Drops of Nectar

Drops of Nectar, A Commentary on the Bodhicharyavatara according to the Words of My Manjushri-like Teacher (Wyl. ’jam dbyangs bla ma’i zhal lung bdud rtsi’i thig pa) – a commentary on the Bodhicharyavatara written by Khenpo Kunpal, based on the teachings of Patrul Rinpoche.

About The Commentary

Khenpo Kunpal was a close student of Patrul Rinpoche and he listened to Patrul Rinpoche’s teachings on the Bodhicharyavatara over twenty times. He is supposed to have said that each time he listened, he gained a new insight and a deeper understanding.

Khenpo Kunpal wrote his commentary at the urging of other close disciples of Patrul Rinpoche. As Khenpo Kunpal writes in the colophon to his commentary: “The great master of Katok in the East, Situ Chökyi Gyatso, the sovereign of the entire Doctrine and doctor of the five sciences, commanded me, telling me to compose a commentary on the Bodhicharyavatara according to the teachings of Patrul Rinpoche.” This request was followed by similar requests from other lamas, and eventually Khenpo Kunpal wrote his commentary based on Patrul Rinpoche’s oral teachings.

Praise for This Commentary

Tsoknyi Rinpoche said:

The Bodhicharyavatara is a text that can greatly benefit any practicing Buddhist. Among the many commentaries that exist on this text in Tibetan, I have personally found Khenpo Kunpal’s commentary to be the most practical, containing many key points essential to Buddhist practice. During my education I studied the Bodhicharyavatara with eminent scholars, and I read Khenpo Kunpal’s commentary many times.

Dzogchen Khenpo Chöga said:

You have to read the Bodhicharyavatara and Khenpo Kunpal’s commentary again and again. Every time you read it and ponder the meaning, you will gain some new insight... You should aim to achieve a degree of understanding whereby the text and its meaning are indelibly engraved in your mind…

For students who did not grow up in a Buddhist environment such as the Shri Singha Shedra, it is difficult to study all the important sutras and textbooks. I truly believe that by focusing on the Bodhicharyavatara and Khenpo Kunpal’s commentary alone and making this text part of your life, in conjunction with your yidam practice, you will become a true scholar and practitioner.

I further believe that, in this day and age, Khenpo Kunpal’s commentary on the Bodhicharyavatara, the Life Story and Songs of Milarepa, and Paltrül Rinpoche’s Words of My Prefect Teacher are all the reading and studying a practitioner of the Nyingmapa School needs. If you do not aspire to become a khenpo, a preceptor of the monastic tradition, or a teacher of sutra and tantra, but aim to become an excellent practitioner of the dharma, then these three books and the oral meditation instructions of your root guru are all you need. Following this advice, you are neither in danger of going astray into stupid meditation nor of becoming a mere scholastic intellectual.

Therefore, read the root text and Khenpo Kunpal’s commentary again and again, allowing fresh insights to continually ripen in your mind.

In praising the recent Padmakara translation of this text (titled The Nectar of Manjushri's Speech), Sogyal Rinpoche said:

This is a modern classic for our times - an exceptionally clear and comprehensive guide to Shantideva's timeless verses, an encyclopedic treasury of Buddhist wisdom, and an inspiring companion for all who seek to follow the compassionate path of the bodhisattvas.

Selected Chapter Outlines

• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 8
• Chapter 9

Tibetan text

སྤྱོད་འཇུག་འགྲེལ་པ་འཇམ་དབྱངས་བླ་མའི་ཞལ་ལུང་བདུད་རྩིའི་ཐིག་པ།

Translations

In English

• Khenchen Kunzang Pelden and Minyak Kunzang Sönam, Wisdom: Two Buddhist Commentaries, Editions Padmakara, 1999
• Kunzang Palden, The Nectar of Manjushri's Speech: A Detailed Commentary on Shantideva's Way of the Bodhisattva, Shambhala, November 2007
• Drops of Nectar: Khenpo Kunpal’s Commentary on Shantideva’s Entering the Conduct of the Bodhisattvas, translated by Andreas Kretschmar, (chapters 1-5 only)

In French

• Kunzang Palden, Perles d'ambroisie, Padmakara 2008

Teachings Available on MP3 Audio Files

• MP3 audio files of teachings given by Khenpo Sönam Tobden on 'Drops of Nectar', Rigpa Shedra East, 2006-7

External Links

• Translation by Andreas Kretschmar of the first five chapters - available for free download in pdf format