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The Light of Wisdom, Vol. 1 (1999)

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The Light of Wisdom Vol. 1 contains the root terma—hidden treasure text—of Padmasambhava, The Gradual Path of the Wisdom Essence and its commentary The Light of Wisdom by Jamgon Kongtrul the Great. Annotations on the commentary Entering the Path of Wisdom spoken by Jamyang Drakpa and recorded by Jokyab Rinpoche are included as well as clarifications from other masters. Volume I presents in-depth explanations of the Vajrayāna Buddhist perspective. It begins with the nature of the ground, the buddha nature present in all beings, continues with the teachings that are common to all vehicles, and concludes with the Mahāyāna and the link to Vajrayāna. (Source Accessed Feb 13, 2020)

Citation	Kunsang, Erik Pema, trans. The Light of Wisdom. Vol. 1. With the root text Lamrim Yeshe Nyingpo by Padmasambhava, the commentary The Light of Wisdom by Jamgön Kongtrül the First, and the notes Entering the Path of Wisdom by Jamyang Drakpa. Boudhanath, Kathmandu, Nepal: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1999.

ContentsSources

• Foreword by H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpocheix
• Translator’s Introductionxi
• Essay on the Three Great Masters by H. E. Tulku Urgyen RinpocheXXXV

• The Root Text
• Lamrim Yeshe Nyingpo1

• The Commentary
  • Section One
  • Prologue and Teachings on the Tide, the Sign Script, and the Homage
    • 1. Homage and Prologue21
    • 2. Teaching on the Tide25
    • 3. Explaining the Sign Script and Homage36

• • Section Two
  • The Explanation of the Actual Body of the Text
    • 4. The Setting43
    • 5. The Circumstances53
    • 6. The Four Vajra Syllables54
    • 7. The Five Perfections and Instruction to Retain the Teaching63
    • 8. The Meaning of the Ground68

• • Section Three
  • Path
    • 9. How to Follow a Spiritual Guide87
    • 10. The Four Mind Changings95
    • 11. Taking Refuge110
    • 12. Conventional Bodhichitta of Aspiration115
    • 13. Conventional Bodhichitta of Application121
    • 14. The View of Ultimate Bodhichitta135
    • 15. The Meditation of Ultimate Bodhichitta and Its Result147

A p p e n d i c e s a n d N o t e s 1. The Six Limits and Four Modes 161 2. The Four Noble Truths 167 3. The Four Dhyanas and Formless States 170 4. The Sugata Essence 175 5. Padmakara and the Four Vidyadhara Levels 179 6. Shakyamuni’s Prophecy about Buddhism in Tibet 181 7. The Five Aggregates 183 8. Establishing the Basis for Beginning the Teaching 186 9. The Actual Beginning of the Teaching 191 10. The Sixty Aspects of Melodious Speech 195 11. The Four Schools of Buddhist Philosophy 197 12. The Bodhisattva Bhumis 201 Epilogue 206 Notes 208 Index 287

1. Chogyur Lingpa (Mchog gyur gling pa): bla ma'i thugs sgrub rdo rje drag rtsal las zhal gdams lam rim ye shes snying po pad ma sam bha'i snying thig go. In gter chos mchog gyur gling pa, Vol 29: 1-70. New Delhi: patshang lama sonam gyaltsen, 1975-1980.
2. Jamgön Kongtrül ('jam mgon kong sprul): A Commentary on the Wisdom Essence of Oral Instructions in the Stages of the Path, according to Lamay Tukdrub Dorje Draktsal, The Guru's Heart Practice of Powerful Vajra Wrath, entitled Fully Spreading the Light of Wisdom. bla ma'i thugs sgrub rdo rje drag rtsal las zhal gdams lam rim ye shes snying po'i 'grel pa ye shes snang ba rab tu rgyas pa. New Delhi: B. Jamyang Norbu, 1972.
3. pad+ma 'phrin las snying po: bla med nang rgyud sde gsum gyi rgyab chos pad+ma'i zhal gdams lam rim ye snying 'grel pa ye shes snang ba'i zur rgyan brgyud ldan bla ma'i zhal rgyun rnam brjed byang gcig bsdus ye shes lam 'jug, (Sub-commentary to 'jam mgon kong sprul's commentary). In gsung 'bum pad+ma 'phrin las snying po, Vol. hum. Khreng'u tu'u: gzu dgon rig gzhung nyams gso khang, 2010.

Vajrayāna - The esoteric Buddhist tradition which developed as a syncretic system involving deity worship, use of mantras, physical energy, and mystical practices. It is also known as the mantra tradition and the tantric school as a result of being based on texts known as tantras. Skt. वज्रयान Tib. རྡོ་རྗེ་ཐེག་པ། Ch. 金剛乘

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Mahāyāna - Mahāyāna, or the Great Vehicle, refers to the system of Buddhist thought and practice which developed around the beginning of Common Era, focusing on the pursuit of the state of full enlightenment of the Buddha through the realization of the wisdom of emptiness and the cultivation of compassion. Skt. महायान Tib. ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོ། Ch. 大乘

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Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt. बोधिसत्त्व Tib. བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch. 菩薩

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