Middling Lam Rim

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Human transcription — may contain minor errors.

The Stages of the Path to Enlightenment

to be practiced by the Three Beings1

by Je Tsong kha pa lobsang dragpa (1357-1419)

(Translated by Lotsawa Ilia Durovic©)

With veneration I prostrate to the feet of the Noble Holy Ones endowed with Great Compassion.

Bhagavan, Lord of the fields bereft of fear,

Regent of the Victorious One, Dharma Lord Maitreya,

Manjushri, Sole Sire of all the Sugatas,

Nagarjuna and Asanga prophecied by the Victorious One,

Having paid obeisance with veneration, for the sake of entering forthwith

Into the Path of the Profound View and of Vast Deeds,

Yet again, concisely, I shall explain these [topics].

Herein is encapsulated the pith of all of the teachings of the Victorious One,

The traditions of the paths of the trailblazers2, Nagarjuna and Asanga,

The system of Dharma of the Supreme Being leading to the ground of Omniscience,

The complete [presentation] of all of the stages of the path to be practiced by the Three Beings,

The manner in which the fortunate, after treading the the stages of the path leading to Full Enlightenment, will be led to the Ground of Full Enlightenment, is the Dharma which will be expounded here !

Regarding that, in keeping with the explanation of the glorious scholars of Vikramashila, concerning the importance of initially :

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  1. The greatness of the author.

  2. The greatness of the Dharma

  3. How to explain that [Dharma]

as well as the three modes of explaining, instructions regarding the stages of the path are [subdivided] in four:

  1. Teaching the greatness of the author, for the sake of indicating the nobility of the origin of the Dharma [taught]4.

  2. Teaching the greatness of the Dharma, for the sake of instilling veneration for the instruction.

  3. How to listen to and teach a Dharma endowed with the two greatnesses.

  4. The stages of how to guide disciples by means of the actual instructions.

1. Teaching the greatness of the author

Although this instruction, in general, is an instruction of the Noble Maitreya’s Abhisamayalamkara, specifically, [since] the treatise here is the “Lamp of the Path to Enlightenment5” , the author thereof is also the author of this. Moreover, the great Acarya Dipamkara-shrijnana, otherwise renowned as the Glorious Atisha had those three greatnesses, viz. :

  1. The manner of what is explained as a birth of perfect caste,

  2. The manner of attaining qualities on that basis and, after attaining [them],

  3. The manner of performing deeds for the Teachings.

  1. The manner of what is explained as a birth of perfect caste

In keeping with the “Praise of the Translator6”:

To the east, in the supreme land of Zahor,

Lay the vast city of Vikramanipura,

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In the center thereof, rose a vast royal palace,

Named “The one with the golden banners”,

It’s wealth, power and fortune,

To that of the Sovereign of the Tang7 akin.

The monarch of that land was Kalyanashri,

[And] the queen, Shriprabha,

The monarch and queen had three sons,

Named Padmagarbha, Chandragarbha and Shrigarbha.

Prince Padmagarbha had five queens and three sons.

The oldest Prince, Shripunya is a great scholar of the present age,

Renowned [under the name of] Dhanashri.

The benjamin, Shrigarbha,

Is the bhikshu, Viryachandra.

The middling [son], Chandragarbha,

Is the present Noble Guru !

1.2 The manner of attaining qualities on that basis

The manner of attaining qualities is [subdivided] into two sections:

1.2.1 The manner of attaining the qualities of scripture through great scholarship.

1.2.2 The manner of attaining the qualities of realization through practicing appropriately.

1.2.1 The manner of attaining the qualities of scripture through great scholarship.

At twenty-one, he had become a perfect scholar,

Through training in the ordinary Buddhist and Non-Buddhist sciences,

[As well as] the four disciplines of sculpture and logic, craftsmanship and medicine.

Specifically, Drolung pa says that, at the age of fifteen, through hearing the “Drop of Reasoning8” only once, he defeated a famed and learned non-Buddhist sophist through debate. His fame spread thereby far and wide.

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Then, after requesting empowerment from Guru Rahulagupta, the Lord of the Yogis of the Temple on the Black Mountain, who had received prophecies from Vajradakini and had had a vision of the Glorious Hevajra, he was given the secret name, Jnanaguhyavajra. Upon reaching the age of twenty-nine, he had become learned in all the treatises and instructions, without exception, having trained in the Vajrayana, under the guidance of numerous Gurus who had attained realizations. When the thought:

“ Learned am I in Secret Mantra !”,

arose, his conceit was cut down when Dakinis showed him in the dream state numerous, as yet of him unseen, tantric tomes. Then, in dependence on the encouragement of Gurus and Tutelary Deities, both in the dream state and in reality, [indicating] that if he became ordained, vast benefit for both the Teachings and for numerous beings would arise, taking as Abbot the great Holder of the Vinaya, the Mahasamghika Elder, Shilarakshita, who had attained a Samadhi which engaged single-pointedly Thatness on the Path of Preparation, he received ordination and took the name, Sheri Dipamkarajnana. Then until the age of thirty-one, he trained in the higher and lower baskets of reasoning, the Buddhist path of definitions and, specifically, he attended teachings under the great Vaibhashika [master], Guru Dharmarakshita at Odantapuri.

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Having become highly knowledgeable in the treatises of the Four Root Schools,he knew the fine points of what was to be practiced and what was to be abandoned, viz. [what could be] offered and [what could be] accepted [according to] the different schools.

1.2.2 The manner of attaining the qualities of realization through practicing appropriately.

**[**This has three subdivisions9:

1.2.2.1 Having the superior training in ethics

1.2.2.1.1 The manner of having Pratimoksha vows

1.2.2.1.2 The manner of having Bodhisattva vows

1.2.2.1.3 The manner of having Vidhyadhara vows.

1.2.2.2 Having the superior training in concentration

1.2.2.2.1 Having the common training in concentration.

1.2.2.2.2 Having the uncommon training in concentration.

1.2.2.3 Having the superior training in wisdom.

1.2.2.3.1 Having the common training in wisdom

1.2.2.3.1 Having the uncommon training in wisdom.]

In general, since all of the scriptural teachings of the Conqueror are included within the three precious scriptural collections, the teachings of realization also are included within the Three Precious Trainings. Regarding that, inasmuch as the training in ethics is repeatedly praised in the scriptures and commentaries as the foundation of all the qualities of the trainings in concentration and wisdom, initially, on must be endowed with the qualities of realization from the standpoint of the training in ethics.

1.2.2.1 Having the superior training in ethics

1.2.2.1.1 The manner of having Pratimoksha vows

After receiving Bhikshu vows, in the same way as a Yak out of attachment to it’s tail, when individual strands of the tail get caught in branches, will guard it with it’s life and protect [it’s] tail from being cut, what need is there to speak of the great foundation of the trainings which are accepted. Guarding each minute foundation of the trainings as [his own] life, it is said :

He became an Elder, a great upholder of Vinaya.

1.2.2.1.2 The manner of having Bodhisattva vows

Through training for long in the numerous instructions for practicing Bodhicitta which has the root of love and compassion as well as, specifically, training for long, in dependence on Suvarnadvipi, in the supreme instruction transmitted from the Noble Maitreya and Manjushri via Asanga and Shantideva, the Bodhicitta which cherishes others more than oneself arose within [his] mind.

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Engaging Bodhicitta, which was induced by Aspiring Bodhicitta, led him to train in great waves of the behavior of Bodhisattvas [and] through the worthy behavior of learning the trainings subsequent to his commitment, never going beyond the bound of the Sons of the Conquerors.

1.2.2.1.3 The manner of having Vajrayana vows

He became one of the foremost yogi through having a generation stage samadhi in which he saw his body as a deity as well as a completion stage samadhi of the Vajra Mind, specifically, he protected correctly the pledges without going beyond the bounds [ of the tantric vows]. Protecting the training in ethics of the three vows, not just courageously, but following up on the commitments [made] without transgression and if he committed the slightest transgression, he immediately purified it with the requisite ritual.

1.2.2.2 Having the superior training in concentration

The twofold subdivision refers to, for the common, the attainment of the serviceability of the mind of Calm Abiding, and for the uncommon, obtaining the extremely stable Generation Stage. Moreover, he engaged in the conduct of an adept10 for three or six years.

1.2.2.3 Having the superior training in wisdom

Having a common [training in wisdom] refers to the attainment of a concentration which is a special insight uniting calm abiding and insight, while the uncommon [training in wisdom] refers to having attained the special concentration of the Completion Stage.

1.3 Performing deeds for the Teachings

This is subdivided into:

1.3.1 The manner of performing deeds in India

1.3.2 The manner of performing deeds in Tibet

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1.3.1 The manner of performing deeds in India

Having defeated by three times the evil spokesmen of the Non-Buddhists in the palace of Bodhgaya, he upheld the Buddha’s Teachings; in addition, he spread the Teachings by clearing the base stains of incomprehension, wrong views and doubt with respect to the Teachings of both the lower and higher schools of our [Buddhist tradition]. Hence, all the schools hold [him] as their crown jewel, free of sectarianism.

1.3.2 The manner of performing deeds in Tibet

The Guru-deity, uncle and nephew11, invited [him] over and again, with great effort, sending the Translators Gyatsön senge and Nagtso tsültrim gyel wa bearing gifts, then, having been invited during the rule of Janchub ö, [he] came to Upper Tibet12 and, having been asked to rectify the Buddhas Teachings, furthered the spread of the Teachings through composing the treatise “A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment13” which wraps up the stages of practice, summarizing the key-points of both Sutra and Tantra. Moreover, through teaching the treatises of Sutra and Tantra as well as the instructions, without exception, to the fortunate during three years in Ngari, nine years in Nyetang and five years in Central Tibet and Tsang he eliminated the stains from the precious Teachings, [averting] the setting of the transmission of the teachings [and] reintroducing [them], spreading those transmissions which were but slightly present and [reintroducing] the worthy [way of] thinking for those which were defiled by the stains of wrong views. Likewise, the composition of the treatise clarifying the intent of the Muni, has in addition the three perfect cause :

  1. he was learned in the Five Sciences concerning objects of knowledge

  2. he held the instructions concerning the key-points of practice, the meaning thereof, from the Fully Enlightened Buddha, inasmuch as he was endowed with the holy, oral instructions transmitted uninterruptedly

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  1. he had received the pith of the teachings through having a vision of the Tutelary Deity.

While one is entitled to compose a treatise upon having obtained any one of these, it becomes of great perfection if all three are present. This great Acarya had all three !

How his Tutelary Deity protected him14:

As is said in “The Praise [of the Translator]”:

Having been vouchsafed visions and subsequent permissions of

Hevajra, Trisamayavyuharaja, the Hero Lokeshvara,

The Noble Tara and so forth

Both in dreams and in reality,

Continually did he listen to the profound

And vast Holy Dharma !

The lineage of the Gurus is [subdivided] into the common lineage and the Mahayana lineage. The latter, in turn, is divided into two: the Paramitayana and the Mantrayana. Regarding the first [i.e. the Paramitayana], there are two [subdivisions] into the lineage of the view and the lineage of deeds. The latter, [the lineage of deeds is subdivided] into the lineage transmitted from Maitreya onwards and the lineage transmitted from Manjushri onwards, giving three lineages [of deeds, in all]. Regarding Mantrayana, there are five systems of lineages, as well as the lineage of Tenets, the lineage of Blessings the lineage of multifarious instructions and so forth. [He was] endowed with many [such] lineages.

The Gurus from whom he received teachings directly

As is said in “The Praise [of the Translator]”:

The Gurus with whom [he] studied continually were:

Shantipa and Suvarnadvipi,

Bhadrabodhi and Jnanashri.

Many had attained siddhi,

Specifically, You had the instructions

Of the Profound and Vast lineages

Transmitted from one [Master] to the next,

[All the way] from Nagarjuna !

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You were reputed to have twelve Gurus who had obtained siddhi and, otherwise, many more.

  1. Vol. 14 (pha) of Je Tsong ka pa’s Collected Works, in the Zhol (Lhasa) edition, pp. 11-412.↩︎

  2. Shing rta chen po↩︎

  3. Actual Tibetan page numbers in the Zhol edition are put in bold letters, in the left margin. They differ from the pagination given by Gene Smith in his outline.↩︎

  4. The actual outline of the text begins here. For the outline used in this translation, we have relied on the outline of « The Middling Stages of the Path « , found in the Zhol edition of the Collected Works of Je Tsong kha pa, Vol. 14 (pha), pp. 413-440.↩︎

  5. Atisha’s Bodhipathapradipa↩︎

  6. Composed by Nag tsho lotsawa (1011-1064) who invited Atisha to Tibet.↩︎

  7. Stung ‘khan in keeping with Stein’s interpretation.↩︎

  8. Dharmakirti’s famous Nyaya-bindu –prakarana.↩︎

  9. The following section is taken from the outline of the text.↩︎

  10. rig pa, Sk. vidhya.↩︎

  11. i.e. the kings of Western Tibet (Ngari), Yeshe ö and, his nephew, Jangchub ö.↩︎

  12. stod↩︎

  13. Bodhipathapradipa.↩︎

  14. This minor outline is not included in the printed outline of this text.↩︎

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