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LOJONG DHON DUN MA
The Seven Components
Of
The Training and Purification
Of
Consciousness
Principal Text & Commentary by
Ngul Chhu Thog May
Exposition by
Ven. Sakya Khanpo Sangjay Taendzin
Translated by
Ven. Bakha Rinpochhe
and
Lama Shree Narayan Singh
Bodhi Kunja Foundation, Munger
First Edition : 1000 copies 1992
Second Edition : Revised floppy edition 1999.
Other Publications :Buddhism & Christianity
A Comparative Study & Other Selected Essays..
His Holiness the XVIIth. Gyalwang Karmapa various dimensions.
Copyright 1992 by
Bodhi Kunja Foundation, Munger.
Lama Shree Narayan Singh
'Uddiyana', Dalip Mahal,
Munger 811 201, Bihar, India.
Tel. 91-6344-2-2291
E-mail: lamashree@hotmail.com
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reporduced in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior and written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This work is dedicated to
Mother Teresa
WHO
unstintingly served humanity.
MONITI MELIORA SEQUAMUR
Having been taught,
We follow the higher things!
CONTENTS
Quotations 5
Introduction 9
PART I Annotated Principal Text 14
PART II Commentary 29
PART III Prayers 76
PART IV Life-sketches 79
PART V Postscript 89
The Final Words 92
THE FOUR DHARMAS OF GAMPOPA
DHAGPO RINPOCHHE
Grant your blessings that my mind may turn towards the Dharma;
Grant your blessings that I may live in accordance with it;
Grant your blessings that in so doing confusion maybe clarified;
Grant your blessings that thus may confusion appear as wisdom!
For the Practising Lineage of the Karma Kagyu the custom of Receiving and Sending is very important. The Great Masters of the Lineage practised receiving and taking in the sufferings and confusions of beings, letting go and sending out the happiness and experience of bliss in themselves. In this way they have benefited these beings. And yet, when one receives the sickness or sufferings and confusions of others, it is transmuted and manifests as sickness in oneself. Essentificially, the enlightened Masters of the Lineage are never sick. However, when I fall sick, it is like anyone else!
H.H. the XVI th Gyalwang Karmapa, USA, 1980.
SERMON ON THE MOUNT
Ye have heard that it hath been said,
An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil:
But whosoever shall smite thee on
Thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
And if any man will sue thee at the law
And take away thy coat,
Let him have thy cloak also.
And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile,
Go with him twain.
Give to him that asketh thee,
And from him that would borrow of thee
Turn thou not away.
Ye have heard that it hath been said,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour
and hate thine enemy.
But I say unto you,
Love your enemies,
Bless them that curse you,
Do good to them that hate you,
And pray for them
Which despitefully use you and persecute you:
That ye may be the children of your Father
Which is in heaven:
For he maketh his sun to rise
On the evil and the good,
And sendeth rain
On the just and the unjust.
For if ye love them which love you,
What reward have yet?
Do not even the publicans the same?
And if ye salute your brethren only,
What do ye more than others?
Do not even the publicans so?
Be ye therefore perfect,
Even as your Father which is in heaven
Is perfect.
The Gospel according to St. Matthew, Chap. 5.
SILK ROAD
Travelling
Listening to the whistling wind
Crossing thousands of ridges
And still not seeing the end of the earth.
Irritated by the gossip of the brooks,
Crossing thousands of rivers
But still not seeing the end of the sky,
Never reaching the goal of the black tent in the distance.
It is too tiring for the horses and mules;
Better to pitch our tent where pasture, fuel and water are plentiful.
Nov. 10, 1972 Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
Dhrungpa Rinpochhe of Zurmang.
INTRODUCTION
I
Reconciliation -- this one word expresses adequately the teachings of the Buddha in a simple and succinct way! A thorough reconciliation of an individual with one's ownself results in the attainment of the Dharmakaya; that with the phenomenal world, the two Rupakayas. Each Yana of the Dharma addresses these two aspects of intelligent existence to varying degrees. The inquisitive reader will find that this particular text provides one with a comprehensive method for effecting this reconciliation. A practising Buddhist may thus be defined as one who aims to reconcile his inner spiritual life within the context of his sociopolitical and cultural environment, or Yugadharma; as distinct from a cultural Buddhist, or a person into into a Buddhist culture and who is religious at the most.
In this way the Mahayana makes its practitioners emotionally available to themselves first, their societies next, and subsequently to the world at large, in an exceptionally creative way. Ultimate emotional availability and creativity has traditionally termed been 'sang-jay' in Tibetan or Buddhahood!
The process of translation in the Dharma context is multi-dimensional. Besides requiring of the translator skills in the traget and source languages, it demands a fair level of aculturisation to both cultures. Moreover it is essential that the translator is also an aspirant on he Path, besides being familiar with philosophical terms, has some experiential understanding of the contents of the subject matter being translated. Above all a direct psychic link with one's Guru(s) during the entire process is indispensable. This is termed 'jhin-lab' in Tibetan, Skt. adhishthana.
This work derives primarily from 'adhisthana', in that all else is dependant on it. It was undertaken because of the perceived lack of accurate translations of this key text in English, and has been revised and corrected by several people over the years, before being cast in its present form. The work was begun with Ven. Bakha Rinpochhe and I sitting down and doing a literal translation at Pal-yul Namdhrol Ling Monastery, Bylakuppe 571 106, Karnataka, India, summer 1982. Ven. Khaenpo Rinchhen of the Sakya tradition then explained it to me once there. Later that winter I approached Ven. Sakya Khaenpo Sangjay Taendzin Rinpochhe of Ghoom, Darjeeling, W.B., to grant me instructions in it in the traditional manner. Rinpochhe painstakingly explained each and every word, phrase and sentence to enable me to put them correctly into English. Rinpochhe had the uncanny ability of instilling vitality into the most difficult of subjects whilst teaching it, said to be a special attribute of the Sakya tradition. It is sincerely hoped that elements of this vitality, as also aspects of his wisdom and profound understanding, have percolated through into this recreation.
Circumstantially however, I was then able to study the first third of the text with him. It was only four years later that the opportunity to complete this work presented itself again, during the summer of 1987. I am thus especially indebted to my ex-spouse Louise Stupar from the U.S.A., and our son Matthew, for it was they who made this possible during their extended stay in Darjeeling. Ven. Ngawang Taendzin, Secretary, Thubtaen Sang-ngag Chholing, West Point, Darjeeling, subsequently revised this text. The English has been worked on variously by Angela and Zsolt Sumegi, literati of Canada, and Profs. Mrs. N. Ghoshal and K.N. Jha of Loreto College, Darjeeling. In Dec, 1993, it as revised yet again by Jacqueline Zoe De Bray from Philadelphia, NY, U.S.A., then professor at Antioch University for its fall semester at Bodh Gaya. We are extremely grateful to them for the time and energy they have put into the finalising of this manuscript.
Last but not least, I must express my sincere indebtedness to my alma mater, St. Paul's School, Darjeeling, Growing up there 1955-67 was both challenging and creative which become enjoyable as the years went by. It was my teachers' unstinting dedication to education, that instilled in me a sense of values together with the courage to stand by them. The late Mr. L.J. Goddard, O.B.E., who skillfully guided us away from hypocrisy, and Mr. D.S. Gibbs, both Rectors of St. Paul's; the Elloys, MacDonalds, Messrs. John Billington and James F. Clarke, to name only a few -- they will be remembered in the innumerable lives they have influenced positively. 'Moniti Meliora Sequamur' is the motto of that public school:
'Having been taught, we follow the higher things!'
II
Mention must be made here of the counter-culture movements of the sixties and seventies -- an experiment unique in the history of civilisation, originating in the west. Its basic premise, simply stated, ran, "This world is in its present sorry condition because of the confusions and faults of our elders."
Youth therefore, set out to carve its own way through life, based on the principles of openness, love, trust and so on in direct contrast with the paranoia, deviousness, and mistrust, which form the pillars of established society anywhere.
Drugs were an integral aspect of this experiment as the young in the west broke each and every social taboo. This led them to an awareness of the deeper levels of the human psyche, highlighting the need or the development of a sane inner life.
They stretched out their arms across international borders, irrespective of myopic considerations of race, culture, language, religion and sex, in search of meaning and fulfillment in life, rejecting established values as hollow and misleading.
The processes of acceptance and rejection, however, are fraught with dangers. May it not be assumed that the very same people who turned their backs on their own heritage, given a similar set of circumstances, would reject the Dharma as well? Factors such as overbearing authoritarianism, politics, sectarianism, ethnocentricity or racism, hypocrisy, the quest for personal power, breaches of trust, slack discipline, overt materialism, amongst others, will contribute to the decline of the Dispensation, throughout the world.
This is poignantly highlighted by the Karmapa Controversy which has rent apart the Karma Kagyu tradition courtesy the Taala'i Lama, the Chinese Govt. with senior disciples of the late His Holiness the XVIth. Gyalwang Karmapa such as Tai Situ pa and Tshurphu Gyaltshab pa solidly behind them.
It needs to be asserted here that not even a year after the demise of H.H. the XVIth. Gyalwang Karmapa in 1981, Indian visionaries had clearly indicated the presence of his Indian incarnation while yet in the womb of his mother. Even though the Four Lineage Holders of the Karma Kagyu tradition were informed about this, they chose to ignore his existence completely for the simple reason that he was not Tibetan, and thus did not conform to their ideas of who the reincarnation should be. For this breach of 'samaya' they have paid dearly, not only by the loss of His Eminence Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche in 1992 under mysterious circumstances, but also the vertical schism which has since occurred in this tradition. This is a clear violation of the Buddha's Teachings, and yet, these religious Lineage Holders of the Karma Kagyu go about their daily business of fomenting and nurturing this schism as if it is fully in accord with the Dispensation of the Buddha! There is no mechanism extant in Buddhism to impose punishment on them even though the methodology is clearly stated in the Spiritual Directives of the Buddha.
It is necessary therefore, that each culture develops its own expression of the Dharma as has happened in the past, divested of its nationalistic peculiarities. No doubt these are refreshing when first encountered, but it must be emphasised that each culture has its own set of neuroses, qualitatively no better than those in any other. This awareness grows invariably -- 'familiarity breeds contempt'!
III
The new consciousness moreover, brought with it a sense of shared global responsibility, political, ecological, spiritual, and so on. The withdrawal of US forces from Vietnam, nuclear disarmament, the 'green' and back-to-nature movements, amongst many others, are direct contributions of this counter-culture.
With barriers of traditional insularity breached everywhere, the need for inter-denominational dialogue has become imperative. The Vatican has been very much in the forefront of this effort, acknowledging for the first time in Christian history, the validity of other faiths in Vatican II. Buddhist-Christian dialogue has since become an accepted part of life in the west.
The Dead Sea Scrolls discovered fifty years ago, provide detailed information on the Essenes or Nazarenes of Judaea. Some scholars maintain that this mystic congregation also drew inspiration from Buddhist philosophy and praxis. Moreover, the Biblical portrayal of Jesus draws heavily from this tradition of the Essenes. Clearly any serious effort at Buddhist Christian dialogue, must revert to this pre-Nicean phemomenon, amongst others, with an open heart, willing to analyse and go beyond the myths perpetrated by Roman Christianity subsequent to 325 A.D. It is said that the archives in the Vatican contain a rich collection of works of the pre-Nicean era which have been collectively termed 'heresies'.
My own experience has been that the deeper I have delved into the Dharma, the more I have been able to appreciate the life and teachings of Jesus. It could be suggested here, that the experiences of Christian mystics might run parallel to, or be no different from the Stages of the Path as delineated in Buddhism. It is for this reason that the famous prayer of St. Francis of Assissi is included in this book.
To conclude, it is our hope and prayer that the publication of this book will go a long way in contributing to the creation of harmony, both circumstantial and ultimate, in this sadly divided world, where virtually every note is an echo of dischord and disharmony!
Iti shubham!
Lama Shree N. Singh, Vaisakh Purnima, 1998.
PART I
In Sanskrit the text is known as :
Sapta Mula Mati Shodhana Shastra
The Seven Composents
of the
Training and Purification
of
Consciousness
Annotated Principal Text
Om svasti ! May all be well !
In the context of these special teachings of the Mahayana, the Training and Purification of Consciousness, there are many and varied ways of expounding it. The tradition of the spiritual friend Chhae-Kha-wa breaks it up into seven components. These are:
- The instructions in the preliminaries, the basis for Dharma-practice
- The main practice -- the training and meditations in the Bodhichittas
- The incorporation of adverse circumstances into the Bodhi Path
- The explanation of the integrative practice for one's entire life
- The evaluation of the extent to which the Training and Purification of Consciousness has been accomplished
- The covenants of the Training and Purification of Consciousness
- The guidelines of the Training and Purification of Consciousness.
ONE
THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE PRELIMINARIES,
THE BASIS FOR DHARMA PRACTICE.
'Initially learn the preliminaries.'
These are the contemplations on
1) the free states and favourable conditions difficult to obtain;
2) impermanence and death; and
3) the faults inherent in samsara.
TW0
THE MAIN PRACTICE --
THE TRAINING AND THE MEDITATIONS IN THE BODHICHITTAS.
This has two parts, the training and the meditations in the Absolute Bodhichitta, and those in the Relative Bodhichitta.
A. The training and meditations in the Absolute Bodhichitta :
This is in three parts :
- The preliminaries
- The core of the practice, and
(3) The conclusion.
1) The preliminaries consist of
(i) taking refuge and aspiring to the Bodhichittas,
(ii) the supplication,
(iii) performing the 'seven offices',
(iv) sitting erect, and
(v) counting up to twenty one exhalations and inhalations without missing any.
2) The core of the practice is:
(i) 'Regard all dharmas as dreams.'
(ii) 'Analyze the nature of inborn awareness.'
(iii) 'Dissolve also the antidote in its own realm.'
(iv) 'The essence of the Path is to meditate within the nature of the Alaya.'
3) The conclusion is
'In the post-meditation Behave as an individual conjured up.'
The Meditations in the Relative Bodhichitta :
This is in two parts:
a) the meditation and the
b) post-meditation
1) The meditations are
- 'Practise giving and taking alternately.'
- 'Conjoin these two with your breathing.'
2)The post-meditation is
- 'The three types of objective phenomena,'
- The three neuroses,
And the three virtuous seeds
(ii) 'Train in all activities with this maxim.'
(iii) 'The sequence of exchange
Begins with one's ownself.'
THREE
THE INTEGRATION OF ADVERSE
CIRCUMSTANCES INTO THE PATH OF BODHI
'When the world and its inhabitants become filled with evil,
incorporate all adverse circumstances into the Path of Bodhi.'
There are two ways of doing this,
1) through thought processes, and
1) The transformation through thought processes :
This can be effected in two ways, by means of
(i) the Relative Bodhichitta, and
(ii) the Absolute Bodhichitta.
(i) The transformation by means of the Relative Bodhichitta:
(a) 'Attribute all blame to the one.'
(b) 'Be grateful to all.'
(ii) The transformation by means of the Absolute Bodhichitta:
(a) 'Perceive all confused projections as the Four Kayas.
This is the supreme and ultimate protection of Shunyata.'
2) The transformation through action :
(i) 'Superb amongst skillful means
Is to possess the Four Techniques .'
These are : ( a) the garnering of the Accumulations;
(b) the purification of sins;
(c) the offerings to truculent spirits; and
(d) the offerings to Dharmapalas.
(ii) 'Incorporate into your meditation
Whatever you might encounter at any instant.'
FOUR
THE EXPLANATION OF THE INTEGRATIVE
PRACTICE FOR ONE'S ENTIRE LIFE.
(i) 'The synopsis of the distilled secret instructions
Is to Incorporate the Five Forces
Into all that you might do.'
These Five Forces are
(a) The Force of Dedication;
(b) The Force of Habituation;
(c) The Force of White Seeds;
(d) The Force of Weariness; and
(e) The Force of Aspirational Prayers.
(ii) 'The instructions on transference in the Mahayana
Are the Five Forces themselves.
Cherish this practice.'
FIVE
THE EVALUATION OF THE EXTENT TO WHICH
THE TRAINING AND PURIFICATION OF CONSCIOUSNESS
HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED.
(i) 'All dharmas converge to a single purpose.'
(ii) 'Of the two witnesses,
Hold on to the principal one.'
(iii) 'Always rely on a joyful state of mind.'
(iv) 'You are accomplished
If you can practise even when distracted.'
SIX
THE COVENANTS OF THE TRAINING AND
PURIFICATION OF CONSCIOUSNESS.
(i) 'Continuously train in the three general principles.'
(a) not to transgress the covenants one has made;
(b) to refrain from arrogance; and
(c) not to be preferential.
(ii) 'Having once changed your orientation
Leave it as such.'
(iii) 'Do not speak of others' injured limbs.'
(iv) 'Do not ponder about others in any way.'
(v) 'Purify that neurosis
Which is the strongest in you.'
(vi) 'Give up all hopes of fruition.'
(vii) 'Give up poisonous food.'
(viii) 'Do not retaliate
In accordance with any code of honour.'
(ix) 'Do not respond with evil words.'
(x) 'Do not wait in ambush.'
(xi) 'Do not strike at the heart.'
(xii) 'Do not transfer the load of a dzo to an ox.'
(xiii) 'Do not aim to get ahead.'
(xiv) 'Do not invert the method.'
(xv) 'Do not turn gods into devils.'
(xvi) 'Do not seek the suffering of others
As an adjunct to your happiness.'
SEVEN
GUIDELINES OF THE TRAINING AND
PURIFICATION OF CONSCIOUSNESS.
(i) 'Perform all actions with a single motivation.'
(ii) 'Subjugate all adversaries with a single weapon.'
(iii) 'Two actions are to be performed --
one at the beginning and one at the end.'
(iv) 'Bear with equanimity
Whichever of the two may occur to you.'
These are the states of (a) good fortune, and
(v) 'Regard these two
As precious as your own life.'
These are the covenants of
(a) the Dharma in general, and
(b) the Training and Purfication of Consciousness in particular.
(vi) 'Train in the three difficulties.'
These are that when neuroses arise in you, it is difficult to
(a) become aware of them,
(c) break their continuity.
(vii) 'Adopt the three principal conditions.'
These are (a) encountering a genuine Guru,
(b) practising the Dharma,
(c) the convergence of favourable conditions facilitating Dharma-practice.
(viii) 'Maintain three attitudes impeccably.'
These are (a) respect and devotion towards your Guru;
(b) an attitude of joy towards Lojong; and
(ix) 'Possess the three inseparables.'
These are to keep your body, speech, and mind
(x) 'Train impartially towards all phenomena.
Cherish the practise of training thoroughly
And applying it all-encompassingly.'
(xi) 'Constantly meditate upon those
To whom it is difficult to do so.'
(x) 'Do not rely on external conditions.'
(xi) 'Now practise the principal points.'
(xii) 'Abandon the perversions.'
There are six perversions, those of
(xv) 'Do not vacillate.'
(xvi) 'Train with certainty.'
(xvii) 'Free yourself through contemplative analysis.'
(xviii) 'Do not nurture expectations.'
(xix) 'Do not take offence.'
(xx) 'Do not be trivial.'
(xxi) 'Do not wish for good repute.
This concludes the instructions.
In this way train thoroughly in accordance with these instructions.
'The Five Degeneracies now surfacing,
Need to be incorporated into the Path of Bodhi
using these methods.'
To state the source of these instructions,
'The transmission of this essence
Of the nectar of secret instructions,
Comes from Serlingpa.'
The great Lord of Yogins, Chhae-Kha-wa, having trained himself thoroughly in the above, praised these instructions saying,
'My Karma of having trained previously now becoming operative,
Together with my own present and many inclinations,
Not caring for hardship or ill-repute,
I have taken these instructions
In order to subjugate my self-identification.
Were I to die now I would have no regrets.'
Thus, although this principal text is arranged in many different ways, and is explained variously in abridged and expanded forms, it has here been formulated in accordance with the commentary of Gyal-Say Ngul-chhu Thog-may.
This annotated principal text has been extracted from the volume containing the Kadampa instructions in the Dam-ngag-dzoe, the Treasury of Instructions, compiled by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodhro Thaa-yay.
PART II
The Seven Components of
The Training and Purification of
Consciousness.
Commentary composed by
Asanga Shri Bhadra.
PROLOGUE
The Expressions of Homage :
>Homage to the Great Compassionate One!
He who perfectly upholds the Three Trainings,
And has completely accomplished the Two Bodhichittas,
Who spreads the Dispensation of the Sugatas in the ten directions,
Who is the crown-ornament of the Holders of the Dispensation --
I pay homage to the feet of my unequaled Principal Guru!
The Commitment for composing this work :
Here I will elucidate the one path,
Traversed by the Victors and their Sons of the three times,
Which like a treasure-mine,
Is the source of all circumstantial welfare
And ultimate happiness of beings.
At the repeated request of fortunate disciples,
I write this down in accordance with the teachings of my Guru.
The Connecting Paragraph:
Those who desire to attain unsurpassed and perfect enlightenment, by giving rise to the Bodhichittas, need to exert themselves in the meditations of the Relative and Absolute Bodhichittas. As has been stated by Arya Nagarjuna, "Should oneself and others in this world, aspire to unsurpassed enlightenment, its bases as stable as Mt. Meru, are the Bodhichittas in their aspects of all-encompassing compassion and that wisdom which transcends both samsara and nirvana."
These secret instructions to meditate on the Bodhichittas were received by Swami Atisha, the Principal Master, from his three Gurus. One of them, known as Dharmarakshita, would cut flesh from his own body, giving it to others. He realized shunyata in this way, by meditating solely on compassion and loving-kindness. Another, Maitri Yogin, was capable of actually taking upon himself the sufferings of others. The third was Serlingpa or Dharmakirti. These teachings are in accordance with the tradition of Serlingpa.
The Corpus of the teachings :
Although there are several different ways of commenting on these teachings, the presentation of the spiritual friend Geshe Chhay-kha-wa breaks them up into seven components :
I. The instructions in the preliminaries, the basis for Dharma-practice
II. Themain practice -- the training and meditations in the Bodhichittas
III. The incorporation of adverse circumstances into the Bodhi-Path
IV. The explanation of the integrative practice for one's entire life
V. The evaluation of the extent to which the Training and Purification of Consciousness has been accomplished
VI. The covenants of the Training and Purification of Consciousness
VII. The guidelines of the Training and Purification of Consciousness
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