Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
57 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
Give the Sanskrit and Tibetan words for Buddhist discipline, and explain the literalmeaning of the term.
|
The Sanskrit word for "Buddhist discipline" is vinaya, and the Tibetanword is dulwa. The word means "to tame," or "to discipline," or "tocontrol." As Master Ngulchu Dharma Bhadra points out, "The collectionof scripture known as 'Buddhist discipline' (vinaya) is so called becausewe use what it treats as its subject matter—that is, the ethical behaviorof abandoning the seven bad deeds, along with their group—to tame themental afflictions, as well as to control the senses.
|
|
|
Describe the relationship between Buddhist discipline, and Lord Buddha and histeachings.
|
It is stated that, from the point of view of subject matter, the collectionof scripture on Buddhist discipline constitutes the highest teachings ofthe Buddha, for two reasons. In essence these teachings are sufficientto represent the entire instructions of the Buddha. And because theyilluminate the rules of ethical behavior, these teachings can also act asa substitute for the Buddha himself.
|
|
|
Explain the role of the extraordinary training of an ethical way of life in thedevelopment of the other two extraordinary trainings, especially as explained by JeTsongkapa in his Epistle on Ethics.
|
In his Epistle, Je Tsongkapa mentions that even in his time very fewpeople recognized the fact that the extraordinary training in meditativeconcentration had to precede the extraordinary training in wisdom: aperson cannot perceive emptiness directly without reaching a high levelof meditative concentration. Then he states that by his time as well, thefact that the extraordinary training in an ethical way of life is aprerequisite for the training in concentration had already been forgotten.He states that a clean and undisturbed state of mind is produced by anethical life style, and is as necessary to see emptiness as a clear andundisturbed pond is in order for a reflection of the moon to appear init distinctly.
|
|
|
Name the two root sutras for the subject of Buddhist discipline.
|
a) The Sutra on the Vows of Freedom for Full Monks
b) The Sutra on the Vows of Freedom for Full Nuns |
|
|
Name the early Sanskrit commentary which forms the basis for the study of Buddhistdiscipline in Tibetan monasteries; also give the author, and his approximate date.
|
The Sutra on Discipline (Vinaya Sutra); written by Master Guna Prabharoughly around 500 AD.
|
|
|
Name the three Tibetan commentaries which we will use for our study of Buddhistdiscipline; give also their authors, and their dates.
|
1. The Heart of the Ocean of Discipline, by Je Tsongkapa (1357-1419)
2. The Daymaker, a commentary upon Je Tsongkapa's work by MasterNgulchu Dharma Bhadra (1772-1851) 3. The Wishing Jewel a commentary to the Sutra on Discipline by ChoneDrakpa Shedrup (1675-1748) |
|
|
Describe the motivation with which one should engage in a study of Buddhistdiscipline.
|
Je Tsongkapa says in his Epistle on Ethics: "If keeping up this ethicalway of life becomes for us something motivated only by a concern abouthow we look to others, or about the honor and gifts we might obtainthereby, then the real point of ethics is lost." We must maintain anethical way of life out of a feeling of renunciation: a true desire toescape our present suffering condition known as samsara—the fact ofour defective and suffering body and mind.
|
|
|
Give the three major divisions of the "actual commentary" section of Chone DrakpaShedrup's explanation of the Sutra on Discipline (Vinaya Sutra).
|
1. How to go from not having vows to having them.
3. How to restore your vows if they do happen to be damaged. |
|
|
Explain why the texts on the subject of Buddhist discipline often open with a reviewthe life of the Buddha.
|
Only the Buddha can perceive the subtle workings of the rules ofBuddhist discipline; what actions lead to what karmic results. Foranyone but omniscient beings, these workings of karma are in thecategory of extremely abstruse phenomena, as exemplified in the famedstatement of Lord Buddha: "Giving leads to wealth; morality leads tohappiness."
|
|
|
Name the three sections of Chone Drakpa Shedrup's commentary which are includedin the actual explanation of the root text, but come before the actual commentary begins.
|
1. An explanation of the name of the root text
3. Commentary on the root text - the statement of purpose |
|
|
Name the four major parts of the section on how to keep your vows from beingdamaged.
|
a) Relying on an outer support, a monastic preceptor, to help you keepyour vows
b) Relying on inner support, your own pure intentions, to help keepyour vows c) Keeping your vows through a good understanding of the factors thatwork against them (this is where the vows are explained) d) Keeping your vows through mastering the monastic practices |
|
|
Quote the opening line of instructions from the Sutra on Discipline concerning thepainting of the Wheel of Life; then name seven components of the painting which thesutra advises must be included.
|
Opening line: "Place the picture of the Wheel of Cyclic Life in the foyer;make it with five sections."
a) Draw the five parts representing the five types of living beings(include the near pleasure-beings with the pleasure beings). b) Add as well the beings in the intermediate state, travelling from death totheir next rebirth, spinning around a circle. c) Draw three animals in the middle to represent the three mentalpoisons (pigeon for liking; snake for disliking; and pig forignorance; draw the first two being eaten by ignorance). d) Draw the twelve links of dependent origination around the outsideof the circle. e) Draw the whole circle in the clutches of impermanence. f) Draw Lord Buddha on the top, pointing to the moon, which representsnirvana. g) Below the circle, write the two verses beginning with "take it up and..." |
|
|
Give the text of the benediction of Je Tsongkapa's Essence of the Ocean of Discipline, andexplain its significance.
|
The text of the benediction is "Om! May there be happiness andgoodness." The word "om" represents the three mysteries of theBuddhas' exalted body, speech, and mind. Here it is used to call uponall Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The "happiness" is the temporaryhappiness of rebirth as a human or pleasure being. The "goodness" isthe absolute goodness of nirvana and Buddhahood.
|
|
|
In the opening lines of his text, Je Tsongkapa mentions that the vows of individualfreedom constitute the subject matter of the scriptures on Buddhist discipline. Explainwhy these vows are given this name.
|
As Master Ngulchu Dharma Bhadra explains in his commentary to JeTsongkapa's work, "These vows are given the name 'individual freedom'for the reason that those who take and keep them properly gain freedomfrom the cycle of suffering, whereas those who act in the opposite wayfail to gain this freedom"
|
|
|
Name the six categories by which Je Tsongkapa explains the vows of individualfreedom.
|
The six categories are:
1. the vows' basic nature 2. the way they are dividedinto eight types 3. their individual descriptions 4. who can take them 5. howthey are lost 6. the benefits they give when you keep them properly |
|
|
Give a general description of the vows of individual freedom by directly quoting therelevant two and a half lines of Je Tsongkapa's root text.
|
It is a turning away from harming others,And its basis, caused by an attitudeOf renunciation.
|
|
|
What does the word "basis" in these lines refer to?
|
The word "basis" refers either to three mental bad deeds that act as afoundation for the seven, or else to those bad deeds which wereprohibited by Lord Buddha.
|
|
|
Describe the two basic positions taken by different Buddhist schools of ancient Indiaregarding the essential nature of these vows, and then name the schools which hold eachposition.
|
a) The first position holds that the vows consist of bodily and verbalactions, which consist of physical matter. The Detailists(Vaibhashika or Abhidharma school) believe that this is a kind ofmatter which is invisible and ineffable. The "Implication" groupof the Middle-Way School (Madhyamika Prasangika, the upperpart of the highest school) holds that the vows exist as form of the"gateway of the dharma," meaning as form which is the object ofthe mental consciousness.
b) The second position holds that the vows consist of the continuedintention to give up the relevant bad deeds, along with the mentalseed for this intention. The schools that hold this position are theSutrists (Sautrantika); the Mind-Only (Chittamatra); and"Independent" group of the Middle-Way School (MadhyamikaSvatantrika). |
|
|
Name the eight groups of individual-freedom vows
|
1. One-day vow
2. Female layperson's lifetime vow 3. Male layperson's lifetime vow 4. Novice nun's vow 5. Novice monk's vow 6. Intermediate nun's vow 7. Full nun's vow 8. Full monk's vow |
|
|
Name the two general groups into which all eight sets of the vows of individualfreedom can be placed, and then list which of the eight belong in each group.
|
The two groups are:
a) Those that relate to the family life. These are the one-day vow,the lifetime vow of a layman, and the lifetime vow of alaywoman. b) Those that relate to the leaving the family life. These are themale and female novice vows, the intermediate nun's vows,the full nun's vows, and the full monk’s vows. (It is important to add "relate to" since technically it is possible for aperson to have taken the commitment of leaving the home life but tostill possess only the lifetime layman's vows, and not yet any highervow.) |
|
|
Name the four primary rules of the one-day freedom vow.
|
The four primary rules are:
a) Not to engage in sexual activity; b) Not to steal something of sufficient value; c) Not to kill a human or a human fetus; d) Not to lie about one's spiritual life. |
|
|
Name the four secondary rules of the one-day freedom vow, in English.
|
The four secondary rules are:
a) Not using a seat which is too high or expensive; b) Not using intoxicants; c) Not dancing, singing, or playing music, or putting on objectslike strings of flowers, applying perfumes or colognes,wearing jewelry, or using cosmetics; d) Not eating after noon. |
|
|
Explain briefly the difference between the one-day freedom vow, and the one-dayMahayana vow.
|
The one-day Mahayana vow is taken with the motivation of reachingenlightenment in order to help all living beings. Since it does notrepresent a lower freedom vow, it can also be taken by persons withfreedom vows that are higher than the one-day vow.
|
|
|
Name the five rules, and one additional part, of the lifetime layperson's vow.
|
The five rules are:
a) Not killing a human or human fetus; b) Not stealing anything worth more than a quarter karshapana; c) Not lying about your spiritual life; d) Not committing adultery; and e) Not taking intoxicants. The additional part is agreeing never to act against the advices on goingfor refuge. |
|
|
Name the three groups of novice vows that contribute to a total of thirteen basicvows.
|
The three groups are:
a) Four primary vows b) Six secondary vows c) Three transgressions |
|
|
Describe in a very general way the nature of the vows of an intermediate nun.
|
The vows of an intermediate nun consist, very basically, of giving up sixbasic parts and six ancillary parts for the length of two years.
|
|
|
Give the number of the full nun's vows by naming each of the six groups of actionsto be given up, and stating the number of vows in each group.
|
The full nun commits to give up 364 different things: 8 defeats, 20remainders, 33 downfalls of release, 180 simple downfalls, 11 deeds forindividual confession, and 112 offenses.
|
|
|
Give the number of the full monk's vows by naming each of the six groups of actionsto be given up, and stating the number of vows in each group.
|
The full monk commits to give up 253 different things: 4 defeats, 13remainders, 30 downfalls of release, 90 simple downfalls, 4 deeds for individualconfession, and 112 offenses.
|
|
|
Give the literal explanations for the names of the six groups of deeds mentionedabove.
|
"Defeats" are so named because, in committing them, one has beendefeated by the enemy; that is, by mental afflictions and the things theyinvolve.
"Remainders" take their name from the fact that, if you perform one ofthem, there is nonetheless the slightest bit of a vow remaining that canbe restored. "Downfalls of release" are spoken of this way because, in order to repairthem, one must first release some object. "Downfalls" are so called because they make a person who commitsthem fall down into the lower births. "Deeds for individual confession" are types of wrong actions that mustbe confessed by each full monk individually first. "Offenses" or bad deeds are so called because one has done somethingwhich was not good. |
|
|
Name seven kinds of persons who cannot take the vows of individual freedom.
|
a) Persons on the continents or subcontinents of “Unpleasant Sound”
b) Impotent persons c) Neuters d) Hermaphrodites e) Persons who have committed one of the five “immediate” bad deeds f) Persons who are imposters who would only pretend to take the vowsin order to learn something to apply to their own traditions g) People with wrong views |
|
|
Name five things which can cause any of the vows of individual freedom to be lost.
|
a) Giving back your vows formally
b) Dying and transmigrating c) Having both sexual organs appear on your body d) Changing your sex three times e) Losing your core of virtue |
|
|
If a person commits a downfall, does he or she lose their individual-freedom vows?
|
According to the Kashmiri Detailists, a full monk who commits one ofthe four root downfalls does not lose his vows. According to the Sutristsand the Detailist group called “Under the Sun,” he does. The monasticsystem followed in Tibet is that of the Kashmiri Detailists.
|
|
|
Describe the two results of keeping these vows.
|
a) You attain rebirth as a human or pleasure being
b) You attain one of the three “enlightenments” |
|
|
Explain why Je Tsongkapa named his root text the Essence of the Ocean of Discipline.
|
"Discipline" has already been explained as that which brings the mentalafflictions and what is connected with them to be “tamed” or stopped;and as the ability to control the sense powers. Just as the depth andbreadth of the ocean is difficult to measure, the depth and breadth of theteachings on discipline—and especially the various rules concerningwhat is required, what is denied, and what is allowed—are difficult tograsp in their entirety. The ocean is the source of all precious gems, andjust so the teachings on discipline are the source of all the good qualitiesof nirvana and enlightenment. The most precious object in the ocean,its “essence,” is the wish-giving jewel. Just so, the vows of individualfreedom are the most essential element of the teachings on discipline.
|
|
|
Explain where the name "Tsongkapa" comes from.
|
Je Tsongkapa was born in the region of Dokam known as the“Highlands of Tsongka,” so called because the Tsongka River flowsthrough them.
|
|
|
Name the ten non-virtues, or paths of karma, which provide the basis for what is tobe abandoned by following the vows of individual liberation, and describe them eachbriefly.
|
Three bad deeds performed with the body—
(1) Killing: Taking the life of any living thing, or inducingsomeone else to do so for you (this applies to each of thosebelow also); also suicide. (2) Stealing: Taking anything of value without its being given toyou. Includes cheating on taxes, shady business deals, etc. (3) Sexual misconduct: Mainly adultery, but also oral, anal, or sexin any other place than the vagina; homosexuality;masturbation; sex with someone to whom you are related,or who is too young, or who is ordained; sex with a womanwho is menstruating, or who is pregnant more than amonth, or who has a very young infant whom they arebreast-feeding; or sex with someone for whom it hurts, orwho is sick with an illness that makes sex improper, or "inexcess" (more than five times); or sex in an improper placesuch as near an altar or temple or Lama; Lord Atisha alsosays in the daytime. Four bad deeds performed in one's speech— (4) Lying: Almost any kind of speech which gives the other person amistaken impression. (5) Divisive speech: Talk intended to alienate any two parties,who are friends or enemies; and even if it is true. (6) Harsh words: Words meant to hurt another person, even ifthey are nice words used in an intentionally hurtful way. (7) Idle talk: Any kind of wasted speech, particularly recitingprayers while not thinking of their meaning. Does nothave to be directed towards anyone. Includes wordsspoken in arguments, criticism, disputes, reciting uselessnon-Buddhist texts, useless joking, whining orcomplaining, gossip about politics, sex, etc, talk of someoneengaged in wrong livelihood. Three bad deeds performed within one's mind (8) Craving: Wishing that you could obtain the desirablepossessions or even personal characteristics (intelligence,health, fame—even spiritual) of another person. Fiveconditions should be complete: excessive attachment toyour own possessions; desire to accumulate morepossessions; some acquaintance with other's desirablepossessions; desire that they could become your own; beingovercome by this desire, without any shame or ability tostop it. (9) Ill will: Wishing something bad on another, rejoicing in otherpeople's failures. (10) Wrong views: Harmful wrong worldviews, such as notbelieving in the laws of karma and its consequences, orpast and future lives, or the Three Jewels. |
|
|
Name the three "ripened" results for each of the above ten.
|
a) From extreme instances of each, birth in a hell.
b) From medium instances of each, birth as a craving spirit. c) From lesser instances of each, birth as an animal. |
|
|
Name the two "consistent" consequences for each of the ten, following the Sutra on theTen Levels and similar works.
|
(1) Your life is short, and you get sick easily.
(2) You don't have enough to live on, and what you do have is all justcommon property with others. (3) The people who work around you are "inconsistent," which heremeans unreliable, and you find yourself having a lot ofcompetition for your partner. (4) No one believes what you say, even when you are speaking the truth,and others are always deceiving you. (5) The people around you are always fighting against one another, andhave an undesirable character. (6) You hear many unpleasant things, and when others talk to you italways seems to you as if they want to start a fight. (7) No one respects what you say—no one thinks that what you say hasany particular value, and you are afflicted with a lack ofconfidence. (8) Your personality is dominated by desire, and you are never satisfiedwith what you have. (9) You are always finding yourself without help, or never find the helpyou need; and you are always hurting others, or always being hurtby others. (10) You become a person who keeps harmful views, or a deceitfulperson. |
|
|
Great Lamas of the past have described the "consistent" consequence in a differentway. Describe it.
|
They say that the “consistent” cause also involves the habit of enjoyingthe particular wrong deed, of having a natural attraction towards it.
|
|
|
Describe the "environmental" consequence of performing each of the ten.
|
The following answers are taken directly from the Great Book on theSteps of the Path, by Je Tsongkapa:
(1) The consequence of killing expresses itself in the outer worldaround you. Food, drink, medicine, the crops in the fields,and other such things have very little power; they arealways inferior; they have little nutrition or potency; theyare hard to digest, and they cause disease in you. Becauseof this the majority of the living beings around you diebefore reaching the end of a full life. (2) Because you have stolen, then the crops are few and farbetween; the crops have no power to remove hunger; theyspoil; they never come up; dry spells stay on too long; itrains too much; the crops dry up, or die off. (3) Because you have done wrong sex, you live in a place wherethere is urine and feces all around, and mud and dirt andfilth, and everything stinks, and everywhere seemsunpleasant and distasteful. (4) Because you have lied, you live in a world where, when youundertake farming or some work in cooperation with otherpeople, in the end the work fails to prosper, and the peoplecan't work well together, and for the most part everyone ischeating one another, and is afraid, and where there aremany things to be afraid of. (5) Because you have split people up with your talk, the veryground in the place you live is all uneven, covered withcrags and gullies, full of highs and lows, so that you cantravel only with difficulty, and where you are alwaysafraid, and there are many things to be afraid of. (6) Because you have spoken harsh words, the ground where youlive is covered with obstacles like the trunks of fallen trees,and thorns, and stones, and clods of dirt, and lots of sharpbroken pieces of glass; it's rough, and dreary; no streams,or lakes, or springs of water; the whole earth is parched,poisoned with salt and borax, burning hot, useless,threatening; a place where there are many things to fear. (7) Because you have talked meaninglessly, fruits refuse to growon the trees, or they start to grow at the wrong times, neverat the right times, and seem ripe when they're still not ripe,or their roots are frail, or they can't stay long; there are noplaces to take your leisure, no parks, no glades, no pools ofcool water, and many things around to make you afraid. (8) Because you have coveted what others have, then each andevery good thing you ever manage to find starts to getworse and worse, less and less with the passing of each ofthe four season, and in every month, and even day by day. (9) Because you have wished bad things on others, you live in aworld of chaos, where diseases spread, and evil iseverywhere, and plague, and conflict, and fear from thearmies of other nations; where there are many lions orleopards or other dangerous animals; where there areeverywhere venomous snakes or scorpions or poison bitingworms; surrounded by harmful spirits, and thieves ormuggers, and the like. (10) Because you have held wrong views, then you live in a worldwhere the single highest source of happiness is steadilydisappearing from the earth; a world where people thinkthat things that are unclean and things that are sufferingare actually nice, and happy; a world where there is noplace to go, no one to help, nothing to protect you. |
|
|
Give the name of the text that we will use for our study of the steps of the path toEnlightenment; also give the name of its author and his dates. Then give the same forthe commentary to this work that we will study.
|
We will be studying the Song of My Spiritual Life, also known as theBrief Presentation of the Steps of the Path, written by Je Tsongkapa,Lobsang Drakpa (1357-1419). The commentary we will use is the BriefIllumination of the Essence, written by the Choney Lama Drakpa (1675-1748).
|
|
|
Why does Je Tsongkapa bowdown to Gentle Voice, Manjushri, at the very beginningof his work?
|
The point is that Je Tsongkapa, who is actually an emanation ofManjushri, has practiced and made supplication to Manjushri, and thusmet Him directly, and learned from Him all that he has taught.
|
|
|
Describe briefly the personages of the lineage who are presented in each of the firstfive verses of Je Tsongkapa’s text.
|
a. Lord Buddha, whose body is produced by millions of virtues; whosespeech fulfills the hopes of infinite beings by teaching them; andwhose mind sees the totality and true nature of all knowablethings.
b. The Undefeatable Loving One (Maitreya) and Gentle Voice(Manjushri), full Buddhas who emanate on this planet, pretendingto be bodhisattvas, in order to carry on the Buddha’s teachings;most especially, the lineages of widespread bodhisattva activitiesand of the profound view of emptiness, respectively. c. Masters Nagarjuna and Asanga, the innovators, who commented uponthe Mother of the Victors just as it was meant to be. d. Lord Atisha, who relied upon the masters Lama Serlingpa andVidyakokila to learn the traditions of widespread activity and theprofound view of emptiness as they came down respectively fromMaitreya and Asanga, and Manjushri and Nagarjuna; and whothen combined these two currents into the teachings of the steps. e. The Lamas of the Lineage, including our own root Lama, who teachthe supreme entry point to their disciples. |
|
|
Explain the metaphors of the wish-giving jewel and the ocean.
|
The teachings on the steps of the path are like a wish-giving jewel inthat they provide the fulfillment of every wish for those who seekfreedom, since when practiced properly they lead to the higher birthsand definite good. These teachings are like an ocean in that theycombine all the meaning of the multitude of perfect Buddhist scriptures.
|
|
|
Name and briefly explain the four special qualities of the teachings on the steps toenlightenment.
|
a) You realize that, insofar as they are all direct or indirect factors inreaching enlightenment, absolutely all of the Buddha’s teachingsare free of any inconsistency at all.
b) All of the high speech of the Buddhas strikes you as personal advice. c) You will easily grasp the true intent of the victorious Buddhas; thatis, how each and every teaching they give is directed at ourreaching Enlightenment, and how nothing they say is ever not sodirected. d) You will be protected from the Great Mistake of rejecting any of theBuddhist teachings, because of this realization that they allcontribute to one’s reaching Enlightenment. |
|
|
Explain one of the major benefits of learning and teaching the steps of the path.
|
Since the teachings on the steps of the path incorporate each and everyone of the teachings of the Buddha in both the greater and lesser ways,then in just a single period of studying or teaching the steps a persongains the virtue of listening to and explaining the teachings in theirentirety.
|
|
|
Finding a proper relationship with one's Lama is considered the foundation of theentire Buddhist path. Name and briefly describe the ten qualities of a qualified Lama,from the classic source—the Ornament of the Sutras.
|
(1) “Controlled,” in the sense of possessing the training of living anethical life.
(2) “Peaceful,” in the sense of possessing the training of concentration. (3) “Completely peaceful,” in the sense of possessing the training ofwisdom. (4) “With exceeding qualities,” in the sense of possessing spiritualqualities which are much greater than those of the prospectivedisciple. (5)”Having effort,” in the sense of dedicating great effort to achievingthe two ultimate goals of oneself and others. (6) “Rich in scripture,” in the sense of having studied deeply the threecollections of scripture. (7) “With a deep realization of suchness,” in the sense of having realizedemptiness. (8) “A master teacher,” in the sense of teaching exactly in accordancewith the disciple’s capacity, and as slowly as necessary. (9) “The image of love,” in the sense of teaching out of a motivation oflove for the disciple, rather than out of a desire for material gain,respect, or fame. (10) “Overcome all distaste,” in the sense of never tiring to teach overand over again until the disciple understands. |
|
|
Explain the karmic cause of these ten qualities for the Lama.
|
Assuming these qualities bring joy to the Lama, the fact that he or shesees them in himself or herself is caused by their own good karma in thepast, in relation to Lamas—and particularly by lama devotion.
|
|
|
Explain the karmic cause of these ten qualities for the disciple.
|
Assuming the qualities are beneficial to the disciple, they are broughtabout by similar causes—by great good deeds performed with Lamas inthe past. The point of these two questions is that the Lama’s nature isempty, and that both the Lama and the student see the Lama in whateverway they are forced to by their own past karma. The two perceptionscan even be opposite, the student perhaps seeing faults in the Lama, andthe Lama perceiving themselves as enlightened angels. The more purethe disciple becomes, the more pure they will realize the Lama is.
|
|
|
Name and describe briefly the eight spiritual leisures.
|
(1) Not to hold wrong views, such as believing that what you do doesnot comeback to you.
(2) Not to be born as an animal. (3) Not to be born as an insatiable spirit. (4) Not to be born in the hells. (5) Not to be born in a land where the Buddha's teachings are not available. (6) Not to be born in an "uncivilized" land, where no one keeps thevows of morality. (7) Not to be born as a human who is retarded or otherwisehandicapped, and so cannot practice the teachings. (8) Not to be born as a long-lived being of pleasure in one of thetemporary paradises. |
|
|
Describe briefly the essence of the actual Buddha Jewel, Dharma Jewel, and SanghaJewel, to which we go for refuge.
|
a) Buddha Jewel: Refers primarily, according to Geshe Drolungpa, tothe Dharmakaya of the Buddha—emptiness as it is perceived atthe path of seeing.
b) Dharma Jewel: Spiritual levels (paths), and the cessations they leadto. Refers primarily to the direct perception of emptiness. c) Sangha Jewel: The community of those who have seen emptinessdirectly (aryas). |
|
|
Je Tsongkapa mentions that it is "essential to purify ourselves" by "depending on thefour forces, continually." Name and briefly describe these four.
|
a) Basis force: The “solid ground” that one pushes against to get back upafter the fall of a bad deed: refers to going back to the basics oftaking refuge and developing the wish for enlightenment.
b) Destruction force: The intelligent regret of an educated Buddhist thatknows what kind of terrible consequences will ripen uponhimself or herself due to the act just committed. c) Restraint force: Determining not to repeat the same mistake in thefuture; setting a time limit to refrain where it would be unlikelyto do the deed again for the entirety of that time (this prevents anadditional act of lying from saying "never again" or the like). d) Antidote force: An action to “make up” for the wrong deed done; themost powerful are studying emptiness, or meditating on it to thebest of one’s current ability—the point being that one willappreciate an ethical life more and more as emptiness isunderstood more deeply. |
|
|
List the four arya (“noble”) truths according to the order in which they areunderstood; then give two divisions of each truth.
|
(1) The arya truth of suffering
a) The impure vessel, this world b) The impure contents of the vessel, living beings (2) The arya truth of the source of suffering a) Karma which is the source of suffering b) Mental afflictions which are the source of suffering (3) The arya truth of the end of suffering a) The cessation of undesirable objects by realizations or “paths,”such as the intellectual belief in self-existence which isstopped by the path of seeing b) The cessation that consists of the absence of self-existence,which is emptiness itself, or the general non-existence of aself-existent thing, which is established by the reasoningsof the middle way (4) The arya truth of the path to the end of suffering a) The paths of accumulation and preparation, which can beattained before seeing emptiness directly b) The paths of seeing, habituation, and no more learning—whichare achieved by those who see emptiness directly |
|
|
Explain the metaphor of the alchemical elixir in terms of the ultimate meaning ofdependent origination.
|
Ordinary virtues are like the common metal, iron, and only lead to moresamsara. Virtues performed with the wish to achieve enlightenment inorder to help others are magically transformed into a cause for perfectenlightenment and a Buddha paradise.
|
|
|
Name and describe the three types of giving.
|
1. Material Assistance
2. The giving of freedom from fear 3. The giving of the Dharma |
|
|
Give the classical definition of quietude (shamata).
|
Meditative concentration which is infused with the pleasure of extremeagility brought on by being in deep, one-pointed meditation upon itsparticular object of focus.
|
|
|
Give the classical definition of the “extraordinary vision” of emptiness (vipashyana).
|
A state of wisdom which is infused with the pleasure of extreme agilitybrought on by analyzing its particular object of focus, all based upon aplatform of quietude.
|
