1. THE NATURE OF THE INSTRUCTION

BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI MADE great efforts to arouse and accomplish the mind of enlightenment in order to benefit the countless sentient beings. Accounts of his training can be read in the Jataka Stories as well as in various sutras and later works. After attaining enlightenment he turned the Wheel of Dharma for beings of good fortune, revealing what must be overcome and what must be accomplished in order to transcend the stages and levels leading to higher rebirth, liberation, and omniscient perfection. Indeed, his teachings are like an eye through which can be seen all levels of reality, a fabulous medicine able to open the doors of conventional and ultimate wisdom. These diamond methods were transmitted through, and clarified by, an unbroken chain of Indian masters such as Nagarjuna and Asanga. Eventually they spread throughout India, Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Nepal, Tibet, and the entirety of Central Asia. In all of these countries the pure Dharma was molded and shaped in accordance with the experiences of the lineage masters, who expressed the teachings in ways most suited to the time, culture, and dispositions of those training under them. Thus Buddhism came to have many faces. Still the essence of all valid transmissions remains the same: to overcome negativity, to increase goodness, and to cultivate and liberate the mind.

Buddhism was transmitted through a number of lineages in Tibet. Although each of these manifests slightly different ways of presenting the teachings in accordance with the needs of the disciples and the times and areas of Tibet where the lineages were introduced, in that all accept the four seals of Buddhist doctrine, all practice a path combining the Sutrayana and Vajrayana, and all possess methods whereby enlightenment can be accomplished in one lifetime, the differences are not that important. Again, there are differences in details of practice within Theravadin, Chinese, Japanese, and Tibetan Buddhism, yet the essential thread from which they are woven is the fundamental substance of Buddha’s golden speech. The differences are more in the way of ornaments placed on top of the thread in order to further delight trainees with specific needs. We do not need one form of Buddhism, just as the world does not require one religion. Although all humans are equal, each of us has our individual background, our unique way of seeing and appreciating things, our own spiritual and philosophical tastes. Just as the world has developed a variety of foods to fulfill the individual fancies of different peoples, the variety of religions and subjects within religions is something positive, providing paths for a wider spectrum of trainees. In Tibet we encouraged this type of personal religious freedom to the point that there emerged the saying, “Every lama is his own sect.” Diversity is both beautiful and necessary.

Although the last century has seen a great decline in religious interest throughout the world, the hope that the materialistic approach devoid of spiritual foundation can bring lasting happiness has been rapidly evaporating over the last decade. People are once again beginning to appreciate the need for inner development as opposed to the usual hand-to-mouth animal existence. Technology and materialistic endeavor are not negative forces in themselves, but when not coupled with spiritual training, they do not bring any deeper knowledge and happiness to the mind and are very dangerous to the world. The bomb, chemical pollution, and police state societies controlled by ultramodern spying and killing devices are a few such examples. There is great hope for our world if technology and spiritual development can go hand in hand, but if we continue in our present direction of using our technological and scientific knowledge for little more than exploitation of people and resources, for power politics and international business intrigue, then it becomes very difficult to say how pleasant the outcome will be.

Many spiritual traditions still thrive throughout the world. The great lack is not in the teachings but in our not having the inclination to study and practice them. There are many masters alive today who can show us the paths and practices, but we do not take up training under them. Who can we blame but ourselves if in this way we generate no spiritual experience?

THE THIRD DALAI LAMA

To the feet of the accomplished masters,

Embodiment of the Three Jewels,

Profoundly I turn for spiritual inspiration;

Bestow upon me your transforming powers.

Here, for spiritually inclined beings who wish to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by human life, is a treatise on the Lam Rim tradition of meditation, a tradition known as Stages on the Spiritual Path Leading to Enlightenment.

What is the Lam Rim tradition? It is the essence of all teachings of Buddha, the one path traveled by high beings of the past, present, and future, the legacy of the masters Nagarjuna and Asanga, the religion of supreme people traveling to the earth of omniscience, the unabridged synthesis of all practices included within the three levels of spiritual application. This is the Lam Rim tradition.

Lam Rim is an especially profound aspect of Dharma, for it is a tradition of practice sound in origin. It has neither fault nor shortcoming, for it is a complete training perfectly uniting both method and wisdom aspects of the path. It provides all levels and grades of the techniques passed through Nagarjuna and Asanga, from the practices meant for beginners up to and including the final technique before full buddhahood, the stage of non-practice.

This structured Dharma of taintless origin is like the wish-fulfilling gem, for through it, infinite beings can easily and quickly accomplish their purposes. Combining the rivers of the excellent teachings of both the Hinayana and Mahayana scriptures, it is like a mighty ocean. Revealing the principal points of both the Sutrayana and Vajrayana, it is a complete tradition with complete teachings. Outlining the main techniques for taming the mind, it is easily integrated into any practice, and, being a teaching combining the lineages of Guru Vidyakokila, a sage of the Nagarjuna School, and Lama Serlingpa [Dharmakirti], a sage of the Asanga School, it is a precious ornament. Therefore, to hear, contemplate, or meditate upon a Lam Rim discourse is fortunate indeed.

To quote Jey Rinpoche’s Song of the Stages on the Spiritual Path,

From Nagarjuna and Asanga,

Banners unto all mankind,

Ornaments amongst the world’s sages,

Comes the sublime Lam Rim lineage

Fulfilling all hopes of practitioners.

It is a wish-fulfilling gem,

Combining the streams of a thousand teachings;

It is an ocean of excellent guidance.

The two Indian formulators of the Lam Rim lineage are Nagarjuna and Asanga, both of whom were prophesied by Buddha Shakyamuni in many sutras and tantras. The ultimate source of the lineage, however, is Buddha Shakyamuni¹³ himself who, in terms of his personal kindness to the beings of the present age, is a white lotus among the thousand Buddhas of this fortunate eon. Buddha Shakyamuni turned the wheel of 84,000 teachings, which were passed to his successors principally through two lineages: the profound wisdom lineage that eventually came down to Nagarjuna and the method lineage of vast activities that eventually came down to Asanga. Both of these masters studied extensively, made intensive retreats, and attained great realizations. They wrote numerous texts elucidating the doctrine and structuring it for effective study and practice. Eventually these two lineages came to Dipamkara Atisha, who unified them and brought them to Tibet. When asked to teach an oral tradition method that would best suit the disposition of the Tibetan people, he transmitted the Lam Rim teachings. The tradition has been passed on in an unbroken lineage from that time to the present day.

The Lam Rim is a most excellent teaching, for it incorporates all the instructions given by Buddha, including those of both the Sutrayana and Vajrayana. Containing basic as well as high teachings, it can be practiced by people of all levels of intelligence and development. Thus it is a vast ocean containing the jewels of every Dharma method, jewels producing benefits that extend not only to the limits of this life but reach far into future existences, even to the goals of liberation and omniscient enlightenment. Should we be able to complete the fundamental Lam Rim practices and engage in the extraordinary trainings of Highest Tantra, even full enlightenment in one lifetime becomes possible.

The aim in the beginning of Lam Rim practice is to gain an appreciation of the human potential and to become aware of the unsatisfactory nature of lower existences. We then become mindful of the karmic laws of evolution and seek inspiration from the Enlightened Ones, the Teachings, and the Spiritual Community. The aim in the middle stage of practice is to transcend the hope of high rebirth and to inspire the mind to seek nirvana, or liberation from the subtlest forms of samsaric suffering. As nirvana is accomplished through the higher trainings in discipline, meditation, and wisdom, these practices are introduced here. Finally, once stability in these two levels has been accomplished, one contemplates how not only oneself but all beings are immersed in samsaric suffering. One thus generates the bodhimind, the Mahayana attitude of universal responsibility that aims at the attainment of omniscient enlightenment as the supreme method of benefiting the world. One then enters into the practice of the six perfections, four ways of amassing trainees, and two stages of tantra, as expedient methods of accomplishing enlightenment and benefiting both oneself and all others without exception in a final and ultimate way.

This is the vast and profound spectrum of practices of the Lam Rim as embodied in Atisha’s short treatise, A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment. Atisha passed the transmission to Lama Drom Tonpa, who split it into three lineages, which he eventually passed to the three Kadampa Brothers. These three masters of the Kadampa Order widely propagated the Lam Rim teachings. The lineage coming from them—the Shungpawa or Scriptural Tradition, Man-ngapa or Oral Tradition, and Lam Rimpa or Experiential Tradition—became known as the “Three Kadam Streams.” Lama Tsongkhapa received all three of these lines and unified them once again. In accordance with the nature of the “Three Streams,” he composed three commentaries to Atisha’s A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment.

In the first of his three commentaries, the Great Exposition of the Stages on the Spiritual Path, Tsongkhapa puts aside the branches and leaves of the teachings and goes directly to the essential practices, placing special emphasis upon meditative concentration and profound insight. This section of the work is presented from his personal reflections and provides a unique approach based upon his own meditations. The text abounds in quotations from early Indian scriptures, thus indicating the sources of the various Lam Rim practices.

Tsongkhapa’s second commentary, An Intermediate Exposition of the Stages on the Spiritual Path, embodies the oral tradition Lam Rim teachings. Much shorter than the Great Exposition, it is less encyclopedic and structured for a more streamlined practice.

Finally, his third commentary, A Concise Exposition, which is also known as Song of the Stages on the Spiritual Path, is a poem expressing his own experiences in Lam Rim training. The Third Dalai Lama’s Essence of Refined Gold is largely a commentary to the meaning of this short work.

Over the centuries many Lam Rim scriptures have been written by the great practitioners and lineage gurus. One of the most important of these writings is the Third Dalai Lama’s Essence of Refined Gold. It has remained one of the most popular Lam Rim manuals since its composition some four hundred years ago.

In the Lam Rim view, the deepest impulse of all sentient beings is to experience happiness and to avoid suffering. Different cultures throughout the world have made many systematic investigations into how these two goals may be achieved. Many philosophies of human happiness have emerged and many methods whereby happiness may be gained have been developed. Most of these methods, however, aim at producing a type of happiness that reaches only within the limits of this lifetime. Their basis and scope are fundamentally materialistic. They demonstrate an amazing lack of knowledge of death and its significance, and of the spiritual processes that give peace to the mind in this life as well as a knowledge that enables one to enter the stage after death with fearlessness and competence. In this context Buddha Shakyamuni said, “He who fears when there is no cause to fear is a fool. He who does not fear when there is a cause to fear is a fool. Both fall from the way.” To ignore death and its implications will not prevent us from dying nor will it help us to enter the after-death state with any degree of spiritual maturity.

The difficulty with a purely materialistic interpretation of life is that, in addition to ignoring an entire dimension of the mind, it does not deal effectively with the problems of this life. A materialistic mind is an unstable mind, for its happiness is built on transient, physical circumstances. Mental disease is as high among the affluent as it is among the poor, which is a clear indication of the limitations of the approach. Although it is essential to maintain a reasonable material basis on which to live, the emphasis in one’s life should be on cultivating the mental and spiritual causes of happiness. The human mind is very powerful and our worldly needs are not so great that they must demand all of our attention, especially in light of the fact that materialistic success solves so few of the many challenges and problems that confront men and women throughout their lives, and it does nothing for them at death. On the other hand, if one cultivates spiritual qualities such as mental harmony, humility, non-attachment, patience, love, compassion, wisdom, and so forth, then one becomes equipped with a strength and intelligence able to deal effectively with the problems of this life, and because the wealth one is amassing is mental rather than material, it will not have to be left behind at death. There is no need to enter the after-death state empty-handed.

It is definite that all of us must die. Although what occurs to the mind after the body dies cannot be held up and demonstrated to the eye as can a material phenomenon, from accounts given to us by sages, philosophers, and people with clairvoyance, there can be little doubt that the mind continues to evolve. Moreover, the types of living beings in existence are not limited to those having gross physical bodies, such as the people, animals, insects, etc., that we witness around us. Not only Buddhism, but many independent spiritual cultures throughout the world have perceived the existence of other realms, such as hell beings, ghosts, various celestial beings, and so forth.

The nature of samsaric evolution is not such that death is followed by nothingness, nor that humans are always reborn as humans and insects as insects. On the contrary, we all carry within us the karmic potencies of all realms of cyclic existence. Many beings transmigrate from higher to lower realms, others from lower to higher. The selection of a place of rebirth is not directly in our own hands but is conditioned by our karma and delusions. They who possess spiritual understanding can control their destiny at the time of death, but for ordinary beings the process is very much an automatic chain reaction of karmic seeds and habitual psychic response patterns. Totally unprepared for the spiritual situations that confront them after death, untrained persons are thrown into a fit of confusion and terror. Unable to recognize or relate to the states of consciousness that arise, eventually they seek a womb in which to escape their sorrow and wander until they find the realm and conditions most suited to their spiritual level and to the karmic forces of previous actions that are propelling them.

Death holds very little hope for ordinary worldly persons with no spiritual experience. Having passed their entire lives ignoring death and sheltering themselves from thoughts of it, when it strikes they become utterly shocked and lose all courage and confidence. Everything that confronts them is unknown, for they never took the time to apply the methods that reveal the nature of mind, birth, life, and death. Control over one’s future evolution is to be won during one’s life, not at the time of death. The yogi Milarepa said, “Fearing death, I took to the mountains. Now I have realized the ultimate nature of the mind and no longer need to fear.” The root cause of one’s spiritual development is oneself. Buddha said, “We are our own savior or we are our own enemy.” Until now we have lived largely under the power of delusions and, as a result, although we instinctively desire happiness, we create only the causes of frustration and sorrow. We wish to avoid suffering, but because our minds are not cultivated in wisdom we run directly toward suffering like a moth caught in the light of a flame.

Our repeated experience of frustration, dissatisfaction, and misery does not have external conditions as its root cause. The problem is mainly our lack of spiritual development. As a result of this handicap, the mind is controlled principally by afflicted emotions and illusions. Attachment, aversion, and ignorance rather than a free spirit, love, and wisdom are the guiding forces. Recognizing this simple truth is the beginning of the spiritual path.

Our present condition is not something causeless nor is it something caused by chance. It is something we ourselves have steadily constructed through our series of past decisions and the actions of body, speech, and mind that arose from them. To place the blame upon an external person or thing is just a source of further confusion and negativity, increasing rather than solving the difficulty.

How can one break the cycle of compulsive, uncontrolled evolution? Only by going to its root cause, the deluded mind that binds and controls us and that causes us to engage in the endless string of meaningless and negative ways that do little but fatigue the spirit. Buddha said, “Mind is the forerunner of all events.” A sage with a mind of wisdom, compassion, and power dwells in joy and creates only causes of joy. Conversely, the more deluded one is, the more miserable is one’s present condition and the fewer are the causes of joy created by one’s activities throughout life. Spiritually developed persons benefit both themselves and others as a spontaneous expression of their exalted state of being, whereas undeveloped persons just bring suffering and confusion to themselves and others. The presence of a delusion within the mind in itself creates tension, and its effects upon one’s stream of activities create infinite seeds of future problems. A mind of serenity brings peace and calm into its environment wherever it goes, whereas a negative mind spreads only negativity. If we want happiness for ourselves and if we want to give happiness to others in our communications with them, there is no alternative to cultivating a state of spiritual harmony within our mindstream. When one’s state of consciousness has been purified of distorting elements and emotional afflictions, when ignorance is replaced by wisdom and weakness by strength, then the stream of activities that spontaneously arises gives birth to countless seeds of happiness and joy.

Spiritual happiness is not like that gained through materialistic, political, or social success, which can be robbed from us by a change in circumstances at any moment and which anyway will definitely be left behind at death. As spiritual happiness does not depend solely upon deceptive conditions such as material supports, a particular environment, or a specific situation, then even if these are withdrawn it has further supports.

To purify the mind means to counteract and uproot all sources of emotional disturbance and delusion—both those inborn and those conceptually formed—together with the seeds of the previous karmic instincts that we have accumulated upon our mindstream over our lives since beginningless time. When the delusions are totally removed, one no longer has the mental conditions that cause one to create further negative karma, and when the seeds of negative karma are purified, one no longer carries within oneself the causes of frustration and misery. This is why persons who seek happiness and wish to overcome suffering are wise to exert themselves in spiritual methods.

Nagarjuna writes in his Letter to a Friend, “We wish happiness, but we chase sorrow. We wish to avoid sorrow, but we run directly to it.” The meaning here is that we waste our time in superficial and negative ways instead of cultivating spiritually wholesome disciplines. If we hope to eliminate the control that karma and delusion exert over our mindstream, we must apply an effective method. All beings seek happiness, but most of them, lacking knowledge of how to gain it, find themselves continually immersed in frustration and pain. What we need is an effective approach.

There is no realm in samsara where we have not taken birth, no samsaric pleasure we have not enjoyed, and no form of life we have not known over our countless stream of previous lives. Yet even now as humans most of us are like blind animals, unable to discern the patterns of life unfolding within us, leaving spiritual aims behind and chasing only the biological and emotional needs of the senses. Totally unaware of the spiritual methods that produce everlasting joy, we admire the ignoble and have distaste for the noble. Rather than giving ourselves to vain and negative pursuits, we should take note of the words of the Kuntang Rinpoche: “Having found a rare and precious human rebirth, guard it with the stick of mindfulness. Stretch to the realm of liberation.”

At this time when we have a human body and mind and have met with the profound teachings of the Great Way, we should take advantage of the opportunity and engage in spiritual methods. If we do not practice now while we have an incarnation most suitable to the attainment of enlightenment, what hope do we have for progress in the future? Many types of sentient beings, such as dogs and insects that live near a temple, meet with the teachings but, not having an appropriate physical or mental basis, they are unable to comprehend them or put them to use. No matter how much we love an animal, we are not able to teach it how to meditate and cultivate spiritual qualities. Whenever Atisha would meet a dog, he would stroke it lovingly and whisper into its ear, “Because of your previous negative karmic actions you are now unable to practice the holy teachings.” Atisha did not do this out of a lack of compassion but because the dog lacked a basis capable of practice and he wished to lay an instinct of the teachings upon its mindstream.

Unlike animals, we human beings are capable of engaging in the highest meditations and of attaining enlightenment in one lifetime. Moreover, if we engage in negative ways and wrong views instead of applying ourselves to spiritual methods, or if we are born in remote areas where a lineage of instruction does not exist, then our human life does not give us the same opportunities for growth. For example, although for centuries Tibet was a country rich in the study and practice of the Great Way, the Chinese have prohibited spiritual activities there for several decades now. To lack this basic freedom is a great obstacle to the attainment of enlightenment. Those of us who have the opportunity to study and meditate are indeed fortunate. As Shantideva said, “Now when we have ability and have met with the teachings, we should engage in spiritual practice.”

Human life is something rare and precious, but it is also quite impermanent. Even as we sit here, it is undergoing continual change. If we look around us and ask ourselves how many of our friends and acquaintances have died over the last year, the ever-present reality of our impermanent nature becomes obvious. When someone dies, there is great sorrow and lamenting on the part of friends and relatives, but before long this feeling is gone. The corpse is burned or buried, all possessions are disposed of, and soon even the name of the deceased is forgotten. We all intellectually realize that we ourselves are going to die, but the mind always tries to insulate itself from this fact. Somehow we feel very solid, and we imagine the reality of our death to be somewhere very far away in the future. But every moment it creeps closer to us, and not one of us can guarantee that we will remain alive even until this evening.

An aspect of death that most terrifies many beings is that suddenly one is totally alone and unsupported by anything but one’s spiritual knowledge. When this is strong one is able to deal effectively with every circumstance that death brings; but when it is weak, one must enter the dangerous path of the bardo empty-handed. Then one’s heart will fill with regret and one will realize the error of not having pursued deeper goals.

Buddhism speaks of the Three Jewels of Refuge—the Enlightened Ones, the Teachings, and the Spiritual Community. In a sense, the Enlightened Ones are the ultimate refuge because they are the ones who give the teachings. But actually the ultimate refuge is the Dharma that they teach, for it is through the study and practice of the teachings that we gain enlightenment and protection from suffering. Dharma here has two meanings: the transmission of the teachings, which are to be studied and mastered; and the transmission of realization, which is gained through practice. It is through applying the Dharma methods that remove faults, increase strengths, and give birth to insight and knowledge that we benefit from the existence of the Enlightened Ones. Thus Dharma is the immediate object of refuge, and the Enlightened Ones and Spiritual Community are the teachers and friends on the way.

From among the three spiritual goals discussed in the Lam Rim literature—high rebirth, liberation, and complete enlightenment—most world religions expound relatively uniform methods for producing high rebirth as a human or in a heaven. All Buddhist schools expound the first two paths—those leading to high rebirth and nirvana, or liberation from cyclic existence. A unique quality of the Mahayana is that it emphasizes paths leading to omniscience. Within the Mahayana, only those schools that contain tantric methods have the ability to produce complete enlightenment in a human being in one lifetime; schools relying solely upon Sutrayana methods must work on the principle of establishing a spiritual direction in this life that will culminate in enlightenment only after a string of future lives. Nonetheless, although there are many levels and forms of Dharma practice, they all share the fundamental aim of leading sentient beings from darkness to light, evil to goodness, ignorance to clarity.

From the beginning of our practice we should cultivate the discipline of abandoning harmful, destructive ways and cultivating simple virtues such as kindness, patience, non-violence, and so forth. Instead of meaningless literature we should try to read from the biographies and writings of past masters. Being mindful of all activities of body, speech, and mind, we should continue our life with our practice kept as an inner treasure, not as an ornament to be flaunted before others. There is a Tibetan saying: “Change your mind; leave the rest as it is.” This is particularly good advice for beginners.

As human beings we have a very special opportunity, an opportunity not found in lower forms of life. The human mind is something very unique and precious. Possessing an unusual elasticity and capacity for wisdom, it can evolve at a rate found in no other life-form. Human beings can fall into the most profound spiritual darkness or attain the exalted state of perfect illumination. What happens to us lies in our own hands. If we cultivate our minds with spiritual methods and generate positive, creative lifestyles and directions, no doubt we will be benefited. Alternatively, if we merely chase superficial goals and pay no attention to the deeper needs of the mind, we are bound to fall into frustration and confusion.

When we look for the sources of all the problems that confront human life, we usually blame everything but the root cause: our lack of spiritual discipline and realization. Particularly in this degenerate age, the world atmosphere is so very negative and the conditions around us conducive to little but evil karma and meaningless distractions, that not to have the protection of spiritual knowledge is to leave ourselves totally defenseless against the negative mind. When delusions overpower the mind, destructive actions and suffering are certain to follow. Thus the vicious circle of samsaric existence catches us in its current, and before long we are unable to exert even a semblance of control. Our life passes us in darkness, and death leaves us standing naked with only the memories of fruitless pursuits to accompany us into future existences.

Now is the time to extract life’s essence. We should look to the Enlightened Ones, the lineages of spiritual transmission and the community of accomplished practitioners, and should apply ourselves to the teachings. This does not mean that today we are ordinary and tomorrow we apply all instructions, but rather that slowly and carefully we study and contemplate the teachings and then gradually work through the various levels of meditation. Our minds have been familiarized with samsaric ways for countless lifetimes, so we should not expect the path to be either quick or easy. Steady, persistent effort and a clear, inquisitive mind are the prerequisites to success. Different trainees generate spiritual progress at different rates depending on their karmic background and the strength and correctness of their practice, so we should apply ourselves without expectations. A Western monk once came to me and told me that even though he had been practicing for five years he had gained no results. I replied that because his mind had known nothing but samsara for millions of lifetimes, he should be more exact and persistent in his efforts. If we practice well, there is no doubt that progress will one day open within us.

Is spiritual practice really worthwhile? Is it really possible to eliminate from within ourselves the forces that give rise to suffering? As is said, “The ultimate nature of mind is clear light.” Consciousness has many levels, and although the coarser levels are affected by the defiling forces, the subtlest level remains free of gross negativities. In the Vajrayana this subtle level of consciousness is called the mind of clear light. The delusions and emotional afflictions as well as the dualistic mind of right and wrong, love and hatred, etc., are associated only with the coarse levels of consciousness. At the moment we are totally absorbed in the interplay of these coarse states, so we must begin our practice by working within them. This means consciously encouraging love over hate, patience in place of anger, emotional freedom rather than attachment, kindness over violence, and so forth. Doing this brings an immediate peace and calm to the mind, thus making higher meditation possible. Then, because grasping at a self and at phenomena as being truly existent is the cause of all the vast range of distorted states of mind, one cultivates the wisdom that eliminates this ego-grasping. To overcome ego-grasping is to overcome the entire host of mental distortions.

The delusions are not something solid, not something founded on reality. They simply disappear when we apply the meditative antidotes to them. As they are based on deeply rooted beliefs in a reality that does not exist, they are quickly uprooted by wisdom and other spiritual qualities. This is how the mind is separated from the negative forces within it and how suffering is forever overcome.

To attain liberation from samsara one must perfect the three higher trainings: self-discipline, meditative concentration, and the wisdom of emptiness. In a sense, the most important of these is the wisdom of emptiness; for when we understand the empty, non-inherent nature of the self and phenomena, the endless forms of delusion that arise from grasping at true existence are directly eliminated. However, in order for the training in wisdom to mature and become strong, one must first develop meditative concentration, and in order to develop and support concentration one should cultivate the training in self-discipline, which calms the mind and provides an atmosphere conducive to meditation. When one practices all three of these higher trainings and takes them to perfection, liberation from samsara is definite.

The three higher trainings are basically contained within the Hinayana Vehicle, which in the Lam Rim system of practice does not refer to a school of Buddhism but to a set of disciplines and meditations that are to be mastered. However, the substance of Lam Rim training is contained within the Mahayana. As one would in a democracy, one looks to the requirements of all beings. One thinks, “The majority is more important than just me, who is but one person. Moreover, in this and many previous lives others have shown great kindness to me. How can I neglect them by working for mere nirvana for myself alone? Even my ability to practice the teachings is due to their kindness. To repay them may I always manifest only as benefits them. However, because the only ultimate gift is the gift of wisdom, in order to be able to help them I myself must first develop insight into the deeper levels of truth. And as only omniscient Buddhas have complete power and knowledge enabling them to communicate with other beings in full accordance with their dispositions and needs, I should strive to attain perfect buddhahood.” This aspiration to gain enlightenment in order to be of maximum benefit to the world is to be cultivated and sustained until it spontaneously pervades our every activity, from sleeping to meditating. The basis and essence of the Great Way, it opens the door to the practice of the six perfections, four ways of amassing trainees, and two stages of tantra and transforms our every thought, word, and deed into potential causes of complete enlightenment.

Thus although the Third Dalai Lama’s Essence of Refined Gold is a brief text, it contains a guide to the entire corpus of Buddhist thought and practice, including the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana methods. A discourse upon it can be given in a few hours or can be extended over many months or even years.

The principal source of the Lam Rim tradition is the collection of Mother Sutras, or the Sutras on the Perfection of Wisdom, that were spoken by Buddha Shakyamuni. Nagarjuna studied these with the Bodhisattva Manjushri and, after gaining a final understanding of Buddha’s meaning in the doctrine of emptiness, wrote important abridgements that came to be regarded as the basis of the Madhyamaka School’s middle view free from philosophical extremes. Nagarjuna’s presentation is ultimately profound in that it transcends the logical inconsistencies of the lower Buddhist schools and arrives more directly at Buddha’s intent.

Another source of the Lam Rim approach to the path is The Ornament of Clear Comprehension¹⁴ by Maitreya. It is said that Asanga, dissatisfied with his understanding of the Sutras on the Perfection of Wisdom, entered into an intensive meditation retreat that continued for twelve years. The retreat, however, was without success and, frustrated with disappointment, he gave up and left. On the wayside he encountered a half-dead bitch ridden with worms. Great compassion arose within him and he decided to remove the worms. To avoid harming the worms, he cut a strip of flesh from his body in which to put them. Suddenly the bitch transformed into the Bodhisattva Maitreya, and the purposes of Asanga’s retreat were fulfilled. Based on his vision of Maitreya, Asanga later wrote down The Ornament of Clear Comprehension, an elucidation and abridgement of all the vast doctrines concerning the paths, practices, and stages found in the Sutras on the Perfection of Wisdom. It is often said that the Lam Rim is fundamentally the quintessential oral instruction of The Ornament of Clear Comprehension.

Atisha, who brought the Lam Rim tradition to Tibet, studied for twelve years under Serlingpa, a recipient of Asanga’s lineage, and often stated that, of his fifty-five teachers, Serlingpa had been most kind to him. Also very important in Atisha’s life were Vidyakokila the Younger, from whom he received Nagarjuna’s wisdom lineage, and Rahulagupta of Black Mountain, from whom he received many tantric doctrines.

The Lam Rim was then passed through a series of Kadampa masters and over the centuries that followed greatly influenced all sects of Tibetan Buddhism. In the New Kadam, or the Geluk Order, the Lam Rim was accepted as the fundamental approach to the practice of Dharma. In the beginning of his Great Exposition, Tsongkhapa clearly states that the essential inspiration in his composition can be attributed directly to Atisha and his Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment.

The author of Essence of Refined Gold was born in the Tolung area of Tibet. Shortly after his birth a clairvoyant yogi living in the area prophesied that he was the incarnation of the recently deceased Gyalwa Gendun Gyatso [the Second Dalai Lama]. Word of the prophecy spread, and a delegation came, examined the boy, and placed him on a list of candidates. Later the Nechung Oracle certified that the boy was the true reincarnation of Gendun Gyatso and also was an emanation of Guru Padma Sambhava. While still a youth Sonam Gyatso himself experienced a vision of Tsongkhapa. Many such marvels occurred in his childhood. He was placed in Drepung for education, where he studied and practiced for many years.

A rather humorous anecdote: Because the First Dalai Lama’s name was Gendun Drub and the Second’s was Gendun Gyatso, in accordance with prophecy the Third Dalai Lama was originally named Gendun Drakpa, “He famed as Gendun.” When he later took ordination under Panchen Sonam Drakpa, the aged Lama changed his name to Sonam Gyatso. The monks of Drepung complained about this, but nonetheless he retained the name. Thus he seems to have lived his entire life under a name contradicting prophecy. In his writings the Fifth Dalai Lama criticized Panchen Sonam Drakpa for his unusual decision in changing Gendun Drakpa’s name.

Gyalwa Sonam Gyatso was particularly kind to the peoples of what were then the more remote and primitive areas of Central Asia, spending the end of his life teaching, building monasteries, and disseminating the Lam Rim teachings throughout Mongolia and many parts of eastern Tibet. Kumbum, the monastery that he built in Amdo, became one of Tibet’s largest monastic institutions.