Interview with Her Eminence Jetsun Kushok Chimey Luding: #4 "Key to the Essential Profound Meaning" - Instructions on the Mental Training of Parting from the Four Attachements (Teaching given at RMDC, Colorado, by Sakya Jetsun Chimey, Translator Sarah Hardings) To you whose sublime understanding pervades all knowledge like the celestial highway, With compassion, like moonbeams, beautiful as it permeates beings, Your enlightened activity, like a wishfulfilling jewel, a treasure trove for our needs and desire, Incomparable savior, Lion of Shakya, bestow goodness and virtue on beings. Manjushri, the embodiment of the wisdom of all beings of the six realms, Sakyapa, taking human form to guide beings in troubled times, to those difficult to call by name - I bow in devotion. I here set forth the exceptional instructions of the essence of Mahayana in response to the repeated entreaties of those with purely virtuous minds, Who, by the power of previously accumulated merit, have obtained a body to support the practice of Dharma, and spontaneously achieving glory and wealth, have made offerings to [support] the teachings and teachers. The perfect and pure Buddha, without being summoned, but out of the noble, altruistic heart for the whole world, and in accordance with the thoughts, hidden [propensities] and characters of those to be tamed, proclaimed the manifold abundance of Dharma, which may all be subsumed under the two [headings] of paramita and vajrayana. Scriptural Explanation In the first, there are practices principally based on scriptural explanation, and practices of the essential oral instructions. In terms of the scriptural explanation: in the Abhisamayalamkara, Maitreyanatha taught the stages of the parth of the eight actural realizations, the meaning of the Prajanparamitasutra. The Mahayanasutralamkara includes the ideas of various mahayana scriptures, teaching the stages of the path with an orientation towards [mahayana] families, dharmas, etc. In the Madhyamakaratnamala the Supreme Arya Nagarjuna taught the stages of the parth by the two things to be accomplished: actual higher [realms] and the definite goodness [of liberation]; and that which accomplishes them: faith and intelligence. Master Aryadeva taught the stages of the path of abandoning the four errors and directing ones whole attention to Buddhahood, then perfecting the Bodhisattva activity of severing obstructions and neurotic emotions and their causes. Thus making oneself a worthy recipient of suchness, the actual practice is the teaching on the elixir of suchness. Master Santideva taught the stages of the path to attain Buddhahood by practicing the six paramitas, the essence of Bodhisattva practice, based on the free and endowed human life, and then consummating with the perfect, pure aspiration prayer. The Lord Atisa taught the stages of the path in terms of three individuals: the lesser individual who accomplishes just the benefits of the next life through giving up attachment to this life; the average individual who accomplishes only liberation through giving up the fruit of worldy happiness; and the great individual who accomplishes Buddhahood for the sake of beings. Glorious Candrakirti taught the stages of the path to accomplishing the three kayas by practicing compassion, bodhicitta and the non-dual mind at the time of being an ordinary person, and then having attained the level of nobility, traversing the ten levels by means of the ten paramitas. All of these lords who mastered the thought of the mahayana canon and [carry on] the fine tradition of unerring elucidation are certainly very amazing. For those who train their minds in the scriptural tradition, this is what is to be realized. Here, however, in our own humble approach, it is not the object of realization. Oral Instructions, Secondly, the practice of the meaning of those [scriptures] by way of the essentials points of the oral instructions. In general exceedingly many [transmissions] have occurred, but principally Lama Serlingpa bestowed [these teachings] on Lord Atisa, and the Lord Protector Manjusri gave them to the Lama Sakyapa. Serlingpa - Atisa Tradition Of these two, the first [consists of] establishing the basis of engendering bodhicitta through the four [contemplations of] the difficult to obtain, free and endowed [human life], death and impermanence, karmic cause and effect, and the shortcomings of cyclic existence. In connection, one trains for a long time in love and compassion. Then in the main practice one meditates mainly on bodhicitta in exchanging oneself for others and occasionally, when it occurs, one also meditates on ultimate bodhicitta. As auxiliary practice, there are transforming negative conditions to the path of awakening, the teachings on incorporating all the practices in life, the assessment of mind training, the commitments of mind training, and the studies of mind training. Through these methods, a glimmering becomes the decisive excellence of the path. Lord Atisa gave this instruction in Tibet only to the spiritual teacher Dromtonpa, who gave it only to the three Rinpoche brothers. After that, it became very widespread. In this snow mountain fastness, it is the Great Path as renowned as the sun and moon. To do this practice, see the sublime teaching of the fathers and sons of the princes of Chozong, and the great being Shonnu Gylchog, etc. Manjusri - Sakyapa Tradition Now, we have come to the transmission from the Lord Protector Majusri to Lama Sakyapa. The essential points of the practice are similar to those described previously. However, the main import of the contents and the sequence of meaning is espcially elevated over others. When the great Lama Sakyapa Kunga Nyingpo was twelve years old, as a result of six months of the practice of Manjusri, he actually beheld his face. The Lord Protector Manjusri then spoke: If you are attached to this life, you are not a religious person. If you hare attached to cyclic existence, you are not a renunciated. If you are attached to selfish purpose, you are not a bodhisattva. If clinging occurs, there is no vision. Contained in this speech are all the practices of the six perfections. The meaning of them is this: Parting from this life causes the mind to turn to Dharma. Parting from cyclic existence causes the Dharma to go on the path. Parting from selfish purpose clears away confusion on the path. Parting from the four extremes causes confusion to arise as wisdom.