For the first selection of the Third Dalai Lama’s many writings I have chosen a brief verse work that he composed for some disciples one year at Gyal Monastery. Succinct in meaning, it conveys the essence of his spiritual message.
Take the instinct of conviction
And focus it on the Three Jewels of Refuge:
The Buddhas, teachers of the path to enlightenment;
Dharma, the path to be accomplished;
And the Sangha, the friends on the Way.
Consider the infinite living beings And meditate upon love for them.
Recollect the endless ways in which they suffer And engender compassion and tolerance toward them.
Take the wandering and restless mind And place it in the sphere of awareness Of the emptiness nature of all that exists,
Knowledge of which sets the mind free.
This is the Dharma to be practiced,
The truth to be understood,
And the path to be traversed.
These are the methods that bring enlightenment,
A technique that we of this present age Have the sublimely good fortune To contact and accomplish.
For the second selection I have chosen a section of the Third Dalai Lama’s famous text The Essence of Refined Gold. This is a work in the genre known in Tibetan as Jangchub Lam Rim, or “Stages on the Path to Enlightenment.” Lama Tsongkhapa, the guru of the First Dalai Lama, wrote three works in this genre. The longest of these is over a thousand pages in length. The shortest, which is composed in verse, is just a few pages long. The Third Dalai Lama’s Essence of Refined Gold is a commentary to the verse work. As readers may remember, the present Dalai Lama mentions this work in his foreword.
In the previous chapter I included an essay by the Second Dalai Lama entitled Meditation on the Two Bodhiminds. These two are the conventional bodhimind, which is characterized by love and compassion, and the ultimate bodhimind, which is the wisdom of emptiness. The conventional bodhimind as presented by the Second Dalai Lama in that essay is also known as “the aspirational bodhimind,” for it is the aspiration to enlightenment as the natural fulfillment of universal love and compassion. That is to say, when the mind of universal love and compassion becomes intensified, it is directed to the aspiration to highest enlightenment, for the more enlightened we are the more beneficial to others we become. Conversely, the less enlightened we are, the more harmful and confusing we are to others.
This aspirational aspect of the conventional bodhimind is to be complemented with the activated bodhimind, also called the practical bodhimind. This is the universally loving impetus to enlightenment channeled into the practice of the six perfections and four ways of benefiting trainees.
These six perfections—generosity, discipline, patience, joyous application, meditative concentration and wisdom—are the essence of the bodhisattva lifestyle, and the heart of the Great Way practiced by all buddhas past, present and future. With each of them the Third Dalai Lama quotes a verse by Lama Tsongkhapa and elucidates its meanings.
* * * *
Lama Tsongkhapa wrote,
The development of the bodhimind,
The altruistic aspiration to enlightenment,
Is the central pillar of Mahayana practice,
The foundation of the bodhisattva activities,
An elixir producing the gold of merit and wisdom,
A mine holding the infinite varieties of goodness.
Knowing this, courageous followers of the buddhas Hold it tightly at the center of their hearts.
The meditations for arousing the aspirational bodhimind are important. But are they sufficient? The answer is no. One should also take up the commitment of the actual bodhimind and train in the vast activities of a bodhisattva: the six perfections, which one practices in order to ripen one’s own continuum; and the four ways of benefiting trainees, which one practices in order to ripen the minds of others.
Basing oneself on the motivation born from the thought that one must oneself attain buddhahood in order to be of maximum benefit to all sentient beings, one should abide in the practice of giving good counsel to those destitute of spiritual knowledge; giving protection to those oppressed by the wrath of kings, soldiers, etc.; to those frightened by sentient forces such as ghosts, demons, wild animals, snakes and so forth; and to those frightened by inanimate forces like burning, crushing,
drowning, suffocation, etc.; and giving food, drink, healing medicines and so forth to those in need.
In brief, with a free heart dedicate your body, possessions, and the meritorious energy of the past, present and future for your attainment of enlightenment for the good of the world.
Lama Tsongkhapa wrote,
The perfection of generosity is the magic gem to fulfill the hopes of the world,
The best tool with which to cut the knot of miserliness constricting the heart,
The bodhisattva practice giving birth to the unfailing powers of the spirit,
And the foundation of beneficial reputation.
Knowing this, the wise rely upon the practice Of dedicating their body, possessions and merits.
One must attain enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. In order to do so, one should maintain an attitude having the qualities of mindfulness, mental alertness, conscientiousness, humility, modesty and so forth, and should practice the three types of ethical discipline. These are the discipline of virtuous conduct, with which, even under the fear of death, one would not indulge in evil; the discipline of tethering oneself away from mistaken modes of being, which is the basis of furthering one’s practice of the six perfections; and, founded upon the above two, the discipline of working ethically to improve the world.
To quote Lama Tsongkhapa,
Ethical discipline is water to clean away the stains of evil,
Moonlight to cool the heat of delusion,
Radiance towering like a mountain in the midst of sentient beings,
The force peacefully to unite humanity.
Knowing this, spiritual practitioners guard it As they would their very eyes.
Anger is never a worthy response to the harms that others cause to you, for the harm that they do is just the karmic product of a harm that you previously inflicted upon them. Also, as they have no mental control and are helplessly overpowered by anger, it would be inappropriate to become angry with and hurt them. As well, because one moment of anger destroys the three roots of the three bases of merit accumulated over many aeons, on no account permit thoughts of anger to arise. This is the practice of patience unmoved by harm.
When one experiences pain and suffering because of harms done to oneself by another, negative attitudes like pride, arrogance and so forth are dispelled and the mind which renounces samsara is strengthened. Remember that the experience of this unwanted harm has arisen from previous negative actions done by you yourself, and that if you respond with negative, unskillful actions based upon anger, you are creating the conditions for further violent karmic patterns. Remember also that no effect arises if it has no cause, and that if you meet this harm with patience, not only will the previous negative deed that has given birth to this difficulty be depleted, but also you will create a positive karmic pattern by the skillful practice of patience. By avoiding the further non-virtue of anger, you avoid future suffering for yourself. Furthermore, by meditating upon patience when others harm you, your practice of the other perfections develops and matures. For these and many other valid reasons, the gurus have advised us to face harm with meditation upon patience. Remember their teachings and practice the patience which views suffering delivered by others as great kindness.
Finally, recognizing that the power of the Three Jewels and of the buddhas and bodhisattvas is inconceivable, appreciate the value of the activities of a bodhisattva, and also appreciate meditation upon egolessness. Practice the patience which is certain of Dharma and wishes to train as do the bodhisattvas.
To quote Lama Tsongkhapa,
Patience is the best ornament of real heroes,
A supreme asceticism to overcome delusions,
The garuda bird to destroy the snake of anger,
Armor to protect one from arrows of criticism.
Knowing this, in every way familiarize yourself With the armor of supreme patience.
If one has not meditated upon disillusionment with samsara as well as with desire for low-quality happiness such as that gained by lassitude, indulgence, sleep and so forth, one will continue to live in apathy. Abandon all causes of apathy and devote yourself solely to noble works of body, speech and mind. In order to alleviate the suffering of even one living being, practice the three types of joyous perseverance: armor-like perseverance, which does not abandon difficult practices for any reason whatsoever; based on that, perseverance which rests in wholesome Dharma and furthers one’s practice of the six perfections; and by means of the above two, the perseverance which works for the good of others by striving for the goal of enlightenment of all sentient beings.
To quote Lama Tsongkhapa,
If one wears the armor of unrelenting perseverance,
Qualities of learning and insight will increase like the waxing moon,
All activities will become meaningful,
And all works begun will reach completion.
Knowing this, bodhisattvas apply themselves To vast perseverance, dispeller of apathy.
With the bodhimind as motivation, divorce consciousness from agitation and torpor, and train in both worldly and transcendental concentrations. Or, from the viewpoint of direction, train in the various mental quiescence concentrations, penetrative insight concentrations, and the concentrations combining meditative quiescence and insight. Or, from the point of view of function, train in the concentrations which abide in physical and mental joy realized and experienced in this very life, the concentrations which actualize higher qualities such as clairvoyance, magical powers, etc., and the concentrations which accomplish the needs of the world.
To quote Lama Tsongkhapa,
Meditative concentration is the king to rule the mind.
When stabilized, it sits like a mountain,
When directed, it can enter all virtuous meditations.
It leads to every physical and mental joy Knowing this, great yogis always rely upon it,
The destroyer of the inner enemy, mental wandering.
Taking the bodhisattva aspiration as motivation, one should train in the following three types of wisdom: wisdom which sees the ultimate mode of existence, the point of suchness, or emptiness, shunyata, and thus pulls out the root of samsara; wisdom which understands conventional realities (such as the four noble truths); and, by means of the previous two wisdoms, the wisdom which accomplishes the needs of sentient beings.
To quote Lama Tsongkhapa,
Wisdom is the eye to see thatness,
The practice which pulls out samsara’s root,
The treasure of excellences praised in all scriptures,
The supreme lamp to dispel dark ignorance.
Knowing this, the wise, seeking freedom,
Dedicate every effort to generating it.
Taking as motivation the thought that one must attain enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings, (i) one practices supportive generosity toward one’s entourage of trainees. Then, (ii) in order to inspire them, one shows them a smiling face and speaks to them gently. Thirdly (iii) one teaches them the Dharma—the six perfections and so forth—and encourages them to actually practice it. Finally, (iv) one lives and practices in accordance with the teachings one has given.
You should in every possible way develop these four profound methods of benefiting others.
Moreover, because ego-grasping is the root of samsara, a single-pointed concentration which does not travel a path counteracting that grasping does not have the ability to sever samsara’s root. Alternatively, wisdom able to cognize non-true existence but divorced from mental quiescence able to dwell unwaveringly and single-pointedly on objects of meditation, will never turn back mental distortion, no matter how much it searches. In order to attain liberation forever free of psychic distortion, one must mount the horse of mental quiescence meditation that does not waver when placed in the view able to fathom the depths of emptiness, the ultimate and unmistaken meaning of existence. Riding this horse and brandishing the sharp weapon of the four great methods of Madhyamaka reasoning free of the extremes of eternalism and nihilism, one should generate wisdom which understands the actual mode of existence, the force which destroys all grasping at extremes, and forever expand the clear mind able to perceive the ultimate.
To quote Lama Tsongkhapa,
But the power to cut samsara’s root
Lies not in single-pointed concentration alone,
And wisdom divorced of the path of meditative calm Reverses not delusion, though it may try.
Wisdom searching for ultimate truth should ride The horse of unwavering samadhi And with the sharp weapon of centralized reasoning Should destroy grasping at extremes.
With vast wisdom that searches thus,
Expand the mind understanding suchness.
As stated, merely accomplishing the concentration that abides with strong focus when placed unwaveringly upon its object is not a sufficient
attainment. A mind placed in the posture which rests in one-pointed concentration, and which is made to analyze with wisdom able both to distinguish the various levels of reality and to discern the mode of suchness, gives birth to a concentration which rests firmly and unwaveringly in the significance of emptiness, the way things are. Seeing this, appreciate how wonderful is the effort made to accomplish concentration combined with wisdom. Make a sublime wish toward this end yourself, and thus plant its seed forever.
To quote Lama Tsongkhapa,
One-pointed meditation brings a samadhi fantastic beyond description;
Yet do not stop there; for that, combined with distinguishing awareness
Able to discern the modes of being,
Gives birth to a samadhi which rests firmly and unwaveringly upon the ultimate.
Understanding that, see as wondrous
The efforts made in samadhi joined to wisdom.
During meditation sessions, place the mind evenly in concentration and penetrative vision, and focus single-pointedly upon emptiness, which is as free of extremes as the sky is of tangible hindrances. Between sessions, watch how things, though not inherently existent, manifest, like a magician’s creations.
In this way one takes up the practices of wisdom and method combined — authentic meditation upon emptiness, grasped by great compassion and the bodhimind—and goes to the other side of the bod-hisattva practices.
Understanding this path well-worthy of praise, train in ways not satisfied by method or wisdom alone, but which combine the two on a balanced basis. Such training is the spiritual legacy of beings of good fortune. Apply yourself to it.
To quote Lama Tsongkhapa,
Meditate single-pointedly upon space-like emptiness.
After meditation, see life as a magician’s creation.
Through familiarity with these two practices,
Method and wisdom are perfectly united,
And one goes to the end of the bodhisattva ways. Understanding this, be not satisfied by a path Exaggerating either method or wisdom,
But stay on the road of the fortunate.
Yonten Gyatso, the Fourth Dalai Lama. Courtesy of The Newark Museum, Newark, New Jersey.