Stages of the Buddha's Teachings

Three Key Texts

Dolpa, Gampopa, Sakya Pandita, David P. Jackson, Ulrike Roesler, Ken Holmes, David P. Jackson, Ulrike Roesler, Ken Holmes

• Publisher: Wisdom Publications
• Year: 2015
• eBook ISBN: 9780861717989
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Buddhism

Stages of the Buddha's Teachings is an extraordinary and systematized representation of the complete path to enlightenment. From the acclaimed Library of Tibetan Classics.

The “stages of the teachings” or tenrim genre of Tibetan spiritual writing expounds the Mahayana teachings as a graded series of topics, from the practices required at the start of the bodhisattva’s career to the final perfect awakening of buddhahood. The three texts in the present volume all exerted seminal influence in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The first text, The Blue Compendium, presents the instructions of the Kadam teacher Potowa (1031–1106) as recorded by his student Dölpa (1059–1131). This text is followed by Gampopa’s (1079–1153) revered Ornament of Precious Liberation, which remains the most authoritative text on the path to enlightenment within the Kagyü school. The final text is Clarifying the Sage’s Intent, a masterwork by the preeiment sage of the Sakya tradition, Sakya Pandita (1182–1251).

PART I

The Blue Compendium

TEACHINGS ON THE GRADED PATH OF POTOWA RINCHEN SAL (1027/31–1105)

Compiled in verse by Dölpa Sherap Gyatso (1059–1131)

Translated by Ulrike Roesler

1. Preliminaries

1. Homage and need for composing the work¹

Having bowed with reverence to the teachers,

the treasury of all good qualities,

I, a person of weak intellectual power, have made a compendium

by uniting what was scattered here and there.

In the section on not giving up the spiritual mentor from the Compendium of Trainings,²

it is stated that the starting point of all advice is, in brief,

to never give up the noble spiritual mentor.

Deeds, faith, the thought of awakening, and the like

come from him, and he is a treasury of all good qualities.

2. How to find a religious teacher and rely on him

The right way to seek out a spiritual mentor and rely on him

is to emulate the way of our mentor.

We should not seek out many; we should invest our life for the one we’ve sought.

It’s not fit for a person who has not cultivated the mind to seek many.

These days we behave like an ox in autumn or summer

that sniffs at everything and becomes engaged with nothing;

our way has come to be

to listen to everyone without holding anyone as our teacher.

A lack of respect for his instruction and for all his explications of the Dharma

is the main reason our insight declines.

Therefore, as long as we have not examined our relationship with a teacher, there are not many [obligations].³

Once we have examined and adopted a teacher, we must respect him.

Then we will not be deprived of our teacher in the future.

That is the nature of things: karma does not vanish.

When someone from Tsang asked about the way to rely [on the teacher, he was told that]⁴

we should devote ourselves to the teacher with the notion that he is a buddha.

This notion when it is not genuine leads nowhere.

It must be generated in this way whether he is a teacher of the secret mantra

or of the path of the perfections.

The story of the Nepalese Hangdu can be presented in this context,⁵ and

Fifty Verses about the Guru also [prescribes] the same manner toward both [sutra and tantra teachers].⁶

In the teacher, the buddhas of the three times appear to us.

To a bodhisattva who has mastered the ten bodhisattva levels, they appear in the enjoyment body (saṃbhogakāya).

They appear here as is appropriate for the recipient.

When we honestly regard the teacher as a buddha

and follow him in this way, to enjoy our share of the teachings

is not just like enjoying our share of material things. [2]

The whole way of relying on the spiritual mentor is contained in this.

Since all good qualities depend on the teacher,

someone who is never separated from him

will achieve all purposes in no more than an instant.

To one who is endowed with great faith and wisdom

the teacher will give the whole instruction at one time.

Even if you have fully acquired knowledge and understanding,

if you practice and do not stay with him but live separately,

no good qualities will arise from this,

and even if some good qualities have arisen, they will vanish quickly.

Even if your wisdom is weak, as long as the root of faith is there

and you always stay with the teacher without separation,

all the teachings of the Buddha are fully contained in him.

Therefore you should always remain with him full of respect

and always consider the teacher’s good qualities, not the faults.

With regard to the teacher’s body and speech, whatever his deeds,

never think of it as something to either adopt or reject.

If you speak about him as you would about aged cheese and the like,⁷

and think accordingly, everything will become rotten.

If you harbor doubts about his instructions,

there will be no blessing at all; that’s the way it is.

Trust, therefore, in his actions and teaching.

In this way the blessing will arise.

While ordinary beings act as spiritual mentors,

they will never be without flaws.

Therefore never ponder their flaws

but always think about their virtues.

In this way the blessing will reach you.

Turning away [from this attitude] will cause you to not meet [a spiritual mentor in the future].

Moreover, you need to know the right time to approach him.

To follow him is something very precious.

In this way, all aims will be accomplished.

Not observing the appropriate time

is a serious transgression.

All good qualities depend on the teacher;

Even pratyekabuddhas up to the stage of the highest worldly realization rely on a teacher.⁸

Therefore please the teacher in every possible way.

First become acquainted with him through material offerings and respect.

When you have become acquainted, there are two obligations

with regard to the noble field of merit,

and the true way of fulfilling these obligations

is to practice according to his words.

To [attempt to] please him by honoring him without practicing

is not the way to behave...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Message from the Dalai Lama
• Special Acknowledgments
• Publisher’s Acknowledgment
• Contents
• General Editor’s Preface
• Translators’ Introduction
• Acknowledgments
• Technical Note
• Abbreviations
• Part I: The Blue Compendium
• Part II: Ornament of Precious Liberation
• Part III: Clarifying the Sage’s Intent
• The Conclusion of the Treatise
• Appendix 1. Table of Tibetan Transliteration
• Appendix 2. Outline of Clarifying the Sage’s Intent
• Notes
• Glossary
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Contributors
• The Institute of Tibetan Classics
• The Library of Tibetan Classics
• Become a Benefactor of the Library of Tibetan Classics
• About Wisdom Publications
• Copyright