Song of Karmapa: The Aspiration of the Mahamudra of True Meaning by Lord Ranging Dorje

by Traleg Kyabgon

Overview

Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche's oral translation of the ancient text "Song of Karmapa" explains the path of resting within and transforming the mind. This song was originally written by Rangjung Dorje, one of the most important teachers within the Tibetan tradition. In this book Traleg unwraps each cryptic verse revealing its hidden meaning. An enlightening journey into ways of developing insight, compassion, and wisdom, and reducing suffering, key components within the Buddhist tradition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780648129387
Publisher:	Shogam Publications
Publication date:	01/06/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	120
Sales rank:	524,271
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Traleg Kyabgon (1955–2012) was the founder of the Kagyu E-Vam Buddhist Institute, which is headquartered in Melbourne, with a major practice center in upstate New York and a practice community in New York City. He taught extensively at universities and Buddhist centers in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia, and is the author of such books as Essence of Buddhism and Karma: What It Is, What It Isn't, Why It Matters.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

Section One The Overview

Many people have the understanding that Tibetan Buddhism, particularly in relation to the Kagyü and Nyingma schools, always has to do with some kind of visualization practice. That, however, is not true. The Mahamudra practice within the Kagyü tradition and the Dzogchen practice within the Nyingma tradition emphasize the importance of simplicity. In this way, the Mahamudra prayer by Rangjung Dorjé explains the teachings of Mahamudra in a very direct and also very simple manner.

Verse 1:

All masters and yidam deities of the mandalas, Victorious ones and spiritual sons and daughters throughout the three times and ten directions, Pay heed to me and bestow your blessings That I may attain accomplishment in accordance with my aspirations.

The Mahamudra prayer starts by asking the buddhas, bodhisattvas, deities, and dakinis to show compassion and love to the practitioner, so that whatever practice is engaged in is successful and bears fruit.

Verse 2:

Springing forth from the snow mountain of the pure thoughts and deeds Of myself and all countless beings, May streams of virtue, undefiled by the three-fold concepts, Flow into the ocean of the four kayas of the victorious ones.

This verse engages the practitioner in the practice of aspiration, which has two aspects. The first, a general one, is contained in this verse, while the second is elaborated in the rest of the prayer.

Even though a practitioner may have the desire to attain enlightenment, this cannot be achieved purely through practicing meditation as a hermit, in isolation. Rather, it is necessary to participate in a variety of activities that bear fruit, in terms of the welfare of others. According to the imaginary Buddha in the sutra Questions of the Naga King Anavatapta, the essence of the Buddhist teachings is the practice of compassion or, to put it another way, all the teachings come to the same point or are centralized in this notion of not abandoning sentient beings.

When "pure thoughts and deeds" are mentioned in the first line of this verse, what is meant is that the mind should be free of such things as covetousness, hurtful thoughts, and wrong views. Instead, one tries to develop love and compassion in keeping with the bodhisattva attitude. Therefore, one must desire to benefit others and so reorient one's life in the sense that instead of being self-centered, one becomes "other-centered." When the mind is put into such a mode, it does not generate the impulses that give rise to unskillful actions. This has been made clear in the text Twenty Vows where it is said that an "other-centered" mind will never give rise to suffering for oneself.

For this reason, pure thought or motivation or intention is more important than the action. One may try to act in a moral or ethical manner, but if pure thought or motivation is absent, one's action is not skillful. It may be moral, it may be ethical, but it's not skillful. Such behavior is not fitting for someone who has embarked on the Mahayana path.

In the sutras recounting the Buddha's previous lives, it is said that in the distant past the Buddha incarnated as the captain of a ship. He saw that, out of greed, one of the crew members was intending to kill everyone on board so that he could have all the ship's riches for himself. At that time, the Buddha realized that if he, as the captain, were to kill this crew member then he would be able to save a number of lives. Killing one person, something generally considered wrong, since unethical and immoral, became skillful in that given moment. The Buddha killed the crew member and saved the lives of the others.

In Tibet there lived a very devout lama by the name of Geshé Ben who engaged in a great deal of practice. One day this geshé was informed that his benefactors would be visiting him. On hearing this, Geshé Ben thought he should organize his retreat cell properly and try to present a suitable image to his benefactors so they would continue to support him. He dusted his shrine and made everything look neat. Just before his benefactors arrived though, he realized that his intention was not pure. It occurred to him that while what he was doing may have been morally good, he did not possess pure thoughts. He immediately went to the oven and, grabbing a handful of ash, he tossed it into the air above the shrine so that it all settled on the statues, creating a mess. Upon hearing this story, Phadampa Sangyé, a great master of the Kagyü and Nyingma lineages, commented that in behaving this way the geshé had made an appropriate offering. In fact, the original offering he had arranged on the shrine, with candles, fruit, and various items placed in front of the statues, was nothing compared to the ash he threw at the statues, the reason for this being that the throwing of the ash was done with pure thought.

The above story illustrates how one's intention or motivation has to be pure. Having developed pure thought or intention or motivation then that should manifest in deed or action; as it says in the text, "pure thoughts and deeds." When the pure thought or motivation is present then it must be expressed and the way in which it is expressed is through physical means, mainly bodily movements and verbalization; they must go together. The thought and deed, or thought and action, or intention and action, are compared to the snow mountain. The text says, "Springing forth from the snow mountain of pure thoughts and deeds ..." When one is not completely obsessed with the idea of morality but has the idea of skillful means in mind, realizing the importance of motivation and intention rather than action then one is able to see that the action must follow from the intention, rather than the other way around. All that one does can be compared to the stream which emanates from the melting of the snow. Through the meeting of these two, the intention and the action, one produces varieties of karmic imprints that are the streams that flow from the snow mountain. The snow mountain is the metaphor for the coincidence of thought and action.

Another point that should be made in this context is that if one has embarked on the Mahayana path and is concerned about one's actions or one's motivation or intention, one should rid oneself of thoughts concerned with the object that may be affected by one's action, the action itself, and the agent. This means that the object, either a person or an inanimate object, the action, and the agent that brings the action into effect, are interdependent. As things do not exist as discrete entities having self-sufficient existence, but instead are interdependent, the practitioner of Mahayana does not entertain such thoughts. For this reason, the mind of such a practitioner is devoid of these pollutants.

Chandrakirti commented in Entering the Middle Way, that even while one engages in prayer, if one's mind is not free from this "three-term relationship" — the object of prayer, the act of praying, and the agent who prays — then one still remains in samsara or the world of cyclic existence. This is because one sees the object of prayer, the act of praying, and the agent as being distinct and existing independently of each other. However, if one does not involve oneself with such thoughts then one attains enlightenment. An action free of the three-term relationship is not an ordinary action. It's called an "action of the paramita" or "transcendental action." An action performed with thoughts of the independence of object, the act, and the subject or agent is, on the other hand, a "non-paramita action."

We could say the same thing in relation to the practice of all six paramitas in Buddhism. Take, for example, the paramita or transcendental action of generosity. If a person practicing generosity does something generous and thoughts of the object, act, and agent arise, then that is not the paramita of generosity. However, when such thoughts are absent and one realizes the interdependence of this three-term relationship, then that act of generosity becomes a paramita. Therefore, the follower of the Mahayana tries to understand that the intention is more important than the action. Even in terms of an action, understanding its relativity is important, because to understand that is to understand how wisdom and compassion — which is synonymous with skillful means — are interrelated. Without an understanding of the three-term relationship, actions lack wisdom.

One must also appreciate the interdependence of wisdom and compassion or "skill-in-means." Wisdom that is developed mainly through meditation could become contrived. As a result of a lack of compassion, practitioners can become excessively contemplative and oriented towards liberation or enlightenment. On the other hand, if practitioners are only concerned with the development of compassion and applying skill-in-means in their lives without cultivating wisdom, they remain in cyclic existence and do not achieve enlightenment. Skill-in-means relates to one's action whereas wisdom relates to the mind that understands that the practitioner's action is also relative, not something absolute. Wisdom involves the practitioner's understanding of emptiness, which means seeing things in terms of relationship rather than essence and substance. Wisdom divorced from skill-in-means binds the practitioner to nirvana, while skill-in-means divorced from wisdom binds the practitioner to samsara.

So that is what is meant by, "May streams of virtue, undefiled by the three-fold concepts, flow into the ocean of the four kayas of the victorious ones." The "three-fold concepts" refer to the misconception of an independent object, act, and agent. Virtue is developed from an understanding of this three-term relationship. This can then become a seed for the realization of the three aspects of buddha's being: the nirmanakaya or manifest being, the sambhogakaya or symbolic aspect of buddha's being, and the dharmakaya or authentic aspect of buddha's being. The verse mentions four "kayas," the fourth being the svabhavikakaya, the unitive aspect of buddha's being.

The dharmakaya, or authentic aspect of buddha's being, refers to the nature of the mind itself. Dharmakaya is seen as the source from which the practitioner's own self-interest is realized, while the interests of others are accomplished through the sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya. Dharmakaya is the source from which the other attributes of enlightenment arise. The other aspects of buddha's being are a result of these attributes but dharmakaya, or the authentic state of buddha's being, in itself, is without attributes. It is a state of being which is completely open and therefore indeterminate; it is devoid of characteristics and attributes. It is compared to space itself because it is due to space that everything exists. Without space, nothing would exist, but space does not have definable characteristics, as do concrete physical objects.

The sambhogakaya, or symbolic aspect of buddha's being, refers to the symbolic manifestations of the enlightened qualities. These can arise in the form of visions or dreams. Although these images have definable characteristics, they do not have physical existence. While on the path, practitioners may be subject to many types of visionary experiences, all emanating from the domain of sambhogakaya or the symbolic aspect of being.

Then there is the nirmanakaya, the physical aspect of buddha's being, which is physically tangible and perceptible to the senses. These three aspects of buddha's being are normally called the three kayas,trikaya in Sanskrit. Kaya is normally translated as "body" and these three aspects exist as a unity; the three kayas do not exist independent of each other. This is borne out by the notion of svabhavikakaya, or the unitive aspect of buddha's being. Sometimes translators call the unitive aspect of buddha's being, "body of great bliss." It refers to the totality of being enlightened. The four kayas, or four aspects of buddha's being, are referred to as "the ocean" in the prayer: "... flow into the ocean of the four kayas of the victorious ones." The "victorious ones" refers to the buddhas. When thoughts and deeds coincide, they are like the snow mountain, and all the virtuous, positive qualities that one might develop from then on are compared to the streams flowing from the snow mountains which then merge into the ocean. These are the four qualities or four aspects of buddha's being. Jamgön Kongtrul Rinpoche says that where certain physical images are used in Indian and Tibetan poetry to describe different types of qualities of the mind then this is termed "the use of metaphor."

CHAPTER 2

Section Two The Correct Basis for Embarking on the Path

We have discussed the first two verses of the prayer. With the second verse, the core theme of the prayer is laid out. It covers the basis, path, and fruition of the practitioner's spiritual progress.

Commencing with the third verse, the prayer is divided into sections. The first section is concerned with the necessity of having a correct spiritual and physical basis to embark on the path and the prayer is directed towards realizing that possibility. Insight is essential to make progress on the path and the second section of the text is devoted to the prayer which makes it possible for the practitioner to develop correct understanding through insight. Then, because the path should be devoid of errors, the third section of the prayer is directed towards the path itself. The fourth section of the text is devoted to a prayer that enables the practitioner to apply various spiritual methods, so that the path is incorporated within one's being. The last section of the Mahamudra prayer is directed towards fruition of the spiritual quest.

Verse 3

For as long as we have not attained that, May we, throughout our succession of lives and rebirths, Never even hear the words "misdeeds" or "suffering," But enjoy this splendorous ocean of happiness and virtue.

As has been pointed out, this verse is a prayer for the appropriate physical and spiritual basis to embark on the spiritual path. It starts with, "For as long as we have not attained that ..." Here, "that" refers to the state of enlightenment. The state of enlightenment is the embodiment of the four aspects of buddha's being mentioned in the second verse. These four aspects of buddha's being possess the dual qualities of compassion and wisdom. The physical aspect of buddha's being results from having actualized the potentialities of compassion and wisdom. Wisdom is realized through the mental aspect of buddha's being. This wisdom has two aspects, jitawa and jinyepa in Tibetan. Jitawa is the wisdom that apprehends the nature of things; the wisdom that enables the buddha to apprehend ultimate reality. Jinyepa is the wisdom that enables the buddha to perceive the extent of things, empirical reality. These two aspects or kinds of wisdom enable the enlightened being, the buddha, to apprehend the dual aspects of reality normally referred to as "ultimate truth" and "relative truth." The buddha has the ability to apprehend both levels of reality simultaneously, due to the penetrating insight of this full-blown wisdom.

The second part of the verse deals with the samsaric condition. Prior to realizing the four aspects of buddha's being, the practitioner is an ordinary sentient being and so is pushed and pulled by the mechanism of causality, or cause and effect. The prayer thus makes an aspiration that, until the four aspects of buddha's being are realized, the practitioner remains free of both the cause and the experience of suffering. This is referred to in the phrase, "never even hear the words 'misdeeds' or 'suffering'".

To explain this further, the direct result of engaging in unskillful actions will be the experience of suffering. So instead of becoming entangled in the confusion of unwholesome actions, the prayer inspires the practitioner towards having the wisdom to choose actions that are beneficial. Such actions are of benefit to oneself. They are the cause of happiness rather than suffering. The prayer then goes on to state: "But enjoy this splendorous ocean of happiness and virtue." To put this in other words, it is an aspiration that the practitioner may experience a perpetual sense of wellbeing and happiness.

In order to determine what sorts of actions are non-beneficial, the text, Precious Garland explains:

All actions stemming from negative or deluded states of mind, states of mind corrupted by hate, grasping or ignorance are always unskillful and non-beneficial. They cannot be anything other than the potential cause of one's experience of suffering and misery. Actions that originate from states of mind devoid of these pollutants should be judged as being beneficial and wholesome. These actions are necessary and sufficient conditions for one to enjoy a sense of wellbeing and to experience happiness.

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Song of Karmapa"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Felicity Lodro.
Excerpted by permission of Shogam Publications.
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Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Foreword by Ogyen Trinley Dorjé, 17th Karmapa,
Foreword by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche,
Biography of Author,
Acknowledgements,
Editor's Introduction and Biography,
The Root Verses,
Section One: The Overview,
Verses One – Two,
Section Two: The Correct Basis for Embarking on the Path,
Verses Three – Four,
Section Three: The Means of Realizing the Path,
Verse Five,
Section Four: The Path,
Verse Six,
Section Five: How to Cultivate the Spiritual Path,
Verses Seven – Twenty-three,
Section Six: Fruition,
Verses Twenty-four – Twenty-five,
Notes,
Bibliography,
Terms and Names,
Glossary,