Basic Program - Buddhism From A-Z (4 April 2008)

0:01 ...into Buddha's words and the texts that explain them. Report an error in the passage at 0:01 Highlight the passage at 0:01

0:11 Let's also do the refuge and bodhicitta prayer on page 7 at the bottom. Report an error in the passage at 0:11 Highlight the passage at 0:11

0:24 I go for refuge until I'm enlightened. To the Buddha, the Dharma, the Supreme Assembly. By the merits I create through listening to the Dharma, may I become a Buddha in order to benefit all sentient beings. I go for refuge until I am enlightened to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Supreme Assembly. By the merits I create through listening to the Dharma, may I become a Buddha in order to benefit all sentient beings. I go for refuge until I am enlightened to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Supreme Assembly. Report an error in the passage at 0:24 Highlight the passage at 0:24

0:55 By the merits I create through listening to the Dharma. They become a Buddha in order to benefit all sentient beings. Report an error in the passage at 0:55 Highlight the passage at 0:55

1:11 Does anybody else need the text that ordered one? Report an error in the passage at 1:11 Highlight the passage at 1:11

1:34 So they ended up being $10. Report an error in the passage at 1:34 Highlight the passage at 1:34

1:39 You can pay me after class. Report an error in the passage at 1:39 Highlight the passage at 1:39

2:08 So last time we started on this text, and we started on the section where it talked about showing the greatness of the author in order to show that the teachings are venerable. So we started talking about the greatness of Atisha, because Atisha wasn't the author of this particular text, but he was the author of the Lamrim. Report an error in the passage at 2:08 Highlight the passage at 2:08

2:32 He was the first one who compiled the Lamrim. So we will continue today with, it's a little small isn't it, with Atisha, the greatness of Atisha. Report an error in the passage at 2:32 Highlight the passage at 2:32

2:55 Can people read that? Report an error in the passage at 2:55 Highlight the passage at 2:55

3:03 Okay, so we had talked about, Atisha's birth, right, how he took birth in an excellent family, how he was a prince. And then we also talked about how he achieved good qualities and then having achieved them, how Atisha performed deeds for the sake of the teachings. And then there was this section where how Atisha attained the positive qualities of comprehensive scriptural knowledge. Report an error in the passage at 3:03 Highlight the passage at 3:03

3:44 So this was talking about his knowledge, his intellectual knowledge, his scriptural knowledge, his learnings. So the Dharma in general can be divided into two types. Dharma of scripture and Dharma of realization. So Dharma of scripture are all the teachings. The Dharma of realizations are the realizations in your mind. Report an error in the passage at 3:44 Highlight the passage at 3:44

4:09 So sometimes there are periods where there's the Dharma of scripture, so the scriptures are out there, the teachings are out there, but there aren't many beings who have actually attained the realizations. So this particular section talked about how, first of all, Atisha was well learned, so he knew the Dharma very well. Report an error in the passage at 4:09 Highlight the passage at 4:09

4:30 Generally, in general, how he learned mantra, and then... How he was ordained and learned the collections of inner knowledge. And that's how far we got last time. So now we're going to this part right here. How Atisha attained the realizational qualities of its correct accomplishment. So not only was he well learned, he also had the realizations. Report an error in the passage at 4:30 Highlight the passage at 4:30

5:04 So the first section here under the realizational qualities is How all realizational qualities are contained in the three trainings. Oops. Report an error in the passage at 5:04 Highlight the passage at 5:04

5:18 So Lama Tsongkhapa says, Second, as generally speaking, all the scriptural teachings by the jina are contained in the three precious collections. The realizational teachings are also contained in the three precious trainings. Report an error in the passage at 5:18 Highlight the passage at 5:18

5:36 So here, so in general, all of the scriptural teachings of the Buddha, the jina, the Buddha, are contained in the three precious collections or the three. Higher trainings. The three higher trainings are the higher training of morality or ethics, the higher training of concentration and then the higher training of wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 5:36 Highlight the passage at 5:36

5:58 So all of the scriptural teachings are included within one of those three. Ethics, concentration and wisdom. So the scriptural teachings are contained within one of those three higher trainings and thus the realizations are also included in those three in general. Report an error in the passage at 5:58 Highlight the passage at 5:58

6:21 So in the next section it's going to talk about how Atisha had the realization of each of these three higher trainings. Ethics, ethical discipline, concentration and wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 6:21 Highlight the passage at 6:21

6:43 Then with regard to ethical wisdom. The outline here is transition to ethical discipline. In this regard, the training in ethical discipline is often praised in the Buddha's excellent teachings and in the commentaries as the foundation of all good qualities, such as the training in concentration and wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 6:43 Highlight the passage at 6:43

7:06 Therefore, it is necessary, first of all, to have realizational qualities in terms of ethical discipline. So here the Buddha taught that ethical discipline or morality is the basis of... All good qualities of all realizations. Report an error in the passage at 7:06 Highlight the passage at 7:06

7:25 So ethical discipline is the prerequisite for being able to attain concentration and being able to attain wisdom in order to realize emptiness, in order to be able to concentrate. We need the ethical discipline. So in general, with ethical discipline, we're talking about staying away from the ten non-virtuous actions. Report an error in the passage at 7:25 Highlight the passage at 7:25

7:51 Not killing, not stealing, no sexual misconduct. And then the four non-virtues of speech, harsh speech, no harsh speech, no divisive speech, no Report an error in the passage at 7:51 Highlight the passage at 7:51

8:09 lying and no gossip or senseless chatter. right and then And then the three non-virtues of mind, right? Covetousness, malice and wrong view. Okay. So in general, ethical discipline is talking about, you know, staying away from the ten non-virtues. And ethical discipline is specifically, Geshe Jampad Gyatso talks about that as being the mind of abandonment. Report an error in the passage at 8:09 Highlight the passage at 8:09

8:45 So it's mostly mental. It's the mental quality of staying away from those non-virtues. They can be physical and verbal as well, but primarily in the Dharma we're talking about the mind, training the mind. Report an error in the passage at 8:45 Highlight the passage at 8:45

9:07 And then Gishisopa says, specifically, in this context, ethical discipline is talking about taking and keeping the vows. So it's not just... Report an error in the passage at 9:07 Highlight the passage at 9:07

9:23 Staying away from the ten non-virtues, it's keeping the three types of vows. So the individual liberation vows, the bodhisattva vows and the tantric vows. Those are the three types of vows. Individual liberation, bodhisattva and tantric vows. Report an error in the passage at 9:23 Highlight the passage at 9:23

9:44 So the next section is how Atisha possessed the highest vows of individual liberation. So these are the pratimoksha vows or the individual liberation vows. In this regard there are three kinds. How he possessed the first of those, the highest vows of individual liberation. Having received the bhikshu vows, he protected them the way a yak protects its coat. Report an error in the passage at 9:44 Highlight the passage at 9:44

10:11 A yak is so attached to its coat that it rather risks its life, trying to save a strand of tail hair that has gotten caught in a tree, than to part with it, even if it sees its life as being threatened by a hunter. That is how Atisha protected every detail of the foundation of trainings, not to speak of the major rules of the foundation of trainings which he had undertaken, so that he came to be called the elder who is a great upholder of discipline. Report an error in the passage at 10:11 Highlight the passage at 10:11

10:47 So the individual liberation vows or the Prati Moksha vows, there are eight different types of those. Those are generally considered part of it. Hinayana. Report an error in the passage at 10:47 Highlight the passage at 10:47

11:00 So they include the five lay vows. They include the monk's vows and the nun's vows. They include one day precepts. Okay, actually, let me give you the eight. First one is the one day precepts. The second and the third are the vows of lay men and lay women. Report an error in the passage at 11:00 Highlight the passage at 11:00

11:28 The fourth and fifth are the vows of novice monks and novice nuns. Report an error in the passage at 11:28 Highlight the passage at 11:28

11:37 The sixth is the vows of probationary nuns. Report an error in the passage at 11:37 Highlight the passage at 11:37

11:45 And then the seventh and the eighth are the vows of fully ordained monks and fully ordained nuns. Report an error in the passage at 11:45 Highlight the passage at 11:45

11:54 So Atisha had the vows of a fully ordained monk, right, a big shoe. Report an error in the passage at 11:54 Highlight the passage at 11:54

12:05 So the vows of a lay person, a lay man or lay woman are the not killing, not stealing, not lying, no sexual misconduct and no intoxicants. So those are the five we're familiar with. Report an error in the passage at 12:05 Highlight the passage at 12:05

12:26 So Atisha kept his Pratimoksha vows, or his bhikshu vows, extremely purely. And here is the example of the yak. So a yak is said to be very attached to their coat and their tail hair, such that if they get their tail caught, They're so concerned about losing even a single strand of their tail hair that even if a hunter comes up and points a gun at them, they're said to not run away. Report an error in the passage at 12:26 Highlight the passage at 12:26

13:05 They would rather be shot than to lose a strand of hair. That's what this example is saying. And so that's how Atisha, that's compared to how Atisha kept his vows. Under no conditions would he break his vows. He protected every detail of the foundation of trainings. Report an error in the passage at 13:05 Highlight the passage at 13:05

13:31 So that he became, he came to be called the elder who is a great upholder of discipline. So elder in Tibetan is neiten. It's those two syllables and ne means abiding, like as in abiding in the vows. And ten means stable. Stable in the sense of being so stable in the vows, like a mountain, such that they can't be moved by anything. Report an error in the passage at 13:31 Highlight the passage at 13:31

14:07 So he was so stable in his vows, like a mountain that can't be moved. So Geshe-Dakpa seems to be like that, right? Totally a mountain. You can't imagine him being moved. Report an error in the passage at 14:07 Highlight the passage at 14:07

14:23 Ruffled by anything. Report an error in the passage at 14:23 Highlight the passage at 14:23

14:30 Then there's this next section on how Atisha possessed the bodhisattva vows. Report an error in the passage at 14:30 Highlight the passage at 14:30

14:40 So bodhisattva vows. He practiced numerous instructions for training the mind of enlightenment, which is rooted in love and compassion. Report an error in the passage at 14:40 Highlight the passage at 14:40

14:51 Especially in attendance upon Sir Lingpa, he trained for long in the highest instructions passed on by the Venerable Maitreya and Manjugosha through his Saṅgha and Shantideva. Thereby the mind of enlightenment that cherishes others more than oneself arose in his heart. This aspirational mind gave rise to the mind of active involvement and due to his excellent behavior, i.e. Report an error in the passage at 14:51 Highlight the passage at 14:51

15:16 his engagement in the trainings following the promise to train in the vast conduct of bodhisattvas, he never transgressed the rules of Buddha's children. Report an error in the passage at 15:16 Highlight the passage at 15:16

15:27 So he practiced numerous instructions for training the mind of enlightenment, which is rooted in love and compassion. So bodhicitta literally is the mind of enlightenment. So the mind of enlightenment or mind generation, sometimes translated, is referring to bodhicitta. So Atisha trained in many different instructions for training in the mind of bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 15:27 Highlight the passage at 15:27

15:57 Which is rooted in love and compassion. So when we develop bodhicitta, first we develop love, great love. Wishing that all sentient beings have happiness. So wishing that from the heart. And then developing great compassion. Wishing that all sentient beings be free from suffering. And great compassion is, remember, wishing that all sentient beings without exception are free from suffering. Report an error in the passage at 15:57 Highlight the passage at 15:57

16:27 So not excluding anyone. So that's a prerequisite for developing bodhicitta. And then that exceptional resolve. Then one decides that I can't leave it up to others to free beings from suffering. I myself must do it. So one takes the responsibility on oneself to free all beings from suffering. And then on that basis one develops bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 16:27 Highlight the passage at 16:27

16:57 Realizing that only through attaining complete enlightenment can we really be able to benefit others. So then one develops this wish to attain a complete enlightenment for the welfare of all sentient beings. So the wish to attain complete enlightenment is aspirational bodhicitta. And then there's engaging bodhicitta, which is not just the wish, but then engaging in bodhisattva conduct. Report an error in the passage at 16:57 Highlight the passage at 16:57

17:27 right, actually. Like the difference between wishing to go somewhere and then getting on the train and actually heading in that direction. So engaging bodhicitta is like getting on the train. And so practicing the six perfections, the perfection of generosity, ethical discipline, the perfection of patience, joyous effort. Report an error in the passage at 17:27 Highlight the passage at 17:27

17:57 Concentration and wisdom. And then one also trains in the four means of gathering disciples. So that's giving material things, speaking pleasantly, and then giving practical Dharma. So when you're giving the Dharma, helping others to apply the Dharma practically in their lives. And then the fourth one is then actually acting yourself in accordance with the teachings. So not just teaching, but yourself practicing and acting in accordance with the teachings. Report an error in the passage at 17:57 Highlight the passage at 17:57

18:49 Next it says, especially in attendance upon Sir Lingpa, he trained for long in the highest instructions passed on by the Venerable Maitreya and Manjigosha through Asanga and Shantideva. So Sir Lingpa... So Lingpa is also called Dharmakirti and he was one of Atisha's great gurus. So Dharmakirti wrote The Wheel of Sharp Weapons for the people who took that class. And he was a great, great lineage holder of the bodhicitta lineage. Report an error in the passage at 18:49 Highlight the passage at 18:49

19:34 And he lived in Indonesia. Atisha traveled and encountered many great hardships in order to search out for Dharmakirti or Sirlingpa in order to go there and get these teachings in bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 19:34 Highlight the passage at 19:34

19:57 And then it talks about having trained for long and the highest instructions passed on by the venerable Maitreya and Manjugosha through Asanga and Shantideva. Report an error in the passage at 19:57 Highlight the passage at 19:57

20:10 Okay, so there's two different lineages of bodhicitta. There's the lineage from Maitreya to Asanga and the lineage of Manjushri to Shantideva. But there's the two different methods for attaining bodhicitta. The seven-fold cause and effect, which came through Asanga, and then Shantideva's exchanging self through others. Report an error in the passage at 20:10 Highlight the passage at 20:10

20:45 So Atisha trained in both methods. Thereby the mind of enlightenment that cherishes others more than oneself arose in his heart. So he developed that mind that cherishes others more than himself and he developed that spontaneously. He developed that uncontrived bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 20:45 Highlight the passage at 20:45

21:12 This aspirational mind gave rise to the mind of active involvement. So his aspirational bodhicitta gave rise to his... He's engaging bodhicitta and due to his excellent behavior, his engagement in the trainings, following the promise to train in the vast conduct of the bodhisattvas, he never transgressed the rules of Buddha's children. Report an error in the passage at 21:12 Highlight the passage at 21:12

21:34 So he had the bodhisattva vows and he never transgressed those. And then he practiced the six perfections and the four meanings of gathering disciples. Report an error in the passage at 21:34 Highlight the passage at 21:34

21:52 Next, talk about... Report an error in the passage at 21:52 Highlight the passage at 21:52

21:59 That possessed the Vajrayana vows, the tantric vows. Report an error in the passage at 21:59 Highlight the passage at 21:59

22:11 Vajrayana vows. Owing to the fact that he had the meditative stabilizations of the generation stage, where one's own body is seen as that of a deity, and of the completion stage of the indestructible Vajra mind, he became chief among yogis. In particular, he protected his tantric commitments properly by not transgression. Report an error in the passage at 22:11 Highlight the passage at 22:11

22:36 Transgressing the prescribed rules. Okay. So he had the meditative stabilization of the generation stage as well as the completion stage. So in Tantra, to practice Tantra, one needs to, first of all, to have an empowerment. And then there's four stages of Tantra. And maybe you all know this already, the action Tantra, performance Tantra. Report an error in the passage at 22:36 Highlight the passage at 22:36

23:09 Yoga Tantra and Highest Yoga Tantra. Then in order to have an empowerment or to take an initiation in Yoga Tantra and Highest Yoga Tantra, one needs to take the Tantric vows. So Action Tantra and Performance Tantra, to practice those two, you need an initiation, but you don't need to take the Tantric vows. Report an error in the passage at 23:09 Highlight the passage at 23:09

23:33 But to practice Yoga and Highest Yoga Tantra, you need to take the Tantric vows. And then, in highest yoga tantra, highest yoga tantra consists of the two stages of practice, generation stage and completion stage. And I can't get into what those are so much, but just briefly, generation stage is where one kind of purifies everything into emptiness and then arises as the deity. Report an error in the passage at 23:33 Highlight the passage at 23:33

24:05 And so one views one's own body as the... The deity and one's abode as being pure, the pure mandala of the deity. So Atisha possessed this meditative stabilization of the generation stage where, you know, based on his calm abiding, he was able to maintain his visualization of himself as a deity and the entire mandala stably. Report an error in the passage at 24:05 Highlight the passage at 24:05

24:36 And then he also had the meditative stabilization of the completion stage. And the completion stage follows the generation stage. The generation stage is the cause of a completion stage. And the completion stage is where one uses the subtle energies in your body to realize emptiness with a very subtle mind. Report an error in the passage at 24:36 Highlight the passage at 24:36

24:58 And the mind that you're trying to cultivate in completion stage is called this Vajra mind or this indestructible Vajra mind which is the wisdom of non-dual bliss and emptiness where you use a blissful mind to realize emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 24:58 Highlight the passage at 24:58

25:16 So Atisha had attained the Vajra mind as well and he became chief among yogis. Report an error in the passage at 25:16 Highlight the passage at 25:16

25:26 And then in particular, he protected his tantric commitments properly by not transgressing the prescribed rules. So once again, he kept his tantric vows purely clear Report an error in the passage at 25:26 Highlight the passage at 25:26

25:44 so far. Yes? Report an error in the passage at 25:44 Highlight the passage at 25:44

26:00 So if this is a sidetrack, then just forget what I'm asking. But I was just wondering, is Kala Chakra anything to do with tantra, or is that something completely separate? Right, Kala Chakra is Tantra, it's Highest Yoga Tantra. Oh, so it is Highest Yoga Tantra. And now, is this, this is something that lay people can undertake? Report an error in the passage at 26:00 Highlight the passage at 26:00

26:21 Yes. It is. Yes, lay and ordained can both practice Tantra, as long as you have an initiation. But the prerequisite for practicing Tantra is the lamrim, right, the realizing the three principal aspects of the path, they say, or at least having an understanding, right, having renunciation. Report an error in the passage at 26:21 Highlight the passage at 26:21

26:42 Bodhicitta and emptiness. Well, that's what Lama Tsongkhapa always says. What actually happens in this day and age might be something different. Report an error in the passage at 26:42 Highlight the passage at 26:42

26:55 But it doesn't make sense to practice Tantra if you don't have bodhicitta and an understanding of emptiness. Then you would practice Tantra incorrectly if you didn't have at least some level of bodhicitta and some understanding of emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 26:55 Highlight the passage at 26:55

27:18 Okay. Then the next section, the proper protection of ethical discipline. Not only did he courageously undertake the trainings in ethical discipline of the three vows, he also upheld them as he had promised. He kept the vows without transgressing the rules associated with them, and even if he transgressed them ever so slightly, he quickly, very quickly purified this by means of a suitable ritual restoring the given vow. Report an error in the passage at 27:18 Highlight the passage at 27:18

27:48 So we had talked about this before, how Atisha would be known to purify whatever even minor transgression of his vows immediately because he had that level of mindfulness and introspection such that he realized as soon as he transgressed a vow and he would immediately purify it. And he was known as, well, famous for carrying around a Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 27:48 Highlight the passage at 27:48

28:17 Shakyamuni statue and putting that down and prostrating to the Buddhist Shakyamuni statue as soon as he transgressed a vow. Report an error in the passage at 28:17 Highlight the passage at 28:17

28:35 So Gisha Jumpy Gatso says, Report an error in the passage at 28:35 Highlight the passage at 28:35

28:47 keep Report an error in the passage at 28:47 Highlight the passage at 28:47

28:54 us awake. On the other hand, we ordinary beings tend to keep our vows well after we first take them. But then as time goes by, We become distracted and no longer keep our vows so purely. That's why we're supposed to read our vows every day, to review them. Otherwise we forget. We lose our mindfulness. But Atisha never became distracted and he never lost the purity of his vows. Report an error in the passage at 28:54 Highlight the passage at 28:54

29:18 Right. Report an error in the passage at 29:18 Highlight the passage at 29:18

29:39 So Geshe Jampagyatso says, therefore we should rejoice in his purity and try to follow his example by keeping pure the three vows or three moralities. Report an error in the passage at 29:39 Highlight the passage at 29:39

29:54 Whenever we transgress any of our vows, we should confess it immediately. Report an error in the passage at 29:54 Highlight the passage at 29:54

30:04 So that's the section on how Atisha possessed the first of the three higher trainings, the ethical discipline. Report an error in the passage at 30:04 Highlight the passage at 30:04

30:16 Next is a section on Atisha's accomplishments in the training of concentration. Any questions so far? Pretty straightforward. Report an error in the passage at 30:16 Highlight the passage at 30:16

30:32 So two sections on the training of concentration, the common and uncommon. So his training of concentration has two aspects. The common concentration, where he had achieved the serviceability of the mind of calm abiding, and as regards uncommon concentration, he had the extreme stability of the generation stage. Report an error in the passage at 30:32 Highlight the passage at 30:32

30:54 Furthermore, he completed the three or six... Years of modes of conduct of yoga realization disciplines. Okay. So two concentrations, common concentration and uncommon concentration. So common refers to the concentration that's common or shared between Buddhists and non-Buddhists. So the common concentration is calm abiding. So Buddhists and non-Buddhists both. Report an error in the passage at 30:54 Highlight the passage at 30:54

31:29 I was Report an error in the passage at 31:29 Highlight the passage at 31:29

31:41 trying Report an error in the passage at 31:41 Highlight the passage at 31:41

32:06 to get this one out of the mic. Your karma is coming back to you. Coming back to me. That's okay. I deserve it. anybody remember what calm abiding is? Report an error in the passage at 32:06 Highlight the passage at 32:06

31:58 Let's get the microphone in there. Report an error in the passage at 31:58 Highlight the passage at 31:58

32:23 I think It's a single-pointed concentration conjoined with the mental and physical pliancy. Right, yeah, yeah, exactly. Right, yeah, so a single-pointed concentration precedes calm abiding, but it's only once you've, right, so calm abiding. Report an error in the passage at 32:23 Highlight the passage at 32:23

32:47 In general, most teachings, it says calm abiding, you can stay on, you can focus on an object as long as you want. Some teachings say four hours, but mostly it says as long as you want. Report an error in the passage at 32:47 Highlight the passage at 32:47

33:01 And then you also, which induces this mental and physical pliancy and then the bliss of mental and physical pliancy. So the physical pliancy is this... Your body feels as light as a ball of cotton, and so you don't have knee pain and back pain and all of that that we normally experience when we try to meditate. Report an error in the passage at 33:01 Highlight the passage at 33:01

33:26 So you're able to sit there without any pain, physical pain, for as long as you want. And then the mental pliancy is where you don't have that heaviness of mind that doesn't want to practice. You don't have that laziness, you don't have that heaviness of mind. So you have this light mind that can turn to any object of virtue happily. Report an error in the passage at 33:26 Highlight the passage at 33:26

33:56 And then that induces this bliss as well. And it said once you've attained calm abiding, your mind is so clear that it's as if you can see all the atoms on the wall. Report an error in the passage at 33:56 Highlight the passage at 33:56

34:20 So that's calm abiding. So Atisha had attained calm abiding. Report an error in the passage at 34:20 Highlight the passage at 34:20

34:29 And then the uncommon concentration that Atisha had attained was the extreme stability of the generation stage. So we had talked about what the generation stage is. And the commentaries weren't so specific about what this extreme stability of the generation stage was. Report an error in the passage at 34:29 Highlight the passage at 34:29

34:51 But Atisha had attained that. Report an error in the passage at 34:51 Highlight the passage at 34:51

34:57 And then does it stand to reason that if common... It's shared between Buddhists and non-Buddhists that uncommon is just a Buddhist. Just Buddhists, exactly. Yeah, thank you for asking that. Report an error in the passage at 34:57 Highlight the passage at 34:57

35:15 And then there are these, when you practice Tantra, there's a certain yogic discipline that supports the practice and makes it stronger. That's a specific, as it said in the commentaries, about this three or six years of modes of conduct of yogic realization disciplines. So it's a particular... Yogic discipline that supports the practice and makes it stronger. And so Atisha practiced this for three years or six years. Report an error in the passage at 35:15 Highlight the passage at 35:15

35:51 Different commentaries said different things. Report an error in the passage at 35:51 Highlight the passage at 35:51

35:57 Okay. So that is Atisha's accomplishments in the second higher training, the higher training in concentration. Report an error in the passage at 35:57 Highlight the passage at 35:57

36:09 And then lastly is the higher training of wisdom. So his training of wisdom also has the two types, the common and the uncommon. So his training of wisdom has two aspects, the common one. He had attained the concentration of special insight, which is the union of special insight and calm abiding. And the uncommon one, he had attained the special concentration of the completion stage. So the common, once again shared between Buddhists and non-Buddhists. Report an error in the passage at 36:09 Highlight the passage at 36:09

36:40 And Atisha attained this union of calm abiding and special insight. So calm abiding is where you have, right, that's the stabilizing meditation where you're focused on an object completely stably with this bliss of physical mental pliancy. And then, right, so when we're Mahayanists, we're advised, right, or actually, I mean, on the path, just in general, on the Buddhist path, we're advised not to just stay in that bliss of calm abiding, right, which is tempting, right. Report an error in the passage at 36:40 Highlight the passage at 36:40

37:15 If you actually attain that bliss. Because with calm abiding alone, I mean, your mental afflictions have been suppressed, but you haven't eliminated any of the potential or the seeds for the mental afflictions to arise in the future. So in order to remove the seeds, we need wisdom, and particularly the wisdom realizing emptiness. So we need to move to special insight. Report an error in the passage at 37:15 Highlight the passage at 37:15

37:41 Where we start analyzing. So based on that extremely stable mind, we start to analyze. And we've attained special insight when, through that analysis, we have a stability. We've attained a level of stability in our analysis. And we've attained a physical and mental pliancy associated with special insight. Report an error in the passage at 37:41 Highlight the passage at 37:41

38:10 And then we've attained the union of calm abiding and special insight when that analysis... Induces even more stability. Because normally when you start to analyze the mind, the stability of the mind or the calmness of the mind is interrupted. So when the analysis even increases that calmness and tranquility of the mind, then we have that union of calm abiding and special insight. Report an error in the passage at 38:10 Highlight the passage at 38:10

38:36 And we'll go into that in much greater detail later when we get to that section. In a couple of years. So Atisha attained that, the union of calm abiding and special insight. Report an error in the passage at 38:36 Highlight the passage at 38:36

38:58 And then the uncommon wisdom was having attained the special concentration of the completion stage. So we talked about what the completion stage was. And once again, this is unique to Buddhist practice, not non-Buddhist. Report an error in the passage at 38:58 Highlight the passage at 38:58

39:20 And the commentaries weren't specific about what this special concentration of the completion stage was. I guess we'll find out once we get there. Report an error in the passage at 39:20 Highlight the passage at 39:20

39:35 Okay, so that's how Atisha attained the three higher trainings. Report an error in the passage at 39:35 Highlight the passage at 39:35

39:42 How are you doing? Report an error in the passage at 39:42 Highlight the passage at 39:42

39:46 Okay, it's a lot of information. We need a picture of it. Report an error in the passage at 39:46 Highlight the passage at 39:46

39:59 A picture of Atisha. I'm just, Report an error in the passage at 39:59 Highlight the passage at 39:59

40:06 I'm thinking we're the TVH, I'm the TVH, I need a picture of it. Report an error in the passage at 40:06 Highlight the passage at 40:06

40:17 there a picture of him in There's a picture on the cover of the path, the light, or the lamp on the path. Oh, but that's a drawing, it? Well, I can't do it. I can't do it. I can't do it. Report an error in the passage at 40:17 Highlight the passage at 40:17

40:36 Jay was happy to get up and wake himself up. Report an error in the passage at 40:36 Highlight the passage at 40:36

40:45 I don't know how to make this a little more lively. A little more music. Okay. All right. Okay. Then, uh, it's okay, Jay. It's all right. We'll, um, we'll move on. That's why Hillary didn't know I got her back. Report an error in the passage at 40:45 Highlight the passage at 40:45

41:26 Okay, so the next section is, um, Don't worry. Report an error in the passage at 41:26 Highlight the passage at 41:26

41:29 The deeds that Atisha did for the sake of the teachings, having attained those positive qualities. So we just talked about Atisha's positive qualities in terms of learning and realization, and then what he did with those qualities, how he benefited sentient beings in India and then in Tibet. The deeds he did for the sake of teachings are two types, his deeds in India and his deeds in Tibet. Report an error in the passage at 41:29 Highlight the passage at 41:29

41:57 So the first section is very short, the deeds in India. First, at the Palace of Great Enlightenment in Bodhgaya, he defeated proponents of base non-Buddhist doctrines by means of the Dharma three times, thus maintaining the Buddha's teachings, eliminating the taints of ignorance, misconception and doubt also with regard to the teachings of his own upper and lower systems he spread the teachings so that he was regarded as a crown jewel by proponents of all factions Okay, so the first part here talks about how Atisha defeated non-Buddhists in three great debates. Report an error in the passage at 41:57 Highlight the passage at 41:57

42:42 So at that time in India, these debates were very significant, right? And so generally the loser of the debate would have to switch faiths. partiality so Report an error in the passage at 42:42 Highlight the passage at 42:42

42:51 So there was a lot of pressure. So if he lost, he would have to switch to this other school. So good thing he won. So he won. And so that brought new Buddhists to the fore. At Right. Right. Report an error in the passage at 42:51 Highlight the passage at 42:51

43:19 I suppose the followers probably. So thus he maintained the Buddha's teachings, right? So if he had lost, then the Buddha's teachings would have really suffered in reputation. Report an error in the passage at 43:19 Highlight the passage at 43:19

43:35 So it wasn't just, you know, kind of the normal debate that we have in the coffee shop or something. Okay. Then eliminating the taints of ignorance, misconceptions and doubt, also with regard to the teachings of his own upper and lower systems, he spread the teachings. in that situation as well. Report an error in the passage at 43:35 Highlight the passage at 43:35

43:53 So not only did he convince non-Buddhists of the greatness of the Buddhist teachings, he also eliminated doubts and ignorance and misconceptions with regard to the Buddha Dharma itself. Report an error in the passage at 43:53 Highlight the passage at 43:53

44:12 With regard to the teachings of his own upper and lower systems, so this is talking about the Mahāyāna and the Hinayana tenant system. Report an error in the passage at 44:12 Highlight the passage at 44:12

44:22 The lower tenant systems of Vaibhashaka and Sotrantika and the higher tenants of Chittamatra and Madhyamika. So he eliminated doubts in all of those systems. Report an error in the passage at 44:22 Highlight the passage at 44:22

44:34 So Atisha was known as being a great scholar and well learned in all of the different systems, not just the Mahāyāna, not just the Madhyamika, but in all of the Hinayana and the Mahāyāna schools. Report an error in the passage at 44:34 Highlight the passage at 44:34

44:52 And it was said at that time there were 18 sub-schools of the Hinayana, and Atisha was an expert in all of them. And he never practiced, or he never even hinted of having any sort of sectarianism or partiality amongst all of those schools. And so this is where... Report an error in the passage at 44:52 Highlight the passage at 44:52

45:15 It's said that he was regarded as a crown jewel by proponents of all factions beyond partiality. So he was highly respected and he didn't show any sectarianism. Report an error in the passage at 45:15 Highlight the passage at 45:15

45:35 Do you want to take a break? Let's take a break and then we'll come back and talk about his great deeds in Tibet. Report an error in the passage at 45:35 Highlight the passage at 45:35

45:44 And then we'll have a story. worry. Report an error in the passage at 45:44 Highlight the passage at 45:44

45:49 Janet and Louis one's yours right Report an error in the passage at 45:49 Highlight the passage at 45:49

46:18 right. Maybe. to distract us. Report an error in the passage at 46:18 Highlight the passage at 46:18

46:41 Next we'll talk about Atisha's deeds in Tibet. So there's a lot more detail here. And the first section is clearing up misconceptions about the Dharma and restoring the tradition. Report an error in the passage at 46:41 Highlight the passage at 46:41

46:54 So I'll just read through this section and then we'll tell this story. It's a famous and very inspiring story, I think. So his deeds in Tibet, Lama and his nephew sent the two great translators Gyatsun Seng and Naksong. Actually, I'll read this at the end. I'll just tell the story. Okay. All right. So just a little background in Tibetan history, right? So Atisha came in the second. Report an error in the passage at 46:54 Highlight the passage at 46:54

47:30 The second diffusion of the Buddha Dharma to Tibet. So previous to that, Padmasambhava had brought the Dharma to Tibet. And then that started degenerating at a point where there was this anti-Buddhist king who attained the throne by assassinating his brother. Report an error in the passage at 47:30 Highlight the passage at 47:30

47:59 So this non-Buddhist king, Lung Dharma, he was an advocate of the Ban religion. And so he set about destroying all the monasteries and temples and nunneries in central Tibet. So this began a dark period of the Dharma for Tibet. He only reigned for five years and then he himself was assassinated. But then the Dharma practices at that point became very degenerate. So people didn't really understand what Dharma practice was really about. Report an error in the passage at 47:59 Highlight the passage at 47:59

48:43 There was a great movement of what so-called tantric teachings that were basically just sexual practices. Report an error in the passage at 48:43 Highlight the passage at 48:43

48:54 And also emphasized just the magical. practices, right? Report an error in the passage at 48:54 Highlight the passage at 48:54

48:58 Elements of the Dharma, not ethical discipline, etc. Also there was a practice called Release that involved animal and human sacrifice that was very popular at that time. And they would sacrifice these animals and humans in order to offer blood to the gods. Report an error in the passage at 48:58 Highlight the passage at 48:58

49:30 And they thought that the being being killed was being liberated. So that's how degenerate the Dharma was before Atisha came to Tibet. So the king of Tibet at that time was a great bodhisattva and he recognized how degenerate the Dharma had become in Tibet. And so he set about searching for a great master to come from India. Report an error in the passage at 49:30 Highlight the passage at 49:30

49:59 So he initially sent 21 great scholars to India to learn the systems and to find a great master to bring back to Tibet. And so recall at this time, just traveling from Tibet to India meant encountering great hardships, bandits on the road and incredible. You know, storms and, you know, basically you would do it by foot, right? And so the king sent 21 students to India and all but two of them died. Report an error in the passage at 49:59 Highlight the passage at 49:59

50:45 The two that survived were the famous translator Rinchen Sangpo, which maybe some of you have heard of, and then Legdan Sherab. And they both became very learned in the Dharma, but they weren't able to bring Atisha back. But they learned that Atisha was the greatest master in India at that time. So they returned to Tibet and told the king, King Lama Yeshe, Lama Yeshe Oh, and told him about Atisha. Report an error in the passage at 50:45 Highlight the passage at 50:45

51:20 And so this king immediately developed great faith just by hearing Atisha's name. And so he knew. He knew that Atisha was who he wanted to bring back. So next, the king sent this Gyatsun Seng or Gyatsun Senge together with eight others and he sent much gold. So at that point it was very common to send gold as a great offering to get the teacher to come. So Gyatsun Seng also went to India. Report an error in the passage at 51:20 Highlight the passage at 51:20

52:02 And he brought a lot of gold but he wasn't successful in bringing Atisha back. So then at that point the king himself went in search for more gold. So there wasn't that much gold to be found and so the king had used up all of his resources and so he went in search for more gold. Report an error in the passage at 52:02 Highlight the passage at 52:02

52:28 So while he was searching for more gold he was kidnapped by... Some evil Khan who didn't like the fact that the king wanted to bring the pure Dharma back to Tibet. So he kidnapped him and then the king's nephew, Zhang Chubo, went there to try to free his uncle. Report an error in the passage at 52:28 Highlight the passage at 52:28

53:00 And so the Khan gave him two choices. Either abandon his plans to bring Atisha to Tibet or to bring the king's weight in gold to the khan. Report an error in the passage at 53:00 Highlight the passage at 53:00

53:15 And so Jung Shubo went in search for this gold and he found as much gold as the weight of the king except the weight of the head. I'm not sure how they figured that out. Report an error in the passage at 53:15 Highlight the passage at 53:15

53:32 So it wasn't quite enough gold, and he brought it to the Khan, and the Khan said, no, I want the weight of the head as well in gold. So Zhang Chubo had no more means to get more gold, and so he went to talk to his uncle about it, his uncle in jail, right? So his uncle was in prison at this time. And Zhang Chubo, you know, Report an error in the passage at 53:32 Highlight the passage at 53:32

54:04 Pleaded with his uncle to not lose heart, you know, to remember sentient beings. And Jung Chubob said he would go off and search for more gold. Report an error in the passage at 54:04 Highlight the passage at 54:04

54:15 And the king, the king Yeshio said, no, no, I'm willing to sacrifice my life. Don't give this evil khan the gold. Just forget about me and take that gold to India and bring Atisha back. Report an error in the passage at 54:15 Highlight the passage at 54:15

54:36 Because he was a great bodhisattva and he was much more interested in the benefit of sentient beings, the Tibetans, than his own life. Report an error in the passage at 54:36 Highlight the passage at 54:36

54:47 So he had to really convince his nephew, but finally his nephew left and the king died. And so his nephew took that gold and he decided to bring, to ask the great translator Naxo to go to India and bring... Report an error in the passage at 54:47 Highlight the passage at 54:47

55:11 So Naxo hadn't traveled much before, but didn't want to tell Jung Chubo that he hadn't traveled much before. Because Jung Chubo told Naxo the story, the story of the king who had died, sacrificed his life, and Naxo kind of didn't want to say, oh, but I don't want to travel. Report an error in the passage at 55:11 Highlight the passage at 55:11

55:40 So Zhang Chubo was so heartfelt in his wish for Tibet and even cried in telling Naxo the story. And Naxo was so moved and he was crying himself at this great sacrifice of the king. And by the sincerity of Zhang Chubo that he agreed to go to India. Report an error in the passage at 55:40 Highlight the passage at 55:40

56:06 So Naxo... Traveled to India with some others, knowing that he was risking his life. And then they went to see Atisha's guru. Report an error in the passage at 56:06 Highlight the passage at 56:06

56:20 And they had heard that his guru, Ratna Karashanti, wasn't so eager to let Atisha go and travel off and teach in other places. So they had to be really careful. When they went to India, they met Atisha's guru first and didn't immediately ask him if Atisha could come to Tibet. They offered him some gold. Report an error in the passage at 56:20 Highlight the passage at 56:20

56:56 And so they just kind of practiced patience until they could finally see Atisha. So it was quite some time before they were allowed to see Atisha. But once they did meet Atisha, they explained the situation to Atisha. And Atisha said he would check. He would check to see if it was beneficial to go to Tibet. Report an error in the passage at 56:56 Highlight the passage at 56:56

57:18 So Atisha, being in direct contact with the deities, asked Tara, And asked Avalokiteshvara and some other deities whether it would be beneficial for him to go to Tibet. And they told him, yes, it would be extremely beneficial for you to go to Tibet. But your lifespan would be shortened if you go to Tibet. If you stay in India and don't go to Tibet, your lifespan, you'll live to 91 years old. Report an error in the passage at 57:18 Highlight the passage at 57:18

57:51 If you go to Tibet, you'll only live to 73. And so Atisha considered that and he thought, Well, if it's a greater benefit to go to Tibet, then I'll go to Tibet. And he wasn't concerned about his shortened lifespan. Report an error in the passage at 57:51 Highlight the passage at 57:51

58:09 So finally, so Atisha didn't want to just directly tell his Lama about this. So he informed his Lama that he wanted to go on pilgrimage to many different places, you know, Tibet being one of them. And finally, finally his Lama agreed to let him go since he... Obviously really wanted to go, but he made Naxo promise to bring Atisha back within three years. So Naxo promised and they went off on pilgrimage and went to Tibet. Report an error in the passage at 58:09 Highlight the passage at 58:09

58:48 So the Tibetan king was so happy to finally welcome Atisha to Tibet and gave him a lavish welcome with many horsemen, etc. cetera. Report an error in the passage at 58:48 Highlight the passage at 58:48

59:03 And then the locals in that area, their minds were immediately at peace and subdued as soon as they met Atisha. So that was the greatness of his realization. Report an error in the passage at 59:03 Highlight the passage at 59:03

59:18 Okay, then Zhang Chubo was the king at that point, right? So he was the nephew of the Yeshio who initially wanted to invite Atisha. Report an error in the passage at 59:18 Highlight the passage at 59:18

59:29 And Zhang Chubo didn't, he... He asked Atisha not to teach the highest teachings right away, the tantric teachings. But he asked Atisha to, well he told Atisha the situation and asked Atisha to teach something that was simple and easy to understand and easy to practice for many Tibetans. And so that's when Atisha composed the lamp to the path to enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 59:29 Highlight the passage at 59:29

1:00:02 So Atisha was very pleased, right? Because Jung Shibo wasn't just asking for tantric teachings. He wanted really the basis of the entire Dharma and wanted the entire Dharma in general. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:02 Highlight the passage at 1:00:02

1:00:17 Okay. So then after three years, Naxo became nervous, right? Because he had promised, right, to bring Atisha back within three years. So Naxo kind of urged Atisha, okay, we got to go. We got to go. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:17 Highlight the passage at 1:00:17

1:00:36 So Atisha and Naxo and some others started to go back to India. But then they were stopped because there was a war going on. And Atisha thought, okay, well, we'll just go back. We'll go back to Tibet. And Naxo said he was so concerned because he needed to keep his promise, right? And. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:36 Highlight the passage at 1:00:36

1:00:58 And so Naksa wanted to kind of continue on and Atisha said, don't worry, you're not breaking your promise, you tried, but there's nothing you can do about it, you didn't do anything wrong. So at that point then they sent word to India that they couldn't make it back to India yet because of this war. And then they sent a copy of the Lamp to the Path to Enlightenment so that Atisha's Lama knew what Atisha had been doing. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:58 Highlight the passage at 1:00:58

1:01:28 And so once his lama received this text, his lama was so happy. You know, he thought, oh my gosh, what an incredible text. And this text never would have been written if Atisha hadn't gone to Tibet. So he became convinced that going to Tibet was very beneficial for sentient beings, not just for the Tibetans, but also for the Indians. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:28 Highlight the passage at 1:01:28

1:01:51 And so he allowed Atisha to stay longer. So all in all, Atisha stayed for 17 years. In Tibet. Okay. All right. So that was the story of Atisha in Tibet. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:51 Highlight the passage at 1:01:51

1:02:15 So, deeds in Tibet. La Lama, right, which was the king, and his nephew sent the two great translators, Gyatso Nseng and Nakhso Sultram Gyalwa, to India one after the other. As they took great pains again and again to invite Atisha, he came to Upper Nari. During the reign of Jiang Chubo and was requested to purify the Buddha's teachings. Thereupon he spread the teachings by composing the lamp on the path to enlightenment, a text bringing together all the points of sūtra and tantra and condensing them into applicable stages as well as other texts. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:15 Highlight the passage at 1:02:15

1:02:54 So he also composed other texts. Specifically he spent three years in Nari, nine years in Yaitang, And five years elsewhere in central Tibet and Tsang, teaching the fortunate all the scriptures and instructions of sūtra and tantra without exception. Thereby he restored the tradition of teachings that had declined, made those that remained flourish, and corrected those that had been soiled by the errors of misconception, ensuring that the precious teachings were freed from all flaws. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:54 Highlight the passage at 1:02:54

1:03:29 by Atisha coming to Tibet, you know, these... And him composing the lamp as well as other texts. The degenerate teachings disappeared very quickly into Tibet. And he attracted many new disciples and so many people developed faith in him as soon as he arrived. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:29 Highlight the passage at 1:03:29

1:03:53 So that's the power of a highly realized being. It's said at one point in the path, once you... You reach a certain point in the path, then people in your presence can no longer have mental afflictions. The people around you are happy. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:53 Highlight the passage at 1:03:53

1:04:11 So we can see that in His Holiness the Dalai Lama. You're just sitting there with him. It's hard to be cranky. Though I still can. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:11 Highlight the passage at 1:04:11

1:04:35 Then identifying the three causes of excellence in the composition of commentaries. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:35 Highlight the passage at 1:04:35

1:04:44 There are three causes of excellence in the composition of a text clarifying the Muni's intentions, being learned in the five areas of knowledge, having received instructions for the application of their meaning which transmit the instructions of the perfectly complete Buddha in an unbroken line of exalted masters, and having received the permission to teach through the vision of a protector deity. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:44 Highlight the passage at 1:04:44

1:05:09 So in general, in order to compose Say a commentary that clarifies the meaning of the Buddhist scriptures. It's good to have at least one of these three excellences. The first excellence being learned in the five areas of knowledge. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:09 Highlight the passage at 1:05:09

1:05:39 So these are five areas of traditional Buddhist teachings, which are... Grammar or linguistics, dialectics or logic is the second one. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:39 Highlight the passage at 1:05:39

1:05:57 The third one is medicine. The fourth one is arts and crafts. And the fifth one is Buddhist philosophy. So you're supposed to be an expert in all of those in order to compose a text about the Buddha Dharma. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:57 Highlight the passage at 1:05:57

1:06:19 So that's just one of the three excellences. be funny if one of those just like bowling or paper airplanes Report an error in the passage at 1:06:19 Highlight the passage at 1:06:19

1:06:34 So Atisha was an expert in all five of these areas. Secondly, the author should have received personal instruction from an unbroken line of the lineage all the way to Buddha Shakyamuni. So this is to ensure that the author isn't just making something up. It isn't just making up their own teaching, but it would represent the lineage from the Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:34 Highlight the passage at 1:06:34

1:07:19 So Atisha also possessed that one. And then third is having received the permission to teach through a vision of a protector deity. So you're supposed to have a direct vision of a deity who gives you permission to write the text. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:19 Highlight the passage at 1:07:19

1:07:38 So it's not like... This day and age where you can just write your text and try to get it published. You can write a book on Buddhism and get Wisdom or Snow Lion or some publishing house to publish it and it gets published. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:38 Highlight the passage at 1:07:38

1:08:00 Traditionally, you are supposed to have at least one of these three excellences. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:00 Highlight the passage at 1:08:00

1:08:09 So if a text can be composed with any one of these... It will turn out that all the more excellent if all three are complete. So this great master, Atisha, possessed all three. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:09 Highlight the passage at 1:08:09

1:08:28 So next are the three sections that describe how Atisha possessed all three of these excellences. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:28 Highlight the passage at 1:08:28

1:08:45 Are you ready? Okay. I think I've never talked so much in my life. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:45 Highlight the passage at 1:08:45

1:09:01 So the first of these three excellences is talked about is the care of protector deities or how Atisha received the vision of these deities and received permission. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:01 Highlight the passage at 1:09:01

1:09:20 So the text says, Lama Tsongkhapa says, as for the care of protector deities, it says in the praise, of the glorious Havadra, of the Samaya Vua Raja, Of heroic Lokeshvara, noble reverend Tara and others, you had visions and permissions. Therefore, dreaming and directly, you perpetually heard teachings, both the ones profound and vast. Okay, Report an error in the passage at 1:09:20 Highlight the passage at 1:09:20

1:09:54 so this, so Atisha was said to have a relationship with six deities, like a direct. Relationship with six deities. Havadra, which is a deity of highest yoga tantra. The Samayavu of Raja, who is a deity of action tantra. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:54 Highlight the passage at 1:09:54

1:10:22 This was Lokeshvara, which is Avalokiteshvara, Chenrezig. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:22 Highlight the passage at 1:10:22

1:10:31 Also Tara. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:31 Highlight the passage at 1:10:31

1:10:35 And then others refers to Chakrasamvara and Achala. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:35 Highlight the passage at 1:10:35

1:10:44 So all in all, All in all, six deities revealed themselves and had ongoing contact with Atisha, either in his dreams or in person. He received various profound and extensive teachings from them and obtained their permission to write about them. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:44 Highlight the passage at 1:10:44

1:11:17 So then he heard teachings, both the ones profound and vast. So this is, as we talked about before, the profound teachings on emptiness, right, the wisdom side, and then the vast conduct or method side. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:17 Highlight the passage at 1:11:17

1:11:32 So Atisha received both the profound and the vast teachings from these deities. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:32 Highlight the passage at 1:11:32

1:11:49 Next is how Atisha's lineage is uninterrupted. So the second of the three excellences. Atisha held numerous lineages of masters, such as the two lineages of the shared vehicle and of the great vehicle, with regard to which there are... The two, perfection and secret mantra vehicles. In the perfection vehicle, he held three lineages, the lineages of the view and of conduct, the latter having been passed on from Maitreya and from Manjigosha. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:49 Highlight the passage at 1:11:49

1:12:28 Maybe we'll talk about that first. Okay, so Etisha held the lineages, many lineages, such as the two lineages of the shared vehicle and of the great vehicle. So the shared vehicle is the Hinayana. And the great vehicle is the Mahāyāna. So Atisha held the lineages of both the Hinayana and the Mahāyāna. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:28 Highlight the passage at 1:12:28

1:12:52 And then within the Mahāyāna, there are two vehicles. The perfection vehicle or the sūtra vehicle and the secret mantra vehicle or the tantra vehicle or Vajrayana. So the sūtra and the tantra. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:52 Highlight the passage at 1:12:52

1:13:11 Then within the sūtra or the perfection vehicle, he held three lineages. So he had a lot of lineages that he held. So the lineages of the view and the lineage of the conduct. So those are the two lineages. But then within the lineage of conduct, there are two. The lineage of the conduct passed on from Maitreya and the lineage of conduct passed on from Manjugosha or Manjushri. So Atisha held all three of those lineages, the one of view and the two of conduct. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:11 Highlight the passage at 1:13:11

1:13:49 And then in the secret mantra or tantra, he received... He received the five types of transmission as well as many other lineages such as the lineage of tenants, the lineage of blessings and the lineages of various instructions. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:49 Highlight the passage at 1:13:49

1:14:18 So do you want to hear what these five types of transmission are? Report an error in the passage at 1:14:18 Highlight the passage at 1:14:18

1:14:29 One excellent, another excellent lamrim text. This is Geshe Sopa's commentary on the lamrim chinmo, the great lamrim. And this is going to be in five volumes, and only three have been published so far. So this is a very extensive commentary. So Geshe Sopa gave a commentary to this Lama Room channel. And I'll send out the list of books to you via e-mails, because it might be hard for you to remember. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:29 Highlight the passage at 1:14:29

1:15:00 So this is called Steps on the Path to Enlightenment. Really, really excellent. Geshe Sopa is such an excellent teacher. So he taught the Lamar and Chenmo, I think over the course of something like 13 years in Madison or Wisconsin, where have you, S.O.P.A., yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:00 Highlight the passage at 1:15:00

1:15:24 Even more than me. So this is wonderful, wonderful, if you want detail. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:24 Highlight the passage at 1:15:24

1:15:36 So he says the five types of transmission. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:36 Highlight the passage at 1:15:36

1:15:51 So he says, the lineage of secret mantra can be divided into five tantric systems. The first one, the general lineage of all the tantric teachings. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:51 Highlight the passage at 1:15:51

1:16:02 Second, the lineage of Guya Samaja. Third, the lineage of mother tantras. Fourth, the lineage of action and yoga tantras. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:02 Highlight the passage at 1:16:02

1:16:17 And fifth, the lineage of Yamantaka. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:17 Highlight the passage at 1:16:17

1:16:25 And moreover, Atisha possessed many miscellaneous lineages, such as the lineage of Doctrinal systems, the lineage of empowerment and the lineage of various kinds of instruction. And Report an error in the passage at 1:16:25 Highlight the passage at 1:16:25

1:16:47 the text says, the gurus from whom he heard instructions directly are mentioned in the praise. The gurus you always relied on were Sintipa, Sirlingpa, Bhadrabodi, Janastri, many with high accomplishments. In particular, you held the profound and vast instructions that had been transmitted from one to another. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:47 Highlight the passage at 1:16:47

1:17:10 All the way from Nagarjuna. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:10 Highlight the passage at 1:17:10

1:17:16 It is well known that he had 12 gurus who had attained high accomplishments as well as many others. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:16 Highlight the passage at 1:17:16

1:17:29 So Tsongkhapa says Atisha studied with 12 teachers who had attained the highest spiritual realizations. And then in particular he relied on Nagarjuna and the lineage of the profound view. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:29 Highlight the passage at 1:17:29

1:17:47 And then of course he... Possess the lineages of the method side, descending from Atreya to Asanga. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:47 Highlight the passage at 1:17:47

1:18:04 Was there an earlier reference to what this praise is short for? This text that he refers to shortly as praise? It's called the 80 Verses of Praise. Is it like when they use the honesty? And I need to look up who wrote that. I'm not sure. And are they 80 Verses of Praise and Praise of Atisha or is it? Report an error in the passage at 1:18:04 Highlight the passage at 1:18:04

1:18:29 Yeah, I think so. So the 80 verses of praise were written by Naxal. Naxal, right, who was the translator who brought Atisha back to Tibet. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:29 Highlight the passage at 1:18:29

1:18:50 I'll see if I can find out more information about that 80 verses of praise. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:50 Highlight the passage at 1:18:50

1:18:59 All right. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:59 Highlight the passage at 1:18:59

1:19:16 We're getting closer to finishing this section on Atisha. Then thirdly, The third of the three excellences, the fact that he was learned in the five areas of knowledge. So we already talked about the five areas of knowledge. The fact that he was learned in the five areas of knowledge has already been explained. For all these reasons, this master was able to ascertain the Gina's intentions skillfully. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:16 Highlight the passage at 1:19:16

1:19:42 I think that's pretty self-explanatory. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:42 Highlight the passage at 1:19:42

1:19:50 So that's how Atisha possessed the three excellences. And then we'll just zoom through this. This section on the special qualities of his disciples. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:50 Highlight the passage at 1:19:50

1:20:04 So Atisha had many, many disciples. The master who was like this had an incredible number of disciples in India, Kashmir, Odhiyana, Nepal and Tibet. However, the main ones were four great scholars in India who matched the master himself in their knowledge. Pitopa Dharmakaramati Karamatti, Madhyasinna, and Kitigarbha. Some also add Mitraguya as the fifth. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:04 Highlight the passage at 1:20:04

1:20:45 In Nari, it was the great translators Rinchan Sangpoh and Naxo, as well as the ordained king Jangchubho. In the province of Sanggargewa and Gogukpa Latze, and in Lodrak, Chakpatrichok and Gewa. kyeong kham jorwa chenpo gonpa wa sharam dorje and chadar And in central Tibet there were three, the three, Ku, Ngog and Drom. Okay. To us that's a lot of names. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:45 Highlight the passage at 1:20:45

1:21:25 To Tibetans I think that's a little more significant. So his foremost, right, so this included the... Some of the names we had heard before, right? Naxo, who was the translator, and Jang Chubo, who was the king. Rinchen Sangpo, who's perhaps the most famous translator in Tibet. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:25 Highlight the passage at 1:21:25

1:21:46 But his foremost disciple was Dronthompa. So again, among these, it was the great lineage holder Dronthompa Gyoa Chungne, who had been prophesized by Tara and further spread the exalted activities of the master. So when Atisha was still in India, still contemplating whether or not he should go to Tibet, he had a vision of Tara who told him that in Tibet he would have a great lay disciple who would pass on his teachings. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:46 Highlight the passage at 1:21:46

1:22:18 And that was Jontompa. So Jontompa was a great, great ascetic master and he was a lay person. He never became a monk. And he was basically the... The spiritual son of Atisha and was also the founder of the Kadampa lineage was Jontampa. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:18 Highlight the passage at 1:22:18

1:22:57 So to liven this up, Lama Zopa Rinpoche wrote a bit about Jontampa, a story. So I'll read you this. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:57 Highlight the passage at 1:22:57

1:23:12 I'll read you parts of this. So Jontampa was Lama Atisha's translator as well as kind of heart son. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:12 Highlight the passage at 1:23:12

1:23:26 Tara prophesied the birth of Dronthompa and Dronthompa was an embodiment of Chenrezig or a manifestation of Chenrezig. Tara predicted that Dronthompa would be a holder of the Buddha Dharma whose holy mind would be enriched with infinite qualities of scriptural understanding and realizations and who would see inconceivable numbers of deities. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:26 Highlight the passage at 1:23:26

1:23:51 Actually, I won't read you this whole thing. But before Atisha came to Tibet, did you have a question, Peter? Okay, that's all right. I'm just trying to get out of talking. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:51 Highlight the passage at 1:23:51

1:24:08 All right, so... You nodded your head? You scratched your face? Okay. All right. Okay, so... So Dronthompa was the disciple and attendant of another Lama before Atisha came to Tibet. And so when Atisha came to Tibet, Dronthompa asked Atisha, well, what of all of the things he did, you know, all of his practices, what was the greatest Dharma practice, right, of all of the things that he did? Report an error in the passage at 1:24:08 Highlight the passage at 1:24:08

1:24:55 And so he described all of his different practices. And then he also explained about how hard he had worked for his Lama. How he, at night he guarded all the Lama's animals. During the day he did many other things. He made all the fires. The Lama's wife used Drontompa as a chair to sit on. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:55 Highlight the passage at 1:24:55

1:25:22 While she milked their cows. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:22 Highlight the passage at 1:25:22

1:25:28 While Drontompa was using his hands to spin yarn. His feet would be working butter into dried animal skins to make them pliable, right? So he was never idle. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:28 Highlight the passage at 1:25:28

1:25:43 At the same time, so he was using his hands to spin yarn. His feet would be working butter into the animal skins. And at the same time, he would also be carrying something on his back. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:43 Highlight the passage at 1:25:43

1:25:56 So for many years, he worked like this, doing many things at the same time. So... So he explained all this to Atisha, and Atisha said, of all the things you have done, your hard work for Lama Tsongkhapa has been the real Dharma, Report an error in the passage at 1:25:56 Highlight the passage at 1:25:56

1:26:19 so the guru devotion. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:19 Highlight the passage at 1:26:19

1:26:26 So then Jontopa devoted himself to Atisha for 17 years. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:26 Highlight the passage at 1:26:26

1:26:37 Well, since Atisha didn't have the privilege of being a chair. You get to be a Report an error in the passage at 1:26:37 Highlight the passage at 1:26:37

1:26:48 So after he met Atisha, he never left Lama Atisha in the dark at night. Every night he offered a butter lamp in Lama Atisha's room. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:48 Highlight the passage at 1:26:48

1:27:03 All right. So Drontompa was not a monk, but a lay person living in the five precepts. He always wore very old, torn clothes, throwing the sleeves of his chuba. So the chuba is the traditional Tibetan dress. You know, like a robe that men would wear. So throwing the sleeves over his shoulders, he would sometimes go off into the juniper forest. By putting two or three poles together and covering them with animal hair cloth, as nomads do, Drontompa would make a small shelter and meditate inside. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:03 Highlight the passage at 1:27:03

1:27:44 While walking through the forest, Drontompa would sometimes recite this verse from Nagarjuna's letter to a friend. Acquiring things, not acquiring things. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:44 Highlight the passage at 1:27:44

1:27:57 Comfort, discomfort. Interesting sounds, uninteresting sounds. Praise, criticism. These eight worldly dharmas are not objects of my mind. They are all the same to me. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:57 Highlight the passage at 1:27:57

1:28:21 And then there's a little story about one time he was invited, Jantampa was invited to a place called Rong to give money offerings to the monks during a puja. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:21 Highlight the passage at 1:28:21

1:28:33 So he called one of his disciples and said to him, You go this time. I can't. I'm here trying to give up this life. So this is where he's referring to this famous teaching of Atisha of encouraging his disciples to give up this life in their minds, right? Give up the attachment to happiness of this life in your mind. Seeing a monk circumambulating a monastery one day, Drontompa called to him and said, It is good to circumambulate. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:33 Highlight the passage at 1:28:33

1:29:10 But it would be better to practice the Dharma. The monk thought, oh, okay, well, maybe it's better to do prostrations. So when Jantopa saw the monk prostrating, Jantopa said, it's good that you're doing prostrations, but it would be better to practice the Dharma. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:10 Highlight the passage at 1:29:10

1:29:31 And the monk tried reciting prayers and meditating, and Jantopa said the same thing. It's good that you're doing that, but it would be better to practice the Dharma. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:31 Highlight the passage at 1:29:31

1:29:43 Finally, The monk said to Tsongkhapa, then what should I do? Tsongkhapa answered, give up this life in your mind. Give up this life in your mind. Give up this life in your mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:43 Highlight the passage at 1:29:43

1:30:05 So just in case it's not clear, give up this life in your mind. I think that's a good place to stop. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:05 Highlight the passage at 1:30:05

1:30:21 Right, right, so. So this was a summary description of the author's greatness. You should come to understand it more extensively in the great biographic text. So that's the end of the section on Etisha. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:21 Highlight the passage at 1:30:21

1:30:35 Okay. It would make a good comic. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:35 Highlight the passage at 1:30:35

1:30:42 Yeah. Maybe somebody here can create a comic strip for the next time we study the subject. Okay. All right. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:42 Highlight the passage at 1:30:42

1:30:58 Thank you for staying. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:58 Highlight the passage at 1:30:58