Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
PREFACE
PROLOGUE
Introduction
Chapter 1 - WHAT IS THE MIND?
Chapter 2 - TRAINING THE MIND
Chapter 3 - COMPASSION
Chapter 4 - DEVELOPING EQUANIMITY, THE ROOT OF LOVING-KINDNESS
Chapter 5 - IDENTIFYING THE NATURE OF SUFFERING
Chapter 6 - WISDOM
Chapter 7 - COMMON PREREQUISITES FOR MEDITATING ON CALM ABIDING AND SPECIAL INSIGHT
Chapter 8 - THE PRACTICE OF CALM ABIDING
Chapter 9 - ACTUALIZING SPECIAL INSIGHT
Chapter 10 - UNIFYING METHOD AND WISDOM
GLOSSARY
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF WORKS CITED
Teaser chapter
Snow Lion Publications P.O. Box 6483 Ithaca, New York 14851 USA Tel: 607-273-8519 www.snowlionpub.com
Copyright © 2001 His Holiness the Dalai Lama This edition 2003
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The Library of Congress catalogued the previous edition of this book as follows:Bstan-’dzin-rgya-mtsho, Dalai Lama XIV, 1935- Stages of meditation : [commentary] / the Dalai Lama ; root text by Kamalashila ; translated by Geshe Lobsang Jordhen, Losang Choephel Ganchenpa, and Jeremy Russell. p. cm. Includes biblographical references. English, Sanskrit, Tibetan. ISBN 1-55939-069-7 (alk. paper) 1. Kamalāśila, fl. 713-763 Bhāvanākrama. 2. Meditation, Buddhism. I. Geshe Lobsang Jordhen. II. Losang Choephel Ganchenpa. III. Russell, Jeremy. IV. Kamalasila, fl. 713-763. Bhavanakrama. Sanskrit and Tibetan. V. Title. BQ3137.B88 2001 294.3’4435—dc21 00-044663
We are happy to be able to present here a translation of the intermediate Stages of Meditation by Kamalashila with a commentary by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. When His Holiness gave this commentary at Manali in 1989, we were inspired by a strong wish to make it available as a book. Since then we have worked on it when we could and are happy that it has now finally come to fruition. Acharya Kamalashila was a great scholar-saint of the ninth century and a disciple of the great abbot Shantarakshita. It was due to the compassionate activities of such great teachers as these that a complete and unmistaken form of the Buddha’s teaching flourished in Tibet. Kamalashila played a unique role in this because he was the first Indian scholar-saint to compose a significant text in Tibet with a view to the needs of the Tibetan people and with the intention of dispelling the misunderstandings then prevailing there. Unfortunately, due to the turmoil of our times, and particularly the tragedy that has befallen Tibet, serious students and practitioners have long been deprived of the opportunity of listening to, reading, thinking about, or meditating on such important texts. Realizing this, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has, despite the many pressing calls on his attention, made serious efforts to preserve this tradition, which fosters studying and putting into practice the meaning of important and rare texts such as this. Consequently he has taught Stages of Meditation on several occasions. We are pleased to make available the commentary he gave in Manali, the small town at the head of the Kullu Valley in Himachal Pradesh that has longstanding links with Tibetans and the people of the Indo-Tibetan border region. It is our sincere wish that our humble efforts will contribute to the preservation of the unblemished teaching of Acharya Kamalashila. We hope that whatever positive imprints readers may derive from it may contribute to all sentient beings achieving the ultimate happiness of Buddhahood. We dedicate whatever merit may be created through this work to the flourishing of the Buddhadharma, to peace among sentient beings, and to the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other great spiritual teachers and practitioners. We are grateful to Susan Kyser, our editor at Snow Lion, for her invaluable suggestions that have improved the final copy, and to everyone who has directly or indirectly contributed to bringing this project to fulfillment. This book has been translated and edited by the following team: Geshe Lobsang Jordhen, a graduate of the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics, Dharamsala, who since 1989 has been religious assistant and personal translator to His Holiness the Dalai Lama; Losang Choephel Ganchenpa, who also trained at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics and has worked as a Buddhist translator for over a decade, first at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, and later in Australia; and Jeremy Russell, who is editor of Chö-Yang, the Voice of Tibetan Religion & Culture, published by the Norbulingka Institute, Dharamsala.
In the Indian language Bhavanakrama, and in the Tibetan language Gompai Rimpa. Homage to the youthful Manjushri. I shall briefly explain the stages of meditation for those who follow the system of Mahayana sutras. The intelligent who wish to actualize omniscience extremely quickly should make deliberate effort to fulfill its causes and conditions.
The great spiritual master Kamalashila composed this text called the Stages of Meditation in three parts: the initial Stages of Meditation, the intermediate Stages of Meditation, and the last Stages of Meditation. Here I am explaining the intermediate Stages of Meditation. The essential subjects of this treatise are the awakening mind of bodhichitta and the perfect view. The spiritual paths that lead to the ultimate goal of Buddhahood are two: method and wisdom. These two qualities produce the physical body, or rupakaya, and the wisdom body, or dharmakaya, respectively. The first represents perfection of working for the welfare of other sentient beings and the second represents the perfection of one’s own purposes. The methods for generating bodhichitta and the wisdom realizing emptiness together form the foundation of the Buddhist teachings, and this text provides a clear exposition of these two aspects of the Buddhist path to enlightenment. When we take a closer look at these teachings, we come to understand that compassionate thought is the root of bodhichitta, or awakening mind. This thought of enlightenment must be put into practice in conjunction with the wisdom that realizes the ultimate nature of all phenomena, emptiness. This wisdom should be a union of special insight and a calmly abiding mind single-pointedly focused on its object, emptiness. Most of you who are listening to this come from the Lahaul, Kinnaur, and Spiti regions of India, and most of you have a certain amount of education. However, the teaching technique I shall employ here is primarily oriented to those who don’t believe in religion. In the process, I want to show how one can generate interest in religion in general and Buddhism in particular. There are many lines of reasoning that can help us develop interest in religion. In this way we may realize that religion is not based on mere faith, but that faith arises in conjunction with reason and logic. Basically there are two types of faith: that which is not based on any special reason and that which is backed by reason. In the case of the second type of faith, an individual examines the object of his or her belief and investigates its relevance to his or her needs and requirements. Faith is generated after seeing the reasons why it is advantageous. In Buddhism in general, and in the Mahayana path in particular, we examine the contents of the teachings and accept those that are logical and reasonable and reject those that are illogical. As such there are occasions when teachings that are in the Buddha’s own words should not be taken literally, but need interpretation. Scriptural teachings that cannot stand logical analysis should not be taken literally, but require interpretation. On the other hand, scriptural teachings that can stand logical analysis should be taken literally. However, if we search for another scriptural authority to distinguish those scriptures that are to be understood literally and those that are to be interpreted, we will fall into the fallacy of infinite regress. We must examine both types of scriptural teachings with logic. Therefore, we can see that in the study of Buddhist scriptures, logical analysis has a very important place. Before you embark on your investigation, it is essential that you study the techniques for testing the object of your analysis. For people who want to follow the Buddha’s teachings in practice, mere faith is not enough. Faith should be backed by reason. When you study, follow a logical method. While I am teaching, I want you to pay good attention; make notes or use other means to be able to retain what I teach. Let me begin by explaining what we mean by blessing when we talk about a lama’s blessing or the blessing of the Dharma in the Buddhist context. Blessing must arise from within your own mind. It is not something that comes from outside, even though we talk about a lama’s blessing or the blessing of the Three Objects of Refuge. When the positive qualities of your mind increase and negativities decrease, that is what blessing means. The Tibetan word for blessing [byin rlab, pronounced “chin-lap”] can be broken into two parts—byin means “magnificent potential,” and rlab means “to transform.” So byin rlab means transforming into magnificent potential. Therefore, blessing refers to the development of virtuous qualities that you did not previously have and the improvement of those good qualities that you have already developed. It also means decreasing the defilements of the mind that obstruct the generation of wholesome qualities. So actual blessing is received when the mind’s virtuous attributes gain strength and its defective characteristics weaken or deteriorate. The text says, “The intelligent who wish to actualize omniscience extremely quickly should make deliberate effort to fulfill its causes and conditions.” What this means is that this book primarily deals with the procedures and practice of meditation, rather than an elaborate analysis of the objects that are refuted or presented in a more philosophical work. It is not that there are two separate and unrelated sets of Buddhist treatises—that some treatises are only the subject of discourse and others are only manuals of practice. All scriptures contain teachings to help tame and control the mind. Nevertheless, there can definitely be different levels of emphasis. Certain practices and texts are primarily suited to study and contemplation, and there are other texts that are taught with special emphasis on meditational procedures. This text is one of the latter. Therefore, in accordance with its content, it is called Stages of Meditation. And, as the title suggests, the text describes how a spiritual path can be developed in the mindstream of a meditator in a proper sequence, and not in a scattered piece-meal fashion. Among the three parts of the Stages of Meditation, this is the middle part. Acharya Kamalashila initially taught it in his own Indian language. The text begins with its Sanskrit title, mention of which is intended to benefit the reader by creating an aptitude for this sacred language in her or his mind. Citing the title in the literary language of India has a historical dimension as well. Since the dawn of civilization in the Snowy Land of Tibet, and with the gradual development of the Tibetan nation, there has been a natural association with neighboring countries. In retrospect it appears that Tibetans have adopted many good socio-cultural elements from their neighbors. For instance, India, our neighbor to the south, was the source of religion and cultural systems and subjects that enrich the mind. Similarly, other ancient cultures and sciences like medicine, Buddhist philosophy, Sanskrit, etc., were introduced from India, home of many great scholars. Thus we Tibetans have a tradition of revering India as the Holy Land. China was known for its good food and its great variety of vegetables. In the Tibetan language we use the same word for vegetable as in Chinese, and even today we continue to use Chinese words for many vegetables. This is what we imported from China. Similarly, because Mongolian garments are well suited to a cold climate, Tibetans have copied some of their styles. So, over the centuries that Tibetans have been in contact with their neighbors, we have imported many good things and developed our own distinctive socio-cultural characteristics. When the text begins with the phrase, “In the Indian language,” it indicates the authenticity of the text—that it originated in the treatises of Indian masters. Then the text says, “In the Tibetan language,” and the Tibetan title is provided. This indicates that the text was translated into the language of another country, Tibet. The Tibetan language is rich enough to accurately express great treatises, including the sutras and their commentaries. Over the centuries the Tibetan language has been a major medium both for the discourse and the practice aspects of Buddhism. Even today, it appears that Tibetan is almost the only language in the world that can fully communicate the entire Buddhist teachings contained in the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Tantric canons. Tibetan is therefore a very important language and it is especially valuable in relation to Buddhism. “Homage to the youthful Manjushri.” This is the verse of obeisance and supplication by the translator. The translators start their work by paying homage so that they will be able to complete their work without facing any obstacles. It also represents their aspiration to fulfill their temporary and ultimate purposes. Supplication is made to Manjushri following a decree promulgated by the religious kings in the past. The intention was to clearly indicate to which of the three divisions [the pitakas, or baskets] of the Buddha’s teachings any sutra or commentary belongs. Supplication is made to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas if a text belongs to the Collection of Discourses. And if a text belongs to the Collection of Knowledge, supplication is made to Manjushri. In order to indicate that a certain text belongs to the Collection of Discipline, supplication is made to the Omniscient Ones. So the supplication by the translator conforms to traditional practice. The main thesis of this treatise concerns establishing selflessness by relying on that single-pointed concentration which is a union of special insight and a calmly abiding mind. And as it belongs to the Collection of Knowledge, supplication is made to Manjushri. With the phrase, “for those who follow the system of Mahayana sutras,” the author briefly reveals the process of meditation for those who study this treatise. Now the question arises: What is the ultimate goal of those who practice the Mahayana teachings? And the answer is Buddhahood. What does Buddhahood mean? One who possesses a transcendental all-knowing wisdom is a Buddha, and this state is referred to as Buddhahood. Since the final goal of the Mahayana teachings is to attain this omniscient state, the practitioner needs to investigate closely the means and methods that lead to this realization. Through such investigation, he or she must strive to pursue the correct and complete course for realizing the omniscient state. This is a brief summary of the theme of this book.
INTRODUCTION
In the words of the Superior Nagarjuna,If you wish to attain the unsurpassed enlightenment For yourself and the world, The root is generation of an altruistic thought That is stable and firm like a mountain, An all-embracing compassion, And a transcendent wisdom free of duality.
Those of us who desire happiness for others and ourselves temporarily and in the long term should be motivated to attain the omniscient state. Compassion, altruistic thought, and the perfect view are the fundamentals and lifeblood of the path to highest enlightenment. At this juncture, we have faith in the doctrine of Lord Buddha and have access to his teachings. We are free from the major obstacles and have met the contributory factors such that we can study the vast and profound aspects of Buddha’s teaching, contemplate their contents, and meditate on their meaning. We must therefore use all these opportunities so that we won’t have cause for regret in the future and so that we don’t prove unkind to ourselves. What Kadam Geshe Sangpuwa has said strikes at the central theme. This verse greatly moves me from the very heart:Teaching and listening are proper when they are beneficial to the mind. Controlled and disciplined behavior is the sign of having heard teachings. Afflictions are reduced as a sign of meditation. A yogi is the one who understands reality.
One thing that should be very clear is that Dharma teachings have only one purpose: to discipline the mind. Teachers should pay attention and see to it that their teachings benefit the minds of their students. Their instructions must be based upon their personal experience of understanding the Dharma. Students, too, should attend teachings with a desire to benefit their minds. They must make an all-out effort to control their undisciplined minds. I might therefore urge that we should be diligent in following the instructions of the great Kadampa Geshes. They have advised that there should be integration of the mind and Dharma. On the other hand, if knowledge and practice are treated as unrelated and distinct entities, then the training can prove ineffective. In the process of our spiritual practice, we must examine ourselves thoroughly and use Dharma as a mirror in which to see reflected the defects of our body, speech, and mind. Both the teacher and student must be motivated to benefit themselves and others through the practice of the teachings. As we find in the lam rim prayers:Motivated by powerful compassion, May I be able to expound the treasure of Buddhadharma, Conveying it to new places And places where it has degenerated.
The Buddha’s doctrine is not something physical. Therefore, the restoration and spread of Buddhism depends on our inner spirit, or the continuum of our mind. When we are able to reduce the defects of the mind, its good qualities increase. Thus, effecting positive transformations is what the preservation and promotion of the Buddha’s doctrine means. It is obvious that the doctrine is not a tangible entity, that it cannot be sold or bought in the marketplace or physically constructed. We should pay attention to the fundamentals, like the practice of the three trainings—renunciation, the awakening mind of bodhichitta, and the wisdom realizing emptiness. The responsibility for the preservation and furthering of Buddhist doctrine lies upon those of us who have faith in that doctrine ; this in turn depends on our attraction to the Buddha and respect for him. If we don’t do anything constructive and expect that others will, then obviously nothing is possible. The first step is to cultivate within our minds those positive qualities taught by the Buddha. After properly disciplining our own minds, then we may hope to help discipline others’ minds. The great Tsongkhapa has clearly stated that those who have not disciplined themselves have hardly any chance of disciplining others. Acharya Dharmakirti has taught this principle in very lucid terms:When the technique is obscure [to you], Explanation is naturally difficult.
Bodhisattvas with such an intention ultimately aim to attain the state of enlightenment. For this purpose, they engage in the practices of eliminating the disturbing emotions that afflict the mind. At the same time they endeavor to cultivate spiritual insights. It is by following such a process of eliminating negative qualities and cultivating positive ones that Bodhisattvas become capable of helping other sentient beings. The Commentary on (Dignaga’s) “Compendium of Valid Cognition” also says:The compassionate ones employ all means To alleviate the miseries of beings.
Therefore, those of us who believe in the Buddha’s teachings should try our best to generate virtues. This is extremely important. It is especially relevant in this age when the Buddha’s doctrine is degenerating. We Tibetans are making noise and criticizing the Chinese for the destruction they have caused in our country. But the important thing is that as followers of Buddhism we must diligently adhere to its principles. The teachings are only purposeful when we see the advantages of practicing, undertake the discipline, and effect positive transformations in our hearts. Listening to lectures on other subjects has a different purpose—there we aim to gain ideas and information. You might wonder what are the signs of a true Dharma practitioner. Practice should begin with the ethical discipline of abstaining from the ten non-virtuous actions. Every negativity of body, speech, and mind should be properly identified and its antidotes fully understood. With this basic knowledge, an individual should eliminate negative actions like stealing, lying, and so forth, and practice honesty, kindness, and other virtuous deeds. Ordained monks and nuns have to follow the rules of monastic discipline. These are meant to discipline the way one wears the monastic robes, communicates with others, and so forth. Even the manner of looking at other people and the correct ways of addressing other people are taught in the rules of monastic discipline. For a Dharma practitioner, one of the major challenges is to counter our disturbing emotions and finally free ourselves from them. The difficulty of this is due to the simple truth that disturbing emotions have from beginningless time caused us to suffer all kinds of miseries. If someone bullies us or an enemy persecutes us, then we raise a hue and cry. External enemies, however brutal they are, only affect us during one lifetime. They have no power to harm us beyond this life. On the other hand, disturbing emotions are our inner enemies and can definitely cause disaster in future lives. These are, in fact, our worst enemies. The real test for a Dharma practitioner comes from this angle: if our disturbing emotions are reduced, then our practice has been effective. This is the main criterion in determining a true practitioner, regardless of how holy we appear externally. The whole purpose of meditation is to lessen the deluded afflictions of our mind and eventually eradicate them from their very roots. By learning and practicing the profound and vast aspects of the teaching, a practitioner with prolonged familiarity with and meditation on selflessness eventually gains an understanding of reality. We are engaged in teaching and listening, and it is essential to know the proper ways, the effective methods, of listening to the teaching. This constitutes the elimination of the three defects of a listener (likened to a vessel), and the cultivation of the six favorable intentions. The first of the three defects is listening in a way that is like an upside down container. This means that physically we may be attending to the teachings but mentally we are busy somewhere else. So when someone is teaching, we are in fact not listening at all. In such a case we have no interest in the teachings and in fact do not hear anything that is taught. This is obviously a great obstacle to learning, and we must eliminate this problem and attend to the teaching with keen interest. The second of the defects is to listen in a way that is like a container with holes. This means that even though we are listening to the teachings, we do not retain their contents. In this case we lack mindfulness and memory. Practice of Dharma means that we should be able to benefit from what we have heard. It is not a pastime, like listening to a story. The teachings give us guidance on how to live meaningful lives and how to develop proper attitudes. So in order to benefit from the teachings, we must retain them with mindfulness. In all kinds of learning processes, listening, reading, etc., we must pay full attention and should endeavor to remember their contents. When our interest is halfhearted, we only remember half the points, and we retain them for only a short time. We should reflect and think about whatever we have heard, over and over again. In this way, the knowledge will stay in our mind for a long time. Another technique for remembering instructions is debate as it is practiced in the traditional debating schools. The third defect of a listener concerns the motivation, and is likened to a vessel containing poison. When we listen to the teachings, we must avoid deluded motives. All activities, particularly Dharma practices such as listening to and reading scriptural texts, must be done with a wholesome motivation. We should aim to control the undisciplined mind, and then gradually attain the state of Buddhahood to benefit all sentient beings. I urge you not to treat Dharma knowledge like any other kind of science just to earn a living. Now let me turn to the main topic, the text by Kamalashila known as the Stages of Meditation. The author was immensely kind to Tibet. The great Tsongkhapa referred to him as an honorable scholar and the title is befitting. Of the several treatises he wrote, Illumination of the Middle Way and this text are the most highly respected. The transmission lineage of the three Stages of Meditation texts is fairly rare. In the central and southwestern regions of Tibet, its transmission was not widely known. Maybe it was available in isolated and remote areas. Khunnu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen received the lineage in Kham, and Serkong Rinpoche received it from him. At that time, I was not able to receive the transmission, although I wanted to. I thought that since the text is not very long there wouldn’t be much difficulty in receiving it later. Instead, I put my efforts into receiving teachings on some of the major treatises like the Great Commentary on Kalachakra by Buton Rinchen Drup, the Summary Tantra on Kalachakra, and the six volumes of the Annotations of the Great Commentary Called Stainless Light. I was away in Switzerland when I received a telegram saying that Serkong Rinpoche had passed away and Yongzin Ling Rinpoche was in poor health. Then it struck me that I was paying the price for my laziness in not having taken teachings on the Stages of Meditation texts. My mind was filled with sorrow and a sense of loss. Afterwards, I would ask who held its lineage of transmission whenever I met lamas and geshes. Once, when I was in Bodhgaya, I met the Sakya abbot Sangye Tenzin. He told me that he had received teachings on the Stages of Meditation from an old lama from Kham who was in Lhasa on pilgrimage. Later, I thought that since Khunnu Lama Rinpoche had also received the teaching from Kham, the lineage would be the same. I also thought that it would be fine to receive the teaching. Previously when I embarked on new texts, I would consult Yongzin Ling Rinpoche. By then he had passed away. At that time, Ven. Gen Nyima was also at Bodhgaya. So I told him the situation and asked for his opinion. He said that it was a good idea. In this way I received the teaching transmission from the Sakya abbot Sangye Tenzin. I felt very happy and fortunate, and that automatically freed me from feelings of remorse. This Sakya abbot is quite well-known and used to be a respected master in Sakya itself. Now he is in his eighties. It seems there are no written commentaries on this text; at least I haven’t seen any. The great Tsongkhapa quotes from it at length in his Great Stages of the Path, so I think it would be appropriate if I supplement my commentary from there. Kamalashila did a wonderful service for the Buddha’s doctrine. With a steadfast and kind motivation, he established a perfect foundation for the Buddha’s teaching during his time in Tibet. The Tibetan religious king Trisong Detsen invited Acharya Shantarakshita and Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava. These three great beings were extremely kind to the Snowy Land of Tibet. It was through their collaboration that a complete form of Buddhism, including the tantras, was properly established in Tibet. Acharya Shantarakshita saw the possibility of misunderstanding and misinterpreting the philosophy, and so he left instructions to invite Kamalashila when such occasions arose. History reveals that these were the reasons Kamalashila was invited to Tibet and composed the Stages of Meditation. At the end of the first part, the author states that he composed the text at the request of King Trisong Detsen. For the benefit of the Tibetan people and to establish the Buddha’s doctrine among them, the great Kamalashila very kindly came to Tibet. The three parts of the Stages of Meditation were written in Tibet and the Chinese Hvashang became the catalyst for the composition. The content of his general philosophy is a different matter, but the Chinese Hvashang’s interpretation of the Buddhist view was definitely mistaken. Acharya Kamalashila wrote this text to preempt the advancement of those wrong views. What we may note here is that the great beings in those days exhibited much scholastic and moral strength. They used very refined language while refuting wrong views and didn’t target their opponents as individuals. What they actually did was to formulate a lucid and clear presentation of the fundamental philosophical view, meditation, and conduct as taught by the Buddha. In that fashion, the Buddha’s doctrine outshone the inferior and wrong views, which declined on their own. So this precious text has a special karmic link with Tibet, the Land of Snows. It is obvious that the author Kamalashila was immeasurably kind to the Tibetans. But history reveals that the Tibetans made some mistakes instead of showing proper gratitude. Certain inappropriate incidents occurred. Looking at it from another angle, it was something like the saying in Tibetan, “Where the Dharma flourishes, the devil is also active.” In order for well-founded temporal and spiritual institutions to last in Tibet, Guru Rinpoche created favorable conditions and blessed the environment. Even during such a time, there were people saying unhelpful things. It seems, at times, even the king did not fulfill all the wishes of Guru Rinpoche. It is sad to note these things. Of course, there are other ways of looking at it. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have nothing to do save work in the interest of all sentient beings. Lord Avalokiteshvara has a special link with Tibet and has done great kind deeds through numerous manifestations. We Tibetans, however, face unending problems even up to the present time. Still we must not lose heart. The international situation is fluid and constantly changing. There is support for the truth, and truth is precious. We have so far been able to establish proper foundations for our future. We should all work diligently to fulfill our individual interests of this life and the lives beyond, paying equal attention to the common cause. We are all fortunate to be able to study this wonderful text. It would be wise on our part to learn its guiding principles and try to transform our lives. Within the context of Buddhist teachings, the generation of a positive attitude is very important. I urge you to listen with a wholesome motivation, thinking “I shall listen to the intermediate Stages of Meditation by the great Kamalashila in order to attain supreme Buddhahood for the sake of sentient beings vast as the expanse of space.” The quality of any action of body, speech, and mind is primarily determined by the motivation. Thus any action done with positive motivation brings virtue and happiness and becomes a cause to attain Buddhahood in the long run. On the other hand, if a good or healthy motivation is missing, then even apparently spiritual practices could bring negative consequences in place of virtue. Since the line between them can be very thin at times, individuals need to pay extra attention to this aspect. In this text the author presents the essence of the path of both the Hinayana and the Mahayana vehicles. He expounds the mode of practicing conventional bodhichitta and the six perfections with special emphasis on calm abiding meditation and special insight. Those of you who are new to Buddhism and not familiar with the modes and procedures of practicing the teachings should try to form a coherent understanding of this text, because on the basis of this knowledge you will be able to understand other treatises without great difficulty. This text can be like a key that opens the door to all other major Buddhist scriptures.
Chapter 1
WHAT IS THE MIND?
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Sharmik