ITP-interior3 7/15/05 11:04 AM Page i ILLUMINATING THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT This book is published by Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive Bringing you the teachings of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche This book is made possible by kind supporters of the Archive who, like you, appreciate how we make these teachings freely available in so many ways, including in our website for instant reading, listening or downloading, and as printed and electronic books. Our website offers immediate access to thousands of pages of teachings and hundreds of audio recordings by some of the greatest lamas of our time. Our photo gallery and our ever-popular books are also freely accessible there. Please help us increase our efforts to spread the Dharma for the happiness and benefit of all beings. You can find out more about becoming a supporter of the Archive and see all we have to offer by visiting our website at http://www.LamaYeshe.com. Thank you so much, and please enjoy this ebook. ITP-interior3 7/15/05 11:04 AM Page iii ILLUMINATING THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT Tenzin Gyatso HIS HOLINESS THE FOURTEENTH DALAI LAMA OF TIBET A COMMENTARY ON ATISHA DIPAMKARA SHRIJNANA’S A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment AND LAMA JE TSONG KHAPA’S Lines of Experience Translated by GESHE THUPTEN JINPA Edited by REBECCA MCCLEN NOVICK, THUPTEN JINPA AND NICHOLAS RIBUSH Produced by the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive, Boston, Massachusetts for Thubten Dhargye Ling Archive, Long Beach, California www.tdling.com ITP-interior3 7/15/05 11:04 AM Page iv First published 2002 20,000 copies for free distribution Second printing 2005, 10,000 copies THUBTEN DHARGYE LING PO Box 90665 Long Beach CA 90809, USA © Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, 2002 Please do not reproduce any part of this book by any means whatsoever without our permission ISBN 0-9623421-6-5 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 Cover photos by Don Farber Book design by L.J.Sawlit Printed in Canada on recycled, acid-free paper ITP-interior3 7/15/05 11:04 AM Page v CONTENTS FOREWORD by Geshe Tsultim Gyeltsen....xi PROLOGUE Universal Responsibility....xxiii Question and answer period....xxx 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION....1 The purpose of Dharma practice....3 Intellectual and experiential understanding....6 The basis for transformation....7 Investigating the nature of reality....10 2. FEATURES OF THE LAM-RIM TEACHINGS....13 Atisha’s Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment....13 Lamp for the Path: Verse 1....13 The meaning of the title....14 The objects of salutation....15 The two truths....17 The Four Noble Truths....18 The Three Jewels: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha....21 Lama Tsong Khapa’s Lines of Experience....22 The origin of the lam-rim teachings: the greatness of the authors....25 Lines of Experience: Verse 1....27 L ines of Experience: Verse 2....30 ITP-interior3 7/15/05 11:04 AM Page vi Lines of Experience: Verse 3....31 Lines of Experience: Verse 4....34 Lines of Experience: Verse 5....37 The greatness of the lam-rim teachings....39 Lines of Experience: Verses 6 & 7....39 Question and answer period....42 3. RELYING ON A SPIRITUAL TEACHER....47 The qualities of a teacher....47 Lines of Experience: Verse 8....47 The practice of reliance....52 Lines of Experience: Verse 9....52 The qualities of the spiritual teacher....53 The qualities of the student....57 Establishing proper reliance....60 Question and answer period....62 4. BECOMING INSPIRED TO PRACTICE DHARMA....67 Levels of spiritual trainees....67 Lamp for the Path: Verse 2....67 Lamp for the Path: Verse 3....69 Developing faith in karma....69 The three levels of refuge....71 The value and transient nature of human existence....72 Lines of Experience: Verse 10....72 Meditation: cultivating mental discipline....73 Death and rebirth....78 The twelve links....81 5. REFUGE,KARMA AND PRECEPTS....83 Taking refuge...83 ITP-interior3 7/15/05 11:04 AM Page vii Lines of Experience: Verse 11....83 Observing the law of karma....85 Lines of Experience: Verse 12....88 Purification of negative karma: the four opponent powers....89 Question and answer period....91 6. SEEKING FREEDOM FROM CYCLIC EXISTENCE....93 Renunciation....93 Lamp for the Path: Verse 4....93 Understanding the nature of cyclic existence....94 Lines of Experience: Verse 13....94 Question and answer period....100 7. CULTIVATING THE ALTRUISTIC INTENTION OF BODHICITTA...103 Lamp for the Path: Verse 5....103 Lines of Experience: Verse 14....104 Lamp for the Path: Verse 6....105 Lamp for the Path: Verses 7 to 18....106 The importance of bodhicitta....108 8. THE CEREMONY FOR GENERATING BODHICITTA....113 Introduction....113 The seven-limb practice....114 Homage....115 Offering....115 Confessing....115 Rejoicing....116 Requesting....117 Beseeching....118 Dedication....118 The actual ceremony for generating bodhicitta....118 ITP-interior3 7/15/05 11:04 AM Page viii 9. BODHISATTVA OUTLOOK AND ACTION....121 Taking the bodhisattva vows....121 Lamp for the Path: Verse 18....121 Lamp for the Path: Verse 19....122 Lamp for the Path: Verse 20....122 Lamp for the Path: Verse 21...123 Lamp for the Path: Verse 22....124 Lamp for the Path: Verse 23...124 Lamp for the Path: Verse 24....125 Lamp for the Path: Verses 25 through 31....125 Lamp for the Path: Verse 32....126 The practice of the first five perfections....127 The perfection of generosity....127 L ines of Experience: Verse 15....127 The perfection of ethical discipline....128 Lines of Experience: Verse 16....128 The perfection of forbearance....128 Lines of Experience: Verse 17....128 The perfection of joyous effort....129 Lines of Experience: Verse 18....129 The perfection of concentration....130 Lamp for the Path: Verses 33 through 38....130 Lines of experience: Verse 19....132 Lamp for the Path: Verses 39 & 40....133 10. THE PERFECTION OF WISDOM....139 The importance of the perfection of wisdom....139 Lamp for the Path: Verse 41....139 Lamp for the Path: Verse 42....139 Lamp for the Path: Verses 43 through 46....140 L ines of Experience: Verse 20....140 ITP-interior3 7/15/05 11:04 AM Page ix The nature of wisdom....142 Lamp for the Path: Verse 47....142 Emptiness according to different Buddhist schools....142 Dependent origination....146 Establishing emptiness through reasoning....148 Lamp for the Path: Verses 48 through 50....148 Meditation on emptiness....154 Lamp for the Path: Verses 51 through 54....155 The non-conceptual understanding of emptiness....156 Lamp for the Path: Verses 55 through 59....157 The union of calm abiding and penetrative insight....158 Lines of Experience: Verse 21....158 Lines of Experience: Verse 22....159 L ines of Experience: Verse 23....160 The Vajrayana path....161 Lamp for the Path: Verse 60....161 Lamp for the Path: Verses 61 through 67....161 Lines of Experience: Verse 24....162 Question and answer period....163 Dedication....165 Lamp for the Path: Verse 68....165 Lines of Experience: Verse 25....165 APPENDICES Appendix 1. A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment....167 Appendix 2. Lines of Experience....179 NOTES....187 BIBLIOGRAPHY....191 GLOSSARY....195 ITP-interior3 7/15/05 11:04 AM Page xi PUBLISHER’S ACKNOWLEDGMENTS his is the second book published by Thubten Dhargye Ling TPublications for free distribution. We have been very gratified by the excellent response to our first, Mirror of Wisdom , by Venerable Geshe Tsultim Gyeltsen, our spiritual master and director, and feel sure that readers will enjoy Illuminating the Path to Enlightenment, which we are now reprinting after the wonderful reception of our first run of 20,000 by delighted readers all over the world. We are extremely grateful to His Holiness the Dalai Lama for accepting Geshe Gyeltsen’s invitation to teach in Los Angeles in 2000, for choosing to offer us his commentaries on the profound texts A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, by Atisha Dipamkara Shrijnana, and Lines of Experience, by Lama Tsong Khapa, and in particular, for giving us per- mission to publish this book for free distribution. We also would like to express our gratitude to Geshe Thupten Jinpa for his expert translation during the teachings and for his work in reviewing the translation and his numerous editorial suggestions for improving the manuscript while it was in preparation. We would also like to thank Rebecca McClen Novick and Dr. Nicholas Ribush for editing the book, Lisa Sawlit for designing it and the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive for supervising its production. We extend heartfelt thanks to the many kind benefactors whose gen- erous donations made this work possible. For major contributions, we thank in particular Doren and Mary Harper, John and Eleanor W. Allen, Richard Gere, Linda Bukowski, Hanh Nguyen and James N. Smith. ITP-interior3 7/15/05 11:04 AM Page xii We are also most grateful to Randall Gates, Leslie Jamison, Lillie & Stuart Scudder, Jeff Abrams, Margit Ahlin, Mary Alexander, Janice Allan, Elizabeth W. Allen, Renee Allen, Catalina Alquijay, Frances A. Altman, Amiel, Nancy L. Andersen, Barbara Anderson, Penny Clem Anderson, Steve Anderson, Tania Anderson, Karen Ansel, Ruben Anton, Vicari Antonina, Diane April, Bettina Aptheker, Gene Arnold, Harvey Aronson, Dorothy C. Arreola, Deborah Arthur, Scott Arundale, Santina Aruta, Stephen Ascue, Robert Attiyeh, Susan Augustson, Wolfgang Aulenbacher, Beatrice Avcollie, Barbara Aydelott, Ikuko Bacon, Dana Baldwin, Richard Baldwin, Stephen A. Bangle, Christie Banks, Laura Baptista, Marguerite Barton, Peggy Beach, Andrea Beardsley, Dory Beatrice, Captain Peter Beauclerk, Yong Meng Beh, George Bekey, Grace Bell, Vivo Bennett, Eric C. Berg, Eileen F. Berns, Nancy Bessette, Linda Beutner, Elaine Bisconti, Dr.