The Three Principal Aspects of the Path

Heart of the Buddha's teachings,
path praised by bodhisattvas,
gateway to liberation
this I will explain as best I can.

Je Tsongkhapa's Three Principal Aspects of the Path, translated by Gelek Rimpoche as The Three Principles of the Path, was composed to "explain as best I can" the Buddhist path to enlightenment from three successively more advanced points of view. In the first verse of this brief instruction, Tsongkhapa outlines what is to follow - a framework that we can use for understanding the Christian heritage in the light of the Buddhadharma.

1. The "heart of the Buddha's teachings" is the path of individual liberation, marked by the principle of renunciation (the determination to be free of suffering and its causes). The Apostle Paul describes this liberation in the famous sentence
...the law of the Spirit of life that is in Christ Jesus
has set me free from the law of sin and death.
-- Romans 8:2
2. The "path praised by bodhisattvas" is the path of love and compassion, marked by the principle of bodhichitta, the "Awakening Mind". I believe that this is what Paul had in mind when he reminded the church in Philippi:
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death
- even death on a cross.
-- Philippians 2:5-8
3. The "gateway to liberation" is the path of wisdom, marked by the principle of active bodhichitta, that seeks ultimate wisdom in order to be of maximum benefit to all sentient beings.
If you abide in me,
and my words abide in you,
ask for whatever you wish,
and it will be done for you.
-- John 15:7
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but that very Spirit intercedes
with sighs too deep for words.
-- Romans 8:26

Homage to the Great Masters

Homage to the Great Masters.

With this phrase Je Tsongkhapa begins The Three Principal Aspects of the Path to Highest Enlightenment (translated by Gelek Rimpoche as The Three Principles of the Path). In this way, he acknowledges his debt to his predecessors in the Lam Rim ("Stepwise Path") lineage. Some of the major figures in this lineage, as shown in the thangka below, are Atisha directly above Tsongkhapa; Shantideva above Atisha; Nagarjuna (I think) above Shantideva; then Buddha Shakyamuni to the left of Nagarjuna. Tsongkhapa's disciples are shown on both sides, and their spiritual descendants below. (We'll leave the "deities" for another time.)

As Christians who hope to benefit from this study of the Lam Rim, we should extend our admiration and gratitude to the entire Lam Rim lineage, and especially to Gelek Rimpoche, the Dalai Lama and the rest of the accomplished masters of their generation, who through their great generosity, skillful means and tireless teaching have brought the benefits of this tradition to the Western world. We should also remember with joyful gratitude all those who have passed on to us, sometimes at great cost, the wisdom of the Hebrew Bible and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely,
and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,
looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith....
-- Hebrews 12:1,2