The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (菩提道次第廣論)

In the section on the excellence of the Dharma, the teaching itself refers to the foundational treatise of this instruction, the *Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment*. Although the Master composed many texts, the one that stands as the root and is utterly complete is the *Lamp*. It fully encompasses the essential points of both the Sutras and the Tantras, thus its content is complete. Its progression for taming the mind is supreme, making it easy to practice. Moreover, it is adorned with the teachings of the two great traditions and the instructions of two masters, surpassing other systems.

This treatise teaches four special qualities: 1. The quality of realizing that all sacred teachings are without contradiction, 2. The quality of seeing all teachings as direct instructions, 3. The quality of easily attaining the enlightened intent, 4. The quality of eliminating great wrongdoing that leads to self-destruction.

Here begins the first.

The sacred teachings, as stated in the *Lamp of Prajna* (extensive commentary), are: "The sacred teachings are the flawless revelation of what those seeking the supreme state of nectar—whether human or divine—should fully understand, should abandon, should directly realize, and should cultivate." These are the profound words spoken by the Bhagavan, encompassing all the excellent discourses of the victorious ones.

Those who reach it face no contradiction. This means understanding that within this, there is the path by which one person becomes a Buddha, and that, according to what is appropriate, some aspects are the core of the path, while others are its supporting elements.

Here, what Bodhisattvas seek to accomplish is to bring about the welfare of the world, and they must also gather in all beings of the three capacities. Therefore, they must train in all those paths. As the *Commentary on the Bodhicitta* says: "Just as you yourself are certain, you should help others become certain; the wise should always proceed without error." The *Commentary on Valid Cognition* also says: "The cause from which that arises is not evident, so it is hard to explain." If you yourself have not ascertained the truth, you cannot explain it to others. Knowing the paths of the three vehicles is precisely the means by which Bodhisattvas accomplish what they seek. As Maitreya says: "Those who wish to benefit beings accomplish worldly good through the wisdom of the paths." The *Mother of Victorious Ones* also says: "Bodhisattvas should generate all paths and understand all paths—namely, the paths of Hearers, the paths of Solitary Realizers, and the paths of Buddhas. They should also perfect all these paths and accomplish what they are meant to do." Therefore, any claim that, because one is a Mahāyāna practitioner, one need not study the scriptural collections of the lesser vehicles, is a contradictory position.

Those who enter the Great Vehicle path have two kinds of paths: common and uncommon. The common paths are those taught in the scriptures of the lesser vehicles. Why should these be abandoned? Apart from the uncommon aspects—such as the longing for solitary peace and joy—everything else should also be cultivated by Great Vehicle practitioners. This is why the Bodhisattva scriptures extensively teach the three vehicles, and this is precisely the reason for that.

Furthermore, the Perfectly Enlightened One is not one who has eliminated only some faults or perfected only some virtues. Rather, they have completely cut off all kinds of faults without exception and fully perfected all kinds of virtues without exception. The Great Vehicle, which can accomplish this, likewise eliminates all faults and develops all virtues. Therefore, the path of the Great Vehicle encompasses all the attainments of abandoning faults and realizing virtues found in all other vehicles. As a result, all the Buddha's teachings are included within the framework of the Mahayana path that leads to Buddhahood. This is because there is nothing taught by the Buddha that does not either eliminate a fault or give rise to a virtue, and the Great Vehicle accomplishes all of these without exception.

Suppose someone says: Although those who enter the Great Vehicle of Paramita must follow the paths taught in the Lesser Vehicle scriptures, for those who enter the Vajrayana, the paths of the Paramita Vehicle are not shared, because their paths are not compatible. This is extremely unreasonable. The essence of the Paramita path is fully encompassed by the intention—bodhicitta directed toward enlightenment—and the conduct—practicing the six perfections. These must definitely be cultivated by all. As the *Supreme Vajra Peak* says: "Even for the sake of one's life, one should not give up the mind of enlightenment." It also says: "The practice of the six perfections should never be abandoned." Moreover, other tantric scriptures teach this in many ways.

When many people enter the mandala of Highest Yoga Tantra, it is often said that one must receive the two types of precepts—the common and the uncommon. The common precepts are those of the Bodhisattva vows. Receiving these precepts means taking up and studying the three sets of pure precepts and other Bodhisattva trainings. Apart from generating bodhicitta, there is no other path in the Perfection Vehicle besides practicing what one has vowed to learn. Moreover, in the *Vajra Ḍākinī*, the *Saṃpuṭa*, and the *Vajra Śekhara*, when receiving the samaya of Amitābha, it is stated: "Without exception, receive the outer tantras and the three vehicles' sublime Dharma." Since one must vow to uphold the precepts when receiving the mantra vows, seeing slight differences in what is allowed and prohibited and then insisting that everything is as contradictory as heat and cold reveals that one's own wisdom is extremely shallow.

This is why, apart from a few distinctions of scope and allowance, all authentic teachings are highly compatible with one another. To progress through the higher levels of the three vehicles and five paths, one must fully possess the qualities found in the lower vehicle paths.

The path of the Perfection (Paramita) vehicle, as stated in the *Mother of the Buddhas* (Prajnaparamita Sutra): "All Buddhas of past, present, and future—this is their common path, not any other." It serves as the very pillar of the path to Buddhahood, so it should never be abandoned. The Vajrayana also extensively teaches this, making it the shared path of both Sutra and Tantra.

If, upon this foundation, one adds the unique tantric paths—empowerments, samaya vows, the two stages, and their related practices—one can swiftly reach Buddhahood. But to abandon the common path is a grave mistake.

If one lacks this understanding and, having gained a partial certainty in one practice, then disparages other teachings—especially if one develops a semblance of superior realization about the higher vehicles and consequently slanders and rejects the lower vehicles' teachings, such as the Perfection path—or, within tantra, dismisses the lower tantric classes—one would accumulate a deeply interconnected, heavy karmic burden of slandering the Dharma, which ripens into extremely severe consequences. The scriptural basis for this will be explained later.

Therefore, one should rely on a virtuous spiritual teacher and develop a firm understanding of the principle that all the Buddha's teachings serve as the causes and conditions for a single person's path to enlightenment. Whatever practices we are able to engage in now, we should practice; whatever we are not yet able to fully undertake, we should not abandon simply because we cannot currently accomplish them. Instead, we should think: "May I soon be able to practice these through the appropriate methods of approach and avoidance!" Then, for the sake of achieving that, we should accumulate merit, purify our negativities, and make extensive positive aspirations. In this way, before long, our wisdom and capabilities will gradually grow, and we will be able to practice all of these teachings.

The spiritual master Dromtönpa Rinpoche also said: "The one who knows how to encompass all the sacred teachings through the four-fold path is my own teacher." This statement is something of great significance to contemplate. Through this, this instruction contains the essential points of both the Sutra and Tantra traditions, and it properly guides a single individual along the path to enlightenment. Therefore, it possesses the special quality of understanding that all the Buddha's teachings are non-contradictory.

In summary, all the sacred teachings serve as direct guidance. The means to accomplish both temporary and ultimate well-being for those seeking liberation lies solely in the words of the Victorious One. For only the Buddha reveals the essential points of what to adopt and abandon, free from all error. As the *Continuum* (Uttaratantra) says: "In this world, no one is more skillful than the Victorious One; omniscience and perfect wisdom belong to no other. Therefore, do not disrupt the scriptures set down by the Great Sage, for to do so harms the Dharma itself." Thus, the words of the Buddha—both sutras and tantras—are the supreme instructions.

However, because beings in later times, without authoritative commentaries and genuine guidance, cannot by their own effort grasp the intent of the Buddha's words, the great masters composed commentaries and instructions. Therefore, if a teaching is genuine, it must be able to give rise to certain conviction in the vast scriptures. But if, despite much practice, it cannot bestow such conviction regarding the meaning of the vast Buddha-word and its commentaries—or worse, shows them as contradictory to the path—then it should be discarded.

If one thinks like this: "The great scriptures and commentaries are mere theoretical expositions, containing no essential points for practice. There are separate teachings that reveal the true heart of practice." And thus one holds that the Dharma has two distinct forms—study and practice—one should know that this obstructs the arising of deep respect for the stainless sutras and tantras, and their stainless commentaries. To claim that those texts do not reveal the inner meaning, that they merely open up vast external understanding, and to regard them as objects worthy of contempt, is to accumulate the karma of slandering the true Dharma.

Therefore, one should seek instructions by thinking in this way: The great scriptures and commentaries are, for those who seek liberation, truly the supreme and infallible instructions. Yet, because of one's own weak intelligence and other such conditions, one cannot definitively recognize them as supreme instructions by relying on those texts alone. Thus, one should rely on the instructions of a qualified teacher and seek definitive understanding within them. Do not think or hold the view that the scriptures and commentaries merely open up vast external understanding and therefore lack the essential heart. The instructions of a teacher reveal the inner meaning, so they are primary.

The Great Yoga Master Bodhibhadra said: "What is called 'entering through instructions' does not mean merely gaining a clear understanding of a single small text the size of one's palm. It means understanding that all the Buddha's teachings are instructions."

Similarly, the great teacher's disciple, the yogi of Repa, said: "Atisha's instructions grind the body, speech, and mind to dust in a single sitting. Now I understand that all the scriptures and treatises are instructions."

We should understand it in this way. As Dromtönpa Rinpoche said: "If one has studied many teachings but then seeks separate instructions for practice elsewhere, that is a mistake."

Even if one has studied many teachings for a long time, if one does not understand the method of practice at all, and when wishing to practice must seek guidance from elsewhere—this is also a fault arising from failing to understand the meaning explained above.

Here, the teachings of the Buddha, as stated in the *Abhidharma-kosha*: "The Buddha's true Dharma is twofold, consisting of scripture and realization." Apart from these two—scriptural teachings and realization—there is no other Dharma.

Scriptural teachings refer to the principles for discerning, internalizing, and practicing the path correctly. Realization refers to putting into practice what has been discerned through that prior discernment. Thus, these two are related as cause and effect. For example, when racing a horse, one first shows the horse the track it should run; once the track is defined, the horse should run on that track. If the designated track is where one should run, but the horse runs elsewhere, it would surely be a laughingstock. How could one discern and decide something through listening and reflection, yet when it comes to practice, practice something else?

Likewise, as stated in the *Later Part of the Stages of Meditation*: "What is understood through listening and reflection is precisely what should be cultivated through meditation—not something else. As with showing the horse the track, one should follow it accordingly."

Through this instruction, one can encompass the essential points of all scriptures and treatises. From the method of relying on a spiritual teacher up through tranquillity and insight, within all of this, whatever should be set aside in practice, one sets aside; whatever should be taken up in practice, one properly contemplates with discerning wisdom. Arranged as a sequential guide for practice, all the sacred words thus appear as personal instructions.

If this is not done, then regarding one fragment of the incomplete path, even if one spends one's entire life cultivating without the wisdom of analytical observation, the great scriptures and commentaries will not only fail to appear as true instructions, but one will see them merely as vast intellectual expositions and, disparaging them, abandon them. We can see that most of the meanings presented in the great scriptures and commentaries must be properly examined through analytical wisdom. If, during cultivation, one discards this, then how can one develop certain understanding of these meanings and see them as the supreme instructions? If these are not the supreme instructions, then who could obtain instructions superior to those composed by these masters? Conversely, if one can perceive the vast sutras and their commentaries as instructions, then the profound tantras and the great treatises will also effortlessly appear as instructions. This will give rise to a certain conviction that holds them as supreme instructions, and will completely eliminate, without any remainder, all the distorted notions that mistakenly regard them as not true instructions and that turn away from the true Dharma.

For those who wish to easily grasp the profound intent of the Victorious One, the great scriptures and treatises are indeed the foremost and supreme instructions. However, for beginners who have not yet accustomed themselves to such practices, it is difficult to attain their true meaning without relying on the guidance of a virtuous teacher. Even if one were to gain such understanding, it would require a long period of time and immense effort. By relying on the teachings of a wise mentor, one can quickly comprehend the essential points of the scriptures and treatises, for such guidance swiftly bestows definitive understanding. The reasoning behind this will be elaborated in due course.

The destruction of even the most heinous karmic deeds occurs through understanding the Dharma. As taught in the *White Lotus* and *The Chapter on Truth*, all of the Buddha's teachings, whether ultimate or provisional, are skillful means revealing the path to enlightenment. Some who fail to grasp this mistakenly label certain teachings as aids to enlightenment and others as obstacles, judging some as good and others as bad, some as reasonable and others as unreasonable, some as belonging to the Greater and some to the Lesser Vehicle, insisting that bodhisattvas must study certain texts while dismissing others as unworthy of practice. This becomes slander of the Dharma.

The *Compendium of All Grindings* states: "Manjushri, the karmic obstruction from slandering the true Dharma is subtle indeed. Manjushri, if one regards some of the Buddha's sacred words as excellent and others as inferior, this is slander of the Dharma. One who slanders the Dharma thereby slanders the Tathagata and slanders the Sangha. To say, 'This is reasonable, that is unreasonable,' is slander of the Dharma. To say, 'This was taught for bodhisattvas, that for shravakas,' is slander of the Dharma. To say, 'This was taught for pratyekabuddhas,' is slander of the Dharma. To say, 'This is not what bodhisattvas should study,' is slander of the Dharma."

The weight of slandering the Dharma is immense. The *Samadhi King Sutra* declares: "If one destroyed all the stupas in this Jambudvipa, the offense would be great, but slandering the sutras is far graver. If one killed as many arhats as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, the offense would be great, but slandering the sutras is far graver still."

Though there are many ways to commit slander of the Dharma, the one described above is especially serious, and one should strive earnestly to abandon it. However, if one can develop the firm understanding described earlier, this can be prevented, and such harmful actions will naturally cease. This conviction should be sought through repeated study of *The Chapter on Truth* and the *White Lotus Sutra*. Other forms of slander, as explained in the *Compendium of Grindings*, should also be understood.