His Holiness Dalai Lama XIV

Explaining Buddhism

Including Translation by Jeffrey Hopkins

Compiled by Bill Magee
 
 
 

CONTENTS

1. PATHS AND MEDITATION
2. MIND
3. QUALIFICATIONS OF A LAMA
4. THE TWO TRUTHS
5. THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS


 

1. PATHS AND MEDITATION

 
1. What is a path? It is a means of progressing. 2. It is internal progress made in terms of the mind 3. A path is a consciousness, in the sutra system 4. Tantra has paths that are forms
5. Paths are generated through meditation. 6. Meditation is done by the mind 7. Body postures are important, but the main is the mind 8. How does one meditate? There is one type that takes an object.
9. Meditation on love and compassion is not meditation on love as an object but rather generating love 10. Another type identifies and cultivates paths 11. Another type is a meditation of wishing 12. Thus, meditation is in many different varieties
13. So, the procedure of meditation must come in terms of one's mind 14. For meditators it is important to know the presentation of mind

 

2. MIND

 
1. It is helpfull to differentiate between types of consciousnesses. 3. just as it is helpful to have identified the brain's cells. 3. In Buddhist texts there are many divisions of consciousnesses. 4. There are main minds and mental factors.
5. There are omnipresent and determining factors. 6.We mainly make use of these two. 7. Some mental factors are afflictive and others are virtuous. 8. Asanga's Compendium of Higher Knowledge gives a division of 51 mental factors.
9. In Burma there is a text setting forth 200. 10.Tibet lacks this presentation. 11. These factors are like the chemicals in an experiment. 12. Non-conceptual and conceptual consciousnesses.
13. Moving from ignorance to direct perception. 14. Correct reasoning  
is a basis for inference.		 15. The texts on valid cognition present logic in detail. 16. Dignaga and Dharmakirti texts on logic are very important.
17. First we present a consequence, then a decisive reasoning, then one comes to an inference and eventually direct perception. 18. That is a general presentation of mind.

3. QUALIFICATIONS OF A LAMA

 
1. One needs a lama to accomplish the path. 2.What constitutes a qualified lama? 3. It is important to know. 4. The four reliances.
5. Qualifications of lamas are set forth in vinaya, the sets of discourses, and texts on tantra. 6. First, the qualifications set forth in the sets of discourses. 7. Maitreya gives ten qualifications. The first is discipline (taming). 8. Discipline indicates the person is endowed with ethics.
9. Ethics of monks and nuns and of lay people qualify. 10. The beginning of taming others is to tame oneself. 11. To have a tamed continuum is not to have partial practice or understanding but rather... 12. to have a mode for taming that accords with the whole of Buddha's teaching.
13. What is that mode of taming the continuum? The three trainings. 14. Discipline here indicates the training in higher ethics, first of the three trainings. 15. The second is to be peaceful, having the qualities of meditative stabilization. 16. Third is being very peaceful, having pacified the conception of inherent existence ...
17. involving selflessness of persons, not more subtle selflessness of  phenomena. 18. Fourth is that the lama have more good qualities than the student. 19. Fifth is to have effort, working hard for the welfare of others. 20. Sixth is to be rich with hearing.
21. Having acquaintance with the general procedure of texts. 22. Thorough realization of suchness, the selflessness of phenomena. 23. Eighth is to be skilled in speech. 24. Ninth is to have a nature of kindness.
25. Without altruism it is difficult to help merely through explanation. 26. Tenth is to have a great deal of patience, explaining over and over. 27. These are the ten qualifications of a spiritual guide. 28. Investigate whether a teacher has these qualities or not.
29. Initially think of teachers as spirtitual friends, not taking them immediately as lama. 30. Listen and investigate. 31. After investigating over time, one can take a lama. 32. Student and teacher can spend twelve years analyzing each other.
33. Do not hurry; take great caution. 34. For initiation one needs faith in the lama. 35. When you find a lama, accomplish the doctrine he teaches. 36. The reason one develops faith in a lama is to become more like him.
37. The good qualities of the lama move to one's self. 38. One pleases the lama by accomplishing the doctrine.

4. THE TWO TRUTHS

 
1. That which is to be settled - the two truths. 2. There are two levels of phenomena, superficial and final. 3. There are objects found by conventional consciousnesses and ultimate objects 4. Physicists also see two levels. 5. The two are different but exist within one basis.
6. Small particles act as the basis (physicists say) 7. With particles as a deeper basis there are many different modes of superficial appearance. 8. On the superficial level we need to posit cause and effect without confusion. 9. By knowing their final meaning, realize that objects do not exist the way they appear. 10. Thus, it is important to know the two truths.
11. ... as set forth in Nagarjuna's Treatise on the Middle Way, called Wisdom. 12. In the tantra system there are other ways of explaining the two truths. 13. The four Buddhist schools have different ways of positing the two truths. 14. Since phenomena are empty of inherent existence, it is most plausible that they exist in dependence. 15. Since they dependently exist they exist in dependence on causes and conditions, from which come suffering and happiness.
16. By way of this we have the four noble truths. 17. The four noble truths divide in terms of suffering and happiness.


 

5. THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

 
1. Sufferings and Origins, Cessations and Paths are not set out in terms of order of production. 2. Buddha set effects first and causes seconds in terms of practice. 3. Initially, identify suffering... 4. or you will not recognize the need for medicine.
5. Thus, recognize the type of "sickness" that one has. 6. The story of a king whose subjects are all crazy. 7. Thus, it is important to identify one's own faulty state. 8. Having identified our faulty state, one develops dissatisfaction with it.
9. Then one investigates the causes of suffering and its antidotes. 10. Second, the Origins of Suffering. 11. Sufferings are produced individually by ones own contaminated actions. 12. These actions are produced by the afflictive emotions of an untamed mind.
13. Thus, the basic derivation of suffering is one's own mind. 14. Investigate whether the faults of the mind can be removed or not. 15. Mind has a nature of clear light, the defilements are temporary. 16. Sutra states that mind is not the final nature of mind.
17. The nature of mind is clear light. 18. This has two meanings: mind is empty and mind is clear and knowing.  19. The defilements are temporary and the mind is clear and knowing.  20. This establishes that there are true cessations of the causes of suffering.
21. Cyclic existence and nirvana do not inherently exist. 22. "Knowledge of the nature of cyclic existence is nirvana." 23. There are many different nirvanas. 24. Defilements are extinguished in the sphere of reality.
25. Ignorance is extinguished by wisdom into the sphere of reality. 26. This is what is meant by saying defilements are extinguished in the sphere of reality. 27. Through extinguishes contaminated actions and afflictive emotions there is liberation. 28. Contaminated actions and afflictive emotions arise from false conceptuality. 
29. False conceptuality arises from the elaborations of inherent existence. 30. Those elaborations are ceased through emptiness. 31. Or ceased "in" emptiness. 32. The defilements are extinguished into emptiness and are ceased through emptiness.
33. This involves the third noble truth, True Cessations. 34. The defilements are removeable. 35. Once one sees that the defilements are removeable and that true cessations can be actualized, one needs the fourth, True Paths. 36. true paths are exhalted wisdom consciousnesses that induce true cessations.
37. True Paths that induce cessation and true cessations of afflictions are the main doctrine jewels. 38. They are the actual refuge. 39. Those that have these in their continuums are the spiritual community. 40. The spiritual community assists others to refuge.
41. When one has cultivated True Paths and removed all afflictions, one is a Buddha. 42. The view realizing emptiness is the antidote to the two obstructions. 43. Realization of emptiness abandons either afflictive emotions or obstructions to omniscience depending on the power of merit.   44. Whereas Mahayanists practice all three principal aspects of the path to attain omniscient Buddhahood, Hinayanists proceed to liberation without bodhicitta.
45. That is the complete cycle of the three principal aspects of the path. 46. Tantra enhances the wisdom consciousness. 47. Tantra quickly achieves the union of calm abiding and special insight. 48. That is the general mode of procedure of the Buddhist texts.