Zasep Tulku

8/12/2019 Zasep Tulku

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A Lamp for the Enlightenment Path

(Jang-chub lamgyi drön-ma)

by Atisha Dipamkara hri!nana ("#$-%&')

1I bow in great reverence to all past, present and

Future Victors, to their Doctrine and Communities.

I shall light a Lamp for the Path to nlightenment,

!t the re"uest of m# good disciple $#ang%chub%&od.

'

In that the# are Inferior or (ediocre or )uperior,

Persons should be understood as three*

+he characteristics of each are ver# clear, and

I shall note how the# differ from one another.

-ne who b# ever# means he finds,

)ees b# the pleasure of samsara,

!nd cares but for himself alone, that one

Is nown as the Inferior Person.

/

-ne who puts life&s pleasures behind

!nd turns himself from deeds of sin,

0et cares onl# about his own peace,

+hat person should be called (ediocre.

-ne who wholl# sees a complete end

+o the entire suffering of others because

+heir suffering belongs to his own 2conscious3 stream,

+hat person is a )uperior.

4

For those pure beings whose desire

Is the highest of nlightenments,I shall e5plain the right means

6hich were taught me b# m# 7urus.

8

Facing a painted image of the Perfect $uddha,

-r in front of hol# reli"uaries and the lie,

7ive worship with flowers and incense

!nd whatever ob9ects ma# be at hand.

:

+hen with the )evenfold 6orship e5pressedIn the Deeds of )amantabhadra,



!nd a mind that does not turn bac until

+he ;eart of nlightenment is reached,

<

6ith great faith in the +hree =ewels,

$ending nee to the ground,!nd folding the hands 2'8a3

First tae the +hree >efuges thrice.

1?

+hen, because the +hought of Love for

!ll creatures is the prere"uisite,

-ne loos out on all the world,

)uffering in death, transmigration,

!nd rebirth in the three bad destinies*

11!t sight of that suffering, one suffers@

!nd he who wants to free the world

From the ver# cause of such suffering,

(ust beget this +hought of nlightenment

+hat is pledged never to turn bac.

1'

ver# "ualit# that belongs to

$egetting thoughts of such >esolution

;as been well e5plained b# (aitre#a

In his sutra, the )tals in !rra#.

1

>ead that sutra or hear it from a 7uru, and when

+he infinite benefits of Perfect nlightenment +hought

!re seen, then for that ver# reason #ou

6ill beget the +hought again and again.

1/

+he merit of this is shown e5tremel# well

In the sutra called the Auestions of Viradatta@!nd to give the essence of it,

I "uote three of its verses here*

1

BIf a form could be had for the full

(erit of the nlightenment +hought,

It would surpass even one

+hat filled the whole realm of space.B

14

B-r tae a man who owns 9ewels, and with themFills ever# one of the $uddha%fields %%



>econed as more than the grains of 7anga&s sands %%

+hen offers all this to the Lord of the 6orld@B

18

B0et another who merel# folds his hands,

!nd inclines his thought to nlightenment.+he latter&s worship is higher b# far,

$ecause in it there is found no limit.B

1:

6hen #ou get the thoughts of aspiring to nlightenment,

+hen with great effort strive to e5pand them full#@

!nd to recall #our resolve in #our other births,

-bserve full# the +raining I e5plained to #ou.

1<

! right resolve will not be furthered6ithout vows that have progress in mind@ 2'8b3

+herefore he who sees growth in the resolve for

Perfect nlightenment, earnestl# taes them.

'?

-nl# he who has lasting vows in

-ne of Pratimosa&s seven rans

Is fit for the Vow of the $odhisattva@

+here is no other wa# for it to be.

'1

+he +athagata has said that of

+he seven rans of Pratimosa,

+he glorious Pure Life is highest@

$# which he meant the vows of a (on.

''

!ccording to the ritual given in the

Conduct Chapter of the $odhisattva Levels,

-ne taes the Vow from an# good 7uru

6ho has the proper characteristics.

'

-ne who is learned in the ritual of the Vow,

!nd himself lives the Vow he has taen,

!nd has the compassionate forbearance

+o impart it %% now him to be the good 7uru.

'/

$ut if, after tr#ing, one cannot

Find 9ust such a 7uru as this,

I will e5plain another ritualFor taing the vow in a correct wa#.



'

In this latter wa#, (an9usri in a former life

!s !mbara9a begat the nlightenment +hought@

!nd as told in the sutra called

+he -rnament of (an9ustri&s $uddha%field,I write it down clearl# here now*

'4

BIn the presence of the Lords, I beget

+he +hought of Perfect nlightenment,

!nd issuing invitation to all creatures,

I will save them all from the c#cle of rebirth.B

'8

B$eginning from this moment and henceforth,

ntil I obtain the ;ighest nlightenment,I shall not permit ill%will or anger,

!varice or env#, to occup# m# mind.B

':

BI shall practice the Pure Life,

!nd renounce sin and base desire@

I shall imitate the $uddha

$# re9oicing in the vow of Conduct.B

'<

B(#self, I am not een to reach

nlightenment in some swift wa#@

I shall remain until the final end

For the sae of but a single creature.B

?

BI shall purif# the innumerable 2'84a3

Inconceivable fields of the universe,

!nd from the taing of this 2new3 name, 2henceforth3

I shall live in the ten directions.B

1

BPurif#ing the actions of

(# bod# and speech entirel#,

I shall cleanse m# mind&s activit# as well@

o unvirtuous deed will ever be mine.B

'

In essence, one&s purit# of bod#, speech and mind

(eans eeping vows with a mind for progress@

For b# practicing well the +hree Conduct +rainings,

!ppreciation of those same +hree becomes greater.



;ence, when one has striven in the vows which mae up

+he pure and perfect $odhisattva Vow,

;e will bring to complete perfection

+he ver# "uipment for Perfect nlightenment.

/

!ll the $uddhas have held that

Perfecting this "uipment,

+he nature of which is (erit and Enowledge,

Lies essentiall# in the supernowledges.

=ust as a bird with unfledged wings

Cannot fl# up into the s#,

)o without the supernowledges& power,

-ne cannot wor for the good of others.

4

+he merits which a man with the

)upernowledges gains in a single da#

Could not be had in a hundred lives

$# one who laced those nowledges.

8

;e who sees to bring to perfection swiftl#

+he "uipment for Perfect nlightenment

)trives hard for the supernowledges,

For the# are not accomplished b# sloth.

:

!s long as Calmness is not attained,

+he supernowledges will not occur@

+herefore, in order to achieve Calmness,

-ne must eep striving over and over.

<

-ne who neglects the Limbs of Calmness,ven though he strive to meditate

For thousands of #ears, never

6ill achieve Concentration.

/?

+herefore, when well established in the Limbs

+hat are stated in the Chapter on Concentration "uipment,

-ne can then set the mind in virtue,

Fi5ed on an# +opic he chooses.

/16hen #ogic Calmness is achieved,



)o too are the supernowledges@ 2'84b3

$ut obscuration is not destro#ed

6ithout the Perfection of Insight.

/'

;ence, to remove all obscuration-f his affliction and his nowledge,

+he #ogin must continuall# cultivate the

Perfection of Insight together with (eans.

/

)cripture sa#s that bondage is from

Insight being divorced from (eans,

!nd the (eans from Insight as well.

+herefore, neglect not this union.

//+o remove an# doubts about

6hat Insight is, and what are (eans,

I mae clear the difference

$etween the (eans and Insight.

/

+he Victors have e5plained that the (eans

!re all the "uipments of virtue,

)tarting with the Perfection of 7iving,

p to, but e5cluding, that of Insight.

/4

-ne who combines the master# of the (eans

6ith a true cultivation of Insight

6ill swiftl# attain nlightenment, but

ot b# cultivating merel# on%self.

/8

BInsightB is full# e5plained as nowing

+he mptiness of intrinsic nature,

In comprehending that !ggregates and)ense bases and lements do not arise.

/:

!n e5istent&s arising is impossible@

! non%e5istent&s is lie flowers in the s#@

For a thing to be both is absurd fallac#@

)o neither do the# originate together.

/<

)ince an entit# does not arise from itself,

!nd is not from another, or even from both, or is it #et without cause@ therefore it has



o intrinsic nature b# wa# of own%e5istence.

?

Furthermore, if one anal#ses all things

!s identities or multiplicities,

-wn%e5istence is not perceived@ hence one isCertain that intrinsic natures do not e5ist.

1

+he reasoning of the )event# )tanas on mptiness,

!nd of te5ts lie the $asic )tanas on the (iddle 6a#,

5plains the proof that all entities

!re empt# of intrinsic nature.

'

6herefore, lest m# te5t become too long,

I do not elaborate it here,$ut will e5plain onl# proven tenets

In order to further contemplation.

+hus, not to perceive intrinsic nature 2'88a3

In an# phenomenon whatever

Is to contemplate its on%)elf@ which

Is the same as contemplating with Insight.

/

!nd this Insight which does not see

Intrinsic nature in an# phenomena

Is that same Insight e5plained as 6isdom.

Cultivate it without conceptual thought.

+he world of change springs from conceptual

+hought, which is its ver# nature@

+he complete removal of such

+hought is the ;ighest irvana.

4

(oreover, the $lessed -ne declared*

BConceptual thining is the great ignorance,

!nd casts one into samsara&s ocean@ but

Clear as the s# is his contemplation who

>emains in Concentration without concepts.B

8

!nd he also sa#s in the on%Conceptual Progress Formula*

B6hen a son of the Victor meditates on

+his hol# Doctrine without conceptual thought,;e graduall# attains the non%conceptual.B



:

6hen through scripture and reason one has

Penetrated the non%intrinsic

ature of all non%arising phenomena,

+hen contemplate without conceptual thought.

<

!nd when he has thus contemplated +hatness,

!nd b# stages has attained B6armthB and the rest,

+hen he will gain the B=o#ousB 2Level3 and on up*

$uddha%nlightenment is not far off.

4?

+hrough the rites of B!ppeasementB and BProsperit#B

!nd the rest, effected b# the force of (antra,

!nd also b# the strength of the ight 7reat Powers,)tarting with that B7ood FlasB, and others,

41

It is maintained that the "uipment for

nlightenment is perfected with ease@

!nd if one wants to practice (antra as prescribed

In the +antras* !ction, Practice, and on,

4'

+hen, to gain the Preceptor%Initiation,

-ne must first win a hol# 7uru

$# giving him attendance and precious things

!nd b# obedience to his word.

4

!nd when the Preceptor%Initiation has been

Conferred b# the 7uru who was won over,

+hen one is purified of all sin, and 2'88b3

$ecomes fit to e5ercise the Powers.

4/+he )ecret and Insight Initiations

)hould not be taen b# religious celibates,

$ecause it is emphaticall# forbidden

In the 7reat +antra of Primal $uddha.

4

If those Initiations were taen b# one who sta#s

In the austerit# of a religious celibate,

It would violate his vow of austerit#

)ince he would be practicing what is forbidden.

44



+ransgressions would occur which defeat

+he man of religious observance@

!nd b# his certain fall to bad destinies,

;e would not even succeed 2in (antra practice3.

48;aving ac"uired the Preceptor%Initiation,

;e ma# listen to all +antras and e5plain them@

Perform Fire%offering, 7ift%worship, and the lie*

+here is no wrong in wisdom about realit#.

4:

I, the lder, Dipamarasri,

;aving seen this e5planation in te5ts

)uch as the sutras@ and $#ang%chub%&od&s re"uest

;ave e5plained concisel# the Path to nlightenment.

2Colophon3

+his completes the Lamp for the nlightenment Path

Composed b# the great !car#a, glorious Dipamara9nana.

+ranslated and edited b# the great padh#a#a of India himself,

and b# the revisor%translator Dge%ba&i blo%gros.

+his te5t was composed at the +ho%ling temple of Ghang%hung.

taen from the website of Gasep +ulu >inpoche

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