TheBuddhistPath

TheBuddhistPathAPracticalGuidefromtheNyingma

TraditionofTibetanBuddhism

byKhenchenPaldenSherabRinpoche

andKhenpoTsewangDongyalRinpoche

EditedbyAnnHelmandMichaelWhite

SnowLionPublicationsIthaca,NewYork

SnowLionPublicationsP.O.Box6483Ithaca,NY14851USA(607)273-8519www.snowlionpub.com

Copyright©2010KhenchenPaldenSherabRinpocheandKhenpoTsewangDongyalRinpocheAll rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form or by any means,

electronicormechanical, includingphotocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher.

ISBN-13:978-1-55939-355-3PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmericaTheLibraryofCongressCatalogedthepreviouseditionofthisbookasfollows:Sherab,KhenchenPalden,Rinpoche,1941-

[Lightofthethreejewels.]Openingtoourprimordialnature/byKhenchenPaldenSherabRinpocheandKhenpoTsewangDongyalRinpoche;editedbyAnnHelmandMichaelWhite.--2nded.p.cm.“FirsteditionpublishedasLightoftheThreeJewels(c)1998byDharmaSamudra”--T.P.verso.ISBN-13:978-1-55939-249-5(alk.paper)ISBN-10:1-55939-249-5(alk.paper)1.Spiritual life--Buddhism.2.Spiritual life--Rñi˙n-ma-pa(Sect)3.Buddhism--China--Tibet--Doctrines.I.Dongyal,KhenpoTsewang,Rinpoche,1951-II.Helm,Ann,1949-III.White,Michael,1948-IV.Title.

BQ7775.S542006294.3’4--dc222006005934

ILLUSTRATIONSShamathadiagram—©RobertBeer..... xivShakyamuniBuddha—©RobertBeer...... 8Avalokiteshvara—©RobertBeer..... 32TheFourFriends—©RobertBeer..... 36Tara—artistunknown..... 44Channelsandchakras—©RobertBeer,withminorcustomizationsbyRitaFrizzellaccordingtotheinstructionsoftheVenerableKhenpos..

50

Vimalamitra—©KeithDowman..... 56ChetsunSengeWangchuk—©KeithDowman..... 72Vajrasattva—©GlenEddy..... 76FlamingVajra—©RobertBeer..... 80YesheTsogyal—©RobertBeer..... 84GuruPadmasambhava—©RobertBeer..... 88RatnaLingpa—©KeithDowman..... 98

Allillustrationsusedwiththekindpermissionoftheartists.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThisbookisbasedonseveraltalksgiveninTennesseein1988and1989,as

well as additional talks in other areas of the United States. Khenchen PaldenSherabRinpocheandKhenpoTsewangDongyalRinpochewould like to thankMichael White, Susan White, Ann Helm, and many other sangha memberswhosework contributed to this book. Thanks also toNancyRoberts andRitaFrizzellfortheirassistanceinpreparingthistextforpublishing.

May everyonewho reads this book understand the value andmeaning oftheirpreciouslife.Maytheirhighestaspirationsbefulfilledforthebenefitofallbeings.

PhotoCaptionsPhotos,oppositepage:(1)TheVenerableKhenposwiththeirfather,Lama

Chimed;(2)PemaSamyeChökhorLingMonastery,Sarnath,India;(3)OrgyenSamye Chökhor Ling Nunnery, Sarnath, India; (4) Padma Samye LingMonasteryandRetreatCenter,upstateNewYork;(5)TheGreatMiracleStupa,Shravasti,India

EDITOR’SINTRODUCTIONItisironicthattheTibetanBuddhistteachingsofloveandcompassionhave

come to theWestdue to thedevastationofTibetby theChineseCommunists.Before the Communist takeover in 1959, Tibet was almost untouched by theindustrialage.TheTibetanpeoplelivedwithoutelectricity,motorizedvehicles,modernroads,oradvancedweaponry.

TheCommunistChineseproclaimedthattheywereliberatingthepeopleofTibet,yetintheprocesstheypracticallydestroyedtheTibetanmonasticculture.Buddhistmonksandnunswerepresentedwithpainfulchoices:theycoulddenytheir religious convictions, flee the country, or face imprisonment or death.Before theChinese takeover,Tibetwasacountryofsevenmillion inhabitants.TheinvasionresultedinthelossofonemillionTibetanlives,thedestructionofsix thousandmonasteries, and the exodus ofmore than one hundred thousandrefugees.

Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and his brother, Khenpo TsewangDongyalRinpoche,wereamongtherefugeeswhofledtoIndiaandNepal.Alongwiththeirparentsandtwosisters,theylefteasternTibetinthemiddleofwinterandtraveledforeighteenmonthstoreachIndia.Theirjourneywasfraughtwithdanger—threetimestheywerecapturedandeachtimetheymanagedtoescape.Thejourneywastooarduousforthewomenintheirfamily—astheynearedtheIndianborder,oneoftheirsistersdied,andtheirmotherandtheothersisterdiedsoonaftertheyreachedtherefugeecampsinIndia.

Thisdaringescapecastthetwobrothersintothemodernworld.KhenchenPaldenSherabRinpocheisamongthelastgenerationofTibetansfullyeducatedinthemonasticsystemofoldTibet.WhenhespeaksofhislifeinTibet,hereferstoitas“ancienttimes.”ThesebrothersnowmaketheirhomeinNewYork.Itisremarkablethatthesemen,raisedinasystemofancientesotericprinciples,nowfindthemselves,byatwistoffate,incontemporaryAmerica.

Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche was born in 1941 in the village ofGyuphu,intheDoshulregionofeasternTibetnearthesacredmountainofJowoZegyal.JowoZegyalisoneofthefivemountainsinTibetspecificallyassociatedwith the five dhyani buddhas andwithGuru Padmasambhava, the founder ofTibetanBuddhism.OneofKhenchenRinpoche’sancestorswasadirectstudentofGuruPadmasambhava;otherrelativeswererenownedscholars,practitioners,and tertons. His family inherited the responsibility of administering GochenMonastery,thelocalmonasteryintheirregion,whichwasfoundedbythegreat

tertonTsasumLingpa.KhenchenRinpochebeganhiseducationattheageoffourwhenhisfather,

LamaChimedNamgyal,taughthimtoread.ThefirstbookhereadwasthelifestoryofMandarava,awisdomdakiniandconsortofPadmasambhava.AttheageofsixhewaschosentobecomethenextabbotofGochenMonastery.Attheageof seven he completed his firstmeditation retreat, livingwith an oldermonk,ChangchubGyatso,foramonthinastonehutatthebaseofaglacieronJowoZegyalMountain.

Hisfamilywassemi-nomadic;theylivedinavillagehousewithsixotherfamiliesduringthewinters,andmovedwiththeiryak-hairtentsinthesummers.Attheageoftwelve,KhenchenRinpochemovedtoRiwocheMonastery,oneofthelargestandoldesteducationalinstitutionsineasternTibet.HecompletedhisstudiestherejustastheChineseinvasionreachedthatarea.

In1965,whenhehadbeena refugee in India for a fewyears,KhenchenRinpochewasaskedtojoinagroupofscholarsandtheleadersofthefourmainschools of Tibetan Buddhism to discuss ways to maintain the culture andreligionofTibet.Thisconferencemetperiodicallyoverayear’stime,andledtotheformationoftheCentralInstituteofHigherTibetanStudiesinSarnath,India.In1967,KhenchenRinpochewasappointedheadoftheNyingmapaDepartmentofthisinstitutebyHisHolinessDudjomRinpoche,whowasthesupremeheadof the Nyingma lineage from 1960 until his parinirvana in 1987. In 1980,KhenchenRinpocheandhisbrother,KhenpoTsewangDongyalRinpoche,madetheirfirsttriptotheU.S.andbeganworkingwithH.H.DudjomRinpocheintheWest.

Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche is the author of works on Tibetangrammar, poetry, philosophy, and history. Several of his books are used incoursesattheCentralInstituteofHigherTibetanStudies.HehastaughtinTibet,India,Nepal,England,France,Belgium,Australia,Canada,Russia,PuertoRico,andthroughouttheUnitedStates.KhenchenRinpocheisconsideredoneofthegreatestlivingscholarsandmeditationmastersofTibetanNyingmaBuddhism.

KhenpoTsewangDongyalRinpochewasbornin1950inTibet,inthesamearea as his brother. Soon after his birth he was recognized as a tulku, thereincarnationofSherabKhyentse,arenownedabbotofGochenMonastery.HisstudieswereinterruptedbytheChineseinvasionandhefledwithhisfamilytoIndia. In the early 1960s, Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche traveled tonorthernIndiawhereheenteredthemonasticschooloftheNyingmaMonasteryat Tso Pema, Rewalsar, on the banks of one of the holy lakes of GuruPadmasambhava. In 1967 he went to Sanskrit University, where he receivedB.A.andM.A.degreesinBuddhistStudies.In1978hewasenthronedbyH.H.

Dudjom Rinpoche as Abbot of the Wish-fulfilling Nyingmapa Institute inKathmandu,Nepal,wherehetaughtBuddhistphilosophyandliteratureforaboutthreeyears.In1981,attherequestofH.H.DudjomRinpoche,hewasappointedasAbbotof theDorjeNyingpoCenter inParis,France.Hecontinued toworkclosely with His Holiness until His Holiness passed away in 1987. KhenpoTsewangDongyalRinpochehastaughtinIndia,Nepal,Canada,Russia,PuertoRico, and throughout the United States. He has published books of poetry,Buddhistphilosophy,andtheearlyhistoryofTibetanBuddhism.

In1985KhenchenPaldenSherabandKhenpoTsewangDongyal foundedDharma Samudra, a nonprofit publishing organization, which began bypublishingaTibetaneditionofelevenvolumesofthehiddentreasureteachingsrevealed by Tsasum Lingpa in the seventeenth century. The Rinpoches hadworkedformanyyearstogatherthesetexts.

In 1988 they founded Padmasambhava Buddhist Center, which isincorporated as an international, nonprofit religious organization. Based atPadmaSamyeLing,amonasteryand retreatcenter inupstateNewYork,PBCincludesovertwentylocalcentersintheUnitedStates,PuertoRico,andRussia.In1996theVenerableKhenposcompletedbuildingPadmaSamyeChökhorLingMonasteryinSarnath,India,whereBuddhaShakyamunigavehisfirstteaching.Justafive-minutewalkaway,theRinpochesestablishedOrgyenSamyeChökhorLingNunnery in 2003, reflecting their commitment to equal opportunities formaleandfemalestudentstostudyandpractice.2004broughtthefulfillmentofalong-held vision: the consecration of the Great Miracle Stupa, Padma SamyeJetavan, inShravasti, India.Thenewstuparises in thevicinityof theoriginal,ancient Miracle Stupa, first built to commemorate the miracles whichShakyamuniBuddhadisplayedatJetavanGrove,andwhichhadlongagobeenreducedtoruins.Thenewstupaisintendedtolastforathousandyears,radiatingtheenergyofloveandcompassiontoallbeings.

TheVenerableKhenpos often travel together andmaintain schedules thatincludeyearlyvisitstotheircenters,wheretheygiveteachings,empowerments,and individual meditation instruction. At the present time, they have jointlypublished the following works in English: The Light of the Dharma,Prajnaparamita,CeaselessEchoesof theGreatSilence,DoortoInconceivableWisdom and Compassion, and The Lion’s Gaze . These works, including thepresent one, consist of their lectures given at the Padmasambhava BuddhistCenters around theworld.Their individualpublishedworks includeKhenchenRinpoche’s extensive commentary on “The Praise to the Twenty-One Taras,”The Smile of Sun and Moon , and Khenpo Tsewang Rinpoche’s epic poetichomagetoGuruPadmasambhava,PraisetotheLotusBorn.

MichaelWhite

TamingtheMindDharma is aSanskritwordwith tendifferentmeanings. In thecontextof

the Buddha’s teachings, the dharma is what removes ignorance and revealswisdom. By practicing the dharma we can bring out our innate wisdom anddevelopharmoniousrelationshipswitheveryone.

Likeallsentientbeingsinthisworld,wehaveproblemsandfears.Ifwetrytofindthecauseofourunhappiness,wemaythinkthattherearevariousthingsandpeopleintheworldthatcauseoursuffering,butthisisnotso.Theexternalfactorsthatbringsorrowatonetimecanbringjoyatanothertime.Wehavetolook inward to find the source of our problems. Everything we experience,whetherpleasantorunpleasant,istheresultofcausesandconditionsrelatedtoourstateofmind.

Themindproducesallourexperiencesandperceptions.Whenwetamethemind so that it rests calmly and clearly, then all our experiences areopen andrelaxed.When themind is peaceful, then simultaneously the speech andbodybecomepeaceful.Butifthemindisuncontrolled,thenourwordsandactionsarealsooutofcontrol.Untilwetamethemind,experiencesofjoydonotlastmorethana short time,nomatterhowmanyexternal supportsweuse. It isonlybytaming the mind that we can truly understand ourselves and others and findultimatepeaceandjoy.

Peopledomany things in this life tobecome famous, rich, or successful.Thesethingsmayprovidemomentaryexcitement,buttheywillnotbringlastinghappiness.Forexample,whenyoudieyouhavetoleaveyourwealthandpowerbehind.Nomatterhowfamousyouhavebeen,soonerorlateryouareforgotten.Fameislikeathunderboltthatmakesaloudnoisebutsoonbecomessilent.Thislifetime is very precious because of the unique opportunity we now have topracticethedharma,toremoveourignoranceandrevealourinnerwisdom.Ifwedothis,itwilldefinitelybenefitourselvesandothersinthisandfuturelives.

Dharmapracticemeanstamingthemindsothatitstruenatureoressenceisrevealed.Whenyoutameyourmind,youfindjoyinthislifeandguidanceforthe bardo state after death. Controlling themind brings peace and confidenceandtheabilitytoactwithauthoritytoaccomplishyourgoals.

Animportantpointaboutdiscipliningthemindis that it issomethingthatwemustdo forourselves.Wecannotdependon someoneelse todo it forus.Buddha Shakyamuni taught that you are your own protector and savior. It isthroughcontrollingthemindthatyouwillachieverealizationanddevelopinner

wisdom.Taming themind does notmean eliminating outer objects or suppressing

innerthoughts.Itmeansrevealingandmaintainingthenaturalstateofthemind.Tamingthemindhasnothingtodowithcultivatingcertainthoughts;itissimplykeeping the mind in its fundamental state, where its clarity and wisdom arerevealed.Thetruenatureof themindiscalmandclearandfullofcompassionandloveandwisdom.

We do not always experience the mind in this way because ignoranceobscuresourawarenessofthemind’struenature.However,thewisdomnatureisalways there, and it can shine throughandguideus inour lives.Even foolishpeople have wisdom and can exhibit beautiful qualities because this basicgoodnessisfoundequallyinallbeings.Notonlyhumanbeings,butallsentientbeingshavethesamenatureandpotentialforenlightenment.Theproblemisthattemporaryobscurationscoveranddistorttheessentialnatureofthemind.Whenwecompletelyremove the ignoranceandreveal themind’s truenature,weareenlightened.

Itisimportanttorememberthatourtruenatureisonlytemporarilyhidden.Whenweknowthat,wecanworkwithcourageandjoytoremovetheignoranceandlettheessenceofthemindshineforth.Itisimportantforourdiligencetobebased on a joyful attitude, becausewithout joyful effortwe cannot reveal thistruenature.

We need to exert ourselves now because this opportunity will not lastforever.Wemust remember impermanenceand thechangingstagesof lifeanddeath. Thinking about death and impermanence is often unpleasant — weusually do not like to acknowledge that everything, including ourselves, issubject to the law of incessant change. But change has good aspects as well,because without change there is no growth or improvement. With the righttechniques, skills, and effort, we can learn and make positive changes. Byunderstanding impermanenceandcausalitywecanwork towardenlightenmentandmakethemostofthishumanlife.

As sentient beings we are constantly searching outside ourselves forhappiness;butexternalcausesofhappinessneverlast.Eventuallythehappinessturnsintosuffering.Afterthesufferingmorehappinessmayarise,butweneverseem to rest in ultimate peace. By reading history or by examining our ownexperienceswecanseethatexternalconditionsneverbringpermanentjoy.

This means that we have been looking in the wrong place, like thirstypeople digging for water in rocky ground. They knowwater comes from theearth,sotheydiganddig,buttheyaredigginginthewrongplace.Likewise,weshouldnot lookoutward for the sourceofpeaceandhappiness; it canonlybe

found by looking inward and experiencing the natural state of themind. Thenatureofthemindisnotholloworblank;itisprofoundandblissfulandfullofwonderful qualities. The mind is the source of both worldly existence andenlightenment,samsaraandnirvana.Everythingneeded to find liberationfromsufferingiscontainedwithinthemind.

Theteachingsofdzogchen,“thegreatperfection,”arethehighestteachingsofBuddhaShakyamuniandGuruPadmasambhava.These teachingshavebeenpassed down to us through theNyingma lineage of TibetanBuddhism. In theareawhereIwasbornineasternTibet,beforetheChineseinvaded,therewasafamous dzogchen master who would travel from village to village and giveteachings.His techniqueswere quite renowned.After teaching the foundationpracticeshewouldtellhisstudents,“Now,itisyourresponsibilitytofindyourownmind.Go out and find yourmind and bring it back tome.” Even if thestudentswantedtostaywithhim,hewouldnotletthem.Heinsistedtheygooffforatleastthreedaystofindtheirmind.

So, theywent off in various directions; somewent to themountains andsome went to the rivers. Many of his students thought they had to bringsomethingback.Onedevotedstudent foundsomenicestonesnearabig river,and among the stones he found one particularly attractive white stone. Hebrought the rock back and told the master that he had found a stone thatrepresentedhismind.Whenthedzogchenmastersawthestone,hegrabbedthestudentbythecollarandshouted,“Whatareyoutalkingabout?Areyoucrazy?”Thestudentfeltfrightenedandconfused,andthemastersaid,“Thisrockisnotyourmind; yourmind iswhat is upset.” For the first time the student gainedsomerealizationaboutthemind.Later,thisstudentbecameafamousmaster.

Merelyunderstandingthemindisnotenough.Recognizingitasthesourceof happiness and suffering is good, but great results come only from lookinginwardandmeditatingonthenatureofthemind.Onceyourecognizeitsnature,thenyouneedtomeditatewithjoyfuleffort.Joyfulmeditationwillactualizethetruenatureofthemind,andmaintainingthemindinthisnaturalstatewillbringenlightenment.Thistypeofmeditationrevealstheinnermost,profoundwisdomthatisinherentinthemind.

Meditationcantransformyourbodyintowisdomlight,intowhatisknownas the rainbowbodyofwisdom.Manymasters in the history of theNyingmalineage have achieved this, as can anyone who practices these methods ofmeditation.Thewisdomaspect of our nature exists at all times in each of us.You have always had this nature and it can be revealed through meditation.Whenyoumaintain themind in itsnatural state,wonderfulqualities shineoutlikelightfromthesun.Amongthesequalitiesarelimitlesscompassion,limitless

loving-kindness,andlimitlesswisdom.Toachievethisresultasquicklyaspossible,peopledomeditationretreats.

AmongtheTibetanBuddhistschools,theNyingmaandKagyuschoolsputgreatemphasisonretreatpractice,bothgroupretreatsandindividualretreats.Retreatsaredoneindifferentwaysfordifferentlengthsoftime.Themostpopulararethethree-day and the three-month retreats, but there are also three-year retreats.Whenpeopledothreemonthsormore,themainpracticeistoexperienceinnerwisdom bymaintaining themind in its natural state.Other practices focus ondoing prostrations, on developing loving-kindness and compassion, and ondevelopingpureperceptionbyvisualizingawisdombodyandrecitingmantras.

Thepurposeofretreatpractice is todedicateallactivity to thepracticeofthedharma.Duringretreats thepractitioners try torefrainfromfollowingtheirregular thoughts. The mind is maintained in the natural state, the speech istransformedintomantra,andthebodyistransformedintothewisdombody.

Thereisafamousstoryabouttwobrotherswhodecidedtogoonretreatforthree years.One of them,DrukpaKunlek,was known as a crazy yogi.Whentheyagreedtogoonretreat,DrukpaKunlekemphasizedthattheyshouldstayintheirretreatcabinsforthreeyears.Hetoldhisbrother,“Ifyouleaveyourretreatcabin,Iwillnotstayanylonger.Assoonasyoubreaktheretreat,Iamleavingtoo.”Hisbrother replied, “What areyou saying?Wearegoingon retreat, andthat means we are not going to do anything else. Are you crazy?” Even hisbrotherthoughtDrukpaKunlekwasalittlebitcrazy.

Theywereonretreatintwodifferentcabins.Themoreconventionalbrotherwas the head of a monastery and he had many students and responsibilities.Duringthefirstweekoftheretreat,hethoughtabouthismonasticdutiesandallthepeopleinvolvedinhiswork.Healsodesignedanewbuildinganddidalotofplanning.

While the abbotwas having all these thoughts,DrukpaKunlek suddenlycameoutofhiscabinandstartedlaughingandshouting,“Youbrokeretreat.Iamnotgoing to stayherebecauseyoubroke the rules.”The abbot replied, “HowhaveIbrokentherules?Ineverwentout.Iamstillinretreat.”DrukpaKunlekwasagreatyogiwhocouldreadhisbrother’smind,andhesaid,“Youwentoutof retreat when you were planning all those things for your monastery. Yourmindhasbeen all over theplace. If themind is traveling, there is nopoint inkeeping the body in a cage. I’m leaving.” PerhapsDrukpaKunlekwas actingcrazily,butheunderstoodthattherealmeaningofretreatistomaintainthemindinitsnaturalstate.

All the levels of the teachings by Buddha Shakyamuni are dedicated tosubduingthemindandbringingoutinnerwisdom.Onceweareabletotameour

wildthoughts, theneverlastinginnerpeaceandjoywillmanifest.This isnotafairy tale— this canbedemonstratedbypersonal experience.Onceyouhavethisrealization,yourmindwillbeunshakablelikeamountain,alwayscalmandpeaceful.

TheCausesandConditionsoftheMind

Meditation practice reveals our true nature as being totally perfect andcomplete. However, at present, in an illusory and temporary way, we areincomplete. Although we have many good qualities, we also have manyobstacles.

Inordertorevealthiscompleteness,themostimportantthingstoworkwitharethebody,speech,andmind.InBuddhism,thesethreeaspectsarecalledthethreedoors.Alongwith the threedoors,we cling toother dualistic labels like“he” and “she” and “I” and “you.”Of all our concepts, the notions of havingbody, speech, andmind are alwayswithus, so ifwe canmake their activitiespositive,thenweareperformingdharmicactivity.Ifwedonothavetheabilitytomakeourbody,speech,andmindpositive,thenweareineitheraneutraloranegativestate.

Itisveryimportanttotamethemindbecauseitisthebasisforspeechandaction.BuddhaShakyamuniandmanyBuddhistmastershavesaidthatthemindis like a king and the body and speech are like servants.We do not have tobelieve this just because the Buddha taught it; we can test it in our ownexperience.If themindacceptssomething, thenthebodyandspeechfollow.Ifthemindisnotsatisfied,nomatterhowniceitlooksontheoutside,thebodyandspeechwillrefuseit.

Sincemindfulnesssupportswhatispositive,weshouldtrytobemindfulinallouractivities.Alongwithmindfulness,weshouldalwaystrytobehonestandcompassionateandhelpfultoothers.Ifwedirectourmind,alongwithourbodyand speech, in a positive direction, we will definitely becomemore peaceful,clear,andrelaxed.

In our present statewe are continually thinking about “me” and “mine.”Whenweobservethisthinkingabout“me,”weseethatitisjustawayinwhichwegraspandholdontotheideaofaself.

What is the relationship between the self and the body? If we do notinvestigateatallorifwejustlookatthesurface,wemightsaythatthefeelingofhavingaselfseemstorelyonthebody,andatthesametime,thebodyseemstorelyon the senseof the self.But ifweanalyze carefully, these two things aretotallydifferent.Thebodyisnot“I”and“I”isnotthebody.Thebodyismadeofthe five elements: earth, water, fire, wind, and space. Also, we have the fiveaggregates of form, feeling, perception,mental formations, and consciousness.Theformaggregatereferstothephysicalbodyandtheotheraggregatesarepartof themind.But all of the elements and the aggregates are different from theself,andtheselfisdifferentfromthem.

The“I”existswhenwestart toformattachments; the“I”isnothingotherthanthegraspingitself.Asforwhatisdoingthegrasping,itisthemind.Sinceallthenotionsofagraspingselfaredevelopedbythemind,themindisthemost

importantthingtounderstand.On the gross level it seems as if themind relies upon the body.Without

investigating,thebodylooksmorestablethanthemind.Forexample,whenyouget sick, the physical pain affects yourmind so that you feel unhappy.Whenyour body becomes more comfortable, then you feel better mentally as well.However,ifyoulookdeeperwithyourinnerwisdom,youcantellthattheminddoes not rely on the body; it is the body that relies on themind.The body ismerelytemporaryanddependentuponthemind.Themindisliketheground;itismorevastandsubtlethanthebody.

Themindisalsomoresubtlethanthespeech.Speechisdevelopedbythebodyandthemind,butmainlybythebody.AccordingtotheBuddhistpointofview, there are 1,072 principal nerves or channels that extend throughout thebody,andallofthemarefilledwithwind.Thewayspeechdevelopsisthatfirstyouhavea thought,which travelswith thewind.Thewindpushesandmakesvibrationsinthechannelsandthenspeechisformed.Itispossibletotouchthebodybutit isnotpossibletotouchsound.Speechisnotthebody,andyetit isalsonotthemind.

Toseehowvastandsubtlethemindis,wecanlookatthecontinuityofourthoughts. For example, the present thought developed from the thought of thepreviousinstant.Thoughtscontinuefromthepreviousminute,theprevioushour,fromtoday,yesterday,andsoon.

Itisimportanttoinvestigatewhetherornotthepresentthoughthasacause.Thepresentthoughtisaresult,andeveryresultmusthaveacause.Everythingthat we see or hear or touch has causes and conditions. Our past thoughtsinfluence our present thoughts. The mind does not come from somethingpermanent; themind is changing andmoving every instant. If themindwerepermanent,wewouldnotbethinkingatthismoment,becausepermanentmeansunchanging. But thoughts change constantly. For example, as these wordschange,yourmindchangesaccordingly.Itneverstaysthesame.

There are thousands of instants of thoughts; each follows the othercontinuously like a river.The present thought is the result of the last thought,whichwastheresultofthethoughtbeforethat,andsoon.Forexample,wheredoes the consciousness come from at nine o’clock? It is a result of theconsciousnessateighto’clock.Themindateighto’clockcamefromthemindatseveno’clock,whichcamefromthemindatsixo’clock,andsoforth.

In the same way, the thoughts we have today came from our thoughtsyesterday.Andyesterday’s consciousness came from thedaybeforeyesterday.And this month’s consciousness came from last month, and this year’sconsciousness came from last year. Investigating in thisway, you can see that

yourconsciousnessgoesbacktothedayyouwereborn.Yoursenseofidentitycomesfromyourconsciousnessasaninfant,starting

whenyouweresosmallthatyourmothercouldcarryyouinonehand.Howdidthat baby develop? It came from your mother’s womb; your body developedfrom the two elements of your parents. But those two elements could notdevelopababy if therewerenoconsciousness.Whenyourconsciousnesswastrapped between those two elements, thatwas your conception, and graduallyyouwereformed.Yourconsciousnesswasthecause,andthedominantconditionwasthetwoelementsofyourparents.Whenacauseandcertainconditionsoccurperfectlyattherighttime,thenaspecificresultdevelops.

The consciousness that was trapped between the two elements of yourparents came from the bardo, or intermediate state.Your consciousness in thebardo state came from your consciousness at death in your last life. Theconsciousnessatdeathinyourlastlifecanbetracedbacktoyourconsciousnessatbirthinthatlife.Andthatbirth’sconsciousnessgoesbackandbackandbacktobeginninglesstime.

Thisishowyoucantraceyourmind.Yourpresentmindhasacauseandithas conditions, and it will continue without interruption until you attainenlightenment. The continuation of consciousness through different stages iswhatBuddhists callpast and future lives.Even thoughat thismomentyoudonot remember your past lifetimes, or you do not understand how you wereconceived inyourmother’swomb, there isdefinitelyacontinuation.Youhavecomeherenow, andyouwill gooncontinuously in the future. It is similar toseeingaflowingriver.Sincetheriverhasarrivedatthispoint,youknowitmustbecontinuous.Eventhoughyoucannotsee itssource,youknowthat theriverhascomefromsomewhereandwillcontinuetogosomewhere.Youhavecomefrom the past, from beginningless time. Now you are here, and yourconsciousnesswillcontinuetomorrow,thedayaftertomorrow,nextweek,nextmonth,andnextyear.

It is very important to understand the way causes and conditions workbecause this understandingbrings innerwisdom.The causeof thebody is theelements and the cause of consciousness is consciousness itself. Whateverresultswillbesimilartothecausesandconditionsthatproducedit.Forexample,ifweplantaseedofwheat,wewillgrowwheat,notcornorsoybeans.Similarly,humanbeingsgivebirthtohumanbeings,notdonkeysorelephants.

BuddhaShakyamunitaughtextensivelyaboutcauseandresult.Inonesutrahetaughtbyusingtheexampleofricegrowinginafield.TheBuddhasaidtoafarmer,“Wheredoesagrainofricecomefrom?Eachgrainofricecomesfromthe rice thatyouplanted theyearbefore. It didnotdevelop fromapermanent

causeorfromnocause;itdevelopedfromasimilarcauseandcertainconditions.Lastyear’sricealsohadasimilarcause,anditgoesbacktobeginninglesstime.Nobodycan tellexactlywhere the firstgrainof ricecamefrom.Also,acausemustbe complete toproduceaneffect; it cannotbe faultyordamaged. If thisgrainofricedoesnotencounteranymajorobstacles, itwillgoonendlesslyinthefuture.Thesamecausewillbringthesameresultsagainandagain.Butifwecookthisriceandeatit,thatwillcutthecontinuityoftheresults.”Similarly,itisveryimportantforustounderstandhowcauseandeffectrelatetothemind—toknowhowtheminddevelops,whatitislikenow,andhowfaritwillgo.

Onedayallofuswillhavetogothroughthestageofdeath;wehavedoneitbeforeandwewilldo it again.Nobodycan ignoreor runaway fromdeath.When we feel afraid to die it is because we do not understand the nature ofdeath.Death is the separationof thebody fromconsciousness; that is all.Thebody developed from the five elements and it will dissolve back into theelements,butconsciousnessdidnotdevelopfromtheelements.Sincethemindisdifferentfromtheelements,itwillflowoncontinuously.

Wemight doubt the existence of past and future lives, becausewe thinknothingexistsbeyondwhatwecanperceivewithoursenses.Butactually,weareuncertain.

Whathappensafterdeath,according to theBuddhist teachings, is that thebody, the form aggregate, does not continue, but the other four aggregates offeeling,perception,mentalformations,andconsciousnesscontinue.Intermsofconsciousness, the habitual tendencies connected with the five senseconsciousnesses, and the mental consciousness, the emotional consciousness,andthealayaconsciousnesstraveltothenextlife.Thealayaisthesubconsciousmind that is mixed with karmic habitual tendencies. This deepest part ofconsciousnessgoesontothenextlife.

Habitualtendenciesareonepartofkarma.Afterpeopledietheynolongerhave the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body consciousnesses. Although the fivesense consciousnesses are not active at that point, their habitual patternscontinue. It is the same as when you are dreaming; your five senses are notfunctioning, but you still perceive yourself seeing and hearing and talking.Actually, those things are not happening; they are only habitual perceptions.Similarly,inthebardostatethereisnosensoryactivity,onlyhabitualtendencies.Inthatwaythealayaandthehabitualpatternsgotogethertothenextlife.

It is the conscious mind that reincarnates. One could say that the mindtravelstothenextstage,andwhenitencountersthenecessaryconditions,thereis rebirth. This is not the reincarnation of a truly existing, permanent mind,because the nature of the mind is emptiness. In fact, it is only because of

emptinessthat it ispossibletobereborn.If themindwerepermanent, itcouldnotchange.Wearerebornduetoignorance,andoncetheignoranceisremovedthrough the realization of emptiness, we are not forced to reincarnate. Peoplewho realize thenatureof themindare liberatedanddonot reincarnateby thepowerofkarma.

Itissimilartohavingalargepieceofgoldbutnotrecognizingwhatitis.Ifyou do not know its worth, thenwhat is the benefit of having it? But if yourecognizethatitisgold,thenyouwillbewealthy.Likewise,ifyouneuroticallyclingtothingsasbeingsolidandreal,thenthenaturalstateisnotself-liberating.The impetus of current habits will continue to carry your consciousness torebirthafterrebirth.

Just knowing about emptiness is not enough to stop reincarnation.Mereintellectual understanding is not realization. According to Buddhism,understandingandrealizationaredifferent.Wemayunderstandsomething,butwehavetoexperienceittogainrealization.Forexample,ifwelookatamapwecanknowsomethingabouttheplacewearegoing,butitdoesnotmeanthatwearethere.Ifwegothere,wewillexperiencesomethingquitedifferentfromwhatis on the map. However, learning from a map is very helpful. Similarly,understandingemptinessisthefirststageofrealizingthetruenatureofthemind.

Emptiness is not the cause of rebirth; habitual, dualistic grasping causesrebirth. At the same time, emptiness is what makes it possible for things tochange. Reincarnation does notmean that themind does not change;withoutchange there is nobirth.For instance,whenweplant a flower, it is changing,step-by-step,moment bymoment. The seed becomes a sprout, and the sproutcontinuestochangeuntilitbecomesaflower.Orconsiderabuilding—evenifwe cannot see itwith our eyes, it has been subtly changing ever since itwasbuilt.Itisthesamewaywitheachofus—ourbodiesandthoughtsarechangingin each moment. In every moment we have the opportunity to let go of ourhabitualclinging.

Ignoranceblocksourvisioninmanyways.Forexample,ifsomeoneasksuswherethemindcamefromorwhereitwillgointhefuture,orhowlongwewilllive on this earth, we do not know the answers. Ignorance has covered upwisdomtotheextentthatwedonotevenunderstandthewaythingsworkattherelativelevelofcauseandeffect.BuddhaShakyamunisaidthatsentientbeingsarewanderingindarkness,unabletoseebeyondwhattheycanfeel.

Ignorance also obscures the mind’s enlightened qualities. One way thatignorance obscures thewisdommind is through negative emotions like anger,jealousy, anddesire,whichkeep themind from remaining in thenatural state.Whenweareunderthecontrolofnegativeemotions,wesimplycannothavea

peaceful state ofmind.We find ourselveswor-ried and uneasy, floating in anoceanofignorance,wherewearetossedaboutbywavesofresentment,fearandattachment.

It is important to remember that ignorance can be removed; it is not thefundamental nature of the mind. If we understand the causes and effects ofignorance and wisdom, we can work to remove confusion and bring out theinherentenlightenedqualities.

ThePrimordialNatureAshumanbeingsweoperateonthelevelofconfusedrelativeappearances,

making distinctions and perceiving things as good or bad, helpful or harmful,trueorfalse.Butalltheseconceptsandjudgmentscomefromourimagination.The relative truth of the way things appear may be accurate in our currentsituation,butitisnottheabsolutetruthofthewaythingsreallyare.

In the natural state of reality, all things are equal. The natural state isbeyond any ideas we may have and even beyond our imagination. From theperspectiveofthenaturalstate,allourplansandactionsaremerelyimaginary,liketheplayofchildrenthathasnothingtodowithreality.Onceweunderstandthetruenatureoftherelativelevel,thenwecanreachtheabsolutelevel,whichisenlightenment.Whenwefullyrealizethewisdomofself-bornawareness,webecomebuddhaswhoareliberatedinthestateofnirvana.

Innormal awarenessweoperateon thebasisofhabits.But continuing tofollow habitual patterns will not lead to enlightenment; wewill only stay thesame andnever achievehigher understanding.Ourpresentmind is like a nestconstructed of subtle and gross thoughts. We think in terms of subjects andobjects, inside and outside. We are constantly judging people and situations,seeingthemasbeautifulorugly,pleasantorunpleasant,rightorwrong.

Who ismaking all these decisions and judgments?Wemight say, “I didthat,Ifelt that.”Butreally,what is this“I”?Whereis it?Whoisdoingall theanalyzinganddiscriminating?To findout,wemust lookat themind. It is themindthatdoestheanalyzinganddiscriminating.

Ifwelookcarefullyat themind,webegintounderstanditsnature.Whenwelookforthemind,wediscoverhowdifficultitistofind.Wecannotputitinourhands.Wecannot see it or itsnature.Themind is avast emptiness calledshunyata,orgreatemptiness.Theemptinessnaturedoesnotmeanthatitisblankorablackhole.Themindhasmanybeautifulqualities,likeclarityandwisdom,yetthesequalitiesareinseparablefromemptiness.

Emptiness is not the same as nonexistence, which is symbolized inBuddhistphilosophybyimpossibilitieslikethehornsofarabbitorthechildofabarrenwoman.The realityof themind isemptiness,yet themind reflectsandradiates awareness in every direction. In the dzogchen teachings BuddhaShakyamunitaughtthatthenatureofthemindisclarityandvastness,andthatitisalwaysenlightened. It ismoreopenthanspace,clearer thancrystal,brighterthan the sun. However, our mind is usually very active and full of confused

thoughts. If we sit and look at the mind for just one minute, we can see itwandering in different directions, roaming around like a drunken elephant orjumpinglikearestlessmonkeyfromtreetotree.Therelativenatureofthemindiscontinuouslyarisingmentalactivity.

Differenttypesofouterobjectsprovokedifferentmentalreactions.Allourreactions can be summarized in three main categories: feelings of happiness,feelingsofsuffering,andneutralfeelings.Onceyouhaveexperiencedafeelingof happiness, then you desire to have a similar experience, then a third and afourthanda fifthanda sixth.There isnoend to thisandno satisfaction.Yousimplywantmoreandmore,andyouendupstrivingtoattainitagainandagain.Thisisattachment.Then,inevitablytherewillbetimeswhenyouexperiencetheoppositeofhappiness.Sufferingandnegativeemotionsariseandyouexperienceangeroverthefactthatsomethingisdisturbingyourhappiness.Thisalsohasnoend;itrepeatsitselfoverandover.Whenyouareattachedtopleasantfeelings,yousimultaneouslybuildupotherattachments.Whenyouexperiencehappiness,itcan lead toprideor jealousyat thesame time.All thoughtsandfeelingsaredevelopedthroughasystemofcauseandeffect.Theeffectofonecausebecomesthecauseofthenexteffect,andsoon.

Experiences and feelings come from themind.Our confused experienceswilldisappearwhenwemaintainthemindinthenaturalstate.Enlightenmentissimplymaintaining themind in its own clarity and emptiness. It is similar tomuddywaterbecomingclearwhenitisleftalone.Nothingspecialisneededtoreveal themind’s truenature;onesimply remains in thenatural state.There isnothingtodobutsitandrelax.

Whenweareactive,wegeneratemorethoughtsandfindourselvescaughtinanendlesscircleofthinkingandfeeling.Whenwemeditatewestopturningthiswheel.Fromtheperspectiveofthenaturalstatewecanseethatourworldiscreated by our thoughts. Everything that we know, simply by virtue of ourknowingit,iscreatedbythemind.Forexample,inoureverydaylifewefollowvariousstandardsofconduct.Someonemightsaythatacertainwayofbehavingisnotappropriate;thissimplymeansthatthebehaviorisnotcorrectaccordingtothat person’s habitual thinking. All rules of conduct are merely creations ofpeople’sminds.

Conceptual thinkingoperateson thebasisofhabitualpatterns.Thehabitsthatyourepeatcirclebackonyouagainandagainandagain.Whateverhabitsare learned in this lifetime will be reflected in future lifetimes; they aremaintainedwithin themind.Whatever feltcomfortablewhenyouwereachildformedintohabitualpatternsthatcontinuenowthatyouaregrown.Thehabitsyouestablish inyourmindare reflected inyourbehavior. InBuddhism this is

knownasthelawofkarmiccauseandeffect.There are different levels to the mind. We have five aspects of

consciousness: the eye consciousness, the ear consciousness, the noseconsciousness,thetongueconsciousness,andthebodyconsciousness.Thefivesenseconsciousnessesarerelatedtothefivesenseorgans;theydonothingmorethantakeinthefivekindsofperceptions.

Behind the senses we have the mental consciousness. The mentalconsciousness analyzes the perceptions of the senses. For example, the eyeconsciousness brings what it sees to the mind, and the mind analyzes it anddiscriminates in terms of good, bad, or neutral. It does the same thing withperceptions of the ear, nose, tongue, and body. The mind consciousness alsoanalyzesperceptionsinrelationtothepast,presentandfuture.

Thelevelofmindwherethehabitsarestoredisknownasthealaya,orthesubconscious.Allofouractivitiesandstatesofmindrelyonthissubconsciousstorehouse,whichisverydeepandsubtle,liketheocean.Allthoughtsarisefromand go back to this state. In deep sleep the six consciousnesses dissolve backintothealayaandyoudonothavedreams.Inlightsleepdreamsbegintoappear,andasyouawaken,yourthoughtsmanifestonceagain.

Behindthealayaisgreatemptiness,thetruenature.Emptinessisthesourceofallmentalactivity,andallmovementsofthemindarepervadedbyprimordialawareness.Theprimordialnatureof themind isnot separate from the relativephenomenaweperceiverightnow.Itisnotthecasethattheprimordialnatureisgoodandtherelativenatureisbad.Theyaretwosidesofthenatureofmind.Ifawareness is focused only on regular thoughts, we remain unaware of theprimordial nature and this onesidedness prevents understanding of the waythingsreallyare.

The true nature of mind is beyond conception, yet it is present in everyobject.Thetruenatureisalwaysthere,butduetoourtemporaryobscurationswedo not recognize it. From the dzogchen perspective, samsara and nirvana areequal.We cannot reject one aspect and accept theother becauseboth samsaraandnirvanaaremanifestationsofthetruenatureofawareness.

Buddha Shakyamuni taught that this world comes from the primordialnature.Whetherwerecognizetheprimordialnatureornot,whetherouractionsarebasedonthatunderstandingornot,weareneverseparatedfromprimordialnature.

Theprimordialnatureisbeyondallconcepts.Itisthebeginningofthemindand theendof themind.Wealreadyhave it;wedonotneedanything further.The Buddha and other great masters taught that there is nothing to acquireexternally;itisonlyamatterofworkingtorevealwhatwealreadyhave.Inthe

Prajñaparamita Sutra the Buddha taught that there is nothing to gain andnothing to lose. We already have enlightenment, but we have to realize itpersonally.

Althoughtheprimordialnatureisinconceivableandinsubstantial,itisnottrulynonexistent.Tofindandexperienceitsnatureofclarityandemptinessyoumustlookatthemind.Theprimordialnatureisbeyondconceptions;itcannotbeexplained. Emotions and other mental activities can be explained, but theprimordialnatureof themindcannotbeencompassedbywords.Althoughyoucan say it is clarity and vastness, you cannot see it or touch it; it is beyondexpression.

Theprimordialnatureisdescribedastheunionofclearlightandemptiness.Describingthetruenatureinwordsislikelookingthroughawindowandseeingtheskyassquare.Theactualnatureofthemindcannotbeexpressedsinceitiscompletely beyond concepts. All you can do is look at your own mind andexperienceitsprimordialnature.Whenyouareable tomaintainthatstate,youreachenlightenment.

ThereisastorytoldinBuddhisttextsthatshowshowthemindoperatesinrelationtonirvanaandsamsara.Therewasonceaprincewholivedinabeautifulpalace.Onenight,while having anightmare, hewalkedout of thepalace andwent to a different countrywhere nobody knewhim.Eventually, he forgot hewasaprince.Heworkedhardatvariousjobs;hedidnotalwayshavegoodfoodor clothes, andhe suffered a lot.Then, onedayhe remembered that hewas aprince who had lived in a palace. He remembered how to get back and hereturnedtohispalaceandbecametheprinceagain.Everyonewasoverjoyedandshowedhimgreatrespect.

Whatwasthedifferenceintheprincewhenhewassufferingintheworldandwhenhewaslivinginthepalace?Hewasthesamepersonbeforeandafterhereturnedtohiskingdom.Nothingwasdifferentexcepthisrecognition.Whenhe recognized himself as a prince, he acted like a prince. That is the onlydifference.

In our case, we are known as human beings, and people who areenlightenedareknownasbuddhas.Theonlydifferencebetweenthebuddhasandourselvesisthatthebuddhasareawareoftheirprimordialnaturewhilewehavenotyetcometothisrecognition.ThereisastoryaboutthisconcerningDrukpaKunlek,thecrazyyogimentionedearlier.OnetimehewenttoatempleinLhasawhere there isa famousstatueof theBuddha.Thisstatue is said tohavebeenblessedbyBuddhaShakyamunihimself.Youmayhaveseenphotographsofthisplace;Tibetans try togo thereonpilgrimageat leastonce in their lives.Whenpeople visit this statue they bring incense, make offerings, and do a lot of

prostrations.When Drukpa Kunlek went to the temple, he did not prostrate, but just

stood there lookingat the statue.Thepriestwho tookcareof the shrine felt alittlefunnybecauseDrukpaKunlekwasnotshowingtheproperrespect.Afterawhile,DrukpaKunlekcomposedaverseandthendidprostrations.Hesaid,“Atthebeginningoftime,youandIwereequal;therewasnodifferencebetweenus.You worked to recognize your nature and became enlightened. I did notrecognizemynatureandmerelyslept.Therefore,Iwillprostrate,nottoyou,butinrecognitionofyourexcellentendeavor.”

Thebuddhasarenothigherthanus,andwearenotlowerthanthebuddhas;we are equal. The only difference is whether the buddha nature has beenrecognized. We have to work to experience that recognition, but once werecognize itwe are the same as all the buddhas.There is no difference in thegroundofourbasicnature.

TakingRefugeThe first step inpracticingBuddhism,according to the three traditionsof

hinayana, mahayana, and vajrayana, is to take refuge. The seed or cause fortakingrefugeisafeelingofinterestandclosenesstothethreeobjectsofrefuge:theBuddha, thedharma,and thesangha.Ontheouter level, theBuddha is thepersonwhogavetheteachings;heistheguide.Thedharmaistheteachings;itisaguidebookthatdescribeswheretogo.Thesanghaarethebeingswhofollowthe path described by the dharma. There are different levels of the sangha—somemembersofthesanghaarehighlyrealizedbeingsandsomearebeginners,butanyonewhofollowstheBuddhistpathisamemberofthesangha.Thisistheoutermeaningoftakingrefuge.

The three refuges also have an inner meaning related to the mind. Themind’s primordial nature is totally pure, clear, and enlightened frombeginninglesstime.One’sownpureawarenessistheprimordialbuddha.Buddhaactually means the perfect understanding that is free from all deluded anddualisticthinking.Thisistheabsolutebuddha.

Maintainingthequalitiesoftheprimordialnatureandradiatingthemtoallsentient beings is the innermeaning of taking refuge in the absolute dharma.DharmaisaSanskritwordthatcanbetranslatedas“protection.”Practicingthedharma protects the mind from delusion and duality. The mind containstremendous,vastqualitiesthatcannotbeputintowords.Theprimordialnatureofthemindincludesacompletelynonviolentattitudeofinfiniteloving-kindnessandinfinitecompassiontowardallbeings,andthesequalitiesareknownasthedharma.

The inner sangha is also containedwithin themind.Sangha is aSanskritword meaning “inseparable.” This refers to the inseparability of clarity andemptinessas the truenatureof themind.Thesequalitiesarealwayspresentasthe unity of skillful means and wisdom. Clarity and emptiness are alwayspresent,andthatisthemeaningoftheabsolutesangha.

Anyonecantakerefuge;itisopentoeveryonewhohasjoyfulinterestanddevotion toward theBuddha, the dharma, and the sangha.As aBuddhist, youcontinue to takerefugeonbothouterand inner levelsuntilyoucometoa fullrealization of primordial awareness. When you have achieved enlightenment,thenyoudonothavetotakerefugeanylonger;insteadyoubecomeanobjectofrefuge.

The refuge ceremony conveys the lineage blessings of BuddhaShakyamuni,thedharma,andthesangha.Whentakingtherefugevow,apersonshouldhave thepuremotivationofdoing it for thesakeofall sentientbeings.Duringtheceremony,theparticipantsmeditateonthehistoricalbuddha,BuddhaShakyamuni,as the representationofenlightenment.Theyvisualizehim in thesky in frontof themas a real, livingbuddhawho is radiatingwisdom light ineverydirection.Heissurroundedbymanyrealizedbeings,suchasbodhisattvas

and arhats and the buddhas of the three times. All of them are smiling andradiatingrainbowlightofwisdomandblessings.

Theaimoftakingrefugeistoremovethedarkignoranceofsentientbeingsandtorevealtheirtrueawareness.Toaffirmthis,theteacherandstudentschantthree times: “I take refuge in theBuddha, the dharma, and the sangha until Ibecomeenlightened.Iamdoingthisforthebenefitofallsentientbeings.”Whenthe chant is repeated for the third time, the students visualize wisdom lightradiatingfromtheobjectsofrefugeandenteringtheirhearts.Atthatmomenttheteacher snaps his fingers and the students receive the lineage blessings. Then,eachstudent receivesadharmaname,anda littlepieceof theirhair iscutoff.ThepieceofhairisanofferingtotheBuddha,thedharma,thesangha,andtheteacher. This indicates the change from being an ordinary person to being amemberoftheBuddhistsangha.

TraininginDiscipline,Concentration,andWisdom

Theprimordialnatureofthemindisfilledwithinherentqualitiesofbliss,compassion,andwisdom.It isalwayspeacefulandfresh.Inordertobringoutthese inner qualities, Buddha Shakyamuni taught the three techniques ofdiscipline,concentration,andwisdom.

AccordingtotheBuddhistteachings,disciplineisnotlikefollowingordersorbeingforcedtodosomething;disciplinemeanstorelatefullywithyourownmind. In order to uncover our true naturewe need to discipline our body,weneedtodisciplineourspeech,andweneedtodisciplineourmind.Disciplineisthe first stageofcleaningupandpreparing for furtherdevelopments. It is likeclearingtheground—ifwewanttoerectabeautifulbuilding,weneedtoclearthesurfacefirst.

Notonlyinpracticingthedharma,butalsointheordinaryworld,weneedtopaycarefulattentiontowhatwearedoing.Justasgoodplanningisimportantinordinaryactivities,disciplineisimportantinpracticingthedharma.Disciplineshouldbeaccompaniedbymindfulness,carefulattention,andjoyfuleffort.

With good discipline as the ground, the next step is to developconcentration. It is not enough to be disciplined andwell prepared for futuredevelopments;togetgoodresultswealsoneedconcentration.Concentrationisdirectlyrelatedtoourdiscursivethoughts;untilwedevelopgoodconcentrationwe will remain on the surface of the mind without discovering its deeperwisdom.

You know how your mind is working right now without needing to asksomeoneelse.Youcansimplyaskyourself;youalreadyknow.Forexample,alldayyourthoughtshavebeenrunningonandon,notstoppingforevenaminute.Your thoughts continue from the time you wake up until the time you go tosleep. Since your body does not have the energy to keep going, you need tosleep,butevenwhenyouaredreamingyourmindisstillactive.Whenyouwakeupinthemorning,evenifyourbodydoesnotwanttogetup,yourmindmakesitgo indifferentdirections.Yourmindalsodirectsyour speech tosayvariousthings, sometimes nice and sometimes not so nice.Your body and speech actaccordingtothedirectionofyourmind.

Todisciplineyourmindandhaveconcentrationyouneedtobecomeyourownteacher.Askillfulteachercangiveguidelinesandinstructionstoassistyou,

butrealdisciplineandconcentrationmustcomefromyourself.Externalsupportsorforcescannotsubdueyourmindandbringgoodconcentration.Forexample,inthiscountryyouseethepolicecarryingpistolsandsticks,buttherecontinuestobeviolence,whichshowsthatexternalforcecannotdoallthatmuch.Ifyoubecome your own teacher and your own law, that will be worthmore than amillionpolicesurroundingyou.

To develop discipline and concentration requires continual practice withjoyouseffort.Ifyouhavebeenpracticingwithconcentrationforafewdaysorafewweeks,thatwillbringsomeresults,butitwillnotbringgreatresults.Iamnotsayingthatmeditatingforonedayoroneweekwillnothelpyou;itwillhelpyou,butnotalot.Forexample,ifyouwanttowalkfromheretoadistanttown,itistoomuchtothinkthatyouwillarrivetherebytakingthreesteps.Youwillbe a little bit closer, but you cannot reach your destination in three steps.However,ifyoucontinuewithjoyfuleffortandcourage,youwillgetcloserandclosertoyourgoal.

Ifyouhavethetimetopracticemeditationforoneyearwithoutanymajorobstacles, that will definitely bring good results. You probably will not reachenlightenmentafterayear,butyouwillcertainlyhavemoremasteryoveryourmind.Ifyoumeditatefortwoyears,theresultswillbedoubledoreventripled.Ifyou continue tomeditate for five or ten years, youwill havemore control ofyourmindandbeabletorevealmoreofitsinnerqualities.

When you meditate with concentration, there are three particularexperiences thatarise:bliss, clarity, andnonthought.Sometimesyou feelgreatjoy, sometimes your mind is very clear, and sometimes there is completeequanimity. To experience these you do not need tomeditate for a long time,although for a beginner these experiences will not last long because of thelimitedabilityofabeginner’smeditation.

The experience of meditative bliss is greater than ordinary worldlyhappiness. Sometimes when you are meditating, a feeling of blissfulnesssuddenly arises from the subtle state of your mind and pervades your entirebody.Thisblissishealthyandbringsoutyourinnerqualities.Somepeopleusedrugs to induce blissfulness and visions, but drugs are external supports thatcannotbringlastinghappiness.Theblissexperiencedinmeditationcanlastformanydays,accordingtoyourabilitytomeditate.Whenyouexperiencethiskindof bliss, on the outside youmight lookvery poor, but inside you remain veryjoyful.

The second main experience in meditation is clarity. Sometimes whilemeditatingyoucansuddenlyfeelthatyourmindisveryclearandbright.Evenifyouaremeditatinginthedark,youdonotfeelheavyortired.Sometimesyour

bodyfeelsverylightandyourmindisveryclear,andmanykindsofreflectionsappear.Claritybringsgreatwisdomandtheabilitytoreadotherpeople’sminds,aswellastoseeyourownpastandfuturelives.

Thethirdmainexperienceisnonthought,orastateofequanimitywithoutdistractions.Beginnerscanalsoexperiencethis.Nonthoughtismoresettledthantheexperiencesofblissandclarity.Ifyouhavethoughts,theysuddenlydissolveand you can remain continuously in meditation. As your ability to meditatedevelops,yourmindbecomesmoreandmoresettled,so thatyoucanmeditatefor one hour or oneweek or onemonthwithout being distracted by thoughts.Yousimplyremaininthenaturalstateforaslongasyouwant.

Bliss, clarity, and nonthought are the main qualities of concentration.However,itisimportantnottobeattachedtothemorconcernedaboutwhethertheyariseornot;oneshouldsimplycontinuetopractice.

Alongwithdisciplineandconcentrationwealsoneedwisdom.Thenatureofwisdomisemptiness-clarity;itisalwaysfreshandcompleteandfreefromallconfused thinking. Primordial wisdom is the only thing that can dispel thedarkness of ignorance, so it is compared to the light of the sun. Primordialwisdomisthecauseofenlightenment,oronecouldsaythatprimordialwisdomitselfisenlightenment.

Wisdomisnotsomethingwecanobtainfromoutsideourselves;ithasbeenwithusfrombeginninglesstime.Thisenlightenednaturepervadeseverysentientbeingequally.ItisnotthecasethatonlytheBuddhahasthisnature;itexistsinevery mind. Although ignorance and obscurations cover our wisdom, theprimordialnature isalways radiating.Forexample,weknowinageneralwaywhatisgoodforusandwhatisbadforus.Thisisthepoweroftheprimordialwisdom,radiatingthroughtheheavinessofignorance.

However, for wisdom to manifest we have to work to bring it out. Thediscoveryofwisdomrequiresrelatingwithyourmindbyhavingdisciplineandconcentration. In thebeginningofdharmapractice it is important toknowthatthemind is themost important thing toworkwith,and thebestways toworkwith it are through discipline, concentration, andwisdom.By practicing thesethreetechniques,enlightenmentisrightherewithus.

CultivatingBodhichittaItisimportanttorealizethatenlightenmentistotallydependentuponyour

owneffort.Itisnotsomethingthatateachercangiveyouorthatyoucanfindoutsideyourself.Yourmindhasanenlightenednaturewhichcanonlymanifestbyyourowneffortandactions.Youhavethenaturalcapacitytobeenlightened,anditisinyourhandswhetherornotyouactualizethisopportunity.

The best way to actualize enlightenment is to develop bodhichitta.Bodhichitta isaSanskritword;bodhimeans“enlightenment”andchittameans“mind”or“thought.”Whenyoudevelopthethoughtofenlightenment,youaretraining your mind so that you will be able to truly benefit other beings.Bodhichitta can be understood in twoways, as relative and absolute.Relativebodhichittaistheactualmanifestationofloving-kindnessandcompassionforallbeings.Absolutebodhichittaistherealizationofemptinessastheprofoundtruenatureofreality.Somepeoplestartmeditatingonloveandcompassionandthencometoanunderstandingofemptiness.Otherpeoplemeditateonemptinessand,by that, gain an understanding of love and compassion. Both aspects ofbodhichittaarepartoftheenlightenednatureofthemind.

Bodhichittaisverypreciousandimportant;ifyoudonothavebodhichitta,nomatterwhat other techniquesyouuse, youwill never attain enlightenment.When Buddha Shakyamuni gave teachings to the king of the nagas, he said,“Great naga king, if you have just one thing, that will be enough to attainenlightenment.” When the naga king asked what that might be, the Buddhareplied, “It is bodhichitta.”Whenever you practice any form ofmeditation orperform any beneficial activity, you should invest these practices withbodhichittasothattheywillleadtoenlightenment.

Thethoughtofenlightenmentistheintentiontobenefitallsentientbeings,withoutanyconcernforyourownwelfare.Whenyoupracticeaccordingtothebodhisattva’smotivation,youdedicateallyourpracticeandactivitiesforothers;youfocusonopeningyourhearttothemwithoutanyattachmenttoyourself.Ifyou think, “I want to practice to get rid of my emotional problems and behappy,”thatattitudeisnotbodhichitta.Ifyouworkforyourselfalone,thinking,“Iwanttoattainliberation,”thatisaverysmallliberation.Ifyouworkforthebenefit of others, since yourmotivation and actions aremuchmore vast, youreach“thegreatliberation,”ormahaparinirvanainSanskrit.Ofcourse,youalsobecomeliberated,butyouareworkingprimarilyforallsentientbeings.

Therootofbodhichittaiscompassion.Compassionisfeeling,deepinyourheart,thesufferingofothersandwishingforthemtobefreefromallpain.Therootofcompassionisloving-kindness,whichisthefeelingofwantingtoreplace

suffering with happiness and peace. Having true love and compassion foreveryoneisthemostpreciouspracticeofthedharma.Withoutthis,yourpracticewillremainsuperficialandneverbedeeplyrootedinthetruedharma.

The feelings of love should be extended to every sentient being,withoutpartiality.Compassionshouldbedirectedtowardallbeingsinalldirections,notjusttohumanbeingsortocertainbeingsincertainplaces.Allbeingsexistinginspace,allthosewhoaresearchingforhappinessandjoy,shouldbeputundertheumbrellaofour compassion.At thepresent timeour love and compassion areverylimited.Ourbodhichittaissotinythatitlookslikeasmalldot;itdoesnotexpandinalldirections.However,bodhichittacanbedeveloped;itisnotoutsidethe realm of our potential. Once it has been developed, this small dot ofbodhichittacanexpandtofilltheentireuniverse.

Wheneverwebegin to learn somethingnew it isdifficultbecausewearenot used to it, but ifwe train diligently then it becomes easy. Shantideva, thegreat meditation master and scholar, said that there is nothing that remainsdifficultonce itbecomesfamiliar.Youcansee thisfromyourownexperience.Whenyouwereababy,sosmallthatyourmothercouldcarryyouinonehand,youdidnotevenknowhowtoeatorusethetoilet.Butnowyouarefarbeyondthatandwhatyouhavelearnedhasbecomeeasy.

Similarly,wecanlearntodevelopbodhichitta.Therearemanyexamplesofpeople,likethegreatmastersofIndiaandTibet,whobecamefamiliarwiththethought of enlightenment and accomplished it. For example, before BuddhaShakyamuniwasenlightenedhewasjustanordinaryperson.IntheJatakaTalestherearemanystoriesaboutthewayshepracticedbodhichittabeforehebecameenlightened. Over the course of many lifetimes he dedicated his wealth andproperty,andevenhis life, forallbeings.Byworkingdiligently tounderstandthe true nature of the mind and by dedicating all his activities to others, hebecameenlightened.Ifweworkatit,wecanachievethesameresult.

All sentient beings are equal in that all of uswanthappiness.To see thisclearly,theBuddhasaidthatyoushoulduseyourselfasanexample.Justasyoudonotwanttobeharmed,inthesamewaynooneelsewantstobeharmed.Ifsomeone is hurting you, then you cannot be happy, and it is exactly the samewithothers.Whenyouaresufferingyouwanttoremovewhateverisbotheringyou;youdonotwant tokeepthecauseofyoursufferingforevenoneminute.Similarly,othersentientbeingswanttobefreeofproblemsandpain.Whenyoupracticebodhichittayourealizethatallbeingsareequalinthisway.

Relativebodhichittacanbedividedintotwotypes:thesearecalledwishingbodhichitta and actualizing bodhichitta. The first is the intention to benefitothers.Asyoubegin torealizehowmuchotherbeingssuffer,youdevelop the

wish to remove their misery and establish them in happiness. In the secondstage,actualizingbodhichitta,youactuallyworktohelpothers.Afterdevelopingthe intention, youmust dowhatever you can tohelp, in accordancewithyourcapabilities. It is not easy to remove the suffering of all beings, but you canbeginwiththosenearyou,andasyoudevelopyourabilitiesyoucanhelpmorebeingsuntileventuallyyouarehelpingeveryone.

Topracticebodhichitta,youneedtodedicateyoureffortsfreelyandopenlywithout expecting anything in return. The more you meditate and practicebodhichitta,themoreyoufeelthatothersareasdearasyourself,andeventuallytheirwelfarebecomesevenmoreimportantthanyourown.BuddhaShakyamunitoldastoryaboutputtinganother’swelfareaboveone’sown.Onetimeamotherandherdaughterneeded tocrossabigriver thathadnobridgeorboats.Theytriedtoswimacross,butthecurrentswereverystrong,andwhentheyreachedthecenterof theriver theyweresweptapart.Asthemotherwasdrowningshefeltgreatcompassionforherdaughterandthought,“ItisallrightifIamcarriedawaybythiswater,butIwishmydaughterwouldsurvive.”Whilehavingthatloving intention she died. The daughterwas thinking the sameway: “It is allright ifIdrown,butIhopemymotherwillsurvive.”Atthatverymomentshealsodied.TheBuddhasaid thatbecauseof theirgenuine thoughtsof loveandcompassion,theywerebothimmediatelyreborninahighergodrealmcalledtheBrahmaRealm.

Ingeneral,yourstateofmindrightbeforeyoudieisveryimportant.Atthemomentjustbeforedeath,eventhesmallestthoughtcanchangethedirectionofyour rebirth. It is good to remember this when you are with people who aredying.Itisimportanttoletthemdieinpeace,withoutstirringuptheiremotions.Itdefinitelyhelpspeopleiftheydiewithpeacefulthoughts.Further,ifyoucancreate thoughts of love and compassion in a person’s heart just before theirdeath,itwillchangetheirfuturelife.

In his teachings, Buddha Shakyamuni praised the qualities of love andcompassionnotjustonceortwice,butagainandagain.Hesaidifyoupracticetrueloveandcompassionforevenonemoment,itwillbringenormousbenefit,andifcompassionatebehaviorbecomesyourwayoflife,itwillleaddirectlytoenlightenment.

Loving-kindnessOnce you know about the thought of enlightenment, the next step is to

increasethistypeofawareness.Asmuchaspossible,youshouldworkdiligentlytoincreaseyourmotivationtoattainenlightenmentforthebenefitofothers.Inyourdailypracticeyoucanpray that thosebeingswhohavenotyetgeneratedbodhichittamay quickly do so, and that those beings, including yourself,whoarealreadycultivatingbodhichittawillincreaseit.

Compassion is based on loving-kindness.When you feel compassion forpeople and animals, even for just a fewof them, it is because you love them.Once you have developed true loving-kindness you no longer act violently orhurt anyone.Whenyour loving-kindnessbecomes immeasurable, youwant allsentientbeingstobehappyandyoutreatallofthemasyourlovedones.

Typically,atthepresenttime,weloveonlyafewpeople—ourselves,ourfamily,andourclosefriends.Thislimitednotionofloveisanordinaryemotion.Thelovebetweentwopeopleispartoftheloveandcompassionwearetalkingabout, but this form of love is based on attachment and clinging. Theimmeasurable love of bodhichitta is basedon emptiness. Since infinite love iscombinedwithequanimity,itisnotanemotion.

In order to expand your love, take your own feelings as an example andapply that toothers. Just as youwant happiness andpeace, all sentient beingswanthappinessandpeace.Noonewantstosuffer;everyonewantstobehappy.Bypracticingloving-kindnesswecanhelpothersfindthehappinessandpeacetheydesire.

BuddhaShakyamunitaughtthatoftheonethousandbuddhasofthisaeon,threebuddhashavealreadycomeandheisthefourth.Thenextsupremebuddhaof this aeon will be Maitreya, whose name means “loving-kindness.” In theMahayana Maitreya Sutra, Buddha Shakyamuni describes him, saying thatBuddhaMaitreyawillbecomeenlightenedbypracticingonlyonetechnique—loving-kindness.Since thatwillbe thecauseofhisenlightenment,hisname isMaitreya.

Practicing loving-kindnesswill increase our tolerance for difficult peopleanddifficultsituations,andeventuallyitwillbringtheresultofenlightenment.At the present time we find it hard to practice patience; as soon as we hearcriticismorsomeonesaysafewharshwords,wefeelupsetandwanttoreact.Itisdifficult tobepatientbecausewedonothaveenough loveandcompassion.Whenwefindithardtobepatient,thatisasignthatweneedtodevelopmore

love. Similarly, when there are troubles between nations around the world orwhen familymembershaveproblems, it isbecause there isa lackof loveandcompassion. When a person has true love and compassion, patience willspontaneouslybethere.

When you generate bodhichitta, you will be happy about what you aredoing. There are two reasons for this happiness: first, you are actualizingbodhichitta within yourself, and second, you are engaged in working for allbeings.Amongthemanydifferentthoughtsyouhaveeveryday,thethoughtofenlightenmentisthemostimportant.Asyoudevelopthisthoughtandincreaseittoincludeallthesentientbeingswhoareinneed,itwillbringgreatjoybecausewhat you are doing is so special. Attaining enlightenment for the benefit ofothersisthebestactivityyoucandointhislife.Allsentientbeingswilljoinyouin rejoicing because you are dedicating your activities for their benefit. Eventhoughtherearealreadymanygreatbodhisattvasworkingtobenefitallbeings,thereareinfinitenumbersofsentientbeingswhoaresuffering.

As you develop pure intentions and greater openness, try to expand thisattitude without the ego-centeredness of expecting anything in return. Also,whenever you have joyful experiences, you can totally shift your position,mentallytransferringyourhappinesstoothersandtakingothers’sufferingontoyourself.Thisisthebodhichittapracticeofexchangingselfandothers.

Loving-kindness and compassion are very special practices that benefitoneself as well as others. When Buddha Shakyamuni taught the benefits ofrelative bodhichitta, he said that ultimately it results in enlightenment, andrelativelyitbringseightspecialresults.Thefirstoftheseisthatyourbodyandmind remain relaxed and joyful. The second result of practicing love andcompassion is freedom from illness; disease cannot attack you. The third isprotectionfromexternalattacksthroughweapons.Thefourthisprotectionfrompoison— if somebodygives youpoisonor if you accidentally takepoison, itwillnotkillyou.

Thefifthresultisthatyouwillbegreatlyappreciatedbyeveryone,notonlyhuman beings but nonhuman beings as well. The sixth is that you will beprotected by the buddhas and bodhisattvas — the realized beings who havealreadydevelopedbodhichitta.Theseventhbenefitisthatyouwillbereborninthe higher realms.The eighth is that all of yourwisheswill be spontaneouslyfulfilled;youwillachievewhateveryoudesirewithoutdifficulty.

It is important toknow thevalue andqualitiesofbeneficial thoughts andthentopracticethem.Loveandcompassiondonotdevelopbyjusttalkingaboutthem; they are attitudes that have to be practiced. Whenever you practicemeditation,itisimportanttobeginwiththeintentiontobecomeenlightenedfor

thesakeofothersandtoconcludebydedicatingthemerittothem.Ifyoudothis,asyoucontinue topracticeyouwillaccumulate immeasurablemeritandmakerapidprogresstowardenlightenment.

ThePowerofCompassionPurecompassionhasthepowertoremoveallthekarmicobscurationsand

obstacles toenlightenment.As innerwisdomisuncovered,yourunderstandingof relative and absolute truth increases as you progress toward enlightenment.The Buddha said many times that compassion is the most powerful tool forremovingignoranceandincreasingwisdom.

This is illustrated in a story about Asanga. He was an important IndianscholarbornaboutfivehundredyearsafterBuddha,aroundthebeginningoftheChristianEra.WhenAsangawasayoungman,hewenttoNalandaUniversity,afamous monastery in ancient India and the first real university in the world.AlthoughAsangabecameagreatscholar,hestillhaddoubtsaboutsomeoftheteachings.Hequestionedmany learnedandaccomplishedmasters,butnoneofthem could remove his doubts. He decided to practice the visualization ofMaitreya,thefuturebuddha,thinkingthatoncehecouldseeMaitreyahewouldobtain answers to his questions. After receiving the empowerment andinstructions,hewenttoamountaininIndiaandmeditatedonMaitreyaforthreeyears.

He thought that after three years he would have enough power to meetMaitreyaandaskhisquestions,butthroughoutthattimehedidnotreceiveanysigns.After threeyearshebecametiredanddiscouraged,sohelefthisretreat.Onthewaydownthemountainhecametoavillagewherepeopleweregatheredwatchinganoldmanmakinganeedlebyrubbingahugeironstickwithapieceof silk.Asanga found it hard tobelieve that someonecouldmakeaneedlebyrubbinganironrodwithapieceofsilk,buttheoldmanassuredhimthatitwaspossible, showing him three needles he had alreadymade.WhenAsanga sawthis example of great patience, he decided to persevere in his practice and hewentbacktohisretreatforanotherthreeyears.

DuringthesecondthreeyearshehadsomedreamsaboutMaitreyabuthestillcouldnotseeMaitreya.Afterthesecondthreeyearshefeltboredandtired,andonceagainhedecided to leave.Ashecamedown themountainhe sawaplacewherewaterwasdrippingonastone.Itwasdrippingveryslowly,onedropan hour, but that drip hadmade a big hole in the rock.When he saw this, itrenewed his courage and he decided to go back into retreat for another threeyears.

This time he had good dreams and other signs, but he still did not seeMaitreya clearly enough to ask his questions.Once again he left.On theway

downthemountainhesawasmallholeinarock.Aroundthisholewasashinymarkmadebyabirdbrushingitswingsagainsttherock.Thismadehimrenewhisresolvetoreturntohiscaveforanotherthreeyears.Butafterthisthree-yearperiodhestillcouldnotseeMaitreya.Aftertwelveyearshehadnoanswers,sohelefthisretreatandwentdownthemountain.

Alongthewayhecameuponanolddogoutsideavillage.Whenitbarkedangrilyathim,hesawthatthelowerpartofitsbodywaswoundedandcoveredwith fleas and maggots. When he got closer he could see that the dog wassuffering terribly andhe felt great compassion for it.He thought about all thestoriesoftheBuddhaShakyamunidedicatinghimselftosentientbeings,andhedecidedthatitwastimetodedicatehisbodytothisdogandtheseinsects.

Hewenttothevillageandboughtaknife.Withtheknifehecutthefleshonhisthigh,thinkingthathewouldremovethewormsfromthedogandputthemonhisflesh.Thenherealizedthatifheremovedtheinsectswithhisfingers,theywoulddiebecausetheyweresotender.Sohedecidedtoremovethemwithhistongue.Hedidnotwanttolookatwhathewasdoing,soheclosedhiseyesandreachedouthistonguetowardthedog.Buthistonguelandedontheground.Hetriedagainandagain,buthistonguekepthittingtheground.Finally,heopenedhiseyesandtheolddogwasgoneandBuddhaMaitreyawasthereinstead.

When he sawMaitreya he was overjoyed, but at the same time he wasratherupset.Afterpracticingforsomanyyears, itwasonlywhenAsangasawtheolddogthatMaitreyahadrevealedhimself.AsangastartedcryingandaskedMaitreyawhy he had not shown himself sooner.Maitreya replied, “Iwas notuncompassionatetoyou.FromthefirstdayyouarrivedatthecaveIwasalwayswithyou.Butuntiltodayyourobscurationsblockedyourview.Nowyouseemebecauseofyourgreatcompassion for thedog.Thatcompassion removedyourobscurations to thepoint thatyoucanseeme.”After that,Maitreyapersonallytaught Asanga the texts known as the Five Teachings ofMaitreya, which areveryimportanttextsintheTibetantradition.

Asanga’s contactwithMaitreyawas born of compassion. It was only bycompassion that his obscurations were dissolved. For this reason GuruPadmasambhavataughtthatwithoutcompassion,dharmapracticewillnotbearfruit,andinfact,withoutcompassionyourpracticewillbecomerotten.

TheInseparabilityofCompassionandEmptiness

Compassionisthebeneficialthoughtthatmovesyoutohelpothersentientbeings.Itariseswhenyouseetheirmiseryandpain,andyoufeelfromthedepthofyourheartthatyouwanttoremovethatsuffering.

Compassion can be divided into three types. The first is compassion thatfocusesonsentientbeings,thesecondiscompassionthatfocusesonignorance,and the third iscompassionwithoutanyfocus.Thefirst typeofcompassion iseasy to understand; if we look closely at the painful situations that sentientbeings experience, we feel compassion and want to change their miserableconditions.

The second kind of compassion is directed toward a deeper level; it iscompassionfortheignorancethatsentientbeingshaveaboutthetruenatureofphenomena. Everything about their bodies, possessions, and emotions isconstantly changing, but due to ignorance, sentient beings grasp and cling totheir livesasif theywill lastforaeons.Then,whenthingschange, theysuffer.Thistypeofcompassionfocusesonignoranceastherootofallsuffering.

Thethirdtypeofcompassionisobjectlesscompassion.Thefirsttwotypesofcompassionhaveobjects:thefirsthasthesufferingofsentientbeingsandthesecondhas their ignorance,but the third typehasnoparticular focus. It is thedeepest level of compassion; it is the meditation on the absolute state ofequanimity. With this kind of compassion there are no distinctions betweensentient beings andnonsentient beings; one’s compassion is equal for all.Onesimply rests in the absolute, natural state, without any particular ideas orjudgments.Thiscompassionarisesfromtherealizationofemptinessandisfreefromalldesireandduality.Thislevelofmeditationisachievedgraduallyanditisnotaseasytounderstandasthefirsttwotypesofcompassion.

Practicingcompassionwillbringabouttherecognitionofemptinessasthetrue nature of the mind. When you practice virtuous actions of love andcompassionontherelativelevel,youspontaneouslyrealizetheprofoundnatureofemptiness,whichis theabsolute level. In turn, ifyoufocusyourmeditationpractice on emptiness, then your loving-kindness and compassion willspontaneouslygrow.

These two natures, the absolute and the relative, are not opposites; theyalwaysarisetogether.Theyhavethesamenature;theyareinseparablelikeafire

anditsheatorthesunanditslight.Compassionandemptinessarenotliketwosidesofacoin.Emptinessandcompassionarenottwoseparateelementsjoinedtogether;theyarealwayscoexistent.

InBuddhism,emptinessdoesnotmeantheabsenceofapparentexistence.Emptiness is not like a black hole or darkness, or like an empty house or anempty bottle. Emptiness is fullness and openness and flexibility. Because ofemptiness it ispossible forphenomena to function, forbeings to seeandhear,and for things to move and change. It is called emptiness because when weexamine things we cannot find anything that substantially and solidly exists.Thereisnothingthathasatrulyexistentnature.Everythingweperceiveappearsthrough ever-changing causes and conditions, without an independent, solidbasis. Although from a relative perspective things appear, they arise fromemptiness and they dissolve into emptiness. All appearances are like waterbubblesorthereflectionofthemooninwater.

Buddhistlogicanalyzesobjects,bothphysicalandmental,toseewhetheratruly existent essence can be found.One canmentally break down a physicalobjectuntil it isonlyatoms,andthoseatomscanbedividedintosubtleatoms,andthosecanbeanalyzeduntilthereisnothingatall.Objectsaredesignatedassuchonlybytheimagination.Externalobjectsdonotexistthewaywebelievethem to be— as solid, singular, and permanent. If we look deeper, whateverappearsisnottrulythere;itisasortofhallucination.

Onceweunderstand the emptiness of outer forms,we should look at theminditself.Whatisthemind?Whereisit?Inanalyzingitsvariousaspects,wecannot find themindof thepastor the future,oreven themindof thepresentmoment.Themindisalsoemptyofsubstantialexistence;itcannotbegrasped.Everything,includingthemind,isultimatelyillusoryandimaginary.

Thisunderstandingofrelativeandabsolutetruthcanbeappliedinpracticalways. For example, when you find yourself getting angry at someone, if youlook immediatelyat thenatureofyourmind,youwillnotbe able to findanysubstantialangeroranyonewhoisgettingangry.Ifyoureallyseethatangerisemptybynature, then theangerwilldissolve itself.Thebestway toeliminatenegative emotions is by recognizing their emptiness. This is approachingdisturbingemotionsontheabsolutelevel.Toapproachthemontherelativelevelbyusingcompassionasanantidotecanalsobeveryhelpful.Aftertheemotionalenergyhas subsided somewhat, you could think compassionately: “I shouldn’tfeel angrybecause thisperson is actingoutof ignorance.Because shedoesn’tseeclearly,shedoesn’tknowwhatisappropriate,andthisconflicthasarisen.Iwishshecouldbefreefromallignoranceandsuffering.”

BuddhaShakyamuni explained the union of appearance and emptiness in

theHeart Sutra . This text begins with the Buddha entering the samadhi ofprofound illumination, and by the power of that samadhi Shariputra had thewisdom to ask Avalokiteshvara how a bodhisattva should train in perfectwisdom.EventhoughAvalokiteshvaragavetheexplanation,sinceitwasduetothe power of theBuddha’smeditation that Shariputra asked the question, thissutraisconsideredtobetheBuddha’steaching.

In theHeart Sutra Avalokiteshvara explained that form is emptiness andemptinessisform;emptinessisnotdifferentthanform,andformisnotdifferentthanemptiness.Whateverweseeisemptyof inherentnatureandyet itclearlyappears.Thereisnothingsolidtoholdonto,yetthingscontinuetomanifest.Ifthisistrue,whydoweclingtopeopleandthingsasbeingreal?Itisbecauseofawrong understanding. Thismistaken view iswhatwe need to break down, sothat we see whatever appears in an open and impartial way. It is extremelyimportanttorealizeemptinessasthetruenatureofreality.

ThegreatmeditationmasterandscholarNagarjunasaidthatphenomenaareactuallynothing,thatontheabsoluteleveltheyareemptiness,yetontherelativelevel theyappearand function.Sinceall appearancesareemptybynature, therelative and absolute aspects are inseparably united. One could never findemptinesswithoutappearanceorappearancewithoutemptiness.

Intermsofpractice,thewishtoattainenlightenmentforthesakeofothersand the cultivation of love and compassion are the relative practice, andmeditationongreatemptiness is theabsolutepractice.Whenyoumaintain thenatural state of mind in meditation, then compassion and loving-kindnessspontaneously radiate.When you practice immeasurable love and compassionforothers,thentheemptinessnatureofallphenomenabecomesclear.Asmuchas possible you should practice with the understanding that compassion andemptinessareinseparable.

TheChannelsandWindsAccordingtothetantricBuddhistsystem,ofalltheaspectsofthebody—

itsbones,muscles,blood,andsoon,thethreeprincipalaspectsarethechannels,thewind,andtheessenceelement.Thechannelsarethemostimportantbecausethey carry the wind, which moves the essence element throughout the body.Whenthechannelsareperfectlybalanced,thenthewindenergyandtheessenceelementarealsobalanced.

Thechannels,or thenervoussystem,areliketherootsof thebody.Thereare1,072majorchannelsinthebody.Whenababyisconceivedfromtheinitialminglingofconsciousnesswiththetwoelementsoftheparentsinthemother’swomb,thefirstthingsthatformarethechannels.Thefirstchannelthatappearsinthefetusisthenavelchannel.Rightafterthat,thetwochannelsoftheeyesareformed.These threemainchannels, thenavelchanneland the twochannelsoftheeyes,arethefoundationofthebody.Asababygrows,eachweektherearemajordevelopmentsandchanges inside themother’swomb,andgradually theotherlargechannelsformuntilthebodystructureiscomplete.

Accordingtotheinnerteachingsofthevajrayana,thebodyhasthreemainchannels. The most important is the central channel, which is known as theavadhuti inSanskritandas theuma inTibetan.Thecentralchannelstarts fourfingersbelowthenavelandgoesstraightuptothetopofthehead.Ontherightsideofthecentralchannelthereisanotherchannel,inwhichthewhiteelementsofthebodyflow.Itishalfasbigaroundasthecentralchannel,anditgoesuptotheheadandcomesdowntotherightnostril.Thethirdmajorchannelisontheleft sideof the central channel. It is the same size as the right channel, and itgoesuptotheheadanddowntotheleftnostril.Theleftchannelisred,sincetheredelementsofthebodypassthroughit.

The four chakras, or wheels of the channels, are joined to the threechannels.Atthecrownoftheheadis the“crownchakraofgreatbliss,”whichhas thirty-two spokesor petals.The second chakra is the “enjoyment chakra,”whichislocatedinthethroatandhassixteenspokes.Thethirdchakraiscalledthe“dharmachakra,”anditisintheheartcenter.Thischakrahaseightspokes,whicharerelatedtotheheartaswellastothemainchannels.Thefourthchakrais the navel chakra, with sixty-four spokes or petals. It is called the“manifestation chakra” because it is the source of everything you experience;everythingisreflectedormanifestedfromthatcenter.

Thethreechannelsandfourchakrasarethebasicgroundofthebody;theyare the source and the main condition for all of one’s experiences and senseconsciousnesses. In all human beings, the three major channels and the fourchakrasarebasicallystructuredinthesameway.However, theminorchannels

are formeddifferently indifferent people.Becauseof differences in theminorchannels, people have different personalities, different ways of talking andacting,anddifferentexperiences.

Allhumanbeingsgenerallyseethesamethings.Whenpeoplelookatatreeoraflower,theyseeasimilarobjectbecausethethreechannelsandfourchakrasare similar.However, since theminor channels functiondifferently in thewaytheyjointhemainchannelsandchakras,somepeoplefindanobjectinterestingorbeautifulwhileothersdonot.Peoplehavedifferent tastes, experiences, andunderstandingsbasedon thedifferent formationsof thesmallchannels in theirbodies.

Thisappliesonlytohumanbeings.Ifwelookatthewayanimalsperceive,they see objects differently than humans because their channels are structureddifferently.For example,humanscan see the fivebasic colors,but animalsdonot see them. Buddha Shakyamuni taught that the beings in each of the sixrealmsseeapredominantlydifferentcolor.Forexample,hellbeingsseemostlyblack colors. The hungry ghosts seemostly a dark red color. The animals seemostly a dark green color. Only in the higher realms of the humans, jealousgods,andgodsdobeingsseeallfivecolors.Andinthegodrealm,thegodsseemorewhitecoloralongwiththeothercolors.

The reason the various classes of beings in the six realms see differentcolors is because color and vision are dependent upon the structure of thechannels. Things like colors do not actually exist externally. On the absolutelevel,inreality,yourvisionofthingslikecolorscomesfrominside.Yourvisionreflectsoutandyousee thingsexternally.This isonereasonwhythechannelsare important. Ifyouknowabout thechannelsandcancontrol them, thenyouwillhavemorecontrolofyourvisionandyourexperience,andyouwillnotbeasconfused.Keepinganerectbodyposture isanimportantfactor inbalancingthechannelsandchakras.

Whenyourchannelsareperfectlybalanced,thewindenergybecomesmoregentle and normal. The breath orwind energy is an important element of thebodybecause itcommunicatesbetween theoutsideand the insideof thebody.Your whole body, as well as your consciousness, relies upon the breath. Thewindenergyandthemindtraveltogetherthroughthechannels.

In the vajrayana teachings there is a well-known example for therelationshipbetweenthebody,thechannels,thewind,andthemind.Thebodyislike thegroundor theearth, thechannelsare like the roads, thewind is likeahorse,andthemindorconsciousnessislikeapersonwhoisridingthehorse.Ifthehorseiswild,thepersoniscarriedinalldirections,whereverthehorseendsupgoing.Similarly, if thewind isunbalanced, the consciousness is carriedby

thewindthroughallthechannelsofthebody.Butifthewindelementistamed,thenthemindthatridesonthewindistameaswell.

Thegoalofmeditationpracticeistobringeverythingintothenaturalstate.Inordertodothisitisimportanttoknowhowthechannelsdominatethebody,andsecond,howthewindenergyaffectsthemind.Onewayinwhichthewindelement affects the mind is that it establishes your sense of time. The windelementmanifestsasthepulse,andeachbeatofthepulseisconsideredtobeonesecond. The watch that you wear is like a duplicate of your pulse. Time isreflected externally so that you experienceminutes, hours,months, and years,butactually,yoursenseoftimedependsuponyourinnerstate.

It issaidthatahealthyadultbreathestwelvetimesaminute,countingtheinhalation and exhalation as one breath. Adding it up, we find that peoplebreathemany thousands of times every day.Most of thewinds are connectedwith the emotions, but about every two hundred breaths there is a breath ofwisdomwind.Ifyouknowaboutthewindenergy,youcancalculatethewisdomwindperfectly.Byrecognizingthewisdomwind,youcanlingerinthatmomentorusethatwisdomwindtotransformtherestofyouremotionalwindsintothewisdomwind.

Therearemanyvajrayanatechniquesconnectedwiththewindenergy,suchas thebum chen , the big vase practice, and the bum chung , the small vasepractice.Thesebringextraordinaryphysicalpowers.Forexample,expertsonthewindenergycantravellongdistancesveryquickly.Ifitnormallytakesoneweektowalksomewhere,theycanwalkthatfarinoneday.Throughcontrollingtheirwinds,theycanlevitateandflyinthesky,andtheirbodiesbecomeyoungerandmorehealthy,withlesswrinklesandgrayhair.

The dzogchen tradition teaches the importance of four levels ofstraightness:whenthebodybecomesstraight,thenthechannelsbecomestraight.When the channels become straight, then the wind energy becomes straight.When thewindelementbecomes straight, then themindbecomes straight andprimordialwisdomshinesout.

However,samsaraisnotreallystraight;itisalwayscirclingbackonitself.Inthevajrayanatraditionthereisanillustrationcalledthe“wheeloflife,”whichdepictssamsara. In thecenterof thewheelof life thereare threeanimals—apig, a rooster, and a snake,which are coming out of each others’mouths andcirclingaround.Theseanimalsrepresentthethreepoisons.Thepigisasymbolofignorance,thesourceofsamsara.Ignorancegivesbirthtoattachment,whichissymbolizedbytherooster.Angerdevelopsfromattachment,inthatwhateverprevents the fulfillment of desire becomes an object of anger. Anger issymbolizedbythesnake.Theinterconnectionofthesethreeshowsignoranceas

therootofsamsaricexistence,givingriseagainandagaintoconfusedemotionsandactions.

Tostepoutofthecircleofsamsara,weneedtostraightenandbalancethebody,thechannels,andthewind.Atthesametimewemusttrainincompassionand loving-kindness for all beings. If we balance the wind energy and thechannels,andpracticeloving-kindnessandcompassion,thenenlightenmentwillcertainlyfollow.

MeditationPostureandBreathPurification

Whenmeditating, it is always important to keep your body, speech, andmind balanced. The body has three principal components: the channels, thewind,andtheessenceelement.Ifthesethreecomponentsarewell-balanced,youwillfeelhealthyandcomfortable.

First,thechannelsneedtobeproperlyalignedbymaintaininggoodposture.The main points of good posture are known as the seven-point posture ofBuddha Vairochana. If you use these postures when you meditate, yourmeditationwillbestableandsmooth.

Thefirstpointistositwithyourlegscrossedinthelotus,orvajra,posture.Second,yourback shouldbekeptvery straight, notbent forwardorback,butstraight like an arrow pointing up to the sky. Third is the hand position, ormudra.Therearetwopopularwaystoholdthehands.Theequanimitymudraisdonebyplacing the righthandon topof the lefthand,with thepalmsupandbothhandsrestinginyourlap,closetothenavel.Oryoucanrestyourhandsonyourkneeswiththepalmsdown,inwhatiscalledtherelaxingmudra.

Fourth,youshouldkeepyourelbows rounded,not touching them toyoursides. The angle of your elbows is sometimes compared to theway a vultureholdsitswingswhenlanding.Fifth,yourneckshouldbeheldstraight,keepingthecrownchakrastraightup.Tokeepyourheadalignedproperlyyoucanbendyourheadforwardalittlesothatyourchestisabitdown.Sixth,keepyoureyeslookingforwardanddowntowardthetipofyournose,withoutblinkingalotormovingyour eyes indifferentdirections.And last, holdyour tongue so that ittouchestheupperroofofyourmouth.Thelipsmaybeslightlyparted.

Onceyouknowhow tobalance the channelswithgoodposture, thenextaspect to balance is the breath.While you aremeditating, continue to breathenormally,withoutchangingthewayyouusuallybreathe.Whenyoubeginyourmorning practice session, after doing at least three prostrations and sitting onyourcushionwithcorrectposture,itisgoodtodoabreathpurificationexercise.Thereisaparticulardzogchentechniqueforbreathpurificationthatreleasestheinner air of the negative emotions. The threemain emotions, often called thethree poisons, are attachment, anger, and ignorance. By releasing the airconnectedwiththethreepoisonsyoucanclarifyyourwindenergy.

Tobegin thisexercise, formyourhands into thegesture,ormudra,called“the vajra fist.” The word vajra means “indestructible,” so the vajra fist is agestureofindestructibility.Pressyourthumbatthebaseofyourringfingerandcurlyourhandintoafirst.Theringfingerisespeciallyimportantbecauseithas

particularchannelsrelatedtotheemotions.Whenyoupressyourthumbonyourringfinger,youareblockingtheemotionchannels.

Having formed thevajra fistwithbothhands, placeyour hands,with thefingers facing up, at your hips. The hips also havemany channels, includingemotion channels; pressing the vajra fist on the hips blocks these emotionchannelsandhelpsthemindtorelaxfurther.Afterpressingdownonyourhips,rubthebacksideofyourfistsalongyourthighstoyourknees.Thenturnyourfistsover,bringyourfistsbackalongyourthighs,andgraduallypullyourfistsupyourbodyuntiltheyreachthechestlevel,andthenthrustyourhandsoutinfrontofyouandextendyourfingers.Youshouldextendyourarmsandfingersverystraight,shootingthemoutlikearrows.

Then,dropbothhandstoyourknees.Leavingyourrighthandonyourrightknee,raiseyourlefthandandrotateitinthelotus-turningmudra,andthenpressthethumboverthebaseoftheringfingerandextendtheindexfinger.Pressyourleftnostrilwithyourleftindexfinger,andreleaseairthroughyourrightnostril.

The channel located on the right of the central channel is filledwith thebody’s white element and the wind connected with anger, so you release theangerairthroughtherightnostril.Whileexhaling,visualizethatalltheangerairpassingoutof therightnostril iscoloreddarkyellow, thecolor that representsanger.Allofitgoesout,sothatnoangerwindisleftinside.

Afterthat,youpressdownagainatyourhipswithbothhandsinthevajrafistandrepeatthesequenceofdrawingyourfiststoyourknees,backuptoyourchest,shootingoutyourarms,anddroppingyourhandstoyourknees.Butthistimeleaveyourlefthandonyourleftkneeanddothelotus-turningmudrawithyourrighthand.Placeyourrightthumboverthebaseofyourrightringfinger,press your right index finger to your right nostril, and exhale through the leftnostril.Theleftsideofthebodyisdominatedbyattachmentanddesire.Theleftchannelisredincolor,beingfilledwiththeredelementofthebody.Byexhalingthroughtheleftnostrilyoureleasetheattachmentairwhichisvisualizedasdarkredincolor.

Then,do thesamesequenceofpressingdownandbringingbotharmsupandshootingthemout.Thethirdtimeyouleavebothhandsonyourkneesandreleaseair frombothnostrilsaswellas fromyourmouth.This time theairofignoranceisexpelled.Theenergyofignoranceisnotlocatedparticularlyontherightortheleftsidebecauseignorancepervadeseverywhere.Sinceignoranceisthegroundofbothattachmentandanger,itisreleasedfrombothnostrilsaswellasthemouth.Theignoranceairisvisualizedasdarkblueincolor.

Doing this exercise will help to clear the air of the emotions.When theemotion air is dispelled, at thatmomentwisdom airwill appearmore clearly.

After doing this exercise to purify the breath, your mind will be clearer andcalmer,anditwillbeeasiertomaintainyourmindinthemeditativestate.Eventhoughthispurificationexerciseisverysimple,itisverybeneficial.

After doing the breath purification, you are ready to begin your practice.Just as you clean and decorate your house before a guest arrives, similarly,before beginning tomeditate you shouldmake the proper preparations for theprincipalguest,yourinnerwisdom.Themanychannelsinyourbodyarefilledwith different emotions and airs, so it is important to purify the stale air andbringfreshwisdomairintothebody.

MeditatingontheTrueNatureoftheMind

Once thebody, channels, andwind arebalanced, thenext step is to keepyourmind in the natural state throughmeditation. By simplymaintaining themind as it is,without addingor subtracting anything, onewill reach the innernature,whichisunchangingandindestructible.

Theinstructionsforthistypeofmeditationareverysimple.Onebeginsbysittingwithgoodpostureonacushion,because it is important tostaystraight.Then, one simplymaintains the natural clarity of themind,without analyzingone’s experiences or being disturbed by thoughts. In the dzogchen style ofmeditation, there isactuallynothing todoexcept relax in themind’snatureofclarityandemptiness.Innerawarenessisdifferentthanexternalawareness;itiscalledclear-lightemptiness.Itishelpfultousetheskyasananalogyforthetruenatureofthemind—whenyouletyourmindminglewiththeopenspaceofthesky,youdonotneedanyparticularfocus.Simplymaintain themindnaturally,withoutdiscriminationorjudgments,andexperienceitsnatureasbeingspaciousasthesky.

Meditatingonthenatureofthemindissomethingyoucandoanytime.Youdonothavetogosomewherespecialtoacquirethenatureofthemind;youdonotneedtobuyitfromastoreordigitupfromtheearth;itisalwaysavailable.Duringmeditationyoudonotneedtothinkanyparticularthoughtsormakeanyefforttochangewhatyouare.Justsimplymaintainwhereyouareandwhatyouare, without trying to do anything unusual. If you meditate by simplymaintainingthenaturalstate,theneverythingunnaturalwillberemoved.Youdonot have to do anything except remain on your cushion. In one sense this issomethingof a joke, but in another sense it is true.You simply relaxonyourcushion,andthat’sit!

Althoughmeditationdoesnotdemandanyphysicalactivity,youdohavetomaintain themeditative state, and this takes some effort.Effort is not actuallypartofthebasicgroundnature,butsinceourobscurationsandignorancearesostrongitrequiresefforttomakemeditationnatural.Whenmeditatinginthisway,it is not necessary to fight with the obscurations. As your practice developspower,itwillspontaneouslyremovetheobscurationssincetheyarenotpartofthe primordial nature. This practice will reveal more and more of the basicgroundofprimordialwisdom.Therisingsundoesnot fightwith thedarkness;

just as its presence makes darkness disappear, in the same way, when wemeditate, thepresenceof theprimordialnatureovercomes ignorance. It is liketheheatofthesuninspringtimepenetratingthecoldgroundsothatgreenplantsnaturallybegintogrow.Whenmeditationpracticecausesprimordialwisdomtoshine, theenlightenedqualitiesmanifestaccording toone’s levelofmeditativestabilization.

Thenaturalmindisinexpressibleandinconceivable.Itcannotbeexpressedverbally, but it can be experienced through your own awareness. When youmeditateyoushouldnotfollowyourmonkeylikethoughts;insteadtrytoremaininastateofmindfulawarenessall the time.Ofcourse,atsomepointyouwillbeginthinking,buttrynottoanalyzeorfollowyourthoughts;simplywatchwiththe mind. This is called mindfulness. Mindfulness means that the mind iswatchinghowthemeditationisgoing.

Doyourmeditationwitharelaxedmind;donotworryorforceyourselftomeditate.Donotbeinarush,butbeconcernedenoughthatyoudonotpostponeituntil tomorrow. Ifyouput itoff, there isalwaysanother tomorrow,andyoucanextendthatforendlesstomorrowswithoutdevelopingyourpractice.Onceinawhileitisgoodtowatchyourmeditationandseehowitisgoing,butdonotdothisallthetimebecausethatisspyingtoomuch.Ontheotherhand,youshouldnot be so relaxed that you are careless, since that will not bring good resultseither.Therehastobeabalance.

ThereisastorythatillustratesthisfromthelifetimeoftheBuddha.Therewasamonkwhothoughtheshouldmeditateforcefully,andhismindgottwistedandtight.Hedidnotfeelhewasprogressinginhispractice,sohetoldoneofhisfellow monks about his concerns. His friend advised him not to meditate sotightly,buttobemorerelaxed.Thenthemonkmeditatedinaveryrelaxedway,buthestilldidnotgetgoodresults.Sincehewasveryinterestedinmeditationhegot upset about his lack of progress, and finally he went to the Buddha andexplainedhis trouble.TheBuddhaaskedhim,“Beforeyouwereamonk,whatwasyourexpertise?”Themonkreplied,“Iwasanexpertonthemandolin.”TheBuddha asked him, “When the mandolin is strung very tight, will it make abeautifulsound?”Andthemonkanswered,“Notifyouusetoomuchtension.”Then theBuddhaasked,“If thestringsare loose,will itmakeagoodsound?”Themonkreplied,“No,ofcoursenot.Youhave tokeep theproper tensiononthe strings.”TheBuddha told him, “Meditation is the sameway: you have tokeeptheproperbalance—nottootightandnottooloose.”

Whenyoumeditatewith theproperbalanceyoucan reachenlightenmentanddiscovertheprimordialnature.Asabeginner,itisbesttopracticeformanyshortperiodsandgraduallyextendthesessionstolongerandlongerperiodsof

time.Meditateforaslongasyouhavetime,andwhenyoufinish,dedicatethemeritforthebenefitofallsentientbeings.Buddhistmeditationisalwaysbasedon love for all beings, so you should conclude your practicewith thoughts ofcompassionandloving-kindness.Whenyoudedicatethemerittoothers,itdoesnotmeanthatyoulosethatmerit,actuallyitmultipliesyourmerit.Soitisgoodto always complete your meditation session by spending a few minutesdedicatingthemeritforthebenefitofallsentientbeings.

TheFiveSupportsofMeditation

All beings have the potential for buddhahood. In order to actualize thispotential we need to meditate. The best supports for meditation practice arejoyful effort, mindfulness, devotion, concentration, and wisdom. The Buddhataughtthatwecanactualizeenlightenmentwiththesefivesupports.

Whenyoumeditate,firstyouneedtoapplyjoyfulandcontinuouseffort.Inanyactivityyouneedacertainamountofmotivationtofinishwhatyoustart.Ifyouexperiencejoyinwhatyouaredoing,thenyouwillwanttocontinue.Joyfuleffortisnotaccomplishedbyrushingaroundandstayingbusy;thebesttypeofeffort is steady and smooth, like a river. When you look at a wide river, itsmovementisverysubtle;eventhoughyoumaynotbeabletotellwhetheritismovingornot,itsmovementisverypowerful.Whenyoudevelopjoyfulinterestandongoingeffort,yourpracticewillbringgoodresults.

Itisalsoimportantnottoexpectimmediateresults.Practicingstrenuouslyforashorttimeandthendroppingitaltogetherwillnotbringlastingresults.Itislike a firemadewithhay— it blazesupvery fast, but theheat doesnot last.When you first begin to practice, you should meditate frequently for shortperiodsof time.Donotstartwithahugeamountof timeand thendecrease it;start with a small amount of time and gradually increase it. GuruPadmasambhavataughtthisshortlybeforehedepartedfromTibet.TheQueenofTibet,Ngang-zangPalgyiGyalmo,askedGuruPadmasambhavatotellherhowtomeditate.Hetoldhertobeginbymeditatingoftenforveryshortperiods.Heusedtheexampleofaleakyroofinanoldhouse,wheretheraindoesnotpourin,butleaksindropbydrop.Thisishowyoushouldbegintomeditate,andthengraduallyextendthetime.

No matter how long you meditate, try to meditate with mindfulness.Otherwise,ifyouarejustsittingonyourcushionandthinking,thenyourmindwilltravelallover.Thisiscalledthemonkeymind.Peoplesaythatmonkeysarealways active; they never really rest, even when they sit still. For whateveramountoftimeyoumeditate,evenforfiveortenminutes,trytomaintainyourmindsingle-pointedly,withoutbeingdistractedbythoughts.

Ofcourse, itnaturallyhappenswhenyoumeditate that thoughtssuddenlyariseand leadyou indifferentdirections.Whenyousee thathappening, ratherthan following the thoughts, immediately bring the mind back through

mindfulness.Thereasonyouneedtomeditateisbecauseconceptshavecoveredupthenaturalstate.Ifthoughtsdidnotcauseconfusion,youwouldnotneedtomeditate.However, you should not be upset or sadwhen thoughts arise. It isquite normal for thoughts to arise duringmeditation.Themainpoint is to notfollowthethoughts.

It is also important in meditation to have the right motivation, which isbasedondevotionandbodhichitta.Devotiontothehighlyrealizedbeingssuchas Buddha Shakyamuni, Guru Padmasambhava, or Tara means that you feelclose to themandwish toattain thesameability theyhave tohelpallsentientbeings.Devotionisfeelinggreatinterestintheirrealizationandlongingtohavethesamerealizationassoonasyoucan.

Devotion combines interest and clarityofmind. It develops in twoways.Some people develop devotion with the assistance of spiritual friends whoencourage them to study the teachings and follow the examples of the greatmasters in order to reach enlightenment. In other cases, devotion developsspontaneouslyinanindividual.

InadditiontodevotiontotheBuddha,dharma,andsangha,inthevajrayanathere isalsodevotion towhat iscalled the threeroots—the lama, thedeities,and the dakinis. The three roots are the three principal objects of refuge inBuddhist tantra. Devotion is like a channel that brings down the blessings ofrealized beings. Even at the level of dzogchen, devotion is very important.Devotion is like the key which opens the door of enlightenment. In thePrajñaparamitaSutra,BuddhaShakyamuni taught thatdevotion is likea lightthatmakesenlightenmentvisible.

Devotion is importantbecause ifyouhavedevotion, thenyoucanreceiveblessings.ThereisastorythatlongagoinTibetastudentapproachedafamousKadampamasterandasked,“Greatmaster,couldyougivemesomeblessings?”And the master replied, “Well, noble student, could you give me somedevotion?”AnotherexampleofdevotionthatyoumayknowisthelifestoryofMilarepa. His teacher Marpa did many things to test his confidence anddevotion,butMilarepa’sdevotionwasverystrong,andasaresultheachievedgreatrealization.

Joyfuleffortisanaturalextensionofdevotion.Asyourinterestandsenseof purpose grow, you feel good about working harder. A person who thinksclearlyaboutthedharmaanddesirestounderstanditwilltakeconcretestepstoknow the dharma at deeper and deeper levels. With joyful effort, you canovercome physical andmental obstacles quite happily in order to accomplishyourspiritualgoal.

Evenifpeoplehavedevotionandjoyfuleffort,withoutpropermindfulness

theywillnotbeable toaccomplish theirobjective.Mindfulnessmeanspayingattention to the main focus of the meditation as well as to the supports ofdevotion, effort, concentration, and so forth.Mindfulnessmeansnot forgettingwhatyouaredoing,butbeingclearandfocused.It fulfillsdevotionandjoyfuleffortbygivingthepracticeasharperfocusanddirection.

Concentration means continually maintaining an unmoving focus. Toaccomplish concentration in meditation you need devotion, joyful effort, andmindfulness;without these,concentrationis impossible.Forexample,devotionistheinitialinterestpeoplefeeltowardspiritualpractice.Joyfuleffortnaturallyfollowswhen theyplan tomeditate, set a schedule, and actually sit down andpractice.Butnotallsittingisgoodmeditation;sometimespeoplefallasleeportheirmindswander.Goodmeditation needsmindfulness to keep the attentionfocused and on track. When devotion, joyful effort, and mindfulness arepracticed, then concentration is present and the mind is smooth and stable.Generally, our minds are darting about and unstable. Concentration naturallybringscalmnessandpeaceofmind.

The fifth power,wisdom, naturally emerges frompracticing the first fourpowers. One way to understand wisdom is to divide it into its two aspects,relativeandabsolute.Togetherthesemakeuptruewisdom,butitisimportanttounderstand the characteristics of each aspect through direct perception andinference.

Relatively,wedirectlyperceiveobjects throughseeing,hearing, smelling,tasting,andtouching.Weapplyinferencewhenwethinkaboutthem.Theseareaspectsof relativewisdom.Whenweexaminephenomenaclosely,wesee thatthey exist in an illusoryway, like amirage, a dream, or the reflection of themoon in water. Recognition of the illusory nature of phenomena is absolutewisdom. We can use logical inference to understand the relative nature ofphenomena, but reasoning cannot encompass the absolute nature. Inferenceabout emptiness can lead closer to the absolute truth, but direct perception isnecessarytorealizeitsincethetruenaturetranscendsdualisticthinking.Wisdomis understanding the absolute and relative truths, and recognizing theirdifferencesaswellashowtheyareunited.

Togetabetterunderstandingofthefivepowers,itishelpfultolookattheiropposites.Theoppositeofdevotionistheabsenceofinterestandclearthinkingaboutspiritualpractice.Peoplewholackdevotionseeonlytheordinaryobjectsright in front of them; their vision of the deeper levels of reality is obscured.Buddha Shakyamuni taught that devotion opens the door to pure vision. Thefuturebuddha, thebodhisattvaMaitreya, said thatpeoplewithoutdevotionarelikeaburnedseed.Justasaburnedseedcannotgroworproduceanyfruit,inthe

samewayapersonwithoutdevotioncannotprogressonthespiritualpath.Theoppositeofjoyfuleffortislaziness,orfeelingdullandheavy.Thereare

differentformsoflaziness.Oneformiswhenyouhaveaninterestinpracticing,butfeelyoudonothavethetimenowandwilldoitlater.Thisisjustpostponingyour accomplishment.Another formof laziness is being hard on yourself andignoringyourgoodqualities,thinkingthatyouarenotgoodenoughtopractice.A third type of laziness is just following old habits and refusing tomake theefforttochange,likepreferringtobecomfortablebystayinginbed.Refusingtothinknewthoughtsoractdifferentlyisalsolaziness.

The opposite of mindfulness is forgetfulness. Forgetfulness happensbecause themind ismovingso fast.Themind issomewhat likeastrainer thatcannot keep water from flowing out. As soon as one thought passes awayanothertakesitsplace.Asaresultwedonotspendenoughtimethinkingclearlyaboutwhatisimportant,soweneglectthethingswereallywanttodo.Weneedtofirmlyimprintonourmindwhatistrulyimportant.Forexample,afterhearingadharma talkormeditation instructionwe should spend some time reviewingthemeaningofwhatweheard.Thenwewillnotforgetitsoquickly.

The opposite of concentration is distraction. Buddha Shakyamunimentionedmany types of distractions, but the twomost common are externalandinternaldistractions.Theexternaldistractionsareobjectsofthefivesenses,which bring up feelings of attraction and revulsion. Internal distractions areobjectsofourimagination,whichbringupattachmentandanger,hopeandfear.Everyonehasdistractingthoughts;theyarenotunusual.Havingthoughtswhilemeditating is not a problem, but nurturing them and indulging in them is aproblem.Wemust make a firm decision and exert strong effort to overcomedistractionsduringpractice.Goodconcentrationeliminatestheemotionssothatone is not distracted by one’s feelings. Then, the mind can remain perfectlybalancedandfocusedinonedirection.

Theoppositeofwisdomis ignorance. Ignorance is therootofsamsara—theprocessofendlessbirthanddeathandrebirth.Ignoranceislikethedarknesscausedbywearingahatthatcompletelycoversourheadsothatwecannotseeanything.Oritislikebeinginaroomwithnoopenings.However,ignoranceisnotsomethingsolid,butanillusionthatcandisappearwhenitispenetratedwithawareness. When ignorance is removed, then wisdom shines forth and theemptinessnatureisapparent.

Since emptiness is free from all duality, it is the supreme state ofequanimitywherethereisnodiscriminationorconflict.Itisastateofcompleteopenness in which everything is radiating and reflecting. In theHeart Sutra,BuddhaShakyamunitaught,“Formisemptiness;emptinessisform.”Theforms

weperceivewithoursensesareinseparablefromemptiness;thisistheessenceoftheprimordialnature.

Eachofushas a strong inclination to feel separate.Byholdingon to thefeelingofhavinganegowealsocreatetheegosofothersanddevelopdualisticthinking.Wedistinguish invariouswaysbetweenselfandothers,betweenmyinterests and the interests of others, and we divide others into friends andenemies.Thisishowwedevelopadualisticworld.Butfromthepointofviewofemptiness,thereisnorealbasisfordualisticthinking;thereisnotrulyexistingselfinoneselforothers.Theideaofaseparateselfisatemporarycreationofourdeluded minds, and this ignorant thought produces grasping and attachment.Ignorance means not knowing emptiness, which is the true nature of things.Whenignorance,therootofallhumanproblems,isremovedbythewisdomofemptiness,thenoneexperiencesgreatequanimity.

ShamathaandVipashyanaBuddha Shakyamuni expounded many different levels of instruction in

ordertoteachushowtomaintainthetruenatureofmindandshowcompassionfor all sentient beings. There aremany differentmeditations for this purpose,such as shamatha and vipashyana, and the creation stage and the completionstagepracticesofthevajrayana.Allthesemethodshaveonlyoneobject,whichistorevealthetruenatureofthemind.Thesedifferenttechniquesarerelatedtoeachotherandtheyworktogethertohelpattainenlightenment.

Whenfirstlearningtomeditate,mostpeoplefinditdifficulttorestthemindso that theprimordialwisdomcanshine through.Thoughtscontinuouslyarise,oneafteranother,likewavesontheocean,andthemindisconstantlymoving.Ithelpstobeginbysittingwithgoodpostureandthentoremainfocused.ThereareseveraltechniquesintheBuddhisttraditionforsettlingthemindanduncoveringwisdom.Twoofthebestknownareshamathaandvipashyana.

UnderstandingthemeaningoftheSanskrittermscanhelpustounderstandthewayinwhichweneedtomeditate.TheSanskritwordshamathaismadeoftwowords, shama and tha . Shamameans “peaceful or calm,” and thameans“letting or abiding,” so shamatha means “letting the mind be peaceful.”Shamatha isalsoknown inSanskritassamadhi ,which is also twowordsputtogether.Samameans“motionless”anddhimeans“holding,”sosamadhireferstomaintainingone’smindinaconstant,unchangingstate.Forexample, ifyoufillabowlwithwateranddonottouchit,thewaterdoesnotmove,itstaysstill.Similarly, when your mind rests single-pointedly, undisturbed by thoughts, itbecomescalm.

Inthisstatethemindisconcentratedandfocused.Thismeansthattheminddoesnotmoveorchange;itissolidlikeamountain.Maintainingthemindinastateofstillnessresultsintheclarityofthenaturalmindshiningforth.However,mostofusdonot experience stillness; ourminds are as active as ahurricane.Whenthemindisveryactive,wecannotmaintaincalmnessand,infact,manyof our activities cause sorrowand strife. Sometimesweget discouragedwhenweexperiencedifficultyinmaintainingcalmness.Althoughitisdifficult,allofus have the ability to calm the mind; it can be done with joyful effort andcourage.Achievinganything indharmapracticeor in theworld requireseffortandperseverance.Itisimportanttobelievethatwecanaccomplishthisgoalandthentoexerteffortandcontinuetotheend.

In thePrajnaparamitaSutra the Buddha gave an example of courageouseffort.Therewasabodhisattvawhotaughtthatifonecouldremoveamountainthenonecouldattainenlightenment.Somepeoplethoughtthiswasimpossible,sotheygaveupanddidnotreachenlightenment.Otherpeopleheardthesamething, andwith great effort, patience and courage, removed themountain andattainedenlightenment.Althoughcalmingthemindmayseemasdifficulttousasremovingamountain,ifwehavepatienceandcourageandjoyfuleffort,wewillbeabletoachieveourgoal.

Therearemanystagesinmentaldevelopment,butassoonasweareabletomaintain themind inacalmstate,at thatverymoment there is joyandpeace.Thisisreflectedinthebodybecomingrelaxed,andthenthemindbecomesmorerelaxed.Sincethemindandbodyinfluenceeachother,asthemindcalmsdown,thehiddenenlightenedqualitiesemergemoreandmore.

Todotheshamathatechniqueyoubeginwithgoodsittingposture.Usetheseven-pointpostureofBuddhaVairochana,withthebackstraight,thehandsontheknees,andsoon,andcontinuetobreathenormally.Therearetwowaystodoshamatha practice: with an object of focus and without an object of focus.Shamathawithanobjectinvolvesconcentratingonaphysicalobjectlikeasmallpieceofcrystal,astatueoftheBuddha,orapictureofGuruPadmasambhava,oryoucanconcentrateonavisualizedobjectlikeasmallcircleoflightorasmallsyllablemadeoflight.Anothertechniquefordoingshamathawithanobjectistofollowthebreath,consciouslyrecognizingyourinhalationsandexhalations.Nomatterwhichsortofobjectyouuse,wheneveryourmindwandersyoubringitbacktotheobjectofconcentrationandmaintainitthereforaslongasyoucan.Shamatha without an object has no particular focus; it is just meditating onemptiness.

The second type of meditation is called vipashyana. Vipashyana is aSanskritwordmadeupofvi,meaning“extraordinary,”andpashyana,meaning“seeing.”Literally, itmeans “extraordinary seeing,”but it is usually translatedinto English as “insight” or “supreme seeing.” Vipashyana goes further thanmaintainingacalmandunmovingmind.Invipashyanapracticeyouexaminethemindanditssource.Bypenetratingthesurfacelevelofthoughtsandemotions,you see that their insubstantiality is the true nature of the mind. This is thepracticeofextraordinaryseeing,inwhichyourealizethateverythingarisesfromgreatemptiness,andthat the truenatureof themindisunborn,unceasing,andfree fromconcepts.When themind relaxes in itsnatural state,allof theusualperceptions of solid existence are experienced as nothingmore than a dream.Thisisthegreatequanimityfreefrommentalfabrications.

Thetechniqueforvipashyanabeginsthesameaswithshamatha,withgoodsitting posture and normal breathing, and then you look into the mind itself.When thoughts and emotions appear, you look for their origin and theirdestination.Wheredo theycomefromandwheredo theygo?Whenyou lookinto themind in thisway,youreach the truenatureof themind.Then,simplyrelaxeffortlesslyinthisstate,havingconfidenceinthetruenature,knowingthatthere is actually nothing to gain and nothing to lose.This is the original statefromwhichweallcome, thestatewhere thewholeuniverseoriginates. Ifyoumeditateinthiswaywithouteffortorfearordiscomfort,youwilldiscoverthateverythingexistsinonestateofequanimitythattranscendssuffering.

Vipashyanameditationtranscendsordinary thinkingbyseeingthe illusorynature of all mental fabrications. It sees beyond the distinctions we makebetween self and others, enemies and friends, good and bad, and so on. Forexample, although mountains and trees appear as solidly existing, substantial

objects,inrealitytheirexistenceismorelikeareflectionofthemooninwater.All physical objects can be divided into smaller and smaller parts until theycannot be found anymore. What we called a mountain is just a mentaldesignation that does not exist separately from the mind. Just as there is noindependentlyexistingmountain, there isalsono independentlyexistingmind.Ourmindisinsubstantialandcannotbegrasped,justlikeareflectioninwater.The phenomenal world and the mind are both based on emptiness. Alldistinctionsbetween subject andobject areultimately emptyof true existence.Whenweknowthisclearlythroughmeditation,wearepracticingvipashyana.

Shamatha and vipashyana are closely connected. By shamatha onemaintains the mind in the natural state, and by vipashyana one sees that allappearances are insubstantial emptiness. Success with one of these practicessupportsthedevelopmentoftheother,buttheresultofvipashyanameditationisgreater than that of shamatha. The realization resulting from vipashyana issometimes called “the third eye,” which means that one has visions andexperiencesthattranscendone’sprevious,ordinaryperceptions.

Shamatha and vipashyana are taught in both the sutrayana and vajrayanateachings, although they are more related to the sutrayana. The sutrayana isanothernameforthehinayanaandmahayanateachingsoftheBuddha.Allofthesutrayana is included in the vajrayana,which is considered the highest of theyanas.

NgondroPracticeThengondropracticesare thepreliminarypracticesof thevajrayana.The

usualapproachinTibetistostartformalpracticewithngondro,andwhiledoingngondro you also do shamatha and vipashyana as part of ngondro. In allvajrayana practices, after the main part of the practice, there is a concludingsection of shamatha and vipashyana. These are done according to the type ofmeditation you are doing, the instructions of your teacher, and your level ofaccomplishment.

Previous great masters like Guru Padmasambhava extracted the essentialteachings of the sutras and tantras and condensed them into the ngondro.Ngondro is a compound word in Tibetan, made up of ngon , which means“before,”anddro ,whichmeans“togo.”Togethertheymean“thatwhichgoesbefore”or“preliminary.”Lookingat themeaning ina largerway, thengondropractices“gobefore”becausetheymustbedonebeforereachingenlightenment.Ifthesepracticesgofirst,thenenlightenmentwillfollow.Manypeopletranslatengondroas“preliminary”because theseare thefirstsetofvajrayanapractices.Ngondroisusedtoestablishafirmfoundationforfurtherrealization.

Ngondropracticehasseveralparts.Thefirstpartiscalledthefourmethodsforreversingone’sthoughtsfromsamsara.ThenextsectionistakingrefugeintheBuddha,dharma,andsangha,andtheninthegurus,deities,anddakinis.Thethird section is developing bodhichitta, a special teaching of the mahayana,whichisthebeneficialthoughtofcaringmoreforothersthanforyourself.Thefourth section is the mandala offering, which is particularly connected withaccumulating merit and wisdom. The fifth section is the practice of BuddhaVajrasattva, who is a special deity or buddha of the vajrayana tradition.Vajrasattva has the special power of being able to purify obscurations andnegative actions.The sixth section is the practice of guruyoga,which is veryimportantforreceivingtheblessingsandrealizationofthevajrayanateachings.

An important part of ngondro is prostration practice. According to theancientmastersyoucandoprostrationswhile reciting the refugeprayersor inthe guru yoga section while saying the Vajra Guru Mantra. Prostrations areparticularlyaimedatremovingbodyobscurationsandreleasingtheknotsinthechannels.

At the end of every session of ngondro, you should dedicate the meritaccumulated by the practice for the benefit of all beings, wishing that theirsuffering will be removed and that they will attain the perfect happiness of

enlightenment.Also,duringeverysessionofngondropracticeyoumeditateonthe true nature of the mind. Even if there is not time to do shamatha andvipashyanaaftereachpart,formlesspracticeshoulddefinitelybedoneaftertheVajrasattvaandguruyogapractices.

Thestabilityofshamathaandthehigherseeingofvipashyanaarealsopartof the vajrayana visualization practices. When you visualize GuruPadmasambhava and concentrate on his image, that is a form of shamathameditation. At the end of the session, when you dissolve the image ofPadmasambhava and meditate on the emptiness nature, that is a form ofvipashyana practice. Since guru yoga includes the practice of pure perceptionandtherecognitionofprimordialwisdom,itismoreextensivethanshamathaorvipashyana. The discovery of pure perception, free from clinging and duality,comes from seeing Guru Padmasambhava’s wisdom light reflecting in alldirections. Guru yoga practice makes it possible to discover and experienceeverythingasaradiantdisplayofprimordialwisdom.

VajrayanaMeditationThe techniquesofvajrayanameditationenableus to letgoofour limited

ideasaboutrealityandtoexperiencewhatisbeyondthefivesenses.Usually,wedecide whether something is true on the evidence of the five senses. If weperceivesomethingthroughoureyes,ears,nose,tongue,ortouch,wesaythatitexists;ifwedonotperceiveitthroughoursenses,wesayitisnotthere.Amongthe objects of the five senses — forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and tangibleobjects,wegivethemostcredencetowhatweperceivewithoureyesandears.Buttowhatdegreearethefivesensesreliable?Dotheyfullycommunicatethequalitiesofreality?

According to the vajrayana tradition, things can be knownwithout beingseenorheard.Forexample,bydoingvipashyanapracticeonegainsinsightthatenablesyoutoseethingsneverpreviouslyimagined.Ourmentalabilitygoesfarbeyond our current sense perceptions and thoughts. For instance, knowledgeneednotbelimitedtothepresentmoment;itisquitepossibletoknoweventsinthepastandfutureaswell.

In addition to extraordinaryperceptions, there aremanyactionswecouldperform that go beyond ordinary ideas of reality. When great masters likeBuddha Shakyamuni and Guru Padmasambhava realized the emptiness of allphenomena, theywereable todo things likesitandwalk in theskyand leavetheir handprints and footprints in solid rock. Anyone who has the samerealizationofthetruenaturecandothesethings.

Toreachenlightenmentit isnecessarytogobeyondourlimitedideasanddiscoverthewisdomnature.AmongthevehiclestaughtbytheBuddha,boththemahayanaand thevajrayana lead toenlightenment; themaindifference is thatthemahayanaisamoregradualpath,whereasthevajrayanadirectlyrevealsthenatureof themind.Vajrayanameditationpracticedoes this in twomainways:throughcreationstagepracticeandcompletionstagepractice.

The creation stage uses visualizations to reveal that the universe, bothinternalandexternal,ispurelight.Inordertodisplaytheself-existingprimordialwisdom,wehave to transformoldhabitsofperceivingwhateverwesee,hear,and touch as being solid and truly existent. In creation stage practice, wevisualize a pure land containing pure deities and enlightened beings such asVajrasattva or Guru Padmasambhava. When we meditate on the body of thedeity,weperceiveourownbodytransformedintoapure,absolutebody,andwesee that all sentient beings, ourselves and others, are pure and primordiallyenlightened.Thevisualizationpracticesdisplay thepurenatureof reality. It isbecauseof ourmind’shabitualwaysof discriminatingbetween things thatwecreate a static world that is actually unreal. Visualization practice breaks ourhabitual,ignorantthinkingsothatwecanexperiencethepurityandequalityofallphenomenaandperceivetheirwisdomnature.

After making progress in the visualization practice, one does the

completion stage meditation. The subtle completion stage practice applies toone’s physical body. From the vajrayana point of view, the body is no longerseen as unpleasant or impure, rather it is considered to be totally enlightened.Thestructureofthebodycorrespondstothestructureoftheexternalworld,andthebodyisrecognizedastheindestructible,vajrabody,andasavajracityfilledwithenlightenedbeings.

Practicingthesubtleaspectsofthecompletionstageisconnectedwiththethreemainsystemsofthebody:thechannels,thewind,andtheessenceelement.Thesethreearecloselyinterconnected;whenoneofthemisclearitaffects theothers. The practices which focus on the channels release the knots of thechannelssothatthebreathhasaclearpassage.Intermsofthebreath,thehighesttype ofwind, called the subtlewisdomwind, can bemade to pervade all thechannels, and when that happens the essence element is also refined. Theessenceelementisthemostsubtleorprimordialelementofthebody,andwhenit is revealed throughmeditationpractice theenlightenedprimordialawarenessisalsorevealed.

Theactivitiesofenlightenmentgofarbeyondordinaryconcepts.Accordingtobothmahayanaandvajrayana,thepurposeofaccomplishingenlightenmentistobenefitallsentientbeings.Anenlightenedbeingdoesnotselfishlyretirefromthe world, but becomes busier than before, without feeling even slightlyburdened by the activities. Since enlightenment is all-pervasive, enlightenedactions are as effortless and spontaneous as the light shining from the sun.Buddhaactivitytranscendsallordinaryideasofeffortandaccomplishment.

Thereismoretorealitythanwhatcanbeperceivedbyoursenses.Themainreason for mentioning these advanced practices is to emphasize the preciousopportunitythatyouhaverightnow;ifyoupracticemeditationanddevelopyourinner wisdom, you will be able to attain enlightenment and effortlessly helpeveryoneintheentireworld.

TheTantricTraditionandTermaTantraisaSanskritwordthatmeans“continuity.”Tantrarefersprimarilyto

theunchangingnature of themind,which continueswithout interruption frombeginningless time until final enlightenment. The scriptures that teach theunchanging,vajranatureofthemindarecalledthetantras,andthemeansusedtodirectlyrevealthemind’snatureareknownasthetantrayanaorthevajrayana.BuddhaShakyamunirevealedmanydifferenttypesandlevelsofteachingtosuitthe various capacities of students. The highest section of his teaching is thevajrayana,whichencompassesmanypracticessuchasthepreliminarypractices,thecreationstageandcompletionstagepractices,andmahamudraanddzogchen.All vajrayana practices are important in their ownway. The vajrayana can bedividedintosixlevels,withdzogchenasthesixth(andhighest)level.

Sometimes students ask if there is a difference in the role of men andwomen in vajrayana Buddhism. In the vajrayana there is nothing thatdiscriminates against women. All people have the same authority to becometeachersand thesameopportunity for realization. In the inner tantras therearefourteen samayas, and the fourteenth samaya says that you should not blame,criticize,orarguewithwomen. Itdoesnotsay thatyoushouldnotcriticizeorarguewithmen,soinonesense,thevajrayanaseemstoappreciatewomenmorethanmen.Here and in theEast,mostBuddhist teachers aremen, but inTibettherehavebeenmanyhighlyrespectedwomenmasters.

Tibet has become famous as a Buddhist country. In Tibet there are fourmajorschools:theNyingmaschool,theKagyuschool,theSakyaschool,andtheGelugschool.Nyingmameans“theancientones,”anditistheoldestofthefourschools.TheBuddhistteachingsfirstcametoTibetinthefifthcentury,whichisknownasthedawnofBuddhisminTibet,andbegantoflourishduringthetimeofGuruPadmasambhava, in theeighthcentury.TheKagyuandSakyaschoolsstarted in the eleventh century, and theGelug school started in the fourteenthcentury.AlloftheseschoolsdevelopedfromthesamerootandteachvajrayanaBuddhism.Thevariousschoolsdonotcontradictoneanother,buteachhas itsownlineageofgreatmeditatorsandscholars.

Manyof thevajrayanateachingsofGuruPadmasambhavawerehiddeninvariouspartsofTibetforthesakeoffuturegenerations.ThesehiddentreasuresarecalledtermainTibetan,andthepeoplewhorevealthemarecalledtertons.The terma treasures include texts and ritual objects thatwere hidden byGuruPadmasambhavaandLadyYesheTsogyal inTibet in theeighthcentury.YesheTsogyal,oneofPadmasambhava’snineheartstudents,attainedenlightenmentinone lifetime.YesheTsogyal left signs of her accomplishment, such aswritingversesinsolidrockwithherfinger.

ThetermateachingswerewrittendownmainlybyYesheTsogyal,aswellasafewothersteachers,asinstructedbyGuruPadmasambhava,forthesakeoffuturegenerationswhowouldbelivingindifferentsituations.Theywerehiddenthroughout Tibet,many of them in inaccessible locations, such as inside rockmountainsandunder thewaterof lakesand rivers.Theywereplaced thereby

masterslikeYesheTsogyal,whodidsobythepowerofherrealization.Inmostcases, shedidnotactually travel to thoseplaces,butshehid themthrough thepowerofhermind.

The terma can be retrieved only through the meditative power of thetertons. There are 108 great tertons and one thousand lesser tertons in theNyingmalineage.The tertonsareveryspecialandpowerfulpeople,whooftenhave special dreams, even as children, in which they receive blessings andteachingsdirectlyfromGuruPadmasambhavaandYesheTsogyal.Whentertonsmeditate,theybecomeverypowerful.Forinstance,throughtheirmeditationonthe innerwinds theyhavewhat iscalled“swift feet,” theability tomoveveryfastoverlongdistances.Thereasonthatthetertonshavesuchpowerisbecausetheyhaverevealedtheirowninnerwisdom.

Thetertonsareabletofindthetreasuresandbringthemoutoftheirhiddenlocationswithoutanydifficulty.Forexample,whenatreasurerevealerarrivesatatermaspot,therockopensbyitselfandthetertonremovesacontainermadeofprecious stones, metal, or wood that holds the scrolls of teachings. Besidesdharmatexts,thetertonsalsoextractritualobjectssuchasvajras,bells,phurbas,statues,andcloth.Assoonasthetermaisremoved,therockimmediatelyclosesanditappearsas if ithadneverbeenopened.Onecannot tellwhere the termaspotsareunlessthetertonsmarktheminaspecialway.

The terma texts are very unusual; they are small pieces of yellow paperrolledintotightscrolls.Ifyouputtheserollsofpaperintoafire, theywillnotburn. These teachings are written in a special language called the symboliclanguageofthedakinis.Thesescrollshavejustafewsmallsigns,whicharenotTibetanletters,butwhenthetertonslookattheletters,theycantranscribelongbooksfromthem.TherearemanyofthesehiddentreasuresinTibet,andtheyareconsideredveryspecialobjects.Forexample,ifyoucarryoneofthemwithyou,itwillprotectyou.DuringtheChineseinvasionofTibet,thetermawereknowntoprotectpeoplefrombullets.EveninpresentdayTibet,greattertonscontinuetorevealthetermatreasures.

GuruPadmasambhavaItisveryimportantforpeoplewhowishtofollowthevajrayanateachings

tohavea connectionwithGuruPadmasambhava, the firstmain teacherof thetantrictraditioninTibet.BuddhaShakyamunipromisedtoberebornintheformof Guru Padmasambhava in order to spread the vajrayana teachings in thisworld.TheBuddhapredictedPadmasambhava’sactivitiesnineteentimesinthesutras and tantras. Just as predicted, Guru Padmasambhava was miraculouslyborn in themiddle of a lotus in northwest India, in the country ofUddiyana,eightyearsafterBuddhaShakyamunipassedaway,about500BCE.

GuruPadmasambhavaappearedinthelotusasaneight-year-oldboy.KingIndrabhuticametoseehimandaskedhimfivequestions:“Wheredidyoucomefrom?Whoisyourfather?Whoisyourmother?Whatdoyoueat?Whatdoyoudo?” Guru Padmasambhava answered, “I came from the unborn state, thedharmadhatu. My father’s name is Samantabhadra and my mother’s name isSamantabhadri. For food, I eat dualistic thoughts, and for work, I benefit allsentientbeings.”When thekingheard these answershewasverypleased andasked Guru Rinpoche to come live in his palace as his son. GuruPadmasambhavawenttothepalaceandstayedthereformanyyears.

Whenheleft thepalace,hefulfilledaprophecyofBuddhaVajrasattvabytravelingtomanyplacesinIndia,wherehelivedincemeteriesanddidvariousforms of meditation. He was already enlightened, but he performed thesepracticestodemonstratethatmeditationleadstoenlightenment.

Guru Padmasambhava is renowned for having eight greatmanifestations,suchasDorjeTrolloandSengeDradok.SomeoftheIndiankingsandministerswerejealousofhisabilitiesandtriedtokillhim.Whentheytriedtodrownhimin a river, he leaped out and danced in the sky. On one occasion a king innorthernIndiahadPadmasambhavathrownintoahugefire.AfterthreedaysthefireturnedintoalakeandGuruPadmasambhavawasfoundsittinginalotusinthe middle of the lake. This spot has become a famous pilgrimage place innorthern India; it is called Tso Padma, or the Lotus Lake. Padmasambhava’smiraclesinfluencedmanybeingstoopentheirheartstothedharma.

Another Indian king who had contact with Padmasambhava was KingAshoka,whohada largeempire inAsiaatonetime.Earlier inhis lifehewasverycruelandkilledthousandsofsentientbeings.AftermeetingamanifestationofGuruPadmasambhava,hehadacompletechangeofheart andpromisedhewould never touch his sword again. He began to work for the dharma,sponsoring teachers and establishing the buddhadharma throughout southernAsia.It issaidthatAshokabuiltamillionBuddhiststupasindifferentpartsofhiskingdom.

Inthemiddleoftheeighthcentury,GuruPadmasambhavacametoTibetattheinvitationofKingTrisongDeutsen,themostpowerfulleaderinAsiaatthattime. Trisong Deutsen was dedicated to establishing the dharma in Tibet andcalled upon Padmasambhava for help. Guru Padmasambhava subdued all thenegativeforcesandblessedtheentirelandofTibet.Heconsecratedthelandand

supervised the building of SamyeMonastery, the first Tibetan monastery. Bygiving the vajrayana teachings in accordance with the individual needs andabilities of his students, many Tibetans attained enlightenment through histeachingsandtransmissions.Amonghismostfamousstudentswerethetwenty-fiveclosedisciples,nineofwhomwerecalledhisheartstudents,andtheeightygreatsiddhas.

Therearedifferentaccountsofhow longGuruPadmasambhavastayed inTibet.Mosthistoriessaythathestayed111years.Thiscountseachwaxingandwaningofthemoonasaseparatemonth,whichmeansthathestayedinTibetforfifty-fiveyears and sixmonths.Other histories say that he stayed for only sixmonthsoreighteenmonthsorafewyears.SomepeoplesaythathespentonlyafewmonthsinLhasaandtherestofthetimeinthemountainsandcavesinthecountryside.Itcouldappear indifferentwaysbecausePadmasambhava’scrazywisdom activities do not necessarily conform to our usual concepts. Theseeventstookplaceoverathousandyearsago,andeveninrecenthistoryscholarsdisagreeandwritedifferentaccountsaboutwhathashappened.

ThereisaparticularreasonforsayingthatGuruRinpochestayedfifty-fiveandahalfyearsinTibet.AfterfinishingSamyeMonastery,PadmasambhavaandKhenpo Shantarakshita said that they were ready to go back to India. KingTrisongDeutsenasked them to stayuntilhisdeath for the sakeof theTibetanpeople.Bothteachersagreed,andPadmasambhavastayedforanadditionalfiveyearsafterTrisongDeutsen’sdeathtohelptheking’ssonscontinuetheBuddhisttradition.

OnthedayofhisdeparturefromTibet,Padmasambhava’sstudentsandthecurrentkingandcourtierswentwithhimtoamountainpassnamedGungthangLathogontheborderofTibetandNepal.Hestoppedatthemountainpassandsaid that no one should follow him further. All the people became veryemotional,andashebegangivinghisfinalteachinghelevitatedandcontinuedteachingfromthesky.Ahorseappearedintheairandhemountedthehorseandrodeoff in thewesterndirection.GuruPadmasambhavadidnotdie in thewaythatwe normally think of death, rather hewas able to transmute all the grosselements of his body into wisdom light. This is called attaining the rainbowbody,anditisastateofwisdombeyondbirthanddeath.

Whenhe left,Padmasambhavasaidhewasgoing toacountry filledwithcannibalswhomhewouldteachtobebodhisattvas.YesheTsogyallaterreportedthathereachedhisdestination.Manygreatmeditatorshavereportedvisitinghimthere in the landcalled theGloriousCopper-ColoredMountain.Wecannot tellthe exact geographic location of this land; it is similar to the kingdom ofShambhalainthatway.AccordingtoBuddhistcosmologytherearefourmajor

continentsandeightsubcontinents.TheCopper-ColoredMountainisoneofthesubcontinents. The histories say that he returned to Tibet many times to seeYesheTsogyalandtogiveteachingstolatergreatmasters.AllthegreattertonshavehadtheexperienceofmeetingGuruPadmasambhavaindreams,invisions,orinperson.IntheirbiographiestheyreportgoingatleastoncetotheCopper-Colored Mountain, where they obtained instructions and then returned andrevealedtheteachingstheyreceivedtoothers.

GuruPadmasambhava hidmany terma, or treasure teachings, in differentpartsofTibet for thesakeoffuturegenerations.Amongthe termahe includedmany predictions about the future of our world. Some of the predictions areaboutTibetonlyandsomeareaboutotherareasoftheworld.Hepredictedwhatwould happen from generation to generation and how many of the problemscouldbesolved.Formanycenturies these teachingshavebeenverybeneficialbecausehispredictionsaresoaccurate.SomepeopleintheWesthaveheardoneofhisclearestpredictions:“Whentheironbirdfliesandhorsesrunonwheels,thedharmawillgotothelandoftheredman.”

NotallofthetextscomposedbyGuruPadmasambhavaareterma.Someofthemarekama , theoral transmissionwrittendowninregularbooks.AfewofhiskamatextsareTheGarlandofPithInstructionsontheView,acommentaryontheGuhyagarbhaTantracalledTheBlazingLightoftheSunandMoon,andanother tantric commentary,TheOrnament of theCemeteryCuckoo . Anothertext,whichdiscussesworkingwithwildfemininespirits,isHowtoBalancetheActivitiesoftheMamos.

Guru Padmasambhava holds a special place among the Tibetan Buddhistschools,mostofwhichtracetransmissionsandblessingsdirectlyfromhim.Heisanembodimentofallenlightenedbeings.Ofcourse,allthebuddhasworkforthe benefit of sentient beings, but because Guru Padmasambhava made thevajrayanateachingsavailabletous,heisconsideredtobethespecialbuddhaofourera.

GuruYogaPracticeAll of theBuddha’s teachings are like stairsteps leading to dzogchen, the

greatperfection,which is thesummitof thevajrayana.Thekey thatopens thedoortodzogchenisthepracticeofguruyoga.Ifyouwanttopracticedzogchen,you should first practice on Guru Padmasambhava, and then you will easilyunderstandthedzogchenteachings.WhenyousupplicateGuruPadmasambhavawith a clear and peacefulmind, filledwith devotion and bodhichitta, then hisblessingsandthoseofallthebuddhasandbodhisattvaswillhelpyoutorealizethetruenatureofyourmind.Forpeoplewhowanttodovajrayanameditationitisveryimportanttopracticeguruyoga.

GuruPadmasambhavarepresentsthethreejewelsandthethreeroots—allof the objects of refuge.When youmeditate on him you are not ignoring theother realized beings, because he embodies all of the buddhas of the tendirectionsandthethreetimes.Inparticular,herepresentsyourpersonalteachersandallofthemastersoftheNyingmaandKagyulineages.Itisnotnecessarytovisualize all the different buddhas; doing guru yoga and practicing on onebuddha is enough to bring full enlightenment. Sometimes students wonderwhether themeditationdeitiesare simplycreatedby themindorwhether theyhavearealitybeyondtheindividualmind.Allof themareexistingbuddhasaswellasdisplaysofourownwisdom.Youcanfocusonthemeditationdeitiestowhomyoufeelthestrongestconnectionandyoudonothavetopracticeonallofthem.

A simple yet complete way to meditate on Guru Padmasambhava is torecitetheSeven-linePrayerandtheVajraGuruMantra.Thepreparationforguruyogapracticeisthesameasforsittingpractice.Startwiththreeprostrationstothe shrine, then sit down with good posture on a cushion and do the breathpurificationexercisethreetimes.Althoughitisbeneficialtohaveashrine,itisnotmandatory—whereveryoumeditatewithgoodmotivationisyourshrine.

Then,visualizeinthespaceinfrontofyou,alittleabovethelevelofyoureyebrows,a lotuswith five-coloredpetals.Above the lotus is a sunandmoonseatonwhichGuruPadmasambhavasitsintheroyalposture.Hehasoneface,two arms and two legs. His white, youthful body is a wisdom bodymade oflight;itisnotmadeofsubstantialfleshandbone.Heissittinginafive-colored,circular rainbow that is radiating wisdom light in all directions. See GuruPadmasambhavasmilingdownatyouwithcompassionandloving-kindness.Atthis point take refuge and then arouse bodhichitta, the intention to attain

enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. In this practice, while you arevisualizingPadmasambhavawithdevotion,youarealsocultivatingcompassionandloving-kindnessforallbeings.

Aftertherefugeandbodhichitta,recitetheSeven-linePrayeratleastthreeorseventimes.TheSeven-linePrayerisverypowerful.Itwasnotcomposedbyhumanbeings;itcamefromthevoiceofthetruenature,thedharmadhatustate.AtthemomentwhenGuruPadmasambhavawasborninthelotus,hundredsofwisdomdakinissurroundedhimandchantedtheselines.

TheVajraGuruMantra,OMAHHUMVAJRAGURUPADMASIDDHIHUM, has twelve Sanskrit syllables which represent internal and externalaspectsofourexistence.Forexample,intheTibetancalendar,timeisgroupedinunits of twelve— there are twelve signs of the zodiac, and cycles of twelveyears, twelvemonths,andtwelvehours.InBuddhismthereare twelvelinksofinterdependentoriginationand twelveactsofasupremebuddha.Thesegroupsoftwelveareallconnected,purified,andbalancedbythismantra.

EvenonerecitationoftheVajraGuruMantrahasgreatbenefit;itisnotthesameasrepeatingordinarywords.Whenyoudothispractice,recitethetwelve-syllable mantra for as long as you have time. You should repeat it at leasttwenty-one times, or for onemala of 108 repetitions, or for tenmalas, or onehundred malas — whatever you can do. If you are in a hurry to see GuruPadmasambhava, then you should do more. You could begin by reciting themantraatleast108timespersession,withthegoalofrecitingthemantraatotalofonehundredthousandtimes.

The sound of the mantra is also meditation, and you can use it as atechnique to aid your practice. By concentrating on reciting the mantramusically,youcanpurifythechannelsandbodilysystems.Aswellaskeepingtheinnerlevelsinproperbalance,mantrarecitationpurifiesexternalsituations.Youcanusethistechniquetoturnthewholeworldintoamandalaofmusic.

When you finish themantra recitation you receive the blessings ofGuruPadmasambhava. To do this, visualize seed syllables made of light in GuruPadmasambhava’sthreecenters:athisforeheadisawhiteOM,athisthroatisaredAH,andathisheartcenter isablueHUM.Visualizea strongwhite light,like a shooting star, coming from the syllableOM inGuru Padmasambhava’sforehead and entering your forehead. It brings the blessings of the vajra bodyandremovesyourbodyobscurations.Redlight,aspowerfulaslightning,comesfrom the syllable AH in his throat and enters your throat, conveying theblessings of vajra speech, which remove the obscurations of your speech. ApiercingbluelightfromthesyllableHUMathisheartentersyourheartandyoureceive the blessings of vajra mind, so that your mental obscurations are

removed.Withthisyoushouldfeelthatallthesubtleobscurationsofyourbody,speech, and mind are gone and that you fully receive the blessings of GuruPadmasambhava.

At the end of the practice, visualize thatGuruPadmasambhava dissolvesintowhite light. This lightmoves until it is directly above you, then it entersyourbodythroughthetopofyourheadanddescendstoyourheart,fillingyourbodywithwisdomlightthatmergeswithyourawareness.Asmuchasyoucan,feelatthatmomentthatyourbodyisnolongersolid,buthasbecomeabodyofrainbow light.Remain inseparable from thewisdomofGuru Padmasambhavawithout being distracted by thoughts for as long as you have time. Then,concludebydedicatingthemeritofyourpracticefor thebenefitofallsentientbeings.

Therearemanywaystomeditate,butnomatterwhichtechniqueyouuse,youneedtoapplyconcentration.Thisinvolveskeepingthemindontheobjectoffocus.Forexample,whenyourecitemantras,youcanconcentrateonvisualizingeach syllable of the mantra circling around like it is written on a wheel.Concentrating on each syllable while reciting the mantra helps to transformordinaryspeechintovajraspeech,andatthesametimeyouaredevelopingtheability toconcentrate inmeditation.Also,duringmeditationyouneed toapplymindfulness, to watch what your mind is doing, as a support for yourconcentration.Thisisthebasicinstructionforbeginningyourdailypractice.

Whenyoudovajrayanapracticeitisveryimportanttoestablishapersonalconnection with a lama and with Guru Padmasambhava. By connecting withGuru Padmasambhava you receive his assistance in understanding the truenatureofthemind.Doingguruyogapracticealsobringsaverycloseconnectiontoyourpersonalteacher,whoexemplifiestherealizationgainedbythepractice.When you connect with a personal teacher, you have an auspicious situationsimilar to that of Guru Padmasambhava’s twenty-five disciples, all of whombecameenlightenedbyfollowingtheinstructionsoftheirteacher.

AdviceonVisualizationSometimeswhenstudentsare learning tovisualize they find itdifficult to

maintainthevisualization.Sincethemeditationdeitiesaredisplaysofprimordialwisdom,theirimagesarenotsolidobjects.Forinstance,GuruPadmasambhavamanifestsinmanydifferentways;hisformandcolorarenotdefinite.SometimesGuruPadmasambhavamighttransformintoasmallbirdwhoissingingoutsideyour window. Sometimes he appears and sometimes he disappears.When hisbodyofprimordialwisdomdisappears,youshouldnotworrythatyouhavelosttouch with him; continue your meditation so that Guru Padmasambhava willcomebackagainandagainandbecomemoreclear.

The famous terton Migyur Dorje gave some advice about this. MigyurDorjebecameagreatmasteratanearlyage;hewasonlyelevenyearsoldwhenhe began to discover terma. At the age of fifteen he told his students thatPadmasambhavadidnotalwayslookthewaythepaintingsandstatuesdepictedhim.Sometimeshewouldlookthatway,butatothertimeshewouldappearindifferentformsandperformdifferentactivities,sothestudentsshouldnotexpecthimtoalwaysappearinthesameway.

ThereisafamousstoryaboutthewayGuruPadmasambhavalookedwhenhefirstappeared toRatnaLingpa.RatnaLingpawasa tertonwho lived in thefifteenth century. When he was born there were many auspicious signs thatindicatedhewasaveryspecialchild.Hisfamilywaswealthyandwhenhegrewup he married and lived as a householder; he never studied in a scholarlyfashion.Hewastwenty-fouryearsoldwhenhefirstsawGuruPadmasambhava.

InmanyvillagesinTibet,whenpeopleareyoungtheygettogethertohavepartiesthatlastalldayandintotheevening.Duringthedaytimetheydosportslikearchery,andatnighttheydanceandsinganddrinkchang,theTibetanbeer.ThedaybeforeRatnaLingpasawGuruPadmasambhava,hehadspentthedayandnightatapartywiththeyoungpeopleofhisvillage.Thenextmorninghewentout to takecareofhisanimals.Sincehewasquite rich,hehadyaksandsheepaswellasfarmland.

Heputtheanimalsonthegrasslandtograze,andthenhesatdowntocopyabiographyofGuruPadmasambhava.ThisparticularbiographywasdiscoveredbyanotherfamoustertonnamedNyang-ralNyimaOzer.Itcontainsaverygreatprayer as well as a biography of Padmasambhava. Ratna Lingpa was veryinterestedinhavingacopyofthischantsohecoulduseitinhispractice.Ashesat therewritingout the text,becauseof thearcheryanddrinkinganddancingthe previous day he felt very tired and fell asleep.When he woke up he feltdifferent; he felt joyful and fresh, and he looked up and saw a little oldmanstanding in front of him. The man had a long beard and long hair and waswearingarobemadeofyellowcottoncloth. InTibet theyusuallydonotwearcotton.Theywearwoolenmaterial, even in the summer,because it is socool.Butthisoldmanwaswearingcottonclothandjuststandingthere.RatnaLingpadidnotknowhowthemancouldhavegottenthere.

Immediately,themanpickedupthetextthatRatnaLingpawascopyingandsaid, “This is the biography ofGuru Padmasambhava discovered by the greattertonNyang.Doyouhavedevotion toGuruPadmasambhava?”RatnaLingpaanswered,“Yes,sinceIwasbornIhavehadaspecialandunchangingdevotionfor him.That iswhy I am copying this. I am going to chant it as part ofmypractice.” And the man said, “Oh, that is quite good; you are quite a goodperson.”Then,theoldmanjumpedup,lookedaroundandthenasked,“Isthereamountain near here called The Hovering of the Garuda?” Ratna Lingpaanswered that he did not know of anymountain named The Hovering of theGaruda,buthepointedtoafarmountainthatwascalledGarudaMountain.Theoldman said, “Yes, that’s it,” and then he pulled out a roll of paper fromhischuba,whichisakindofTibetandress,similartoakimono,inwhichyoucanhold many things. He pulled a roll of paper from his chuba and told RatnaLingpatoopenitandreadwhatitsaid.WhenRatnaLingpareadithefoundthatitdescribedhimbyname,tellingthenameofhisparents,theyearandplaceinwhichhewasborn,and thatwhenhewasgrownhewoulddiscover the termateachings.Itpredictedtheentirecourseofhislife.

WhenRatnaLingpa read thishe feltvery joyful,but at the same timehethoughtthatitcouldnotreallybeabouthim—itmustbeaboutsomeoneelse.But the letter evendescribed themarks onhis body.The letter also containedadviceaboutwhatheshoulddoinordertodiscovertheterma.Becausehewassohappy,hesaid,“Thisiswonderful.MayIcopythis?”Andthemansaid,“Youdonothavetocopyit;Iamgivingittoyou.Youshouldkeepit.”

By then itwasmidday, andRatna Lingpa asked the yogi to come to hishousetohavelunchandrest.Sincetheyogi lookedalittlecold,RatnaLingpawantedtoofferhimsomewarmerclothes.TheywenttoRatnaLingpa’shome,buttheyogisaidhepreferredtostayoutside.RatnaLingpabroughthimbuttertea, tsampa, chang,meat and cheese and offered it to him. Before eating, theyogisaidmanyprayersandmadeofferings.AfterlunchhegaveRatnaLingpaalotofadviceaboutfollowingtheinstructionsontherolledpaper.

Since it was getting late and there were not any villages nearby, RatnaLingpainvitedtheyogitostayovernightsothathecouldreachanothervillageduringdaylight.Buttheyogiwouldnotstay.RatnaLingpasaid,“Thenightwillbeverycoldandyoudonothavemuchclothing. Iwould likeyou to takemynewwoolchubaandsomefood.”But theyogirefused,saying,“No,Iwillnotneed them where I am going. It is time for me to leave now.” They beganwalkingandafterafewstepstheyogistoppedandsaid,“YoumustrememberalltheadviceIhavegivenyou.Youmusthaveconstant,puredevotionandcontinueto pray to Guru Padmasambhava. Always follow the instructions I gave you

today.”Then,hegaveafewhintstoshowthathewasGuruPadmasambhava.He

didnotsay,“IamPadmasambhava,”buthegavesomehints.Then,hepulledasmallhornfromhischubaandblewitindifferentdirections.Themomenthedidthat,hedisappeared.WhenRatnaLingpasawthattheyogihaddisappeared,hethought thatmaybe the yogiwas amagician and that the rolled paper he hadplaced on his shrinewould be gone.He ran inside to check, and saw that thepaperwasstillthere.

After his meeting with the yogi, Ratna Lingpa’s whole demeanor andoutlook changed. He was always very happy and his mind remained in thenatural state.Even thevibrationof his house changed.That eveningwhenhiswifecamehome,sheimmediatelyaskedwhyhelookedsoradiant.Shenoticedthehousesmelleddifferentandwantedtoknowwhathadhappened.

RatnaLingpafeltheshouldnottellhereverythingthathadhappened.Theyogihad toldhimthatheshouldkeep theirmeetingsecret for threeyears.Hiswifekept insisting,andRatnaLingpawassohappythathefinallyshowedhertherollofpaperandexplainedhowithadbeengiventohim.Bothofthemkeptthisasecret for threeyearsashehadbeen instructed.After threeyears,RatnaLingpabegantodiscovertermainmanyplacesinTibet.

This illustrateshowGuruPadmasambhavacanappear inadifferentform,asalittleoldmanwearingyellowcottoncloth.

QuestionsandAnswersQ:Whatdoyoumeanbysentientbeings?A:We are known as sentient beings because we have consciousness, or

mind.Amongthesixmaintypesofsentientbeings,humanbeingsareoneofthehighest.Ashumanbeingswearenotsuperiorbecauseofourbodies; therearemanyanimalswhoarestrongerphysicallythanweare.Wearesuperiorbecauseourmindsarehighlydeveloped.

Ourmentalabilityisnotsomethingthatwehavetoworktoobtain;wehaveit naturally.Yet this ability can be developed further, perhaps further thanwemight expect. For example, we have technology today that was unimaginableonlya fewhundredyearsago.Whereasmodernpeoplehavemorepowerovertheexternalworld,inancienttimespeoplehadmoreinnerwisdompower.Therearemany stories from India andTibetofpeoplewhocould fly in the sky andwalk through walls. Also, they had the power to change things like fire intowaterandwaterintofire.

It is because they developed their inner wisdom that people in the pastcoulddothosethings.Todaythesepowersarebeyondourimagination;wethinktheymustbefairytalesormyths.Likewise,ifwecouldtellpeoplefromthepastabout the thingsweexperiencenow, theymight thinkourexperiencesare justmyths.Yetbotharepossible,bothouterand innerpowercanbedevelopedbythemind.Materialdevelopmentsand innerwisdomareboth reflectionsofourminds.

Q:Whenyoutalkaboutmind,youseemtoincludetheemotions.Howaretheypartofthemind?

A:Theemotionsarepartof the relative levelof themind.Wecandividethemindintomanyaspects;thereareatleastfifty-twomentalfactors.Alloftheemotions, such as anger, attachment, jealousy, pride, and doubt come fromignorance,which is also part of themind.These strong obscurations keep themindfromremaininginthenaturalstate.Theemotionsarepartoftheconfusedmind,whichisunstableandalwayschanging.

Q:Ifyoumaintainaclearandemptymindforaweekoramonth, isthatenlightenment?

A:Thatisgettingclosertoenlightenment.Whateveramountyoupractice,even if it isonlyoneor twohours, isworking towardenlightenment.Butyoushouldnotexpectenlightenmentafteroneweekormonthofpractice.

Q:Doyouthinkthatmeditationistheonlywaytoreachenlightenment

ordoyouthinkthereareotherways?A:Meditationisveryimportantforattainingenlightenment,butIwouldnot

say it is theonlyway.Youcanmeditate indifferentways;youdonot alwayshavetositstilllikeamountaintomeditate.TheBuddhataughtmanytechniquesfor reaching enlightenment, but all of them are related to concentration anddiscipline.

Q:Doyouhaveanyadviceonwhat todowhenyourealizeyouhavenotactedoutofloveandcompassion,buthavedonesomethingunkind?

A: Generally, recognizing that you did something wrong helps to purifyyournegativeactionanditdecreasesyourtendencytoactthatwayinthefuture.Whenyouacknowledgeyourunkindness,yourmindreturnstothestateoflove,compassion, andwisdom,which can awakenyou from further negativity. It issaid that the only positive quality of negative action is that it can be purified.Recognizingthatyoubehavedbadlybeginstheprocessofpurification;thenyouneedtoconsciouslydecidethatyouarenotgoingtoactthatwayagain.

Beyond having the intention to change your behavior,when you see thatyou have hurt others, you could do practices for them related to generosity,discipline, patience, and joyful effort. Concentration practices also help youbecome more pure and strong. The vajrayana meditation on Vajrasattva isparticularlyhelpfulinpurifyingnegativeactions.

Q:Rinpoche,wouldyoutellusaboutyourtraining?A:IwasbornineasternTibet.WhenIwasfouryearsoldIbegantolearn

how to read. In Tibet it was not like here— there were no kindergartens orpreschools.Instead,wewouldgotoamasterwhohadonlyafewstudents.Ihadamasterandotherteachersaswell,andsometimesmyparentswouldteachme.Aschildrenwedidnothave thenumberof toys thatyouhavehere.Wehadafewtoys,butwereallydidnothavetimetoplaywiththem.Mytimewasspentstudying.InTibetyourthoughtswereyourtoys.

LearningtoreadTibetanwasconsideredvery important,sowelearned toreadveryquickly.We learned reading in three stages:alphabet,pronunciation,and spelling.After that came formal reading and the studyof grammar. I alsohad towrite inSanskrit, using the ancientSanskrit letters,which are differentfromthoseusednow.WhenIwasaboutsevenyearsold I started to learnandmemorizecertainrituals.InTibetwememorizedthewordsandthemeaningofmanytexts,whichwehadtorepeattothemaster.WealsostudiedhistoryandthebiographiesofBuddhaShakyamuniandGuruPadmasambhava.

I did that until age twelve, when I went to a large monastic university,wherewelearnedthefivemajorsciencesandthefiveminorsciences.First,westudiedtheearlyTheravadinteachings,whichwerebroughttoTibetinaboutthe

eighth century, and then themahayana teachings, and later, the vajrayana anddzogchen.Ialsolearnedastrology,medicine,art,andgeometry.Istudiedthereforabouttenyears,untilIwastwenty-one.

AtthattimewewerehavingproblemsinTibetbecauseoftheCommunistChineseinvasion.TherewasguerrillafightinginEasternTibetanditbecamesodangerous thatwe could not stay there. I left in 1960 and arrived in India in1961. During that year I had some terrifying experiences, as horrifying asnightmares.

WhenIgottoIndiaIstayedinarefugeecampwhereItaughtthechildren.In 1965 His Holiness the Dalai Lama called together the refugee TibetanscholarsandmasterstoaskustokeepalivethelineagesandcultureofTibet.HisHolinessDudjomRinpocheaskedmetoattend,soIwent.Theconferencelastedforaboutayear,withseventy-fivegreatmastersandscholarsinattendance.Thatwasin1965and1966.

In 1967 the Indian government helped to open the Institute of TibetanStudies,whichisdedicatedtosavingthecultureandknowledgeoftheTibetanpeople.TheIndiangovernmenthelpedHisHolinessDudjomRinpoche tostarttheNyingmapaStudiesDepartmentattheInstitute,andHisHolinessaskedmetoteachthere.From1967to1983ItaughtandhelpedorganizethatdepartmentattheCentralInstituteofTibetanHigherStudies.Whenwestarted,Iwasheadof thedepartment and theonlyperson teachingNyingmaStudies. I hadmanyresponsibilities,includingteachingabouttwelveclasseseveryday.

I first came to theUnited States in 1980, and came back again in 1983.Since then, I have been teaching in North America as well as in Europe andAustralia.Thisisabriefaccountofmytraining.

Q:AtwhatagedopeoplebeginmeditatinginTibet?A:IntheNyingmalineageinTibet,thestudentsstartedmeditatingatabout

agetwelve,atthesametimetheybegantolearnthemajorsciences.ItwasonlyafterIarrivedinIndiain1961thatmypersonalmeditationpracticedeveloped.Sometimes in India Ipracticed forperiodsof twoor threemonths. In1966or1967Ihadtheopportunitytogotothemountainsformylongestretreatoffivemonths.

When I began studying with my master at the age of five, I saw himpracticinginhismeditationbox.Iwasverysmallanddidnotknowexactlywhathewas doing, but Iwas very interested. In the Tibetan tradition people oftenpractice in wooden meditation boxes, which have backrests so that thepractitionerscanleantheirheadsback.Iwouldstandontheporchandwatchmyteacher through the window. Since I did not have a beautiful box, I gatheredsomestonesandtreelimbsandmadeacrudeboxtositin.Ireallydidnotknow

aboutmeditation;Iwantedtoimitatemymaster.Q:Whatistheroleoffaithinattainingliberation?A:InBuddhism,faithisacombinationofconfidenceanddevotion.Itisthe

feelingof confidenceand joy in the truthof the teachings.There aredifferentwaystodevelopfaith.Onewayisthroughhearingthedharmaorreadingit.Forexample,whenreadingthelifestoryofBuddhaShakyamunioroneofthegreatmasters,youcansuddenlyfeelgreatconfidenceanddevotiondeepwithinyourheart.Sometimes faith in thedharma is developed throughyourownwisdom;nothingexternalisneeded—yousimplyseethattheteachingsmustbetrue.Forexample,whenyouseethattheworldisimpermanentandthateverythingexiststhrough causes and conditions, you develop a feeling of certainty or faiththroughyourownwisdom.

Asfor liberation, it iscalled tarpa inTibetan.Tarpameans thatyouhavecompletely removed all your suffering and confusion. You do not have to gosomewhereelsetodothat;liberationisrightherewhenyouhaveremovedyourignoranceandhavepoweroveryourownmind.

Q:Wasthehistoricalbuddha,BuddhaShakyamuni,thefirstpersontobecomeenlightened?

A: No, Buddha Shakyamuni was not the first enlightened being. TheBuddhataughtinthemahayanateachingsthattherearethousandsofbuddhasinall directions. Also, every sentient being has the seed or potential forenlightenment. Buddha Shakyamuni taught that the first buddha is really theprimordialstateofone’sownmind.Sincethereisnobuddhabeforeone’sownprimordialnature,wesometimescallthetruenature“theprimordialbuddha.”

Q:Ismindfulnesstheprimordialnature?A:Mindfulnessisnottheprimordialnature,butitispartofit.Mindfulness

is a technique,which is said to be the best helper for reaching the primordialstate.Oncewereachtheprimordialnature,thenmindfulnessradiatesfromthat.Just as the sun has many rays, mindfulness is one ray emanating from theprimordialnature.

Q:Whatdoyoumeanbytheprimordialnatureofthemind?A: In the higher levels of the Buddha’s teaching it is said that all the

phenomenaweperceivearesimplydisplaysofthemind.Thedeepestnatureofthemind, theenlightenedmind, isknownasprimordialawareness.Allmentalactivities arise from primordial awareness, and if we recognize that, thenenlightenmentmanifestsineverythoughtandperception.Ifwedonotrecognizeit,thenthoughtsandperceptionscontinuetobeobstructionsthatcausesuffering.

Inordertoawakeninnerwisdom,itisnecessarytobreakdownthedualisticconcepts that posit an internal subject and external objects. Typically, we

perceive ourselves as individual subjects who experience objects that areseparatefromtheself;wefeeldistanceandmakedistinctionsbetweenthetwo.The feelingofbeinga subjectwho relates toobjects is simplyanotionof themind. The mind alone creates the concept of a separate self. Once thatconception is formedwe hold on to it, although from the primordial point ofview the self does not really exist. To overcome duality it is necessary tocultivate the equanimity that encompasses both subject and object. Practicinglove and compassion is extremely helpful in terms of understanding theinseparabilityofouterandinnerreality.

Torecognizeeverythingastheperfectactivityoftheenlightenedmindistorealizetheprimordialnatureofpureawareness.Sometimesthisiscalledrigpa.Rigpa is the innermost, truenatureof themind,our awarenesswhich is fresh,uncompounded, and very open. Along with emptiness, rigpa contains clarity,loving-kindness,wisdom,andskillfulmeans.

Meditation reveals this awareness that we all have. To recognize themovementsofthemindasthedisplayofwisdomandtoletthoughtsariseandgotheirownway iscalled thenatural flowofawareness.Maintaining thenaturalflow of pure awareness is known as the king of meditation, the supremeunderstanding.Thisisthebestwaytopracticeaswemeditate,chant,andrecitemantras.

The meditation on Guru Padmasambhava, the embodiment of allenlightenedbeings, is apracticalway to invokeprimordialwisdom.Thewordbuddhameans theprimordialawareness thatconsistsof love,compassion,andwisdom.When we visualize Guru Padmasambhava and chant the Vajra GuruMantra,ourpotentialwisdomisreflectedinhisimage.Thepointofallpracticeistobringouttheprimordialnatureofthemind.Whenwearecompletelyinthestateofprimordialwisdom,thenthatisenlightenment.

Q:Whatistherelationshipbetweendzogchenandbodhichitta?A: The dzogchen teachings are the highest teachings of Buddha

Shakyamuni.Fromthedzogchenpointofview,everythingistotallyequalinoneprofoundstate,withoutdualityanddistinctions.Dzogchenis theultimateviewof the true nature of mind, which includes love and compassion. When wepractice dzogchen we develop compassion and loving-kindness; dzogchenpracticecannotbeseparatedfrombodhichittapractice.Wecannotignorerelativebodhichittaandacceptabsolutebodhichitta;botharepartofourtruenatureandbotharepartofdzogchen.

Forthisreason,beforewemeditate,wetakerefugeanddevelopthethoughtof bodhichitta.Afterwemeditatewe dedicate themerit to all sentient beings.Wheneverwepracticeordoanykindofbeneficialactivity,weshouldnotcling

to it. At the absolute level, everything is totally pure and perfect in greatemptiness. From that point of view,we are completely free from all dualisticconceptsandclinging.

Untilwecome to realize theemptinessnature,wecontinue to followourthoughts,judgingthingstobegoodorbad,betterorworse,dirtyorclean.Evenwhilewearefollowingour thoughts, theultimaterealitydoesnotchange.It issimilartotheweather.Whenyouseeacloudy,graysky,youcannotseethesun,butthatdoesnotmeanthatthesunandtheblueskyarenotthere.Theyarestillthere;themovingcloudsdonotaffectthem.

Your thoughtsare like theclouds thathide thesunofwisdom.Whenyoureveal your inner wisdom and understand your primordial nature, all of yourrelative experiences become dreamlike. The objects you experience do notactuallyexistasthesolidentitiestheyseemtobe.Thesedreamlikeillusionsareobscurationsthatcomefromyourmind,andyoumustworkwithyourmindinorder to remove them. The obscurations cannot be burned away with fire orwashed away with water, but they can be cleared away by bodhichitta andmeditation.Bodhichittaandmeditationarethebestcleansers.Whenyoupracticewithbodhichittayouwillbeabletorevealprofoundtreasuresneverpreviouslyavailabletoyou.

Every person has the enlightened nature, but to actualize that nature it isnecessary to practice bodhichitta, the love and compassion for all beings.Bodhichittaisuniversallyprecious;everybodyappreciatesitandeverybodyhasthe potential to develop it. Enlightenment is completely dependent upondevelopingcompassionforallbeings.Thewishtoattainenlightenmentfor thebenefitofothersistheessenceofboththemahayanaandvajrayanapaths.Whenwedevelop innerwisdom,we can take careof all sentient beings, and radiatecompassion and kindness throughout the universe. We can discover the truenature of the mind and of the entire world. In order to be able to do this,meditationpracticeisveryimportant.

Bodhichitta is the root or the seed from which enlightenment develops.Bodhichittaisnotfoundexternally,butitiswithinyourownmind.Althoughallof us have experienced love and compassion, these qualities need to bedevelopedfurther.Onewaytoincreasethemistodothedzogchenmeditationofresting themind in its own nature. This is because bodhichitta and emptinesshavethesamenature,thetruenatureofthemind.Practicingbodhichittaopenlyand freelywill increase your understanding of emptiness because compassionandemptinessareinseparableaspectsoftheprimordialstateofbeing.

Dedication

'dzamglingspyidangyulkhams'didagtuDZAMLINGCHIDANGYÜLKHAMDIDAGTUAtthisverymoment,forthepeoplesandnationsoftheearth,

nadmugmtshonsogssdugbsngalmingmigragsNEMUGTSÖNSOGDUGNGALMINGMIDRAGMaynoteventhenames"disease,""famine,""war,"and"suffering"beheard.

chosldanbsodnamsdpal'byorgongdu'phelCHÖDENSÖNAMPALJORGONGDUPELButrathermaypureconduct,merit,wealth,andprosperityincrease,

rtagtubkrashisbdelegsphuntshogsshogTAGTUTASHIDELEGPÜNTSOGSHOGAndmaysupremegoodfortuneandwell-beingalwaysarise.

byHisHolinessDudjomRinpoche

PADMASAMBHAVABUDDHISTCENTERKhenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche have established

PadmasambhavaBuddhistCentertopreserveinitsentiretytheauthenticmessageofBuddhaShakyamuniandGuruPadmasambhava,andinparticulartoteachthetraditionofNyingmapaandVajrayanaBuddhism.They are dedicated to world peace and the supreme good fortune and well being of all. For moreinformation about the Venerable Khenpos’ activities, Padmasambhava Buddhist Center, or DharmaSamudraPublishing,pleasecontactusat:

PadmaSamyeLing618BuddhaHighwaySidneyCenter,NY13839(607)865-8068

www.padmasambhava.org

TableofContents

ShamathadiagramShakyamuniBuddhaAvalokiteshvaraTheFourFriendsTaraChannelsandchakrasVimalamitraChetsunSengeVajrasattvaFlamingVajraYesheTsogyalGuruPadmasambhavaRatnaLingpa

TableofContentsShamathadiagramShakyamuniBuddhaAvalokiteshvaraTheFourFriendsTaraChannelsandchakrasVimalamitraChetsunSengeVajrasattvaFlamingVajraYesheTsogyalGuruPadmasambhavaRatnaLingpa