The Three Visions: Fundamental Teachings of the Sakya Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism

260 Pages·2002·17.587 MB·English

by  Ngorchen Konchog Lhundrub

T H R E E
V I S I O N S
FUNDAMENTAL TEACHINGS
OF THE SAKYA L INEAGE
OF TIBETAN B UDDHISM
NGORCHEN KONCHOG LHUNDRUB
Foreword by H.H. SAKYA TRIZIN

TilE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENT OF
THE THREE VISIONS

THE THREE VISIONS
Funtlammtal Teachinf1
of
the Sakya Lineage
ofTibetan BuJJhism
A translation of the Tibetan text
The Beautiful Ornament of the Three Visions:
An exposition of the preliminary practices of the path tuhich
extensively explains the instructions of the "Path Including Its Result"
in accordance toith the Root Tret1tise of the Vajm Verses of Vinipn
by
Ngorchen Konchog Lhundrub
Foreword by
H. H. Sakya Trizin
Translated by
Lobsang Dagpa and
Jay Goldberg
Snow Uon Publications
Ithaca, New York
Boulder, Colorado
Snow Lion Publications
P. 0. Box 6483
Ithaca, New York 14851 USA
[phone]
www.snowlionpub.com
Copyright© 1991 and 2002 Jay Goldberg
Second Edition USA 2002
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced by any means without the prior written
permission of the publisher.
Printed in USA on acid-free, recycled paper.
This edition ISBN 1-55939-177-4
The Library of Congress catalogued the previous
edition of this title as follows:
Dkon-mchog-lhun-grub, Nor-chen. 1497-1557.
[Lam 'bras silon 'gro'i khrid yig snail gsum mdzes rgyan. English)
The beautiful ornament of the three visions I by Ngorchen
Konchog Lhundrub ; foreword by H. H. Sakya Trizin ; translated by
Lobsang Dagpa and Jay Goldberg.
p. em.
Translation of: Lam 'bras silon 'gro'i khrid yig snail gsum mdzes
rgyan
Subtitle: An exposition of the preliminary practices of the path
which extensively explains the instructions of the "Path including
its result" in accordance with the root treatise of the Vajra verses
ofVirO.pa.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-937938-99-8
1. Lam-'bras (Sa-skya-pa)-Early works to 1800. I. Lobsang
Dagpa. D. Goldberg, Jay. III. Title. IV. Title: Three visions.
BQ7672.4.05413 1991
294.3'44-dc20 91-26446
CIP
Contents
Foreword X
Preface XI
The Preliminaries 1
Introduction 2
Faith 4
RdUge 9
The Main Teaching 19
The instructions on the impure vision 20
A. The instructions on the faults of worldly existence 20
1. The suffering of suffering 21
a. The suffering of the hells 22
b. The suffering of the hungry ghosts 33
c. The suffering of the animals 36
2. The suffering of change 38
a. The general suffering of change 38
b. The suffering of human change 39
c. The suffering of gods' and demigods'
change 45
3. The suffering of conditional phenomena 48
a. The suffering that activities are never ending 49
b. The suffering of not being satisfied by desire 50
c. The suffering of never being wearied of birth
anddeath 52
B. The instructions on the difficulty of obtaining the
prerequisites 55
1. The difficulty to obtain this human body endowed
with the prerequisites 56
2. The great benefit of this body that has been obtained 63
3. The prerequisites obtained will not last long 67
a. The inconceivable benefits of reflecting on
1m permanence 67
b. Contemplating impermanence 68
C. The instructions on virtuous and nonvirtuous deeds
and their results 87
1. Producing the desire to discard nonvirtue 88
2. Producing the desire to practise virtue 95
3. Transforming neutral deeds into virtues 104
The instructions on the vision of experience 112
A. Meditating until the common experience arises in
one•s mindstream 112
1. Loving kindness 116
2. Compassion 125
3. The thought of enlightenment 131
a. The wishing enlightenment thought 135
b. The entering enlightenment thought 138
c. The ultimate enlightenment thought 156
B. Meditating on the unshakable understanding that an
extraordinary experience in the Vajrayana path
will arise 196
The instructions on the pure vision 201
A. The enlightened body 201
B. The enlightened voice 202
C. The enlightened mind 202
Colophon 206
Notes to the preface 208
Notes to the text 210
Oudine of the text 221
Bibliography 227
Index 228
Dedication
This work is dedicated to
His Holiness Sakya Trizin,
head of the Sakyapa Tradition,
His Eminence Chogay Trichen Rinpoche,
head of the Ts arpa Tradition,
His Eminence Luding Khen Rinpoche,
head of the Ngorpa Tradition,
and all the others who preserve the teaching of
the precious "Path Including Its Result•.
vii
His Holiness Sakya Trizin
Forty-first Patriarch of the Sakyapa Tradition