The Book of Kadam

The Core Texts

Thupten Jinpa

• Publisher: Wisdom Publications
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN: 9780861714414
• eBook ISBN: 9780861718030
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Eastern Philosophy

The Kadam school of Tibetan Buddhism emerged in the eleventh century from the teachings of the Indian master Atisa and his principal Tibetan student, Dromtonpa. Although it no longer exists as an independent school, Kadam's teachings were incorporated into the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism and are still prized today for their unique practical application of the bodhisattva's altruistic ideal in everyday life. One of the most cherished teachings stemming from Atisa and Dromtonpa is the collection of esoteric oral transmissions enshrined in The Book of Kadam. This volume includes the core texts of the Book of Kadam, notably the twenty-three-chapter dialogue between Atisa and Dromtonpa that is woven around Atisa's Bodhisattva's Jewel Garland, as well as complementary texts that illuminate the history and practices of the Kadam tradition.

PART ONE

THE FATHER TEACHINGS

I. Tree of Faith: A Self-Exhortation

Dromtönpa (1005–64)

HEREIN LIES Dromtönpa’s self-exhortation entitled the Tree of Faith.

Out of his great compassion for imperfect spiritual aspirants, [Dromtönpa] the precious teacher for everyone—the embodiment of the four divinities and the three teachings⁸³—appeared here in the Land of Snows. In tune with the mental levels [of those he encountered] he displayed numerous deeds, including assuming an appropriate social class and suitable paternal and maternal lineages. In particular, he displayed the deeds of relying on Dīpaṃkaraśrījñāna,⁸⁴ who had arrived from India, and receiving from him all forms of knowledge. From the conqueror’s arrival in Tibet until his departure to liberation,⁸⁵ Dromtönpa lived with the master in the manner of a child with his parents and turned numerous wheels of the Dharma of inconceivable secrets. However, those without clairvoyance failed to perceive this, even though his fame for having pleased the teacher was known to all. Many excellent ordained bodhisattva yogis, like Geshé Gungthangpa, were illuminated by the lamp of the world, but it was our teacher—the perfect spiritual guide, the Dharma king Drom—who was empowered as the conqueror’s heir. Following the conqueror’s departure to liberation, Drom constructed the prophesized glorious Radreng Monastery, as described in The Book [of Kadam]. Dromtönpa upheld the conqueror’s untainted liberating life and, in the magical juniper forest, engaged in the four everyday activities.⁸⁶ He sustained the qualified seekers who gathered near him with succinct profound instructions rather than numerous public discourses. Although several of his disciples, such as Naljorpa, requested extensive teachings from him, he is said to have made it a point to rebuke them so harshly that it rooted out the afflictions at the very bottom of their minds. In particular, he lived in secluded places and would sing the following songs of self-exhortation, which can, through mere hearing, tame the heart. [4]

Oṃ āḥ hūṃ

O mantras of all peaceful and wrathful deities,

Bless the body, speech, and mind of this man.

In the exalted spiritual palace of Tuṣita

Is the embodiment of the two accumulations, Lord Dīpaṃkaraśrījñāna.

You proclaim the joyful feast of Mahayana teachings

From the uncontaminated space known to all—

Pray sit upon my head as a crown jewel.

Your great mother, O teacher, is the perfection of wisdom;

Mere reflection upon its meaning eradicates

The constricting ulcer of dualistic self-grasping—

Pray let [the perfection of wisdom] ornament my throat.

Your immeasurable love, compassion, joy, and equanimity,

Your union of method and wisdom endowed with the three trainings,

And your scriptures and reasonings all shine radiantly as the sun and moon—

Pray let these ornament my heart.

From afar the hollow words [of false teachers] sound wondrously eloquent;

The pretense of these charlatans betrays the teachings of the scriptural baskets.

When I see others seek them as if they were the father, the Buddha himself,

I dare not part from you, O Father, even for an instant.

Even should one have performed good deeds thousands of times over,

Such teachers would snatch away one’s very life for a single error.

When I see others seek refuge in such evil leaders and kings,

I dare not part from you, O most venerable Father.

Though claiming to know all the scriptures and treatises,

The conceited decline to put their meaning into practice.

When I see others rely on such unworthy minds and conduct,

I dare not part from you, O most venerable Father.

Even when continually propitiated, with wasted exertions and goods,

These wrathful, ferocious beings are never satisfied.

When I see others seek them as saviors,

I dare not part from the Dharma that alone is needed.

Though one ceaselessly strives to hoard out of greed,

Grasping at permanence with a view to longevity, one’s heart is never content.

When I see people depart, leaving all behind,

I long to see you, Teacher—you who are free of attachment.

One’s treasury may be filled with thousands of garments,

But when I see, on the day death comes, with wails of lamentation,

That one departs naked, wearing no clothes at all,

I long to see you—you who are swathed in morality.

Though surrounded by sons, daughters, and servants,

One’s enemy, the lord of death, subdues one by the neck. [5]

When I see that one travels alone [to death], with no companions at all,

I long to see you soon, together with your divinities.

Those swift-legged ones who ride mounts in the four directions,

If, when chased by the enemy that robs them of their lives,

I see them caught lifeless in their own beds,

I long to see you in an instant, O space-like Father.

At first they unite as if never to be sundered,

Yet at death they part ways while beating their chests.

When I see such misguided friendships arranged through household alliances,

I long to see you soon, a true master renunciate.

I, Gyalwai Jungné,⁸⁷ whose heart is never satisfied,

O Father, have never countered your aspirations.

So here in this ever-flourishing magical juniper forest...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Message from the Dalai Lama
• Special Acknowledgments
• Publisher’s Acknowledgements
• Contents
• Preface
• Introduction
• Technical Note
• Part One: The Father Teachings
• Part Two: The Son Teachings
• Part Three: Supplementary Texts
• Table of Tibetan Transliteration
• Notes
• Glossary
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Translator
• The Institute of Tibetan Classics
• The Library of Tibetan Classics
• Become a Benefactor of the Library of Tibetan Classics
• About Wisdom Publications
• Copyright