1. Rinpoche tends to use the term paramita rather than perfection (which he saves for samsaric perfections). But because this subject is generally known as the six perfections, we have used that term throughout. “Transcendental perfection” is another translation, closer to the Sanskrit, which consists of param, or “other side,” and ita, or “to go.”
2. Rinpoche often refers to the historical Buddha as Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, placing “Guru” before his name to remind us of the inseparability of our own guru and the Buddha.
3. Buddhism cites two truths: conventional truth (samvritisatya, kunzop denpa) and ultimate truth ( paramarthasatya, döndam denpa). Rinpoche usually calls conventional truth “all-obscuring truth,” “truth for the all-obscuring mind,” or “concealer truth,” because while on one level it is a truth for a valid conventional consciousness, at a deeper level it obscures the ultimate nature of the object.
4. Tsongkhapa (1357–1419) is the founder of the Geluk tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Gyaltsap Dharma Rinchen (1364–1462) was born in the Tsang province of central Tibet. He became the first Ganden Tripa (throne holder) of the Geluk tradition after Lama Tsongkhapa’s death.
5. A path to liberation or enlightenment that accords with the teachings of the Buddha, specifically the fourth noble truth, the truth of the path that leads to cessation.
6. Although this is often called the perfection of generosity, over the forty years Rinpoche has been teaching on it he has overwhelmingly used the term charity, so we will keep to that.
7. See Rinpoche’s Bodhichitta: Practice for a Meaningful Life (Zopa 2019), 208–16, for more on tonglen.
8. Pabongka Rinpoche (1871–1941) was the root guru of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s senior and junior tutors. He also gave the teachings compiled in Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand.
9. Shantideva 5.9–11, as translated by L. O. Gómez, forthcoming.
10. See the appendix for Rinpoche’s teaching on attitudes and actions to be avoided.
11. The two kinds of merit are the merit of virtue, accumulating merit through the method side of the path, and the merit of wisdom, where we develop an understanding of the ultimate nature of reality, such as emptiness.
12. The Kadampa geshe Chekawa Yeshé Dorjé (1101–1175) wrote Seven-Point Mind Training, inspired by Geshe Langri Tangpa’s Eight Verses on Mind Training.
13. The volume of stories, mostly in Pali, that relate the lives of the Buddha before he became enlightened.
14. One of the first of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) centers, it operated between 1976 and 1983.
15. The four ways are the kindness of (1) giving us this body, (2) protecting us from life’s dangers, (3) leading us on the path of the world, and (4) bearing many hardships for us. See Rinpoche’s Bodhichitta: Practice for a Meaningful Life (Zopa 2019), 121–35.
16. Kyabje Serkong Rinpoche (1914–1983) was born in Lhokha, southern Tibet, the son of the first Serkong Dorjé Chang and an incarnation of Dharma Dodé. After studying at Ganden Monastery, he became a lharampa geshe, and was one of seven tsenshap, or “master debate partners,” to His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.
17. Rinpoche has covered this topic in many teachings, and there are many references to it in other books. For instance, on how to do this practice, see Liberating Animals from the Danger of Death (Zopa 2015) or Dear Lama Zopa (Zopa 2013a), 16–20.
18. The five paths are the paths upon which a being progresses to liberation and enlightenment. They are the paths of merit, preparation, seeing, meditation, and no more learning.
19. The five great mantras are the mantra of Kunrik, the mantra of Buddha Mitukpa, the Stainless Pinnacle, the Wish-Granting Wheel mantra, and the mantra of Namgyalma. These and the ten great mantras are incredibly beneficial when a being is dying or dead. See Heart Practices for Death and Dying (Zopa 2008).
20. After becoming a monk in 1976, Venerable Roger Kunsang has been Rinpoche’s full-time attendant since 1986 and member of the FPMT Board of Directors since 1989.
21. Also called the five uninterrupted negative karmas ( panchanantarya, tsam mé nga), they are so powerful they cause a being to be reborn in the hell realm immediately after death, without any possible intervening other rebirth. They are having killed one’s mother, having killed one’s father, having killed an arhat, maliciously drawing blood from a buddha, and causing a schism in the sangha.
22. An Indian scholar of the fourth century and brother of Asanga, Vasubandhu wrote many commentaries and philosophical texts, including the Abhidharmakosha. He cofounded the Chittamatra school and is one of six great Indian scholars known as the Six Ornaments.
23. The Treasury of Knowledge (Abhidharmakosha) by Vasubandhu is one of the five great philosophical texts studied in the Geluk monasteries.
24. See also Rinpoche’s The Yoga of Eating Food (Zopa 2003).
25. Tsongkhapa vv. 25–26, as translated by Jinpa 2007, 3.
26. Shantideva 4.15–17.
27. Shantideva 4.18–19.
28. The eight freedoms are freedom from being born (1) as a hell being, (2) as a hungry ghost, (3) as an animal, (4) as a long-life god, (5) in a dark age when no buddha has descended, (6) as a barbarian, (7) as a fool, and (8) as a heretic. The ten richnesses are being born (1) as a human being, (2) in a Dharma country, (3) with perfect mental and physical faculties, (4) free from the five immediate negativities, (5) having devotion to the Buddha’s teachings, (6) when a buddha has descended, (7) when the teachings have been revealed, (8) when the complete teachings still exist, (9) when there are still followers of the teachings, and (10) having the necessary conditions to practice Dharma, such as the kindness of others. See Rinpoche’s The Perfect Human Rebirth (Zopa 2013b).
29. The nine levels of concentration are (1) directed attention, (2) continuous attention, (3) resurgent attention, (4) close attention, (5) tamed attention, (6) pacified attention, (7) fully pacified attention, (8) single-pointed attention, (9) balanced attention, with shamatha as the tenth stage. See Wallace 2006.
30. Nagarjuna v. 7, as translated by the Padmakara Translation Group 2005, 27.
31. Tsongkhapa vol. 2, 2002, 144–50.
32. This refers to the subtle psychic energy that flows through energy channels in the body and allows the body to function. The mind is said to ride on this wind like a rider on a horse.
33. The final nirvana the Buddha attained when he passed away in Kushinagar.
34. From the Mahaparinibbanasutra of the Dighanikaya, quoted in Rahula 1974, 136.
35. Heresy (lokta), also called “mistaken wrong views,” in the Buddhist context, refers to the deluded intelligence that rejects the existence of something that exists, such as karma, reincarnation, the Three Jewels, and so forth, and ascribes existence to that which is nonexistent, such as the sense of an inherently existing I. It is also holding incorrect views about the guru.
36. The ten virtues are (1) renouncing killing and protecting the lives of others, (2) renouncing stealing and practicing generosity, (3) renouncing sexual misconduct and being faithful, (4) renouncing lying and telling the truth, (5) renouncing harsh words and speaking gently, (6) renouncing divisive speech and working toward harmony, (7) renouncing idle gossip and speaking meaningfully, (8) renouncing covetousness and rejoicing in the fortune of others, (9) renouncing ill will and wishing well of others, and (10) renouncing heresy and seeking the right view.
37. Step-by-step instructions for how to practice a particular tantric deity.
38. Although the four means are often listed entirely separately from the six perfections, Pabongka Rinpoche in Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand explained these come under this morality. See Pabongka 1991, 580, 650, for an explanation of the four means.
39. Geshe Rabten (1920–1986) was a religious assistant to His Holiness the Dalai Lama before moving to Switzerland in 1975.
40. The twelve deeds are (1) descending from Tushita Heaven, (2) entering his mother’s womb, (3) birth, (4) studying arts and handicrafts, (5) enjoying life in the palace, (6) renunciation, (7) undertaking ascetic practices, (8) going to Bodhgaya, (9) defeating the negative forces (Mara), (10) attaining enlightenment, (11) turning the wheel of Dharma, and (12) entering parinirvana.
41. See Pabongka 1991, 580–81.
42. The subject of the Buddha’s first turning of the wheel of Dharma, the four noble truths are (1) the truth of suffering, (2) the truth of the origin of suffering, (3) the truth of the cessation of suffering, and (4) the truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering as seen by an arya.
43. The ten bhumis, or grounds, are the stages a bodhisattva progresses through once reaching the path of seeing. The first bhumi is there, on the path of seeing; the second through seventh are during the path of meditation; and the eighth to tenth are during the path of no more learning.
44. Shantideva 6.1.
45. Shantideva 6.42–44.
46. Shantideva 6.110.
47. Translated by Thupten Jinpa in Gyaltchok and Gyalsten 2006, 276.
48. Shantideva 5.13–14.
49. See Tsongkhapa 2000, vol. 1, 290–91.
50. See also Rinpoche’s upcoming Patience (Wisdom Publications, 2020), in which he explores the patience chapter of A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life in depth.
51. Shantideva 6.10.
52. Rinpoche has taught on these thought-transformation practices in books such as The Door to Satisfaction (Zopa 1994) and Transforming Problems into Happiness (Zopa 2001).
53. Shantideva 6.14.
54. An eleventh-century Kadampa practitioner and follower of Atisha, he was a robber before he renounced his life of crime and was ordained.
55. Shantideva 7.1–2 (part).
56. Atisha Dipamkara Shrijnana (982–1054) was the renowned Indian master who went to Tibet in 1042 to help in the revival of Buddhism and establish the Kadam tradition.
57. Yeshé Gyaltsen 8.18–19, as translated by Jinpa 2008, 555.
58. Shantideva 8.1.
59. Quoted in Rinpoche’s The Door to Satisfaction (Zopa 1994), 75. Opening the Door of Dharma: The Initial Stage of Training the Mind in the Graduated Path to Enlightenment by Lodrö Gyaltsen (1402–1471) is the text upon which The Door to Satisfaction is based and is the inspiration for Rinpoche’s How to Practice Dharma (Zopa 2012b).
60. Shantideva 5.1–3.
61. Nagarjuna v. 117, as translated by the Padmakara Translation Group 2005, 58.
62. Dhammapada v. 183. Taken from Essential Buddhist Prayers, Vol. 1, 2008 (FPMT), 75–76.
63. Shantideva 5.4–6.
64. His Holiness Zong Rinpoche (1905–1984) was a powerful Geluk lama renowned for his wrathful aspect, who had impeccable knowledge of Tibetan Buddhist rituals, art, and science.
65. Quoted in Sopa 2008, vol. 3, 422. Compendium of the Perfections ( paramita samasa nama) is attributed to Aryashura or Ashvagosha.
66. Quoted in Gampopa 1998, 213, as translated by Khenpo Konchog Gyaltsen Rinpoche.
67. Guru Puja v. 105.
68. They are (1) the hell of being alive again and again; (2) the black-line hell; (3) the gathered and crushed hell; (4) the hell of crying; (5) the hell of great crying; (6) the hot hell; (7) the extremely hot hell; and (8) the inexhaustible hot hell, also known as avici hell or vajra hell.
69. Asanga and Maitreya 8.19. This is Rinpoche’s translation. Compare with Thurman’s in The Universal Vehicle Discourse Literature, 2005, 70: “She, the spiritual victor-child, relies on highest striving to bring hosts of beings to a superior maturity; she does not lose heart in ten million eons in order to bring about even a single virtuous thought in one other (being).”
70. Shantideva 7.2 (part).
71. Shantideva 7.3.
72. The eight worldly dharmas or concerns are (1) being happy when given gifts and (2) being unhappy when not given them; (3) wanting to be happy and (4) not wanting to be unhappy; (5) wanting praise and (6) not wanting criticism; (7) wanting a good reputation and (8) not wanting a bad reputation. See Rinpoche’s How to Practice Dharma (Zopa 2012b).
73. Shantideva 7.14.
74. Also called “wish-fulfilling jewel,” a jewel that brings its possessor everything worldly they desire.
75. Quoted in Pabongka 2006, 311.
76. Udanavarga 1.22. This is the common reading. See also the wonderful 1883 translation, which reads “The end of all that has been hoarded is to be spent; / the end of what has been lifted up is to be cast down; / the end of meeting is separation; / the end of life is death.” Available online at https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.283948, accessed August 8, 2018.
77. Quoted in Pabongka 1991, 304.
78. Shantideva 7.30.
79. Shantideva 7.39–40.
80. Shantideva 7.46–48.
81. Shantideva 7.68–71.
82. Shantideva 7.66.
83. Atisha 3–5. (The first four lines are numbered 3 and 4 in the book.) Translated by Thupten Jinpa, 2008, 61.
84. Tara (Drölma) is a female meditational deity who embodies the enlightened activity of all the buddhas; often referred to as the mother of the buddhas of the past, present, and future.
85. The eight remedies are antidotes to the five faults. (1) Faith, (2) aspiration, (3) effort, and (4) pliancy are the antidotes to laziness; (5) mindfulness is the antidote to forgetfulness; (6) introspection is the antidote to laxity and excitement; (7) application (of an antidote) is the antidote to nonapplication; and (8) equanimity is the antidote to over-application. See Glen Svensson’s shamatha chart on http://www.glensvensson.org/uploads/7/5/6/1/7561348/shamatha.pdf, accessed August 9, 2018.
86. For calm abiding the lamrim texts tend to use terms such as mental quiescence (Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand ), serenity (Lamrim Chenmo), and shamatha (Steps on the Path to Enlightenment). Unless otherwise specified, concentration in this context refers to calm abiding.
87. See Tsongkhapa 2008, 207–8, where he quotes Kamalashila’s Stages of Meditation.
88. They are the suffering realms of the hell beings, the hungry ghosts, and the animals; and the fortunate realms of the humans, demigods, and gods.
89. They are (1) desire, (2) anger, (3) pride, (4) ignorance, (5) afflicted doubt, and (6) afflicted view.
90. Quoted in Sopa 2016, 27.
91. A buddha field (buddhaksetra) is the wisdom of the buddhas manifesting as a pure environment, where they reside and higher bodhisattvas are able to receive teachings.
92. For more advice on doing a retreat, see Rinpoche’s Heart Advice for Retreat (Zopa 2007), which is where this first section comes from.
93. Taken from Essential Buddhist Prayers, Vol. 1, 2011 (FPMT), 145.
94. Quoted in Pabongka 1991, 293.
95. Preliminary practices (ngöndro) are practices that prepare the mind for successful tantric meditation by removing hindrances and accumulating merit. These practices are found in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism and are usually done one hundred thousand times each. The four main practices are recitation of the refuge formula, mandala offerings, prostrations, and Vajrasattva mantra recitation. The Geluk tradition adds five more: guru yoga, water bowl offerings, Damtsik Dorjé purifying meditation, making tsatsas, and the Dorjé Khandro burning offering practice ( jin seg).
96. An offering cake used in tantric rituals. In Tibet, tormas were usually made of tsampa.
97. Small statues or plaques, traditionally made of clay, of sacred images.
98. Mitrukpa (Akshobhya) is one of the five buddha types (Dhyani Buddhas). He is blue in color and represents the wisdom of reality and the fully purified aggregate of consciousness.
99. The way Rinpoche has translated this verse has varied over the years. This version has been taken from his Bodhisattva Attitude (Zopa 2012a), 71–72, where there is an extensive explanation of the variations in the footnote.
100. Taken from Essential Buddhist Prayers, Vol. 1, 2011 (FPMT), 143.
101. The eighth-century Indian tantric master who played a key role in establishing Buddhism in Tibet; he is revered by all Tibetans but especially followers of the Nyingma tradition, which he founded.
102. See Pabongka 1991, 626–38, and Tsongkhapa 2008, 267–70.
103. A further interesting layer of the concept of inherent existence is Rinpoche pronouncing the letter in the British way. A British English speaker would not even question Rinpoche’s explanation of what the letter was named, whereas an American English speaker, thinking it was inherently a “zee,” might have to pause to consider why “zee” seems more correct than “zed.”
104. The five extreme views (tawa nga) are (1) the view of the changeable aggregates, (2) the view of the extremes, (3) the view of holding wrong views as supreme, (4) the view of holding our own moral and religious discipline as supreme, and (5) wrong views.
105. In Buddhist psychology, the mind is classified as having six principal consciousnesses (the five sense perceptions and a direct mental perception) and various accompanying mental factors, usually listed as fifty-one.
106. Nagarjuna 18.1, as translated by Garfield 1995a, 48.
107. The ten absurdities are listed as (1) the pointlessness of labeling an inherent object, (2) the I would be many because the aggregates are many, (3) the I would arise and cease because the aggregates arise and cease, (4) the I arises and ceases not just conventionally but inherently, (5) the memory (of former lives) would be inadmissible, (6) there could be no continuum of memory, (7) the extreme view of asserting ordinary people and buddhas are one, (8) causes could not bring results, (9) we would experience results causelessly, and (10) earlier and later moments on the same continuum are impossible. See Tsongkhapa 2008, 268–69.
108. Taken from FPMT Retreat Prayer Book 2019 (FPMT), 231.
109. Shantideva 3.18–19.
110. Shantideva 3.20–21.
111. Shantideva 10.55, as translated by Batchelor, 1987.
112. See Tsongkhapa 2002, vol. 2: 128–38.