NOTES
CHAPTER 2: ORIGIN OF LAMRIM INSTRUCTIONS
1. The full title of the text is A Practical Guide on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment: A Path of Bliss Leading to Omniscience (Jhangchup Lamgyi Rimpai Marti Thamche Khyenpar Droepai Delam She Jhawa) by Panchen Lobsang Choekyi Gyaltsen.
2. The full title of this Lamrim text is A Practical Guide to the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment: A Swift Path to Omniscience (Jhangchup Lamgyi Rimpai Marti Thamche Khyenpar Droepai Nyurlam She Jhawa) by Panchen Palden Yeshi.
3. For the convenience of the readers, these repetitions have been incorporated into a single presentation in this book. The purpose of these repetitions during the oral teaching is to ensure that the listeners understand all the essential points of the particular section of meditation covered during the teaching session, so that the visualizations can be done without much difficulty. In order for disciples to receive an experiential commentary or guide on a given text, it is indispensible that they undertake the meditations explained in the teaching at least twice before the next day—once during the same evening and once the next morning.
4. A lucid commentary by H.H. the Dalai Lama on this important guru yoga text is available in English translation under the title The Union of Bliss and Emptiness (Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 1988).
5. For the qualifications necessary on the part of the teacher in the context of specific practices, such as vinaya, Perfection Vehicle of Mahayana, and tantra, see Union of Bliss and Emptiness, p. 123, and the translator’s note on p. 181.
6. The four trainings are discussed extensively in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters respectively of the Abhisamayalankara (Ornament of Clear Realizations). For detailed explanations, see the root text and its related commentaries.
CHAPTER 4: PREPARING THE MIND
1. Buddhist literature speaks of all the different degrees of obstacles that impede one’s spiritual transformation in terms of the “four maras” (negative influences). These are the negative influences of the aggregates; of delusions; of the divine youth; and of death. The first mara refers to the psychophysical aggregates which are the products of our delusions and negative karmic forces. The second refers to the negative emotions such as desire, hatred, jealousy, and anger that dominate our minds and bring harm. The third refers to spontaneous temptations that one normally feels regarding sensual pleasures; whereas the fourth mara refers to ordinary death, which is brought forth against our wishes as a consequence of our past actions, without any choice. For a detailed explanation on the definitions of the four maras and the spiritual levels at which they are overcome, see the fourth chapter of Maitreya’s Abhisamayalankara (Ornament of Clear Realizations).
2. Clear Light is the subtlest level of mind, which becomes manifest only when all the gross minds have ceased their active functions. This state is experienced by ordinary beings naturally at the time of death, but can also be intentionally induced through meditative techniques. The reference here is to the latter.
3. The three kayas: dharmakaya (truth body), sambhogakaya (enjoyment body), and nirmanakaya (emanation body).
4. The outer refuge refers to the taking of refuge common to the practitioners of all the vehicles. It is the practice of simply going for refuge to the Three Jewels, induced by a sense of fear for one’s fate in the future and a deep conviction in the power of the Three Jewels to protect one from potential dangers. Inner refuge is an advanced form of the practice, uniquely used by the practitioners of the Great Vehicle. There are four features that distinguish it from the common refuge: (1) it should be induced by a sense of universal compassion, the taking into one’s heart of the welfare of all beings; (2) the individual should be determined to attain full enlightenment; (3) the individual must have intellectually cognized the possibility of him- or herself actualizing the state of the Three Jewels; and (4) it should transcend the refuge of the lesser vehicle practice. For explanations on these four features, see the second chapter of Mahayana Sutralamkara (Ornament of Great Vehicle Sutras) by Maitreya. The secret refuge refers to the practice of refuge in the context of the secret tantra path. It involves the taking of refuge not only in the Three Jewels but also in the assembly of mandala deities, which includes meditational deities, dakinis, heroes, et al.
5. Refutation that (1) the “self” is identical with the aggregates; (2) it is inherently different from the aggregates; (3) the aggregates are the base of the self; (4) the self is imposed on the aggregates; and (5) the self possesses the aggregates. For explanations on these five steps of reasoning, see Meditation on Emptiness by Jeffrey Hopkins (London: Wisdom Publications, 1983).
CHAPTER 5: VISUALIZATION OF THE MERIT FIELD
1. “Experiential Lineage” (Nyamlen jhinlap gyue) has different references, depending upon the context. Normally, it is identified with the lineage masters of the meditational deity in which the individual practitioner specializes. For a detailed explanation on the set-up of the merit field, see Union of Bliss and Emptiness, pp. 62–91.
2. The five dhyani buddhas are Akshobya, Vairochana, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha, and Amogasiddhi, collectively known as the lords of the five buddha families. They are the purified states of the five aggregates: consciousness, form, feeling, discernment, and compositional factors.
3. The term wisdom beings (yeshepas), refers to the deities that are evoked from their natural abodes, such as the natural expanse of dharmakaya, and merge into the deity you have generated earlier. For instance, in the present context, the merit field that you have generated in a gradual sequence as described in the manual is the “commitment being.” Once the visualization of the merit field is completed, you evoke “wisdom beings” identical to the set of merit field figures that you have already visualized, which are later merged into the commitment being. Such meditations are undertaken to reinforce your faith in and respect for the merit field created in your imagination.
4. See Union of Bliss and Emptiness, pp. 62–91.
CHAPTER 6: SEVEN-LIMBED PRACTICE
1. For a detailed explanation on the seven limbs, see Union of Bliss and Emptiness, pp. 92–115.
CHAPTER 13: RELIANCE ON A SPIRITUAL TEACHER
1. The eight benefits are: (1) getting closer to the attainment of full enlightenment, (2) pleasing all the buddhas, (3) never being deprived of a spiritual mentor, (4) not falling into any realms of unfavorable transmigrations, (5) becoming impervious to misleading teachers and evil friends, (6) being able to withstand the afflictions of delusions and the negative karmic impulses, (7) enhancing the accumulation of merits as by always being mindful of the bodhisattva ideals and not acting against them, and (8) realizing all temporary and ultimate aims. For a detailed explanation, see Phabongkha’s Namdrol Lakchang, published in English as Liberation in Our Hands (Howell, NJ: Mahayana Sutra and Tantra Press, 1990).
2. The eight undesirable consequences are: (1) despising one’s spiritual guru yields results equal to those ensuing from showing contempt to all the buddhas; (2) by being angry toward one’s guru, one destroys the positive potentials of the virtuous roots established over eons equal to the moments of the anger, and hence will take birth in the unfavorable realms of existence; (3) one will not attain any feats even by relying on tantric practices; (4) practicing tantra, even with great application, will be like working for one’s own downfall; (5) no new knowledge will be developed and that already developed will degenerate; (6) in this life one will be tormented by unwanted experiences such as illness, etc.; (7) one will wander in the lower realms of existence for a long time; and (8) one will be deprived of a spiritual mentor in many future lives. For explanations, see Pabhongkha’s Namdrol Lakchang.
3. Based on the difference in their presentation of the main subject matter, the entire corpus of the Buddha’s teachings is categorized into three sets of discourses known as the Tripitaka, literally meaning the three baskets. These are the scriptural collections on (1) ethics, (2) discourses, and (3) knowledge, respectively dealing with the topics of the trainings in ethics, meditation, and wisdom. For further explanation, see Opening the Eye of New Awareness by H.H. the Dalai Lama (London: Wisdom Publications, 1985), pp. 48–51.
4. Some early Western writers on Tibetan Buddhism were mainly to blame for this mistaken image. Being aware only of the devotional aspects of Tibetan Buddhism and therefore the ritual aspect of tantra, these writers misunderstood Tibetan Buddhism as a degenerated form of Buddhism deeply imbedded in the native religion of Bon. Also, because in Buddhist tantra a special emphasis is placed on laying a proper foundation of a sound guru reliance practice, a spiritual mentor is regarded with the highest esteem, which may have contributed to the incorrect perception of Tibetan Buddhism as a degenerated Buddhism bordering on the practice of a personality cult. Such misunderstandings gave rise to the term Lamaism. Fortunately, as more and more literature on Tibetan Buddhism is becoming available now in English and other major languages, a genuine appreciation of the system is emerging.
CHAPTER 14: RECOGNIZING THE HUMAN POTENTIAL
1. The eight leisures or freedoms are the four freedoms from the bondage of non-human existence and the four from the obstacles found within human existence. They are (1) freedom from a birth as a hell being, (2) freedom from a birth as an animal, (3) freedom from a birth as a hungry spirit, (4) freedom from a birth as a long-life deva, (5) freedom from being born in a land where not even a word of the dharma is to be heard, (6) freedom from being born with impaired physical and mental senses, (7) freedom from a rebirth holding perverted views such as disbelief in the karmic law of causality, and (8) freedom from being born at a time when a buddha has not appeared in the world.
2. The five personal endowments are (1) birth as a human being; (2) birth in a central land, a place where the dharma is present; (3) being born with complete sense faculties; (4) not having committed any of the five heinous crimes with immediate retribution (killing one’s mother, father, a foe-destroyer, shedding the blood of a buddha with an intention to kill, and creating schism within a spiritual community); and (5) having faith in the three scriptural collections and dharma as a whole.
The five circumstantial endowments are: (1) birth at a time when a buddha has appeared on earth, (2) being born when the buddha has taught the dharma, (3) being born when this dharma is stable and flourishing, (4) being born when there are practitioners following the dharma, and (5) being born when there are kind benefactors who support the practitioners with material necessities.
3. The ten negative actions are as follows: three actions of body—killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct; four of speech—lying, divisive talk, harsh speech, and senseless gossip; and three of mind—covetousness, harmful intent, and holding perverted views.
CHAPTER 17: SEEKING REFUGE
1. At the beginning of the spiritual path, based upon their diverse mental faculties, trainees are divided into three categories. Trainees whose spiritual endeavor is motivated principally to seek their own liberation from the bondage of cyclic existence are called sravakas (listeners); those who, although seeking their own welfare primarily, have a strong wish to be of service to others and have greater intelligence are called pratyekabuddhas (solitary realizers); and those who chiefly work for the attainment of the highest enlightenment to work for the benefit of others are the bodhisattvas (awakening warriors).
2. All the stages of one’s journey toward enlightenment are included in five paths: (1) path of accumulation, (2) path of preparation, (3) path of seeing, (4) path of meditation, (5) path of no more training. For an explanation on the five paths, see Opening the Eye of New Awareness.
CHAPTER 18: KARMA
1. The four powers are (1) the power of the basis, (2) the power of repentance, (3) the power of actual antidote, and (4) the power of resolve never to indulge in the acts again. For an explanation of these, see Union of Bliss and Emptiness, p. 113.
2. Environmental effects are secondary effects of the karma that results externally on the natural environment in which one will incarnate in the coming life. Such an effect comes into fruition generally on a collective basis of many beings. For instance, our personal karma had some bearing upon the evolution of the planet earth.
CHAPTER 19: THE DEFECTS OF CYCLIC EXISTENCE IN GENERAL
1. The six types of suffering are those of (1) uncertainty, (2) lack of contentment, (3) having to discard the body again and again, (4) having to undergo conception repeatedly, (5) being subjected to repeated fluctuations, (6) lack of true companions.
The eight types of suffering are those of (1) birth, (2) aging, (3) illness, (4) death, (5) the frustrations of meeting the unwanted, (6) being separated from what is agreeable, (7) not obtaining what is desirable though one has sought it hard, and (8) in short, being bound to one’s own five aggregates.
CHAPTER 24: EQUALIZING AND EXCHANGING ONESELF WITH OTHERS
1. A commentary on this text in English is available under the title Advice from a Spiritual Friend by Geshe Rabten and Geshe Dhargyey (London: Wisdom Publications, 1986).
2. See Appendix I on thought transformation precepts.
3. Union of Bliss and Emptiness, pp. 157–59
CHAPTER 25: BODHISATTVA VOWS RITE
1. See Bodhisattvacaryavatara, chapter one, and its related commentaries.
2. The four negative actions are (1) deceiving one’s gurus, or any beings worthy of veneration, by telling lies; (2) regretting one’s positive actions and not one’s negative actions; (3) despising bodhisattvas out of anger; and (4) being false and deceptive to any sentient being.
3. The four positive actions are (1) not telling lies even at the cost of one’s life; (2) encouraging others in positive principles, particularly the spiritual path of the Great Vehicle; (3) respecting all bodhisattvas as buddhas and proclaiming their great qualities; and (4) cherishing the special attitude of compassion toward all beings.
4. For the bodhisattva vows, see Appendix II.
CHAPTER 26: THE BODHISATTVA DEEDS
1. For explanations on the different types of laziness and the factors that counter them, see Meaningful to Behold by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso (London: Tharpa Publications, 1989).
CHAPTER 27: CALM ABIDING OF MIND
1. The eight opponent forces to the five obstacles:
| The Eight Opponent Forces | The Five Obstacles |
| 1) Faith | 1) Laziness |
| 2) Aspiration | — |
| 3) Joyous effort | — |
| 4) Suppleness | — |
| 5) Mindfulness | 2) Forgetfulness |
| 6) Introspection | 3) Mental sinking and excitement |
| 7) Application | 4) Non-application of the antidotes |
| 8) Non-application | 5) Excessive application (equanimity) |
For a detailed explanation of the eight opponent forces and the way in which they overcome the five obstacles, see Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s Meaningful to Behold, chapter eight.
2. The nine mental stages are (1) placing the mind, (2) continual placement, (3) replacement, (4) close placement, (5) controlled mind, (6) pacified mind, (7) complete pacification, (8) single-pointedness, and (9) equipoise.
For explanations on the nine stages, see Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s Meaningful to Behold, chapter eight.