Volume 1: Explanation of the Bodhisattva Precepts
Composed by Master Tsongkhapa
Translated by Master Fazun
Homage to Manjushri, the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva!
Homage to the Compassion-Motivated One, Who bore the burden of hardship for countless eons; Who reached the highest ground and cried out in a great voice, Awakening sentient beings from their slumber of ignorance. Entrusted with the Dharma kingdom’s royal throne,
And sovereign of the victors’ honored line; O venerable Maitreya, may your pure deeds Protect all beings without exception. The lovely lotus feet of the Compassionate One— When touched with faith, bring auspicious increase;
We reverently honor the Victor’s regal heir, And bow to the noble sage Asaṅga. The peerless oral guidance says: Take the vow to train in Bodhisattva ways, And here we explain the proper path of practice—
All who delight in the Great Vehicle, listen well. Though some claim to follow the Mahāyāna, They remain blind in their wisdom eye To the real deportment of a Buddha’s child; Though they recite the texts, at crucial points
They find no certain understanding Of this path—the chief and only way For those who love the Great Vehicle. Thus they neglect the Buddha’s precepts, Roaming wildly like an elephant without a hook,
And take no joy in such profound teachings. But those whose Mahāyāna potential is not weak, And who possess good roots, shall gain increasing happiness.
This is as predicted in the Root Tantra of Manjushri:
"The monk Asanga, skilled in all doctrines, distinguishes the sutras of definitive and provisional meaning into many types. Illuminating the people of the world, he explains the sutras according to their true nature. The mantra he accomplishes is named ‘Servant Girl Sara.’ Through the power of this mantra, he gave rise to excellent wisdom. For the long-lasting benefit of the holy Dharma, he extracted the true meaning of the scriptures. Living for one hundred and fifty years, upon the dissolution of his body, he was reborn in the heavenly realms. Wandering in the cycle of rebirth, he always experiences happiness. At the very end, this great being will attain great enlightenment."
Thus, through vast aspirations, upholding the true Dharma, and accumulating immeasurable merit over many lifetimes, he attained the sublime samadhi known as the “Flow of Dharma.” Having crossed to the far shore of the ocean of his own and others’ traditions, his power of discerning what is true was difficult for others to fathom. Hence, he is called the “Noble Asanga.”
He received countless teachings from the Compassionate One (Maitreya), and in particular, he broadly studied the path and its results of the Great Vehicle. Summarizing this meaning, he composed a great treatise called *The Bodhisattva Levels* (Yogacārabhūmi). Although this is the case, those who have trained little in the Great Vehicle in the past, whose wisdom is inferior and diligence weak, still cannot study this treatise. Seeing this, and for the sake of benefiting such people, he explained the meaning of the “Chapter on Ethics” from *The Bodhisattva Levels* in a way that is easy for those of narrow intelligence to understand.