Buddhist Hour

Script No. 389

Broadcast live on Hillside 88.0 FM

on Sunday 10 July 2005CE   2549 Buddhist Era

This script is entitled:

Atisha’s A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment Part I

Today we will be beginning a series of programs that are based on the extraordinary teaching entitled, “A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment”, which was composed over a thousand years ago by the renowned Buddhist scholar and sage, Atisha, Dipamkara Srijnana.

In upcoming weeks we will be presenting a teaching on “A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment”, which was given by Master John D. Hughes at the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. in 1989, during a five-day bhavana course.

On today’s introductory program we will read a short description of the events that led up to the composition of the text, and subsequently we will read you the text as it was originally written.

The story of Atisha’s life shares many similarities with that of Shakyamuni Buddha. He, too, was born into extravagant wealth and amid auspicious signs. After experiencing many visions of Tara he decided to leave the life of a prince so that he might become enlightened for the sake of all beings.

After leaving his royal life behind him, he strove to find a teacher who might relate to him the holy meaning of the Buddha’s word. He studied for many years and began to develop insight into wisdom and compassion, although as time passed the conditions for his practicing of the Dhamma became strained. He made a resolution to make a pilgrimage to Bodhgaya, the place of enlightenment of the Buddha, so that he might be able to glimpse what the next stage in his training should be.

Circumambulating Bodhgaya’s great stupa, Atisha experienced a clear vision in which two manifestations of Tara appeared in the space before him. One asked the other: “What is the most important practice for achieving enlightenment?”.

The other replied: “The practice of bodhicitta, supported by loving kindness and great compassion is most important.”

After having this vision he was convinced that the practice of Bodhicitta was the next stage in his development. He consulted many of the great masters in India and Tibet as to where he might find a master of Bodhicitta. All fingers pointed to the direction of present day Sumatra where the great master Suvarnadvipi lived. He arranged for travel only a short time later.

The journey across the sea was fraught with obstacles. Once, he encountered an enormous storm, which he defeated with his extraordinary meditative powers. Another time, a great whale, said to have been the emanation of a demon, came to stop the vessel’s journey, and it is said that the voyagers were lucky to have survived at all.

After 13 months at sea, the tiny ship arrived at it’s destination, and Atisha went about seeking out the master Suvarnadvipi, although he did not approach him all at once.

Atisha, understanding the importance of selecting a qualified spiritual master, first investigated Suvarnadvipi, asking his disciples many regarding his qualities as a Dhamma practitioner. After he was satisfied with his findings he approached Suvarnadvipi and requested him to teach him the practice of Bodhicitta. Suvarnadvipi joyfully accepted Atisha’s request.

Suvarnadvipi himself, through his clairvoyant powers, had been aware that this very unusual student had been travelling to receive teachings and knew Atisha’s potential to develop great realisations. For the next few days, many great ceremonies were held in his honor.

In the next 12 years of Atisha’s life, Suvarnadvipi provided him with all the transmissions of Bodhicitta he possessed. Then suddenly, Suvarnadvipi addressed Atisha, “Noble One, do not stay here. Go to the north. In the north is the Land of Snows.”

With these words a new stage in Atisha’s life began, one which would eventually change the fortunes of Tibetan Buddhism in a very profound way.

Atisha first returned to India where he became famous for his concise delivery of the Dhamma, and he was even appointed as the Abbott of Nalanda Monastery, the largest Buddhist monastery that ever was. Buddhism in India began to experience a golden age, although in Tibet it was a different story altogether.

Although the Dhamma had been transmitted to Tibet 200 years before, it had been suppressed by the king Langdarma, and now the Buddhist practitioners of Tibet were unsure of many things. There were many misconceptions of how to practice Sutra and Tantra as a unity, and many false teachings were in circulation.

Because of the great confusion regarding the Dhamma in Tibet, the acting king of Tibet, Jangchub Oe, made a request to Atisha to resolve the many differing viewpoints of Tibetan practitioners. He sent out a party of the brightest disciples in all of Tibet to make this request. After they reached Nalanda University, they acted with much skill and were granted audience with Atisha.

The Tibetans requested him to come back with them to their home so that he may fulfill the request of the Jangchub Oe, to spread the pure Dhamma once again. After Atisha consulted Tara, he determined that if he were to go to Tibet the benefits would be much greater than if he stayed in India. Tara also noted that if he decided to go to Tibet his life would be shortened by many years, and although he could see this also, he made the journey regardless.

With advance notice that Atisha was indeed coming to Tibet, Jangchub Oe rode tomeet him with a guard of 300 horsemen. After the joyful celebrations had finished, Jangchub Oe made special requests of Atisha. He explained how the Dhamma had declined in Tibet. Some people followed the sutra teachings only and never practiced tantra. Others engaged only in tantric practices and neglected sutra. “Compassionate Atisha”, he said, “there is great confusion about correct practice in Tibet. If it pleases you, I request you not to teach on the most profound subjects. Rather please teach about karma, the law of cause and effect. Please teach us those practices that are most easy to follow, and that include the essential meaning of all the Buddha’s teachings of sutra and tantra.” Jangchub Oe also asked a number of questions about correct Dhamma practice.

Atisha was greatly pleased by Jangchub Oe’s sincerity and wisdom. In response he composed the Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment. Only three folios long, this text nonetheless answered all the questions that had been put by Jangchub Oe and, as requested, distilled all the Buddha’s eighty four thousand teachings of Dhamma into a clear simple guide for practice .

It is said that the teachings following Atisha’s Lamp for the Path tradition have four great qualities:

1. They show that teachings and methods that might at face value appear contradictory, are in fact not. For example, we may be advised not to follow certain methods at the beginning of our practice, but those same methods may be

useful at later stages as our understanding develops.

2. They show that all scriptures are instructions for practice. The lam.rim teachings are uniquely practical. Their main aim is not to increase our knowledge of philosophy or other intellectual knowledge. Rather they show us how we can change our perspective on every moment of our lives, transforming all our day to day experiences – whether they are things that we enjoy or dislike – into opportunities for personal growth.

3. They enable us to understand how the eighty four thousand Dhammas taught by Shakyamuni Buddha fit in with one another, and which method will be most useful for us at any one time.

4. By enabling us to see that all these manifold methods are useful, we become free of sectarianism, imagining that the traditions or practices that we personally favour provide the only valid approach to spiritual practice. Lam rim was the main method that Atisha taught to dispel confusion in Tibet and it has continued to form the heart of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition for more than 1000 years.

Many Westerners find lam rim especially suitable to the outlook of Western societies and cultures – in that its teachings are clearly and logically structured, and because its emphasis is utterly practical. If we want to find out how to respond more constructively to that person who is really bugging us at work, or the crazy driver who cuts us off on the freeway, at the same time as developing profound meditative insight, lam rim is for us!

We would now like to read you the text “A Lamp on the Path for Enlightenment”.

1     I bow in great reverence to all past, present and

        Future Victors, to their Doctrine and Communities.

        I shall light a Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment,

        At the request of my good disciple Byang-chub-'od.
 

2     In that they are Inferior or Mediocre or Superior,

        Persons should be understood as three:

        The characteristics of each are very clear, and

        I shall note how they differ from one another.
 

3     One who by every means he finds,

        Seeks by the pleasure of samsara,

        And cares but for himself alone, that one

        Is known as the Inferior Person.
 

4     One who puts life's pleasures behind

        And turns himself from deeds of sin,

        Yet cares only about his own peace,

        That person should be called Mediocre.
 

5     One who wholly seeks a complete end

        To the entire suffering of others because

        Their suffering belongs to his own [conscious] stream,

        That person is a Superior.
 

6     For those pure beings whose desire

        Is the highest of Enlightenments,

        I shall explain the right means

        Which were taught me by my Gurus.
 

7     Facing a painted image of the Perfect Buddha,

        Or in front of holy reliquaries and the like,

        Give worship with flowers and incense

        And whatever objects may be at hand.
 

8     Then with the Sevenfold Worship expressed

        In the Deeds of Samantabhadra,

        And a mind that does not turn back until

        The Heart of Enlightenment is reached,
 

9     With great faith in the Three Jewels,

        Bending knee to the ground,

        And folding the hands [275a]

        First take the Three Refuges thrice.
 

10     Then, because the Thought of Love for

        All creatures is the prerequisite,

        One looks out on all the world,

        Suffering in death, transmigration,

        And rebirth in the three bad destinies:

11     At sight of that suffering, one suffers;

        And he who wants to free the world

        From the very cause of such suffering,

        Must beget this Thought of Enlightenment

        That is pledged never to turn back.
 

12     Every quality that belongs to

        Begetting thoughts of such Resolution

        Has been well explained by Maitreya

        In his sutra, the Stalks in Array.
 

13     Read that sutra or hear it from a Guru, and when

        The infinite benefits of Perfect Enlightenment Thought

        Are seen, then for that very reason you

        Will beget the Thought again and again.
 

14     The merit of this is shown extremely well

        In the sutra called the Questions of Viradatta;

        And to give the essence of it,

        I quote three of its verses here:
 

15     "If a form could be had for the full

        Merit of the Enlightenment Thought,

        It would surpass even one

        That filled the whole realm of space."
 

16     "Or take a man who owns jewels, and with them

        Fills every one of the Buddha-fields --

        Reckoned as more than the grains of Ganga's sands --

        Then offers all this to the Lord of the World;"
 

17     "Yet another who merely folds his hands,

        And inclines his thought to Enlightenment.

        The latter's worship is higher by far,

        Because in it there is found no limit."
 

18     When you get the thoughts of aspiring to Enlightenment,

        Then with great effort strive to expand them fully;

        And to recall your resolve in your other births,

        Observe fully the Training I explained to you.
 

19     A right resolve will not be furthered

        Without vows that have progress in mind; [275b]

        Therefore he who seeks growth in the resolve for

        Perfect Enlightenment, earnestly takes them.
 

20     Only he who has lasting vows in

        One of Pratimoksa's seven ranks

        Is fit for the Vow of the Bodhisattva;

        There is no other way for it to be. 

21     The Tathagata has said that of

        The seven ranks of Pratimoksa,

        The glorious Pure Life is highest;

        By which he meant the vows of a Monk.
 

22     According to the ritual given in the

        Conduct Chapter of the Bodhisattva Levels,

        One takes the Vow from any good Guru

        Who has the proper characteristics.
 

23     One who is learned in the ritual of the Vow,

        And himself lives the Vow he has taken,

        And has the compassionate forbearance

        To impart it -- know him to be the good Guru.
 

24     But if, after trying, one cannot

        Find just such a Guru as this,

        I will explain another ritual

        For taking the vow in a correct way.
 

25     In this latter way, Manjusri in a former life

        As Ambaraja begat the Enlightenment Thought;

        And as told in the sutra called

        The Ornament of Manjustri's Buddha-field,

        I write it down clearly here now:
 

26     "In the presence of the Lords, I beget

        The Thought of Perfect Enlightenment,

        And issuing invitation to all creatures,

        I will save them all from the cycle of rebirth."
 

27     "Beginning from this moment and henceforth,

        Until I obtain the Highest Enlightenment,

        I shall not permit ill-will or anger,

        Avarice or envy, to occupy my mind."
 

28     "I shall practice the Pure Life,

        And renounce sin and base desire;

        I shall imitate the Buddha

        By rejoicing in the vow of Conduct."
 

29     "Myself, I am not keen to reach

        Enlightenment in some swift way;

        I shall remain until the final end

        For the sake of but a single creature."
 

30     "I shall purify the innumerable [276a]

        Inconceivable fields of the universe,

        And from the taking of this [new] name, [henceforth]

        I shall live in the ten directions."

31     "Purifying the actions of

        My body and speech entirely,

        I shall cleanse my mind's activity as well;

        No unvirtuous deed will ever be mine."
 

32     In essence, one's purity of body, speech and mind

        Means keeping vows with a mind for progress;

        For by practicing well the Three Conduct Trainings,

        Appreciation of those same Three becomes greater.
 

33     Hence, when one has striven in the vows which make up

        The pure and perfect Bodhisattva Vow,

        He will bring to complete perfection

        The very Equipment for Perfect Enlightenment.
 

34     All the Buddhas have held that

        Perfecting this Equipment,

        The nature of which is Merit and Knowledge,

        Lies essentially in the superknowledges.
 

35     Just as a bird with unfledged wings

        Cannot fly up into the sky,

        So without the superknowledges' power,

        One cannot work for the good of others.
 

36     The merits which a man with the

        Superknowledges gains in a single day

        Could not be had in a hundred lives

        By one who lacked those knowledges.
 

37     He who seeks to bring to perfection swiftly

        The Equipment for Perfect Enlightenment

        Strives hard for the superknowledges,

        For they are not accomplished by sloth.
 

38     As long as Calmness is not attained,

        The superknowledges will not occur;

        Therefore, in order to achieve Calmness,

        One must keep striving over and over.
 

39     One who neglects the Limbs of Calmness,

        Even though he strive to meditate

        For thousands of years, never

        Will achieve Concentration.
 

40     Therefore, when well established in the Limbs

        That are stated in the Chapter on Concentration Equipment,

        One can then set the mind in virtue,

        Fixed on any Topic he chooses.

41     When yogic Calmness is achieved,

        So too are the superknowledges; [276b]

        But obscuration is not destroyed

        Without the Perfection of Insight.
 

42     Hence, to remove all obscuration

        Of his affliction and his knowledge,

        The yogin must continually cultivate the

        Perfection of Insight together with Means.
 

43     Scripture says that bondage is from

        Insight being divorced from Means,

        And the Means from Insight as well.

        Therefore, neglect not this union.
 

44     To remove any doubts about

        What Insight is, and what are Means,

        I make clear the difference

        Between the Means and Insight.
 

45     The Victors have explained that the Means

        Are all the Equipments of virtue,

        Starting with the Perfection of Giving,

        Up to, but excluding, that of Insight.
 

46     One who combines the mastery of the Means

        With a true cultivation of Insight

        Will swiftly attain Enlightenment, but

        Not by cultivating merely Non-self.
 

47     "Insight" is fully explained as knowing

        The Emptiness of intrinsic nature,

        In comprehending that Aggregates and

        Sense bases and Elements do not arise.
 

48    An existent's arising is impossible;

        A non-existent's is like flowers in the sky;

        For a thing to be both is absurd fallacy;

        So neither do they originate together.
 

49    Since an entity does not arise from itself,

        And is not from another, or even from both,

        Nor is it yet without cause; therefore it has

        No intrinsic nature by way of own-existence.
 

50     Furthermore, if one analyses all things

        As identities or multiplicities,

        Own-existence is not perceived; hence one is

        Certain that intrinsic natures do not exist.

51     The reasoning of the Seventy Stanzas on Emptiness,

        And of texts like the Basic Stanzas on the Middle Way,

        Explains the proof that all entities

        Are empty of intrinsic nature.
 

52     Wherefore, lest my text become too long,

        I do not elaborate it here,

        But will explain only proven tenets

        In order to further contemplation.
 

53     Thus, not to perceive intrinsic nature [277a]

        In any phenomenon whatever

        Is to contemplate its Non-Self; which

        Is the same as contemplating with Insight.
 

54     And this Insight which does not see

        Intrinsic nature in any phenomena

        Is that same Insight explained as Wisdom.

        Cultivate it without conceptual thought.
 

55     The world of change springs from conceptual

        Thought, which is its very nature;

        The complete removal of such

        Thought is the Highest Nirvana.
 

56     Moreover, the Blessed One declared:

        "Conceptual thinking is the great ignorance,

        And casts one into samsara's ocean; but

        Clear as the sky is his contemplation who

        Remains in Concentration without concepts."
 

57     And he also says in the Non-Conceptual Progress Formula:

        "When a son of the Victor meditates on

        This holy Doctrine without conceptual thought,

        He gradually attains the non-conceptual."
 

58     When through scripture and reason one has

        Penetrated the non-intrinsic

        Nature of all non-arising phenomena,

        Then contemplate without conceptual thought.
 

59     And when he has thus contemplated Thatness,

        And by stages has attained "Warmth" and the rest,

        Then he will gain the "Joyous" [Level] and on up:

        Buddha-Enlightenment is not far off.
 

60     Through the rites of "Appeasement" and "Prosperity"

        And the rest, effected by the force of Mantra,

        And also by the strength of the Eight Great Powers,

        Starting with that "Good Flask", and others,

61     It is maintained that the Equipment for

        Enlightenment is perfected with ease;

        And if one wants to practice Mantra as prescribed

        In the Tantras: Action, Practice, and on,
 

62     Then, to gain the Preceptor-Initiation,

        One must first win a holy Guru

        By giving him attendance and precious things

        And by obedience to his word.
 

63     And when the Preceptor-Initiation has been

        Conferred by the Guru who was won over,

        Then one is purified of all sin, and [277b]

        Becomes fit to exercise the Powers.
 

64     The Secret and Insight Initiations

        Should not be taken by religious celibates,

        Because it is emphatically forbidden

        In the Great Tantra of Primal Buddha.
 

65     If those Initiations were taken by one who stays

        In the austerity of a religious celibate,

        It would violate his vow of austerity

        Since he would be practicing what is forbidden.
 

66     Transgressions would occur which defeat

        The man of religious observance;

        And by his certain fall to bad destinies,

        He would not even succeed [in Mantra practice].
 

67     Having acquired the Preceptor-Initiation,

        He may listen to all Tantras and explain them;

        Perform Fire-offering, Gift-worship, and the like:

        There is no wrong in wisdom about reality.
 

68     I, the Elder, Dipamkarasri,

        Having seen this explanation in texts

        Such as the sutras; and Byang-chub-'od's request

        Have explained concisely the Path to Enlightenment.
 

[Colophon]
This completes the Lamp for the Enlightenment Path
Composed by the great Acarya, glorious Dipamkarajnana.
Translated and edited by the great Upadhyaya of India himself,
and by the revisor-translator Dge-ba'i blo-gros.
This text was composed at the Tho-ling temple of Zhang-zhung.

Next week we will begin the reading of the teaching on “The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment” given by Master John D. Hughes. We encourage all listeners to tune in next week.

May all beings’ confusion be dispelled at once.

May the wonderful word of the Buddha be known to and realised by every being, excluding not a single one in the countless world systems.

May Atisha, and all teachers of the Dhamma, share in the merit of this program, and may it be a cause for the full enlightenment of all beings.

May the wish for enlightenment grow in the hearts of men, women, devas and devatas.

This script was written and prepared by Alec Sloman.

References

www.lamrim.com

http://community.palouse.net/lotus/atisa.htm

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