SAMPLES OF THE TREASURY OF MANIFEST DHARMA

Sample #1: Geshe Jampa Gyatso's commentary on verse 1.22cd of
Vasubandhu's Treasury of Manifest Dharma
October 3, 2001
© Geshe Jampa Gyatso & FPMT Inc. 2001

Gedun Drup’s Clarifying the Path to Liberation says:

3B2B-2A3A-4 Manner of the definite sequence of the aggregates, spheres, and constituents
QUESTION: Well then, what is the reason for presenting the sequence of the five aggregates in that way?

RESPONSE:

The sequence is according to the coarseness, the thoroughly afflicted,
A vessel and so forth, and the desire realm. [1.22cd]

The sequence of the five aggregates is presented in terms of the degree of coarseness because:
· forms are coarse since most are obstructive,
· then, since, among the non-material [aggregates,] feelings – “My hand feels, my foot feels” – are coarse, there is feeling,
· then discriminations are coarse due to apprehending signs,
· then compositional factors – “May I be happy, may I not suffer” – are coarse, while
· consciousnesses are subtle since they cognize the mere entity of objects.

The five aggregates are explained in a particular order in accordance with their degrees of coarseness, in accordance with the production of the thoroughly afflicted, in accordance with the vessel and so forth, and in accordance with the realms.

The form aggregate is presented first because it is the coarsest of the five aggregates, the feeling aggregate is next because it is slightly less coarse, the discrimination aggregate is next because it is slightly less coarse, the compositional factors aggregate is next because it is slightly less coarse, and the consciousness aggregate is the last because it is the most subtle of the five.

Gedun Drup’s Clarifying the Path to Liberation says:

Alternatively, they are presented according to the order of production of the thoroughly afflicted because:
· due to beings delighting in forms from beginningless [time], at first forms are viewed,
· from attractive and unattractive forms, happy and suffering feelings arise,
· from them, mistaken discriminations arise,
· from them, compositional factors, attachment and hatred, arise, and,
· from them, the mind is made thoroughly afflicted.

First an ordinary being looks at a beautiful form, from this joy arises which is a feeling of happiness. Alternatively an ordinary beings looks at an ugly form, whereby a feeling of unhappiness arises. From these feelings, there arise mistaken discriminations. What is the mistake? Although an object has a factor of attractiveness, we superimpose more beauty on it, or, although an object has a factor of ugliness we superimpose more ugliness upon it. In this way, we generate mistaken discrimination. From this comes attachment or hatred, which are compositional factors. These then make the mind thoroughly afflicted.

In short, the aggregates are set out in a particular order because we first look at form, then from beautiful or ugly form, respectively, happy or unhappy feeling is produced, from which arises mistaken discrimination, from which arises either attachment or hatred, a compositional factor, which then makes the mind thoroughly afflicted.

Acharya Purnavardhana’s commentary on the Treasury of Manifest Dharma says that since beginningless time men and women have engaged in sexual intercourse, from which feelings arise, from which attachment and anger arise, from which mistaken discrimination arises, which makes the mind thoroughly afflicted. The Chimzo commentary is similar to that of Clarifying the Path to Liberation in that it says that first beings look at form; due to looking at an attractive form happy feeling arises, whereas due looking at an ugly form unhappy feeling arises; from feeling, mistaken discrimination arises; from mistaken discrimination, attachment and anger, compositional factors, arise; due to which the mind becomes thoroughly afflicted. The Chimzo commentary is by one of three authors who, being from Chim, a region of Tsang in Tibet, are all referred to as Chim: Chim Jampelyang, Chim Losang Dragpa, and Chim Chogyi Gocha.

Gedun Drup’s Clarifying the Path to Liberation says:

Alternatively, they are also presented metaphorically like the sequence of a food vessel, food, seasonings, a servant, and an eater at the time of consuming food because forms are likened to the vessel, feelings are likened to the food, discriminations are likened to the seasonings, compositional factors are likened to the servant, and consciousnesses are likened to the eater.

The aggregates are also set out in a particular order in accordance with the order of the metaphor of the vessel and so forth. First one needs a vessel, into which one then puts food. Seasonings make the food tasty, for example, salt, grated cheese, and so forth. The servant then brings the food, after which the eater eats the food. In this way, the order of the consumption of food is likened to the order of the aggregates.

Gedun Drup’s Clarifying the Path to Liberation says:

Alternatively, they are presented according to the order of the realms because:
· the beings of the desire realm are distinguished by the excellent quality of form,
· the beings of the concentrations are distinguished by the excellent quality of feeling,
· the beings of the first three formless absorptions are distinguished by the excellent quality of discrimination,
· the beings of the Peak of Existence are distinguished by the excellent quality of a compositional factor, and
· because consciousness abides in all [realms].

From the point of view of the realms the form aggregate is first because it is what is mainly used or enjoyed in the desire realm. The feeling aggregate is explained next in relation to the form realm, and the discrimination aggregate is explained next in relation to first three levels of the formless realm. The compositional factors aggregate is explained next in relation to the Peak of Existence, which is also called “Without Discrimination Not Without Discrimination.” The consciousness aggregate is posited in terms of being the basis of all three realms.

Pleasant forms, that is, pleasant forms, sounds, odors, tastes, and tangible objects, are the excellent qualities of the desire realm. We can relate this to our actual daily life when we see people listening to music on a Walkman while happily swaying in time, people putting perfumes on their bodies in order to smell nice, people enjoying the taste of good food and drinks by smacking their lips, and so forth.

The beings of the first two concentrations have the feeling of mental happiness, those of the third concentration have the feeling of happiness of mind, and those of the fourth concentration have equanimity feeling. In this way, feeling is said to be the excellent quality of the form realm. In the concentrations there is no suffering feeling.

There is no happy or suffering feeling in the formless absorptions, there is only equanimity feeling. Therefore, the first three formless absorptions are distinguished by the excellent quality of discrimination. This is because they respectively discriminate all phenomena as infinite space, infinite consciousness, and nothingness. The Peak of Existence is distinguished by the excellent quality of a compositional factor because these beings consider the discriminations of the first three formless absorptions to be coarse. Consciousness abides in all three realms.

Sample #2: Geshe Jampa Gyatso's commentary on verse 4.1ab of
Vasubandhu's Treasury of Manifest Dharma
April 8, 2002
© Geshe Jampa Gyatso & FPMT Inc. 2002

Gedun Drup’s Clarifying the Path to Liberation says:

3B2B-2D Explanation of the fourth chapter: Presentation of Actions
1 Making a connection
2 Actual explanation of actions

3B2B-2D1 Making a connection
QUESTION: Where do the various worlds of the environment and its inhabitants, which were explained, come from?
RESPONSE: They do not arise without causes nor from incongruent causes because they are produced occasionally and because it is explained “Not from Ishvara and so forth because of being serial and so forth” (v. 2.65b).
QUESTION: Well then, from what are they produced?
RESPONSE:

The various worlds are produced from actions. [4.1a]

The various worlds of the environment and its inhabitants are produced from actions.

The subject of the fourth chapter is actions because, the third chapter having presented the world of the environment and its inhabitants, it is now explained from what are they produced. Hence, “Making a connection” means that because the environment and its habitants were presented, now the question arises “From what are they produced” the answer being that they are produced from actions. In short, both the world of the environment and the world of the inhabitants are produced from actions. They are produced from congruent causes and are not produced from incongruent causes and do not arise without causes. The world of the environment and the world of its inhabitants also do not come from Ishvara and so forth as propounded by the non-Buddhist schools. For example, one of these schools says that the creator of the world is Ishvara, this is refuted here saying that it is produced from actions. The world of the environment and the world of its inhabitants are produced occasionally, for example, we are born, abide for some time, and then die. Likewise, the environment and its inhabitants do not exist forever but arise for a period of time and then become non-existent.

When Vasubandhu says “Not from Ishvara and so forth because of being serial and so forth” (v. 2.65b), the term “and so forth” includes the Samkhyas’ assertion that the world is created by a general principal, the Vaisheshikas’ assertion that the world is created by a generality which is different substance, and so forth. Another school says that the world is created by a being who is self-arisen and eternal, however there is no such being. In short, these are not the creators of the world, the environment and its inhabitants are produced only from actions. This is the subject matter of the fourth chapter.

Gedun Drup’s Clarifying the Path to Liberation says:

3B2B-2D2 Actual explanation of actions
A Entity of actions
B Synonyms that occur in the sutras

3B2B-2D2A Entity of actions
1 Presentation
2 Explanation

3B2B-2D2A-1 Presentation
QUESTION: When explaining “The various worlds are produced from actions” (v. 4.1a), how many divisions of actions are there?

RESPONSE:

They are intention and that produced by it. [4.1b]

Actions are of two [types] because there are the two:
1. the actions that are intention (sems pa’i las) and
2. the intended actions produced by that intention (sems pa des byas pa’i bsam pa’i las).

There are two types of actions:
1. actions that are intention and
2. intended actions.

Sample #3: Geshe Jampa Gyatso's commentary on verse 6.5 of
Vasubandhu's Treasury of Manifest Dharma
October 4, 2002
© Geshe Jampa Gyatso & FPMT Inc. 2002

Gedun Drup’s Clarifying the Path to Liberation says:

3B2B-2F2 Order of the clear realizations of the truths
A Presentation
B Explanation

3B2B-2F2A Presentation
QUESTION: By what methods are the truths directly seen?

RESPONSE:

By abiding in morality, possessing hearing and thinking,
There is thorough application to meditation. [6.5ab]

Initially, one abides in the morality of any of the seven types of individual liberation [vows] (the cause of non-distraction). Then, having listened to the Dharma that accords with directly seeing the truths (the cause of non-confusion), the wisdom arisen from hearing is produced. Then, by possessing the wisdom arisen from thinking (the cause of settling), the truths are directly seen through thorough application to meditation (the cause of separation from the afflictions).

The cause of attaining a direct realization of the truths, that is, the four noble truths or the selflessness of persons, is to initially abide in morality, then to hear the Dharma, then to think about it, and after that to engage in meditation upon it. “Abiding in morality” refers to abiding in any of the seven types of individual liberation vows. The first two of the seven are the vows of lay men and lay women, while the remaining five are vows of the ordained. These five are the male and female novice vows, the vows of probationary nuns, and the male and female vows of full ordination. These vows of individual liberation are taken for life. However, there are eight vows when the one-day vows are added to these seven, but because they are taken for just one day, a short period, they are not included here among the seven types of individual liberation vows which are taken for life. The entities of the seven types of individual liberation vows were explained in the fourth chapter.

The causes that are the wisdom arisen from hearing, wisdom arisen from thinking, and wisdom arisen from meditation were explained before. However, in brief the wisdom arisen from hearing is a wisdom that mainly takes names as its object, the wisdom arisen from thinking takes both names and meanings as its object, and the wisdom arisen from meditation mainly takes meanings as its object. In this context “name” does not refer to the sound of the name “Sherab” but refers to the meaning generality that appears to the mind upon hearing the sound “Sherab.” It was explained previously that, according to the Vaibhashikas, the group of names, letters, and phrases are non-associated compositional factors and are not form. According to the higher schools, the wisdom arisen from hearing is the wisdom that arises mainly from hearing Buddha’s scriptures, the wisdom arisen from thinking is the wisdom that arises upon thinking about the meanings of the scriptures to which one listened, and the wisdom arisen from meditation is the wisdom that arises from meditating upon the meanings that were previously reflected upon. In short, in order to become free from confusion or ignorance much meditation is necessary.

Gedun Drup’s Clarifying the Path to Liberation says:

3B2B-2F2B Explanation
1 Nature of the wisdoms
2 Distinguishing the qualities suitable as the supporting vessels
3 Actual way of engaging in meditation
4
3B2B-2F2B-1 Nature of the wisdoms
QUESTION: When explaining “By abiding in morality, possessing hearing and thinking, there is thorough application to meditation” (v. 6.5ab), what are the natures of the three wisdoms?

OPINION:

The intelligences arisen from hearing and so forth
Are object-possessors of names, both, and meanings. [6.5cd]

The intelligences arisen from hearing and so forth, i.e., those arisen from thinking and arisen from meditation, are object-possessors of names, both names and meanings, and meanings.

ACHARYA VASUBHANDU: The three wisdoms that are (1) produced from valid trustworthy scriptures of belief/valid cognition of trustworthy scriptures, (2) produced from investigation by means of reasoning, and (3) produced from meditative stabilization are the wisdoms of hearing, thinking, and meditation.

The three wisdoms are respectively said to be (1) object-possessors that take names as their objects, (2) object-possessors that take both names and meanings as their objects, and (3) object-possessors that take meanings as their objects. This is the opinion of the Vaibhashikas (this being indicated in Tibetan by the word zer which means “so it is said,” in English this has been translated as “opinion”). Acharya Vasubandhu does not agree with this assertion and says that the wisdom arisen from hearing is the wisdom produced from valid trustworthy scriptures, the wisdom arisen from thinking is the wisdom produced from investigation by means of reasoning, and the wisdom arisen from meditation is the wisdom produced from meditative stabilization.

Sample #4: Geshe Jampa Gyatso's commentary on verses 8.29-30 of
Vasubandhu's Treasury of Manifest Dharma
December 3, 2002
© Geshe Jampa Gyatso & FPMT Inc. 2002

Gedun Drup’s Clarifying the Path to Liberation says:

3B2B-2H2 Excellent qualities included in the meditative absorptions
A Immeasurables
B Complete liberations
C Masteries
D Totalities
E Elaborate explanation of them

3B2B-2H2A Immeasurables

The immeasurables are four [8.29a]

The immeasurables that observe immeasurable sentient beings (the observed object) and that possess immeasurable merit are four because there is:
(1) immeasurable love,
(2) immeasurable compassion,
(3) immeasurable joy, and
(4) immeasurable equanimity.

QUESTION: Well then, what is the reason that they are definitely four in number?

RESPONSE:

Because they are the antidotes to malice and so forth. [8.29b]

There is [a reason]; it is because the antidotes to malice and so forth – harmfulness, not liking others’ happiness, and much malice and attachment – are definitely four.

Immeasurable love is the antidote to malice. The terms “and so forth” (v. 8.29b) includes immeasurable compassion which is the antidote to harmfulness, immeasurable joy which is the antidote to not liking others’ happiness (one should rejoice in other people’s happiness and not rejoice in others’ problems as if one does so one becomes a pseudo-practitioner), and immeasurable equanimity which is the antidote to both malice and attachment. In general we have attachment for our friends and hatred for those who are our enemies, equanimity is the antidote to both.

They are immeasurable because they observe immeasurable sentient beings or because there is immeasurable merit in cultivating them.

Gedun Drup’s Clarifying the Path to Liberation says:

QUESTION: How do ugliness and equanimity act as antidotes to attachment?

VAIBHASHIKAS’ RESPONSE: Ugliness is the antidote to attachment to colors and equanimity is the antidote to attachment to sexual intercourse.

ACHARYA [VASUBANDHU’S] RESPONSE: Ugliness is the antidote to attachment to sexual intercourse and equanimity is the antidote to attachment to one’s relatives.

The Vaibhashikas say that meditation on ugliness is the antidote to attachment to colors, for example, attachment to someone’s complexion. They say that equanimity is the antidote to attachment to sexual intercourse, that is, to the happiness produced from sexual intercourse. If one is free from attachment to the pleasure of sexual intercourse one is free from attachment to sexual intercourse.

On the other hand, Vasubandhu says that ugliness is the antidote to attachment to sexual intercourse in that by meditating that the person for whom one has attachment is ugly one becomes free from attachment to sexual intercourse. Vasubandhu says that equanimity is the antidote to attachment to one’s relatives in that it is the antidote both to attachment to those who are close and anger toward those who are not.

Gedun Drup’s Clarifying the Path to Liberation says:

QUESTION: What are the individual entities of the four [immeasurables]?

RESPONSE:

Non-hatred is love and also compassion.
Mental happiness is joy. [8.29cd]

Equanimity is non-attachment. [8.30a]

The entity of love and compassion are non-hatred. Joy is mental happiness. Equanimity is non-attachment. Since [equanimity] is non-attachment, it is indeed the antidote to attachment.

The entity of love and the entity of compassion is non-hatred. In other words, what is the nature of love and compassion? It is non-hatred. The entity of joy is mental happiness in that by cultivating joy one experiences happiness with regard to others’ happiness. Equanimity is the antidote to attachment, its entity is non-attachment.

Gedun Drup’s Clarifying the Path to Liberation says:

QUESTION: How is [equanimity] the antidote to malice?

RESPONSE: It is because it is the antidote to the malice that is motivated by attachment.

If equanimity is the entity of non-attachment how is it the antidote to malice? It is the antidote to malice because it is the antidote to the malice motivated by attachment.

Gedun Drup’s Clarifying the Path to Liberation says:

QUESTION: Well then, what are their aspects?

RESPONSE:

Their aspects are the thoughts
“O, may they be happy”; “suffering”;
“May they be joyful”; “sentient beings.” [8.30abc]

Their aspects are the thoughts:
· “O, may sentient beings have happiness”;
· “May they be free from suffering”;
· “May they be joyful”; and
· “May they be impartial toward sentient beings.”

“May they be impartial toward sentient beings” means may they be free from having attachment to some and hatred for others.

Gedun Drup’s Clarifying the Path to Liberation says:

QUESTION: Well the, what do they observe?

RESPONSE:

Their objects are the sentient beings of the desire realm. [8.30d]

The objects of the four immeasurables are the sentient beings of the desire realm because they are the antidotes to the malice and so forth that observe the sentient beings of the desire realm.

In general, the objects of the four immeasurables are the sentient beings of the desire realm. There is no malice in the upper realms because the minds of the beings of the upper realms are moistened with the bliss of concentration and they are separated from attachment to the desire realm.

Why are the sentient beings of the upper realms not posited as objects of immeasurable love and immeasurable compassion? Compassion is the wish for sentient beings to be free from sufferings, specifically the suffering of suffering, whereas the beings of the upper realms do not have the suffering of suffering.