No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
|sub-themes=Tonglen | |sub-themes=Tonglen | ||
|jumbo-image=Shantideva-bust.jpg | |jumbo-image=Shantideva-bust.jpg | ||
|jumbo-text=In the eighth chapter of the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' Śāntideva presents a series of contemplative practices intended to counteract the rigid fixation with self-centered pursuits associated with the notions of ''I'' and ''mine''. However, in order to engage with those practices one must first free themselves from the deeply ingrained tendencies toward distraction by cultivating its antithesis, concentration. While this section of the text is often referred to as the Meditation Chapter, much of Śāntideva's discussion revolves around the need to distance oneself from the sources of distraction and to reimagine our relationship with the world around us. | |jumbo-text=In the eighth chapter of the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' Śāntideva presents a series of contemplative practices intended to counteract the rigid fixation with self-centered pursuits associated with the notions of ''I'' and ''mine''. However, in order to engage with those practices one must first free themselves from the deeply ingrained tendencies toward distraction by cultivating its antithesis, concentration. While this section of the text is often referred to as the Meditation Chapter, much of Śāntideva's discussion revolves around the need to distance oneself from the sources of distraction and to reimagine our relationship with the world around us. Sections of this chapter are also strongly associated with the mind training ''lojong'' instructions of the Kadam school, especially the practice of ''tonglen''. | ||
|main-text=The chapter on meditative concentration begins with a declaration of the defects of distraction and the reasons we need to develop stable concentration. The introductory verses include an often cited verse describing śamatha (''zhi gnas'') and vipaśyanā (''lhag mthong'') that reference the ability to rest peacefully and the clarity of vision, or insight, that ensues from that serene state, which are the two basic modalities into which the wide variety of Buddhist meditation practices can be broadly subsumed. However, there is very little in the chapter in terms of instructions on the practice of sitting meditation, with which these two are typically associated. For the most part Śāntideva's presentation of meditative concentration is divided into its causes and the actual contemplations that are prescribed. Among the causes are the abandonment of worldly ties and discursive thoughts, craving in particular. However, both sections are concluded with odes to the conducive nature of solitude. | |main-text=The chapter on meditative concentration begins with a declaration of the defects of distraction and the reasons we need to develop stable concentration. The introductory verses include an often cited verse describing śamatha (''zhi gnas'') and vipaśyanā (''lhag mthong'') that reference the ability to rest peacefully and the clarity of vision, or insight, that ensues from that serene state, which are the two basic modalities into which the wide variety of Buddhist meditation practices can be broadly subsumed. However, there is very little in the chapter in terms of instructions on the practice of sitting meditation, with which these two are typically associated. For the most part Śāntideva's presentation of meditative concentration is divided into its causes and the actual contemplations that are prescribed. Among the causes are the abandonment of worldly ties and discursive thoughts, craving in particular. However, both sections are concluded with odes to the conducive nature of solitude. | ||
| Line 36: | Line 36: | ||
==Tonglen== | ==Tonglen== | ||
{{TermBox | |||
|classes=col-md-4 | |||
|side=right | |||
|term=Kadam | |||
|definition=The Kadam tradition, which traces its origin to the teachings of Atiśa, was the first of the so-called New Schools of Tibetan Buddhism, traditions which arose during or after the Second Propagation of Buddhism (phyi dar) in the tenth century. | |||
}} | |||
The above instructions, especially the exchange of self and other, would have a profound influence on the Tibetan Kadam school and their propagation of the teachings introduced by Atiśa that came to be known collectively under the banner of mind training, ''lojong'' (''blo sbyong''). Certain passages from the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' are often highlighted as a potential source of ''tonglen'' (''gtong len''), the practice of ''giving'' happiness and ''taking'' suffering. For example, | The above instructions, especially the exchange of self and other, would have a profound influence on the Tibetan Kadam school and their propagation of the teachings introduced by Atiśa that came to be known collectively under the banner of mind training, ''lojong'' (''blo sbyong''). Certain passages from the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' are often highlighted as a potential source of ''tonglen'' (''gtong len''), the practice of ''giving'' happiness and ''taking'' suffering. For example, | ||
{{PullBcaVerses|8.131|128}} | {{PullBcaVerses|8.131|128}} | ||
Though the specifics of these two are quite distinct in practice, they share a similar theoretical basis and there is considerable overlap in circumstances surrounding their propagation. As Thupten Jinpa, referring to the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' as the ''Guide'', explains, | Though the specifics of these two are quite distinct in practice, they share a similar theoretical basis and there is considerable overlap in the circumstances surrounding their propagation. As Thupten Jinpa, referring to the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' as the ''Guide'', explains, | ||
{{QuoteCite | {{QuoteCite | ||
|quote-text=On the surface, the relationship between the ''Guide'' and Tibetan mind training appears fairly straightforward. First and foremost, there seems to be a direct link, if not an equivalence, between the exchanging of self and others as outlined in chapter 8 of the ''Guide'' and <i>lojong</i>'s "giving and taking" (''tonglen'') meditation, which involves imaginatively taking on others' suffering, misfortune, and negative karma and giving to others one's happiness, good fortune, and positive karma. Second, the ''Guide'' is listed as one of the "six treatises of Kadam," which also include Śāntideva's ''Compendium of Training''. Third, most ''lojong'' texts, especially since the appearance of Chekawa's "Seven-Point Mind Training" in the twelfth century, seem to contain disproportionately high numbers of citations from the ''Guide''. Fourth, Atiśa's explicit acknowledgment of Serlingpa (literally, "the one from the Island of Sumatra") as the principal source for his instruction on generating ''bodhicitta'', combined with the fact that Serlingpa's approach is thought to emphasize the exchanging of self and others, suggest the ''Guide'' to be the direct source of ''lojong'''s approach to cultivating ''bodhicitta''. Finally, it cannot be a matter of pure coincidence that most Tibetan masters who have been ''Guide'' enthusiasts were also great advocates of ''lojong''. This is true from the earliest Tibetan ''lojong'' teachers, especially Langri Thangpa (1054-1123) and Chekawa (1101-75), to Ngulchu Thokmé Sangpo (1297-1371) and Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), and from Yongzin Yeshé Gyaltsen in the eighteenth century to Dza Paltrül in the nineteenth century. | |quote-text=On the surface, the relationship between the ''Guide'' and Tibetan mind training appears fairly straightforward. First and foremost, there seems to be a direct link, if not an equivalence, between the exchanging of self and others as outlined in chapter 8 of the ''Guide'' and <i>lojong</i>'s "giving and taking" (''tonglen'') meditation, which involves imaginatively taking on others' suffering, misfortune, and negative karma and giving to others one's happiness, good fortune, and positive karma. Second, the ''Guide'' is listed as one of the "six treatises of Kadam," which also include Śāntideva's ''Compendium of Training''. Third, most ''lojong'' texts, especially since the appearance of Chekawa's "Seven-Point Mind Training" in the twelfth century, seem to contain disproportionately high numbers of citations from the ''Guide''. Fourth, Atiśa's explicit acknowledgment of Serlingpa (literally, "the one from the Island of Sumatra") as the principal source for his instruction on generating ''bodhicitta'', combined with the fact that Serlingpa's approach is thought to emphasize the exchanging of self and others, suggest the ''Guide'' to be the direct source of ''lojong'''s approach to cultivating ''bodhicitta''. Finally, it cannot be a matter of pure coincidence that most Tibetan masters who have been ''Guide'' enthusiasts were also great advocates of ''lojong''. This is true from the earliest Tibetan ''lojong'' teachers, especially Langri Thangpa (1054-1123) and Chekawa (1101-75), to Ngulchu Thokmé Sangpo (1297-1371) and Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), and from Yongzin Yeshé Gyaltsen in the eighteenth century to Dza Paltrül in the nineteenth century. | ||
The purpose of this website is to provide a resource hub for trustworthy information for learning about and teaching Bodhicitta ("bodhichitta") and Śāntideva's ("Shantideva's") related texts. Unique content will be shared here and the site will act as a broker for other projects and authors that have already created quality materials, which we will curate for a wide range of audiences.
See General disclaimer for more information.