Review
“The Emanated Scripture of Manjushri is quite unique in Tibetan literature, not only because of its being written in the form of questions and answers, alternating verse and
prose, but because it is a compendium of short teachings that presents a limpid, concise, and yet profound instruction on the entire graded path to enlightenment. It does so in a nonsectarian manner typical of Shabkar’s approach. This graded path takes us first through a thorough presentation of the “mind training” (Lojong) teachings, based on Je Tsongkhapa’s Great Graded Path (Lam rim chen mo), to pith instructions, essential teachings on the nature of mind according to the Mahamudra tradition of Milarepa, practical explanations on the songs of realization, or dohas, of Saraha, and culminates with the ultimate teachings of the Great Perfection, Dzogchen, the pinnacle of the Nine Vehicles.
Thus, in twenty-three pieces of advice, Shabkar elucidates the essentials of spiritual practice: the need to renounce the world, to rely on a spiritual master, and to unite meditation on emptiness with compassion. He explains how to meditate, how to apply in daily life the insights thus gained, and how to mingle one’s mind with the guru’s mind and liberate thoughts as they arise. Shabkar’s style is crisp and effective, as if he had intended to define each step of the contemplative life in the briefest yet most complete and inspiring way for practitioners.”—from the introduction by Matthieu Ricard
About the Author
Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol (1781–1851) devoted himself to many years of meditation in solitary retreat after his early training in the province of Amdo under the guidance of several extraordinary Buddhist masters. With determination and courage, he mastered the highest and most esoteric practices of the Tibetan tradition of the Great Perfection. He
then spent the rest of his life wandering around the Himalayan regions, practicing for long periods in contemplative retreat, teaching, and performing virtuous deeds on a vast scale.
Sean Price is the Director of Tibetan Publications for the Tsadra Foundation. A Buddhist monk, he has lived and studied in South Asia for almost thirty years. He resides primarily at Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling Monastery in Nepal, where, under the guidance of Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, he locates and publishes rare Tibetan books and translates practice materials.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Contents
Foreword by the Seventh Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, Gyurme Chökyi Sengye ix
Introduction by Matthieu Ricard xi
Translator’s Introduction xvii
Opening Homage and Prologue 1
1. The Necessity of Giving Up the World 5
2. How to Rely upon a Spiritual Teacher: A Ninefold Perception 13
3. Identifying a Precious Human Birth: The Eight Freedoms and Ten Endowments 17
4. Death and Impermanence: Three Roots, Nine Reasons, and Three Conclusions 23
5. Basic Ethics: The Ten Virtuous Actions and Their Counterparts, the Ten Negative Actions 29
6. The Dissatisfactory Nature of Samsara 35
7. The Importance of Ethics 39
8. How to Establish Genuine Compassion 43
9. Nurturing Love and Compassion: The Eight Thoughts of a Great and Noble Being 61
10. The Cultivation of Bodhichitta 65
11. On Taking the Bodhisattva’s Vow: The Four Black and Four White Deeds 71
12. The Bodhisattva’s Vow: The Six Perfections and the Four Means of Gathering Disciples 75
13. An Explanation of Langri Thangpa’s Eight Verses of Mind Training 81
14. The Cultivation of Calm Abiding 87
15. Methods for Achieving Special Insight 95
16. The Need for Both Calm Abiding and Special Insight 105
17. How to Practice a Union of Relative and Ultimate Bodhichitta 113
18. Ultimate Bodhichitta 117
19. Mahamudra: A Teaching on the Nature of Mind, Based on the Songs of Milarepa 129
20. Buddhahood without Meditation 135
21. How to Prepare for, Practice in, and Gain Accomplishment in the Various In-between Bardo States 155
22. The Benefit of Retreat 161
23. Encouragement to Adopt a Nonsectarian Outlook and Concluding Advice 171
24. Conclusion of the Teachings at Kailash 177
25. Afterword 181
Notes 183
Bibliography 191
Index 195
