Lamrim Chenmo Teaching: The Cultivation of Compassion Khensur Lobsang Tenzin Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center Date: May 22, 2016

Today Rinpoche gave a very clear explanation of the nine different points that Jamyang Shepa points out Tsong Khapa makes in the section on how to cultivate compassion.

Once again we’re looking at Lama Tsong Khapa’s The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment and specifically, the section on training the mind in the stages of the path for beings of great capacity. When we look at this in terms of the outline, we have the stages of training in the spirit of enlightenment. If you’re looking at the text and trying to quickly follow along, it’s chapter 2 where this actually starts, what I’m speaking of. There are two categories before that, in the first chapter, but we’re actually just starting at the second chapter, where we find the stages of training in the spirit of enlightenment.

There are two categories underneath the stages of training in the spirit of enlightenment, or in . The first category is training based on the seven point, cause-and-effect instructions in the passed down from Lord Atisha, the Great Elder, and the second category is the training based on the teachings of the conqueror’s child, Shantideva, of equalizing and exchanging self with others practice.

We have these two categories and when we begin with the first category, the training based on the seven-point cause and effect passed down by Lord Atisha for realizing or achieving bodhicitta, or the mind that aspires to enlightenment, we find two categories presented. First, developing certainty about the order of the stages and then the gradual training.

The first category, where we show the certainty of the order of the stages, we get into the points made about compassion is the root of the path or the root of the Great Vehicle. Then, how in the seven-point cause and effect we find there are either causes for compassion or effects of compassion, results of compassion, contained within those seven.

Looking at Lord Atisha’s seven-point cause and effect for realizing the mind that aspires to enlightenment, the first four stages or steps are causes for compassion. So, recognizing all sentient beings are our mothers, remembering their kindness, wishing to repay their kindness, and then love through the force of attraction. These steps allow one to achieve that fifth cause or effect, depending on how you’re looking at it, which is great compassion.

The other two after great compassion, the extraordinary attitude and then bodhicitta itself, or the mind that aspires to enlightenment or the spirit of awakening itself, are all results of great compassion. So in that section under the certainty about the stages in the second category we find that the seven instructions are either causes or results of compassion. It actually is worded “the six other” because compassion is obviously one of them. So compassion itself isn’t a cause for it or a result of it, so that’s why we actually say six, speaking correctly. The other six are either causes or results of compassion. That is the first category, where we have the certainty about the stages, and then we get into the next category, which is the gradual training. In the section on the gradual training we find three categories: first, training the mind to be intent on others’ welfare or the benefit of others, training the mind to want to benefit others; training the mind to be intent on enlightenment – training the mind to really want to achieve ; and then identifying the spirit of enlightenment, the fruit of the training. Identifying clearly what bodhicitta is, the spirit of enlightenment or the mind that aspires to enlightenment, being able to establish what that is exactly. It says “the fruit of the trainings.” So it is a result of the other six of the seven-point cause and effect for realizing the mind that aspires to enlightenment. Those six lead up to the seventh main result, which is to realize bodhicitta, to realize the spirit of awakening.

Then we have training the mind to be intent on others’ welfare and there are two categories: first, establishing the basis for this attitude and the development of the attitude of being intent on others’ welfare. In the first category, establishing the basis for developing this attitude, we have achieving impartiality towards living beings, which is the foundational equanimity, and having affection for all beings.

In Atisha’s Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment we find the seven-point cause and effect presented in the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth stanzas:

10. Next, beginning with an attitude Of love for all living creatures, Consider beings, excluding none, Suffering in the three bad rebirths, Suffering birth, death and so forth.

11. Then, since you want to free these beings From the suffering of pain, From suffering and the cause of suffering, Arouse immutably the resolve To attain enlightenment.

[As a translator’s note, those are the three sufferings, they’re just used different ways: the suffering of suffering, the suffering of change, and pervasive, compounded suffering.]

12. The qualities of developing Such an aspiration are Fully explained by Maitreya In the “Array of Trunks .”

So we find the presentation of the seven-point cause and effect implicitly in this section.

Training the mind to be intent on others’ welfare has two categories: establishing the basis for developing this attitude and development of the attitude of being intent on others’ welfare. Under that we have two categories. Under the first of those two, establishing the basis for developing this attitude, there are two categories: first, achieving impartiality toward living beings and second, having affection for all beings.

The first category, this impartiality, is referring to the generation of an attitude of equanimity towards three types of beings: our friends, our enemies, and our neutrals. Here we’re trying to, as a foundation, establish this equal desire to benefit those three types of beings, to have impartiality towards those three types of beings.

With the foundation that’s like the ground of equanimity, or impartiality, nurtured by love which is like water, compassion is like the seed that grows into the mind that aspires to enlightenment, or bodhicitta. This is a quote from the highest yoga tantra, Guhyasamaja, that shows this need for this compassion and how it really is the root of the Great Vehicle practice.

Looking at the outline further, establishing the basis for developing this attitude, we first have achieving impartiality toward living beings, achieving equanimity towards friends, enemies, and neutrals, and then having affection for all beings has the causes for the arisal of love through the force of attraction and then the latter realizations within the seven-point cause and effect for realizing the mind that aspires to enlightenment.

This second category, after the achievement of impartiality or the achievement of equanimity, is having affection for all beings. So there we have recognizing all sentient beings are our mothers, or remembering that all sentient beings are our mothers; second, remembering the kindness they’ve shown us, remembering their kindness; and third, wishing to repay their kindness. So all of these fall categorically under having affection for all beings.

The next, love through the force of attraction, which is caused by those first three steps, falls categorically under that next major heading, which is the development of the attitude of being intent on others’ welfare. Whereas the previous things we just spoke of, the first three steps of the seven-point cause and effect and the establishment of the foundation of equanimity, falls categorically under establishing the basis for developing this attitude. Whereas, once we get into love through the force of attraction we begin that second category, the development of the attitude of being intent on others’ welfare.

Then we have love through the force of attraction, great compassion, the extraordinary attitude, and then the result becomes bodhicitta. But the next three become love through the force of attraction, great compassion, and then an extraordinary attitude or the wholehearted resolve, I think they translate it as.

So we’ve already gone over all the categories up through love in the Great Treatise. So today we’re going to start in the section on compassion.

On page 44 we find the cultivation of compassion and I think it’s page 306 in the Tibetan, “The cultivation of compassion.” Turning to Jamyang Shepa’s commentary, there are nine categories which are all different points Jamyang Shepa says Lama Tsong Khapa makes in this section.

Category number one, the “object of observation of compassion,” the name of Jamyang Shepa’s first category: “In order to understand the cultivation of compassion you must know the following topics.„The object of compassion‟ is living beings who experience misery through any of the three kinds of suffering.”

So if we were to posit the object of observation for compassion or great compassion, it is a possessor of any among the three types of suffering. What I was asking Rinpoche about is, do we say it’s the possessor who is suffering, in terms of wording, or can it be the suffering of the possessor? So it’s specifically the possessor who is suffering the suffering of change. The possessor of the suffering of suffering, the possessor of the pervasive, compounded suffering. It’s the being who has these types of suffering. So the object of observation is any among those three.

A sentient being who has the suffering of suffering is the object of observation of compassion. A sentient being who has the suffering of change is the object of observation of compassion. A sentient being who has the pervasive, compounded suffering is the object of observation for compassion. So any among those three.

What are those three sufferings? What is suffering of change, pervasive, compounded suffering, and suffering of suffering? First of all, the suffering of suffering is the general type of suffering you would think of. When someone gets a headache, that suffering experience, the pain. When someone has cancer, that suffering is the suffering of suffering, that’s the general type of suffering.

The suffering of change is basically contaminated happiness that we have that will convert into suffering, will change into a form of suffering. Basically, the meaning of the suffering of change is contaminated happiness. [As a translator’s note, meaning that it will change into something that makes you suffer when it was in the first place a form of happiness.]

The third is the pervasive, compounded suffering. That is the samsara aggregates, the aggregates of cyclic existence that we possess that were brought on by our and afflictions. This is the pervasive, compounded suffering, this bringing on of these aggregates of cyclic existence by our karma and afflictions. This process of bringing on these aggregates is the pervasive, compounded suffering.

So a sentient being who has the suffering of suffering is the object of observation of compassion. So the wish is that that sentient being be free from or separated from the suffering of suffering that he or she is experiencing. That is an object of observation of compassion, and what compassion is doing.

The other, the suffering of change, is the same. A sentient being who is experiencing the suffering of change is the object of observation for compassion because that compassion is a thought to wish to remove the suffering of change from the sentient being, from the possessor of the suffering of change.

The same with the pervasive, compounded suffering; the person who has the pervasive, compounded suffering becomes the object of observation for the compassion that wishes for that sentient being to be separated from the pervasive, compounded suffering.

So this is how compassion utilizes these three types of sufferings as its object of observation and how it’s not the suffering itself, it’s the person who is suffering, who has this condition of suffering of suffering, suffering of change, or pervasive, compounded suffering. So the one who experiences that suffering, but specifically that suffering. This then covers all sentient beings because if it’s a sentient being, it possesses any among these three types of suffering, pervasive.

A lot of times you see a baby or a small child who is suffering. That desire to want to remove the suffering from the child is compassion. Other things can be thought of in this same way. So that completes the object of compassion. Living beings who experience misery through any of the three types of suffering. That’s category number one.

Category two are the subjective aspects; what are the subjects and what about those subjects. “How nice it would be if living beings were free from suffering,” “May they be free from suffering,” and “I will cause them to be free from suffering.” Here there are three types of mind generation that are taking place here.

[As a translator’s note, mind generation doesn’t always have to be bodhicitta or the mind that aspires to enlightenment. That’s Mahayana mind generation when we label it. Sometimes it’s just called mind generation but it’s inferred that within that there’s Mahayana mind generation. Because there’s mind generations within the and mind generations of all kinds of realizations, be aware when you’re reading texts you need to look at it in context, for sure, because mind generation doesn’t always mean bodhicitta. Because Rinpoche just used it as the generation of these types of compassion leading toward actual compassion.]

There are three different types of compassion that are presented here in terms of mind generation, generating these minds. First it says, “How nice it would be if living beings were free from suffering.” So this first is a wish. It’s wishing compassion. It’s a wish that these beings have it: “May they be free from suffering.” Here now, the wish is turned into an aspiration or a dedication in a sense. It’s from a wish to an actual aspiration that’s made, “may they be.” “How nice it would be” and wishing may they be is an aspiration, and “I will cause them to be free from suffering” becomes a whole-hearted resolved compassion. That whole-hearted resolve we see in the six of the seven-point cause and effect can be used in other contexts as well.

I asked Rinpoche if this whole-hearted resolve compassion, the compassion with a whole-hearted resolve, the whole-hearted resolve in the seven-point cause and effect – is it exactly the same thing? And Rinpoche said there are different types of whole-hearted resolve, and the whole- hearted resolve in the seven-point cause and effect means there is whole-hearted resolve of love through the force of attraction, whole-hearted resolve of great compassion. Whole-hearted resolve wishes that sentient beings have happiness and wishes that they be free from suffering. So that’s why whole-hearted resolve isn’t just whole-hearted resolve that’s compassion, it includes also love. That’s how it’s explained.

Number three: “‟The steps of cultivating compassion‟ are first to cultivate it toward friends, then toward those beings for whom you have neutral feelings, and next toward enemies. When you have equal compassion for your enemies and friends, cultivate it gradually toward all living beings in the ten directions.”

Here the stages in which you cultivate these feelings in order to eventually be able to have as the object of observation of your compassion all sentient beings in the ten directions, so that’s everywhere that there is. And just as a note, the ten directions are the eight normal (north, south, east, west, and then northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest) and then up and down. It covers all the ten directions. It’s all the variables within north, south, east and west, plus up and down. That means everywhere that there is a sentient being, basically. All beings that exist become your object of observation. That’s number three. This is the measure you eventually end at, all beings.

We find the next, which is number four, cites Kamalashila’s presentation of these steps in the same way that were presented by Lama Tsong Khapa, where we have the on friends and then neutrals and then eventually enemies and then all sentient beings in the ten directions. He cites that, in the discourses on knowledge [when we look at the baskets, the abhidharma basket, which is considered the basket which has the presentation of the wisdom teachings], those presentations by Lord Buddha on the abhidharma basket: “Set out this way of gradually cultivating impartiality, love, and compassion while distinguishing specific objects of meditation. It is an extremely important point. If you train in these attitudes of impartiality, love, and compassion without distinguishing and taking up specific objects of meditation, but only using a general object from the outset, you will just seem to generate these attitudes. Then, when you try to apply them to specific individuals, you will not be able to actually generate these attitudes toward anyone. But once you have a transformative experience toward an individual in your meditation practice as explained previously, you may then gradually increase the number of individuals you visualize within your meditation. Finally, take all beings in general as your object of meditation. When you sustain this practice in meditation, you will generate these attitudes correctly, whether you are dealing with individuals or a group.”

When we look at number five: “‟The way to cultivate compassion,‟ is as follows. Consider how these livings beings - your mothers - experience general and specific sufferings after falling into cyclic existence. I explained these sufferings earlier.” So, we recognize that all sentient beings are our mother by first establishing that our own continuum, our own mind, is beginningless.

When we then begin to trace our own continuum back we can’t find a beginning and then when we shift that focus from our own continuum to that of sentient beings, we will find that all sentient beings also have beginningless rebirths. So we have beginningless rebirths, all sentient beings have beginningless rebirths, and there is a sentient being among them that is our mother in this particular life, and others were our mothers in lives before this. Once we establish and see this beginningless continuum on both sides, we will then be able to establish that all sentient beings are our mothers, we just don’t remember our previous lives yet. They are our mothers because it is the same continuum.

Here we utilize this understanding to then want to help, or want to assist these beings. So it ends, “Finally, take all beings in general as your object of meditation. When you sustain this practice in meditation, you will generate these attitudes correctly, whether you are dealing with individuals or as a group.” So that’s four.

“The way to cultivate compassion is as follows. Consider how these living beings - your mothers - experience general and specific sufferings after falling into cyclic existence. I explained these sufferings earlier.” That’s where number five ends.

We went over the various types of suffering previously: the suffering of suffering, the suffering of change, pervasive compounded suffering; so, the sufferings of three. In the prior chapters we had the six types of suffering and the eight types of suffering. That’s what Lama Tsong Khapa means here. Earlier in the text he went over all the divisions of suffering that you’re supposed to think about that sentient beings, who are your mothers, experience.

We think of these sentient beings as our mothers because of the explanation of why they are: because we have beginningless birth, they have beginningless birth, someone is our mother now, in other lives others have been our mothers, and they are experiencing general and specific. So we have the general sufferings and specific sufferings when we looked at the previous chapters. It’s divided into generals and specifics in three, six, and eight types of suffering. You’re imaging these sentient beings experiencing those sufferings. It says that by doing this you will allow for the realization to occur readily. That’s number five.

“The way to cultivate compassion is as follows. Consider how these living beings - your mothers - experience general and specific sufferings after falling into cyclic existence. I explained these sufferings earlier.” We went over the general sufferings, the specific sufferings when we looked at the section on the superior truth of suffering. The Buddha stated that this is the arya truth of suffering, or this is the superior truth of suffering. When he turned the wheel of of the , that was the first among those four. This is the superior truth of suffering. In the chapter where that’s explained, all of this has been presented already. [As a translator’s note, in the first volume we have all those explanations.]

When we look at number six, it says, “Moreover, if you have developed an awareness of your own general and specific suffering by training in the path of a person of medium capacity, you will assess your own situation and cultivate compassion towards others. By following this method, you will easily generate compassion.”

It says, “if you have developed an awareness of your own general and specific suffering by training in the path of a person of medium capacity,” so when we go back to the section on training the mind in the stages of the path shared in common with beings of medium capacity, we find that there are four categories to present. First, there’s the identification of renunciation, the desire to definitely emerge, and then there is the measure of the determination to be free – the actual measurement of that. Third is dispelling misconceptions about that determination to be free. And then the fourth category, ascertaining the nature of the path leading to liberation.

In training the mind in the stages of the path shared in common with beings of medium capacity, all of these points here, about our own general and specific sufferings, were clearly identified and explained. When we develop a desire to emerge from those types of suffering by learning about them and then wishing to be free from them, this is called renunciation. This is called the determination to be free, the desire to definitely emerge. Translated literally, the desire to get out - that’s what this word means. When we think about our own suffering, we generate this desire to get out.

When we then turn our thoughts to others‟ suffering, this becomes compassion. When we wish for them to get out, this is compassion. We want them to be separated from their suffering in the same way we want ourselves to be separated from our suffering. This idea of wanting ourselves to be free is renunciation; wanting others to be free is compassion.

We learn about our own general and specifics in the medium scope and then are able to use that information to understand that others have the same experience and then focus on their removal. This is how we differentiate between renunciation – the determination to be free – and compassion. Compassion is directed at others, renunciation is focused on our own liberation. This is number six.

Now we’re at number seven, and I want to just go over, real quickly, the stop point between six and seven because it can read two ways. The way it reads in Tibetan, based on Rinpoche’s commentary, is as follows. Number six ends with, “You will assess your own situation and cultivate compassion towards others.” So that’s where six ends.

Seven begins here, so this line is connected to the following words: “By following this method, you will easily generate compassion. Considering your own suffering creates the determination to be free. Thinking about others‟ suffering creates compassion. However, if you do not first consider your own suffering, you will not reach the key point of practice.” Following this method connects to those sentences there and then falls under the category of number seven. It’s not speaking of the words before it, it’s speaking of the words after it. That’s just a clarification.

Now in number seven, Jamyang Shepa says there are two categories: the first category is what’s needed, what’s necessary, and the second category is “the actual.” What’s needed is thinking of one’s own suffering to create a determination to be free and then thinking of others’ suffering the way one has thought of his or her own suffering: the suffering of birth, the suffering of sickness, the suffering of aging, the suffering of death. One thinks and thinks and thinks about these various types of suffering and then this determination to be free is generated. This is renunciation; this is something that’s generated for oneself, about oneself. Whereas, thinking about others’ suffering creates compassion.

It says, “However, if you do not consider your own suffering, you will not reach the key point of practice.” So what’s needed for compassion? What’s needed is the realization of renunciation. That’s what Jamyang Shepa is stating, that there are two points made here, what’s needed and how to do it, and all this falls under what’s needed.

Then there’s an illustration given and that’s still under the first category of the two in number seven. It says, “These are simple illustrations of how to meditate. Intelligent persons should meditate in detail on the 110 sufferings that are observed with compassion. These are explained in the Levels”.

Asanga wrote the five treatises on the levels. The Bodhisattva Levels is one of the five treatises that Lord wrote. It’s saying that if you are a sharp, intelligent person you won’t just look at this small formula, you’ll look in greater detail at texts such as Master Asanga’s Bodhisattva Levels. When we look at the two categories we have one, pronouncements of Lord Buddha – the – and two, the , the authentic Indian commentaries. Asanga’s text, Bodhisattva Levels, is in the Tengyur, the authentic Indian commentaries. This is a text from the Tengyur, not from the Kangyur.

Rinpoche is saying that the Bodhisattva Levels is the first of the five books. We have the five treatises on the levels that Lord Asanga wrote, and Rinpoche is saying that in the Tengyur we can probably just get the book. So, Rinpoche would like me to get the book. Rinpoche said that now he has the text, he can look at it and he can bring it to us.

Rinpoche is saying that the said that you shouldn’t have these books (the Kangyur and Tengyur) as if they’re just something to show off, but that we should use them. Rinpoche said that in the future we will go over it after he brings it downstairs and goes over it himself.

Shantarakshita is one of the Indian pandits. He is responsible for being part of the main process of translating the works from Pali and Sanskrit into the Tibetan folios that we see today. Shantarakshita came from India into to aid in this process of translation from Pali and Sanskrit. Later on, in the future, we will look at this.

“There are simple illustrations of how to meditate. Intelligent persons should meditate in detail on the 110 sufferings that are observed with compassion. These are explained in the Bodhisattva Levels.” That’s the text that Rinpoche says I just took, so we will be able to look at what Lama Tsong Khapa is citing later.

Number seven has those two categories: what is needed and then the actual. What is needed follows all the way to, “However, if you do not first consider your own suffering, you will not reach the key point of practice.” And then the actual practice, “There are simple illustrations of how to meditate in detail on the 110 sufferings that are observed with compassion. These are explained in the Bodhisattva Levels.” That’s number seven and the two categories within number seven, and now number eight begins.

Number eight: “Furthermore, it is said that the ‟ thoughts of suffering during their cultivation of compassion are more numerous than the shravakas‟ thoughts, which perceive suffering with an attitude of disenchantment - the final and actual knowledge of the truth of suffering for the shravakas.” It is saying that when the bodhisattva generates this compassion, there is actually much more awareness of suffering taking place in that being’s continuum than that of the Hinayana practitioners, who focus on suffering of the hearer or solitary realizer vehicle.

Here they are speaking of shravakas – shravakas are the hearer vehicle within the Hinayana. The Hinayana shravaka practitioner or Hinayana hearer practitioner who has numerous thoughts about suffering does not have as much emphasis in his or her mind on suffering as a bodhisattva does when he or she generates compassion. This is the point of number eight.

Number nine: “If you reflect from limitless viewpoints on how beings lack happiness and have suffering, you will develop much love and compassion.” Wishing that beings have happiness is love, and wishing them to be free from suffering is compassion. It says, “Moreover, if you think about this for a long time, your love and compassion will be strong and steady.” In the way that has been presented, of thinking about compassion, if you do this over and over for a long time, the compassion will become solid, will become stable within your continuum.

It says, “Your love and compassion will be strong and steady. Therefore, if you are satisfied with just a little personal instruction and neglect to familiarize yourself with the explanations of classical texts, your compassion and love will be very weak.”

So if you are just satisfied with a very simple personal instruction given by a teacher and think this is something easy to intellectually understand and don’t pursue it and dedicate the necessary time and energy to it, it says, “Your compassion and love will be very weak,” meaning unstable and not incontrovertible. That’s the point of making it stable, of making it incontrovertible.

In the “cultivation of love” section, Jamyang Shepa also has three sections of an outline; it’s not just the nine. The nine is the first of the three sections. The second section is stopping any doubts one has about this cultivation of love and compassion, a clarification. The third category - Rinpoche said there are a lot of categories within, and this is the measure of it. What happens when this occurs in your continuum? What are some of the experiences that occur, internal and among others around you and so forth? What do you expect to experience when this happens, the generation of love and compassion? These are the various categories that Jamyang Shepa states.

“Moreover, after you have thoroughly distinguished the objects of meditation according to the previous explanations - how compassion is the root, how the development of the spirit of enlightenment is the entrance to the Mahayana and so forth,” we have those categories, those previous points that compassion is the root of the Mahayana and that the only entrance into the Mahayana is great compassion.

When we look at Mahayana practice, we can divide it into two categories: the Mahayana causal- perfection vehicle practices – this is the first category – and resultant-tantric vehicle practices. All of the Mahayana can be divided into those two: perfection vehicle and tantra vehicle, in short. The only entrance to the Mahayana is compassion. So that’s stating that the only entrance to the causal-perfection vehicle and resultant-tantric vehicle is compassion. So this might arouse some doubt because we’ve heard previously that to enter tantra you need to have an initiation - that’s the cause.

The way that this is explained is as follows: the entrance into the tantric vehicle (the Great Vehicle has two categories, the perfection vehicle and the tantric vehicle) is compassion but the entrance into tantra (not the vehicle) is an initiation. It depends on how the words are used. The entrance into the tantric vehicle is compassion because if it’s a Mahayana vehicle, it’s entered by compassion. But if it’s not the vehicle we’re speaking of, if it’s a tantra, like the Chenrezig tantra, the entrance into the Chenrezig tantra is an initiation. But with the tantric vehicle itself, the entrance is compassion. That’s how those two are differentiated and how to understand what those mean.