1. Oral Instruction by Dilgo Khyentse 2. Instructions on Shamatha within the Mahamudra tradition by Panchen Lozang Chkyi Gyaltsen 3. The Common Preliminaries: The Sevenfold Mind-Training by Lerab Lingpa 4. Tilopa's Mahamudra Instruction to Naropa in Twenty Eight Verses 5. Extracting the Vital Essence of Accomplishment: Direct and Clear Guidance for Practice in a Mountain Retreat by Ddjom Rinpoche
Taking a humble position rich with the treasure of contentment, free from the binds of the eight-worldly concerns, firm and strong hearted in practice, receiving the Guruss blessing, realization becomes equal to space. May we attain the Kingdom of Samantabhadra!
If you are able to meditate completely turning aside from the activities and concerns of this life, it is certain that you will gain the extraordinary qualities of the profound path of Dzogchen. Why wait for future lives? You can capture the primordial citadel right now, in the present.
This advice is the very blood of my heart. Hold it close and never let it go!
Dudjom Rinpoche
Oral instruction by Dilgo Khyentse
While mind is watching mind, Though there is nothing to see, it is vividly clear; Uncontrived, free and at ease in that state, Rest naturally, simply undistracted.
Whatever thought occurs in that state, Without stopping or analyzing, watch its very nature. Its arising doesnt obscure the absolute nature; Whatever occurs, relax right there.
Dont follow thoughts about the past, Dont anticipate thoughts about the future, Directly transcend the external world; That is called the four parts without three.
If you maintain this recognition of thoughts, You will feel that they do not truly begin, remain or end. Though you notice them, they have no effect on your true nature; That is the bare natural state, the way it is.
If you take that empty awareness, open and carefree, as the path, All the time, during formal practice and afterward, You will quickly and surely acquire a confident realization That confusion is freed by itself.
It is very helpful to mingle your mind Inseparably with your teachers; By settling in equipoise within that state, developing faith and devotion, You will meet the natural face of dharmakaya.
Especially guard the continuity of impermanence, renunciation, And pure discipline, like your own eyes; Never diminish your one-pointed diligence in the heart of the matter, The essential yoga of the profound meaning.
Alternating study, reflection, and meditation, The one will help the others. Ultimately that is what you need to resolve, So practice the essential meaning with tenacity.
May this delightful, sacred offering cloud Of essential pith instructions Cause you to gain realization Of the definitive secret that is like space.
MANGALAM
Brilliant Moon: the autobiography of Dilgo Khyentse. Translated by Ani Jinba Palmo. Page 293
Instructions on Shamatha within the Mahamudra tradition by Panchen Lozang Chkyi Gyaltsen
Of the two approaches of seeking to meditate on the basis of the view and seeking the view on the basis of meditation, the following accords with the latter approach. On a comfortable cushion for the cultivation of meditative stabilization, assume the sevenfold posture and with the ninefold breathing clear out stale vital energies. Carefully distinguish between the radiant purity of awareness and its defilements, and with a pristinely virtuous mind begin by taking refuge and cultivating bodhichitta. Meditate on the profound path of guru yoga, and after making hundreds of heartfelt supplications, let the guru dissolve into yourself.
Do not modify the nature of evanescent appearances with thoughts such as hopes and fears, but rest for a while in unwavering meditative equipoise. This is not a state in which your attention is blanked out, as if you had fainted or fallen asleep. Rather, post the sentry of undistracted mindfulness and focus introspection on the movements of awareness. Focus closely on its nature of cognizance and luminosity, observing it nakedly. Whatever thoughts arise, recognize each one. Alternatively, like a participant in a duel, complete cut off any thoughts that arise; when there is stillness after they are banished, relax loosely, but without losing mindfulness. As it is said, Focus closely and loosely relaxit is there that the mind is settled. Relax without wandering, as the saying goes, When the mind that is tangled up in busyness loosens up, it undoubtedly frees itself.
Whenever thoughts arise, if their nature is observed, they naturally disappear and a clear vacuity arises. Likewise, if the mind is examined when it is still, a vivid, unobscured, luminous vacuity is perceived, and this is known as the fusion of stillness and motion. Whatever thoughts arise, do not block them, but recognizing their movements, focus on their naturelike a caged bird on a ship. Sustain your awareness as in the saying, Like a raven that flies from a ship, circles around, and alights aboard once again.
The nature of meditative equipoise is not obscured by anything, but is limpid and clear. Not established as anything physical, it is a clear vacuity like space. Allowing anything to arise, it is vividly awake. Such is the nature of the mind. This is superbly witnessed with direct perception, yet it cannot be grasped as this or demonstrated with words. Whatever arises, rest loosely, without grasping: nowadays, for the most part, contemplatives of Tibet uniformly proclaim this as practical advice for achieving enlightenment. However, I, Chkyi Gyaltsen, declare this to be an exceptionally skillful method for novices to achieve mental stability and to identify the relative nature of the mind. Collected Works of Pachen blo bzang chos kyi rgyal mtshan, 5 vols., trans. B. Alan Wallace (New Delhi: Mongolian Lama Gurudeva, 1973), 4:8486.
The Common Preliminaries: The Sevenfold Mind-Training by Lerab Lingpa The sevenfold methods of training the mind are the indispensable crown jewel of all spiritual people and do not pertain solely to this practice. i. Meditation on Impermanence Due to the sudden confluence of various individual causes and conditions, everything that is included within the physical universe and its inhabitants that did not exist at one time but newly comes into existence inexorably decays from the very second moment following its initial existence. In the midst of its sequential production and decay, as it arises in a continuum of repeated, ongoing conformity, its own effect may easily transform so that it disappears. Thus, in that what is permanent and stable? Therefore, everything that you haveincluding your dwelling, body, possessions, and lifeis solely of the nature of impermanence. The lifespan of the people of Jambudvpa is uncertain, and in this degenerate era there are additional afflictions of short lifespans, a multitude of diseases, and so on. Thus, it is certain that death will occur soon. Earnestly meditate again and again [632] on the way this resembles a water bubble buffeted by the wind; and counteract this reprehensible attitude of grasping onto permanence, which is like the mind-state of a lunatic. Until there arises a continual, uncontrived attitude of knowing that which is impermanent to be impermanent, repeatedly ponder this unceasingly on all occasions both during and between formal meditation sessions. And by all means strive in methods that prevent your Dharma practice from slipping even the slightest bit into procrastination and spiritual sloth. ii. Meditation on the Way in Which Even the Pleasures of the cycle of existence Are Causes Leading to Unhappiness Due to craving and attachment to every occurrence of the pleasures of the fortunate realms, which are the result of tainted virtue accumulated in the past, we do not let go of this life. Due to being carried away solely by the thoughts and deeds of aspiring for pleasure, we do not accomplish any sublime Dharma at all. Each time we strive in such constant pursuits as subduing our enemies and protecting our loved ones, as a byproduct we accumulate numerous reprehensible sins; and the result of these is that we must experience many kinds of unhappiness in this lifetime, and in later lifetimes, contrary to our will, we must experience the violent suffering of the miserable destinations. Therefore, the greater the fleeting pleasures of the cycle of existence, the more they are a terrible, utterly unworthy seduction that causes the ruin of spiritual people. [633] As an analogy, if we are seduced by delicious poison and food and drink mixed with poison that are attractive in color, with a savory aroma and taste, and we eat it, as a result we must helplessly experience the agony of poisoning. When that happens, even if we feel remorse, it is difficult to remedy. Recognize the parallel. If we do not sever the craving and attachment to the seductive pleasures of this life, whatever we are involved in naturally leads to terrible suffering. Meditate well on this, and turn your mind away from the craving and attachment of this life; and by all means strive in ways of focusing your mind in the direction of the sublime Dharma. iii. Meditation on the Way There Is No Closure, No Matter How Much We Strive for Favorable Circumstances in the Cycle of Existence All beings in sasra from the least to the greatest strive in many ways, employing various expedient tools as means of gaining individual physical and mental wellbeing. And yet, if what we have accumulated in the past is inadequate, it is difficult for us to have any success at all. As a result of tainted virtue, we may have a little success, but no matter how much enjoyment we have, it dwindles away until it has vanished. Then the urge to move on one once again rises up powerfully as it did earlier, resulting in physical and mental exhaustion. With many struggles we must strive again and again, without any finality to our efforts; for there is never a time when there is a complete and satisfying closure. Meditate carefully on the striking similarity with the analogy of a deer tormented by thirst mistaking a mirage for water and chasing after it. Then earnestly strive in the ways of contentment by making your way of life accord with Dharma. iv. Meditation on the Futility of All Good and Bad Illusory Human Pursuits For as long as we have been alive, all our past experiences for better or worseincluding joy and sorrow, felicity and adversity, progress and decline, prestige and disgrace, and the affluence and poverty of this lifeare nothing more than mere memories. At the time of death, we follow solely the maturation of virtuous and evil deeds, and there is no one at all who can help or harm us. So those individual episodes of joy and sorrow are utterly devoid of even a speck of an enduring essence or significance. [635] Meditate repeatedly on the sure resemblance between this and the analogy of the fleeting occurrence of good and bad dreams during a single nap. Then cease exerting yourself in seeking or avoiding any fake joy and sorrow, and do not foster any hopes or fears concerning them. Instead, whatever happens, it is crucial to focus your mind in the homogenous taste of contentment. In summary, meditate again and again on the disadvantages of becoming obsessed with each of these pleasures of the cycle of existence, the things that contribute to them, and fleeting good and bad appearances. Then saturate your mind-stream with the pure, uncontrived intention of turning your mind away from them and of desiring to free others minds from them. This is the root of all sublime Dharmas, so it is necessary to apply yourself to this repeatedly. v. Meditation on the Benefits of Liberation If we reach the precious state of a rvaka or Pratyekabuddha arhat, which is the culminating fruition of the authentic path to liberation, we are forever freed from the sufferings of the cycle of existence and their causes; and we will have actualized the bountiful excellences of peace and joy. [636] Therefore, we will never again return to the sufferings of this swamp of sasra. This is like the analogy of the impossibility of a person who has recovered from smallpox ever again being afflicted with that disease. Moreover, the ultimate fruition of the proper cultivation of the Mahyna path is far superior even to that. Sublime liberation, or the precious state of omniscience, which is unsurpassed, supreme liberation, is like a supreme wish-fulfilling gem. It totally transcends the two extremes of cyclic existence and of quietism as well as their causes, and it is endowed with the infinite, inconceivable, inexpressible excellences of mastery over the supreme interests of self and others, of permanence, all-pervasiveness, and spontaneity. Let alone reaching such a supreme state, the benefits of even once aspiring to reach it cannot be calculated with a vajra tongue. So it is of the utmost importance for you knowledgeable people to make a firm resolve to diligently cultivate until it arises in your mind-streams and never abandon even at the cost of your livesan uncontrived, [637] powerful attitude of yearning to swiftly reach the state of perfect buddhahood, not giving mere lip-service to this attitude, but cultivating it earnestly now while you have the freedom to do so. vi. Meditation on the Importance of the Spiritual Mentors Practical Instructions The extraordinary, excellent path by which the states of liberation and omniscience are accomplished is available solely due to the kindness of the Sugata, the supreme Revealer; and the countless avenues of this sublime Dharma shine without bias upon the meritorious disciples of this illumined realm. Even a single practical instruction from all of these is something beyond the experience of presumptuous people with their own fabrications. If you obtain practical instructions that provide a complete synthesis of the essential points from beginning to end from a qualified guru who is well- versed in that Dharma, you will readily understand what is truly to be practiced. So the gurus profound practical instructions are indispensable. As an analogy, this is like relying upon a fine stairway as the means to reach the roof of a mansion. Therefore, first of all seek out and examine a qualified guru [638]. When you find one, devote yourself to him by means of the three services, and resolve to practice according to his instructions. This is a marvelous, all-sufficient, swift path. Thus, a single practical instruction of the guru is more important than a hundred or a thousand lectures that are not derived from experience. This is widely known and is also confirmed with direct experience. vii. The Crucial Way to Settle the Mind in Its Natural State Simply hearing the gurus practical instructions and knowing how to explain them does not liberate your own mind-stream, so you must meditate. Even if you spend your whole life practicing a mere semblance of meditationmeditating in a stupor, contaminated with compulsive ideation, and taking many breaks during your sessions due to being unable to control mental scatteringno good experiences or realizations will arise. So it is important during each session to meditate according to the gurus oral instructions. In solitude sit upright on a comfortable cushion. Gently hold the vase breath until the vital energies converge naturally. Let your gaze be vacant. With your body and mind inwardly relaxed, and without allowing the continuum of your consciousness to fade from a state of limpidity and vivid clarity, sustain [639] it naturally and radiantly. Do not contaminate it with many critical judgments; do not take a shortsighted view of meditation, and avoid great hopes and fears that your meditation will turn out one way and not another. At the beginning have many daily sessions, each of them of brief duration, and focus well in each one. Whenever you meditate, bear in mind the phrase without distraction and without grasping, and put this into practice. As you gradually familiarize yourself with the meditation, increase the duration of your sessions. If dullness sets, enhance your awareness. If there is excessive scattering and excitation, loosen up. Determine in terms of your own experience the optimal degree of mental tension as well as the healthiest diet and behavior. Excessive, imprisoning constriction of the mind, loss of limpidity due to lassitude, and excessive relaxation resulting in involuntary vocalization and eye- movement are faults. It is a hindrance to talk a lot about such things as extrasensory perception and miscellaneous dreams or to claim, I saw a deity. I saw a ghost. I know this. Ive realized that. and so on. The presence or absence of any variety of pleasure or displeasure, such as a sensation of motion, is not uniform, for there are great differences in the dispositions and faculties from one individual to another. Due to settling the mind in its natural state, there may arise sensations such as physical and mental wellbeing, a sense of lucid consciousness, [640] the appearance of empty form, and a non-conceptual sense that nothing can harm the mind, regardless of whether or not ideation has ceased. Whatever kinds of mental imagery occurbe they gentle or violent, subtle or gross, of long or short duration, strong or weak, good or bad observe their nature, and avoid any obsessive evaluation of them as being one thing and not another. Let the heart of your practice be consciousness in its natural state, limpid and vivid. Acting as your own mentor, if you can bring the essential points to perfection, as if you were threading a needle, the afflictions of your own mind- stream will be inhibited, you will gain the autonomy of not succumbing to them, and your mind will constantly be calm and dispassionate. This is a sound basis for the arising of all samdhis of the stages of generation and completion. This is like tilling the soil of a field. So from the outset avoid making a lot of great, exalted, and pointless proclamations. Rather, it is crucial to do all you can to refine your mind and establish a foundation for contemplative practice. Thus, for each of those seven mind-trainings, cultivate the spirit of awakening at the beginning of each session, and conclude with pure prayers of dedication. Between sessions, [641] make sure that you unceasingly apply the elixir of each of these practices to your own mind-stream.
[Translated by Alan Wallace]
Tilopa's Mahamudra Instruction to Naropa in Twenty Eight Verses
Homage to the Eighty Four Mahasiddhas! Homage to Mahamudra! Homage to the Vajra Dakini!
Mahamudra cannot be taught. But most intelligent Naropa, Since you have undergone rigorous austerity, With forbearance in suffering and with devotion to your Guru, Blessed One, take this secret instruction to heart.
Is space anywhere supported? Upon what does it rest? Like space, Mahamudra is dependant upon nothing; Relax and settle in the continuum of unalloyed purity, And, your bonds loosening, release is certain.
Gazing intently into the empty sky, vision ceases; Likewise, when mind gazes into mind itself, The train of discursive and conceptual thought ends And supreme enlightenment is gained.
Like the morning mist that dissolves into thin air, Going nowhere but ceasing to be, Waves of conceptualization, all the mind's creation, dissolve, When you behold your mind's true nature.
Pure space has neither colour nor shape And it cannot be stained either black or white; So also, mind's essence is beyond both colour and shape And it cannot be sullied by black or white deeds.
The darkness of a thousand aeons is powerless To dim the crystal clarity of the sun's heart; And likewise, aeons of samsara have no power To veil the clear light of the mind's essence.
Although space has been designated "empty", In reality it is inexpressible; Although the nature of mind is called "clear light", Its every ascription is baseless verbal fiction.
The mind's original nature is like space; It pervades and embraces all things under the sun.
Be still and stay relaxed in genuine ease, Be quiet and let sound reverberate as an echo, Keep your mind silent and watch the ending of all worlds.
The body is essentially empty like the stem of a reed, And the mind, like pure space, utterly transcends the world of thought: Relax into your intrinsic nature with neither abandon nor control - Mind with no objective is Mahamudra - And, with practice perfected, supreme enlightenment is gained.
The clear light of Mahamudra cannot be revealed By the canonical scriptures or metaphysical treatises Of the Mantravada, the Paramitas or the Tripitaka; The clear light is veiled by concepts and ideals.
By harbouring rigid precepts the true samaya is impaired, But with cessation of mental activity all fixed notions subside; When the swell of the ocean is at one with its peaceful depths, When mind never strays from indeterminate, non-conceptual truth, The unbroken samaya is a lamp lit in spiritual darkness.
Free of intellectual conceits, disavowing dogmatic principles, The truth of every school and scripture is revealed.
Absorbed in Mahamudra, you are free from the prison of samsara; Poised in Mahamudra, guilt and negativity are consumed; And as master of Mahamudra you are the light of the Doctrine.
The fool in his ignorance, disdaining Mahamudra, Knows nothing but struggle in the flood of samsara. Have compassion for those who suffer constant anxiety! Sick of unrelenting pain and desiring release, adhere to a master, For when his blessing touches your heart, the mind is liberated.
KYE HO! Listen with joy! Investment in samsara is futile; it is the cause of every anxiety. Since worldly involvement is pointless, seek the heart of reality!
In the transcending of mind's dualities is Supreme vision; In a still and silent mind is Supreme Meditation; In spontaneity is Supreme Activity; And when all hopes and fears have died, the Goal is reached.
Beyond all mental images the mind is naturally clear: Follow no path to follow the path of the Buddhas; Employ no technique to gain supreme enlightenment.
KYE MA! Listen with sympathy! With insight into your sorry worldly predicament, Realising that nothing can last, that all is as dreamlike illusion, Meaningless illusion provoking frustration and boredom, Turn around and abandon your mundane pursuits.
Cut away involvement with your homeland and friends And meditate alone in a forest or mountain retreat; Exist there in a state of non-meditation And attaining no-attainment, you attain Mahamudra.
A tree spreads its branches and puts forth leaves, But when its root is cut its foliage withers; So too, when the root of the mind is severed, The branches of the tree of samsara die.
A single lamp dispels the darkness of a thousand aeons; Likewise, a single flash of the mind's clear light Erases aeons of karmic conditioning and spiritual blindness.
KYE HO! Listen with joy! The truth beyond mind cannot be grasped by any faculty of mind; The meaning of non-action cannot be understood in compulsive activity; To realise the meaning of non-action and beyond mind, Cut the mind at its root and rest in naked awareness.
Allow the muddy waters of mental activity to clear; Refrain from both positive and negative projection - leave appearances alone: The phenomenal world, without addition or subtraction, is Mahamudra.
The unborn omnipresent base dissolves your impulsions and delusions: Do not be conceited or calculating but rest in the unborn essence And let all conceptions of yourself and the universe melt away.
The highest vision opens every gate; The highest meditation plumbs the infinite depths; The highest activity is ungoverned yet decisive; And the highest goal is ordinary being devoid of hope and fear.
At first your karma is like a river falling through a gorge; In mid-course it flows like a gently meandering River Ganga; And finally, as a river becomes one with the ocean, It ends in consummation like the meeting of mother and son.
If the mind is dull and you are unable to practice these instructions, Retaining essential breath and expelling the sap of awareness, Practising fixed gazes - methods of focussing the mind, Discipline yourself until the state of total awareness abides.
When serving a karmamudra, the pure awareness of bliss and emptiness will arise: Composed in a blessed union of insight and means, Slowly send down, retain and draw back up the bodhichitta, And conducting it to the source, saturate the entire body. But only if lust and attachment are absent will that awareness arise.
Then gaining long-life and eternal youth, waxing like the moon, Radiant and clear, with the strength of a lion, You will quickly gain mundane power and suprem enlightenment.
May this pith instruction in Mahamudra Remain in the hearts of fortunate beings.
Colophon Tilopa's Mahamudra Instruction to Naropa in twenty Eight Verses was transmitted by the Great Guru and Mahasiddha Tilopa to the Kashmiri Pandit, Sage and Siddha, Naropa, near the banks of the River Ganga upon the completion of his Twelve Austerities. Naropa transmitted the teaching in Sanskrit in the form of twenty eight verses to the great Tibetan translator Mar pa Chos kyi blos gros, who made a free translation of it at his village of Pulahari on the Tibet - Bhutan border. This text is contained in the collection of Mahamudra instruction called the Do ha mdzod brgyad ces bya ba Phyag rgya chen po'i man ngag gsal bar ston pa'i gzhung, which is printed at the Gyalwa Karmapa's monastery at Rumtek, Sikkim. The Tibetan title is Phyag rgya chen po'i man ngag, or Phyag rgya chen po rdo rje'i tsig rkang nyi shu rtsa brgyad pa. This translation into English has been done by Kunzang Tenzin in 1977, after transmission of the oral teaching by Khamtrul Rinpoche in Tashi Jong, Kangra Valley, In
Extracting the Vital Essence of Accomplishment: Direct and Clear Guidance for Practice in a Mountain Retreat Ddjom Rinpoche, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje Translated by B. Alan Wallace I reverently bow and take refuge at the feet of the sublime and glorious Guru, whose kindness is beyond compare. Bless my disciples and me so that unmistaken realizations of the profound path may swiftly arise in our mindstreams, and that we may reach the primordial citadel in this very lifetime. There are three general topics in this clear presentation of guidance in the practice of the very secret Great Perfection, consisting of essential training for a mountain retreat. This provides an entrance for those fortunate individuals in whom previous prayers and pure, residual karma are united; those who have heartfelt trust in the profound, secret dharma of the Great Perfection and in the guru who reveals it; and those who are intent on pursuing this practice to its culmination. These are the three general topics to be understood: (I) the preparation: how to cut the ties of attachment and clinging, direct your mind to dharma, and purify your mindstream; (II) the main practice: how to eliminate misconceptions regarding the view, meditation, and conduct, and then how to enter the path of practice; (III) the post-meditative practice: how to keep your samayas and vows, and how to incorporate all your activities of this life into the dharma. i. The Preparation Now I will say a little about the first topic. Alas! From the very first, this so-called mind of ours, which is both aware and muddled, arose simultaneously with Samantabhadra. But Samantabhadra is free because he knows his own nature, while we sentient beings endlessly wander in the cycle of existence because we do not. We have become embodied countless times among the six types of existence, and all that we have done has turned out to be pointless. Now, for once out of a hundred times, on this occasion when we have taken human form, if we fail to achieve the means to avoid taking rebirth in the cycle of existence and the miserable realms, after we die, there is no certainty as to where we will be reborn. Wherever we take birth among the six types of beings, there is nothing but suffering. It is not enough to have acquired this human form, and since the time of death is uncertain, we must practice true dharma right now. So that we do not feel remorse in the face of death and are not ashamed of ourselves, we must be like the venerable Milarepa, who declared: In the dharma tradition of myself, Milarepa, We are not ashamed of ourselves. So that our dharma practice leads to the path, it is not enough to maintain an outer facade of dharma. Rather, we must cut all the ties to the activities and pleasures limited to this life. Without cutting them, even though we once enter the gateway of dharma with a merely hesitant attitude, if we are attached to our homeland, possessions, relatives, friends, and so on, with the conjunction of that mind of attachment acting as the primary cause, and those objects of attachment acting as the cooperative conditions, mras will create obstacles, we will mix again with worldly people, and our destiny will go astray. Therefore, sacrificing our concern for food, clothing, and talk, and relinquishing attachment for the eight mundane concerns, we should apply our minds single-pointedly to dharma, like Gyalwa Yang Gnpa, who declared: In solitude, with the awareness of death penetrating the heart, The adept, who utterly renounces clinging, Draws the boundaries of his retreat by renouncing concerns of this life; And his mind does not encounter those known as the eight mundane concerns. Otherwise, dharma that is mixed with those eight concerns is like eating food mixed with poison, so be very careful! Those eight concerns boil down to hope and fear, which basically refer to attachment and aversion. Inner attachment and aversion take on the guise of the demons Gyalpo and Senmo; so as long as our minds are not freed from attachment and aversion, we will never be free of those demons, and there will be no end to obstacles. So we must repeatedly examine our own minds to see if, in our innermost thoughts, there is any conceited clinging to the eight concerns of this life, and we must take care to get rid of those faults. If these eight concerns hold us in their grip while we pretend to practice dharma, the deceitful acquisition of goods in such a way constitutes wrong livelihood. In accordance with the aphorism, By leaving your homeland behind, half the dharma is accomplished, turn your back on your homeland and wander among unfamiliar lands. Part ways from your friends and relatives in a pleasant way, and do not listen to those who seek to dissuade you from practicing dharma. Give away your possessions and rely on whatever alms come your way. Recognize all desirable things to be obstacles linked with bad habits, and develop disinterest in them. If you are not satisfied with just a little of such things as material possessions, if you get one thing, you will want two; and for as long as that goes on, it will be easy for the devious mras of pleasurable things to subjugate you. Whatever good or bad things people say, do not validate them or succumb to hope or fear, acceptance or rejection. Rather, let them say what they will, as if they were speaking about someone who is dead and gone. No one but a qualified guru can give sound advicenot even your parentsso take responsibility for yourself, and do not hand your nose-rope to anyone else. While being outwardly good-natured, know how to engage harmoniously with others without burning their noses. If anyonestrong or weakactually becomes an obstacle to your practice, you must not be moved by that individual, as if you were an iron boulder pulled by a silk scarf. It wont do to be of a weak character, bending your head in whatever direction the wind blows, like grass on a mountain pass. For any practice, from the time you begin until you come to its culminationwhether thunderbolts fall from above, a lake springs up from below, or rocks fall from all sidescarry through to the end, keeping your promise to act in accordance with your pledges, even at the cost of your life. From the very beginning, gradually establish your schedule of periods for practice, sleep, and even meals, and so on, without falling into bad habits. Moreover, whether your practice is elaborate or simple, do not let it be sporadic, but keep it even and regular, without leaving any room for the ordinary, even for an instant. When in retreat, seal the entry of your cave with mud; or even if you do not seal it, do not meet face-to-face with others; do not speak with others or spy on them. Completely calm all the wandering thoughts of your restless mind. Then expel the residual breath and properly adopt the essential elements of the posture. The mind should rest in awareness and remain firm, without wavering even for an instant, like a stake driven into the ground. All the signs and qualities of the practice will swiftly arise due to maintaining a strict outer, inner, and secret retreat. If you think, Now its important that I meet and speak with someone, but I shall keep to a strict retreat afterwards, over time the potency of your practice will decline, becoming slacker and slacker. So from the very outset, if you make a firm resolve to remain seated, your practice will become stricter and stricter, and it will not be swept away by obstacles. Although there are many descriptions of characteristics of suitable places to practice, in general it is best to practice in a pleasant region that is blessed by adepts of the past, such as Guru Rinpochein a region that is not in the hands of people who have broken their pledges, and one that is very remote, where provisions are easily obtainable. Due to the swift confluence of fortuitous conditions in charnel grounds, haunted grounds, and other areas inhabited by malevolent spirits, practicing in such places will enhance your meditation if you are up to it. But if you are not, you will have many obstacles. When your realization becomes vast, all unfavorable circumstances arise as aids; so when that happens, it is especially helpful to engage in secret practices in places such as charnel grounds. Constantly reject all outer and inner entertainments, for remaining in inactivity is true solitude. As for the actual practice of purifying your mindstream, strive until you gain experience in each of the common practices of the four thoughts that turn the mind and the uncommon practices of refuge, bodhicitta, the purification of obscurations, and the accumulation of merit, as they are taught in the meditation manuals. In particular, you should apply yourself to guru yoga as the life force of your practice. If you dont, progress in meditation will be slow, and even when there is a little development, obstacles will occur, and it will not be possible for realizations to arise in your mindstream. Therefore, as a result of offering prayers of supplication with uncontrived, fervent devotion and reverence, after some time, insights from the gurus mindstream will be transferred to you, and extraordinary, inexpressible realizations will certainly emerge from within your own being. Lama Zhang Rinpoche declared, There are many who cultivate stillness, experiences, samdhi, and so on, but it is rare for realizations to arise from within due to the blessings of the guru resulting from the power of devotion and reverence. Therefore, the birth of understanding of the Great Perfection in your mindstream depends on the preliminary practices, which is why J Drigung declared: For other dharmas, the main practice is considered to be profound, But here we consider the preliminary practices to be profound. ii. The Main Practice Regarding the main practice on how to eliminate misconceptions concerning the view, meditation, and conduct, and then to enter the path of practice, I shall first address the view by which the nature of existence is known. Your own mind itself is the ultimate nature of existence. By determining its nature as awareness, free of all artificial characteristics fabricated by the conventional intellect, pristine awareness nakedly appears as self-arisen, primordial consciousness. Ineffable, impossible to indicate with analogies, it does not worsen in samsra or improve in nirvna. Unborn, unceasing, unliberated, undeluded, and neither existent nor nonexistent, it is not limited nor does it fall to any extreme. In short, it has never been established as a substantial entity imbued with elaborated characteristics, so its nature is primordially pure, great, all-pervasive emptiness. With its empty inner glow unobstructed, the oceans of realms of samsra and nirvna naturally appear, like the sun and its rays; so it is not a blank vacuity, but its nature is primordial consciousness, entailing the great, spontaneous actualization of virtuous qualities. Thus, pristine awareness, in which emptiness and appearances are united, is the nature of the three kyas; and authentically recognizing the nature of being of this primordial mode of existence is called the intellect-transcending view of the Great Perfection. The Great Master Padmasambhava declared, The dharmakya, which transcends the intellect, is suchness. How wonderful that we directly hold in our hands the mind of Samantabhadra! This is the culmination of all the eighty-four thousand collections of the Jinas teachings and the essence of the six million four-hundred thousand tantras of the Great Perfection. There is not even an inch to go beyond this. The ultimate import of all dharmas should be ascertained in accordance with this. Now, once you have eliminated from within all doubts and misconceptions regarding such a view, sustaining this view continuously is called meditation. Apart from this, all meditations that have an object are conceptual meditations created by the intellect, so we do nothing like that. Without straying from the firmness of this view, let all your five sense consciousnesses settle in their natural state, and remain loose. Do not deliberately meditate on this or that, for if you are meditating, that is your intellect at work. Therefore, have nothing on which to meditate. Do not let yourself be distracted, even for an instant. If you are distracted from your own nature, that is the real delusion, so do not be distracted. Whatever thoughts arise, let them arise. Do not follow after them or obstruct them. What should be done? Whatever appearances of objects arise, like a child looking at a temple, by letting them remain fresh, without grasping at them, all phenomena remain right where they are. Their aspects do not deteriorate, their color does not change, and their luster does not vanish. Even though they appear, since they are not contaminated by thoughts of clinging and grasping, all appearances and states of awareness nakedly arise as luminous, empty, primordial consciousness. In general, people with inferior intelligence are puzzled by the great number of teachings that are said to be very profound and vast. So, to point a finger at the essential meaning that emerges out of all of them during the interval when past thoughts have ceased and future thoughts have not yet arisen, isnt there a fresh consciousness of the presenta clear, naked awareness that has never changed, even by a hair? Oh, just that is how pristine awareness is present. Then, without remaining forever in that state, doesnt an involuntary thought suddenly arise? That is a manifestation of pristine awareness itself. However, if you do not recognize it as soon as it appears, a series of involuntary thoughts will flow out, and that chain of delusion is the root of samsra. By simply recognizing thoughts as soon as they appear, they will be released in their own nature, without extending them. When they settle like that, whatever involuntary thoughts arise, they are all spontaneously released in the expanse of pristine awareness, the dharmakya. Just this is the main practice that unites the view and meditation of the breakthrough. Prahevajra declared: When pristine awareness suddenly arises From primordially pure, absolute space Like finding a jewel in the depths of the ocean That is the dharmakya, which has not been modified or created by anyone. You should take this firmly to heart and meditate without distraction day and night. Therefore, do not let emptiness remain as an object of intellectual understanding, but bring it into pristine awareness! Now, as to the way to enhance the meditation with conduct and to enter the path of practicemost importantly, as stated before, without ceasing even an instant to regard your guru as an actual buddha, praying from the depths of your heart is called the universal panacea of pure devotion. There is nothing more effective for dispelling obstacles and enhancing your practice than this, and you will proceed along all the paths with great momentum. Regarding defects in the meditation, if laxity and dullness set in, arouse your awareness. When there is scattering and excitation, relax your consciousness from within. Do not continually constrain the busy thoughts of yourself as the meditator with deliberately forceful mindfulness. Rather, with the mindfulness of simply not forgetting to recognize your own nature, continually practice at all times during all activities of eating, lying down, and walking, both during and following meditation sessions. Whatever joys, sorrows, afflictive thoughts, and so forth arisewithout hope or fear, acceptance or rejectiondo not counteract any of them with antidotes and so forth. Whatever feelings of joy and sorrow there may be, leave them in their own nature: naked, vivid, and clear. For everything that occurs, there is just this one vital point, so dont confuse yourself with a lot of ideas! There is no need to meditate separately on emptiness as an antidote for negative thoughts and mental afflictions. As soon as you recognize the negativities with pristine awareness, they will release themselves, like the unraveling of the knots of a snake. It is common for people to know how to talk about this ultimate, hidden meaning of the clear light vajra essence; but without knowing how to put it into practice, their words are like the recitations of a parrot. We have extraordinarily great merit! There is still more to consider carefully and understand. Since beginningless lifetimes until now, deadly enemies that have bound us in samsra are the reified grasper and grasped. Now, due to the kindness of the guru, by being introduced to the dharmakya that dwells within, those two disappear without a trace, like a down feather burnt in a fire. Doesnt that make your heart glad? Now that you have received this profound guidance on this swift path, if you dont put it into practice, this will be like putting a wish-fulfilling jewel in the mouth of a corpsewhat a loss! Practice so that your heart doesnt rot! Beginners will find that they get carried away from mindfulness by streams of negative thoughts, resulting in quite a few subtle thoughts slipping by unnoticed. After a while, when vivid mindfulness has returned, regret arises with the thought, Ive been distracted. However, at that time, without doing anything like cutting off the course of thoughts or feeling regret about being distracted, it is enough simply to sustain the stream of clear mindfulness that has returned and settle it naturally right on those thoughts. It is commonly said that you should not reject thoughts but regard them as the dharmakya. However, until the power of contemplative insight has fully manifested, if you rest in a vacuous quiescence while giving mere lip service to thoughts being the dharmakya, there is the danger that you may slip into an ethically neutral equanimity without being able to discern anything. So in the beginning stages, whatever involuntary thoughts arise, steadily observe them without investigating or analyzing them at all. Like an old man watching children at play, rest in the nature of the one who recognizes the thoughts without attributing any importance to them. If you rest like that, you will naturally settle in a growing, nonconceptual state of stillness; and when that suddenly and spontaneously implodes, in that very instant naked, brilliant, primordial consciousness that transcends the mind will arise. While on this path, it is inevitable that you will experience bliss, luminosity, or nonconceptuality; but if you dont grasp onto those as ends in themselves, or feel even a trace of craving, pride, or hope or fear toward them, that will prevent you from going astray. It is important that you avoid distractions and meditate with single- pointed, vigilant mindfulness. If you stray into sporadic practice and theoretical knowledge, you will feel special because of your smattering of quiescence; and, without having thoroughly clarified your experiences, you will become merely glib, which is of no benefit. The Great Perfection declares, Theoretical understanding is like a patch, for it comes off, and meditative experiences are like mist, for they vanish. This is how many great meditators are led astray by even minor good and bad circumstances and get lost in them. Even though meditation penetrates your mindstream, if you do not meditate continually, the profound instructions will remain in your books; and your mind, your dharma, and your practice will slip away, so that no authentic meditation will ever arise. Old meditators who are still novices at practice are in danger of dying with their heads encrusted in salt, so they should watch out! By acquainting yourself with practice like this for a long time, eventually, due to fervent devotion or some other circumstance, experiences will be elevated to realizations, and you will nakedly and vividly perceive pristine awareness. Like removing a cloth from your head, you will feel expansive and even. That is called the foremost of seeing that which was not seen. From that time onwards, thoughts will arise as meditation, and stillness and movement will be simultaneously released. At first, releasing thoughts by recognizing them is like meeting someone you already know. After a while, thoughts release themselves like the unraveling of the knots in a snake. Finally, thoughts are released without their doing any good or harm, like a thief in an empty house. These three phases occur sequentially, and a strong conviction arises that all phenomena are apparitions of your own awareness alone. You will be moved by waves of emptiness and compassion, any preference for nirvna over samsra will cease, and you will realize that there are no distinctions of good and bad regarding buddhas and sentient beings. Whatever you do, your mind never wavers from the bliss of ultimate reality, so you continuously rest day and night in an open expanse. As The Great Perfection declares, Realization is unchanging like space. Such a yogin appears in ordinary human form, but his mind dwells in the effortless wisdom of the dharmakya, enabling him to progress without action along the bodhisattva grounds and paths. Finally, his mind and phenomena are extinguished, like the space inside a pot: his body dissolves into minute particles, and his mind dissolves into ultimate reality. This is called resting as the youthful vase body in the inwardly luminous absolute space of the primordial ground. Oh, that is the culmination of the view, meditation, and conduct, so it is called the actualization of the fruition that is not to be achieved. Moreover, the stages of meditative experiences and realizations may occur in a normative sequence, without prescribed order, or all at once, according to the specific capacities of different individuals. But at the time of the fruition, there are no differences. iii. The Post-Meditative Practice Regarding the post-meditative practice on how to keep your pledges and vows and to integrate all your activities of this life with dharma, even if you strive in the practice of the view, meditation, and conduct, yet are not skilled in the methods of practice between sessions, your vows and pledges will degenerate. If that happens, in the short term there will be interferences and obstacles to progressing along the bodhisattva grounds and paths, and finally you will definitely fall into Avci Hell. So it is important that, by constantly monitoring your behavior with mindfulness and introspection, you are unmistaken in determining what is to be adopted and what is to be rejected. As the Great Master Padmasambhava declared: In general, although my view is higher than the sky, My conduct regarding cause and effect is finer than barley flour. Therefore, reject a casual, crude attitude, and behave with care in terms of cause and effect. Keep your pledges and precisely maintain your vows, and you will not be contaminated by the stains of faults and downfalls. Although there are many kinds of Secret Mantra pledges, they boil down to the pledges of the gurus body, speech, and mind. It is said that if you regard your guru as an ordinary person even for an instant, this will delay your accomplishment of siddhis by months and years. Why? This is a vital point, as it is said: For the vajra holders, it is said that siddhis follow after the master. Therefore, whoever you are, until you first accept someone as your guru, you are on your own. But from the moment that you devote yourself to a guru and become linked with him through empowerments and oral guidance, then you have no choice but to keep your pledges. At the conclusion of the four empowerments, you bowed in front of the guru as the chief of the mandala and vowed to him: From now on, I offer myself To you as your servant. I ask you to accept me as your disciple, And make use of even the smallest part of me. With that oath, however great and noble you may be, havent you sworn your allegiance to the guru? Likewise, regarding the vow, Whatever the chief commands, I shall do all you say, from that time forward, do you have the right not to do whatever he says? If you do not fulfill your oath, you cannot be called anything but a pledge-breaker, as disagreeable as that label may be. Furthermore, nowhere is it said that you must keep your pledges perfectly with great gurus who have many attendants, wealth, power, and prosperity, but not with minor gurus who accept a low status and live as beggars. Regardless, you should understand the crucial points of the advantages and risks of such a relationship, for it wont do to be as dull as an old horse. Therefore, as if you were preparing medicinal substances, carefully consider whether the need to keep the pledges is for the gurus sake or for your own sake. If its for the gurus sake, you may as well set them aside this very day. But if not, there is no point in throwing ashes on your own head! In general, the pledges regarding your spiritual friends consist of looking up to everyone who has entered the door of the Buddhas teachings and of practicing pure perception of them. Avoid all bias and disparagement regarding philosophical schools. In particular, all those that have the same guru and the same mandala are vajra siblings and friends, so renounce such attitudes as contempt, competitiveness, envy, and deceitfulness, and hold them dear to your heart. All sentient beings, without exception, have been our kind parents. How sad that they are tormented by the terrible miseries of the endless cycle of existence. If I do not protect them, who will? Unable to bear this thought, train your mind in the cultivation of compassion. By means of your body, speech, and mind, make whatever effort you can to do only that which is beneficial, and dedicate all your virtue for the benefit of others. At all times there are only three things to be considered: the dharma, the guru, and sentient beings; so do not let your intentions and actions deviate from those. Do not compete with or run afoul of those who bear the trappings and titles of realized adepts and monks; rather, keep your words to yourself and control your own mind. This is of utmost importance, so dont be an idiot. If you fundamentally think of your own welfare solely in terms of future lifetimes, then you are the one who needs to practice what we call dharma. If you place your hopes and fears in the virtues that others may perform on your behalf after you are dead, it will be difficult to derive any benefit from them. So turn your mind within, keep it there, and, with a heartfelt sense of renunciation, hold your ground by applying mindfulness, aspiration, and strong enthusiasm to saturate your life with spiritual practice. Strike the vital points of the main practice of the profound view and meditation, and between formal meditation sessions keep your pledges and behave so that you dont violate what should and should not be done according to your vows. As a result, virtuous qualities will inevitably arise from within, for the Great Perfection is a path to enlightenment even for people who have committed very negative deeds. Because of the profundity and power of the Great Perfection, it comes with obstacles, just as great profit often comes with great risk. This is because all the negative karma you have accumulated in the past is aroused due to the power of these instructions, and this manifests externally as demonic interferences and apparitions. In the place where you practice, gods and demons may show their forms, call you by name, and take on the guise of your guru and make prophesies. Various terrifying apparitions may appear in your imagination or in your dreams, and in reality it is certainly possible that you may be subject to beating, theft, illness, and so on. Psychologically, you may inexplicably experience intense misery and sadness that will make you want to weep. You may experience strong mental afflictions, and your sense of devotion, bodhicitta, and compassion may decline. Involuntary thoughts may arise as your enemies, nearly driving you mad. Benevolent words may be misinterpreted, and, losing the desire to remain in retreat, you may consider abandoning your pledges. You may experience false views regarding your guru, doubts about the dharma, and so on. In addition, you may suffer false accusations and a bad reputation, your friends may become enemies, and so forth. Various outer and inner undesirable circumstances may well arise. Oh, these are indications of eruptions, so recognize them! This is the demarcation between advantage and danger. If you embrace those obstacles by means of the critical points of practice, they will turn into siddhis. If you fall under their influence, they will become hindrances. With pure pledges and unwavering devotion and courage, entrust your heart and mind to your guru, and earnestly pray to him with confidence in whatever he may do. By regarding unfavorable circumstances as something desirable, and by striving diligently in your practice, eventually the substantial reality of those circumstances will naturally dissolve, and they will instead empower your practice. Appearances will fade like mist, you will have even greater confidence in your guru and his guidance than you did before, and from now on you will find the fortitude of accepting such eruptions with equanimity. Oh, that indicates that they are coming to an end, for by transforming such circumstances into the path, conditions for their termination are brought about. A la la, that is what we old fathers want! Develop courage, and dont behave like a jackal approaching a human corpse, longing to eat it, but with its haunches trembling in fear. Those with little merit, lax pledges and vows, flagrant false views, and a host of doubts, who make big commitments but whose practice is weaksuch people, whose hearts smell likes farts request their gurus instructions only to leave them on their bookshelves. By fixating on unfavorable conditions and then ruminating on them, they are easily snared by mras, which lead them on the path to miserable states of existence. How sad! Pray to your guru that this doesnt happen. Although it may be relatively easy for unfavorable circumstances to arise as the path, it is very difficult for favorable conditions to do so. Although you may pride yourself on your high level of realization, if you devote yourself to achieving high status in this life, you are in danger of becoming the servant of the distracting mra Devaputra, so you must be very careful. Understand that this is the test that determines whether great meditators go up or down. Until the power of the qualities of your inner realizations is perfected, it is inappropriate to tell everyone who will listen about your meditative experiences, so keep quiet. Furthermore, without boasting about how many months or years you have spent in retreat, devote yourself to practice for your whole life. Do not deceive yourself with your talk about emptiness, such that you dismiss the importance of virtuous deeds within the conventional context of cause and effect. Do not linger in populated places for the sake of getting supplies by means of performing rituals for subduing demons and so on. Keep pointless activities, unnecessary talking, and worthless thoughts to a minimum. Do not deceive others with deeds that are incompatible with dharma, such as pretense and guile. Do not engage in wrong livelihood by making indirect requests, flattery, and so on out of craving for desirable things. Do not keep company with unwholesome friends, whose views and conduct are incompatible with your own. Disclose your own faults, and do not speak of the hidden faults of others. All kinds of smoking are said to be tricks of oath-breaking demons, so earnestly avoid them. Although alcohol is to be taken as a pledge substance, do not foolishly drink it to the point of intoxication. Without discriminating, bring everyone along the pathincluding those with whom you have good and bad relations, those who faithfully serve you as well as those who distrust you, revile you, and treat you badlyand look after them with pure prayers. At all times, inwardly keep your spirits high, without losing heart, and outwardly keep your deeds discreet Wear worn-out clothes. Look up to everyone, including the good, bad, and middling. Live frugally, and keep to mountain hermitages. Hold as your ideal the life of a beggar. Emulate the life stories of the siddhas of the past. Not blaming your past karma, practice dharma as purely as you can. Not blaming transient circumstances, remain steadfast, whatever comes up. In short, with your own mind as your witness, unite your life with dharma, so that when you die, you have left nothing undone and you are not ashamed of yourself. The vital point of all practices is here. When it comes time for you to die, renounce all your worldly possessions, without being attached to even a needle. In the face of death, the best practitioners feel elated, the middling have no fear of death, and the least experience no regret, even though they are dying. If the clear light of realization shines continually, day and night, you will have no intermediate state, and only your body will be destroyed. Otherwise, if you are confident that you will be liberated in the intermediate state, whatever you do is fine. If not, having already gained some experience in training in the transference of consciousness, put that to use when the time comes, and transfer your consciousness to the buddhafield of your choice. There you will progress along the remaining bodhisattva grounds and paths and achieve enlightenment. This precious lineage of ours is not just some old story from the past, for even today there are those who come to the highest state of realization by following the path of the breakthrough and direct crossing-over; and their material bodies dissolve into a mass of rainbow light just like that. Do not throw away this jewel and then seek a lesser one. You are extremely fortunate to have encountered such pith instructions, which are like the heart blood of the dkins. Keep your spirits high and meditate with joy! Disciples, cherish this text as the jewel of your heart, and great benefits may ensue. With the primary cause being the mountain retreat practice of the meditators of Ogmin Pema ling, and the secondary reason being the request of the diligent practitioner Rigzang Dorje, who possesses the jewel of unshakable faith and devotion, this was spoken by Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, as heartfelt direct guidance for practice. May this be a cause of the powerful emergence of the primordial consciousness of realization in the mindstreams of fortunate beings!