Treasury of Precious Qualities: Book One (2010)

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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.


  • 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 actions142
    • The results of the ten negative actions146
      • The fully ripened effect147
      • The effect similar to the cause147
      • The conditioning or environmental effect148
      • The proliferating effect150
    • Conclusion150
  • Virtuous actions151
  • A recapitulation of the path of beings of lesser scope151
  • How beings of medium scope practice virtue152
  • How beings of great scope practice virtue152


  • The Path of Beings of Medium Scope155
  • Correct Conduct in Relation to the Four Truths


  • CHAPTER 4 The Sufferings of Samsara157
  • The four truths157
    • The truth of suffering158
      • The all-pervasive nature of suffering158
      • The conditions that perpetuate suffering159
      • The sufferings of the lower realms161
        • The eight hot hells161
        • The sixteen neighboring hells163
        • The eight cold hells164
        • The ephemeral hells165
      • The sufferings of the higher realms165
        • The suffering of the gods165
        • The suffering of the asuras167
        • The suffering of human beings168
          • Suffering of suffering168
          • Suffering of change168
          • All-pervading suffering in the making168
          • The eight complementary sufferings169
            • Birth169
            • Old age171
            • IlIness172
            • Death172
            • Meeting unwanted circumstances172
            • Separation from what is loved173
            • Not having what one wants173
            • Having what one does not want173
      • The truth of origin173
      • The truth of path and truth of cessation174
    • The twelve links of dependent arising175
      • The need for this teaching175
      • Definitions of the twelve links176
      • Four way's of presenting the principle of dependent arising177
      • The number of lifetimes required for an entire cycle179
      • How to meditate on the principle of dependent arising180
      • The unoriginated nature of dependent arising183


  • The Extraordinary Path of Beings of Great Scope185
  • Meditation on the Twofold Bodhichitta


  • CHAPTER 5 The Preparation: The Four Wheels187
  • Prerequisites for the practice187
  • Solitude187
    • Livelihood189
  • Reliance on a spiritual master191
    • Fully qualified masters191
    • False teachers193
    • Evoking the sublime qualities of an authentic teacher195
    • Relying on the teacher with a twentyfold attitude197
    • The characteristics of bad disciples198
    • The characteristics of good disciples200
    • How to serve and follow the teacher201
    • How to behave in the presence of the teacher202
    • Reasons for serving the teacher205
    • Conclusion206
  • Excellent aspiration208
  • The supreme protection of merit210
  • CHAPTER 6 The Foundation of the Path: Refuge213
  • The reasons for taking refuge213
    • Faith as the cause of taking refuge213
    • The causes of faith215
      • The qualities of the Buddha215
        • The qualities oj elimination215
          • The one hundred and twelve obscurations eliminated on the path of seeing215
          • How the obscurations militate against the understanding of the four truths216
          • The four hundred and fourteen obscurations eliminated on the path of meditation217
          • The difference between the Hinayana and the Mahayana approaches to the removal of obscurations219
          • The Hinayana and Mahayana ways of removing the obscurations by seeing219
          • How the obscurations are eliminated on the path of meditation222
        • The qualities of a Buddha's realization223
      • The qualities of the Dharma225
        • Dharma posited as the two truths of path and cessation225
        • Dharma defined as the Dharma of transmission and realization225
          • The Dharma of transmission225
          • The Dharma of realization226
          • The grounds or stages of realization227
      • The qualities of the Sangha229
        • The Hinayana and Mahayana Sangha230
  • What is refuge?231
    • Causal and resultant refuge231
    • The different motives for taking refuge232
  • How to take refuge233
  • The benefits of taking refuge234
    • The benefits of causal refuge234
    • The benefits of resultant refuge235
  • The precepts of the refuge vow236
    • The precepts of causal refuge236
      • The precepts regarding things to be avoided236
      • The precepts regarding things to be accomplished236
    • The precepts of resultant refuge237
    • When the refuge vow is broken237
    • Attitudes incompatible with refuge238
    • The benefits of observing the precepts of the refuge vow238


  • CHAPTER 7 Cleansing the Mind by Training in the Four Boundless Attitudes239
  • The Mahayana path239
  • The four boundless attitudes240
  • How to meditate on the four boundless attitudes242
  • The benefits of this meditation242

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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āvaraṇa - Literally, that which obscures or conceals. Often listed as a set of two obscurations (sgrib gnyis): the afflictive emotional obscurations (Skt. kleśāvaraṇa, Tib. nyon mongs pa'i sgrib pa) and the cognitive obscurations (Skt. jñeyāvaraṇa, Tib. shes bya'i sgrib pa). By removing the first, one becomes free of suffering, and by removing the second, one becomes omniscient. Skt. आवरण Tib. སྒྲིབ་པ་

Go to the page with the definition of 'obscurations'
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