Principles for Practice: The Four Reliances

1 Principles for Practice: The four Reliances Jam-yang-shay-pa's Great Exposition of the Interpretable and the Definitive: 1. William Magee In collaboration with Lo-sang-gyal-tshan Edited by Jeffrey Hopkins UMA INSTITUTE. FOR TIBETAN STUDIES. Principles for Practice Website for UMA Institute for Tibetan Studies (Union of the Modern and the Ancient: gsar rnying zung `jug khang): uma- UMA stands for Union of the Modern and the Ancient . and means Middle Way in Tibetan. UMA is a non-profit 501(c)3. organization. Principles for Practice: The four Reliances Jam-yang-shay-pa's Great Exposition of the Interpretable and the Definitive: 1.

2 With Ngag-wang-pal-dan's Annotations William Magee In collaboration with Lo-sang-gyal-tshan Edited by Jeffrey Hopkins UMA Institute for Tibetan Studies Education in Compassion and Wisdom UMA Great Books Translation Project Supported by generous grants from the ING Foundation and Yeshe Khorlo Foundation and gifts from individual sponsors . Hsu Shu-Hsun; Chou Mei-Dai;. Chien Jin-Hong; Pu Chih-Pin;. Daniel E. Perdue Translating texts from the heritage of Tibetan and Inner Asian Buddhist systems. The project focuses on Great Indian Books and Tibetan commentaries from the Go-mang College syllabus as well as a related theme on the fundamental innate mind of clear light in Tantric traditions.

3 A feature of the Project is the usage of consistent vocabulary and format throughout the translations. Publications available online without cost under a Creative Commons License with the understanding that downloaded material must be distributed for free: UMA. stands for Union of the Modern and the Ancient (gsar rnying zung 'jug khang). The UMA Institute for Tibetan Studies is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. UMA Institute for Tibetan Studies 7330 Harris Mountain Lane Dyke, VA 22935-1008. USA. Version: December, 2015. ISBN 9781941381038. Library of Congress Control Number: 2014948323.

4 Magee, William (1949-). Principles for practice: jam-yang-shay-pa on the four Reliances / by William Magee. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 9781941381038. 1. 'Jam dbyangs bzhad pa ngag dbang brtson grus, 1648-1722. Drang ba dang nges pa'i don rnam par 'byed pa'i mtha' dpyod 'khrul bral lung rigs bai d r dkar po'i ngan mdzod skal bzang re ba kun skong. 2. Dge-lugs-pa (Sect)--Doctrines. 3. Drang nges chen mo. 4. Wisdom Religious aspects--Buddhism. I. Lo-sang-gyal-tshan, 1966- II. Title. Contents Introduction 7. Jam-yang-shay-pa 8. Ngag-wang-pal-dan 9. Great Exposition of Tenets 10.

5 Explaining the four Reliances 11. Unravelling the four Reliances by way of persons 17. The pretentious 18. The Worldly Diverged Afar 18. Those holding their own view to be supreme 21. Those intent on hearing 21. Great Exposition of the Interpretable and the Definitive 22. The meaning of rely 23. How they were spoken 24. Jam-yang-shay-pa's 6 points in Refuting Mistakes 27. Expanding on the four Reliances 28. Jam-yang-shay-pa's 16 points in Our Own System 31. Connecting the four Reliances 38. Scripture and reasoning 39. Jam-yang-shay-pa's 16 points in Dispelling Objections 42. Identifying the reliable 47.

6 Table of quotations in the Great Exposition of the Interpretable and Definitive on the four Reliances 51. Provocative implications of the four Reliances 60. Editions consulted 65. Jam-yang-shay-pa's Great Exposition of the Interpretable and the Definitive on the four Reliances 67. I. The reasons why differentiation of the interpretable and the definitive is needed 70. A. Decisive analysis [of the four Reliances ] 73. 1. Refuting [mistakes about the meaning of the four Reliances ] 73. 2. Presentation of our own system 80. a. Do not rely on the words, but rely on the meaning 99. b. Do not rely on interpretable meaning, but rely on definitive meaning 103.

7 C. Do not rely on consciousness, but rely on pristine wisdom 110. 3. Dispelling objections [to the presentation of our own system] 116. 6 Contents Jam-yang-shay-pa's Great Exposition of Tenets on the four Reliances 135. From what Approaches the Interpretable and Definitive are Differentiated 136. 1. Positing the four Reliances by way of persons 138. 2. Positing the four Reliances by way of times 142. 3. Positing the four Reliances by way of four validities 144. 4. Identifying the four to be relied on 147. 5. Identifying the four not to be relied on 151. 6. Benefits of the four Reliances 161.

8 Abbreviations 165. Bibliography 167. 1. S tras 167. 2. Other Sanskrit and Tibetan Works 168. 3. Other Works 183. Endnotes 185. Introduction The two translations of Jam-yang-shay-pa'sa texts presented here cover the topic of the four Reliances and also represent this great scholar in two very different types of texts a debate-oriented decisive analysis and an encyclopedic compendium of tenets. They are drawn from two of his seminal works: 1. Great Exposition of the Interpretable and the Definitive / Decisive Analysis of (Tsong-kha-pa's) Differentiating the Interpretable and the Definitive : Storehouse of White Lapis-Lazuli of Scripture and Reasoning Free from Mistake, Fulfilling the Hopes of the Fortunateb (c.)

9 1686). 2. Great Exposition of Tenets / Explanation of Tenets : Sun of the Land of Samantabhadra Brilliantly Illuminating All of Our Own and Others' Tenets and the Meaning of the Profound [Emptiness], Ocean of Scripture and Reasoning Fulfilling All Hopes of All Beingsc (c. 1699). The four Reliances are employed to guide the process of differentiating between interpretable and definitive teachings and interpretable and definitive phenomena. They are indispensable advice for those in search of the final view of reality. Both of Jam-yang-shay-pa's texts treat the topic of the four Reliances , but from different approaches.

10 The basic format of the Great Exposition of the Interpretable and the Definitive is dialectical, whereas the style of the Great Exposition of Tenets is mostly Taken together, these two avenues reveal the four Reliances as capable of steering decisions about practice by identifying deficiencies of approach and character and rearranging goals. Another way to illuminate complex material is to consult later commentaries, as represented here by Ngag-wang-pal-dan's Annotations, which provide fourteen side-comments to the material on the four a Jam-yang-shay-pa Ngag-wang-ts n-dr ('jam dbyangs bzhad pa'i rdo rje ngag dbang brtson grus, 1648-1721/1722).