The Blaze of Non-Dual Bodhicittas
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The Blaze of Non-Dual Bodhicittas A MANUAL FOR STUDY, REFLECTION AND MEDITATION ON BODHICITTA AND THE WISDOM OF EMPTINESS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owners. © Tibet House, New Delhi and Geshe Dorji Damdul © Cover photo [Tibet House Publication Department] Please note that this is a draft version of the book. Edition IV: 1 October 2018 Published by: Tibet House Cultural Centre of His Holiness the Dalai Lama 1, Institutional Area, Lodhi Road, New Delhi- 110003 Website: www.tibethouse.in Tel: +91 11 2461 1515 Email: [email protected] Dedicated for the long life and swift fulfilment of the wishes of HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA Contents Preface xi I. Daily Recitation and Practice 1. Preliminary Prayers 3 2. Blessing the Speech 9 [Tib. ngag byin rlabs] 3. The Noble Sūtra Remembering the Three Jewels 12 [Skt. ārya ratnatraya anusmṛti sūtra; Tib. ’phags pa dkon mchog rjes su dran pa’i mdo] 4. Praise to Śhākyamuni Buddha 14 [Tib. rgyun chags gsum pa] 5. The Drumbeat of Truth: 16 Supplication to Śhākyamuni Buddha [Tib. bden pa’i rnga sgra] His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama 6. Sun Illuminating the Threefold Faith: 19 Praise to the Seventeen Nālānda Masters [Tib. dpal nalanda’ pangrub bchu bdun gyi gsol ’debs] His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama 7. Meditation on the Four Immeasurables 26 [Skt. chatvāribrahmavihārāh; Tib. tshad med bzhi] 8. The Heart Sūtra: The Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra 29 [Skt. ārya bhagavati prajñāpāramitā hṛidaya sūtra; Tib. shes rab snying po] 9. Seven Points for Training the Mind 32 [Tib. blo sbyong don bdun ma] Geshe Chekawa Yeshé Dorjé v The Blaze of Non-Dual Bodhicittas 10. Eight Verses for Training the Mind 35 [Tib. blo sbyong tshig brgyad ma] Geshe Langri Thangpa 11. Seven Limb Puja: Excerpt from the King of Prayers - 37 The Extraordinary Aspiration of the Practice of Samantabhadrā [Skt. samantabhadrācaryā praṇidhānaraja; Tib. ’phags pa bzang po spyod pa’i smon lam gyi rgyal po] 12. Short Mandala Offering 40 [Tib. man dal bsdus pa] 13. The Foundation of All Good Qualities 42 [Tib. yon tan gzhir gyur ma] Lama Tsongkhapa 14. Generating the Mind of Consummate Yoga 45 [Tib. thams cad rnal ’byor gyi sems bskyed pa] 15. Mantra Recitations 54 II. Selected Texts for Study, Reflection and Meditation 16. The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra 59 “Wisdom at the Hour of Death” [Skt. āryātyayajñānanāmamahāyānasūtra; Tib. phags pa ’da’ ka ye shes zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo] 17. The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “Dependent Arising” 61 [Skt. āryapratītyasamutpādanāmamahāyanāsūtra; Tib. ’phags pa rten cing ’brel bar ’byung ba zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo] 18. The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The Rice Seedling” 63 [Skt. āryasālistambhanāmamahāyānasūtra; Tib. ’phags pa sa lu’i ljang pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo] Contents 19. Three Principal Aspects of the Path 77 [Tib. lam gtso rnam gsum] Lama Tsongkhapa 20. The Sūtra on Impermanence 80 [Skt. anityatāsūtra; Tib. mi rtag pa nyid kyi mdo] 21. Heart-Spoon: Encouragement through 82 Recollecting Impermanence [Tib. snying gi thur ma mi rtag dran bskul ma] Pabongka Rinpoche 22. In Praise of Dharmadhātu 89 [Skt. dharmadhātustava; Tib. chos dbyings bstod pa] Aryā Nāgārjuna 23. In Praise of Dependent Origination 104 [Tib. rten ’brel bstod pa] Lama Tsongkhapa 24. Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way 113 [Skt. mūlamadhyamakakārikā; Tib. dbu ma rtsa ba shes rab] Aryā Nāgārjuna Chapter 1 Examination of Conditions 113 Chapter 18 Examination of Self and Phenomena 115 Chapter 22 Examination of the Tathagata 117 Chapter 24 Examination of the Four Noble Truths 119 Chapter 25 Examination of Nirvana 125 Chapter 26 Examination of the Twelve Links of Samsaric Existence 126 25. A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment 129 [Skt. bodhipathapradīpa; Tib. byang chub lam sgron] Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna 26. Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva 139 [Tib. rgyal sras lag len so bdun ma] Gyalsé Thogmay Sangpo 27. A Commentary on the Awakening Mind 147 [Skt. bodhicittavivāraṇa; Tib. byang chub sems ’grel] Aryā Nāgārjuna vii The Blaze of Non-Dual Bodhicittas 28. Hymn to [The Buddha] - The World Transcendent 164 [Skt. lokātistava; Tib. ’jig rten las ’das pa’i bstod pa] Aryā Nāgārjuna 29. A Compilation of Verses from Sutras and Treatises 168 on the Benefits of Generating Bodhicitta 30. The Benefit of the Awakening Mind, Chapter One: 170 A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life [Skt. bodhisattvacharyāvatāra; Tib. byang chub sems dpa’i spyod pa la ’jug pa] Bodhisattva Shantideva 31. Recognising the Mother: 176 A Song on the Experience of the Middle Way View [Tib. lta mgur a ma ngos ’dzin] Changkya Rolpai Dorjé 32. A Song of the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment 181 [Tib. lam rim nyams mgur] Lama Tsongkhapa 33. Rain Shower of Feats: 189 A Song of the Four Mindfulnesses as a Guide to the View of the Middle Way [Tib. lta mgur dran pa bzhi ldan] His Holiness the VII Dalai Lama 34. Noble Pursuit: 191 Revealing One’s Personal Realisations [Tib. rtogs brjod ’dun legs ma] Lama Tsongkhapa 35. The Three Essential Points 200 [Tib. snying po don gsum] Yogi Mitra Joki 36. Summary of the Stages of Meditation: 202 An Excerpt from the Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, Vol III Lama Tsongkhapa viii Contents 37. Dependent Origination and Emptiness: 208 A Compilation of Excerpts from Sutras and Treatises 38. Ultimate Reality in Madhyamaka Philosophy: 215 Excerpt from Illuminating the Clear Intention [Tib: dbu ma dgongs pa rab gsal] Lama Tsongkhapa 39. The Ganga Mahāmudrā: 217 Pith Instruction given by Master Tilopa to Naropa [Skt. mahamudraupadhaysham; Tib. phyag chen gang ga ma] Saint Tilopa 40. A Guide to the Two Truths 223 [Skt. satya-dvaya-avatara; Tib. bden pa gnyis la ’jug pa] Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna III. Additional Prayers, Vows and Commitments 41. Guru Pūjā 231 [Tib. bla ma mchod pa] Panchen Lobsang Choegyen 42. Mahāyāna Eight Precept Ceremony 253 [Tib. theg chen gso sbyong] IV. Daily Dedication Prayers 43. Song of Immortality: 261 Prayer for the Long Life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama [Tib. rgyal ba’i zhabs rten rab ’byams rgyal ba ma] Ling Rinpoche & Trijang Rinpoche 44. King of Prayers: The Extraordinary Aspiration of the 265 Practice of Samantabhadrā [Skt. samantabhadrācaryā praṇidhānaraja; Tib. ’phags pa bzang po spyod pa’i smon lam gyi rgyal po] ix The Blaze of Non-Dual Bodhicittas 45. Dedication, Chapter Ten: 275 A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life [Skt. bodhisattvacharyāvatāra; Tib. byang chub sems dpai’ spyod pa la ’jug pa] Bodhisattva Shantideva 46. Lamrim Dedication Prayer 284 [Tib. lam rim smon lam] Lama Tsongkhapa 47. Ngag-rim Dedication Prayer 286 [Tib. sngags rim smon lam] Lama Tsongkhapa 48. Additional Dedication Prayers 288 49. Food Offering Prayers 292 V. Appendix 50. The Staircase to Emptiness: 297 Meditation on Ultimate Reality Geshe Dorji Damdul 51. Methods to Cultivate Bodhicitta 312 52. Categories of Bodhicitta 314 53. Wheel of Life: 319 The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination [Skt. bhavachakra; Tib. srid pa ’khor lo] Geshe Dorji Damdul 54. Shamatha Meditation on the Breath 332 55. Shamatha Meditation: Nine Stages of Training the Mind 335 Glossary 341 Endnotes 358 Respect for Sacred Books 390 x Preface His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama’s profound veneration of the great Nalanda Buddhist tradition shines through in his ode to its saint-scholars, Sun Illuminating the Threefold Faith: Praise to the Seventeen Nalanda Masters1 composed by him in 2001. In this beautiful offering, he recounts the specific and most important contributions of each of the masters who follow Buddha Shakyamuni, in the Sanskrit tradition. They include Arya Nagarjuna, followed by Bodhisattva Aryadeva, Acharyas Buddhapalita, Bhavaviveka and Chandrakirti, Bodhisattva Shantideva, Abbot Shantarakshita and others down the centuries. In this masterful rendition, His Holiness not only demonstrates his own command over the Nalanda Buddhist tradition by indicating key achievements of each master in a succinct and deeply insightful verse, but also, records it for posterity. Reading this remarkable composition, one gains an understanding of the range and profundity of the areas in which the erstwhile Nalanda Buddhist tradition made discoveries and advancements of a significant nature, which continue to remain relevant in contemporary times in the areas of philosophy, science, logic, debate, epistemology and psychology. Uniquely, for centuries the Nalanda university2 maintained a reputation not just as a centre of excellence for religious study, but also for academic learning, predating the emergence of famous universities in Europe. It is little wonder then that the effulgence of this intellectually rigourous, yet spiritually profound tradition, naturally radiated outwards from India, to China, Tibet, Vietnam, Korea, Japan and beyond, with living lineages thriving up until today. His Holiness the Dalai Lama considers the Nalanda tradition to be a treasure that not only belongs to India, the place of its origin in xi The Blaze of Non-Dual Bodhicittas ancient times, but also, a treasure of and for the world. Amongst the many reasons he cites, two are especially pertinent for this publication. First, His Holiness maintains that whereas the practice element of any tradition is a deeply personal and private matter, the scientific and philosophical elements may be studied and adopted by anyone, including non-believers. This is especially true of the Nalanda tradition, with its rich legacy in philosophy, psychology, logic, debate and so on. Second, His Holiness argues that much as we lay emphasis on the hygiene of the body, in today’s troubled world, the hygiene of emotions is equally to be observed, maintained and prioritised.