Lam Rim Teaching by Atisha "Lamp of the path to enlightenment"

Question 1

Which are the 2 groups of 2 categories of teachings?

Answer 1

1. group:
2. Personal liberation seekers (today the Theravada Buddhism is left), Pali language based teachings
3. Mahayana teachings Sanskrit language based teachings, Chinese and Tibetan, Vietnamese
4. group:
5. Explicit teaching : all about emptiness = ultimate reality
   Concerning mainly the second turning of the wheel of Dharma:
6. Implizit teaching: For the Bodhisattvas, how to practice on the path: 6 perfections, samadies, the 4 higher trainings, etc

Question 2

What are the teachings of the lineages of the blessings?

Answer 2

They are Buddhas teachings pertaining to the Mahayana teachings, the practitioners who want to become, or are Bodhisattvas. The teachings are grouped into 2 methods.

Question 3

What are the 2 methods of the teachings of the lineage of the blessings?

Answer 3

1. Teaching of the profound view (emptiness) (WISDOM)
   
   1. Manjushri
   2. Araya Nagarjuna
   3. Bodhisattva Aryadeva
   4. Archarya Buddhapalita
      …..others…
   5. Finally in 7th century Archarya Chandrakirti
      
      6. In 8th century Bodhisattva Shantideva
2. Teaching of the vast conduct (METHOD) (teaching on Bodhicitta, the samadies, the 4 higher trainings, 4 immeasurable, the 6 perfections (without the wisdom aspect), etc.
   ==> implicit teachings of the 2nd turning of the wheel of Dharma:
   
   1. Maitreya (Abhisamayalankara) Commentary on what Buddha taught as an implicit teaching, the Perfection of wisdom Sutra.
   2. Arya Asanga
   3. Archarya Vasubhandu
   4. many desciples, like Archarya Dignaga
      … Archarya Dharmakirti
      …others…
   5. 11th century Lama Selingpa (Indonesia prince) ==> particular the Bodhicitta teachings came from him
   6. Lama Atisha heard of the fame and great practice of Lama Selingpa, so he traveled for 11 months across the ocean to Malaysia, in particular to Jambi, where Atisha got the teachings of Lama Selingpa.

Question 4

State the lineages of the 2 methods to generate Bodhicitta.

Answer 4

(7 fold cause effect method to generate Bodicitta)
- Arya Matreiya,
- Arya Asanga,
- to Archarya Vasubhandu… many others in between, than
-finally to the 11 century Indonesian prince: Master Lama Selingpa, who became a highly realized master of
Bodhicitta, he passed the teaching to
- Lama Atisha who brought it to Tibet in 11th century.

The second method was passed down to:
(Equalizing and exchanging self for others)
- Arya Manjushri
- Arya Nagaryuna
- Bodhisattva Aryadeva, many more in between
- great Indian master Bodhisattva Shantideva (8th century), more masters in between
- Lama Selingpa Indonesia
- Lama Atisha India
Those last 2 Lamas became the points of the confluence (merging)

Question 5

Who invited Atisha to Tibet?

Answer 5

Previously Tibet broke into small kingdoms and Buddhism degenerated badly for 300 years. The descendants of the king Lama Ischjö and his nephew Lama Tschang tschup yö, took charge to get Lama Atisha to Tibet. Especially Lama Ischjö, (who had invited Lama Atisha to Tibet and was killed by another Kingdom’s king who was against Buddhism), took charge to invite Lama Atisha to Tibet.
A group was created by Lama Tschang Tschup yö (nephew of Lama Ischjö) to go to India to look for Atisha and to invite him.

Question 6

Who wrote the commentaries (middle length and great treatise on the stages of the “Lamp of the path to enlightenment” by Atisha?

Answer 6

Lama Tsongkapa

Question 7

The englisch transöations of the LamRim are split into which groups?

Answer 7

Teachings meant for the small scope and the middle scope

Teachings meant for the great scope, but the first part is the Bodhicitta and 6 perfections

Teaching about the meditative samadhi and the wisdom of emptiness

Question 8

This path has to be seen in form of which 3 grades/steps?

Answer 8

1. 3 kinds of practitioners:
   (Classification on the bases of the goal of the being)

a. small scope beings ==> (favorable rebirth), higher states in samsara (Primary school)

From here on Definite goodness is wished for:

b. middle scope beings ==> (exit samsara completely yourself) ==>Nirvana (secondary school)

c. great scope beings ==> (concern about all the other beings), Buddhahood for all beings (high school)

Question 9

What is definite goodness?

Answer 9

Nirvana and Buddhahood is for good, no returning!

Question 10

Why do we need 3 different teachings for the beings, as thought in the LAMRIM?

Answer 10

There are 3 different beings with 3 different mental streams, or
one individual going through 3 different phases of the spiritual journey to Buddhahood.

It depends on the perspective: The perspective of the one being who is taught and the perspective of the teaching/teacher looking at the beings which have to be taught.

!Therefore we need 3 different teachings!

Question 11

What is the main structure of the LamRim teaching?

Answer 11

3 phases of the individuals spiritual journey towards Buddhahood

3 kinds of goals

3 kinds of teachings

Question 12

What are the 3 LamRim teachings?

Answer 12

1. What are the teachings to attain the favourable birth
2. What are the teachings to be freed from samsara
   3 What are the teachings to reach Buddhahood for others

===»> 3 kinds of teachings:
1. Teachings in common with the small scope person
2. Teachings in common for the middle scope person (partial awakening)
3. Teachings for the great scope person (full awakening)