On the Path to Enlightenment: Heart Advice from the Great Tibetan Masters

271 Pages·2013·1.01 MB·English

by  Matthieu Ricard (Author)

ABOUT THE BOOK
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche inspired Matthieu Ricard to create this anthology
by telling him that “when we come to appreciate the depth of the view of
the eight great traditions [of Tibetan Buddhism] and also see that they all
lead to the same goal without contradicting each other, we think, ‘Only
ignorance can lead us to adopt a sectarian view.’” Ricard has selected and
translated some of the most profound and inspiring teachings from across
these traditions. The selected teachings are taken from the sources of the
traditions, including the Buddha himself, Nagarjuna, Guru Rinpoche,
Atisha, Shantideva, and Asanga; from great masters of the past, including
Thogme Zangpo, the Fifth Dalai Lama, Milarepa, Longchenpa, and Sakya
Pandita; and from contemporary masters, including the Fourteenth Dalai
Lama and Mingyur Rinpoche. They address such topics as the nature of the
mind; the foundations of taking refuge, generating altruistic compassion,
acquiring merit, and following a teacher; view, meditation, and action; and
how to remove obstacles and make progress on the path.
MATTHIEU RICARD is a former scientist who gave up that life to become
a Tibetan Buddhist monk. He is the Dalai Lama’s interpreter in French, has
translated numerous Buddhist texts, and is the author of The Quantum and
the Lotus, Journey to Enlightenment, and, with Jean-François Revel, The
Monk and the Philosopher.
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Translated from the Tibetan
with the collaboration of
CHRISTIAN BRUYAT
of the
Padmakara Translation
Group
English translation by
CHARLES HASTINGS
On the Path to
ENLIGHTENMENT
Heart Advice from the Great Tibetan Masters
MATTHIEU RICARD
Shambhala
BOSTON & LONDON
2013
Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Horticultural Hall
300 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02115
www.shambhala.com
ENGLISH EDITION © 2013 SHAMBHALA PUBLICATIONS, INC.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publisher.
This is an abridged edition and English translation of
Chemins spirituels: Petit anthologie des plus beaux texts tibétains
© NiL Editions, 2010, Paris.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Chemins spirituels. English. Selections On the path to
enlightenment: heart advice from the great Tibetan masters / Matthieu Ricard; translated from the Tibetan
with the collaboration of Christian Bruyat of the Padmakara Translation Group; English translation by
Charles Hastings.—First Edition.
pages cm.
eISBN 978-0-83482853-7
ISBN 978-1-61180-039-5 (pbk.) 1. Spiritual life—Buddhism—Quotations, maxims, etc. 2. Buddhism—
Tibet Region—Quotations, maxims, etc. I. Ricard, Matthieu, editor of compilation, translator, writer of
added commentary. II. Title.
BQ7775.C49213 2013
294.3′444—dc23
2013000270
To Taklung Tsetrul, Pema Wangyal Rinpoche,
with great respect and gratitude
Preface
These few drops taken from the vast ocean of Tibetan Buddhist literature are not
intended to be a definitive anthology. They are simply a compilation of the most
inspiring texts that I have had the privilege to read over the years. I chose them
for their clarity and for the authenticity of their authors.
I wanted the passages quoted in this book to represent as wide a range as
possible of the different spiritual traditions of Tibet. On several occasions, I have
drawn from sources that I found particularly clear and refreshing, especially
those of the masters that I have had the good fortune to meet and who so
perfectly represent traditions that have been preserved intact to this day. My
choice has also included the words of the Buddha himself, as well as certain
teachings of the great Indian Buddhist masters often quoted in Tibetan literature.
This is a “small” anthology since it does not pretend to be exhaustive, if only
because of my limited knowledge. But I hope that, like a drop of honey, which,
despite its small size, has all the flavor of the jar from which it is taken, this
collection will contain the essence of the Buddhist path, especially in its most
practical aspect, the use of every moment of existence to progress toward
enlightenment.
In Bhutan in 1981, the great Tibetan spiritual master Dilgo Khyentse
Rinpoche (1910–91) gave the transmission of the Treasury of Spiritual
Instructions (Gdams ngag mdzod), which lasted for two months. In this thirteen-
volume collection, Jamgön Kongtrul, one of the greatest masters of the
nineteenth century, brought together the pith instructions of what are known as
the Eight Great Chariots of the Accomplishment Lineage. The eight chariots are
the main transmission lineages of Buddhist teachings that flourished in Tibet:
Nyingma, Geluk-Kadam, Sakya, Kagyu, Shangpa Kagyu, Kalachakra, Orgyen
Nyendrub, and Chö-Shiche (see the appendix for more on these lineages).
One evening, after the teachings, Khyentse Rinpoche said to me, “When we
come to appreciate the depth of the view of the eight great traditions and also see
that they all lead to the same goal without contradicting each other, we think
‘Only ignorance can lead us to adopt a sectarian attitude’.” So, to illustrate the
words of Khyentse Rinpoche, I made the wish to translate a selection of texts
from all of these schools. This little anthology is the modest fulfillment of that
aspiration.
I translated many of the texts in the collection myself during the thirty-five
years that I have spent in the East. Those from other sources are referenced in
the sources section. Sometimes I went back to the Tibetan and modified the first
translation.
According to tradition of the Padmakara Translation Group,1 of which I am a
member, the translations were checked with the original Tibetan by another
translator, in this case, my friend Christian Bruyat, who also modified the
translation of many texts. While doing the English translation, Charles Hastings
not only improved the flow of the presentation but again checked some
important passages against the Tibetan original and made a number of
improvements.
Preliminary versions of this anthology benefited from suggestions by Carisse
Busquet, Madeleine Tréhin, Yahne Le Toumelin, and other members of the
Padmakara Translation Group.
We are very grateful to the Tsadra Foundation for its support to the
Padmakara Translation Group for the revision of the French translation.
1. Padmakara was founded over thirty years ago to translate the great texts of Tibetan Buddhist literature as
accurately as possible and publish them so as to make them accessible to Western audiences.
What we call “mind” is a very curious phenomenon. Sometimes it is rigid and
resistant to any change. It can also become very flexible as long as we make
constant efforts to transform it and convince ourselves, through reflection, that
this change is not only possible but essential. To do so, wishes or prayers are not
enough. We need to use reason based on experience. One should not expect this
transformation to happen overnight, as our old habits will resist any rapid
solution.
HIS HOLINESS
THE FOURTEENTH DALAI LAMA