Meditations of a Yogin

"Hey!

Wearing matted-locks, grasping at self and agent

Brahmins, Jains, Hedonists and Materialists, accepting a real basis for things

Claim omniscience but don’t even know themselves.

They are deluded and far from the path of liberation.

Vaibhāṣikas and Sautrāntikas, Yogācārins and Mādhyamikas, etc.

Criticize each other and argue,
Ignorant of the space-like equality of appearances and emptiness itself, they turn their backs on the innate."

- Vajragīti by Saraha

"If you’ve been practicing for years, you should be seeing some results, If you’re not, you may be missing the point.

The result of spiritual practice should be our inner transformation into better human beings. After practicing for months or years, we should be less prone to anger, pride, and jealousy. Our practice should lead us to a vaster, calmer mind.

For example, the whole point of dieting is to lose a few pounds, not to collect knowledge and become an expert on each and every diet. You may have heard about different diets and read many books, but you won’t lose weight unless you put one of them into practice in your everyday life. Similarly, if you do not implement the teachings, your destructive emotions and self clinging will not diminish, and the Dharma instructions will be of no use to you, no matter how many you recieve."

~ Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche

Just as the sun and its light always exist together,
Instantly, with an understanding of the nature of the mind, you will unmistakably understand the nature of all things.

Gampopa

When Shechen Kongtrul spoke about mundane affairs, he could be quite childish, but when he spoke about the Dharma, his wisdom was like the rising sun dispelling darkness.

In Lhasa I once had the chance to ask him who he felt were the most realised masters in Tibet.

"Take a look at Dudjom" he replied "His eyes are so bright and present, almost like a hawk.

In the eyes you can see the quality of complete open awareness. If anyone has realisation, he does."

Compared to him, everyone else seems quite dull and absentminded".

"What about that master Drukpa Yongdzin, who is greatly renowned"? I then asked.

"He's definitely got it too. His mind is wide open, without a shred of ignorance" replied Shechen Kongtrul. "I hear that he doesn't even sleep".

Then I asked him what he meant by 'high realisation'.

"It is when your awareness is unimpeded and free of fixation, and yet you are acutely present and attentive to detail".

He then precisely demonstrated just this. I feel sure that he was a highly realised master himself and I had deep trust in him.

- Blazing Splendor: The Memoirs Of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche.

Luminous Essence of One's Mind

"Just as the brilliant essence of the sun

Is not obscured by the darkness of a thousand eons

So too, the luminous essence of the mind

Cannot be darkened by eons in saṃsāra."

དཔེར་ན་གསལ་དྭང་ཉི་མའི་སྙིང་པོ་དེ། །
བསྐལ་པ་སྟོང་གི་མུན་པས་སྒྲིབ་མི་འགྱུར། །
དེ་བཞིན་རང་སེམས་སྙིང་པོ་འོད་གསལ་དེ། །
བསྐལ་པའི་འཁོར་བས་སྒྲིབ་པར་མི་ནུས་སོ། །

- Tilopa's Ganges Mahamudra Upadesha

Photo: Tilopa statue in the Tilopa Cave, Pashupatinath, Nepal

When retiring to sleep, draw the Guru from above your head into the center of your heart,
abandon the coming and going of thoughts, memories, and all mental activity,
and relax into a state of undistracted devotion and prayer.
Then the clear light will gradually arise out of deep sleep.

If you want to do the meditation of recognising, changing, expanding, and purifying dreams,
you must maintain an attitude during the day that all appearances are dreams,
and then it will be easy to deal with dreams.

If you tend to solidify appearances during the day,
then at night, even if you recognise dreams, the practice will be difficult.

Also, to cut through the intermediate existence
you need to have cut through the dream experience.
If you don't realise that all waking appearances are like dreams or illusions,
then one vast mass of delusion will obscure another.

Jamgon Kongtrul.

Creation And Completion
Essential Points Of Tantric Meditation.

Translated by Sarah Harding.

“All of the faults of samsara arise from the deluded mind which apprehends a personal self or a self of phenomena.

Since this deluded mind also is adventitious like clouds in the sky, from the beginning neither mixing nor polluting the luminous clarity of the primordial basic nature, these faults are individually distinguished from the basic element and are suitable to be removed.

Therefore, the essence of the basic element is empty of these faults; it is untainted. Without depending on the polluting delusion, it is luminous and clear by its own nature; self-existing wisdom permeates the thusness of all phenomena. It is not empty of that which it is inseparable from, the basic element of consummate qualities, because in its essence this is the basic nature from which it is inseparable-like the sun and light rays.”

~ Mipham Rinpoche

Virtues of the Lay-follower

He has gone for refuge to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha.

He places the Dhamma first.

He gives according to his ability.
He guards his deeds and words.

If he sees a decline in the Dispensation of the Teaching of the Buddha, he strives for its strong growth.

He will not accept any other teacher, not even for the sake of his life.

— Milindapañha, Ch. IV

Don't sit at home, don't go to the forest, but recognize the mind where you are.
When one is in complete, perfect Enlightenment,
Where is samsara and where is nirvana?

Milarepa

Dza Patrul Rinpoche’s Pith Instruction

Four sessions of ritual, devoid of generation and completion;
Clamor of cymbal and drum, with no recollection of purity;
Murmur of recitation, with no hint of samadhi—
These do not even come close to the path of liberation.
Even if they’re present, the samadhis of generation and completion,
If they aren’t paired with true bodhicitta
They won’t help with attaining omniscience.
Instead, they’ll just be seeds for roving in the confusion of samsara.
Any dharma that doesn’t benefit your mind
Is Dharma in name only, not in truth.
If no change occurs within your mind,
A hundred years of practice in retreat is just toil.
Even when months and years of retreat are completed,
And a mantra count in the hundreds of millions has been reached,
If the mind’s attachment, aversion, and stupidity do not decrease,
Such dharma practice is utterly pointless, don’t you think?
So, instead of mimicking the look of the Dharma while missing its true meaning,
Or assuming the guise of a wandering monk while chasing the confused
appearances of this life,
Or imitating busy, petty lamas who gorge themselves on pious offerings,
Tame your own mind through the Dharma.

Samye translations, 2024.

Look at Your Mind, Dakini's Mysterious Home

"Naropa, you should strive
For Samsara and Nirvana’s unity.
Look into the mirror of your mind, which is delight eternal,
The mysterious home of the Dakini."

- Tilopa

Mahasiddha Naropa: The Indomitable Disciple

Cultivating Your Demon in the Hermitage

"By the time you have set yourself up with a comfortable place to stay, plenty of food, warm clothes and a generous benefactor, you have completely cultivated the demon before even starting to cultivate the Dharma."

- Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa

I'll do this one tomorrow, this one later,
and this one in the distant future.
When a man thinks like this,
the lord of death smiles to himself.

Chandragomin

Nairātmyā or Dagmema is a Dakini, the consort of Hevajra in the Hevajra-tantra whose name means "selfless woman".

Anattā or anātman (Sanskrit: अनात्मन्) is the doctrine of "non-self" – that no unchanging, permanent self or essence can be found in any phenomenon.

Practices in Vajrayāna Buddhism employs the concept of deities, to end self-grasping, and to manifest as a purified, enlightened deity as part of the Vajrayāna path to liberation from rebirths. One such deity is goddess Nairatmya which symbolizes that "self is an illusion" and "all beings and phenomenal appearances lack an abiding self or essence" in Vajrayāna Buddhism.

Niguma, lady of illusion, brought forth a tantric sadhana cycle, a cohesive set of spiritual practices : the Six Yogas of Niguma.

This practice works with the subtle body (also known as the vajra-body) system of channels (nadis), winds (lung, vayu), drops (bindus) and chakras. Through inner heat, the vital winds are caused to enter into the central channel (avadhuti), causing the four blisses or joys which is then unified with the wisdom that understands emptiness.

Mahasiddha Zoghipa… Yogipa / Jogipa (dzo gi pa):

“The Candali Pilgrim”

Yogipa was from Odantapuri of the candela caste, and his guru was Savaripa. Although he made great effort, he still had little wisdom. One day, his guru came to him and initiated him into Hevajra with instructions for the Developing Stage and the Perfection Stage, then sent him off to meditate. However, Yogipa was still unable to understand the meaning of the instructions, so he went back to his guru to express his concern, and made a request to perform meritorious acts by just using body and speech.

So his guru taught him the recitation of Vajra-Heruka and told him to consummate his practice by going to the 24 great places. Yogipa practiced diligently for 12 years, and eventually purified the stains and obtained the siddhi of Mahamudra. For 5 years he aided the various purposes of living beings, and then went to the realm of the Dakas in this very body.

- Lama Tenzin Lobsang

This last probably refers to the consort of the Mighty Lord of Supreme Joy, Garab Wangchug, who is known as Queen [Demoness], Tsünmo (btsun mo [bdud], devī[māra]).

According to the inscription of the block-print the Mighty Lord of Supreme Joy, Garab Wangchug, is in the center, where he remains with his consort. The other directions of the maṇḍala are indicated by the emblems of the remaining four buddha families – wheel, jewel, lotus flower, and sword – which are found in the east, south, west, and north with the colors blue, yellow, red, and black (instead of green). As the demons depicted in the page of the Himalayan Art Resources (HAR) are colored images, at times with inscription of the color of the deity or demon, we may also compare the colors of the Four Māra. As the central demonic force tis he Mighty Lord of Supreme Joy together with his consort, the eastern direction of the wheel is hold by the blue Māra of the Sons of the Gods, the southern direction of the jewel by the yellow Māra of One’s Aggregates, the western direction of the lotus flower by the red Māra of One’s Afflictive and Negative Emotions, and the northern direction of the sword by the black Māra of the Lord of Death. Thus, the order and direction in the maṇḍala is found as follows:

Center, white: Mighty Lord of Supreme Joy Garab Wangchug with his consort, the Queen Demoness (dga’ rab dbang phyug, btsun mo bdud),
East, blue: Māra of the Sons of the Gods, Lha’i bu’i Düd (lha'i bu'i bdud, devaputramāra),
South, yellow: Māra of One’s Aggregates, one’s psycho-physical constituents, Phüngpo’i Düd, (phung po'i bdud, skandhamāra),
West, red: Māra of One’s Afflictive and Negative Emotions, Nyönmong kyi Düd (nyon mongs kyi bdud, kleśamāra), and
North, black: Māra of the Lord of Death, Chidag gi Düd ('chi bdag gi bdud, mṛtyumāra).

Instead, the colors of the demons from HAR are different and the order and direction in the maṇḍala is found as follows:

Center, white: Mighty Lord of Supreme Joy Garab Wangchug with his consort, the Queen Demoness (dga’ rab dbang phyug, btsun mo bdud),
East, blue: Māra of One’s Aggregates, one’s psycho-physical constituents, Phüngpo’i Düd, (phung po'i bdud, skandhamāra),
South, yellow: Māra of One’s Afflictive and Negative Emotions, Nyönmong kyi Düd (nyon mongs kyi bdud, kleśamāra),
West, red: Māra of the Sons of the Gods, Lha’i bu’i Düd (lha'i bu'i bdud, devaputramāra), and
North, black: Māra of the Lord of Death, Chidag gi Düd ('chi bdag gi bdud, mṛtyumāra).

Whatever, their associated directions within the maṇḍala may be, the central direction of the wheel has changed with the eastern direction of the vajra. Therefore, the central and most important point is the vajra family in the center, which is here represented by the five arrows (mda’ lnga) held in the quiver of the Mighty Lord of Supreme Joy Garab Wangchug; after he releases the wish-fulfilling jewel held close to his heart he is ready to shoot off the five arrows, which represent all kinds of hindrances and obstacles (bar chad) caused by the five poisons (dug lnga) and the six main and twenty secondary negative and afflictive emotions (rtsa nye nyon mongs, mūlakleśa upakleśa).

Regarding one’s five poisons (dug lnga, pañca kleśaviṣa), as the vajra family, which usually represents the negative and afflictive emotion of anger-aversion (zhe sdang, dveṣa), is also associated with ignorance (ma rig pa, avidyā), this correlates with certain dzogchen instructions. Moreover, it is in accord with Tulku Urgyen’s statement cited before.

Compiled by pema, 2024, November 13th

Original photo via Deni Roger; thank You! HAR https://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=2554

Further reading: Revue d'Études Tibétaines, Number 2, April 2003 - Numéro spécial Lha srin sde brgyad
https://www.digitalhimalaya.com/collections/journals/ret/

Six Aspects of One’s Demonic Forces Related to the Four Māras

Rare depiction of the Four Māras, Düzhi (bdud bzhi, catvārimāra) and its six aspects, which are found on one block-print page together with sixteen gods and demons of the Eight Classes of Gods and Demons (lha 'dre/srin sde brgyad, aṣṭagatyaḥ/aṣṭauparṣadaḥ). Comparing the twenty-two individual demonic forces with another set from the Himalayan Art Resources we find the same six aspects amongst the twenty-two gods and demons.

The Four Māras have a central role in the Chöd and Zhije traditions (zhi byed dang gcod) where they are known as:

1. Tangible Māra (thogs bcas kyi bdud)
2. Intangible Māra (thogs med kyi bdud)
3. Māra of exultation (dga' brod kyi bdud)
4. Māra of conceit (snyems byed kyi bdud)

In the sutra teachings these four are known as:

1. Māra of One’s Aggregates, one’s psycho-physical constituents, Phüngpo’i Düd, (phung po'i bdud, skandhamāra), which symbolizes our clinging to forms, perceptions, and mental states as ‘real’;
2. Māra of One’s Afflictive and Negative Emotions, Nyönmong kyi Düd (nyon mongs kyi bdud, kleśamāra), which symbolizes our addiction to habitual patterns of negative emotion;
3. Māra of the Lord of Death, Chidag gi Düd ('chi bdag gi bdud, mṛtyumāra), which symbolizes both death itself, which cuts short our precious human birth, and also our fear of change, impermanence, and death; and
4. Māra of the Sons of the Gods, Lha’i bu’i Düd (lha'i bu'i bdud, devaputramāra), which symbolizes our craving for pleasure, convenience, and ‘peace’.

Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche states:
“The first of the four demons is the demon of the Lord of Death, which cuts our life short. Second is the demon of the physical aggregates, which prevents the attainment of the rainbow body. Third is the demon of the disturbing emotions, the three poisons which prevent liberation from samsara. Finally, there is the demon of the son of the gods, which is distraction in the meditation state and the tendency to postpone practice. Procrastination is the mara of the son of the gods, which creates obstacles for samadhi.
[However,] The real demon is our conceptual thinking. Falling into conceptualization is the demon. By recognizing our mind essence, all demons are defeated; the four maras are vanquished and all obstacles are done away with. The main point is to train in that."

The Great Tibetan Dictionary (tshig mdzod chen mo) gives the following descriptions:

1. The māra of the aggregates prevents one from accomplishing virtue, since if one possesses the aggregates (created by karma and destructive emotions), then one falls under the sway of sickness, aging and decay; the conditions preventing one from accomplishing virtue.
2. The māra of the destructive emotions prevents one from accomplishing virtue, since one is under the power of destructive emotions such as desire and anger. The coarse mara of the destructive emotions are the root and subsidiary destructive emotions. The subtle mara of the destructive emotions are for example the emotional habitual tendencies in the mind of an arhat.
3. The māra of the Lord of Death causes one to be powerless regarding the ceasing of the life-force faculty.
4. The māra of the sons of the gods prevent one from accomplishing virtue through the jealousy of the desire realm's sons of the gods.

The Great Tibetan Dictionary continues:
(4.1.= 5.) The coarse mara of the sons of the gods is the Mighty Lord of Supreme Joy Garab Wangchug (dga’ rab dbang phyug) aka the Deity of Love and Desire, Dödlha (kāmadeva), who is the lord of the realm Controlling Others' Emanations (gzhan 'phrul dbang byed, paranirmitavaśavartin), the highest of the six heavens of the desire realm (‘dod khams), where he enjoys all the pleasures created magically by other gods.
(4.2.= 6.) The subtle mara of the sons of the gods is for example distraction which makes one unable to overcome any of the first three maras.

"Yeah, that’s it.

All objects are appearance-emptiness inseparable.

All mental states are clarity-emptiness inseparable.

All feelings are bliss-emptiness inseparable.

This is how they truly are; recognize them to be so."

- Sixteenth Karmapa

Reply to the question “What is the essence of your mind like?” and answer “When I analyze my mind, I cannot find it, but, when it is resting, it possesses clarity.” He laughed and said, “Yeah, that’s it...."

Guhyagarbha Tantra (Tib. རྒྱུད་གསང་བ་སྙིང་པོ་, Gyü Sangwé Nyingpo), The Essence of Secrets Tantra is the main tantra of the Mahayoga.

It is the main Nyingma source for understanding empowerment, samaya, mantras, mandalas and other Vajrayana topics, and has influenced the Dzogchen tradition.

The core teachings : "holds that all things manifest spontaneously (thams cad rang snang), and mind and primordial wisdom also manifest spontaneously (sems dang ye shes rang snang)." The Secret Womb texts discuss numerous tantric Buddhist topics, such as the creation of mandalas, the practice of controlling the winds and drops within energy channels, the purification of the five aggregates, and the qualities and activities of the Buddhas.

This tantra is a guide to Mahayoga/deity yoga, a tantric method of realizing the true nature of reality and attaining Buddhahood by relies on the visualization to create a Buddha image in one's mind and then to merge this Buddha with oneself.

Mahayoga (Tib. རྣལ་འབྱོར་ཆེན་པོ་, naljor chenpo) — three yanas of powerful transformative methods according to the nine yanas of the Nyingma school focuses mainly on the development stage, & emphasizes the clarity & precision of visualization as skilful means.

Entry Point
Once one’s mind has been matured through receiving the ten outer benefiting empowerments, the 5 inner enabling empowerments & the three secret profound empowerments, one keeps the samayas.

View
The indivisibility of the higher levels of reality, according to which the cause for the appearance of the essential nature, the 7 riches of the absolute, is spontaneously present within the pure awareness that is beyond conceptual elaboration, & all relative phenomena naturally appear as the mandala of deities of the 3 seats.

Meditation
Generation stage yoga & Completion stage yoga.

Conduct
Elaborate, unelaborate & extremely unelaborate conduct.

Results
The four vidyadhara levels & finally the ultimate fruition of the Vajradhara of unity.

The mind, empty, effulgent, and infinite in its potentiality, can be understood as having five basic qualities: emptiness, mobility, clarity, continuity, and stability. These qualities correspond to one of the five basic elements: space, air, fire, water, and earth.

We have already described the mind as non-material: it is indefinite, omnipresent, and incorporeal, a void with the nature of space.

Thoughts and states constantly arise in the mind; such movement and fluctuation are the nature of the air element.

In addition, the mind is clear; it has the cognizing faculty, and this clear effulgence is the nature of the element of fire.

Also, the mind is continuous; everything it experiences is a continuous flow of thoughts and sensations. This continuity is the nature of the element of water.

Finally, the mind is the basis or foundation from which all cognizable things arise in both sansara and nirvana, and this is the nature of the element of earth.

Kalu Rinpoche

In Vajrayana, the syllable 'Ah' represents a number of different things depending on the Buddhist vehicle and the individual tradition. In Mahayana Buddhism, the letter 'A' relates to the shortest of all of the Prajnaparamita Sutras - the Prajnaparamita in a Single Letter. Also in Tantrayana, the Prajnaparamita Sutras, as a group, can be personified as the female deity of the same name - Prajnaparamita, regarded as the Mother of all wisdom and the mother of all Buddhas.

In the Nyingma Tradition the syllable 'A' is highly symbolic and closely related to the teachings of Dzogchen philosophical view. A physical yet still symbolic manifestation of the principal of the 'A' is a clear quartz crystal rock. During specific Nyingma initiation rituals an initiation card displaying the letter 'A' will be shown next to a length of clear quartz crystal, or drawn together on a single initiation card. The letter 'A' as an object of meditation can also be found in the Mahamudra traditions of the Sakya and Kagyu Schools.

The Six Dharmas / Yogas of Naropa (ན་རོ་ཆོས་དྲུག, naro cho druk) are a set of Tibetan Buddhist tantric practices taught by mahasiddhas Tilopa & Naropa & passed on to Marpa Lotsawa forming the basis of the inner yoga practices of Mahamudra.

Phowa (འཕོ་བ་, saṃkranti), the 6th Yogas – the yoga of the transference of consciousness to a pure Buddhafield.

Tilopa states: By means of these yogas, at the time of transference & also of forceful projection into another body, the yogi can utilize the mantric seed syllable of the deity and train in the deity yoga practice in conjunction with the exhalation and inhalation [of the breath], long and short, and project consciousness to wherever is desired. Alternatively, those desiring to transfer to a higher realm can apply themselves to two syllables of YAM, and also HI-KA, and HUM-HUM. Consciousness is thrown to the heart of the deity inseparable from the guru, and from there to whatever buddhafield is desired. This too is the instruction of Sukhasiddhi.

Phowa (Skt. utkranti; འཕོ་བ་) is the practice for directing the transference of consciousness at the time of death, either for oneself or another, transferred to the dharmakaya nature, to a pure land or to a favourable existence in the human realm.

Patrul Rinpoche five kinds of phowa:

Superior transference to the dharmakaya through the seal of the view.

Middling transference to the sambhogakaya through the union of the generation and completion phases.

Lesser transference to the nirmanakaya through immeasurable compassion.

Ordinary “phowa of three recognitions”: recognition of our central channel as the path; our consciousness as the traveller; and the environment of a buddha realm as the destination.

Transference performed for the dead with the hook of compassion

According to Marpa: If you study Phowa, then at the time when death is approaching you will have no despair. If beforehand you have become accustomed to the path of Phowa, then at the time of death you will be full of cheerful confidence.

An Aspiration for the Final Age
by Jigme Lingpa

"Namo! From the depths of my heart,
I take refuge in the Three Jewels.
Until I gain acceptance of the unborn nature of reality,
May I never again fall into the lower realms
But attain a human body, superior even to a godly form.

Even if I attain the higher realms, nowhere in saṃsāra
Is free from the bonds of the three types of suffering.
And even within fortunate realms, may I avoid a form
That would obstruct nirvāṇa, such as the unfree states.

May I avoid birth as an evil king
or minister lacking restraint,
Who takes delight in warfare
and twists and flouts the law.
May I not become a servant, lowly and tormented,
Or a merchant, or anyone who is devious or at fault.

May I not become a steward
who steals the Saṅgha’s wealth,
Or one without qualities or liberation
who appropriates funds.
May I avoid rebirth as a renunciant
who offends householders
As they strive for better rebirth
and who torments the minds of others.

May I not become someone as ill-natured as a serpent
Or one whose envy of others’ wealth
resembles an asura’s.
May I avoid rebirth as one who deceives the venerable
And despises the Dharma,
or as a thief, a robber or a hunter.

May I avoid the five boundless crimes
and five similar misdeeds,
And refrain from remorselessly committing
the ten non-virtues.
May I avoid all major forms
of wrongdoing and misconduct,
Such as setting forests ablaze
or stealing honey from hives.

Avoiding such plights, now,
at the close of the five hundred,
Having gained the precious support of a human body,
Whether as a monastic or upholder of lay vows,
May I inherit the lineage of the bodhisattvas.

As soon as I’m reborn,
may I meet a master who flawlessly
And authentically teaches the Mahāyāna path,
And by pleasing him or her in every way,
May I gain the wisdom of hearing,
contemplation and meditation.

Furthermore, by possessing the motivation of bodhicitta
And familiarizing myself
with the application of the six perfections,
May I gain the supreme good fortune
to traverse all at once
The five paths and ten stages
and master the tantra collection!"

“May we conquer the fortress of the view, cross the abyss of meditation and seize the life-force that is conduct!”

“I don’t see consciousness; I see wisdom. I don’t see sentient beings; I see buddhas.”

Marpa said to Milarepa, “Having taken on this aggregate of form—unrealized, it is a body of the four elements. Realized, it is union with the deity, which reverses ordinary clinging.” For all the sentient beings in the world in all six realms, except for the faults of temporary defilements, their basis is Buddha's nature. If you understand this, pure perception arises. As Milarepa said, “I don’t see consciousness; I see wisdom. I don’t see sentient beings; I see buddhas.”

By Garchen Rinpoche

The six paramitas are an essential concept in the practice of Mahayana Buddhism.

In The Essence of Buddhism, Traleg Rinpoche says :

“If we want to obtain enlightenment by becoming a Bodhisattva, it is necessary to actualize wisdom and compassion. This is done by the practice of what are called the six paramitas.

Para in Sanskrit literally means the 'other shore.' Here it means going beyond our own notion of the self. From the Mahayana point of view, if we want to progress properly on the path, we need to go beyond our conventional understanding of the self. So when we say that paramita means 'transcendental action,' we mean it in the sense that actions or attitudes are performed in a non-egocentric manner. 'Transcendental' does not refer to some external reality, but rather to the way in which we conduct our lives and perceive the world—either in an egocentric or a non-egocentric way. The six paramitas are concerned with the effort to step out of the egocentric mentality.”

"The darkness of a thousand aeons is powerless
To dim the crystal clarity of the sun's heart;
And likewise, aeons of samsara have no power
To veil the clear light of the mind's essence."

- Tilopa

From Tilopa's Mahamudra Instruction to Naropa in twenty Eight Verses

When an action is performed, a corresponding tendency is established, and it remains latent until circumstances come together under which it matures and manifests itself as a fact of our experience. The outstanding property of the karmic process is its inevitability. Karma not only can ripen - it is bound to ripen. Good actions lead to positive karmic tendencies that manifest as happiness and bring physical or emotional comfort. Unkind actions set negative karmic tendencies that surface as experiences of pain and suffering, physical or mental. It may take a lifetime or several lifetimes for a particular tendency to manifest; however, the process is inevitable.

Kalu Rimpoche

The Danger of Samsara

"There is a hell called ‘Great Parilāha’. There, whatever sight a hell being sees with his eye is unlikable, not likable; undesirable, not desirable; unpleasant, not pleasant. Whatever sound a hell being hears … Whatever odor a hell being smells … Whatever flavor a hell being tastes … Whatever touch a hell being feels … Whatever thought a hell being knows with his mind is unlikable, not likable; undesirable, not desirable; unpleasant, not pleasant.”

- SN 56.43 Parilāha Sutta (Full Sutta)

"When human beings pass away, the amount of beings reborn as humans in their next life is extremely few. However, when human beings pass away, the amount of beings reborn as hell beings in their next life is extremely large.

What is the reason for this?

It is because, monks, they have not understood the Four Noble Truths."

- SN 56.102 Manussacutiniraya Sutta (Full Sutta)

"Contemplating the lives of the Masters, one sees that, even a desire for more instruction is a distraction.

Keep the essence of the teaching safe in your heart.

Too many explanations without the essence is like many trees without fruit.

Though they are all knowledge, they are not ultimate truth. To know them all is not the knowing of truth.

Too much elucidation brings no spiritual benefit."

~ Marpa Lotsawa's Final Instruction for Jetsun Milarepa.

"All sounds of audible emptiness are the guru’s speech.
Thoughts and memories are integrated as the guru’s mind.
This is the integration of the guru’s three kāyas.

With this especially exalted integration on the path,
during all equipoise and subsequent attainment,
day and night, you know that everything that appears is the guru.

That very guru is your own mind.
The mind and the guru inseparable
is the natural arising of great bliss, clarity, and emptiness."

~ Niguma

"When retiring to sleep, draw the Guru from above your head into the center of your heart,
abandon the coming and going of thoughts, memories, and all mental activity,
and relax into a state of undistracted devotion and prayer.
Then the clear light will gradually arise out of deep sleep.

If you want to do the meditation of recognising, changing, expanding, and purifying dreams,
you must maintain an attitude during the day that all appearances are dreams,
and then it will be easy to deal with dreams.

If you tend to solidify appearances during the day,
then at night, even if you recognise dreams, the practice will be difficult.
Also, to cut through the intermediate existence
you need to have cut through the dream experience.
If you don't realise that all waking appearances are like dreams or illusions,
then one vast mass of delusion will obscure another."

                                         ~

Jamgon Kongtrul

Creation And Completion
Essential Points Of Tantric Meditation

Translated by Sarah Harding.

'Trekchö makes the inner elements dissolve,
They break down into particles, but into light are not refined.
By contrast, thögal makes the elements transform into
The vajra body of great transformation,
Which brings benefit to beings till samsara has been emptied.

Thus the thögal teaching is more eminent
Than all the doctrines on the grounds and paths,
On conduct and results,
That other Buddhist schools propose
Through mind's investigation.
Its special features are set forth in pith instructions.

And yet, until the adventitious factor: apprehension of the 'I"
Subsides in the pure space of dharmadhatu,
Beings are taken in by it.
This ordinary way of thoughts and things
Is lord and ruler of existence.'

~ Jigme Lingpa

No reference point (Skt. animitta, Tib. མཚན་མེད་, tsenmé) is a term used in Vajrayana Buddhism to describe the state of mind that is free from any conceptual fixation or grasping. It is also called the state of non-meditation or non-fabrication, as it does not rely on any artificial or contrived methods of meditation.

No reference point is often associated with the teachings of Dzogchen and Mahamudra, the highest forms of Vajrayana practice which emphasize the natural and spontaneous expression of the mind’s innate wisdom, which is not obscured by any dualistic thoughts.

To attain this, the practitioner needs to receive the transmission and instructions from a qualified Vajrayana master, who introduce the practitioner to the nature of one’s own mind. The practitioner then needs to apply the methods of meditation and conduct that are suitable for one’s level of realization, and gradually dissolve the habitual patterns of ignorance and attachment that prevent one from recognizing the true nature of reality.

bruh

"Firmly holding the central channel as the khaṭvāṅga;
The unstruck sound of the damaru resounds with the ultimate sound of emptiness.

Having adopted the conduct of a Kapalika-yogin, Kanhapada roams about in the city of the body,
Being of one disposition towards all beings."

- Charya song of the Mahasiddha Kanhapada

"The khaṭvāṅga is the divine body;
Prajna is the sound of the damaru.

The lord who holds the vajra is day;
The yogini is night."

- Charya song of the Mahasiddha Luipada

In the Unsurpassed Anuttara Yoga Tantra class, saṃsāra is the non-recognition of natural, innate, and uncontrived pristine wisdom, its cause, the karmic latencies of transference, is the principal origin. The truth of the path consists of not being distracted from the two stages of ripening and liberation, and the truth of cessation is the body endowed with the seven aspects of union (Tib. ཁ་སྦྱོར་ཡན་ལག་བདུན་, khajor yenlak dün) — the seven qualities of a sambhogakaya buddha. Jigme Lingpa quotes Acharya Vagishvarakirti in his auto-commentary on the Treasury of Precious Qualities, who lists them as:
(1) complete enjoyment (ལོངས་སྤྱོད་རྫོགས་, longchö dzog),
(2) union (ཁ་སྦྱོར་, khajor),
(3) great bliss (བདེ་བ་ཆེན་པོ་, dewa chenpo),
(4) absence of a self-nature (རང་བཞིན་མེད་པ་, rang shyin mépa),
(5) presence of compassion (སྙིང་རྗེས་ཡོངས་སུ་གང་བ་, nyingjé yong su gangwa),
(6) being uninterrupted (རྒྱུན་མི་ཆད་པ་, gyün michepa) and
(7) being unceasing (འགོག་པ་མེད་པ་, gokpa mépa).

Observing light is a cause of liberation for noble ones.

— Paṭisambhidāmagga (Khuddaka Nikāya)

All difficulties arise because you do not think of others. Whatever you do, constantly look into the mirror of your mind and check whether your motive is for yourself or others. Gradually you will develop the ability to control your mind under all circumstances; and, following in the footsteps of the accomplished masters of the past, you will attain enlightenment in one lifetime. A good mind is like a rich earth of glittering gold, illuminating the whole sky with its golden radiance. But if the body, speech, and mind are not tamed, there is very little chance that you will attain any realization. Please always be aware of your thoughts, words, and actions. If they go in the wrong direction, your study and practice of the Dharma will be useless.

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Mandārava herself was an incarnation of the Buddha Paṇḍāravāsinī, the consort of Amitābha.

She attained full enlightenment alongside Padmasambhava in the famed Maratika Cave in Nepal.

Together there they received, practiced, and accomplished the Chime Soktik, a terma received directly from Buddha Amitayus who they met face-to-face. This terma is the central long-life practice of the Dudjom Tersar lineage.

Princess Mandarava Importance in Long-Life Practices

1. Attainment of Immortality: According to Tibetan Buddhist texts, Mandarava achieved the state of immortal vidyadhara (wisdom holder) through her mastery of advanced tantric practices, particularly the Chulen or “Extracting the Essence” practices. These techniques involve absorbing the essence of elements like air and light, nourishing the practitioner’s subtle body, and extending life force beyond the normal human lifespan.

2. Role in Padmasambhava’s Longevity: Mandarava is said to have practiced longevity techniques with Padmasambhava in the Maratika Cave in Nepal. It was there that both attained the “immortal life empowerment” from Amitayus, the Buddha of Infinite Life. This accomplishment is seen as pivotal in the continuation of Padmasambhava’s spiritual mission and his influence over centuries.

3. Spiritual Power and Influence: Mandarava’s realization exemplifies the potential for human beings to transform their bodies and extend life through spiritual practice. Her story and the practices associated with her inspire practitioners in Vajrayana (Tibetan Buddhism) who seek longevity not only in terms of physical life but also as a way to deepen spiritual realization.

4. Embodiment of the Sacred Feminine: Mandarava represents a powerful symbol of the sacred feminine in Vajrayana Buddhism. Her life story demonstrates that women can attain the highest levels of spiritual realization and transcend ordinary existence through profound devotion, wisdom, and tantric practice.

Mandarava’s life and teachings hold great significance for long-life practices in Tibetan Buddhism, representing the potential for spiritual practitioners to transcend death and achieve a state of enlightened immortality.

Between One Breath and the Next

"Breathing gently, people enjoy their slumber.

But between one breath and the next there is no guarantee that death will not slip in. To wake up in good health is an event which truly deserves to be considered miraculous, yet we take it completely for granted."

- Dza Patrul Rinpoche

"Words of My Perfect Teacher"

Good morning; good studies and practice!

The Thirty-Seven Practices of All the Bodhisattvas states:

“When one has abandoned evil lands, afflictions gradually wane. When one is without distraction, virtuous practice waxes on its own. When one is clear-sighted, certainty in Dharma is born.

Keeping to solitude is the bodhisattva’s practice.”

Guru Nyima Ozer (Skt. Sūryaraśmi, Rays of the Sun) a manifestation of Guru Rinpoche, embodies the radiant energy of the sun, dispelling darkness and ignorance with his brilliant light of wisdom. He appears as a wrathful form of Guru Rinpoche, representing the powerful, transformative energy necessary to overcome obstacles and confusion.

“The tirthikas try to poison Guru Rinpoche, who transforms their concoction into amrita nectar. Irradiant from his drink, he inspires faith amongst the tirthikas, and is known as Guru Nyima Özer.”

~ Dudjom Rinpoche

May the light of Guru Nyima Ozer guide us toward liberation and enlightenment.

Just as the Buddhas have spoken of
"I" and "mine" for a practical purpose;
Likewise they spoke too of "aggregates",
"Elements" and "sense-fields" for a practical reasons.

Such things spoken of as the "great elements",
These are fully absorbed into consciousness;
Since they are dissolved by understanding them,
Are they not falsely imputed?

Nagarjuna (Sixty Stanzas on Reasoning)

“Gyelwa Chokyang was born in Uru Penyul Valley, north of Lhasa. He was part of the first group of seven Tibetans to receive full ordination from Śāntarakṣita and was renowned for his discipline.

According to legend, when he received the empowerment of the Eight Great Sadhana Teachings from Padmasambhava, his flower landed on the maṇḍala of Hayagrīva, the speech embodiment of all Buddhas. Perfecting the practice of Hayagrīva, he was able to display the horse-head deity from the top of his head, at which point the neighing of horses would be heard. It is also said that he was able to transmute his body into a raging fire.

Gyelwa Chokyang is said to have mastered the practice of long life. During the time of Ngadak Pelkhor Tsan, the grandson of Trisong Detsen, the translator Maben Jangchub Lodro was murdered and became a wrathful spirit who attacked the king. Gyelwai Chokyang was able to use a thread cross rite to vanquish the spirit and cure the king. He later concealed the liturgy for the thread cross at Karchu. It was revealed by Kampa Darberchen.

Gyelwa Chokyang’s reincarnations are said to include the Second Karmapa, Karma Pakshi. Longchenpa Drime Ozer was his descendant in the twenty-sixth generation.”

Emptiness

“There is not a single thing
That does not arise interdependently.
Therefore there is not a single thing
That is not emptiness.”

Root Verses of the Middle Way, XXIV, 19

“Everything that arises interdependently
Is unceasing and unborn,
Neither non-existent nor everlasting,
Neither coming nor going,
Neither multiple nor single,
To this teaching that pacifies all complexity,
The most sacred speech of the perfect Buddha,
I pay homage!”

~ Nagarjuna - Root Verses of the Middle Way