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The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Volume 3)
This volume contains a presentation of the two most important topics to be found in the Great meditative serenity and supramundane insight into the nature of reality.
447 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 7, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 16, 2017
The Great Treatise as a Whole
Although Robert Thurman is disposed to ebullience, I wholeheartedly agree with his assessment that Tsong Khapa's Great Treatise is "one of the greatest religious or secular works in the library of our human heritage." It is a masterpiece of clarity, beauty, and utility, presenting the great scholar-yogi's overview of the stages of practice based on sutra and the Indian and Tibetan commentaries, from its initial stages to the its most profound contemplations on the final nature of reality.
Deriving from the Indian tradition of Prajnaparamita commentarial literature, the Great Treatise offers a comprehensive overview of Buddhist thought, organized into a graded series of contemplations and practices and presented in a progression ranging from the fundamental practices that can be understood and carried out by anyone, and proceeding in an ascending hierarchy to more demanding practices for beings of "higher capacity."
The practices are generally presented in the sequence in which any yogi would undertake them, beginning with refuge, moving on through contemplations of the inevitability of death, and on to the development of compassion and so on, though the principle organizational principle is how each practice is regarded with respect to the necessary capacity to undertake it, as well as the degree of resolution it affords into the nature of reality. For example, the practices of concentrating the mind in meditation are the second to last topic in the series, but it is one of the first practices any yogi would need to undertake, and serves as a foundation for most of the rest. Without meditative stability, a yogi cannot focus sufficiently to undertake the various contemplations laid out in this treatise.
Generally speaking, the Great Treatise, like the rest of the Prajnaparamita literature, is treated by Gelukpa monks more like a encyclopedic compendium of practices and positions than an actual series of practices to be programmatically followed - at least according to Georges Dreyfus's observations. Nonetheless, the Great Treatise certainly can be taken as a core guide to practice, and I daresay that approach is particularly useful for lay people.
It is also particularly relevant for people who wish to undertake practice based on sutra and Indo-Tibetan commentaries, rather than taking the tantic path. Following the example of the Bengali Kadampa reformer Jowo Atisha, Tsong Khapa scrupulously distinguishes between the practices based on sutra and the practices based on tantra, emphasizing that they should be kept separate. Despite ultimately being concordant, the way they talk about the same concepts is sufficiently different that blending them is a cause of deep confusion, in his view.
I have read a great deal of Tsong Khapa's writing, and this work in particular stands out to me for its beguiling clarity and profundity. I can get into hashing out the differences in the object of negation as posited by the Svatantrika-Sautrantika-Madhyamikas versus the Prasangika-Madhyikas as much as the next guy, but this work is of obvious and great immediate existential relevance to anyone. It is superbly translated by a team of terrific scholars, most of whom have produced other writings I have greatly enjoyed. It is a masterpiece, and a cornerstone of the Tibetan tradition.
Volume Three
The culminating volume of the Great Treatise covers the final two bodhisattva perfections, serenity and insight.
The section on concentration offers a detailed presentation of cultivation of calm abiding, and is of enormous practical utility. In general, I think calm abiding practice tends to be given short shrift by many practitioners, but it is the foundation of all other practices. If one can't comport the mind in a disciplined way with some degree of clarity and stability, then a lot of long, bitter hours will be spent in frustration and without much progress.
Tsong Khapa presents the cultivation of serenity in accordance with Asanga's five faults and eight remedies. The two principle failings identified by Asanga as undermining stability during meditation are laxity and excitement, where laxity indicates a dullness and torpor that impedes clarity, and excitement indicates an energetic quality to the mind that impedes stability. What I have actually found to be the principle obstacle to stability is forgetfulness, which is when the mind simply wanders off the object, and has to be brought back - I imagine this is somewhat common. But it is not included under either "excitement" or "laxity," which are specifically linked to the afflictions of desire and aversion.
In my view, this presentation accordingly suffers by organizing it chiefly with respect to logical categories that are of primary philosophical importance, but only secondary practical importance.
In general, this is an interesting problem with the Indian Parjnaparamita literature of the type. It performs two functions, both providing programmatic instructions for practice and offering a sweeping and complete kind of encyclopedia of practice. At times, these two functions are at odds, as in the over-emphasis on excitement, which follows from a philosophical and taxonomical impulse, not a focus on practice.
This tendency is much more conspicuous in Tsong Khapa's presentation of insight, which is overwhelmingly, if not entirely, focused on presenting the view, or correct philosophical interpretation of the doctrine of emptiness, and contains almost nothing with regards to practical instruction.
In fact, I found no instruction in this work with regards to how one actually practices insight meditation in this system. That is, when you sit down to contemplate the lack of phenomena as being either the same as or different from their parts, what exactly do you do? I gather you bring about stability and then undertake rigorous analysis, but if there is any particular structure or method to contemplation in this system, I did not learn of it here.
Nor, incidentally, have I been able to find any discussion of this rather important topic anywhere, having surveyed a fairly large number of works on insight, Lam Rim and related literature, and informal practice instructions. I find that a little odd, as meditation on insight is, after all, supposed to be the practice that actually frees you from samsara.
In any case, if one wishes to find a complete presentation of the Gelukpa understanding of emptiness, this is obviously one really great place to do it. Tsong Khapa is a great genius, and I find his interpretation of Candrakirti to be extremely persuasive.
One place I differ from Tsong Khapa is his heavy reliance on the logico-epistemology of Dharmakirti, which in my view is often speculative philosophy that lacks a critical appraisal of its own grounds. Beyond Candrakirti's very brief and simple distinction between conventional appearances that are either true or false from the standpoint of the world, I think there is little to be gained by a deep dive into conceptual validity. As for the Tibetan perspective on mind, I find it entirely dualistic, and of limited use.
I have read so much secondary literature on Gelukpa Madhyamaka over the years through the lens of later exegetes like Jangya and Jamyang Shayba that there were few surprises for me here, although I will say I was as impressed as ever by the clarity and power of Tsong Khapa's writing. Compared to a figure such as, say, the Sakya master Gorampa, Tsong Khapa is enormously eloquent and clear in his presentation.
I'm reviewing this presentation through the lens of long familiarity and in accordance with my own understanding of this material, which is perhaps unfair to the author. If there is a stronger or more comprehensive interpretation of Indian Madhyamaka, I certainly have not seen it, and I find his insight penetrating.
Ironically, however, as I noted above, despite the fact that this work purports to be a presentation of the stages of practice, when I am interested in practicing insight, I find Nagarjuna's Fundamental Wisdom a more useful guide. Tsong Khapa is more useful to me when I'm reflecting in a systematic way on the meaning of emptiness as a whole, and I'm hardly certain that establishing the view in great detail is as necessary, or as possible, as many Tibetan authors appear to believe.
Although Robert Thurman is disposed to ebullience, I wholeheartedly agree with his assessment that Tsong Khapa's Great Treatise is "one of the greatest religious or secular works in the library of our human heritage." It is a masterpiece of clarity, beauty, and utility, presenting the great scholar-yogi's overview of the stages of practice based on sutra and the Indian and Tibetan commentaries, from its initial stages to the its most profound contemplations on the final nature of reality.
Deriving from the Indian tradition of Prajnaparamita commentarial literature, the Great Treatise offers a comprehensive overview of Buddhist thought, organized into a graded series of contemplations and practices and presented in a progression ranging from the fundamental practices that can be understood and carried out by anyone, and proceeding in an ascending hierarchy to more demanding practices for beings of "higher capacity."
The practices are generally presented in the sequence in which any yogi would undertake them, beginning with refuge, moving on through contemplations of the inevitability of death, and on to the development of compassion and so on, though the principle organizational principle is how each practice is regarded with respect to the necessary capacity to undertake it, as well as the degree of resolution it affords into the nature of reality. For example, the practices of concentrating the mind in meditation are the second to last topic in the series, but it is one of the first practices any yogi would need to undertake, and serves as a foundation for most of the rest. Without meditative stability, a yogi cannot focus sufficiently to undertake the various contemplations laid out in this treatise.
Generally speaking, the Great Treatise, like the rest of the Prajnaparamita literature, is treated by Gelukpa monks more like a encyclopedic compendium of practices and positions than an actual series of practices to be programmatically followed - at least according to Georges Dreyfus's observations. Nonetheless, the Great Treatise certainly can be taken as a core guide to practice, and I daresay that approach is particularly useful for lay people.
It is also particularly relevant for people who wish to undertake practice based on sutra and Indo-Tibetan commentaries, rather than taking the tantic path. Following the example of the Bengali Kadampa reformer Jowo Atisha, Tsong Khapa scrupulously distinguishes between the practices based on sutra and the practices based on tantra, emphasizing that they should be kept separate. Despite ultimately being concordant, the way they talk about the same concepts is sufficiently different that blending them is a cause of deep confusion, in his view.
I have read a great deal of Tsong Khapa's writing, and this work in particular stands out to me for its beguiling clarity and profundity. I can get into hashing out the differences in the object of negation as posited by the Svatantrika-Sautrantika-Madhyamikas versus the Prasangika-Madhyikas as much as the next guy, but this work is of obvious and great immediate existential relevance to anyone. It is superbly translated by a team of terrific scholars, most of whom have produced other writings I have greatly enjoyed. It is a masterpiece, and a cornerstone of the Tibetan tradition.
Volume Three
The culminating volume of the Great Treatise covers the final two bodhisattva perfections, serenity and insight.
The section on concentration offers a detailed presentation of cultivation of calm abiding, and is of enormous practical utility. In general, I think calm abiding practice tends to be given short shrift by many practitioners, but it is the foundation of all other practices. If one can't comport the mind in a disciplined way with some degree of clarity and stability, then a lot of long, bitter hours will be spent in frustration and without much progress.
Tsong Khapa presents the cultivation of serenity in accordance with Asanga's five faults and eight remedies. The two principle failings identified by Asanga as undermining stability during meditation are laxity and excitement, where laxity indicates a dullness and torpor that impedes clarity, and excitement indicates an energetic quality to the mind that impedes stability. What I have actually found to be the principle obstacle to stability is forgetfulness, which is when the mind simply wanders off the object, and has to be brought back - I imagine this is somewhat common. But it is not included under either "excitement" or "laxity," which are specifically linked to the afflictions of desire and aversion.
In my view, this presentation accordingly suffers by organizing it chiefly with respect to logical categories that are of primary philosophical importance, but only secondary practical importance.
In general, this is an interesting problem with the Indian Parjnaparamita literature of the type. It performs two functions, both providing programmatic instructions for practice and offering a sweeping and complete kind of encyclopedia of practice. At times, these two functions are at odds, as in the over-emphasis on excitement, which follows from a philosophical and taxonomical impulse, not a focus on practice.
This tendency is much more conspicuous in Tsong Khapa's presentation of insight, which is overwhelmingly, if not entirely, focused on presenting the view, or correct philosophical interpretation of the doctrine of emptiness, and contains almost nothing with regards to practical instruction.
In fact, I found no instruction in this work with regards to how one actually practices insight meditation in this system. That is, when you sit down to contemplate the lack of phenomena as being either the same as or different from their parts, what exactly do you do? I gather you bring about stability and then undertake rigorous analysis, but if there is any particular structure or method to contemplation in this system, I did not learn of it here.
Nor, incidentally, have I been able to find any discussion of this rather important topic anywhere, having surveyed a fairly large number of works on insight, Lam Rim and related literature, and informal practice instructions. I find that a little odd, as meditation on insight is, after all, supposed to be the practice that actually frees you from samsara.
In any case, if one wishes to find a complete presentation of the Gelukpa understanding of emptiness, this is obviously one really great place to do it. Tsong Khapa is a great genius, and I find his interpretation of Candrakirti to be extremely persuasive.
One place I differ from Tsong Khapa is his heavy reliance on the logico-epistemology of Dharmakirti, which in my view is often speculative philosophy that lacks a critical appraisal of its own grounds. Beyond Candrakirti's very brief and simple distinction between conventional appearances that are either true or false from the standpoint of the world, I think there is little to be gained by a deep dive into conceptual validity. As for the Tibetan perspective on mind, I find it entirely dualistic, and of limited use.
I have read so much secondary literature on Gelukpa Madhyamaka over the years through the lens of later exegetes like Jangya and Jamyang Shayba that there were few surprises for me here, although I will say I was as impressed as ever by the clarity and power of Tsong Khapa's writing. Compared to a figure such as, say, the Sakya master Gorampa, Tsong Khapa is enormously eloquent and clear in his presentation.
I'm reviewing this presentation through the lens of long familiarity and in accordance with my own understanding of this material, which is perhaps unfair to the author. If there is a stronger or more comprehensive interpretation of Indian Madhyamaka, I certainly have not seen it, and I find his insight penetrating.
Ironically, however, as I noted above, despite the fact that this work purports to be a presentation of the stages of practice, when I am interested in practicing insight, I find Nagarjuna's Fundamental Wisdom a more useful guide. Tsong Khapa is more useful to me when I'm reflecting in a systematic way on the meaning of emptiness as a whole, and I'm hardly certain that establishing the view in great detail is as necessary, or as possible, as many Tibetan authors appear to believe.
May 24, 2013
This third volume is a very good introduction to Nagarjuna's Madhyamaka approach, giving some important indications on how to practically develop the insights derived from study and reflection, through repeated analysis of the emptiness of self and other. Highly recommended!
April 25, 2013
A great concise introduction vajrayana Buddhism.
June 11, 2020
This is one of the brightest jewels in any sacred literature of the world, this incredible insight into a world of Tibetan Buddhism. It was finished in 1402 by the master Tsong-Kha-pa and is among Buddhist a classic masterpiece, taking the Buddhist deep philosophy of the human mind into simple practice. Because Buddhism is not complicated, is very simple but it is we who complicate it. Therefore this masterpiece takes it to step by step. It’s an essential text for all Buddhism practice used by students to put the teachings of the Dharma into daily life. All the Indian classic text demonstrates clearly understandable in a modern world and is the gateway to the higher teaching of the Sutras and Tantras. .It will be a book that most probably will follow you for the rest of your life. Karma Tshondro Tharchim (Kenneth Lyngaas) PhD Indian religions and philosophies committee
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October 12, 2020How do you rate a book like this?
Volume 3 of 3, this one is the more difficult to understand in the collection. That's probably why people study it for years! It's pretty comprehensive, covering many of the practices and ideas of the Gelug school of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism.
Volume 3 of 3, this one is the more difficult to understand in the collection. That's probably why people study it for years! It's pretty comprehensive, covering many of the practices and ideas of the Gelug school of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism.
August 8, 2021
In the third and final volume of this masterpiece of fifteenth century Mahāyāna Buddhist Literature, Je Tong-kha-pa delves deeper into the view by expanding upon the use of śamatha and vipaśyanā in everyday practice. It is also a firm introduction to the concept (or lack thereof) of reality in Buddhist philosophy, be it the self or that of others and objects. Quite possibly one of the most comprehensive scholarly works out there for anyone interested in the full path towards nirvāṇa.
December 28, 2020
Does the Lamrim Chenmo need a review? No it does not... This is amongst the most influential Buddhist literature in the world.
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February 4, 2018The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Lam rim chen mo) is one of the brightest jewels in the world's treasury of sacred literature. The author Tsong-kha-pa (1357–1419) completed this masterpiece in 1402 and it soon became one of the most renowned works of spiritual practice and philosophy in the world of Tibetan Buddhism. Tsong-kha-pa took great pains to base his incisive insights on the classical Indian Buddhist literature, illustrating his points with classical citations as well as with sayings of the masters of the earlier Kadampa tradition. In this way, the text demonstrates clearly how Tibetan Buddhism carefully preserved and developed the Indian Buddhist traditions. Volume One covers all practices that are prerequisite for developing the spirit of enlightenment (bodhicitta). Volume Two explains how to train in the six perfections in order to develop the heart of compassion indispensable for any student who wants to put the Dharma into practice. Volume Three contains a presentation of the two most important topics to be found in the Great Treatise: meditative serenity (shamatha) and supramundane insight into the nature of reality (vipasyana).
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews