Four hundred stanzas on the middle way with commentary (9)

since this is its principal topic, it is a treatise of knowledge.Presentation of the general meaning of the text begins by showing the author's greatness, then dispels another commentato

since this is its principal topic, it is a treatise of knowledge.

Presentation of the general meaning of the text begins by showing the author's greatness, then dispels another commentator's wrong ideas and briefly shows the actual intention

SHOWING THE AUTHOR'S GREATNESS

Candrakirti's commentary says:

Having gained a profound understanding of the teaching of sutra and tantra,

he practised their meaning and thereby definitely reached the state of Buddhahood in that very life In The Compendium of Deeds,' written by the Master Aryadeva himself, he confirms attainment of the illusory body, exclusive

to the Highest Yoga Tantra The Protector Nagarjuna asserts that the supreme accomplishment will be attained in the very life in which that illusory body is attained While some versions say he attained the stages of completion, preceded by the stages of generation, this is accepted to mean the same as the previous assertion by Nagarjuna Thus there is also no contradiction when he is described as a common being during the early part of his life The Commentary

on the "Compendium of Vajra Wis- dom"9 states that this master attained the eighth Bodhisattva ground There are many texts on sutra and tantra by him which have not been mentioned here

DISPELLING ANOTHER COMMENTATOR'S WRONG

IDEAS

Candrakirti's commentary says:

Based on the word "Hundreds," the Venerable Dharmapala divided the body

of the text into two, calling the first eight chapters "Teaching Hundreds," and the last eight "Disputation Hundreds." Furthermore, he has interpreted the essential meaning in a Vijnaptivadal] way as a refutation of imaginary phenomena

existing by way of their own characteristics This is not the intention of the text Candrakirti's commentary says:

This is because the text shows the stages of the path by which a person of Mahayana disposition proceeds to unsurpassable enlightenment as an integrated sequentially connected totality Furthermore, since it clearly establishes the essential meaning to be dependent arising without even the slightest inherent existence, no doubt can remain as to whether truly existent other-powered phenomena are accepted in this system In addition, those systems assert that there is no need to understand subtle selflessness in order to gain release from worldly existence, whereas the need to do so is clearly established in this treatise

BRIEFLY SHOWING THE ACTUAL INTENTION

Objection: In that case there was no need to write the treatise, because the Master Nagarjuna has explained this extensively in the Fundamental Treatise

on the Middle Way, Called "Wisdom" and so forth

Answer: There is no fault When our own and others'" contentions are refuted

in the Master Nagarjuna's treatises by many collections of reasoning, it might be thought that the Treatise on the Middle Way is a treatise provoking debate, intended to defeat opponents The Fundamental [Treatise Called] Wisdom and

so forth are not intended to provoke debate, but to enable those seeking liberation to understand the suchness of things Moreover, this treatise was written to facilitate understanding of the Master Nagarjuna's assertion that these stages of the path of practising the yogic deeds enable those with a Mahayana disposition to attain Buddhahood At the same time it shows that the attainment

of liberation by persons of the Lesser Vehicle also depends on understanding the suchness of things

Objection: Have these points, too, not already been explained in Nagarjuna's Precious Garland on the Middle Way and so forth?

Answer: There is no fault The text shows very clearly and exten sively how development of the altruistic intention to attain enlightenment must be preceded by abandoning the four errors of thinking of the aggregates as clean, pleasurable, permanent, and as having a self; also by training in the attitudes of persons of small, intermediate and great capacity Moreover, since the text is written in an explicit and comprehensive way that refutes others' wrong ideas about the Protector Nagarjuna's presentation of the two truths, it is not superfluous The omission of any expression of worship in the text is to indicate

that it is merely a supplement to dispel doubts concerning the Master Nagarjuna's text

Question: How does this treatise explain the stages of the path?

Answer: Candrakirti's commentary says:

The first four chapters, showing that it is erroneous to consider the five aggregates as permanent and so forth, explain extensively how to develop aversion to cyclic existence Of these, the first chapter shows that since the five contaminated aggregates are produced in dependence on causes and conditions, they are impermanent By describing extensively how to meditate on death and impermanence, it shows the need to abandon the erroneous belief in permanence

The second chapter shows how it is erroneous to consider what is contaminated and impermanent to be really pleasurable Anything impermanent is unsuitable as a trustworthy source of one's ultimate well-being; moreover, the contaminated aggregates are vulnerable by nature

The third chapter shows how to eliminate the error of considering cyclic existence [i.e the contaminated aggregates] as clean, for suffering always arouses aversion

Since it is inappropriate to feel proud by considering as the self and self's that which is unclean and to be discarded, the fourth chapter shows how to eliminate the conceived object of pride, the distorted self which it is appropriate

to negate

Thus these four chapters, by properly training one in the attitudes of a person

of intermediate capacity, produce the realization that to remain in cyclic existence under the influence of contaminated actions and disturbing emotions

is like being trapped in a pit of fire Indirectly they show how those with a Mahayana disposition generate the aspiring altruistic intention15 that makes them want to attain Buddhahood

Seeing that the attainment of Buddhahood depends on Bodhisattva deeds, once the practical altruistic intention16 has been generated, the fifth chapter shows how to engage in such deeds

Seeing that one cannot fully accomplish one's own well-being, let alone others', because of being dominated by disturbing emotions, the sixth chapter extensively shows how disturbing emotions arise and so forth

Since objects such as visual form cause disturbing emotions to arise, remain and grow, the seventh chapter shows how to prevent the arising of overt disturbing emotions that focus on these objects

Since objects such as visual form cause disturbing emotions to arise in those who do not understand their fundamental mode of existence and who have an incorrect mental approach, the eighth chapter shows how to make the students' mindstream receptive, with advice about developing the wish to get rid of disturbing emotions and about the appropriateness of approaching the meaning

of reality even by way of a positive doubt, and so forth

Thus the first eight chapters show how to ripen the mindstream fully, while the last eight show the stages of the paths dependent on ultimate truth, which destroy obstructions formed by disturbing emotions17 and obstructions to omniscience.18

The ninth chapter shows how to meditate on the refutation of permanence to demonstrate that products do not have even the slightest essence of permanence

The tenth explains internal and external selflessness The refutation of permanent time is explained in the eleventh The refutation of extreme views is extensively explained in the twelfth In the thirteenth the absence of true existence of the sense organs and their objects is explained in detail In the fourteenth chapter the refutation of extreme conceptions is explained by showing the feasibility of attaining liberation and enlightenment in that all dependently arising phenomena, which resemble the ring of light formed by a whirling firebrand, do not have even the slightest inherent existence

The fifteenth shows extensively how to meditate on the production, abiding and disintegration of products as being empty of inherent existence

The sixteenth, in showing the purpose of writing this treatise and eliminating remaining counter-arguments by misguided opponents, explains how to meditate on settling [the procedure between] spiritual guides and students Thus the treatise extensively explains the stages of the paths that depend on conventional and ultimate truths by describing the focal objects of those paths The specific meaning of the text has two parts The first explains the stages of the paths dependent on conventional truths The second explains the stages of the paths dependent on ultimate truth

Explaining the stages of the paths dependent on conventional truths has two parts The first shows how the aspiring altruistic intention is developed after training in the attitudes of a person of intermediate capacity, by explaining elimination of the four errors The second explains how to train in the deeds after developing the practical altruistic intention