The document summarizes Tsongkhapa's famous work "The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment". It describes Tsongkhapa as a renowned Tibetan philosopher who created this masterpiece in 1402 based on Atisha's "Lamp for the Path". The treatise outlines the stages or steps that lead ordinary people from basic preparation to small, medium, and great spiritual capacities, and ultimately to complete Buddhahood. It divides the path into sections on mental preparation, striving for higher rebirth, liberation from rebirth, and achieving full enlightenment through the six perfections of generosity, ethics, patience, effort, concentration, and wisdom. The treatise provides a map for

1. Lam Rim Chen Mo
Tsong-Kha-Pa
LESSON 4: INTRODUCTION TO
THE GREAT TREATISE ON THE
STAGES OF THE PATH TO
ENLIGHTENMENT

2. Tsong-Kha-Pa

3. Introduction to Tsong-Kha-Pa
•Tsongkhapa (1357–1419) is a well-known Tibetan religious philosopher.
•When he was young, Tsongkhapa was not like an ordinary child. He
never misbehaved; he instinctively engaged in bodhisattva type actions;
and he was extremely intelligent and always wanted to learn everything
•Tsongkhapa presented his mature philosophy in a series of volumes
during the later period of his life, beginning with the publication of his
most famous work, the Great Exposition of the Stages of the Path (Lam
rim chen mo) in 1402, at the age of 46.

4. Introduction to Lam Rim Chen Mo
• The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment is one of the world’s
great monument of philosophy and spirituality as well as one of the most renowned
works of Buddhist thought and practice to have been composed in Tibet.
• Using Atisha’s Lamp of the Path as his base, Lama Tsongkhapa created this
masterpiece in 1402.
• it would soon become one of the most renowned books of spiritual practice and
philosophy in Tibetan Buddhism.
• Extracting the very essence of the three pitakas and twelve collections and present
a teaching which is direct, organized and indispensable for all those who wish to
practice Buddhahood.
• A treasure map which leads us to discover the treasures fast and accurately

5. What is The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to
Enlightment
•Great Treatise: a detailed explanation of the stages for ordinary
people to reach the heart of enlightenment
•Stages: the steps that leads to the journey (path)
•Path: a way to reach this goal
•Enlightenment: a title given in Buddhism to the specific
awakening experience, it is sometimes described as complete
and perfect sanity, or awareness of the true nature of the
universe

6. •BASIC BEFORE PATH : Mental preparation
•SMALL CAPACITY: striving for a rebirth in the upper realms
•MEDIUM CAPACITY: striving for liberation of cyclic existence
•GREAT CAPACITY: striving for complete Buddhahood
MAIN SECTIONS

7. Introduction of Venerable Ri Chang
• + Watch video

8. Break time~

9. Basic before the path
1. How to Listen to and Explain the Teachings;
2. Relying on the Teacher;
3. The Meditation Session;
4. A Human Life of Leisure and Opportunity;
5. The Three Types of Person (A general presentation of
the path)

10. The Stages of the Path for Persons of Small Capacity has four
parts:
1. Mindfulness of Death;
2. Reflecting on Your Future Life;
3. Going for Refuge to the Three Jewels;
4. The Varieties of Karma

11. The Stages of the Path for Persons of Medium Capacity has four
aspects
1. Reflection on the Truth of Suffering;
2. Reflection on the Origin of Suffering;
3. The Twelve Factors of Dependent-Arising
4. Ascertaining the Nature of the Path Leading to
Liberation

12. 1. How to develop the Spirit of Enlightenment;
2. The Six Perfections;
3. Concentration/ serenity
4. Wisdom/insight
The Stages of the Path for Persons of Great Capacity, and
Serenity and Insight has four aspects:

13. Six perfections
•training in the perfection of generosity
•training in the perfection of ethics
•training in the perfection of patience
•training in the perfection of joyful effort
•training in the perfection of concentration/ serenity
•training in the perfection of wisdom/insight

14. •BASIC BEFORE PATH : Mental preparation
•SMALL CAPACITY: striving for a rebirth in the upper realms
•MEDIUM CAPACITY: striving for liberation of cyclic existence
•GREAT CAPACITY: striving for complete Buddhahood
SUMMARY

15. Basic before
path
Small capacity
Medium capacity
Great capacity Buddhahood
Stages of path to enlightenment
Final goal
Provisional
goal

16. How fortunate beings are led to Buddhahood by the ways of the
stages of the path to enlightenment
•Contain the key points of all of the Conqueror’s
scriptures;
•Are the pathways forged by two great trailblazers,
Nagarjuna and Asanga;
•Are the system for supreme beings progressing to
the state of omniscience;
•Fully comprise all the stages practiced by the three
types of persons.

17. The reason for establishing study group

18. The reason for establishing study group
•Have deeper understanding and impression of buddhism
•Protection against slacking off
•Make our study go smoothly in this life, and will born in an
Buddhist organization in the next life.

19. Watch Video: group/teamwork

20. The teachings from The Great Treatise are so
beautiful, this is the treasure that can never be
used up, hope that all of us can explore it with our
heart and taste the sweet dew of dharma
By Venerable Ri Chang