The Third Dalai Lama's Refined Gold & Shantideva's Guide
| The 3rd Dalai Lama Gyalwang Sonam Gyatso's The Refined Gold " The Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (lamrim sershoonma) along with Shantideva's A Guide to the Boddhisattva's Way of Life (chodjug) |
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Date: 4 - 14 March 2007
Venue: Main Temple, Mcleod Ganj, Dharamsala,India | In order to view the webcasts you will need to use RealPlayer software.  |
Date : 4th-March-2007 (Day 1)
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama begins his Spring teachings for 2007 by introducing the texts: Shantideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva�s Way of Life is one of the fundamental sources for instructions on how to generate the awakening mind of bodhichitta. It is held in equally high esteem by all four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. The Stages of the Path to Enlightenment known as Essence of Refined Gold by Sonam Gyatso, the 3rd
Dalai Lama also contains an account of how to generate the awakening
mind and engage in the six perfections, while also outlining the
structure of the path. His Holiness received a pivotal explanation of
Shantideva's text in the 60s from Khunnu Lama Rinpoche, Tenzin
Gyaltsen, who had heard it from Dza Patrul Rinpoche. He also heard Essence of Refined Gold from another Kinnauri, Geshe Rigzin Tenpa.
His Holiness reminds his listeners that the Buddha
explained that suffering is the result of ignorance and will be
overcome when ignorance is overcome by wisdom. As a mark of the
importance of wisdom, he begins his explanation of the Guide with Chapter 9, the Wisdom chapter. Turning to the Essence of Refined Gold
he discusses the qualities of a spiritual teacher, praising the example
of a Lama called Namtso Ramjam, who made three pledges: not to eat
meat, not to ride any animal and not to take any payment for any
teaching he gave. |
Date : 5th-March-2007 (Day 2)
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Commenting that we all want peace and happiness, but that we have
to discover how to secure them, His Holiness advises that if we have
calm minds we will be able to achieve all that we want. He resumes his
discussion of Essence of Refined Gold, which lays out the
stages of the path to enlightenment. Stating that it is important to
choose a reliable teacher, he refers to the Sakya tradition of the four
valid factors: the valid founder, valid commentaries, valid teacher and
valid experience. The text explains how we can make our lives
meaningful, extracting the essence from this life as a free and
fortunate human being, by practising the paths of persons of the three
capacities. Because death is certain, but its time is unpredictable, it
is urgent that we consider what gives rise to favourable rebirth.
Following the paths of persons of the three capacities, not only do we
need to practise what the Buddha taught, but we need to practice it
now. How do we do begin? By identifying suffering and severing its
causes, mindful that only an understanding of selflessness undermines
the ignorance that is the root of suffering. |
Date : 6th-March-2007 (Day 3)
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Even the teaching of the
Buddha upheld at the universities of Nalanda, Takshila and Vikramashila
eventually came to an end, which vividly illustrates impermanence. Je
Tsongkhapa said ignorance blinds us to reality, karma binds us in cyclic
existence. A person of great capacity on the stages of the path to
enlightenment is distinguished by the awakening mind of bodhichitta. To
generate that, we first need equanimity, just as we need to level the
ground to construct a building. Then we need to reflect on every sentient
being's having at some time been our mother, we need to recall their kindness
and nurture a wish to repay it by achieving enlightenment for them. This
awakening mind of bodhichitta is the supreme of all thoughts, having the
potential to transform us and our practice the way an elixir transforms base
metal into gold. The Guide explores the advantages of the awakening
mind, how to preserve and enhance it, how it nurtures other virtues like
generosity, which can range from showing others concern to offering them our
bodies to do with as they please |
Date : 7th-March-2007 (Day 4)
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One who has
generated the awakening mind of bodhichitta is a bodhisattva. Generosity
is a major part of the bodhisattva's way of life. A teacher's giving advice on
subduing the disturbing emotions, on how to be less angry and more
compassionate, is an example of generosity. Similarly, another example is the
gift of fearlessness. His Holiness cites the work of various NGOs concerned
with promoting world peace and others who focus on the protection of animals. Another
contemporary example is the kindness of those who offer parts of their bodies,
such as kidneys, corneas etc to relieve the sufferings of others. Although the Guide
has no chapter on ethics, this is the focus of chapters 4 & 5 dealing with
conscientiousness and alertness. What is crucial is to recognise that our real
foe is our inner enemy, ignorance and the disturbing emotions. Ordinary enemies
can only do us limited harm, whereas the inner enemy, disturbing emotions can
trigger great danger now and in the future. Fortunately, it is a human
characteristic to recognise, anticipate and forestall danger. |
Date : 8th-March-2007 (Day 5)
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The essence of
Buddhist practice is to pacify and tame the mind. There are many remedies and
antidotes to specific disturbing emotions, but what we really need is a
realisation of the wisdom that counters the subtle misconception of self. This
needs to be supported by a sense of renunciation and the awakening mind of bodhichitta.
When it comes to anger, it is better to put a stop to it before it becomes
fully blown. On the other hand not giving in to anger does not mean that we
need to let ourselves be meekly walked over. Patience is the most powerful
remedy to anger. Paradoxically we can only really develop it in the face of
others' hostility or aggression, which is why we should acknowledge the
kindness of enemies. To the challenge that we need not appreciate this because
the enemy has no intention to benefit us, Shantideva responds that the Dharma
has no intention to help us either, and yet it does, and we revere it
accordingly. His Holiness points out that chapters 6 & 8 of the Guide,
Patience and Meditation present the essential practice of Bodhisattvas. |
Date : 9th-March-2007 (Day 6)
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The Kadampa
masters used to say that if you have contentment you are truly rich. If you are
actually wealthy, but remain dissatisfied, you cannot really be described as
rich at all. To counter the grasping that is the source of our problems we need
to understand how things lack any intrinsic existence and generate the mind
that cherishes others, which is the panacea for all our troubles. In all
situations it is important to assess what needs to be done and whether or not
you can do it. If you feel you cannot accomplish a task, don't begin, but if
you feel you can, once you begin, don't give up. His Holiness says that in the
late 60s he felt that realising emptiness and achieving the liberation of
nirvana was within reach and would be like a long holiday, but when he thought
about generating the awakening mind of bodhichitta, he realised that
while it wasn't unattainable, it would take very long and applied effort. This
is why Shantideva counsels us to detach ourselves from the childish and
immature, who will only distract us from our course. Generating compassion and
the awakening mind brings with it many advantages such as fearlessness and
inner strength. Scientists have shown that when we generate compassion, we activate
the left lobe of the brain, which is good for our physical health, whereas
anger activates the right lobe, which is physically harmful to us and weakens
our immune system. |
Date : 10th-March-2007 (day off)
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No teachings today due to the commemoration ceremony of the 48th
Anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day. His
Holiness the Dalai Lama's statement can be viewed here.
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Date : 11th-March-2007 (Day 7)
| Morning Session |
| watch now | ||||
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Afternoon Session | Video English watch now | Audio English listen now | Video Chinese watch now | Audio Chinese listen now | Audio Tibetan listen now |
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Nagarjuna, is
widely regarded as a second Buddha. Several years ago, His Holiness met an
Indian scientist who told him that reading Nagarjuna's book Fundamental
Wisdom he was proud to note the correspondence between his explanation of
dependent arising and contemporary quantum theory. Those of us who follow
Nagarjuna need to consider three points as themes of our practice, making
effort in the awakening mind of bodhichitta, generating universal
compassion wishing that all sentient beings be free from suffering and the
wisdom understanding emptiness. Shantideva, author of the Guide, himself
a follower of Nagarjuna explains that all happiness arises from cherishing
others, and all misfortune comes from self-centrednesss. He portrays the fight
with self-centredness as a dramatic struggle between the aspiring bodhisattva
self and the old selfish self. His Holiness recalls that traditionally the
Bodhisattva's career takes three countless aeons, making the attempt to achieve
Buddhahood in three years seem like ambitious propaganda. His Holiness performs the preliminaries for an empowerment of Avaloliteshvara at the request of some Chinese. The practice derives from the Bhikshuni Palmo, which His Holiness received first from Tagdrag Rinpoche and again from Ling Rinpoche. He remarks that he may have recited more Manis than any other practice. |
Date : 12th-March-2007 (Day 8)
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Afternoon Session | Audio English listen now | Video Chinese watch now | Audio Chinese listen now | Audio Tibetan listen now |
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In his Supplement
to the Middle Way Chandrakirti says that having two wings of the two
truths, conventional and ultimate truth, the king of swans soars to
enlightenment. The awakening mind is the source of what we want. We can turn
out minds to it by cultivating the wings of the two truths. His Holiness
precedes the granting of the Avalokiteshvara empowerment with the bestowal of
the Lay Precepts, the Upasika Vows. He points out that Buddhist vows are given
in dependence on taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha and that the
aspirants mind should be inclined towards liberation. Following the
empowerment, he explains the Three Essential Moments a pithy text by the
Indian adept Mitra Yogi according to Gendun Gyatso, the 2nd Dalai
Lama�s commentary. Chapter 9 of the Guide continues to examine the
objections of the Mind Only school to the Middle Way presentation, refutes
notions that the path understanding emptiness is of no benefit and establishes
that the wisdom of emptiness is the true path to liberation. Shantideva
presents reasons to establish the view of emptiness. |
Date : 13th-March-2007 (Day 9)
| Morning Session | Audio English listen now | Video Chinese watch now | Audio Chinese listen now | Audio Tibetan listen now |
