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there is no longer any separation between samsara and nir- vana and both are experienced as one. The other meaning, the one referred to here, is nirvana as a state in which the form kayas dissolve into the dharmakaya. Developing bo- dhichitta produces limitless benefit for beings. A person who has realized emptiness is able to work for the benefit of beings in one or more bodies.
S: What are the sixty-four qualities of a buddha?
R: These sixty-four qualities are divided into thirty-two qualities that are exclusive attributes of a buddha, and thirty-two qualities of ripening. One can also say that bud- dhas possess limitless qualities, since these sixty-four quali- ties include all the qualities that can possibly exist.
S: What are the eight qualities of Vajradhara?
R: First, Vajradhara does not have an ordinary body. He is dharmakaya, the unity of emptiness and luminosity. His bodily form is not made of flesh and blood or any other material substance. Even though he appears, his nature is emptiness.
Second, even though he is empty by his very nature, he manifests unobstructedly in his form: as sambhogakaya, blue in color, with crossed wrists, holding a vajra and a ghanta in his hands, and with all the other attributes. This is unobstructed appearance.
Third, he possesses all of the qualities of a buddha, that is, the thirty-two qualities and the eighty special attributes.
Fourth, dharmakaya Vajradhara pervades all of samsara and nirvana. There is nothing that is not pervaded by him. Although he possesses a body, he is not limited to this body but pervades everything to the same extent.
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Fifth, Vajradhara's dharmakaya body does not cast a shadow.
Sixth, he is independent of light and darkness and free from any stains whatsoever.
Seventh, to symbolize the unwavering aspect of dharma- kaya, Vajradhara's body is the color of an autumn sky, deep blue.
Eighth, he possesses omniscience with regard to the three times-past, present, and future-without establishing any distinctions among these concepts, the way we do. To sym- bolize this, his eyes always remain unchangeable in the same position.
S: What does luminosity mean? Should we understand it
symbolically?
R: What is actually meant by luminosity is the aspect of
unobstructedness-becauseofemptinesseverythingispos-
sible, everything can arise unobstructedly and endlessly in each moment. It does not refer to sunlight or artificial light.
S: What does the unobstructedness ofmind refer to?
R: Mind is unobstructed because it is empty by its very nature. In all regards it is perfect emptiness. Since mind is emptiness, it is in itself unobstructed, everything can arise. If this were not the case, emptiness would amount to mere negation, the extreme of nihilism.
S: What is the meaning of the line: "On the threshold of nonduality there is nowhere to dwell"?
R: The arising of mind and phenomena is only true from a relative point of view; ultimately, by their very nature, they are unoriginated, or nonexistent. However, they are not
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nothingness, but rather manifest unceasingly. These two as- pects, that is, the unoriginatedness on the ultimate plane and the unceasing continuity on the relative plane, cannot be distinguished from each other. This is what is meant by freedom from arising, cessation, and dwelling.
Mind and the phenomenal world are ultimately unorigin- ated. However, one could conclude from this that they are devoid of continuity. This is not the case-on the contrary, continuity is unobstructed and everything comes into man- ifestation constantly. Mind experiences the totality of sam- sara and nirvana. Since mind has not arisen and has no end, there can obviously be nowhere to dwell. Thus, the nature of mind is free from arising, cessation, and dwelling.
S: Although mind is free from arising, cessation, and dwelling, do all other phenomena nevertheless arise by vir- tue of their impermanence?
R: On a relative plane, everything-not only external phenomena but also mind-comes into existence and ceases to exist, since thoughts are constantly arising and dis- appearing. However, ultimately, neither mind nor phenom- ena arise.
S: What type of meditation is most used to develop mind- fulness?
R: All forms of meditation aim at developing mindful- ness. Often, one begins with shamatha and tong/en-giving and taking-in order to develop bodhichitta. Also, in the vajrayana, the point of all the yidam visualizations, including both utpatti- and sampannakrama, is to stabilize awareness. For instance, if one practices the utpattikrama by concen- trating on the form of the yidam, mental quietude or sha- matha develops naturally.
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S: I f one is having difficulties with one's ngondro, should
one practice it nonetheless?
R: Although other practices are fine, ngondro is ex- tremely useful. You can see this by comparing the different Buddhist paths. On the sutrayana path of causes and con- ditions you need three endless kalpas to accumulate merit. However, on the vajrayana path there are extraordinary methods like ngondro practice that can be used to accu- mulate merit in an extremely short time. For this reason it is very important to practice ngondro. Even if one cannot do prostrations because of physical impairments, it is still im- portant to practice taking refuge, Vajrasattva mantra, and so on. Among the preliminary practices, guruyoga is espe- cially important. This is because in the path of mahamudra, one's teacher's blessings are essential in order for ultimate wisdom to unfold.
S: Can one practice Vajrasattva mantra without having done prostrations?
R: Yes, if one is sick. Otherwise, one should do all the practices one after the other.
S: On the one hand, we are told that we contain buddha- nature within ourselves and that it is unnecessary to purify the nature ofour minds. On the other, preliminary practices are a form of purification. Is this not contradictory?
R: It is true that all qualities are totally present in one's buddha-nature. However, we are unable to realize this as long as our habitual tendencies prevent us from doing so. In order to liberate ourselves from our habitual tendencies we need both to purify ourselves from our obscurations and evil deeds and also to accumulate merit and wisdom. Only
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the merit and wisdom that we accumulate through ngondro can enable us to recognize our inherent qualities.
S: What are the three gates of liberation?
R: The three gates ofliberation refer to ground, path, and fruition. Ground is free from arising, path is free from char? acteristics, and fruition is free from desire and struggle. Ground in this case refers to the proper view which we have already described-namely, that all phenomena ultimately have neither beginning nor end, and are therefore free from dwelling. The path is the approach to this realization. Since there is nothing on which one can meditate, that is, nothing which distinguishes the path, the path does not have any distinctive characteristics and involves simply dwelling in the original nature of mind. Fruition is free from desire and struggle. It is the realization that ultimately there is no frui-
tion that one could possibly attain. It is also freedom from the insecurity of thinking that one will not attain this fruition.
S: What are the three types of thoughts?
R: Subtle, tangible, and coarse. However, thoughts them- selves are none of these three. It is our fixation on thoughts that creates the difference in intensity. This is why we distin- guish three types of thought. For instance, conflicting emo- tions that create intense upheavals are considered coarse thoughts, whereas subtle thoughts are those that arise dur- ing shamatha meditation but hardly disturb or distract one at all. They simply dissolve immediately after having arisen. Through meditation on mental quietude we can gradually resolve our fixation on thoughts.
S: To me, dissolving thoughts seems easy, but what about bodily pains?
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R: It depends mainly on one's own practice. We are ex- tremely attached to our bodies, which is why it is so difficult to transmute bodily pain. One can begin by first looking at the nature of the sensation or pain when minor aches or ailments arise. This is a very good way of dealing with them, but it requires a certain amount of experience in this type of practice. Ifone practices consistently for a long time, then one will eventually be able to deal with stronger pains in the same way. However, it is difficult because we are so attached to our bodies. Another very good alternative is to develop bodhichitta and take on all the pain of sentient beings by wishing that their pain be gathered in one's own.
S: Does everybody possess a particular karmic connec- tion to a given teacher?
R: No, they do not. This is why we talk about having a "root guru. " This expression designates the teacher who is able to ripen and free the mental continuum of a given stu- dent. This is the characteristic of the root guru that a student should be on the lookout for. In some teacher-student rela- tionships there is already a karmic connection from previ- ous lifetimes because the student had made intense aspira- tion prayers. It is also possible that the teacher may not need any words to introduce the student to mahamudra but can do so through symbols or in other ways.
S: It is said that vajrayana is a means for attaining enlight- enment in one lifetime. Does this not contradict the kalpa- long connection to a guru which you mentioned?
R: In general, one does need a kalpa-long connection with a teacher in order to achieve the state of Vajradhara, the state of oneness, in this lifetime. Then, if one comes into contact with the vajrayana teachings in this lifetime, one can
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achieve enlightenment in an instant on being introduced to the nature of mind because of one's longstanding connec- tion with one's teacher.
Let us suppose that in this lifetime someone has access to the vajrayana teachings and meets a teacher with whom he or she already has a longstanding connnection. By simply following the teacher's instructions, that person will realize the nature of mind and attain enlightenment either in this lifetime or in the near future, that is, in the bardo or in the following lives. It depends on one's individual karma. It is said that one will attain buddhahood in sixteen lifetimes at the most. The seed of enlightenment has been planted in one's mind and is ever closer to ripening.
S: What does abhisheka mean?
R: As a rule, vajrayana abhishekas, also called initiations or empowerments, aim at ripening the mind of the student. An abhisheka is made up of several sections each of which is actually a separable abhisheka. Basically, there are four. The first is the abhisheka ofbody, the "vase abhisheka," that purifies all the obscurations of body. By ripening the body, it leads to the realization of nirmanakaya. The second is the abhisheka of speech, or "secret abhisheka," that purifies obscurations of speech and leads to the realization of sam- bhogakaya. The third is the abhisheka of mind, the "wis- dom-awareness abhisheka. " It introduces the student to the wisdom of bliss and emptiness, the fruition of which is the realization of dharmakaya. The fourth abhisheka is the so- called "word abhiseka," the actual preparation for maha- mudra, the introduction into the nature of mind. Through
this section of the abhisheka, body, speech, and mind are ripened simultaneously. Its fruition is the realization of the oneness of the three kayas, or svabhavikakaya.
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S: Can one learn to have trust and devotion?
R: First one should develop trust, based on which devo- tion can develop. Briefly, trust means being certain that something is right, whether it is the teacher or the teach- ings-not just as a mere thought, but as inner conviction. You trust the Buddha or your teacher when you are sure that they are perfect and that they can really help you. Based on this trust, devotion blazes. Although devotion can have different degrees of intensity, it is always a stronger inner experience than trust.
Real, unfabricated devotion consists of seeing the teacher as a perfect buddha.
Trust is like a container into which one can pour some- thing. It is also like a seed that can grow into a plant and bear fruit. If the seed is burnt, no fruit will come out of it. Similarly, according to the Buddha, it is impossible to prac- tice the path ofdharma ifthere is no trust. You do not simply place your trust in something. Rather, trust arises beause one first listens to the dharma, thinks about the contents of the teachings, and develops faith in their rightness. This leads to trust in the teachings and the teacher. Initially, developing trust requires an effort. However, the more you practice, the more trust becomes something natural, that grows organi- cally.
To sum up, trust involves having certainty in the teaching and the teacher-being convinced that they possess the ability to show you the right path. Once trust is established, then devotion can unfold. Traditionally it is said that when you feel devotion, tears well up in your eyes and you get goose bumps and other signs. Finally, devotion comes forth spontaneously, by itself.
S: What is the relationship between utpatti- and sampan- nakrama meditation in the vajrayana and mahamudra med- itation?
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R: Although mahamudra meditation does not have an object on which one meditates, this does not mean that one meditates on nothing at all-the object, so to speak, is the state free from extremes, free from fixation on the experiencer. Whereas in utpatti- and sampannakrama med- itations of the vajrayana one is meditating on the unity of luminosity and emptiness. Ultimately, they are the same.
These explanations make mahamudra sound extremely easy, but actually practitioners generally find the practice of mahamudra meditation quite difficult. The reason for all the difficulties is because we are attached to so many things. This is why the vajrayana path is divided into several stages, utpattikrama and sampannakrama, or development and completion stages. These are the special skillful means of the vajrayana. Utpattikrama prevents you from falling into the extreme of nihilism, whereas sampannakrama helps you overcome fixation on the reality of the phenomenal world. Ultimately, when both of these aspects are united, you tran- scend extreme views and reach the state of simplicity with regard to the mode of existence of phenomena. In order to attain this realization it is very important to practice the ut- pattikrama properly, for instance by being aware of the real meaning of the visualizations, which is to bring all impure experiences to a pure plane, and also by understanding the symbolism of each and every detail and not limiting oneself to practicing on only one quality.
S: What is the difference between sutra and tantra ma- hamudra?
R: In sutra mahamudra, the emptiness aspect is stressed as an "object" of meditation-the emptiness of phenom- ena, free both from extreme modes of existence and from any notions the experiencer may have about them. Whereas
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in tantra mahamudra the luminosity aspect-the skillful means-is highlighted. In spite ofthis difference, the goal is the same. By realizing the unity of bliss and emptiness on the mahamudra path, one is free from all concepts. In the sutrayana, or sutra path, there are no externals involved, whereas the tantrayana resorts to abhishekas and the like. In the sutra path, you practice shamatha and vipashyana according to the mahamudra, whereas in the vajrayana path you practice utpatti- and sampannakrama.
S: It is said that one should rest in the freshness of the present moment of consciousness, but when I sit down to meditate I don't experience any freshness at all.
R: Mahamudra might sound extremely easy, but it is ac- tually quite difficult to practice. The extraordinary means of the vajrayana, or the utpatti- and sampannakrama, are used precisely because it is so difficult to achieve realization directly. For instance, the six yogas of Naropa are a means of recognizing the nature of mind and mahamudra is prac- ticed in connection with these yogas. It is also very helpful for one's practice to strengthen bodhichitta and devotion.
S: What is meant by the phrase "transmitting the bless- ings of realization"?
R: It refers to the blessings that are transmitted through the Kagyii lineage. The Kagyii or mahamudra lineage is de- scribedasthelineageofrealizationandofultimatemeaning because in the golden chain of transmission of the Kagyiis the inspiration of the ultimate meaning is transmitted from guru to disciple.
S: In order to actualize bodhichitta, the desire to remain in samsara until all beings have attained buddhahood, does
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one have to remain in samsara until all beings have become buddhas?
R: If someone genuinely feels this way and is not merely paying lip service to the idea or trying to contrive it, this in itself speeds up his or her own realization of buddhahood.
This is the "trick" in the mahayana. However, one cannot deliberately use bodhichitta as a trick, since the desire to lead all beings to enlightenment must be genuine and un- fabricated. One will then be able to progress quite rapidly along the path and achieve either enlightenment or the higher bodhisattva bhumis for the benefit of beings. Only then is one really able to lead all beings to buddhahood.
S: How can one judge one's own meditation experiences? R: The best way is to ask a teacher in whom you have trust.
S: Also, how can one be sure that one is adopting the proper view?
R: This is precisely why it is so important to have a spiri- tual friend on the path.
S : But we have so little contact with our teachers.
R: At the beginning it is important to relate to a teacher in order to be sure that one has understood the instructions and that one can carry them out and practice them properly. However, after that, it is not necessary to always be with one's teacher; it is enough to meet him occasionally. The situation in India and Tibet was originally quite similar to the one in the West.
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R: It is being free from certain concepts that we have. For instance, when we give somebody something, we have a no- tion of a gift, of ourselves as the giver, and of the other per- son as the receiver. Being free from these conceptual ob- scurations means recognizing that neither giver, receiver, nor gift have actual existence, that they are not separate from one another. This applies not only to the paramita of generosity, but also to all the others, since only in connection with supreme knowledge or prajfia do the first five parami- tas become actual means of liberation.
S: What is the meaning of the line "unborn is the nature of birth"?
R: We have to go back to the previous line, "mere ap- pearance is the vividness of the trikaya," which refers to the ultimate nature of all things. Their nature is emptiness, or rather they are devoid of true existence, thus they are the dharmakaya. Based on emptiness, everything arises unob- structedly-this is the sambhogakaya. This unobstructed- ness manifests in many ways as nirmanakaya. Thus, all three kayas are present in phenomena.
"Unborn is the nature of birth" refers to the dharmakaya aspect, since ultimately there is no true arising or birth. Since emptiness means unobstructed potential, everything appears unobstructedly. This is birth, even though ulti- mately nothing is born. In this way, the unborn is endless; between these two dwelling is not really possible. The na- ture of birth is unborn-this is the dharmakaya. The unob- structedness is the sambhogakaya, and the manifold mani- festations are the nirmanakaya.
S : What is the difference between sambhogakaya and nir- manakaya?
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R: The unobstructedness of our minds expresses itself as the sambhogakaya and its myriad manifestations are the nir- manakaya. The main difference lies in subtle versus coarse manifestation. Sambhogakaya can only be experienced by beings on higher, purer levels, whereas the nirmanakaya can also be experienced by those on impure levels.
S: What is the difference between dharmadhatu and
svabhavikakaya?
R: The svabhavikakaya is the unity of the trikaya, and this is also true for the dharmadhatu. Dharmadhatu refers to the space of phenomena, their emptiness or dharmakaya, whereas the svabhavikakaya refers to the unity of the three kayas. Dharmadhatu and svabhavikakaya are merely two terms to designate the same thing.
S: If thoughts come up while one is practicing shamatha meditation with form, should one look into their nature? R: No. In shamatha meditation with form one should
only strive to notice the thoughts that arise; without either suppressing or following them, one should return to one's concentration.
S: Are the three types of shamatha practiced in a single session?
R: No, they are practiced one after the other, starting with the easier forms.
S : Could you briefly describe the difference between sha- matha and vipashyana?
R: Shamatha is basically a form of concentration, whereas vipashyana is investigating with discriminating awareness
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wisdom. For instance, shamatha might involve focusing un- distractedly on the breath, whereas vipashyana would be examining the nature ofthe breath. Ifyou are meditating on a yidam, shamatha involves concentrating on the form of the yidam, whereas vipashyana is awareness of the yidam's appearance, attributes, and so forth. It is highly recom- mended to alternate between these two aspects, first focus- ing by means of shamatha, and then applying awareness or vipashyana, and then again focusing, and so on.
S : Should one practice shamatha meditation before doing one's ngondro practice?
R: The actual practice of the path of mahamudra involves doing the preliminary practices or ngondro first, and then practicing mahamudra shamatha and vipashyana in a situa- tion like the three-year retreat. However, there is nothing wrong with practicing shamatha before doing ngondro. It might actually be easier to visualize the refuge tree in this way. It all depends on the teacher's style, on which aspect he decides to highlight.
S: At the end of the mandala offering it says that one makes outer, inner, secret, and absolute offerings to one's teacher. What does this mean?
R: Outer offerings are material, for instance the mandala offering itself. Inner offerings involve offering up one's body, speech, and mind. Secret and absolute offerings in- volve offering emptiness and threefold purity.
S: To what extent is sampannakrama like vipashyana?
R: Vipashyana is recognizing ultimate truth, the empti- ness of all phenomena, on the basis of mental stillness. The
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completion stage of vajrayana, or sampannakrama, involves progressively dissolving into luminosity the visualization one has constructed and recognizing the emptiness ofevery- thing. By their very nature, phenomena are emptiness; they are devoid of true existence. We recognize this through vi- pashyana and sampannakrama- so on one level it is actually the same.
S : I have often heard it said that vipashyana is the fruition of shamatha. Why should one then practice vipashyana sep- arately from shamatha?
R: In general, vipashyana is the fruition of shamatha. This means that based on mental stillness one can see the actual reality of all phenomena. But it is difficult to accomplish this with shamatha alone. For this reason it is useful to integrate vipashyana into one's shamatha practice by practicing both aspects in alternation. In this way shamatha meditation re- inforces vipashyana insight, which in turn strengthens sha- matha meditation.
S: What is the difference between the realms of form and the formless realms?
R: Both are god realms. In the form realms one experi- ences a subtle physical body, whereas the formless realms are purely mental states. They involve experiencing concen- tration on "limitless awareness," "limitless space," and so on, without the concept of a body.
S: How can practitioners with children find the time to practice?
R: Ifboth parents are Buddhists, then each can set aside a particular time for his or her practice-one can practice
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for one or two hours in the morning, and the other for the same amount of time in the evening. It is important to schedule as much time as possible for one's dharma prac- tice. Meditation is a habit one acquires; the point is to cul- tivate that particular habit. Habits are also the cause for our wandering in samsara, because we have negative habitual tendencies in our minds. The effect of meditation is to weaken these habitual tendencies, and in order to meditate it is important to be regular in order to create a new habit. It is more hdpful to practice regularly, if only for small pe- riods of time, than to practice intensively once in a while. In addition to regular practice, one should also try to do re- treats occasionally.
S: Are the four yogas actualized on the bodhisattva bhumis?
R: The rdationship between the bodhisattva bhumis, the five paths, and the four yogas is as follows: The path of un- ion, the second of the two paths, is subdivided into four phases, one of which is patience. This corresponds to the first yoga, one-pointedness. The path of insight, the third path, corresponds to the second yoga, simplicity. With this realization one reaches the first bodhisattva bhumi. The fourth path, the path of meditation, corresponds to the third yoga, one taste. On this path one attains the so-called impure (first to seventh) and pure (eighth to tenth) bhumis. The fifth path, the path of no more learning, corresponds to the fourth yoga, nonmeditation, and to the deventh bhumi, or buddhahood.