CLASSIFICATIONS & VERSES
ON THE STEPS
OF EXOTERIC & ESOTERIC WAYS

BY VENERABLE TSONG-KHA-PA
Edited by Bhiksu Neng Hai


Verse of Reverence and Worship
　　To all the Buddhas, the right Dharmas and the sageous Sanghas,
　　I take refuge forever till entering Bodhi.
　　I will transfer all my good roots cultivated,
　　To the benefits of sentient beings and the aim of Buddhahood attainment.

Steps on mending up the way (Divided into five main classes)
　First: Preliminaries of three grades of persons
　Second: Way of lower grade persons
　Third: Way of medium grade persons
　Fourth: Way of higher grade persons
　Fifth: Way of esoteric vehicle


(1)

(First.) Preliminaries of three grades of persons(2 Div. )
　(1)Faith and bliss on having leisure and conditions fulfilled.
　(2)Methods of entering the way.
(A1)Faith and bliss on having leisure and conditions fulfilled (2 div. )
(B1)Having eight kinds of leisure (8 Div. )
　　(C1)Not of the three evil paths of life,
　　(C2)Not being blind, deaf, dumb and mute,
　　(C3)Not of worldly wisdom and heretic debate,
　　(C4)Not living at the time of termination of the right Dharma,
　　(C5)Not living at the Northern continent,
　　(C6)Not living in the Heaven Without Thinking.
　　　(C1 may be divided into three, and so it's eight. )

P.V. Hells, hungry ghosts and animals,
Blinds, deals and dumbs, etc.
Worldly wisdom and misleading debate,
At the extinction of right Dharma,
The Northern continent and Heaven Without Thinking,
They are called eight kinds of obstacles,
Obstructing one from listening to the Buddha's teachings.
Without these obstacles, it's called having leisure.


(B2)Having ten conditions fulfilled (2 Div. )
(C1)Five kinds of internal conditions:
(D1)General features of people fulfilled. Born in human being to be a man or so.
(D2)Locations fulfilled. Born in human being having locations of four multitudes [Bhiksu, Bhiksuni, layman and laywoman. ]
(D3)Subjective & objective conditions fulfilled. Born in the middle kingdom, without lack of sense organs and limbs, not of ignorant nature, understanding good and evil words, capable of accepting the Dharma.
(D4)Without karmic obstacles fulfilled. One has not in this life committed himself or instigated others to commit the five unintermitted karmas [the five unpardonable sins leading to the uninterrupted hell].
(D5)Without faith and understanding obstacles fulfilled. One will never in this life commit the five unintermitted sins and have no faith nor interest in the evil way.

P.V. General features, places, subjective & objective conditions fulfilled,
No unintermitted sins committed in this life,
Without any heterodox views, believing in the law of cause and effect,
These five aspects fulfilled is called internal perfection.


(C2)Five kinds of external conditions
(D1)Great Lord fulfilled. The Great Teacher is met.
(D2)Manifestation of ordinary right Dharma fulfilled. The teachings of the Great Lord are met.
(D3)Flowing of superlative right Dharma fulfilled. The disciples of the Great Lord are met. According to the Dharma, they had proved the superior merits of fruitions and their precedings.
(D4)Right deeds not being ended fulfilled. The ordinary right Dharma is not terminated, the superlative right Dharma is not hidden nor ended.
(D5)The relative assets and conditions fulfilled. Conditions as clothes, foods, beddings, medicines etc.

(note . V. =Praising verse.)


P.V. The Great Teacher, custom and superlative Dharmas,
Teachings still prevailing in the world, proves not hidden,
Four kinds of daily necessities are all fulfilled,
It is called the external perfection.


(A2)Method to get into the way (4 Div. )
(B1)To be intimated with virtuous man (3 Div. )
(C1)The merits and benefits of intimation (3 Div. )
(D1)Attaining ambrosia of Dharma stream to nourish the intelligent body.
(D2)Being protected visibly as well as invisibly from the danger of perversion into heterodoxy.
(D3)Being directed to discriminate between the ways curved or straight, dangerous or easy, without circularity and delay, not going into the forest of doubt and fear, one can arrive back at home safely and quickly.

P.V. The exquisite Dharma stream from Buddhas and successive patriarchs,
The present graceful Guru offers the two kinds of protection,
Showing the preliminary, middle and later ways, if dangerous or easy,
To get home fast and firmly is dependent only on the Guru.


(C2)The virtues of the intimated Guru (10 Div. )
(D1)Discipline. Those in accordance with commandments.
(D2)Calm and quiet. Those in accordance with meditation.
(D3)Delusions extinguished. Those ha accordance with intelligence to control and extirpate moral afflictions.
(D4)Virtues increasing. Those with commandment, meditation and wisdom, all complete, without deficiency and decrement.
(D5)With courage. Those helping others without fear and tiredness.
(D6)Rich in Cannons. Those having learned much.
(D7)Awakened in truth. Those realizing the true essence.
(D8) Eloquent in preaching. Those without upside-down
logic.
(D9)Deep in pity. Those without longing and desiring for themselves.
(D10)Apart from regress. Those teaching in reverence all the time.

P.V. Discipline, calm-hearted, illusion controlled and extirpated,
Virtue improving, with courage, rich in Agama, Enlightened in reality, good in speech, vast in piteous ambition,
And apart from recoil, those having ten virtues are worthy of relying and resting upon.
If there's no one completed with these ten virtues,
Pity and discipline must be exercised at least.


(C3)The engagement in intimation (2 Div. )
(D1)Willingness (3 Div. )
(El) Faith. For always looking into the virtues.
(E2)Respect. For always thinking of the bounties.
(E3)Without recoil. Neither discern nor pay attention to all the so called errors.
(D2)Procession (2 Div. )
(El) To make offerings bodily and financially.
(E2)To make offerings through mending one's way according to what is taught.


P.V. Recall the virtues and remember the bounties always
Don't discern nor pay attention to the errors of the teacher
Insisting inner and outer offerings, and offerings of the Dharma
To attend the Guru in willingness and procession.


(B2)To listen to the right Dharma (9 Div. )
(C1)Not to be proud. For not clinging to wealth, health, knowledge and perception.
(C2)Not to be covered and obstructed. For not being screened by the five covers.
(C3) Be in reverence. To regard the preacher as the Lord, Buddhism not easy to hear.
(C4)Not to be afraid. On hearing the hard deed and hard endurance of the Sages, neither to be weak nor to be lacking in courage.
(C5)Not to be greedy. Not to be greedy for more, in order to win praise, to seek fame, or just to find curiosity, and learning without practice.
(C6)On time. For the benefit of oneself and others, request for the Dharma on time.
(C7)Not to find fault. Not to discern the preacher's error.
(C8)To rely upon the meaning Perceiving skillfully the meaning of the Dharma, not to be tired down by words.
(C9)Parable. The Buddha is like the king of doctors, the Dharma, the Wonderful medicine and oneself, the dying patient.

P.V. As holding the bottle carefully neither upside down nor be covered on,
Neither to be discouraged, nor to be greedy, be just on time,
Don't find the fault, do rely on the significance,
Regard as king of doctors, excellent medicine and the disease.


(B3)To think rationally (4 Div. )
(C1)Interested in the Dharma, thinking correctly, weighing and measuring, observing and inspecting, taking in and holding on precisely.
(C2)On the fourteen unrecordables and the wordless state, do not think heretically.
(C3)To know the unknown, but not to forget the known.
(C4)To look up those not-understandable to the Buddha, without doubt and slander.

P.V. To the Dharma heard, be interested in thinking accordingly,
Measuring, inspecting and relying on the meaning,
Saying silently, and grandly, the esoteric doctrine,
Not to conceive the unconceivable,
Contrive to understand correctly the unknown truth,
Bear in mind the known principle without forgetting,
Those abstruse significance unable to grasp,
Deem it highly to the Buddha, it's beyond my reach.


(B4)Dharma and following the dharma by reasoning (3 div. )
(C1)Following the Dharma that is sought after and accepted as truth, the karma of body, mouth and mind should go on gradually without inversion.
(C2)Never perform any' bodily, oral and mental actions forbidden by the Buddha. If unintentionally performed, confess and wipe them out quickly.
(C3)The karma of deed; word and thought directed by the Buddha should be carried out step by step accordingly and diligently. For those beyond their ability, feel ashamed. If forgotten, mend it up.

P.V. As what is sought after and as what is received,
The karma of body, mouth and mind should follow without inversion,
Those forbidden by the Buddha should not be performed,
Those encouraged by the Buddha should be done diligently.