will never experience
of suering again.

The 4 distor ons in rela on to the 3rd Noble Truth

(a) Holding libera on as non-existent because we are not convinced that
there is libera on from samsara
(b) Holding contaminated concentra on as libera on in other faiths like
Hinduism, they too have medita ve prac ces involving high levels of
concentra on but know that libera on is not just shu ng down ones
thoughts. Libera on has to be the pacica on of delusions.
(c) Holding certain aspects of suering as libera on performing esoteric
prac ces/torturing ones body and regarding that as libera on. As
Buddhists cannot abuse the body and that Dharma is about mind
transforma on and not about physical extremes.
(d) Thinking that suering can cease but will always recur.

The 4th Noble Truth of the Path: Characteris cs of the path, suitability,
achievement and deliverance
(1) The path is Wisdom realising selessness because it has the capacity
to achieve the stage of libera on; to eradicate samsara
(2) The Path is suitable because by being aware of disadvantages of
delusion, it counteracts the delusion and contradicts its existence
(3) Wisdom realising seless is an achievement because it understands
the nature of all phenomena.
46

(4) Wisdom (realising emp ness) is deliverance because it eliminates at

the root, the delusion of ignorance.

The 4 distor ons in rela on to the 4th Noble Truth

(a) Having no convic on in that the path can bring about enlightenment;
no convic on in Lam Rim
(b) Grasping at disbelief in wisdom realising emp ness as a path.
Instead believing at merely oering joss is good enough to a ain
enlightenment; not realising that study, contempla ng and medita on
to gain such wisdom is necessary.
(c) Grasping at certain medita ve observa ons as a path e.g. mistakenly
believing that concentra on alone is enough to gain libera on; that
just having no thoughts and feeling in peace is libera on. As long as
you do not discover selessness, there is no way to a ain libera on.
(d) Thinking that no path can remove suering forever. This is untrue and
discouraging.

Ques on & Answers

Q: In the prac ce of medita on, how many categories of mind will we
come across?
Ans: As much as there are phenomena, there are that many types of mind.
When we a ain Buddhahood, we will be aware of them all. In brief, there
are 6 primary consciousness and 51 secondary minds.

47

Verse 8
Just as I have fallen into the sea of samsara,
So have all mother migratory beings.
Please bless me to see this,
Train in supreme bodhicitta,
And bear the responsibility of freeing migratory
beings.

Here begins the discussion of the path of the great-capability being, namely
a prac oner who not only renounces samsara for himself but for all living
beings as well. The path is such renuncia on, cul va ng bodhici a and the
wisdom realising the emp ness of self and of phenomena, followed by the
prac ce of the 6 Perfec ons.
We are subject to sickness, old age and death. No one escapes death
Buddha manifested this, as so did Jesus, Shiva and the like. All manifest
death. Death is certain; me of death is uncertain. Our loved ones are also
subject to samsaric suering.
The opening line of this verse recognises ones own situa on and that all
beings are in a similar plight. We are making supplica on to the Buddha and
Bodhisa va to be able to gain convic on of the harmful, nega ve impact of
samsara.
The problem is that we enjoy samsara! (Laughter) Our conclusions of samsara
are completely hallucinated due to the tempta ons of temporary pleasures.
We see them as long las ng or permanent and we see them as happiness.
48

However, as we get older, we see our body decaying. We are dependently-

exis ng but we see ourselves as independently existent. We forget we came
about through causes and condi ons and mental labelling. We simply do not
see these facts. The moment we see ourselves as independently exis ng,
we think all our happiness comes from our own eort and has nothing to do
with others. Due to this, we develop a proud and self centred mind that does
not care for others. Seeing ourselves as durable and independently-exis ng,
we never realise the true nature of samsara. If we con nue this way and
if we do not gain a clear understanding of how decep ve and destruc ve
samsara is, no compassion will arise, no bodhici a will arise and one can
never become a Buddha.
In order to have genuine compassion, one needs to fully understand how
samsara ruins oneself and others. There is great benet to understanding this
point. You might think that we have enough problems and suering, so why
should one look at suering more deeply? There is benet to doing so because
it will generate more compassion and uncondi onal love towards others.
As we are now studying the path of the great capability being, this involves
securing freedom from samsara for all beings. This can only come about if
we are able to develop the powerful altruis c a tude of bodhici a. The
moment we actualise bodhici a for the rst me, we become a Bodhisa va;
when bodhici a is perfected, one becomes a Buddha.

There are two methods to cvul vate bodhici a:

(1) The 7 fold cause & eect; and
(2) Exchanging of self for others.
The 7 fold cause and eect came from one of the great Indian Nalanda
pandits of the 7th century, Lama A sha, who received it from Asanga and
he from Maitreya Buddha. Lama A sha then transmi ed the teaching
to his disciple Dromtoenpa and was eventually transmi ed to Lama
49

Tsongkhapa, the author of this text.

Exchanging self with others came from another Indian Nalanda pandit
Shan deva received it from his teacher the great Nagarjuna, who received
it from Manjushri. Nagarjuna was regarded as the 2nd Buddha who came
into the world about 400 years a er the passing of Shakyamuni Buddha
and was prophesised by the Buddha himself as being the one to secure
the Mahayanic teachings and dispel all misunderstanding and ignorance in
respect of the reality of existence.
Even today, the above teachings are being transmi ed to many masters who
then transmit to their disciples. Hence, both these methods of cul va ng
bodhici a are alive and ac vely engaged in.

(1) The 7-fold cause and eect (6 causes & 1 result)

1. Recognise all beings as having been ones mother: One starts by analysing
how we have had beginningless lives in the past. Due to the me gap
between births and the great suering experienced during births, our
memories of past lives has been lost. Nowadays, despite Caesarian
births, suering for the child during child birth s ll arises. Coming into
the world is due to karma and thus birth itself will be suering. In this
life, a person may be your loved one, yet in the next life he/she can
become a stranger or an enemy; a father now can be a wife in the next
life; samsara is upside down and that is why we need renuncia on and
libera on from it.
2. Remember the kindness of mother: For some people, a father or sibling
may be regarded as the closest loved one. If so, think of all living beings
as having been that loved one at some me in the past. We tend to
thinking fondly of those who distract us with entertainment but dislike
those who discipline us or give us advice to avoid non virtue. On the
other hand, our mother - whatever temperament she may have - carried
50

us in the womb for 9 months, fed us rst before herself, protected us

from harm the Sutra of Filial Piety sets this out very clearly. Hence,
there is no excuse to disappoint ones mother at all. Who you are today
is because she gave you life. Buddha taught extensively how kind the
mother is, no ma er how cruel one might think ones mother might have
been. And every sen ent being has given us such kindness. There is a
documentary on life and rebirth (Unmistaken Child) my sole purpose
of having that movie done was also to bring about an understanding of
reincarna on, without which there will be no convic on in karma and
no refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, without which we are not
even Buddhist.
3. Repaying the kindness start with ones own mother if we can succeed
in caring, serving and not disappoin ng your mother, you will be able
to do the same for other living beings. One way to repay her kindness
is to study/work hard & honestly, be an ethical person, be truthful,
compassionate, conduct yourself properly so that people can be happy
with you, learn ethics from you and this will reect well on her too. It
sounds like a simple thing but it is a Mahayanic prac ce. If we fail to
repay the kindness of mother and living beings, Buddhahood can never
be a ained. When one goes home from work, even if one is a bad cook,
oer to cook a meal for mother with love. Or bring her on a holiday. This
would be much be er than going home and straightaway complaining
to mother or worse, complaining ABOUT mother (Laughter). Even if
one has only 1 hour to spare, spend that me showing her care. Give
mother some peace of mind. While she was carrying you in the womb,
for 9 months, she had no peace of mind. Through your childhood, it
was worse. She worried about you right up to adulthood, right up to
this moment and she will not stop. If we fail in remembering this and
repaying her kindness, achieving bodhici a will be impossible.
4. Uncondi onal love: Samsaric love is no good because most of the me
it is disappoin ng. Buddha never said not to marry but begs us to love
51

purely and uncondi onally. If a wifes love to her husband is seless and
regards her husband as precious and supreme in the universe and the
husband views his wife in a similar manner and combined with this,
both of them uphold the 5 lay vows at least the vow against sexual
misconduct that will be indeed a happy marriage.
Buddha did not prohibit sexual conduct, he only advised against sexual
misconduct. One of the biggest problems in the world is about failed
rela onships. If we live ethically and guard against sexual misconduct,
ones life will be peaceful and one will have loving rela onships. As
there are young people here, it is good to remember this advice. Both
partners need to live ethically dont rush into rela onships dont
follow the desirous a achments but the Buddhas advice on how to
sustain good rela onships. Develop the heart of wan ng happiness
for others, for all sen ent beings; be pa ent and gentle. Even enemies
can be subdued through these means. We think that by gh ng back,
we can win but that does not work. You need the strength of humility,
pa ence and compassion.
5. Great Compassion: If you want all sen ent beings to be free from suering
and its causes and you aspire to work towards that, merely having kind
heart is not enough. It is simply not enough. One needs to have great
compassion. For that, one needs to train in the 6 Perfec ons.
6. Altruis c a tude: This is similar to great compassion but with an extra
component of taking responsibility by oneself alone to free all beings
from samsara. In an ordinary family situa on, when someone needs
to go for a medical check-up, we might think and hope that someone
else in the family will do it. Whatever ability we have, we should think I
myself alone will do. Likewise the mind that takes on the responsibility
to free all beings by oneself alone through training in the 6 Perfec ons.
Briey, the 6 Perfec ons are generosity, morality, pa ence, joyous
52

perseverance, concentra on and wisdom. For generosity, there is the

generosity of giving material possessions; the generosity of protec on;
the generosity of giving Dharma.
Arising from engaging in these 6 causes, the result is bodhici a, the
inspired, engaged mind that aims for Buddhahood for the benet of all
sen ent beings.
For the 6 causes to be established in our heart, it depends on cause No:
1, which is remembering all beings as having been ones mother.
(2) Exchanging of self for others
1. Equalise self with others: We should treat others as equal to ourselves.
All of ones happiness is dependent on other living beings e.g. one grain
of rice on our plate is dependent on others (farmer, seller, the cook);
our bodys well-being is also dependent on others. Hence, there is
no reason to be isolated from other living beings. Since others have
contributed towards ones happiness, we should treat others as equal
to ourselves. Meditate on this. Focus your mind on breath to subdue a
strongly self-centred mind.
2. Learning about the disadvantage of the self-centred mind. Un l now,
we have only been concerned about ourselves. What good has that
done us? Our situa on remains lled with problems. We are dwelling
in samsaras nest of poisonous snakes and bound by the darkness of
ignorance. All our suerings stem from our self cherishing mind. Le ng
go of the self-cherishing mind does not mean not caring for ourselves
and not working to earn a living. Rather, we should be humble and
value others and not solely focus on self-interests. If we get high on
praise, sooner or later, we will fall down and feel very sore. Be er to
keep our mind balanced because samsara is unreliable.
3. Learning about the advantage of cherishing others. The moment you
53

care for someone, that brings happiness. When you share a spoon of
rice with someone else in need, you feel a bliss within; if you see an old
stranger and oer help, you feel some kind of happiness that comes
right into your heart. This is the impact of kindness. Any happiness
we have right now is due to our caring for others in the past. Avoid
a grasping, jealous mind and instead rejoice for friends, enemies or
strangers who receive happiness.
4. Actual exchanging of self with others. Change ones a tude. Iinstead
of priori sing oneself, make caring for others most important.
5. Tong len: The medita on of taking and giving. Meditate by thinking
Whatever bad experiences others are having, may those ripen upon
me; whatever merits and happiness I have, be theirs. One should not
worry about becoming sick a er medita ng on taking on the sickness
or suering of others because karma is personal i.e. unless you have
the karma to have that sickness or suering (which will come whether
you do this medita on or not), merely praying for that sick persons
illness to ripen upon you will not induce the illness. Instead, it is a
powerful prac ce and your dedica on will help that sick person a great
deal. The power of your a tude can help him recover and strengthen
your prac ce.
For tong len prac ce, there are various stages: When you breathe in,
you should think that all suerings are ripening upon me; and when you
breath out, visualise all the happiness and goodness ripening on others.
This will bring so much happiness to you. Check it out. However, some
of us may not have strong convic on in how karma works in that case,
you can s ll do a milder version of tong len medita on. You can think,
May this gastric Im suering be sucient to alleviate all the suerings
of sen ent beings. Or if you feel this class is too long and your si ng is
star ng to hurt, think May my discomfort be enough to relieve all the
suering of all beings. This will bring both virtue, as well as comfort to
54

you. Mind is powerful. Use it well.

When bodhici a becomes eortless and is conjoined with the wisdom
realising emp ness, one a ains Buddhahood/full enlightenment. So you
can see that Chinese Mahayana and Tibetan Vajrayana and its principal
prac ces are the same. It is necessary for us to know that fact. Some
people think that Vajrayana is some form of Hindu tantric ritual. It is not.
It is based on the teachings of the Buddha.

55

Verse 9
Even if I develop only bodhicitta, but I dont
practice the 3 types of morality,
I will not achieve enlightenment
With my clear recognition of this,
Please bless me to practice the bodhisattva
vows with great energy.

Merely aspiring to develop bodhici a is not enough. It is only with the

engaged prac ce of vows, the 6 Perfec ons, the 4 ways of gathering disciples
and living a life of Bodhisa va vows, that enlightenment is possible.
Successful bodhici a prac ce requires 3 types of morality =
(1) the morality of absten on from misbehaviour of body, speech and mind
(2) integra ng virtue into ones life.
(3) working for the welfare of sen ent beings.
(1) The morality of absten on from misbehaviour of body, speech and
mind: Examples of misconduct of the body are killing, stealing and sexual
misconduct. Verbal misbehaviour are lying, harsh sarcas c speech, divisive
speech like bad mouthing others, gossiping (if one must gossip, gossip about
others good quali es!); mental misconduct includes being cunning in ge ng
what one wants e.g. pu ng on a smiling and gentle face but the heart is like
a snake lled with thoughts to harm others.
If we con nue this way, we will never become Buddha. We need to develop
a posi ve mind towards others. If we have an enemy, we ought to know that
it is due to our past karma which is now ripening. If that person is a very
troublesome person, one should pity that person and feel compassion, then

56

one will have a mind similar to that of the Buddha, or Kuan Yin. Other forms
of mental misconduct are depression, low self-esteem or thinking of suicide.
All these are nega ve states of mind and obstacles to ones cul va on of
bodhici a. The bodhici a mind is a courageous mind and any mental state
that undermines the courage to be posi ve for oneself and for others is
harmful. If we dwell on such, it is nega ve karma.
We come to the Bodhisa va Vows avoiding the 18 root misbehaviours
and 46 secondary ones . This is the ethical discipline that Kuan Yin has
achieved).
Bodhisa va Vows
Bodhici a has two aspects (a) Aspiring aspects (wishing to a ain bodhici a)
and (b) engaging aspects (taking the Bodhisa va Vows to engage in the acts
of the 6 Perfec ons and actually doing them).
The Engaging Bodhisa va Vows - 18 root vows and 46 secondary vows

18 Root Vows here one commits to abandon:

1. Praising yourself or beli ling others (to make oneself look be er).
2. Even though able, not giving material aid or teaching Dharma, due to
selshness
3. Not forgiving others but harbouring a grudge and holding it even when
they apologise. Best prac ce is to hold them as ones rst object of
compassion.
4. Abandoning the Mahayana teachings by saying that some parts of
the teachings are not Buddhas teachings and promo ng ones own
fabricated doctrine. Believing that worldly virtue is more valuable than
cul va ng bodhici a.
5. Taking back oerings given to Triple Gem and using for own worldly
purpose.
57

6. Cri cising any of the 3 tradi ons of Buddhism. Although Mahayana

aspires beyond libera on, it is for larger purpose of enlightenment
without denying the value of prac ces of libera on.
7. Harming an ordained person physically, mentally, verbally causing
them give up their robes.
8. Commi ng any of the 5 heinous crimes (killing mother, father, arhat,
causing schism within sangha, wound a Buddha).
9. Cul va ng and holding wrong view.
10. Destroying towns, country by re, pollu on, etc...any place inhabited
by others
11. Teaching emp ness to those who are untrained. Must explain clearly
and not use wrong, broad statements like all things are non-existent.
Ensure that the listeners are ready to listen.
12. iscouraging those who are prac sing Mahayana teaching and encourage
them to only train in self-libera on.
13. Encouraging others to abandon their pra moksha (lay and ordina on
vows) vows. Discouraging people from prac sing Bodhisa va vows,
tantric vows.
14. Causing others to hold incorrect views that you might hold of Hinayana
prac ce.
15. Declaring false realisa ons of emp ness.
16. Accep ng gi s that have been stolen from Triple Gem.
58

17. Taking materials from (thereby causing distrac ons to) the prac oner
of the calm abiding and giving them to someone else, as it might cause
that prac oner to be distracted.
18. Abandoning bodhici a.

46 secondary vows these relate to the prac ces of the 6 Perfec ons
(generosity, morality, pa ence, enthusias c perseverance, concentra on
and wisdom)
(2) Integra ng virtue into ones life. As men oned, there is aspiring bodhici a
and engaging bodhici a. The dierence between aspiring bodhici a and
engaging bodhicita is planning a trip and actually going on it.
At the ini al stage, we merely admire the quali es of bodhici a and aspire
to a ain it. This is called aspiring bodhici a. A er developing stability in this
aspira on, we will nd ourselves ready to go the step further by actually
entering the training in bodhici a via taking the Bodhisa va vows and
adop ng the most famous of the Bodhisa va trainings i.e. the 6 Perfec ons/
the 6 Paramitas.
What are the 6 Perfec ons and how do we engage in them? The 6 Perfec ons
are generosity, morality, pa ence, joyous eort, concentra on, wisdom.
Perfec on 1: Generosity: One needs to perfect this prac ce, in order
to a ain subsequent perfec ons. It is not possible to by-pass any of
the 6 Perfec ons; there is a sequence in which each Perfec ons is to be
prac ced. Generosity is the mind of giving. Even if one does not perform
the gesture of giving, we should have a mind of being able to let go of
possessions, of self, etc for the sake of another.
We must train in this mind of sharing with others such that one day, one
will be able to con nuously, for 24 hours, give whatever we have including
59

our virtues and body. It does not mean that if we have only RM100 in
our pocket, we should give away that RM100. First we create the karma
within our mind with the thought, May this RM100 be sucient to cease
the hunger of numberless sen ent beings and genuinely feel this in your
heart. With that heart, you share 10 cents with a beggar. It will not harm
ones necessi es. Happily share that 10 cents with the beggar without any
expecta on of return like gra tude and hold the thought May he have
the cause of libera ng himself and all beings from suering. Otherwise,
if you donate RM1 million but do it without an open heart and with an
expecta on of recogni on or return or donate with a clinging mind, you
would not have completed the prac ce of generosity.
There are 3 types giving: Giving material help (possessions, food, medicine
etc); giving protec on from fear; giving Dharma. The Buddhas teachings
are about helping others or at least not harming them and if possible,
share knowledge of karma, respec ng parents and living beings, with
others.
Perfec on 2: Morality or ethics. Avoiding the 10 on virtues that was
previously discussed.
Perfec on 3: Pa ence: There are 3 types:
(i) The pa ence of not retalia ng when someone harms us. If we retaliate
or have anger at others or oneself, ones peace of mind and past good
karma will be destroyed. The greatest nega ve emo on is anger or
burning hos lity. We can overcome this by remembering karma. The
most eec ve way of cu ng o harmful rela onships is to generate
compassion towards the person whom one regards as a harm-giver.
(ii) The pa ence willingly enduring suering e.g. for students, the
pa ence of enduring the hardship of going to class, doing homework &
exams, wai ng for results. Even ge ng good marks can present problems
if one is lacking in contentment.
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For most of us, the day you discover the impermanence of life, will be one
of the greatest suerings. In our mind, we grasp and cling to our lives.
Even though we say that everyone will die, we tend to think I wont die
right this minute. And then, we receive a medical diagnosis which states
that we have only 6 months to live. Immense suering arises right there.
We say we know we will die one day but we are simply not convinced
that death can come at any me.
The process of death can also be a period of suering due to minds
hallucina ons opera ng at that me. How peaceful or scary the dying
process is going to be for us depends on whether we have studied
Dharma and integrated it into our lives or not. When one is dying and
the various processes of dissolu on occur, there can be much fear and
mental confusion. As long as we have taken samsaric rebirth, we should
regard suering as part of the package. Hence we need to purify the
karma by engaging in virtue.
(iii) The pa ence from having convic on in the Dharma.
Perfec on 4: Joyous eort/joyous perseverance: In ordinary life, we
have to force ourselves to do many things, even good deeds. In Dharma,
we should not force ourselves but rather, engage in it with delight. For
this, we need to learn about the advantages of Buddhist prac ce. Then
we will do it happily. Otherwise, we will nd all forms of excuses such as,
the Dharma Centre is so far away; trac jams; it is a weekend and
so on. If one generates a joyful mind towards a ending a Dharma class,
one will be bliss all the me. There are 3 types of joyous perseverance:
Armour-like perseverance, joyfulness in virtue, perseverance for the
welfare of sen ent beings.
Perfec on 5: Concentra on. This is the stable state of mind which is able
to remain in virtue for as long as you want. The virtue here is the engaging
61

in medita on in order to benet others. Once one a ains concentra on,

one will gain physical and mental pliancy which is blissful and useful to
gain realisa ons. Whatever we do, whether medita ng or doing school
homework, we should mo vate that for the sake of bene ng others,
concentra on will produce the results we seek.
My master Kyabje Lama Zopa Rrinpoche has not laid down to sleep for
the past 30-40 years because he is in the constant state of medita on.
Another of my masters, the late Geshe Lama Konchog, he too due to
concentra on, received no harm from the elements; he could even
travel across the mountains without his feet touching the ground. He
discouraged anyone to talk about such quali es of his because he said it
was nothing to talk about. He is a present-day master and not someone
from a 100 years ago. There are 3 types of concentra on for gaining
pliancy; gaining higher quali es; for the welfare of all SB.
Perfec on 6: Wisdom realising emp ness: The wisdom which realises
the lack of inherent existence of self and phenomena. Whatever we now
perceive, we see as inherently and truly exis ng. This is mistaken view.
There are 3 types of wisdom (i) Wisdom understanding conven onal
phenomena (as illustrated by the rela onship between cause and eect);
(ii) wisdom understanding ul mate phenomena (seeing the ul mate
nature of all existence which is that which is merely-labelled; there is
nothing that exists other than in terms of a mental label onto a base.
Even I, Tenzin Zopa, when I was in the womb, I was not Tenzin Zopa.
I was only some cells which developed into a baby. When I was born, I
was given the name Tenzin Zopa but that label can be changed any me.
Tenzin Zopa exists merely as an imputa on onto the composi on of
aggregates. This analysis can go so deep that one will come to a stage
that one will realise the karcha which involves refu ng the object to
be negated (inherent existence). Upon doing so, an empty characteris c
of that object arises and is therefore a non-arming nega ve. The
word nega ve is used because that which earlier appeared is not as
62

it appeared. There is nothing that one can hold onto nor grasp at. It
exists in one way and yet does not exist in another. When one realises
this process, when one realises this non arming nega ve, one realises
emp ness i.e. the lack of inherent existence.
Ones present mind is held cap ve by incorrect views, doubt and nega vi es.
It is therefore vital for one to gain the understanding of the 2 truths i.e.
conven onal and ul mate truth; to know how things exist, yet do not exist in
the manner we are accustomed to thinking. Things exist as merely labelled
onto a valid base and not independently on their own.
(3) Working for welfare of sen ent beings: This relates to the 4 ways of
gathering disciples/bene ng others (i) prac sing generosity in every
way (ii) speaking kindly and appropriately to benet others. If one
speaks so ly but with sarcasm, it is s ll improper. If someone has a
terrible illness and is depressed, and you keep saying to him How pi ful
you are, that too is inappropriate. Instead, encourage the person and
oer whatever help one can do to help him. (iii): Fullling others needs
(iv) living according to Dharma because otherwise, even though one
may be clever in teaching others, one cannot really benet them.

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Verse 10
Once I have pacied distractions to wrong objects
And correctly analysed the meaning of reality,
Please bless me to generate quickly within my
mindstream,
The unied path of calm abiding and special
insight.

Line 1 ..pacifying distrac ons refers to calm-abiding medita on and line

2 refers to a correct understanding of the teachings on emp ness. Line 3 is
a supplica on to the Buddha to enable one achieve both calm abiding and
correct analysis of emp ness in order to perfect ones wisdom and gain
special insight into emp ness/selessness.
What is meant by calm abiding/samatha medita on? This subject is
extremely important for the beginner as well as advanced prac oners. This
single pointed medita on is the process of training in concentra on and is
a common prac ce of Buddhist and non Buddhists too. It is important for
our happiness, higher realisa ons in spiritual prac ces and eec ve for the
success of our ordinary-life ac vi es (work, rela onships).
Right now we have distracted, disturbed minds. We have excitement and
laxity which are the two extremes of our mind. They act as formidable
obstacles to our establishing concentra on.
In terms of excitement, our minds y around the world while a ending
class or doing work. Even though you are looking at me and trying to listen
to my broken English, at the same me, you might be thinking This is
Sunday, I should be sleeping on my comfortable bed or you could planning
lunch or dinner or thinking of oce appointments or doing homework/
64

assignments right here this minute. (Laughter) There is no sense of focus or

concentra on on any one subject. As long as we have a second thought, all
are included in the mental state of excitement. If we are this way, we cannot
get the full benet of doing anything. Instead, this makes our mind agitated.
Due to our minds running in so many direc ons, it is not surprising that by
the end of the day, we are exhausted. This is the folly of the excited mind,
one of the greatest obstacles to our gaining calm abiding or single pointed
concentra on.
The challenge is to de-construct habits of distrac on and establish focus.
Our mindfulness is responsible for keeping the object in focus. If we are
working on one thing, our mind should not dri to another. If while listening
to a teaching, we start to feel pain or hunger a er a very short me, it
suggests we have limited concentra on. When this happens, you should
re-direct your a en on to the teaching and withdraw ones focus from
the discomfort or hunger. A er a while, you will be able to overcome any
discomfort. When you have single pointed concentra on, you can remain
for hours without pain, hunger or any discomfort to your body.
My late master, Geshe Lama Konchog who had full realisa on of concentra on,
remained in retreat for 11 years without food. Sounds impossible? Through
concentra on, he did not depend on gross supplies (like food, shelter,
clothes) to sustain the body throughout this me. Neither was he distracted
by the sun or any of the elements. This master is a fantasy legend. He lived
during our me and only passed away in 2001. He sustained his body
through inhala on and exhala on and focused his mind on compassion. I
share this story because I saw him do this with my own eyes. There are many
others who live this way. Such is the power of concentra on. One needs to
abandon gross distrac on.
One of the many benets of concentra on is the a ainment of physical
pliancy (a sense of lightness as if one were oa ng, which brings the sensa on
of bliss), which then leads to mental pliancy. That blissful mental state can
65

remain focused without distrac on for years. My late master remained in

concentra on retreat for a total of 11 years. He spent 26 years in a cave but
a er those 11 years, he went down to the village for the purpose of giving
teachings. His blissful mind and exible body was such that he could use it
in any manner required.
What is special about Buddhist calm-abiding/concentra on medita on is
that it directs the mind and body towards the cul va on of great compassion
to benet others, with a view to using it to perfect all quali es and a ain
Buddhahood.
When Geshe Lama Konchog passed away, there were signs of enlightenment
e.g. relics were found amongst his ashes. Over one thousand pieces of relics.
When his body was cremated for 3 days from morning to night (requiring
wood and oil 3-4 more mes than the average persons crema on), mul -
coloured relics were later discovered. In the Buddhas teachings found in
the root text of Guhyasamaja, the signicance of relics, their meaning and
how they come about are clearly explained. It is stated there, that relics are
a sign of enlightenment. To actualise this, ones mind must be rooted in calm
abiding, cul va ng renuncia on, bodhici a and wisdom realising emp ness.
Great masters like Milarepa, Nagarajuna, Shariputra, all produced relics
upon their crema on.
We need to understand the value of developing concentra on. For us,
while praying to Buddha, our minds wander and angry thoughts can arise;
a achment can arise; visions of shopping malls can arise (Laughter). We
think that there is a lot of happiness in rela on to our senses can be found
samsara but understand that they result in the exhaus on of ones merits.
Think about it. Put eort into cul va ng concentra on instead.
First, establish pliancy of body & mind, pursue the cul va on of bodhici a
and wisdom to gain enlightenment. The distracted mind in samsara always
experiences disappointment and unhappiness because samsara is in the
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nature of the suering of change (Buddha taught about the 3 general

suerings of samsara i.e. the suering of suering; the suering of change
and pervasive suering). This habit of indulging in distrac on should be
abandoned to accomplish everlas ng happiness.
The other challenge posed by our mind is laxity or laziness. If we are invited
to a temple, we feel no great inspira on to go but if invited to the night
club, full alertness springs up. Whenever virtue is to be done, the mind goes
lazy, dull and sleepy. These common mental experiences come under the
category of mental laxity.
How do we eliminate excitement and laxity? Overall, there are 5 faults that
arise during calm abiding medita on and there are 8 an dotes to be applied
to eliminate those faults.
1. Fault of laziness: The an dotes are faith, aspira on, perseverance,
pliancy. Laziness comes about because one has no faith in Dharma, no
faith in your own poten al to be a Buddha, to benet others. Aspira on
one should know the benets of prac ce and taming our minds; know
the benet of doing virtue and avoiding non virtue. Perseverance one
needs sustained eort to a ain concentra on. It does not drop from the
sky. Perseverance is a mind that delights in engaging in virtue. Pliancy
a er having the rst 3 quali es men oned here, pliancy will naturally
arise.
2. Fault of forge ng the object: An dotes are recollec on, vigilance,
applica on, equanimity. Recollec on is remembering the object of
medita on. For instance, one might have decided to meditate on the
p of the Buddhas nose but suddenly, one no ces the Buddhas eye
blinking. This means the mind is already distracted, shi ing from the
nose to the eyes. Bring your mind back to the p of the Buddhas nose.
Or while medita ng on the Buddhas nose, the Buddha says Hello.
This might bring joy to you but understand that it is a distrac on
67

(Laughter). Bring your mind back to the p of the Buddhas nose.

Or a er some me medita ng, you feel pain in your limbs. Through
consistent prac ce, you will be able to prolong your concentra on.
If we have the proper causes and condi ons for concentra on medita on
(including receiving the instruc ons and nding a conducive place), if
we are able to receive the blessings from Buddha and ones teacher
through ones diligent eorts at prac ce it is possible to achieve calm
abiding/samatha within 6 months.
3. Fault of laxity and excitement: Vigilance/introspec on is the an dote
for both laxity and excitement. This is the aspect of the mind which
oversees the strength of ones mindfulness. Mindfulness tries to focus
on the object but soon, distrac ng thoughts creep in. Vigilance alerts
mindfulness that this is happening, allowing mindfulness to resume its
focus. Clarity and rmness in holding onto the object of medita on are
two vital aspects which are achieved through mindfulness and guarded
by introspec on.
4. Fault of non applica on: The an dote is applica on. Excitement and
laxity arise due to several reasons e.g. having no aspira on for prac ce
due to worries and hardship. When laxity is present or one is feeling low
or depressed, one should meditate on the precious human rebirth as it
will upli ones mind. However, if the mind is too excited to focus, calm
your mind down by medita ng on impermanence and death or on the
suerings of samsara.
5. The fault of over-applica on: Equanimity is the an dote. If we are
medita ng on the Buddhas overall face, over-applica on means our
mind leaves the general appearance of the face and starts to go into
great detail of each feature of the Buddhas face. If this happens, bring
the mind to a balanced state through equanimity prac ce.

68

69

There are 9 stages of the training using the 8 an dotes to overcome the 5
dierent kinds of fault (please refer to the diagram here).
Correctly analysing the meaning of reality one of the principle teachings on
emp ness is the selessness of person and of phenomena (i.e. aggregates/
surrounding phenomena and events) or put in another way, the lack of inherent
existence of self and phenomena. Whatever exists, exists dependently and not
independently; from its own side. Fundamentally, since existence depends on
the colla on of many causes and factors. At the end of ones analysis for the
purpose of nding out what existence really is, one realises that everything
is merely labelled by mind. Nothing exists without being labelled by mind.
But ordinarily, we think dierently. We think that oneself and things exist
independently/inherently. This mistaken idea is powerful and the root which
gives rise to a achment, anger, jealousy, nega ve ac ons, samsara, obstacles
to nirvana and the like. We do not have an understanding of the true reality
of self and phenomena. Know that this self grasping at an independently-
exis ng self and aggregates cons tutes fundamental ignorance.
If we wish to be free from suering and become a Buddha, the only
thing that will help us achieve this is the elimina on of the ignorance of
not knowing reality. The words lack of inherent existence may sound
tough to comprehend. What is this all about? Inherent existence means
existence independent of factors such as causes and condi ons and mental
projec ons. As long as one perceives independent-existence within the I,
we are suering from the ignorance of not realising the reality of existence.
The opposite of this, is the wisdom realising emp ness i.e. realising that
existence arises in a dependent manner.
We normally regard existence as something created by god or appears
independently without reference to any factors. In truth, self and
phenomena exist dependently on causes & condi ons, parts & par cles and
mental imputa on. At the end of the day, everything exists merely by label
imputed onto a valid base.
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There are 3 criteria for the conven onal existence of an object.

1. The object should be renowned among conven on i.e. accepted as a
conven onal fact. Example, this cup of mineral water it is conven onally
known to be a water-cup and not a Buddha. Look at it, it is a vessel able
to hold liquid, there is liquid inside and sealed.
2. There is no contradic on with conven onal valid cogni on/ mind. E.g.
back to water cup everyone says there is water inside, I say there is
stone. If due to ignorance, one insists that there are stones inside and
refuse to drink it saying its stone, then one is said to be perceiving
something against conven onal valid cogni on. We don not call a boat
and aeroplane because conven onal view says otherwise.
3. There is no contradic on from the valid cogni on analysing the ul mate:
A mind analysing ul mate truth i.e. the mind that realises that due to
many factors, this water in the cup has come about, also agrees that this
water-cup can be asserted as containing drinkable water.
4. Therefore remember, when we talk about the I, we have the view
that the I exists right there, on its own, independent of causes and
condi ons, parts and mental labels. That is the mistaken I.

Using the 4 point analysis to examine the true nature of I/self

The 4 points are:
1. Iden ca on of what is to be refuted/negated
2. Determining the modes in which I could exist
3. I as one with aggregates
4. I as dierent from the 5 aggregates.
The object of nega on is the independent I, the inherently exis ng I,
which is false. This is the object to be refuted through analysis. To do this,
we rst have to establish clearly the mistaken iden ty of the I. Once we do
71

this, we will know what is to be negated. What is the mistaken iden ty of the
I? The independent-self called the I .
Once we are clear on this, we next ask ourselves, What are the ways in which
the I/self could exist? It could either exist as one with the aggregates or
dierently from the aggregates.
One then checks from crown to toe, whether there is an inherently exis ng
Tenzin Zopa or not. When my name is called, I tend to point to my chest.
If that point in my chest is truly Tenzin Zopa, it means that even when I am
in the womb of my mother, Tenzin Zopa would have already actualised. But
this is not true because when I was in my mothers womb, my mother had
not named me yet. Also, right now, my name could be changed I have
someone who keeps calling me Mr Tan (and I do not correct him); for him
Tenzin Zopa does not exist. Thus, Mr Tan or Tenzin Zopa are merely
labelled. When we check carefully, we all exist as being merely labelled. But
for this, we need an appropriate base to put the label on. If we point to a
dog as a human person, that would not be a right base for a person.
Whatever label we use, we need to establish the 2 truths conven onal
truth and ul mate truth. Then whatever name we give, we exist merely in
that name. Even suering exists in merely name, nirvana likewise, humans
likewise. Because of that, nirvana is possible to actualise. Once the right
base is iden ed and a right label is given, nirvana can be actualised. Once
we have the right cause and condi on to remove samsara, samsara can be
empty.
People tend to enjoy samsara because they think that a achment brings bliss
(without really checking to see that in fact, these are suerings of change).
Some people engage in extreme physical pain like piercing themselves,
regarding it as bliss. Everything exists through mental imputa on. If one can
transform ones mind, libera on and Buddhahood is right here.

72

We have a very strong and wrong concept of recognising the non-exis ng

I, as an existent I. If someone says you are ugly you immediately feel that
there is a solidly, independently exis ng me right there. You feel the I as
merged with the aggregates. Hence, when someone cri cises you, you feel
so hurt. Emp ness understanding can solve such suering by applying the
analysis of who we are. Since you point at the chest when called, one should
nd the I right there. (But is the total person on that point?) So we need to
search. Is our hair the I ? Is our body the I? We might think, Perhaps I
am my mental aggregates or thoughts. But we have a mul tude of mental
factors and thoughts anger, fear, faith, etc...does that mean that there are
mul ples of our self?! When you get food or buy things, we buy for only one
person and not 2.
Therefore, if we search for the I as being merged with the aggregates or as
something dierent from the aggregates, we cannot nd it. If we try to nd
ourselves on the aggregates, since there are 5 aggregates, there must be 5
of me, which is crazy. Or if the I is one with the aggregates, we should be
able to nd the I within the aggregates themselves, which is not the case.
Hence, the I is non existent within the aggregates. Similarly, if we have a
headache, look for where the headache lies. If ones concentra on is strong
enough, one can eliminate that. Hence our mental imputa on determines
suering or happiness. It is dependent on ones mind.
One might then ask, If everything is non existent, who is crea ng karma and
who is in samsara? If one is non existent, then one cannot become Buddha.
Therefore, one needs to know that there is existent I and the non-existent
I. The trouble is that we always focus on the non-existent I. What is the
existent-I then? It is the non-inherently exis ng I or put another way, it is the
dependently-exis ng I or merely labelled I. How does this merely labelled I
come about? First there is the proper base of imputa on of Tenzin Zopa (e.g.
Tenzin Zopas base is a male, human body). The base came about through
causes and condi ons, there are aspects/parts of me (I am male, born in
Nepal) and then comes the mental label Tenzin Zopa. So there is no reason
to be bossy about being a person with a name it is merely labelled.
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To support the examina on of the existence of a person being only one.

Which one? Does it mean that if shave my hair or cut my nails, I am
incomplete? No.
Chandrakir said that if the aggregates were the self, it would follow that the
self would be mul ple; and if one were dierent from the aggregates, one
would not have the characteris c of the aggregates.
The conclusion is that the self exists in rela on to the aggregates but does
not exist in mul ples nor singularly. The self I is merely labelled on the
aggregates; a mental imputa on onto a valid base. Tenzin Zopa exists due
to colla on of various factors. When anger arises, remember there is no
inherently exis ng I, so there is no I being hurt, thus there is no need to be
angry.
A er training in calm abiding concentra on, one uses it to analyse emp ness
e.g. through the 4 point analysis and thereby gain special insight into
emp ness.
There will be a day when one will gain a sense of achievement of pliancy,
both physically (feeling supple and light) and mentally (without grasping at
permanence; not seeing of any enemies, a achment-objects nor strangers
un-associated with you). You will see everyone posi vely. Ones mind
becomes awakened without being inuenced by wrong concep ons and
misunderstandings, ordinary environments become pure like the Buddhas
realm, one will see all living beings as Buddha; all ac ons that one does
is solely in rela on to bene ng others and when this day arrives, this is
the pliancy received through analy cal medita on on emp ness, using calm
abiding as a base and the label is vipassana/special insight.
Why is the insight special? Because at this stage, you have already a ained
the bliss of pliancy. You are able to ac vate the joy and potency to actualise
enlightenment. This special insight is important without which one cannot
74

gain libera on, as one has not realised the reality of self and phenomena.
Without both calm abiding and special insight, even nirvana cannot be
achieved, let alone enlightenment.

Ques on and Answers

Q: What is the Mandala mudra?
Ans: It is a prac ce of oering the universe and all things benecial to the
Triple Gem and sen ent beings. This prac ce came from Buddhas me. The
author of this text, Lama Tsongkhapa, was a great scholar who had profound
knowledge of emp ness. However, just having knowledge does not mean one
has direct realisa on of it. Lama Tsongkhapa felt he had not gained direct
realisa on of emp ness and asked his tutelary deity Manjushri, why this
was so. Manjushri explained that although Lama Tsongkhapas intelligence
and wisdom were supreme, he lacked the merit to gain direct realisa on
on emp ness and thus needed to make mandala oerings to the Buddha.
Lama Tsongkhapa took the advice, went to a place called Wokachoeling
for retreat. Using simple a stone base and pebbles as his mandala set, he
oered millions of mandalas during that retreat. Through this, he gained
direct realisa on into emp ness. Such is the power of mandala oering to
accumulate merits.
There is a preliminary ac on to be done when oering the mandala there
is a nerve at the wrist which links to the heart chakra and when one rubs this
nerve whilst focusing on bodhici a, is said to help ac vate bodhici a within
oneself. Rub the mandala base 3 mes clockwise which signify purifying
the body, speech and mind; and rub the mandala base 3 mes counter-
clockwise to establish stable morality, concentra on, wisdom. Within the
mandala, one visualises the con nents, sun, moon, precious items, virtues,
everything to be oered up to the Buddhas and then to sen ent beings.

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Verse 11
Having become a pure vessel by training in the
general path,
Please bless me to enter
The holy gateway of the fortunate ones:
The supreme Vajra vehicle.

Upon being familiar with the teachings and prac ces on renuncia on,
bodhici a and emp ness, we should then supplicate the Buddha to bless
us to progress further, to gain the complete training and knowledge of the
Buddhadharma. Par al knowledge of the Path is not enough. We supplicate
to actualise the en re stages of the Path up to the highest stage, namely
the Vajra vehicle (Buddhist Tantra). In order for us to have the inspira on,
courage and enthusiasm to pursue these full aspects of the Path, we require
much merit and blessings.
Having met the Buddha already makes us the fortunate ones. However,
there are several levels of good fortune. There is the fortunate ones of
the small capability category; the great fortunate ones of the middle-
capability category; the greater fortunate ones of the higher capability
category and those who progress to the Vajra/tantra vehicle are described
as the extremely fortunate ones.
The word supreme in this verse means that although generally speaking,
the Buddhas Path is supreme, supreme here is used in the context of the
Vajra vehicle being the swi est means to enlightenment. You will remember
the common path of the 3 scopes i.e. the small and middle capability
beings paths enable one to a ain self-libera on i.e. up to nirvana (which

76

is to be dis nguished from full enlightenment); the Bodhisa va-yana which

is able to bring one to full enlightenment but requires 3 countless aeons of
cul va on to achieve that. The supreme vehicle of tantra however, can bring
enlightenment within one short life me.
Acharya Tipithamala explains in the Lamp for the 3 Modes Sutra , Having
the same object but clearly dened; having many methods but having no
dicul es; designed for those with sharp intelligence, the mantra vehicle
is superior.
Having the same object but clearly dened: All 3 yanas have the same
mo va on to enable the prac oner to obtain freedom from samsara;
they have the same approach of cul va ng wisdom and method. It is again
relevant and useful to compare the 3 yanas:
The goal of the small and middle capability beings is to a ain self-libera on
from samsara; the goal of the higher capability being (the Mahayana) is to
renounce samsara for oneself and all others and train in the common path of
the small, middle and higher scope teachings to actualise enlightenment; the
goal of the Vajra vehicle is to renounce samsara for oneself and others for all
me and actualise enlightenment in the swi est manner through engaging
in the genera on stage and comple on stage prac ces. The Vajra vehicle is
premised on the fact that the prac oner has full the understanding of and
commitment to renuncia on, bodhici a and emp ness. When one trains
in this way, ones enlightenment is expedited from the 3 countless aeons
period to a much shorter period of 100 years, 3 years or even while si ng
on this cushion. This is what is meant by Having the same object (goal) but
clearly dened.
Having many methods but no diculty: There are 3 yanas. The Shravaka-
yana (Hearer) and Pratyekabuddha-yana (Solitary Realiser) are Theravadan
approaches. The Mahayana consists of the Bodhisa va-yana (causal
path to enlightenment) and Vajrayana (resultant path to enlightenment).
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As the Vajrayana/mantra vehicle are based on the combined trainings of

the small, middle and higher scope of teachings, enlightenment comes
without diculty why is this so? Because the training in the Shravaka and
Pratyeka paths require hardships such as restric ng their bodies and minds
through many vows e.g. the monas c communi es, having to give up many
tempta ons to the 5 senses. Then there is the enhanced training of the
Bodhisa va paths, where in addi on to undertaking the disciplines of the
Shravaka and Pratyeka paths, there is the focus on the welfare of all living
beings to the point of giving up even limbs and life; then comes the Vajra
vehicle where the delusions such as anger, a achment, ignorance and the
rest of the nega ve emo ons which are so dicult to control, are eec vely
overcome by using the delusions as part of the training. This facilitates the
quick conquest of delusions and ones progress on the path to enlightenment.
Further, the common path requires a period of at least 3 countless aeons
to a ain enlightenment, whereas the Vajra vehicle if prac ced correctly,
can speed up ones enlightenment to within one life me. In this way, the
Vajra vehicle is said to have many methods but enables the achievement of
enlightenment with ease.
Designed for those with sharp intelligence, the mantra vehicle is superior
It is a must for a prac oner to have the rm understanding and prac ce of
the 3 principle aspects of the Path (renuncia on, bodhic a and emp ness)
in order to prac ce Vajrayana eec vely which is the superior method.
The13th chapter of the Vajrapanjara Tantra states that secret mantra/
Vajrayana consists of several categories namely, ac on Tantra for the
inferior, yoga without ac on for those above them, excellent for superior
sen ent beings and highest yoga for those above them. This refers to the 4
classes of tantra Ac on Tantra, Performance Tantra, Yoga Tantra, Highest
Yoga Tantra. When one sees textual references to the Vajra Vehicle, it is
referring to the Highest Yoga Tantra category.
We hear a lot about tantra, we encounter supercial references to tantra
and we see the term tantra in many books or on the internet. Yet there is
78

no clear understanding of what this is. We might even feel it is not relevant
to Buddhism. There is some confusion surrounding tantra or Vajrayana. To
clarify this, the bare term of tantra is used by Buddhists, as well as Hindus.
However the meaning, the characteris cs and the goal of tantra as taught
by the Buddha and that of Hinduism are totally dierent. Even the mo va on
for tantra prac ce is completely dierent and the methods applied are; the
a ainments are also completely dierent! You must understand this.
The mo va on for Buddhist Tantra is to eliminate and purify samsaric
existence within oneself and all beings and actualise enlightenment; the
mo va on for Hindu tantra as I understand it, is to overcome this very lifes
temporary experience of suering. The Hindu mo va on is to overcome
the suering of suering and suering of change. For Buddhists, the goal
is to overcome the suering of suering , the suering of change AND
pervasive suering as well. Without purifying pervasive suering, we may
a ain higher rebirths including the god-states and a ain the highest peak
of samsara (4th stage of the Formless state of concentra on) and remain
there thousands and thousands of years but if we do not uproot karma and
delusions (including their subtlest form), we cannot gain libera on from
samsara, let alone a ain enlightenment. Merely to have the urge to be free
from the suering of suering, is something that even animals, hell beings
and pretas have. Similarly with suering of change all beings hope for this,
including free thinkers. However, as Buddhists, we need to be free from all 3
forms of suerings and the en re aspects of samsara.
In terms of the prac ce, Buddhist tantra is totally founded on the principles of
renuncia on, bodhici a and wisdom realising emp ness. Any prac ce that
claims to be tantra prac ce but which does not involve these 3 principles,
means that it is NOT Buddhist tantra. Even if there may be the outward
prac ces of chan ng mantras and ac ons which take on the appearance
of tantra, they are not part of Buddhist tantra if they are not rmly based
on morality and the principles of renuncia on, bodhici a and emp ness
. Merely having a kind heart and chan ng mantras to look religious and
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impressive is not Buddhist prac ce and certainly not Buddhist tantra.

Without pu ng eort to discover the actual thinking of the Buddha through
the proper study of his teachings, many people think they are prac sing
Buddhism through the outward ac ons of chan ng prayers. If they are not
careful, they are using the right method of prayers for the wrong purpose
(worldly aims). The right purpose is libera on and enlightenment. The
right method is Dharma prac ce which has as a star ng point, renuncia on
towards the en re aspects of samsaric existence.
Lets say one has business problems then one prays to Kuan Yin or Dzambala
for wealth and to avoid business failure. If one recites prayers with such
thinking, it is not Dharma prac ce at all. Why? Wishing for only this lifes
gains is a non-Buddhist mo va on. To be Buddhist, it needs to be based on
the 3 principle aspects of the path i.e. renuncia on of samsara, bodhici a
and emp ness. Hindu Tantra, it is not based on these 3 principles. Hence,
the need to be clear about what Buddhist tantra is.
Buddhist tantra will result in full enlightenment; Hindu tantra can actualise
the highest state of the god realms and formless states like Brahma, Indra.
Vajrayana is Buddhist tantra and completely dierent from Hindu tantra.
Although some Chinese Mahayana prac oners assert that they do not
prac ce tantra, in fact, they do. For example, the famous Om Mani Padme
Hum and the long Kuan Yin mantra (Tar Pei Jou) - these are mantras and part
of Vajrayana prac ce. The point is, it is not just a ma er of the words but
rather, the meaning behind the words and the prac ces. For example, the
meaning of the 6 syllable mantra as taught in the Chinese Mahayana system
is the same as that taught in the Vajrayana. It is simply due to the fact that
the Mantra vehicle prac ces were well preserved in Tibet causing people
to call it Tibetan Vajrayana. Hence, there arose the mistaken opinion that
Vajrayana or the Mantra Vehicle is a Tibetan crea on, rather than as part of
the Mahayanic Dharma that originated from the Buddha himself.
There is a lot of misunderstanding in rela on to Vajrayana. A er the Buddha
80

passed away, for a period of about 400 years, there was confusion and
misunderstanding as to whether Buddhist tantra was part of Hindu tantra
and whether it was part of the Buddhas teachings at all. During that me,
the rst 2 yanas (Theravadan) were already well established in India, with
many suppor ng ins tu ons; the Mahayana at that me in terms of external
labels, was on the decline and its Vajrayana prac oners had taken to doing
their prac ces in caves and in forests, such that Vajrayana was seen less and
less in open society, hidden from the normal world. It came to a stage where
there was even cri cism by followers of the rst 2 yanas that the Mahayana
was like a sky-ower i.e. a fantasy. Nagarjuna can be said to the principal
master who restored the Mahayana.
Tantra was taught by the Buddha himself and the realised beings a er him.
Tantra was taught by the Buddha in the form of a monk and also in the form
of Vajradhara, the central deity of specic mandalas. All 4 classes of tantra
were taught by the Buddha and not by ordinary masters.
Ac on Tantra was taught by the Buddha in the aspect of a monk while in the
Realm of the 33 Gods on the summit of Mt Meru, as well as in the human
world where Manjushri and other Bodhisa vas were the main disciples and
listeners. Pungzang?? were taught in the realm of Vajrapani Pureland;
others teachings on this tantra were taught by Buddha himself through his
blessings in ac va ng Avalokitesvara, Manjushri and Vajrapani to speak and
reveal tantra.
Performance tantra was taught in the Base and Essence Adorned with
Flower Celes al Realm.
Yoga tantra was taught when the Buddha arose in the centre of the Mandala
p of Mt Meru within the Desire realm
Highest Yoga Tantra Maha Anu arayoga tantra was taught by Buddha in
the land of Orgyen, where the lotus born Padmasambhava was born, having
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manifested the mandala of Guhyamasamaja.

In the Highest Yoga Tantra category, there are 3 main dei es that are prac ced
namely Guhyasamaja, Heruka and Yamantaka. Guhyasamaja prac ce is the
root of the Father tantra prac ces and focuses on the method/bodhici a
prac ces (its cul va on is said to be more eec ve in daylight hours);
Heruka prac ce is the root of the Mother tantra prac ces and focuses on
wisdom/emp ness prac ces (its cul va on is said to be more eec ve at
night); Yamantaka (the wrathful form of Manjushri, the wisdom aspect of
the Buddha is in the category of Father tantra; Vajrayogini is in the category
of Mother tantra.
Guhyasamaja prac ce was taught to Indrabhu by Buddha; Yamantaka
prac ce was taught at me of subduing .... when Buddha was requested
by Yamantaka consort Samundhi (there is another school which says that
Kalachakra consort reqested). Hevajra tantra was taught when the Buddha
arose in the land of Maghada at the me of destroying the 4 maras. Hevajra
tantra teachings was request by Vajragarbha and by Hevajras consort.
Having been requested by Vajrayogini, Buddha manifested as Heruka and
taught it on summit of Mt Meru.
In conven onal world, Mt Kailash is considered to be Mt Meru.
Shiva is the deity represen ng desire. Heruka is the Buddha form that
eliminated Shiva as the embodiment of desire. To overcome Shiva, the
Buddha manifested in a form similar to Shiva in order to be able to relate to
that god-realm being, interact with him and nally subdue him. For Hindu
prac oners, Mt Kailash is the main place of Shiva; for Buddhist prac oners,
Mt Kailash is one of the main prac ce places for prac oners of Heruka.
When requested by Vajrapani, Buddha taught the explanatory tantra i.e. the
Grounds and Paths of Tantra. As for Kalachakra tantra which was requested
by King Suchandra, a manifesta on of Vajrapani, the mighty Buddha himself
went to Dhanyakataka (Amrava ) in South India and manifested the mandala
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of the Dharmadatu and revealed the teachings of Kalachakra. HH Dalai Lama

performed the Kalachakra Ini a on at Amrava and if you want to know
where that is, for those who saw the lm Unmistaken Child, the ordina on
of young Phunstok Rinpoche was done by HH Dalai Lama there at Amrava .
Whilst the Buddha was giving tantra teachings at Amrava , at the same me,
the Buddha was giving Heart Sutra teachings at Rajgir. Therefore, you can
see that although the Buddha appeared in many dierent manifesta ons,
tantra was taught by the Buddha himself. This is to reassure you that tantra
originates from the Buddha. For this purpose, I have explained the places
where the Buddha taught tantra; who requested those teachings and what
the Buddha taught.
In terms of tantric images, it is important to understand that tantric images
are profoundly symbolic and act as subtle an dotes to delusions and faults.

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Verse 12
At that time, the basis of accomplishing the two
attainments
Is keeping pure vows and samaya.
As I have become rmly convinced of this,
Please bless me to protect these vows and pledges
like my life.

This verse encourages the learner by advising that a er being matured in the
common path, one should be inspired into engaging into Tantra. How? On
the basis of ones rm understanding and prac ce of the 3 principle aspects
of the Path, one should search for a qualied tantric master i.e. not only
qualied in intellectual knowledge but has obtained realisa ons in sutra
and tantra and is living life upholding vows perfectly whether individual
libera on vows or Bodhisa va vows. You may request for an ini a on from
a qualied master who has the lineage of the ini a on of the tantra you wish
to prac ce it. Each ini a on has dierent stages as there are the ini a on-
master ac vi es and the disciple-ac vi es.
The masters ac vi es is for himself to self-generate as the deity through
medita on, to consecrate all that needs to be consecrated, dispelling
hindrances to the ini a on and grant the actual ini a on. When doing
so, the master will guide the ini a on par cipant on the mo va on for
engaging in tantra, as well as provide guidance on the visualisa on of the
self genera on (of the deity) in order to receive the ini a on, conduct the
dierent stages of the ini a on such as the 4 sub-ini a ons, gran ng the
oral transmission of the deitys mantra, giving the prac ce-commitment to
the disciple and conclude with the dedica on.

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The disciple-ac vi es start with se ng up the right mo va on for tantric

prac ce i.e. to secure the enlightenment for all beings and in order not to
delay that state as that would mean sen ent beings have to suer much
longer. One mo vates to a ain enlightenment for the sake of all beings.
Right now, one has no ability to rescue and help sen ent beings and for that
reason, one must become a Buddha as soon as possible and thus require the
tantra path to gain enlightenment in the quickest me possible. Since one
does not know where one will be born in the next life, one needs to make
full use of this life me to actualise enlightenment. To do so, this one needs
to receive the permission to do the prac ce through this ini a on.
Before going into the ini a on hall, one needs to cleanse ones mouth
and think that one is cleaning out all delusions and samsara in order to
properly receive the ini a on. Remain in silent respect for the master to
begin. When the master arrives and ascends the ini a on seat (throne), one
should think, This master is going to guide me to enlightenment. Then
seat oneself quietly and shut ones mind from business, family ma ers
and fully concentrate during the ini a on and the masters instruc ons on
visualisa ons, repe on of the vows and mantra etc.. in order to receive the
ini a on fully. There will be one part when the master asks the disciple to
pledge the commitment prac ce. During that me one should feel that one
has completely received the ini a on and is now a child of Guru Buddha
Vajradhara and of the family of that Buddha-aspect (the central deity of the
par cular ini a on one is taking) and one is now permi ed to engage in the
prac ce of that Buddha aspect, maintain divine pride (i.e. keeping in mind
the quali es of the Buddha), see all places as part of the Buddha mandala
(Buddhas palace/residence) and see all beings as dei es i.e. cul va ng pure
view in this way.
At the beginning and end of ini a on, there will be mandala oering (symbolic
gesture of oering the universe to the Buddha) from the students.
Generally, in the last session of any teaching by the master, one would not
85

prostrate to the master (to symbolise the opportunity to meet the ini a on
master again and receive teachings from him).
Vows given during an ini a on will be Refuge vows, Bodhisa va vows and
for Highest YogaTantra ini a ons only, tantric vows will also be given. One
needs to uphold the vows and samaya purely i.e. live in accordance with the
vows and advice of the master, having respect for him and viewing him as
ones Guru, inseparable from the Buddha. Every now and then, one should
supplicate to help oneself to keep vows purely.

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Verse 13
Then, having realised the importance of the two
stages,
The essence of the Vajrayana,
By practising with great energy never giving up the
four sessions,
Please bless me to realise the teachings of the holy
Guru.

The 2 stages refers to the genera on and comple on stages of prac ce of

Highest Yoga Tantra prac ce (which can only be learned and prac ced a er
one receives a Highest Yoga Tantra Ini a on). These 2 stages form the essence
of tantra. How does one engage in this prac ce? We need to cul vate the
4 sessions i.e. to live perfectly in tantra throughout the 24 hours of a day.
The 4 sessions: The rst session starts at dawn between 3am 5am (before
sunrise) if you can do this, you will feel fresh and without redness; the
2nd session is a er sunrise and nish before noon; the 3rd session, starts in
a ernoon but should end before sunset; the 4th session starts a er sunset
and concludes before midnight. Whether one is cul va ng deity yoga or
medita ng on the common path, it would be best if we are able to do so in
accordance with these 4 sessions.
Holy Guru here refers to Shakyamuni Buddha, Tsongkhapa, our holy
living Guru. We need to supplicate frequently because our prac ce is very
fragile and unstable. We nd countless excuses not to meditate but oer no
excuses to go to the shopping malls. Such is our resolve at prac ce. Thus, we
need to request for blessings o en.
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Verse 14
Like that, may the Gurus who show the noble path
And the spiritual friends who practise it have long
lives.
Please bless me to pacify completely
All outer and inner hindrances.

Although we do not have the merit to see the Buddha form directly, Buddha
in his innite compassion and skilful means, manifests as ordinary human
gurus to teach us, face-to-face, to live amongst sen ent beings and teach
them. We should always remember to dedicate our prac ces and virtues for
world peace. Peace can only happen if all beings prac ce compassion and
forgiveness. Building more and more missiles will not ensure peace and only
makes the world a more dangerous place. Whereas if we have more loving
kindness and compassion, we wont require such weapons and will be able
to actualise real peace. Good hearted people and true prac oners must
live long. Pray to pacify all outer and inner hindrances because quite o en,
we suddenly feel low or get upset or discouraged easily. Hence, we must
make prayers to cleanse our minds of such obstacles.

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Verse 15
In all my lives, never to be separated from
perfect Gurus,
May I enjoy the magnicent Dharma.
By completing the qualities of the stages and
paths,
May I quickly attain the state of Vajradhara.

We need to regularly supplicate to meet perfect enlightened gurus and not

be separated from them. We should know the quali es of a Guru and search
for such a guru (but without a grasping a tude). Remember the quali es
that a Guru and a disciple should have.
The purpose of mee ng and having a Guru is to enjoy mee ng the Dharma
not to go for teh tarik or holidays together. The purpose of receiving
Dharma is not to get brain-food but to gain realisa ons. Upon receiving
Dharma knowledge, one should proceed to frequently contemplate on it,
meditate on it so as to a ain direct realisa ons. In that way, one will achieve
enlightenment and become like the Buddha, like ones Guru and be able to
benet all beings.

The End of the Commentary on the Founda on of All Good Quali es

89

90

 Outline from the Lam Rim Chenmo

(The Great Trea se on the Stages of the Path to
Enlightenment)
by Lama Tsongkhapa
(Wisdom Publica ons Volumes 1 to 3)
Extracts of the Commentary by Geshe Tenzin Zopa

This sec on of the book reproduces the Outline found in the 3 volumes
of the text the Lam Rim Chenmo (The Great Trea se on the Stages of the
Path to Enlightenment), as well as extracts from the book. It presents a
thorough overview of Lama Tsongkhapas extensive Lam Rim teachings and
to encourage prac oners to undertake medita on retreats on the Lam
Rim in reliance on the Outline.
Geshe Tenzin Zopa had taught this text at the Interna onal Buddhist College,
Malaysia as part of its M.A. Program in Buddhist Studies in Aug 2010.
The volumes and chapters are marked e.g. V1 Chapter 1, for
purposes of referencing back to the texts.
The actual Outline headings appear in bold font.
Extracts of Geshelas commentary appears in the passages in italics
and marked with GTZ.

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V1 Chapter 1 A sha
Showing the greatness of the teachings author (A sha) in order to establish
that it is of noble origin
It is worthwhile to note that whilst the text opens with the greatness of
Lama Atisha as the author of the rst Lam Rim text Lamp for the Path
to Enlightenment, we also need to remember that this Lam Rim Chenmo
text was written by Lama Tsongkhapa (1357-1493), who was born in Kham,
Tibet, mastered the entire aspects of Sutra and Tantra and was the founder
of the Gelug lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. The Lam Rim Chenmo was
written when Lama Tsongkhapa was 46 years of age, while he was at Reting
Monastery in Tibet. Lama Tsongkhapa composed many writings on the Lam
Rim (the Condensed, Small, Medium and Great Lam Rim texts), the most
detailed one being this text. It combines Lam Rim with the lojong (mindtraining teachings). Without Lam Rim understanding, it will be difcult to
obtain benet from Dharma practice. The Gelug tradition emphasises the
study of Lam Rim, although it is also respected by all schools of Tibetan
Buddhism. - GTZ
How A sha took rebirth in an excellent lineage Born of royal blood,
A sha was known by his other name as Dipamkarasrijnana.
In the excellent land of Za-hor (Bengal) in the east
In the great city of Vikramanipura
In it centre is a royal residence
A palace extremely vast
Called Golden Bannner
Its resources might and fortune
Were like that of the eastern emperor of China
The king of that country was Kalynasari..who had 3 sons..
One of the (princes) had nine sons and the middle sonis our venerable guru
Atisha.. from Eighty Verses of Praise by the great translator Nag-tso
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Due to Lama A shas past merits, he was drawn towards the great Buddhist
ins tu on of Nalanda University and in reliance upon the great scholars there,
he received the complete teachings of the Profound lineage of Maitreya and
the Extensive lineage of Manjushri and actualized the bodhici a teachings
from the lineage of Lama Serlingpa. Lama A sha later passed his scriptural
and experien al knowledge to his disciple Dromteonpa and this lineage was
transmi ed unbroken, right down to Lama Tsongkhapa - GTZ

How upon that basis he gained good quali es A sha gained:

1. good quali es of scriptural knowledge.
At the age of twenty one
He had mastered the 64 arts
All forms of crafts
The Sanskrit language
And all philosophy Eighty Verses by Nag-tso
2. good quali es of experien al knowledge by:

(a) training in ethics:

- through upholding individual libera on vows:
.You having entered the door of the shravaka vehicle
Guarded ethical discipline as a yak guards its tail

- through upholding Bodhisa va vows :

You having entered the door of the perfec on vehicle
Developed the pure wholehearted resolve and due to your
Spirit of enlightenment, you would not desert living beings
I bow down to You, intelligent and compassionate one
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- through upholding Tantric vows:

Having entered the door of the Vajrayana
You saw yourself as a deity and possessed the vajra mind
Because you had mindfulness and vigilance,
You had no unethical thoughts
Conscientious and alert, with no deceit or pretension
You were not stained by the faults of infractions.
(b) training in concentra on:
- training in concentra on common to sutra and tantra, a aining samatha/
calm abiding
- training in uncommon concentra ons, a aining stable genera on stage

(c ) training in wisdom
- common training in wisdom, achieving the union of calm abiding and insight
- uncommon training in wisdom, achieving the comple on stage
It is clear that you achieved the path of preparation
In accordance with the texts of the mantra vehicle Nga-tso
If ones purpose in pursuing the Buddhas teachings is for enlightenment,
acquiring mere scriptural knowledge is insufcient. One would also require
experiential knowledge and for this, one needs to receive the blessings of
ones Teacher, receive and uphold Vows. Lama Atisha strenuously guarded
his Vows, from the individual liberation vows, to the Bodhisattva vows of
solely benetting living beings, up to the tantric vows, engaging in deity yoga
practice consisting of the meditation on the generation and completion stages.
Lama Atisha showed that through this, one is able to attain the complete Path
- GTZ

94

Having gained those quali es, what A sha did to further the teachings in:
(1) India Lama Tsongkhapa says,
In the palace of great enlightenment at Bodhgaya, (Atisha) upheld the
Buddhist teachings three times byusing the teachings to vanquish non
Buddhist philosophersfurthered the teachings through clearing away
the corruptions of ignorance, wrong ideas and doubts and became the
crown jewel of all Buddhist schools..
(2) Tibet Due to the sincerity of supplica on made to A sha to journey to
Tibet to restore the Buddhadharma which had declined, A sha prayed to
fulll this mission. Lama Tsongkhapa says,
Based on this prayer, he (Atisha) furthered the teachings through
composing the Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, a text that brings
together the stages of practice, condensing all the key of the sutra and
mantra vehicleshe established the practices of the Buddhist system that
had disappeared, reinvigorated those that remained only slightly and
removed corruption based on misconceptions

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V1 Chapter 2 Greatness of the Teaching

Showing the greatness of the teaching in order to generate respect for the
instruc ons

A. The greatness of enabling one to see that the teachings are free from
contradic on
If one does not study the teachings of the 3 scopes (teachings for the small,
middle and higher capability beings) and only study one school, one might
nd contradictions in the teachings of the 3 yanas (Hinayana, Mahayana
and Vajrayana). A thorough study will reveal no inconsistencies. If we adopt
a judgmental attitude and disparage any of the 3 yanas, it will incur heavy
negative karma because all are the Buddhas teachings. Through the study of
all the 3 scopes, one learns what is to be adopted and what is to be eliminated.
It is likewise important to comprehend the views of the different schools on
the subject of selessness/emptiness. For example, when one reads Buddhist
texts which refer to inherent existence, one should realise that those texts
are based on the Vaibashika school and not based on highest philosophical
school of the Madhyamika-Prasangika - GTZ

B. The greatness enabling one to understand that the scriptures are

instruc ons for prac ce
Teachings are not intended as mere brain-information. Buddhadharma
is the medicine to transform the mind from a state of suffering to that of
happiness; it is about the eradication of delements; about transforming the
impure to the pure. Specic teachings serve as direct antidotes to specic
delements. The Buddha and realised beings like Lama Atisha and Lama
Tsongkhapa were precise in their teachings because their omniscient minds
which directly realised emptiness, enabled them to understand the detailed
96

karmic condition of the entire world and of each living being and were
therefore able to teach according to each beings disposition. If one is unable
to integrate the Buddhas teachings into our lives as antidotes to delements,
then the Sanghas work remains unfullled. Reading books alone will not
sufce because we need the blessings of the lineage practice to effectively
engage in study, do virtue and engage in purication practices. This is why
supplication to the Buddhas is vital - GTZ

C. The greatness of enabling one easily to nd the Conquerors intent

When one studies the Buddhadharma well, one is able to soften ones heart
and cultivate well. As beginners, we struggle to understand the words, let
alone the meaning. Hence, the need to rely on a Teacher the Guru. Some
may think that Dharma books are sufciently clear, so there is no need to
rely on a Teacher. If we think this way, we are mistaken. We will be able
to only acquire word-knowledge, not gain realisations. Qualied Teachers
have both scriptural knowledge and realisations. Which form of knowledge
is superior? Experiential knowledge is. Thus, by relying on the instructions
of the Guru, it will be easy to gain the wisdom and understanding of the
Buddha - GTZ

D. The greatness of enabling one to refrain automa cally from great

wrongdoing
This happens because the minute we listen to or think of one of the Buddhas
teachings, it causes us to pause and reect, allowing it to act as antidote to
our mistaken actions. Every teaching is antidote to eliminating delements;
every teaching has the method to enable us to gain realisations on the Path
from the 5 Paths to the two stages of the tantra path. By completing ones
training in these, one is able to gain enlightenment - GTZ

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V1 Chapter 3
How to Listen to and Explain the Teachings
How to listen to and explain the teachings
How to listen to a teaching in which both the teachings and its author are
great
1. Contempla ng the benets of hearing the teaching
The benets of listening include these: Through listening, the ultimate
nature of phenomena is understood, wrongdoing is overcome; that which
is meaningless is eliminated (our samsaric lives seek temporary happiness
and constantly engage in mistakes in relationships, livelihood, etc due to self
centredness);, nirvana is attained (provided we are able to put effort to listen
to small capability being teachings, one can at least gain higher rebirth; if
we spend bit more time to listen to middle capability beings path, one is
able to obtain the nirvana of the Shravaka and Pratyekabuddha; if one puts
even more effort, one can forgo residing in nirvana for ones own peace and
instead gain Enlightenment to be the sunshine to all living beings). Listening
to Dharma dispels the darkness of delusion. We often do not think of Dharma
when things are going well. We only think of it when times are bad or we are
in crisis by then it is too late. Why? One faces problems when ones past
good karma has been exhausted, where there is no more merit to offer us aid.
Therefore, one needs to cultivate merit continuously. But understand that
even to accumulate merit, one needs merit - GTZ

2. Developing reverence for the teaching and the instructor

It is stated in the Ksitigarbha Sutra that to receive blessing from teachings
requires one to have faith in the teacher. If you are unsure about a particular
teacher, you can maintain an open mind, listen attentively to the teacher and
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hope that this open mind will become faith and conviction in the teachings
and Teacher - GTZ
3. How you actually listen
- Abandoning the 3 faults of a vessel
How to show respect while listening to teachings: Even though the Teacher
asks you to sit at the same level as himself, you should seat yourself lower - at
least 1 inch lower. Be disciplined dont dget while listening. One should
not think, I am here to develop my mind, so actions of my body and speech
do not matter. Rather, have joyous enthusiasm that one has the chance to
listen to Dharma and be respectful in conduct.
How to listen to the Dharma: Avoid being like 3 types of faulty vessels when
listening to the nectar of Dharma i.e. being an upside-down vessel (which
will not hold anything); a dirty vessel (holding worldly views & negative
motivation); a leaky container (not making any effort to retain any of the
teachings).
Relying on the 6 attitudes refers to regarding oneself as a sick person
(aficted by samsara-sickness); regarding the Buddha as the doctor whose
precious advice will heal us from suffering; regard the Dharma as medicine
(urgently needed to be consumed); regarding the Sangha as virtuous friends
who support ones practice; having the enthusiasm to apply the teachings in
ones life. We have been suffering samsara-illness for a long time but if we
do not take the Dharma medicine, we will not be healed, In such a case, we
cannot fault the doctor nor the medicine.
We do not have to become a monk or nun to practice Dharma. Everyone of us
has equal potential to practice dharma and attain enlightenment. However,
just reading and listening to Dharma, will not solve our problems. We need
to integrate the teachings and transform our minds. If you see yourself or
others doing virtue, acknowledge it and rejoice. The easiest way to obtain
merit is through rejoicing at others good deeds - GTZ

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B: How to explain a teaching in which both the teachings and its author
are great
1. Contempla ng the benets of explaining the teaching
The main benet is that you are giving the path to total freedom!
GTZ
2. Developing reverence for the Teacher and the teaching
3. With what sort of thoughts an behaviour should you explain the
teaching
4. Dieren a ng between those to whom you should and should not
explain the teaching
C: How a session should be concluded in rela on to both hearing and
explaining the teaching.

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V1 Chapter 4 Relying on the Teacher

This is one of the very important subjects, namely devoting to the Guru, who
is the foundation of all good qualities. Without correct guru devotion, one
will not even be able to attain worldly happiness, let alone enlightenment.
The essence of the guru devotion practice is seeing the Teacher as Buddha,
seeing the Teacher as possessing qualities equal qualities to the Buddha.
Correct devotion is not just smiling at the guru, speaking sweetly in
front of the guru and misbehaving when the guru is not around. It is about
implementing the teachings. From the start, we should make supplication
to the 10 Direction Buddhas to grant blessings and inspiration for one
to be successful in actualising the Lam Rim, the entire graduated path to
enlightenment which begins with correct Guru Devotion - GTZ
How to lead students with the actual instruc ons
How to rely on the Teacher, the root of the Path
Even to be carpenter or a tailor, one needs to rely on a teacher. Hence,
for the spiritual path, one which we have not travelled before, one needs a
teacher. The master Geshe Potowa said, Of all the instructions, not giving
up the Teacher is the most important. Whatever happens, never give up the
instruction of guru devotion. With proper guru devotion as the foundation,
the rest of the Buddhas instructions can be effortlessly merged with ones
practice (including the complex instructions on meditations on emptiness). It
is said that the Teacher is source of all short and long term happiness this
is because it is the Teacher who helps one to cultivate virtue and eliminate
negative behaviour, thereby securing the precious human rebirth with the
opportunity to meet qualied masters and continue ones study of dharma
and improve on ones practices. At every single stage of the training on the
path, one needs to rely on the Guru. The Guru is a critical factor to ones
happiness and enlightenment - GTZ

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A detailed explana on for developing certain knowledge:

(a) The qualities of the Teacher
Whilst there are slight variations on this as between the texts of Vinaya,
Sutra and tantra here, we refer to the common view of the 10 qualities of
the Teacher, namely:
1. Being disciplined the Teacher must possess and uphold at least
individual liberation vows because in order to tame others, one needs to
be disciplined. Like a horse trainer, without oneself being well trained,
there is no way to train horses.
2. Being serene Having mindfulness, vigilance and good ethics.
3. Being pacied Possessing a mental state in which the mind remains
peacefully withdrawn, turning away from negativities and engaging in
good activities. One also needs to be trained in special insight to gain the
wisdom understanding emptiness.
4. Being learned in the Tripitaka Vinaya, Sutra and Abidhammakosha
(Buddhist metaphysics).
5. Surpassing the students knowledge
6. Having enthusiasm to teach Dharma
7. Having knowledge of the full scriptures and able to teach according to
mental disposition of students.
8. Possesses loving kindness i.e. the genuine wish to give teachings to
students to liberate them from samsara. If one provides any instruction
for only this-lifes purposes, that is non-dharma and a cause of samsara.
For a teaching to qualify as a Dharma instruction, as a minimum, it
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must be to secure a higher rebirth; a higher purpose than this would

be for the purpose of liberation and the highest purpose would be to
attain enlightenment for the sake of all living beings. It is important to
understand that there are differences between virtue, merit and dharma
action.
9. Having skills in teaching.
10. Abandoning partiality i.e. this means having equal compassion for all
beings. Note that even Theravadan teachings contain compassion. The
Mahayana teachings however refer to great compassion which involves
the added element of taking personal responsibility to lead all beings to
liberation & enlightenment.
If a person has the above 10 qualities, then he is qualied to be a teacher GTZ

(b) The quali es of the disciple

Understand that whilst the Teacher is the conditional factor to all happiness,
it is crucial for us to keep in mind that the Buddha does not clean away
negativities and suffering with water.. . There is no possibility for the
Buddha to peel away the hardships that living beings go through. Likewise,
he cannot transfer his knowledge to us. In order to receive ultimate benet
from having a Teacher and receiving teachings, it depends entirely on the
disciple applying the teachings, purifying karma, increasing merits and
putting effort into study and practice - GTZ

(c) How the disciple relies upon the Teacher

Those endowed with 3 qualities of being non-partisan, intelligent and diligent,
combined with having focus and having respect for the teachings and the
teacher, is suitable to listen to the Teachings.

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Be careful of Dharma pollution i.e. after studying Dharma, one becomes

proud and more aficted like being more impatient. One might even impute
one own faults onto the Teacher. As beginners, it is wiser to mentally merge
with the Guru in our heart but physically remain distant. Otherwise, one will
start to see faults in the teacher due to ones own wrong mental projections
and start accusing the Teacher of mistakes.
Having relied on a qualied Guru, the student should constantly remind
oneself to view the Guru as Buddha and hold the view that the ways of the
teacher are mere manifestations and not inherent habits e.g. if the Teacher
shows a wrathful aspect, think that the Teacher is teaching oneself not to be
angry; if one thinks the Teacher is manifesting desire, then his purpose is to
show the faults of desire. In order to interpret properly, one needs to learn
Dharma well and learn what is to be adopted and what is to be abandoned.
Chandrakirti advises that in ordinary circumstances, we might feel that ones
teacher is biased and partial. When such thoughts arise, we should check our
mind and realise that faulty projections are a reection of our own mind and
further, the teacher is teaching me about the faults of partiality and for me to
always have equanimity towards all.
When the Teacher praises us, we feel good; when Teacher scolds us, we
think the Teacher has faults. This kind of thinking is incorrect. Whatever
the Teacher manifests is an instruction to you. If you have partisan view,
you will not discover the truth of the teachings. After all, even in terms of
Buddha images, there are many manifestations of the Buddha. This is to
subdue the various types of obstacles in the minds of sentient beings. If we
do not understand this, we end up being critical of images which do not meet
our expectations of what Buddha images should look like. Likewise, we buy
a Dharma book and upon reading it, we nd some of the teachings difcult
to carry out. This then causes us to doubt or regret buying that book. Such
an attitude is incorrect. As long as it is the Buddhas teachings, we should

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respect it and make effort to learn it, as it is the experiential instruction of

the Buddha.
Non partisan means non-biased but still requiring the need to be able to
distinguish between good and false explanations.
Intelligence: If one does not have the qualities of the precious human
rebirth, one cannot study Dharma. If we feel somewhat lacking in wisdom,
we need to engage in virtue and pray to Manjushri, so that one will awaken
from the dark, ignorant, lazy state of mind into one which is active, vigilant
and able to comprehend the profundity of the Buddhas teachings.
Diligence This is the consistent effort needed to studying Dharma. Even
if doing so incurs great hardship, one should not be discouraged, as the fruit
of this effort is peerless happiness - GTZ

How to prac ce Guru Devo on

(i) How to rely in thought [remembering the kindness of the Guru and
seeing the Guru as Buddha]
(a) A general indica on of the a tudes needed to rely on the teacher
(b) In par cular, training in faith, the root
(c) Remembering the teachers kindness and being respec ul
(ii) How to rely in ac on/prac ce [making oerings of material things,
service and Dharma prac ce]
(d) The benets of relying on the teacher
(e) The faults of not relying on the teacher
(f) A summary of the meaning of the previous ve parts

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V1 Chapter 5 The Medita on Session

A brief indica on of how to sustain the medita on - the actual way of
sustaining the medita on

1. What to do during the actual medita on session

(a) Prepara on
(b) Actual session
(i) How to sustain the medita on in general
(ii) How to sustain the medita on specically
(c)What to do at the conclusion
2. What to do in between medita on sessions
3. (a) Restraining the sensory facul es
(b) Ac ng with vigilance
(i) The founda ons upon which you act
(ii) Ac ng vigilantly with respect to the founda ons
(c) Appropriate diet
(d) How to prac ce diligently without sleeping at the wrong me and
how to act properly at the me of sleep

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V1 Chapter 6 Refu ng Misconcep on about Medita on

Refu ng Misconcep ons About Medita on

V1 Chapter 7 - The Human Life of Leisure and Opportunity

(the precious human rebirth)
The stages of how the students train their minds a er they have relied on
the teacher
Gaining another precious human rebirth is not assured. As ones lifespan is
uncertain and time short, the need to properly rely on the Guru and practice
Dharma is urgent. The role of the Guru is to guide the disciple to discover and
enhance the disciples spiritual cultivation in order to optimize the disciples
precious human rebirth - GTZ

1. A call to take full advantage of a life of leisure (8 freedoms) and

opportunity (10 endowments):
What is meant by taking full advantage of the precious human rebirth (PHR)
is for one to recognize that ones contaminated aggregates and samsara is
suffering, renounce it totally and strive for liberation from samsara. If one only
practices for the purpose of obtaining good health, long life and happiness
in this-life, that is not Dharma because even animals do that. Look at ants
they struggle for 24 hours a day, working to gather conditions for thislifes happiness because even animals understand the suffering of suffering
and the suffering of change. However, the PHR is more than an animals
life. By recognising contaminated rebirth, humans can use their PHR to be
free not only from the suffering of suffering and the suffering of change but
also pervasive suffering. Freedom from the rst two types of sufferings is not
liberation/nirvana. Liberation/nirvana is freedom from pervasive suffering
and thereby also from the rst two types of suffering. - GTZ
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a. The iden ca on of leisure and opportunity:

1. Leisure (8 freedoms) which include free from being born in the hell,
hungry ghost and animal realms, free from being born as a long-life god,
born with defec ve facul es, born in a place without Dharma, born in a
place where a Buddha has not descended and having wrong views
2. Opportunity (10 endowments)
(a) The ve aspects of opportunity that pertain to yourself
(b) The ve aspects of opportunity that pertain to others
The 5 endowments in relation to self are being born human, being born in a
place where Dharma is accessible, having complete sensory faculties, having
not committed the 5 heinous actions and having faith in the Dharma. The 5
endowments one has in relation to others are being born at a time where a
Buddha has descended, at a time where the Dharma is being taught, at a time
where the Dharma remains, in a place where there are Dharma practitioners
and there are Dharma benefactors. So, one would not have the precious
human rebirth if one is deaf or if one is insane or mentally unstable and the
like. One way to waste this precious human rebirth is to work only for thislife concerns, which are mere samsaric concerns - GTZ
b. Contempla ng the great importance of leisure and opportunity
c. Contempla ng the diculty of a aining leisure and opportunity
We have been born in the lower realms unlimited times. Now that we have the
PHR, we need to take advantage of it because it is difcult to gain another
PHR in the future. To achieve it, one needs to live an ethical life, one of
avoiding the 10 non-virtues - GTZ

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Shan devas quote from the Bodhicaryavatara:

With behaviour such as mine
I will not attain a human body again
If I do not attain it
I will commit sin and never be virtuous
If even a single moments wrongdoing
Causes you to abide in the Unrelenting Hell for an aeon
It goes without saying that you will not enter a happy realm
Due to sins heaped up since beginningless time
If one takes rebirth in the lower the realms, the more likely one will accumulate
negative karma, making the gaining of the PHR even more remote. If one
does not cultivate virtue right now, one will incur a lower rebirth where there
will be no opportunity to work towards gaining another PHR.
One might think that by having problems now, all negative karma is puried
and hence, there is no need to cultivate virtue/positive karma. Yes, some
negative karma is exhausted by experiencing hardship but unless one is a
strong practitioner with good control over ones mind, the experience of
suffering itself will cause one to be miserable and have a negative mind,
which will obviously generate more negative karma. Similarly, experiencing
sufferings in the lower realms will generate more negative karma and thus,
getting out of the terrible realms becomes almost impossible. Therefore,
unless we purify the root delusions (ignorance, anger, attachment etc) which
gave rise to the negative action in the rst place, we will continue to commit
negative karma GTZ

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V1 Chapter 8 - The Three Types of Persons

The three types of persons refer to the beings of the 3 scopes or the 3 types
of capability beings
Those of the Small Scope/Small capability beings (who aspire for a higher
rebirth such as a human, demi-god or god-realm rebirth)
Those of the Middle Scope/Medium capability beings (who aspire to be
Shravakas (Hearers) or Pratyekabuddhas (Solitary Realisers)
Those of the Highest Scope capability beings (who aspire to attain
Enlightenment for the sake of all living beings).
All scopes are Buddhas instructions and should be respected as such. Some
of you have heard of the 3 Principal Aspects of the Path (3PAP). It is useful
to note that all 3 scopes involve teachings on the 3PAP. It is not only a
Mahayana teaching. However the goals of each of the 3 scopes differ:
The Small Scope teachings focus on renouncing this-lifes aims; the method
is abiding by refuge and karma; the wisdom is to eradicate thinking of only
this life/temporary happiness. The goal is higher rebirth.
The Middle Scope teachings focus on how to stop negative actions and
renouncing this life and future lives i.e. renouncing samsara totally. The
method is refuge, karma and preserving individual liberation vows; the
wisdom is the wisdom of selessness of person. The goal is liberation/
nirvana.
The Highest Scope teachings (the Mahayana) consist of Sutra teachings
(the causal vehicle) and Tantra teachings (the resultant vehicle/the mantra
vehicle/Vajrayana). The method is the total renunication of samsara, the
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cultivation of bodhicitta and gaining the wisdom realizing emptiness. The

goal is full enlightenment.
The rst two scopes can thus be regarded as the preliminary teachings of the
Mahayana/Highest Scope - GTZ
How to take full advantage of a life of leisure and opportunity - How to
develop knowledge of a general presenta on of the path:
1. How all the scriptures are included within the paths of the 3 types of
persons
2. Why students are led in stages using the trainings of the 3 types of
persons:

(a) The purpose of leading students by means of the paths of the

3 types of persons
(b) Why one guides students through such stages
(i) The actual reason
(ii) The purpose

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V1 Chapter 9 - Mindfulness of Death

The actual way to take full advantage of a life of leisure and opportunity

Reecting on death and impermanence is very important because human

beings are very stubborn. The Buddha rst taught us about the precious
human rebirth for us to know our potential and then he taught death &
impermanence in order for us to take full advantage of such a rebirth and not
waste it away - GTZ

Training the mind in the stages of the path shared with small capability
beings - the actual training of the small capability being. Developing a state
of mind that strives diligently for the sake of future lives through
Mindfulness of death, reec ng that you will not remain long in this world

The faults of not remembering death
The benets of remembering death
The type of mindfulness of death that one should develop
How to cul vate mindfulness of death
Death is certain death cannot be avoided, life cannot be extended
and constantly diminishes, li le me for Dharma prac ce
Time of death is uncertain life span is uncertain, cause of death are
many and causes of life are few, ones body is fragile
At the me of death, nothing helps except Dharma friends, resources/
possessions and body cannot help

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The problem with us is that we see that which is contaminated as pure; we

indulge in our senses thinking all of it is happiness when it is actually suffering;
we think that what we encounter is lasting but is actually impermanent.
Instead, one should always think I will denitely depart from this life where
I will have to leave everything behind. Due to not thinking about death, we
boldly commit negative karma for the sake of this-life, samsaric aims.
There are many benets to cultivating mindfulness of death e.g. we are able
to eliminate attachment, ignorance, pride, negative actions. If we do not
eliminate these, we cannot gain freedom and lasting happiness.
Death is certain all living beings, even the great ones, have left their
bodies, why not us? Our lives cannot be extended and is constantly being
diminished. The longest lifespan is little more than 100 years, yet half our
lives are spent sleeping, the other half spent securing livelihood and family,
then the suffering of old age comes quickly with ailments like anxiety, sorrow,
Alzheimers, mental instability. Unless we have a strong imprint of Dharma
in our lives, there is no opportunity to practice Dharma. Thus we must use
the little time we have to learn and practice Dharma.
Time of death is uncertain - We never think I will die today. We
continuously focus on this life and prepare to remain in this life, rather than
prepare for the next life which is certain to come. Some people are seen
in the morning and are no longer alive in the evening; some children die
before parents. Causes for prolonging life are few (even too much vitamins
can bring harm) and those that end life are many. Life is fragile like a water
bubble. Relying on doctors to prolong our lives is a fantasy used to distract
ourselves from thinking about the reality of death.
At time of death, nothing helps except Dharma - We have spent our entire
lives taking care of our bodies and yet it will cease. Family & friends and
possessions cannot help us avert death. Inviting numerous Sangha to recite
prayers or placing relics in ones mouth at ones deathbed may present

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positive conditions for higher rebirth but cannot guarantee a higher rebirth.
It all depends on the deceased persons karma at the time of death. Except
for virtue or non-virtue, nothing else will follow you. Know this well and act
accordingly - GTZ

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V1 Chapter 10 - Reec ng on Your Future Life

(A con nua on of Training the mind in the path of the small capability
being)
Contempla ng what will occur in your future life
1. Contempla ng the suering of hell beings those of the great hells, of
the adjoining hells, the cold hells and the occasional hells
2. Contempla ng the suering of animals
3. Contempla ng the suering of hungry ghosts those with external and
internal obstacles in rela on to food/drink, and obstacles within food and
drink
We have committed numberless negativities which are causes for lower
realm rebirths. Without a thorough contemplation on the sufferings of the
lower realms, there will be no concern for it and no determination to be
free. Hence, there is value to meditating on the lower realm sufferings to
encourage oneself to practice Dharma - GTZ

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V1 Chapter 11 - Going for Refuge to the Three Jewels

(A con nua on of Training the mind in the path of the small capability
being)
Relying on the means for achieving happiness in the next life - Going for
refuge
1. Know the causes for refuge fear of the lower realms and faith that the
Three Jewels can save oneself from the lower realms.
2. Know the objects of refuge Buddha, Dharma, Sangha
3. Know the manner of going for refuge.
(a) Going for refuge through knowing the good quali es of:
the Buddhas body, speech and mind (knowledge and bodhici a)
the Dharma
the Sangha
The good qualities of the Buddhas body refers to his major and minor marks
which inspire perfection; qualities of the Buddhas speech refers to the
Dharma which contains the antidotes to eliminate all suffering; qualities of
the Buddhas mind sees reality/emptiness directly, is omniscient and knows
what is required to overcome the sufferings of all living beings.
The good qualities of the Dharma: Dharma is the actual refuge which
eradicates all delusions and suffering through teachings on renunciation,
bodhicitta and the selessness of person and phenomena.
The good qualities of the Sangha: The Sangha Refuge refers to Arya beings
i.e. those who have realized emptiness directly and not merely having good
knowledge of emptiness. They are the Community who live in vows and
inspire others to live the Path of liberation and enlightenment. They assist us
in our refuge practices and those which lead up to enlightenment - GTZ
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(b) Going for refuge by knowing the dis nc ons based on dening
characteris cs, enlightened ac vi es, devo on, prac ce, recollec on
and how they increase merit
(c) Going for refuge through commitment
(d) Going for refuge through not seeking other refuges
Other refuges refers to things like worldly gods, nagas, trees, sun, moon.
These have no power to lead us to libera on and enlightenment - GTZ

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V1 Chapter 12 - Precepts of Refuge

(A con nua on from Going for Refuge to the Three Jewels)
Having taken refuge, the precepts of refuge are to be followed there
are those from the wri en tradi on of teachings (Compendium of
Determina ons) and oral tradi on of teachings.
a. The precepts as per the Compendium 2 sets - rely on excellent
persons, listen to the sublime teachings, focus your a en on properly on
them, cul vate a prac ce that conforms with the teachings, do not excite
your sensory facul es, take up precepts correctly, be compassionate
toward all living beings, strive to make oerings to the here Jewels.
Excellent persons refer to virtuous friends/Teachers/Sangha who uphold
ethics and moral conduct - GTZ.
b. The precepts as per the oral tradi on
(i) the special precepts the proscrip ve precepts and the prescrip ve
precepts;
Having taken refuge in Buddha, one should not take refuge in worldly gods;
having taken refuge in the Dharma, one cannot have a harmful attitude
towards any living being; having taken refuge in Sangha, one should not
associate with those who discourage one from practising Dharma - GTZ
(ii) the general precepts
o Recall good quali es of the Three Jewels and repeated take refuge
o Recall the kindness of the Three Jewels constantly and oer the rst
por on of food and drink to them
o Establish other living beings in this prac ce by considering them with
compassion
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o Whatever ac vity, make oerings and supplica ons to the Three Jewels
and abandon worldly methods
o Having understood the benets of taking refuge, go for refuge 3x in
the day and 3x at night - obtain vast merit, joy, concentra on, purity,
protec on, reduce and remove all obscura ons, counted amongst
excellent persons, receive delight/approval of teachers and virtuous
friends, included among Buddhists, worthy to uphold vows, will not
fall into lower realms, not hindered by humans and non-humans,
accomplish all things wished for and quickly achieve Buddhahood
o Maintain your refuge and not forsake the Three Jewels even in jest or
at the cost of your life

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V1 Chapter 13 - The General Characteris cs of Karma

Developing the faith/convic on that (following the law of) karma is the
basis of all temporary happiness and denite goodness
Reec ng on karma and its eects in general - The actual way to reect
i. The certainty of karma
ii. The magnica on of karma (it increases)
iii. Not experiencing the eects of ac ons that one did not do
iv. The ac ons/karma one has done will not perish
The certainty of karma means negative actions produce suffering results and
virtuous actions produces positive results. The magnication of karma means
small karmic causes multiply into great results. For example, if one kills one
mosquito and fail to purify that act, then after something like 17 days, the
seriousness is equal to killing a human being. Likewise, small virtues also
multiply. There is no need to wait till you are a millionaire to do charity. A
small ower offering to the Buddha will bring huge results. Whatever one
experiences, one has accumulated the karmic cause for it. Karma committed
will not perish on its own. Thus if one wishes to remove negative karmic seeds
which will bring sufferings, one needs to engage in purication practices
such as the 4 Opponent Powers practice - GTZ

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V1 Chapter 14 The Varie es of Karma

Reec ng on the dis nc ons among the varie es of karma - The principal
teaching of the 10 paths of ac ons and the eects of those ac ons
1. Non virtuous ac ons and their eects
The 10 paths of actions can be in relation to virtue or non-virtue. The 10
non-virtuous actions we must guard against are 3 performed by ones body killing, stealing, sexual misconduct
4 performed by ones speech lying, harsh speech, divisive speech, idle
speech
3 performed by mind covetousness, ill-will and wrong view - GTZ
(i) Actual paths of non-virtuous ac ons
(ii) Dis nc ons of weight
Actions/karma vary in their weight or seriousness and this is determined by
factors such as ones attitude when doing the act e.g. if an extreme delusion
like anger is present in ones mind while killing an animal, the result will
be extreme suffering; whether the 4 factors (of intention, object, action and
completion) are present in relation to the act; whether the act was done in
relation to the 5 potent karmic objects. The weight aspect applies to both
negative or positive actions - GTZ

(a) The weights of the 10 paths of non virtuous ac ons

(b) A brief discussion of the criteria for powerful ac ons/karma strength in
terms of recipient, support, objects, a tude,
(c) The types of karmic eects frui onal/ripened eects, eects similar to
the cause, environmental eects

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2. Virtuous ac ons and their eects

(i) Virtuous ac ons
(ii) Eects of virtuous ac ons
3. A presenta on of other classes of karma the projec ng and comple ng
karma; karma whose result will denitely or only possibly experience
Reec ng on karma and its eects in detail the a ributers of the frui ons/
results, the eects of the frui ons/results and causes of the frui ons/
results

If the karmic action was not complete (i.e. with the four factors present) and
has not ripened into the result, applying the antidote/engaging in purication
will help and one might not have to experience the full karmic result; however
if the karma was completed and has ripened, then one cannot escape full
karmic consequence of ones actions. Thus the importance of purication
practices - GTZ

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V1 Chapter 15 - Cul va ng Ethical Behaviour

How you engage in virtue and turn away from non-virtue a er you have
reected on karma and its eects in general and in detail
a. A general explana on
b. In par cular, a way of purica on through the 4 powers
o The power of eradica on/ the power of regret
o The power of applying remedies
o The power of turning away from faults/the resolve to refrain from the
non virtue
o The power of the founda on/the power of going for refuge

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V1 Chapter 16 - The A tude of a Small Capability-Being

(Up ll now, the discussion has been on training the mind in the path
shared with persons of small capacity)
The A tude of a Small Capability-Being
(b) The measure of the a tude of the small capability being
(c) Clearing up misconcep ons concerning the a tude of a person of small
capacity.
The main practice of the small capability being is Refuge and abiding by the
related teachings on karma, guru devotion and renunciation of this lifes
samsaric existence and aspires for higher rebirth - GTZ

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V1 Chapter 17 - The Eight types of Suering

Training the mind in the stages of the path shared with the middle-
capability being
The main practice of the middle capability beings relates to the 3 higher
trainings of morality, concentration & wisdom, in order to attain liberation
for oneself from samsara entirely i.e. renouncing both lower and higher
rebirths. Liberation means freedom from the bondage of karma and delusion
which bind us to samsara and samsaric birth and rebirth. To break free,
one needs to know about suffering and the causes of suffering and how to
eliminate them.
We now know the sufferings of the lower realms. However, the happiness
of the higher realms should also be abandoned because they have specic
sufferings too. We have repeatedly taken rebirth in various realms due to
ignorance, desirous attachment and anger, creating the causes for being
born up and down the realms. Thus we should not to be attached to samsara
and seek total liberation from it.
A middle capability being is called that because he seeks freedom from
samsara but he is a practitioner who has not actualized the great courage to
liberate sentient beings too (like the great capability beings of the Mahayana).
However, the middle capability being is more courageous than the small
capability being who does not even have the determination to gain freedom
from samsara entirely but who only renounces this lifes samsaric existence
and aspires for better future lives.
Aryadeva advised that as long as we appreciate samsara, we will never be
able to gain true renunciation. If we feel, I want to live tomorrow and
enjoy my world tour; I want to live long to get myself a big house and more
facilities; or I aspire only for my childrens education. liberation cannot
be attained - GTZ.
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Mental training
i. Iden fying the mind intent on libera on
ii. The method for developing the mind intent on libera on - Reec on
on suering and its origin the faults of cyclic existence/samsara:
a. Showing the signicance of the Buddhas asser ng the truth of
suering as the rst of the four noble truths
b. The actual medita on on suering - reec on on the general
suerings of cyclic existence and the reec on on the specic
suerings of cyclic existence

Reec on on the general suerings of cyclic existence - the 8 types of

suering of birth, old age, illness, death, encountering what is unpleasant,
separa on from the pleasant, not ge ng what one wants and suering of
the 5 contaminated aggregates.
In the Descent into the Womb Sutra the Buddha taught that even when
in the womb, a baby suers in terms of that environment, the smell, the
limited space etc. From concep on, all subtle 5 senses/aggregates arise and
suerings in rela on to them are experienced right from that moment. To
gain the realisa on of renouncing higher rebirth, reect on these 8 types of
suering.
Once you realise you are suering, you must nd the causes and the an dotes
to them. The root cause is ignorance - the belief that one is inherently-
existent or created by an external god-being - as these give rise to a sense of
an independently exis ng I, to self-grasping. Once you see the fault of self
grasping, once you adopt the prac ce of the 3 higher trainings to overcome
this, you will realise that cessa on of suering is possible. Without applying
the teachings of the Four Noble Truths, ones prac ce will be very shallow - GTZ

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V1 Chapter 18 The 6 Types of Suering

(A con nua on on the general suerings of cyclic existence the 8 types,
the 6 types and the 3 types)
Reec on on the 6 types of suering the fault of uncertainty, insa ability,
cas ng of bodies repeatedly, repeated rebirth, repeatedly descending from
high to low, of having no companions
Lama Tsongkhapa here refers to Mahamatis text The Friendly Letter
which cautions us not to have a partial attitude (which arises due to the
self grasping mind) towards other living beings i.e. categorising people into
friend, enemy and stranger. In order to actualise the middle capabilitybeings goal i.e. liberation/nirvana, one has to discard the self-grasping
mind. - GTZ

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V1 Chapter 19 Further Medita ons on Suering

(c) The 3 types of suering the suering of suering, the suering of
change and pervasive suering
The sequence of the 3 types of suering depends on which scope of teachings
is being studied. In the small scope teachings, we start with the suering of
suering. When studying the middle scope teachings, one begins with the
suering of change i.e. to see how change itself is a form of suering whilst
we are experiencing pleasure in samsara.
Suering of condi onality (pervasive suering) relates to suering at a
deeper and more subtle level. As long as delements, aic ve emo ons and
karma operate, they give rise to pain, which leads to more nega ve karma
being commi ed and certainty in rebith in the 6 realms. When one is able to
renounce all 3 suerings, one a ains the renuncia on of middle capability
being - GTZ
(The above concludes Reec on on the general suerings of cyclic
existence).
Reec on on specic suerings -
The suerings of humans,
The suerings of demi-gods
The suering of the devas/god-realm beings of :
(i) the Desire Realm and the suerings of dying and falling into the lower
realms
the suering of anxiety
the suerings of being cut, gashed, killed and banished
(ii) the Form and Formless Realms
The suffering of the higher realms human, demigod and god realm - differs
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in intensity. It is not necessary for one to physically go to another realm.

Depending on the intensity of ones karma, one can experience the various
realms in this human rebirth itself. We might think that the god realm is
great and something to aspire to. It is not. God realm beings also suffer by
dying when their karma to be god-beings gets exhausted and they fall to the
lower realms. Predominant neutral karma mixed with some merits will cause
rebirth in god realm but this karma will nish, at which point, they go into the
intermediate state for a moment and gain rebirth into the lower realms.
Then we might think the Purelands are god realms. They are not. A Pureland
is a place where conditions are conducive for the study of Dharma but
unless one actualizes great merit continuously, when the karma to remain
in the Pureland nishes, one is reborn back into samsara. The moment we
have a headache, we should understand karma and think I must renounce
samsara. This way, we use suffering on the Path. Plain fear involves a
negative mind and an accumulation of negativities. When we refer to fear
in Dharma e.g. fear of the lower realms, it should be based on reasoning e.g.
on understanding how karma operates etc.
Form and Formless realm beings
The fundamental karma of such beings is neutral karma mixed with some
virtue. At the point of death, they raised prayers to be born in the god realms
and this inuences ones rebirth there. Though they escape gross suffering,
they minds remain affected by afictions and obscuration. Due to not being
free from these, they cannot accumulate new virtue to sustain past virtues
which are constantly being depleted and rebirth in the lower realms is
inevitable GTZ

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V1 Chapter 20 - The Origin of Suering

Reec on on the process of cyclic existence in terms of its origin
How aic ons arise
Delusions/afictions are the root cause of all sufferings. A seed without moisture,
soil and supporting conditions will not sprout. Likewise, delusions gave rise to
negative causes being created in the past and present negative actions nourished
those poisoned seeds, which has ripened into the fruits of our present problems
and suffering. To make things worse, the suffering itself triggers a negative state
of mind and thus creates fresh causes for more suffering.
In Dharmakirtis Compendium of Valid Cognition, he advises that although
at the time of death, one may have generated much virtue in the past, if ones
mind at that time is strongly affected by negative emotion, it can lead to ones
lower rebirth; (whereas) if at death, the mind is virtuous, that will be very
fortunate and can throw one to a higher rebirth. Through ignorance, we are
not aware of our aficted minds and are totally dominated by them - GTZ
1. Iden fying the aic ons
2. The order in which the aic ons arise
3. The causes of the aic ons
4. The faults of the aic ons
In identifying the afictions, sage Asanga in the Compendium of Knowledge denes
delusions/afictions as that which upon arising, disturbs ones mind stream, which
is fundamentally clear. The delusions (of ignorance, attachment, anger, pride,
doubt and wrong view) towards karma, refuge, inherent existence etc, distract
ones subtle clear mind and brings about the mind that commits negative karma.
As for the order in which the afictions arise Dharmakirti states when
there is a self (self-grasping I ), there is the concept of others; from that
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comes attachment and anger and consequently all forms of negativities.

Therefore, once we eliminate self cherishing, self grasping will be eliminated.
It is of greater benet to eliminate self cherishing. Self cherishing is grasping
at ones own interests over that of others; self grasping is the sense of a
independent self (achieved through liberation).
The causes of the afictions there are 6 causes latent tendency for delusions
to arise, appearance of objects which give rise to delusions, inuence of
negative companions, listening to wrong teachings, being familiar with past
delusions and having the 4 erroneous conceptions (by thinking that things
are permanent, pure, happy and self- existent)
The faults of delusions in the Ornament of Mahayana Sutra it is stated that
delusions are destructive - they destroy self, other beings, ones discipline
and will secure one a rebirth without the 8 freedoms and 10 endowments.
Delusions are the effects of previous suffering and the cause for future
sufferings - GTZ

How you thereby accumulate karma

1. Iden fying the karma that you accumulate
(a) Karma that is inten on
(b) Karma that is the intended ac on
2. How you accumulate karma
(a) Accumula ng karma for pleasant feelings
(i) Accumula ng karma for the pleasure that comes from enjoying
desirable objects sights, sounds and the like
(ii) Accumula ng karma for gaining bliss in medita ve concentra on,
a er your rejected a achment to sensual pleasures
(b) Accumula ng karma for neutral feelings

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Vasubandhu explained that intended action is the physical and verbal action
motivated by intention. Karma is both the intention and the action. Virtuous
karma can be contaminated if it is done through delusions e.g. ignorance,
attachment etc and will be the cause for samsara. Uncontaminated karma
refers to action which carries the subtle imprint of delusion, which will not
create the cause for samsara but will remain an obscuration to omniscience.
The Arya beings attaining arhatship have puried contaminated karma but
not uncontaminated karma. Only Buddha has puried both types of karma.
For those who enter directly into the Bodhisattva path, contaminated karma
will be eliminated at the 3rd level of the Path of Preparation (there are 4
levels in this Path) but the subtle seed is still there. There is still the danger
of being born into samsara. This seed will be completely puried at the 8th
Bhumi/Ground. The application of the antidote that will eliminate the object
of negation (i.e. the inherently existing I and inherently existing phenomena),
is the wisdom realizing emptiness. Total cessation is obtained at the 10th
Bhumi.
Vasubandhu said When you have seen the truth (i.e. when you realise
emptiness directly) you will not be impelled to rebirth.. This means that
when you have seen the truth, you will not commit new karma for samsaric
purposes (although you will still need to purify previously accumulated
karma) - GTZ

How you die and are reborn

1. Causes of death
2. The mind at death
(a) Dying with a virtuous mind
(b) Dying with a non-virtuous mind
(c) Dying with an ethically neutral mind
3. Where heat gathers
4. How you reach the intermediate state a er death
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5. How you take rebirth

Timely death is the arrival at the result of ones previous karma. However,
ones actions can give rise to untimely death. Untimely death is due to
present circumstances, e.g. being reckless giving rise to an accident which
causes death; carelessly not taking medicine thereby shortening ones life
due to present circumstances. This itself is heavy negative karma as it creates
the cause to shorten ones own life.
Sexual intercourse causes loss of life force and affects the indestructible
drop. Thus the need to uphold vows well. For tantric meditative practice,
the essence from ones body similarly cannot be released, as it too will affect
winds within the body.
At time of death it is important to avoid a negative mind, as well as a neutral
mind. When people are in a coma, it is a pitiful condition as it would be difcult
to help oneself. All external help forms only 10% of conducive conditions.
When someone dies, it is advisable to place holy objects on the deceased
persons crown; instead of crying, chant prayers. Until the discharge of
bodily uids are observed, consciousness has not left the body. If the body
heat dissipates from the crown to heart, this is a sign of higher rebirth; if
from the feet, then it is likely a lower rebirth. If heat is still at the centre of
the chest, consciousness is still within the body. Powa practice (transference
of consciousness) only benets the deceased person if his consciousness has
left the body.
After the consciousness leaves the body, it enters into the intermediate state.
Prayers from time of death up to 49 days, is helpful to this intermediate-state
being (bardo being). The bardo will eventually encounter the karmically
afniated father and mother. The bardo being will see the future father and
mother in union. If the bardo being is going to be female, it will be attracted
to fathers secret part and that consciousness will go through mouth of father,
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dissolve into the sperm which then meets the mothers egg . At that point, the
bardo beings consciousness appears (in this fused mass of seminal uid and
egg) in the form of the indestructible drop, which resides at the heart of the
baby into adulthood GTZ

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V1 Chapter 21 - The Twelve Links of Dependent Arising

The Twelve Links of Dependent Arising
Reec on from the viewpoint of the twelve dependent arisings
1. The division into twelve factors
2. Abbreviated classica on of the factors
3. The number of life mes required to complete all twelve factors
4. How their signicance is summarized
In Vasubandhus Treasury of Knowledge, it is stated that ignorance is the
root of all faults. In diagrams depicting the 12 dependent arisings (or the
12 links of interdependent origination), ignorance is represented by a blind
man, who does not have the means to perceive the reality of existence; unable
to discriminate between what is to be adopted and what is to be abandoned;
not having the understanding of right view these are some of examples of
ignorance.
There are two kinds of ignorance (a) Confusion regarding karma (how
negativities results in lower realm rebirths) and (b) confusion regarding
reality/emptiness In short, to be free from rebirth in lower realms as well as
higher realms, one must realise emptiness/the true nature of reality.
The 12 links are:
1. Ignorance
2. Compositional activities potter moulding a pot - Karma and imprints.
3. Consciousness illustrated by a monkey 6 types of consciousness.
Primary and
secondary consciousness.
4. Name and form drawing of a boat
5. The six sources - drawing of a house
6. Contact drawing of man and woman
7. Feeling
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8. Craving
9. Grasping
10. Potential existence
11. Birth aging
12. Death
These are then grouped into 4 sets of factors which explain how samsaric
rebirth comes about :
Projecting factors = 1. ignorance and 2. compositional factors and 3.
consciousness
Projected factors = 4. Name and form; 5. Six sources 6. Contact 7.
Feeling
Actualising (completing) factors = 8. Craving 9. Grasping and 10.
Becoming
Actualised factors = 11. Birth and aging; 12. death
Initial karma is created through the projecting factors and moves towards
completion via the actualising factors. Interruption to the potency/completion
of the 12 links can occur during the actualising factors. For example the
karma of killing: The projecting factors of ignorance, past imprints in ones
consciousness prepares the basis for the result of a hell rebirth. However,
at time of death, there needs to be the actualising factors of (craving and
grasping to anger) in order to connect the projecting factors to bring about
projected factor of a hell rebirth.
The number of lifetimes require for the 12 links to be completed? Even
between the stage of projecting factors and projected factors could involve
aeons . The cycle of the 12 links could thus take a long time to manifest, if the
12 links are interrupted; or it could happen quickly. The shortest period is 2
lifetimes; the longest is aeons. The reference to two lifetimes is because when
we accumulate virtue in this life, the result (from that particular virtuous
action) will only be seen in next life. The actualising factors reinforce past
virtuous karmic seeds and complete them in the form of the experience in

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next life.
Nagarjuna describes the 12 links as From the 3 (links 1,8, 9), arise 2 (link 2
and 10); from the 2 arise 7 (links 3,4,5,6,7,11,12) and from the 7 arise 3; the
wheel of existence repeatedly turns. We need to understand the **16 aspects
of the 4 Noble Truths to fully comprehend the 12 links - GTZ
**Refer to
the Commentary on Verse 7 of the Foundation of All Good Qualities in this
book for the 16 Aspects.

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V1 Chapter 22 - The A tude of the

Middle Capability Being
The measure of the determina on to be free (from cyclic existence)
Dispelling misconcep ons
How does one measure the resolve to be free from samsara? It is not enough to
learn about 12 links. One needs to engage in the path of liberation to eliminate
ignorance. This is achieved by adopting a practice which is the reversal of
the 12 links, as well as the 3 higher trainings (of morality, concentration and
wisdom). Even though this is the key practice of the Hinayana, Mahayana
practitioners should also practice this (but without aiming for mere self
liberation but rather the liberation of all beings). Pabongka Dechin Nyingpo
explained that because the Bodhisattva practitioners care for others, they
do not choose to remain in nirvana but instead, aspire to return to samsara
to help beings (whilst being fully aware of the faults of samsara). Hinayana
practitioners on the other hand, reect on samsara, the 12 links and aspire
to attain liberation from samsara and remain there - GTZ

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V1 Chapter 23 - Ascertaining the nature of the path

leading to libera on
i) The kind of life through which you halt cyclic existence
ii) The kind of path you cul vate to halt cyclic existence
a. The certainty of the explana on of the three trainings:
1. The stages of disciplining the mind
2. Their results
3. The objects that they eliminate
b. The determina on of the order of the three trainings
In order to attain liberation, one needs to eliminate the two causes of samsara
karma and delusion and the method is the 3 higher trainings (morality,
concentration and wisdom).
Through training in morality, one gains the precious human rebirth and
weakens the potential to commit more negativities; through concentration
one gains the clarity of mind and gradual eradication of delusions; through
wisdom, delusions are fully eliminated and liberation is attained. Hence,
wisdom comes from concentration, which in turn comes from morality GTZ

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V1 Chapter 24 - The Nature of the Three Trainings

Morality or ethical discipline has 6 branches which include holding vows,
avoiding the smallest misdeed, correctly undertaking pure discipline. There
are 4 causes to break a vow/ethical discipline: Not knowing the vow, careless
in upholding it (one needs mindfulness and introspection), disrespect (one
must know the advantage of keeping vows) and delusions.
Concentration refers to the 4 meditative stabilizations.
Wisdom here refers to training in the knowledge of the 16 aspects of the 4
Noble Truths.
With conviction in having understood the rst 2 Noble Truths (of Suffering
and of its Causes), one should then uphold vows and abide by the Buddhas
advice (the Path/the 4th Noble Truth) and in so doing , the 3rd Noble Truth
of Cessation can be realized - GTZ

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V2 Chapter 1 The Stages of the Path for Persons

of Great Capacity
Training the mind in the stages of the path for person of great capability/
capacity
Showing that developing the spirit of enlightenment (bodhici a) is the
only entrance to the Mahayana
The doorway to the path of the higher capability being is the renunciation of
samsaric existence not only for oneself but for every living being.
The 3 principle aspects of the Path of the higher capability being are
renunciation, bodhicitta and realization of the selessness of person and
of phenomena. These come with the practice of the 6 Perfections and the
Bodhisattva vows. In the Mahayana path there are 2 aspects - (a) the causal
yana and (b) the resultant yana (tantra path) both of these are based on
those 3 principles and vows.
In order to succeed in study of Lam Rim, we rst pay homage to the
compassionate Buddhas & Bodhisattvas. Having seen the faults of cyclic
existence, one realises it is a pit of re. However, if one only seeks to attain
happiness for oneself, then one would be no better than an animal who
wishes the same. Mahayana seeks happiness for self and others. All the
past great beings like the Buddha and the 8 Great Bodhisattvas have trained
in the Mahayana path. It is explained that for those who have attained and
remain in nirvana (the Arhats) will nd that the Buddhas will at some stage,
awaken them from their meditative concentration and steer them to enter the
bodhisattva path i.e. the Mahayana path. Since the ultimate purpose of 84,000
teachings of the Buddha are for one to attain enlightenment which requires
bodhicitta, why not enter the Bodhisattva path from the beginning?
Bodhicitta is the entrance to Mahayana and here one learns how to develop
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it and how to engage in the Bodhisattva deeds later.

Having knowledge of emptiness does not make a person a Mahayanic
practitioner. One needs to have bodhicitta. If you degenerate in your
cultivation of the Mahayana path, it will not be due to the decline of wisdom
but rather the decline of bodhictta. If a person gives up bodhicitta whilst on
the Path, one will fall into the Hinayana path.
When does one become a Bodhisattva? The day one develops the heart
and unshakeable resolve to enlighten every single living being. If at this
point, one has not realised emptiness directly, one then becomes an ordinary
Bodhisattva; however if at the point of generating such a resolve, one has
already attained the realisation of emptiness, one then becomes an Arya
Bodhisattva.
Bodhicitta is like the father (method) and the wisdom realising emptiness/
selessness is like the mother. A union of both gives birth to Buddhahood.
Does it mean that for those who follow the Shravaka and Pratyekabuddha
paths have no chance to enter the Bodhisattva path? Not so. For such
practitioners, the Buddha will awaken them. Likewise, as Arhats have the
wisdom realising emptiness of self but not of phenomena and have not yet fully
developed bodhicitta, they have attained liberation but not enlightenment.
As a mother and father are needed to have a child, for a practitioner to give
rise to Buddhahood, the practitioner needs to accomplish both method and
wisdom. Only this will secure enlightenment. Use calm abiding concentration
to analyse the faults of the 2 extremes (nihilism and true existence) and
pursue this meditative analysis even at the stage where one is approaching
the actual realisation into wisdom realising emptiness.
Maitreya stated that the wisdom (realizing selessness) prevents the
practitioner from falling into samsara but he requires compassion to prevent

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himself from falling into the extreme of peace (nirvana). Lama Atishas
emptiness view was that of the highest philosophical school (Prasangika)
and his guru Lama Serlingpa held the lower Cittramatra view, yet, Lama
Atishas enlightenment was mostly inuenced by Lama Serlingpa through his
instructions on bodhicitta.
With bodhicitta, even giving a small amount of food becomes a Bodhisattva
act. Without bodhicitta, offering the universe, is not Bodhisattva deed.
Engaging in tantra without bodhicitta is also not a Bodhisattva deed.
Without bodhicitta, purifying an immense amount of negative karma and
accumulating a vast amount of merit over countless aeons will not secure
Buddhahood.
Bodhicitta can consume and dispel heavy negativities. The potential of all
other virtues to produce happiness result are limited (and may only produce
their fruit once) and is nothing compared to bodhicitta, whose deeds done
produce results that will never cease - GTZ

-
-
-

How to develop bodhici a

The development of the spirit through the 4 condi ons
The development of the spirit through the 4 causes
The development of the spirit through the 4 strengths

The 4 conditions are having conviction in the power of the Buddhas and
bodhisattvas; having the aspiration to be a Buddha; having the wish to cultivate
bodhicitta to preserve it to remove the suffering of beings; understanding the
difculty required to develop it.
The 4 causes are an unbroken lineage (otherwise it will not lead to
enlightenment); being sustained by a teacher (& being devoted to the
teacher); live a life of compassion; not being discouraged by the difculties
of samsara.

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The 4 strengths are the wish to attain enlightenment through ones own
power, others powers (i.e. through showing compassion to others), being
familiar with teachings; applying the teachings - GTZ

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V2 Chapter 2 - Compassion, the Entrance to the

Mahayana
The stages of training in the spirit of enlightenment (bodhici a).
Great Compassion brings about bodhicitta which is the entrance to the
Mahayana. There are two main methods to cultivate bodhicitta:
(1) 7 fold cause and effect or the 6 cause and 1 effect
descended from Lama Atisha
(2) Self exchanging with others Shantideva
Unconditional love is wishing all beings to have happiness.
Compassion is wishing all beings to be free from suffering & the causes of
suffering.
Great compassion or altruism is the whole hearted resolve to take on the
responsibility to free all living beings from suffering and bring them to
enlightenment by oneself alone.
Bodhicitta is actually engaging in the act of liberating beings and striving for
enlightenment for the sake of sentient beings.
It is said that compassion in the beginning is like fertile soil to a sprout;
compassion in the middle is like moisture needed for the sprout to ourish;
compassion at the end is like the fruit.
One should not expect that compassion will come just because you think
yourself as kind person or that one has been Buddhist for many years. Its not
easy as that. It requires the consistent engaging in merit in order to create
the causes and conditions to attain compassion - GTZ

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The training in bodhici a based on the seven cause and eect personal
instruc ons in the lineage descended from Lama A sha
Developing certainty about the order of the stages
a. Showing that the root of the Mahayana path is compassion the
importance of compassion in the beginning, in the middle and at the
end
b. How the six other personal instruc ons are either causes or eects of
compassion
How the rst 4 instruc ons the recogni on of all living beings as
your mothers through the development of uncondi onal love these
act as causes of compassion
How the wholehearted resolve and bodhici a are the eects of
compassion

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V2 Chapter 3 - The 7 fold cause-and-eect

instruc ons
The gradual training (1) training the mind to be intent on others welfare
(2) Training the mind to be intent on enlightenment (3) Iden fying
bodhici a, the fruit of the training
(1) Training the mind to be intent on others welfare Establishing the
basis for developing the a tude of being intent on others welfare and
how to develop this a tude.
Establishing the basis for developing the a tude of being intent on others
welfare:
a. Achieving impar ality toward living beings
b. Having aec on for all beings through:
Cul va ng a recogni on that all beings are your mothers
Cul va ng a remembrance of their kindness
Cul va ng the wish to repay your mothers kindness
The foundation preparation for compassion is:

Achieving impartiality towards all living beings immeasurable

equanimity free from partiality towards enemies, friends and stranger.
Train in equanimity towards the stranger rst; then towards a loved one;
then towards the enemy. Constantly think of how every living being wants
happiness and not suffering we should train this way.

Having affection for all beings cultivation of love and then compassion
for love, wish all beings to be happy and have causes of happiness;
for compassion seek their freedom from suffering and the causes of
suffering

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The 6 causes and 1 effect are:

(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)

Recognise all beings as having been ones mother

Remembering the kindness of mother
Wishing to repay that kindness
Cultivating love
Cultivating compassion
Cultivation of whole hearted resolve great compassion - taking
responsibility for enlightenment of others
(7) Bodhictta
The hardest aspect of this method is recognising all beings as having been
ones mother. We need to meditate on past and future lives, which are innite.
Reect on how each human rebirth depended on father and mother and how
much protection one has received from mother GTZ
How to develop this a tude
a. The cul va on of love
b. The cul va on of compassion
c. The cul va on of wholehearted resolve

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V2 Chapter 4 Exchanging of Self and Others

The training in bodhic a based on the exchanging of self and others
instruc ons in the lineage descended from Shan deva
Shantideva in the Bodhicaryavatara wrote:
Whatever worldly joy there is
Arises from wishing for others happiness
Whatever worldly suffering there is
Arises from wishing for your own happiness
As between the attitude of cherishing self and cherishing others, choose
cherishing others. All our failures in life is due to cherishing self rst and not
cherishing others. Buddhas came about through cherishing others. Learn to
put ourselves into others shoes and think of the best for them.
Exchanging of self and others through meditation this does not mean that
you become others and others become you. It means for us to negate hostility,
negate attachment, negate indifference, yet remain renounced in attitude; to
take on the suffering of others and giving everyone the best one has - GTZ

Shantideva goes on to say:

Self-cherishing has harmed me in all my myriad lifetimes in cyclic
existence.
You, O Mind, though you spent countless eons
Through such great hardship
You have accomplished only suffering
Whatever good we have given to ourselves. Thus we should change and
immediately do for others starting from now. The self cherishing mind comes
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from the self grasping, egoistic mind. Now we need to regain control of the
mind - GTZ

1. Contempla ng the benets of exchanging self and others and the faults
of not exchanging self and others
2. The ability to exchange self and others if you accustom yourself to the
thought of doing so
3. The stages of medita ng on how to exchange self and others
The measure of producing the spirit of enlightenment

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V2 Chapter 5 The ritual for adop ng bodhici a the 6

preparatory prac ces
How to adopt bodhici a through its ritual - A aining that which you have
not a ained
The person before whom you adopt bodhici a
The persons who adopt bodhici a
How to take part in the ritual of adop ng the spirit of enlightenment
(a) Prepara on (b) The actual ritual (c) The conclusion
The ritual for adopting bodhicitta refers to engaging in the 6 preparatory
practices which include going for Refuge, cleaning the place of practice,
setting up offerings, reciting prayers like the 4 Immeasurables, the 7 Limb
Practice and make Mandala offering - GTZ

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V2 Chapter 6 - Maintaining the Spirit of Enlightenment

(bodhici a)
Maintaining bodhici a and not weakening what you have a ained
(1) The training in the precepts that cause you not to weaken your bodhici a
in this life me
(2) The training in the precepts that cause you to not separate from your
bodhici a in future life me as well
(1) The training in the precepts that cause you not to weaken your bodhic a
in this life me
The training in the precept to recall the benets of bodhici a in order
to increase the strength of your enthusiasm for it
The training in the precept to generate bodhici a 6 mes each day
in order to increase the actual bodhici a (i) Not giving up your
development of the aspira onal bodhici a (ii) training to increase the
aspira onal bodhici a
The training in the precept not to mentally abandon the living being for
whose sake you develop bodhici a
The training in the precept to accumulate the collec ons of merit and
sublime wisdom
(2) The training in the precepts that cause you to not separate from your
bodhici a in future life me as well
The training of the precept to eliminate the 4 dark prac ces which
weaken bodhici a
The training in the precept to adopt the 4 posi ve prac ce which
prevent bodhici a from weakening

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The method of repairing bodhicitta if you do cause it to weaken

Maintaining bodhicitta requires persistent training in precepts not to separate
from it in ones present lifetime and future lifetimes through:
- Remembering the benets of the Bodhisattva practice
- Remembering bodhicitta 6x a day
- Making sure ones action is according to the vows.
- Not abandoning living beings. Every living being is a cherished one; none
can be beyond your concern in terms of that persons welfare. Think, My
enlightenment is dependent on this being.
- Constantly engaging in meritorious deeds
In order not to separate from bodhicitta in future lives, eliminate :
(i) the 4 dark practices (deceiving holy beings & teachers; making a person
regret doing virtue; scorning those who adopt the Mahayana; dealing
with other sentient beings in a deceiving manner in order to gain benet
for oneself),
(ii) adopt 4 light/positive practices (avoiding lying to others; being sincere
and honest; honour and respect holy beings/bodhisattvas; helping others
as much as one can by leading them towards the Mahayana path)- GTZ

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V2 Chapter 7 An Introduc on to the 6 Perfec ons

How to learn the bodhisa va deeds a er developing bodhici a
i. The reason why you must learn the training a er developing bodhici a
ii. Demonstra ng that you will not become a Buddha by learning either
method or wisdom separately

V2 Chapter 8 - Training in the Mahayana:

Precepts and Perfec ons
The term enlightenment differs depending on the practice-level, as there
is the enlightenment of the Shravaka, of the Pratyeka-buddha and the
Samyaksam-buddha. From the Hinayana perspective, the attainment of the
Shravaka and Pratyeka state is enlightenment; for the Mahayana, only the
attainment of the Samyaksam-buddha state is regarded as enlightenment GTZ
Explana on of the process of learning the precepts - How to train in the
Mahayana in general
1. Establishing the desire to learn the precepts of bodhici a
2. Taking the vows of the Conquerors Children a er establishing the desire
to learn the precepts of bodhici a
3. How to train a er taking the vows (a) What the precepts are based on
(b) How all precepts are included in the 6 perfec ons (i) A discussion
of the main topic, the xed number of perfec ons (ii) An ancillary
discussion of the foxed order of the perfec ons

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(i) A discussion of the main topic, the xed number of perfec ons
a. The xed number of perfec ons based on high status
b. The xed number of perfec ons based on fullling the two aims
c. The xed number of perfec ons based on perfec ng the complete
fulllment of others aims
d. The xed number of perfec ons based on their subsuming the en re
Mahayana
e. The xed number of perfec ons in terms of the completeness of
paths or method The xed number of perfec ons based on the 3
trainings
(ii) An ancillary discussion of the xed order of the perfec ons
a. The order of arising
b. The order in terms of coarse and subtle

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V2 Chapter 9 The Perfec on of Generosity

The process of learning the perfec ons How to train in the bodhisa va
deeds in general Training in the perfec ons that mature the quali es you
will have when you become a Buddha
The process of learning the perfections has 2 parts
1. Training in the perfections that will mature the qualities in you to become
a Buddha training in relation to oneself
2. Four ways to gather disciples training in relation to others
The 6 perfections are generosity, morality, patience, joyous perseverance,
meditative stabilization (concentration), wisdom.
The 4 ways to gather disciples in order to ripen their potential through
Dharma
(i) generosity (ii) kindly speech in teaching disciples (iii) working on helping
them to cultivate virtue to attain enlightenment (iv) consistency of ones own
behaviour through training in morality GTZ
How to train in the perfec on of generosity
a. What generosity is.
b. How to begin the development of generosity
c. The divisions of generosity How everyone should prac ce it; the
divisions of generosity rela ve to par cular persons; divisions of actual
generosity
Divisions of actual generosity
The gi of teachings
The gi of fearlessness
Material gi s -

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(i) The generosity of actually giving material things; How to give away material
things the recipients of giving, the mo va on for giving (what kind of
mo va on is required; what kind of mo va on must be eliminated) ;
(ii) The generosity which is just mental
What is the Perfection of generosity? It is the virtuous attitude adopted by
the Bodhisattvas of giving physically, verbally and mentally for the benet of
others without any attachment and free of grasping towards ones identity (the
I) and possessions. You can see how great the benets of the Bodhisattva
attitude are. With such an attitude, even giving a spoonful of rice is a cause
for enlightenment. Always remember the disadvantage of cherishing self
and the benets of cherishing others. When we pray, we should not pray for
ourselves but for others. When we die, if we really want to dedicate well,
dedicate everything for the benet of others.
In Asvagoshas Compendium of Perfections, it is explained that there are- 2
causes of generosity (1) understanding impermanence and (2) compassion
(bodhicitta). Through generosity, one will have all the resources & conditions
needed to practice the Bodhisattva deeds and attain enlightenment. Those
who do not cherish others are childish; those who practice cherishing others
are wise. When practising generosity with the mindset of the bodhisattvas,
attachment will not attack us. Thus one needs to know the difference between
practising generosity in accordance with Bodhisattva attitude and those
without.
One needs to know the faults of stinginess and protect oneself against it. If
upon being offered great gifts, you feel it is going to develop attachment
within you, it is best not to accept such gifts; however if it does not build up
grasping to the gift, then it is alright to receive the gift. If one nds it difcult
to practise generosity, start with giving something from ones right hand to
ones left hand offer whatever one has strong grasping towards. In respect
of ones body, before going to bed, dissolve oneself as a wish-fullling gem
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for the benet of others. Upon waking up, think of oneself merging with the
person who offered the gem the night before and resume your ordinary form.
This practice is a useful one because at the time of death, it will help one to
let go of ones body and family. Otherwise, clinging to them will lead one to
the lower realms.
When giving, one should do so without any sense of loss. Avoid clinging.
Otherwise, the fear of loss creates more troubles. Think, All these things
are yours (sentient beings) anyway. Whatever difculty one experiences,
should think that one experiences it for others with the thought, How lucky
I am to be able to do this. Thats how good intention and prayers work it
sends a frequency of goodness which helps other sentient beings. Everything
including all of ones karma, merit - everything can be transformed through
an understanding emptiness and offered to Buddhas and sentient beings.
When giving, do not worry about whether it will be used in the way you
intend. If you think this way, there will be all sorts of excuses not to give
(on account of not being able to be sure about how the gift will be used. It
will harm the virtue of your giving and enhance your grasping. Giving with
partial thought likewise affects the virtue of giving.
Generosity relates to giving (i) possessions/material things (ii) fearlessness
through giving protection. In the aspect of protection through vows, if ones
vows are shaken and one gives refuge to others, there will be no protection
conferred) and (iii) giving Dharma.
How to give away material things there are 4 aspects the recipient, ones
motivation, how to give and the type of things to give.
The recipient: For example, when making offerings to the Sangha, if you
doubt whether the Sangha you are giving is a real sangha, there will be no
merit to your giving. There is a discussion about giving to bogus monks or to
monks who eat at odd times and are thus suspected of not following rules
rstly, how do we know whether a monk is a fake monk or not? We cannot

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read minds nor see Buddha even if he is in front of us. Thus it is better for us
to know how deceptive appearances can be and to hold pure view. Secondly,
the monk might be sick and therefore has to eat at odd hours. Finally, at
the end of the age of the Buddhadharma, one will not be able to even see a
piece of the monks robes. Therefore, even if a person is not a genuine monk,
his wearing robes enables us to offer respect to the robes prescribed by the
Buddha. Giving with a sincere heart and viewing that person as a Sangha
will result in the merit of giving to Sangha. In respect of other persons, if you
give with a partial mind of attachment, aversion or indifference, or worse,
with an attitude of wanting status & reputation, one actually accumulates
negative karma through such giving.
Ones motivation for giving one should not have the worldly view of
giving for the purpose of getting something in return such as enlightenment.
Instead, one is giving to others, things that one has been keeping in trust
for them and it is through the kindness of the recipient which enables one
to attain enlightenment. When you offer rice to a beggar and he throws it
in the dustbin, do not get angry. Rather, one should still think how kind that
beggar is as he has enabled me to give and thereby create causes for my
enlightenment.
The story of Aryadeva how he regretted giving one of his eyeballs to a
spirit-being in disguise. Had he given it without concern of whether his gift
would be used the way he intended, he would have been able to regenerate
his lost-eye. However, due to his regret, he remained blind in one eye. When
one feels regret after giving, one should realise that ones heart is not fully
developed in generosity. One should thus rm up ones practice and offer
again.
What motivation should be eliminated? Judgmental thoughts, assumptions,
pride, giving with arrogance; giving wanting praise; giving without joy and
with regret; giving with partial thought; giving wanting something in return;
giving with the worldly expectation to become Buddha. All are bad views! - GTZ

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V2 Chapter 10 How to Give

How to give How not to give; how to give
Things to give:
a. Brief presenta on of the things which are and are not to be given
b. Detailed explana on of the things which are and are not to be given
- About inner things which are and are not to be given inappropriate
giving from the viewpoints of (a) me (b) purpose (c) of the one who
asks for something
- About outer things which are and are not to be given inappropriate
from the viewpoints of (a) me (b) of the gi (c) of the person (d) of
material things (e)purpose. How to give outer things.
What to do if you are unable to give
Relying on the remedies for the hindrances to generosity
The hindrance of not being used to generosity
The hindrance of declining fortune
The hindrance of a achment
The hindrance of not seeing the goal

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V2 Chapter 11 The Perfec on of Ethical Discipline

How to train in the perfec on of ethical discipline.
a. What ethical discipline is Chandrakir s Explana on of the Middle Way
Commentary states:
It is called ethical discipline because it does not acquiesce in the aic ons,
because it allows no sins to arise, because it is coolness since it quells the
re of regret or because it is that upon which the excellent rely since it is
the cause of happiness. Moreover it is characterized by seven absten ons.
These are mo vated by three quali es non-a achment, non-hos lity and
correct view. Therefore, ethical discipline is explained as the 10 paths of
ac on in terms that include mo va on.

Morality or ethics is the attitude that turns your mind away from harming
others and from the sources of such harm. What harms others? Our delusions
anger, attachment, ignorance etc. Ethical discipline does not allow negative
emotions to arise and this enables one to die without regret. It is so important
because it is the foundation of all happiness - GTZ
b. How to begin the cul va on of ethical discipline
Until one becomes a Buddha to benet beings, ones practice is not fullled.
This in turn depends on ones ethical discipline. If one cannot achieve ones
own welfare through ethics, how can one accomplish the welfare of others.
Even in ordinary life, due to our ethics, we have happiness. So if we want
happiness, we need to take more vows. In Nepal, some of the locals feel pity
for us monks as they perceive us as being stuck in the monastery all the time
which to them is such a suffering life. When we tell them we are happy, they
are shocked.

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One needs to continuously practice mindfulness and have a mind of restraint

against negative emotions with the recognition on the consequences of
negative actions. Even for the small scope practitioner, without ethical
discipline, its goals cannot be attained - GTZ
c. The divisions of ethical discipline
- The ethical discipline of restraint
- The ethical discipline of gathering virtue
- The ethical discipline of ac ng for the welfare of living beings
d. How to prac ce

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V2 Chapter 12 The Perfec on of Pa ence

Of all the delusions, anger is amongst the most dangerous and powerful in
destroying merits and obstructing future merit - GTZ.

What pa ence is It is (1) disregarding harm done to you (2) accep ng

the suering arising in your mind stream and (3) being certain about the
teachings and rmly maintaining belief in them.
Shantideva delivers powerful logic in the Bodhicaryavatara by giving an
illustration. He said:
Undisciplined persons are as limitless as space
You could never overcome them
If you conquer the single mental state of anger
It is like vanquishing all your enemies.

By removing anger within oneself, one can eliminate all concepts of enemies
and suffering. If we want to overcome obstacles and sufferings in relation to
others, changing our external circumstances will not help; rather we should
transform ones own mental attitude from hostility to that of compassion and
in so doing, one will be able to transform ones own suffering - GTZ.

How to begin the cul va on of pa ence

Firstly, understand the benets of patience and faults of anger. Bodhisattvas
who have gone beyond always remind themselves of the benets of patience.
A person who has patience will not have enemies and will have a mind of
contentment. There will be no regret at the time of death and rebirth in the
higher realms assured. By training in patience and sharing this practice
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through example, great benet will be conferred to all beings. Patience is

the best approach.
All the major and minor marks of the Buddha came from patience. Harmony
within the family and society comes from patience. World peace comes from
patience practiced by everyone. One needs to work hard at patience. Good
things require effort. If we focus on doing merit but never control our anger,
it will result in either little or no merit being gathered. Anger is not just loud
shouting - it includes includes depression, sadness/aversion, no tolerance to
samsaric suffering. When you are a patient person, you are a happy person
and people will not be able to irritate you nor want to disturb you. Worse than
re which destroys possessions, anger destroys merit. If one doesnt control
anger, one can even kill ones own guru or commit suicide or take drugs.
Buddha never gets angry because he has perfected patience. Any scolding by
Buddha is based on compassion; not the delusion of anger - GTZ

The divisions of pa ence (1) Developing the pa ence of disregarding

harm done to you (2) Developing the pa ence of accep ng suering (3)
Developing the pa ence of cer tude about the teachings.
Chandrakirti taught - You cannot measure the results of anger, just as you
cannot measure the water in the ocean with a scale. Therefore, for projecting
unpleasant effects and damaging ones virtue, there is no sin greater than a
lack of patience.
Let go of grasping and afictive emotions. When we see for ourselves that
anger is unjustied, suffering emotions cease; when you do not get praise,
you will not feel hurt; When faced with danger, anger likewise is of no help
although self protection is necessary so that we do not enable others to harm
us and thereby create negative karma. A fully developed Bodhisattva can
take such harm, generate compassion towards the harm giver and dedicate

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that merit towards the harm-givers enlightenment. For us, we would not be
able to do this, so self protection in the face of danger is advised GTZ
(1) Developing the pa ence of disregarding harm done to you - (i) Stopping
impa ence with those who harm you (ii) Stopping dislike for harm-givers
a ainments and delight in their troubles.
(i) Stopping impa ence with those who harm you
(a) Stopping impa ence with those who prevent your happiness and with
who cause you to suer
(b) Stopping impa ence with those who prevent your praise, fame or
honour and with those who have contempt for you or say oensive
and unpleasant things to you
(a) Stopping impa ence with those who prevent your happiness and with
who cause you to suer
(i) Showing that anger is unjus ed
Showing that anger is unjus ed on analysis of the object (whether
he/she has self control); on analysis for either adven ousness or
inherency; on analysis of whether the harm is direct or indirect; on
analysis of the cause that impels the harm-givers;
Showing that anger is unjus ed on analysis of the subject
Showing that anger is unjus ed on analysis of the basis analyzing
the cause of harm and where the fault lies and analyzing your
commitment
(ii) Showing that compassion is appropriate
(b) Stopping impa ence with those who prevent your praise, fame or honour
and with those who have contempt for you or say oensive and unpleasant
things to you
(1) Stopping impa ence with those who prevent 3 things - praise, fame or
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honour:
Reect on how praise and so forth lack good quali es
Reect on how praise and so forth have faults
The need to delight in those who prevent praise and so forth
(2) Stopping impa ence with those who do 3 things to you have contempt
for you, say oensive things or say unpleasant things to you
(ii) Stopping dislikes for harm-givers a ainments and delight in their
troubles.
(2) Developing the pa ence of accep ng suering
(a) The reason for you to accept suering;
(b) the way to develop acceptance:
- Reject the idea that when suering comes, it is totally unpleasant
- Reect on the advantages of bearing suerings hardships such as the
crucial benets of libera on; of dispelling immeasurable suering (due
to accumulated nega ve karma)
- How it is not dicult to bear suering if you gradually grow accustomed
to it, star ng with the small
(c) A detailed explana on from the viewpoint of the bases
How can one be angry at sentient beings who have sacriced so much for us?
The advice to develop patience of accepting suffering is based on the fact that
we encounter many difculties in our lives. If we can deal with the suffering,
if we can apply our knowledge of karma, of purication, of emptiness,
generate renunciation we will be able to create the causes for happiness. It
is suffering that makes us strive towards the eradication of samsara and aim
for liberation and enlightenment- GTZ
(3) Developing the pa ence of cer tude about the teachings

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V2 Chapter 13 The Perfec on of Joyous

Perseverance
How to train in the perfec on of joyous perseverance
This is a crucial teaching for the development of spiritual practice. This form
of perseverance is not the ordinary feeling of being forced to do something.
Instead, it is the willing, joyful learning of Dharma, learning the benet of
Dharma and the faults of not practicing it; happily integrating daily life
practices for the purpose of sentient beings. In this way, joyous perseverance
is Dharma (whereas mere perseverance is not necessarily Dharma) - GTZ.
(a) What joyous perseverance is - It is the attitude of delighting in virtue. We
should constantly think of the benets of joyous effort. Without this, one can
fall into laxity or mental laziness which is a major obstacle to our actualising
enlightenment for the sake of all beings.
Even if one has patience but not joyous perseverance, it would not be enough.
One may protect past virtue on account of patience but the process of merit
accumulation will be slow. When one adds joyous perseverance, happiness
is expedited. Through it, one can eliminate the contaminated aggregates and
actualise the 3 kayas of the Buddha. The text highlights that one who has
joyous perseverance is not brought down by adversity and is able to sustain
ones bodhicitta while training in the path. Like the rarity of the utpala ower
which only blossoms when Buddha descends if one practices joyous
perseverance, ones Dharma efforts can be perfected - GTZ
(b) How to begin the prac ce of joyous perseverance
(c) The divisions of joyous perseverance
(d) How to prac ce
The divisions of joyous perseverance The actual divisions and the method
of developing joyous perseverance
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The Actual Divisions

a. Armour-like joyous perseverance - This prevents a leakage of efforts in
the practice of the 6 Perfections. All 3 types of joyous perseverance help
us to accumulate the two collections of merit and of wisdom realizing the
selessness of person & phenomena- GTZ
b. Joyous perseverance of gathering virtue
c. Joyous perseverance of ac ng for the welfare of living beings
The Method of developing joyous perseverance
i. Elimina ng unfavourable condi ons that prevent joyous perseverance
Unfavourable conditions are (i) not entering the path even though one can
do so due to procrastination, delay, laziness or being attached to inferior
activities and (ii) not entering because of being discouraged - GTZ.
- Iden fying factors incompa ble with joyous perseverance
Incompatible factors are procrastination,
discouragement (or self contempt) - GTZ

ignoble

activities

and

- Employing the methods to eliminate the incompa ble factors: Stopping

the laziness of procras na on; Stopping a achment to ignoble ac vi es;
Stopping discouragement or self-contempt (for this one needs to stop
being discouraged about the goal; about the means to a ain the goal;
knowing that wherever you are is a place to prac ce)
ii. Gathering the forces of favourable condi ons: Developing the power of
aspira on, the power of steadfastness; the power of joy; the power of
relinquishment
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iii. Based on the elimina on of unfavourable condi ons and the

accumula on of favourable condi ons, being intent on joyously
persevering
iv. How to use joyous perseverance to make the mind and body
serviceable
This includes setting the bodhicitta motivation that whoever sees me, hears
my name, scolds me, likes me, dislikes me, ignores me, may I be cause to
eliminate the sufferings of such a person and of every single living being GTZ

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V2 Chapter 14 The Perfec on of Medita ve

Stabilisa on and Wisdom
Meditative stabilization or calm-abiding/concentration meditation can be
attained with various types of motivation. It can even be attained without
renunciation towards samsara or to attain liberation. However if it is
engaged in for the welfare of living beings, it can produce the fruit of full
enlightenment GTZ
How to train in the perfec on of medita ve stabiliza on
a. What medita ve stabiliza on (calm-abiding) is It is the virtuous mind
that single pointedly abides on its object without being distracted to other
things.
b. How to begin the cul va on of medita ve stabiliza on
Firstly, gather the conditions for such a practice such as determine the
appropriate time, a suitable place, acquire the basic necessities & obtain
the instructions from a qualied master. With these and personal effort, it is
possible to actualise calm-abiding within 6 months. If on top of these, one has
bodhicitta and wisdom, ones life becomes suited to the Bodhisattvas deeds.
To fully achieve calm abiding, one must avoid the 5 faults and apply the 8
antidotes:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Laziness the antidotes are- faith, aspiration, perseverance, pliancy.

Forgetting the object the antidote is recollection
Laxity and excitement the antidote is vigilance
Non application the antidote is application
Over application the antidote is the mind of equanimity

Through the force of hearing correct Dharma, it helps to attain mental stability
Through the force of reection, one attains the 2nd stage of mental stability
Through the force of recollection, one attains the 3 & 4th stages
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Through the force of vigilance, one attains the 5 & 6th stages
Through the force of perseverance, one attains the 7& 8the stages
Through the force of complete familiarity, one achieves the 9th stage/ level
of single pointed concentration. In the text Lines of Experience, Lama
Tsongkhapa says that concentration rules supreme above all minds
GTZ
c. The divisions of medita ve stabiliza on
d. How to prac ce It must always be kept in mind that the purpose of
engaging in calm abiding practices is to actualise wisdom realizing the
selessness of person and of phenomena- GTZ
How to train in the perfec on of wisdom
a. What wisdom is It is a consciousness that dis nguishes the nature,
quality and par cular a ributes of exis ng things.
Contemplate on the benets of generating wisdom and the faults of not doing
so. The denition of emptiness in all 3 scopes is the same but the different
philosophical schools explain it differently.
Nagarjuna says, Wisdom is the root of all visible and invisible good
qualities.
Without wisdom realising emptiness, there can be no liberation. Wisdom
functions like the eye. If one is able to apply the wisdom realizing emptiness
when engaging in generosity and the other perfections, those practices become
the most effective. Otherwise, there is still benet to be derived from them but
the depth of virtue is shallow as compared to that done with wisdom realizing
emptiness. For example, if we do not practice generosity with wisdom, it will
create the causes for an increase in wealth but not the causes for one to gain
liberation nor enlightenment.

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In ancient Tibet, before the time of Lama Tsongkhapa, there was a stage
where due to a long gap in time between visiting great Buddhist Pandits
and due to the inuence of local practices, there arose the idea that if one
practiced tantra, one could not practice vinaya; or if one practiced sutra,
one could not practice tantra. All these were treated as contradictory to
each other. This was totally mistaken view. Learning the Lam Rim covers
Hinayana, Mahayana, tantra teachings.
When studying Buddhas teachings, you need to keep in mind that there are
the denitive teachings and the interpretative teachings. The 4 schools of
Buddhist philosophy came about not because of there being any contradictions
in the Buddhas teachings but due to the different mental dispositions of living
beings. When we read scriptures, one needs to go to the level where none of
the words of the Buddha contradict each other. All are of one essence, one
taste, one meaning, one Path, one philosophy. For instance, there is a line
from the Buddha which goes, Father and mother should be killed; and in
the Heart Sutra, there are the famous verses referring to there being ... no
nose, no eyes, ears, no taste.. all these sound confusing. These clearly
need to be interpreted. No nose means no inherently-existing nose and
likewise with the other aggregates. So one should understand the meaning
due to whom the Buddha was giving the teaching to- GTZ

b. How to begin the genera on of wisdom [ Apply the understanding of

the emp ness of person and of phenomena to all ac ons]
c. The divisions of wisdom: We need to cultivate such that without rejecting
conventional existence, one can see ultimate nature GTZ
The wisdom that knows the ul mate
The wisdom that knows the conven onal
The wisdom that knows how to act for the welfare of living beings
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 How to prac ce
Ascertaining the emptiness of the I or self using the 4 point analysis:
1. Identify what is to be refuted or negated i.e. the self or I. Analyse how one
grasps onto the I.
2. Determine the modes in which the I could exist i.e. it has to be either
one with the aggregates or different from the aggregates
3. Examine the possibility of the I existing as one with the aggregates if the
aggregates were merged with the self, it would follow that there would
be many selves (Chandrakirti)
4. Examining the possibility of the I existing as different from the 5
aggregates if so, the I should be totally unrelated to ones aggregates
(Nagarjuna) e.g. one would not be able to say My leg hurts since the I
and the body are different.
When ascertaining the emptiness of self and phenomena [phenomena refers
to aggregates and all other outer phenomena), understand that all come
about from 3 things cause and conditions; parts and particles; mental
labels/imputation onto a valid base. For something to be a valid base, it
must be accepted by conventional society as serving that purpose (e.g. a pot
is a label onto something that can contain liquid and put to the re etc.) and
should not be contradicted by cognition analysing the ultimate (emptiness)
i.e. those practitioners who have reached the Path of Seeing - GTZ

173

V2 Chapter 15 Helping Others to Mature -

The 4 Ways to Gather Disciples
a. What are the four ways to gather disciples
The 4 ways to gather disciples to mature them into Dharma
1. Practice generosity
2. Use pleasant speech, clear expressions, be free of anger, be genuine when
teaching disciples
3. Work according to the purposes of the Buddhadharma, e.g. helping them
cultivate virtue to attain enlightenment for all
4. Maintain morality and consistent ethical behaviour - GTZ
b. The reason they are s pulated as four
c. Their func ons
d. The need for those who father to a following to rely on them
e. A somewhat elaborate explana on

174

V3 Chapter 1 Serenity (Concentra on/Calm Abiding)

and Special Insight
How to train in the last 2 perfec ons of concentra on and wisdom
It is taught that without training in serenity and wisdom, one cannot be
liberated from samsara. Serenity means drawing your gross and subtle senses
inwards, gaining stability & clarity of mind and physically feeling light and
relaxed. When that is conjoined with the wisdom realising emptiness, one is
able to attain special insight (into emptiness).
After attaining physical and mental pliancy, one eliminates all aspects of
gross mind. Mental concentration can be on outer objects or inner objects
like compassion. While meditating, reect on the teachings of the Buddha and
apply analytical concentration to obtain insight into emptiness/the absence
of inherent existence (emptiness) GTZ
a. The benets of cul va ng calm abiding and special insight
b. How calm abiding and special insight include all states of medita ve
concentra on
c. The nature of calm abiding and special insight
d. Why it is necessary to cul vate both
e. How to be certain about their order
Train in concentration rst, followed by wisdom but this is not an invariable
rule, as it can be that one trains in wisdom rst. As regards how to train in
serenity, adopt the 9 stages of mental training with the application of the 8
antidotes to the 5 faults. As regards how to train in insight, through learn
the Prasangika view and perfect ones understanding of the lack of inherent
existence/emptiness - GTZ

175

V3 Chapter 2 Preparing for Calm Abiding

How to train in medita ve serenity (a) Relying on the precondi ons for
calm abiding (b) How to cul vate calm abiding on that basis.
The measure of ones successful cultivation is when you achieve physical and
mental pliancy. For the Buddhist practitioner, when you actualize physical
and mental pliancy you are able to reject the highest peace of the Desire
realm and that of the Form and Formless realms and go beyond that to
achieve liberation and enlightenment - GTZ
(a) Relying on the precondi ons for calm abiding :
1. Dwelling in an appropriate area
2. Having li le desire
3. Being content
4. Completely giving up many ac vi es
5. Pure ethical discipline
6. Completely ge ng rid of thought of desire etc
(b) How to cul vate calm abiding on that basis
1. Prepara on
2. Actual prac ce Medita ve posture and medita ve process
Meditative posture is discussed because it helps one to quieten ones mind
to become inward-drawn and focused. There are few postures that can be
adopted - the Vairochana posture of the lotus-position is usually advised but
the position is up to you. The key is to adopt a position that you will be able to
sustain without drowsiness or distraction arising. Alternatively, the seated
Maitreya position or the Milarepa position of sitting cross legged with a belt
strapped across the chest which holds up one knee.

176

As regards the meditative process, mere knowledge of the technique is not

enough. Blessings from the oral tradition of instructions from a qualied
master is advised - GTZ
How to develop awless concentra on:
a. What to do prior to focusing the a en on on an object of medita on
b. What to do while focusing on an object of medita on
(i) Iden fying the object of medita on upon which your a en on is set
(ii) Who should meditate on which objects
(iii) Synonyms of the object of medita on
(i) Iden fying the object of medita on upon which your a en on is set
(a) A general presenta on of the objects of medita on :
1. The objects of medita on themselves
a. Universal objects of medita on Discursive images (worldly/
unimportant images); Non-discursive images; The limits of existence ;
the achievement of your purpose
b. Objects of medita on for purifying your behavior Ugliness, dependent
arising, dieren a on of cons tuents; inhala on and exhala on
c. Objects of medita on for exper se The aggregates, the cons tuents,
the sources, dependent-arising; what is and is not possible
d. Objects of medita on for purifying aic ons
2. Who should meditate on which objects
3. Synonyms of the object of medita on
Iden fying objects of medita on for this context

177

V3 Chapter 3 Focusing Your Mind

How to focus your mind on the object of medita on
(a) The awless method Mindfulness and introspection to hold the object
of meditation and maintain the clarity of visualization GTZ
(b) Elimina ng awed methods
(c) The length of sessions
The great master Kamashila advised that it is better to have short sessions
with depth rather than long sessions with distractions.
Generally, divide the day into 4 sessions (about 2 hours each starting from
dawn at 3 am and end before sunrise; resume after sunrise and end before
noon; continue after lunch and end before sunset; resume after sunset and
end around 9pm) . Focus on the pre-determined object of meditation. If the
object changes in any way, it is a failed concentration and one should go
back to the original object of meditation GTZ

178

V3 Chapter 4 Dealing with Laxity and Excitement

What to do a er you focus on an object of medita on :
(1) What to do when laxity and excitement occur
(2) What to do when laxity and excitement are absent
(1) What to do when laxity and excitement occur
a. Using the remedy for failing to recognize laxity and excitement
Dening the characteris cs of laxity and excitement; the method for
developing vigilance that recognizes laxity and excitement
b. Using the remedy for failing to try to eliminate them even when they
are recognized Inten on and the way it stops laxity and excitement;
the underlying causes of laxity and excitement

179

V3 Chapter 5 A aining Calm Abiding

The stages in which the mental states develop
(a) The actual stages in which the mental states develop
(b) The process of achieving them with the 6 forces (1) The force of
listening to Dharma (2) the force of reection (3) The force of recollection
(4) The force of vigilance (5) The force of perseverance (6) The force of
complete familiarity GTZ
(c) How the 4 a en ons are involved in this
The measure of successful cul va on of calm abiding - A presenta on of the
dividing line between accomplishing and not accomplishing calm abiding:
1. A presenta on of the actual meaning
2. The marks associated with a en on and the elimina on of doubts on this

180

V3 Chapter 6 Calm abiding as part of the Path

Cultivating concentration is for the purpose gaining insight into emptiness
which will overcome afictions and end suffering. Some Buddhist practitioners
think that Hindu sadhus have wonderful concentration and due to this, give
up Buddhist meditation. One needs to rst learn the characteristics of the
Desire Realm concentration and that of the Form and Formless realms. After
knowing this, you will aspire to higher levels of concentration - GTZ
A general presenta on of the way to proceed along the path on the basis
of calm abiding
A specic presenta on of the way to proceed along the mundane path:
(a) The need to achieve calm abiding before proceeding on the path bearing
the aspects of calmness and coarseness
(b) On the basis of calm abiding, the way to freedom from a achment to
the desire realm.

181

V3 Chapter 7 Why Special Insight is needed

How to train in special insight
Kamalashila states that merely gaining a focused mind without using it to
attain wisdom to abandon delusions is not a Buddhist practice. Therefore,
one needs to use concentration to meditate on lack of inherent existence GTZ

V3 Chapter 8 Relying on Deni ve Sources

Fullling the prerequisites for special insight
- Iden fying scriptures of provisional meaning and deni ve meaning
- The history of commentary on Nagarjunas intended meaning
When preparing to cultivate insight, study in particular, the 4 schools of
Buddhist philosophy on emptiness. When studying texts like Heart Sutra, do
so within context of Madhaymika-Prasangika school. Masters Nagarjuna
and Aryadeva are sources for the Madhyamika - GTZ

182

V3 Chapter 9 - The stages of entry into Reality

Reality is the total extinction of the concept of the independent existence of self
and phenomena. The moment the grasping to inherent existence is eliminated,
ignorance is eliminated. There are 4 Buddhist schools of philosophy on the
topic of emptiness/selessness. The 4 different schools are::
Vaibashika this has 18 subdivisions (of which the Theravadan school is
one of them)
Sautrantika Sutra followers
Cittamatra Mind Only school
Madhaymika This has two sub-schools i.e. the Madhyamika Sautrantika
and the Madhyamika Prasangika. The highest school is the MadhyamikaPrasangika.
All followers of the 4 schools are proponents of Buddhist tenets i.e. they
accept the 3 Jewels as the ultimate object of refuge and do not assert any
other object of refuge.
The Vaibashika school asserts that self and external objects are truly
and inherently existent and do not assert a self-cogniser. Self-cogniser is
the consciousness that is able to see/is able to be aware of itself. This the
Vaibashika refute.
The Sautrantika school assert that self and phenomena are inherently existing
but it accepts the concept of the self-cogniser. They assert that the mental
continuum can be divided into object and subject i.e. an observer and its
object of observation.
The Cittamatra school is one of the Mahayana schools which does not assert
inherent existence of any external object because they say that external
objects are the mere ripening of mental imprints but asserts the self-cogniser
to be truly and inherently existent.
183

The Madhyamika Sautrantika school draws a distinction between inherent

existence and true existence. The M-S does not accept inherent existence but
accepts true existence. They agree the mind projects mental labels (hence
there is no inherent existence) but assert that there must be a truly-existing
base for the label to be imputed upon.
Up to this point, we can see that the rst 3 schools have concepts of either
inherent existence or of true existence.
Now we come to the Madhyamika-Prasangika who assert that there is no
distinction between the terms true existence and inherent existence. They
are the same and neither exist even nominally. The M-P assert the lack of
inherent existence. All things are merely labeled onto a base.
The obstacle to liberation is the attachment to samsara; attachment to ones
own concerns. Hence by realizing the selessness of person, one is able to
liberate oneself from samsara and achieve nirvana.
The obstacle to omniscience is the subtle grasping to self and to phenomena.
Hence by realizing the selessness of person and of phenomena, one is able
to eliminate even subtle ignorance.
The Prasangikas view is that the lower schools have not realised emptiness
yet. When the Shravaka and Pratyekabuddhas attain nirvana, they only
actualize the selessness of persons but not the selessness of phenomena.
As such, the Madhaymika-Prasangika hold the view that Pratyekabuddhas
and Shravakas realise emptiness at a grosser level and not at the subtle level,
which in turn means that the root of ignorance is still there. Hence, while
Shravaka and Pratyekabuddhas may have actualized liberation, they are still
affected by the obscuration to full enlightenment GTZ

184

How to determine the philosophical view of emp ness

(a) the stages of entry into reality
(b) the actual determina on of reality (see under Chapter 10)

185

V3 Chapter 10 Mis-iden fying the object to be negated

The actual determina on of reality
Iden fying the object to be negated by reason:
(a) Why the object of nega on must be carefully iden ed
(b) Refu ng others systems that refute without iden fying the object to
be negated:
Refu ng an overly broad iden ca on of the object to be negated
Sta ng others asser ons;
Showing that those asser ons are wrong Showing that those systems
contradict the unique feature of the Madhyamika Iden fying the
dis nguishing feature of the Madhyamika
Madhyamika-Prasangika (M-P) system identies all the following as objects
of negation i.e. objects to be refuted, as they arise due to wrong/mistaken
view: True/inherent existence, substantially existing, permanently existing,
existing by no-cause, existing by other-causes. All these should be negated.
The perceptions of us ordinary beings are confused. For example, when I
see you, I see you as inherently existing out there. This is because we
do not think about how you came about as a result of cause & conditions,
aggregates and my mental projection of who you are onto all these factors.
We fail to see that all things come about as a dependent-arising. We totally
forget or are ignorant about the lack of inherent existence.
We tend to sway to believing in one of two extremes, which is to be avoided if
we are to succeed in our cultivation of the Path. We either believe that things
exist inherently (substantialism) or that nothing exists at all (nihilism.) The
M-P view denies both of these and explains that things do exist but exist in
186

a dependent manner and not independently nor inherently. Once we have

direct realization of dependent arising and the lack of inherent existence,
ignorance is eliminated and the cycle of the 12 links ceases.
M-P further advises that one needs to fully understand the two truths. If
upon our establishing conventional truth, ultimate truth disappears, then our
understanding or wisdom is not reliable - GTZ

187

V3 Chapter 11 Dependent-Arising and Emp ness

How those systems contradict this dis nguishing feature of the Madhyamika
How a Madhyamika responds to those who negate the dis nguishing feature
of the Madhyamika
Chandrakirti explains that dependent arising is emptiness. The views
to be negated are substantial existence and that nothing exists (nihilism) GTZ

V3 Chapter 12 Ra onal Analysis

Showing that the Madhyamika posi on does not eradicate conven onal
existence
You cannot eradicate conven onal phenomena by refu ng them through
inves ga ng whether they are capable of withstanding ra onal analysis

V3 Chapter 13 Valid Establishment

You cannot eradicate conven onal phenomena by refu ng them through
inves ga ng whether valid cogni on establishes them
Only the Arya who have realised emptiness directly have right view - GTZ

188

V3 Chapter 14 Conven onal existence

Conven onal existence refers to things that exist dependently on causes and
condi ons, on parts and par cles and mental imputa on upon a valid base.
There is no independent existence GTZ

V3 Chapter 15 Produc on is Not Refuted

You cannot eradicate conven onal phenomena by refu ng them through
inves ga ng whether they are produced in one of four alterna ve ways
A refuta on of all four parts of the tetralemma is not a legi mate cri que
of conven onal phenomena
Production of conventional phenomena itself is not refuted because it is
dependent on causes and conditions; parts and mental imputation but
inherent/true existence is refuted - GTZ

V3 Chapter 16 Not Nega ng Enough

Refu ng an overly-restricted iden ca on of the object to be negated.
The debate between the M-Prasangikas and the M-Sautrantikas is that the
M-P assert that the M-S do not negate enough. To achieve full negation,
one needs to negate the existence of an object from its own side, without
any concept of there being any residue of true existence of that object
(M-Sautrantikas assert that the base truly exists)- GTZ

189

V3 Chapter 17 The Actual Object to Be Negated

The actual object to be negated is the belief in inherent existence GTZ
How our system iden es the object of nega on:
1. The actual iden ca on of the object to be negated
2. When to add qualica ons to others objects of nega on
3. Whether to add the qualica on ul mate to the object of nega on

V3 Outline Chapter 18 Misinterpreta ons of the

Sautran ka/Prasangika Dis nc on
Whether to carry out that refuta on with a Sautran ka procedure or with
a Prasangika procedure - The meaning of Sautran ka and Prasangika
The refuta on of others posi ons what others believe:
1. The rst misinterpreta on
2. The second misinterpreta on
3. The third misinterpreta on
4. The fourth misinterpreta on

V3 Chapter 19 Refu ng Misinterpreta on of the

Sautran ka/Prasangika Dis nc on
Refu ng those posi ons:
1. Refu ng the rst misinterpreta on
2. Refu ng the second misinterpreta on
3. Refu ng the third misinterpreta on
4. Refu ng the fourth misinterpreta on
190

V3 Chapter 20 Our interpreta on of the Sautran ka/

Prasangika Dis nc on
Se ng forth our own posi on The actual refuta on of autonomous
argument
1. The subject of an autonomous syllogism is not established What
Bhavaviveka believes and Refu ng that (the meaning is incorrect and
the example cited is inappropriate)
2. Demonstra ng that the reason also is not established

V3 Chapter 21 Our Cri que of Sautran ka Does Not

Hurt Our Own Arguments
Why the faults we nd in autonomous arguments do not apply to us
Which system to follow so as to develop the view in your mind stream

V3 Chapter 22 Analysing a Chariot

How to use that procedure to generate the right philosophical view within
your mind stream
How to determine that there is no self in the person - Actually determining
that the self lacks intrinsic existence Giving the example :
1. Showing that the chariot exists imputedly, without intrinsic existence
2. Elimina ng the objec ons to that
3. How to establish the chariot under various names
4. The advantage that you nd the view quickly by using this example

191

V3 Chapter 23 The Person Lacks Intrinsic Nature

(1) Showing what the example illustrates the example illustrates how the
person lacks intrinsic nature:
a. The refuta on of the posi on that the self is one with the
aggregates
b. The refuta on of the posi on that the self is dierent from the
aggregates
c. How those arguments also refute each of the remaining posi ons
d. How the person appears like an illusion based on that refuta on
(2) Teaching that what the self owns is also thereby established as lacking
intrinsic existence

V3 Chapter 24 Objects Lack Intrinsic Nature

How to apply those lines of reasoning to other phenomena
How to determine that there is no self in phenomena:
(a) Refuta on of produc on from self
(b) Refuta on of produc on from another
(c ) Refuta on of produc on from both self and another
(d) Refuta on of causeless produc on
(e) How to infer that intrinsic produc on does not exist
How to eliminate obscura ons by becoming accustomed to those views

192

V3 Chapter 25 Special Insight requires analysis

Classica ons of insight
How to cul vate insight:
(a) The refuta on of other systems the rst to the fourth refuta ons
(b) The presenta on of our own system (i) Why both stabilising medita on
and analy cal medita on are necessary (ii) Overcoming objec ons to that

V3 Chapter 26 Uni ng Special Insight and

Calm Abiding
A summary of the key points for sustaining special insight and calm abiding.
The measure of achieving special insight through medita on
Insight is when the power of analytical meditation itself is able to induce
physical and mental pliancy - GTZ
How to unite calm abiding and special insight
In Ratnakarasan s Instruc ons for the Perfec on of Wisdom, he said: The
a ainment of insight lies in the a ainment of physical and mental pliancy
[calm-biding concentra on]Un l you develop [this] this a en on is
an approxima on of insight; when pliancy does develop, this a en on is
insight.
One trains in calm abiding meditation to gain physical and mental pliancy/
suppleness in order to use it to develop special insight into emptiness. Upon
achieving such physical and mental pliancy, if one can direct ones mind in
analytical meditation on emptiness, one can effectively refute the object of
negation, namely inherent existence - GTZ
193

V3 Chapter 27 Summary and Conclusion

How to train specically in the Vajrayana
After training in the Lam Rim and having gained stable understanding of the
teachings of the 3 scopes including bodhicitta and adopting the MadhyamikaPrasangika view of emptiness, one should enhance ones understanding of
emptiness by negating the lower schools views of emptiness, even if it takes
3 countless aeons. If one then seeks to achieve enlightenment in this lifetime,
one must proceed to practice in a most intensive way, the resultant vehicle
of the Mahayana teachings, namely tantra.
Tantra was taught by the Buddha at Amravati. There are 4 classes of
tantra Action Tantra, Performance Tantra, Yoga Tantra and Highest Yoga
Tantra (HYT). Only the HYT has the generation and completion stages of
practice. The generation stage involves the 3 kayas practice transforming
death, intermediate and rebirth into the Path. This practice can also be done
during the time of sleeping, dreaming and waking up. Just before going
to sleep, with proper motivation and supplications to the Triple Gem, one
draws ones mind towards full concentration on Dharma and transform it
into the Dharmakaya; while remaining in that meditation, transform that
into the sambogakaya and upon getting out of meditation, to meditate on
transforming oneself into the nirmanakaya. In that way, even if one dies in
ones sleep, it would be highly meaningful as ones mind was focused on
Dharma practice. The completion stage is what makes it possible to enable
practitioner to attain enlightenment in one brief lifetime. One will be able
to obtain the full teachings on these practices upon taking the appropriate
initiation from a qualied master - GTZ

194

A concluding message from Geshe Tenzin Zopa

The motivation for doing the Outline in this way is not only to let the reader
have a full overview of the Buddhas teachings but also to feel encouraged;
that it is possible to practice the Path in a systematic and complete manner.
However, you may nd that despite the outline and the short commentary, many
things may still seem unclear to you. Therefore, for a deeper understanding
of the teachings, I urge the reader to read and study the actual Lam Rim
Chenmo - it will inspire you to treasure, to practice and to uphold the Lam
Rim. Whilst studying the Lam Rim Chenmo, it is always good to integrate it
with the lojong (mind training) teachings and apply them into ones daily life.
Only then will you be able to taste and truly enjoy the Dharma. Right now,
one may not enjoy it as much because the teachings are not yet experiential
and that is due to one not applying them in everything one does.
Regard the Lam Rim and Lojong as ones right and left hand respectively
and there will be no doubt of success in your spiritual cultivation.

* The End *
195

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The sponsor of this book has requested anonymity and rejoices in the
publication of this Lam Rim book and also rejoices in LDC students and
all those who have even a tiny interest in studying Dharma. How rare. Live
long practitioners and may the Buddhadharma ourish!
With gratitude and thanks to Wisdom Publications whose 3-volume book
The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment provided
the Outline and verses appearing in the second part of this book.

196

HOW TO TREAT DHARMA BOOKS

Dharma books contain the teachings of the Buddha. They have the power to
protect against lower rebirth and to point the ay to liberation.
Therefore, they should be treated with respect kept off the oor and places
where people sit or walk and should not be stepped over. They should
be covered or protected for transporting and kept in a high, clean place
separated from other mundane materials. Other objects, including statues
and stupas, should not be placed on top of dharma books and materials.
Licking the ngers to turn pages is considered negative and will create
negative karma.
If it is necessary to dispose of written dharma materials, they should be
burned rather than thrown I the trash.
When offering dharma texts to the re, rst recite the mantra OM AH
HUNG, then visualize the letters of the texts to be burned absorbing into the
syllable AH and the AH absorbing into you, transmitting their wisdom to
your mind stream. After that, as you continue to recite OM AH HUNG, you
can offer the texts to the re.
Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche has specically advised that photos or images
of holy beings, deities and other holy objects should not be burned and
instead placed with respect in stupas or other high clean places so that they
do not end up on the ground.

197

Biodata of Geshe Tenzin Zopa

Geshe Tenzin Zopa holds a doctorate in Buddhist
Philosophy from Sera Jey Monas c University in South
India and is a master in Tibetan Buddhist rituals. He
is currently the Resident Teacher at Losang Dragpa
Buddhist Society, Malaysia and was for a long me, the
Director of the Tsum Valley Project (in the Himalayan
region), which provides Buddhist study and prac ce
facili es and accomoda on for the community in the
Valley. Geshe Tenzin Zopa is the principal and focal point
of the award winning lm tled Unmistaken Child
which chronicles the search for the reincarna on of his
great master.
Geshe Tenzin Zopa has a contemporary style of teaching
which he combines with the ancient wisdom derived
from his years of philosophical studies and debate,
thereby bene ng everyone who has met or heard him
teach. Geshe Tenzin Zopa is the face of a dynamic and
socially engaged Buddhism in the 21st century.