zhikhro bardo teachings

7/31/2019 Zhikhro BARDO Teachings

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 BARDO

1 LINEAGE

5 PREVIEW

7 BARDO OF BIRTH AND LIFE

14 BARDO OF THE DREAM STATE

22 BARDO OF MEDITATION

25 BARDO OF THE MOMENT OF DEATH

25 THE ELEMENTS

26 CHAOS IN THE WINDS

27 EARTH DISSOLVES INTO WATER

28 WATER EVAPORATES INTO FIRE

28 FIRE DISSIPATES INTO AIR

29 WIND DIFFUSES INTO SPACE

30 SPACE DISSOLVES INTO CLEAR LIGHT

30 WHITE, RED AND BLACK

34 THE WAY OF THE ADEPT

37 MANDALA OFFERINGS

38 PHOWA

41 SUBTLE SIGNS

43 SUMMARY

44 BARDO OF THE LUMINOSITY OF THE TRUE NATURE

51 BARDO OF BECOMING

52 WANDERING

58 FULL CIRCLE

60 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

66 COLOPHON


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BARDO

Bardo is a Tibetan word .Barmeans between and do signifies place or island . Soit can be translated as "in-between p lace" or "intermed iate state." The term bard o isused to describe the primary transitions through the va rious levels of experienceconstituting th e process of embod iment and reincarnation. There are many d ifferent

ways of un derstanding th e concept of bardo.

Bard o teachings are about the continu ity and ongoing natu re of mind andexperience. These instru ctions relate directly to everyday life as well as death . If wecan recognize what is happ ening right here, wh ile we are alive, we can go forwardwith confidence.

According to the Bud dh a, all sentient beings are natu rally enlightened an dhave been p ure since the beginning. However, due to a sm all mistake, a littlegrasping d evelops into ego-clinging an d a state of delusion. As long as we aredelud ed, awar eness of our true na ture is obscured . The bard o is the interval from

the beginning of delusion u ntil the return to the state of primord ial natu re. All ourwan dering in between is the bard o. Until we reach enlightenmen t, everything w efeel, know and experience, is bard o phenomena. Even now , we are wand ering in anintermediate state. This will continu e as long as we persist in du alism, clinging to thebelief in the inh erent existence of self and world.

The bardos d o not exist outside of us. They are the context of our experience.This is very important to u nd erstand. Do not think that you are only in the bard o atcertain times. The entire un iverse of samsara an d n irvana hap pens w ithin thebard os. From the onset of our d reams u ntil we comp letely wake up is all bard oterritory. As long as we are trap ped by ego-clinging an d attachment, we are in thebardo.

Even h ighly realized beings and great p ractitioners arise within this p rocess,but th ey are alread y awake so that they d o not make false distinctions between th ebardo and p ristine awareness. They und erstand that everything w hich app ears is adisplay of primord ial wisdom.

LINEAGE

Where d o the bard o teachings come from? These teachings came from Buddh aShakyamu ni and continued throu gh Guru Pad masambhava, who brought them toTibet in the eighth century. Guru Pad masam bhava's instructions and explanationsregarding the bard o are very specific and clear wh ile Bud dh a Shakyam un i's are

more general and spread throu ghout his discourses. When Guru Padm asambhavacame to Tibet, he gave some bard o teachings to his students and with th e help ofYeshe Ts'ogyal, hid others in d ifferent areas to be discovered in the future. Over thegenerations, many great tertons have brough t them forth, with the result that thereare now extensive teachings on the bard os.

In order to aw aken sentient beings of various capacities, Bud dh a Shakyam un ioffered m any levels of instruction wh ich have been categorized into nine yanas.


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The zhi-khro,which translates as the peaceful and wrath ful deities, is considered partof the inner tantra. It is actually a cond ensed teaching based up on the essentialmean ing of the Guhyagarbha Tantra combined w ith the views expressed in the anuand ati yoga teachings. Many great m asters have said th at thezhi-khro teachings arethe inner tan tra of the inner tan tra. In this case we're not m aking distinctions amon gthe various inner tan tras, nor between the creation and comp letion stages, but

joining them all together. This is the u nion ofrigpa and emp tiness, the oneness ofbirth, death, and life experiences. There is no basis for d iscriminating because all areaspects of one tru e natu re. Noth ing is rejected or exclusively accepted. This teachingis known as the one th at u nifies everything into a single state.

Guru Padm asambhava transmitted the bardo teachings to a great manystud ents in Tibet, all of whom became enlightened . Historically, many of thesemasters were Dzogchen ad epts, and th at lofty view is central to the zhi-khroteachings. Bard o instru ctions were spread throu gh both the kama an d terma lineages.The terma texts became very p opu lar through tertons such as Karm a Lingpa in thefourteenth century. He w as one of the great masters who d iscovered the zhi-khro

treasure, a part of which contains thebardo thodrol

wh ich has been translated intoEnglish as, The Tibetan Book of the Dead.

Traditionally, there are five great tertons, Dorje Lingp a, Ratna Lingpa, Pad maLingpa, Karma Lingp a and Sangye Lingpa, wh o are related to the five directions:east, south , west, north and center. Karma Lingp a was a reincarnation of one of thetwenty-five stud ents of Guru Padmasam bhava known as Cokro Li Gyeltsen, afamous tran slator of the Kangyur in n inth century Tibet. Many of the Bud dh a'svinaya teachings were rend ered into Tibetan by th is master. After receivinginstructions from Guru Padm asambhava, Shantarakshita and Vimalamitra, hepracticed and became enlightened. Throu gh his bodhicitta comm itment and thewishes of Guru Padmasam bhava, Master Cokro reincarnated m any times in Tibet

as various tertons and great bodh isattvas. One of those reincarnations who lived inthe 14th century w as a lay practitioner nam ed Karma Lingp a.

Karma Lingpa, the "northern" terton, was born in south -eastern Tibet north ofTakpo, Gamp opa's birthp lace. Following Gu ru Padm asambhava's instructions, hediscovered thezhi-khro teachings and other treasures on Mount Gamp odar, wherethe rock formations resemble dan cing god s. After extracting the term as, hepracticed them in comp lete secrecy as requested by Guru Padm asambhava. He onlyshared them years later with his son, Nyind a Chje. Both Karma Lingpa andNyind a Chje practiced th ezhi-khro in secret and acquired rainbow bodies. For threegenerations, these instructions were transmitted to only a single ind ividu al. Finally,the grand son of Karma Lingp a, Namka Chki Gyamtso received th ezhi-khro

transm ission. Nam ka Chki Gyamtso presented this teaching just three timesdur ing his entire life. Since then, this cycle of teachings has been am ong th e mostpopu lar in Tibetan Bud dhism.

The first time, he taugh t a small group , amon g whom was Ena Lingpa,another famou s terton. Throu gh Ena Lingp a it spread to Sruming, wh ich isChogyam Trun gpa's lay monastery. The second time Nam ka Chki Gyamtsopresented these teachings was to a larger gathering, and as a result, it spread


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through out the Katok monasteries. A very famou s master named H eba Chunyu ng,was largely responsible for propogating thezhi-khroamong th e Kagyus. Toward theend of his life Namka Chki Gyamtso expou nd ed on thezhi-khroone last time.Many of those present were from Nind al, a temple-monastery associated with bothKagyu and Nyingm a practitioners. Included in this gathering w as the famou smaster Karma Cham ling, wh o also transmitted these teachings to m any stu dents.

Although Namka Chki Gyamtso only offered these teachings three times, he gaverise to three separate lineages of transmission in the Nyingm a and Kagyu schools.

The practices associated with this teaching quickly became very popu lar andare still practiced every d ay by m any h igh level practitioners, renowned lamas andlay devotees. Entire families will recite it early in the m orning. Even those w ho d on'tknow how to read, learn to memorize it from h earing other members of the familychant it daily.

The zhi-khrodoes n ot just cover the ba rdos. It is a complete teaching. TheTibetan Book of the Deadis just a sm all part of thezhi-khro. The actual text is huge an d

contains detailed explanations of the visualization and completion stages, Dzogchenteachings, threg-chodand thod-rgyal instru ctions. It is an entire cycle, but only thebard o section has been translated. The rendering of these teachings in the Tibetanlanguage is especially beau tiful. Each of Guru Padm asambhava's w ords has specialman tric pow er, revealing the inner meaning of many visions and experiences.

That's a brief introd uction to the lineage behind these teachings.

PREVIEW

This is a very pow erful and special teaching. The bardo instructions provide uswith a body of techniques and p ractices by which we can d iscover our Bud dh a

natu re. If we are well-acquainted w ith the bardos, we won 't be surp rised orconfused wh en major transitions take place dur ing life or between lives. Instead, wewill enjoy a continuity of understanding an d spiritual growth. To acquire such apan oramic view takes courage, confidence and comm itment.

In the terma d iscovered by Karma Lingpa, Guru Padm asambhava introdu cessix different bard os. The first bard o begins when we take birth an d endures as longas we live. The second is the bardo of dreams. The third is the bardo ofconcentration or med itation. The four th occurs at the m oment of death. The fifth isknow n as the bard o of the lum inosity of the true natu re. The sixth is called th ebardo of transm igration or karmic becoming. This is the sixfold d ivision of thebard os. I will go into a little more detail on each of them .

The first bardo of birth and life lasts from the time you are conceived inmoth er's womb u ntil your last breath, when consciousness leaves the body atdeath . This is called the shi-nay bardo.

The second is the mi-lam or dream bard o and in other teachings, this isconsidered a subd ivision of the first bard o because d uring our lifetime, wefrequently sleep an d have d reams. There are ways to learn to integrate the d ream


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state into the p ractice, so that even w hile sleeping, we can d evelop our realization.

Third is the sam-ten bardo of meditation. Generally, this is only experienced bypractitioners and th ose who meditate or are looking for inner peace andun derstand ing. The onset and d ura tion of this bardo depends on the capability ofthe p ractitioner. The m editation bardo is also considered a subd ivision of the bardo

of birth and living. Guru Padm asambhava categorized them this way becausedreams and med itation are very imp ortant aspects of life and practice. Meditation isthe primary method of matu ring our spiritual insight and u nd erstand ing. It allowsus to go beyond the confusion of the bard o into the clarity of the p rimord ial natu re.

The fourth is the chik-khai bardo of the mom ent of death. It begins w hen theouter and inner signs indicate that death is approaching, and continues through thedissolution of the elements un til the moment after the last breath or perh aps a fewminu tes after the expiration of the last breath, when th e inner breath has comp letelystopped.

The fifth is thech-nyid

bard o of the luminosity of the true nature which beginsright after the last breath. In the outer sense, this is usu ally considered the momentof death; however, inward ly there is still a subtle movement of winds whichcontinu e to d issolve in stages. At this point, preternatu ral forces in the form ofsound s and lights app ear to burst forth with tremend ous pow er. In the Dzogchenteachings, these are know n as thod-rgyal visions and they arise spontaneously,withou t anyone calling th em u p. Along w ith these visions, there's an experience ofprofound p eace and p ristine awareness. The duration of this could be anyw herefrom one second to half an hour or more.

The sixth, or sid-pai bardo, is known as the bard o of becoming ortransm igration. Ordinary beings who have never practiced and h ave failed to

recognize the clear light at the moment of death are usually delud ed through out thefifth bard o of lum inosity. Eventually they arrive in the sixth, the final stage beforerebirth. This phase lasts un til we h ave visions of our new p arents and are conceivedin a w omb. The average du ration of the p eriod between death and rebirth is fortynine days, althou gh it could be as short as three. It is not always the sam e foreveryone. Under certain cond itions it could be a lot longer, but on th e average it isforty-nine d ays.

The bardo process mirrors the wh eel of interdepend ent origination. It turns onand on, so that after we d ie and transmigrate through the bardos, we again takebirth and live. This cycle continu es until we are totally enlightened. The pu rpose ofstud ying the bard o sequence is not simply to have a general familiarity with th ese

states but to become ad ept in recognizing them. Using these teachings w isely willdevelop your realization and provide invaluable skillful means towardaccomp lishing benefits for all beings.

Because of their sup reme imp ortance, Guru Padmasam bhava gave extensiveinstructions on th e bardo. Since we are all travelers on this highway, we should beaware of our circumstance and make good u se of these teachings.


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BARDO O F BIRTH AND LIFEshi-nay bardo

The bardo of birth and life refers to the present time an d experience. We havealready taken birth and are still alive, so we are now in the first bard o. How shouldwe use this time in a meaningful way? Guru Padm asambhava mad e it clear that to

take advan tage of this opp ortun ity and fulfill our asp irations during this life, wehave to learn to focus ou r minds. Our time here isn't going to last forever.

WHEN THE BIRTHPLACE BARDO IS DAWNING UPON ME,

THERE IS NO SPARE TIME IN THIS LIFE;

ABANDONING LAZINESS...

We can never be sure how long we w ill be in the bard o of the living. No onecan say. When and wh ere we w ill d ie is always uncertain. It is comp letelyun pred ictable. No m atter how rich or clever you are, you can n ever know howmu ch longer you have to live. Since we're not sure h ow long this life will last, Guru

Padmasambhava advises us to abandon laziness.

Now is the time to increase appreciation and gratitud e for our life situation, toarouse ourselves and make a joyful effort to realize great resu lts. We shou lddevelop confidence in ou r w ay and be happ y in our endeavors. Don't just assumethat you are w orthless and incapable. Don't let this opportu nity slip by and havecause for regret. Learn to w ork effectively, happ ily, and with commitmen t.

The biggest obstacle to sp iritual progress is laziness. There are man y forms oflaziness but they all share the feeling that there is p lenty of time. "I won 't botherwith this today. I'll do it later." When we th ink like this again and again, we missman y impor tant opportu nities and lose sight of our goal. That is the worst thingabout laziness.

One typ e of laziness is based in d oubt: "How could I ever do this?" You p ut

yourself down, and even feel special in considering yourself so low an d incapable.To overcome th is requires courage. Discover your natu ral d ignity. Feel thepreciousness of this moment; how am azing it is to be alive! If you u nd erstand thetruth of this, there's nothing th at you cannot accomp lish. That's exactly what theBud dh a and many other great masters did. They worked on the basis of thisinspiration. Since we all have the bud dh a natu re, and have inherited the w isdom s,wh y can't we do as they d id? So learn to ap ply yourself diligently and engage thepractice fearlessly.

Another typ e of laziness has to do with attaching to lesser interests andmissing the greater opp ortun ity. You kn ow th at the p ractice is special, you havesome awareness that this is a very u nique mom ent, and you are inspired by thisbeautiful opening, but you still waste time and cling to m eaningless, worldlyinvolvements. You are like a cat who is always try ing to catch an other m ouse. GuruPadm asambhava taugh t that this kind of activity is as endless as waves on theocean. Just w hen you think you 're going to finish, the next wav e arrives, and thenanother. There is always som ething else to do or acqu ire. This form of laziness


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dep ends on staying distracted with countless things to achieve and do. There is notime when it could be said th at you've completed everything. Such p reoccupationsnever cease. Unaw are of the cause of this u nsettledn ess, you habitually cling toexternals and are subject to an endless procession of wand ering thoughts andimpu lsive actions. This hap pens all the time when there is attachment to externals.But start looking inwardly an d you will discover the source of all those restless

feelings. You will also find joy, tranquility and thoughts that bring peace andharmony.

Don't just believe this because Guru Padm asambhava said it. Look into thehistory of renowned p eople, warriors, kings, or those w ith great artistic talent. Allof them d ied with dreams and projects un fulfilled. Everyone leaves this world w ithun finished business. Inquire for yourself. You'll find that th is is really true.

When w e see laziness in ourselves, what shou ld w e do? Respond immed iatelyand with vigor. Don't fall for, "I will do it later." You d on't have to be patient w ithlaziness. Guru Padm asambhava said that w hen you observe laziness in yourself, act

like a timid person wh o has just d iscovered that a snake has crawled u p into h is lap.You w ould not just sit there to see wh at the snake d oes next. You'd get right up ,throw it off you and run away! Guru Padm asambhava also said that to overcomelaziness, you must act imm ediately, like a beau tiful lady wh ose hair has just caughton fire. These are very clear examp les about how to respond to laziness.

Among the six bard os, the first bard o of birth and living is the most importantone we have to learn about . This is wh ere we can really develop, grow strong ,realize what is precious, and fully awaken to ou r Bud dh a natu re so that we caneasily hand le the remaining bardos. Throu gh p ractice and med itation we can learnto recognize what is and move throu gh all the changes of birth and death w ith greatconfidence and joy. You w on't have to worry, be concerned or even h esitate.

Everything you need will appear in the p alm of your hand; you'll be right on track.

Guru Padm asambhava said th at if you p ractice well dur ing this bardo, you cantransmigrate without d oubt, returning hom e like a haw k w ho makes a safe nesthigh on a cliffside. She just flies up there and w ithout any hesitation or indecision,enters the n est. So if you really learn someth ing d ur ing this life, the rest of thebard os will not cause you any concern. You w ill move throu gh them withconfidence and full awareness, so that it all becomes part of a glorious ad venture.

Guru Padm asambhava is emp hasizing just how precious this time is, rightwh ere we are now. Do not refrain from non-virtuou s actions. Constant ly beengaged in activities wh ich will bring benefits for yourself and other beings. Many

teachings state that wh ere we a re now is an island of jewels: you can find all kind s ofvaluable gems here. You m ust take some in your h and , put som e in your p ocketand fill your backpack. If you return emp ty-hand ed, the cycle of samsara revolvesagain.

Time d oes not wait for us. We should use it to do something m eaningful. Ofcourse, there are many things w e have to d o just to get along in this world, but weshould really expand our view and adjust our attitude. Guru Padmasambhava


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advises us to be attentive to the present, but not to neglect looking toward th efutur e; to think abou t tomorrow, as well as the day after, next year, and thefollowing ones too. Thinking in this way, we will develop the intelligence andcompassion necessary to realize benefits for all living beings, today, tomorrow andcontinually.

These teachings were given by the precious Guru himself. The same tru th hasbeen spoken by all the bud dhas and bodh isattvas. All of the great masters wh ohave benefited beings for generations worked h ard to develop love, compassionand bodh icitta. That's the stand ard they kept. We should d o the same. Think of themen and wom en wh o became spiritual masters, and keep them in mind . Learn todo as they did . Do not deceive yourselves. We might th ink we are very sm art, but ifwe're still fooling around , the cycle of karm ic bond age will remain intact.

ABANDONING LAZINESS

ENTER UNDISTRACTEDLY IN THE THREE PATHS OF

LISTENING, REFLECTION AND MEDITATION

Guru Pad masambhava and Bud dha Shakyamu ni have both said that w eshould d o three things: stud y, contemp late and med itate. At first, stud y andconsider the teaching, then contemp late it. To settle the mind , we m ust first becomeaware of the obstacles and obscurations masking its true natu re. Finally, you areready to med itate.

Meditation is the fruit of study and contemplation. In th is context, med itationdoesn't m ean merely sitting calmly and focusing th e mind on an external object.Rather, this is meditation on the tru e nature. As the true natu re pervad es bothinternally and externally, meditation on it clarifies our view and helps us learn topenetra te both su bjective and objective phenomen a. The focus in meditation itselfshould be on the n ature of the mind. This will reveal everything.

Meditation on the true natu re yields a lucid clarity and profound opennesswhich is very mysterious. Abiding continuously in that state will cause beautifulqualities, such as compassion and wisdom, to arise and shine natu rally. At first,thoughts w ill become less interesting or insistent. As you learn to abide in deepmed itation for longer period s, dualistic conceptions w ill be completely pacified.When you become freely established in the rad iance of the primord ial natu re,thoughts w ill become like servants. At that point, you will have a greater capacity totake responsibility for your m ental events.

Gradually, a great blissfulness will arise. At that time there will be no moresuffering bu t only an u nshakable equanimity as you m erge with the true n ature.Once you gain auth ority over conceptions and the mind , you become more capableof mastering all the other asp ects of your life. Every m omen t becomes workablebecause you u nd erstand the bard o process.

Listening, contemp lating, and med itating are kn own as the "three wisdoms."Each of these practices is vital to actualize our Bud dha natu re and the ability tobenefit others. First, listen carefully an d closely to the teachings you receive. This


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should encourage and inspire you to make a joyful effort. Do not simp ly collectteachings; look into the implications and contemplate their m eaning. Then, ap plythem to you r self, so that w hat you receive does not m erely p enetrate your ear andbrain. To really connect with the meaning behind the instruction, take it into yourheart and reaffirm the truth of each w ord w ith your own und erstanding. That isknown as contemp lation. By d eeply contemplating the teaching, you w ill natu rally

actualize the result known as med itation. Meditation will help m ature what you 'velearned so that your knowledge is not simply intellectual or conceptual. Results willripen as you grow. Although all three are indispensable, med itation is the mostimportant.

To apply these three p ractices, you mu st learn to recognize and release thetendency to indulge distractions. This is especially true when we are first beginning,but distractions can be a serious hindrance at every stage of practice, especiallydu ring m editation. In Dzogchen they say, "There is no med itation; non-distraction isthe m editation." In the Prajnap aramita teachings, Bud dh a Shakyamuni listed tencategories of distraction that can occur during practice.

Distractions come uninvited, so we need a clear, vivid mind fulness toun dermine their influence and practice effectively. This doesn't always come easily,even if we have the right m otivation an d can sustain a joyful effort. Learn to listenundistractedly. Do not let attention wander du ring contemplation practice. Avoidclinging to ideas and images wh ile in m editation. To avoid following though ts, bemind ful and observe with relaxed alertness.

The next line explains the result actualized throu gh th e p ractice of the threewisdoms:

BRING APPEARANCE AND THOUGHTS TO THE PATH

AND REALIZE THE NATURE OF THE THREE KAYAS.

Actualization of the three kayas is the result of app lying the three wisdoms.Dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, and nirmanakaya represent three inseparable aspectsof the Bud dha. Accord ing to the inner tantras, the three kayas have no objectiveexistence, rather they are non-local and all-pervasive, encompassing both mind andapp earances. This means that everyth ing is always in a cond ition of perfectenlightenment.

All things are the display of the kayas. The three kayas are never separatefrom each other bu t exist primordially within the singularity of the tru e natu re. Thetrikaya is what w e and all external phenom ena essentially are. When you fullyrealize wh at you are, you will know th at you never had to do anything or goanywh ere in ord er to be enlightened or see the pure land. The pur e land is thetrikaya and all six bardos arise within these kayas. The display, activity, and truenatu re of the kayas are all within u s. It is not a m atter of escaping from "this horribleplace" to somewh ere else fancy and beautiful where the three kayas dwell. We mu strealize the three kayas as the true natu re and reality of all phenom ena.

Infinite and un created, the tru e nature of mind is great emp tiness or the


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inconceivable openness known as dharmakaya. Great emptiness is not blank,empty space, a void or noth ingness. It is very luminou s, clear and full. Brightnessand clarity shine forth spontaneously. This un ceasing luminosity of the true natu reis known as sambhogakaya.

The mind is always active, radiating a w orld of transformations. Due to its

inertia, it never stays the same for two instants. Each spark or rad iant mom ent ofman ifest existence is non-separate from the original state of the true natu re. Eachspark is the u nion of emptiness and clarity. That rad iance man ifesting as p oint-instants of space/ time is known as nirmanakaya.

Guru Padm asambhava taugh t that the three kayas are inherent in the natureof mind. Many p eople don't know this and are always wand ering, looking forsomething ou tside of themselves. This search opens th em to m any experiences:good an d bad , high and low, deep and shallow, sequences of gain and of loss. But inevery case, these percepts are created by one's own mind . None of these qualitiesexist in a solid, objective sense. The p resent flows an d changes, and this

imperm anence indicates that th ere is no inheren t being in objects and events.

All perception and conscious experience is nothing other than the expression ofyour mind . Everything you see, hear, feel, taste, smell and touch is mind . What d oesmind really refer to? Mind is open, empty and pu re from the beginning. Mind isalso the embodiment of the three kayas. Our practice is to discover and express thetrue natu re of the mind . We mu st study, contemplate, med itate on and ultimatelyactualize the trikaya realization. If we a re devoted an d one-pointed in ou r efforts, allphenom ena reveal the trikaya. When the m oment of death comes, we w illrecognize this event as a lucid d isplay of the three kayas, another d esign of the truenatu re. There is no conflict wh en we und erstand th at this is part of a natu ral process.

The bard o of birth and life is a very special circum stance for practice. Sinceeverything is pervad ed by the three kayas, we mu st come to recognize that ourpresent vision and perception are u ltimately not any d ifferent from the originalnatu re of the mind . The und erstanding of the innate pu rity of all perception is thehighest teaching of the inn er tantras. All of our d ualistic conceptions, such as self andother, good and bad, assisting friends and avoiding enemies, arise as thoughts inour mind s. Mind creates all of these fabrications. There's nothing among all of thosenam es with an y solid existence, yet the mind creates notions and projects visionswhich w e are inclined to believe and act on. Distracted an d unmind ful, we h abituallygrasp and cling.

What is grasping? To grasp m eans to be attached to wh at we th ink. It is to

believe that things actually exist the way the conditional mind perceives them. Thatis called grasping. We continually cling to beliefs and create artificial divisions. Wehave d ecided that some th ings are invariably good and others are not. This clingingto concepts is based in the assum ption of perman ence. Even though p henom ena areconstantly changing, mind projects a fixed image and holds onto it, assuming thingsare a certain way all of the time. Trying to see the w orld as w e'd like it to be andhold ing on to th at image is referred to as ego-clinging. It is like you are suffocatingin a tight cocoon. Trapped by attachm ents, we ignore opp ortun ities to release our


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hold and grow.

To be confined to a small room w ith no space to move back and forth creates acontraction in the body. When we w ant to shift our p osition there is no room, so wesuffer; we move a little to one sid e, but it is still uncomfortable. We suffer at everyturn, because our movements are constricted. This is the effect ego-clinging and

grasping have on both body an d m ind. We create a small, cramped space forourselves and others by w ithholding love and compassion. Ego-clinging, graspingand d ualistic thinking make us narrow and up tight so that we natu rallycommu nicate these qualities to others. They tend to make everybod yun comfortable. The door to this room is wide open, but if we d on't wa lk through it,it may as well be sealed; we w ill suffer those limitations. When w e open our heartsand mind s, and love all beings equally, we are liberated into the infinite expanse, thereality beyond all limits, the original or primord ial nature of our m ind wh ich isforever open and free. By releasing ego-clinging, we are m erely return ing to theprimord ial nature as it was and as it is.

In cherishing such dualistic notions as absolute good and evil, wesubconsciously develop hopes and fears which lead to emotional cycles of elationand depression. We shun wh at we d on't like and assume that there's somethinggood w e should attach to and be expectant about . If these assump tions goun challenged, hope and fear can destroy our vision and crush us. We lose ourpow er and true identity un der their influence. Where do hopes and fears originate?In a mind divided by d ualistic concepts. Mind is the pr incipal source of everything.Where is the mind? To begin answering this, we shou ld start our search know ingthat w e're not going to find any solid, substantially existent mind . Everything isdisapp earing as fast as it is arising. The d eeper we look, the more it disappears un tilwe come to the point w here we can't find anyth ing at all. Now th e search iscomplete. We really have n o idea what to d o next!

In one sense, we are completely lost. In another way, we are qu icklyapp roaching the p rimord ial state which the Bud dh a called great emptiness. Herethere are no d ivisions, distinctions or bou nd aries. We've reached the u ltimate p oint:the original, infinite, true nature of the mind. By diligently chasing rainbows, wefinally reach a hor izon wh ere there is no longer anyth ing to pu rsue. Everythingmerges in that unfathomable state. As the mind dissolves in the bound lessdimension of the tru e natu re, relax and remain in m editation. This is the centralplace. When there is no disturbance or dualism of body and mind , that is realmed itation. It requires no magic. Simply observe your own m ind. If you keeplooking into it you will eventually arrive at that blissful point of p erfect equanimity.

BRING APPEARANCES AND THOUGHTS TO THE PATH

The practice of meditation teaches us to transcend the conceptual distinctionsbetween ap pearan ces and thou ghts. Subject and object fuse into one single intensity.We no longer see a w orld of inherently existent things and entities. In reality, evenatoms are not actually solid. Although th ey exhibit many p roperties, they are notconcrete, indep end ent objects. Every apparent thing is an imp erman ent menta lconstruct based on the interdependence of everything. Noth ing exists outside of this


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interdep endence. There are many sub-atomic particles in even the smallest atom.Any entity is comp letely redu cible to its parts w hich are also redu cible on dow n toinfinity. Atoms and everyth ing they constitute are nothing bu t the mysteriouslighting u p of the true na ture as appearan ces. This is wh y great masters can walk inthe sky or tran smu te the elements. You could say they aren't really changinganything w hen th ey do these things; they're actually demonstrating the

interdependen t reality and true nature of wh at is arising.

The primordial nature is wonderfully inconceivable. Void of inherent existence,great emp tiness is perfectly open and flexible. Each and every luminousmanifestation is p recious and un ique. We can see this in man y w ays. For instance, allbeings have slightly d ifferent perceptu al systems. Animals, gods and hu man beingssee very different w orlds. But th is is true even among hu mans from the sameculture.

Look at this (Rinpoche holds u p a bell). Although everyone can nam e this, weeach have our own way of perceiving and understanding w hat it is. The way you

see the color red is not th e way everyone sees it. Things d o not inherently exist theway they appear. The mind has a very sp ecial way of speaking to each of us becausedifferent beings can look at a single object and not see the same th ing. This is veryunique! Obvious discrepancies, such as the difference in our points of view, are partof the relativity of the external world. But inward ly it goes deeper than this becausewe all have d ifferent approaches and make u nique associations that illum inate ourparticular way so that w e each see a personal version of the world. This is thereason wh y there are so m any d ifferent bu dd has. For example, there are fivedh yani bud dh as. They each realized their Bud dh a natu re in a slightly different wayand then d isplayed their special qualities for the benefit of all beings.

Like athletes wh o train for the Olympics to win a gold m edal, the bardo of

birth and life is the training ground to exercise and actualize our skills so that theother bard os, particularly the fourth , fifth an d sixth, provide the cond itions toacquire a gold, silver or bronze m edal. The first bardo is the best place to developthese valuable skills.

Emphasizing th is point, the text reads:

AT THIS MOMENT,

WHERE WE HAVE FOR ONCE ATTAINED A HUMAN BODY

It is very special and p recious to be human , to be surrou nd ed by all this wealthand beauty, and to have the op portun ity to realize bud dh ahood. This is a verycrucial time. Don't take this possibility for granted and waste it. Actualize your truenatu re. The hu man realm is a unique p lace where we can work to accomp lishsomething m eaningful and d evelop our u nderstanding. Bud dh a Shakyamun ireiterated th is many times throughout h is life. This is not a pu re land, as w e can seeby observing wh at goes on in the world , but it is the best place for us to learn anddevelop ou rselves.

There are many other w orlds. Some are exceptionally beautiful, luxurious and


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comfortable. In comp arison, ours might not look tha t wond erful, but it is actually avery special place, because here we can m ature and transcend ourselves. There is alot here that challenges us to grow , helping u s to discover and express our Bud dh anature. Qualities such as courage, confidence and love are called forth in response toman y situations. If we accomplish something meaningful here, we w ill also be ableto go other p laces and enjoy higher realizations. But for now, this is the p lace wh ere

we m ust d o something significant w ith our lives.By p racticing d ur ing the bard o of birth and life, great devotees can become

enlightened within one lifetime. Yogis and yoginis with high realizations are able toperceive the entire universe as the m and ala of the d eities, so that every form is seenas the Bud dh a's body, and all sounds are perceived as the speech of enlightenedbeings, or m antra. Recognizing the true natu re of this continu ally u nfolding vision ispart of the spon taneous activity of pristine cognitiveness. Ultimately, everythingapp ears as a display of primord ial wisdom , and w ithin that realization, you canbegin to help all sentient beings.

As Guru Padm asambhava said:

IT IS NOT THE TIME TO CONTINUE FOOLING AROUND

BARDO OF THE DREAM STATEmi-lam bardo

If you have a deep u nd erstand ing of the bard o of birth and life, you can alsolearn to make good u se of the time you spend dreaming. In Tibetan, this is calledthe mi-lam bardo.

Accord ing to th e Vajrayana teachings, the bard o of birth and life can be

divided into two basic categories; the experience of the day and the experience ofthe night. During the daytime, we work and are ph ysically active. At night, we liedow n an d relax. Sleep then becomes our m ajor occup ation. Animals have similarhabit patterns.

Each day, we go out and engage in many activities with our bod y, speech andmind . Normally, people are not trying to cultivate positive qualities and accumu latemerit. Most of the time w e are boun d up with feelings like jealousy andcomp etitiveness, which are based in ignoran ce and attachment. These are typicalemotions characterizing hu man beings du ring the day.

At night, m ost peop le go to sleep. While asleep, habit patterns similar to th ose

experienced dur ing the day recycle through our m inds. So dream s follow thepattern of activity that was established d ur ing the day. If you tend to becompetitive, or d ramatize emotions such as desire or anger, those same qu alitieswill also arise in d reams and cond ition your experience un til morn ing.

Sleep is a very importan t part of our lives. Like nutrition, it is necessary for ourphysical well-being. While we sleep, our bod y and speech are not d oing anything.We need rest, so external activities cease. Our five senses become inactive: the eye


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does not see, the ear d oes not hear, the nose d oes not smell, the tongue does nottaste and the bod y d oes not feel. At various places in the Budd ha's teachings, sleep isdescribed as a state of d ullness. It is also know n as "the little death ." All fiveconsciousnesses merge into the sixth or m ind consciousness. This is wh ere dreamsoccur. The mind consciousness wan ders through the channels und er the influence ofaffective tendencies and we begin d reaming.

In the dr eam state, everything you see is a reflection of your habit patterns.You m ight be falling from the top of a two hun dred story bu ilding , or be flyingthrou gh the sky withou t a plane. You m ay sud den ly find you rself desp eratelytrying to escape you r captors or lazing aroun d in the lap of fantastic luxur ies.Perhap s you've won the lottery or conversely, you are distressed over losing amillion dollars. Whatever you experience is not hap pening anyw here except in thatspace above your pillow. Everything you encounter in the d ream bard o arisesentirely within the domain of your tiny consciousness and its habit patterns.

Most of the d reaming w e do at n ight reflects the actions and attitud es of the

daytime: accepting and rejecting, analyzing, arguing and fighting, all kinds ofemotions and activities occur as they do in our waking experience. Our mind iscarried by the emotions according to h abit patterns, whether w e are awake orasleep. Most d reams, perhaps 80%, are related to conditioning acquired in th islifetime. About 20% are connected to past lifetimes or relate to something which hasnot yet ar rived , but because it potentially exists, our su btle consciousness reflects itthrou gh d reams. Two or three percent relate to our spiritual path , such asencounters with bu dd has and bodhisattvas. These dreams strengthen ourmotivation and encourage the p ractice of pu re love and compassion. But n o matterwh at type of dream it is, all are experiences commu nicated by the mind to the mind ,so that even in sleep, our m ind is busy.

The second line says:

STUPIDLY LYING LIKE A CORPSE, ABANDON CARELESSNESSGuru Pad masambhava u ses strong words like these to arouse and awaken u s

to the imp ortance of developing a continuity of mind fulness and clarity in thedream state, because w e spend a lot of our lives sleeping. If we live for a hun dredyears, almost forty of them are spent sleeping. If we can use this time for p ractice,we can significantly increase the time we have in which to actualize a meaningfu lresult. To this end, the Vajrayana dream yoga teachings prov ide us w ith anextremely skillful method to expand the p ractice of mindfulness into the d ream stateand not just sleep in the ord inary wasteful way.

The third line, clearly explains how we should sleep:

ENTER IN THE NATURAL SPHERE OF UNWAVERING ATTENTIVENESS

Prepare for bed mind fully, keeping a pu re motivation. Aband oningcarelessness, try to fall asleep in a state of relaxed alertness. How d o we p racticemind fulness in the dream itself? This is explained in the fourth line:


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RECOGNIZING YOUR DREAMS,

PRACTICE TRANSFORMING ILLUSION INTO LUMINOSITY

In order to make the time we spend dream ing more meaningful, we mu st first

recognize that we are d reaming. That is the initial exercise. The next step is calledtransforming the d ream; the third is know n as m ultiplying. The fourth practice is toun ify the d ream with th e clear light. Recognizing, transforming, multiplying andun ifying the dream w ith the luminosity of the true natu re; these four ou tline theessential app lications of d ream yoga.

You can d o these p ractices at any time, but normally you will begin beforegoing to sleep at night. Start by aligning your m otivation w ith the bod hicitta andthe awar eness of natu ral purity. These two are the found ation and stru cture of thewh ole path. Without these, your p ractice will fall apart, even if you've alreadygrown a little. Bodhicitta aspiration an d awareness of pu rity are indispensable.

Feel a d eep love and compassion for all sentient beings, includ ing yourself.Really op en you r h eart to everyone. If you hav e any trouble with th is, rememberthat you 're doing th is practice for all beings, and that everybod y needs love in orderto awaken their Bud dh a natur e. Think d eeply about the m any good reasons togenerate compassion for everyone. Then w ork on applying it in the pr esentmom ent by changing your attitud e.

Awareness of pu rity could be called a deep sense of app reciation and reverencetoward all the bud dh as, bodh isattvas and lineage masters, as well as a good feelingabout yourself and sincere gratitud e for you r life situation. All of this is reallyimportan t. In th is disposition, begin the d ream yoga p ractice.

Relax your mind, let go of all conceptions except those associated w ithbodh icitta, and after a while you even let go of these un til you h ave reached thesphere of the tru e natu re, the infinite state. Relax your mind as long as you can inthe openness of the true na ture, free of any m ental fabrication or d isturbance bymu nd ane thou ghts. Eliminate any trace of hope or fear, aband on analysis,discrimination, let go of any emotions su ch as anger, jealousy or attachment. Justrelease everything, let it go in all directions and dissolve; simply remain in thepristine aw areness of the p resent m oment.

Secondly, think, "Tonight, I'm definitely going to recognize the dream as adr eam." Develop a strong determination and encourage your self to recognize anydreams you h ave this evening. Feel into the supp ortive presence of the Bud dh a,Guru Rinpoche and the blessings of the bodhisattvas, all helping you to see thedream as a dream.

What w e are at present is a type of dream. Our sense of self is like a d ream.There's not really any way to m ake a fun damental distinction between this wh olevision before us now and what we w ill dream tonight. We are in a waking d reamand tonight we will experience a sleeping d ream. In this way, everything is a d ream.Think about this deep ly, because it's really true! Perceptions in th e waking state are


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a reflection of your m ind and mental events. This is also true of perceptions indr eams. So what is the d ifference between the waking state and the dream state?Consider the possibility that th ere is no basic difference. We're already in the d reamstate. At night, your d ream self is lying in a dream bed u nd er dream blankets in adream hou se. All of these visions are d reams, the bud dh as are dream beings,conceptions ind uce dreamlike states, day d reams, night d reams, they are all dreams.

Contemp late this point d eeply, because it is very important.

Bud dh a Shakyamuni often told his disciples to regard all phenomena asdreams. He used m any examp les, like an echo, a city in the clouds or a rainbow toillustrate the illusory natu re of the ph enomenal world. Dreams rep resent just onetype of illusion. The whole un iverse arises and d issolves like a mirage. Everyth ingabout u s, even the most enlightened qu alities, are also dreamlike phenom ena.There's nothing that is not encompassed within th e dream of illusory being; so ingoing to sleep, you're just p assing from one d ream state to an other.

With this und erstanding, lie dow n to sleep. It is suggested that you lie on your

right side w ith your right han d und erneath your right cheek. Keep your left leg ontop of the right leg, with your left arm placed along the left side of your bod y. Thisis the same posture wh ich w as assum ed by Bud dha Shakyamun i as he prepared toenter mahapar inirvana. It is know n as the lion postu re.

First you mu st generate comp assion an d love for all dream -like beings. Thencombine th is with an awareness of the essential pur ity of all things. The third step isto make a very strong resolution to recognize that you are d reaming. In fact, affirmyour intention to realize that everything, includ ing yourself, is a dream and thatwhat happ ens du ring sleep is but another d ream. Intensify your d eterminationtoward this end an d then concentrate. Various techniques may be u sed to sup portconcentration, such as visualizing the bodies of the buddhas, seed syllables or ritual

objects.

One of the primary methods used to stabilize concentration du ring thetransition from waking to sleeping is to visualize a red lotus in the sp eech center.Imagine a very fat, red lotus w ith four petals which is in the process of blooming.The petals have not yet op ened , but are not completely closed either. In the centerof them is a bright light. Concentrating on the light is sufficient. If you can manageanother visualization, picture a small wh ite triangle at your third eye, inside ofwhich sits a tiny Vajrasattva.

As you lie there, focus on these forms. Let them become sm aller and smaller,subtler and subtler, relax and let yourself go deeper and deeper. Then, the instant

you th ink of it, Vajrasattva send s out a great w hite light from you r third eye whichcovers your bod y. He then takes a seat in front of you. Go to sleep concentrating onthat. Unless you've entered the alaya, sooner or later you will begin to d ream. Ifyou're able to fall asleep w ithout d isturbing your concentration, you w ill easily beable to recognize that you are dreaming. Usually, when you recognize that you 'redreaming, you also wake u p. Learn to m aintain this recognition while continu ing tosleep and d ream.


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Dream practice is imp ortant to d o regu larly, with joyful effort. If we canrecognize the d ream as a d ream, we can recognize the truth of any situat ion, even ifwe have died. Often people don 't recognize that they've died , but I will say moreabout this when we get to the fifth bardo.

After you recognize the dream as a dream, and can m aintain that awareness

withou t waking , continu e to observe the dream. This prep ares you for the secondstep in dr eam yoga, which is to transform the contents of the dream. N ow you 'regoing to p lay around and have some fun. Here is where you can practicegymn astics. If you w ish, you can free fall from thirty-seven thousand feet, touch theearth and not hu rt a thing before quickly jum ping back to your starting point again!

In the reality of the dream you can tran sform anyth ing, including you rself. Ifyou w ant to be a lion, you'll imm ediately experience yourself as a lion and knowhow that feels. You can also be transformed into a mou ntain, a tree, the earth,wa ter, a man or w oman , a child, or any of the beings in th e six realms. You're n otbound by p hysical circum stances. You can be free and indep endent and do

wh atever you like. There are no bar riers here. You can be anyth ing. Go beyond thelimits of your hopes or fears. For instance, we tend to d istance ourselves from whatwe d on't like; but in th e dream , we can creatively restructure phenomen a, beingsand events to penetrate our fixed assump tions and remove our preconceptions,revealing the d eeper truth beyond the bound aries and limitations of du alisticsystems and trad itions. This is an exercise in op enness and freedom and is known astransforming.

The third aspect of dream yoga is called m ultiplying. Here, you're openingmore op portu nities and expand ing qualities. In the transforming p ractice, youchange things, but stick to a single manifestation. This time you try to mu ltiplyaspects of the dream , such as you r self, millions of times. You might take a h un dred

forms, or become ten d ifferent th ings at once. You could be various god s, a fewbud dh as, a naga, three bodhisattvas, a dozen hu man beings, many types of animalsand a grove of trees, all at the sam e time. You can m ultip ly yourself in millions offorms. Increase the variety and open you rself to the way th at you embody thewhole cosmic system. Und erstand th at this is all you. The inconceivable vastness ofour n ature is what is revealed by this practice.

If you accomp lish this, you can tou r the pu re lands and visit all five of thedh yani bud dh as at once, making offerings, receiving teachings and returning fromall five directions simu ltaneously. While you are meditating in the p ure land ofRatnasambhava, listening to teachings, making offerings, multiplying you rself andthe offerings by thousands, you are also doing the same in the western p ure land of

Bud dh a Amitabha, as well as in the north in th e presence of Amoghasiddh i and inthe center, where Bud dh a Vairocana tu rns the wh eel of the dh arma in h is pu re land.You can visit them one by one or be w ith them all and receive their teachingssimultaneously. In the dream bard o, mind is faster than the space shu ttle or eventhe speed of light. You can be anywh ere in a mom ent. There are many d ifferentpu re lands wh ere sentient beings can go an d receive teachings, realize variousbenefits, and retu rn. This is really true.


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All the great Nyingma tertons have gone to the pu re land of GuruPadm asambhava in their dream state. Many also meet Guru Rinpoche and hiswisdom dakini, Yeshe Ts'ogyal, face-to-face in the waking w orld , but th is oftenhap pens in d reams too. Typically, a terton retu rn from one of these dr eams andwrite a beautiful guid ebook on the rou te he took, how he was received, wh o hecontacted an d oth er details. Sometimes the vision features a few w eeks or a month 's

wor th of experience, but in our time they inevitably return th e very next morning.

For example, Tsasum Lingp a, one of the renow ned N yingma tertons, had adream wh ile he was camp ed on a m ountain in the center of Tibet. He had no tent orsleeping bag. He w as just sleeping on the mou ntain when five dakinis came andsaid, "Let's go now , you h ave to come.'

So he asked , "Where to?"

"To see your pa rents," they replied as they held ou t a big shaw l. "Sit here, we'llcarry you."

Tsasum Lingp a replied, "I don't w ant to go now. I'd rather stay here."

But the d akinis told h im, "You h ave to come. Now's the time, so let's go." Theypractically had to force him. Each dakini held a corner of the shaw l and carr ied himoff into the sky.

As he flew over Ind ia, he looked d own an d w ondered, "Which moun tain isthat? What is the n ame of that river?" His description is similar to w hat w eexperience when w e travel by plane. Upon arrival, he had an au dience with YesheTs'ogyal and Gur u Pad masam bhava. Tsasum Lingp a mentioned that Yeshe Ts'ogyalwas very kind to him. He attend ed a big ceremony with Guru Pad masambhava and

man y other realized beings. Yeshe Ts'ogyal had Tsasum Lingp a sit near her an d thismad e him feel very happy. At the end, when th ey said he must return, he insistedthat he didn't wan t to leave. Guru Pad masambhava told him that he should go now,but that he wou ld be able to come back later. He had already been there aboutthree weeks when Yeshe Ts'ogyal walked him to th e gate where the four d akinisawaited his return. She told him that she would never be apart from him, and aftergiving him more instructions, said good bye. When the dakinis drop ped him off, hewas back on the moun tain, the sun w as shining over his head and h e was sittingstraight up . This type of vision was not u nique to Tsasum Lingp a; many tertonshave given similar accoun ts and details of wh at they saw in these pure lands.

Another great terton, named Dro-'du l/ Dud -'du l/ Chgyur Lingpa, was also

carried off into the sky by dakinis. When he arrived at Guru Padm asambh ava'spu re land, he could also see that it had four d oors. His party ap proached th e easterngate and h ad begun to open it when a great dakini appeared. She threw somethingin front of them that m ade everything go totally dark, so they could n't enter. Thenthe dakini guides led him to the south ern gate. As it opened, the same great dakiniapp eared again and threw som ething black which completely blocked the d oor.They went to the w estern and northern gates and the same thing hap pened. SoChgyur Lingpa asked the gate keeper dakini, "Why are you so mean?"


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She said, "I'm not m ean, but you w ere very cruel to me!"

The terton replied, "I don't remember d oing anyth ing like this to you."

So she explained, "We were both there when Jetsun Lingpa w as giving

teachings. I was the u gly old lady you were so mean to. Do you r emember now ?That's why I won't let you see Guru Pad masambhava."

Dro-'dul/ Dud -'dul/ Chgyur Lingpa said, "Forgive me. I was w rong, andapologize for my ruden ess. I'm very sorry; that was inconsiderate of me." With that,she opened the gate wide.

What I've said today is very brief, but m any terton s have given elaboratedescriptions. For examp le, after the dakinis brought Tsasum Lingp a to the palace,they all opened th e main gate together. He describes the color of the door and all ofthe things he saw when he w alked in, beautiful gardens, an emanation of Guru

Padm asambhava, some lamas, and many other specific details.

Everyone of the great terton s kept thorough record s of their experiences. Ifyou're able to maintain awareness dur ing the dream, you can d o as these mastersdid . Such v isions w ill arise naturally. The great tertons don't actually have to d o thepractices we're explaining here because they're always aw are of the d ream-likenatu re of existence; these events reflect that un derstanding throu gh the specificdetails of what they experience.

The fourth step is to un ify the d ream w ith the clear light, the lum inosity aspectof the true natu re. That is the m ost important of these exercises. Learn to maintainthis und erstand ing throughou t the d ream state. Whether you simp ly recognize the

dream or go on to mu ltiply and transform it, it is essential to maintain this unifiedawareness.

Clear light or primordial luminosity has many d ifferent aspects, but the mostimportant is the comp lete absence of clinging and freedom from attachment. Thebest way to d o dr eam yoga is to not cling to the dr eam, not be attached torecognizing the d ream, not hold on to the results of mu ltiplying or transforming,and in general, to not cling to any of these p ractices. If you d on't cling, d reamsthemselves take on a radiant, transformed quality, becoming almost tran sparen t tothe clear light. In th is way, dreams become an em anation of the five wisdoms. Thisis called u nifying the d ream w ith the clear light or m erging the dream w ith theluminosity of the true nature.

DON'T SLEEP LIKE AN ANIMALIn the fifth line, Guru Padm asambhava is again encouraging u s to develop a

pu re intention, to become p roficient in su staining m indfulness and relaxed alertnessin the bardo of dreams. We are adm onished to take up the practice that minglesdreams and the waking state, to unify the night's perceptions with the d ay'sperceptions. Throu gh the exercises of recognizing, mu ltiplying, transforming and


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un ifying the d ream with the clear light, we learn to be free of all grasping an dclinging to un real phenom ena. Form is a d ream, feeling is a dream, touch, soundand taste are dreams; the mental state is also dream like. Samsara an d n irvana aredreams, and enlightenment is a great dream. Therefore Guru Padm asambhavaurges us to mingle the dream and waking realities. In tru th, they are alreadymingled. There is ultimately no d ifference between them . As the Bud dh a instructed

Subh uti in the Prajnaparam ita teachings, "See all phenom ena as dreams."

It's not just that th e Bud dh a said th is so we have to believe it. We can refer toour own experience. All these external activities are no different from dreams. Theyare so very mu ch the same that n o absolute d istinction can be m ade between th em,even w hen you consider it logically. For examp le, tonight w e are in West PalmBeach. I'm talking an d you're listening, but before this, where w ere you? Where arethe parents w e had wh en we w ere young? Where is the old school? What kinds offriends did you have? What did you talk about? What d id you d o? All of these arejust m em or ies now . We can't br ing any of that righ t h ere excep t throu ghremem bering it. Last night's d ream is just like those mem ories because w e cannot

prod uce it here in a tangible way . Think abou t mem ories, which are conventionallyheld to be real, because they correspond with ou r past experiences in the wakingstate, and d reams, wh ich are usu ally considered to be un real. Investigate closely andI don't think you 'll find any d ifference between d reams and mem ories except inyour imagination.

Consider h ow ou r ph ysiology changes. As a new born, you're not very heavy.Maybe you w eigh six or seven poun ds an d are about a foot long. You'll never bethat small again. It is as if that hap pened in a dream.

As for m yself, I was born in Tibet, and grew up there. I remember m anyevents vivid ly, but they are all just m emor ies. Tibet has comp letely changed since

then. If I go back, I won 't see anything th at is the same. When I was a little older, Icrossed the Himalayas and suffered various h ardships un til I finally arrived in India,wh ere I lived for man y years. Now all that has p assed and another chapter of thedream is complete. Presently, I'm in th e United States working on a new chap ter.You could say th at in th is life, I've already been born th ree times. This is just apersonal example, but basically, that is how things are.

When w e carefully observe ph enomena, they are all dream -like, but very oftenwe don 't look that close; we gloss over the surface and cling to du alistic tend encies,reinforcing old habit patterns. In truth , even this mom ent is changing, moving,evanescent. There is nothing solid or perman ent abou t any of this. What is past, cannever come back to the p resent. Everyth ing is moving, noth ing stays the same, just

like in our d reams. For that reason Bud dh a compared th e nature of all phenom enato a mirage, a magician's illusion, a bubble in a stream, a flash of lightn ing, etc. Thisevanescence does not m erely ap ply to things that h app ened long ago, but even tothis morning 's activities which exist only in mem ories. It's all gone now . That w asjust another dream sequ ence that we w ent through to get to this d ream . This is thereality of the big dream.

As practitioners of the Vajrayana , our mind s mu st be redirected. Continuou s


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joyfu l effort is r equired to perform more p ositive activ ities, to gain moreun derstanding, to develop wisdom, loving-kind ness and compassion. The more weinvolve ourselves with this effort, the easier it is to transcend negative feelings andreactive emotion. Those wh o app ly themselves in th is way d evelop anun interrupted insight into the body of enlightenment, the speech of enlightenmentand the mind of wisdom, or the emanation-display of enlightenment. They see

these three aspects of the Bud dh a all the time and h ave a deep u nd erstanding oftheir interplay. This same insight can also continue at night, in the dream state. Thismeans you have established m ind in the sphere of wisdom, beautified by love andcompassion, for twenty-four hours a day.

Emp owered by an und erstand ing of the dream bardo, we can accomplishprofound results and benefit all of the d ream-like beings in samsara because weknow we aren 't truly limited by conventional strictures and boun daries. If yougenerate tremend ous vitality, courage and comm itment, liberating knowledge willmanifest both in and out of dreams, transforming an d benefiting everyone.

Since all phenomena are of an illusory natu re, we are able to actualize theultimate result. If things w ere really concrete and solid , we could never grow ordevelop. But because everything is dream -like, it is possible for us to discover andreveal all of the beau tiful qualities of enlightenm ent, and rad iate blessings likesunlight to all beings. With this und erstand ing, we can use d reaming to benefitothers. To not know very mu ch about the d ream-like nature of existence and seekthe original natu re with in the purview of ego-clinging is an exercise in futility.

That is a brief teaching on dream yoga.

BARDO OF MEDITATION

sam-ten bardo

There are many typ es of med itation. You h ave all heard about shamatha,vipasanna, creation stage meditation involving visualization, and the rtsa-rlung med itations of the completion stage. All of these help th e mind become m oregentle, peaceful and single-pointed so it is not disturbed by thou ghts. As in thedream yoga, every form of med itation m ust be based on the bodhicitta motivationand awareness of original purity. These two are always essential. Bodhicitta is thefoundation and awareness of original pu rity is the inner structure of every practice.

WHEN THE CONCENTRATION BARDO IS DAWNING UPON ME,

ABANDONING ALL KINDS OF WANDERING AND DELUDED THOUGHTS

Watch out for distractions, such as wan dering or discursive thoughts. These area great hind rance to meditation. Maintain a comfortable posture, keeping yourspine straight, and let meditation deepen into a calm and clear state. Stay one-pointed , do not be distracted by conceptions, and continue maintaining the mindthis way, whatever you're med itating on. And that is basically it. As Guru Padm a-sambhava said, 'N o d istractions, no grasping and free of all aspects.' These threequa lities are essential to every form of meditation.


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Right motivation and joyful effort are also ind ispensable. During med itationyou w ill be faced w ith obstacles, clinging, comp ulsive thou ghts and feelings, andother hind rances. To stay on target, med itate without distraction in th e limitlessexpanse which transcends any territorial focus, the all-pervasive nature. Relaxinginto that state is med itation.

OBTAIN FIRMNESS IN BOTH GENERATION AND COMPLETION STAGES

The division of meditative practices into a creation/ visualization stage and acomp letion/ dissolution stage is uniqu e to the schools of Vajrayana Budd hism. Theseare the means for becoming firm and strong in our m editation. Creation stagepractice is und erstanding th e pu rity of all phenom ena includ ing yourself, so thateverything is perceived w ithin the bud dha man dala. This mand ala is not a solidlyexistent thing; it is of the natu re of a reflection, a m irage, a dream or a rainbow . It isa wisdom d isplay of clear light, the lum inosity aspect of the true natu re. Even in theshorter zhi-khropractice, all phenom ena appear as the m and ala of the peaceful andwrathful deities, and these deities dissolve into rainbow light. All speech and sound

are mantra and all mom entary thou ghts are magical emanations of the open sky orspace-like natu re. This un derstand ing characterizes the creation stage med itation,wh ich m eans that you are relatively free of clinging, holding or grasp ing to self andphenom ena and are adept at m erging w ith the true nature beyond all bias andlimitation, where no dualities exist. Relaxing into that state of innate purity is knownas the completion or p erfection stage practice.

Awareness of purity can be d eveloped through devotion, by recognizing th epreciousness of this human rebirth, the lineage teachings and all sentient life.Indeed, every situation is very special. So see this, learn to app reciate and enjoy it,explore and celebrate the beauty in the w orld and in yourself. Discover the mand alaand realize that th e pu re land is not far. It's right here. According to thezhi-khro

teachings, the peaceful and wrath ful bud dh as do n ot exist externally; one's body isthe p alace of the deity and the entire universe is originally in an enlightened state.Awaken to the preciousness and p ur ity of each moment as it arises, and be devotedto this great realization.

Guru Padm asambhava said:

IN THIS MOMENT OF ONE-POINTED MEDITATION, ABANDON ALL

ACTIVITY

Lay everything aside for the mom ent, even if it is for a good pu rpose.

AND DON'T LET YOURSELF BE INFLUENCED BY DELUDED EMOTIONS.

Beware of indu lging negative emotions. Guru Padm asambhava emphasizesthis again because it is so crucial for the p ractice of meditation.

To get specific, in the Vajrayan a, we meditate w hile visualizing GuruPadm asambhava and reciting his mantra, until finally Guru Pad masam bhava


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dissolves into the primord ial expanse as the wisdom lights at his crown , throat andheart, mingle comp letely with our bod y, speech and mind in a state of pureawareness. To abide in that pu rity is meditation. This is the main part of the p ractice.After that, ded icate the m erit.

Whenever you feel you've don e something good, do n ot hesitate to share the

benefits with all sentient beings, without any exceptions. Proceed w ith the m otive oflove and comp assion and finish the session by blessing all beings throu gh theded ication prayers. Happ ily share that goodness with the entire world . How w illded icating merit help us to develop enlightenm ent? Sharing you r good karm a withall sentient beings opens your heart and m ind and expands aw areness of love andcompassion. Directing the blessing to all beings without exceptions, translates yourprayer into the limitless state. When no d ualistic thoughts block the d edication, youapproach the infinite condition.

If we d on't share in th is way, if we d on't feel love and compassion for allsentient beings, we are creating false divisions and will not grow in our capacity to

serve others. Eventu ally these self-imp osed bord ers redu ce us to a state ofintractable ego-clinging, w hich is where we were before we began to p ractice. Ego-clinging obscures our capacity for wisdom and den ies us opp ortun ities formeaningful involvement. Everything contracts into a static and fixed cond ition, sothat at times w e cannot even help or p rotect ourselves, never mind others.

So always begin in the spirit of love, comp assion an d bodh icitta. Meditate onthe Bud dh a, recite mantra and finally dissolve the visualization while focusing onthe true natu re. Keep your h earts and m inds open by ded icating the merit from thepractice to all sentient beings at the end of each session. This is an extremely simp leexplanation of the formal practice.

If you are an ad vanced practitioner, the mom ent you recognize the true natu reof the mind, the primordial condition, you are totally enlightened. This ability is themark of a yogi or yogini of the highest caliber. For examp le, up on recognizing thetrue n ature of the m ind, the very famou s Dzogchen m aster, Garab Dorje, wasimmed iately and fully awakened. In other cases, there is a very short intervalbetween recognition and full enlightenment. After initial realization of the tru enatu re, these beings quickly learned to p erceive all phenom ena as a d isplay ofprimordial wisdom. Guru Padmasambhava, the great master Vimalamitra, and ShriSingha are examples of this second type of adept. They realized themselves andeverything else to be a manifestation of primord ial wisdom: the un ion of emp tinessand appearances.

Other great masters from Ind ia and Tibet had to med itate for a long timebefore coming to this un derstand ing. Throu gh years of meditation and practice,they became enlightened . In Tibet, for examp le, there w as a m aster called JetsunSangye Wangchuk, who meditated for twelve years and attained the rainbow body.Also, Mipham Gonp o med itated for a long time and eventually realized the rainbowbody . Master Dang Gangma Lhangyal med itated for about six years beforeactualizing the transcendental rainbow body. All these masters practiced med itationfor years before attaining the rainbow bod y of transcend ental wisdom .


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The bard o of meditation is actually a big topic. You see, all the bard os areencompassed by the med itation bardo because it is only through med itation th at w ecome to recognize the true natu re in the mid st of all the bard os. Once you aw akento the tru e natur e, the confusion of the bard os comes to an end.

This has been a brief teaching on the meditation bard o.

BARDO OF THE MOM ENT O F DEATHchik-khai bardo

Life is followed by the bard o of the mom ent of death . Death is inevitable onthis highw ay we travel. All comp oun ded th ings dissolve. Birth is followed by lifeand then d eath; that is the natu ral sequen ce of existence for all beings. Things arise,abide for a moment and then d ecay. Nothing an d n o one is exempt. This is true forus also. It is only a qu estion of when it w ill happ en. Relatively, you may have alonger or shorter am ount of time left, but every creature w ho ever lived has d ied.Worldly pow er, beauty an d w ealth will not prevent it. Although w e tend to fear it,death is not evil, but a natural transformation which w e have all been through

man y times. Death serves the renewal of life and is a necessary part of reality u ntilwe realize Buddhahood.

Many of the great masters have written in their songs that w e only die becausewe're read y to take another birth. This is part of an ongoing p rocess, with one formof experience following after another u ninterru pted ly. As number one passes,nu mber tw o arises. Die bravely and p eacefully, be hap py w ith what you haveachieved. Go joyously. This kind of insp ired acceptan ce of death is necessary, evenfor ord inary peop le. Practice and med itation w ill help us learn to d ie withawareness, to recognize the tru e natu re and merge w ith the visions. These abilitiesare an invaluable result of a life of practice.

To die satisfied and p eacefully is cru cial to a good p assage. Let go of any fear orregret, do not be sad or hold on to any sense of loss or separation. Meanw hile, learnabout th is process and p repar e yourself in order to make a smooth tran sition. Thepresentation and stud y of these details alerts us to wh at lies ahead so that w e canpreview th e obstacle course and learn to act appropr iately and courageouslythrou gh every stage, without being d istracted by the futility of hop es and fears.

THE ELEMENTS

We are born and live amidst the five elements: earth, water, fire, wind andspace. Space pervad es the others. It is everywhere. The Bud dha tau ght that theformation of the world is based u pon space, followed by strong w ind energy,

water, earth an d fire. All internal and external phenom ena, everything we p erceive,the objects we u se, our bodies, the places we stay, and the food w e eat, arecomposed of these five. We are intimately involved w ith the elements and if any ofthem are ou t of balance, it can cause serious tr ouble.

The health of this flower gard en and all these trees depend on th is balance. Youmu st have some idea of the complex interp lay of elements which make up ou rexternal env ironment. This is the same system constituting ou r bod ies. The slightest


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imbalance can lead to sickness. When the elements no longer co-ordinate and finallydisintegrate, we call it death. Guru Padm asambhava gave extensive Dzogchenteachings on th e interrelations between the internal and external elements,describing how they fun ction and d issolve, in The Self-Arising Aw areness Tantra .

Now let us look at the qu alities of the five elements as th ey occur in the bod y.

Our flesh, bones and mu scles are all part of the earth element. Blood, mu cus andother liquids are pa rt of the water element. Vital warmth or bod ily heat is due to thefire element. Breath, circulation and all movem ents dep end on the w ind element.Consciousness or m ind is considered part of the sky or space element. All the open ,un comp ounded spaces within the body are no different than the space which isoccup ied by the un iverse of forms, such as the sun an d m oon.

These five elements comp rise the basic groun d of the world w e exist in. Whenwe die, the five elements d issociate and the bod y d isintegrates. The vitality thatbrought th em together no longer has the energy to organize and maintain them inthis form, so the elements are released back into the u niverse. When only

consciousness is left, death has occurred .CHAOS IN THE WINDS

The primary signs ind icating the onset of death are caused by the d issolution ofthe elements. Most of the time, these changes reflect the natu ral degeneration of thebodily systems un der the influence of age and disease. The Dzogchen teachings ofGuru Padm asambhava state that the wind element is the foundation of our p hysicalsystem. Wind takes the p rincipal role in establishing, maintaining and building upthe bod y. The w inds give rise to all the chakras and channels. The first sign ofimpending d eath manifests as a growing disorder in the wind system. When thewind s are disturbed , the other elements are immediately affected and dissolution

begins.

At the mom ent of conception, a subtle mind consciousness and w ind u nite tofuse the essence elemen ts of the father and the mother into a zygote. The windcontinues to organ ize the elemen ts as the embryo begins to develop. The force ofthat w ind creates all the major channels, distributes the elements and develops thenervous and circulatory systems. Basically, we have five winds. The life force wind isconnected to the heart, keeping it strong to continu e pump ing blood. The up wardmoving w ind su stains the breath, helping u s inhale oxygen and exhale gases wedon 't need. The dow nw ard w ind p rocesses the materials we can't use and expelsthem. The wind of fire helps d igest food an d send it to whatever p arts of the bodyneed it. The pervasive wind is like a reserve army w hich backs up the other wind

systems, pervading the w hole body. When we begin to d ie, the normal coursing ofthese winds will be disrupted.

First the pervasive wind becomes disordered and all movement becomesdifficult. Your whole body m ay d evelop a num bness and you r han ds an d legs won'tmove easily. This in turn affects the life force wind . When th is happens, the mindbecomes clouded and frightened , because it cannot identify objects or see w ell.Imbalance spreads, d isrupting the dow nw ard wind system. It becomes difficult to


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control your bowels. This affects the up ward wind so that shortness of breath maydevelop. Finally, the equalizing heat of d igestion is up set. With th e d isorder of thewind of fire, bodily warm th d isperses. The feet and hand s grow cold as the balanceof heat withd raws. Body tem peratu re gradually drop s, wh ich also contributes topoor d igestion.

Such experiences usu ally ind icate the on set of death, and although cond itionscould change, most of the time these signs indicate that consciousness is preparingto dep art from the bod y. As disorder increases in the w ind system, it createsdisturbances in the channels. The first effect of this relates to the navel chakra.

EARTH DISSO LVES IN TO WATER

The navel is the primary root of the body. When you are conceived and startto form in your m other's wom b, the body develops throu gh the m ovement ofwind s which eman ate from th e chann el at the navel. During the process ofdissolution, the changes begin w here they originally started , in the m ovement of

the winds associated w ith the navel chakra. As the navel chakra begins todisintegrate, the winds grow m ore out of balance until the earth element begins toquake.

Three signs will arise wh en the navel chakra begins to cease functioning: anouter sign, an inner sign an d a secret sign. The most external sign is that your bod ybecomes extremely heavy. When a ll five wind systems are in d isorder, this has animmediate effect on the navel chakra, causing you r bod y to feel very heavy andstiff. This is a result of the earth element d issolving into the w ater element. It alsoindicates that the pancreas, which is associated with the earth element, ismalfunctioning. The person d ying may n ot be able to hold up their hand if you p ickit up and let it go. They cannot w alk withou t sup port. Their comp lexion becomes

very pale, and you may be able to see dark spots on their teeth.

The inner sign is that their mind becomes du ll, lacking clarity or stability.Consciousness seems to be fading, or sinking. In response to this, the individu almay try to take off their clothes, feeling that this w ill help th em feel lighter or m oreawake. They m ay seem to be hot, but th is is really in response to the chan geshap pening w ithin. They may ask to be lifted or supp orted w ith a higher pillow tocoun ter the feeling of sinking. These are the inn er signs of d issolution. Help themget comfortable and reassure th em th at everything is fine. If they are a p ractitioner,remind them of their p ractice, the Dharm a, and their beliefs. No matter what schoolthey belong to, create a peaceful environm ent, full of love and compassion. Even ifthe person is not interested in Dharma at all, serve him as he likes. Don't think that

the Dharma is so great that you h ave to force it on anyone. This is the time to workwith the ind ividu al's interests and passions. Be calm and peaceful, try to soothe andrelax the d ying one, help them be courageou s. This is crucial. Use kind word s andspeak with respect. Do whatever will help ease and comfort them.

The secret sign consists of a mirage experience. It may seem like everything,even the external environmen t, is flowing and moving. Things may appear closer orfarther away than they actually are. Vision becomes un dep endable. Guru


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Padm asambhava compared th is to seeing a scintillating mirage m oving across thelandscape in the springtime. These secret signs are all aspects of pr imord ialluminosity. Thou gh not continu al, the one d ying might experience a mirage of hazein the sky, and su btle, periph eral movements as if fleas were jum ping around. Thesevisions won 't stay very long and mark the first app earance of the luminosity of thetrue nature.

Technically, you could say there's two bardos here; the bardo of d ying as wellas a secret revelation of the fifth bard o. At this time, they share such a thin borderthat w e can hardly d istingu ish between them. In fact, the lum inosity bardo issecretly happen ing even before the d issolution of the elements in the bardo of birthand life. The secret signs happ en qu ickly and don 't take as long as the external andinternal do. Thus begins the d issolution of the elements, and du ring this time it isvery importan t for the individu al and those around him to create a quiet, peacefulenvironm ent with as few em otions as possible.

WATER EVAPORATES INTO FIRE

As the water element evap orates into the fire element , the heart chakra beginsto d isintegrate. There are also outer, inner an d secret signs associated w ith thisph ase. The external sign is that the mou th and respiratory passages become verydry and the nostrils constrict. The tongu e becomes d ry and difficult to m ove. Thebrightness of the comp lexion is gone. It is helpful to offer the individ ual some wateror a m oistened cloth at this point.

The inner sign is strictly experienced by the ind ividu al who is undergoing theprocess. The mind becomes unstable and one may feel agitated, mood y, frustratedand a little frightened. Aw areness can be qu ite sharp and precise at times, but inother m oments th ere is no clarity and the mind is very du ll. These states shift back

and forth in an irregular way, so that the dying person might become a little short-tempered, or even angry.The secret sign is a vision of smoky, blue-grey cloud s repeated ly forming and

dissolving. This will not last very long, but it may h app en often. Again, these aresigns of the p rimord ial lum inosity. The smoky v isions occur wh en the kidneys,wh ich are associated w ith the w ater element, cease to fun ction. During this phase,continue to make the p erson wh o is dying feel loved and app reciated, offer hersupp ort and encouragem ent. Create a harmonious environment. If the person is apractitioner, remind them of their par ticular wisdom d eity and help them maintain acontinuous m editation. This is extremely important.

FIRE DISSIPATES INTO AIR

As the fire element is dispersed by the w ind element, d isorder moves from th eheart chakra to the sp eech chakra. The ou ter sign of this transition is that the hand s,feet and breath become cold. Heat is rad iating aw ay from the body, gradu allycooling tow ard the heart center, as the fire element d issolves into the w ind element.There may be hot and cold flashes, which finally settle into cold. Once in a while,you w ill see a mist or vap ors rising off the dying p erson. The imm un e systemdisintegrates, along with the pow er to make d istinctions between good and bad .


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The inner sign associated w ith disorder of the speech chakra is that the mindand vision become even m ore blurred and unstable. The dying person m ayrecognize friends and family one minu te, but n ot the next.

The secret sign associated w ith the lum inosity of the tru e natu re is an inner

vision similar to the flashings of lightning bugs. At this time, the liver ceases tofunction. The liver correspond s to th e fire element.

These stages may n ot last a long time, but they generally proceed in this order.Become familiar w ith the sequence so that d ur ing the p rocess of dissolution you areable to recognize all the signs and courageously go forward . It is also veryimportant for everybody p resent to be free of anger and attachm ent, because theseattitud es are big obstacles to the person w ho is dying.

WIND DIFFUSES IN TO SPACE

As the w ind element dissolves into the space of consciousness, the fourth, orsecret chakra becomes d isordered. The bod y shakes, movement becomes u nsteadyand then is comp letely out of control. The external signs associated w ith thistransition are a lengthen ing of the breath accompan ied by a subtle rattle. Speechbecomes u nclear and mu mbled. It becomes d ifficult to inhale and exhale. The lungsare collapsing. The eyes may roll up ward.

The inner sign of this stage is that the mind is no longer quite as agitated, bu t isstill very unstable. The person may feel quite happ y one moment an d sad or a littleangry the next. The emotions are continua lly changing. One m ay experience a rap idvisionary d isplay of the habit p atterns and emotions characterizing the most recentlifetime. For examp le, if the dying person has been a good practitioner, he will have

a sublime experience of love and comp assion. A person w ith non-virtuous habitswill be having qu ite another experience. If he has an y good karm a, he may feelremorse an d ask for help getting over it at th is stage. Vivid m emories arisemom entarily and disapp ear before returning in new , effective combinations. It issimilar to the head line new s in review. The nature of one's habit patterns are madequite clear du ring this period.

Advan ced p ractitioners will now see the Bud dh a or Guru Pad masam bhava, sothey are not afraid an d are even able to enjoy the process of dissolution an d behap py. Simply reciting some mantras w hile beholding th e Teacher, the mind ispeaceful and relaxed. The equanimity this engend ers can be seen ou twardly as w ell.The specifics of this phase depend on the activities performed during the lifetime.

The secret sign of this stage is a vision of man y glowing lights in d ifferentplaces. They are very small but they d o not blink on and off like lightning bugs. Thisis the fourth v ision of p rimord ial lum inosity. At this point, the lun gs ceasefunctioning. The lungs correspond to the w ind element, w hich is d ispersing into th espace of consciousness. When the lungs cease to function, one exhales the lastbreath, and that's it. The ind ividual's heart center still maintains some heat and thatis where consciousness finally dissolves. This marks the last stage of the bardo ofdying.


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SPACE DISSOLVES INTO CLEAR LIGHT

zhikhro bardo teachings

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