The Treasury of Knowledge, Book 1: Book One: Myriad Worlds

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The Treasury of Knowledge JAMGON KONGTRUL MYRIAD WORLDS

KALU RINPOCHE TRANSLATION GROUP

The Treasury of Knowledge JAMGON KONGTRUL MYRIAD WORLDS In

Tibetan

Jamgiin Kongtrul's

religious

literature,

Treasury ofKnowledge

in ten books stands

out as a unique

encyclopedic masterpiece embodying the entire range of Buddhist teachings as it was preserved in Tibet. This volume, which serves as a prelude to Kongtrul's survey, describes four major cosmological systems found in the Tibetan tradition -those associated with the Hina­ yana, Mahayana, Kalacakra and Dzog-chen teachings. To suit the capacities of different grades of beings, Buddha taught four levels of cosmology:

the numerically definite

cosmology of the individual way; the cosmo­ logy of infinite buddhafields of the universal way; the special cosmological system of the Kalacakra

Tantra;

and

dazzling

non­

cosmological system of the Dzog-chen system, which dispenses with the dualistic perspective, revealing the creative principle to be

awareness

alone.

Each of these

cosmologies shows how the world arises from mind, whether through the accumulated results of past actions or from the constant striving of awareness to know itself. This detailed and thorough account of worldviews that present conceptions of space and time which differ significantly from Western ideas is at once illuminating and challenging.

The Treasury of Knawledge senes was prepared by the KALU RJNPOCH� TRANSlA110N GROUP under W d1rect100 oNen. Bokar Rlnpoche.

The Treasury of Knowledge Book One: Myriad Worlds

The publication of this work has been made possible through the generous support of the Tsadra Foundation.

The Treasury of Knowledge Book One: Myriad Worlds Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye

KALU RINPOCHE TRANSLATION GROUP under the direction of Ven. Bokar Rinpoche

Snow Lion Publications

Ithaca, New York Boulder, Colorado

Snow Lion Publications P.O. Box 6483 Ithaca, New York 14851 USA 607-273-8519 www.snowlionpub.com Copyright© 1995 Kalu Rinpoche This edition© 2003 Kalu Rinpoche All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means without prior written permission from the publisher. Printed in Canada on acid-free recycled paper. ISBN 1-55939-188-X Drawing of Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye by Robert Beer The Library of Congress catalogued the previous edition of this book as follows:

Koil-sprul Blo-gros-mtha'-yas, 1813-1899. [Ses bya mtha' yas pa'i rgya mtsho. English. Selections] Myriad worlds: Buddhist cosmology in Abhidharma, Kalacakra, and Dzog-chen/Kongtrul Lodro Taye; translated and edited by the Interna­ tional Translation Committee founded by Kalu Rinpoche. p. em. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-55939-033-6 1 . Koil-sprul Blo-gros-mtha'-yas, 1813-1899. Ses bya kun khyab. 2. Bud­ dhism-China-Tibet-Doctrines. 3. Buddhist cosmology. I. Title. II. Title: Ses bya mtha' yas pa'i rgya mtsho. BQ7632.K66213 1995 294.3'424-