The Transcending Perfection of Spiritual
Endeavor
or Effort (brtson.
Jig-Me-Lingpa-The-Dzogchen-Innermost-Essence-Preliminary-Practice
In gen- eral there are numerous common and extraordinary qualities that are the outcome of such an attainment.
These may vary in accord- ance with the variety of approaches to the spiritual paths and results, namely those approaches of the Disciples or the Hearers (nyan.
thos; shravakas), Self-realized Ones (rang.
rgyal; Pratyekabuddha), the Awakening Warriors (byang.
chub.
sems.
dpa'; Bodhisattva) or the TantricPractitione~
The goal attained by all these means, that are appropriate to the various dispositions of people, is perpetual liberation (thar. pa; mo~ha) from the ocean of cyclic existence. This results in the pos- session of the citadel ~f Enlightenment in the city of peace and bliss. One should be aware that this is the goal to be realized and these are its attributes.
? vi. The value ofa spiritual guide
The spiritual path to the attainment of liberation is both extensive and profound, and involves the progressive attainment of spiritual insight. The most important prerequisite is to have a competent Spiritual Master to guide one, a teacher who exhibits the necessary qualifications, in the same way that when we wish to cross an ocean we must have an experienced pilot.
Once such a teacher has been encountered one should act ac- cording to his instructions, just as one would heed those of a doc- tor in order to cure an illness. On the other hand, spiritual arro- gance, where one thinks one can practice meditation without any guidance, gives one little chance not to deviate along a wrong path.
It is also important to precisely examine whether or not your teacher is qualified, otherwise you may not receive any benefits. There is a danger, in following one who is incompetent, of being seriously misled. It would be like a falling man who clutches out to another falling man for his help. Moreover, from a spiritual point of view, serious obstacles are created if we have a teacher whom we later find to be unqualified and then lose faith in him. Thus it is very important to examine the spiritual qualities of the person be- fore taking him as one's own teacher. After one has found a profi- cient master one should receive teachings from him which ripen and purify the mind. One must do as he instructs without any doubt or hesitation, with great respect and strong belief that all he says involves the pure teaching, and all he does is an expression of ex- cellence.
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The Uncommon Preliminary Practice
Once our mind has been trained and acquainted with the princi- ples set out in the common Preliminary Practices, and we experi- ence a natural, unmodified and spontaneous desire to practice Dharma, we are fully ready to enter the door of spiritual practice. To do so, specifically in relation to Mahayana Buddhism, it is nec- essary to embark on those Preliminary Practices not common to all spiritual traditions. These involve specifically Buddhist oriented practices, such as Taking Refuge, and include the following topics:
1. TakingrefugeintheThreeSupremeJewels(dkon. mchog. gsum. : Tri Ratna), namely the guide or teacher, the spiritual path or his teaching, and the companions along the way to the state of lib- eration. Refuge is the foundation stone of all Dharma practice.
2. Activating the Awakening Mind (byang. chub. kyi. sems. ; Bodhicitta), the entrance into and the very heart of the Great Vehicle (theg. pa. chen. po. ; Mahayana).
3. Reciting the mantra of an meditating upon the form of Vajrasattva (rdo. rje. sems. pa) in order to purify one's emotional defilements, the obstructions against the attainment of libera- tion from the process of cyclic existence.
4. Offering the mar:u;iala or universe to the Lama, the ultimate spiritual principal. This is for the accumulation of merit (bsod. nams. ; pUl)ya) or stock of positive energy which brings together causes favorable to the attainment of realization.
5. Making prostrations which purify emotional defilements as well as accumulate merit.
It is considered essential within the lineage of this specific teach-
ing to have completed one hundred thousand repetitions of each of these five practices. This is done to prepare the mind for the higher meditations directly relevant to the Dzog-chen meditation. Traditionally, if one has not done so, one is neither permitted to receive a teaching nor even to read a page of scripture relating to the higher practices.
? 1. Going for Refuge
Going for refuge in the Three Supreme Jewels and observing the attendant obligations is said to be like the door to Dharma. And individual, properly speaking, may not consider him or herself a Buddhist without having sincerely gone for refuge. Refuge may be the entrance into the Dharma, but the key to unlocking this door is faith. It is impossible to seek refuge in something in which one lacks any faith; thus it is first essential to learn and appreciate the qualities of the Three Supreme Jewels. Such an appreciation will lead to the development of the three aspects of faith, namely: cleans- ing faith, which is a natural responsiveness to manifestations of the Dharma with the effect of cleansing the mind; aspirational faith, which is an urge to practice Dharma and to obtain its results; and believing faith, which is based on a conviction of the validity of the teachings. Without faith, not even a single virtue will arise. In the Ratnakuta sutra it is stated, "If a man has no faith, no virtue will arise in him, just as a seed burnt by fire will produce no green shoot. "
There are a number of different levels involved in taking ref- uge. These depend on our own capacity and inclination of mind. First, in accordance with the way common to Buddhism in gen- eral, we take refuge by respecting the Buddha as the guide along the path, the Dharma as the spiritual path, and the Sangha as the support in practicing the path.
According to the Vajrayana or Tantric tradition of Buddhism, which is not found in all traditions, there are subtler levels in which we can take refuge. The first of these relates to the first stage of Tantric practice, the developing stage (bskyed. rim. ; utpattikrama) in which we take refuge by offering our "three doors"-our body, speech and mind-to the lama as refuge in the Buddha; we devote ourself to the personal deity (yi. dam. ; i~f:lta-devata)or inner refuge as tl1e path; and we should view the J? aka or J? akini (mkha'. 'gro or mkha'-'gro. ma) as the spiritual support on the path. Over and above this form of refuge is that which relates to the completion stage (rdzogs. rim; utpannakrama) of the Highest Yoga Tantra in which we take refuge in the true nature, the A wakening Mind or Bodhicitta (which in the Tantric practice is linked with the unchanging Great Bliss). In this case the Sa:r:tgha refuge means a recognition of the practice's dependence upon the physical channel system (rtsa; nac:J. i) which is understood as the perfect body of Emanation (sprul. sku; Ni~akaya); the Dharma refuge is understanding the purification
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of the physical wind or energy (dung; vayu) as the perfect body of Complete Enjoyment (longs. sku; Sarpbhogakaya); and the Buddha refuge is realizing the purification of our seminal essence (thig. Ie; hindu) to be the perfect body of Truth (chos. sku; Dharmakaya).
The highest and most subtle form of Refuge is that which is known as Refuge in the Vajra Nature (gnas. lugs. rdo. rje). This is the determination to realize the three inseparable aspects of Pri- mordial Wisdom (ye. shes; ji'iiina) present in the mind of the refuge objects; its Empty Essence as the Dharmakaya, the Buddha Ref- uge; its Lucid Nature as the Sarpbhogakaya, the Dharma Refuge; and its Universal Compassion as the Nirmar:takaya, the Sar:tgha Refuge. The significance of these Tantric ways of taking Refuge will only be fully appreciated as direct experience is gained in the practices.
There are various attitudes that may be present when we go for refuge. We may take refuge to protect us from the suffering of lower realms of existence and to ensure that we are reborn in the happy states of existence. Such is the motive of an inferior person. If we take refuge for the liberation of ourselves from Sarpsara our motivation is that of an individual of middling capacity. To take refuge with the wish to lead all sentient beings to the final attain- ment of Buddhahood is to do so with the supreme motivation of the superior person. Within this context we are concerned with tak- ing refuge as a person of superior motivation.
When taking refuge we must receive it directly from a quali- fied teacher and follow the obligations connected with it. Once ref- uge has been taken directly from a Spiritual Master it is possible to follow the practice through a form such as in this prayer. We should be seated comfortably, preferably in a meditation posture, and should visualize in our mind's eye the Assembly Tree (tshogs. zhing) which is the object before which we accumulate merit. Holding this visualization before us we should recite the refuge stanza com- mencing, "To the actual Three Rare and Supreme Jewels. . . ". We should take refuge with the thought that "until all beings attain Enlightenment I shall go for refuge in these Three Rare and Su- preme Jewels. " This should be recited with strong conviction and reverence, and with one-pointedness of mind. After repeating this three times, one should imagine that all sentient beings, including oneself, dissolve into the Assembly Tree, that all the objects within the Assembly Tree dissolve into the central figure of the Spiritual Master, and that he in turn dissolves into "utter simplicity"
? (spros. bral), the absolute inactivity of Thusness, and one should continue in the truly natural meditative state of Refuge for as long as possible.
In brief, the obligations of taking Refuge are never to seek pro- tection in any worldly gods or material goals, this being counter to the refuge in Buddha; never to harm sentient beings, which is coun- ter to the Truth of Dharma; and never to associate with people of perverted views and behavior, this being counter to refuge in the Sangha.
According to the higher Tantric practices we should consider, with devotion and without any doubt, that all the objects of refuge are present in the nature of the Spiritual Master. His mind is the Buddha, his speech is the Dharma and his body is the Sangha.
Generally, to have faith in anything will bring benefits accord- ingly. The benefits obtained by the practitioner do not depend on the excellence or lack of it of the objects of faith, but only upon the individual's mind and quality of faith. Thus it is very important to have what is known as the attitude which views all appearances as pure (dag. snang). This we can understand from Tibetan stories such as those of the old woman khyi-so sarfg-gya, who attained Libera- tion through her devout veneration of a dog's tooth, and those sto- ries of Kongpo Ben (rkong. po. 'ben). Therefore the great teacher Padmasambhava has said, "One shall receive blessings by having faith, and will obtain all that is desired if there are no doubts in the mind. "
2. Activating the Awakening Mind
In order to realize the principles embodied in the Three Jewels by means of seeking Refuge in the causes for such a state, which are themselves also the Three Jewels, one must practice virtuous ac- tions. These actions of the Bodhisattva are diverse and varied. How- ever, to engage in these activities, it is first necessary to develop bodhicitta, the thought of enlightenment, the Awakening Mind. Cultivation of the Awakening Mind is the way of the Great Vehi- cle, the Mahayana. It is the entrance into the Mahayana as well as the very heart of it.
Bodhicitta is the thought of freeing all sentient beings from suffering and the causes of suffering, and of leading them to dwell in bliss and happiness until they are completely freed, and finally to establish them in the realm of supreme enlightenment, the fully
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awakened state of being. To do so we should seize this highest of thoughts by feeling, "I shall act for the perfect benefit of all others by attaining supreme enlightenment myself and by practicing the innumerable activities of the Bodhisattvas, such as the Transcend- ing Perfections (pha. rol. tu. phyin. pa; Paramita) and so on. " If such a thought arises within us, from that moment onwards we shall be known as a Bodhisattva, or a son of the Conqueror, and will be venerated by gods and men. Whether working or resting our spir- itual merit continuously will increase like the unrestricted growth of ~aplings.
It is said that by accumulating such merit over three measure- less aeons, one will perfect the Five Spiritual Paths and Ten Spir- itual Stages and will attain Buddhahood, their result. We may think that since this is a tremendously long period of time there is noth- ing extraordinary about such a spiritual path. To think so is wrong. By cultivating an especially strong and pure thought to benefit oth- ers in an ultimate way, it is possible to complete the accumulation of merit rapidly. This is born out in one of the former life-stories of the Buddha, when he was known as the ship's pilot Nying-je-chen. He realized one of the passengers of the ship, a black man known as Dung-thung-chen, was about to kill all on board and to plunder the ship's cargo. With immense compassion, both for him and for his potential victims, Nying-je-chen took the life of this man, and in one instant of this great compassion perfected the merit of sev- enty thousand aeons. You may also think that it is inappropriate to attain liberation from cyclic existence for ourselves since we have vowed to act for the benefit of others until all beings have attained the realm of enlightenment. Such an assumption. is not correct. If we attain Nirval)a, or the state "Beyond Sorrow", our activities on behalf of others will not cease. Even though it is stated that the fully awakened mind has no conceptual intention to benefit others and acts with total spontaneity, due to the interdependence (rten. 'brel; pratityasamutpada) of the aspirations and wishes culti- vated during the period of practice (slob. lam;shai~hamarga), until all sentient beings attain full realization our activities for the welfare of others will appear spontaneously within cyclic existence.
To cultivate the Awakening Mind we can prepare by means of the Four Boundless Practices. First we should understand that it is never certain who are friends or enemies, and whether they always stay that way. Developing an unbiased attitude without hatred to- wards enemies or attachment towards friends is the stlte of
? 11boundlessequanimity11? Secondly,thereisnosentientbeingwho, in innumerable previous lifetimes, has never been our parent. To wishthattheyshouldhavehappinessisknownas11boundless1ove11? ~~Boundlesscompassion11 isthewishtoseeallsentientbeingssepa- rated from suffering. And to find happiness in the happiness and joy of others is the cultivation of 11boundless joy~~.
One should accept the precepts of a Bodhisattva from a quali- fied Lama, one who has the attributes of a Mahayana teacher. One should, through offerings, amass as large an accumulation of merit as possible. After completing the actual ceremony one should ob- serve the precepts related to it. In this practice we do so by reciting the stanza beginning, 11Deceived by myriad appearances. . . ''. Again in this instance the Assembly Tree is visualized in the sky above us, and we should activate the Awakening Mind by reflecting, with gratitude, upon the sufferings of all sentient beings who have, at one time or another, been our mothers. Together with this we should have the absolute determination to lead them out of their suffering and unto the state of supreme enlightenment. These thoughts
should pervade our mind during this practice, and at the end of the meditation period, as the divinities of the Assembly Tree dis- solve into us, we should think that the ultimate Awakening Mind embodied in the Assembly Tree is activated within. This ultimate Awakening Mind is emptiness (stong. pa. nyid; Shiinyata) and our mind should remain stabilized in it.
Generally, although there are many ways of dividing Bodhicitta, if we look at it according to the degree of mental power we have three main divisions, each of which reflect a successively lesser aspiration. First, the King-like development of Bodhicitta involves the thought that one will attain Enlightenment first and afterwards will lead all sentient beings to that state. The Boatman-like devel- opment of Bodhicitta is the desire for one's own Enlightenment and that of others together. The Shepherd-like development of Bodhicitta is the urge to lead all sentient beings to Buddhahood first and then to attain it oneself. We should practice according to our own inclination and capacity.
Aside from this there are various aspects of the practices relat- ing to the cultivation of Bodhicitta which may take place over three immeasurable aeons. The most generally accepted division of the practice itself is in terms of the intentional Bodhicitta, which is like the wish to go somewhere, and the actual Bodhicitta, which is like the journey itself. The former involves the thought that I shall lead
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all sentient beings to Buddhahood, and is practiced through three different meditations. There is meditation on the equality of self and others and understanding that our aspirations for happiness and the avoidance of suffering are no different than the aspirations of all other beings; meditation on the exchange of oneself with oth- ers in which we transfer the normal egocentric attitude we have towards ourself and our aims and aspirations onto the aims and aspirations of others, and in which the usual disregard we have for others is now focused upon ourself; and meditation in which we care for others more than ourself. These are all meditations funda- mentally centered around the aspirational Bodhicitta.
To train in cultivating the actual Awakening Mind, which is like actually venturing into the journey itself, involves many dif- ferent aspects. However, they may be summarized in the Six Tran- scending Perfections, the Paramitas. These we must practice.
First is the Transcending Perfection of Giving, or Generosity (sbyin. pa; dana). This involves giving, without any attachment, worldly possessions and material objects, religious or spiritual in- structions and teachings, and giving protection from fear in an ul- timate sense. The Perfection of Moral Discipline (tsul. khrims. ; slula) also has three aspects. We should abandon non-virtuous action, we should accumulate and practice following virtuous actions, and we should act for the sake of other beings by means of the four ways of gathering disciples. These four ways of gathering disci- ples are to be generous, to be gentle in speech, to behave according to the principles of Dharma and to act for the welfare of others. The Transcending Perfection of Patience (bzod. pa;~hanti) involves three main practices. To return anger or abuse or injury with love and action for the benefit of the harmer is known as the "patience in which the opposite is done"; forbearance over thirst and hunger for the sake of spiritual practice is called the "patience or endur- ance of difficulties for Dharma"; to have no fear upon hearing the profound meaning of subjects such as Emptiness, and allow our-
selves time to comprehend their meaning, is called the "patience of fearlessness over the profound meaning".
The Transcending Perfection of Spiritual Endeavor or Effort (brtson. 'grus. ; virya) in- volves three aspects. To be diligent without dismay is to wear the "armor of enthusiasm"; to apply ourselves immediately to spiritual practice without falling under the sway of procrastination, is called the "involvement of enthusiasm"; to never be satisfied with doing a little spiritual practice and to always have the desire for more, con- tinuously applying oneself, is called "unsatisfied enthusiasm".
? The Perfection of Meditative Stability or Concentration (bsam. brtan. ; dhyana) should be done in a solitary place without distraction or internal hindrances such as laziness. This again has three aspects. To have attachment to imaginary projections of bliss (bde. ba), clarity (gsal. ba), and freedom from conceptions (mi. rtog. pa) and to meditate with attachment on such imaginary projections is called the "small boy's concentration". To be detached from these imaginary projections and yet to experience no taste of the medita- tion, and to meditate with attachment to the "antidote", grasping it as "Emptiness", is called the concentration which "analyzes the (profound) meaning". To be detached from this notion of the anti- dote, namely the grasping of emptiness, and to remain in a state of concentration on reality itself without any conceptual thoughts, is called the "Tathagata concentration". The first two of these aspects of concentration involve distractions from the heart of the practice.
The Transcending Perfection of Wisdom or Discriminating In- telligence (shes. rab. ; prajfiij) can also involve three points. The in- telligence of "hearing" is to understand the meaning of the words spoken by the Spiritual Master. The intelligence of "contemplat- ing" is to ponder and consider deeply the meaning of what has been heard. After clearing away doubts by hearing and contem- plating, it is necessary to meditate on the meaning. One will come to understand that all appearing objects are delusory or deceptive in nature. This will arise through observing that the five objects of sensory perception, objects of taste, touch, smell, sight and hear- ing, are ultimately without any essence, like the eight examples of Maya. Once this is understood one should examine the nature of the subject, namely the mind to which these things are appearing. In this case the appearance of the object will not cease, but the thought grasping at the object as real will be terminated. In such a way one will come to understand the meditation in which reality itself is like the sky (chos. nyid. nam. mkha'. lta. bu). This is known as the intelligence or wisdom of "meditation". These three wisdoms, that of hearing, contemplation and meditation are the backbone of a thorough practice.
3. Meditation and Recitation of Vajrasattva
Tendencies towards unskillful actions and emotional defilements obstruct the mind which seeks to understand the meaning of the practice and to follow deep meditation. To enable the reflection of understanding and knowledge to arise in "the mirror of the universal
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ground", it is very important to cleanse this mirror through purifi-. cation. Emotional obstructions can be purified through many ways, yet the most efficacious way is through the practice of confession by means of the Vajrasattva Practice incorporating four effective antidotes.
Generally there is nothing good in non-virtuous action, but if it is confessed non-virtue will be purified. This is its only redeem- ing good quality. It is impossible, if confession is done with the four opponent forces, that the non-virtuous action will not be puri- fied. The first of these opponent forces is the force of "reliance". This means looking upon the visualized image of Vajrasattva as the embodiment of one's Refuge. The second opponent force is the force of "sincere regret". Non-virtuous actions can never be puri- fied without a feeling of remorse or regret at having committed them. Thus we should reveal these wrong actions without holding back any feeling, as though these actions are poisons that have entered one's body and need to be eliminated. The force of "aban- doning negative actions" is the thought to never commit such an action again in the future, even were it to cost us our life. The fourth opponent force, that of "applying counter-measures", is to engage in practices which purify the mind and accumulate merit, direct- ing their power expressly against unskillful wrong actions and, especially in this case, practicing the meditation and recitation of Vajrasattva without parting from aspiration of the Awakening Mind while remaining in the unmodified state of reality.
i. The Visualization
In the space above the crown of one's head visualize at the center of a thousand-petalled lotus, standing on a full moon, a white let- ter HU~'t. This instantly becomes the nature of one's principal teacher, the total embodiment of all Fully Awakened Beings, ap- pearing in the form of Vajrasattva (Dor-je Sem-pa) who is in fact a divine manifestation of all the wisdom, compassion and power of the A wakened Beings, specifically for the purification of wrongdo- ings and emotional defilements.
We should imagine his body as white like a snow-mountain reflecting the light of one hundred thousand suns. He has one face and two hands, his right hand holding at his heart a five-pronged vajra scepter indicating the empty nature of pure awareness (rig. stong). His left hand rests on his left hip and holds the bell symbolic of the union of empty nature and appearance
? (snang. stong). His two legs are crossed in the Vajra-posture. He is adorned with the 13 costumes associated with the perfect body of Complete Enjoyment, the Sal! lbhogakaya. These are comprised of the five costumes of silk, namely head-scarf, shoulder covering, a silk stole, a belt and a lower skirt-like garment, together with the eight precious ornaments the crown, earrings, necklace, armlets, long and short chest pendants, bracelets, finger rings and anklets.
He is in union with his consort Vajrabhfikuti who is holding in her right hand a curved vajra-blade and in her left a skull brim- ming with nectar. In the heart of the united consorts, on a small moon the size of a crushed mustard seed, is a white Hti? as if inscribed there by a single hair. 1his is surrounded by three con- centric circles comprised of the one hundred letters of Vajrasattva's mantra, commencing from the front. This visualization should be seen without mixing any other images, clear like a rainbow. It is accomplished by the manifestation of one's own wisdom. We should pray one-pointedly, employing the Five Strengths of Medi- tation, and begin reciting the hundred-syllable mantra of Vajrasattva. As we do so white nectar with rays of light cascade from the letters in the heart of the consorts and pass down through the point of union. These lights and rays enter into the body of
ourself and others through the crown of our head and spread throughout our body. All our bad actions, emotional defilements, wrongdoings; illnesses and so forth are imagined as filth and soot and are forced out of the body through the soles of the feet and the lower orifices, and through the pores of the skin so the body be- comes purified, in the form of light filled with bliss which is empty by nature.
At the completion of the practice Vajrasattva inspires one by saying, "Your wrongdoings and defilements are hereby purified". Vajrasattva himself spontaneously melts into light rays which then dissolve into oneself so that one becomes transformed into Vajrasattva oneself. Now in the heart of oneself as Vajrasattva, on a moon, visualize a blue HU? . In front of it is white 0? , at the right a yellow VAJRA, at the back a red SA and on the left a green TVA as if written by a hair. We should concentrate on them and recite the short form of the mantra, 0 ? VA]RASATIVA HiJ? . Light rays are emitted from the letters, and these going out and touching the Fully Awakened Beings in the numerous Pure Realms, offerings of the great wisdom of Bliss and Emptiness are made. This satisfies the Buddhas and one's own accumulation of merit is accomplished.
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All their blessings are drawn back in the form of rays and dissolve into the letters, achieving the common and uncommon attainments (dngos. sgrub. ; siddhi).
Again we should imagine that these rays of light are emitted from our heart, and this time when they come in contact with the Enlightened Beings in the Pure Realms, they emit the sound of the mantra. At the very end of the meditation we should imagine that all visualized objects dissolve into ourself and we in tum dissolve into the mantra at our heart, and that also dissolves letter by letter into the HlJ? in its center. This HiJlyt slowly dissolves upwards and finally disappears into the dot above it. This dot also eventu- ally disappears like a rainbow and at the end of the meditative period we should remain in a state of non-conceptualization of the three previously mentioned meditative factors. This is the ultimate purification of all emotional and karmic defilements.
After rising from that meditation session, while engaged in or- dinary activities, we should also reflect that the world and all be- ings in it are like a divine container and its contents, and thereby take every aspect of daily life into the path of practice.
4. Mar:u~ala Offering
According to this text there are two practices related to offering of the mat:t<;lala which accumulate merit. The main one is the Mat:t<;lala Offering proper and the secondary practice is known as the Men- dicant's Accumulation of Merit (ku. su. lu'i. tshogs. bsag) The pur- pose of the preceding practice was to dispel unfavorable obstruc- tions by purification of non-virtuous deeds. This alone is insuffi- cient for realization to be attafued. One should additionally accu- mulate merit in order to build up more and more favorable condi- tions for experiencing the essence of the path. Without the accu- mulation of merit one will never attain complete realization nor will one understand the meaning of Emptiness. Thus it is essential to cultivate the dual accumulation of both physical merit and men- tal wisdom. On this method, Tilopa has said, "0 Naropa, my son: until you have understood that the appearance of interdepend- ence relationships is not produced, do not depart from the tWo wheels of the chariot of accumulation of merit and wisdom. " A tantra also states, "Without the accumulation of merit there will be no result, just as oil cannot be extracted from sand. "
Fundamentally the mat:t<;lala practice is an offering both of ma- terials and of mentally visualized objects, of all the finest things
? both within and without cyclic existence, to the most excellent of objects, the Three Supreme Jewels. Since innumerable forms of ac- cumulation of merit are included in the Mcu;aC;iala practice, it is one of the best ways to accomplish the path. First in the actual practice we should amass the finest materials that we can as our material objects of offering. These should be arrayed on an altar or suitable place. Next we should visualize the Assembly Tree, the object of our offering, as when we go for Refuge. The accumulation of merit in this practice is accomplished primarily by means of offering through mental visualization. Although there are many methods of offering the Mcu;aC;iala, here we are concerned with the offering to the Three Perfect Bodies or the Three Kiyas.
The Nirmil;lakiya Mcu;aC;iala Offering involves all the beings and the world systems, including oneself and one's possessions, being offered to the assembly of NirmiJ:takiya manifestations. This is known as the common Nirmii;takiya Mai;t9ala Offering. Above this imagined universe we should visualize the Pure Land of Beau- tifully Arrayed Akani~? h! }la which has the five certainties associ- ated with the SaJ:! lbhogakiya state, namely the certainty of place, teacher, disciples, doctrine and time. This is an unimaginable ar- ray of palaces ornamented by numerous goddesses of offering, and itistheywhomwepresenttotheassemblyofSaJ:! lbhogakayaforms in the visualized Refuge Tree. This is known as the uncommon SaJ! lbhogakiya Mcu;aC;iala. Above this is the Dharmakiya Mai;t9ala, thehighestofall. Inthiscasewebuildtheofferingoutofallthoughts arising from the manifestation of unceasing luminosity, the four- fold vision and so forth, heaped upon a base of the unborn Dharmadhitu. All this is offered to the assembly of the Dharmakiya. All this is offered to the assembly of the Dharmakiya.
Although this visualization is described in terms of 'above' and ? 'below', "above the NirmiJ:takiya" and so forth, in actuality there is no question of partially of extremes-there is no 'above and be- low'. With this in mind and with our visualization clear, we should recite the relevant stanzas. We should make nine heaps on the m8I;l9ala plate for the Nirmii;takiya, five heaps for the ~bhoga- kiya and one for the Dharmakiya. Conversely we may recite the 37 heap Mai;t9ala Offering, or if we are not able to do that we may complete the practice by reciting the shortest form, the seven-
heaped Offering.
The second form of Mai;t9ala Offering here, the Mendicant's
Accumulation of Merit, is a special way practiced by simple yogis.
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It is called Cho (gcod) which means "cutting off" or severing the four demonic influences simultaneously. The four demonic forces are (1) Kamadeva, the god of lust, (2) the demon of death, (3) the demon of emotional defilements, and (4) the demon of the aggre- gates. It is an aspect of the practice for accumulation merit. Gener- ally we are far more attached to our body than to any possessions, so to cut off attachment to our body and to give it away is more beneficial than any other kind of offering. In the practice of Cho the objects to whom the offerings are made are visualized in the sky above us and the offering objects themselves are imagined be- low them. As we recite the stanza we should visualize ourself trans- formed into the Qakini Rudrani (khros. ma) and that our body is transformed into the nectar of Primordial Awareness, a suitable object of offering. As we recite the second stanza we should visual- ize that by giving away this body cherished by the ego the scared recipients are satisfied. We then think that all our karmic debts have been cleared, that all obstacles of illness and the like have melted away, and that the non-virtuous tendencies and emotional defile- ments have been purified. By doing so we receive as blessings all the qualities of the objects to whom the offering is made. In conclu- sion we should remain in a meditative state of non- conceptualization, realizing the object of offering, the offering and offerer to be empty of self-nature.
This Mendicant's practice results in benefits such as the per- fection of merit, the overcoming of obstacles to one's life, pacifying of illness and evil spirits and the ability to recognize the Radiant Clarity, or Clear Light, in the intermediary stage between death and the next life.
5. Prostrations
There is no special place assigned to prostrations in this text of the Uncommon Preliminary Practices, but in fact one hundred thousand prostrations are performed as an integral part of it. The actual practice of prostration is found among the seven acts of devotion included in the Unification with the Spiritual Master, the following section and main practice, and it is proper to perform prostrations while reciting the verses of that practice. However these days the full hundred thousand prostrations are done either in combination with the Refuge, Activating the Awakening Mind or the Vajrasattva practice. When making prostrations we should visualize the
? assembly of the Refuge Objects in the sky above us, and with rev- erence perform full bodily prostrations while reciting the relevant verses. This should be done with strong devotion and faith towards the objects of prostration, never allowing our mind to wander to- wards any other object. We can expand the meditation so that we visualize our body being multiplied into as many atoms as there are in the world. We first stand straight and fold our hands to- gether like a lotus blossom. We place them successively at our head, throat and heart, and while thinking that our physical, verbal and mental defilements are purified, we should touch our head, hands and knees to the ground while executing a full bodily prostration. We should rise immediately, and think that our defilements are purified and that we have received the blessings of the Body, Speech, Mind, Qualities and Activity of the Buddhas. We should meditate in this way while performing prostrations with a strong faith and belief.
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The Actual Path
1. Unification with the Spiritual Master (Guru Yoga)
A tantra states, "It is better for a person to remember a Spiritual Master for a moment, than to meditate on one hundred forms of divinities for one hundred thousand aeons. " Saraha, the teacher of Nagarjuna stated, "The spontaneously arising Primordial Aware- ness is obviously a product of purification of defilements, accu- mulation of merit, and of the blessing of realized masters: a spiritual method other than just this should be understood as mistaken. "
The practice of Unification with the Spiritual Master is the finest method for realizing the innate wisdom within oneself. It is accomplished through one's own faith and by the grace or blessing of the Spiritual Guide. All Fully Awakened Beings abide insepara- bly in the expanse of Primordial Awareness, and all are in essence one. The Spiritual Master is the embodiment unifying all wisdom, compassion and power of an A wakened Being. Understanding this with strong devotion and belief will lead to a direct experience of the essence of the path. By these means the emotional defilements are purified and the accumulation of merit and wisdom is perfected. Mixing one's own mind with the mind of the master through the four Tantric Empowerments, and then abiding relaxed in that state, enables the blessings of the Lama to be transferred to one's own mind, and thus one's mind and the mind of the teacher will become inseparable. This is the extraordinary path gaining liberation effort- lessly through the realization of the unmodified nature of reality.
The All-knowing Long-chen Rab-jam-pa says in his Gyu-ma Ngal-so (Relaxing in the Illusory Nature), "Merely by practicing devotion to one's teacher one shall easily attain the spiritual stages and paths. If one never departs from the thought of the Spiritual Master, all Fully Awakened Beings will be with you without any separation. "
Although this practice is designated as the final part of the Preliminary Practice, it is in fact the most important aspect of all practices.
? i. Visualization
To purify all perceptible phenomena into the state of equality and purity is the sublime uniqueness ofTantra. In this case all phenom- ena are purified into the Pure Land and divinities of Guru Rinpoche, Padmasambhava. One should dissolve the ordinary way of grasp- ing all perceptible phenomena into the expanse of Truth (chos. dbying. ; Dharmadhatu), the emptiness of self existent enti- ties, and then imagine them as the Pure Land of the Glorious Cop- per-colored Mountain, Akanif? h~a Tamtra shri$parvata, which is fully adorned with all symbols and ornamentation. At the center of this palace we should imagine ourself as Vajra Yogini in appear- ance and the J? akini Ye-she Tsho-gyal in nature.
Vajra Yogini's form may vary according to different traditions. In the text Kun-zang La-ma'i Zhal-lung, the visualization of Vajra Yogini is as follows. She is naked, red in color, with flower and bone ornaments. In her right hand she is shaking skull drum (t;[amaru) in the air, signifying awakening from the sleep of igno- rance. Her left hand rests on her hip and holds a curved vajra blade, signifying the severing of the three poisons of greed, ignorance and hatred at the root. Her two legs stand in the advancing posture on a lotus and sun seat. Her three eyes look urgently into the heart of Guru Rinpoche. According to the teachings from the great master Jam-yang Khyen-tse'i Wang-po, the variation is that she holds a curved vajra blade in her right hand which signifies cutting off grasping and grasper from the root. Her left hand holds a skull filled with blood, signifying the destruction of the root of birth and death. In the cleft of her left arm she holds a trident of kha~anga, signifying the inseparability of wisdom and skillful means. She stands on a seat of lotus, sun and corpse in the advancing posture and is adorned with silk and bone ornaments. Her three eyes look into the heart of Guru Rinpoche with devotion.
In visualizing oneself as Vajra Yogini, the J? akini, there are three purposes: it prepares one as a suitable vessel for receiving Tantric empowerments; it hastens the development of Blissful Emptiness and WISdom; and it enables one to be accepted as a disciple by Padmasal!
The goal attained by all these means, that are appropriate to the various dispositions of people, is perpetual liberation (thar. pa; mo~ha) from the ocean of cyclic existence. This results in the pos- session of the citadel ~f Enlightenment in the city of peace and bliss. One should be aware that this is the goal to be realized and these are its attributes.
? vi. The value ofa spiritual guide
The spiritual path to the attainment of liberation is both extensive and profound, and involves the progressive attainment of spiritual insight. The most important prerequisite is to have a competent Spiritual Master to guide one, a teacher who exhibits the necessary qualifications, in the same way that when we wish to cross an ocean we must have an experienced pilot.
Once such a teacher has been encountered one should act ac- cording to his instructions, just as one would heed those of a doc- tor in order to cure an illness. On the other hand, spiritual arro- gance, where one thinks one can practice meditation without any guidance, gives one little chance not to deviate along a wrong path.
It is also important to precisely examine whether or not your teacher is qualified, otherwise you may not receive any benefits. There is a danger, in following one who is incompetent, of being seriously misled. It would be like a falling man who clutches out to another falling man for his help. Moreover, from a spiritual point of view, serious obstacles are created if we have a teacher whom we later find to be unqualified and then lose faith in him. Thus it is very important to examine the spiritual qualities of the person be- fore taking him as one's own teacher. After one has found a profi- cient master one should receive teachings from him which ripen and purify the mind. One must do as he instructs without any doubt or hesitation, with great respect and strong belief that all he says involves the pure teaching, and all he does is an expression of ex- cellence.
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The Uncommon Preliminary Practice
Once our mind has been trained and acquainted with the princi- ples set out in the common Preliminary Practices, and we experi- ence a natural, unmodified and spontaneous desire to practice Dharma, we are fully ready to enter the door of spiritual practice. To do so, specifically in relation to Mahayana Buddhism, it is nec- essary to embark on those Preliminary Practices not common to all spiritual traditions. These involve specifically Buddhist oriented practices, such as Taking Refuge, and include the following topics:
1. TakingrefugeintheThreeSupremeJewels(dkon. mchog. gsum. : Tri Ratna), namely the guide or teacher, the spiritual path or his teaching, and the companions along the way to the state of lib- eration. Refuge is the foundation stone of all Dharma practice.
2. Activating the Awakening Mind (byang. chub. kyi. sems. ; Bodhicitta), the entrance into and the very heart of the Great Vehicle (theg. pa. chen. po. ; Mahayana).
3. Reciting the mantra of an meditating upon the form of Vajrasattva (rdo. rje. sems. pa) in order to purify one's emotional defilements, the obstructions against the attainment of libera- tion from the process of cyclic existence.
4. Offering the mar:u;iala or universe to the Lama, the ultimate spiritual principal. This is for the accumulation of merit (bsod. nams. ; pUl)ya) or stock of positive energy which brings together causes favorable to the attainment of realization.
5. Making prostrations which purify emotional defilements as well as accumulate merit.
It is considered essential within the lineage of this specific teach-
ing to have completed one hundred thousand repetitions of each of these five practices. This is done to prepare the mind for the higher meditations directly relevant to the Dzog-chen meditation. Traditionally, if one has not done so, one is neither permitted to receive a teaching nor even to read a page of scripture relating to the higher practices.
? 1. Going for Refuge
Going for refuge in the Three Supreme Jewels and observing the attendant obligations is said to be like the door to Dharma. And individual, properly speaking, may not consider him or herself a Buddhist without having sincerely gone for refuge. Refuge may be the entrance into the Dharma, but the key to unlocking this door is faith. It is impossible to seek refuge in something in which one lacks any faith; thus it is first essential to learn and appreciate the qualities of the Three Supreme Jewels. Such an appreciation will lead to the development of the three aspects of faith, namely: cleans- ing faith, which is a natural responsiveness to manifestations of the Dharma with the effect of cleansing the mind; aspirational faith, which is an urge to practice Dharma and to obtain its results; and believing faith, which is based on a conviction of the validity of the teachings. Without faith, not even a single virtue will arise. In the Ratnakuta sutra it is stated, "If a man has no faith, no virtue will arise in him, just as a seed burnt by fire will produce no green shoot. "
There are a number of different levels involved in taking ref- uge. These depend on our own capacity and inclination of mind. First, in accordance with the way common to Buddhism in gen- eral, we take refuge by respecting the Buddha as the guide along the path, the Dharma as the spiritual path, and the Sangha as the support in practicing the path.
According to the Vajrayana or Tantric tradition of Buddhism, which is not found in all traditions, there are subtler levels in which we can take refuge. The first of these relates to the first stage of Tantric practice, the developing stage (bskyed. rim. ; utpattikrama) in which we take refuge by offering our "three doors"-our body, speech and mind-to the lama as refuge in the Buddha; we devote ourself to the personal deity (yi. dam. ; i~f:lta-devata)or inner refuge as tl1e path; and we should view the J? aka or J? akini (mkha'. 'gro or mkha'-'gro. ma) as the spiritual support on the path. Over and above this form of refuge is that which relates to the completion stage (rdzogs. rim; utpannakrama) of the Highest Yoga Tantra in which we take refuge in the true nature, the A wakening Mind or Bodhicitta (which in the Tantric practice is linked with the unchanging Great Bliss). In this case the Sa:r:tgha refuge means a recognition of the practice's dependence upon the physical channel system (rtsa; nac:J. i) which is understood as the perfect body of Emanation (sprul. sku; Ni~akaya); the Dharma refuge is understanding the purification
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of the physical wind or energy (dung; vayu) as the perfect body of Complete Enjoyment (longs. sku; Sarpbhogakaya); and the Buddha refuge is realizing the purification of our seminal essence (thig. Ie; hindu) to be the perfect body of Truth (chos. sku; Dharmakaya).
The highest and most subtle form of Refuge is that which is known as Refuge in the Vajra Nature (gnas. lugs. rdo. rje). This is the determination to realize the three inseparable aspects of Pri- mordial Wisdom (ye. shes; ji'iiina) present in the mind of the refuge objects; its Empty Essence as the Dharmakaya, the Buddha Ref- uge; its Lucid Nature as the Sarpbhogakaya, the Dharma Refuge; and its Universal Compassion as the Nirmar:takaya, the Sar:tgha Refuge. The significance of these Tantric ways of taking Refuge will only be fully appreciated as direct experience is gained in the practices.
There are various attitudes that may be present when we go for refuge. We may take refuge to protect us from the suffering of lower realms of existence and to ensure that we are reborn in the happy states of existence. Such is the motive of an inferior person. If we take refuge for the liberation of ourselves from Sarpsara our motivation is that of an individual of middling capacity. To take refuge with the wish to lead all sentient beings to the final attain- ment of Buddhahood is to do so with the supreme motivation of the superior person. Within this context we are concerned with tak- ing refuge as a person of superior motivation.
When taking refuge we must receive it directly from a quali- fied teacher and follow the obligations connected with it. Once ref- uge has been taken directly from a Spiritual Master it is possible to follow the practice through a form such as in this prayer. We should be seated comfortably, preferably in a meditation posture, and should visualize in our mind's eye the Assembly Tree (tshogs. zhing) which is the object before which we accumulate merit. Holding this visualization before us we should recite the refuge stanza com- mencing, "To the actual Three Rare and Supreme Jewels. . . ". We should take refuge with the thought that "until all beings attain Enlightenment I shall go for refuge in these Three Rare and Su- preme Jewels. " This should be recited with strong conviction and reverence, and with one-pointedness of mind. After repeating this three times, one should imagine that all sentient beings, including oneself, dissolve into the Assembly Tree, that all the objects within the Assembly Tree dissolve into the central figure of the Spiritual Master, and that he in turn dissolves into "utter simplicity"
? (spros. bral), the absolute inactivity of Thusness, and one should continue in the truly natural meditative state of Refuge for as long as possible.
In brief, the obligations of taking Refuge are never to seek pro- tection in any worldly gods or material goals, this being counter to the refuge in Buddha; never to harm sentient beings, which is coun- ter to the Truth of Dharma; and never to associate with people of perverted views and behavior, this being counter to refuge in the Sangha.
According to the higher Tantric practices we should consider, with devotion and without any doubt, that all the objects of refuge are present in the nature of the Spiritual Master. His mind is the Buddha, his speech is the Dharma and his body is the Sangha.
Generally, to have faith in anything will bring benefits accord- ingly. The benefits obtained by the practitioner do not depend on the excellence or lack of it of the objects of faith, but only upon the individual's mind and quality of faith. Thus it is very important to have what is known as the attitude which views all appearances as pure (dag. snang). This we can understand from Tibetan stories such as those of the old woman khyi-so sarfg-gya, who attained Libera- tion through her devout veneration of a dog's tooth, and those sto- ries of Kongpo Ben (rkong. po. 'ben). Therefore the great teacher Padmasambhava has said, "One shall receive blessings by having faith, and will obtain all that is desired if there are no doubts in the mind. "
2. Activating the Awakening Mind
In order to realize the principles embodied in the Three Jewels by means of seeking Refuge in the causes for such a state, which are themselves also the Three Jewels, one must practice virtuous ac- tions. These actions of the Bodhisattva are diverse and varied. How- ever, to engage in these activities, it is first necessary to develop bodhicitta, the thought of enlightenment, the Awakening Mind. Cultivation of the Awakening Mind is the way of the Great Vehi- cle, the Mahayana. It is the entrance into the Mahayana as well as the very heart of it.
Bodhicitta is the thought of freeing all sentient beings from suffering and the causes of suffering, and of leading them to dwell in bliss and happiness until they are completely freed, and finally to establish them in the realm of supreme enlightenment, the fully
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awakened state of being. To do so we should seize this highest of thoughts by feeling, "I shall act for the perfect benefit of all others by attaining supreme enlightenment myself and by practicing the innumerable activities of the Bodhisattvas, such as the Transcend- ing Perfections (pha. rol. tu. phyin. pa; Paramita) and so on. " If such a thought arises within us, from that moment onwards we shall be known as a Bodhisattva, or a son of the Conqueror, and will be venerated by gods and men. Whether working or resting our spir- itual merit continuously will increase like the unrestricted growth of ~aplings.
It is said that by accumulating such merit over three measure- less aeons, one will perfect the Five Spiritual Paths and Ten Spir- itual Stages and will attain Buddhahood, their result. We may think that since this is a tremendously long period of time there is noth- ing extraordinary about such a spiritual path. To think so is wrong. By cultivating an especially strong and pure thought to benefit oth- ers in an ultimate way, it is possible to complete the accumulation of merit rapidly. This is born out in one of the former life-stories of the Buddha, when he was known as the ship's pilot Nying-je-chen. He realized one of the passengers of the ship, a black man known as Dung-thung-chen, was about to kill all on board and to plunder the ship's cargo. With immense compassion, both for him and for his potential victims, Nying-je-chen took the life of this man, and in one instant of this great compassion perfected the merit of sev- enty thousand aeons. You may also think that it is inappropriate to attain liberation from cyclic existence for ourselves since we have vowed to act for the benefit of others until all beings have attained the realm of enlightenment. Such an assumption. is not correct. If we attain Nirval)a, or the state "Beyond Sorrow", our activities on behalf of others will not cease. Even though it is stated that the fully awakened mind has no conceptual intention to benefit others and acts with total spontaneity, due to the interdependence (rten. 'brel; pratityasamutpada) of the aspirations and wishes culti- vated during the period of practice (slob. lam;shai~hamarga), until all sentient beings attain full realization our activities for the welfare of others will appear spontaneously within cyclic existence.
To cultivate the Awakening Mind we can prepare by means of the Four Boundless Practices. First we should understand that it is never certain who are friends or enemies, and whether they always stay that way. Developing an unbiased attitude without hatred to- wards enemies or attachment towards friends is the stlte of
? 11boundlessequanimity11? Secondly,thereisnosentientbeingwho, in innumerable previous lifetimes, has never been our parent. To wishthattheyshouldhavehappinessisknownas11boundless1ove11? ~~Boundlesscompassion11 isthewishtoseeallsentientbeingssepa- rated from suffering. And to find happiness in the happiness and joy of others is the cultivation of 11boundless joy~~.
One should accept the precepts of a Bodhisattva from a quali- fied Lama, one who has the attributes of a Mahayana teacher. One should, through offerings, amass as large an accumulation of merit as possible. After completing the actual ceremony one should ob- serve the precepts related to it. In this practice we do so by reciting the stanza beginning, 11Deceived by myriad appearances. . . ''. Again in this instance the Assembly Tree is visualized in the sky above us, and we should activate the Awakening Mind by reflecting, with gratitude, upon the sufferings of all sentient beings who have, at one time or another, been our mothers. Together with this we should have the absolute determination to lead them out of their suffering and unto the state of supreme enlightenment. These thoughts
should pervade our mind during this practice, and at the end of the meditation period, as the divinities of the Assembly Tree dis- solve into us, we should think that the ultimate Awakening Mind embodied in the Assembly Tree is activated within. This ultimate Awakening Mind is emptiness (stong. pa. nyid; Shiinyata) and our mind should remain stabilized in it.
Generally, although there are many ways of dividing Bodhicitta, if we look at it according to the degree of mental power we have three main divisions, each of which reflect a successively lesser aspiration. First, the King-like development of Bodhicitta involves the thought that one will attain Enlightenment first and afterwards will lead all sentient beings to that state. The Boatman-like devel- opment of Bodhicitta is the desire for one's own Enlightenment and that of others together. The Shepherd-like development of Bodhicitta is the urge to lead all sentient beings to Buddhahood first and then to attain it oneself. We should practice according to our own inclination and capacity.
Aside from this there are various aspects of the practices relat- ing to the cultivation of Bodhicitta which may take place over three immeasurable aeons. The most generally accepted division of the practice itself is in terms of the intentional Bodhicitta, which is like the wish to go somewhere, and the actual Bodhicitta, which is like the journey itself. The former involves the thought that I shall lead
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all sentient beings to Buddhahood, and is practiced through three different meditations. There is meditation on the equality of self and others and understanding that our aspirations for happiness and the avoidance of suffering are no different than the aspirations of all other beings; meditation on the exchange of oneself with oth- ers in which we transfer the normal egocentric attitude we have towards ourself and our aims and aspirations onto the aims and aspirations of others, and in which the usual disregard we have for others is now focused upon ourself; and meditation in which we care for others more than ourself. These are all meditations funda- mentally centered around the aspirational Bodhicitta.
To train in cultivating the actual Awakening Mind, which is like actually venturing into the journey itself, involves many dif- ferent aspects. However, they may be summarized in the Six Tran- scending Perfections, the Paramitas. These we must practice.
First is the Transcending Perfection of Giving, or Generosity (sbyin. pa; dana). This involves giving, without any attachment, worldly possessions and material objects, religious or spiritual in- structions and teachings, and giving protection from fear in an ul- timate sense. The Perfection of Moral Discipline (tsul. khrims. ; slula) also has three aspects. We should abandon non-virtuous action, we should accumulate and practice following virtuous actions, and we should act for the sake of other beings by means of the four ways of gathering disciples. These four ways of gathering disci- ples are to be generous, to be gentle in speech, to behave according to the principles of Dharma and to act for the welfare of others. The Transcending Perfection of Patience (bzod. pa;~hanti) involves three main practices. To return anger or abuse or injury with love and action for the benefit of the harmer is known as the "patience in which the opposite is done"; forbearance over thirst and hunger for the sake of spiritual practice is called the "patience or endur- ance of difficulties for Dharma"; to have no fear upon hearing the profound meaning of subjects such as Emptiness, and allow our-
selves time to comprehend their meaning, is called the "patience of fearlessness over the profound meaning".
The Transcending Perfection of Spiritual Endeavor or Effort (brtson. 'grus. ; virya) in- volves three aspects. To be diligent without dismay is to wear the "armor of enthusiasm"; to apply ourselves immediately to spiritual practice without falling under the sway of procrastination, is called the "involvement of enthusiasm"; to never be satisfied with doing a little spiritual practice and to always have the desire for more, con- tinuously applying oneself, is called "unsatisfied enthusiasm".
? The Perfection of Meditative Stability or Concentration (bsam. brtan. ; dhyana) should be done in a solitary place without distraction or internal hindrances such as laziness. This again has three aspects. To have attachment to imaginary projections of bliss (bde. ba), clarity (gsal. ba), and freedom from conceptions (mi. rtog. pa) and to meditate with attachment on such imaginary projections is called the "small boy's concentration". To be detached from these imaginary projections and yet to experience no taste of the medita- tion, and to meditate with attachment to the "antidote", grasping it as "Emptiness", is called the concentration which "analyzes the (profound) meaning". To be detached from this notion of the anti- dote, namely the grasping of emptiness, and to remain in a state of concentration on reality itself without any conceptual thoughts, is called the "Tathagata concentration". The first two of these aspects of concentration involve distractions from the heart of the practice.
The Transcending Perfection of Wisdom or Discriminating In- telligence (shes. rab. ; prajfiij) can also involve three points. The in- telligence of "hearing" is to understand the meaning of the words spoken by the Spiritual Master. The intelligence of "contemplat- ing" is to ponder and consider deeply the meaning of what has been heard. After clearing away doubts by hearing and contem- plating, it is necessary to meditate on the meaning. One will come to understand that all appearing objects are delusory or deceptive in nature. This will arise through observing that the five objects of sensory perception, objects of taste, touch, smell, sight and hear- ing, are ultimately without any essence, like the eight examples of Maya. Once this is understood one should examine the nature of the subject, namely the mind to which these things are appearing. In this case the appearance of the object will not cease, but the thought grasping at the object as real will be terminated. In such a way one will come to understand the meditation in which reality itself is like the sky (chos. nyid. nam. mkha'. lta. bu). This is known as the intelligence or wisdom of "meditation". These three wisdoms, that of hearing, contemplation and meditation are the backbone of a thorough practice.
3. Meditation and Recitation of Vajrasattva
Tendencies towards unskillful actions and emotional defilements obstruct the mind which seeks to understand the meaning of the practice and to follow deep meditation. To enable the reflection of understanding and knowledge to arise in "the mirror of the universal
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ground", it is very important to cleanse this mirror through purifi-. cation. Emotional obstructions can be purified through many ways, yet the most efficacious way is through the practice of confession by means of the Vajrasattva Practice incorporating four effective antidotes.
Generally there is nothing good in non-virtuous action, but if it is confessed non-virtue will be purified. This is its only redeem- ing good quality. It is impossible, if confession is done with the four opponent forces, that the non-virtuous action will not be puri- fied. The first of these opponent forces is the force of "reliance". This means looking upon the visualized image of Vajrasattva as the embodiment of one's Refuge. The second opponent force is the force of "sincere regret". Non-virtuous actions can never be puri- fied without a feeling of remorse or regret at having committed them. Thus we should reveal these wrong actions without holding back any feeling, as though these actions are poisons that have entered one's body and need to be eliminated. The force of "aban- doning negative actions" is the thought to never commit such an action again in the future, even were it to cost us our life. The fourth opponent force, that of "applying counter-measures", is to engage in practices which purify the mind and accumulate merit, direct- ing their power expressly against unskillful wrong actions and, especially in this case, practicing the meditation and recitation of Vajrasattva without parting from aspiration of the Awakening Mind while remaining in the unmodified state of reality.
i. The Visualization
In the space above the crown of one's head visualize at the center of a thousand-petalled lotus, standing on a full moon, a white let- ter HU~'t. This instantly becomes the nature of one's principal teacher, the total embodiment of all Fully Awakened Beings, ap- pearing in the form of Vajrasattva (Dor-je Sem-pa) who is in fact a divine manifestation of all the wisdom, compassion and power of the A wakened Beings, specifically for the purification of wrongdo- ings and emotional defilements.
We should imagine his body as white like a snow-mountain reflecting the light of one hundred thousand suns. He has one face and two hands, his right hand holding at his heart a five-pronged vajra scepter indicating the empty nature of pure awareness (rig. stong). His left hand rests on his left hip and holds the bell symbolic of the union of empty nature and appearance
? (snang. stong). His two legs are crossed in the Vajra-posture. He is adorned with the 13 costumes associated with the perfect body of Complete Enjoyment, the Sal! lbhogakaya. These are comprised of the five costumes of silk, namely head-scarf, shoulder covering, a silk stole, a belt and a lower skirt-like garment, together with the eight precious ornaments the crown, earrings, necklace, armlets, long and short chest pendants, bracelets, finger rings and anklets.
He is in union with his consort Vajrabhfikuti who is holding in her right hand a curved vajra-blade and in her left a skull brim- ming with nectar. In the heart of the united consorts, on a small moon the size of a crushed mustard seed, is a white Hti? as if inscribed there by a single hair. 1his is surrounded by three con- centric circles comprised of the one hundred letters of Vajrasattva's mantra, commencing from the front. This visualization should be seen without mixing any other images, clear like a rainbow. It is accomplished by the manifestation of one's own wisdom. We should pray one-pointedly, employing the Five Strengths of Medi- tation, and begin reciting the hundred-syllable mantra of Vajrasattva. As we do so white nectar with rays of light cascade from the letters in the heart of the consorts and pass down through the point of union. These lights and rays enter into the body of
ourself and others through the crown of our head and spread throughout our body. All our bad actions, emotional defilements, wrongdoings; illnesses and so forth are imagined as filth and soot and are forced out of the body through the soles of the feet and the lower orifices, and through the pores of the skin so the body be- comes purified, in the form of light filled with bliss which is empty by nature.
At the completion of the practice Vajrasattva inspires one by saying, "Your wrongdoings and defilements are hereby purified". Vajrasattva himself spontaneously melts into light rays which then dissolve into oneself so that one becomes transformed into Vajrasattva oneself. Now in the heart of oneself as Vajrasattva, on a moon, visualize a blue HU? . In front of it is white 0? , at the right a yellow VAJRA, at the back a red SA and on the left a green TVA as if written by a hair. We should concentrate on them and recite the short form of the mantra, 0 ? VA]RASATIVA HiJ? . Light rays are emitted from the letters, and these going out and touching the Fully Awakened Beings in the numerous Pure Realms, offerings of the great wisdom of Bliss and Emptiness are made. This satisfies the Buddhas and one's own accumulation of merit is accomplished.
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All their blessings are drawn back in the form of rays and dissolve into the letters, achieving the common and uncommon attainments (dngos. sgrub. ; siddhi).
Again we should imagine that these rays of light are emitted from our heart, and this time when they come in contact with the Enlightened Beings in the Pure Realms, they emit the sound of the mantra. At the very end of the meditation we should imagine that all visualized objects dissolve into ourself and we in tum dissolve into the mantra at our heart, and that also dissolves letter by letter into the HlJ? in its center. This HiJlyt slowly dissolves upwards and finally disappears into the dot above it. This dot also eventu- ally disappears like a rainbow and at the end of the meditative period we should remain in a state of non-conceptualization of the three previously mentioned meditative factors. This is the ultimate purification of all emotional and karmic defilements.
After rising from that meditation session, while engaged in or- dinary activities, we should also reflect that the world and all be- ings in it are like a divine container and its contents, and thereby take every aspect of daily life into the path of practice.
4. Mar:u~ala Offering
According to this text there are two practices related to offering of the mat:t<;lala which accumulate merit. The main one is the Mat:t<;lala Offering proper and the secondary practice is known as the Men- dicant's Accumulation of Merit (ku. su. lu'i. tshogs. bsag) The pur- pose of the preceding practice was to dispel unfavorable obstruc- tions by purification of non-virtuous deeds. This alone is insuffi- cient for realization to be attafued. One should additionally accu- mulate merit in order to build up more and more favorable condi- tions for experiencing the essence of the path. Without the accu- mulation of merit one will never attain complete realization nor will one understand the meaning of Emptiness. Thus it is essential to cultivate the dual accumulation of both physical merit and men- tal wisdom. On this method, Tilopa has said, "0 Naropa, my son: until you have understood that the appearance of interdepend- ence relationships is not produced, do not depart from the tWo wheels of the chariot of accumulation of merit and wisdom. " A tantra also states, "Without the accumulation of merit there will be no result, just as oil cannot be extracted from sand. "
Fundamentally the mat:t<;lala practice is an offering both of ma- terials and of mentally visualized objects, of all the finest things
? both within and without cyclic existence, to the most excellent of objects, the Three Supreme Jewels. Since innumerable forms of ac- cumulation of merit are included in the Mcu;aC;iala practice, it is one of the best ways to accomplish the path. First in the actual practice we should amass the finest materials that we can as our material objects of offering. These should be arrayed on an altar or suitable place. Next we should visualize the Assembly Tree, the object of our offering, as when we go for Refuge. The accumulation of merit in this practice is accomplished primarily by means of offering through mental visualization. Although there are many methods of offering the Mcu;aC;iala, here we are concerned with the offering to the Three Perfect Bodies or the Three Kiyas.
The Nirmil;lakiya Mcu;aC;iala Offering involves all the beings and the world systems, including oneself and one's possessions, being offered to the assembly of NirmiJ:takiya manifestations. This is known as the common Nirmii;takiya Mai;t9ala Offering. Above this imagined universe we should visualize the Pure Land of Beau- tifully Arrayed Akani~? h! }la which has the five certainties associ- ated with the SaJ:! lbhogakiya state, namely the certainty of place, teacher, disciples, doctrine and time. This is an unimaginable ar- ray of palaces ornamented by numerous goddesses of offering, and itistheywhomwepresenttotheassemblyofSaJ:! lbhogakayaforms in the visualized Refuge Tree. This is known as the uncommon SaJ! lbhogakiya Mcu;aC;iala. Above this is the Dharmakiya Mai;t9ala, thehighestofall. Inthiscasewebuildtheofferingoutofallthoughts arising from the manifestation of unceasing luminosity, the four- fold vision and so forth, heaped upon a base of the unborn Dharmadhitu. All this is offered to the assembly of the Dharmakiya. All this is offered to the assembly of the Dharmakiya.
Although this visualization is described in terms of 'above' and ? 'below', "above the NirmiJ:takiya" and so forth, in actuality there is no question of partially of extremes-there is no 'above and be- low'. With this in mind and with our visualization clear, we should recite the relevant stanzas. We should make nine heaps on the m8I;l9ala plate for the Nirmii;takiya, five heaps for the ~bhoga- kiya and one for the Dharmakiya. Conversely we may recite the 37 heap Mai;t9ala Offering, or if we are not able to do that we may complete the practice by reciting the shortest form, the seven-
heaped Offering.
The second form of Mai;t9ala Offering here, the Mendicant's
Accumulation of Merit, is a special way practiced by simple yogis.
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It is called Cho (gcod) which means "cutting off" or severing the four demonic influences simultaneously. The four demonic forces are (1) Kamadeva, the god of lust, (2) the demon of death, (3) the demon of emotional defilements, and (4) the demon of the aggre- gates. It is an aspect of the practice for accumulation merit. Gener- ally we are far more attached to our body than to any possessions, so to cut off attachment to our body and to give it away is more beneficial than any other kind of offering. In the practice of Cho the objects to whom the offerings are made are visualized in the sky above us and the offering objects themselves are imagined be- low them. As we recite the stanza we should visualize ourself trans- formed into the Qakini Rudrani (khros. ma) and that our body is transformed into the nectar of Primordial Awareness, a suitable object of offering. As we recite the second stanza we should visual- ize that by giving away this body cherished by the ego the scared recipients are satisfied. We then think that all our karmic debts have been cleared, that all obstacles of illness and the like have melted away, and that the non-virtuous tendencies and emotional defile- ments have been purified. By doing so we receive as blessings all the qualities of the objects to whom the offering is made. In conclu- sion we should remain in a meditative state of non- conceptualization, realizing the object of offering, the offering and offerer to be empty of self-nature.
This Mendicant's practice results in benefits such as the per- fection of merit, the overcoming of obstacles to one's life, pacifying of illness and evil spirits and the ability to recognize the Radiant Clarity, or Clear Light, in the intermediary stage between death and the next life.
5. Prostrations
There is no special place assigned to prostrations in this text of the Uncommon Preliminary Practices, but in fact one hundred thousand prostrations are performed as an integral part of it. The actual practice of prostration is found among the seven acts of devotion included in the Unification with the Spiritual Master, the following section and main practice, and it is proper to perform prostrations while reciting the verses of that practice. However these days the full hundred thousand prostrations are done either in combination with the Refuge, Activating the Awakening Mind or the Vajrasattva practice. When making prostrations we should visualize the
? assembly of the Refuge Objects in the sky above us, and with rev- erence perform full bodily prostrations while reciting the relevant verses. This should be done with strong devotion and faith towards the objects of prostration, never allowing our mind to wander to- wards any other object. We can expand the meditation so that we visualize our body being multiplied into as many atoms as there are in the world. We first stand straight and fold our hands to- gether like a lotus blossom. We place them successively at our head, throat and heart, and while thinking that our physical, verbal and mental defilements are purified, we should touch our head, hands and knees to the ground while executing a full bodily prostration. We should rise immediately, and think that our defilements are purified and that we have received the blessings of the Body, Speech, Mind, Qualities and Activity of the Buddhas. We should meditate in this way while performing prostrations with a strong faith and belief.
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The Actual Path
1. Unification with the Spiritual Master (Guru Yoga)
A tantra states, "It is better for a person to remember a Spiritual Master for a moment, than to meditate on one hundred forms of divinities for one hundred thousand aeons. " Saraha, the teacher of Nagarjuna stated, "The spontaneously arising Primordial Aware- ness is obviously a product of purification of defilements, accu- mulation of merit, and of the blessing of realized masters: a spiritual method other than just this should be understood as mistaken. "
The practice of Unification with the Spiritual Master is the finest method for realizing the innate wisdom within oneself. It is accomplished through one's own faith and by the grace or blessing of the Spiritual Guide. All Fully Awakened Beings abide insepara- bly in the expanse of Primordial Awareness, and all are in essence one. The Spiritual Master is the embodiment unifying all wisdom, compassion and power of an A wakened Being. Understanding this with strong devotion and belief will lead to a direct experience of the essence of the path. By these means the emotional defilements are purified and the accumulation of merit and wisdom is perfected. Mixing one's own mind with the mind of the master through the four Tantric Empowerments, and then abiding relaxed in that state, enables the blessings of the Lama to be transferred to one's own mind, and thus one's mind and the mind of the teacher will become inseparable. This is the extraordinary path gaining liberation effort- lessly through the realization of the unmodified nature of reality.
The All-knowing Long-chen Rab-jam-pa says in his Gyu-ma Ngal-so (Relaxing in the Illusory Nature), "Merely by practicing devotion to one's teacher one shall easily attain the spiritual stages and paths. If one never departs from the thought of the Spiritual Master, all Fully Awakened Beings will be with you without any separation. "
Although this practice is designated as the final part of the Preliminary Practice, it is in fact the most important aspect of all practices.
? i. Visualization
To purify all perceptible phenomena into the state of equality and purity is the sublime uniqueness ofTantra. In this case all phenom- ena are purified into the Pure Land and divinities of Guru Rinpoche, Padmasambhava. One should dissolve the ordinary way of grasp- ing all perceptible phenomena into the expanse of Truth (chos. dbying. ; Dharmadhatu), the emptiness of self existent enti- ties, and then imagine them as the Pure Land of the Glorious Cop- per-colored Mountain, Akanif? h~a Tamtra shri$parvata, which is fully adorned with all symbols and ornamentation. At the center of this palace we should imagine ourself as Vajra Yogini in appear- ance and the J? akini Ye-she Tsho-gyal in nature.
Vajra Yogini's form may vary according to different traditions. In the text Kun-zang La-ma'i Zhal-lung, the visualization of Vajra Yogini is as follows. She is naked, red in color, with flower and bone ornaments. In her right hand she is shaking skull drum (t;[amaru) in the air, signifying awakening from the sleep of igno- rance. Her left hand rests on her hip and holds a curved vajra blade, signifying the severing of the three poisons of greed, ignorance and hatred at the root. Her two legs stand in the advancing posture on a lotus and sun seat. Her three eyes look urgently into the heart of Guru Rinpoche. According to the teachings from the great master Jam-yang Khyen-tse'i Wang-po, the variation is that she holds a curved vajra blade in her right hand which signifies cutting off grasping and grasper from the root. Her left hand holds a skull filled with blood, signifying the destruction of the root of birth and death. In the cleft of her left arm she holds a trident of kha~anga, signifying the inseparability of wisdom and skillful means. She stands on a seat of lotus, sun and corpse in the advancing posture and is adorned with silk and bone ornaments. Her three eyes look into the heart of Guru Rinpoche with devotion.
In visualizing oneself as Vajra Yogini, the J? akini, there are three purposes: it prepares one as a suitable vessel for receiving Tantric empowerments; it hastens the development of Blissful Emptiness and WISdom; and it enables one to be accepted as a disciple by Padmasal!
