Library of Tibetan Works and Archives
Second Buddhist Philosophy Class
Time: 10:30 to 11:45 am
Teacher: Venerable Geshe Lobsang Tsondu
Texts: Patrul Rinpoche’s Words of My Perfect Teacher, Tibetan: Kun bzang bla ma’izhal lung
This year Geshe Lobsang Tsondu will teach the Words of My Perfect Teacher, a Guide to the Preliminaries for the Heart-essence of the Vast Expanse from the Great Perfection (rdzogs pa chen po klong chen snying thig sngon ‘gro’I khri yig kun bzang bla ma’i zhal lung). This text sets out the paths of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism without any contradictions between them. It provides a detailed guide to the methods by which an ordinary person can transform his or her consciousness and set off on the path to Buddhahood, the state of full awakening and freedom. It contains all the teachings, including the Steps of the Path for those of the three levels of understanding, along with preliminaries for the Path and Fruit; the Buddha Nature as the cause; precious human life as the support; the spiritual friend as the impetus; his instructions as the method; and the kayas and wisdoms as the result.
From 4 March to 11 July, Geshe-la will teach chapters 1-3. The first chapter “Difficulty in Finding the Freedoms and Advantages” discusses the proper way to listen to spiritual teachings.
Chapter 2 is devoted to the impermanence of the outer universe in which beings live, the impermanence of beings, the impermanence of holy beings, and other examples, and uncertainty of death.
The chapter 3 deals with defects of samsara. The suffering of Samsara in general, sufferings experienced by the beings of the six realms, the eighteen hells, pretas, animals, humans, and gods. It further explains the three fundamental types of suffering-the suffering of change, suffering of suffering and the suffering of everything composite.
Chapter 4 is on karma: the principle of karmic causality. It describes the ten negative actions to be abandoned and ten positive actions to be adopted.
Chapter 5 is on the benefits of liberation, the causes leading to liberation and the results-three levels of enlightenment.
From August 1 to December 13, Geshe-la will teach chapters 1 and 2 of the text. The first chapter is dedicated to the topics of taking refuge – the foundation stone of all paths. It explains the approaches to taking refuge, how to take refuge and the precepts and benefits of taking refuge.
Chapter 2 gives details on how to cultivate bodhicitta, the root of the Great Vehicle. It discusses training the mind in the four boundless qualities – meditation on impartiality, meditation on love, meditation on compassion and meditation on sympathetic joy. It further explains how to cultivate bodhicitta and training in the bodhicitta precept.
After that, Geshe-la will teach the Wheel of Sharp Weapons (blo sbyong mtshon cha’i ‘khor lo). The Wheel of Sharp Weapons, a basic Mahayana mind training text, was composed by the great yogi Dharmaraksita. It was brought to Tibet by the great Indian Buddhist master Atisha (982-1054) and was translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan by Atisha and his main disciple the upasaka Dromtonpa. The text is called The Wheel of Sharp Weapons, because just as a weapon cuts through the body of an enemy, this teaching cuts through the twofold grasping – self-grasping and the self-cherishing attitude – that hinder us of from attaining spiritual liberation.
Atisha’s meditational deities, in particular Arya Tara, recommended handing down this text and its tradition to Dromtonpa, in order to tame the people who lived in remote areas. Dromtonpa practised it preeminently and then passed it to the three spiritual brothers of the Kadam: Geshe Potowa, Geshe Chekawa and Geshe Phuchungwa. Later, the teaching was entrusted to Tsongkhapa and his spiritual sons. Thus it was greatly disseminated by both the old and new Kadampas. The text was translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan by Dromtonpa together with Atisha.
Recommended Texts:
- Rinpoche, Dza Patrul. The Words of My Perfect Teacher. Translated by Padmakara Translation Group. Boston: Shambhala, 1998.
- Ngawang Palzang, Khenpo. A Guide to the Words of My Perfect Teacher, Boston: Shambhala, 2004.
- Pal, Namkha. Mind Training Like the Rays of the Sun, Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives.
- Jinpa, Thupten (trans.). Mind Training: Great Collection. Montreal: Library of Tibetan Classics.