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SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA

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A TORCH FOR THE PATH TO OMNISCIENCE

A Word by Word Commentary

Longchen Nyingtik Preliminary Practices Text

by Chökyi Drakpa

Empty in essence, expansive like space and free from the limits of conceptualelaboration, is the Dharmakaya.

With the nature of clarity, blazing brightly like the sun and ornamented with thesigns and marks, is the Sambhogakaya.

The display of compassionate energy, manifesting in various ways out ofcompassion, is the Nirmanakaya.

At the feet of the Lama, inseparable from the three kayas, I make heartfeltprostrations, my body, speech and mind filled with devotion.

The rivers of the mind-direct, sign and aural transmissions,

All come together and converge in Jikmé Lingpa,

His wisdom-mind treasure was the Heart-Essence of Nyingtik,

And it is to the recited words of its preliminary practices,

That I now compose this commentary.

Blessing the Speech

Firstly there is the blessing of the speech. The syllables OM, AH and HUNG are theessence of the enlightened body, speech and mind. They purify obscurations of speechand bless your own ordinary body, speech and mind with the enlightened body, speechand mind. Upon your tongue faculty is a bright syllable RAM, from which arises a fire,consuming all defilements and obscurations of speech. The fire transforms into a three-spoked Vajra of red light. In its centre, or belly, are the vowel and consonant mantras,and around them is the Essence of Dependent Origination. The syllables are like a stringof pearls. From them stream out five-colored rays of light with countless offeringsubstances at their tips, to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions, therebypleasing them.

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Then as the rays of light converge back, the letters of the vowel and consonant mantraand the Essence of Dependent Origination descend like rain and dissolve into yourspeech chakra, purifying all your obscurations of speech. And through this, all theblessings and Siddhis of the Vajra speech of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas areobtained.

If you recite the vowel and consonant mantras and the Essence of DependentOrigination seven times, or three times, at dawn before anything else, it is said that thepower of your speech will be multiplied one hundred million times.

THE ACTUAL NGÖNDRO

1. The Ordinary Preliminaries

Within the actual preliminary practice, there are the ordinary (outer) and extraordinary(inner) preliminaries. The ordinary (outer) preliminaries are reflections on: the difficulty ofgaining the freedoms and endowments; death and impermanence; the karmic principlesof cause and effect; the defects of samsara; and how to follow a spiritual teacher.

a. The Difficulty of Gaining the Freedoms and Endowments

This first section consists of an invocation of the master’s wisdom mind, and recognitionof the freedoms and endowments.

i. Invocation of the Master’s Wisdom Mind

Firstly, as you recite “ O Lama, care for me!” three times, pray one-pointedly with anuncontrived faith that is vivid, eager and confident. Vivid faith comes from thinking of thequalities of the master and the Three Jewels. It is a very vivid and joyful state similar tothe way a small child feels when seeing its mother. Eager faith is the eager wish toabandon negative actions having reflected on their faults; and the eager wish toundertake positive actions having considered the benefits they bring. It is similar to theyearning that someone suffering from extreme thirst has for water. Confident faith is aconfidence in the qualities of the master and the Three Jewels, which cannot be shakenby temporary circumstances or events, and a trust in the laws of cause and effect strongenough to survive the worst kind of circumstances such as illness. This is the kind offaith one should have.

If you don’t have this kind of faith, and you just mouth the words “O Lama!” and call out,you won’t receive any blessings. It says in the sutras:

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The pure Dharma will not arise in those without faith,

Just as fresh shoots will not grow from burnt seeds.

So, giving an example to illustrate this kind of faith, the text says, “ The BlossomingLotus of Devotion at the Centre of my Heart.” When you go to sleep at night, considerthat the lama descends from the top of your head [to your heart] and then fall asleep withyour mind indivisibly united with the master’s wisdom mind.

Then, as soon as you get up, early in the morning, recite, “O Lama, care for me!” threetimes, with the three kinds of faith described above. Like a lotus flower blossoming in thesunlight, the eight-petalled lotus at your heart unfurls its petals through the strength ofyour faith.

Pray to your only constant refuge in this life and the next, your Lama, whose supremecompassion for you is such that he rises out of the state of great bliss and simplicity ofthe Dharmakaya, in his “form body”.

Pray with these words :

“Please look upon me with compassion! I have accumulated negative karma andharmful actions in the past, and now, as a result, I am plagued by turbulentemotions, which are so strong that I suffer terrible misfortune in my Dharmapractice that hinders my progress on the path. To protect me from the enemy ofdisturbing emotions, rise up through the central channel to the space above thechakra of great bliss at the crown of my head, upon a lotus, and sun and moondisc seats. Remain there as the jewel ornament and lord of my Buddha family untilI attain enlightenment, I pray!”

The method for guarding the mind from the disturbing emotions is described in theBodhicharyavatara:

If, with the rope of mindfulness,

You bind firm the elephant of the mind,

You will let go of every fear,

And find virtue close at hand.

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Your mind is like an elephant or a wild horse. The mindfulness of focusing on virtuousstates of mind like faith, or devotion, is like a rope or a tethering post. And theawareness, which discerns whether or not mind remains in that virtuous state, is like ashepherd. So, as a guard to ensure that you are never distracted from mindfulness andawareness, you invoke the lama, by praying: “Rise up out of compassion from theexpanse of the Dharmakaya, so that my mind does not become distracted fromwhat is virtuous. And look upon me with your eyes of wisdom, I pray!”

Freedoms and Advantages

ii. Recognizing the Freedoms and Advantages

There are eight freedoms and ten advantages. Firstly, if you were born in the hell, pretaor animal realms, you would suffer from intense heat and cold, from hunger and thirst, orfrom enslavement, and it would be impossible for you to practice the Dharma. If youwere born amongst the long-living gods, it would also be impossible because you wouldnot have any thought of practicing the Dharma. The Buddha’s teachings are not found inuncivilized lands of the border regions, so living there is also an impossible state. Thosewith wrong views do not have any possibility of practicing the Dharma because theirminds are contaminated by false beliefs, and they are just like Devadatta or LekpéKarma. If you were born in a world where a Buddha had not come, or during a darkkalpa, it would be impossible because even the words “Three Jewels” would beunknown. If you were born incapable of understanding, it would be impossible to practicethe Dharma because you would not be able to understand the meaning of the teachings.When you have a physical body that is free from these 'eight states where there is nochance for Dharma practice', it is known as possessing a support for Dharma practicecomplete with the eight freedoms.

Secondly, the ten advantages are divided into the five personal advantages and the fivecircumstantial advantages. With regard to the first of these, being born as a human beingmeans that you have a proper physical support for practicing the Dharma. Having all fivefaculties intact means you can study the teachings and contemplate them. In a centralland means to be born in a place where the teachings are available. A lifestyle that is notharmful or wrong means that your body, speech and mind are in harmony with theDharma. Having faith in Buddha’s teachings means recognizing that they provide aspecial path leading to freedom from samsara, and a state which surpasses the situationof the worldly gods. When you possess these five endowments, 'the five personaladvantages' are said to be complete.

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For the five advantages due to circumstances to be present, a Buddha must have comeinto the world, an event as rare as the appearance of an Udumbara flower; he must havetaught the three wheels of Dharma; and the teachings must have survived withoutfading. There must be extraordinary friends who have embraced the teachings; and amaster or a spiritual friend must have accepted you. These five are known as 'the fiveadvantages due to circumstances'.

If you have every one of these eighteen freedoms and advantages then you have what isknown as a “precious human life”, and you are in a position to practice the teachings thatbring about permanent freedom from samsara. Nevertheless, if you succumb to negativeinfluences and adopt an incorrect lifestyle and so on, then your human life will have goneto waste. As it is said:

Finding a human life with freedoms and advantages,

Is like finding a priceless jewel,

Just look how those without renunciation,

Waste this opportunity!

Or:

Used well, this body can be a ferry to liberation,

Used badly, it is an anchor in samsara.

Meditating on Impermanence

b. Meditating on Impermanence

There are many circumstances that cause death. It is possible to die from an attack ofepilepsy, after becoming bed-ridden with a chronic terminal disease, from foodpoisoning, from falling from a precipice, or from being attacked with weapons. It isuncertain when death will come. Life is as precarious as a candle fluttering in the wind,or a tiny bird perched on the branch of a tree. There is no telling if, having gone to sleepat night, you will wake up the following morning. You are alive now, yet it is uncertainwhether or not you will still be alive in a year’s time. Having left this life behind, you willhave to go on to yet another realm of existence.

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So pray: “ O Guru Rinpoche, from this day forward, turn my mind towards thepractice—care for me! And see that my practice does not stray onto the wrongpaths, such as practicing merely to avert sicknesses and demons in this life or togain food and clothing! Keep me from falling into the inferior attitude of seekingliberation from samsara for myself alone, leaving all my past mothers behind!Omniscient Master of Dharma Longchen Rabjam, you know me! Compassionateroot Lama, you who are one with the Precious Master Guru Rinpoche, LongchenRabjam, and Rigdzin Jikmé Lingpa— care for me!”

If you do not seize the opportunity to practice the Dharma offered by this presentsituation, having obtained all the freedom s and advantages, then in future lives you willnot find such a perfect physical basis for attaining liberation from samsara. That youhave gained this happy existence now is a result of the slight merit you haveaccumulated in past lifetimes. If you do not practice virtue in your present situation, andinstead accumulate only harmful actions, then once the merit from past lives thatprovided this physical basis is spent, after death you will wander as a being in the lowerrealms. Once you are born in such an unhappy state, you will not know good from bad,and you will never even hear the sound of Dharma. You will not meet a spiritual friend.

You will be just like a blind person left alone in the middle of a vast desert. What aterrible disaster! What a tragedy! Sentient beings in the hell realms are as numerousas atoms in the earth. Hungry ghosts are as numerous as grains of sand on a riverbank.Animals are as numerous as grains in a barrel of chang. If you think of the numbers andkinds of beings in the lower realms, you will realize just how slim is the chance of gaininga human body. In comparison to other beings, humans are as numerous as the particlesof dust on your fingernail. And even among human beings, those people whose behavioris harmful and contrary to the Dharma are like stars in the night sky, whereas those whoreally act according to the Dharma are as rare as stars in broad daylight. Reflecting onthis, pray: “ O Guru Rinpoche, turn my mind towards the practice—care for me!Omniscient masters Longchenpa and Jikmé Lingpa, keep me from straying ontothe wrong paths! Compassionate lama, you who are one with them, care for me!”

Since practitioners of virtue are so scarce, to obtain a human body is like arriving at anisland of jewels. To attain such a promising basis as this, complete with all the freedomsand endowments, and then use it only to amass negative deeds would be like amerchant landing on an island of precious jewels and then returning empty-handed. Withsuch a fickle and impetuous mind you will not have any foundation for attaining liberationfrom samsara, and your body will only help you to create further suffering.

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It is especially important not to fall prey to the eight incidental circumstances thatmake Dharma impossible or the eight impossible states where mind cuts us offfrom the Dharma. Firstly, to be misled by corrupting influences, which means meetingteachers who do not act according to the Dharma. Then, despite your occasional desireto practice Dharma, you may be prevented from doing so by your conflicting emotions,when the five poisons are raging inside your mind, and you are swept away by theirstrength. Or whilst practicing, negative karma may overtake you and ripen as negativecircumstances. If you don’t know how to integrate these into the path, then they willbecome obstacles. You may wish to put the teachings into practice, but if you lackdiligence, you will be distracted by laziness. In some cases, you may have an interest inthe teachings, whilst being a slave under someone else’s control. There are also thosewho merely appear to be engaged in the path and just pretend to practice for the sake ofgaining food and clothing, or as a cure for illness or harmful spirits, or out of fear ofpunishment. This is like putting donkey meat into a container and passing it off as qualityvenison or camel meat. Although your attitude conflicts with the teachings, you act like apractitioner in the company of others in the hope of gaining some respect or reward.Being chronically senseless and stupid means not feeling any enthusiasm when learningof the qualities and benefits of positive actions and not fearing the consequences ofnegative actions, having been influenced by negative friends. These are 'the eightincidental circumstances that make Dharma impossible'.

Then there is the second set of eight. The first of these occurs when, even though yousee and hear about the sufferings of samsara, such as those in the three lower realms,you do not fear them, and therefore feel only slight disenchantment and littlerenunciation. It is said that faith (or devotion) is like a precious wheel, which rolls alongthe path of virtue day and night. And faith is the most important among the seven nobleriches. Yet there is a state in which you lack the jewel of devotion for the teachings andfor the master. Black coal cannot be made clean, and you engage constantly in crude,degenerate behavior, incurable like a poisonous snake. Having never pacified your body,speech and mind, you may never hold back from negative, harmful actions that conflictwith the teachings There is also a state in which you are caught in the bonds of worldlyties and cravings for wealth, possessions and friends. In another state, you might have anegative character just like. Or owing to your lack of even the slightest real interest, youmay not have even a hint of a virtuous mind, just like an animal gazing at a temple. Youmight be left with your pratimoksha and Bodhisattva vows all broken, or your samayacommitments of the secret Mantrayana torn to shreds through having disparaged themaster and so on. These are 'the eight impossible states where mind cuts us off from theDharma'.

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Pray as follows: “ When these sixteen impossible states come upon me, menacingmy Dharma practice, O Guru Rinpoche, turn my mind towards the practice—carefor me! Omniscient masters, Longchenpa and Jikmé Lingpa, keep me fromstraying onto the wrong paths! Compassionate lama, you who are one with them—care for me!”

You must rid yourself of such adverse circumstances ! because once you have fallen intoany of these impossible states, you will not have the chance to practice Dharma purelyand authentically.

At this present moment, your body is not ravaged by sickness, and your mind is freefrom pain, nor are you like a slave under someone else’s control. So now that you havethis perfect, auspicious quality of total independence, if you waste the freedom andadvantages of this human life through your own indolence or laziness and distraction,then there is no need to mention that you will be separated from your companions,possessions, relatives and loved ones when you die! Even this body you hold so dear,which is like the house of consciousness, will be carried out alone from its bed and takento some desolate spot to be torn to pieces by foxes, vultures, dogs and so on. When thathappens, your consciousness will be swept through the bardo realm like a feather blownabout in the wind and there will be nothing but terror in store for you. So you should pray,“In order to protect me from these fears, from this day on, O Guru Rinpoche, turnmy mind towards the Dharma—care for me! Omniscient masters, Longchenpa andJikmé Lingpa, keep me from straying onto the wrong paths! Compassionate lama,you who are on with them—care for me!”

In the sutras it is said:

Those who are lazy and lack diligence,

May live for a hundred years.

But it would be just as well to live for a few days,

Having constant diligence.

And in The Precious Treasury of Essential Instructions (Mengak Rinpoche’i Dzö) it says:

Don’t give away this human body with its freedoms and endowments to the enemyof food and clothing,

Don’t give away this altruistic mind of Bodhichitta to the enemy of lesser vehicles,

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Don’t give away the jewel-like nature of mind to the enemy of delusion,

Don’t give away the two wish-fulfilling accumulations to the enemy of this presentlife,

Don’t give away the practice of compassion to the enemy of laziness,

And don’t give away the mind of fervent devotion to the enemy of wrong views!

This is exactly how you should practice.

Karma: Cause and Effect

c. Karma: Cause and Effect

The results of beneficial and harmful actions will follow me. This means the variousindividual experiences of pleasure and pain undergone by beings in the six classes occurpurely as a result of their own positive and negative actions. As it says in the Sutra of aHundred Actions:

It is the variety of actions,

Which creates the variety of beings.

And in the Sutra of Advice to the King (Rajavavadaka Sutra), it says:

When his time has come, even a king has to die,

And neither his friends nor his wealth can follow him.

So for us – wherever we stay, wherever we go –

Karma follows us like a shadow.

Although the results of our actions do not manifest immediately, they never go to waste.The Sutra of a Hundred Actions says:

The actions of beings never go to waste,

Even in a hundred aeons.

They are accumulated, and, once the time comes,

The result will come to fruition.

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Even tiny negative actions should be avoided. The Sutra of the Wise and Foolish says:

Do not disregard small misdeeds, thinking they are harmless,

Because even tiny sparks of flame,

Can set fire to a mountain of hay.

Once, during the era of the Buddha Kashyapa’s teachings, there was a monk calledShebu Kapila who teased the other monks by calling them names such as ‘horse-head’.Altogether he called them by eighteen such names. It is said that later, during the time ofBuddha Shakyamuni, he was reborn as a fish-like sea monster with eighteen heads. It isalso said that a monk who compared another monk to a monkey was reborn as amonkey for five hundred lifetimes. And there are countless other examples which couldbe mentioned.

The great Bodhisattva Shantideva said:

If a single moment’s negativity,

Can lead to an aeon in the Avici hell,

Then with all our harmful acts accumulated in samsara without beginning,

What chance is there of going to the higher realms?

The Sutra of the Wise and Foolish also states:

Do not disregard small positive acts either, thinking they are without benefit,

Because even tiny drops of water,

Will eventually fill a large container.

In the past when the King Mandhata was a beggar, he threw a handful of peas toBuddha Kshantisharana. Four fell into the Buddha’s alms bowl and two struck his heart.As a result, he reigned as ruler over the four continents for eighty thousand years, thenbecame ruler in the heaven of the Four Great Kings for eighty thousand years, and finallyruled the kingdom of Indra for half as long. Then there was the beggar woman whooffered a bowl of water to a shravaka disciple of Buddha Shakyamuni and was reborn inthe heaven of the Thirty-three. It is also said that if an animal hears the name of abuddha once, they will escape the lower realms and be reborn in the higher states ofexistence. The benefits of positive actions are inconceivable.

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The Treasury of Essential Instructions says:

Listen to the words of the master, the most cherished instructions!

Study the words of the victorious one, and put your trust in them!

By day and by night, dedicate your virtue and limit your misdeeds!

Reflect on how the interdependence of cause and effect will determine your future!

Relinquish your attachment to the body and possessions you hold so dear!

And apply the points of the tantras, agamas and upadeshas to your mind!

Take this to heart.

Defects of Samsara

d. The Defects of Samsara

Basically, wherever you are born within samsara, whether it is in the higher realms or thelower ones, you will only ever be tormented by the three kinds of suffering.

In particular, if you are born in the hell realms as a result of the karma of accumulatingharmful actions, in the eight hot hells the entire floor beneath your feet will be of burningiron. In the first, the Reviving Hell, whatever you see turns into an enemy who attacksyou with weapons. Your head and body are hacked to pieces, and you experience thesuffering of dying and being revived time and again. The life span of beings in this realmis described in the Application of Mindfulness Sutra:

The beings of the Reviving Hell live for one hundred and sixty two thousand timesten million human years.

The life span doubles for each of the hells below this one.

In the Black-Line Hell multiple lines are drawn on your body which is then ripped apartwith saws. In the Crushing Hell countless beings are wedged in mortars of iron the sizeof whole valleys and crushed with red-hot hammers. In the Howling Hell you are trappedin a door-less cell of burning iron and worn out with suffering and pain. In the GreatHowling Hell you are trapped in an iron cell like before, but with double walls, and youscream out loud ly in agony as you are beaten with hammers and other weapons.

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In the Heating Hell you are impaled on red-hot spikes and tridents, and wrapped in stripsof heated iron. In the Intense Heating Hell you are boiled in great vats of molten bronze.Whenever your head is struck with a hammer you lose consciousness and in that instantyou may experience a slight feeling a relief, but otherwise you experience nothing butsuffering and pain. The life span of beings there is impossible to count in years. Insamsara, there are twenty intermediate kalpas for each of the periods of formation,subsistence, destruction and void. The beings in the Intense Heating Hell live for half ofone of these intermediate kalpas.

In the Avichi Hell of Ultimate Torment you are burned in a fire of the most intense heat,greater than that in the other seven hot hells. The bodies of beings there areindistinguishable from the flames and can only be perceived by the sound of theiragonized screams. Weapons fall from the sky and hell-workers torture you with weaponscausing you pain seven times more intense than that experienced in the earlier hells. Inthis one of the eight Hot Hells, the life span is one intermediate kalpa.

All the eight cold hells are surrounded by snow mountains, which are completely frozenat their base. There, in the dark, on terrifying precipices of ice engulfed by squalls andblizzards of snow, your tender naked body is lashed by freezing cold winds. You breakout in blisters, which burst open into festering sores. You let out a ceaseless wail ofagonized screams in the Hell of Lamentations. And in the Hell of Groans, you experiencesuffering hard to even think about, like a dying person whose strength is all gone, and letout deep gasps and groans. You grind your teeth and clench them together in theintense cold. Your flesh turns blue and the skin cracks open into four pieces like a bluelotus, and then the red raw flesh that is exposed cracks further into eight pieces like ared lotus. Finally it turns an even darker red and splits even deeper into sixteen, thirty-two and then innumerable pieces like a great red lotus. Worms with metal beakspenetrate the cracked flesh and start to eat away at your insides. These eight differentsufferings are called the Eight Cold Hells.

The life span of beings in the Hell of Blisters is equal to the time it would take to empty acontainer capable of holding two hundred Koshala measures filled with sesame seeds, ifyou removed a single grain every hundred years. For the other cold hells, the life spanand sufferings increase by multiples of twenty for each one.

Similarly, in each of the four directions surrounding the Hell of Ultimate Torment, thereare four neighboring hells, such as the 'Plain of Razor Blades'.

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When the karma that led you there is exhausted, you leave the Avichi Hell and see anattractive plain. You walk towards it, but when you reach it, it turns into a plain ofweapons, cutting your feet to ribbons. Similarly, you see what appears to be a pleasantforest, but once you arrive there it becomes a 'Forest of Sword Blades' where your bodyis gashed and chopped. Then you see a river and go towards it to have a drink, but ittransforms into a 'Swamp of Putrefying Corpses'. You become submerged in it up to yourhead and worms with metal beaks eat away at your flesh. Alternatively, you may see ashady trench, but once you arrive there it changes into a 'Pit of Hot Embers' and sinkinginside it, you suffer as your flesh and bones are burnt away. These are the sixteenNeighboring Hells that ring the Hell of Ultimate Torment.

The Ephemeral Hells are changing, in the sense that their location is not fixed and thedegree of pain experienced there is also uncertain. You suffer through taking birth in adoor, pillar, fireplace, rope and so on--in a mortar, a broom, or a pot. You suffer as youare trapped inside a stone, crushed between rocks, burned in a fire, boiled alive, or cutlimb from limb as a piece of wood is cut. These are the 'Ephemeral Hells' in which youare always made use of and exploited.

The cause of being born in any of these eighteen hells could be a vast accumulation ofharmful actions perpetrated out of desire or delusion. Even so, a single momentary actsuch as taking life or speaking harsh words to an exceptional being, when carried outwith a mind of intense anger, will propel you straight to the hells. As it is said in theBodhicharyavatara:

If a single moment’s negative action,

Can lead to an aeon in the Avichi hell,

Then with all our harmful acts accumulated in samsara without beginning,

What chance is there of going to higher realms?

Pray with the words of the text, “Whenever intense hatred and aggression arises, OGuru Rinpoche, turn my mind towards the practice—care for me! Omniscientmasters Longchenpa and Jikmé Lingpa, keep me from straying onto the wrongpaths! Compassionate lama, you who are one with them—care for me!”

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It is essential to give up your conflicting emotions. The Letter to a Friend states:

Having heard of these boundless sufferings,

Only someone with a mind as hard as a diamond

Would remain unaffected and unafraid.

And if just seeing pictures, hearing descriptions,

Or reading and thinking about the hells brings you such terror,

What will you do when you actually experience there

The full, inexorable effects of your actions?

Likewise, with sufferings similar to those of the hells, the preta realm is destitute of foodand drink, creating hunger and thirst. It is a grim place of rocks and charred tree stumps,where the words 'food', 'drink' or 'comfort' have never even been heard. In the past,Shrona travelled to the preta realm and, growing thirsty, he asked the beings therewhere he could find some water. They replied that although they were born there twelveyears previously this was the first time they had heard mention of water. Since thesepretas do not find anything to eat or drink for months and years on end, their bodies areemaciated like skeletons and they lack even the strength to stand. There are threedifferent kinds of suffering they experience.

Firstly, those with external obscurations will go for many months and years without evenhearing any mention of food or water. Then, from time to time, they might see a streamor some fruit trees far away in the distance. With weak limbs and aching joints theystruggle to get there, but as they approach they find that the water has all dried up or thetrees have withered away. Or else the water and trees are still there, but they areguarded by beings who carry weapons, which they use to beat the pretas and causethem pain.

The pretas with specific obscurations undergo sufferings such as having many creaturesliving on their bodies devouring them.

The life span for beings in this realm is about fifteen thousand human years.

There are many reasons for being born as a hungry ghost, such as eating in theafternoon after taking the vows of a one-day fast, but the principal cause is being miserlyor greedy for wealth and possessions.

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Animals living in the wild are in constant dread of being eaten by one another or killed byhunters. Domestic animals are exploited and worked until exhaustion, forced to pullploughs or carry heavy loads. Even when sores break out on their backs they are justgiven more to carry. They are made to carry people on their backs and they are oftenkilled. Bewildered as to what to do or not to do, they have no idea how to practice virtueand only amass negative actions, so they are oppressed by limitless suffering and lackany means of escaping from samsara.

The seed or cause for being born in such a state is wandering into the darkness ofstubborn stupidity, and thereby failing to undertake virtue and refrain from non-virtue. Sopray as follows, “From this day forwards, O Guru Rinpoche, turn my mind towardsthe practice—care for me! Omniscient masters, Longchenpa and Jikmé Lingpa,keep me from straying onto the wrong paths! Compassionate lama, you who areone with them—care for me!”

Therefore we must practice virtue and give up negative actions.

Even in the higher realms of the gods and human beings there is no real happiness.

As the Application of Mindfulness Sutra says:

There is never any joy in samsara,

Not even the tip of a needle’s worth.

And the Lord Maitreya said:

There is no joy among the five classes of beings,

Just as there can be no pleasant fragrance in a cesspit.

As humans we face the three fundamental sufferings, the four great rivers of suffering ofbirth, aging, sickness and death, the sufferings caused by fear of encountering hatedenemies, or parting from loved ones, and the sufferings of facing situations we do notwant, or not getting what we do want.

The asuras or demi-gods suffer from wars and strife. The gods face the suffering ofdeath and transmigration, and the suffering of falling into the lower realms.

So, no matter where we might take birth, among any of the six classes of beings, there isnowhere that is beyond the nature of suffering.

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As the Treasury of Essential Instructions says:

Our cherished homes and countries are like the iron cells of hell,

Wives and children are like the forest of sword blades,

Decorations and fine clothes are like the fiery tongues of flame,

Food and drink are burning lumps of metal,

And servants and workers the guardians of hell,

Angry quarrels are like a hail of glowing embers—

Understand that they all bring virtue and goodness to ruin.

How to Follow a Teacher

e. How to Follow a Spiritual Friend

Having entered the path of the Dharma, and taken the outer vows of the pratimoksha—the vows of an upasaka (lay practitioner), novice or a fully ordained monk or nun—youstill haven’t put a stop to your erring ways and transgress the four root and variousbranch vows.

You have entered the door of the Mahayana, aroused the Bodhichitta motivation ofwishing to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings and taken the vows ofthe Bodhichitta of aspiration and application. But you simply repeat phrases like, “May allbeings have happiness!” and so on, whilst lacking any beneficial thought for others, andwith an attitude that is malicious and deceitful.

Having embarked upon the path of secret mantra, and received the vase empowermentyou are required to practice kyérim, or the development phase. Having received thesecret empowerment, you should practice mantra recitation; having received the crystalempowerment, you should meditate on dzogrim (the completion phase); and havingreceived the fourth empowerment, you should meditate on the meaning of Shunyata.Though you have received the four empowerments many times you do not even do theslightest practice of the development and completion phases of meditation.

Considering how you have strayed onto wrong paths, pray with the words, “ O Lama,free me from these false paths!”

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This is a prayer to avoid falling under the influence of your conflicting emotions. Throughrelying upon a qualified master you should maintain the precepts of the pratimoksha, thebodhisattva vows and the commitments of secret mantra, as they are described in theirrespective texts. Then, through the coming together of the master’s blessing and yourown faith and diligence, like a hook passing through a ring, you will be liberated fromsamsara, crossing over to its far shore.

Apart from that, there is not some other method whereby the lama just releases you fromsamsara, without your having to undertake positive actions and abandon negativeactions, like a passenger being carried along in a ferry or someone being saved from amurderous attack. If this were the case, then since the Buddhas love all sentient beingsequally as their very own children, they would liberate all limitless beings in an instant,without leaving a single one behind in samsara. There was not the slightest hair’sbreadth of a difference between the love Buddha Shakyamuni felt for Devadatta and thelove he felt for Rahula. If his compassion and blessings alone could have liberated them,it would have been impossible for Devadatta to fall into the hells.

So it is very important that you take the words of the Buddha and your master to heartand put them into practice just as they have taught. As our Teacher said:

I have shown you the path to liberation.

But liberation depends on you alone. So practice with diligence !

And Shantideva said:

Countless Buddhas, working for beings’ benefit,

Have already come and gone;

Yet on account of my faults,

I have not been an object of their healing,

And if I continue on this course,

Again and again, it will be the same.

Al though you have not realized the view of Shunyata, you act recklessly as if you were'a master of crazy wisdom' and disregard the law of cause and effect. Though you aredistracted in your meditation and lack the qualities described in the scriptures, you allowyourself to remain stuck in concepts, and proudly refuse to follow a qualified teacher.

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If you were really putting your heart into the practice, your body, speech and mind wouldbe in complete harmony with the teachings, as was the case with Glorious Atisha andGeshe Ben. Each time they had a negative thought, they would drop it immediately, andget down from their horse to perform a Mandala offering. This is how you should be. Butinstead of this, even though your mind is filled with disturbing emotions and the actionsof your body and speech are at fault, you ignore your own shortcomings and dwell on theimperfections of others. This is like having a ghost at your eastern door and performingthe ransom ritual of lü at the door in the west. Having an intellectual understanding of thedifference between beneficial and harmful actions and then acting in a way thatcontradicts the teachings is a sign that you are Dharma- stubborn, like the hide of abutter bag, which is made tough by constantly being in contact with grease.

Pray that the lama may free you from your stubbornness and non-Dharmic behavior andthen practice according to the teachings.

Al though you suffer from sickness and could die tomorrow, you are full of craving forand attachment to houses, clothes and possessions. Although your youth has passedand you are quite old, you do not have the slightest disenchantment or renunciation forsamsara. Although you possess only the slightest wisdom gained through study,reflection and meditation, like the frog who lived in the well, you pride yourself on all yourknowledge. This arrogance comes from falling under the power of delusion, so pray thatthe lama will free you from such ignorance, and then abandon your attachment tosamsara and your pride in your own qualities.

The time of your death is uncertain and, like a candle in the breeze or a little bird on thebranch of a tree, you are surrounded by potentially dangerous circumstances. Yet stillyou forget about death and busy yourself with the affairs of this life, such as taking part inlocal rituals. With a mind that is distracted, you may physically remain in solitary retreats,but all the while your basic character remains as tough as a block of wood. To remaincalm like a jackal in the woods, without having uprooted your disturbing emotions,speaking softly, while attachment and aversion boil inside your mind, is like the behaviorof a crane or a cat. All of this is a sign that you are under the influence of the eightworldly obsessions: gain brings you happiness, and loss makes you suffer; you arehappy to receive praise, but blame makes you angry; fame makes you happy, andinsignificance saddens you; and you are joyful in happiness, but despair when yousuffer. Pray with the words, “ O Lama, free me from these eight worldly concerns!”

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You should not allow yourself to become too preoccupied with concerns such ashappiness and suffering, but view them all equally—in one taste—and integrate theminto your practice. This is achieved firstly by recognizing that the one who is happy whenpraised and becomes sad when blamed is essentially empty. Both are equally illusory,dream-like, and lacking in true reality. Secondly, it is said:

When you are happy, dedicate it as a gathering of virtue:

May all of space be filled with benefit and happiness!

Whenever you experience happiness by gaining wealth or renown, or new clothes, oreating a delicious meal, instead of holding onto that pleasure as your own, train yourmind by dedicating it. Think to yourself, “May all sentient beings, especially the hungryghosts, the poor and the homeless, all enjoy this kind of happiness and pleasure!”

When suffering befalls you, such as when, for example, you hear something unpleasantor are afflicted by illness, it is said:

When you suffer, take on the sufferings of all,

May the ocean of suffering dry up completely!

Train your mind by thinking to yourself, “In addition to my own sufferings, may I takeon the sufferings of all beings and may they enjoy happiness and well-being!”

Pray in the following way: “ Quickly rouse me from this deep sleep of ignorance, inwhich I am like an animal who does not understand the difference betweenpositive and negative actions!” And pray that you may be inspired by a healthy fear ofcausing harm and an enthusiasm for beneficial actions.

Throughout the course of your lifetimes without beginning, up until the present, you havenot known how to practice the Dharma as a way of gaining freedom from samsara.Instead, you continue to languish in samsara’s prison. Pray that you may develop agenuine heart of sadness and renunciation and be quickly freed from the dismalimprisonment within samsara, thereby attaining the state of liberation and omniscience.Take this to heart.

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The Treasury of Essential Instructions says:

One birth is sufficient: cut the ties of attachment today!

One accumulation is sufficient: see the master as the Buddha!

One action is sufficient: accomplish the Lama Buddha!

One training is sufficient: abandon non-Dharmic actions!

One recognition is sufficient: recognize the Dharmata!

One practice is sufficient: abide by that very state of reality!

Taking Refuge

2. The Extraordinary Preliminaries

There are six sections to the extraordinary preliminaries.

a. Taking Refuge

The first of these sections is taking refuge, which is explained in terms of the divisions ofrefuge, the way to take refuge, and finally the benefits and precepts of refuge.

i. The Divisions of Refuge

Generally, it is said that refuge is the foundation stone of all Dharma practices, and thatwhich opens the door to refuge is faith. The importance of the three types of faith hasalready been shown above. It may be further demonstrated by the stories of Ben ofKongpo and the old lady and the dog’s tooth.

ii. The Way to Take Refuge

As for the method of taking refuge, the field of merit should be visualized according tothe descriptions in the various commentaries. Then:

The Buddha, Dharma and Sangha are supreme among all that is rare, like a pricelessjewel. They constitute the outer refuge. The real essence or embodiment of these threeis the Sugata, the Buddha, as it says in the Sublime Continuum (Gyü Lama):

The single refuge is the Buddha.

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The three roots are the lama, Yidam and Khandro, the inner refuge of the secretMantrayana. They are like the root or the basis for all the positive accumulations untilyou attain enlightenment. Taking refuge in order to use the channels as theNirmanakaya, train the inner air as the Sambhogakaya, and purify the tiklés—whosenature is the Bodhichitta—as the Dharmakaya is the secret refuge. The ultimate refuge isthe primordial wisdom present within the wisdom mind of these objects of refuge— theMandala of the empty essence, the cognizant nature and the all-pervadingcompassionate energy. In order to accomplish this within our own mind-stream we takerefuge until enlightenment is fully realized. With this in mind we take the vow of refuge.

iii. Precepts and Benefits of Taking Refuge

As regards the precepts and benefits of taking refuge, in terms of precepts there arethree things to be abandoned, three things to be adopted and three supplementaryprecepts. Firstly, having taken refuge in the Buddha, do not take worldly deities such aslocal spirits as your outer refuge and do not make offerings to them. Having taken refugein the Dharma, refrain from harming other beings. Having taken refuge in the Sangha, donot associate with non-Buddhist extremists ( tirthikas), or anyone whose behavior iscontrary to the teachings. Regarding the three things to be adopted, having taken refugein the Buddha, you should honor and respect any representation of his body, even a tinypiece of broken statue. Having taken refuge in the Dharma, you should respect and takecare to preserve the written teachings, even fragments of paper bearing a single syllable.

In the past, when Lord Atisha saw a scribe putting his pen in his mouth as he wrote, hecried out, “Atsama! That’s not right!” Having taken refuge in the Sangha, even a patch ofred or yellow cloth from their robes should inspire you with faith. As supplementaryprecepts, rely upon your spiritual master and practise without doing anything that violatesor conflicts with his body, speech or mind. Listen to the teachings and follow the Dharmaand the Sangha.

It says in the Pig’s Story (Pak Gi Tokjö):

Whoever takes refuge in the Buddha

Will no longer be reborn in the lower realms.

Forsaking even the body of a human being,

They will be reborn among the gods.

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And the Parinirvana Sutra says:

Whoever takes refuge in the Three [Jewels]

Will swiftly attain enlightenment.

Arousing Bodhichitta

b. Arousing Bodhichitta

There are three sections: training the mind in the four Immeasurables; arousingBodhichitta, the mind turned towards supreme Enlightenment; and training in theprecepts of Bodhichitta in aspiration and Bodhichitta in application.

i. Training the Mind in the Four Immeasurables

Ho is an expression of compassion. The objects of compassion are the beings of thethree realms and six classes. They are mesmerized by the variety of perceptions,apprehending an “I” where there is no “I”, and a self where there is no self. Thesemisperceptions are said to be like seeing a pile of stones from a distance and mistakingit for a person, or perceiving a colored rope as a snake, or thinking, like a small child,that the illusory (not truly existent) reflection of the moon which appears in water is thereal moon.

Cultivate compassion for beings by considering their miserable situation: all of them—throughout the three realms and six classes—grasp at their deluded perceptions,imagining them to be real, and wander endlessly in samsara without finding any escape,like the turning of a wheel, or a rosary.

All beings, as limitless in number as space is vast, are our very own mothers and fatherswho have shown us exactly the same kindness as our parents in our present lifetime. Sothat these parents of ours may remain no longer in their pitiful state, and instead attainenlightenment, finding comfort and ease in the luminosity and all-pervading space of thetrue nature of their minds, we should train our minds by means of the fourImmeasurables.

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1. Equanimity

Initially, we need to train the mind in equanimity. The way in which we are currentlyattached to our friends and aggressive towards our enemies is a fault which comes fromfailing to examine the situation thoroughly. In reality, today’s so-called “enemies” have, inthe course of our many past lifetimes, been dear friends who have helped usenormously. And those whom we currently consider to be our “friends” have been ourenemies in past lifetimes, having caused us considerable harm.

The Noble Katyayana said:

He eats his father’s flesh, while striking his own mother,

And cradles in his lap the enemy he killed;

The wife is gnawing at her husband’s bones.

Samsara is enough to make you laugh out loud!

Recognize that this bias, which currently causes us to see some people as our friendsand others as our enemies, is a result of having fallen under the power of ignorance.Train your mind until you feel a benevolent attitude, like the one you have now for yourpresent mother and father, for all beings, especially your “enemies” and those whocreate obstacles for you.

2. Love

Then, since these beings have shown you exactly the same kindness as your currentparents, cultivate love for them all and wish them happiness in order to repay their pastkindness. Train yourself to be like parents caring for a small child, or a mother birdlooking after her young, so that all your actions of body, speech and mind areundertaken only to ensure the happiness and well-being of others.

3. Compassion

Cultivate compassion, which is the wish for beings to be freed from suffering. Imagine aprisoner who is about to be executed, or an animal at the slaughterhouse, and putyourself in their position, or imagine that they are your own dear mother. When youexperience an unbearably intense feeling of compassion for them, consider that althoughthe one experiencing such suffering is not actually your mother or father in this lifetime,he or she has been your mother and father countless times throughout the course ofyour innumerable lifetimes. Practice cultivating this compassion until you feel exactly thesame compassion for all sentient beings as you do for your own mother and father.

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4. Joy

Whenever you see someone who is wealthy and powerful, and apparently enjoying allthe pleasures of the higher realms, or whenever you see someone who possesses thequalities of scriptural learning and realization, do not feel resentful or envious of them,even if you consider them to be an enemy. Instead, feel joyful and make the wish thattheir riches and power increase even further. And pray that all sentient beings mayexperience the same kind of good fortune. Train your mind in this way, again and again.

If, when you practice training the mind in these four Immeasurables, you proceedgradually— first considering your own parents; then including your friends and relatives;and finally extending the practice to your enemies—you will come to feel the same loveand compassion for your enemies as for your parents. This is the measure of your mindtraining.

ii. Arousing Bodhichitta

As for the actual practice of arousing Bodhichitta, whilst in a state that is mindful andaware of these points of training the mind in the four Immeasurables, visualize the fieldof merit in front of you—just as you did in the refuge practice—which then becomes thewitness to your arousing of Bodhichitta.

The Bodhichitta of wishing to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings ispledging yourself to the goal. This is the Bodhichitta of aspiration, which is like making awish to go to Lhasa, for example.

Vowing that until you attain enlightenment you will practice the six perfections, such asgenerosity, and strive with effort until samsara is completely empty, is pledging yourselfto the cause. This is the Bodhichitta of application, which is like making the actualjourney to Lhasa up until your eventual arrival there.

The Bodhicharyavatara says:

Understand that, briefly put,

Bodhichitta has two aspects.

Just as one would know the difference

Between wishing to go and going on a journey,

The wise should understand these two,

Recognizing their difference and their order.

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Once you have taken the vows of the Bodhichitta of aspiration and application, whilstbeing mindfully aware of the words of the practice and their meaning, the field of meritmelts into light and dissolves into you. Consider that all the two-fold Bodhichitta presentwithin the wisdom minds of the deities arises within your own mind-stream. And then restin the state of indivisible emptiness and compassion.

iii. Training in the Bodhichitta Precepts

Thirdly, there is training in the Bodhichitta precepts. This includes, in the context of theBodhichitta of aspiration, meditations on equalizing self and others, exchanging self andothers, and considering others as more important than yourself. And for the Bodhichittaof application there is the practice of the six perfections.

1. Precepts of the Bodhichitta of Aspiration

Firstly, since all beings are equal in that they want happiness and wish to avoid suffering,we should abandon the attitude of attachment and aversion which causes us to cherishourselves and feel aggressive towards others. Train in the practice so that you viewyourself and other beings as equals.

Secondly, the way to meditate on exchanging self and others is to practice givinghappiness and receiving suffering as you breathe in and out (the practice of tonglen). Nomatter what unwanted suffering comes your way, focus on wishing to take on thesuffering of others as well. Train your mind in this practice, which is illustrated by thestory of Daughter, and the Buddha pulling a wagon in the hell realm [i].

When you train your mind in considering others as more important than yourself,cultivate the willingness to take birth even in the hells should it be of benefit to otherbeings. This is illustrated by the stories of Atisha’s teachers Maitriyogi andDharmarakshita; the bodhisattva Metok Dadzé; and the Buddha in his earlier rebirths.

2. Precepts of the Bodhichitta of Application

Then, the training in the precepts of the Bodhichitta of application, which is training in thesix paramitas, or the six perfections.

The first of these, generosity, is divided into material giving, giving the Dharma, andgiving protection from fear. You should practice these three kinds of generosityaccording to your capacity. At the very least, you should offer Sur (burnt offerings) andwater tormas, since this offering incorporates all three kinds of giving.

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Discipline is divided into the discipline of avoiding negative actions, the discipline ofundertaking positive actions, and the discipline of bringing benefit to beings. The firstkind of discipline means that you give up even the slightest unwholesome deed of body,speech or mind. The second means that you strive to practice virtue as much as youpossibly can, beginning with the tiniest of positive acts. Be sure to embrace these actswith the proper preparation, main part and conclusion. Thirdly, bringing benefit to beingsmeans working for the welfare of others through the four ways of attracting disciples [ii],once the time has come for you to do so, and when you are free from any selfishmotivation. For beginners, it is most important to train the mind in the first two types ofdiscipline with the Bodhichitta motivation of wishing to benefit others.

Patience consists of being patient when wronged; the patience to bear hardships for theDharma; and the patience to bear the profound truth without fear.

Diligence is divided into armor-like diligence; diligence in action, which means exertingyourself to practice the Dharma and fearing laziness with as much energy as someonewho discovers a poisonous snake in his or her lap; and insatiable diligence. Insatiablediligence is never being satisfied by a little, or a few months, or even a few years ofvirtuous practice, and instead exerting yourself to practice throughout your entire life.

Meditative concentration includes the childish concentration of those who practise inisolation away from distractions and busyness, but are attached to the experiences ofbliss, clarity and absence of thought. There is also the clearly discerning concentration inwhich emptiness is clung to as an antidote; and the concept-free samadhi of intrinsicreality, which is known as 'the concentration delighting the Tathagatas'. These should bepracticed successively, in stages.

Sixth, is the paramita of wisdom. Through the wisdom that comes from hearing, you areable to recognize the disturbing emotions. Then, through the wisdom that comes fromreflection, you are able to overcome the disturbing emotions temporarily. And finally,through the wisdom that comes through meditation, you conquer completely the enemyof negative emotions and obtain the confidence of knowing inexpressible andinconceivable reality with the wisdom of discriminating awareness.

If you fail to arouse this altruistic attitude of Bodhichitta in your mind, then, howevermuch you might act virtuously and avoid negativity for your own sake, you will notbecome enlightened.

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The Bodhicharyavatara says:

What need is there to say more?

The childish work for their own benefit,

The Buddhas work for the benefit of others.

Just look at the difference between them.

Vajrasattva

c. Meditation and Recitation of Vajrasattva

In the practice of Vajrasattva, the four powers must be complete.

The first of the four powers is the power of support. AH signifies the unborn nature.Reflect on how all phenomena included within your ordinary dualistic perception areempty, devoid of self and sky-like. From that state, the essence of which is clear andspacious, generate compassion for all those who have not realized this themselves. Andthen, with the wish to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, visualize yourselfin your ordinary form. Consider that about eighteen inches above your head is a whitelotus. If you are following the extensive commentary [Kunzang Lama’i Shelung] the lotushas a thousand petals, whereas according to the briefer commentary [by JamyangKhyentse Wangpo] it has eight petals. Upon it, in the centre of a full moon-disc seat, is awhite syllable HUNG, which melts into light and becomes your own root lama in the formof Vajrasattva. He is brilliant white, with complete Sambhogakaya adornments.

He is ornamented with all thirteen adornments: the five silk adornments of the headscarf,upper garment, long scarf, belt and lower garment; and the eight jewelled ornaments ofthe crown, earrings, short necklace, armlets, two long necklaces (one longer than theother), bracelets, anklets and rings.

His legs are crossed in the Vajra posture. His right hand holds a vajra at his heart, andhis left holds a bell against his hip. The consort white Vajratopa (Dorje Nyemma) has herlegs crossed in the lotus posture, and is embracing Vajrasattva.

Consider that their bodies appear vividly and distinctly, yet lack any true reality, just likereflections in a mirror.

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Then, understanding that it is through relying on you, Lama Vajrasattva, and taking youas a refuge and support with one-pointed faith that all our negative actions will bepurified, we pray: “Take care of me and all other beings! Look after us! Purify all ournegative actions and obscurations!” Pray like this with such intense devotion thattears come to your eyes.

The second power is the power of regret. Consider how, throughout all your lifetimes,throughout beginningless time until now, you have accumulated negative actions withyour body, speech and mind. And even in this life, you have committed intrinsicallynegative acts such as the ten non-virtues, and “proscribed negative acts”, which are allthe transgressions of the pratimoksha, Bodhisattva and Mantrayana vows.

With the deepest regret, like somebody who has swallowed poison, you shouldacknowledge all your negative acts “without concealing anything, and withouthiding anything.” Without any thought of keeping your negative actions secret, openlyconfess them, saying to yourself: “I committed this negative action. I acted wronglyin this way. I did this and that.”

Just as, in society, if we are guilty of a crime such as manslaughter we are made toexpress our regret and then pay compensation, here, too, we should confess ournegative actions of the past and then vow not to repeat them.

The third power is the power of resolve, or the power of turning away from faults andmisconduct. In the past, you have accumulated all kinds of negative actions out ofignorance, disrespect, recklessness, and turbulent emotions. But now, through thekindness of your spiritual master, you understand the gains and losses incurred as aresult of positive and negative actions. So from now on, even if your life is at stake, vowto refrain from harmful actions.

The fourth power is the power of action as an antidote. Even though any virtuous actionwill function as an antidote to our negativity, in this practice we concentrate on visualizingthe deity and reciting the mantra.

So, the text says:

In Vajrasattva’s heart, upon a full moon, is the letter HUNG, encircled by the letters of thehundred syllable mantra mala. Reciting the hundred syllables of the mantra causes raysof light to emanate from the mantra mala, invoking his wisdom mind. From the point ofunion of the bliss-emptiness play of yab-yum, a cloud of nectar, the nature of which isBodhichitta, flows down like a stream of milk (or camphor) and enters my body throughthe top of my head and the heads of all sentient beings of the three worlds.

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Through this, my past negative karma and more immediate destructive emotions—thecauses of suffering—are purified.

All illnesses are expelled through the pores of the skin and the two lower orifices of yourbody, in the form of pus and blood. All harmful influences ( dön) are expelled in the formof creatures such as spiders, scorpions and snakes. All negative actions andobscurations are expelled in the form of black liquid, smoke and soot. The groundbeneath you opens up to reveal Yama, the Lord of Death, surrounded by his entourage,the controllers of karmic debts. All the impurities flow into their open mouths. They aresatisfied. All your karmic debts are repaid and untimely death is averted. Yama turnsaway and the earth closes up again.

Pray that all your faults and imperfections, such as the wrongdoing of the ten non-virtues, which are negative by their very nature, the downfalls that are infractions ofdiscipline and the blockages due to breakages of samaya are completely purified, till nota single one remains.

Recite the hundred syllable mantra, considering that as a result of your one-pointed faith,your body becomes clear and unobstructed inside and out, like a crystal vase filled withmilk. As it fills with nectar, you obtain the four empowerments and the wisdom of the fourjoys arises in your mind-stream.

Cry out to your master like a child calling for its mother. We use the words, “ Oprotector!” because the master serves all beings as their refuge, and protector.

“Under the power of ignorance and delusion, not knowing the benefits of positiveactions and the faults of harmful actions, I have gone against and corrupted mysamaya. Lama protector, be my refuge and protect me from the experience ofsuffering! Chief of all the Mandalas, embodiment of all the Buddhas, GuruVajradhara you are the embodiment of great compassion. Chief of all livingbeings, until enlightenment I take refuge in you!”

There are twenty-seven root samayas of the body, speech and mind. Firstly, there arethree sets of three samayas related to the body. The outer three are to abandon stealing,sexual misconduct and taking life. The inner three are to abandon abusing your fatherand mother, your Vajra family and your own body; abusing the Dharma and otherindividuals, and striking your own body; and forcing yourself to undergo the hardship ofextreme ascetic discipline. The secret three are to abandon striking the body of a Vajrarelative, or criticizing ornaments they may be wearing; striking your Vajra sisters ormaking sexual advances to the lama’s consort; and stepping on or over the lama’sshadow, or acting carelessly with your body and speech in the lama’s presence.

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There are three sets of three commitments related to the speech. The outer three are toabandon lying, slander and harsh words. The inner three are to abandon speakingdisrespectfully about someone who teaches the Dharma, who contemplates its meaning,or who meditates on the natural state. The secret three are to abandon beingdisrespectful about what is said by Vajra brothers and sisters, those in the master’sentourage, or the master himself.

There are three sets of three commitments related to the mind. The outer three are toabandon malice, covetousness and wrong view. The inner three are to abandon carelessactivity; dullness or agitation in your meditation; and clinging to the views of eternalism ornihilism. The secret three are to maintain an awareness of the view, meditation andaction throughout every session of practice, to maintain an awareness of the YidamDeity, and to have faith in the teacher and love for your Vajra brothers and sisters.

There are twenty-five branch samayas. Firstly, there are the five to be recognized: thefive aggregates, the five elements, the five faculties, the five consciousnesses, and thefive objects. They should be recognized as the Mandala of deities of the three seats.Once they have been understood, there are the five to be accomplished: the Vajrafamily, Ratna family, Padma family, karma family and Tathagata family.

“ I confess all my impairments of the commitments! I implore you: let my negativeactions caused by disturbing emotions, cognitive obscurations, and wrongs ordownfalls, such as those described above— all my flaws—be completely cleansedand purified!”

By confessing and making a resolution in this way, with all four powers complete,Vajrasattva is pleased and smiling, says: “Son/daughter of an enlightened family,your negative actions, obscurations, wrong doing and downfalls are all purified.”Granting his forgiveness, he melts into light and dissolves into you . Through this, youtoo become Vajrasattva, appearing yet empty, like a reflection in a mirror. At your heart,upon a full moon , is HUNG, around which the four brilliantly radiant syllables OM VAJRASA TVA emanate rays of five-colored light. Offering goddesses appear at the tip of eachray of light, holding boundless offering substances, such as the eight auspicioussymbols, in their hands. They offer these to the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the tendirections, who are pleased and send back their blessings and Siddhis in the form offive-colored rays of light which dissolve into you. Light rays emanate from the mantramala once again, transforming the outer environment into the pure land of Abhirati('Manifest Joy'), and causing all beings to take on the nature of Vajrasattva’s enlightenedbody, speech and mind. With this in mind, recite the 100 Syllable Mantra.

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At the end of the session, the outer environment dissolves into the bodies of theVajrasattvas within it. All their bodies dissolve into you. You melt into light, which isabsorbed into the mantra mala. The mantra mala dissolves into the HUNG. The HUNGthen gradually dissolves, beginning with the shyabkyu (the vowel sign), and you rest inthe state of Shunyata.

Then, in a single instant, you visualize the environment and beings as the pure realmand Vajrasattvas once again, and dedicate the merit and make aspirations.

When you practice visualization and recitation like this, it is vital not to interrupt therecitation with ordinary speech, and not to allow the mind to become distracted. As itsays in the tantras:

If you lack samadhi meditation,

You are just like a stone in the ocean’s depths:

You might recite the mantra for aeons,

But still there will be no result.

Nevertheless, if you can do the practice with the attitude of Bodhichitta and with the fourpowers complete, then you will purify even serious harmful actions. As Shantideva said:

Like the inferno at the end of time,

Instantly, it will burn away harmful deeds.

Offering the Mandala

Your practice should be embraced by the points of “good in the beginning, good inthe main part, and good at the conclusion”.

If you are accumulating the practice and you have an accomplishment Mandala, anoint itwith bajung and scented water, and, having arranged five piles [of gems, medicines orrice] on top of it, place it on your shrine. If you do not have an accomplishment Mandala,visualize the field of merit as before.

The material of the offering Mandala plate should suit your resources: precious metal isbest; other metals, such as bell-metal, are the next best; and stone may be used as alast resort.

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Precious stones make the best offering substances; medicines are the next best; and atworst, you could use grains, such as barley or rice, when cleaned and washed withscented water.

Wipe the Mandala clean again and again, and anoint it with scented water and bajung.Then offer the Thirty-Seven Point Mandala as it is generally done.

In this particular context, we offer what is known as the Trikaya Mandala.

OM, AH and HUNG were explained earlier.

i. Nirmanakaya

The four continents, Mount Meru and the god realms up to the Abode of Brahmaconstitute a single realm. Multiplying this realm by a thousand, you arrive at what iscalled a “first-order universe of one thousand worlds”. Multiplying this universe by athousand, you arrive at an “intermediate universe of one thousand times one thousandworlds”. If you then multiply the intermediate universe a thousand times, you will havewhat is called a billion-fold universe, which is one hundred times ten million worlds.

This billion-fold universe is filled with the seven precious gems and all the wealth ofgods, nagas and human beings, both riches that are owned and natural richespossessed by no one. Visualize the whole universe filled with precious gems and so on,and then consider also your own body, possessions and sources of merit and offer themall in their entirety. Pray that, as a result, you may turn the wheel of the Dharma, just asBuddha Shakyamuni did.

ii. Sambhogakaya

The inconceivable paradise of the Sambhogakaya is the highest heaven because it isabove the Nirmanakaya realms, and it is also a place of Great Bliss, because bliss andemptiness are indivisible within the minds of beings who dwell there. It is known asTukpo Köpa ('Densely Arrayed') because it is beyond measure, and it is perfect with thefive certainties. The certain place is this pure realm of Ghanavyuha, or Tukpo Köpa. Thecertain teachers are the Buddhas of the five families. The certain teaching is theMahayana, or that which is beyond words. The certain audience is made up of tenthbhumi Bodhisattvas. And the certain time is the perpetually turning wheel of eternity.

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Visualize this Mandala of the Buddhas of the five families and then consider thatcountless offering goddesses, such as the goddess of beauty and so on, manifest withinit. The entire space becomes filled with inconceivably vast clouds of offerings of everyvariety of sensual and emotional stimulants. Pray that through this offering, you mayenjoy the perfection of the Sambhogakaya fields.

iii. Dharmakaya

“ Where all appearance and existence are completely pure” signifies that there is nofalling into the fixed view that the whole outer and inner universe—the environment andbeings—are solid and real. Instead, everything is vast, expansive and profoundlyspacious.

Since the essence of the Dharmakaya is beyond birth and death, it is described asyouthful, and since there is a clarity that comes from its knowing aspect, it is called thevase body.

When this wisdom mind of the Dharmakaya is taken as the base of the Mandala, thenthe ornament s of the Dharmakaya are all the rising thoughts. These rising thoughtsmanifest from the dynamic energy and play of Dharmata emptiness and unceasingcompassion, which are unstained by disturbing emotions.

All clinging to the perception of kayas and tiklés, which can occur from the stage of'increase of experience' [the second of the four visions of tögal] until 'awareness reachingfull maturity' [the third vision], is naturally liberated.

Pray that through this offering, with its piles representing the dynamic energy of theDharmakaya, you may attain the level of the Dharmakaya and enjoy the freedom of theDharmakaya reality.

Chöd: The Kusali's Accumulation

e. The Kusali’s Accumulation

The word kusali means “beggar”. Hermits and renunciates who lack any otherpossessions make offerings of their own bodies. We cherish our bodies more than any ofour other belongings, so the benefits of making them into an offering are also greater.

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As it is said:

Offering your horse or elephant is worth hundreds of other offerings;

Offering your child or spouse is worth thousands;

Offering your own body is worth hundreds of thousands.

Jetsün Milarepa described the meaning of the syllable Phat ! as follows:

The outer Phat gathers together thoughts that are scattered.

The inner Phat clears away the dullness of awareness.

The ultimate Phat is resting in the natural condition.

By abandoning all thoughts of self-grasping and attachment to this body held so dear,the demonic forces of seduction through desire (the “Mara of the Son of the Gods”) aredestroyed.

Your consciousness becomes a sphere of light, which shoots out through the 'aperture ofBrahma' at the crown of your head into all-pervading space. Immediately, in order todestroy the demonic force of death (the 'Mara of the Lord of Death') your consciousnesstransforms into Tröma Nakmo, holding a hooked knife in her right hand and a skull-cup inher left, and with a sow’s head protruding from behind her right ear.

With her right hand she uses the hooked knife that symbolizes destruction of thedemonic forces of conflicting emotions (the 'Mara of Disturbing Emotions') to slice the topoff your corpse’s skull, destroying the demonic forces of the aggregates of ego (the'Mara of the Skandhas'). Her left hand holds the skull-cup to carry out her activity, whichshe places on the hearth of three human heads inwardly representing the three kayas,each as big as Mount Meru. The skull-cup is placed so that the brow is facing towardsyou and then the corpse, now an offering as vast as a billion worlds, is placed inside itwith the hooked knife in her right hand.

Below the skull-cup, the fire of wisdom blazes up from the stroke of a letter A and thiscauses nectar to melt and drip from the upside-down white syllable HAM above.Consider that any impurities are purified through OM, the offering is multiplied throughAH, and transformed through HUNG into great clouds of 'space-treasury' offerings withthe essential nature of wisdom nectar, but manifesting as whatever beings desire.

Recite OM AH HUNG as many times as you can.

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Then visualize the field of merit as it appears in the refuge practice, surrounded by all thebeings of the six classes, especially those beings that cause you harm. From your heart,emanate countless offering goddesses. Immaculate nectar is the white feast offered bythe offering goddesses to the guests above, pleasing and satisfying them. Inconceivableoffering substances manifest out of the steam that rises from the boiling nectar: the fiveofferings such as flowers, the five sensual pleasures such as visible forms, the eightauspicious symbols, the seven emblems of royalty and the five meats and five nectars.This is the variegated feast, and offering it pleases the guests, whereby the twoaccumulations of merit and wisdom are accumulated and, as the attainment of thesupreme Siddhi, your mind is perfected in the two types of Bodhichitta. You also attainthe ordinary accomplishments of long life, increased merit and so on.

For the guests below—the beings of the six classes of samsara—the dakinis take thenectar from the skull-cup and scatter it so that it falls from the sky like rain. Consider thatall sentient beings receive some of the nectar to drink and are satisfied. As thevariegated feast, consider that whatever the beings of the six classes desire rains downon them and through this they are pleased and satisfied.

The creditors to whom you owe karmic debts that shorten your life because you havekilled, that plague you with sickness because you have attacked and beaten others, andthat make you poor because you have stolen, receive whatever they desire: food,clothes, houses, land and so on. As they enjoy these offerings, consider that all yourdebts are repaid.

In particular, think of the jungpo demons of the eighty thousand classes, who createobstacles for you and cause harm to sentient beings, together with the lame, the blind,the deaf and the mute, who gather in the hope of receiving the leftovers.

To all the harmful influences and obstructing forces that crave flesh and blood, dedicatea mountain of flesh, an ocean of blood and a mass of bones piled up like the banks of ariver, imagining it all to be like the flesh and blood of a seventh-birth Brahmin.

Consider that it satisfies them physically and they develop the attitude of Bodhichitta intheir minds. Then the remaining guests all receive and enjoy whatever they desire, suchas food or clothing. The lame receive the limbs of miraculous powers. The blind obtainthe eyes of wisdom. The deaf hear immaculate sounds. The mute receive the tongue ofintelligence and so on. In this way, all those who are weak and underprivileged aresatisfied.

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Through the merit and virtue of this, all illnesses that plague the body, all conflictingemotions that disturb the mind, and all destructive influences and obstacles are pacifiedinto all-pervading space. Harmful circumstances that conflict with the Dharma, all selfishclinging to wealth and possessions, and thoughts of self-grasping are exploded.

Finally, the offering of the body and the mind that offers, together with all the guests towhom the offerings are made, dissolve into the nature of Dzogpachenpo, thefundamental nature of your mind, in which they are no longer clung to as being true, butseen as illusory and dream-like. This is the state of Shunyata. Resting in this greatsimplicity, seal the practice into the Dharmadhatu sphere of intrinsic reality with thesyllable AH.

Unless you exert yourself in gathering the accumulations and purifying your obscurationsthrough practices such as this, meditative experience and realization will never arise.

The Treasury of Songs of Realization (Dohas) says:

Ultimate co-emergent wisdom can only come,

From gathering the accumulations and purifying obscurations,

And through the blessings of a realized master.

It would be foolish to rely on any other method.

Guru Yoga

f. Guru Yoga

Within Guru Yoga—the practice that brings swift blessings—there are three sections.

i. Visualization of the Field of Merit

Emaho is an expression of wonder and amazement. What is so wonderful and amazing?

Guru Rinpoche, the Precious Master of Orgyen, was not stained by an ordinary birth, butwas born miraculously in the Milky Lake in the northwest [1]of Oddiyana. Then, in Indiaand Tibet, he subdued arrogant spirits and demons and worked as a regent of theBuddhadharma. Finally, he attained the immortal Vajra body, and travelled to the islandof the rakshasas in the southwest, where he now resides, having established theteachings there and transformed the place into a pure realm. This is wonderful andamazing.

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Do not perceive your surroundings as ordinary and constructed through effort andexertion. Instead, you should see your environment as a pure realm manifesting naturallyand spontaneously through Orgyen Rinpoche’s blessings. Although this is generally saidto be a Nirmanakaya realm for taming beings, for someone who has extraordinaryperception this is a realm of infinite purity, a heaven of the Dharmakaya, Sambhogakayaand Nirmanakaya.

In the Prayer of Aspiration for the Copper-Coloured Mountain of Glory, [2]the nine versesfrom the line, “A spontaneous array…etc” to the line, “Sending out clouds of offerings…”establish the Nirmanakaya realm. Then the verse beginning, “Above lies the limitlesspalace of the Sambhogakaya…”, establishes the Sambhogakaya realm. Then the versethat begins, “Above, in the joyful pure land of the Dharmakaya”, establishes theDharmakaya.

So this three kaya realm arrayed in complete and perfect detail is the Glorious CopperColoured Mountain. And here, in the very centre of a palace, is your own body,manifesting with the essential nature of Yeshé Tsogyal, but the form of Vajrayogini.

She has one face and two hands, and her body is a bright blazing red. If you arefollowing the commentary of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, she holds a hooked knife inthe right hand and a skull-cup full of blood in the left. According to Patrul Rinpoche’scommentary, she is playing a skull-drum with her right hand, whilst her left hand holds ahooked knife against her hip. She is standing with her two feet gracefully poised, the leftleg slightly drawn in, and she is wearing silk and bone ornaments. Her three eyes gazeinto the sky in devotion.

In the sky directly above the crown of your head (according to Patrul Rinpoche’scommentary) or in the space level with the top of your head and facing you (according toJamyang Khyentse Wangpo), seated upon sun and moon-disc seats and a multi-coloredlotus with a thousand petals, is the embodiment of all sources of refuge, inseparablefrom your own root master, in the form of the Nirmanakaya 'Lake-born Vajra'.

His complexion is white with a tinge of red and he has the youth ful appearance of aneight-year old child. He is wearing the dark blue gown of a mantra practitioner, the redand yellow shawl of a monk, the maroon cloak of a king, and the red robe and secretwhite garments of a bodhisattva. He has one face and two hands, and he is seated inroyal poise. In his right hand he holds a Vajra at his heart, and in his left hand he holds askull-cup, which contains the vase of immortality, filled with deathless wisdom nectar, inits centre.

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On his head he wears a five-petalled lotus hat, which has three points symbolizing thethree kayas, five colors symbolizing the five kayas, a sun and moon symbolizing skilfulmeans and wisdom, a Vajra top to symbolize unshakable samadhi, and a vulture’sfeather to represent the realization of the highest view.

Cradled in his left arm he holds the 'supreme consort', Mandarava, who arouses thewisdom of bliss and emptiness, concealed as the three-pointed khatvanga trident. Thethree prongs of the trident symbolize the essence, nature and compassionate energy.Three severed heads, dry, fresh and rotten, symbolize the Dharmakaya, Sambhogakayaand Nirmanakaya. Nine iron rings represent the nine yanas and five-colored strips of silksymbolize the five wisdoms. The khatvanga is also adorned with locks of hair from deadand living mamos and dakinis, as a sign that they have been subjugated.

He presides amidst a shimmering aura of rays and rings of rainbow light. All around him,enveloped in a beautiful lattice of white, blue, yellow, red and green light, are the KingTrisong Detsen, the twenty-five disciples, all the panditas and mahapanditas of Indiasuch as Vimalamitra, the eighty Maha Siddhis, and all the great scholars andaccomplished vidyadharas of Tibet.

Also present are the peaceful and wrathful yidam deities associated with the four classesof tantra, the dakas and dakinis of the three abodes, and an ocean-like gathering ofDharmapalas, guardians and protectors who keep the samaya. They all gather likebillowing clouds.

All the deities are vivid and distinct, like reflections in a mirror. Visualize them in the stateof the great equality of clarity and emptiness, so that all your ordinary perceptions cease.

Then, when you invoke the Jñanasattvas, faith and devotion are extremely important. Inthe same way that the reflection of the moon will appear automatically in a pool of waterthat is clear and still, the wisdom deities will remain inseparable from anyone possessingfaith.

It says in the sutras:

For whoever has faith in me,

I, the sage, will remain before them.

And the Kathang says:

If you pray to me, I, Padmakara, am there.

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There is also the story of Magata Zangmo, who, with one-pointed faith, recited prayers tothe Buddha, such as the one beginning “The protector of all beings without exception”,for a whole month. As a result of her prayers, he appeared instantly in the sky before herhouse, together with his assembly of arhats. Keeping such stories in mind, generate astrong and fervent devotion.

The Seven Line Prayer

HUNG is an expression of magnetism and a skilful means to invoke the wisdom minds ofthe Jñanasattvas.

The place where the Precious Master took birth was in the northwest of the land ofOddiyana. There, in the Milky Lake, where the water has the eight qualities of purity, hewas born in the form of an eight-year old child in the heart of a lotus flower. The King ofOddiyana found that he was endowed with the most marvelous attainments and invitedhim to his palace. As he had been born from the heart of a lotus, he became renownedas the 'Lotus Born'. At the time of his birth, he was surrounded by hosts of dakinis.Following in the footsteps of this wonderful master, vow to practice until you reach hislevel of realization. Pray that just as he arrived at the palace of the King of Oddiyana inthe past, he may come now and inspire you with his blessing.

GURU means master. PADMA signifies that he is an emanation of Amitabha, sinceAmitabha belongs to the Buddha family of lotus speech. SIDDHI stands for theaccomplishments, and HUNG for gathering. So altogether it means, 'Gather theaccomplishments of the Lotus Master!'

Praying like this, without even the slightest hypocrisy, will cause Orgyen Pema ThötrengTsal and all the deities of the three roots to arrive from the pure land of Ngayab Palri anddescend like rain, merging indivisibly with the Samayasattvas.

ii. Seven Branch Practice

The seven branch practice (or the seven aspects of devotional practice) incorporates allthe key points for gathering the accumulations.

The first branch is prostration, which is the antidote to pride. HRIH is the seed or thebasis for the manifestation of the prostration offering. So, with HRIH, emanate bodies asnumerous as atoms. Having created all these emanations, you say, “I offer youprostrations,” and consider that you prostrate together with all the beings of the threerealms, expressing respect with your body, speech and mind.

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As you touch your palms to your three centers, all the obscurations and defilements ofyour body, speech and mind are purified. As you touch the five points of your body to theground, the obscurations of the five disturbing emotions are purified, and the blessings ofthe enlightened body, speech, mind, qualities and activity are obtained.

When offering prostrations, it is not appropriate to perform them crookedly, withoutstanding up straight, or whilst swinging your hands about. It is said that practising in thisway will only cause you to be reborn as a hunchback.

The second branch is offering, which is the antidote to stinginess. Arrange some cleanofferings as a focus for the practice and offer them with a pure motivation, in which thereis no trace of miserliness, hypocrisy or pretension. Then create offerings in your mindthrough the power of samadhi. Visualize the outer environment as a vast celestial palacemade from the seven precious materials, with beautiful gardens and pleasure parks,within which all material objects appear as the five offerings such as flowers and so on,the five sensual stimulants such as visible forms, the eight auspicious symbols, sevenemblems of royalty, and the sixteen offering goddesses.

All these offerings fill the whole of space and extend throughout the pure lands of theBuddhas and Bodhisattvas. Seal them with the gesture of offering, as in the offeringclouds of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, and offer them.

The third branch is confession, which must involve all four powers. As the power ofsupport, trust in the field of merit as a method for purifying your harmful actions. As thepower of regret, develop remorse for all the negativity you have accumulated includingthe ten non-virtuous actions (the three of the body, the four of the speech and the threeof the mind). Feel as much regret as if you had just swallowed poison. As the power ofresolve, vow not to repeat them in future.

For the power of action as an antidote, consider that all your harmful actions andobscurations, and all those of other sentient beings, are gathered together in the form ofa black pile on the tip of your tongue. Then rays of light emanate from the field of merit,strike the pile, and purify it just like a stain being completely washed away.

Ultimately, the way to confess and purify is by resting in the luminosity of theDharmakaya nature of mind without grasping at the three spheres (of subject, object andactivity) as being true or real.

The fourth branch is rejoicing, which is the antidote to envy. Rejoice at all the virtuesaccumulated by yourself and others, both those undertaken whilst observing the relativereality of cause and effect, and those pertaining to the absolute truth, such as thepractices of emptiness and selflessness.

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This is a way in which you can accumulate great waves of merit, without having to strainyour body or your voice, or expending your wealth in offerings. In the past, when an oldbeggar woman rejoiced from the depth of her heart at the offerings made over fourmonths by King Prasenajit to the Buddha and his disciples, it is said that her merit waseven greater than the king’s.

Since rejoicing at negative actions will cause you to accumulate faults in a similar way,do not mistake what is to be avoided for what is to be adopted.

The fifth branch of requesting to turn the Wheel of the Dharma and the sixth branch ofrequesting the Noble Ones not to pass into nirvana both serve as an antidote todelusion.

Without someone to teach us the Dharma we would be like blind people left alone in thedesert. We would have no chance of achieving liberation from samsara.

So multiply your body and present yourself at the feet of all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvasand spiritual teachers who have the capacity to teach but do not do so. Offer themwheels and conch shells, and just as Brahma and Indra requested the Buddha in thepast, request them to turn the wheel of the Dharma of the three yanas—the vehicles ofthe shravakas, pratyekabuddhas and bodhisattvas— according to the receptivity andneeds of different beings.

Then, pray before all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas who intend to pass into nirvana, justas the layman Chunda did in the past. Multiply your body countless times and pray withthe words, “ Until samsara is completely empty, and all beings are liberated, do notpass into nirvana, but remain here among us!”

The seventh branch is the branch of dedication. Consider that the virtue you have justaccumulated represents all the merit and positive actions accumulated by yourself andothers throughout the past, present and future. Dedicate it all so that all beings mayattain supreme enlightenment.

Remember that not only is the virtue you have accumulated illusory and dream-like, butso too are its recipients. Not grasping at the three spheres of subject, object or action asbeing real is what is called “free from reference”. This is not the same as meditating upona totally empty state, which is the nihilist view and something you should avoid.

Generally, it is said that whichever virtuous action we undertake to perform, we shouldfirst arouse the motivation of Bodhichitta, perform the virtuous action with the wisdomthat is free of all grasping, and seal it with the illusory dedication.

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All actions that are supported by these three noble principles contribute towards yourliberation and are the cause of enlightenment. If your actions lack the three nobleprinciples, then the merit you attain is ordinary merit, and having come to fruition oncewill then go to waste. Virtuous action embraced with the support of the three nobleprinciples continues to yield beneficial effects a hundred times without ever beingexhausted, and instead, increases further and further.

As Shantideva said:

The tree of Bodhichitta will forever

Bear fruit and grow unceasingly

iii. Prayer and Empowerments

Next there is the section of fervent prayer and receiving the path empowerments.

The attainment of liberation and omniscience is dependent upon the realization of co-emergent wisdom within your mind. Whether or not that realization arises in your minddepends on the blessing of the master; and whether or not you receive his blessingsdepends upon your devotion.

Drikung Kyobpa Rinpoche said:

Unless the sun of devotion shines

Upon the snow peak of the master’s four kayas,

The stream of his blessings will never fall.

So strive to arouse devotion in your mind!

And Rangrik Repa said:

Expecting to realize non-conceptual wisdom,

Without praying to the precious master,

Is like waiting for sunshine in a north-facing cave,

That way, appearances and mind will never merge.

Come to the firm decision that your own root teacher is equal to the Buddhas in terms ofhis qualities, but surpasses the Buddhas in terms of kindness.

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Firstly, accomplishing the Siddhi.

Jé means the lord of refuge for all beings. Tsün signifies that he is unstained bydisturbing emotion. Guru means lama, the unsurpassed. Rinpoche means preciousjewel. In the same way that precious jewels provide you with all that you need and wishfor, the master is the basis for all positive accumulations until you attain enlightenment.

We pray by saying, “ You are the embodiment of the compassion and blessings ofall the Buddhas of the ten directions and three times.”

Panchen Rinpoche’s Offering to the Gurus (Lama Chöpa) [3]says:

Even a single hair from the pores of your body,

Has been well praised as our field of merit

That surpasses all the Buddhas of the ten directions and three times,

Lord of Refuge…etc.

And:

Adorned with the precious wheels and the three kayas of the Sugatas,

Out of the alluring web of appearances, with skilful means,

You manifest in an ordinary form to lead all beings—

Lord of Refuge, compassionate master, to you we pray!

“ The only protector of all beings, my body, my possessions, my heart and soulwithout hesitation, or the wish to hold anything back, I surrender to you! Fromnow until I attain enlightenment, if I find myself in a state of happiness as mypractice of virtue increases, even if I just enjoy a single delicious meal, I shallrecognize it as the kindness of the precious master. When I am suffering fromillness or destructive influences, I shall see it as the activity of the lama, helpingme to exhaust negative karma that might cause rebirth in the hell realms. I willunderstand all good circumstances to be the master’s blessing and all badcircumstances to be the fault of my past actions. When I find myself in a highsituation, I will not become arrogant. And when I find myself in a situation that islow, I will not despair, even if I am reduced to the level of a humble beggar. At alltimes, during the six periods of the night and day [4] I shall rely on youcompletely, O Padmasambhava, as being inseparable from my root master!”

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Recite this prayer with such intense and fervent devotion that the hairs on your bodystand on end, tears stream from your eyes and your only thoughts are of your master.Recite the mantra very strongly, as a kind of invocation of your master.

Then, recite the prayer once again and continue to recite the mantra as a practice ofapproach [5].

Next is invoking the accomplishments. For this you should pray as follows:

“ I have no one else to turn to, no one to rely on but you, precious master! In theseevil times, beings of the Kaliyuga like myself are sinking in a swamp of intenseand unbearable suffering. We are plagued by outer sufferings such as illness,destructive influences, hostile enemies and thieves, and by internal sufferingcaused by the five disturbing emotions. It is as if we are caught between the jawsof a poisonous sea serpent. Free us from all this, O great guru! Bestow the fourempowerments to mature our body, speech and mind, O blessed one! Direct yourrealization and experience into our minds, O compassionate one! Purify ouremotional and cognitive obscurations, O powerful one! You, who have liberatedyour own being through your realization and have the capacity to liberate theminds of others out of compassion, care for me!”

Pray like this and then recite the mantra as the practice of approach:

OM AH HUNG VAJRA GURU PEMA SIDDI HUNG

The mantra begins with the syllables OM, AH and HUNG, which are the seeds of thethree Vajras (of the body, speech and mind). VAJRA signifies the Dharmakaya, which isendowed with the seven “Vajra qualities”. [6] GURU signifies the Sambhogakaya, whichis endowed with unsurpassable qualities. PEMA represents the Nirmanakaya, since theradiant awareness of the wisdom of discernment arises as the family of lotus speech.Consider that through the power of praying from a state of recognizing the inseparabilityof the three kayas, all the supreme and ordinary accomplishments— SIDDHI—areobtained as you say, “ HUNG” and think, “Grant them to me!”

You can recite the mantra while keeping this in mind or, alternatively, you can considerthat VAJRA is the essence of the Vajra family, GURU is the essence of the ratna family,PEMA is the essence of the Padma family, SIDDHI is the essence of the karma family,and HUNG the essence of the Tathagata family.

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As you recite the mantra, train in perceiving the outer environment as the pure realm ofLotus Light, and all the beings within it as deities of the three roots. Allow any thoughtsthat arise within your mind to liberate themselves without leaving any trace behind, justlike a bird flying through the sky.

Next, before receiving the empowerments, we come to the prayer to the root and lineagemasters.

Here EMAHO signifies that this prayer to Samantabhadra and the other masters iswonderful. The heavenly realm of the Dharmakaya is free from any limits, and is notrestricted to any particular direction. It is immeasurable and pervades throughout thewhole of space. It is here that the Primordial Buddha, the Dharmakaya Samantabhadra,resides. His wisdom-play, like the reflection of the moon in water, is the SambhogakayaVajrasattva. (Samantabhadra is like the moon in the sky and his emanation Vajrasattvais like the moon’s reflection). Perfect, with all major and minor marks and Buddhaqualities, is the Nirmanakaya Garab Dorje, the emanation of Vajrasattva. Pray to themall, saying: “ Grant me your blessings and liberating empowerments!”

Shri Singha is a master of the treasure of the ultimate Dharma. Mañjushrimitra is auniversal ruler of the teachings of the Nine Yanas: the Vinaya, Sutras and Abhidharma;the Kriya, Charya and Yoga tantras; and the teachings of Mahayoga, Anuyoga andAtiyoga [7]. Pray to them and to Jñanasutra and the great pandita Vimalamitra with thewords, “ Show me the way to make my mind free! Grant me the essentialinstructions and show me the path of liberation!”

Padmasambhava is the sole ornament of this world of ours because his power and hiskindness are immeasurable. His supreme heart-disciples are the King Trisong Detsen,the subject Vairochana, and the companion Yeshe Tsogyal. Longchen Rabjam DriméÖzer revealed a vast ocean of the Precious Master’s wisdom mind treasures. JikméLingpa was entrusted with all the teachings of the mind-direct, sign and word-of-mouthlineages, but especially with the space treasury of the dakinis. Pray to them all, saying, “Grant me the fruition of the essential instructions and immediately grant me the Siddhi ofliberating my mind!”

Jikmé Lingpa’s wisdom, compassionate love and spiritual power are like a great andglorious ocean. Through the three kinds of faith, Jikmé Trinlé Özer forged a channel tothese qualities in Jikmé Lingpa’s wisdom mind, as if he was drawing water from theocean to establish a reservoir on its shores. As he did so, his own wisdom mind was alsofilled.

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This process could also be compared to making a tsa-tsa from a mould. In turn, just as afield is irrigated by drawing water from a reservoir, Jikmé Trinlé Özer Palbar saturatedthe minds of his fortunate disciples with the qualities that had arisen in his own wisdommind. This is how he brought them to maturity. Pray to him, saying: “ May my faith andsamaya commitment never fail, but go on increasing!”

If you are really practicing the teachings genuinely, you should have true renunciation forsamsaric existence and the wish to attain liberation. Consider all that you haveexperienced in the course of your lifetimes without beginning, so that you becomedisgusted, like somebody with a liver complaint seeing a plate of greasy food.

You should rely upon your Vajra Lama, the ultimate master whose mind is emptinessand compassion and who accomplishes the benefit of self and others, cherishing him asthough he were your very eyes. Follow his instructions to the letter, and take to heart theprofound practices he gives, not just now and then, but with diligent and constantapplication. Practice with unflagging diligence for as long as you live. Pray that you maybecome worthy of the transmission of his profound wisdom mind, so that your realizationbecomes indivisible from his.

Recognize with certainty that all appearances, samsara and nirvana, from the verybeginning are the Akanishtha pure realm of Lotus Light. All perceptions of visible formsand material objects are perfected into Buddha forms. All sounds, whether pleasant orunpleasant, are purified into mantra. And all rising thoughts are matured into the clearlight state of Dharmakaya reality.

Once the meaning of Shunyata has been actualized, there is no longer any effort toabandon what is negative and adopt what is positive. There is no longer any grasping atthings as being real. All that you see, good or bad, all that you hear and all that you thinkarises out of the state of emptiness and is purified back into the state of emptiness, justlike a bird flying through the sky without leaving any trace behind. This is the perfectionthat we call the Great Perfection, or Dzogpachenpo.

As it says in the Prajñaparamita:

Form is without any true nature,

And whatever lacks true nature is inexpressible.

And:

Forms are dream-like and illusory.

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And:

Form is empty of form.

Sound is empty of sound.

And so on until:

Omniscience is empty of omniscience.

There is not a single phenomenon belonging to samsara or nirvana, from visible formthrough to omniscience, which is beyond the nature of this Great Perfection or greatemptiness.

This ultimate meaning is Rigpa’s self-radiance beyond the experiences of shamatha, orthe thinking and mental analysis of vipashyana. Pray that you may see this nakedDharmata reality, like the sun free of clouds, with the wisdom of discriminatingawareness.

The Sublime Continuum says:

The inner identity of the Dharmakaya,

Is seen with the eyes of Wisdom.

From the perspective of the various paths, this [stage] corresponds to the path of seeing.It is the first among the bodhisattva bhumis, and the first of the four visions of tögal, thedirect experience of Dharmata.

Then, when you train in the practice of tögal, material reality can evaporate into rainbowexperience, and the kayas and tiklés can be experienced as the radiance and dynamicenergy of Rigpa. This equates to the lesser and middle stages of the path of cultivation,from the second to the seventh bhumi, and the second vision of tögal, which is known as'increased experience'.

After that you will arrive at the third vision. Here, Rigpa’s strength is enhanced, maturinginto the fullness of Sambhogakaya perfection. This is equivalent to the greater stage ofthe path of cultivation, from the seventh to the tenth bhumi. This is the point at which youperceive directly the Sambhogakaya fields and the Buddhas of the five families.

Finally you reach the level where all perception of phenomenal reality wears out, and theconceptual mind dies into the state of total enlightenment. This is the fourth vision, thefruition of Dzogpachenpo, and it is equivalent to the path of no more learning, or the levelof Buddhahood, the eleventh bhumi of universal radiance.

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Pray that you may gain the stronghold of the youthful vase body, the meaning of whichhas been explained above, free from birth and death, the Dharmakaya with its two-foldpurity.

If you accomplish the practice of the great Atiyoga, and obtain the confidence of theultimate state of the dissolution of phenomena, beyond the ordinary mind, there will beno need for you to wander in the bardos. But if you do not master the practice in this life,your gross physical body will not be liberated into the pure space of the rainbow body.

Then, when the constituents of life fall apart at the completion of the stages of dissolutionat death, you should recognize the ground luminosity as the Dharmakaya, pure from thebeginning, as soon as your consciousness reawakens.

At this point, the ground luminosity will dawn in the minds of all beings, withoutexception. The only difference will be in terms of how long it appears for, and whether ornot it is recognized. If you do recognize the Dharmakaya, you will be liberated.

For those who have gained some familiarity with the practices of kyérim or tögal, theappearances of the bardo of Dharmata experience will arise in Sambhogakaya forms;and they will be liberated through meditating on their illusory nature.

On the path of trekchö, all the rigidity of mind’s clinging to an “I” where there is no “I”, anda self where there is no self, is cut through with Madhyamika Prasangika reasoning andthe resulting conviction that an “I” or a “self” does not exist. Then, by examining [wheremind] arises, dwells and ceases, you become certain of the absence of any true reality.

In tögal, all apparent objects are understood to be the energy and display of mind andare brought to perfection by the mind itself.

So, in the bardos, at first when you lose consciousness or stray into delusion, meditateimmediately on the meaning of selflessness, and use your familiarity with the forms ofthe deities in tögal, or meditate on the illusory form of the deity as in kyérim. Pray thatthrough the power of such practices you may be liberated, as naturally as a child runninginto its mother’s lap.

In this great secret Mantrayana path of luminosity—Dzogpachenpo—the summit of all,enlightenment is to be sought nowhere but in the Dharmakaya face of your own mindthrough relying upon the instructions of Atiyoga.

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Yet if you are not liberated into the primordial state by actualizing this, then there are thefive practices of 'enlightenment without meditating for a long time': liberation throughtasting the samaya substances, through takdrol [8], through touching the mudras,through seeing the chakras, and through hearing and remembering the phowa.

Pray that you may be born into the Nirmanakaya realms of the five Buddha families,such as Dewachen, through practicing the phowa method of enlightenment withoutmeditation. And pray especially that you may take birth in the “Palace of Lotus Light,” theZangdokpalri heaven of Guru Rinpoche.

Pray that you may take birth in the presence of the Lord of Orgyen himself, chief of theocean of Vidyadhara Masters, while he is celebrating the feast of the great secret mantraDharma, and that you may become his favorite son or daughter. And pray that, havingtaken birth there, you may traverse the four levels of a Vidyadhara, and reach the level ofSamantabhadra. Then, emanating Nirmanakaya forms to take on the task of helpinglimitless beings, may you bring benefit and happiness to them all!

Pray that through the inspiration and blessing of the ocean of victorious Vidyadharas,and by the truth of the infinite Dharmadhatu, beyond conception, and with this free andwell-favored human form, you may actualize the auspicious interconnection of perfectingthe activity of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, ripening the minds of sentient beings, andpurifying the whole outer and inner world into pure lands, and attain the state ofBuddhahood.

Take this practice to heart by combining your prayers of aspiration with actual mindtraining.

Receiving Empowerments

Next is the receiving of the path empowerments. All the surrounding deities dissolve intothe root master. Consider that he is the embodiment of all sources of refuge, andpractice from a state of intense devotion and longing.

In the guru’s forehead is the letter OM, radiant and shimmering, like moonlight; from itrays of light stream out and enter your forehead. The three negative actions of the bodyand blockages of the channels are purified. The blessing of the unchanging Vajra bodyof the Buddhas infuses you . The vase empowerment is obtained and you become areceptive vessel for the deity visualization practice of kyérim. The seed is sown forbecoming a completely matured Vidyadhara, whose mind is matured into theDharmakaya while maintaining an ordinary body. The potential or seed for obtaining thelevel of Nirmanakaya is implanted within you.

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At his throat is the letter AH, blazing like a ruby; from it rays of light streak out and enteryour throat. The four negative actions of the speech and blockages of the inner air arepurified. The blessing of the unceasing Vajra speech of the Buddhas enters you . Thesecret empowerment is obtained and you become a receptive vessel for mantrarecitation practice. The seed of the Vidyadhara with power over life is sown. Thepotential for obtaining the level of the Sambhogakaya is implanted within you .

At his heart, from the letter HUNG, sky-colored rays of light pour out and plunge into yourheart. The three kinds of negative activity committed through the mind and blockages ofthe tiklé of clinging to reality are purified. The blessing of the undeluded Vajra mind of allthe Buddhas is instilled in you . The knowledge-wisdom empowerment is obtained andyou become a receptive vessel for the chandali practice of bliss and emptiness, knownas Tsa Lung and Tummo . The seed is sown for becoming a 'Mahamudra Vidyadhara',whose body is transformed into the form of the Yidam and whose mind is inseparablefrom the wisdom mind of the deity. The potential for obtaining the level of Dharmakaya isimplanted within you.

Again, from HUNG in his heart, a second letter HUNG bursts out like a shooting star andmerges, indistinguishably, one with your own mind. The karma of the “ground of all”,cognitive obscurations, and all the subtle disturbing emotions , are purified. The blessingof the spontaneously arising Vajra wisdom, the unchanging luminosity, pervades you .You obtain the empowerment of the absolute truth, symbolized by the word, throughwhich the inexpressible meaning is communicated using a crystal, a mirror or a gesture.You become a receptive vessel for meditation on the meaning of trekchö and theprimordial purity of Dzogpachenpo. The seed is sown for becoming a spontaneouslyaccomplishing Vidyadhara [9] who spontaneously accomplishes the benefit of self andothers. The potential for the Svabhavikakaya—the final fruition—is implanted within you .

When your life is at an end, at the moment of death, your whole perception should be theheaven of Ngayab Ling or Chamara, which is one of the eight sub-continents, and is alsorenowned as the “island of rakshasa demons”.

It is here that the Master Padmasambhava presently resides. Having miraculouslyliberated the king of the rakshasas, transferred his consciousness to a pure realm andentered his body, he subdues the demons there through a variety of peaceful andwrathful methods and establishes them in the Dharma.

In the centre of that field of Lotus Light and the Glorious Copper Colored Mountain, theNirmanakaya pure land of indivisible appearance and emptiness created through self-arisen wisdom, visualize your own body as Vajrayogini in the palace that was describedabove.

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You are transformed into a radiant, shimmering sphere of light, which dissolves into theheart of Guru Rinpoche above your head, and merging, inseparable, withPadmasambhava, you attain Buddhahood.

Then, from the play of vast primordial wisdom, which is the miraculous manifestation ofbliss and emptiness, or compassion and emptiness, for every single being in the threerealms, you will emanate as their true guide, to lead them to liberation. Pray to JetsünPema so that he might grant this prayer .

Say the following: “ I pray to you from the bottom of my heart. It’s not just words orempty mouthings: grant your blessings from the depth of your wisdom mind, andcause all my good aspirations that accord with the Dharma to be fulfilled!”

Visualize yourself clearly as Vajrayogini. From the heart centre of the lama a beam oflight, red and warm, suddenly bursts out and touches your heart. Instantaneously, youare transformed into a sphere of red light the size of a pea, which shoots up towardsPadmasambhava, like a spark that spits from the fire. It dissolves into Guru Rinpoche’sheart, merges and becomes one with him: one taste.

Visualize this and then rest in the inexpressible state beyond any reference or focus. Ifyou are able to breathe your final breath in this state at the moment of death, then youwill achieve the king of all phowas, “sealing transference to the Dharmakaya”. If youwould like to practice any of the other methods of phowa, this is the time to do so.

Then, as soon as you rise from the state of meditative equipoise, visualize your ownbody and environment as before and recite the prayers that follow.

According to Jamyang Khyentse’s commentary, the prayer beginning, “ Glorious TsawéLama, Precious One,” should continue with, “Dwell on the lotus-seat on the crown of myhead.” Most versions of the text however, give the line as, “ Dwell on the lotus-seat in thedepth of my heart”. According to a mengak from the instructions on phowa, you canvisualize the master in your heart inseparable from Amitayus. But aside from providing asupport for long-life practice, I don’t think there is too much difference between these twoversions.

The prayer continues, “Look upon me with the grace of your great compassion,grant me the attainments of body, speech and mind, and make my mind one withyour wisdom mind! ”

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“ Towards the lifestyle and activity of the lama, may wrong view not arise for evenan instant, and may I see whatever he does, whether it seems to be in accordancewith the Dharma or not, as a teaching for me.” In this respect, you should rememberthe story of Captain Compassionate Heart killing Black Spearman, and Brahmin Lover ofthe Stars forsaking his vow of chastity for the brahmin girl. [10]

“ Through such devotion may his blessing inspire and fill my mind.”

“In all my lives from now until I attain enlightenment , may I never be separatedfrom the perfect lama; and having benefitted fully from the splendor of the sacredDharma, may I perfect the qualities of the five paths and ten bhumis, and swiftlyattain the sublime level of Vajradhara!”

“ Through the power of the merit of this practice I have done today, may all beingscompletely accumulate the causal accumulation of merit and the resultantaccumulation of wisdom. And from this merit and wisdom, may they obtain theDharmakaya for the benefit of self and the Rupakaya for the benefit of others!”

“Moreover, through all the merit that I and other beings have—whatever beneficialactions we have done in the past, will do in the future and are doing now in thepresent— may all beings attain the stage of perfection! May they attain therealization of a buddha, the profound wisdom of emptiness beyond the twoextremes of eternalism and nihilism! In order that they may swiftly reach this levelof realization, I dedicate all the merit and virtue accumulated by myself and others:may it be the cause of all beings attain ing the stages of perfection and fullenlightenment!”

There are two types of dedication: the dedication free from any reference to the threeconceptual spheres of subject, object or activity, and the emulating dedication. The firstof these was explained earlier in the context of the seven branch practice. The second isas follows:

“ Just as the bodhisattva Manjushri knew how to dedicate and did dedicatetowards the temporary benefit of all beings as well as their ultimate happinesswith the attainment of enlightenment, just as Samantabhadra did too, I shall trainto follow in these bodhisattvas’ footsteps. I make a perfect dedication of all thismerit towards the enlightenment of all beings just as these bodhisattvas did in thepast.”

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“ As all Buddhas, past, present and future praise the dedication for the sake of allbeings attaining enlightenment as supreme, all my sources of merit I dedicatecompletely, so that all may perfect Samantabhadra’s ‘Good Actions’ and attain thestate of Buddhahood.”

Special Prayer

“ In all my lives, wherever I am born, may I obtain the seven qualities of birth inhigher realms: long life, freedom from ill health, a beautiful form, high birth, greatriches, good fortune, and great wisdom! As soon as I am born, may I meet theDharma, and have the freedom to practice it correctly. Then, may I please thenoble lama, and put the Dharma into action day and night. With confidence in thekey points of the practice lineage and realization of the Dharma, may I practice theinnermost meaning of emptiness and compassion until my mind is purified! May Icross the ocean of suffering existence in the very same life and attainBuddhahood for the benefit of self!

Having attained enlightenment, may I teach the sacred Dharma to beingswandering in samsara, and never grow mentally weary or physically tired ofworking to help others. Through my vast, impartial service and waves of virtuousactivity for the benefit of others, may all beings, as limitless as space, attainBuddhahood together as one in a single gathering! And may samsara be stirred toits very depths!”

As you recite these words with your speech, be sure to focus your mind upon theirmeaning.

In order to integrate the Guru Yoga practice [into your daily life], visualize your master inthe sky above your right shoulder as you walk, and consider that you arecircumambulating him. While you are sitting down, consider that he is on the top of yourhead as a support for your prayers. Whenever you eat or drink something, visualize himat your throat and offer him the first portion. When you go to sleep, visualize the masterin your heart and merge your mind with his wisdom mind.

In short, you should train your mind in devotion at all times and on all occasions byperceiving all forms, sounds and rising thoughts as deity, mantra and wisdom play, andby considering all that you perceive through your six senses to be the display of themaster’s enlightened body, speech and mind.

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The Siddha Mokchokpa said:

If Achala (Mikyöpa) is blue, then blue he may well be!

If Avalokiteshvara is white, then white he is!

As for me, I’ve never been separated from the perception of the master!

And Jetsün Milarepa said:

When you grow weary of samsara which is by nature suffering,

There is no time to waste searching for fresh robes,

And towards the Master, who embodies the Buddhas of the three times,

There is no separation from a mind of yearning devotion.

This is how you should practice.

Colophon

This is the word-by-word commentary on the text of the Longchen Nyingtikpreliminary practices entitled, “A Torch for the Excellent Path of Omniscience”.

As there are many ocean-like commentaries on the preliminary practicescomposed by the omniscient father and son [11] , this may seem as unnecessaryas digging a well of salty water on the shore of a great lake of water possessingthe eight qualities of purity.

The elaborate ngöndro commentaries give the root text without explaining eachsyllable, and since those with sharp faculties understand the meaning of theelaborate commentaries there is no need for them to rely on syllable-by-syllableexplanations.

Yet those with feeble minds like myself find that there is a lot we don’t understandwhen trying to match the points of the elaborate commentaries with the root text,so I thought a word-by-word commentary on the recitation text would make iteasier to practice.

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None of the learned and accomplished beings of the past composed a word-by-word commentary that definitively explained the straightforward and the subtlepoints of the root text, and recently my attendants Dorje Chödrak and TrinleyJinpa have been requesting me to write a word-by-word commentary to match therecitation text.

Dorje Chödrak made a commitment to remain in retreat, practicing the ngöndro,for the rest of his life, completing one million prostrations and ten million mantrarecitations as part of the Guru Yoga.

Trinley Jinpa also vowed to remain in retreat practicing the ngöndro for the rest ofhis life, and to complete one million prostrations, one million hundred syllablemantras, and a hundred thousand “Confessions of Downfalls”.

Changchub Dorje also added his request for a detailed commentary to those of theother two, and he, too, vowed not to leave his retreat until the time of his death. Hepromised to complete ten million Siddhi mantras and one million prostrations.

In response to their requests, and taking the works of the omniscient father andson as a basis, supplemented by what I have seen or heard of the works of otherlearned and accomplished masters, this was written by the beggar-monk with thename of Chökyi Drakpa. May the merit of this become a cause for the main pointsof the ngöndro practice to arise within the minds of all sentient beings, especiallythose that requested it! May they never be without the qualities of the seven nobleriches, and may they swiftly attain the state of omniscience, becoming guides toall sentient beings as limitless as space!

Virtue! Virtue! Virtue!

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ATTRIBUTION: http://www.lotsawahouse.org/topics/ngöndro/chökyi-drakpa

[1]The Tibetan text says southwest here, but northwest later on.

[2] Secret Path to the Mountain of Glory: A Prayer of Aspiration for the Copper-ColouredMountain of Glory by Rigdzin Jikmé Lingpa.

[3]By Panchen Lobzang Chökyi Gyaltsen (1567?-1662). See The Union of Bliss andEmptiness, H.H. the Dalai Lama, Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 1989 for a translationof the entire text. The two verses mentioned here are 48 and 49, which are given onpp.127-8.

[4]Dawn, morning, midday, afternoon, dusk and midnight.

[5]During the practice of approach, practitioners grow closer to, or approach, the deity byreciting the mantra.

[6]The seven vajra qualities are: uncuttable, indestructible, true, solid, stable, completelyunobstructable and completely invincible.

[7]This is an unusual way to list the nine yanas. The first three vehicles are usually givenas the vehicles of shravakas, pratyekabuddhas and bodhisattvas.

[8] Takdrol means “liberation through contact or touch”. Numerous kinds of takdrol exist:many are mantras in diagrams related to the Dzogchen teachings, and others belong tothe tantras. The takdrol can form part of a more detailed empowerment, or it can begiven independently as a simple empowerment on its own. Sometimes a text of a tantrais used as a takdrol and worn, for example, in a locket on the top of the head. (Takenfrom Dzogchen, Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, p.231,n.17)

[9]Although this level of vidyadhara is usually called a spontaneously accomplishedvidyadhara, this translation reflects Chökyi Drakpa’s explanation.

[10] See Words of My Perfect Teacher, p. 125

[11]Longchen Rabjam and Jikmé Lingpa.