2010 Sept 13 - Ch. 1, Abhisamayalamkara - Class 1

The subject matter of the first Chapter of the Ornament for Clear Realizations by Maitreya is taught in the Third Year of the Perfection of Wisdom course at IBD as part of its Five Great Canonical Texts (geshe) curriculum. In the 38 preceding classes held in 2010, Ven. Kelsang Wangmo has reviewed the topics raised in the First and Second Years of this course (extensively presented in 2007 and 2008 classes).

In this introductory class Ven. Kelsang Wangmo reviews subjects covered in the preface of the Ornament for Clear Realizations by Maitreya and introduces the First Chapter subjects:  the Clear Realization of the Omniscient Mind and its related Ten Topics.

You can download MP3's from the 39th class of 2010, held on Monday, September 12, by right clicking the links below.  The Tracks are divided to ease both downloading and listening.

Track 1 - Overview of the prefatory Ornament text: 
                What Buddha Taught.  Shastras - Qualified Indian commentaries.

Track 2 - Wisdom [not Emptiness] is the Main Topic of the Ornament:  

• What is the difference between Wisdom and Emptiness?  What is 'Lack of Duality'.
• Three Knowers - three types of Wisdom, the Three Mothers praised in the Homage:
•   Eleven Mother and Six Daughter Perfection of Wisdom sutras were translated into Tibetan.
•   The Ornament is based on three of the Mother Sutras [PDF download: Perfection of Wisdom Sutra in 8,000 Lines, translated by Edward Conze].

Track 3 - Categorizing 'Sutra' - Speech of the Buddha, Sutra & Tantra, Three Baskets.

   Subjects of the Preface to the Ornament:

• Homage to the Three Types of Wisdom
• Promise to Compose & Purpose of Composition
• Summary of the Eight Clear Realizations addressed in Eight Chapters on the and their 70 Topics.
• Relationship between the Eight Clear Realizations and the 70 Topics?
• Clear Realization of Chapter 1:  Omniscient Mind (Knower of All Aspects): Difference between Buddha, Enlightenment & Omniscience?
  
•  Buddha, a person, and the Omniscient Mind are impermanent.
•  Enlightenment of Buddhahood (cessation of Innate Obstructions to Omniscience that remain after Liberation of Arhat (cessation of all Afflictive Obstructions & Intellectually Acquired Cognitive Obstructions), i.e., Enlightenment & Liberation are permanent phenomena.

Track 4 - Obstructions to Liberation & Enlightenment per Middle Way-Autonomy/Svatantrika & Middle Way-Consequentialist/Prasangika tenets.

   Afflictive Cognitive & Cognitive Obstructions - Innate & Acquired:

•   Four Possibilities between Cognitive Obstruction & Innate Obstruction.
•   Cognitive Obstructions:  Innate & Intellectually Acquired. 
•   Afflictive Obstructions:  Per Middle Way-Autonomy tenets (can be both Innate & Intellectually Acquired)

Per Middle Way tenets, generally:  

• Affictive Obstructions are obstructions to Self-Liberation; 
• Cognitive Pbstructions are obstructions to Enlightenment.

Per Middle Way-Autonomy-Svatantrika tenets:  

•      Afflictive Obstructions include 'grasping onto the Self as being Self-Sufficient (in the sense of being Substantially Existent'.
•      Cognitive Obstructions include Innate & Intellectually 'grasping after True Existence'.

Per Middle Way-Consequentialist-Prasangika tenets:

•    'Grasping after True Existence' is an Afflictive Obstruction, which must removed, along with the Intellectually Acquired Cognitive Obstructions, in order to attain the Liberation of an Arhat.
•    Innate Cognitive Obstructions to Omniscience are 'Imprints' - explained.

Track 5 - Omniscient Mind, the Clear Realization explained in Chapter 1 along with Ten Topics that explain its Causes and Conditions of arisal .

•   Bodhicitta - the First Topic of Chapter 1.  Questions course will address.  Why important.
•   Buddha Nature:        
• In Sutra (a subject of First Chapter):  Buddha Nature refers to the Emptiness of the Mental Consciousness.
• In Tantra:  Buddha Nature refers to the subtle Clear Light Mind.

•     Importance of personal Experience in motivating our dharma practice:
•     Near Death Experience.

Track 6 - 

• Ven. Wangmo recounts personal experience flying from Germany to Delhi in September 2010:  the death of middle aged Indian man and his wife's tremendous grief . . .

•     Tibetan meditators' practice of Post-death Clear Light meditation.
•     Debates re Object of an ordinary Clear Light mind.

Prefatory verses referenced above from Root Text of Maitreya's Abhisamayalamkara / Ornament of Clear Realization:

Homage:  [To] that which through the Exalted Knower of All leads Hearers seeking pacification to peace; which through the Exalted Knower of Paths causes those [who] help migrating beings to achieve the aims of the world; and through the perfect possession of which the Subduers set forth these varieties having all aspects -- To the Mothers of the Buddhas, as well as [of] the host of Hearers and Bodhisattvas, I pay homage. 

Promise to Compose and Purpose of Composition:  The path of the exalted knower of all aspects itself, explained by the Teacher in these [mothers], is not experienced by others. In order for the intelligent to behold the meaning of the sutra which is the entity of the ten Dharma practices, through establishing mindfulness [on them], the so-called 'easy realization,’ is the purpose of [my] composing [the Ornament].

Summary of the Eight Clear Realizations explained in Chapters 1-8:  The Perfection of Wisdom is perfectly explained by the eight categories.  …The very exalted knower of all aspects, the very knower of paths itself, then the very knower of all (i.e., Knower of Basis), clear complete realization of all aspects, gone to the peak, serially, clear complete enlightenment in one moment, and the truth body: these are the eight.

Summary of First Chapter's 10 Topics:  Mind generation, precepts, four types of limbs of definite discrimination, the nature of the expanse of phenomena, which is the support of achieving, referents, intent, armor, activities of engaging, collections, and definite issuance: these together are the Subduer’s very exalted knower of all aspects.  

Above excerpts of the Ornament's Root Text  are extracted from the Commentary Clarifying the Meaning of The ‘Ornament For Clear Realizations, A Treatise Of Oral Instruction On The Perfection Of Wisdom’ by Haribhadra, published by the Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Pomaia, Italy 1998-1999.  (Hereafter, FPMT Root Text 1998-99.)