Today I had my second class on Tibetan Buddhism at Tibet Center in NYC. I really enjoyed my time there and the discussion on the three principal aspects of the path to Supreme Enlightenment of Tsong Khapa. He was a scholar who reformed the old Kadampa sect, creating the new Gelugpa sect (the Yellow Hats), which was to become the most powerful in the entire region, eventually converting Mongolia and all other Himalayan kingdoms to Tibetan Buddhism. The 3 principal aspects of the path as described in the text are:
1) the determination to leave cyclic existence and the abandonment of pleasure;
2) the cultivation of an altruistic intention (desire to attain enlightenment in order solely to be of help to others) by viewing all beings as precious as our own mother.
3) the correct view of emptiness (the quality which all things possess; they are empty of inherent existence; their emptiness is the real solid and lasting nature we cannot find in anything through sustained conceptual analysis; thus things are viewed as being fundamentally empty of true existence; a view begun by Buddha, but later elucidated in detail by the Indian sage Nagarjuna) (c100-c200 AD).
Our teacher mentioned that we should analyze these passages and question its veracity. Through a deep understanding of its meaning we can absorb its understanding and put them to work in our lives.
Tsong Khapa suggests that possessing one or two of these alone is not enough - all three must be thoroughly and completely developed to create a true Buddhist path.
More about Tsong Khapa
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