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

Ornament of Mañjughoƒa’s Viewpoint: An Explanation of the Words and Meanings of Distinguishing the Views and Philosophies

Ornament of Mañjughoƒa’s Viewpoint An Explanation of the Words and Meanings of Distinguishing the Views and Philosophies A Lamp of Essential Points namo mañjußr¥ye! Homage to Mañjußr¥! In the vast spatial expanse of the Truth Body, the profound peace free from constructs, The luminous clarity of the self-radiance of wisdom and love is the perfect rapture (longs spyod rdzogs) Endowed with the radiant brilliance of splendorous enlightened activity that trains beings in whatever ways are needed— May the omniscient illuminator of beings be victorious on the crown of my head! The assembly upholding the teachings impartially— The bodhisattvas such as Mañjughoƒa and Maitreya, the eight close sons1 and the sixteen elders, The six ornaments,2 the two supreme ones,3 the three Mañjughoƒas,4 etc.— Are my objects of veneration. The essential points of the views and philosophies of the earlier and later masterly scholars of the Land of Snow Are one taste in the oceanic expanse of the consummate viewpoint; 79 80 Distinguishing the Views and Philosophies Yet for the time being, the distinctive four rivers of transmission of the Buddha’s Word Will be delineated by elaborating the words and meanings of scripture. Herein lies all the oceans of viewpoints within the doctrines of S¨tra and Mantra, which are the precious teachings of the guide who is a lion among men. This is an elucidation of the distinctive views and philosophies in accord with the way the masterly scholars of Tibet such as the three Mañjugho∑as explained through the four rivers of transmission of the Buddha’s Word. To explicate this lamp of essential points of delineation, in Distinguishing the Views and Philosophies—which is a meaning-commentary on [Mipam’s] Beacon of Certainty—there are three parts: (1) the sections of composition, (2) the composed scripture, and (3) the concluding meaning of the completed composition. 1. The Sections of Composition The first section has two parts: (1) the expression of worship and (2) the resolve to compose. 1. Expression of Worship namo mañjußr¥ye! Homage to Mañjußr¥! This is an expression of worship to the supreme exalted deity, Mañjugho∑a. Then, there is a statement of the greatness of the early translations, the topic of the body of the treatise, in an expression of worship to the assembly of Sublime Ones who thoroughly taught those [doctrines]: 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! 81 Ornament of Mañjughoƒa’s Viewpoint The distinctive meaning in general is the unity of all the excellent paths of S¨tra and Mantra in the precious teachings of the Victorious One. Specifically, the distinctive view of the ground is the unity of the two truths; the distinctive training on the path is the unity of the two accumulations; and the distinctive fruition to be attained is the unity of the two exalted bodies. In either context of S¨tra or Mantra, there is the greatness of ascertaining the grand unity of the indivisible appearance and emptiness within all presentations of the topics of the ground, path, and fruition, without an influx of contradictions regarding the two truths, such as the partiality of separating appearance and emptiness. In particular, the miraculous view is associated with the view of the glorious sublime master of Någas [Någårjuna], whose unequalled chariot of the Great Middle Way is the profound school among the four great Buddhist philosophies.5 The miraculous conduct is associated with the way of conduct of the great preceptor, Íåntarak∑ita, whose Sarvåstivåda tradition of upholding the Vinaya is distinctively wonderful among the four schools of the great Vinaya traditions in the Noble Land of India.6 In short, the greatness of the meaning of what is expressed has the distinction of being the paramount view, meditation, conduct, and fruition. The scriptures that express this topic are also distinctive: In general , there are three precious scriptural sections of the common scriptures of the Buddha’s Word.7 Specifically, there are the ocean-like scriptural...