FUNDAMENTAL TEACHINGS
By
KHENCHEN KONCHOG GYALTSEN RINPOCHE

(from In Search of the Stainless Ambrosia, Jewel Ornament of
Liberation, Jewel Treasury of

Advice and Transformation of Suffering)

Buddha Nature

All sentient beings have the Buddha nature, or seed of Enlightenment.
In the

Samadhi Raja Sutra, the Buddha said, “All sentient beings are pervaded
by the

essence of the Sugata (the well-gone state). For example, silver abides
in its ore, oil

abides in a mustard seed, and butter abides in milk. Likewise, the seed
of

Enlightenment abides in every sentient being. Complete Buddhahood is

Dharmakaya, which is all-pervading emptiness. And this emptiness
pervades all

sentient beings. For this reason, all sentient beings have the seed of
Enlightenment.”

The suchness of all reality has no differentiation. The
reality-suchness of the Buddha

and the sentient beings is not differentiated. There is no better and
no worse, no

higher and lower, no larger and smaller. Therefore, all sentient beings
have the

essence of Enlightenment. As it is possible to extract butter from milk
and oil from

the sesame seed, so it is possible for sentient beings to achieve
Enlightenment.

Precious Human Life

To attain Enlightenment one must take birth in human form, and to
attain this form,

one must have the eighteen qualities which include the Eight Freedoms
and Ten

Endowments. The Eight Freedoms are one must not be born

1. in the Hell realms

2. as a hungry ghost

3. as an animal

4. in a place where teachings are unavailable

5. as a long-life god (always content and therefore has no motivation
for progress)

6. with wrong view (no understanding of karma, and no understanding of
past and

future lives)

7. where no Buddha has appeared

8. deaf, dumb, blind or mentally deficient

If one is born in any of the above realms, there is no chance of
studying and

practicing the teachings. What is therefore necessary are the Ten
Endowments which

consists of Five Inherent Endowments and Five Karma Provisions. The
Five Inherent

Endowments are one is born

1. as a human being

2. where there are teachings

3. possessing five senses

4. not having committed heavy negative karmas

5. having confidence in and devotion to the Triple Gem

The Five Karma Provisions are one is born

1. where a Buddha has appeared

2. where a Buddha has taught

3. where the Dharma teachings flourish

4. where there are followers who enter the pure path of Dharma

5. where there is support from the kindness of others, including the
spiritual

master.

In addition, we need The Three Confidences and they are:

1. Faith in the clear mind arises when we see the supreme qualities of
the Three

Jewels. We develop devotion for and interest in the Buddha as the
teacher who

shows the path, the Dharma which becomes the path, and the Sangha which

guides one in order to accomplish the path.

2. Faith of desire, the wish to be enlightened, to study and practice
the Dharma.

Seeing what samsara is, we sincerely wish to escape, to reach
enlightenment.

Recognizing the assets of virtue, we wish to make them our own. Seeing
the

defects of non-virtue, we wish to avoid them. These wishes inspire the
faith of

desire.

3. Faith in the truth of karma (causes and effects), trusting that
happiness is the fruit

of virtuous causes and suffering is the fruit of non-virtuous causes.

One must have all the above qualities together to be freed from samsara.

There are many obstacles to Enlightenment. Our human body is called
“precious”

because with this vehicle one can avoid all non-virtue and achieve
virtue, cross the

ocean of samsara, and complete the path of Enlightenment ending in full

Buddhahood. Therefore, the human form is superior to any others,
including those

of gods and nagas. As this advantage is difficult to obtain, we must
have ethics and

morality and practice the ten virtuous actions. We must not waste the
wonderful

opportunity we have to practice, as it is extremely rare. In fact, the
Buddha gave the

following analogy to demonstrate the rarity of this opportunity: a
blind tortoise was

swimming in an ocean in which there was a yoke with a hole in it. This
yoke was

tossed about in every direction by the waves, while the tortoise only
came to the

surface of the water once every hundred years. There is as much chance
of being

born in a human body as there is that the blind turtle’s neck will meet
up with the

hole of the yoke! if one has this opportunity, one is very fortunate.
Therefore, one

should rejoice and use this opportunity to the full, both for oneself
and others. In

fact, one should use human life to cross the ocean of samsara as one
uses a ship to

cross the sea.

To achieve Enlightenment, we need devotion and confidence in Buddhahood.

Without these, it is difficult to attain to a spiritual quality in the
mind. Just as a

rotten seed cannot produce a healthy plant, so faltering devotion
cannot produce

virtue. Devotion and confidence mean an understanding of cause and
effect. A

positive cause creates peace and happiness, and a negative cause leads
to suffering.

Afflicting emotions cause different levels of suffering to arise,
whereas

Enlightenment is sacred and precious, free from confusion and pain. To
achieve this

state, one must have devotion and confidence in the Buddha as the
teacher who

shows the path, the Dharma as the path itself, and in the Sangha as the
community

which cultivates the Enlightenment mind and acts as a guide to
Buddhahood.

Devotion and confidence are like water to a seedling; if one is endowed
with these

qualities, one can meet many great masters and receive the precious
teachings. So

when the precious human body containing the Eight Freedoms and Ten

Endowments and in addition possesses devotion and confidence, the being
has the

basis for achieving Enlightenment.

It is asked why, if we are born as humans many times before, and have
met spiritual

masters, we did not previously achieve Enlightenment. The reason is
that we fell

into conditions of error such as attachment to this life, attachment to
samsaric

pleasures and laziness, attachment to our own liberation, and not
understanding the

method for achieving Buddhahood. To dispel such errors, there are four
antidotes:

the contemplation of impermanence, understanding the suffering in
samsara and

the truth of karma and result, the practice of loving kindness and
compassion, and

the cultivation of the Enlightenment mind.

Obtaining a life of leisure and endowments is like arriving at a
continent of jewels.

Whether we attain liberation or not is up to us.

Be sure, therefore, not to leave empty-handed.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from Jewel Treasury of Advice)

Contemplation of IMPERMANENCE as an antidote to attachment to

this life

The Buddha has said, “The whole world is as impermanent as clouds in an
autumn

sky. Birth and death are like the movements of a dancer.” One should
meditate on

death, on the decreasing time that remains, and on the inevitability of
separation. To

meditate on death, think that it is the stopping of breath, the
transformation of the

body into a corpse, and the scattering of consciousness. To meditate on
the

shortness of life, think that your life since last year has become
shorter, that since

last month it has become shorter still, that since yesterday it has
become yet shorter,

and that even since this morning it has become shorter. In the
Bodhicharya Avatvara it

is said that life is each day becoming shorter, and that as there is no
way to add to it,

we surely experience death. To meditate on separation, consider that no
matter

what dear friends and close relatives we have, we must separate from
them when

death comes. No matter what wealth we have accumulated or how beautiful
our

body has been, we must leave them behind.

Another way of meditation on impermanence is to consider that we will
definitely

die one day, that we do not know when this will happen, and that when
we die

nothing will help except the realization of the teachings. It is
certain that everyone

who has ever been born has died. Even great masters who achieve many
qualities,

or famous people, or wealthy persons all experience death. There is no
way of

escaping. One reason that death is certain is that the body is composed
of many

elements and all things which are composite will decompose. This is the
nature of

change. Life is decreasing from moment to moment. For this reason,
also, death is

definite. Each moment that passes bring us closer to death. It is like
the archer who

shoots the arrow through space until it reaches the target. The arrow
does not

remain in space even a moment. In the same way, from the day we are
born until we

die, life does not stay still for even a moment. Life is also like a
flowing river. As the

river does not cease its flow even for a moment, so does life, gallops
on. It is ever

changing, yet ever the same in its change. Our life moves daily closer
to death like

the prisoner moving towards his place of execution. Our life has no
predictable

span, especially in this world system. Some beings die in the mother’s
womb, some

at the moment of birth, some as infants, some in youth and some in old
age.

The body has no value in itself. It is but a composite brought about by
many causes

and condition. If we analyze it, we cannot find anything permanent in
it. Generally,

everything one can name acts as a catalyst for death. If even food or
drink or

medicines in some circumstances can cause death, all other things can,
too. Life is as

fragile as a bubble in the water. At the time of death, our wealth will
not help us. No

matter how much we have accumulated in our lives, we must leave with
empty

hands. Moreover, wealth is actually harmful because it creates
attachment and

anger. If one has negative karma through accumulation of wealth, one
must

experience its fruits. Friends and relatives will also not help at the
moment of death.

No matter how powerful, skilled, or wealthy they may be, they cannot
protect us

from death. Nor will one’s body help. No matter how strong it has been
or wealth

they may be, they cannot protect us from death. Nor will one’s body
help. No

matter how strong it has been and how agile, no matter how expressive
and

attractive, it cannot protect us from death. It is like the sun which
cannot stay from

setting. Not only can it not protect us, but it is the cause of much
suffering. How

often it produces pain, discomfort, hunger, thirst, and the fear of
attack! And by

protecting ourselves from danger, we can create further karma which
brings yet

more suffering.

We may also meditate on impermanence by thinking of those who have died,

recognizing that this will one day be our state. For example, if we
know a dying

person, we can meditate on how he used to be strong, clear of
complexion, capable

of body, joyful of mind. Yet disease has suddenly caused him to lose
all physical

power, to grow dark of complexion, to suffer in the mind, to writhe in
pain, and to

derive no benefit from medication. Aware that there is no escape, he
surrounds

himself with friends and relatives, eats his last meal, pronounces his
last wishes, and

stops breathing. No matter how important he was to his family or his
nation, his

body must be carried away. Some of his relatives may cry and try to
hold onto him,

some may faint from grief, but he cannot return. His body is then
either buried, or

cremated, or thrown into the river. One should therefore meditate that
one day the

same will happen to oneself. One is not beyond this.

If we hear that someone is dead, whether he be known or unknown to us,
we

should think: One day I, too, will be like that person. We should also
remember

those who have died, young or old, in our family or city, thinking:
Soon I will be as

they, a mere memory. The Buddha said: Birth leads to death; meetings
lead to

partings; gain leads to loss; and construction leads to destruction.
The beneficial

effects of meditating on impermanence are that by understanding the
nature of

composition and decomposition, one learns to detach from this life. The
teachings,

far from being pessimistic as some people think, lead to ultimate peace
of mind

because they cause us to drop attachment to that which, being
impermanent, bring

no lasting happiness. They support the motivation to achieve
Enlightenment, and

help free one of hatred. With them, one has the chance to realize the
equanimity of

Dharma-as-such.

Impermanence and death are like the spreading shadow of sunset at the
mouth of a pass.

It approaches without stopping for even an instant.

Apart from Dharma, nothing will help.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

Contemplation of SUFFERING as an antidote to attachment samsara’s

pleasure

If you think that it is acceptable to die because you can be reborn in
the human or

god realm and enjoy the luxuries of those states, that is merely
attachment to

samsara. For this, the antidote is understanding samsara by meditating
on its

negative features. In general, there are three types of suffering:
pervasive suffering

(root cause of all suffering-impermanence of the unenlightened body);
suffering of

change (impermanence of peace and happiness); and suffering of
suffering.

Pervasive suffering is the nature of samsara. No matter what kind of
conditions we

enjoy, sooner or later suffering will pervade our worldly state, where
our afflicted

ordinary bodies are a source of pain. Suffering of change is like
eating food mixed

with poison. Suffering of suffering is physical and mental pain
(sickness,

depression, etc.). Pervasive suffering brings about a feeling of
apathy; the suffering

of change brings about a false sense of euphoria; the suffering of
physical and

mental pain brings about anguish.

The five ordinary skandhas are the cause of pervasive suffering, but
ordinary people

do not recognize them as suffering, just as when stuck by plague, they
do not notice

minor illness. However, those noble beings entering the path recognize
this as

suffering, just as, when the plague abates, one notices the pain of a
lesser injury.

pervasive suffering is like a hair, ordinary people are like the hands,
and noble

beings are like the eyes. When a hair touches the hand, there is no
feeling of

discomfort, but when it is in the eyes, it is intolerable. The joys of
samsara are

ultimately the cause of the suffering of change. It is written in the
Karma sutra, “The

kingdom of the gods and the kingdom of humans are the cause of
suffering.” No

matter how high the rank you achieve in samsara, you will eventually
fall, for you

are fundamentally attached to temporary enjoyments which cause the
suffering of

hope and fear. The body composed of the five skandhas causes the
suffering of

physical and mental pain, for the moment we enter into it we experience
suffering

which brings about the feeling of pain.

There are six realms of suffering: the hell realm, the hungry ghost
realm, the animal

realm, the human realm, the demi-god realm, and the god realm.

Hell realm

There are eight hot and eight cold realms. The eight hot realms in
ascending order

are: the reviving hell, the black thread hell, the crushing hell, the
howling hell, the

loud howling hell, the heating hell, the Avici hell. The eight cold
realms are: the

realm of infected bubbles, the realm of frozen bubbles, the realm of
chattering, the

realm of cold sounds (Achu), the realm of other cold sounds (Kyihü),
the realm of

crackling like an utpala flower, the realm of crackling like a lotus
flower, the realm

of crackling like a larger lotus flower. Two further hell realms are:
Nyitshe (the

suffering close to the hot realms) and Nyekhor (the place close to the
hot realms).

The hungry ghost realm

There are two types of hungry ghosts: The first are those who see food
guarded by

someone who will not allow them to touch it, or see food transformed
into waste as

soon as they behold it, or see food and water as a mirage, or are
unable to eat or

drink because though their stomachs are as large as a valley, their
throats are as

narrow as a horse’s hair. The second are those who experience food as
fire or filth as

soon as it reaches their stomach. In the hungry ghost realm, even the
sun grows cold

in winter and even the moon grows hot in summer. Thus, the inhabitants
become

living skeletons. Son intense is their suffering that a story is told
of one of the

Buddha’s disciples who, on passing through the hungry ghost realm, was
asked by

a woman there to look for her husband who had long before gone out in
search of

food for her and their five hundred children. When the disciple finally
found the

man, he said that he had not been able to find food in all his search,
but that he had

managed to grab some saliva that a compassionate monk had spat upon the
ground.

So eager was the man to keep hold of his treasure amidst the hundreds
of ghosts

who had set upon it avidly that he had clenched his fist until his
fingernails had

been driven through the top of his hand.

The animal realm

There are different types of animals: many-legged animals, four-legged
animals, and

apods. Most animals live in the ocean, on the plains and in the forest.
They suffer

from being beaten by humans; form having no freedom; from being killed
or

dismembered for fur, bones, meat, skin, and pearls; and from preying on
each other.

Human realm

The suffering of the human state includes birth, aging, sickness,
death, separation

from loved ones, meetings with enemies, desire for that which one
cannot obtain,

and the loss of that which one possesses.

Birth: After wandering in the Bardo (intermediate state), we take birth
in a mother’s

womb and remain there for about thirty-eight weeks. There are many
stages of

inconceivable suffering in this process, as well as at the moment of
birth, which

most people do not remember.

Aging: In youth the body is straight and strong; later, it becomes bent
and feeble, the

limbs shake, it becomes difficult to sit or stand, the hair changes
color of falls out,

the skin, once soft as silk, becomes thick and wrinkled, and the
complexion, once

like a newly-blossomed lotus flower, becomes faded. In youth one has
the strength

to undertake anything, and one is optimistic. Later, one loses
strength, cannot work,

and becomes depressed. The once-sharp senses decline so that it is hard
to see, hear,

or taste foods vividly. In youth one gains respect, but in older age,
having lost

dignity, one is scorned even by children. Materially, it becomes
difficult to increase

one’s wealth or to solicit support from others. One craves food and
drink which one

cannot afford. Aging is the worst disease because it cannot be cured.
All other

sicknesses are brought on by aging. Mentally, one becomes forgetful and
confused.

Milarepa said: If one does not realize the nature of non-aging, the
suffering of aging

is inconceivable.

Sickness: In old age, there are operations, pain, bitter medicines, the
desire to eat

unhealthy things, a dependence on physicians, the exhausting of one’s
resources on

physicians and medicine, and the fear of death. Milarepa said: If one
does not

realize the nature of non-sickness, the suffering of sickness is
inconceivable.

Death: If one is caught by the Lord of Death, one is separated from
one’s protectors

and objects of refuge. One endures pain, shaking limbs, shallow breath,
the

abandonment of physicians, and the inability to sit upright. Making the
great

transition to the next life, one enters the dark unknown, leaving
everything familiar

behind, including one’s body. Only the realization of the precious
teachings can

help. Everything else is but illusion that creates further suffering.
After breath

stops, one goes on to a new life which depends on one’s karma.

Separation from loved ones: When one is separated from parents,
relatives and

friends, there is great pain.

Meetings with enemies: When one meets with enemies, one experiences the

suffering of quarrelling, anger and unease.

Difficulty in obtaining one’s desires: One desires that which one does
not have, and

no matter what one does have, one still craves more. Thus, there is no
satisfaction in

the mind and this, in turn, causes further suffering.

Loss of what one possesses: One constantly worries that thieves may
steal one’s

possessions, or that they may be destroyed. This leads to further
unrest in the

mind.

These are the basic sufferings of all humans, whether high or low-born,
rich or poor,

educated or uneducated.

The demi-god realm

The suffering of the demi-gods includes pride, jealousy, fighting (with
the gods),

and death in battle.

The god realm

The suffering of the gods includes fighting (with demi-gods),
dissatisfaction no

matter how many pleasures are granted, and rebirth in lower realms as a
result of

using up all previous good karma.

Samsara pervades the six realms. Therefore birth in any of these realms
brings

suffering. We all exist in an ocean of suffering. By recognizing the
reality of

samsara and becoming detached from the six realms, one is able to
cultivate a mind

free from suffering, thereby achieving Enlightenment.

Renunciation and the mind that abandons negativity are like a captain
piloting a ship.

Freedom from samsara depends upon them.

Therefore, always think on this without distraction.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

Understanding KARMA as an antidote to attachment to samsara

All sufferings of all the realms of samsara are caused by negative
karma. All

positive results are caused by virtuous karma. In illustration of this,
the Buddha

recounted the following two stories:

Story 1

When Lord Buddha was residing in Shrawasti, there lived a poor Brahmin
woman

who gave birth to a hunch-backed child named Gurchung. As her milk
dried up

very quickly, Gurchung was precariously sustained with milk from
buffaloes and

other animals. When he reached adolescence, his father told him, “Son,
our lives are

sustained by begging, so now you must search for your own sustenance.”

Gurchung received a bare minimum on which to survive. Meeting the Lord

Buddha, he asked to be ordained as a monk. In the days that followed his

ordination, the other monks fed him, but soon they too, told him that
he must be

responsible for his own food. Again, Gurchung barely managed to survive.

Even when he begged for food in the company of other monks, he always
suffer a

mishap. Either there would be no food left when it was his turn to
present his

bowl, or, if he was served first, the food that remained would spoil,
leaving the

other monks hungry. To resolve this, the Buddha order that Gurchung
should

henceforth stand at the end of the line of monks receiving food. One
day, the

buddha told Gurchung to clean the temple, where Gurchung found a large
quantity

of food. ‘thus able to rebuild his strength, he increased his practice
and attained the

state of arhat. However, when he returned to the temple thereafter, he
found that

someone else had already cleaned it, so he once again had to beg for
alms. The first

day, a wealthy family invited the Buddha and his retinue for a meal,
but by the time

Gurchung had arrived, the food was gone. Once again, he had to go
hungry. The

following day Ananda, one of buddha’s chief disciples, brought two
begging bowls,

one for himself and one for Gurchung. After eating his own portion, he
set out to

bring Gurchung the food he had collected for him, but he was attacked
by dogs who

consumed the food. The following day, ananda announced that all the
offerings of

food received by the monks that day would be given to Gurchung.
However, the

people who normally provided the food were unable to do so, leaving
Gurchung to

pass another day hungry. The next day, another disciple, Maulgalyayana,
brought

an extra begging bowl for Gurchung, but on his way, he tripped on a
rock, so

spilling the food which was eaten by crows. The following day Sariputra
filled two

begging bowls, but on his way he encountered ghosts who by their
miracle powers

made the food disappear. The next day Sariputra again brought Gurchung
food,

but every spoonful of food disappeared just as Gurchung placed it in
his mouth.

When Sariputra then tried feeding Gurchung by hand, Gurchung’s mouth
locked.

Despite his miracle powers, Sariputra could not succeed in feeding
Gruchung,

whose mouth unlocked only after mealtime was past. Sariputra then asked

Gurchung, “Of all your physical sufferings, which is most intolerable?”
Gurchung

replied, “I am so thirsty; please give me water.” When Gurchung raised
the bowl to

his lips, a karmic spirit placed ashes in it. drinking this, Gurchung
attained miracle

powers and levitated in the air. But following this display he passed
away. When

the Buddha was asked why Gurchung, who had attained the state of arhat,
should

have died in such a manner, the Buddha replied, “Many kalpas ago, there
live a

wealthy family who gave alms to Brahmins and the poor. When the father
died, the

mother continued this generosity, but her son objected, feeling that if
the mother

continued the practice, their wealth would be destroyed. The son
pleaded with the

mother to stop such giving, but the mother refused to listen. Finally,
when the son

married, he locked his mother in a room without food. The mother begged
for her

release, saying she would leave the house, but the son decided that if
she left, she

would probably take with her what remained of the of the family’s
fortune. For

seven days he kept his mother locked in the room without food until
relatives,

hearing the rumors, came to investigate. They found the woman nearly
dead. When

she asked her son for water, he gave her a glass sprinkled with ashes.
Drinking the

spoiled water, the mother died.”

The Buddha then revealed that in a previous life, Gurchung had been
this shameful

son. The son then took rebirth in hell for thousands of years. When he
finally took

rebirth in higher realms, he continually suffered from hunger, and died
shortly after

drinking the water spoiled with ashes. Even having achieved the arhat
state, he had

to accept the negative result of his previous actions.

Story 2

To show that the fruits of positive actions are just as inevitable, the
Buddha then

told this story: In the Buddha’s life-time, a daughter was born to a
humble family.

She was exceptional, both for her beauty and because she was born
wearing a white

cotton cloth. As she grew, the cloth grew with her. When she reached
marrying

age, she expressed the desire to renounce samsaric life. Her parents
offered to make

her nun’s robes, but instead she told them that she would be grateful
if they would

help her in her quest to meet the Buddha Shakyamuni. When she finally
beheld

him, she requested that he initiate her into the nunnary. The Lord
Buddha

welcomed her, and instantly her hair shed and her white cloth was
transformed into

the five traditional garments of a nun. Through her diligence in
practice, she shortly

afterward attained the state of arhat. Ananda, the Buddha’s personal
attendant,

asked what kind of previous virtue allowed the woman to attain that
state in this

life. The Lord Buddha replied, “In a past life, Buddha Soekyab appeared
in this

samsaric world. Every human being showed him great respect. At this
time, a

monk wandered from to city to city encouraging people to make offerings
to the

Buddha. A very poor ladynamed Danaka, living with her husband in a
shack,

possessed only a piece of cotton cloth which she shared with him.
Whichever one

went outside would wear the cloth while the other remained naked inside
the

shack. One day Danaka met the wandering monk who advised her of the
great

merit received from making an offering. Danaka asked the monk to wait a
few

minutes. Returning to the shack, she said to her husband, ‘Because of
our previous

lack of generosity, we were born into this life in poor circumstances.
If we do not

demonstrate generosity in this life, we will suffer the same fate in
the next. Please

give me permission to make an offering.’ The husband gladly agreed, and
danaka

beckoned to the monk to come to the door of her shack. He said, ‘Give
what you

have to give and I will say prayers for the gift’. Danaka replied, ‘I
have only this

cloth which I am wearing.’ She then went inside disrobed and passed the
cloth out

to the monk, knowing that she would thus have no choice but to remain
in the shack

and wait for death. The monk took the offering to the Buddha, who was
addressing

a gathering of royalty. Upon the monk’s arrival, the Buddha immediately
asked,

‘Where is the offering of cloth?’ and took the cloth in his hand. The
kings

misinterpreted the exchange, believing that the Buddha had grown so
materialistic

that he would accept even a ragged cloth. Reading their minds, the
Buddha replied,

‘The offering of this cloth is more perfect than any of the offering
you have made.’

He then revealed the details of the offering. A royal couple present
took off their

fine clothes and ornaments and had them sent to the poor couple so they
could

attend the gathering. The Buddha then gave numerous teachings which
liberated

many from samsara.” The Buddha Sakyamunithen concluded the story by
saying,

“The poor woman Danaka was the previous incarnation of this white-clad

bhikshuni. By offering the cloth with pure motivation, Danaka was
reborn wearing

the white cotton cloth for ninety-one kalpas. She never again suffered
from

poverty. By the merits received from listening to my teachings and from
the

aspiration to be free from samsaric life, the young bhikshuni has now
attained the

state of arhat.”

The Ten Non-virtues

Karma is caused by all the varieties of samsara, it is said in the
Abidharma kosha.

Specially, it is set in motion by the ten virtuous and ten non-virtuous
actions. The

ten non-virtuous actions can be divided into three physical, four
verbal and three

mental non-virtuous. Physical non-virtues include taking life, stealing
and sexual

misconduct. Verbal non-virtues include lying, abrasive words, harsh
words and

senseless talk. Mental non-virtues include covetousness, harmful
motivation and

wrong view.

Taking life

·  Taking life as a means of gratification, or to obtain wealth or
to feed oneself.

·  Taking life as an act of hatred by resentment or by killing an
enemy.

·  Taking life through ignorance, killing as a sacrifice.

Stealing

·  Through force

·  Stealthily

·  By presenting as pure a product that has been mixed with
impurities

Sexual misconduct

·  Having sexual relations with one’s mother, father, sister or
brother

·  With another person’s marriage partner

·  With a monk or nun

Lying

·  Falsely claiming to have had visions

·  Making promises one will not keep

·  Lying for no particular reason

Abrasive words

·  Forcefully trying to divide others

·  Politely trying to divide others

·  Dividing Sanghas

Harsh words

·  Forcefully condemning another’s faults

·  Politely condemning others

Senseless talks

·  Repeating non-virtuous mantras

·  Telling useless stories (gossip)

·  Giving teachings to those who are improper vessels

Covetousness

·  Attachment to one’s own body, qualities and wealth

·  Jealousy regarding others’ wealth and possessions

·  Attachment to that which is not owned by others or oneself
(country, locale, etc.)

Harmful motivation (desire to destroy)

·  Born of hatred

·  Born of jealousy and competitiveness

·  Born of resentment

Wrong view

·  Thinking that positive karma will not lead to happiness and
negative karma will

not bring suffering.

·  Not believing the truth of the path, and thereby not achieving
the truth of the

result.

·  Thinking that the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha do not exist

If all of the ten above are done repeatedly, one is reborn in a hell
realm. If they are

done occasionally, one is reborn as a hungry ghost. If they are done
infrequently,

one is reborn as an animal. Another way of expressing the above is to
say that if one

acts in anger, one is reborn in a hell realm; if one acts with desire,
one is reborn as a

hungry ghost; if one acts in ignorance, one is reborn as an animal. One
could also

say that if one commits negative acts against Enlightened beings, one
is reborn in

hell; if one commits negative acts against one’s parents or some other
crucial person,

one is reborn as a hungry ghost; and if one commits negative acts
against ordinary

sentient beings, one is reborn as an animal. The root causes of
non-virtuous actions

are ignorance, desire and hatred. It is therefore important to
eliminate these

afflicting emotions.

Characteristics of Karma

The self-ascription of Karma means that the results of an action are
always reaped

by the sower of the action and no one else. If this were not the case,
it would mean

that our actions bore no fruit, or that we were the victims of negative
actions we had

not committed. Neither of these is true.

The Strict result of Karma means that positive and negative actions
will inevitably

bring about positive and negative results, respectively. For example,
the poisonous

seed will produce poison, and the medicinal seed will produce medicine.

Minor Karma produces great result means that as a small seed can yield
a large tree

and many fruits, so can a minor action (positive or negative) positive
strong results.

The inevitability of Karma means that unless karma is eliminated by an
antidote, or

purified, it may remain intact for thousands of kalpas until conditions
finally cause

it to produce its inevitable result. In the Sutras the Buddha said,
“Fire may grow

cold, the wind may be caught by a lasso, and the sun and moon may fall
to the

earth, but the result of karma is inevitable.”

He also told the following story in proof that one cannot escape the
fruit of one’s

actions: There was a king called Pawajin who had 84,000 queens, 1,000
princes and

500 princesses. At that time the Bodhisattva Metok Dadze was staying in
a dense

forest practicing meditation and giving teachings. One day, he
announced with

profound understanding and great awareness that the time was ripe for
him to

travel from city to city giving teachings for the benefit of all
sentient beings. The

other Bodhisattvas warned him, “Lama Metok Dadze, your physical and
spiritual

beauty will incur the jealousy of kings. You will be in grave danger.”
He replied, “If

I think only of my own safety, I cannot protect the teachings of the
Buddhas of the

Three Times. All Buddhas achieved Enlightenment through great actions
in which

they sacrificed the protection of self. One can only protect the
teachings when one

renounces attachment to form, sound, taste, smell and touch. The merit
received

from keeping one precept diligently for twenty-four hours, at a time
when the

Dharma is in decline, greatly exceeds the merit received by the devoted
being who

offer food, drink, the precious umbrella and light to the millions of
Buddhas for

kalpas as unlimited as the sands of the river Ganges.” Lama Metok Dadze
then

traveled to many towns, giving teachings which established 90 million
sentient

beings in unsurpassable Enlightenment. Then he journeyed to the palace
of King

Pawajin, where he gave teachings for seven days during which he also
fasted. On

the seventh day 1,086 queens instantly attained the state of
non-returning

Enlightenment after merely glancing at the monk. Young girls also
gathered to

make offerings and receive teachings. Blinded by his jealousy of the
beautiful form

of the Bhikshu, King Pawajin believed the Lama was preaching a
misguided path

for his subjects. He therefore ordered his one thousand princes to take
Lama Metok

Dadze’s life, but they refused. Finally Gache, the kingdom’s butcher,
consented to

do the deed. The King ordered Gache to sever the lama’s hands, legs,
ears and nose

with a sharp sword, as well as to cut out the monk’s eyes so that he
might never

again look on the King’s consorts with desire. When the order had been
completed,

hundreds of thousands of light rays radiated from the monk’s body in
the ten

directions, and then returned to his body. Instead of blood, milk
gushed from his

veins. From the severed limbs the eight auspicious symbols and
thirty-two special

marks appeared. At this display, the King and his retinue were filled
with

misgiving. After seven days they returned to find that the monk’s body
had not

discolored in death. They concluded that Lama Metok Dadze had been a
very

special Bodhisattva who had attained the non-returning state of
Enlightenment.

King Pawajin cried out. “I have committed every negative karma; I will
be reborn in

hell.” Instantly, eight thousand gods appeared in the sky and affirmed
the king’s

fears. Filled with remorse, King Pawajin said, “bodhisattva Metok
Radze, listen to

me. Please wake up like a full moon. Teacher, free from all aggression
and anger,

please wake up like a shining sun. You have practiced patience for a
long time.

Where is your great compassion and perseverances. Wake up and say
something,

Great Loving and Kind One.” Having said this, King Pawajin placed the
Lama’s

body in a coffin and annointed it with medicine, sandalwood, juniper
and incense.

The body was cremated and a stupa was built with the remains. For
ninety-five

million years King Pawajin made daily offerings and practiced
purification by the

four powers-the power to effect atonement, the power to practice good
as an

antidote to evil, the power to desist from evil, the power of reliance.
‘when the King

died, he was reborn in hell, experiencing infinite suffering. After one
million kalpas,

his eyes were gouged and his hands and legs were severed. King
Pawajin’s fate

demonstrated the inevitability of karma. The buddha Sakyamuni concluded
the

story by explaining to his attendant anada that he was King Pawajin in
a former life

and that Lama metok Dadze was later reborn as Buddha padme lame, the
previous

incarnation of the unparalleled Gampopa.

Thus it is important to understand and watch over the causes of karma,
trying to

eliminate them rather than fighting the result.

The Ten Virtues

When we renounce the ten non-virtuous actions, they are transformed
into the ten

virtuous actions. Entering into the path, the ten virtuous actions are

·  Protecting life (physical)

·  Widespread giving (physical)

·  Maintaining ethics (physical)

·  Speaking truth (verbal)

·  Speaking harmoniously by mediating among divided groups (verbal)

·  Speaking lovingly and peacefully and speaking meaningfully
(verbal)

·  Cultivating admiration, satisfaction and contentment (mental)

·  Becoming helpful, loving and compassionate (mental)

·  Cultivating correct views (mental)

The root causes of the above are a lack of ignorance, desire or hatred.
Therefore, it is

important to strengthen these qualities of mind in order to achieve
happiness for

oneself and others. One who practices the ten virtuous actions is
reborn as a human

or in a god realm; one who practices all of the above and in addition
renounces

samsara achieves the arhat state; one who practices all of the above
and cultivated

Bodhicitta achieve Buddhahood.

There are three types of beings:

·  Beings with small capacity – these work only for the pleasures
of samsara

·  Beings with medium capacity – these work for individual growth
and renounce

samsara

·  Beings with great capacity – these renounce samsara and
practice Bodhicitta for

all sentient beings

The results of virtue and non-virtue are like the shadows of flying
birds.

We may not see them now, but they will appear at the time of death.

Make effort to abandon non-virtue and to accomplish wholesome deeds.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

Practicing LOVING-KINDNESS and COMPASSION as an antidote

to attachment to the pleasure of peace

When one has great loving-kindness towards all sentient beings, there
are limitless

beneficial effects, for such kindness represents an offering to all the
Buddhas. All

other beings are then drawn to us and wish to protect us. This will
cause peace and

happiness for oneself, one will benefit one’s entire environment. One
will not suffer

harm from weapons and poisons, one’s wishes will be fulfilled without
effort, and

one will be reborn in higher realms.

Practicing loving-kindness, one is not attached to one’s own peace and
happiness,

but rather has concern only for others. Loving-kindness is the state of
mind in

which one wishes that all sentient beings may have happiness and the
causes of

happiness. The object of one’s goal is the well-being of all without
exception. In

this connection, the Guddha told a story about how loving-kindness
could reverse

even very negative karma: In the ancient city of Varanasi, King
Champetop (the

power of love) practiced loving-kindness for all sentient beings. At
this time, a

spirit named Vaisravana and his retinue arrived at Varanasi, but no one
welcomed

him with the traditional torma (ceremonial food and drink) offering.
Consequently,

he grew very angry and manifested this anger in the form of a
widespread plague

which killed thousands. Greatly saddened by the suffering of his
people, King

Champetop and his court meditated on loving-kindness. Through the power
of

these virtues, the plague was pacified. One day when the King was
walking

through a garden, he encountered Vaisravana and his followers disguised
as

Brahmins. One of the group acting as a spokesman asked for food,
explaining that

they had not eaten for many days. The King ordered his attendants to
bring fresh

food, but the spokesman interjected, saying that the group could only
eat raw flesh.

King Champetop grew thoughtful, pondering whether it was appropriate to
take

the lives of other beings for one’s own consumption. He resolved the
question by

asking the kingdom’s butchers to open his own veins and slice his flesh
as an

offering to the Brahmins. When the butchers refused to cut the flesh
and draw the

blood of their king, the king did the job himself and presented the
offering to the

Brahmins. When they were satisfied by this sacrifice, the King gave a
teaching on

the preciousness of all life and the necessity of abstaining from
harming others. He

also initiated Vaisravana into the five principles of discipline,
namely: not killing

any sentient being, not engaging in false speech, not stealing that
which belongs to

another, not engaging in sexual misconduct, and not drinking alcoholic
beverages.

He concluded the teaching with the prayer for sharing merit, and then
addressed his

disciples thus, “King Champetop’s every action is directed towards
helping all

sentient beings. By following his example of loving-kindness and
abiding by the

five principles of discipline, you may also attain the state of
Enlightenment.” Lord

Buddha concluded the story by revealing to the gathering that he was
King

Champetop in a previous life and that his five ascetic disciples were
Vaisravana and

his followers in their previous lives.

Before practicing loving-kindness to all sentient beings, we must first
reflect on the

kindness offered to us by our mothers over many years. When we were
born, we

were like a small insect, unable to do anything. Thereafter, our mother
gave us food

and drink, sacrificed to give us clothes and shelter, and otherwise
tried to please us.

Even when she lacked resources she tried to give us what we needed. All
that she

used for her child she acquired through hardship. Our mother also
protected us

from fire, water, falls and all other dangers. she worried about our
health and wellbeing.

We knew nothing when we were born, but our mother taught us how to talk,

rejoiced over even our first faltering words and steps, and oversaw our
education,

helping to make us the best among all others. If a friend helps us a
little, or offers us

a cup of tea, we feel much gratitude. Think, then, how much more
gratitude one

should feel for one’s mother who has done so much for us. Then we must
meditate

on the fact that we have been reborn in innumerable lifetimes. So all
sentient beings

have been our mothers at one time or another. Therefore, we must
realize that all

beings have been kind to us, and we must repay this by practicing
loving-kindness

and wishing that all may have happiness and the cause of happiness. We
extend the

kindness we feel for our mother to our other relatives, then to our
friends, then to

our countrymen and finally to all beings universally, even to those
whom we regard

as enemies. Lord Jigten Sumgon said: If you cannot think kindly of your
mother,

think of a dear friend and extend outward from there.

Compassion is wishing that all sentient beings be free from suffering
and the causes

of suffering. If your mother or a close friend is experiencing a
crisis, you are

responsible for helping. Even if your mother is crazy, you must try to
help, so in the

same way you must help all sentient beings deluded by the three
poisons, clarifying

their view if possible. When one has great compassion towards all, one
will achieve

the Buddha’s qualities, as the Buddha himself explained in this story:
In the city of

Varansi in India there was born a child whose father, a sea captain,
died during one

of his ocean journeys in search of precious gems. His mother never told
him the

truth of his father’s profession, fearing that he, too, would wish to
go to sea and

might be drowned there. The child was very respectful to his mother.
but one day

he learned the truth, and announced to his mother that he would go to
sea. Holding

him by the feet, the mother tearfully pleaded with the young man not to
leave her.

But he only became angry, kicked her in the head and left. His mother
prayed that

he would not suffer the negative karma of having harmed her. During one
sea

journey, the son’s ship was destroyed by crocodiles, but he managed to
float to day

land where he was greeted by beautiful goddesses who offered him food,
drink, rich

garments and wealth. Thereafter, wherever he wandered he met yet more

goddesses who offered him ever more lavish hospitality. Finally, he
arrived at the

“City of Iron”, but as he entered, the city gates immediately locked
behind him. He

passed through several further doors, and at the last he beheld the
terrifying

spectacle of a huge being with a wheel of iron turning on the crown of
his head.

This creature was being nourished by the pus that oozed from his head.
Za-o Bumo

(for that was the man’s name) asked the cause of the great being’s
obvious misery.

The creature answered, “It is because I harmed by mother.” Immediately,
Za-o

Bumo realized that fate had brought him to the City of Iron for he, too
had harmed

his mother by kicking her.

From the sky, a voice announced, “Liberate him who is tied, and tie him
who is not

tied”. Instantly, the being with the wheel of iron was liberated while
Za-o Bumo

now suffered the horrific pain of the iron wheel turning on the crown
of his own

head. He asked, “How long will this wheel turn on my head?” The voice
in the sky

replied that the wheel would remain fixed to his head for sixty
thousand years. Zao

Bumo then asked whether any other beings would suffer the same fate. The

answer was that whoever had harmed his mother would suffer similarly.
‘through

his sufferings, Za-o Bumo acquired great compassion for other sentient
beings. He

proclaimed, “I will assume the suffering of this turning wheel for all
those who

share this karma.” Immediately, Za-o Bumo was freed as the wheel of
iron arose in

the air the distance of a tala (palm) tree. He died and was reborn in
the Tushita

heaven. Then Lord Buddha revealed that he was Za-o Bumo in a previous
life. By

giving his earnings to his mother (which he had done before finding out
her deceit),

he found enjoyment. By kicking his mother he experienced suffering. But
by

cultivating compassion, he had been freed of suffering. The lifetime
practice of

compassion is a skillful means of practice for Bodhisattvas.

Loving-kindness and compassion are the essence of the Buddha’s wisdom,
and the

nectar which transforms everything into the medicine that cures the
disease of the

mind. They are the light of wisdom which dispels the darkness of
ignorance.

Uninterrupted compassion is like a river.

It doesn’t tire or become discouraged.

It is equal to the limits of samsara.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

Antidotes to not understanding how to achieve Enlightenment:

Refuge

Before cultivating Bodhicitta, we must know and perform the ceremony of
refuge.

Powerful worldly deities, mountains, great trees, Gods, nagas, parents
or other

relatives cannot give refuge. The reason is that to give refuge one
must be free from

all fears, suffering and the causes of suffering and confusion. As
ordinary beings

are not free from suffering, they cannot be objects of refuge. The
Buddha is the one

who is completely free from confusion, fear and suffering; the Dharma
is the only

path to acheive Buddhahood, and the Sangha is the only company in which
to

practice the Dharma.

The power of the refuge is illustrated in this story of the Buddha:
When the Buddha

was staying at Vulture Peak Mountain, there lived a man named Palbe who
was a

devotee of teachers. These teachers were jealous of Buddha and
therefore counseled

Palbe: “The man called Buddha bears the pride of someone empowered with

omniscience. He has converted many young people into monks and nuns.
This will

bring harm to our kingdom. You must therefore do this: Dig a large hole
outside

your house, within which build a fire. Then place a thin covering of
grass across the

hole to disguise the trap. Second, prepare a feast in which the food is
sprinkled with

poison. A luncheon invitation will then be extended to the Buddha and
his retinue.

If the Buddha is omniscient as he claims, he will perceive the danger
and decline to

attend. If not, he and his followers deserve their death, either by the
fire or the

food.” The following day, Palbe invited the buddha and his retinue for
lunch. Lord

Buddha realized the time was ripe to tame the householder, so he
accepted the

invitation. Palbe returned home convinced that the acceptance of the
invitation

signaled the deceit of the Buddha’s claim to omniscience. But his wife
watched his

preparations with great fear. “If you kill the Lord Buddha,” said she,
“you will be

filled with great remorse.” Fearing that his wife would spread word of
his

intentions, Palbe locked her in a small room. Meanwhile, at Vulture
Peak Mountain,

the Lord Buddha gave Ananda the following instructions: “Although it
has been

customary for one of my disciples to lead the way, today no one should
walk in

front of me.” Then, putting on his Dharma robes and gathering his bowl,
he and his

retinue walked to Palbe’s homestead. He was escorted also by the gods
Brahma and

Indra. Upon his arrival at Rajagrha, the earth quaked six times. The
gathering

crowd was filled with awe. One upsaka, noting the Buddha’s imminent
arrival at

Palbe’s home, begged the Buddha to turn back, warning that Palbe had
made

harmful preparations. The Buddha replied, “Do you think that fire will
bring me

harm? Even when I took rebirth in the animal realm I was exempt from
the dangers

of fire. Now, I am enlightened, so what possible damage could the fire
inflict?

Because I have dispelled the fire of the three poisons of ignorance,
desire and

hatred, ordinary fire has no power to harm.” When the Buddha placed his
golden

leg on the grass covering, the hole was transformed into a lotus-filled
lake

populated by buzzing honey bees. Gods complemented the new scenery with
pots

of sandalwood, and the crowd was filled with wonder. Meanwhile, Palbe
and his

teachers had been hiding in the house. Fearing that the noise of the
crowd meant

the success of Palbe’s evil deed, Palbe’s wife pounded down the door of
her room.

She was thrilled with happiness at the sight of the lotus-filled lake,
and cried. As

the Buddha came closer to the house, Palbe became frightened. The hair
of his body

stood on end and he prostrated before the Buddha. “Sugata,” said he, “I
have made

a grave mistake on account of my involvement with wrong spiritual
friends. Please

forgive my wrongdoing which is a result of wrong view. In the future, I
will never

commit any evil deeds. Please stay, and I will never commit any evil
deeds. Please

stay, and I will prepare a fresh feast untainted by poison.” The Buddha
replied,

“There is no need for you to prepare a different meal. Even when I took
rebirth in

the animal realm, I was immune to the dangers of poison. Now I am
enlightened so

I could not possibly be harmed by the dangerous substance. Before you
distribute

the food, recite the following verse: ‘Ignorance, anger and desire are
the three

poisons of samsara; Buddha is free from these three poisons; Buddha
will destroy

the power of these poisons. The Dharma is free of poison. by the power
of the

Dharma, the poison will be purified. The Sangha is stainless; by the
power of the

nature of this excellent community, the poison will be purified.’
Because I, the

Buddha, the Peerless One amidst samsara, achieved Enlightenment, the
poison will

not affect my body. Because the dharma, the most perfect teaching, is
distinguished

by purity, the poison will not affect my body. The three poisons,
anger, attachment

and ignorance, afflict sentient beings. By power of purification
through the

Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha, the mind is completely guarded from
these

poisons.” The Buddha thus purified the food of its poison, and Palbe
took refuge in

the Buddha. He memorized the verse, recited it three times and made
offerings of

the food. Thus, Palbe was tamed and became a great devotee of the Lord
Buddha.

Anyone going for refuge must first be convinced of the suffering of
samsara, and

must have confidence in the Triple Gem as the object which can protect
us from

suffering. The Buddha is the embodiment of the three perfect forms
(Dharmakaya,

Sambhogakaya, Nirmanakaya), and is completely purified of all
obscurations,

perfected in wisdom and compassion, and possessed of all the great
qualities. The

Dharma consists of three categories of teachings which includes the
wisdom of the

Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, as well as the truth of the path and the
truth of the

cessation. The Sangha includes those who motivate one to achieve
Enlightenment.

The ordinary Sangha consists of four or more pure monks and nuns. The
noble

Sangha includes those who have achieved realization beyond samsara.

However, the ultimate refuge is the Buddha because he is Dharmakaya,
the nature

of wisdom, the complete form of all Dharma, and the ultimate state of
all the

Sangha. He is beyond birth, arising and cessation, is completely pure,
and is free

from all desire. The Buddha is like the physician, the dharma like the
medicine, and

the Sangha like the nurses. Just as the physician explains the nature
of the illness

and its causes, and prescribes the necessary medicine, so did the
Buddha describe

all the different states of suffering in samsara and their causes. To
help us be free of

suffering and achieve peace, he gave us the Dharma. And just as we
obtain

medicines from a nurse, so can the Sangha support our practice. If one
follows this

path properly, one can be freed of suffering and achieve fearlessness.

Anyone desiring the refuge ordination should receive this from a living
master.

After taking refuge, the following practices are important: One must
perform

offerings physically and mentally to the Triple Gem wherever one may
be; offer

whatever is eaten or drunk; do not abandon the refuge for rewards, or
even to

protect your life. Through awareness of the great wisdom-compassion
qualities of

the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, take refuge repeatedly. Having taken
refuge in

the Buddha, one should not then take refuge in worldly spirits or
powerful deities

because they are not free from confusion, and so do not have the wisdom
to free

others from suffering. Having taken refuge in the Dharma, one should
not harm the

life of any sentient being. The Dharma is the antidote to violence and
confusion, so

if one cannot help others, one should at least not harm them, because
as oneself likes

and searches for peace, so do all other sentient beings. Having taken
refuge in the

Sangha, one should not associate with persons holding wrong views
(those opposed

to the spiritual path), or not believing in karma. Generally, the
fellowship of the

Dharma is important. A medicinal plant growing in a forest turns the
neighboring

plants into medicine, and a poisonous plant turns the neighboring
plants into

poison. Just so, when we are in the company of spiritual persons we are
inspired

towards spiritual life, and when we associate with worldly persons we
tend to fall

into worldliness.

One should respect the Buddha and even images of him, elevating them as
objects

of refuge. One should also respect the precious teachings and even
texts written

about the Dharma. they should not be placed upon the ground. If you
find a text

on the ground, think: this is a precious teaching, containing the
methods for

purifying the mind’s obstructions and achieving complete wisdom and
compassion.

With this understanding, elevate them. One should also respect the
Sangha, and all

the levels within it. These include both beginners and highly realized
masters, but

all are cultivating their mind to achieve Enlightenment. Therefore, one
day all will

achieve Buddhahood. They are unlike ordinary people. Bearing this in
mind, we

should treat them with respect, especially those who are monks and nuns.

The beneficial Aspects of the Refuge

·  One enters into the Buddhist path. The ideal behind the
Buddha’s teaching is

not just to make others Buddhist. Because of his wisdom and compassion,
he

developed a method to free all sentient beings from the limitations of
confusion

and suffering.

·  The refuge ordination is the foundation of all the higher vow
and tantric

empowerments.

·  This is a method for purifying previous negative karma and

·  a protection from harm caused by humans and non-humans.

·  One accomplishes all one’s wish.

·  One accumulates wisdom and merit.

·  One will not born in the lower realms.

·  One attain Enlightenment swiftly.

Although samsara is endless, we can through refuge, limit its
boundaries. So this is

a joyful path. When one studies and practices meditation, one should
make effort

joyfully, though one sometimes face obstacles.

The Three Jewels are like the sphere of the sun.

Their compassion is impartial and unfailing.

Take refuge from the bottom of your heart.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

The spiritual master

It is very important when taking refuge to find a qualified spiritual
master. Those

who wish to achieve Buddhahood must depend on the spiritual master
because

alone one does not know how to strengthen all the virtuous qualities
and purify the

obscurations. All the Buddhas of the three times achieved Buddhohood
through the

guidance of the spiritual master. The spiritual master is like the
guide who helps us

when we go to an unknown place. He is the escort when we pass through

dangerous regions. He is the captain of the ship, and without him we
cannot cross

the ocean of samsara.

There are four different types of spiritual master: the ordinary
master; the master

who has attained different Bodhisattva levels; and the masters who have
attained

the levels of Nirmanakaya and Sambhogakaya. Each corresponds to one’s
own

level. When one is beginning, one cannot reach the Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas, so

one must attain the ordinary spiritual master. When one’s karmic
obscurations have

been somewhat purified, one attains the Bodhisattva master. When one
transcends

the level of the accumulation path, one can attain the spiritual master
of the

Nirmanakaya level. When one attains the level of a Bodhisattva, one can
attain the

master of the Sambhogakaya level. Of these four kinds of masters, which
is the

kindest? When we are in the darkness of karma and afflicting emotions,
we cannot

even see the face of the higher masters. By meeting with the ordinary
spiritual

master and receiving teachings, we are able to enter into the path and
progress in

our understanding. By this means we are later able to see higher
masters.

Therefore, of all masters the one to whom we are most indebted is the
ordinary

spiritual master.

Each level of master has different qualities: The Buddha is completely
purified of

the two obscurations to liberation and omniscience, and has completely
achieved

the two great wisdom (realization of the various types of knowledge, and

realization of suchness). The spiritual master from the first to tenth
level of

bodhisattva is purified and practiced in the realization of wisdom.
Among ordinary

spiritual masters there are three different types: the first has eight
qualities -

morality, vast knowledge of the Bodhisattva’s teaching, realization,
great

compassion, fearlessness, patience, tireless mind and skillful speech.
The second

has four qualities: a good knowledge of the Sutruas and Shastras, the
wisdom that

cuts through others’ hesitations, virtuous actions, and the ability to
point out the

afflicting emotions and prescribe their antidote. The third type of
master must have

at least two qualities: knowledge of the meaning of the Mahayana
teachings, and

dedication to the Bodhisattva’s vow. On this basis the Vajrayana master
must have

at least received the empowerments, be expert in the teaching of the
arising and

completion process, and keep the samaya. He may also be possessed of
many other,

higher qualities.

When we find any of these matters we should attain them, realizing that
they are

precious, respecting them, doing prostrations, standing when they enter
the room,

and not allowing ourselves to be easily satisfied. The true master is
difficult to meet.

Make offerings of food, clothing, and other necessary articles such as
medicines

and money. Regard the master as the Buddha himself, obeying him
implicitly as

did Naropa and Milarepa. Most importantly, please the master through
your

practice, receiving the teachings from him with one-pointed mind and
dedicating

the three doors to the practice. If the master is pleased, one may
achieve higher

realizations and eventually achieve Buddhahood.

When one receives the teachings, one should do so with the Bodhicitta
motivation,

meditating that oneself is the patient, and that the master is the
physician removing

sickness. When we receive the teachings, we must keep them properly in
the mind,

avoiding the three faults; being like a cup that is upside down, or
like a cup that has

holes in the base, or like a cup that is already filled with poison.
When the cup is

upside down, nothing can be poured into it. In the same way, if our
mind is closed,

we cannot absorb the teachings. When there is a hole in the cup, the
liquid runs

out. just so, if we do not contains poison, it will spoil any liquid
placed in it, no

matter how delicious. Just so, if we receive the teachings with desire,
anger, hatred,

etc., they cannot help us. So we must receive them with pure motivation.

The beneficial effects of attending the spiritual master

·  The bodhisattva who attains the spiritual master will not fall
into the lower

realms,

·  will not fall prey to non-virtuous friends and

·  will not turn back from the Mahayana teachings.

Such a person will pass beyond the ordinary human state. Soon he will
achieve

Buddhahood.

The root of attainments is the vajra master.

Developing faith in all his activities, holding his instructions as
valid,

and respectfully serving and attending him without hypocrisy is the
root of all Dharma.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

The seven pratimoksha vows

Before taking the Bodhisattva vow, it is essential to take one of the
seven

pratimoksha vows which are the foundation. For example, if you invite a
king to

your dwelling place, you must first clean it thoroughly and decorate.
Only then is it

fit for so distinguished a visitor. In the same way, to invite the king
known as

Bodhicitta our mind must be cleansed and free of harmful thoughts. Only
then can

one cultivate Bodhicitta. Among the seven vows there are two categories
including

those for householders and those for renunciates. The householder vows
are known

as upasaka and upasika vows and include the five basic disciplines: not
taking life

(especially that of humans), not lying (especially with regard to
spiritual life), not

stealing, not engaging in sexual misconduct, and not becoming
intoxicated.

Renunciates’ vows, which are built on upasaka discipline, include the
categories

known as Bhikshu, Bhikshuni, Siksamana, Sramanera, and Sramanerika. In
order to

achieve peace and harmony for oneself and others, these ethics must be
kept, for

without proper conduct it is impossible to achieve serenity, no matter
how hard we

try. A story told by the Buddha illustrates the importance of ethical
behavior:

In one of the Buddha’s previous lifetimes, in the forest of Kashika,
there lived four

noble beings – a bird, a monkey, a rabbit, and an elephant. The four,
who drank at

the same spring, soon became friends. One day they decided that it
would be

proper to show the greatest respect for the eldest among them. To
determine their

respective ages, each one recalled the height of a nearby nyagrota tree
when he had

first seen it. The elephant said, “I must be the oldest. I remember
that when I was

born the shadow of the tree fell across my body.” The monkey said, “I
must be the

older than the elephant. When I was born the tree had the same size as
me.” The

rabbit said, “I must be older than either of you. When I was born, the
seed of the

tree was just sprouting. I took a young leaf and ate it.” The bird
said, “I am older

than any of you. When I was born I ate the fruit of a tree south of
this spring. The

seed of the nyagrota tree passed through my body as waste. So I planted
it.” The

four then showed each other respect accordingly. The elephant placed
the bird on

the crown of his head, the rabbit on his neck, and the monkey on his
back. Then the

bird said, “Now we must keep the five basic disciplines throughout our
lives.” This

they did, and to insure that all other beings did the same, the bird
initiated all those

with wings, the elephant initiated all those with fangs, the rabbit
initiated all those

with paws, and the monkey initiated all those with fur. The peace that
then

pervaded the kingdom was so great that the king and his ministers felt
its effects

and began congratulating themselves. The king thought that it was his
wise

Dharma rule which was causing the kingdom to prosper; the queen thought
that

good fortune was due to the royal couple’s lack of sexual misconduct;
the princes

thought it was due to the respect they showed their parents; and the
subjects

thought that it was due to their obedience to the king. Because each
attributed the

kingdom’s prosperity to a different factor, a great dispute ensued. The
king

therefore summoned a great, clairvoyant master, who said, “The kingdom’s

prosperity is due to none of your efforts. In the Kashika forest live
four great beings

who keep the five disciplines and initiated their families into these
disciplines

Through their efforts, prosperity resulted. Because the king and his
subjects have

also kept these precepts, the kingdom has reaped the benefits of this
practice of the

Dharma. Any animals who have died have been reborn in the thirty-three
states of

the God realm.” Indra, king of the god realm, expressed his amazement
with the

following praise: “With respect and courteousness, enduring the
hardship of the

forests, through the moral behavior of the birds, all sentient beings
of the world are

firmly stabilized.” The Buddha then revealed that he was the bird in a
previous life,

while his attendant Ananda was the elephant, Shariputra was the rabbit,
and

Maugotlayaya was the monkey.

So if one wishes to be free of disease, mental distress and other
undesirable

conditions in this life and the next, one must keep these vows. The
person who

belongs to the Mahayana family and has taken refuge in the Three
Jewels, and who

observes any of the seven sections of the Pratimoksha vow, possesses the

foundation for cultivating Bodhicitta.

The root of the Buddha’s teachings is the morality of the vinaya.

Without this, even if you are called a practitioner, you are still a
samsaric person.

Therefore, guard your discipline as you would guard your eyes.

(from Jewel Treasury of Advice)

Bodhicitta

It is not enough to wish others loving-kindness and compassion; we must
have

methods for effecting this attitude. These methods are known as
absolute bodhicitta

and relative bodhicitta. Absolute bodhicitta is a special insight into
the pervading

nature of emptiness – mind which is clear, profound, indestructible,
and free from

elaboration and afflictive emotions. In Vajrayana system, this
realization is known

as Mahamudra. Mahamudra is a vast and complex subject, so one needs
great

purification and dedication to understand and, especially, to realize
it. Mahamudra

dispels all confusion and clear the mind, like the sky free from all
clouds, and lets us

see it as it is. Relative bohicitta consists of both the desire to
reach Enlightenment

for others, which is called aspiration bodhicitta, as well as taking
the practical steps

necessary to do it, which is called the action bodhicitta.

The supreme mind of bodhicitta is like an unspoiled seed.

Without it, it is impossible to achieve perfect Enlightenment.

Therefore, cherish the cultivation of the mind of mahayana.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

Aspiration bodhicitta

Having aspiration bodhicitta is that one eagerly wishes to achieve
Enlightenment

(or the search for the pure wisdom of the Buddha) for the benefit of
all sentient

beings without discrimination. Wherever there are beings, there are
afflicting

emotions and karma, and where these exist, there are different levels
of suffering.

So we must cultivate the determination to free all beings from these
sufferings.

There are four conditions for cultivating the mind of bodhicitta:

·  One should see the spiritual master as the Buddha himself :
Visualize in front of you a

jeweled throne supporting a lotus, sun and moon discs upon which seated
the

varja master in the state of Buddhahood. He is surrounded by the
lineage lamas,

and countless Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, yidams, and Dharma protectors.

Meditate that all are complete forms of wisdom and compassion.

·  One should take refuge in the Mahayana way : Take refuge in the
Mahayana way

means that one should take refuge until Enlightenment is achieved.

·  One should practice the four immeasurable attitudes : They are
loving-kindness,

compassion, joy for others’ peace and happiness and great equanimity.

· Loving-kindness is the desire that all sentient beings have happiness
and the causes

of happiness. The more you long for the happiness of all the beings,
the more you

feel no separation between them and yourself. All your body, speech and
mind will

form a field of loving-kindness towards all sentient beings. That means
that when

you act, you act sincerely. When you talk, you will use gentle words
and speak the

truth. When you think of others, you think of how of they might have
happiness

and peace. Thus all actions can be transformed into peace, into Dharma.

Loving-kindness is like a warrior victorious in battle.

In an instant, it annihilates all the hordes of maras without exception.

Meditate on all beings as your parents.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

· Compassion is the desire to free others from suffering and the causes
of

suffering. Compassion is the mind free from hatred. Flooded by
afflictive

emotions, beings create the cause of suffering. With the causes of
suffering,

there will surely be the results of suffering. Look at such causes and
the

immense sufferings as a result. Develop the compassionate wish that all
beings

as limitless as space be free from suffering and achieve Enlightenment,
the

ultimate peace.

Supreme compassion is like a skillful mother nurturing her child.

Abandoning comfort, it engages in the benefit of others.

Therefore, generate the courage of the altruistic thought.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

· Joy means to rejoice at others’ peace and happiness and hope that
they will

increase. Pride, envy, jealousy are the real enemies of love and
compassion,

since they blind us to others’ good qualities. Rejoicing at others’
happiness is the

antidote to those obscurations.

· Equanimity means feeling neither hatred for enemies nor attachment to
loved

ones, but instead, feeling love and compassion for all beings equally.
See all

sentient beings as your parents, children, relatives, and friends who
each bring

us the opportunity for Enlightenment.

·  One should make offerings to accumulate merits and wisdom, do
purification

practice and rejoice in others’ virtues. One should request that the
wheel of

teachings be turned, and that the master not enter nirvana until all
beings are

enlightened. One should dedicate all the merit of virtue.

· Offer all your possessions and those of others. The best offering is
one’s root virtue

and meditation practice, including the arising and completion processes.

· Concerning purification practices, purify of motivation is most
important. We

must also purify all non-virtuous actions which have arisen from
afflicting emotions

such as the five heavy negative karmas. The method of purification
exists through

four powers: remorse, the practice of the antidote, the avoidance of
evil, and

reliance.

a) Remorse means thinking of how one has uselessly created negative
karma, of

how it has engendered suffering, and of the importance of separating
oneself

from non-virtue. For example, if you eat poison unintentionally, you

immediately feel the need to cleanse yourself of it by any means. In
the same

way, we must at all costs rid ourselves of negative karma.

b) The practice of the antidote includes such meditation practices as
compassion,

wisdom, visualization and recitation of mantras, and especially the
practice of

Mahamudra.

c) The avoidance of evil means understanding that as negative action
will bring

immense suffering, one must absolutely avoid it.

d) The power of reliance includes taking refuge, cultivating bodhicitta
and taking

empowerments.

Even to practice one of these powers will help purify negative karma,
so if one

practices them all, one will definitely purify all negative karma.
Vajrasattva

meditation is one of the best methods of purification.

· Rejoicing in others’ virtues is the antidote to jealousy. Rejoice in
the Buddha’s

activities, which have established beings in the Enlightenment state,
as well as

rejoice in the virtuous actions of all others.

· By dedicating the merit, we bring together all virtues and great
qualities of

ourselves and others, and of the Buddhas of the Three Times, hoping
that by this

power all sentient beings will be freed of suffering and achieve
complete

Enlightenment.

The beneficial results of cultivating the aspiration path are

·  Entering into the Bodhisattva family, one receives the
Bodhisattva training that

cuts the root of non-virtuous action.

·  The seed of Enlightenment is planted within oneself.

·  One achieves limitless merit and wisdom.

·  One pleases all the Buddhas.

·  One benefits all beings.

·  One quickly achieves complete Enlightenment.

The practice of the aspiration path includes

·  Not abandoning any sentient beings

·  Recollecting the beneficial effects of bodhicitta

·  Meditating that bodhicitta is the seed of Enlightenment, the
wish-fulfilling gem,

and the shelter in which all can seek safely.

To develop the strength of bodhicitta, one should

·  Practice the two accumulations (merit and wisdom).

·  Practice the bodhicitta attitude constantly through
loving-kindness and

compassion.

·  Repeat the bodhisattva vow at least once a day.

·  Recollect the discipline.

·  Avoid the four negative actions and develop the four positive
actions. The four

negative actions are: lying to a spiritual master or other realized
beings, causing

regret or doubt in others’ virtuous actions unnecessarily, abusing other

bodhisattvas and deceiving other beings for one’s own profit. The four
positive

actions are not lying to master or to other realized beings even at the
risk of one’s

own life, establishing all sentient beings in virtuous Mahayana
behavior, seeing

all the bodhisattvas as the Buddha and making known their good qualities

everywhere and selflessly benefiting all beings with pure motivation.

Aspiration bodhicitta is like a traveler setting out on a journey.

Before long, he will arrive at Buddhahood.

Therefore, make a pure aspiration.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

The action bodhicitta

The action path is reached through the study and practice of the six
paramitas. The

word paramita comes from param, beyond the seashore, and ita, arrival
across the

ocean of samsara, and means the perfection of wisdom. It also implies
achieving the

state of Buddhahood and the method to do so. The six paramitas are:
generosity,

moral ethics, patience, perseverance, concentration and wisdom.

The bodhicitta of activity is like a well-built channel.

Through that, one can – without care – perfect the two accumulations.

Merit will continually arise.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

Generosity. The practice of generosity means to open our heart, to
share our

happiness with everyone by bestowing wealth, transmitting fearlessness,
and giving

Dharma teachings. Through generosity, we develop a strength of mind
that reaches

out to all beings. Without the practice of generosity, one suffers from
poverty and is

reborn in the hungry ghost realm. Whoever does not practice generosity
cannot

benefit others, and thus cannot achieve Buddhahood. By practicing
generosity, one

achieves all that is necessary, has a good life, and will not be reborn
in the hungry

ghost realm. Everyone wishes for peace and happiness, but without
wealth,

happiness is difficult. Such wealth comes through the practice of
generosity. With

this one can also benefit others and dispel their poverty. Those
practicing

generosity with the enlightened attitude have no difficulty achieving

Enlightenment, nor any need to protect their possessions. They become
fearless,

whereas those not practicing generosity have to protect their
possessions, always

fearing that others may rob them. This in turn gives rise to other
afflicting emotions

which create an obstacle to Enlightenment. The definition of generosity
is a mind

without clinging that renounces its own belongings. Milarepa once said:
the

practice of generosity is the best means for purifying stinginess,
attachment and

avarice. There are three types of generosity practice: generosity with
wealth, with

fearlessness and with prayers and Dharma teachings.

·  Generosity with wealth: There are many different level of this
practice, from

offering a drop of water to sacrificing one’s entire body. We can offer
incense

and flowers to all sentient beings in the six realms so that they may
become free

from suffering and connect to the mind of Enlightenment. Offer support
to

monks and nuns to allow them to continue and enhance their meditation

practices. A very advanced practice is giving one’s own body. This can
only be

performed by Buddhas and bodhisattvas who have attained the eighth,
ninth or

tenth bhumis. While ordinary people cannot do such practices
physically, yet

mentally we can do practices such as “Chöd – Cutting Through
Self-Cherishing.”

In it, we invite demons, local deities, ghosts, and all beings who
crave flesh and

others’ lives. Seeing their confusion and ignorance, we generate
feelings of

unconditional compassion for them. We then visualize giving our own
bodies to

these beings. Having appeased them with our offerings, we can give them

Dharma teachings. We can also make mental offering of this body to the

enlightened beings. It is important to offer with pure motivation. That
means

that whatever we offer, offer sincerely with respect, compassion and
devotion.

Dedicate the merit so that all beings become free from suffering and
attain

Enlightenment. Offer with impure motivation creates negative karma and
will

cause us to be reborn in the lower realms. So do not give something
which harm

others, or give for your own renown, or from jealousy. Therefore, avoid
giving

weapons or poison. Do not give to impure persons, as no benefit
results. Do not

give with anger or disrespect.

·  Generosity with fearlessness: Offer fearlessness and protection
to those in danger.

Give medicine to the sick, help those in danger of drowning, and
protect life in

general.

·  Generosity with prayers and Dharma teachings: The mantra “Om
Mani Padme

Hung” is so profound and so powerful that, even if we recite it in the
water and

that water flows into the river, blessings will reach the water beings.
hearing it,

they will be reborn in higher realms and eventually will escape
samsara. Giving

Dharma teachings means sharing your wisdom with those who are ignorant,

confused, and suffering; giving empowerments, explaining meditation
practices,

virtue, non-virtue, samsara, and Enlightenment. To be effective,
teachings must

be given by Buddhas and bodhisattvas with pure intentions and are not
made up

on one’s own through dreams or personal experiences. To teach others,
first it is

very important to establish oneself in the Dharma. One should study
diligently,

practice well, and experience realizations. Teaching Dharma is a matter
of

showing the true nature of samsara and Enlightenment, which is not easy.

When giving for the benefit of others, do so without attachment or
expectation of

result. By helping limitless beings achieve Buddhahood, your generosity
is

transformed into limitless qualities. If, in addition, you can exercise
generosity with

wisdom born of the non-dual state, you will experience the perfected
generosity

state. The result of generosity practice is that by giving wealth
without expectation,

one receives wealth, causes others to join in the Enlightenment state
and oneself

achieves Enlightenment. By giving food, one receives a healthy body; by
giving

clothes, one enjoys a good complexion; by giving light, one has clear
eyes; by giving

fearlessness, one resists the attacks of demons and evil spirits; by
giving teachings,

one will see the Buddha and purify obscurations.

The giving of generosity, free from attachment is like a farmer sowing
seeds.

It accomplishes our wishes and intentions without waste.

Discover the essence of your wealth.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

Moral Ethics. Moral ethics means avoiding all non-virtues, which are
the causes of

suffering, and cultivating the virtues which lead to happiness and
Enlightenment.

Without proper morality one cannot achieve a proper human or god state,
even if

one practices generosity. Nor can one meet with the teachings, any more
than blind

men can see form. One also cannot free oneself from samsara any more
than one

can walk without feet. Without the practice of morality, the path is
incomplete.

Those who engage in proper conduct will achieve an auspicious body free
from the

eight unfavorable conditions. Practicing proper conduct is the universal

foundation. Just as the ground enables trees to grow and supports
living beings, so

does morality act as the ground for all the great qualities of the
Buddha. When

one’s ethics are pure, one can achieve the virtues of samadhi
meditation, and can

realize all one’s wishes. Through proper ethical discipline there is no
difficulty in

achieving Enlightenment or meeting with Buddhas. This is the best
ornament we

can have, and the source of peace and happiness. All beings highly
revere those

having ethics. ‘The qualities of ethics are coolness and freshness,
free from the

bondage of afflicting emotions. There are three types of ethics:
binding non-virtue,

accumulating virtue and benefiting sentient beings. Mindfulness to
moral ethics

should be maintained all the times, 24 hours a day, throughout our
entire lifetime.

·  Binding morality: Binding non-virtue is the method for
maintaining one’s body,

speech and mind in the Dharma, not be allowed to cause harm and negative

karma. The seven Pratimoksha vows are included in this category, and
imply

the avoidance of all non-virtue thoughts and actions. According to
Shantideva,

there are eighteen root downfalls and 46 minor downfalls (refer to
Transformation

of Suffering for details) to avoid.

·  Accumulating virtue: This practice includes such as the
practice of ten-virtues,

practicing the six paramitas, reading Dharma texts, reciting mantra,

contemplating any of the teachings, practicing sincerely, serving the
sick and

aging, rejoicing in others’ virtues, practicing patience with those who
scorn us,

dedicating all our virtues towards achieving Enlightenment, purifying
our own

mistakes and developing compassion, loving-kindness, wisdom, stability
of

mind and discipline. All of these purify our obscurations, matures our
minds in

the Dharma and causes our study and realizations to progress. One must

practice, protect and increase the accumulation of virtue.

·  Benefiting sentient beings: The moral ethics of benefiting
sentient beings is based

on freedom from all self-cherishing. With a pure mind grounded in
Dharma,

one undertakes the four means of gathering disciples: discussing,
spending time

with them according to the Dharma and their wish, giving what is
needed, and

giving teachings according to Dharma. One’s actions should be in accord
with

the teachings in order to benefit sentient beings. We benefit sentient
beings

whenever and whatever we can according to our abilities without
expectation

nor attachment to wealth and fame. Attachment to wealth and fame are the

causes to anger, self-deceit, the destruction of virtue and
frustration. This

method for increasing ethics is the exercise of primordial wisdom and

dedication.

The result of the practice of morality is that one will achieve complete

Enlightenment, and even while in samsara one will obtain much
prosperity and a

perfect human body. One will be respected by all humans and non-humans.

The three kinds of morality are like a warrior’s sword.

They cut the bonds of the obscuring emotions.

You should possess recollection, decorum, awareness and consideration.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

Patience. The definition of patience is the feeling of calm and ease,
with great

compassion and undisturbed mind. Without patience anger arises easily
and will

destroy virtues accumulated through the practice of generosity and
ethics. In the

Bodhicharya Avatara it is said: “All the virtuous accumulations caused
by generosity

and service to the Buddha and others in thousands of kalpas can be
destroyed by

one act of hatred.” When there is hatred, it is like a bullet in the
body creating

unbearable pain, preventing peace, even keeping one from sleeping. When
a person

becomes angry, his relatives and friends suffer and avoid his company.
In him who

lacks patience, the obstacles of mara enter readily, preventing him
from achieving

Buddhahood. In brief, there is no peace and happiness when one is
angry. He who

has patience possesses the supreme root of virtue. In Bodhicharya
Avatara it is said:

“There is no heavier negative karma than that caused by hatred, there
is no harder

ascetic practice than that of patience.” Patience does not mean
becoming passive,

submissive, lazy or weak, but rather the perfection of patience is the
strengthening

of compassion and wisdom. Patience comes with stability of mind, the
mind free

from fear, working hard towards Enlightenment. Therefore, ensure the
practice of

patience by various methods. If one has patience, one will achieve all
happiness,

perfect the mind and achieve Enlightenment. There are three categories
of patience:

patience with those who harm us, patience with suffering, and patience
related to

the profound Dharma teachings.

·  Patience with those who harm us:

If someone accuses us, or tries to harm us physically and verbally,
generally creating

obstacles for ourselves and our relatives, we must practice patience.
This implies

not allowing the mind to become disturbed, not retaliating, and not
holding

resentment. Our enemies are the reflection of our own negative karma.
Thus

Atisha warned us, if you hate, how can you practice patience? Those who
harm us,

those who obstruct us, are those who blame or accuse us offer us a
chance to

practice patience, for which we should be grateful. Through this
practice, we get a

great opportunity to purify our negative karma and obscurations.
Through this

practice, we can develop merit and wisdom and build great strength of
mind.

Therefore, we should see our enemies as great teachers of patience.

Another way to practice is to recognize that the other person is not
free. For

example, if an angry person beats others with a stick, the pain is
caused by the stick,

not the person. So one should destroy the stick, realizing the stick
has no choice

because it was controlled solely by the person. Nor is the person free
because he

was in turn controlled by hatred and confusion. Therefore, one should
attempt to

neutralize the person’s hatred, rather than to react. We must also
consider the role

our own karma plays in events. The harm which we experience now is the
result of

our previous karma. That is, we must have committed a similar negative
action in a

previous life to be experiencing its fruits today. And this must be
accepted.

We should also observe the vulnerability within our own body. If we did
not have a

body, there would be nothing to become physically hurt. That ourselves
and others

have bodies constitutes a cause of suffering. Therefore we cannot blame
anyone

else for this fact.

We should observe the vulnerability within our own mind. The mind tries
to

protect the body in every way, not accepting the fact that everything is

impermanent and can easily be harmed. In fact, the person who causes us
harm

actually is our friend because he teaches us patience which purifies
negative karma,

strengthens our virtuous qualities, and leads us closer to
Enlightenment.

One can also practice patience by thinking: The person who has caused
me harm

must have been a parent, relative, or friend in a previous life. As he
has perhaps

endeared himself to me in the past, I should not react negatively.
Meditate also that

the person who harms you has the nature of impermanence and can die any
time.

Thus you should manifest great compassion for him. One can also
meditate on the

pain of these beings who experience the fruit of the three poisons. One
should

dispel these by cultivating the Enlightened mind, wishing to free all
beings from

suffering.

·  Patience with suffering:

When one works towards Enlightenment, one will face many hardship. One
should

practice patience by accepting suffering with a joyous mind. The life
stories of

great masters, Buddha, Milarepa, and others, show how brilliantly they
endure

hardships and suffering in order to purify the negative karmas, to
develop wisdom

and compassion, and to strengthen the physical conditions and mental
strength. It

is like undergoing surgery, treatment and so forth in order to heal the
suffering of a

virulent disease. Engaging in the Conduct of Bodhisattvas said: “Yet
the suffering

involved in my awakening will have a limit; it is like the suffering of
having an

incision made in order to remove and destroy greater pain.” By
practicing patience,

one gain victory in the battle of samsara; by annihilating the enemy of
afflicting

emotions, you are the real warrior. Buddha said that to seek out Dharma
we should

be prepared to walk through a field of knives or fire. This is not
saying that we

should gratuitously suffer, but rather it speaks to the level of
commitment that we

must make. We should contemplate that one day we will have to die, and
so

keeping that in mind, accept any situation as we focus one-pointedly on
Dharma.

·  Patience with the understanding of Dharma:

One should not be intolerant when one hears of the great qualities of
the Buddha

(infinite wisdom, the ten powers, four fearlessness, eighteen
unparalleled qualities

and others), Dharma and Sangha, but should patiently aspire to and
patiently

practice teachings such as all-pervading emptiness, Mahamudra,
selflessness, the

illusory body, and the limitless qualities of the Buddha. If
misunderstood, these

ideas can cause confusion and negative karmas. Patience will increase
through

primordial wisdom, discriminating awareness, and dedication. When one
practices

patience for the benefit of all beings, one becomes limitless. When one
practices

with emptiness and compassionate mind, one’s patience becomes pure.
Bodhisattva

Bhumis said: “If he depends on this vast and limitless patience to
produce the result

of Enlightenment, a bodhisattva will attain unsurpassable, perfect and
complete

Enlightenment.”

The armour of patience is like a protective suit.

It cannot be pierced by anger, and it will increase all one’s virtuous
qualities.

Through patience, one will attain a body adorned by the major and minor
marks.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

Perseverance. Perseverance means diligent and joyous effort towards
virtue.

Without perseverance, we fall into the error of laziness, are unable to
achieve virtue,

cannot benefit other beings and cannot achieve Enlightenment. If we have

perseverance, all the virtuous qualities will increase like the waxing
moon, and we

will receive the limitless treasure of the Buddha’s wisdom. The
mountain of ego is

crossed and Enlightenment is achieved quickly. Perseverance is an
antidote of

laziness. There are three kinds of laziness: laziness through
attachment to pleasure,

laziness of weakness, and the laziness of worldly activities.

·  Laziness through attachment to pleasure:

Attachment to pleasurable sensations includes fondness of rest, for the
objects of

this life, for social enjoyment, and for all pleasing states. One
should avoid these.

The Buddha once said to his monks: One is soon approaching death, when
the

activities of this life will end. Even the Buddha’s teaching will
decline. Therefore,

while you can, make all effort towards stable perseverance. If you
think you can

leave practice until the moment of death, it is then too late. One
cannot think of

teachings and meditation because of the suffering of the age and pain.
Therefore,

turn away from pleasure as you would from a snake who jumps on your
lap, or

from a spark threatening to ignite your hair. There is no more
important activity

than to work towards Enlightenment and to close the door to rebirth in
samsara.

·  Laziness of weakness:

It includes claiming that one is not sufficiently intelligent to
understand the

teachings, that one cannot work hard, and that all effort is futile.
One must avoid

these wrong views and encourage oneself to achieve Enlightenment. If
even small

insects achieve results through perseverance, it is possible for man to
achieve

Enlightenment. Meditate that as you are born into the human state and
understand

virtue and non-virtue, you can achieve Enlightenment by remaining on
the Path.

·  Laziness of worldly activities:

The direct causes of suffering in this life and the next arise from
putting all one’s

effort into subjugating enemies, being attached to non-virtuous wealth,
and exerting

all one’s effort for this life alone. So with an understanding of
impermanence and of

the essenceless nature of things, avoid the laziness of worldly
activities.

To overcome these three errors, we have to apply perseverance. There
are three

types of perseverance: the perseverance of armor, the perseverance of
action and the

perseverance of non-satisfaction.

1. Perseverance of armor:

Wearing the perseverance of the armor of the mind, determine that until
all sentient

beings achieve Enlightenment you will never abandon virtue. Do not
persevere for

a select few or for a limited number, but for all beings without
distinction. Reading

the life stories of Buddha, Milarepa, and other great masters and
seeing their

sacrifice for the sake of dharma, say to yourself, “If I cannot do
better, then I must do

at least as well as these great beings who survived such hardship. Here
I sit,

completely overpowered by afflictive emotions, why shouldn’t I work
harder than

they? I have the same opportunity as they did. And I am so lucky to
have this

precious human life, to have met authentic lamas who have blessed me
with

teachings. Since I now have a chance to study and practice, I will
sacrifice and

accept hardship, even at the risk of my life. I need to achieve
Enlightenment!” With

a courageous heart full of dedication and determination, we move
forward no

matter what the cost. This is our armor and now we can progress.

2. Perseverance of action:

Perseverance of action means purifying all afflicting emotions such as
desire and

anger. Cause all virtuous actions including the six Paramitas to
increase. These

should be practiced tirelessly, like a river that never stop flowing.
More confidently

toward virtuous action like a person drawn towards the sea in the heat.
Do not

become discouraged or shaken by afflicting emotions, conceptual
thoughts or

others’ obstacles. Make egoless effort. However much one progresses in
one’s

practice, the ego should not become involved. Persevere with the
thought of

benefiting all sentient beings, supporting them in their understanding
of the

teachings.

3. Persevance with non-satisfaction:

It means not being satisfied by small progress in virtue, but
continuing until

Enlightenment is achieved. Even one who works only for temporal peace
and

happiness is not satisfied, so how can one be satisfied when working
for absolute

peace and happiness? Persevering with wisdom, compassion and emptiness
in

order to benefit all beings, one’s perseverance becomes limitless, vast
and profound.

The great masters never rested on their achievements. As long as they
lived, they

dedicated their lives to Dharma. A boat may be seaworthy, but without
constant

rowing, it has no way to cross the ocean. Similarly, whether or not we
achieve

Enlightenment depends on perseverance. Without joyous effort and
diligence, even

though we may be intelligent, we will not achieve great results and
cross the ocean

of samsara. Whoever has great perseverance will be a great
practitioner. Whoever

lacks preseverance will achieve nothing.

The perseverance of bodhisattva acting with pure motivation will lead
him to

Buddhahood. Even on the way to Buddhahood, he will experience happiness
and

achieve the vast and great qualities of the Bodhisattvas.

Heartfelt recollection of the Dharma is like one’s hair, caught on fire.

Nothing is as important as that.

Therefore, don’t be lazy or attached to pleasure.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

Concentration. also known as samadhi means calm-abiding and virtuous
onepointedness

within the mind. Though one has the practice of generosity and others,

without samadhi, one’s mind is caught between the fangs of afflicting
emotions.

Nor is there calm and stability in the mind, and one will not achieve
the

clairvoyance without which one cannot benefit other beings. Without
samadhi one

cannot achieve the proper wisdom, hence Enlightenment. Whoever has the
quality

of samadhi can achieve all the phases of meditation, and will be free
of attachment

to the world. With proper samadhi and pure wisdom, one can dispel all
the

obscurations of the mind, see the true meaning of the teachings,
develop great

compassion, and establish all sentient beings in one of the three
Enlightenment

states. The opposite of samadhi, or dispersed thoughts, is caused by
afflicting

emotions like attachment to family, wealth, fame and others. These must
be

avoided. By being attached to such objects, one does not experience
mental peace,

freedom from samsara or Enlightenment. In proportion to one’s
attachment to

objects one experiences continual suffering, for one alternates between
the hope of

achieving these objects and the fear of losing them. To achieve the
quality of calmabiding,

enter into samadhi. To do so, examine the mind and see which emotions

are strongest, then apply the correct antidote.

The antidote to desire and attachment is concentration on the body’s
ugliness and

impermanence. The antidote to hatred is loving-kindness and compassion.
The

antidote to ignorance is meditation on interdependent arising. The
antidote to

jealousy is equalizing oneself and others. The antidote to pride is
exchanging one’s

situation with another’s. In general, the antidote to afflicting
emotions is the

meditation practice of watching the breath. Other meditations include
meditation

on the precious human life, the suffering of samsara and Tonglen
(sending and

receiving).

·  Ugliness of the body

If one is attached to this body, look at its nature: flesh, blood,
skin, bone, marrow,

bile, saliva, urine and stool. It has no essence to which to be
attached. Go to the

cemeteries and view the corpses, whether buried, eaten by vultures, or
cremated.

There is no permanent essence to them. The same is true with our own
body. In

fact, the body is the source of all filth. The clean food one puts in
one’s mouth exists

as filth which even oneself regards as unclean. Therefore, there is
nothing to which

to be attached. Should we not, instead, use this body to go towards
Enlightenment?

·  Impermanence

All conditioned phenomena, that is those that depend on causes and
circumstances,

are impermanent. This includes both animate and inanimate objects,
sentient beings

and their environment. A solid structure today can crumble into dust
tomorrow. In

particular, your own life is extremely fragile and can be lost very
easily. No one can

guarantee he will be alive tomorrow and when your time is up, no
friends, doctors,

medicine, money, wealth or fame can prevent your death. The only thing
that can

help is the practice of Dharma. If you have accumulated many virtuous
deeds

during your life, you can die in peace assured that as a result of your
white karma,

you will gain a fortunate rebirth.

Therefore do not be fooled into thinking that sensory pleasures can
bring you

lasting happiness. If you are attracted to beautiful sights, think how
the moth is

lured to his death by his enchantment with a flame. For sounds,
consider how a

duck is seduced by a hunter’s duck-call. Bees are attracted to the
smell of a Venus

fly-trap and flies to that of feces, only to drown in a toilet. Fish
are lured on to a

hook by their desire for the taste of a worm. Elephants, obsessed with
the physical

sensation of scratching themselves, are led by their tame brethren
between tow

thorny trees and thus are captured by trainers and taken into bondage.
By thinking

of these examples, turn your mind from concern for worldly pleasures.

Mediate every moment on impermanence or death, not just for its own
sake, but as

a motivation to study and practice Dharma, and to transform everything
into

Dharma. In this way, we can die with faith and confidence. Meditate so
that this

body, this heap of causes and conditions, will transform itself into a
deity’s body.

When we walk, that movement is impermanent, so walk towards the Dharma.

When we sit, that place is also impermanent, so transform it into a
pure land, a

Buddha-field. When we eat or drink, eat as if it were the food of
samadhi. Rank

and hierarchy are impermanent, so always stay low key. Words are
impermanent,

so recite mantras and prayers. Devotions and renunciations are
impermanent, so

always make a recommitment. These are some ways to recollect
impermanence

and to transform all phenomena into Dharma.

Loving kindness

First, look at the person you most dearly love, think how you wish to
give that

person happiness, and extend that wish to all sentient beings. Apply
the practice of

patience. In this way, one pacifies the angry mind. People harm us only
through

ignorance. If we retaliate, that will not help. So think: if we strive
for our own

peace and happiness, shouldn’t we make the same effort for others? When
others

have peace, happiness and success, we should rejoice and wish that
these good

things remain in their lives, in the short run as well as the long run.
Hatred and

attachment are the root of all suffering.

·  Interdependent arising

To remedy ignorance, to achieve clarity, to purify a mind which is
obscured by

afflictive emotions and which cannot discriminate between the nature of
samsara

and nirvana, requires making an effort. In this regard, one of the main
subjects to

understand is interdependent origination. This consists of two types:
outer

interdependent origination and inner interdependent origination.

a. Outer interdependent origination

All things arise from causes and conditions. From the seed comes the
seedling

and from the seedling, the sprout. From the sprout comes the stem, and
from

that the bud. From the bud comes the flower and from the flower comes
the

fruit which contains more seeds. Without a seed, there is no seedling;
without a

flower, no fruit. Whenever there is a seed, a seedling arises. When
there is a

flower, there comes the fruit. But the seed does not think, “I will
create the

seedling.” A seedling does not think, “I will create the sprout.” The
flower does

not think “I will create the fruit.” The fruit does not think, “I was
created by the

flower.” Yet given the necessary causes and conditions, each comes one
after the

other, and thus all are interdependent. Though the planets seem
independent

from one another, due to gravity, they exert a force on each other.
Thus they are

connected and not independent, as it may appear. Even making a simple
cup of

tea depends on many causes and conditions that may have originated
halfway

around the world. This is called outer interdependent origination.
Similarly, all

things which arise – trees, plants, grass – all depend on this kind of
cause and

effect.

This also depends on the conditions. Earth, water, fire, wind, space,
and time -

these conditions all have to be present or else the seed, the seedling,
and the

sprout will not grow. Earth cradles the seed, water moistens it, fire
(as heat and

light) matures it, wind gathers it, space gives it room to grow, and
time gives it

the dimension for change. Without the one, the others cannot exist; we
need the

support of all of these elements which cannot function individually.
Therefore,

anything that happens or appears depends on interdependent causes and

conditions. Nothing appears by virtue of one condition or by one cause,
or

without a cause, or with an incomplete or wrong cause. All the
necessary causes

and conditions are what brings about the result. In the same way that
these

outer phenomena are interdependent, all our mental activities – joy,
happiness,

suffering – depend upon causes and conditions.

b. Inner interdependent origination

Buddha said that when “that” is there, “this” appears. Because of the
presence of

one thing, the next thing will come. Ignorance brings about mental
formations

and that brings about endless illusion. When there is birth, there is
aging and

death. Thus the wheel of samsara turns without ceasing. These are the
twelve

interdependent links, which cause us to wander in samsara constantly.

1. Ignorance, the basis of all confusion.

2. Karma; mental formation.

3. Consciousness; all habitual tendencies are based on this.

4. Name and form.

5. Six senses and the increasing field.

6. Consciousness contacting objects.

7. Feelings of joy, suffering and neutrality.

8. Attachment.

9. Grasping and clinging.

10. Becoming.

11. Birth.

12. Aging and death, and with these suffering, lamentation grief,
disturbed

mind, etc. due to ignorance.

The following small commentaries further address the twelve
interdependent links.

Ignorance causes mental formation which is ignorant of the past and
future,

ignorant inside, ignorant outside, ignorant of karma, ignorant of
result, and

ignorant of the nature of the Buddha, the Dharma teachings, and the
Sanghas.

Ignorance is darkness which blinds us to the nature of phenomena and
give rise to

discursive thoughts. And discursive thoughts reinforce mental
formation. There

are three different types of mental formation: formation of the body,
speech and

mind. This means that with body, speech and mind, we create karma.
Because

mental formation brings about consciousness, karma follows.

Of consciousness, there are six different types: consciousness of the
eye, ear, nose,

tongue, body and mind. From the continuity of consciousness comes the
form of

the body and its name. When a child is conceived in his mother’s womb,
there arise

five skandhas – the first is called form, and the remaining four are
called feeling,

formation, perception and consciousness. Form refers to the four
elements – water,

earth, wind, and fire – and all things created by the four elements.
Form and

formation together are called the name of formation. Through the
interdependence

of name and form arises the increasing field. There are six increasing
fields: the

increasing field of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and consciousness.
From the six

increasing fields come contact, of which there are six different types:
contact related

to the objects perceived by the eye, objects perceived by the ear,
nose, tongue, body

and consciousness. The eye contacts form, the ear contacts sound, the
nose contacts

touch, and the consciousness contacts (apprehends) phenomena.

From the interdependence of touch arises feeling. There are three kinds
of feeling:

joy / pleasure, pain / suffering, and neutral states. From feeling
comes the

attachment of the desire world, the form world, and the formless world.
From

attachment comes the craving to bring what we want closer to us and
make it more

permanent; this results in grasping. Attachment and ignorance are the
most

difficult to purify. While anger is more harmful and destructive, it is
easier to get

rid of. There are different types of grasping: the grasping of desire,
of view (of

different philosophies or religions), of moral ethics, and of the self.
From grasping

arises existence or becoming: the existence of desire, of form, and of
the formless.

Existence itself means karma-cause. since we commit so many physical,
verbal, and

mental actions, in the space of just a few seconds, we create limitless
karma which

will result in rebirth.

Birth is our appearance in this world, and as soon as we appear, we
begin to age.

Each moment, we get older and older, and eventually our hair starts to
fall out, our

face wrinkles, our body becomes crooked and bent. With aging comes
death, decay,

and the transmigration to a different stage – the end of life, heat,
and breath. (Aging

and death count as one aspect of inner interdependent origination.) Our
birth,

aging and death, in fact all unpleasant experiences, are thus not
independent

events. Once we realize this, we can dispel ignorance and grasping. By
dispelling

the illusion that a given phenomenon is one solid thing, we will no
longer create

mental formations. Without formation, there is no continuity of
consciousness or

birth, and without birth, there is no aging and death. These are the
interdependent

origination of both samsara and nirvana. Samsaric interdependent
origination

arises from ignorance and yields birth and death. Nirvana is the
reverse: when you

dispel ignorance, you reverse the interdependence of samsara. You cease
mental

formation. You are free from samsara and have attained nirvana, the
cessation of

suffering.

·  Equalizing oneself and others

Envy and jealousy disturb mind, making it scurry in all directions.
Resentment -

holding grudge or wishing bad luck on another – create a lot of
negative karma.

Meditate that as oneself wishes peace and happiness and shuns
suffering, so do

others. Therefore, everyone has the right to achieve their own temporal
and

absolute peace. In this way, one calms the mind of jealousy.

·  Exchanging one’s situation with another’s

Because of self-cherishing, all beings in samsara experience limitless
suffering;

because of cherishing others, all the Buddhas of the three times achieve

Buddhahood. So realize that cherishing self is the source of suffering
and that

cherishing others is the source of great qualities. Thus, one releases
one’s ego and

pride, and practices walking in another’s shoes. In this way, one
eliminates

ignorance.

Self-grasping and wrong desire are like crops destroyed by a frost.

If the Dharma, which is meant to tame the mind, becomes a cause of
arrogance,

the root of virtue is cut.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

When we get sick or fall on hard times, instead of struggling or
fighting, we

should practice the bodhisattva way, saying, “May I substitute my small

suffering for that of all beings.” Meditate that their suffering may be
purified by

our own experience. When we have happiness and peace, say “May all
beings

have my own favorable conditions.” so we make effort to practice not
hating

suffering and not being attached to happiness. In this way, we may
become free

from both.

The following is one of the most well-known verses practiced by many
great

bodhisattvas, through which they received excellent results of
cultivating

bodhicitta. This is a special method to free ourselves from hope and
fear, so that

we can transmute suffering into the path of Enlightenment.

Ho! If I am supposed to get sick, let me get sick, and I’ll be happy.

May this sickness purify my negative karma and the sickness of all
sentient beings.

If I am supposed to be healed, let all my sickness and confusion be
healed, and I’ll be happy.

May all sentient beings be healed and filled with happiness.

If I am supposed to die, let me die, and I’ll be happy.

May all the delusion and the causes of suffering of sentient beings die.

If I am supposed to live a long life, let me live a long live, and I’ll
be happy.

May my life be meaningful in service to sentient beings.

If my life is to be cut short, let it be cut short, and I’ll be happy.

May I and all others be free from attachment and aversion.

·  Watching the breath

When meditating, maintain the seven proper body postures of the Buddha

Vairocana. These are: the legs in lotus position; the spine straight;
the chest

expanded; the hands on the lap in repose, palms upward; the head
slightly inclined

downward; the teeth and lips closed but relaxed; the eyes gazing
downward the

distance of two or three feet. When body and mind relaxed, breath in
and out

through the nostrils and count breaths. Count each
inhalation-exhalation as one. Be

aware and mindful for this is the pillar of meditation. Mindfulness
means not

forgetting meditation technique. Lord Jigten Sumgon had said: The
highway of the

Buddhas of the three times is mindfulness without disturbance. Without
this, there

can be no Enlightenment. One should count the breath from one to five,
then one to

fifteen, then one to twenty-one. If the counting is disturbed by any
other thoughts,

start anew. Having achieved stability through this meditation, follow
the breath out

from the nostrils to the navel level, and in from the nostrils to the
navel. When this

meditation is disturbed, bring the mind back to watching the breath. By
these

different methods, exercise bringing your mind into a calm, stable
state.

·  The suffering of samsara

Samsara means “to circle”, in other words to revolve continually
through the cycle of

birth, sickness, old age, death, then rebirth, sickness and so forth.
It is propelled and

perpetuated by ignorance and its mechanism described by the twelve
links of

interdependent origination. There are four methods of being born,
namely from a

womb, an egg, heat and moisture and by miraculous transformation. These
bring

you into one of the six rebirth states as a hell creature, hungry
ghost, human, antigod

or god. the first five are in the desire realm and the gods span all
the three

realms: the desire, form and formless. But no matter where and how you
are

reborn, there is only suffering. There are three types of suffering.
The first is the

obvious pain of sickness, old age and so forth. The suffering of change
comes from

seemingly pleasant things such as delicious food which can turn into an
upset

stomach. All-pervasive suffering appears neutral or unobvious to
ordinary beings,

like the sensation of a piece of hair on your palm but is as sharp as a
hair in your eye

to Aryas with bare perception of Voidness. It is the suffering inherent
in the fact of

being born with contaminated aggregates which by their very nature are
like a

magnet attracting sickness, old age and death.

Meditate on all these disadvantages of samsara, you should develop
renunciation or

the state of mind that wishes to be completely free of all suffering.
In addition to

renunciation, you must develop an enlightened motive of bodhicitta.
Seeing that all

beings experience the sufferings of samsara and wish as you do for
release from its

bondage and tot attain ultimate happiness, you should strive to attain
Buddhahood

in order to liberate both yourself and others. This motive gives the
realisation of

Voidness the added force that will bring you Enlightenment.

·  Tong Len

Tong is the Tibetan word for releasing all afflictive emotions,
obscurations, and

attachment to self-cherishing and positive thoughts. If also means
giving your good

qualities, like love and compassion. Len means receiving all virtuous
qualities,

including bodhicitta. There are several different methods for
practicing Tong Len.

Sit comfortably and clearly visualize your own kind mother. Say to
yourself, “My

mother gave me this precious human life, thanks to which I now can
study and

practice Dharma. For limitless lifetimes up until now, all the sentient
beings who

have been my mother have loved me and protected me. How can I repay such

kindness? She, along with all sentient beings, are wandering in the six
realms of

samsara and need protection. Like a mother bear who would steal or kill
to protect

her cubs, all those mother sentient beings created negative karma
protecting me,

and because of that they are suffering.” Then meditate like this:
breathe out and in,

thinking, “I will take their sorrow into my heart for the sake of all
kind mothers.”

Breathe out and in, thinking, “They are free from suffering and they
rejoice.” Now

let all their suffering dissolve into emptiness and meditate for a few
moments.

Another technique is to offer, without expectations, every aspect of
body, speech,

mind, wealth, and root of virtue. Meditate that beings receive them and
rejoice.

Meditate that your body transforms into an infinite wish-fulfilling
jewel to offer to

all mother sentient beings, thereby purifying their desire, ignorance,
hatred, anger

and pride. Say, “This, my body, wealth, and life, now becomes a
medicine tree

which heals all suffering.” Mother Earth is the impartial base for all
sentient beings

no matter who they are. Everyone gets the same benefit: the earth does
not

discriminate, because without Mother Earth, nobody can survive.
Similarly, we

should treat all sentient beings impartially from a base of
loving-kindness and

compassion, and not discriminate against anyone. When we observe things,

whether beautiful or ugly, the reason we feel attachment or aversion is
because we

are ordinary persons. But the bodhisattva meditates on all sentient
beings as his

own mother, saying, “May I feel great compassion for all beings; may my
anger and

hatred be substituted for theirs. May they be free from anger and
hatred.” This is

another way of sending and receiving.

We should also practice releasing anger, hatred, desire, ignorance and
receiving

loving-kindness, compassion and bodhicitta. As a result, our minds
become

increasingly clear and calm. The bodhisattva transforms all suffering
and turmoil

into Enlightenment. Meditate like this, “Here is the result of what
I’ve created over

many lifetimes. For those who don’t know Dharma, misery obstructs their
peace

and happiness. But for followers of the precious Dharma, there’s a
special way to

transcend suffering. For me, a practitioner, these sorrows are actually
a blessing of

the Triple Gem because now I have the means to transform suffering into

Enlightenment. The ego I have in my heart, the ego hurt by trouble and
bad luck,

the ego I protect by self-grasping – this is the real enemy. Whatever
turmoil and

sorrow exist in this world comes from self-grasping, so why I should
cherish this

demon?” Consider that, paradoxically, the self we grasp does not even
exist. Like

everything else, it is temporary, momentary, relative. It has no
independent entity,

no inherent existence. Meditate in this way: “In the past, I thought
everything was

permanent, but this was clearly a mistake. I will let go of all this.
All enlightened

ones, all sentient beings, please come to support me in releasing my
selfishness.”

We think of this body as the foundation of self and are therefore so
attached that, to

protect it, we deceive, we steal, we even kill. All the sufferings of
samsara,

particularly rebirth in the lower realms, are caused by self-grasping
and ignorance.

Over limitless lifetimes, all our efforts have brought suffering.
self-cherishing has

never gotten us out of samsara. Instead, it is like a big chain which
binds us to it.

To release self-grasping, to see sentient beings as oneself – this is
the essence of

Buddha’s teachings. The more we can release, the more peace and
happiness we’ll

receive, even though we aren’t expecting it. If we see self-grasping as
the enemy,

then when trouble and bad luck come, this very misery will be our ally
against

samsara. We can then rejoice instead of suffer.

As for those who harm or obstruct you, just meditate that they have
been your

parents over many lifetimes, that they helped you so much out of love
and

compassion. See them as your parents over many lifetimes, that they
helped you so

much out of love and compassion. See them as your own heart. Think to
yourself,

“I have a responsibility to dispel their ignorance and confusion, not
to make them

suffer. So when they cause me pain, they are only creating negative
karma, for

which they’ll suffer in the future. If I retaliate, I’ll be harming
myself and them.” If

you cannot let go of the ego, then you’ll have neither peace nor
happiness. Any

kind of suffering – from being tortured in the hell realm to getting
sick in the human

realm – is an opportunity to practice patience. Say to yourself, “This
is a way to

purify my negative karma. May I take the suffering of others on
myself.” Then,

from the bottom of your heart, dedicate your own peace and happiness to
others.

There are three different types of samadhi: the samadhi of relaxing,
the samadhi of

establishing the qualities, and the samadhi of benefiting sentient
beings.

·  The samadhi of relaxing

When one achieves the virtuous one-pointed mind, one is free of
depression, stress

and neurosis, and both body and mind avoid negative actions, are fully
tamed, and

achieve the supreme peace free of all afflicting emotions. One is
unattached to all

worldly activities, the mind is not dependent on outer phenomena, and
one fully

enjoys the samadhi of relaxing.

·  The samadhi of establishing the qualities

Achieving the samadhi of relaxing is just the beginning, one may still
stuck unless

one realizes the selflessness and limitlessness of all existence. It is
with this special

insight that one can achieve samadhi bliss, infinite compassion and
wisdom. The

supreme qualities of the Shravakas, Pratyeka Buddhas and Buddhas,
especially

limitless compassion and wisdom, are achieved through the samadhi of
establishing

the qualities.

·  The samadhi of benefiting sentient beings

With great qualities of bliss, infinite compassion and wisdom, one can
benefit

infinite sentient beings, and through understanding others’ mind, one
can give

teachings without any difficulties. The samadhi of benefiting all
sentient beings

includes fulfilling the wishes of the sentient beings according to
Dharma that they

might be freed of suffering, showing the Path, protecting them from
fear, and

inspiring them to achieve Enlightenment by calm abiding (the stability
of mind

achieved by the proper samadhi) and special insight (the complete
recognition of

the state of the nature of mind on the basis of the stability of the
mind)

We are all suffering unnecessarily. But if we can only recognize
samsara for what it

is, we can achieve tranquility based on virtue, and then, by developing
the four

stages of samadhi, we can progress into the four stages of the form
world and the

inner absorption state. Then as we progress, we find four formless
stages; infinite

space, consciousness, nothing whatsoever and neither consciousness nor
nonconsciousness.

With the support of meditative concentration, we get the best

chance to minimize our obscurations and eventually uproot all of them.

Meditation equipoise is like a glorious palace.

One can abide there in peace and joy and can rest there from samsara.

Practice samadhi without wandering mind.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

Wisdom. Even if one practices the first five paramitas, one will not be
free from

samsara without the perfection of wisdom. One is like a blind man who
cannot

reach his destination without being led. Wisdom leads the five other
paramitas on

the path to Enlightenment. Some remark that for this reason wisdom
alone may be

enough. But in fact, all the paramitas are necessary. Without wisdom,
one cannot

be freed from samsara, but without method (the other paramitas), one
will fall into

Shravaka nirvana, and will not achieve complete Buddhahood. These are
like the

two wings of a bird. To the extent that one has progressed in the first
five

paramitas, one’s wisdom increases; to the extent that one has
progressed in wisdom,

one improves the practice of the first five paramitas. Wisdom sees all
phenomena

without error.

There are three types of wisdom: hearing wisdom, understanding wisdom,
and the

wisdom of practice of meditation. These are also called the wisdom of

understanding the relative phenomena (common knowledge), the wisdom of

ultimate meaning (primary beyond samsara)and the wisdom of
understanding the

realization of non-duality (beyond samsara and nirvana).

The signs of common knowledge are healing, logic (reasoning), sound
(language),

art and construction. The signs of the realization of the primary
beyond samsara are

the wisdom of the Shravaka and Pratyeka Buddhas’ meditation, or the
realization of

the nature of the skandhas (uncleanliness, suffering, impermanence and

selflessness). The great wisdom of realization beyond samsara and
nirvana is the

wisdom of hearing, understanding and meditation practice of the Great
Vehicle. It

is also the realization of the all-pervading emptiness, free from the
boundaries of all

conceptual thoughts. (A brief explanation will be given in the
Mahamudra section).

Discriminating awareness is like a clear-seeing eye.

It can distinguish all dharmas without mistake.

It is the lamp on the path to liberation.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

Vajrayana practices

On the basis of the six paramitas, there exists the Vajrayana vehicle,
a great skillful

means for accomplishing these practices and seeing the Buddha nature
directly,

with little effort and in a short period. This is also called the path
of the

transformation. Through the empowerment of the yidam deities, we
identify and

become one with the yidam itself so that the ordinary vision of the
mind is purified.

The yidam is the individual’s special deity or guide, inseparable from
himself, and

taking him to Enlightenment. So when we visualize certain Enlightenment
deities,

we are not simply imagining them or indulging in wishful thinking;
rather we are

realizing what already exists within. This is the method for fully
awakening the

mind and achieving complete Buddhahood.

Concerning visualization, some people say that it is impossible to
bring the picture

into the mind. This is because we are far from “reality” and are not
used to this kind

of practices. However, if we practice, it is not impossible. A monk who
had to work

for hours to establish the visualization, through perseverance made his
mind stable

and clear, so that after several years, he could perform the meditation
easily.

Therefore, it is only a matter of time and effort. Because the mind is
not easily

tamed, many great masters who achieve higher states spend their
lifetimes in

solitary retreat. Those who seriously desire to be freed of suffering
must direct all

their energy and capacity toward these practices, especially the Six
Yogas of Naropa

which are the distilled essence of the tantra teachings.

Further, visualizations go beyond cultures, varying in their clarity
only according to

the purity of the individual’s mind. When we do this type of
meditation, it is

important to have calm and purity in the mind. Calm refers to mental
stability, and

purity to wisdom visualized not as material substance, but as
transparent,

inseparable from emptiness, and free from afflicting emotions. When one
practices

the Vajrayana meditation, it is important to receive the empowerment,
lineage

transmissions and explanation of the meditation.

The supreme vajra vehicle is like the lord of elephants.

In an instant, without difficulty, it brings complete Enlightenment.

It is the essence of the teachings.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

Guru Yoga

The Buddha achieved complete Enlightenment, which has the nature of
infinite

wisdom and compassion. To benefit all sentient beings and establish
them in

Enlightenment, he manifests in many different forms depending on their
levels of

understanding and their state of mind. There are four basic bodies of
the Buddha.

These are: Nirmanakaya (emanation body); Sanbhogakaya (enjoyment body);

Dharmakaya (truth body); and Svabhavikakaya (the natural body, or union
of all

three bodies). One’s root guru should be seen as the embodiment of the
four kayas.

In vajrayana practice, this is of paramount importance. It is said in
the teachings

that if you see your root guru as an ordinary person, you will not
achieve any

qualities, but if you see him as a bodhisattva, you may accomplish
something. And

if you see the guru as Vajradhara, you will achieve that state. The
four kayas of

Guru Yoga are a method for viewing one’s teacher and becoming
inseparable from

him. Although the Buddha’s teaching exists, one cannot understand
teachings and

the various ways of practicing without the guidance of a qualified
teacher.

Therefore, a teacher is a being who causes you to see how to achieve
Enlightenment.

The root lama is like a wish-fulfilling jewel.

He is the source of all good qualities.

Therefore, attend him with flawless respect.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

Mahamudra, the Great Seal

All samsara and nirvana are not beyond mahamudra. Mahamudra is a method
of

realizing the true nature of all things. Since our mind is deluded by
confusion and

ignorance, we see only the superficial aspect of things. We are
confused and suffer

through both expectation and fear. All these outer phenomena are part
of the mind.

Through the study and practice of Mahamudra, we realize that all
phenomena are

illusion and that what we see is a projection of our own mind. Thus, it
is possible to

achieve the absolute state of peace.

The basic cause of confusion and all other errors in samsara is
ignorance. Ignorance

gives rise to the two selves: the self of the person, and the self of
phenomena. The

self of the person is expressed as the thought “I” and “mine”. We are
attached to that

self and therefore resent the existence of other beings. This, in turn,
creates afflicting

emotions which cause negative karma. And all negative karma is
responsible for

samsaric suffering. From whence does this self come? Does it exist in
one’s body,

mind or name? The body is composed of four elements – the solid form
coming

from the earth element, the bodily fluids from the water element, the
body heat

from the fire element, and the breath from the wind element. These
elements are

the same as those found in outer phenomena, and just as the latter have
no self,

neither have the former. So does the self exist in the mind? No one has
seen the

mind, for it has no color, shape, or size. Therefore, the self does not
exist in the

mind. Does the self exist in a name? One’s name is merely temporary and
does not

exist materially. Therefore, the self does not exist in a name.
Regarding the self of

phenomena, some say that phenomena exist inherently. but if we reduce

phenomena to the smallest particles, we find that they do not exist
independently.

Since phenomena have no existence, therefore, how can the self exist?
by analyzing

the self in this way, we can eliminate ignorance and confusion, and
develop pure

wisdom and compassion towards all sentient beings.

To practice the Mahamudra, it is important to have done the preliminary
and

purification meditation practices, and to have a mind that is calm and
clear. Then,

one must attain a qualified spiritual master. When one achieves inner
wisdom, one

is free of both attachment and fear. Those who progress in the practice
of wisdom

have the awareness of virtue, thus eliminating afflicting emotions and
developing

strength of mind. Indeed, the mind becomes as stable as a mountain, as
deep as an

ocean, and as vast as space. One is thereafter detached from samsaric
life, is

inclined wholly toward meditation practice, and enjoys true peace and
happiness!

Dedication of Merit

Whatever benefits we derive from study and practice should be shared so
that all

sentient beings attain Enlightenment. Just as a drop of water, if
thrown in the ocean,

will merge with the whole and not dry out unless the ocean does, so
will our

achievements, if dedicated to all beings, merge with all and not be
lost until one

attains Enlightenment. Therefore any practice we do should include
bodhicitta,

yidam practice, guru yoga, Mahamudra and the dedication of merit.

Mahayana dedication is like a well-guarded treasure.

It bears fruit each day until Enlightenment is won.

It accomplishes the benefit of oneself and others.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

The Five Paths

When cultivating bodhicitta and progressing through study and practice,
one

crosses the following five paths: the path of accumulation; the path of
preparation;

the path of special insight; the path of meditation and the path of
complete

perfection.

·  The path of accumulation

One who cultivate bodhicitta and receives teachings from a spirtual
mater in order

to achieve wisdom gains the accumulations of merit and wisdom and is on
the path

of accumulation. While on this path, the practitioner focuses on the
four

mindfulness, the four abandonment, and the four feet of miraculous. The
four

mindfulness are those of body, feelings, mind and phenomena. The four

abandonment are those of avoiding non-virtue, not allowing non-virtue
which have

already arisen, and progressing in those virtues which have already
arisen. The

four feet of the miraculous are the samadhi of aspiration, the samadhi
of

perseverance, the samadhi of the mind and the samadhi of analysis. With
these

practices the taste of the experience increases.

·  The path of preparation

When one has progressed in the practice of the path of accumulation, a
heap of

wisdom results and one arrives on the path of preparation for seeing
wisdom

directly. While on this path, the practitioner focuses on the five
powers and the five

extraordinary powers. The five powers are confidence, perseverance,
mindfulness,

samadhi and wisdom. They are called powers because they can defeat the
afflicting

emotions. The five extraordinary powers are the same, but developed to
a higher

degree.

·  The path of special insight

When one has actualized the realization of the four noble truths, one
arrives on the

path of special insight and sees the nature of selflessness directly.
While on this

path, the practitioner focuses on the seven branches of Enlightenment:
perfect

mindfulness, perfect discrimination, perfect perseverance, perfect joy,
perfect

training, perfect samadhi, perfect equanimity. In this state, the being
experiences

great joy because he is drawing close to Buddhahood, can benefit more
beings, and

has purified basic ignorance.

·  The two meditation path

The path of meditation practice includes the samsaric meditation path
and the

beyond-samsara meditation path. Without special insight wisdom, one who

concentrates one-pointedly is on the ordinary meditation path. Through
the

samsaric meditation path, the afflicting emotions are calmed (though
not uprooted),

thus enabling one to develop such mental qualities as the four
limitless thoughts.

The path also establishes the basis for achieving the beyond-samsara
meditation

path. On the beyond-samsara meditation path, one attains the
calm-abiding and

special insight wisdom, and practices perfecting the truth which been
seen on the

path of special insight. One also practices the eightfold noble path
which includes:

right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right
livelihood, right effort,

right mindfulness and right samadhi. In the meditation path,
bodhisattvas perfect

the ten levels (bhumis) through the study and practice of the six
paramitas. Those

who have attained these levels have the quality of having realized and
understood

the vast and profound teachings.

·  The path of perfection

When one has perfected the practice of the beyond-samsara meditation
path, one

attains Buddhahood and one’s meditation is free of obstacles, samsaric
actions and

obscurations. The mind, having become completely stable, cannot be
moved by

conceptual thoughts. One experiences the one taste of all the Buddha’s
wisdom

which pervades the suchness of phenomena. In this state, one ceases the
complete

cause of suffering, and for this reason no longer experience its
effects. Because there

is no more to learn and practice, one enters into the state of
beyond-samsara and

beyond-virvana called the Path of Complete Perfection. At this times,
the

enlightened being experiences the ten dharmas of no-more-learning.
These are: nomore-

learning of right view, no-more-learning of right thought,
no-more-learning of

right speech, no-more-learning of right action, no-more-learning of
right livelihood,

no-more-learning of right effort, no-more-learning of right
mindfulness, no-morelearning

of right samadhi, no-more-learning of complete wisdom and
no-morelearning

of perfect wisdom. At this time, one achieves the limitless qualities
of the

Buddha – the four kayas, the four fearlessness, the ten powers, the
eighteen

unsurpassed qualities and so on. When one attains Buddhahood, there are
no

conceptual thoughts or efforts. Without conceptual thoughts or efforts,
Buddha’s

body, speech and mind manifest benefit for sentient beings
spontaneously and

unceasingly.

The ten bhumis and five paths are like climbing a staircase.

Because of complete causes and conditions, one can gradually progress.

One should maintain the activity of a bodhisattva.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

When we study and practice the Dharma, we cannot expect that we will

immediately be rid of all suffering, rather, we must learn to confront
problems

directly and in a positive way, and work to reduce the cause of
suffering. To the

extent that we depend on phenomena outside the mind, we develop
attachment

and fear. Thus, to attain fearlessness and joy, we must stabilize the
mind

through the practice of wisdom and compassion.

Not taking the teachings to the heart through practice is like the
sound of an echo.

It is empty and without meaning.

Therefore, apply your mind to the dharma.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

Bringing everything to the path is like the medicine of the Youthful
Healer.

Even harmful beings do not exist apart from one’s mind.

Release, without grasping, whatever arises.

This is my heart’s advice.

(from the Jewel Treasury of Advice)

_____

Dedication

May the power of virtue of the roots of goodness reach all places, just
as reality

extends everywhere without exception, reaching all things, all worlds,
all living

beings, all lands, all phenomena, all space, all time, all that is
compounded and

uncompounded, all speech and sound; May these roots of goodness in the
same

way reach the abodes of all enlightened ones, and be as offerings to
all those

Buddhas, fully adorned, and the present Buddhas, their lands, sites of

Enlightenment, and congregations, filling all realms throughout the
entirety of

space.

_____

Ratnashri Meditation Center: Friggavägen 11, 181 32 Lidingö, SWEDEN

Email: ratnashri@swipnet.se

Fundamental teachings Ven. Khenchen Konchog Gyaltsen Rinpoche

55 Drikung Kagyu

Telephone / Fax: +46 8 765 5878

Website: <http://home.swipnet.se/ratnashri>