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Global Lamrim II

Lecture No. 0266

Lamrim Vol. 1: P34LL9 – P36L5

Tape No | NA

Date: 2022-07-18

Topic: According to the Four Interwoven Annotations: Ornament for Clear Knowledge enables practitioners to effectively understand the implicit meaning of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras

Very well! Today we will study the section on “the greatness of the teaching’s author - Atisha;” please take a look at the Introduction to the Four Interwoven Annotations, the Chinese text, page 92. Let’s read from the text: [00:15]

Secondly, the main text: This explanation of the stages of the path to enlightenment has four parts: 1. Showing the greatness of the teaching’s author in order to establish that it is of noble origin

2. Showing the greatness of the teaching in order to engender respect for the instructions

3. How to listen to and explain the teachings

4. How to lead students with the actual instructions The first point is to directly specify the author who composed the root text: [00:50]

From the comprehensive aspect, the instructions in the text are all of the teachings covered in the Ornament for Clear Knowledge, composed by the Honorable Maitreya Bodhisattva. From the constituent aspect, “the text for this work, that enables practitioners to pacify their mind is thus named the scripture, which is like a lamp casting light on gold or the like in the darkness; likewise, the scripture illuminates the path to enlightenment, is Atisha’s Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment.” Hence, the very author of the Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment is the author of this Lamrim text. It means that both masters, Master Atisha and Lama Tsong-kha-pa, were of the same mental continuum. From the perspective of enlightenment, the mental continuum of both masters was the same, but this context indicates that the root text of the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment is the Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, is composed by Jowo Je [Atisha]. Therefore, the author, composing the Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, should be the one who composed the Lamrim [in Tibetan: Lam=path, Rim=stages]. The “greatness of the teaching”, as set forth later in the text, is to exalt the greatness of the Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment; the intent behind both texts is the same. “Before the Victorious One, Atisha manifested himself as a householder at the Rajgir, by the name of Bodhisattva Bhadrapala. Gro-lung-pa said, “In the time of the Victorious One, the Elder was Bhadrapala, a child of the Buddha.” Also, the great translator Trophu (1172~1236) said, “The Elder was Bhadrapala at the Buddha’s time”.” This is Acarya Dipam-kara-sri-jnana [Dipam means lamp, kara means action, sri means propitious, jnana means wisdom], also known by the honorific title A-ti-shà. One guru explained that because Dipamkarasrijnana implies high aspiration [Sanskrit adhyāśaya], thus he is named Adhyāśaya. Other linguistics interpreted that A-ti-shà means “super tranquil”. However, according to Je Rinpoche, “Atisha has been widely praised for three hundred and ten years ….” The name, Atisha, denotes excellence or being exceptionally noble or great. [02:42]

The above passage is the explanation based on the Four Interwoven Annotations. [02:44]

Now, let’s look at this Chinese text page 93. Please stay focused as we read along! It says in the Introduction: “Secondly, the main text,” meaning we will study the stages of the path. We just finished explaining the annotation Ngawang Rabten [we have translated as Master Yu before] made, and now we will move on to the annotation made by Jam-Yang-Shay-Ba [we have translated as Master Miao before]. What follows is the introduction to the stages of the path to enlightenment; how many parts are there? There are four, as in “has four parts”. What does this part refer to in the Lamrim [See V.1 p.34]? It refers to the outline. Can you recite these four?

1. “Showing the greatness of the teaching’s author in order to establish that it is of noble origin;” this is to illustrate how pure and authentic the origin of the teachings is. How pure and authentic is it? To answer that, we have to talk about how sublime the author of this text is. [V.1 Chapter 1]

2. “Showing the greatness of the teaching in order to engender respect for the instructions;” this section is to encourage practitioners study the text with an earnest attitude, and how to cultivate such an attitude? Thus Lama Tsong-kha-pa would elucidate how sublime the teachings are. [V.1 Chapter 2]

3. “How to listen to and explain the teachings;” this part is about how to explain the teachings and how to listen to the teachings. [V.1 Chapter 3]

4. “How to lead students with the actual instructions. [V.1 Chapters 4 and on]”

What follows is “The first point is to directly specify the author who composed the root text”. These four points actually cover from the initial stage of how to rely on the teacher all the way to the ultimate stage of the union of meditative serenity and insight [see middle of V.1 p. 40: Atisha possessed the training in wisdom] – the entire stages of the path to Buddhahood are included without any omission. [04:08]

In the first part, “Showing the greatness of the teaching’s author in order to establish that it is of noble origin,” [in the Introduction], it says “directly specify the author who composed the root text”. What does the “root text” refer to? The root text means the source or the foundation of the Lamrim. What is the root text of the Lamrim? It is the Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment [Sanskrit Bodhipathapradīpa]. And the author of the Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment is Master Jowo Je Glorious Atisha. What are the instructions elucidated in the Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment? In fact, Honorable Maitreya covered the entirety of this teaching in the Ornament for Clear Knowledge. Who composed the Ornament for Clear Knowledge? Honorable Maitreya composed it. So, what kind of commentary is it? This commentary enables all devotees to easily understand the intended meanings of the extensive, medium, or abbreviated versions of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, namely the intended meaning of the Prajnaparamita. So, the Ornament for Clear Knowledge sounds pretty amazing; in our colloquial term it is very marvelous, because it can help us easily comprehend the intended profoundness of the extensive, the medium and the abbreviated versions of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras. Pay attention to the word I use, “easily;” it helps us to understand the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras more efficiently, like to illuminating an ornament; hence, it is titled the Ornament for Clear Knowledge. [05:25]

In the Ornament for Clear Knowledge, Maitreya elucidated what appeared to be “transcendental” or discrepant in terms of the systematic stages of the path in the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras; besides, Maitreya Bodhisattva explicitly explained the intended meaning in the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, be it extensive, medium, or abbreviated. The word “transcendental” here is a direct translation from Tibetan, suggesting that certain parts may not appear to be fully complying with the systematic stages of the path. Nonetheless, does it mean the translation “transcendental” may need further deliberation, right? That is by reading the word “transcendental” we may not get the intended message. Anyway, the main point here is: while reading the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, we may have the impression that the stages of the path are different from our Lamrim understanding! However, studying the Ornament for Clear Knowledge can easily solve these possible discrepancies. Thus, we definitely need the guidance from the Ornament for Clear Knowledge; otherwise, there is no way for us to understand the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras. [06:03]

So, what is illustrated in the Ornament for Clear Knowledge? [06:09]

It illustrates two aspects: implicitly presenting the stages of the path to enlightenment and explicitly explaining the wisdom of emptiness. [06:14]

What do these two aspects refer to in the Lamrim? [06:20]

Do you know the answer? Please think about it. [06:24]

Up to the section of Samatha, the Lamrim thoroughly and flawlessly presents the implicit aspect of the stages of the path to enlightenment in the Ornament for Clear Knowledge, while the Vipassana section elucidates the explicit aspect of the stages of the path to the wisdom of emptiness. As we all know, the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras mainly focuses on the wisdom of emptiness; yet, [to be more specific,] the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras implicitly illustrates the stages of the path to enlightenment, and explicitly explains the wisdom of emptiness. [06:41]

讲次 | 0266

标题 | 《现观》：令所化易于了知《般若》内义（四家注）

《广论》段落 | P2-L9 ~ P2-L10 由是菩提道次引导分四……别讳共称胜阿底峡

入门段落 | 第1册 P92-L1 ~ P93-LL1 第二、正叙所说......〈毘钵舍那〉则是宣说显义空性次第。

(更新日期: 2023年12月18日)

00:00

好！今天我们开始学习《四家合注入门》里边“造者殊胜”的解释，请大家把《四家合注入门》翻到 92 页。看文：00:15

这是《四家合注》解释。02:44

第一个，“为显其法根源净故开示造者殊胜”，这里边的“根本及直接”的“根本”到底是指什么？这个根本就是《广论》的根本。《广论》的根本是什么？就是《道炬论》。那么《道炬论》的造者，就是觉窝杰具德阿底峡尊者。《道炬论》所说的教授是什么呢？其实就是至尊慈氏所造《现观庄严论》的所有教授。《现观庄严论》是谁造的？是至尊慈氏所造的。那是怎样的一本论呢？这个论能让所化机非常容易地了知广、中、略三种《般若》的一切内义，也就是《佛母》的内义。这本论听起来满神的——用我们的话来说非常地神，它能把甚深的《般若波罗蜜多》广本、中本、略本的内义都让我们——注意那个“易”字——更容易了知，就像庄严一样，所以叫《现观庄严》。05:25

当中统摄了《般若经》里次第超脱、不合之处，并摄集了广、中、略三部《般若》的内义。次第超脱，这个“超脱”是从藏文直译过来的，就是说好像有点不合次第那样的。但是译成“超脱”有待考虑，是这样吗？因为看了“超脱”不知道是什么意思。所以在《般若经》里我们看起来：啊，好像次第不是这样的！不合之处如果读了《现观庄严论》就非常地容易理解。看来是我们非常非常需要的一本论，不然我们没办法读懂《般若经》。06:03

那么《现观庄严论》中宣说了什么呢？06:09

宣说了隐义现观次第和显义空性次第两者。06:14

请问这两者在《广论》中是指哪个部分和哪个部分呢？06:20

大家知不知道？可以想一下。06:24

在“奢摩他”之前是完整无缺地宣说隐义的现观次第，“毘钵舍那”则是宣说显义的空性次第。大家都知道《般若经》是讲空性的，但是它的隐义是宣说道次第，显义是空性。06:41