Lecture No. 0289

BACK TO GL2 LISTING PAGE | 全广二首页

中文

Global Lamrim II

Lecture No. 0289

Lamrim Volume 1:  P38 – L14~L33

Date: 15 Jun 2022

Topic: The elder having entered the door of the sravaka vehicle, guarded ethical discipline as a yak guards its tail

Next, let’s continue to read the Introduction to the Four Interwoven Annotations, Chinese text. Please turn to page 113, the blue print in the middle section; it says, ”Introduction to the ethical discipline”. 　

With respect to the ethical discipline, the scriptures and their commentaries repeatedly praise training in ethical discipline as the basis for all good qualities, such as the trainings in concentration and wisdom. Therefore, at the outset you must have the good qualities of knowledge that occur in the context of training in [higher] ethical discipline. [v.1 p.38]
That Atisha possessed the training in ethics is explained in relation to three aspects:
1. The superior vows of individual liberation
2. The bodhisattva vows
3. The vows of the Vajrayana
1) How Atisha possessed superior vows of individual liberation - Nag-tso’s Eighty Verses of Praise:
I bow down to the elder upholder of the texts on discipline,
Supreme of monks, possessing the glory of pure deeds.
You, having entered the door of the sravaka vehicle,
Guarded ethical discipline of the superior vows of individual liberation as a yak guards its tail. As stated in the Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, “Among the seven types of vows of individual liberation [v.2 p.148] that Buddha expounded, the supreme practice is the pure ethical discipline upheld by monastics.”
A yak is so attached to the hairs of its tail that when a single hair gets caught in brush, it will risk its life to guard that no hair be lost, even if it sees that it might be killed by a hunter. Likewise, Atisha, after receiving the complete vows of a monk, guarded at the risk of his life every minor fundamental training, not to mention the major fundamental trainings to which he was committed. Therefore, as it is said in Nag-tso’s Eighty Verses of Praise, Master Atisha was an elder who was a great upholder of the texts on discipline. [v.1 p.38] [01:32]

Let’s continue to look at Rinpoche’s Introduction. It says, “With respect to the ethical discipline”; now we are into the ethical discipline teaching of the three trainings. So the ethical discipline is the root of the three precious trainings. Why? Because “the scriptures and their commentaries repeatedly praise training in ethical discipline as the basis for all good qualities, such as the trainings in concentration and wisdom.” Buddha’s sublime teachings and many commentaries all have mentioned this, as indicated in the Friendly Letter, “Buddha said ethical discipline is the root of all good qualities, just as all sentient beings and non-sentient beings rely on the great earth”. In other words, the great earth can produce all kinds of crops, and it is what all sentient beings and non-sentient beings rely on; in the similar manner, ethical discipline is also the root from which all good qualities derive, so it is like the great earth. If we want to attain any good quality, the ethical discipline is what we should start work on. “Therefore, at the outset you must have the good qualities of knowledge that occur in the context of training in ethical discipline,” so, at the outset, we need to acquire such good qualities. What kind of good qualities? That is, one needs to acquire the good qualities of higher ethical discipline. Obviously, what does the “higher ethical discipline” indicate? It indicates that one should first acquire the reciprocal experiential knowledge developed from the scriptural knowledge; that is, one needs to obtain these good qualities of ethical discipline first. Just as the great earth is crucial to all living beings, ethical discipline is the starting point where one can obtain all good qualities. It is the basis from which all the good qualities derive. This great earth is an analogy used for describing higher ethical discipline. [03:02]

How many types of ethical disciplines are there? As mentioned earlier, there are the superior vows of individual liberation, the bodhisattva vows, and what else? The vows of the Vajrayana. Firstly, “How Atisha possessed superior vows of individual liberation”, herein lies the reason why Master Atisha was endowed with the superior vows of individual liberation. As indicated in the Praise, “the elder having entered the door of the sravaka vehicle, guarded ethical discipline as a yak guards its tail.” What is indicated in the Praise is that by saying that Master Atisha “entered the door of the sravaka vehicle”, it does not mean that he took the practice of the sravaka vehicle; rather it means he took the sravaka’s door of “superior vows of individual liberation”. We should understand the difference between the two; otherwise we may take it that Master Atisha entered the sravaka vehicle. However, that is not the case. Rinpoche said it is very important to be able to distinguish between the two! For example, we are the Mahayana practitioners, but we also abide by the superior vows of individual liberation; thus, we would not enter the sravaka vehicle just because we uphold the superior vows of individual liberation. [03:57]

What Jowo Je took was the individual vows of the sravaka vehicle. After taking these vows, he upheld them meticulously; that is, he guarded each vow as conscientiously as a yak guards each hair of its tail. This is what the yaks of the Snow Mountains in Tibet would do. If one fine hair of the tail was stuck in a tree, a yak would stay where it is for fear of breaking it. If, at this juncture, a hunter is chasing it, and pointing a gun right at it, the yak would hold its hair so dear that it would not break that fine hair by running for its life. In the same manner, Master Atisha steadfastly safeguarded the vows he took and would not break the vow even at the risk of losing his own life. Master Atisha treasured the vows he took more than his own life. [04:49]

In this section, we learn that the tails of the yak are as fine as silk filament. In fact, breaking one silky hair should be nothing. However, the yak cherishes its tail so much that it would rather die than break any tail hair. Master Atisha safeguarded every minor ethical discipline in such a manner; we can imagine how he would devote his entire life to safeguard the major consequential vows. [05:16]

Let’s reflect on ourselves: we all have taken the vows, so what is our attitude toward upholding major vows? I am speaking of those serious consequential vows. As for the minor vows, what is our attitude? Based on such introspection, we will know how much confidence we will have for the higher vows, what our understanding of them is, and how well we will uphold our vows. After learning Master Atisha’s great deeds and how he upheld the ethics, we can reflect on ourselves and emulate Master Atisha. [05:53]

 Note: Integration of scriptural knowledge with experiential knowledge: Experiential Knowledge:

 1. Sila (ethical discipline): 戒/律 - learn in the vinayapatika (dictated by Upali) - homage to the omniscient mind of the Buddha佛

2. Samadhi (concentration):定/經 - learn in the sutrapatika (dictated by Ananda) - homage to the Buddhas & Bodhisattvas佛＆菩薩

3. Prajna (wisdom):慧/論 - learn in the abhidharmapatika (dictated by Mahākāśyapa) - homage to Manjusri⽂殊師利

Eng

【全球广论 II 讲次: 0289】

讲次 | 0289 (2021-01-04 ~ 2021-01-06)

标题 | 尊入声闻乘门已，护戒如牦牛爱尾

《广论》段落 | P4-L5 ~ P4-LL3 其中戒学……是故成大持律上座。

入门段落 | 第1册 P113-L4 ~ P114-LL4 引叙戒律......就算遭遇命难也不舍戒。

(更新日期: 2022年6月15日)

00:00

接下来请大家看 113 页“引叙戒律”，中间的蓝字，看原文。

其中戒学，至言及释数数赞为定慧学等一切功德之所依处，故须先具戒学增上诸证功德。其中 戒律，分三：成就最胜别解脱律仪事理者：如《赞》中云：“尊入声闻乘 之宗规别别解脱律仪门已，护戒如牦牛爱尾， 如《菩提道炬论》云：‘七众别解脱，如来所宣说，最胜妙梵行，即比丘净律。’具妙梵行胜苾刍，持律上座我敬礼。”谓其正受圆满苾刍诸律仪已，如爱尾牛，若尾一缕挂着于树，虽见猎士将离其命，宁舍其命护尾不断。如是虽于一轻学处，尚宁舍命防护不犯，况其所受重大学处，是故成大持律上座。01:32

下面我们再看仁波切的讲记。说：“其中戒学”，现在是过渡到三学宝中的戒学了。那么戒学是三学的根本，因为“至言及释数数赞为定慧学等一切功德之所依处”，佛陀的至言及众多的释论中都有如此提到。像《亲友书》中就说：“佛说戒为众德本，如情非情依于地”，就像大地一样可以出生一切作物，是一切情非情的所依，戒也是一切功德的所依，所以像大地一样。如果要想获得任何功德，根本都在于戒。“故须先具戒学增上诸证功德”，所以最初必须具足这样的功德。哪样的功德呢？就要先具备戒学增上的诸证功德。所以这里边很显然“戒学增上”它是属于什么？证正法里边的证功德，而且它是要最先具足的；像大地一样，如果你想要获得任何功德，都要用这个大地承载，这个大地就比喻增上戒学。03:02

那么戒学有几种呢？刚才讲过别解脱律仪、菩萨律仪，还有什么？密宗律仪。首先，“成就最胜别解脱律仪事理者”，这里就讲到具德阿底峡尊者具足了最胜别解脱律仪的道理。像“《赞》中云：‘尊入声闻乘门已，护戒如牦牛爱尾。’”在这个《赞》中所说的“入声闻乘门”的意思，不是指入声闻乘，而是指进入“宗规别别解脱律仪”之门。我们必须了解这两者的差别，否则可能就会有人认为阿底峡尊者好像进入声闻部派了。但不是这样的，仁波切说这是很重要的！比如说我们是执持大乘宗的，但我们也持守别解脱律仪，不会因为特别持守别解脱戒就说我们趣入声闻乘。03:57

觉窝杰趣入的是声闻乘的律仪，趣入这个律仪之后，对于每一条戒，都如同牦牛守护它尾上的每一根毛一般地善加守护。在雪山上的牦牛就会这样，如果它尾巴上的一根毛、一根细细的尾缠在了树上，这个时候如果有猎人追它，追到面前拿起枪，纵遇到生命的危险，它也舍不得把它那个尾巴拉断然后跑，它也不愿意断一尾求存。如同这个譬喻，就算遭遇到了命难也不舍戒，尊者对律仪的爱护超越于生命。04:49

这里边说牦牛的那个尾应该有很多细得像丝一样，其实断一个丝应该是没什么的，但是这种牦牛它就是特别爱护它的尾巴，宁可死了也要保护。尊者对于微细的戒都守护成这样子，可以想像对重大的律仪，他也更是用所有的生命去守护。05:16

所以我们学到这里可以想一想：我们都是受了戒的人，那么我们对于重戒的态度是什么？那种很重的戒律。我们对于那种轻的律仪，还有细部的律仪的态度又是什么样？就可以知道对这个增上的戒学，我们的信心是怎么样的？自己的认知是怎么样的？行持又是如何呢？我们读到这里尊者的行谊，可以反观一下自己，然后要向尊者学习。05:53