Distinguishing the Views and Philosophies: Illuminating Emptiness in a Twentieth-Century Tibetan Buddhist Classic

Verses of Distinguishing the Views and Philosophies: A Lamp of Essential Points

Verses of Distinguishing the Views and Philosophies A Lamp of Essential Points namo mañjußr¥ye! Homage to Mañjußr¥! The doctrine of the ground, path, and fruition that unites S¶tra and Mantra Is the greatly miraculous view and conduct of indivisible appearance and emptiness. All the Buddha’s Word and commentaries on the viewpoint, common and extraordinary, Are taught through three valid measures (tshad ma)—may the assembly of Sublime Ones be victorious! The explanation and practice of the Victorious One’s teaching are the great ma£¿ala of the sun and moon; [Through] the generation of the miraculous intent, when the time was ripe The chariot was drawn further and further north. It became the splendor of beings of the Cool Land. The earlier and later masterly scholars of the Land of Snow Explained the distinctive traditions separately without mixing them. Due to this, the four views and philosophies of Sakya, Geluk, Kagyü, and Nyingma Are widely renowned as “the four transmissions of the teaching.” The source of the river of all the Victorious One’s teachings in the Land of Snow Is the school of early translations, endowed with the six qualities of greatness. 27 28 Distinguishing the Views and Philosophies The profound essential points of its view, meditation, and conduct Are much superior to the various philosophies of others. One who knows well, without mixing, the delineations of philosophies of The respective schools of Sakya, Geluk, Kagyü, and Nyingma, and Is skilled at properly upholding one’s own unique tradition, Is certainly a being who upholds the teachings of the Victorious One. Therefore, if you want to uphold the illustrious tradition of the early translations, You should maintain all the profound key points of its view, meditation, and conduct— Completely upholding the meaning of the profound essential points— Without mixing in the slightest word of the various ordinary philosophies. Alas! Due to various attitudes of these days, Other than du÷kha (suffering) that is the strife of mutual attachment and aggression, Repetition of various hearsays, and discourse on pleasant-sounding words, It is rare that there is one who properly speaks the profound essential points of the views and philosophies. Discernment is knowing how to distinguish the essential points concerning what is and is not doctrine, Knowing the divisions between one’s own and others’ philosophies, and Knowing elegant discourses from inferior discourses. It is what scholars have, not hordes of fools! Due to this, having completely given up the attitudes of attachment and aggression, I will briefly expound upon a distinguishing lamp that completely illuminates The mere mode of reality of the distinctive views and philosophies of the old and new schools— Their unmixed appearing forms in accordance with their respective traditions. The distinctive ways of assertion by the earlier and later masterly scholars From the Land of Snow go beyond what can be expressed; Concerning solely the distinction between Buddhists and non-Buddhists, There are discordant ways of dividing them. 29 Verses of Distinguishing the Views and Philosophies According to the way of assertion by the matchless At¥ßa Most of the masterly scholars of the new schools of translation Make the distinction between Buddhists and non-Buddhists in terms of refuge— By merely that, it is solely a division based upon the support. According to the intended meaning of the scriptures of s¶tra and tantra, The school of early translations asserts immense distinctions— Distinctions in terms of the support, view, Meditation, conduct, and fruition. Others make the distinction between the Mahåyåna and H¥nayåna By only the generation of the mind [of awakening]; This is just a division of intention. There is a vast difference in view, meditation, conduct, and fruition. Some people claim that the views and philosophies of the two Higher and lower vehicles are contradictory. Also, others variously claim that while there is no distinction in view, There are distinctions in the conduct and the fruition. Our tradition, that of the scholars of the school of early translations, Asserts immense distinctions between the higher and lower, and Asserts the views and philosophies of the progression of vehicles In the manner of the gradual and instantaneous. Therefore, the four philosophies Are in accord in accepting the seals that symbolize the Word; However, in terms of the manner of (1) clarity, (2) extensiveness, and (3) completeness, There is a great difference between...