Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

his stool, concentrated a moment and then uttered
the homage which heads this chapter. To explain it
he said.
A. The Triple Dedication
The Venerable Tsong-khapa lived at a very recent date
(1357-1419) and of all the great and learned Tibetan
Gurus, he is the latest; all the others, such as Guru
Rinpoche, Marpa, and Milarepa, lived before him. From
so short a time past his grace still remains with us, both
as a scholar and as a practitioner of Dharma. He
vigorously promoted the Hinayana and in his Lam Rim
the divisions are made according to that vehicle's
teachings. It is very rare, in such a late time, to find a
teacher who stresses the necessity of practicing the
Hinayana doctrines. In China, the tendency has long
been quite opposite to this and many false gurus have
openly rebuked the Hinayana (setting themselves up, of
course, as Bodhisattvas). Even scholars have adversely
criticized the Lesser Vehicle, and since the Song
Dynasty its teachings have been largely neglected. But
Tsong-khapa has lived much later still and yet preached
these teachings. In recent times, few follow these
doctrines, but there would have been no one at all
heeding the Hinayana without the efforts of this great
and saintly teacher, whom we therefore salute with
humility and gratitude.
Why do we make obeisance to the Four Agamas? These
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