The Principle Teachings of Buddhism

by Tsongkhapa

Tsongkapa's masterpiece appears here with a commentary by the illustrious Pabongka Rinpoche (1878-1941), generally regarded as the foremost Tibetan teacher of Buddhism during the last century. The work has been translated by Geshe Lobsang Tharchin, one of the last Busshist masters of old Tibet.

Genres: Buddhism, Nonfiction, Religion

First published March 1, 1988

About the author

Je Tsognkhapa (Tib.: tsong kha pa, ཙོང་ཁ་པ། "The Man from Onion Valley") was a monk of the Sakya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism whose activities led to the formation of the Geluk school, though he never announced the establishment of a new monastic order himself. He is also known by his ordained name Lobsang Drakpa (blo bzang grags pa) or simply as Je Rinpoche (rje rin po che).

Reviews

[DROPPING OUT · Rating 5 out of 5]

On October 19, 2008, I attended for the seond time the weekly Lesson at the Rashi Gempil Ling Buddhist Temple in Howell NJ. After the Lesson, I perused the display of books and asked which would be the best one to read first. The unanimous choice was Principle Teachings of Buddhism.

Reading this small yet weighty book is proving a wonderful discipline for me, for I tend to read quickly, taking in whole paragraphs in my eye at once. But this definitely NOT the way to approach this book! One must read it line for line and not hurridly.

So for, if anything, I have been reminded that Self-Realization can be a slow process, as paralleled in a slow and studied reading (and I might add, savoring) the wisdom of these texts.

The size of the book makes it handy to slip into a purse or coat pocket so no matter where one is, one can get a taste of Dharma anywhere and at anytime.

When will I finish reading this book? I honestly do not know. Does "finishing" mean going from the first page to the last and puts it on a shelf? If so, I may never "finish" it!

[Danie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently reread chunks of this book. It's small, but it packs in all of the primary teachings from Lam-Rim Chen-Mo in one place. The book is actually a commentary by Pabongka Rinpoche on the Lam-Rim as laid out by Je Tsongkhapa.

[Cyndee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive, weighty look at Buddhism from the master who taught the first Dalai Lama. The reason it didn't get 5 stars is because it was so difficult to read and understand--take a LOT of thought. I had not known about the 3 paths: renunciation, wish (for enlightenment for all), and right view.

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is #5 of 6 books I chose from the library, to acquaint myself with my neighbors, that I found especially helpful.

((I was provided with access to a library as part of spending this winter in close proximity to a cultural center. I have been involved in some way with Buddhism for my entire adult life, but this tradition is the least familiar to me, and for good reason. Imagine that once upon a time there were seven great libraries, and all but one of them was burned down. So this tradition also protects the thoughts and scholarship of entire cultures, many vanished, while at the same time provides a long continuous record of striving to move into the future by acquiring knowledge and living a principled life. The result of this reading list has been to discover uncanny similarities in such colorful difference, which has brought me closer to the philosophy of non-duality that has meant so much to my education. I am sharing a list that I can recommend, this does not make an expert in the slightest, but I can promise these are rich and better distillations than many I have scanned.))

A small book compared to the other five, this is a distillation of the basics specific to the Vajrayana Tibetan schools, or the "fastest way" as it was presented in its time (Zen would later claim that it was even faster). An extremely prolific author who lived into the early 1400s, reading even this short stack one gets the sense of a literary world so large it is nearly impossible to account for the unfamiliarity. But what's so great about these monks... is that if they're worth their salt each text includes a reminder that this is an education system that puts thought itself into the category of highly dubious and rarely useful. It gives a sense of an education system that survived in the mountains even as it faded or was subsumed for various reasons from its former strongholds. In my list of books I include one other 'basics' book by W. Rahula from another and the largest of the big 3 groups, Mahayana, that together with this presents a comparable between the principles of the 'old school' and this 'accelerated course' Tsongkhapa is a central figure in consolidating. These two texts give an interesting contrast as to what was kept, what was changed, and between the two, a philosophy that allows seemingly impossible diversity and even, on the surface, impressions of opposition to coexist so comfortably. It is truly the template of a prototype university system, with this book being a later development of a much expanded curriculum (for example, the latter includes an art department, while the former references what existed prior to the existence of textbooks!) And do take a moment to admire the cover depicting the author, who wears a charming pointed silk embroidered Scythian style cap, which has never gone out of style among these scholars.

The book is broken down into three paths one will take as a student - why you renounce (i.e., why it is necessary to go to study), how to wish, and how to refine your viewpoint (how to be rational). It deals almost entirely with cause and effect, the total interdependence of everything, objective vs. subjective observations, and reasons why topics like afterlife are not the focus of a school. The fact that it is not in conflict with its cultural output, but perhaps creates a kind of tension which produced its musicality, is a fascinating chapter in the history of philosophy, by just one of many as prolific as any of the west's philosophers, and contains challenges and strategies that are no less useful or pertinent in our own world. These seeds demonstrate an intercultural comprehensibility that we are still barely able to grasp, and underlines the relationship between access to education and the general happiness of a society.

[michael lequire · Rating 5 out of 5]

The commentary is good. The text is 14 concise points that say all that matters and all anyone needs. I refer back monthly and it only gets better.

[Nicky Kleindorf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book on Buddhism that exists

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

supplementing my meditation per venerable phuntsok's suggestion.