Treasury of Precious Qualities: Book One (2010)

Treasury of Precious Qualities: Book One (2010)

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This book is a translation of the first part of Jigme Lingpa's Treasury of Precious Qualities, which in a slender volume of elegant verses sets out briefly but comprehensively the Buddhist path according to the Nyingma school. The concision of the root text and its use of elaborate poetic language, rich in metaphor, require extensive explanation, amply supplied here by the commentary of Kangyur Rinpoche.

The present volume lays out the teachings of the sutras in gradual stages according to the traditional three levels, or scopes, of spiritual endeavor. It begins with essential teachings on impermanence, karma, and ethics. Then, from the Hinayana standpoint, it describes the essential Buddhist teachings of the four noble truths and the twelve links of dependent arising. Moving on, finally, to the Mahayana perspective, it expounds fully the teachings on bodhichitta and the path of the six paramitas, and gives an unusually detailed exposition of Buddhist vows. (Source: Shambhala Publications)

Citation	Fletcher, Wulstan, and Helena Blankleder (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. Treasury of Precious Qualities: The Rain of Joy; Book One. By Jigme Lingpa ('jigs med gling pa). With The Quintessence of the Three Paths, a commentary by Longchen Yeshe Dorje, Kangyur Rinpoche (klong chen ye shes rdo rje, bka' 'gyur rin po che). Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2010.

ContentsSources

• Foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lamaxvii
• Foreword by Jigme Khyentse Rinpochexix
• Introduction1

• Treasury of Precious Qualities15
• by Jigme Lingpa

• The Quintessence of the Three Paths105
• by Longchen Yeshe Dorje, Kangyur Rinpoche

• Prologue107
• The title107
• Homage to the Three Jewels108
• Commitment to Compose the Text110

• PART ONE: Turning the Mind to the Dharma115

• CHAPTER 1 The Value of Human Existence117
• Samsaric existence117
• Eight conditions in which there is no freedom to practice the Dharma117
• Five individual and five circumstantial advantages121
• The rarity of a precious human existence121

• PART TWO: An Incentive for the Practice123

• CHAPTER 2 Impermanence125
• The impermanence of the outer world125
• The impermanence of living beings126

• PART THREE: The Gradual Path of the Three Kinds of Beings131
• The Path of Beings of Lesser Scope
• Ethical Teachings in Relation to the Karmic Law of Cause and Effect

• CHAPTER 3 The Law of Karma133
• The karmic process in general133
  • Actions never fail to produce an effect133
  • The karmic process is irresistible134
  • Karmic effects are not transferable from one mindstream to another135
  • An explanation of the eight worldly concerns and thirteen influential factors135
  • The proliferating tendency of karmic results136
  • Assessing the gravity of positive and negative actions138
  • The basis of the karmic phenomenon139
  • Propelling and completing actions140
  • The performed and stored aspects of actions141
• Negative actions142
  • Negative actions regarding the Three Jewels142
  • The crucial role of intention142

The ten negative actions 142 The results oj the ten negative actions 146 The fully ripened effect 147 The effect similar to the cause 147 The conditioning or environmental effect 148 The proliferating effect 150 Conclusion 150 V irtuous actions 151 A recapitulation of the path of beings of lesser scope 151 How beings of medium scope practice virtue 152 How beings of great scope practice virtue 152 The Path of Beings of Medium Scope 155 Correct Conduct in Relation to the Four Truths

1. 'jigs med gling pa. yon tan rin po che'i mdzod dga' ba'i char. In gsung 'bum 'jigs med gling pa, Vol. 1: 1-102. Gangtok: pema thinley for dodrupchen rinpoche, 1985.
2. klong chen ye shes rdo rje. yon tan mdzod kyi mchan 'grel, (bka' 'gyur rin po che). Paro: taklung tsetrul rinpoche pema wangyal, 1982.

Nyingma - The Nyingma, which is often described as the oldest tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, traces its origin to Padmasambhava, who is said to have visited Tibet in the eighth century. Tib. རྙིང་མ་

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pāramitā - The six or ten types of practices which lead an individual to Buddhahood. The practice of perfections is particularly important in Mahāyāna Buddhism in which the entire path of the Bodhisattva to reach full enlightenment is included in the six or ten perfections. The six perfections are that of giving, of discipline, patience, zeal, meditation, and wisdom. The perfection of skill-in-means, aspirations, power, and pristine wisdom are added to them to make ten perfections. Skt. पारमिता Tib. ཕར་ཕྱིན།,ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ། Ch. 波羅蜜

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