To Dispel the Misery of the World: Whispered Teachings of the Bodhisattvas

by Ga Rabjampa, Appey (Foreword by), Rigpa Translations (Translator)

Overview

"Offered here is the pith advice on mind training according to the great vehicle. This is the path followed by all the buddhas and their children of the past, present, and future, the most profound instruction of the oral lineage, and the quintessence of the ocean of all the excellent teachings."
--Ga Rabjampa

This short book contains a wealth of advice for those wanting to become more fully human. When we are disconnected from others we flounder; only by recognizing the profound interdependence of all beings do we flourish and grow. The famous Seven-Point Mind Training, in just a few pages of one-line instructions, provides direct and powerful advice for breaking through the chronic barriers that separate us from those around us. It is easy to see why it is one of the most cherished texts in all of Tibetan Buddhism.

Ga Rabjampa, an influential master of the fifteenth century, here uses the Seven-Point Mind Training as the basis for illuminating the essential teachings on Buddhism, giving special attention to the practices of giving and taking (tonglen) and of transforming adversity into opportunities for spiritual growth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781614290186
Publisher:	Wisdom Publications MA
Publication date:	02/20/2012
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Ga Rabjampa (1397-1470) founded Tharlam Monastery-the monastery of Gaton Ngawang Lekpa and Dezhung Rinpoche-in 1436.

Rigpa Translations is a group of modern-day lotsawas working under the guidance of Sogyal Rinpoche and the mentorship of senior editor Patrick Gaffney to translate important teachings from Tibetan into English and other languages. To learn more, visit www.rigpatranslations.org.

Khenpo Appey (1927-2010), one of the foremost masters of the Sakya school in recent times, was a student of Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro and tutor to Sogyal Rinpoche and Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. In 2001, he established the International Buddhist Academy in Kathmandu.

Table of Contents

Foreword Khenpo Appey Rinpoche ix

Preface xi

Introduction 1

Seven Points of Mind Training 13

The Stream of Nectar

Pith Instructions for Cultivating Relative and Absolute Bodhicitta

1 The Lineage of Practice 13

2 Following a Spiritual Teacher 33

3 The Freedoms and Advantages 41

4 Death and Impermanence 49

5 Actions and Their Effects 61

6 The Trials of Samsara 75

7 Relative Bodhicitta: The Holy Secret 99

8 Absolute Bodhicitta: Samatha and Vipasyana 139

9 Subsequent Points 153

10 Conclusion 175

Appendix

The Excellent Path to Enlightenment: An Aspiration Prayer for Mahayana Mind Training 179

Notes 187

Bibliography 195

Index 201

Editorial Reviews

"In pith verses, To Dispel the Misery of the World guides the reader gradually through training in the cultivation of bodhicitta, or sensitivity to the anguish in the world...Considered whispered teachings of bodhisattvas, these verses were initially kept secret and restricted to advanced practitioners, but today these essential contemplations on uprooting self-cherishing through exchanging yourself with others have emerged as widely taught instructions in the Tibetan tradition."

Buddhadharma

"Reading Ga Rabjampa's commentary helps us realize that love, compassion, and kindness are not mere abstract good wishes but are far more rich and profound."

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

"The marvelous commentary translated so eloquently here by Adam Pearcey was written in the fifteenth century by Ga Rabjampa, the founder of Dezhung Rinpoche's Tharlam Monastery in eastern Tibet. None of Ga Rabjampa's writings were available until just a few years ago, and now I find that several of the most moving visualizations on 'exchanging oneself for others' that Rinpoche taught me thirty years ago from memory (and which are not in other commentaries) are from this work. This little book is a real gem."

Cyrus Stearns

"To Dispel the Misery of the World presents an authoritative overview of the entire Mahayana path, from following a teacher to the generation of bodhicitta to realization of the ultimate. While true to the simple and profound lojong teachings of the early Kadam masters, the text expands the essential points of mind training to include detailed instructions on visionary meditation practice. The author's extended presentation of sending and receiving (tonglen) appears to be unique in the Tibetan tradition. The works of Ga Rabjampa deserve to be better known, and this eloquent translation makes a valuable contribution."

Andrew Quintman

"For anyone yearning to lead a saner and more altruistic life in these troubling times, the practice of lojong, or 'training the mind' in compassion, is a simply priceless tool."

Sogyal Rinpoche

"For anyone yearning to lead a saner and more altruistic life in these troubling times, the practice of lojong, or ‘training the mind’ in compassion, is a simply priceless tool."—Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

"Reading Ga Rabjampa's commentary helps us realize that love, compassion, and kindness are not mere abstract good wishes but are far more rich and profound."—Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, author of What Makes you Not a Buddhist

"The marvelous commentary translated so eloquently here by Adam Pearcey was written in the fifteenth century by Ga Rabjampa, the founder of Dezhung Rinpoche's Tharlam Monastery in eastern Tibet. None of Ga Rabjampa's writings were available until just a few years ago, and now I find that several of the most moving visualizations on 'exchanging oneself for others' that Rinpoche taught me thirty years ago from memory (and which are not in other commentaries) are from this work. This little book is a real gem."—Cyrus Stearns, author of Hermit of Go Cliffs

"To Dispel the Misery of the World presents an authoritative overview of the entire Mahayana path, from following a teacher to the generation of bodhicitta to realization of the ultimate. While true to the simple and profound lojong teachings of the early Kadam masters, the text expands the essential points of mind training to include detailed instructions on visionary meditation practice. The author's extended presentation of sending and receiving (tonglen) appears to be unique in the Tibetan tradition. The works of Ga Rabjampa deserve to be better known, and this eloquent translation makes a valuable contribution."—Andrew Quintman, Yale University, translator of The Life of Milarepa

"In pith verses, To Dispel the Misery of the World guides the reader gradually through training in the cultivation of bodhicitta, or sensitivity to the anguish in the world...Considered whispered teachings of bodhisattvas, these verses were initially kept secret and restricted to advanced practitioners, but today these essential contemplations on uprooting self-cherishing through exchanging yourself with others have emerged as widely taught instructions in the Tibetan tradition."—Buddhadharma

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