Requesting Teaching

Requesting Teaching, the Antidote to Ignorance

The teachings are requested in order to clear all of the types of suffering of cyclic existence. In ancient times, teachings were requested. It is very important to request to your teacher, ‘can you teach me this?’ If you look in the texts of Tonpa Sherab’s teachings, there is always a requester of the specific teachings. It’s also good when we start a teaching that one of the sangha members acts as a representative to request the teaching.

When you join the teachings, you need to feel that it’s not like getting a very high positive. This is a subject we need life after life to purify our suffering, which we have suffered life after life. Prostrations are then appropriate to your teacher and to the subject of teaching (the author of the teaching). That is the way to get the blessing. What does blessing mean? The connection of energy which is beyond our conceptual mind. Through that, that is the way to get that kind of blessing. All of the past practitioners have gone through this way. With dzogchen teachings, we also do three on the way out.

Furthermore, ‘Bön' has many different meanings, according to different subjects or when it is combined with different words. In general, it means ‘phenomena’ like ‘dharma.’ The definition, according to sutra, is that which has characteristics. All phenomena, according to the sutra, are Bön. Here, in the root text, Bön means ‘teachings,’ generally meaning the protections from suffering.

The teachings can be divided up in many ways.

The divisions of the teachings are:

1. The Buddha's words

2. The commentary of the Buddha's words

1: The Buddha’s Words

The Buddha's words are the teachings spoken by the Buddha. We say ‘spoken’ but not every one of Buddha’s teachings are spoken - some are by mind and manifestations. These are direct, either way. The characteristics of the Buddha's teachings are based on the dominant condition of the Buddha (meaning coming from the Buddha) and have the special four qualities - having these two is the definition of the Buddha's teaching. 

Special four qualities are:

special essence

• the five perfections (perfect teacher, place, retinue, time, teachings)

special teaching subject

• according to the definite

• according to the provisional meaning

(both have the ultimate result of attaining enlightenment)

special way of teaching

• any teachings of the Buddha, from the counsel that complete the Buddha’s teaching that forbids teachers from modifying or destroying the teachings. i.e. we can’t change any of the meaning due to our understanding, not fabrication.

special activity of the teachings

• protect against temporary (birth, old age, sickness, death) and ultimate suffering (ignorance), finally achieving liberation, according to sutra, tantra, and dzogchen

Divisions of the teachings of Buddha, according to the essence::

1. Tantra - ‘gyud’ - the texts that give the general explanations

2. Scriptures - ‘lung’ - give more detailed explanations

3. Secret instructions - ‘man ngag’ - the text that are the secret keys

To clarify, the words tantra and tantric are different. Tantric teachings are the teaching of the path of transformation. Tantra is not only the tantric teachings. All of the dzogchen and tantric teachings have ‘tantra’ which in this context just means “texts.” In Tibetan ‘gyud’, like Zhang Zhung Nyengyud.

Divisions of the teachings by trainings:

1. Teachings of the trainings of discipline: mainly focuses on monastic discipline.

2. Teachings of the trainings of meditation: mainly focuses on sutras.

3. Teachings of the trainings of wisdom: mainly focuses on philosophy.

Division of the teachings by cause and result:

1. Causal philosophical vehicle of the sutras. (Sutra path)

2. Resultant vehicle of the secret mantra. (Two parts: Tantra & Dzogchen)

Division of the teachings according to paths:

1. Outer Path: Path of renunciation

2. Inner Path: Path of transformation

3. Secret Path: Path of liberation

Nine Vehicles: map to each of the nine mental levels

Three kinds of the nine vehicles:

1. Treasure of the South

2. Treasure of the North

3. Treasure of the Center

“The teachings of the nine vehicles, four doors and fifth treasury,”

Treasure of the South’s Nine Vehicles:

Way of the Shen predictions: Practice divination, astrology, various rituals, and medical diagnosis.

Way of the Shen phenomenal world: Practice rituals dealing with communication with external forces such as rituals of protection, invocation, ransom of the life force, and repelling harmful energies.

Way of the Shen of manifestation: Practices venerating deity or master and applying mantras and mudras in order to accomplish a goal such as requesting assistance from natural energies.

Way of the Shen of existing: Practices on rituals of death and promote longevity for the living.

Way of the virtuous lay practitioners: Specifies the proper conduct on the lay person taking vows.

Way of the fully ordained practitioners: Specifies the proper conduct on those who are fully ordained.

Way of the White Ah Practitioner: Which is focused on tantric practice using visualization.

Way of the Primordial Shen: Which is focused on the highest level of tantric practice.

Way of the Unsurpassed Way: Does not rely on antidotes of any kind (virtue or practice on meditational deity). Concerned with the realization of the true nature of one’s mind.

2: Commentaries of the Buddha’s Words:

It has two parts:

1. General Explanation of the Words and Meanings of the Buddha’s teachings

2. Specific commentaries on Sutra, Tantra, and Dzogchen

Division based on the subject:

It has four parts:

1. Based on the subject of ultimate truth.

2. Based on the subject of relative truth.

3. Based on the subject of temporal happiness.

4. Based on the subject of ultimate enlightenment.

Division based on realization:

It has two parts:

1. Not directly according to the Buddha’s word, but experience based on the Buddha’s words.

2. Direct explanation according to the Buddha’s words.

All of these teachings of the Buddha's words and the commentaries, pray that these teachings and commentaries spread far and can be taught continuously for a long time. This is the practice of requesting the teachings.

What is the cause of relative bodhicitta?

1. Recognize all sentient beings are our mother - ‘knowing mother.’

2. Remembering the kindness of the mother.

3. Repaying the kindness of the mother.

4. Beautifully loving all sentient beings with equanimity.

5. Generating compassion.

6. Get relative bodhicitta - benefit for all sentient beings by your practice and prayers, benefit by activities (engaged in the world.)