Contents

Foreword by Bhante Gunaratana

Prologue by His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Preface by Venerable Thubten Chodron

Abbreviations

  1.  ORIGIN AND SPREAD OF THE BUDDHA’S DOCTRINE

        •  The Buddha’s Life

        •  Buddhist Canons and the Spread of the Dharma

        •  Pāli Tradition

        •  Buddhism in China

        •  Buddhism in Tibet

        •  Our Commonalities and Diversity

  2.  REFUGE IN THE THREE JEWELS

        •  Existence of the Three Jewels

        •  The Tathāgata’s Qualities

        •  Three Jewels: Pāli Tradition

        •  Three Jewels: Sanskrit Tradition

        •  Buddha’s Awakening, Parinirvāṇa, and Omniscience

        •  Taking Refuge and Maintaining Proper Refuge

  3.  SIXTEEN ATTRIBUTES OF THE FOUR TRUTHS

        •  Sanskrit Tradition

        •  Pāli Tradition

  4.  THE HIGHER TRAINING IN ETHICAL CONDUCT

        •  The Importance of Ethical Conduct

        •  Prātimokṣa Ethical Restraints

        •  Why Celibacy?

        •  The Vinaya Schools

        •  The Value of the Monastic Community

        •  Fulfilling the Purpose of Monastic Life

        •  Monastics, Priests, and Lay Teachers

        •  Tibetan Monastics and Monastic Institutions

        •  Challenges for Western Monastics

        •  Full Ordination for Women

        •  Advice for Monastics

        •  The Joy of Monastic Discipline

        •  Bodhisattva and Tantric Ethical Restraints

  5.  THE HIGHER TRAINING IN CONCENTRATION

        •  The Importance of Concentration

        •  Realms of Existence and Spheres of Consciousness

        •  Pāli Tradition

        •  Five Hindrances and Five Absorption Factors

        •  Four Jhānas

        •  Four Immaterial Absorptions

        •  Eight Meditative Liberations

        •  Superknowledges

        •  Sanskrit Tradition

        •  Meditation Position and Meditation Objects

        •  Five Faults and Eight Antidotes

        •  Nine Stages of Sustained Attention

        •  Serenity and Further Meditative Absorptions

        •  Chinese Buddhism

  6.  THE HIGHER TRAINING IN WISDOM: THIRTY-SEVEN AIDS TO AWAKENING

        •  Four Establishments of Mindfulness

        •  Mindfulness of the Body

        •  Mindfulness of Feelings

        •  Mindfulness of the Mind

        •  Mindfulness of Phenomena

        •  Four Establishments of Mindfulness for Bodhisattvas

        •  Four Supreme Strivings

        •  Four Bases of Supernormal Power

        •  Five Faculties and Five Powers

        •  Seven Awakening Factors

        •  The Noble Eightfold Path

        •  Conventional and Ultimate Natures of the Thirty-Seven Aids

  7.  SELFLESSNESS AND EMPTINESS

        •  Pāli Tradition: The Self and the Aggregates

        •  Madhyamaka: The Object of Negation

        •  Seven-Point Refutation

        •  Six Elements Are Not the Self

        •  Refutation of Four Extremes of Arising

        •  Selfless and Deceptive

        •  Emptiness

        •  What Carries the Karma?

  8.  DEPENDENT ARISING

        •  Twelve Links of Dependent Arising

        •  Flow of the Links

        •  Who Circles in Saṃsāra?

        •  Benefits of Meditating on the Twelve Links of Dependent Arising

        •  Sanskrit Tradition: Levels of Dependence

        •  Causal Dependence

        •  Mutual Dependence

        •  Mere Dependent Designation

        •  Emptiness and Dependent Arising Are Compatible

        •  Pāli Tradition: Terms, Concepts, and Conventions

  9.  UNITING SERENITY AND INSIGHT

        •  Pāli Tradition

        •  Sanskrit Tradition

        •  Chinese Buddhism

10.  PROGRESSING ON THE PATH

        •  Pāli Tradition: Purification and Knowledge

        •  Sanskrit Tradition: Five Paths and Ten Bodhisattva Grounds

        •  Differences among the Three Vehicles

        •  Sanskrit Tradition: Nirvāṇa

        •  Pāli Tradition: Nibbāna

11.  THE FOUR IMMEASURABLES

        •  Pāli Tradition

        •  Love

        •  Compassion

        •  Joy

        •  Equanimity

        •  Four Immeasurables and Insight

        •  Near and Far Enemies

        •  Sanskrit Tradition

12.  BODHICITTA

        •  Tibetan Buddhism

        •  Equanimity

        •  Sevenfold Cause-and-Effect Instruction

        •  Equalizing and Exchanging Self and Others

        •  Self-Interest, Self-Confidence, Self-Centered Attitude, and Self-Grasping Ignorance

        •  Integrating the View with Bodhicitta

        •  Chinese Buddhism

        •  Four Great Vows

        •  Aspiring and Engaging Bodhicitta

        •  Pāli Tradition: Bodhicitta and Bodhisattas

13.  BODHISATTVA TRAINING IN THE PERFECTIONS

        •  Sanskrit Tradition

        •  Pāli Tradition: Ten Pāramīs

        •  Perfection of Generosity

        •  Perfection of Ethical Conduct

        •  Perfection of Fortitude

        •  Perfection of Joyous Effort

        •  Perfections of Meditative Stability and of Renunciation

        •  Perfection of Wisdom

        •  Perfections of Unshakable Resolve and of Determination

        •  Perfections of Skillful Means, Power, and Exalted Wisdom

        •  Pāramīs of Truthfulness, Love, and Equanimity

        •  The Four Ways of Gathering Disciples

14.  THE POSSIBILITY OF AWAKENING AND BUDDHA NATURE

        •  Is Liberation Possible?

        •  Pāli Tradition: Luminous Mind

        •  Yogācāra School: Buddha Nature

        •  Madhyamaka School: Buddha Nature

        •  Tantrayāna: Buddha Nature

        •  Chan: Buddha Nature, Bodhicitta, and True Suchness

        •  Understanding Tathāgatagarbha

15.  TANTRA

        •  Tantric Deities

        •  Entering Vajrayāna

        •  Excellent Features of Highest Yoga Tantra

16.  CONCLUSION

Notes

Index

About the Authors