..續本文上一頁d spread the Dharma in Tibet. Shantarakshita prophecied that it would be obstructed in later years. He advised the king to then invite his student Kamalashila to come to Tibet and quell the troublemakers so that the authentic Dharma would not be distorted.

　　In accordance with Bodhisattva Shantarakshita”s prophecy, a man named Hwa Shang Mahayana came from China to spread his approach of the Dharma in Tibet. As a result, people were a little perplexed as to which method was right. Hwa Shang Mahayana taught that just as black clouds cover space and the sun, white clouds also cover space and the sun. “Similarly,” he said, “both non-virtuous and virtuous thoughts and actions obstruct the omniscient state of a buddha.” Hwa Shang Mahayana said that one only needs to be without any thoughts at all in order to accumulate merit and wisdom. Kamalashila, on the other hand, taught that the accumulation of merit and wisdom is like the two wings of a bird - both are needed in order to fly. He introduced the gradual path of practice.

　　Having been called by King Trisong Detsen, Kamalashila made the long journey from India to Tibet and met Hwa Shang Mahayana. Kamalashila thought, “If he has knowledge, we can meet in debate. If he is a fool, we cannot meet in debate.” In order to see whether or not Hwa Shang Mahayana had knowledge, Kamalashila circled Hwa Shang Mahayana”s head three times with a stick, thereby posing the question, “From what cause do the three realms of cyclic existence arise

　　” Because Hwa Shang Mahayana had great knowledge and good qualities, he understood the gesture that Kamalashila made and withdrew his hands inside the sleeves of his robe, thereby replying, “The three realms of cyclic existence arise from the ignorance that conceives of the apprehended and the apprehender.” Then Kamalashila knew that Hwa Shang Mahayana possessed knowledge and that they could meet in debate. And so, people gathered for an official debate at Samye.

　　The king, a witness, Kamalashila, and Hwa Shang Mahayana were sitting together, and the king placed one garland of flowers in the hands of Kamalashila and another in the hands of Hwa Shang Mahayana. The king then said, “Two systems of Dharma have arisen; the Dharma of sudden realization and the Dharma of gradual realization. Because of that, people have become confused about how to practice Dharma. To clarify this confusion, please debate. When you have debated, the loser should, without pride, offer his garland of flowers to the victor. Then, whoever loses should leave Tibet and return to his own country.” Then they debated. Kamalashila asked questions and defeated Hwa Shang Mahayana. Having lost, Hwa Shang Mahayana offered his garland of flowers to Kamalashila and returned to China.

　　After the debate, King Trisong Detsen asked Kamalashila to compose a text explaining the stages of meditation from the Indian Buddhist tradition and said, “You have seen the trouble that arose here. In order that the teachings of the Buddha not be distorted similarly in the future, please compose a reliable treatise that is easy to understand and of great benefit.” To guide the new Tibetan monks who were studying at Samye Monastery, Kamalashila composed a text in three volumes, called Stages of Meditation - Bhavanakrama in Sanskrit, sGom-rim in Tibetan.6 Now, Kamalashila was not only brilliant, but it is said that he was also very handsome.

　　Some scholars refute that Kamalashila returned to Tibet, and there is a basis for their doubt. When Kamalashila left Tibet, he went to India. There is a story that on his way to India, he came across the corpse of an Indian man who had died of a terrible disease. Because the illness was contagious, no one dared come near the corpse. Kamalashila wanted to help the people of t…

《Chod – The Introduction & A Few Practices》全文未完，請進入下頁繼續閱讀…