How to listen to the teachings

Three Defects of the Pot

tena hi subhūte śṛṇu, sādhu ca suṣṭhu ca manasi kuru, bhāṣiṣye 'haṃ te

[Vajracchedikā]

śṛṇu ity avahitaśrotrābhyāṃ śrotuṃ pravartasva | sādhu ity aviparītapratipattyā

udgrahītum | suṣṭhu ca manasi kuru samyaktayā udgrahītum udyukto bhava
ityarthaḥ | tadapi avāṅmukha-aśuci-sacchidrabhāṇḍānāmiva śrotṛjanānāṃ
yathākramaṃ trividhadoṣaparihārārthamidamudīritamiti |

anyathā avāṅmukha-aśuci-sacchidrabhāṇḍeṣu ambuvṛṣṭiriva (Vajraṭ_110)

dharmavṛṣṭir apīyaṃ nirarthakaiva syād ity arthaḥ |

athavā ahaṃ tu kevalaṃ deśayiṣyāmi tvameva tāvad yatnataḥ pratipadyasvetyarthaḥ

| [Vajracchedikāṭīkā]

Five notions to adopt

tatra kalyāṇamitrasyāntikāddharmaṃ śrotukāmena bodhisattvena pañcākārayā

saṃjñayā dharmaḥ śrotavyaḥ /

1] ratnasaṃjñayā durlabhārthena /

2] cakṣuḥsaṃjñayodārasahajaprajñāpratilābhāya hetubhāvārthena /

3] ālokasaṃjñayā pratilabdhasahajajñānacakṣuṣā sarvākāra-yathābhūta-

jñeyasaṃprakāśanārthena /

4] mahāphalānuśaṃsasaṃjñayā
nirvāṇasaṃbodhiniruttarapadaprāptihetubhāvārthena /

5] anavadyaratisaṃjñayā dṛṣṭe dharme 'prāpta

nirvāṇasaṃbodhidharmayathābhūtapravicayaśamathavipaśyanā
'navadyamahāratihetubhāvārthena / [Bodhisattvabhūmi]
Five points to ignore

tatra bodhisattvena kalyāṇamitrasyāntikād dharmaṃ śruṇvatā

tasmindharmabhāṇake pudgale pañcasthāneṣvamanasikāraṃ kṛtvā 'vahitaśrotreṇa
prasannamānasena dharmaḥ śrotavyaḥ /

1] śīlabhraṃśe 'manasikāraḥ karaṇīyaḥ / naivaṃ cittamabhisaṃskartavyaṃ duḥśīlo

'yamasaṃvarasthaḥ nāhamataḥ śroṣyāmi /

2] kulabhraṃśe 'pyamanasikāraḥ karaṇīyaḥ / naivaṃ cittamabhisaṃskartabyaṃ

nīcakulo 'yaṃ nāhamataḥ śroṣyāmi /

3] rūpabhraṃśe 'pyamanasikāraḥ karaṇīyaḥ / naivaṃ cittamabhisaṃskartavyaṃ

virūpo 'yaṃ nāham ataḥ śroṣyāmi /

4] vyañjanabhraṃśe 'pyamanasikāraḥ karaṇīyaḥ / naivaṃ cittamabhisaṃskartavyam

anabhisaṃskṛtavākyo 'yaṃ nāhamataḥ śroṣyāmi / nānyatrārthapratisaraṇena
bhavitavyaṃ na vyañjanapratisaraṇena /

5] mādhuryabhraṃśe 'py amanasikāraḥ karaṇīyaḥ / naivaṃ cittam

abhisaṃskartavyaṃ paruṣavākyoyaṃ krodhano na ca madhuraṃ dharmaṃ bhāṣate
nāham ataḥ śroṣyāmīti /

ity evaṃ pañcasu sthāneṣv amanasikāraṃ kṛtvā bodhisattvena sādareṇa

saddharmaparigrahaḥ kāryo na jātu dharmaḥ pudgaladoṣeṇa duṣṭo bhavati / tatra
yo 'sau mandaprajño bodhisattvaḥ pudgaladoṣeṣūpahatacitto dharmaṃ necchati
śrotuṃ sa ātmana evāhitāya prajñāparihāṇāya pratipanno veditavyaḥ /
[Bodhisattvabhūmi]

Four Reliances

catvārīmāni bhikṣavaḥ pratisaraṇāni | katamāni catvāri |

1] dharmaḥ pratisaraṇaṃ na pudgalaḥ |

2] arthaḥ pratisaraṇaṃ na vyañjanaṃ |

3] nītārthasūtraṃ pratisaraṇaṃ na neyārthaṃ |

4] jñānaṃ pratisaraṇaṃ na vijñānam iti | [Sūtra]

atra kathaṃ bodhisattvaś caturṣu pratisaraṇeṣu prayujyate / iha bodhisattvaḥ
arthārthī parato dharmaṃ śruṇoti na vyañjanābhisaṃskārārthī / so 'rthārthī
dharmaṃ śruṇvan na vyañjanārthī prākṛtayāpi vācā dharmaṃ deśayamānam
arthapratisaraṇo bodhisattvaḥ satkṛtya śṛṇoti / punar bodhisattvaḥ kālāpadeśañ ca
[mahāpadeśañ ca] yathābhūtaṃ prajānāti / prajānan yuktipratiśaraṇo bhavati na
sthavireṇābhijñātena vā pudgalena tathāgatena vā [saṃghena vā] ime dharmā
bhāṣitā iti pudgalapratisaraṇo bhavati / sa evaṃ yuktipratisaraṇo na
pudgalapratisaraṇastattvārthāt na vicalati / aparapratyayaśca bhavati dharmeṣu
punarbodhisattvas tathāgate niviṣṭaśraddho niviṣṭaprasāda ekāntiko
vacasyabhiprasannas tathāgatanītārthaṃ sūtraṃ pratisarati na neyārtham /
nītārthaṃ sūtraṃ pratisaran asaṃhāryo bhavaty asmād dharmavinayāt / tathāhi
neyārthasya sūtrasya nānāmukhaprakṛtārthavibhāgo 'niścitaḥ saṃdehakaro bhavati
/ sacet punarbodhisattvo nītārthe 'pi sūtre 'naikāntikaḥ syād evam asau saṃhāryaḥ
syād asmād dharmavinayāt / punar bodhisattvo 'dhigamajñāne sāradarśī bhavati na
śrutacintādharmārthavijñānamātrake / sa yadbhāvanāmayena jñānena jñātavyaṃ na
tac chakyaṃ śrutacintāvijñānamātrakeṇa vijñātum iti (Dutt 176) viditvā
paramagambhīrān api tathāgatabhāṣitān dharmān śrutvā na pratikṣipati nāpavadati
/ evaṃ hi bodhisattvaś caturṣupratisaraṇeṣu prayujyate / evañca punaḥ suprayukto
bhavati / tatraiṣu caturṣu pratisaraṇeṣu samāsataś caturṇāṃ prāmāṇyaṃ
saṃprakāśitam / bhāṣitasyārthasya yukteḥ śāstuḥ bhāvanāmayasya
cādhigamajñānasya / sarvaiś ca punaś caturbhiḥ pratisaraṇaiḥ
samyakprayogasamārambhagatasya bodhisattvasyāvibhrāntaniryāṇamabhidyotitaṃ
bhavati / [Bodhisattvabhūmi]

Notions to take up and discard while listening to Mahāyāna teachings (From the
Suvikrāntavikrāmiparipr̥cchā)

punaraparaṃ suvikrāntavikrāmin bodhisattvena mahāsattvena prajñāpāramitāyāṃ

bhāṣyamāṇāyāṃ deśyamānāyāṃ 1. chandaś ca 2. adhyāśayaś ca 3. gauravaṃ va 5.
citrīkāraś ca 6. śāstṛsaṃjñā ca utpāditā bhavati / na ca ṣaṭpāramitāsaṃyuktāyāṃ
kathāyāṃ bhāṣyamāṇāyāṃ kāṅkṣā vā vimatir vā vicikitsā vā utpāditā bhavati, nāpi
gambhīrān dharmān śrutvā kāṅkṣāyitatvaṃ vā dhandhāyitatvaṃ vā
vicikitsāyitatvaṃ vā utpāditaṃ bhavati, nāpy anena jātu
dharmavyavasanasaṃvartanīyaṃ karmopacitaṃ bhavati, nāpyanena jātu
dharmavyasanasaṃvartanīyaṃ cittam utpāditaṃ bhavati / anye ca bahavaḥ sattvāḥ
prajñāpāramitāyāṃ samādāpitā bhavanti, sarvāsu ṣaṭpāramitāsu saṃharṣitā bhavanti
samuttejitāḥ / tasya pūrvāśayacittaviśuddhitayā pūrvāśayāsaṃkliṣṭatayā na mārāḥ
pāpīyāṃso 'ntarāyāya pratyupasthitā bhavanti, nāpi tasya mārāḥ pāpīyāṃso
'vatāraṃ labhante / sarvāṇi ca mārakarmāṇy utpannotpannāni budhyate / na ca
mārakarmabhiḥ saṃhriyate, na ca mārakarmavaśago bhavati / anenāpi
suvikrāntavikrāmin paryāyeṇa bodhisattvasya mārāḥ pāpīyāṃso na viheṭhāya
pratyupasthitā bhavanti //

dhandhāyitatva | dullness

citrīkāra | respect, reverence

adhyāśayena | wholeheartedly, with resolution