The Bodhisattva Path of Wisdom and Compassion

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The Bodhisattva Path of Wisdom and Compassion Page 50

by Chogyam Trungpa


  CTR: Fat chance, I would say. Fat chance.

  APPENDIX 5:

  FORTY-SIX WAYS IN WHICH A BODHISATTVA FAILS

  THIRTY-FOUR CONTRADICTIONS TO EMBODYING VIRTUE

  Contradictions to the Paramita of Generosity

  Contradictions to Generosity with Regard to Material Things

  1. Not offering to the three jewels

  2. Giving in to possessiveness

  Contradictions to the Generosity of Protection from Fear

  3. Not respecting more experienced people

  4. Not answering questions

  Those That Prevent the Generosity of Others

  5. Not accepting invitations as a guest

  6. Angrily refusing gifts

  Contradiction to Generosity with Regard to Dharma

  7. Not teaching the dharma to those who want it

  Contradictions to the Paramita of Discipline

  Contradictions Mainly to Benefiting Others

  1. Rejecting those who do not keep their discipline

  2. Not developing learning, which inspires others’ faith

  3. Making little effort for the benefit of sentient beings

  4. Not performing evil actions even though it is permitted when one has compassion and there is a need

  Contradictions Mainly to Benefiting Oneself

  5. Willingly taking up any of the five kinds of wrong livelihood

  6. Mindlessly indulging

  7. Due to desire and attachment, remaining in samsara

  Contradictions to Benefiting Both Oneself and Others

  8. Not preventing getting a bad reputation

  9. Not controlling the kleshas

  Contradictions to the Paramita of Patience

  1. Not practicing the four dharmas of a practitioner (not returning curses for curses, anger for anger, blow for blow, or insult for insult)

  2. Not working peacefully with, but rejecting, people who are angry at you

  3. Refusing to accept another’s apology

  4. Giving in to anger

  Contradictions to the Paramita of Exertion

  1. Collecting followers for fame and fortune

  2. Not overcoming laziness and so forth

  3. Indulging in busyness and chatter

  Contradictions to the Paramita of Meditation

  1. Not seeking instruction in samadhi

  2. Not abandoning obscurations to meditation

  3. Viewing the experience of meditation as good and being attached to it

  Contradictions to the Paramita of Prajna

  Faults Related to Lesser Things

  1. Not respecting the shravakayana, and therefore rejecting it

  2. Having abandoned one’s own tradition, the mahayana, and instead exerting oneself in the shravakayana

  3. In the same way, studying non-Buddhist literature

  4. Although exerting oneself in the mahayana, preferring shravaka and non-Buddhist literature

  Faults Related to Excellent Things

  5. Not taking interest in the distinctive features of mahayana

  6. Not seeking the holy dharma due to pride, laziness, and so forth

  7. Praising oneself and disparaging others

  8. Relying on the words rather than the meaning

  TWELVE CONTRADICTIONS TO BENEFITING SENTIENT BEINGS

  General Application

  1. Not helping those in need

  2. Not caring for the sick

  3. Not removing the suffering of others

  4. Not correcting those who are heedless

  Specific Application

  Faults of Not Being Helpful

  1. Not repaying kindness

  2. Not removing the pain of others

  3. Not giving to those in need even though you can

  4. Not benefiting those around you

  5. Not acting in accord with the customs of others

  6. Not praising those who have good qualities

  Faults of Not Overpowering

  1. Not overpowering those on a perverted path

  2. Not taming with miracles and higher perceptions those who must be tamed in that way

  Translated by the Nalanda Translation Committee from the compilation of Jamgön Kongtrül the Great in his Treasury of Knowledge.

  APPENDIX 6:

  THE ROOT TEXT OF THE SEVEN POINTS OF MIND TRAINING

  POINT ONE

  The Preliminaries, Which Are a Basis for Dharma Practice

  1. First, train in the preliminaries.

  POINT TWO

  The Main Practice, Which Is Training in Bodhichitta

  2. Regard all dharmas as dreams.

  3. Examine the nature of unborn awareness.

  4. Self-liberate even the antidote.

  5. Rest in the nature of alaya, the essence.

  6. In postmeditation, be a child of illusion.

  7. Sending and taking should be practiced alternately. These two should ride the breath.

  8. Three objects, three poisons, and three seeds of virtue.

  9. In all activities, train with slogans.

  10. Begin the sequence of sending and taking with yourself.

  POINT THREE

  Transformation of Bad Circumstances into the Path of Enlightenment

  11. When the world is filled with evil, transform all mishaps into the path of bodhi.

  12. Drive all blames into one.

  13. Be grateful to everyone.

  14. Seeing confusion as the four kayas is unsurpassable shunyata protection.

  15. Four practices are the best of methods.

  16. Whatever you meet unexpectedly, join with meditation.

  POINT FOUR

  Showing the Utilization of Practice in One’s Whole Life

  17. Practice the five strengths, the condensed heart instructions.

  18. The mahayana instruction for ejection of consciousness at death is the five strengths: how you conduct yourself is important.

  POINT FIVE

  Evaluation of Mind Training

  19. All dharma agrees at one point.

  20. Of the two witnesses, hold the principal one.

  21. Always maintain only a joyful mind.

  22. If you can practice even when distracted, you are well trained.

  POINT SIX

  Disciplines of Mind Training

  23. Always abide by the three basic principles.

  24. Change your attitude, but remain natural.

  25. Don’t talk about injured limbs.

  26. Don’t ponder others.

  27. Work through the greatest defilements first.

  28. Abandon any hope of fruition.

  29. Abandon poisonous food.

  30. Don’t be so predictable.

  31. Don’t malign others.

  32. Don’t wait in ambush.

  33. Don’t bring things to a painful point.

  34. Don’t transfer the ox’s load to the cow.

  35. Don’t try to be the fastest.

  36. Don’t act with a twist.

  37. Don’t make gods into demons.

  38. Don’t seek others’ pain as the limbs of your own happiness.

  POINT SEVEN

  Guidelines of Mind Training

  39. All activities should be done with one intention.

  40. Correct all wrongs with one intention.

  41. Two activities: one at the beginning, one at the end.

  42. Whichever of the two occurs, be patient.

  43. Observe these two, even at the risk of your life.

  44. Train in the three difficulties.

  45. Take on the three principal causes.

  46. Pay heed that the three never wane.

  47. Keep the three inseparable.

  48. Train without bias in all areas. It is crucial always to do this pervasively and wholeheartedly.

  49. Always meditate on whatever provokes resentment.

  50. Don’t be swayed by external circumstances.

  51. This time, practice the main po
ints.

  52. Don’t misinterpret.

  53. Don’t vacillate.

  54. Train wholeheartedly.

  55. Liberate yourself by examining and analyzing.

  56. Don’t wallow in self-pity.

  57. Don’t be jealous.

  58. Don’t be frivolous.

  59. Don’t expect applause.

  From a text by Chekawa Yeshe Dorje, translated by the Nalanda Translation Committee.

  APPENDIX 7:

  OUTLINE OF TEACHINGS

  The numbered lists of teachings in this book have been organized into outline-style here as a study aid. The lists are in order of appearance in the text.

  PART ONE. AWAKENING THE HEART

  Chapter 1. A Glimpse of Wakefulness

  Two Types of Bodhichitta / Awakened Heart or Mind

  1. Relative bodhichitta

  2. Absolute or ultimate bodhichitta

  Chapter 2. Love, Vision, and Warriorship

  Two Aspects of Love

  1. Maitri (champa)/ being kind and gentle to oneself

  2. Karuna (nying-je) / nobility of heart, being compassionate to others

  Chapter 3. Doubt and Delight

  PART TWO. BUDDHA NATURE

  Chapter 4. Enlightened Genes

  Two Types of Buddha Nature

  1. Stained or conditional / covered by veils and yearning toward wakefulness

  2. Unstained or unconditional / spontaneous, beyond concept or limitation without reference to the past or future

  Five Veils / Five Types of Students

  1. Immediate / those who aspire to the mahayana

  2. Pratyekabuddha / those who strive for personal salvation

  3. Distant / shravakas / striving for personal salvation but with thicker veils

  4. Dubious / uncertain, easily pulled off course

  5. Very distant / preoccupied, never having heard the dharma

  Chapter 5. Basic Goodness

  Five Categories of Mind

  1. Sem / that which minds the other, the process of minding

  2. Lo / being smart

  3. Shepa / capability of knowing

  4. Rikpa / insight

  5. Tokpa / realization

  PART THREE. PREPARING THE GROUND

  Chapter 6. Cultivating Wholesomeness

  Two Complementary Aspects of Meditation Practice

  1. Mindfulness (shamatha) / freedom from aggression

  2. Awareness (vipashyana) / freedom from ignorance

  Chapter 7. Expanding Your Practice

  Chapter 8. Cutting Ego Fixation

  One-and-a-Half-Fold Egolessness

  1. Egolessness of self

  2. First half of the egolessness of dharmas or phenomena

  Twofold Egolessness

  1. Egolessness of self

  2. Egolessness of dharmas

  Chapter 9. Awakening Your Enlightened Genes

  Signs of Enlightened Genes Being Awakened

  1. Maitri

  2. Lack of deception

  Signs of Enlightened Genes Not Being Awakened

  1. Being unable to react to suffering

  2. Not having bigger vision

  Obstacles to Awakening Enlightened Genes

  1. Intrinsic slavery

  2. Being without awareness

  3. Taking part in evil activities

  4. Sleepiness

  Situations Conducive to Awakening Enlightened Genes

  1. Waking up at the right time (outer situation)

  2. Taking an interest in dharma practice (inner situation)

  Methods for Awakening Enlightened Genes

  The Four Brahmaviharas

  1. Love

  2. Compassion

  3. Joy

  4. Equanimity

  The Four Limitless Ones / Beyond Ego Intention

  1. Love/Loving-Kindness

  2. Compassion

  3. Joy

  4. Equanimity

  Aims of the Four Limitless Ones

  1. Loving-kindness: to experience peace and cause others to be peaceful

  2. Compassion: to separate the cause of pain from the pain itself

  3. Joy: to help people experience pleasure without causing themselves pain

  4. Equanimity: to free people from passion and aggression so they can see beyond the bias of close and distant

  Causes of the Four Limitless Ones

  1. Root cause / buddha nature (from within)

  2. Spiritual friend (from without)

  3. Confidence

  4. Discriminating awareness / prajna

  Natural Progression of the Four Limitless Ones

  1. Liking oneself

  2. Beginning to like others

  3. Celebration

  4. Settling down and working with others

  Three Levels of Accomplishment

  1. The four brahmaviharas

  2. The four limitless ones

  3. Twofold egolessness

  Chapter 10. The Spiritual Friend

  Three Attitudes toward the Spiritual Friend

  1. Guide / goes before

  2. Escort / accompanies

  3. Ferryman / follows behind

  Analogies for Four Types of Student

  1. Upright container / open to the teachings

  2. Upside-down container / nothing penetrates

  3. Leaky container / nothing sticks

  4. Poisonous container / dharma is polluted

  PART FOUR: MAKING A COMMITMENT

  Chapter 11. Indestructible Wakefulness

  Threefold Purity

  1. No actor

  2. No action

  3. No one acted upon

  Chapter 12. Planting the Moon of Bodhi in Your Heart

  Chapter 13. Cultivating a Mahayana Mentality

  Four Factors of Mahayana Mentality

  1. Affection for the world

  2. Faith in the right situations

  3. Compassion for sentient beings

  4. Bravery

  Chapter 14. The Seven Mahayana Exercises

  1. Prostrations

  2. Offering

  3. Confession / acknowledging what you have done

  4. Adoration / rejoicing in the virtues of others

  5. Asking your teachers to turn the wheel of dharma

  6. Requesting your teachers to remain and not pass into nirvana

  7. Dedicating the merit for the benefit of all beings

  Chapter 15. Taking the Bodhisattva Vow

  Signs That You Are Ready to Take the Vow

  1. The mark of learnedness / tamed and peaceful

  2. The mark of meditation / less distracted and temperamental

  Two Aspects of Bodhisattva Vow

  1. Aspiring (mön-pe sem-kye) / the desire to enter the bodhisattva path

  2. Application (juk-pe sem-kye) / actually practicing the bodhisattva path

  Chapter 16. Becoming a Bodhisattva

  Five Powers Developed by the Bodhisattva Vow

  1. Having a spiritual friend

  2. Being inspired to work with others

  3. Expanding virtue

  4. Intellectual study

  5. Identifying what you have learned with your own practice

  Chapter 17. Joining Profundity and Vastness

  Twofold Attitude of a Bodhisattva

  1. Profundity / twofold egolessness

  2. Vastness / compassionate action

 

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