Steps on the Path to Enlightenment

A Commentary on Tsongkhapa's Lamrim Chenmo, Volume 3: The Way of the Bodhisattva

Lhundub Sopa, David Patt, Beth Newman, David Patt, Beth Newman

• Publisher: Wisdom Publications
• Year: 2007
• ISBN:
  9781614290308
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Buddhism

Geshe Lhundub Sopa's Steps on the Path to Enlightenment is a landmark commentary on what is perhaps the most elaborate and elegant Tibetan presentation of the Buddhist path, Tsongkhapa's monumental Lamrim Chenmo. In this third volume of five, readers are acquainted with the bodhisattva's path and the altruistic desire to make service to others the driving force of spiritual development.It begins with an explanation of what distinguishes the Mahayana practitioner from other Buddhists and goes on to describe the nature of bodhichitta. Geshe Sopa then provides a detailed commentary on the two methods to develop this awakening attitude: the techniques of sevenfold cause-and-effect and exchanging self and other.While bodhichitta's significance in Mahayana Buddhism is universally known, Geshe Sopa illustrates how bodhichitta can motivate a devoted practitioner toward complete enlightenment and how this is accomplished through the performance of the bodhisattva perfections. Whether engaged in a scholarly study or personal practice of the Lamrim Chenmo, Geshe Sopa's guiding voice leads readers to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the bodhisattva way.

1

The Stages of the Path for Persons of Great Capacity

3) Training the mind in the stages of the path for persons of great spiritual capacity

a) Showing that developing bodhicitta is the only entrance to the Mahayana

b) How to develop bodhicitta

i) How bodhicitta depends on certain causes to arise

a' The way to produce bodhicitta depending on four conditions

b' The way to produce bodhicitta depending on four causes

c' The way to produce bodhicitta depending on four powers

THE KIND of existence we have right now is the most excellent and powerful type of life. According to Buddhism most sentient beings do not have a life like this; most are born in the hells, as spirits, or as animals. Even if they are human their lives are often not peaceful or fortunate. In those circumstances they are not able to accomplish what they desire—everlasting peace and happiness. But we have a wonderful situation: we have physical and mental abilities, wealth, teachers, teachings, and other environmental conditions conducive for practice. From a spiritual point of view this is the most difficult type of life to attain. For a long, long time we may not have had a life with qualities like this; we have it now, but soon we will lose it and many eons may pass during which we will not have anything like it again. Because a human life of leisure and fortune gives us the opportunity to achieve a religious goal, it is not something to squander on temporary sensual pleasure; we should use it instead to gain everlasting bliss. We have everything we need, both external and internal, to succeed in achieving the highest spiritual goals. Even if we do not achieve our final goal, we can accomplish a great deal in this life.

Usually we waste our time because we do not appreciate the positive conditions that we have. This life is like a wish-granting jewel. How should we use it? While we can use it to benefit just ourselves, we can go beyond our selfish pursuits and use it to benefit all sentient beings. We all suffer in samsara; life after life, again and again, we endure birth, aging, sickness, and death. We cycle up and down without choice. Consider whether there is any method for all beings to attain freedom from this situation. If there is such a method, is it possible for us to follow it successfully? We need to study to learn how to use our fortunate life to achieve liberation.

Spiritual practitioners can be divided into three levels from the point of view of their fundamental goals.¹ The most basic spiritual goal is a high rebirth; a person striving for this goal engages in religious practice in order to prevent him- or herself from falling into lower rebirths in the future. A desire for complete emancipation from all suffering, not just from the lower rebirths but from the entire unsatisfactory cycle of samsara, is the intermediate spiritual goal. An individual of intermediate spiritual capacity fully comprehends the suffering nature of all samsara. Suffering is not just one small thing; there are many, many types of misery. This distress is not something of short duration; it is not something that lasts only a few years or even one lifetime. We have suffered in these many different ways since beginningless time. Realizing that he or she will continue to suffer endlessly into the future unless countermeasures are taken, a person with intermediate spiritual capacity engages in the three trainings: ethical conduct (śīla), meditative stabilization (samādhi), and wisdom (prajñā). It is through these practices that we can become free of uncontrolled rebirth.

But even their own liberation from samsara is not enough for those with great spiritual capacity. They see that all other sentient beings are in the same miserable situation—they all create the causes of misery and undergo the resulting suffering. Spiritual practitioners of great capacity feel intense compassion for these poor beings and decide to take on the responsibility to help them eliminate their suffering. However, even the practice of the three trainings does not completely equip them to help all others. Personal liberation from uncontrolled rebirth is not enough. They must attain complete enlightenment, because without the perfect qualities of a buddha they will not be able to save all other living beings. The great teacher Atiśa explains the nature of an individual of great spiritual capacity as follows:²

Someone who wants to completely eliminate

All the suffering of others,

Having compared it to one’s own,

Is a person of great spiritual capacity.

Tsongkhapa quotes Aśvaghoṣa’s Compendium of the Perfections (Pāramitā-samāsa) to make a similar point:³

They completely abandon the two lower vehicles,

Which have no means to fulfill the aims of the world,

To enter the vehicle compassionately taught by the Buddha

That has only one flavor—helping others.

By properly understanding the nature of reality we see everything as if it were a dream. We recognize that under the power of karma and the mental afflictions sentient beings are sometimes born in the lowest hells, sometimes have an intermediate birth, and are sometimes born in the highest kingdom of the gods. They cycle without control because they are dominated by ignorance. Not seeing things as they truly are, they act badly and their evil actions bring them suffering. How could it be right to work for just our own bliss when all living beings are like exhausted travelers who have used up their provisions and are wandering the wrong way in search of a place to rest? If we attain perfect enlightenment we will be like an oasis that satisfies the wishes of fatigued sentient beings; we will be able to provide everything necessary to alleviate their problems and misery. One of the key spiritual attitudes for the being of great spiritual capacity is the desire to help others have blissful happiness. This mindset is the essence of all the great variety of instructions taught by the Buddha. As Aśvaghoṣa says:

When you see happiness and unhappiness as a dream

And that the faults of ignorance cause sentient beings to degenerate,

How could it be right to strive for your own goals

While forsaking joy in pure actions that accomplish others’ goals?

As Mahayana practitioners we must first recognize the adverse experiences we will have to confront if we continue to drown in the ocean of samsara. Then we must see that all other sentient beings are in the same situation. Other sentient beings do not have the eye of wisdom; they cannot distinguish what should be done and what should not be done. They are in great danger because they are acting in ways that will lead them to disaster in their next life. If they fall down to the lower realms they may not be able to get out for millions and millions of lifetimes. They are in a pitiable situation. Imagine your mother blindly stumbling along a path on the edge of a precipice. If she takes a misstep she could fall to her death. How could you see this and not help her? If you have the ability to lead her to safety but let her walk on by herself it would be utterly shameful, even evil. Bodhisattvas are not like that; they clearly see all sentient beings stumbling through life unable to discern what is dangerous. They perceive each one of these pitiful beings as their own dear mother who is about to fall into great misery because she is blind to the true nature of things. They know it is not right to lack compassion for others; they know it is not right to avoid helping others. As a result they do everything they can to benefit other sentient beings.

The same text continues:

When a prince of the lineage that benefits worldly beings

Sees others stumbling, their wisdom eye tightly shut,

How could that bodhisattva not have compassion arise?

How could he not make an effort to remove their ignorance?

A bodhisattva is a prince in the lineage of the victorious one, the Buddha. This means that the bodhisattva is destined to become a buddha. Bodhisattvas have special qualities—they have developed bodhicitta and have realized or are striving to realize śūnyatā. Bodhisattvas see that most sentient beings lack the wisdom necessary to become free from suffering. There is no way a bodhisattva can be comfortable for even a moment without doing something to assist others. All day and all night a bodhisattva’s body, speech, and mind are focused on benefiting others.

This kind of practice is the great vehicle, the Mahayana. It is the way to bring all other sentient beings to enlightenment. Someone who carries the burden of helping others attain their utmost desires is the most excellent type of person. It is not very admirable to be proficient at doing things only for yourself. Even some animals are very good at taking care of themselves and defeating others. I have heard stories about birds that steal other birds’ eggs and drop them on a rock to kill the fledglings before they hatch. Later when that killer bird builds a nest, to get revenge the first bird comes and drops its eggs on the very same rock. But it is the nature of a truly excellent person that all his or her actions are for the benefit of others. Such people give happiness even to those who have harmed them. The great yogi Śāntideva says that such a person is a source of happiness and peace:⁴

I bow down to the body of someone

Who has produced this precious mind.

I take refuge in this source of happiness

That gives bliss even to those who have harmed.

Usually if we injure others they respond by trying to damage us more. But bodhisattvas never retaliate no matter how much harm others do to them. They understand that when others want to injure them it is because they are unhappy and under the power of ignorance. It is as if they have taken a drug that has made them insane. Wise people do not get angry if a friend or a loved one attacks them. They know something must be seriously wrong inside to make the person act that way, so the sick person becomes an object of even more love and compassion. Bodhisattvas cannot be happy until the other person is cured, so they try to give others peace and happiness. There are many stories about the Buddha before he attained enlightenment that illustrate this point. Once five flesh-eating demons begged for his body. As he gave it to them the bodhisattva thought, “By giving my body to satisfy these creatures, in the future may I be able to lead them to emancipation. May they become my first disciples when I attain buddhahood.” Although the demons did appalling things, the bodhisattva’s love and special dedication caused them to be the first to hear his teaching of the Dharma when he delivered his first discourse at the Deer Park in Sarnath.

The mind under the power of bodhicitta is dominated by compassion and love. Kind affection is always the source of both temporary and everlasting peace and happiness for individuals and the world in general. As a result of actions done purely for the benefit of other sentient beings we will accomplish our goals. This will occur naturally, even if we do not want something good for ourselves. For example, if you plant some apple seeds you will naturally get trees with leaves, flowers, and branches. You are planting to get apples, but you get the leaves anyway. Similarly, with the great method of the Mahayana you can accomplish many things. The Hinayana method is not like this; if we work only for our own purposes, not only will we not be able to place others in a state of happiness and freedom, we may not even achieve our own goal.

Think about the benefits of bodhicitta because the more good qualities you see, the more you will want to obtain this precious mind. Hearing, recollecting, and, of course, truly integrating Mahayana practice into your life will help you and other sentient beings. Even on first hearing about the Mahayana attitude we can begin to eliminate aspects of selfishness. Gra...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Editor’s Acknowledgments
• Technical Notes
• Introduction
• 1 The Stages of the Path for Persons of Great Capacity
• 2 Compassion, the Entrance to the Mahayana
• 3 The Sevenfold Cause-and-Effect Personal Instructions
• 4 Exchanging Self and Other
• 5 The Ritual for Adopting Bodhicitta
• 6 Maintaining Bodhicitta
• 7 An Introduction to the Six Perfections
• 8 Training in the Mahayana: Precepts and Perfections
• 9 The Perfection of Generosity
• 10 How to Give
• 11 The Perfection of Ethical Discipline
• 12 The Perfection of Patience
• 13 The Perfection of Perseverance
• 14 The Perfections of Meditative Stabilization and Wisdom
• 15 Helping Others to Mature: The Four Ways to Gather Disciples
• Appendix: Outline of the Text
• Glossary
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
• About wisdom