Finding Rest in the Nature of the Mind

by Longchenpa

  41. “The completely open, that is, blank state of mind that does not discern or cognize any object is the state of the universal ground. When appearing objects are clearly seen in a state of mind that is vivid but devoid of discernment, this is the moment of the consciousness of the universal ground. At that time, the perceptions of objects arising distinctly and clearly in the mind are the five sense consciousnesses. With regard to [each of] these objects, that which arises in the first instant as the apprehended, and the discerning cognition mingled with defilement that arises in the second instant as the apprehender, are, respectively, the mental consciousness (yid shes) and the defiled mental consciousness (nyon yid). These are the seven consciousnesses [that is, the five sense consciousnesses, the mental consciousness, and the defiled mental consciousness].” [AC 281: 6–282: 2]

  42. See part 2, “The Universal Ground, the Eight Consciousnesses, and the State of Sleep,” pp. 201–203.

  43. For an explanation of the form realm, see TPQ, Book 1, p. 504. For an explanation of the four samādhis associated with the form realm, see ibid., pp. 329–32.

  44. See ibid., p. 504.

  45. Namely, the consciousness of the universal ground (Skt. ālayavijñāna) and the universal ground itself (Skt. ālaya).

  46. “One” refers to the universal ground (kun gzhi). “Two and one together” refers to both the universal ground together with the consciousness of the universal ground (kun gzhi rnam shes) accompanied by the mental consciousness (yid shes). “All that have a single nature” refers to the universal ground and the eight consciousnesses. As the text indicates, these three expressions refer respectively to deep sleep, dreaming, and waking.

  47. See part 2, “The Tathāgatagarbha,” pp. 205–241.

  48. Dhāraṇī is the power of retention, that is, retentive memory. It is the unforgetting recollection of the words and meaning of the teaching. As it is said in the Perfect Accomplishment of Susitikara Tantra:

  The power of memory or dhāraṇī is therefore of the three kinds:

  Words and meaning, and the two together.

  It is called dhāraṇī because it holds them perfectly

  And shields them from decline.

  See also note 124.

  49. “Since the three syllables om ah hung are primordially and naturally the essences of the body, speech, and mind of all the buddhas, one should recite them without distraction. One should translate the name of one’s teacher into Sanskrit, if one knows how. Otherwise, one should leave the teacher’s name as it is and add to it the formula for the desired activity. In the case of the peaceful activity, this should be shantim kuruyé svaha; for the activity of increasing, pushtim kuruyé svaha; for the magnetizing activity vasham kuruyé svaha, and for the wrathful activity maraya p’et. For example, one could recite: om vajra guru padma sambhava ah hung karma pushtim kuruyé svaha. The outward practice of peaceful activity, the inward practice of semipeaceful and semiwrathful activity, and the secret practice of the wrathful activity correspond to the three states of the nirmāṇakāya, saṃbhogakāya, and dharmakāya respectively.” [AC 409: 2–5]

  50. See Patrul Rinpoche, pp. 153–57, for the story of Sadāprarudita.

  51. See part 2, “Refuge,” pp. 243–252.

  52. Many systems of Vajrayāna grounds are set forth in different tantras. Generally speaking, however, there are said to be thirteen grounds. That is, above the ten sūtra grounds, there is an eleventh ground of Universal Light, a twelfth ground called Lotus Free of All Desire, and a thirteenth ground of Vajra Holder, known also as the Great Wheel of Collections of Syllables. See TPQ, Book 1, p. 229.

  53. Taking into account the two stages of “candidate for” and “abiding by the result” associated with any given level, four pairs of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas may be distinguished. The four kinds are as follows: stream enterer (rgyun du zhugs), once returner (lan gcig phyir ’ong ba), nonreturner (phyir mi ’ong ba), and arhat (dgra bcom pa). For a detailed description, see TPQ, Book 1, p. 230.

  54. “The adepts of the Secret Mantra are the vidyādharas (rig ’dzin, “keepers of knowledge or awareness”). There are four kinds of vidyādhara: (1) vidyādharas with a karmic body (rnam smin rig ’dzin); (2) vidyādharas with power over life (tshe dbang rig ’dzin); (3) mahāmudrā vidyādharas (phyag rgya chen po’i rig ’dzin); and (4) spontaneously accomplished vidyādharas (lhun grub rig ’dzin). Vidyādharas with a karmic body practice the stages of generation and perfection on the paths of accumulation and joining and, though their bodies remain ordinary, their minds accomplish the deity….If they pass away before obtaining the supreme mundane level (chos mchog) of the path of joining, they will accomplish the mahāmudrā in the bardo. For their bodies have been discarded and their minds have matured into deities….

  “Vidyādharas with power over life have reached the limit of the supreme mundane level; possessing bodies that are now indestructible, they are beyond birth and death, and their minds accomplish the path of seeing….

  “Mahāmudrā vidyādharas dwell on the nine grounds of the path of meditation, from the second to the tenth. Their bodies appear in the aspect of maṇḍalas [that is, of deities], and their minds are purified from the stains related to the nine grounds. They enjoy nonconceptual primal wisdom….

  “Spontaneously accomplished vidyādharas correspond to the level of buddhahood….Some masters assert that the state of mahāmudrā vidyādhara corresponds to the first seven grounds, while that of the spontaneously accomplished vidyādhara corresponds to the three pure grounds of realization (the eighth to the tenth). This view, however, appears to be incorrect because the four kinds of vidyādharas progress through, and are contained within, the whole path starting from the level of beginners until that of buddhahood.” [AC 460: 1–463: 2]

  55. “When beings awaken in the essence of enlightenment, the time for taking refuge, as stipulated in the ritual of taking the vow, is now passed. Thus, in a purely nominal sense, the vow is relinquished. On the other hand, it is truly abandoned when, through entertaining wrong views, one rejects the Three Jewels, or when one returns the vows of refuge because one is unable to practice its precepts.” [AC 471: 3–4]

  56. I.e., chos khams dge ba (Skt. śubhadharmadhātu). The pure expanse of ultimate reality is yet another name for the buddha-potential or tathāgatagarbha. The Tibetan word dge ba has several possible acceptations. Here it is translated as “purity,” in line with the meaning of the Sanskrit śubha.

  57. See notes 48 and 124.

  58. These are the four so-called brahmavihāras, the four attitudes that provoke rebirth in the form and formless realms. They are distortions of the four boundless attitudes because their character is one of partiality and clinging. See TPQ, Book 1, p. 241.

  59. See ibid., pp. 431–35.

  60. thog med dge ba. This expression is an abbreviation of thog ma med pa’i chos khams dge ba, the beginningless pure expanse of reality (see note 56).

  61. “Once this attitude of bodhichitta has been engendered and for as long as it is maintained without decline, then even in the state of meditative equipoise in which the conceptual mind is inoperative, wisdom and bodhichitta remain united. If the bodhichitta previously generated is maintained unspoiled, an uninterrupted stream of merit arises even in the five states in which the mind is not manifest and is inactive. These five states are deep sleep, the state of faint or swoon, the absorption of nonperception [in which the defiled mental consciousness continues to function], the absorption of cessation when perception and feeling are arrested [and which is free of the defiled mental consciousness], and the continuous absence of perception [which occurs in the formless realms]. As Vasubandhu says in his Triṃśikā-kārikā: ‘The mental consciousness does not occur when one is in a state of deep sleep or has fainted. Neither does it occur in the two kinds of absorption or when there is a constant lack of perception [i.e., in the formless realm].’ The Way of the Bodhisattva says,

  For when, with irreversible intent
,

  The mind embraces bodhichitta,

  Willing to set free the endless multitudes of beings,

  In that instant, from that moment on,

  A great and unremitting stream,

  A strength of wholesome merit,

  Even during sleep and inattention,

  Rises equal to the vastness of the sky. [1: 18–19]

  “All one’s actions thus become meaningful. The Gaṇḍavyūha says, ‘O son of noble family! For someone who possesses bodhichitta aiming at supreme enlightenment, all actions of thought, word, and deed are meaningful. All of them are only and at all times virtuous.’ Furthermore, although they are not immediately associated with a fully manifest attitude of bodhichitta, nevertheless, since such actions, whether virtuous or neutral, are associated with a sense of bodhichitta that has been kept unspoiled, they become virtues leading to liberation. One also becomes the object of respect for all the world. The Gaṇḍavyūha says, ‘The person who possesses bodhichitta is the great object of respect for the gods and all the world.’” [AC 520: 1–521: 4]

  62. grangs med bskal pa. The expression “immeasurable kalpa” does not in fact mean infinity; it denotes a specific period of time defined by Vasubandhu in his Abhidharmakośa as 1059 kalpas.

  63. The “realm of Brahmā” (brahmāloka) is the collective name given to the heavens of the form realm.

  64. “The seven attributes of the royalty (rgyal srid bdun) are the wheel, wish-fulfilling jewel, queen, minister, elephant, supreme horse, and general.” [AC 560: 4] See also TPQ, Book 1, p. 462n121.

  65. “The eight auspicious substances (bkra shis rdzas brgyad) are white mustard, durwa grass, kusha grass, orange-colored powder, curd, bezoar, mirror, and a white conch shell turning in a clockwise direction.” [AC 560: 5]

  66. “The seven subsidiary precious objects (nye ba’i rin chen bdun) are the silken shoes, cushion, steed, bedding, throne, sword, and lambskin.” [AC 560: 5–6]

  67. These three lines refer respectively to the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, to all the beings up to the tenth ground of realization, and to beings in the three lower realms. See TPQ, Book 1, pp. 267–68.

  68. The downfalls of a king (rgyal po’i ltung ba lnga) are so called because people in positions of power are liable to commit them. But, of course they are downfalls for anyone who has taken the bodhisattva vow.

  1. With an evil intention, to take the property of the Three Jewels or to induce others to do the same.

  2. To repudiate any of the three vehicles or to lead someone into the belief that they do not constitute the path to liberation.

  3. To rob, beat, imprison, or kill the wearers of the monastic robe or to force them to return to lay status, or to induce another to do the same.

  4. To commit any of the five sins of immediate effect.

  5. To hold wrong views (that, for example, there is no truth in the law of karma).

  69. Regarding the downfalls of a minister (blon po’i ltung ba lnga), the first is to destroy with hostile intent a homestead, a village of four castes, a small town or a large town, or an entire region. The other four downfalls correspond to the first four downfalls of a king.

  70. The eight downfalls of ordinary people (phal pa’i ltung ba brgyad) are as follows:

  1. To teach the doctrine of emptiness to persons who are unprepared for it.

  2. Consciously to direct people of Mahāyāna disposition away from the Mahāyāna path and lead them to the practice of the Hīnayāna.

  3. By an injudicious praise of the Mahāyāna to lead people of Hīnayāna disposition to give up their vows of prātimokṣa.

  4. To hold, or to teach another to hold, that the following of the Hīnayāna path does not eradicate defilements, and to say that the śrāvakas do not have an authentic path to liberation.

  5. Out of jealousy, to criticize other bodhisattvas openly and to praise oneself.

  6. Falsely to claim the realization of the profound view.

  7. To consort with powerful people, encouraging them to persecute practitioners, and secretly to appropriate the religious offerings for oneself.

  8. To disrupt the practice of meditators by appropriating their goods and distributing them to those who merely study or perform rituals, and to disturb those engaged in śamatha meditation.

  71. Then there are two downfalls to which everyone is liable:

  1. To abandon bodhichitta in intention by embracing the attitude of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas (this is mentioned in the Mahāguhyaupayakaushalya-sūtra) and

  2. To relinquish bodhichitta in action by allowing one’s vows of generosity and so forth to decline (see the Ratnakūṭa).

  72. “For instance, an attendant fault related to wrong views is the simple disrespect (of the karmic law, teacher, etc).” [AC 622: 1]

  73. In brief, there are two kinds of upāsaka (dge bsnyen): the complete upāsaka and the upāsaka of pure conduct. Of these, the first renounces killing, stealing, lying, sexual misconduct, and alcohol. The second renounces all sexual activity. Laypeople who are practicing the twenty-four-hour upavāsa discipline (bsnyen gnas) observe the ten precepts of the śrāmaṇera ordination but are allowed to use gold and so on as a means of sustaining their families. See TPQ, Book 1, pp. 287–88.

  74. Those who received the śrāmaṇera (dge tshul) ordination abstain from four root faults: killing a human being, stealing, lying, and sexual activity. In addition they renounce intoxicating substances; singing and dancing and so forth; the wearing of ornaments, perfumes, and so forth; the use of valuable furniture and of high seats and beds; the consumption of food at improper times; and the accepting of gold and other valuables. All together they observe ten precepts. The fully ordained monk or bhikṣu (dge slong) observes 253 precepts, while the fully ordained nun (dge slong ma) observes 364 precepts. See TPQ, Book 1, pp. 288–91.

  75. Women novices in training for full ordination (dge slob ma) must renounce, in addition to the ten transgressions of a śrāmaṇera, twelve further things: the six root faults such as touching a man and the six related faults such as possessing jewels and precious metals. See TPQ, Book 1, p. 290.

  76. “Since they are composed of infinitesimal particles, the body of the one who harms and the body of the one who is harmed do not truly exist in terms of an actual harmer and something that is actually harmed. Moreover, the minds of both of them are found neither inside nor outside the body, and therefore these too have no existence as harmer and harmed. Finally, if the words of the one who harms are examined, they are not found to exist in any way. Thus the harmer, the harm, and the object harmed are all three empty by their nature. And in emptiness there is neither happiness nor sadness, neither good nor bad, neither exhilaration nor depression. Even though harm seems to occur, because it is without intrinsic being it should be understood to exist on the relative level according the eight examples of illusion: an emanated apparition, a trick of sight, etc. On the ultimate level, by contrast, all is like space. It is through such reflections that we should train ourselves in patience. The Way of the Bodhisattva says,

  Knowing this, we will not be annoyed

  At things that are like magical appearances. [6: 31]

  “And when the primordial, unborn emptiness is examined, it is as The Way of the Bodhisattva says:

  With things that in this way are empty

  What is there to gain and what to lose?

  Who is there to pay me court and honors,

  And who is there to scorn and to revile me?

  “And,

  What is there to give me joy and pain?

  And if I search their very suchness,

  Who is craving? What is craved?

  Examine now this world of living beings:

  Who is there therein to pass away?

  Who is there to come, and what has been?

  And who, indeed, are relatives and friends?

  May all beings like myself discern and grasp

  That all things have the character of
space! [9: 151–54]

  “If one habituates oneself to patience by means of many methods, it will come without any difficulty. The Way of the Bodhisattva says,

  There’s nothing that does not grow light

  Through habit and familiarity. [6: 14]

  “Thus, in this life one will become the beloved friend of all and will find happiness, and in the next life one will gain the higher realms and buddhahood. The Way of the Bodhisattva says,

  No need to mention future buddhahood,

  Achieved through bringing happiness to beings.

  How can I not see that glory, fame, and pleasure

  Even in this life will likewise come?

  For patience in saṃsāra brings such things

  As beauty, health, and good renown.

  Its fruit is great longevity,

  The vast contentment of a universal king.” [6: 133–34]

  [AC 661: 4–662: 6]

  77. “Childish beings” refers to ordinary beings—technically all who have not yet attained the Mahāyāna path of seeing. Obviously, as in the present context, the expression can be understood less technically to refer simply to people of uncontrolled mind and unruly behavior.

  78. For a detailed discussion of the samādhis and formless absorptions, see TPQ, Book 1, pp. 329–32.

  79. For a presentation of the qualities of realization, including the four kinds of perfect knowledge and the six kinds of preternatural knowledge, see TPQ, Book 1, pp. 387–89.