Opening the Door to the Dharma

In India there was no division of Buddhist texts into old and new. However, as some (tantric) scriptures were translated into Tibetan later than others, there is a differentiation made among them with the work of the translator Rinchen Zangpo being considered the dividing point. All translations prepared before his time are referred to as old texts (Nyingma). Those done by Rinchen Zangpo himself and all who followed are called new texts (Sarma).

During the earlier flowering of Buddhism, almost all the sutra, vinaya and abhidharma texts, as well as those of the three outer tantras were translated into Tibetan. Although the majority of anuttarayoga tantra texts – such as Heruka, Hevajra, Kalachakra and Yamantaka – were translated later, many of them were also prepared during the earlier period. It is precisely some of the latter that were criticized by several of the best scholars of the new period as being invalid. But those who are unbiased and nonpartisan praise these texts as being indeed valid, and I agree fully. I truly believe, as they do, that these (earlier translations) are faultless. This is because they convey the exact meaning of the profound and vast teachings of the Kangyur and Tengyur, and it is therefore entirely proper for them to be given full respect. 

The Nyingma tradition, which follows the old translations of the (anuttarayoga) tantras, accepts nine graded vehicles. When grouped together, these can be classified as the causal and resultant vehicles.

There are three causal vehicles: those of the shravakas, pratyekabuddhas and bodhisattvas. The resultant are the three outer tantric vehicles and the three inner ones of great methods. 

Although a vast number of different explanations can be given concerning the theories, meditations, practices and results of these various tantric vehicles, there is no room to deal with them here. 

There are three lineages followed in the Nyingma tradition of old tantra translations: the distant oral, the intermediate treasure and the lineage of profound clear visions.  

The Sarma tradition of new tantra translations is also called the Jowo Kadam. Belonging to it are such famous teachers as Atisha, Gyalwa Dromtonpa and the Three Kadam Brothers, as well as many other extraordinary teachers who followed. The roots of the Sakya, Kagyu and Gelug traditions were all intertwined in this Old Kadam.  

Manjushri Je Tsongkhapa, firmly grounded in (all three lineages of) the Old Kadam tradition, wrote extensively on vinaya, sutra, Madhyamaka, prajnaparamita, tantra and so forth; and the (Gelug) tradition that developed from him came to pervade the entire (Tibetan Buddhist) world. He elucidated the profound points of sutra and tantra in accord with their intended (meaning) in his excellent explanations. They had the special feature of having derived from the treasury of the profound discrimination of his special deity (Manjushri) and his own analysis.

The Sakya tradition was established by the Five Sakya Patriarchs, who upheld the sutra and tantra teachings of many great Indian pandits-mahasiddhas such as Vajrasana, Naropa and Virupa, the King of Yogis. This dynastic lineage of the Khon family also follows the Samyak and Vajrakilaya tantra practices of the Nyingma tradition, and many extraordinary and special teachings of the Sakyapas still flourish today, undeclined. Sakya Pandita, the crowning jewel of all wise men of the Southern Continent, defeated in debate the non-Buddhist Indian scholar (Harinanda) – a feat performed at that time by no other Tibetan masters of whom we know. There are three traditions that hold the teachings of Sakya Pandita: the Sakya, Ngor and Tsar. There are three additional traditions rooted in the Sakya one itself: the Bulug, Jonang and Bodong. But there are only minor differences in their explanations of sutra and tantra. 

The Kagyu traditions came from Naropa and Maitripa. Marpa, Jetsun Milarepa and Gampopa were their three most outstanding masters. From them four major and eight minor traditions are traced, many of which derived a great deal from Pagmodrupa, a disciple of Gampopa. Even nowadays four are still extant and undegenerated. These are the Karma, Drugpa, Drikung and Taglung traditions. The lineages of the others, however, are in a seriously weakened condition at present. The Tibetan yogi Khedrub Khyungpo Naljor studied in India with two dakinis as well as with Rahulagupta, Maitripa and many others. Altogether he studied with 150 pandit masters, and upon his return to Tibet prorogated what came to be known as the Shangpa Kagyu tradition. Nowadays, this is no longer held separately by anyone. Its lineages of empowerments and oral transmissions, however, are preserved primarily in the Sakya and the other Kagyu traditions. 

There are many additional traditions of tantric practice in Tibet. For example, the chod rite of cutting off demonic interferences comes from the Zhije or Pacifier tradition. This was founded by the Tibetan yogini Machig Labdron, following the teachings of the Indian mahasiddha Padampa Sanggye. But in fact, all these traditions differ only in name. In essence they all converge on one point: each and every one of them teaches methods for attaining the same ultimate goal, the full enlightenment of Buddhahood. 

Differences between the Traditions in Terms of Their Approach

Although it is popularly thought that Sakya and Ganden specialize in explanations and the Nyingma and Kagyu in practice, but in fact, what the pandits and scholars of old have said is: “The Nyingmapas were the pioneers of the Dharma in the Snow Land (Tibet). The Kadampas were the source of a hundred thousand upholders of the teachings. The Sakyapas expanded and spread the complete Dharma. The Kagyupas offered a secret path for the incomparable master meditators. Among the expounders of excellent doctrines, Je Tsongkhapa was like the sun. Jonangpa Taranatha and Buton were the two great masters of the vast and profound tantra teachings,” and this explanation accords with what is so. 

Treasure Teachings and the Issue of Their Validity

The terma or spiritual treasure teaching tradition of the Nyingmas derives from the great teacher Guru Rinpoche, Padmasambhava of Ugyan. After coming to Tibet and instructing King Tri Songdetsen and his entourage in many common as well as uncommon teachings, he concealed them to protect and preserve the Dharma against future degenerate times. Actually, there were two types of treasure teachings: those concealed in the earth and those concealed in the mind. Later, at appropriate times, supreme beings who were incarnations (of Guru Rinpoche himself) revealed these treasure teachings, and they have provided much benefit and happiness for many limited beings and for the Buddhas’ Dharma. Lineages deriving from clear visions and whispered teachings are found in many forms in both the old and new translation traditions. 

The few scholars, however, who have questioned the validity of lineages deriving from treasure teachings, would do well to consider the purpose and reasons (for their criticism), since these concealed teachings are established as valid by the three standard criteria. Therefore, whoever shows disrespect for these teachings commits the serious mistake of disparaging the Dharma. As the consequences of such a destructive action are extremely grave, special care is needed. Nagarjuna revealed the Prajnaparamita Sutra in One Hundred Thousand Verses. Similarly, great Indian mahasiddhas have retrieved tantric treasure teachings from the stupa of Ugyan Dhumatala. Thus, it is clear that this custom existed in India as well. Although there are many other examples I could cite, I shall leave this subject for now.

The Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind to the Dharma

The foundation and basis for enhancing your determination to be free (from samsara), the essence of the paths of these various teachings explained like that, is maintaining the ethical discipline of whichever of the seven sets of pratimoksha vows of first liberation is appropriate (for you) and meditating on the difficulty of obtaining (a precious human form) with respites and endowments. As valuable as a wish-fulfilling gem, it will be difficult in the future to obtain a similar form endowed with such leisure. 

This life is impermanent; it will not last forever. Death comes quickly and you cannot predict when you will die. It may happen suddenly when you are still young, middle-aged or very old. At any moment, there are far more chances of dying than of remaining alive. By contemplating over and again on such things as the passage of the years, months and seasons and how enemies sometimes become your friends, try always to stay mindful of impermanence. 

When you die, it is not as though you disappear into the sphere of space. Nor are human beings always reborn as humans and horses as horses. Limited beings are thrown into various rebirth states by the force of the karmic potential they have built up. Whether someone is reborn lofty or lowly, rich or poor, powerful or meek, handsome or ugly, is all determined by their constructive, destructive and mixed karmic potentials. That is why there are so many different states of compulsive existence. 

All constructive and destructive actions are condensed into ten general categories apiece. Their effects are of four kinds: (1) the fruits that ripen in the form of your rebirth state, (2) those that correspond to their cause in your experience and (3) in your instinctive behavior, and (4) those that are comprehensive. It is as a combination of these four kinds of effects that all constructive and destructive actions ripen into their respective fruits.  

But, if you have not committed a given karmic action, you can be sure that you will not meet with its consequences. Moreover, once you have committed one, you must remember that it was never futile. Its fruits will ripen in time on whoever committed the action (and on no one else). You can experience the effects of your karmic actions either during this life, the next or any one after that. You should refer to the sutras, Indian treatises and their commentaries for more detailed explanations of the various aspects of cause and effect, such as the karma about which there is certainty of experiencing its effect, that about which there is no such certainty, and so forth.

The actual practice of cause and effect, of abandoning destructive actions and undertaking constructive ones, is the heart of the Buddha’s Dharma, while the four noble truths and the law of dependent origination condense its essential points. By means of their karmic actions, wandering beings roam all six possible states of rebirth, the three worse and the three better.

In short, not even a single speck on the three planes of desirable sensory objects, ethereal forms or formless beings is without faults. Beings there are tormented (in general) by the suffering of suffering, the suffering of change and all-pervasive suffering and are overwhelmed by the sufferings to each of the six classes of rebirth. From destructive karmic potential comes suffering as the result, from tainted constructive karmic potential rebirth in a higher state and by unwavering karmic potential of mundane absorbed concentration one is thrown into a state of one of the dhyana levels (on the plane of ethereal forms) or one on the plane of formless beings. But even they have not rid themselves of the root of samsara, and so they fall once more to a (lower) samsaric state, thrown by craving and an obtainer into further existence. 

Thus, to remain in samsara is like living in a pit of fire or together with a nest of poisonous snakes. So do not aspire in your mind for the happiness of samsara. Generate instead a sound mind with the determination to be free from compulsive rebirth. 

Qualifications of a Spiritual Master

The basis for entering the path to liberation from the sufferings of samsara depends on entrusting yourself to a spiritual master. He must have tamed his mind well by having listened to many teachings. Keeping pure morality, he must be established in the enlightening aim of bodhichitta. He must hold a correct view (of voidness), as well as possess great loving kindness and the ability to cut off all interpolations in others. Finally, he must keep (purely the vows and) close bonding practices from the tantric initiations. Entrusting yourself to such a guru, you should practice in accord with his words, just as he says. By generating belief and confidence (in his good qualities) and appreciation (of his kindness), you can achieve all goals. Therefore, cherish entrusting yourself to an excellent guru (having all the above qualifications).  

The guideline instructions of a guru are like the nectar of immortality. The more you hear of them, the more you should think about, meditate on and put them into practice without ever tossing them aside. Just to hear them, however, is of no benefit. As is the case with water, if you do not drink, it cannot remove your thirst. Therefore, (for the optimal practice conditions,) retreat to an isolated mountain slope. 

Safe Direction and Bodhichitta

Taking safe direction is the stable foundation of all paths (to liberation and enlightenment) and the stable foundation for all vows. It differentiates Buddhists from non-Buddhists and is accepted by both humans or the gods. By means of it, all masses of good things for this and future lives will be fulfilled. Therefore, it is fitting that you turn your mind to the Triple (Gem) – to the Buddhas, true teachers; to the Dharma, true protection; and to the Sangha, true guides – and generate non-fallacious confident belief (from your heart), not merely from your mouth. Then you must safeguard well the trainings from having taken safe direction.

The mainstay of the Mahayana path is the enlightening aim of bodhichitta. It is the essence churned from the milk of the hallowed Dharma. Without it, no matter what sutra or tantra practice you may pursue, it will lack any inner essence, like the (hollow) trunk of a plantain tree. 

Furthermore, sentient beings extend to the ends of space and, throughout the succession of one’s beginningless lives, this countless number of sentient beings have been your father and mother in an infinite number of lives and have benefited you beyond imagination. Therefore meditate on love and compassion toward everyone – friends, enemies and those to whom you are indifferent and equanimity toward all of them, parted from being close to some and distant from others, attracted to some and repulsed by others. Direct the actions of your body, speech and mind toward what is constructive and always have excellent thoughts to benefit others and offer special, noble prayers (to this end).  

Understanding of Voidness

The way to generate a correct view of voidness on your mental continuum is to cherish putting great effort into building up your network of positive potentials and cleansing yourself of all obscurations. For this purpose, you should perform the seven-limbed puja, make prostrations and circumambulations, read sutras, chant mantras and dharanis, and recite the Declaration before the Thirty-five Buddhas. 

Further Preliminary Practices

If you make a great effort while applying the four opponent forces sincerely, you can purify and cleanse yourself of all negative potentials, obstacles, faulty actions and broken vows. Finally, you should be sure to make repeated mandala offerings, the heart of building up this network (of positive potential).  

If you build up (this network of positive potential) like that, connected with the voidness that your discriminating awareness apprehends as the lack of the three circles (the subject, the object and the action of these constructive deeds) being self-established, that is called the network of deep awareness. From a network of positive potential, you obtain the Form Bodies of a Buddha, and from a network of deep awareness, a Dharmakaya. 

Shamatha and Vipashyana

In order to generate on your mental continuum perseverance in both building up and cleansing like that and a correct view (of voidness), you must first rely on abandoning the five deterrents to concentration by relying on the eight composing mental faculties to train your mind through the nine stages of settling the mind and seek to attain a stilled and settled state of mind (of shamatha). In this way, you will be able to give rise to a state of absorbed concentration, with bliss, clarity and non-conceptuality that is focused either on a supporting object or without a support.  

Like this, however, will only help to suppress your disturbing mental factors. Therefore (to eliminate them completely), you must develop complete conviction in a correct view of voidness gained in vipashyana meditation. 

The beginningless root of samsaric existence is grasping for atman-like truly identities. In order to eradicate this misknowing from its root source, you definitely must meditate on voidness. Therefore, to destroy your automatically arising self-grasping itself that thinks of a “me” supported on a cluster gathered together from the five aggregates, cherish analyzing it with a detailed examination.  

Analyze in accord with what derives from the Madhyamaka lines of reasoning – (for example) whether a person and the aggregates are either identical or totally different, and so on – and you will come to the definite conclusion that persons lack an atman-like identity. Thoroughly analyze, also, all the parts of the aggregates for an atman-like identity of phenomena, abbreviated as cognized objects and object cognizing minds. When you have gained decisive awareness of the meaning of the lack of atman-like identities, you will come to the definite conclusion that all phenomena, abbreviated as those of compulsive existence and those of tranquil nirvana, lack (self-established) arising. 

You will then comprehend the line of reasoning of dependent arising (that all phenomena are devoid of being self-established because) everything dawns equally and (because), from their state of being devoid of (self-established) arising, phenomena automatically dawn without obstruction. When (your comprehension) produces experiences of understanding the non-difference between voidness and dependent arising comes about, then by cognitively holding on to them, totally absorb yourself, for as long as you can, in the sphere of Madhyamaka, free of conceptual fabrication, non-conceptual and without adulteration.   

In short, the unified pair of the discriminating awareness of an exceptionally perceptive state of vipashyana and a stilled and settled state of shamatha, unwavering and single-pointed, that possesses the discriminating awareness that apprehends in detail and that alternates the two: discerning and stabilizing (meditation) is the meaning of meditation on far-reaching discrimination, the Mother of the Triumphant Ones, called “the correct view (of voidness).”  

The Five Pathway Minds and Ten Bhumi Stages

From meditation that is properly settled without wavering from this view, parted from the eight extremes and all mental fabrication, and pure conduct in accord with the excellent path of the bodhisattvas, you will complete, as the result, (your progress through) the five pathway minds and ten bodhisattva stages. You will thus attain enlightenment, the greatest purified state, and be able to spontaneously fulfill the aims of both yourself and others.

Alas, in such times as these, in an era of five deteriorations, many of the great realized beings have passed away, and the whole world is filled with people like myself talking nonsense. Nowadays, the antigods are laughing with joy, and the gods favoring virtue have withdrawn far away. The teachings of the Buddha have become like mere paintings of butter lamps. O compassionate gurus, take note of this! Those of you who care for the propagation and preservation of Buddha’s teachings should make a concerted effort to abandon all obstacles and to understand the texts and practices of the Dharma so that you can both realize and teach it yourself. Without ever being lax in the ten-fold constructive practice, make repeated requests and offerings to build up your network of positive force.

The community of Buddhists (sangha) should all be friendly to each other, so abandon all divisive talk of sectarianism. Do not take sides and say that this is my sect and that is his. Do not fabricate contradictions in the teachings (of the many traditions of Buddha, for there are none). Do not belittle the Dharma (by saying there are such contradictions). Buddha’s teachings are as vast and deep as the ocean. Understand that all are intended as methods for taming your own mind and practice them sincerely. Externally be peaceful and relaxed, with body, speech and mind always under control, and inwardly self-aware, being ever mindful and alert. 

As in the (tenth) prophetic dream of King Krikin (in which eighteen people tore at a cloth), Buddhism in India was fought over by the eighteen early Hinayana schools and so eventually declined. Even to the north, in Tibet, the seeds of demonic sectarianism have been sown in the (Mahayana Traditions of the) Sakya, Gelug, Kagyu and Nyingma. Sectarian disputes (contribute nothing to the Dharma, but) merely agitate and disturb people’s minds, causing great confusion and misunderstanding about it. By holding such opinionated views, you ruin both this and all future lives through causing yourself and others to suffer the unfortunate consequences (of denying the Dharma). As there is no point in this whatsoever, abandon such sectarian ideas completely and preserve Buddha’s teachings. 

Buddha, who attained a state free from all fears, declared that his teachings could not be torn apart by anyone outside their fold. For example, a lion’s body will be consumed from within by worms and insects, (but no animal is able to kill him from without). Similarly, Buddha’s teachings will fall apart only because of those within them – this has been prophesied in the sutras. By remembering and always being aware of this, ward off this internal consumption by abandoning and practicing what is appropriate. Lay people at home should make offerings to the Three Jewels of safe direction and think only to benefit others. Making efforts to act constructively is the only way to be happy both in this and in all future lives. 

As for myself, I am now close to death and experiencing the sufferings of old age. All I can do is make good and pure wishes for the preservation of Buddha’s Dharma. Although I have no powers or abilities to benefit the teachings directly, I am always praying hard for the propagation of the Dharma. 

May the feet of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, the source of all happiness and benefit for Tibet, the Land of Snow, be firmly planted for a long and fruitful life. May the lifespans, deeds and constructive actions of all the great gurus and masters – the Amitabha Buddha Panchen Lamas, the Gyalwa Karmapas, the Manjushri Sakyapas and all the others – ever increase. May the heads of state, ministers and people of the noble land of India be as happy and prosperous as in the early days of this era. May the teachings of the Buddha flourish once more. May the beat of the great drum of the Dharma of the Tripitaka be heard throughout the universe up to the highest celestial realm and may everything be auspicious.

This work, called “Opening the Door to the Dharma: A Brief Explanation of the Essence of the Buddha’s Numerous Vehicles,” has been hurriedly composed with pure wishes and good thoughts, at the request of the Political Officer of Sikkim, by the one who holds a tulku name of Tibet, Jamyang Khyentse, but who is in fact the quite ignorant Chokyi Lodro. By the positive force of this work may the teachings of the Buddha and all limited beings be benefited.