Dharmarakṣita (9th century)
Dharmarakṣita (T. དྷརྨ་རཀྴི་ཏ་) was a c. 9th century Indian Buddhist who was one of the three main teachers Atiśa, who was instrumental in establishing the later dissemination of Buddhism in Tibet.[1]
Dharmarakṣita was said to possess extraordinary compassion. Thupten Jinpa states he was
- ...a yogi who happened to uphold the philosophical standpoint of the Vaibhāṣika school and whose compassion was so great that he once cut off a piece of his own flesh and gave it to a sick man as medicine.[1]
According to Sweet and Zwilling (2001), “Dharmarakṣita...is entirely unknown to Indian tradition and whatever we know of him comes exclusively from Tibetan sources."[2] Three early sources about Dharmarakṣita's are:[2]
- a text by Chekawa
- The Blue Udder (Be’u bum sngon po) by Geshe Dol pa, a.k.a. Rog shes rab rgya mtsho, a.k.a. Dol pa dMar zhur pa (1059–1131), and
- a commentary on The Blue Udder by his pupil Lha ’bri sgang pa (twelfth century).
"All three [sources] know Dharmarakṣita as a guru of Atiśa’s and an adherent of a lower vehicle (non-Mahayana) tenet system, the Śrāvaka-Vaibhāśika (nyan thos bye brag tu smra ba)."[2]
A famous legend of Dharmarakṣita, attested to in these three early sources, relates how Dharmarakṣita once cut off a piece of his own flesh and gave it to a sick man as medicine.[2] This story is told in The Blue Udder as follows:
- A man whose thigh was afflicted with a fiery smallpox showed it to a doctor who told him he would live if he ate fresh meat but die if he did not. Out of compassion, Dharmarakṣita unhesitatingly cut some flesh from his own thigh and gave it to him, and each then went his own way. When Dharmarakṣita’s pain increased, the doctor made a poultice to stop the bleeding. Having learned that his flesh had helped the sick man, Dharmarakṣita was overjoyed. That night he had a dream, and in that dream, a white man appeared who said: “Well done, well done,” and passing his hand over the wound, it disappeared. When Dharmarakṣita awoke he saw that the wound had vanished.[2]
According to Sweet and Zwilling (2001), the significance of this story is that even though Dharmarakṣita was an adherent of a lower vehicle tenet system, through his great compassion he was able to realize the true nature of reality.[2]
This understanding is reflected in the account of Dharmarakṣita given in Words of My Perfect Teacher, by Patrul Rinpoche. Patrul Rinpoche states:
- Dharmarakṣita started out as a shravaka pandita of the Vaibhāṣika school. Although in the earlier part of his life he had never heard the teachings of the Mahayana, his natural affinity was to the Mahayana tradition, and without any deliberate effort he was filled with great compassion.
- Once, someone in the region where he lived was attacked by a violent illness which the doctor declared could only be healed with one medicine – the flesh of a live human being. If that could not be found, there would be no hope.
- "If it helps, I'll give him mine," said Dharmarakṣita and, cutting some flesh from his own thigh, he gave it to the sick person, who ate it and it was cured.
- Dharmarakṣita, who had not yet realized emptiness, suffered enormous pain as a result of what he had done, but his great compassion prevented him from feeling any regret.
- "Are you feeling better?" He asked the invalid.
- "Yes, I am fine," the invalid said, "but look at the difficulties I have brought upon you!"
- "I would even bear death if it could bring you happiness," said Dharmarakṣita.
- Dharmarakṣita was in such pain, however, that he could not sleep at all. Finally, at some time in the small hours, he dozed off and had a dream.
- In the dream, a man, all white, appeared to him and said, "Whoever wants to attain enlightenment must pass through such trials as yours. Well done! Well done!" The man spat on the wound and rubbed it with his hand. The wound disappeared, leaving no scar at all.
- When he awoke from his dream, he saw that his wound really had been healed. The white man had been the Great Compassionate One[3] himself. The authentic realization of the natural state then dawned in Dharmarakṣita's mind and the words of Nagarjuna's Five Treatises on the Middle Way were ceaselessly on his lips."[4]
Two lojong texts, the Wheel of Sharp Weapons and The Poison-Destroying Peacock, are attributed to Dharmaraksita. However, according to Sweet and Zwilling (2001), evidence suggests that these texts were likely written by a Tibetan author.[2]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Thupten Jinpa 2005, Introduction.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Lhundub Sopa, Sweet & Zwilling 2001, "Historical and Thematic Introduction" (by Sweet and Zwilling).
- ↑ A form of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, white in color.
- ↑ Patrul Rinpoche 1998, pp. 228-230.
Sources
- Lhundub Sopa, Geshe; Sweet, Micheal J.; Zwilling, Leonard (2001), Peacock in the Poison Grove: Two Buddhist Texts on Training the Mind, Boston: Wisdom Publications
Patrul Rinpoche (1998), Words of My Perfect Teacher, translated by Padmakara Translation Group, Altamira Press- Thupten Jinpa, ed. (2005), Mind Training: The Great Collection, Boston: Wisdom Publications
External Links
TBRC profile of d+harma rak+shi ta
Dharmarakṣita (9th century), Wikipedia
Wheel_of_Sharp_Weapons, Rangjung Yeshe Wiki
