Direct instructions on practice explained in a manner easy to
understand called Extracting the Very Essence of
Accomplishment
I go for refuge and bow with devotion at the feet of my
incomparably kind, glorious sublime lama.
Grant your blessings to my followers and me that the
profound path’s flawless realization arises swiftly in our
mindstreams, and that we may then reach the unassailable state in
this very life.
In this text I present essential advice for solitary meditation
practice in an easily accessible way. My words will place direct
instructions for the practice of the innermost secret Great
Perfection in the palm of the hands of fortunate individuals. Their
previous lifetimes’ positive aspirations and pure karmic propensity
have led them to feel heartfelt trust in the teaching of the
profound, secret Great Perfection, and in the lama who reveals it;
and they wish to take their practice to completion. For them, this
text will provide an open gate to the path of Great Perfection.
This can be understood through three general topics:
1. Preparation
How to purify your mindstream: direct your mind toward the
teachings after having severed all ties of attachment.
2. Main Practice
How to directly cultivate the experience of Great Perfection:
resolve any misconceptions regarding the view, meditation and
conduct.
3. Post-meditation
How to keep your vows and samayas, and how to include all
activities of this life within the dharma.
Now I will say a little about the first topic. That which is
called mind—this so very vivid awareness—appears from the very
beginning at the same time as Buddha Always Noble, (Kuntu
Zangpo).
Nevertheless, Buddha Always Noble knew this awareness as his
own. Alas! Sentient beings endlessly wander in samsara because they
do not recognize this, taking rebirth in countless forms of the six
types of beings. Everything they have done has been
meaningless.
Now, one time out of hundreds you have obtained a human form. If
you do not do what you can now to avoid rebirth in the lower
realms, your place of rebirth might be unknown, but wherever it
might be among the six classes of beings, suffering will be its
only sure feature.
It is not enough to have just obtained this human form. You must
at once practice the authentic Buddhist path since the time of your
death is unpredictable. Furthermore, at death you should have no
regrets and should not be ashamed of yourself, like Jetsun
Milarepa.
In my, Milarepa’s religious tradition,
We live so as not to be ashamed with ourselves.
When entering the Buddhist path, it is not sufficient to be a
person who only adopts the outer appearance of a person on the
path. Cut all entanglements to desirable things and to this life’s
affairs. When you enter the gate to Buddhist practice without
having cut these ties, you will lack determination, but not
attachment to homeland, wealth, possessions, lovers, spouses,
friends, relatives and so forth. Your attitude of attachment
becomes an underlying cause; the objects of your attachment,
catalysts. When these meet, negative forces[i] will
create obstacles. You will once again become an ordinary worldly
person, and will turn away from creating positive karma. ...
The common practices are the four thoughts that turn the mind
away from samsara. The uncommon practices are taking refuge,
generating bodhichitta, purifying obscurations and gathering the
accumulations of merit and wisdom. Exert yourself according to each
of their commentaries until experiences arise. Especially, embrace
guru yoga as the vital essence of practice, and practice
diligently. If you do not, your meditation will grow slowly, and
even if it grows a little, obstacles will arise and genuine
realization will not manifest in your mindstream. Therefore,
forcefully pray with uncontrived devotion. At some time the
realization of wisdom mind will be transmitted to your mindstream,
and an extraordinary realization that can not be expressed by words
will definitely arise from within yourself.
As it has been said by Lama Shang Rinpoche:
To nurture stillness,
To nurture spiritual experiences,
To nurture samadhi and other spiritual states—
These are common.
But by the strength of your devotion,
For realization to arise from within
Due to the lama’s blessings—
This is rare.
Therefore, for the ultimate truth of the Great Perfection to
appear in your mind is dependent upon the preliminary practices.
This is what Drigungpa meant when he said:
Other spiritual teachings regard the main practice as being
profound.
We regard the preliminary practice as being profound.
It is just as he said.
The main practice is to cut through misconceptions regarding the
view, meditation and conduct, and how to put our practice to the
test.
The View
To begin, the view is recognition of ultimate reality as it
is.
As for this view, your mind’s nature is the ultimate nature of
reality. Once you have concluded this with certainty in awareness
free from all characteristics of intellectual mind’s fabrications
and contrivance, awareness nakedly manifests as self-originating
primordial wisdom. Words cannot express it. Metaphors cannot
illustrate it. It does not get worse in samsara, nor better in
enlightenment. It has not been born, nor will it come to an end. It
has not been liberated, nor deluded. It does not exist, nor not
exist. Awareness is unlimited and impartial.
In short, from the very beginning, awareness has never been
established as being material and having characteristics that can
be conceptualized, because its essence is primordially pure,
sublime, all-pervasive emptiness. The ocean of realms of phenomena
of existence and enlightenment naturally manifest as the display of
unobstructed emptiness, like the sun and its rays. Therefore
awareness is neither partial nor a completely empty void, because
its nature is the supreme spontaneous presence of primordial wisdom
and noble qualities.
Thus, awareness, the indivisibility of appearance and emptiness,
epitome of the three kayas, is the primordial nature of reality.
Precise recognition of awareness, ultimate reality as it is, is
what is called the Great Perfection’s view beyond the
intellect.
Our sublime master Guru Rinpoche said:
The dharmakaya, beyond the intellect, is ultimate
reality.
We actually hold in our hands the wisdom mind of Buddha Always
Noble (Kuntu Zangpo). How wonderful! This is the very essence of
the six million, four hundred thousand Great Perfection tantras,
themselves the consummation of all eighty-four thousand divisions
of the Victorious One’s collection of teachings. There is nothing
beyond this. You should resolve all phenomena in this awareness.
Definitively conclude that all phenomena are contained with this
awareness.
Now, once you have resolved all your inner doubts and
misconceptions regarding this view, to sustain its continuity is
called meditation.
All other meditations with reference points are conceptual
meditations fabricated by the mind. This is not how we meditate. Do
not lose hold of this view previously described, and in that state
release all consciousnesses of the five senses within the natural
state, and rest at ease.
Do not meditate to arrive at a conclusion, "That’s it!" If you
meditate in that way, it becomes intellectual activity. Here, there
is no object of meditation whatsoever, nor even an instant of
distraction. Distraction from resting in awareness is true
delusion. Don’t be distracted!
Whatever thoughts arise, let them arise. Do not follow after
them and do not suppress them. If you ask "In that case, what
should I do?," whatever objective phenomena arise, whatever
appears, do not grasp phenomena’s appearing aspect as you rest in a
fresh state, like a small child looking inside a temple. When all
phenomena are left as they are, their appearance is not modified,
their color does not change, and their brilliance does not
diminish. If you do not spoil phenomena with clinging and grasping
thoughts, appearances and awareness will nakedly manifest as empty
and luminous primordial wisdom.
However, many teachings considered very deep or extremely vast
have left individuals of lesser intelligence mystified. If I put my
finger on the concise essential meaning, it is this: in the gap
between the last thought’s cessation and the next’s arising, isn’t
there a fresh, present knowing, that has not been modified even in
the slightest—luminous, naked awareness? That itself is awareness’
abiding state!
But one does not permanently abide within the nature of reality.
Doesn’t a thought suddenly arise? That is the natural display of
awareness. However, if you do not recognize thoughts as soon as
they arise, they will naturally spread. This is called "the chain
of delusion," the root of samsara. Mere recognition of thoughts as
they arise breaks their flow. Release thoughts within that
recognition. When you remain in that state, arising thoughts will
all be liberated equally within awareness, the expanse of
dharmakaya. This is the main practice in which the view and
meditation of Cutting Through Solidity, Trekchö, are
cultivated as one.
Garab Dorje has said:
From within the nature of originally pure stainless
space,
Awareness suddenly manifests. That moment of mindfulness
Is like finding a jewel at the bottom of the ocean.
This is dharmakaya, not fabricated nor created by anyone.
Persevere in this way. You must meditate without distraction day
and night—do not leave emptiness in the domain of mere
understanding. Bring everything back to awareness itself.
Now I will describe how conduct can enhance meditation and how
to put our practice to the test.
The main point, as I previously explained, is to never part for
an instant from the perception of your spiritual master as a true
buddha; make heartfelt, intensely focused prayers to your spiritual
master. This is known as "devotion that is the sole sufficient
cure," superior to any other method to remove obstacles and enhance
your practice. You will forcefully and decisively travel all paths
to enlightenment.
If you experience dullness and drowsiness, arouse awareness. If
you experience excitement and agitation, relax your mind. Always,
the mediator's vivid mindful awareness should not impose a
disciplined mindfulness. Mindfulness is simple recollection of the
recognition of your own nature.
Continuously sustain vivid mindful awareness at all times as you
go about your daily activities, whether eating, sleeping, moving or
sitting, whether during meditation or post-meditation. Never harbor
hope or fear toward whatever thoughts arise, such as those of
happiness or suffering, or of the passions; do not accept or reject
them; and do not destroy them using antidotes, and so forth.
Instead, whatever feelings of happiness and suffering are there,
settle in their naked, vivid, lucidly present essence. This single
vital point, and none other, applies to everything. Do not confuse
yourself with a lot of thinking.
A separate meditation upon emptiness as an antidote to what must
be relinquished—thoughts and passions—is unnecessary. Awareness of
what must be relinquished liberates it naturally with that
recognition, like a snake’s knot uncoiling.
Most people know how to say the words "the ultimate concealed
meaning of the Clear Light Vajra Essence," like a parrot’s chatter,
but don’t know how to practice it. We are all so incredibly
fortunate! Carefully consider this once again—there’s something to
be understood. During our beginningless series of lives until now,
our mortal enemy, dualistic clinging, binds us to the wheel of
life. Now, thanks to our spiritual master’s kindness, his
introduction to naturally abiding dharmakaya releases both poles of
grasping, like a feather consumed in fire, with nothing following
and without a trace. Isn’t that really satisfying?
If you do not practice once you’ve obtained the swift path’s
profound instructions such as these, it is as if a wish-fulfilling
jewel were placed in a corpse’s mouth. What a waste! Practice
without being discouraged!
Furthermore, beginners will lose their mindfulness in
distraction due to unwholesome thoughts that get out of control;
these thoughts coalesce in the form of underlying mental activity.
At some point, a piercing mindfulness returns, and the thought of
regret arises, "Oh, I’m distracted!" Nevertheless, do not do
anything whatsoever at that moment, such as stopping the flow of
previous thoughts or regretting having been distracted. When this
vivid mindfulness returns, it is sufficient just to sustain
naturally resting in precisely that mindfulness.
A famous saying advises, "Do not reject thoughts; see them as
dharmakaya." However, until you perfect higher insight’s subtle
power, you might dwell upon the thought, "This is probably
dharmakaya!" and remain in a blank state of peaceful abiding. You
thus risk getting trapped in a spaced-out, indifferent,
unreflective state. Therefore, in the beginning look directly at
whatever thoughts arise; do not examine, analyze or reflect upon
them at all. Rest upon the recognizer of thoughts, without making
it a big deal, disinterested in what arises, like an old man
watching children at play.
Once you’ve placed your mind as I described, the deepening of
the experience of stillness in a non-conceptual natural state will
be suddenly, abruptly destroyed. At that instant, primordial wisdom
beyond mind will nakedly and clearly manifest.
While you tread the path, this experience of primordial wisdom
will not come untainted with one or another of three meditative
experiences—bliss, clarity or conceptionlessness. Nevertheless,
placing your mind without the slightest bit of hope, fear,
attachment or conceit, due to holding such experiences as supreme,
prevents errors. It is very important to constantly give up
distraction and to meditate with one-pointed vigilant mindfulness.
When you lapse into sporadic practice and mere intellectual
understanding, arrogance will arise out of just a little peaceful
abiding. If you do not carefully observe your spiritual
experiences, you will merely be skilled in pretense and
knowledgeable of the right words, which is not beneficial.
As the Great Perfection tantras state:
Intellectual understanding is like a patch,
It will fall off.
And,
Spiritual experiences are like mist,
They will evaporate.
As this says, even some slight positive and negative objective
event has deceived great meditators, and many lose their bearings
in the midst of circumstances. Even when meditation is planted
within your stream of being, the profound instructions will be left
on your book’s pages if you do not meditate consistently—your mind
will become insensitive: you will become insensitive to the
teachings, you will become insensitive to practice, and genuine
meditation will never arise. Even old great meditators are in
danger of dying completely lost, in the state of a newcomer to
practice. Therefore, be very careful.
When you continually familiarize yourself with this over a long
period of time, devotion or some other suitable catalyst will at
some point cause these spiritual experiences to overflow into
realization, and you will vividly see naked awareness, as if a veil
were instantly lifted from your head. You will become utterly free
and spacious. This is called "the supreme seeing that does not see
anything." Thereafter, thoughts arise as meditation; mental
stillness and movement are simultaneously liberated. Moreover, at
first, recognition of thoughts liberates them, like meeting someone
familiar. In the middle period, thoughts are liberated by
themselves, like a snake’s knot uncoiling. Finally, thoughts are
liberated without benefit or harm, like a thief entering an empty
house. These three ways of liberation will occur gradually. A deep,
decisive trust manifests within you that all phenomena are the
magical display of your awareness alone—waves of realization of
emptiness and compassion will surge. Choosing between either cyclic
existence or enlightenment ends. You realize that buddhas are not
"good" and sentient beings are not "bad." Whatever you have done,
you will be carefree beyond words without knowing how to move from
the sole nature of phenomena, and therefore you will
uninterruptedly abide in this infinite space, day and night.
As it is said in the Great Perfection tantras:
Like the sky, realization is changeless.
This kind of Great Perfection practitioner appears to have an
ordinary human form, but his or her mind is dharmakaya. He or she
abides in wisdom mind free from effort and activity and, without
doing anything, traverses all paths and stages. Finally, ordinary
mind and phenomena exhausted, like the space of a broken vase, the
body vanishes into atoms, and the mind vanishes into the nature of
phenomena. This is called attaining the youthful vase body, which
is the inner clarity of the original ground, stainless space. This
will come about. Since this is the ultimate consummation of view,
meditation and conduct, it is called "the fully manifest
unattainable result." The stages of spiritual experiences and
realization arise either in a progressive order, without a
progressive order, or all at once. This occurs according to the
particular faculties of people, but there is no difference when the
result is achieved.
How the teachings encompass keeping vows and tantric
commitments, and applying them in your daily life.
Although you applied yourself in the practice of the view,
meditation and conduct as described above, if you were unskillful
in post-meditation’s conduct, and your vows and tantric commitments
were damaged, impediments and obstacles will hinder your progress
on the paths and spiritual stages in the short term, and ultimately
you will certainly fall to the lowest hell called Incessant Pain.
Therefore, it is extremely important to never be separate from
vigilant mindfulness, not making any mistakes regarding the kind of
conduct to accept and which to reject. ...
His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche was the head of the Nyingma
lineage during his lifetime. Despite his vast influence on
twentieth-century Tibetan Buddhism, few of his writings have yet
been translated into English. Ron Garry has a Ph.D. in Indo-Tibetan
Buddhism and is translator of The Teacher-Student Relationship. For
Wisdom Nectar, he translated selected texts from the
twenty-five-volume Collected Works of H.H. Dudjom
Rinpoche.
Excerpted from Wisdom Nectar: Dudjom Rinpoche’s Heart Advice,
translated by Ron Garry, with permission of Snow Lion Publications.
© Tsadra Foundation, 2005.
[i]. In this context I have translated as "negative
forces" the Tibetan word Dü (bdud), which is a
translation of the Sanskrit mara. In general,
mara represents clinging to a self, and one’s attachment
and involvement with the eight worldly concerns. Often
mara is discussed in the context of the four
maras, negative forces or demons (bdud bzhi).
According to the Sutrayana tradition, the four demons are: the
demon of the aggregates; of the passions; of death; and of the
child of the gods. According to the Vajrayana tradition, the four
demons are: the material demon; immaterial demon; demon of
exaltation; and the demon of pride. The material demons refer to
external phenomena, whether things or other beings who do us harm.
The immaterial demons refer to the three poisons—anger, desire, and
ignorance. The demon of exaltation refers to attachment to such
things as inner spiritual experiences. The demon of pride—the root
of all demons—is clinging to a self. For an excellent and detailed
account of mara, see
Sarah Harding’s introduction to and translation of Machik’s
Complete Explanation, pp. 33-38, and pp. 117-122. Also see
Patrul Rinpoché’s Words of My Perfect Teacher, pp.
297-307.
From "Great Perfection in the Palm of Your
Hand" by the late Dudjom Rinpoche.