Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Series

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Advice to Three-Year Retreatants
by Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Homage to the guru!

This is addressed to those staying in three-year retreat in France.

Those of you who live in Europe and other modern countries have all the amenities
and luxuries this life affords, but until recently you had never even heard of the
practice of Dharma. In recent times, it so happened that the teachings declined in
Tibet, and many lamas of senior and junior rank from all four schools of Tibetan
Buddhism arrived in India. Now, when their various teachings are being revived and
the allotted time for the Buddhadharma to remain has not yet passed, a number of
great masters went to visit and settle in other countries, with the result that many
people throughout the modern world now have the intention to practise Dharma.

The students of my teacher, Kangyur Rinpoche, in particular have come to regard me

as their own root teacher and have a sincere desire to practise Dharma throughout
their entire lives. Through the inspiration and assistance of Tsetrul Pema Wangyal
Rinpoche, they have established a retreat centre at Chanteloube. The real purpose
behind this centre is that those who remain there in retreat establish themselves
firmly on the path to liberation. If they do so, they will fulfil the enlightened vision of
Kangyur Rinpoche, serve their own teachers, and make the very best use of the many
profound teachings they have received.

With this in mind, all who commit themselves to remain in retreat should ensure
that faith, renunciation, compassion and looking into the nature of mind lie at the
very heart of their practice.

Faith
Faith means complete trust in, and reliance upon, the Three Jewels in general, and
our own teacher in particular, as well as in the Dharma we are practising. If we
practise for a long time, after a while we might think, I still havent gained any
signs of progress! The teacher cant have given me the most profound instructions. It
would be better for me to do the main practice, rather than the preliminaries, because
its more profound! Or if we are doing the main practice we might think, I think it
would be better for me to set aside this simple generation stage practice and do some
dzogrim instead. Or even, Dzogchen would be more profound than these
completion stage practices like tummo.

You might think that once you have received the Dzogchen teachings you will have
all kinds of profound lofty experiences, even after just a few days. If you have such
high expectations, then when things dont work out that way, you will begin to

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doubt the instructions and relax your diligence. Or, if you do develop the slightest
hint of renunciation or gain some minor experience or realization, you will only
develop pride and think, The Kagy, Sakya and Gelug schools have nothing to
compare with these Nyingma teachings! You must avoid developing wrong views
such as this and arrogantly supposing that you have gained some special experience
or realization. No matter who you are, the ordinary mind is always prone to change
and transformation, so you should try never to get carried away.

Even if you were to practise day and night with unflagging diligence for a full twelve
years and still fail to have even one good dream, you must never lose heart.
Recognizing that this is due simply to the strength of your own obscurations, you
must be confident that neither your teachers nor the teachings will ever let you
down.

On the other hand, even if you were to make such swift progress that in just a single
day you reached the level at which there is nothing further in sasra to be
abandoned nor anything further in nirva to be gained, you should feel no pride,
because to do so would only be to invite the demon of obstacles. That is why Jetsn
Milarepa said:

When you are approaching the end of the Dharma,

Continue ceaselessly, without any highs or lows,
And without hopes for signs of swift attainment,
Ensure your practice endures as long as you do!

This is marvellous advice.

Renunciation
Renunciation means that while in the retreat centre, every single time you recite
the Seven Line Prayer or complete a single ml of mai mantras, you must dedicate
it towards the attainment of buddhahood for yourself and all other sentient beings.
While in retreat, you should not waste even a single moment in idleness or frivolity,
and you must avoid any form of insincerity or duplicity, such as pretendingfor as
long as you are in other peoples viewto practise perfectly.

Do all that you can to bring your own stubborn mind under control and to develop
your faith, diligence and renunciation. Never think that the Dharma you are
practising is for your benefit alone. To recite even a single mai mantra is of
inconceivable benefit, so dedicate it for the sake of all who live.

Again and again, develop compassion for all sentient beings in general, and
particularly for those who dislike you. It might be difficult at first, but you will never
attain enlightenment as long as you continue to feel ill-will towards your enemies.
Those who are now your enemies were in former lives your parents, and there is

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nothing fixed about the status of an enemy or friend. To feel hostility towards
enemies and affection towards your friends is nothing but a deluded form of
perception. If you train your mind to recognize everything as insubstantial like a
dream, hostility towards enemies will lose its meaning entirely. This is crucially
important, because ordinarily our lives are driven by the yearning to acquire food
and clothing, possessions, partners, status and acclaim. We put a great deal of
thought into devising the cleverest, most efficient ways to obtain them, and we think,
So-and-so has this much money, my friends have this much, so I need more. Or: In
the past, I stayed in this kind of house, in this part of town, but now I shall move to a
better place. We must put a stop to all such thinking.

With ordinary work, the more you do the more suffering you create for the future.
But now that you have found a human existence, met an authentic teacher, and
received the Dharma teachings, your situation is even better and more fortunate
than that of Indra, king of the gods. If you now put the teachings into practice with
steadfast determination, you are sure to find happiness in all your future lives. So be
content with only the most basic food and clothing. Let me put it simply: do all that
you can to renounce and minimize the ordinary affairs and activities of sasra.

No one should stay in the retreat centre without taking the vows of refuge. Even if
you are a layperson, for the three years that you are in retreat you must avoid sexual
relations, and, while in retreat, it is enormously significant and beneficial to wear the
robes of a monk or nun. The Buddha himself said it is permissible for anyone who
has taken the vows of refuge to wear the monastic robes.

Compassion
Generally speaking, you have been practising the teachings of the Mahayana ever
since you first entered the door of the Dharma, and this is really nothing other than
compassion. Without genuine compassion there is simply no possibility of reaching
buddhahood.

In their delusion, all the beings of sasra cherish only their own selfish interests
and neglect others welfare. At the moment, no matter how well off we may be in
terms of food, clothing or material possessions, and no matter how much happiness
we may experience, we can never be satisfied. At the same time, if we give away
even just a tiny fraction of what we own, it feels as if we are losing something
enormous. We must let go of such attitudes, and, instead of caring for ourselves
alone, learn to cherish others. Previously we neglected others, but now we must
neglect our own selfish goals. Whenever we perform any virtuous deed with body,
speech or mind, we must first remember that we are doing so as a means to bring
about the enlightenment of all.

In Dharma practice, the most important thing is motivation. If it is motivated by the

wish to benefit all beings, then even a single prostration or a single recitation of the

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hundred-syllable mantra will yield inexhaustible meritmerit that will remain until
we have reached enlightenment and there are no beings left in sasra. Whereas if
we do not have this motivation of universal benevolence, even a hundred thousand
prostrations, or a hundred thousand recitations of the hundred-syllable mantra, will
bear fruit only once before the merit is exhausted, and a single burst of anger will be
enough to destroy our entire stock of virtue. It is crucial to understand this. If we
consider that our practice is for the sake of all others, then because sentient beings
are infinitely vast in number, our own merit will be equally vast.

No one is entirely free from suffering, so consider all the major and minor sufferings
that befall others, and imagine them happening to you instead. How would you feel?
Surely you would do all that you could to find a way to avoid the pain. So reflect
continually on all the sufferings that other beings undergo and develop the
compassionate wish that they may be free from pain. Once you have true
compassion, you will naturally feel the wish to benefit others. Our teacher, the
Buddha, while still a bodhisattva, had such vast and overwhelming compassion that
he made five hundred prayers of aspiration for our benefit, and, as his followers, we
too must make compassion the very core of our practice.

The immeasurable benefits of generating true compassion are described in detail in

The Words of My Perfect Teacher and the Bodhicaryvatra, so please study them.

Looking into the Nature of Mind

To look into the nature of the mind we must understand how all its ordinary
thoughts about anything and everything imaginable are just empty and
insubstantial. Until now, we have been the slave of what we call mind, forced to
wander helplessly through sasric existence. Now we must reverse the situation,
and take control of our own mind. It will be easy to do this if we have some real
understanding of how the mind is empty, but just entertaining some vague notion of
minds emptiness, by thinking, Well, this is what the masters say, or This is what
it says in the texts, will not help us to recognize the insubstantiality of our own
deluded perception.

Turn your attention within then, and allow your mind to relax. You will notice not
just one thought or idea, but many. For example, if you think of your mother, that is
one thought, but then it in turn evokes all kinds of other thoughts, such as memories
of the kindness she showed you. If she is still alive, you might think about going to
visit her, and if not, you might feel sad. These are thoughts of attachment. If you
think about your enemies, reflecting on the ways they have hurt you in the past,
how they are sure to do so again in the future, and how you must find some way to
be rid of them, these are thoughts of aversion. You might wonder where this
attachment and aversion come from. In fact, they come from the deluded belief in the
existence of what we call 'I'.

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Where is such an 'I' to be found? Is it in the body or the mind? If you really look into
the body, examining each of its partsflesh, blood, bones and skinyou cannot find
anything at all called body, so how could this be the location of the 'I'? The mind, on
the other hand, is insubstantial, so how could the 'I' abide within it? In fact, the 'I' is
merely a concept or a thought. There is no location within a thought, and nothing
could remain there, but still the power of one thought, such as the thought of our
mother, causes us to think another thought, about her kindness to us, and that in
turn inspires the thought of wishing to see her.

If we look into this process in more detail, we can see that while we are thinking
about our mothers kindness, the initial thought of our mother is no longer thereit
has already gone. And the thought that we must visit her has not yet occurredit is
still in the future. As soon as we look into it, the present thought of our mothers
kindness is no longer there; it has already turned into the future thought of wanting
to visit her. This means that the thoughts of the past, present and future cannot exist
at the same time, and we only use these terms for the sake of communication. The
past is gone, like a person who has died, and the future (or that which is yet to
come) does not exist at all. In fact, there is no such thing as a present thought
existing somehow independently of past and future. Before we thought of our
mother that present thought was still in the future. Then, as we thought of her, it
was present. Finally, as we brought to mind her kindness, it was already in the past.

For one thought to pass through these three phases of time is a sign of its
impermanence, and whatever is impermanent is empty. It is because a thing is empty
that it can change over the course of the past, present and future.

Consider the surface of a mirror: because it is empty [and not fixed in a particular
way], reflections can appear within it. When a persons likeness appears in a mirror,
the reflection resembles the real person, but the persons face has neither entered the
mirror nor been transferred to its surface. The image of the face appears because of
certain causes and conditions, including the clarity of the mirror and the presence of
the persons face before it. The reflection of the face and the face itself are not the
same. The reflection is inanimate, and when the reflection disappears the real face
does not. A face can be burned if it is touched by fire, but you cannot burn a
reflection. Nevertheless, the reflection and the face are not completely different
either, because the reflection can not appear in the absence of the persons face, and
if the person adopts a particular expression, such as a smile or a look of anger, the
reflection also appears that way.

For these reasons, thoughts and reflections appear to be real only when we fail to
examine them or look into them in any detail. If we do pause to consider them, we
find that although they appear, they do not really exist. And this is true not just of
these phenomena. It applies to all the appearances of our deluded sasric
experience: they seem real enough as long as we do not examine them too deeply,

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but when we do, we find that they are not real. This is why we refer to them as
unexamined, seeming reality.

If the understanding of this point develops and takes hold, so that it becomes self-
sustaining, that is what we call experience. When we become more and more
familiar with this, so that the mind is no longer swayed by thoughts of aversion or
attachment, that is what we call realization.

When we examine thoughts again and again in this way, we come to see that
although they have no real existence, still they appear, and although they appear,
they are insubstantial. At the same time, we understand how the thoughts of the
past, present and future exist only as mere names or labels, and have no more reality
than that.

If we have this understanding, then whenever we think of our mother and remember
all the kindness she showed us, we need not succumb to thoughts of attachment. We
will think, Even if I were to go and see my mother, what good would that do? She
has managed to provide food and clothing for herself, and even to provide for my
material needs as well. If I were to take on this role, I would need to find work in
some trade or business, and that would provoke all kinds of attachment and aversion
and produce lots of distractions, which would only come in the way of my Dharma
practice. Instead, I should put my energy into practising the Dharma, straightaway as
much as I can, then dedicate all my sources of merit to my mother, to help relieve her
sufferings of birth, death and the bardo states. It would be better for me to forget
about ordinary worldly feelings of attachment to my mother. She has other children
who can take care of her material needs, but there is no one but me to offer her
spiritual assistance. If we think this way, it will prevent us getting caught in the
ordinary patterns of thought which can come up whenever we recall our mother.

This also gives us some clues as to how we can give up our thoughts of aversion
towards our enemies. At first it might be a little difficult to overcome our attachment
and aversion, but by practising again and again, it will become easier.

If you can overcome attachment and aversion, you will no longer accumulate karma.
Moreover, if you look into the unaltered state of mind that follows whenever feelings
of attachment or aversion have subsided, you will find the nature of mind. As long as
there are not too many thoughts arising, look undistractedly into the mind itself.
Whenever there are lots of thoughts, examine them in the way I just described. If
you become really familiar with this by training in it again and again, recognition of
the nature of mind will occur naturally and spontaneously. The mind will no longer
be caught up in thoughts, and even if thoughts do arise, they will not have any real
strength and there will be no need to analyze or examine them. It will be sufficient
simply to maintain an unaltered state of mind.

If ever you can not counteract a thought of attachment or aversion, repeat the

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process of investigation. When you have thoughts, dont react with anxiety,
thinking, I shouldnt have thoughts during meditation! Now lots of thoughts are
going to come. Simply look straight into the nature of any thoughtbe it positive or
negativeand it will lose its strength and disappear. Without letting go of the state
which follows, look gently into the nature of mind, and thoughts will vanish by
themselves. When thoughts no longer occur one after another in swift succession
you will gradually be able to liberate them.

When looking into the nature of mind, dont expect to gain some exceptionally high
or profound realization, or to see anything new. Nor should you hesitate or doubt
your ability to meditate. Just trust that the nature of mind is simply the mind itself
left in an unaltered state, and do all that you can to sustain this, without distraction,
at all times, during and between the meditation sessions. Dont expect to gain
realization in just a few months, or even years. Whether you develop any of the
qualities that come from the practice or not, remain steadfastly determined and
resolve to continue the practice with diligence, day and night, throughout this life,
future lives and the bardo state.

Understand this: it is more important to take to heart the key instructions than to
receive a great many teachings.

In general, you should look at the instruction manual Words of My Perfect Teacher,
and check whether or not your practice accords with what it says there. If you notice
something that does not correspond, change it; and if there is something that is only
partially in agreement, see whether or not it can be improved.

Aspire to practise the Dharma authentically, and never do anything that might upset
your Dharma brothers and sisters.

In short, devote yourself to the Dharma as much as you possibly can, with body,
speech and mind.

I will certainly come and visit you, and I will always remember to pray and practise
for your protection, so that all your wishes in accordance with the Dharma will be
accomplished.

| Translated by Adam Pearcey, 2007.

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The Blissful Path to the Ocean of Bodhicitta: A Brief
Prayer of Aspiration for Mind Training
by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
By the truth of the perfect mind of awakening
Generated by the supreme noble Lord Avalokitevara
And all the buddhas and bodhisattvas,
May the supreme mind of bodhicitta be born
In me and and in all other beings, as limitless as space.

May the causes and effects of beings' suffering

Their involvement with the five poisons,
And painful experiences in the six classes,
All ripen on me! To them all, as limitless as space,
I offer the six perfections in my own mind,
And sources of virtue, free from the five poisons.

May all the realms of sasra's six classes be emptied,

And may everyone attain the level of Avalokitevara,
In his six sublime families and with six types of wisdom.

May all disease, famine, belligerence, wrong views,

Impairments, transgressions, downfalls, harmful actions,
Self-cherishing, obstacles, harmful influences and impediments,
All ripen on me and me alone!
And to all these beings, who are as limitless as space
I dedicate long-life, glory, wealth, happiness, power,
Experience, realisation, and knowing, loving wisdom.
May they all, through supreme enlightened actions,
Attain the level of the most splendid Noble One!

In short, may all the causes and effects

Of egotism and self-cherishing ripen on me!
And may all beings gain a wealth of benefit and happiness,
And realise the meaning of emptiness and compassion!

May all beings, especially those who harm me,

Or who have developed a negative connection
Through seeing, hearing, thinking of, or encountering me,
Purify their obscurations, enter the path to enlightenment,
And attain awakening straightaway!

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May I take the place of those experiencing the cause and effect
Of unbearable, extremely negative acts, and may they all
Purify obscurations and be born in realms of perfect bliss!

For the sake of all, but especially those who harm me,
May I remain only in the lower realms,
And may all beings, my very own mothers,
Escape samsara's ocean to reach liberation's shore.

The only basis for bodhicitta

Kind enemies and harmful forces
For your sake, I shall gladly give away
My body and my lifemay you be benefitted!

When I attain complete enlightenment,

May you become the first in my circle,
And, just like the five original disciples,
Attain omniscience there and then!

From now until I attain enlightenment,

May I never be apart from you who do me harm,
And with calm, untroubled view and conduct,
May we set out together on the path to enlightenment.

May those who see me, hear me or think of me,

And also those who merely hear my name,
Or are simply touched by the same breath of wind,
Discard their obscurations and enter the way to peace!

All beings are my own parents, as limitless as space,

So how could I ever feel hostility towards them?
Wishing only to repay their kindness, and acting gently,
May I bring them, all at once, to enlightenment!

May beings never be harmed on my account,

Whether directly or indirectly,
And, through bringing them only benefit and happiness,
May I lead them all to the state of perfect bliss!

In each and every instant, may all limitless beings,

With skill in the means of liberation and the force of compassion,
Become just like Avalokitevara, Majur,
And Vajrapi, the Lord of Secrets.

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May those who suffer and are difficult to tame,
Receive special loving care and guidance,
And may the compassionate prayers and aspirations
Of the Supreme Sage and the Lotus Born come true!

In the wisdom space of the equality of self and other,

Through the dawning of emptiness and compassion's power,
Just so the benefit of others may be secured,
May this prayer of aspiration swiftly be fulfilled!

This aspiration prayer for seeing adverse conditions as supports on the path to
enlightenment encapsulates the words of the Jamgn Lama1 and was written by Lodr
Drim Ziji Rabtu Gaw Pal, a mendicant heir to the victorious buddhas, who ardently
and devotedly follows the Mahyna path, as a result of the kindness of the perfect
buddha of Shechen (i.e., Shechen Gyaltsab), who was a master of wondrous bodhicitta
and a crowning jewel for beings in this degenerate age.

Translated by Adam Pearcey, 2015. With thanks to Po-yu Sung for providing the Tibetan text and a draft
translation.

1. A reference to The Gateway to the Ocean of Bodhicitta (byang sems rgya mtsho'i
'jug ngogs) by Jamgn Kongtrul Lodr Thay.

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Wisdoms Melody
An Aspiration to Realize Madhyamaka, Mahmudr, and Mah Ati

by Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Incomparable Gurus in whom the three secrets of myriad siddhas are primordially
perfected: Samantabhadra, Vajradhara, and you, Mighty Sage, together with your
close disciples and oceanic deities of the Three Jewels, Three Roots, and dharmaplas,
pray listen!

Having purified myself with the common and extraordinary preliminary practices:
cultivating faith, renunciation, compassion, and wisdom; with reliance upon the
refuge of the three jewels, and the altruistic wish to benefit others, may I enter the
path pleasing to the victors!

The ultimate, essential nature of everything is emptiness, and the obscuring nature,
devoid of self-characteristics, can arise interdependently as anything whatsoever.
Their union lies beyond all extremes and is the dhtu beyond aspiration may I
actualize the Middle Way view of the supreme vehicle!

Through the threefold natural occurrence the co-emergence of mind itself is realized;
experiencing the self-liberation of the four faults is the fourfold yoga. Having found
the deep confidence that the four kyas are perfected within me, may I realize the
meditation of Mahmudr!

To realize the magical display of illusion, of appearance and mind as empty

awareness, is to strike the vital point of the swift path of creation, recitation, method,
and liberation; to see sasra and nirva arise as the dharmakya is to take both
happiness and suffering as the path. May I dispel obstacles and enhance the practice
through the conduct of single-taste!

Having liberated preoccupation with thought and hankering after self-characteristics

into the primordially pure dhtu, the four visions of spontaneous presence exhaust
contamination whence it lies. May I win the citadel of the dharmadhtu, the youthful
kya within a vase, and achieve the four visions of the resultant Great Perfection!

With swift compassion for all beings throughout space, and to obtain the potential,
ability, methods, and knowledge to tame those difficult ones bringing about the
amazing twofold spontaneous benefit may I emulate the awe-inspiring siddhas of
the past!

Whilst explaining the Heart-Essence of the Lordly and Most Majestic of Siddhas
(Druptop Chenpi Tuktik), I gave rise to a strong faith and conviction in the key vajra
points of the profound secret. I thought of the great fortune that would ensue if I and all

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others could at least aspire to practise such a path. As such, I, Magala, a beggar from
Dokham, wrote this in the hidden land of fruits, Sikkim. May it prove meaningful!
Virtue!

Translated by Sean Price, 2015

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The Sage who Dispels Minds Anguish
Advice from the Guru, the Gentle Protector Majur
On the Means of Accomplishing the Yogas of amatha and Vipayan
by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Homage to the Guru kyamuni!

When training in the yogas of amatha and vipayan by focusing on the body of the
Teacher, Buddha, infuse your mind with precious bodhicittathe wish to attain
buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beingsand think:

At this time when I have obtained the support of the freedoms and riches
and met the Tathgatas teachings, I will put aside all worldly activities which
only bring about negative results. Although such practices as making
offerings to the Tathgatas form and so on do generate immeasurable merit,
these accumulations of merit based on material wealth are something that the
Tathgata advised mainly for householders. As something far superior, for
renunciates, those following in his own footsteps, he praised discipline and
genuine inward resting. In accordance with the Tathgatas words, therefore,
I will practice these as much as I can.

In particular, throughout the course of beginningless time, we have been

disturbed day and night, without break, by all kinds of conceptual thoughts,
rather like the stirring of wind, or clouds, or waves on the ocean, and have
been brought low. Not only have we failed to accomplish a single remarkable
quality, we are afflicted by all manner of suffering. Since that is so, I will now
free myself however I can from the mire of these different conflicting
thoughts, and, even if just for a single instant, focus on the Tathgatas body,
which is of such great merit and significance. In so doing, I shall achieve the
yogas of amatha and vipayan in the proper way.

With an intense pledge of one-pointed yearning think: Guru, Victorious Ones, and
your descendants, I supplicate you: grant your blessings so that I may succeed!
Remove yourself, first of all, from hustle and bustle; in a place without impediments
to meditative concentration, such as people moving about during the day or hubbub
at night, sit on a comfortable seat in meditation posture. Then thoroughly mix your
mindstream with the preliminary dharmas.

Place in front of you, at whatever height and position is comfortable, a beautiful and
pleasing image of the Tathgata, the King of kyas, which has been drawn correctly
by a skilled artist. With the power of aspiration recall the Tathgatas blessings and
by reciting the Essence of Causation mantra consecrate the image. Having done this,
place it at whatever distance is right for you to look at, neither too close nor too far

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away.

Look at the image with admiration as if it were the Tathgatas actual form, and
think: Like an uumbara flower, which appears in this world only every few
hundred years, the Tathgata, arises from the cause of boundless accumulations of
merit and wisdom beyond imagining. Since the Tathgata is fully adorned with the
thirty-two excellent marks and eighty excellent signs, seeing him is without
disharmony. In the world of gods, the extremely clear and steadfast noble rpakyas
are seen in common by all the sentient beings of that world at that time. These
rpakyas also teach the Dharma there, and they display all kinds of miracles. For
the benefit of those to be tamed they also perform various actions including staying,
departing, getting up, and sleeping, bringing immeasurable sentient beings sources
of virtue to fruition. Our Teacher, kyamuni, Lion of the kyas, was born into the
royal line of kyas and eventually attained enlightenment, after which he taught the
Dharma to bodhisattvas, rvakas, and many other gatherings of beings at Vulture
Peak and elsewhere.

While keeping in mind these qualities and attributes, think, This is what the
Tathgatas form is like in shape and appearance. The Tathgata is the embodiment
of discipline, of samdhi, supreme knowledge (shes rab), complete freedom, the
gathering of the wisdom and seeing of complete liberation and so on; he is endowed
with immaculate qualities that are beyond imagining and cannot be adequately
conveyed even unto the very limits of space itself.

He closely embraces us all with his great love. For our sake he underwent
immeasurable hardships; as you should learn from the supportive teachings for the
Treasury of Blessings, which tell, for instance, of how the Brahmin Samudrarja
generated bodhicitta. In such ways, for three immeasurable aeons by practicing the
six pramits he gathered inconceivable and inexpressible accumulations of merit
and wisdom, and was freed from all obscurations. By conquering the four mras he
completely perfected all excellent qualities without exception, and having obtained
the kya of the great wisdom of omniscience he became the refuge, protector, and
friend of all sentient beings until the end of time. The virtues of recalling this
unsurpassable Bhagavn, the Transcendent Conqueror, paying homage to him,
uttering his name, seeing his bodily form and resting the mind one-pointedly upon it
and so on, no matter how small, will become the cause for supreme awakening.
Think: Since that is due to the power of the Tathgatas past aspirations and
inconceivable wisdom, how fortunate we are! And generate great faith by recalling
the Buddha.

Then, without your attention being too tightly or loosely focused, but in a leisurely
manner, without letting your mindfulness and attentiveness decline, focus your mind
continuously on the appearance of the Tathgatas form. Distancing yourself from
any thought other than the object of focus, settle your attention solely on the

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Buddhas form. Eventually you should focus one-pointedly without interruption as
much as you can.

In short, practice progressively the nine methods of mental-abiding until you achieve
the one-pointedness of a mind of the desire realm.

You can look at and focus upon the body in general, or, in order to obtain the noble
Dharma and pacify dullness, focus particularly on the ua, the crown on the
Buddhas head, the limit of which is impossible to see. Alternatively, in order to
obtain samdhi and pacify agitation, you can concentrate directly on the enlightened
minds glorious knot (which is at the Buddhas heart centre). Or, to accomplish great
merit and gain happiness, you can concentrate on the appearance of the coil of hair
between the Buddhas eyebrows, which is white as snow or conch and curls to the
right. In order to make the great melodious sound of Dharma pervade the whole
world and to benefit sentient beings by teaching the Dharma, fix your mind on the
form of the throat, the source of the sixty qualities of melodious speech, at the conch
of Dharma with its three lines and so on. Wherever it is you feel inclined to focus,
concentrate your mind there unwaveringly.

When focusing your mind like this, at the very beginning it is like catching a snake;
the mind is so wild and untamed that the first stage of meditation is called the
experience of movement, like a waterfall. At this stage you have the impression that
your mind is in constant motion. From the Stra Requested by Subhu:

This mind is like lightning, wind, and clouds,

Like the waves of a giant ocean,
Cunning, indulging in everything it desires,
Moving, strayingI must certainly tame it.

Think: Since all sentient beings have fallen under the sway of this completely
distracted mind, I will persevere without giving into laziness come what may! For if
one perseveres there is nothing one cannot accomplish. Then endeavour to maintain
the focus for as long as you can.

By persevering in this way, discursive thoughts, which were so apparent and rough,
wild and turbulent, will settle down slightly after a while. But there will still be the
busyness of many different thoughtsa bubbling stream of restless mental activity.
That is called the second meditation experience of attainment, like a river flowing
through a narrow canyon. The example is used because although a river running
through a narrow canyon is still very turbulent and noisy, it is a little slower than a
waterfall.

If you keep persevering and continue the practice, then you will feel that inwardly
the minds thoughts are slowing down and you are able to remain with the object of
focus. However, if you examine carefully you will see that you are still involved in a

16
continuous stream of many subtle conceptual thoughts. This is the third experience,
called the experience of familiarisation, like a gently flowing stream. When you
look at a stream from afar it seems to be still and you cannot tell that it is moving,
but when you get up close you see that it is moving a little and rippling.

From this point on, if you dont stop persevering, but keep on striving, you will have
less hardship and suffering than beforeso exert yourself continuously! By
practicing like this, even the movement of subtle conceptual thoughts will be
pacified and as long as you have the conditioning for the focus you will be able to
remain as long as you like. Yet this does not mean that you are completely
impervious to circumstances. This is the fourth meditation experience, called the
experience of stability, like an ocean free from waves, since the mind abides and is
stable.

Having reached this far, without having to undergo great hardships, the fifth
meditation experience, perfection, like a mountain, will arise as long as you
continue to familiarise yourself with this state over time. This is synonymous with
effortless engagement (rtsol ba med pai du byed). The mind naturally mixes with
whatever you focus on and, without the need for any effort, remains steadily
wherever you want; conceptual thoughts no longer have the power to shake the
mind. This is the accomplishment of what is called the one-pointedness of a mind of
the desire realm.

At this time, various experiences resulting from the minds abiding will also arise.
When you have become familiar with this state, mind and body are said to become
supple (shin tu sbyangs ba). As body and mind become workable in this way,
whatever object of focus you settle the mind upon, even if you remain for several
days, there is no sense at all of either the body or the mind being unable to cope; the
body feels as light as cotton wool and the mind is pervaded by the bliss of vivid
clarity.

This suppleness is rough and heavy at first and has a sense of solidity. But with
familiarity the heaviness fades and there arises an unwavering amatha that is
extremely fine and clear, like a shadow, a mind of meditative concentration that is in
accord with the main part of practice. This kind of meditation has the name
amatha, since it is a mind endowed with suppleness. It also corresponds to the
aspect of the first meditative absorptions capable preparatory stage (bsam gtan dang
poi nyer bsdogs mi lcogs med). There is nothing that this kind of meditative
concentration is incapable ofbe it meditation with a conceptual focus, or meditation
without concepts, as in the meditations on emptiness and the like.

There are several ways of counting the stages of accomplishing amatha, such as the
four mental engagements or the six powers, but essentially they are all included in
the following: the mind remains totally concentrated, with mindfulness and
attentiveness, for as long as possible on the object of focus, and as you familiarise

17
yourself with this the five meditation experiences (explained above) will arise.

When you have accomplished amatha in this way, the strength of the minds
workability gives the body a gleaming complexion and makes it comfortable and
strong. The mind too becomes clear and lucid and settles on any object of your
choice. Body and mind are saturated with immeasurable joy and bliss, the
afflictions are reduced, and you have an experience concordant with the
extraordinary joy of inner solitude.

By the strength of the merit of practicing amatha with this focus on the form of the
Buddha, and through the Buddhas blessings, you will come to see the Buddha, either
in actuality or in dreams. You will receive Dharma teachings and so onall sorts of
different excellent qualities will arise in your mind.

Once you have accomplished amatha in this way, begin the practice of vipayan.
How should you do so? When first practicing amatha, you rest the mind using an
image of the Buddhas form as a support. Even when not using such a support as the
focus, the Buddhas form can still arise as a mental object on which you rest the
mind. When, having practiced in whichever way you wish, you finally accomplish
amatha, the Buddhas body appears vividly even without any support as the
characteristic form of samdhi.

At first this form shines vividly and steadily as an object of the mind, like a reflection
in a mirror. Then, as you familiarise yourself with it more and more, it manifests as
an object of your senses as well, like something that is actually present. If you
continue to familiarise yourself with it yet further, the image you are focusing on
becomes perceptible even to others senses in the same way. So, it is said that the first
clarity appears as a mental object; the second as an object of the senses; and the third
as an object of touch, as is taught in all the Early Translations textbooks on
approach and accomplishment.

When you accomplish just the first level of clarity, from then on you should practice
vipayan. Consider the way the form of the Buddha endowed with the marks and
signsbeautiful, delightful, vivid, and steadfastnow appears as a mental object as if
actually present. This is just the appearance of habitual imprints in your own mind:
it has not come from anywhere, nor does it go anywhere. When examined it is
isolated. It is not found anywhere at all, inside or out. It depends on the mind and
appears entirely as a result of the mere interdependent arising of habit. The mind to
which it appears too, when examined, is not found anywhere, inside or out; since it is
devoid of any basis or root, what need is there to speak of what appears to it? This
appearance, therefore, does not possess even the slightest trace of any true nature.

In the same way, the appearance of buddhas in the world is due to the power of the
interdependent arising of sources of virtue based on beings pure intentions, together
with the buddhas great aspirations made in the past; just as when someones

18
reflection appears in a clean mirror. Although in worldly beings domain of
experience it does indeed appear undeceiving, the Tathgata does not have any
ordinary aggregates, elements or sense-sourcesnot even to the slightest degree
since he is the utterly unfathomable wisdom kya equal to the dharmadhtu, the
basic space of phenomena. In the Stra of the Ornament of the Appearances of
Wisdom it says:

The Tathgata, by inexhaustible virtue,

Is a reflection of dharmas;
Since there is no thusness (tatht), there is also no Tathgata.
In all worlds he appears only as a reflection.

Also, from the Samdhi in which the Present Buddha Abides Directly:

Buddhas are analysed by bodhisattvas.

Mind as well is completely pure, naturally luminous,
Stainless, not merged with conceptual thoughts.
Whoever knows this will attain supreme awakening, buddhahood.

We must examine this with supreme knowledge and understand it.

Having understood this, just as it is with the Tathgata, we will see that all the
phenomena of appearance and existence that are contained within the aggregates,
elements, and sense-sources also appear in the world and are experienced as they are
through the force of interdependent origination. Yet all these phenomena are no
more than mere appearances coming about due to the interdependent arising of their
individual causes and conditions. And when they are properly examined, we dont
find even so much as a single atoms worth of true nature. Just as with magical
illusions and appearances during a dream, in reality there is no going or coming,
arising or ceasing and so forth at all.

Nevertheless, childish ordinary beings, who cling to appearances as existing the way
they appear and who have forsaken individual analysis, cling to arising and ceasing
and the rest as existent. It is as if a person with cataracts has no notion that the
falling hairs which affect their vision should be removed. Throughout beginningless
time our minds have been tainted by the 'cataracts' of ignorance, as a result of which
we do not know how things genuinely are.

Those who have realised the way things genuinely are, meanwhile, do not need to be
rid of appearances, because they can see that although things appear, they are not
real at all. Having seen this, they realise that all phenomena are naturally and
primordially unborn. The Stra Requested by Anavatapta says:

19
 Whatever was born from conditions was not born;
It is essentially devoid of birth.
Whatever relies on conditions is empty, it is taught.
Whoever knows emptiness is careful.

Also, in the Mother of the Victorious Ones, the Prajpramit, it says:

All phenomena are like illusions and dreams.

Nirva as well is like an illusion and dream.
If there is any dharma superior to nirva, it too is illusory and dreamlike.

Furthermore, from the King of Samdhi Stra:

Just like mirages, cities of gandharvas,

Like magical illusions, like dreams,
Conceptual meditation is essentially empty.
Understand all phenomena to be like this.

And in the Root Knowledge of the Middle Way it is taught:

Like a dream, like a magical display,

Like a city of gandharvas, just so
Both arising and dwelling and, likewise,
Destructionall were taught to be like this.

No matter how the Buddhas body appears to the mind, therefore, all acts of focusing
on it are non-existent from the beginning. And all phenomena are the same,
ourselves included. Whatever is ones own nature, is the nature of the Buddha.
Whatever is the nature of the Buddha, that is also the nature of all phenomena. From
the Stra of the Ornament of the Appearances of Wisdom:

Permanently unborn phenomena are the Tathgata.

All phenomena are like the Sugata.
Those with childish minds who grasp at characteristics
Interact with phenomena that do not exist throughout all worlds.

From the Condensed Prajpramit:

Understand all sentient beings to be like oneself.

Understand all phenomena to be like sentient beings.
Not conceptualising things as either unborn or born
This is the practice of the supreme Prajpramit.

And from the Root Knowledge of the Middle Way:

Whoever forms mental constructs about Buddha,

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 Who is beyond constructs and inexhaustible,
Will be brought down by their constructs.
They will not see the Tathgata. Whatever is the nature of the Tathgata,
That is the nature of these wanderers.
The Tathgata is without self-nature.
These wanderers also lack self-nature.

In the natural state, the ultimate nature, all phenomena are perfectly equal in the
dharmadhtu, the basic space of phenomena, that is beyond all the webs of mental
constructs, such as the notions of being born, unborn, and so on. From the Stra
Requested by Sgaramati (Ocean of Intelligence):

This dharma is stainless, pure, virtuous, naturally luminous;

Like the sky, equal, and primordially unarisen.
Unborn, unarisen, without abiding, and without ceasing
This is the victorious ones stainless, unwavering seal.

From the Avatasaka Stra:

Fine and crystalline, the path of great sages,

Non-conceptual, not the conceived, difficult to look at.
Naturally peaceful, without ceasing, without arising,
It is realised by the wise who clearly understand.
Empty of essence, peaceful, devoid of suffering,
Free from the continuum, equal nirva,
Free from centre and extremes, inexpressible,
Free throughout the three times, like the sky.

From the Stra Spoken in the Presence of Noble Rhula:

Inconceivable, inexpressible, the Prajpramit,

Unborn, unceasing, the nature of space,
Object of the wisdom of individual self-awareness
To the mother of the victorious ones of the three times, I prostrate!

The protector Ngrjuna taught:

Not known from other, peaceful, and

Not elaborated by elaborations,
Free from concepts, devoid of plurality
That is the definition of suchness.

Accordingly, the yogi who resolves thusnessthat which is beyond all expressions,
elaborations, and objects of focusat first by means of the samdhi that realises all
phenomena to be like illusions rests in equanimity on the Tathgatas illusory body.

21
He or she should look at the body of the Tathgata and then when listening to
Dharma and so forth train in the manifestations of illusory objects of experience.

If the yogi then rests in inexpressible equanimity, the emptiness that is to be

individually recognised, in that manner he or she will attain the patience towards the
dharma that is concordant with dharma. And owing to that there is no doubt that
before long the yogi will attain in actuality the wisdom of the path of seeing. This is
clearly explained in the pith instructions for taking into experience the meaning of
the Samdhi in which the Present Buddha Abides Directly and the Same Arrangement
Samdhi.

Even those who are not able to practice like this should engage in the yoga of
continually recalling the Teacher, Lord of the Sages, as is taught in the Treasury of
Blessings. Bring to mind the visualisation for taking refuge and generating bodhicitta,
and with a firm and confident pledge recite the following three times:

In the Buddha, the Dharma, and the supreme assembly

I take refuge until enlightenment.
By the merit of my generosity and so forth
May I attain buddhahood for the benefit of beings.

After meditating on the four abodes of Brahma, from the illusory state of the unity of
emptiness and interdependently-arisen appearances say:

Ah
Like the illusory display of the unity of unborn emptiness etc.

Actualise the visualisation as it is described in the Treasury of Blessings chant text.

Thinking that the Buddha is present in person, practice with longing and steady faith
that by which the bodhisattvas, those expert in skilful means, gather together the
accumulations of many aeons in a single instant of mind: the condensed key point
that accumulates, purifies, and increases, the seven branches of homage, and the rest.
To avoid squandering your hopes, supplicate the Buddha with confidence and make
aspirations for the desired aims as taught in the root text.

Then, with one-pointed faith bow down to the buddha bhagavns with as many
bodies as there are motes of dust in the universe and make offerings with all
appropriate gifts. With the one-pointed aspiration of thinking, Until obtaining
unsurpassable enlightenment, I and all sentient beings go for refuge! recite the
Buddhas names with, Guru, Teacher, Transcendent Conqueror..., as many times as
you can.

Finally, by reciting the dhra mantra (gzungs) in the manner of invoking the
Tathgatas enlightened mindstream. Consider that light-rays shine out from the
Tathgatas body and fill the entire expanse of space. Imagine that by dissolving into

22
you and all sentient beings all obscurations and suffering are cleared away and you
come to possess every happiness. All the excellent qualities of the Mahyna path,
such as faith, dhra, samdhi, courage, supreme knowledge, and wisdom and the
like, arise properly in your mindstream. You become someone with the fortune of
attaining enlightenment, from the level of a non-returner up until final,
unsurpassable great awakening. Recite the mantra as many times as you can.

From the Jewel Mound Stras eleventh, Radiating Light chapter:

Now, by the causes and conditions

Of inconceivable virtuous actions
I have completely abandoned all delusion
And accomplished manifold light-rays.

And:

By the power of non-doing

Lights of infinite colours stream out,
Fulfilling the hopes
Of those aspiring accordingly.

From a single ray of light two colours shine out, and so on. Thus, there are
immeasurably different kinds of light-rays, all radiating: the light-rays Shining Clean
Cloud, and Pristine Eyes, Pristine Ears, etc., up to Pristine Mind. Similarly, there
are Pristine Form, etc., up to Pristine Phenomena; Pristine Earth, etc., up to Pristine
Space; Pristine Aggregates, etc.; Pristine Truth etc.; Pristine Courage etc.; and those
named after colours such as White, Yellow, etc.; as well as Supreme Excellent
Quality, Ngas Splendour, Elephants Splendour, Prosperous Lion, Prosperous
Supreme Nga etc.; Tamed Nga, Tamed Yaka, etc.; Vajra Strength, Empty etc.; and
Completely Pure Past Virtue, each arising individually.

The light-ray called Dharmat makes ten million buddhafields quake. The one called
Taming Mras terrifies the mras. Holding in mind the name of the light-ray called
Merit Victory-Banner overcomes harm. Holding in mind the name of the one called
Mighty Victory-Banner overcomes enemies. Holding in mind the name of the one
called Completely Pacifying Victory-Banner overcomes desire, and so on. Merely
holding these names in mind is enough to overcome all faults, including sexual
misconduct, corrupt discipline, and the like. Moreover, taking the name of any of the
light-rays is also enough to perfect discipline, samdhi and so forth and annihilate all
the afflictions such as delusion. Similarly, happiness is obtained, one is freed from
anguish, transcends all mental constructs, and gives birth to excellent qualities such
as knowing the three times.

Each light-ray, such as Sorrow-Free, has as well a retinue of eight thousand billion.
In such ways it is said that by means of the different light-rays the Tathgata has, the

23
number of which goes beyond the count of particles in the buddhafields, sentient
beings are brought to fruition and their individual hopes are fulfilled completely.

In the bodhisattva piaka it also says:

The buddhas infinite light,

A web of light beyond imagining,
Pervades an infinite ocean
Of buddhafields in all directions.

Furthermore, you should also consider the meaning of what is taught in the
Avatasaka Stra and the Excellent Splendour chapter of the Precious Palm Tree
Stra and similar texts.

In this context as well, by putting into practice in whatever way is appropriate the
yogas of amatha and vipayan as taught above, you will accomplish something
that is at least an approximation of genuine amatha and vipayan.

During a session, make maala offerings, praises and supplications, and dedicate
the virtue and make different aspirations in whichever way is suitable. There is no
need to request the Buddha to come and dissolve, since wherever you visualise the
Buddhas body, he is there; in the space-like kya of equanimity there is no coming,
going, arising, or decreasing. You can recall the Buddha in any place or time.

In the breaks between sessions exert yourself in the sources of virtue as much as you
can, by reading different stras, or doing prostrations, making offerings,
circumambulating, and so forth. Even if you are unable to do any of these, recall the
Buddha as much as you can and bring to mind repeatedly the concepts of
impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and selflessness, as well as the concept of
nirva, or peace.

When lying down, continue your practice for as long as you are not overwhelmed by
sleep. When you do fall asleep visualise light radiating out from the Buddhas body
and pervading everywhere, and meditate on the concept of light. From the dharma
text known as the Completely Certain Meaning:

Bhikus, if you wonder how one attains the wisdom of seeing by training
thoroughly in samdhi meditation, bhikus, the bhiku thoroughly takes hold
of the concept of light and so on. Bhikus, it is like this: for example, during
the last spring moon the sky is cloudless, and on a cloudless day the suns
form appears completely pure, completely white, and luminous; it is not dark.
Bhikus, likewise the bhiku thoroughly takes hold of the concept of light. He
keeps it perfectly in mind. He perfectly encounters it. He perfectly realises it.
Having truly abided in the concept of the sun and meditated on its light in the
mind, just as in the day so also in the night, just as in the night so also in the

24
 day, just as early on so also late, just as late so also early on, just as below so
also above, just as above so also below. Like that, with mind free from all
divisions and cycles truly abiding in the concept of the sun he meditates on
its light in the mind. If you cultivate this samdhi meditation at all times and
deeply familiarise yourself with it, you will obtain the wisdom of seeing!

Likewise, constantly endeavour as much as you can in the practice of recollecting the
Lord of Sages, and with sincere intentions dedicate all sources of virtue for the sake
of unsurpassable perfect awakening. All those who exert themselves like this and, by
resting in equanimity in the manner of the illusory relative and the absolute, free
from elaborations, accomplish amatha and vipayan will obtain extraordinary
qualities of the path, such as seeing the Buddha, hearing the Dharma and so forth.
Even those who practice a mere semblance of this will gain all kinds of blessings and
accomplishments. Wonderful signs, such as seeing the Tathgata in dreams, will also
arise.

Moreover, with regard to good and bad signs in dreams, the Stra Called
Accomplishing the Fourth Noble One says:

The Youthful Majur said to the devaputra Bhadvika: The four dreams of
dusty obscurations are as follows: seeing a moon-disk inside a dusty well;
seeing a moon-disk at the bottom of a dirty pond or well; seeing a moon-disk
in a sky obscured by large clouds; and seeing a moon-disk in a sky shrouded
by smoke and clouds of dust.

Moreover, the four dreams that correspond to karmic obscurations are:

falling into an abyss from a huge precipice; approaching an undulating road;
approaching a narrow road; and seeing polluted places and many frightening
things.

The four dreams that correspond to the obscurations of the afflictions are:
being upset by fierce poison; hearing the sound of mostly ferocious wild
animals; staying in a frauds home; and seeing ones own body as filthy and
wearing stained clothes.

The four dreams that correspond to obtaining dhra mantra are: seeing a
place full of all sorts of precious treasures; seeing a pond totally filled with
blooming lotus flowers; finding a set of white clothes; and seeing a deity
holding a parasol above the crown of ones head.

The four dreams that correspond to obtaining samdhi are: seeing a lovely
girl adorned with fine jewellery offering scattered flowers; seeing a flock of
white and grey geese in the sky hooting and then flying off; seeing the
Tathgata place his hand, beautified by many lights, on the top of ones head;
and seeing the Tathgata sitting in a lotus flower in meditative concentration.

25
 The four dreams that correspond to seeing the Tathgata are: seeing a moon-
disk rising; seeing a sun-disk rising; seeing a blossoming lotus flower; and
seeing Lord Brahm in an extremely peaceful posture.

The four dreams that correspond to the bodhisattvas own qualities are:
seeing a large sla tree filled with all sorts of leaves, flowers, and fruits; seeing
a bronze vessel filled with gold; seeing the face of the sky filled with parasols,
victory-banners, and standards; and seeing a great cakravartin king.

The four dreams that correspond to taming the mras are: seeing a great
athlete defeating all other athletes, hoisting a standard, and going; seeing a
great hero win a battle and leave; seeing someone being empowered as king;
and seeing oneself in Bodhgaya taming the mras.

The four dreams that correspond to the signs of a non-returner are: a white
skull being tied on ones head; making unstinting offerings; sitting on a large
dharma seat; and seeing the Tathgata staying in Bodhgaya and teaching the
dharma.

The four dreams that correspond to obtaining the essence of enlightenment

are: seeing a vase; seeing a chicken encircled by Indian jays; witnessing all
the trees rising up, bowing down, and making prostrations wherever you go;
and seeing a vast golden light.

Having also understood the good and bad signs of dreams as described, rely on the
skilful means for clearing away faults and accomplishing excellent qualities. In
[Buddha Vairocanas] Chkyi Gyamo it is taught that:

Signs of true purification through remorse are seeing the Buddha come, rub
his hand on the crown of ones head, and lights radiating out; and seeing
flowers and so on.

In other stras it is also said that if you see lotus flowers in dreams your aim has
been accomplished. From the Liberation Stra:

The dream signs of having purified negative actions are wanting to cross an
enormous river and then going over a bridge, being washed, and rain falling
on your body. These are all signs of complete purification. Joining and sitting
in a row of many ordained sagha members, and entering a stpa or temple
and seeing all the images of the buddhas and bodhisattvas are signs of
following in the footsteps of the Buddha and Dharma. If you dream of finding
fruit and eating it, you will actualise the accomplishment of the fruits of
excellent qualities in this life.

It is taught that just one such dream marks the purification of one of the five evil

26
deeds of immediate fruition, while five such dreams indicates the purification of all
five evil deeds. This should also be understood according to the dreams chapter of
the Jewel Mound Stra and other such texts.

Although there are many different bodhisattva practices for the time of death,
including the eleven concepts taught in the stras, the crucial point is taught and
contained in the Noble Wisdom of Passing Stra. There it is taught that at the time of
death bodhisattvas meditate on the wisdom of passing as follows: whenever you
think, I am dying! visualise the Guru, Lord of Sages, on the crown of your head and
generate intense faith. Then think: It is not only me: all sentient beings are subject
to the law of death, no-one is exempt. Although we have repeatedly undergone
countless births and deaths here in sasra, we have only ever known the suffering
of death and all these births have been entirely devoid of meaning. But now I will
make sure that this present death of mine is meaningful!

Having contemplated in this way, reflect that there is not a single conditioned
phenomenon included within the internal or the external, or the past, present, or
future, that is immune to impermanence, the nature of arising and ceasing, even for a
single instant. Within the category of the conditioned there are those things whose
continuum ceases after a short time, such as water bubbles and bolts of lightning,
and there are also those whose continuum ceases after a much longer period of time,
such as the realms of this world. But whether they abide for a long time or a short
time, all conditioned things must cease in the end; there is not one that is
unchanging. The entire world of the vessel and its contentsthe environment and
its inhabitantswill also disintegrate, and if even the Tathgata, the Transcendent
Conqueror, demonstrated death in the manner of passing into nirva, what need is
there to speak of the likes of us? As the Tathgata said, Everything conditioned is
impermanent.

Not understanding the nature of conditioned things like this, being averse to
separation and death and delighting in gathering and birth, sentient beings remain in
sasra, circling around again and again. Yet I shall take my own death when it
comes as a teacher, a virtuous spiritual friend, and will realise from the depth of my
heart how all conditioned things are impermanent! I will decide on this with
certainty! Think earnestly like this at the time of death: In all future lifetimes too
until I attain the essence of awakening, by understanding everything conditioned to
be impermanent may I not become attached to conditioned objects of experience!
Guru, Lord of Sages, victorious ones and your heirs, I supplicate you! Grant your
blessings that it may be so!

Then, as it is said in the Mahyna stra, the Noble Wisdom of Passing:

Since all phenomena are naturally pure,

Meditate on the concept of non-entities.
Fully endowed with bodhicitta,

27
 Meditate on the concept of great compassion.
Since the nature is unseeable luminosity,
Meditate on not being attached to anything at all.
Mind is the cause for the arising of wisdom.
Do not search for buddha elsewhere.

First consider how the principle illustrated by ones own death applies throughout
the infinite reaches of space. Focus on all sentient beings, who cling to impermanent
conditioned things as permanent and to painful sasra as pleasure, and experience
death and endless varieties of suffering. Generating a mind of great compassion,
think: In order to free them from the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, and death
and lead them to unsurpassable perfect awakening, may I become the protector of
the three worlds, a buddha, a transcendent conqueror, and free all sentient beings
from their endless suffering! Then meditate on the concept of great compassion
endowed with bodhicitta.

Similarly, when you examine all phenomena, as exemplified by this death, you find
that they are by nature void, and yet, by conceptualising, through the force of mere
imputation, we create happiness and suffering, benefit and harm. If these
phenomena really existed, there would be no so-called death and suffering at all!
Think: All phenomena are unreal! Decide that this is the case, and reflect.

Likewise, all these phenomena, including death, have no established identity

whatsoever, yet like illusory appearances their expression is completely
unobstructed. When analysed, they cannot be expressed in terms of the extremes of
existence or non-existence. They are naturally non-conceptual and luminous.
Therefore, ones own mind that does not abide as any entity or non-conceptual thing
whatsoever is primordially luminous; in the state of present direct awareness all the
phenomena of sasra and nirva are totally equal. Decide, therefore, that the
enlightened mind of the Teacher, Lord of Sages, and your own mind are indivisible
within the nature of mind, the state of self-existing wakefulness. If without getting
distracted from that state you come to possess confidence and develop certainty in it,
that is the realisation of the true nature of your own mind. Other than that there is
no so-called buddha whatsoever.

In that state there is neither death nor birth. Death and the like are mere concepts; in
the truth of the innate nature of mind free from concepts, birth and death are not
established in any way. If you were to pass away while resting evenly in such a state,
you would be reborn in a buddhafield without experiencing the deluded appearances
of the intermediate state.

If you do not have that level of confidence however, but still remember only the
Guru, Lord of Sages, at the time of death and throughout the intermediate state,
without forgetting, then that will be enough to lead you to a pure realm. Moreover,
no matter what terror and suffering you face in this life, if you remember the

28
Buddha you will certainly be liberated from any trouble. Whatever happiness and
excellent fortune you enjoy, know it to be the great kindness of the Buddha, and,
visualising the sources of pleasure as an offering-cloud of Samantabhadra, present
them to the Buddha.

Constantly reflect on the meaning of the three liberations and the six pramits and
other topics the Buddha taught. With great compassion for all sentient beings
generate the mind of supreme enlightenment and train as much as you can in the
conduct of the bodhisattvas. Recalling the Teacher like this is extremely important,
for it is by recalling the Buddha that we first set out on all the bodhisattva paths. It
thus has immeasurable benefit, as it generates all the excellent qualities of the path.

These days, when everyone believes their own schools tenets to be the most
important, only a few people pay much attention to the Teacher, the Lord of Sages.
But anyone who has embraced these teachings and yet still has no notion of faith in
the Teacher as supreme must surely lack intelligence. Why? Because it is solely due
to the Teachers compassion in demonstrating his enlightened deeds in this place and
time for us wandering beings of the degenerate age that the teachings have appeared
and that means not only the three piakas, but all the teachings, up to and
including those of secret mantra Vajrayna, the path that can bring about the unified
state of no-more learning in one short lifetime in this degenerate age. It is also solely
due to his compassion that there are beings who hold these teachings, those who
have entered the teachings of stra and mantra, the sagha of noble beings.

If the Teacher had not radiated the light of the teachings here in this realm at this
time, we would not hear even so much as the sound of the Three Jewels. What need
to speak then of practicing the paths of stra and mantra? Therefore, whichever
tradition we practice, whether it is from the New Schools or the Old School, to have
the intense faith that holds the Teacher as especially important is indispensable at all
times. We must therefore be especially devoted to the Teacher and persevere in this
form of yoga!

Some others may think, Even if it is not the Teacher, Lord of Sages, but the Buddha
in another form, as a renunciate free from attachment, for example, or a peaceful or
wrathful yidam and so on, what difference does it make as long as we feel
devotion? Essentially there is no difference, since all Buddhas are the wisdom kya,
perfect equality, and there is no distinction in their qualities of abandonment and
realisation. Yet from the perspective of the relative level of mere appearances it is
due to the Teachers compassion that the visualisations and recitations of the yidam
deities of the different schools in all their peaceful and wrathful forms and the paths
and trainings emerged in the first place.

Therefore, just as the source of all the water in the world is Lake Mnasarovar, all
appearances of the greater and lesser teachings of the practices of the paths of stra
and mantra are certainly a result of this Teachers compassion. Just as when you

29
supplicate your own root guru you receive more blessings than by supplicating other
gurus, because of the power of your connection, supplicating the Teacher, Lord of
Sages, brings swifter blessings than supplicating any other buddha.

You might then wonder, Well, does that mean I should focus solely on the Lord of
Sages, and stop supplicating other buddhas? But it is not like that: understand that
whichever yidam you might supplicate is no different in reality from the Teacher,
Lord of Sages, since it is taught that all buddhas are equal in the dharmakya. You
must understand this point. Think: The supreme Teacher, manifesting different
bodily appearances as this and that yidam deity, showed himself to be a refuge and
friend to us all, the wandering beings of this degenerate age. If you nevertheless
separate the Teacher and your yidam, and, giving up on the Teacher, believe the
yidam to be somehow separate, this will make it difficult for accomplishments to
arise.

Similarly, in the tradition of unsurpassable secret mantra, the guru who is the vajra
master is in essence inseparable from all the buddhas of the three times. The gurus
manifestation is of even greater kindness than the buddhas of the three times, since
without the guru, even though the buddhas of the three times are present, you will
not receive blessings and accomplishments. This means that even if you make an
offering to just a single pore of the gurus body it is much more noble than making
offerings to the buddhas of the three times. All the vajra tantra scriptures state
repeatedly that simply by succeeding in pleasing the guru, you will please all the
buddhas of the three times and receive their blessings. For these reasons, the guru is
known as the complete embodiment of the Three Jewels, or as the Fourth Jewel.
Understand, therefore, that the guru is more powerful than the buddhas of past,
present and future.

You might wonder if there is anything superior to guru yoga and such practices. The
answer is that there certainly is not. Although in the tradition of secret mantra there
is no practice for entering the door of blessings, no dharma superior to the profound
path of guru yoga, the guru who teaches us the secret mantra is in fact an emanation
of the Teacher, the Lord of Sages. In the section of stras about nirva it is said:

Do not despair, nanda.

Do not lament, nanda.
In the future,
I will manifest as virtuous spiritual friends
And act for your own and others benefit.

Since they have practiced the paths of stra and mantra that were taught out of the
compassion of the Teacher, the Lord of Sages, the gurus are also offspring born from
kyamunis speech. The guru endowed with experience and realisation is the heart-
son (or heart-daughter) who has received the blessings of the relative and absolute
bodhicitta of the Teachers enlightened mindstream. This means that whatever guru

30
yoga you practice, you must understand the guru to be inseparable from the Teacher,
Lord of Sages. Not only that, you must understand that the guru is not separate from
whichever yidam you meditate on. The guru and yidam are not separate from each
other; nor are they separate from all the buddhas of the three times. In those who
have concepts of high and low, or adopting and abandoning with regard to the
buddhas, accomplishments will not arise.

Acknowledge the great kindness of the Teacher of the past and be supremely
devoted to him. Having understood the gurus, yidams and so on to be inseparable
from kyamuni, whichever yoga of visualisation and recitation you practice, be it
the guru or yidam, it is certain that you will gain great accomplishments.

When you visualise and recite based on the practice of recollecting the Lord of Sages,
then, you must visualise and recite with the devotion of understanding that not only
the sublime gurus who teach the Dharma of stra and mantra, but all the Three
Jewels of the three times too are actually embodied within the Buddha. Although
here in the context of stra, merely recollecting the Buddha is considered most
important, it is also quite alright to meditate on the Buddha as being indivisible from
the guru. Yet this is not absolutely necessary, because simply recalling the Buddha
will accomplish the aim.

When reciting the Buddhas names, Buddha is called Guru, Teacher, because
Buddha is the guru of the three worlds. That is why it is an appropriate name for the
Buddha, but if you understand it as a sign that the Buddha is indivisible from
whichever guru you have faith in that is also alright.

In any case, even if you practice in the manner of guru yoga in which the guru
himself, the source of the unsurpassable secret mantra tradition, is in the form of the
Lord of Sages, do as explained above. Since the guru him- or herself is the essential
embodiment of all the buddhas, then whichever buddha you meditate on, and in
whichever form, there is no contradiction. It is in the nature of things that blessings
too will arise in accordance with your own devotion.

This was adapted from the White Lotus, the supportive teaching for the Treasury of
Blessings, the instructions of the Gentle Protector (Majur), Mipham Rinpoche, without
corrupting either the words or the meaning. It is said that it is very good for those who
do not know how to practice Mahmudr and Dzogchen to practice in accord with these
teachings. This was heard [by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche] from Rigdzin Tekchok
(Vidydhara of the Supreme Vehicle), a direct disciple of the omniscient guru. May
virtue and excellence flourish!

First translated by Lhasey Lotsawa Translations & Publications in 2008 for The Shravakayana - A
Collection of Teachings, compiled by Kyabgn Phakchok Rinpoche for his teachings on the Nine Yanas.
Revised and edited for Lotsawa House, 2016.

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Guru Yoga
Composed by Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

a, rangrik mach dn dorje sem
A! My own rigpa, unaltered, is and always has been Vajrasattva,

lhn gyi drubp chiwor rik kn dak
Spontaneously perfect; above my head is the embodiment of all the buddha families,

jamp yang ng chkyi lodr ch
Majughoa in person: the great Chkyi Lodr,1

sangye kn gyi khyents yeshe ter
Wisdom treasury of all the buddhas' knowledge and love.

j d tralwar jana benza dang
At this master's forehead is Jna VajraJikdral Yeshe Dorje,2

drinpar tso jung ayu dharma dang
At his throat is AyudharmaTsering Chdrn 3the lake-arisen Sarasvat,

tukkar dorje ziji pal du bar
At his heart is Dorje Ziji TsalKhyentse Wangpoblazing in splendour,

tewar trinl mangala nepa
And at his navel is MagalaTashi Paljor4his enlightened activity.

dakchen yongdrub mg riktsal gyi
Rigpas radiance arises as devotion which accomplishes the great purity (of perception),

soldeb wang dang jinlab ngdrub tsol
With that I pray: grant me empowerments, blessings and siddhis!

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rangrik lamar shep jedren na
Recognizing and remembering that my own rigpa is the Lama

tuk yi chik tu drepar jingyi lob
Through this blessing, may your mind and mine merge as one!

om ah hung benza maha guru majughosha dharmamati jana vajra ayu dipam
mangala sarwa siddhi hung
o h vajra mahguru majughoa dharmamati jnavajra ayudipa magala sarva
siddhi h

At the request of Tulku Snam Gyaltsen, the incarnation of the great Tertn Sogyal and one who is the source of all
knowledge, love, compassion and noble qualities, this was written by Magala, an old man of Kham. May its
meaning and purpose be fulfilled!
Rigpa Translations. Adapted for Lotsawa House 2015. Revised 2016.

1. Jamyang Khyentse Chkyi Lodr

2. Dudjom Rinpoche

3. Khandro Tsering Chdrn

4. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

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Nectar Shower of Blessings

A Song of Yearning Devotion Recalling the Everpresent Gurus

by Kyabj Dilgo Khyents Rinpoche

a ho, chok d gyalw ku dang yeshe kyi khyabdak
A ho! Universal embodiment of the kyas and wisdoms of all the buddhas throughout the
whole of space and time,

ngotsar namtar sam mi khyabpa yi jungn
And source of wondrous lives of liberation beyond imagining,

yab chik jampal palgn lam kurshyengpa
Is the one and only father of all the buddhas, Majur, who manifested in the form of this
glorious lama,

khedrub dam khyents wangpo d khyen no
Whose learning and accomplishment are beyond compareKhyents Wangpo, care for
me! Guide me! Inspire me! Make me one with you!

j d yeshe pejung bimala ng nang
This great lord's wisdom embodiment was an actual manifestation of Padmasambhava and
Vimalamitra,

yongdzok gyalten wanggyur jampal gyi shenyen
And of Majurmitra, who mastered all the Buddhas teachings in their entirety;

nyikm mnsel trinl dzamling knkhyab dal
His enlightened actions to dispel the darkness of this degenerate age extending
throughout the whole of Jambudvpa

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jampal yang ng chkyi lodr d khyen no
Majughoa in person, Chkyi Lodr, care for me! Guide me! Inspire me! Make me one
with you!

daki tsomo tsogyal shelkar za yerm
Inseparable from the queen of kins, Yesh Tsogyal of Shelkar,

dorj ts chok pelw chakgya ru shyengp
Was the spiritual consort who extended the supreme vajra life of

pema yeshe dorj gy d tsul dzepa
Pema Yesh Dorj,1 this great master, and cared for and delighted him

ma chik tsering ch kyi drnma d khyen no
One and only mother, Tsering Chdrn, care for me! Guide me! Inspire me! Make me one
with you!

rangjung sangye pema vidzay jezung
Guided by the spontaneously awakened Padma Vijaya,2

zabgy kater gylung mengak gi dz chang
Keeper of the treasuries of the profound and vast kama and terma, tantras, commentaries
and pith instructions,

ky kn jam gn gyep ka bang su mnpa
You who aspire to serve Majughoa throughout all your lives

gyurm tek chok tenp gyaltsen d khyen no
Gyurm Tekchok Tenp Gyaltsen,3 care for me! Guide me! Inspire me! Make me one with
you!

khyen no lama khyen no dak gy la zik shik
Care for me! O masters, guide me! Look into my mind!

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d ngen nyikm semchen l ngen la gomp
We, the beings of this degenerate age, are so accustomed to our negative actions,

tarp gokab dralw mlong shyin gyurp
That, as if blind, we have no chance of gaining liberation,

resa shyen la mep dungshuk kyi b do
And, with no other hope but you, we call out with fervent longing!

tokm gomp trulnang chak gong l sawa
Our deluded perception, cultivated throughout beginningless time, is tougher than iron,

yang trul nyikm chp ya drek kyi tumpa
And we are further deluded by our own impure actions, which are like a layer of rust

chaktok dralw jin gyi men chen du gyur n
Through your unimpeded inspiration and blessings, transform this delusion into a great
healing medicine,

lona ch la gyurw khalo pa dz chik
And be our guides, steering our minds towards the Dharma!

tarnang ngen ch sashyi dultren l mang kyang
It appears as if negative actions are more numerous than atoms in this world,

ch shyin chp samjor ser zang l knp
While Dharmic thoughts and actions are rarer even than finest gold

trulnang tokp drawa tsentab su ch la
So cut through the tight mesh of our deluded thoughts and perceptions,

ch zang tek chok lam la ch n shyik dz chik
And enable us to practise the excellent Dharma on the path of the supreme vehicle!

36

sak jang j ts ts di lekp gyur mik shing
Whenever we view the practices of accumulation and purification as causes for happiness
in this life alone,

ta lokta ngen j lob ch gy kyi ching tak
Or hold false, mistaken views, cut through such bonds of the eight worldly concerns,

ch n gyalwa gyep lam chok la jorw
And, by leading us to the supreme path which delights all the buddhas,

changchub chpa gyatso ch n su dz chik
Empower us to carry out vast oceans of enlightened action!

nang ch yeshe chenp khorlo ru shar n
When our perception and experience dawns as the maala of great primordial
awareness,

rangrik yeshe lam jinlab kyi nyim
Then, through the sun-like blessings of the lama, who is the wisdom of our very own
rigpa,

trulpa shyi la dakp tsensa shyik zin n
Let us seize the stronghold, in which delusion is purified into its basic nature,

ku sum lama jalw kalzang la jor dz
And grant us the excellent fortune of meeting the three-kya guru!

This was written by the old white-haired Magala, from his bed, near a flowering garden in north-east France, to
fulfil the wishes of the son of the Lakar family of great Dharma benefactors,Tulku Sonam Gyaltsen (Sogyal
Rinpoche), who requested a prayer of calling the guru from afar to accompany a practice of guru yoga. May it be
of benefit!
| Translated by Adam Pearcey, Rigpa Translations, 2012. Revised 2016.

1. Jamyang Khyents Chkyi Lodr

37
2. A reference to Shechen Gyaltsab Gyurme Pema Namgyal (18711926), Dilgo Khyents Rinpoches
root teacher.

3. Dilgo Khyents Rinpoche.

38


The Sun of Ambrosial Wisdom:

A Guru Yoga of Dharmarja Sakya Paita
by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

The Outer Practice:

a nangsi namdak womin dechen shying
Ah! Where all that appears and exists is completely pure, Akaniha, the realm of great
bliss

kpa rab dz rang dn chtrin
Before me, amidst a ravishing display of cloud-like offerings,

jamp yang ng sakya pandita
Is Majughoa in person, Sakya Paita Kunga Gyaltsen.

kn ga gyaltsen tsenp shyn tsul dz
Youthful and handsome, adorned with all the enlightened marks,

ngurmik chg sum gyi dzepar lub
And attractively clothed in three saffron dharma robes,

chak nyi tukkar ch ch chakgya l
At his heart his two hands form the Dharma-teaching mudr.

pedong zung teng raldri lekbam nam
Both hold lotus stalks, upon which rest a sword and a scripture,

shyab nyi dorj kyiltrung p d teng
His legs are vajra-crossed, and he is seated upon a lotus and moon.

39

gy dzum tsew chen gyi dak la zik
Smiling with delight, he looks upon me with love.

tukk pal ber yeshe semp tsul
As the glorious jnasattva in his heart,

jampal shynnu marser ral pchen
Youthful Majur, orange, with scripture and sword,

dorj kyiltrung zer bum gyi khy
Sits with legs in vajra posture, enveloped in myriad rays of light.

longk chechen tukkar da teng dhih

With all sabhogakya attributes, upon a moon in his heart is dh,

marser nyima jew zijin bar
Blazing with the orange brilliance of a billion suns.

khor du s ch gyalw kyilkhor shyuk
Around him is a maala of buddhas and bodhisattvas.

sangye kn gyi yeshe ku changwa
He possesses the wisdom kya of all the buddhas.

palden lamar d gy chak gi d
Bowing with devotion to the glorious guru, I prostrate a hundred times,

nangsi kunzang chtrin gy gur bul
I offer all that delights within appearance and existence as clouds of Samantabhadras
offerings,

mi shedrib p nongpa tol lo shak
I regret mistakes due to obscured ignorance and confess them,

40

khord g tsok gyatsor j yi rang
And I rejoice in the ocean of virtues gathered in sasra and nirva,

drim zabgy chkhor korwar kul
I enjoin you to turn the wheel of stainless Dharma, profound and vast,

dro kham jisi dorj kur shyuk n
And to remain in the vajra body for as long as wandering beings exist:

khakhyab yichen sishyi l drol shying
Please free beings from existence and peace as far as the reaches of space,

dzok min jang tar snpar dz du sol
And bring completion, maturation and training to perfection!

khy ni s ch gyalwa kn gyi yab
You, father of all victors and their bodhisattva heirs,

nyim yeshe kuchen jamp yang
Have the form of non-dual wisdom, Majur.

namtar samy chok d drenp ngak
Your inconceivable life and liberation, a guide for all places and times, I praise.

ynten jesu drenp solwa deb
Remembering your qualities, I pray.

dak gi nying pem gesar tser
Within my heart, atop a blossoming lotus flower,

gyep tsen zang ngnsum k n kyang
With excellent, delightful marks, truly adorned,

41

gnpo khy kyi namtar jishyin du
Just as you have done in your life and liberation, O Protector,

ch n jinlab ten dir tsal du sol
Please bestow on us, your disciples, your conduct, power and blessings!

Then, the prayer spoken by the master himself:1

sheja tamch zikp chen yang shing
In your expansive vision, you see all that can be known,

dro kn gelek drubp tukj chen
In your compassion, you accomplish virtue and goodness for all beings,

samy trinl dzp tob ngawa
In your power, you perform activities beyond comprehension,

jamgn lam shyab la solwa deb
At the feet of the teacher Majuntha, Gentle Lord, I pray!

Thus, pray with one-pointed trust.

chj tukkar da teng dhih marser
In the heart of the Dharmarja, an orange dh rests upon a moon,

yig drukpa d j ngak kyi kor
Surrounded by the six-syllable vajra mantra.

zer trod dro kn drib nyi jang
Light-rays shine out and then gather, purifying all beings' two obscurations,

42

sangye changsem gy kul khyen n ts
And invoking the mind-streams of buddhas and bodhisattvas,

jinlab zer d n tukkar tim
Light-rays imbued with the blessings of wisdom, power and love gather and dissolve into
the heart.

ku l sam mi khyabp zer gyi
From your form, inconceivable light rays

rang gi l gang nedn dikdrib dak
Fill my own body, and purify spiritual and physical sickness, negativities and
obscurations.

mi sh dri jang dakm neluk dn
With impurities of ignorance cleansed, wisdom which realizes

tokp yeshe gy la kyepar gyur
The meaning of selflessness, the natural state, arises within the mind.

om a ra pa tsa na dhih
o arapacana dh

Recite this as much as you can.
At the end of the session:

lam ku l yeshe dtsi gyn
From the gurus form, ambrosial wisdom

marser dewa chenp nampa jung
Pours forth as an orange stream of great bliss,

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chitsuk n shyuk l kn gangwa dang
It enters the crown of the head and fills the whole body,

ku sung tuk kyi jinlab ng su shyuk
And blessings of enlightened body, speech, and mind are truly received.

l ngak yi kyi dribpa mal dak

All obscurations of body, speech and mind purified,

lama jamp dorj sang sum dang
The three vajra secrets of Guru Majur,

nyisu mep kalzang ngn du gyur
And the good fortune of non-duality are actualized.

lama khor ch shyu rang la tim
The guru and entourage melt into light and dissolve into me.

dn kyegak nedral sem kyi shi
The ground of mind is primordially free from arising, ceasing and abiding.

nyim yeshe pungpor drepa yi
Non-dual wisdom suffuses the aggregates.

wang dang ngdrub tamch tobpar sam
All empowerments and siddhis are obtained.

nangtong gyum ku yi shying knkhyab
All realms are pervaded by illusory forms, empty yet appearing.

nampa tamch tek sum ch dra drok
All sounds at all times proclaim the three vehicles Dharma.

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khyen ts n pa paky jam gn j
May we enjoy the glorious three secrets of Lord Protector Majur,

sangwa sum gyi pal la ch gyur chik
His wisdom, love and power beyond measure!

Due to the requests of those who closely rely upon extraordinary wisdom, realization and qualities, Tulku Trinl
Nyima (Sun of Activity), and Dokya Tulku Chkyi Nyima (Dharma Sun), the invalid of little worth who's attained
but a fraction of the blessing of Dharmarja Majur, Jikm Khyents zer Lodr Drim Zij Rabg Pal, wrote this
in the monastery of Rits Dali Gn in Dorj Ling (Darjeeling), within the noble land of India, and there made
prayers. May it be meaningful!

First requested by the daybreak of the Sun of Activity,

And in dependence upon the rising Dharma Sun,

By this guru yoga, which is the wisdom sun,

May the sun of the Buddhas teachings shine, freed of veils!

Magala! Virtue!

| Translated by Peter Woods and edited with the help of Stefan Mang, 2017.

1. This four-line prayer to Majur, which appears at the beginning of Sakya Paitas Tsema Rikter
(Tshad ma rigs gter), was later adopted as a prayer to Sakya Paita himself.

45
Prayer to Longchenpa (Adapted from the Words of
Mipham Rinpoche)
by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
The primordial and spontaneous nature of luminous awareness
Is unchanging and of one-taste with all the victorious buddhas.
To you who have perceived this directly, Omniscient Lord of Dharma,
Drim zer, I pray!

With your brilliant, stainless insight you have clearly and unerringly understood
The meaning of the supreme vehicle in its entirety
And are possessed of the pith instructions of profound key points:
To the collection of your speechfine explanations allI pray!

The lion's roar that is the beautiful speech of buddhas and bodhisattvas
Has prophesied that you, protector, will awaken
And be renowned as the guide Rirab Marm Gyaltsen.
At that time may I and all parent beings gather
At the place of your enlightenment as youthful bodhisattvas,
And, having enjoyed the nectar of your true words,
Receive a prophecy of our very own
That we too will attain the ten powers!

Thinking to alter the prayers of the one who was Majur in person, Mipham Rinpoche,
just a little, I, Magala rbhti (Tashi Paljor, Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche), wrote
this supplication. May it serve as a cause for the sun of the wisdom lineage to rise and
open the lotus blossom of our hearts!

Translated by Sean Price, 2016. Revised and edited for Lotsawa House.

46
Vajraklaya Prayer: A Rain of Accomplishments
revealed by Gyarong Khandro & recorded by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Emaho!

Out of the dharmadhtu palace of great bliss,

The dharmakya Samantabhadra and consort, to I pray:
Grant your blessings so I may realise the primordial nature!

Out of the sambhogakya realm of the five certainties,

The sambhogakya Garab Dorje, to you I pray:
Grant your blessings so that clear light is uninterrupted!

Out of the glorious Copper-Coloured Mountain of Chmara,

The nirmakya Padmkara, to you I pray:
Grant your blessings so I may be empowered with immortal life!

Out of the blazing palace of the dark blue triangle,

The supreme wrathful one, Vajrakumra, to you I pray:
Grant your blessings so I may subdue damsi demons and enemies of the teachings!

Out of the vast expanse of great four kya wisdom,

The supreme sons of the four families, to you I pray:
Grant your blessings so I may accomplish enlightened action without hindrance!

In the wild charnel ground upon the ten fit for liberating,
The ten self-arisen wrathful ones, to you I pray:
Grant your blessings so that beings welfare may come about without hindrance!

From the supreme sacred place at the peak of the king of mountains,
Garua, the king of the wrathful, to you I pray:
Grant your blessings so that the eight classes may be overcome!

From the palace of the triangle of swirling blood and fat,

Terma guardians, Ekaj, Rhula and Damchen, to you I pray:
Grant your blessings so that outer and inner obstacles may be pacified!

Through the blessings of praying in this way,

May I utterly renounce all worldly, samsaric action,
Set out upon the pure, undeceiving path of the three secrets,
And obtain the supreme, ultimate vajra secret!

This is the authentic profound terma deciphered by the dki Dharmatsandra

(Gyarong Khandro) from the inlaid casket taken from Khyungtak Dorjei Yangdzong.

47
Translated by Adam Pearcey, 2015.

48
A Prayer to Swiftly Fulfil All Wishes
by Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

O svasti
Lordly Guru, wisdom kya of all buddhas and deities
Of the three roots throughout all time and directions, to simply recall you fulfills all
wishes;
With your love, exalted knowledge and power,
Pray protect all beings and the Dharma during these most decadent of times!

Pray come quickly from the gandhola of the supreme field of Lotus Light,
To beautify this earth; show a magnificent aspect,
As holder of the life force, the very heart of the precious Buddhas teachings,
To clear away the decadence of the age.

Pacify the aggression of demons and enemies,

As well as all obstacles both outer and inner
And grant us everything we desire with favorable circumstances.
Mahguru, with your vajra blessing fulfill our wishes, right now!

Sharpa Tsenam, one of a very pure disposition wrought through former aspirations,
accompanied the request for this prayer with the offering of a celestial scarf. And I, a
follower of Padmasambhava, Garwang sel Do-ngak Dechen Lingpa, wrote this after
invoking the aspiration of the oceanic objects of refuge, with the aspiration that it may
be useful for the faithful; that it might serve as a support for the swift fulfilment of their
wishes in accordance with the Dharma.

| Translated by Sean Price, 2016.

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Ambrosia for the Mind
by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo
In commenting upon these seven points of mind training, a pith instruction of the
precious Kadampas who upheld the teachings of the seven divine dharmas, in the
tradition of Chekawa Yeshe Dorje, there are three main parts.

Part One, Good in the Beginning, which is divided into two

1. The Title of the Prayer

Ambrosia for the Mind, A Prayer of the Seven Points of Mind Training.

2. Homage
I bow down before the spiritual guides of the supreme vehicle,
The source of all that is positive in sasra and nirva.
May the precious masters grant their blessings
So that my mind is purified through the three kinds of faith.

Part Two, Good in the Middle: the Main Subject of the Text, which has
seven subdivisions

1. The Preliminaries, the Basis for Practice**

May the precious masters grant their blessings so that I may train thoroughly in the
preliminaries,
Recognizing how hard it is to gain the freedoms and advantages and how easily they
are lost,
So that I strive always to act in accordance with the laws of karma, adopting
wholesome deeds and avoiding what is harmful,
And develop genuine renunciation for samsara.

2. The Main Part, Training in Bodhicitta

May the precious masters grant their blessings,
So that I may always cultivate the two aspects of bodhicitta,
Purifying my dualistic perceptions, which have no basis in reality, into all-pervading
space,
And practising the profound exchange of my own happiness for others suffering.

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3. Transforming Adversity into the Path to Awakening
May the precious masters grant their blessings,
So that whatever adversity and sufferings may arise
I see them as the wiles of this demon, ego-clinging,
And transform them into the path towards awakening.

4. Applying the Practice Throughout Ones Life

May the precious masters grant their blessings,
So that I may focus upon the essence of the practice throughout my life,
And always apply the five strengths of pure thought and pure deed,
Gathering merit, purifying obscurations and making prayers of aspiration.

5. The Measure of Mind Training

May the precious masters grant their blessings,
So that with joyful self-assurance and freedom of mind,
I may bring all adverse circumstances onto the path,
And everything may become a remedy to ego-clinging.

6. The Commitments of Mind Training

May the precious masters grant their blessings,
So that I may keep my promises without hypocrisy,
And always remain impartial, and free of ostentation,
Guarding the lojong commitments as I do my very life.

7. The Precepts for Mind Training

In short, may the precious masters grant their blessings,
So that I may genuinely follow all the precepts
For increasing the two aspects of bodhichitta,
And within this lifetime gain the realization of the supreme vehicle.

Part Three, Good in the End

1. Dedication
Through the merit of this heartfelt aspiration
To practise the seven points of mind training,
The heart-essence of the incomparable Jowo Atia and his heirs,
May all beings attain the level of perfect awakening.

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 Atisha statue at Nyethang

2. The colophon
This one-pointed prayer was made before the precious statue of the glorious Atia at
Kyish Nyethang by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, a carefree yogin who wanders
throughout the land and is extremely devoted to the precious Kadampa tradition.
May it be accomplished!

The section headings were added by Mangala (Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche).

| Translated by Adam Pearcey, 2007. Revised 2012.

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Prayer for the Fulfilment of His Holinesss Aspirations

tongnyi nyingj zungdu jukp lam
You make the path that combines emptiness and compassion grow clearer and clearer,

ch cher saldz gangchen ten dr gn
Lord of the teachings and beings in the Snowy Land of Tibet,

chak na pemo tendzin gyatso la
To you, the Lotus Holder Tenzin Gyatso,

solwa deb so shyedn lhndrub shok
We pray: may all your wishes be spontaneously fulfilled!

In accordance with the prayers made by Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, these are the blessed words of His
Holiness himself. Sarva mangala!

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