Meditative States in Tibetan Buddhism: The Concentrations and Formless Absorptions

282 Pages·1984·14.65 MB·English

by  Lati Rinbochay

Meditative States
in Tibetan Buddhism
The Concentrations and Formless Absorptions
Edited and annotated by Leah Zahler
Lati Rinbochay's Oral Presentation
Translated by Jeffrey Hopkins
PaQ-<:hen SO-nam-drak-ba's "Explanation
ofthe Concentrations and Formless Absorptions"
Translated by Leah Zahler
Denma LochO Rinbochay's Oral Commentary
Translated by Jeffrey Hopkins
Wisdom Publications · London
First published in 1983
Wisdom Publications
PO Box 4BJ
London W1
and
Conishead Priory
Ulverston, Cumbria
England
© Leah Zahler and Jeffrey Hopkins 1983
ISBN 0 86171 011 8
Typeset in Plantin 11 on 13 point
by Setrite and printed and bound
by Cameron Printing Co. Ltd.,
Hong Kong.
To my parents, Zella and Carl Zahler,
with love, and with thanks
for their love and understanding.
May this work bring help to all sentient beings.
Acknowledgments
Homage to Manjushrf
This work has been made possible by the teaching and help of
many people. I should like to thank Professor Harvey B. Aronson
for working· with me on the Sanskrit of material quoted from
Indian sources and for his encouragement, and Joe B. Wilson, Jr.,
for seeing me through the initial steps of the translation. Thanks
aiso go to the typist, Nancy Oettinger, and to Bethany Preston,
Elizabeth Napper, Jules Levinson, and Gareth Sparham for help
in proofreading. Finally, I should like to thank all my teachers
above all, the late Ge-shay Wangyal, whose kindness cannot be
repaid.
Leah Zahler
Contents
Acknowledgments 4
Charts 6
A Note on Transliteration and Phoneticization 7
Introduction 9
Part One Lati Rinbochay's Oral Presentation
of the Concentrations and Formless Absorptions 15
1 Opening Remarks 16
2 Cyclic Existence 25
3 Background to the Concentrations and
Formless Absorptions 48
4 Calm Abiding 52
5 The Four Concentrations 92
6 The Four Formless Absorptions 129
7 Preparations Having the Aspect of the Truths 134
Part Two "The Explanation of the Concentrations
and Formless Absorptions" from Pacy-chen So-nam-drak-ba's
General Meaning of (Maitreya 's) "Ornament for
Clear Realization. " With oral commentary by
Denma LochO Rinbochay 145
1 The Explanation ofthe Concentrations 146
2 The Explanation ofthe Formless Absorptions 181
3 Comparisons of the Concentrations arid
Formless Absorptions 183
Glossary 206
Notes 230
Bibliography 248
Index 253
Charts
Cyclic Existence 46
Faults of Meditative Stabilization and Their Antidotes 53
States and Factors in Achieving Calm Abiding 54
The Mental Contemplation of Thorough-Isolation 112
The Mental Contemplation of Withdrawal or Joy 112
The Mental Contemplation of Final Training and
the Actual First, Concentration 116
Preparations for the First Concentration 117
Branches of the Concentrations 199
A Note on Transliteration
and Phoneticization
The systems of transliteration and phoneticization used in this
work differ somewhat from those generally in use. In trans
s,
literating Sanskrit, ch, sh, and ~h are used instead of c, and ~for
ease of pronunciation by English-speaking readers. Chh is used
instead of ch.
The transliteration of Tibetan follows the system of Turrell
Wylie, except that the root letter rather than the initial letter is
capitaliZed in proper names and titles.
The phom!ticization ofTibetan attempts to reflect current Hla
sa pronunciation, including its tonal elements. It follows a system
devised by Jeffrey Hopkins for that purpose. The table on the
following page shows the difference between the Wylie trans
literation and the Hopkins phoneticization. It includes only that
part of Hopkins's phoneticization applicable to authors' names
and the names of monasteries and monastic colleges and is not a
complete guide to pronunciation.
The sign -over a letter indicates a high tone. Low tones are not
indicated, since they. are usual in English. Aspiration is also not
indicated, since unvoiced consonants are usually aspirated in
English.
8 Meditative States in Tibetan Buddhism
This table does not apply to transliterations from Sanskrit into
Tibetan, such as the syllable pa1J in Pa1J-chen - representing a
transliteration into Tibetan of the first syllable ofp a1Jqi[a. In such
cases, the original correspondence between the Tibetan and San
skrit alphabets, indicated in Wylie's transliteration system from
Tibetan into English, is retained. The table also does not apply to
the names of contemporary Tibetans, such as Lati Rinbochay,
who have developed other forms of their names for use in the
West.
Tibetan Phoneticization
w H w H w H w H
unaffected affected
by super- by super-
scn"ption scription
or prefix or prefix
ka ga kha ka ga ga nga nga flga
ca Ja cha cha ja ja nya _nya nya
ta da tha ta da da na na fla
pa ba pha pa ba ba rna rna rna
tsa dza tsha tsa dza dza wa wa
zha sha za sa 'a a ya ya
ra ra la la sha sha sa sa
ha ha a a
A subjoined Ia is pronounced la.
The letters ga and ba are phoneticized ask and pin suffix position;
dbang is phoneticized as wang; and dbyang as yang.