在靈感中翻譯佛法，在業力下努力微笑

噶千仁波切：勝樂金剛灌頂開示2015.07.04英文繕寫

Chakrasamvara Empowerment by H. E. Garchen Rinpoche

So this morning we concluded with the preliminary practices. So it is said that the preliminaries of all that thus be assiduous with this mind，the preliminary. So what is actually the root, the essence of the Dharma? So we possess buddha nature. And although we possess buddha nature, we suffer in the ocean of samsara. And that is because for the time being, the mind has become defiled. So the Dharma, the purpose of Dharma is to purify the mind. That is the meaning of this term Dharma, actually, it is to transform, to purify the mind. And what we need to purify in the mind is the self-grasping. So the altruistic intention that is the preliminary of all Dharma. So it is the bodhicitta is the preliminary but also bodhicitta is the actual practice, the main part of the practice, so here it is said that the main part practice here is the meditation on the yidam deity that is also based on bodhicitta.

So second here it says if your own body appears as the king of divine forms (according to the text), so one’s own body appears as the deity, the king of divine forms. So what that means is that we possess buddha nature, all sentient beings possess buddha nature, and therefore, we are all alike, we are of the family of the king. Like we belong to buddha’s family because we possess buddha nature. And then, of the six realms of samsara, the precious human body is supreme. So as humans, we possess the family of the buddha, that we are of the buddha kind and buddha nature, and also we have obtained the precious human body. So we become like a prince, like a son of the king. So that is to ripen that, we engage in the main part practice, the main part practice after the preliminary here is the practice of the yidam deity. Like an unripe flower bud and that which keeps it unripe that is our afflictions, our grasping at a self. And bodhicitta is like the water that we pour into the flower that makes it open up and ripen. So with our body we visualize the form of the deity, and that is on the basis of understanding the qualities of one’s own body, and how the deity is by nature one’s inherent within one’s own body. And so then if you know that, and give rise to bodhicitta, we practice it, we practice the yidam deity the creation stage based on bodhicitta, then we purify all obscurations.

Then there are some people, some people who are very diligent, if they practice the yidam deity on the basis of bodhicitta with great perseverance, there are many people who have attained the state of the deity in a life time or attain the rainbow body. So this is possible. It is possible that through purifying our obscuration, by practicing the yidam, that we arise in the form as in the nature of the yidam deity. So we can really understand that by thinking about that logically with intelligence. So if your own body, the king of the divine forms, for sure to hold the immutable seeds, the basis, their retinue of mother skyfarers around. So once we have cultivated the first step of bodhicitta, one becomes like this prince who is ready to take on the kingdom.  

So it says one’s own body, the king of divine forms, so one’s own body, one’s ordinary body, is what we call the persons, we think that this is me, we identify with this body, this one body, a single form, a single shape and thing that this is me that the person. Actually the body is an aggregate, it consists of many particles, like grains of sand, many different particles coming together that make up this heap of body, so it is actually not just one solid thing. And so then what actually makes up the person is the body and the mind together. And mind are represented, or kind of elaborated by the five aggregates. The five aggregates they comprised of the body and the mind which we then called the person. So the five aggregates are also related to the five afflictions. And if one gives rise to bodhicitta, then these five afflictions become the five wisdoms. Then one’s body becomes the pure illusory form of sambhogakaya that arises from the dharmakaya. From the dharmakaya expanse, the countless pure forms of the buddhas as sambhogakaya forms and pure lands manifest. And if the mind holds on to a self, then that mind creates the various forms of samsara, the six realms or the three lower realms. So it is only due to a slight condition, of either self-grasping or bodhicitta that is to different manifestations.

In the Samantabhadra prayer it says it is only a question of recognizing or not recognizing the nature of the mind, the two-fold bodhicitta. When you realize it says the nature of your own mind, then you are a buddha, not realizing it, you are a sentient being. So it is really a question of directly looking or not looking at the nature of the mind. When you directly look at the nature of the mind and you see the nature, then you understand that this mind itself is the buddha, is enlightened. All enlightened qualities come from this mind. So from an unrealized perspective, we, the person consists of the five elements, this is what we called a person, so the five aggregates.

So the first aggregate is the aggregate of form. And that is the shape of the person. So we think that this form is actually the person. We think it is one solid thing, one form and that is the person. But actually a person’s body, the aggregate of form, is not just one solid thing. But it is a heap of many things and it has the nature of the five elements, all the five elements. So it is a compound of various particles, many parts, it is not just one form. So first we have this form, the aggregate of form, and then this form, also, due to this form, we experience the second aggregate which is feeling. Because this form comes into contact with the five sense pleasures, the sense sources become attached to these sense objects. And that generate a reaction, of either pleasure or pain. So that is the aggregate of feeling, a sensation is generated. So then either we experience pleasure or we experience a pain and suffering and so on. That is the aggregate of feeling. So it is the various, the five sense sources that experience the various five sense objects. It (form) is related to the affliction of ignorance.

And then the form actually, how does it relate to ignorance is that the form actually does not actually truly exist. For example, we call, we give it a name. We all have a name that we relate to this body. So we call this body a certain name. Like this is my name, this is who I am, who this body is. We think this is how it really is. When we see the form, we think of this name. But actually the name is empty, just like the body itself is empty. It is a compound of many different parts and it doesn’t really exist. So if you really look at it closely you can understand that. So then the aggregate of feelings and then so the form is related to ignorance and the aggregate of feelings is related to pride.

And then there’s the aggregate of perception and that is related to our attachment to the various sense pleasures. So we perceive things in a certain way like this is an enemy, or this is a friend, this is good or bad. And then we partake of any of the five sense pleasures after having discerned between them through perception.

And then there is the fourth one, the karmic formation. So that is once we have perceived a certain thing, for example, this is food, then we take this food as something to eat, so then we then there arises an agent somebody who is engaged in the action and the action. So that is the karmic formation. So then we begin to engage in various activities of samsara and nirvana. And then there is the, that one is related to, the karmic formation is related to jealousy.

And then there is the fifth aggregate of consciousness. And that is related to the affliction of hatred. And the consciousness pervades all the six sense sources. It is just like you have one house and you have five different rooms with different openings, separate openings. And so then the consciousness is the one who has the key to all those rooms and it goes around in the whole house and perceives depending on which room it goes to. For example, if it goes to the eyes that it sees forms and if it goes to the ears it hears sounds. If it goes to the nose, it smells, and partakes of various sense pleasures. So the one who partakes, the one who engages in all this sense sources is the aggregate of the consciousness. It enjoys or partakes of any of the five sense pleasures by moving through different doors. So that is in brief the union of body and mind that we refer to as “me”, the “I”.

And due to self-grasping, the aggregate of feeling, our sensations, naturally have the nature of suffering. And then later when we die, when the karmic imprint of this particular body ends, we will leave this body behind, and we then move to the state of the bardo, in which we have left behind the old body and we have not yet found the new body. So at this point, we lack one of those aggregates, the aggregate of form. So this is in brief how we understand the five aggregates.

So then the nature of the five aggregates and so on that can be really found in various scriptures. There are many sections, long sections that explain that, so those are quite difficult to understand and if you would like to know more about that you can also read the scriptures. Just to explain it in easy terms. So on the outer level, the outer body, our body consists of the five elements. And within the mind we have the five afflictions. And if you give rise to bodhicitta, then the five elements that make up our body are then purified into the nature of the five female Buddhas. Of the Five Dhyani Buddhas. And then the five afflictions within the mind are purified into the nature of the five male Buddhas, of the Five Dhyani Buddhas. And in this way, one overpowers the entire universe and all sentient beings for them to have the nature of the Five Dhyani Buddhas, the male and female Buddhas. So the male and female Buddhas of the deity, represent the pure essence of the elements and the person’s mind. So presently, we possess the five afflictions in our mind, and these are like the seeds, stored within the mind. And when it finally ripens, when they transform and ripen, the ripened flower then is like the pure lands and the various buddha’s emanations. So that is the ripening into one’s own body, the king of divine forms.

So all of us possess the seeds and also, we have obtained a precious human body. So we possess the seed and also due to past merit, we have obtained a precious human body. And we have also encountered the Dharma. Actually, only once, only because we have encountered the Dharma, can we call our body a precious human body that possesses the 18 freedoms and fortunes. So just being a human alone doesn’t make one a precious human. And if one doesn’t encounter the Dharma, then the human existence can also become wasted. So we have the seed, the potential, but then for the flower to grow, many conditions need to come together. The seed needs a good soil, it needs water, and warmth and so on. And if all of these criteria do not come together, then the seed will be spoiled and become useless. So this is a human body that is not used in this life for Dharam. So it is very significant, very important actually, to encounter the Dharma in this life.

So we have encountered the Dharma in this life and we possess the seed. And so therefore, we have the potential to completely ripen our body. So ripen the body now we also need to understand what our body really is. We think that we are alone here in this body, we think that this is me this one thing my body. But in reality there are countless little life forms like bacteria and so on, countless life forms that also live in this body. And they all are together. So we are not just this one thing, the body. The body consists of various particles of the five elements. Also scientists have said that there are billions of life forms, many bacteria and so on, in our body. And the scientists also say that some of this bacteria, these life forms are beneficial, and some are harmful. Actually that accords with the Dharma, where is says that, so the Buddha had said that there are a million and two hundred thousand different forms of bacteria, little life forms in a person’s body. And those beneficial bacteria are emanations or projections of love and compassion, embodiments of love and compassion. Harmful bacteria in the body, are the bacteria, these life forms of afflictions. So we have all these various life forms in our body, and therefore the Buddha also said if one person obtains enlightenment, or give rise to bodhicitta, then actually at the same time, all these millions of life forms, of bacteria all give rise to bodhicitta, and all their body becomes the pure illusory form of the yidam. And they attain the rainbow-like form of the sambhogakaya deity. And so the sambhogakaya deity then, the form of the deity, is a form that is beyond arising. So when they become one with the sambhogakaya, they realize the truth that transcends birth and death. The nature of dharmakaya and sambhogakaya is unchanging, beyond birth and death. It is like space. Only temporarily, in the six realms of samsara, there is change, we take on various different bodies. We circle around in samsara, driven by the force of our own karmas. And there is an endless circle of birth and death as it is explained in the Vinaya teachings. But when we realize our own form, the body, along with all its life forms as the yidam deity, then we achieve this strong hold, or this immutable seat of, unchanging seat of the sambhogakaya deity.

So then for the visualization practice of the yidam deity, the form of the deity, the king of divine forms. So in general there are many different yidam deities and we receive many empowerments of various deities. Although there are many different deities, they all have the same essence. And all the, the purpose is the same. We visualize the form of the deity at the creation stage, and thereby we purify the habitual imprints of the ordinary body. And then we recite the mantra of the deity, and we purify the habitual imprint of the speech. So first we need to understand that whatever deity we practice, they all are the same. So we received many empowerments, all the deities are included within a single deity. So it is sufficient to practice a single deity. So then why are there so many deities? Since beginningless time in samsara throughout many countless eons, countless buddhas have appeared. They have appeared according to the mental capacities of various sentient beings. So the sambhogakaya forms have appeared in various ways for example, in peaceful or wrathful forms, with different colors, attributes, enlightened activities and so on. One deity can have many manifestations. For example, there is Tara. Tara has 21 major emanations, the 21 Taras. And then they multiply into many forms, there is 108 Taras. Then there is also many manifestations of Chenrizig and so on. Or for example, Guru Rinpoche is one Guru that possesses eight manifestations, eight names of Guru Rinpoche. Because Guru Rinpoche practiced in eight different charnel grounds, where he endured eight major trials or hardship, and then attained accomplishments, attained eight different type of siddhis. And as a result, there are eight names or eight manifestations of Guru Rinpoche.

So a single deity can appear in many different manifestations. However, in whichever way the deity appears, it is said that within the expanse of primordial wisdom, all the deities, all the buddhas are one. And a sign that they are all one is that whatever deity you practice, whatever deity you visualize, all the deities have at their forehead a white Om, at their throat a red Ah and at their heart a blue Hung. So that they all share in common. That is a sign that within the wisdom mind, all the buddhas are one. So actually all the deities are one. And that is what we need to be certain about when we engage in the practice of the yidam deity. If you practice one deity, it is like practicing all the yidam deities. For example, if you have a tree with many branches, if you pour water into the root of the tree, then the branches will naturally grow. Root is the essence of all the deities and that is bodhicitta. So on the basis of giving rise to bodhicitta, you can establish a connection to the minds of all the deities. And if you practice a deity with that knowledge, you know that by doing this practice, you are actually practicing all the mandalas of all the deities at the same time. So that is the correct way of engaging in the deity yoga practice. And if you see in this way, then the more empowerments you receive, the more blessings you receive. The empowerment is actually like a sojong of the tantra, like the purifying and restoring ceremony of the tantric system. And therefore, the more you receive, the greater the blessing.

And so when you practice the deity, you visualize the deity, that is called the creation stage. You visualize the form of the deity appearing like a rainbow. So the actual nature of the mind of the deity is the dharmakaya, like space, then from it, there’s the form, the sambhogakaya, which is like a rainbow. And the nature of this deity form is beyond birth and death. And it was of benefitting the sentient beings, the nirmanakaya manifests, like raindrops falling from the clouds. So then they appear in various nirmanakaya forms in this world, for those who perceive a duality of self and others, who hold on to the idea that self really truly exists separate from the others. And in order to tame those beings, nirmanakaya manifest anywhere in the six realms of samsara in the individual forms of those beings. So their bodies vary. However their mind, their mind is a mind of bodhicitta. So what distinguishes the nirmanakaya from ordinary beings, is the quality of bodhicitta. A nirmanakaya possesses the quality of patience and they possess wisdom.

So then when we come to deity practice, when we practice a deity, there are three points that we need to incorporate in our practice. That is the clear visualization, recollecting purity, and the divine pride. So first the clear visualization is to visualize the form as it is described in our texts, or like we heard during empowerment or how we see it in a thangka, painting, in the image and so on. For example, you receive the empowerment of a deity and you see the image, then through the image, you recognize: this is the deity. This is the deity that I’m receiving empowerment from. So there are some people who have a special karmic connection to a certain yidam deity from past lives. A sign that you have such a special connection is that when you for example, see the form of a deity, for example, in the picture or in the thangka, or a statue, a special feeling arises just naturally. Or some people hear the sound of the mantra, and a special feeling, they feel drawn to it, to this mantra, a special feeling arises and that is a very certain feeling. And then, they can engage in the practice of this deity, knowing that, only practicing this one deity includes all the deities. And there is no difference between that deity and all the other deities.

So we have the image of the deity that introduces us to the deity so we can recognize this is the deity. And this image, or thangka and so on, this is what we called the created nirmanakaya. And based on the created nirmanakaya, a statue or thangka, we establish a connection to the deity, we identify this is the deity, we recognize the deity. And then we can, when we practice this deity, we really cultivate a pure perception to certain bodhisattvas with pure karmas, to them, those images and thangkas and so on, actually talk, they have, that is due to their own pure perception. For example, there is a story about Atisha, or many other great masters who have seen this image of a deity and then the deity actually talked to them or give them a prophecy and so on. There are many stories of when a thangka or an image had begun to talk to great masters. So that is because they have full trust and faith in the deity, a pure perception. So to experience that, a pure perception and faith are crucial. And then it is also necessary that these thangkas and images are presented in an authentic, in a pleasing way. So if it is not presented in a nice way, then also we will also not feel drawn to it, or being inspired to engage in practice. So that is why there are specific rules about the thangka images.

So then when we look at such an image of a deity, which actually we should see as the real deity, then the deity should appear to our mind in this way and, so how we practice that is, when you are actually not in session, when you are in your free time, you should read the creation stage and train in it. You should really learn the creation stage, so then later when you actually are in session, you can bring it back to mind, it appears to your mind. So you can train creation then in different ways. You can first begin with the upper part like the crown of the deity, then work yourself down to the lotus seat of the deity, it is just like drawing the image with your mind according to how it is explained in the text. And then you can reverse it, start from the lotus seat up to the crown. And after you have trained in that, later you can just close your eyes, and have this approximate image of the deity appear in your mind. So what appears to you then is something that you can’t see with your eyes but you see it with your mind, it appears to your mind. So this is where the creation stage actually begins. And so this is how we need to approach the meditation of one’s own body as the form of the deity.

So in this way, we should habituate to the visualization of the deity again and again, have the deity appearing in your mind again and again. So then in the end it almost becomes like seeing another person, like actually seeing the deity. But then when that happens, then you should not grasp at its true substantial actual existence. So if it arises and appears, let it appear without becoming, without holding on to it, without grasping at this appearance of the deity. So it appears out of the expanse of dharmakaya, from the radiating power of the sambhogakaya, and then again it dissolves. So whenever the deity arises, you actually have this clear vision of the deity, and then again you should dissolve the deity and place the mind within a state of emptiness. So the deity can appear in many different ways, sometimes very large like the Mount Meru, sometimes very small like a mustard seed. In whichever way it appears, again and again dissolve it into its nature of bodhicitta. And seal it in this way with emptiness.

So you do not always have to remain in the actual state of manifesting, in the manifest form of the deity. So at other times, also, bring to mind the qualities of the deity. So the deity has the quality of all-knowing wisdom, with all-knowing wisdom the deity knows the minds and the karmas of all sentient beings. Also the deity has the quality of loving compassion for all beings, just like a mother loves her only child. The deity loves all beings. And then also the deity has the quality of performing enlightened activities by which the deity can, has the power to protect us. And so the deity’s activities will continue to exist for as long as samsara exists. So bring to mind all these qualities of the deity and in this way you will establish a direct connection to the deity.

And then just the seed syllable, like the syllable Hung, surrounded by the mantra garland of the deity. So first you visualize the syllable, the seed syllable and the syllables. And once you have stabilized that visualization, then secondly you can begin to rotate, begins to circle, the mantra garland begins to circle the seed syllable. And if that becomes stable, then visualize that from this mantra garland, and then light ray emanates, and make offerings to all buddhas, and purify obscurations of sentient beings. Light rays gather back and so on. So these are light rays of love and compassion. And when it touches all sentient beings, because all beings possess buddha nature, when they are touched by the power of bodhicitta light, then their self-grasping will smelt and sentient beings attain liberation. So you should have confidence that you are actually benefitting sentient beings as you are sending out these light rays. You can have confidence that countless sentient beings become liberated through your aspiration, and your visualization.

So there are various steps of practicing the yidam deity, according to the new tantric system, the sarma, there are the four classes of tantra, according to the old Nyingma systems of tantras, there are the four branches of approaching accomplishment. And here, for example, the first step is the approach. In the approach we first visualize the seed syllable like the Hung surrounded by the mantra garland. And then when that becomes stable, the approach becomes stable, then second is the close approach, and that is, so when the first step becomes stable, then in the close approach, the mantra garland begins to circle, that’s the close approach. Then third, the accomplishment, is then that step where the light rays radiating out from the mantra garland and gather back, and in this way, make offerings to the buddhas and purify obscurations of sentient beings. And then the great accomplishment, the fourth step, is that after having stabilized the previous step, then through your great love, compassion for all sentient beings, all sentient beings then, countless sentient beings then transform into the nature of ice blocks melting, state of enlightenment. And so that is because all beings possess buddha nature, they can be liberated because of one’s own compassion.

And so through the deity yoga practice, you can arise in the form of the yidam later on in the bardo, it says the immutable seed of basis. So later in the bardo state you can arise in the form of the yidam deity if you now habituate to the creation stage. So later on when you have left behind this body and you have not yet found a new body when you are in the bardo. At that time, lacking the limitation of a physical body, you can become the deity the very moment you think of the deity. And that is because number one, you possess buddha nature, your mind is buddha. Secondly, it is because you have habituated to that deity practice in your life time. And third, it is through remembering the deity and thereby receiving the blessings of the deity and attaining enlightenment into the sambhogakaya form of the deity in the bardo. So during that time, the ordinary propensities of the body are cleared away. So when we practice the creation stage, we are purifying this ordinary imprints of the body. And then the qualities of the enlightened deity, the enlightened activities and so on, will manifest, will become manifest. And we arise in the form of the deity in the second bardo after death. And so in order to be able to accomplish that, it is crucial that we now in this life time, train ourselves importantly in the developing of faith and devotion, and especially trust in the deity’s mind of bodhicitta.

So that is the clarity, the first aspect, so that is to visualize the creation stage of the deity again and again. So you gradually habituate to it. So then once you have habituated it, at once the deity will just appears to your mind, even if it is just again a vague image of the deity appearing to your mind. And so then whenever you think of the deity, it appears in an instant. So when it appears to you in an instant the moment you bring it to the mind, you have habituated to the creation stage.

So then what is the image actually that appears to you? So that is something you should also look at closely. When you close your eyes, and the image appears, the deity appears in your mind. What appears to you actually is the actual deity and where it appears is within your own mind. It is just like a reflection appearing in a mirror. And so in that moment, you realize it actually is inherent to my own mind, it appears within my own mind. And it is the actual deity, what appears is the actual deity. So at that time you have made the connection of your own buddha nature to the pure form of the deity. And you are primordially connected to that. It said: “I am a yogi who has realized that my own mind, the Buddha’s mind, and the guru’s mind are actually one.” Or if you also read the Samantabhadra prayer it says there is a single basis. And that single basis is like space, and that is your own mind. It is never born and never dies, and that base-like nature is related, connected to all the buddhas. And within that nature the deity appears. So when the deity appears, you have confidence that that is the actual deity appearing. So you can, have developed this divine pride, that what appears in my mind is the actual deity.

And then next there is recollecting the purity, and that refers to the appearance of the deity, the color, the hands, the legs, and the implements and so on of the deity. They all represent the quality that the deity has accomplished along the stages of the path. The peaceful deities possess the thirteen ornamentation of a deity. And they correspond to the thirteen levels of the paths up to the peak, the Vajradhara. So if you want to know more about that, you can also read in the scriptures. There are also thirteen levels of the path so that is the thirteen ornamentations of the peaceful deities. And then for the wrathful deities, for example, they possess the eight wrathful charnel ground adornments, or sometimes ten. And so each of these represents something, or there is the heads, or arms, or legs, and so on. For example, they represent the six paramitas or the four immeasurables, like the generosity paramita and so on. So whenever you visualize any form of the deity, you should recollect that each of these part of the deity actually represent a pure quality in the deity’s mind that are reflected in the form of the deity. For example, all the deities have the crown ornament of the five Dhyani Buddhas. And that is the sign that all the deities have transformed the five afflictions into the five wisdoms. Or there are some deities who possess three faces and that represents for example, the quality of the Buddha’s three kayas, and accomplishing through dharmakaya within the vast expanse of space, space-like dharmakaya. And then there is the sambhogakaya, which is like a rainbow appearing in the sky. And for those beings with pure karmas, the deities appear accordingly to turn the wheel of Dharma, according to their pure minds. And then, according to the impure minds, then the deity appears as nirmanakaya. And so you can also read more about that in the scriptures.

And so when the deity appears to you with his various ornaments and implements and so on, then you should remember this represents that quality and so on. And in that way, when the benefit of doing that is that by doing that, the ordinary impure perception is cleared away from your mind. For example, you think that this represents the Paramita of generosity, or this represents ethical discipline or this is the nature of patience, or this represents immeasurable love, or joy or equanimity and so on. And by doing that, by contemplating in this way, you are purifying your mind of the impure afflictions and habitual imprints. So this contemplation is like the soap that washes the mind.

Some people say that the creation stage, the visualization is just another conceptualization, another way of thinking. But actually it is a way of purifying the mind. Because ordinarily we think about all our samsaric activities, we think about what we do and all the things we have. And as we think about this, actually we increase our attachment, our jealousy, our anger and so on. So that is the difference, this is not what happens when we visualize the deity. Actually the creation stage purifies this ordinary thinking. So that is the purpose of bringing to mind the pure aspect, so the meaning of the deity’s appearance. So if you have time, you should really read about that, it is really good to know that. It is very beneficial to know the qualities of the peaceful or the wrathful appearances of deities for example. And knowing that then, we should always remember that although the deities appear differently, ultimately they all gather into a single meaning. And so it is important to really understand the meaning of each of those elements of the deity because then if they do not really understand why the deity appears in a certain way, people might have doubts in their minds because they do not really understand what it means. And if it creates doubts, then that is a problem since it increases fault within their minds. So therefore it is actually very important to understand the meaning of the deity’s appearance.

So that was the first and second step of the clear visualization and recollecting purity. And then the third aspect is the divine pride and that is really the most important. So that is through recognizing that, primordially, since beginningless time, the basis of my mind is actually one with the deity. So this is the first source of developing the divine pride. And then secondly however, although we are primordially the same, I am wandering in samsara. So what is the difference between samsaric being and a buddha? The only difference is really that between self-grasping and the altruistic mind. Many of you know The 37 Bodhisattva’s Practices. And in there it says: “The perfect buddhas arise from the altruistic mind.” So the deities have become buddhas because they cultivated an altruistic mind. And we are samsaric sentient beings because we grasp at a self. But therefore, if you practice the deity with a grasping at the self, you will only accomplish a worldly god. And not actually the deity. So we need to actually practice the deity from within the mind of the deity. So if you practice the deity with some selfish intention and benefit, even though you visualize the form of the wisdom deity, self-grasping will manifest in the bardo, you will manifest as a worldly god.

And a worldly god is worldly because they still possess a self, they still are in samsara, they still experience fear. Then one is born as a hungry ghost roaming about through space. But that might have the form of the deity, but still experiences the suffering of heat and cold, the hunger and the thirst, and fear and so on. So they still are subject to fear since they still possess self-grasping. So therefore when we practice the deity, in the beginning you must cultivate the mind of the deity that is love and compassion. So when you practice, you should first look inside your own mind and when you recognize I actually have love and have compassion, I really want to benefit sentient beings, then you can be confident that this mind is actually the deity. So first of all I am one with the deity since primordial time, it is my nature. Secondly I become one with the deity whenever my mind wishes for the benefit of sentient beings. In many of the rituals, sadhanas that you often read, it says since primordial times, you and me, me and deity are inseparable, indivisible. But because I have not realized the nature of my mind, I am ignorant, I am wandering in samsara.

There is also a story where the master Drukpa Kunley went to Lhasa to prostrate to the jewel statue. So he sang this and praise to the jewel statue there. He said: “In the beginning you and me were the same. But then you practiced with diligence and attained perfect enlightenment. I remained lazy and therefore I wander in samsara. So now I, the lazy Drukpa Kunley, prostrate to you, the diligent Shakyamuni.” So that is actually a really important instruction.

So since beginningless time, we have been the same, we are the same. We have always been the same and we now are the same on the basis, however, I as a sentient being, began to wander in samsara because I perceive a self. Today when I take the bodhisattva vow, I let go of the self. And I trust in my potential in my wish to benefit sentient beings. So this trust, this confidence in yourself is really significant. When you feel this wish to benefit sentient beings, when that arises, then you must have confidence in yourself, that this is a sincere wish to benefit sentient beings. And confidence means here that you can tell you're different even if other people do not see that, or do not believe that you have this altruistic intention. You should have confidence in yourself that you clearly have the altruistic intention no matter what other people say. Likewise if you have this altruistic intention when the deity then appears in your mind, that is the real deity. And you can have real confidence in that. And no matter what anyone else would say. Even if I would tell you it is not true, it is not the real deity, you will still be confident knowing that actually it is the real deity no matter what anybody else says. So that is what we call “the divine pride”. So that is important because often people think that the divine pride means that just think that I am the deity, but we also actually need to acknowledge our true nature, recognize why we really are the deity. So as beginning practitioners to develop divine pride, we must first discern between this state of compassion and the state of selfishness. And that determines whether or not we are the deity. And that you can see by looking into your own mind. And when you find that you actually have compassion, then you can fully trust in that. And that will certainly benefit you in this and future lives. And that is the real, the actual mind of the deity and you can resolve that. And so that resolution is the divine pride.

So we have mentioned the clear visualization, the first point, which is important, and recollection of purity, which is also important. But the third point, the divine pride, is even more important. So even if you do not know how to clearly visualize, or remember all the pure aspects of the deity, if only you have a firm divine pride, then that is actually more important, more beneficial. For example, if you practice Tara and you have confidence: “I really am Tara, I visualize my form as Tara, recite the mantra, and in my mind, I wish to benefit sentient beings.” So that is the nature of Tara. So then you can be confident that it is the actual deity. And if you have confidence in that, then the qualities of the deity will actually emerge. So if you become skilled in the clear visualization and recollection of purity, if you learn that well, you might become a great scholar of the scriptures and so on, but only if you practice the divine pride, then you will really accomplish the deity. And so regarding the visualization and the recollection of purity is not so clear, the divine pride is the most important. And the divine pride is based on bodhicitta. So if you have not yet developed I mean the bodhicitta in your mind, then you still have not accomplished the deity, even if you have clear visualization and recollection of purity. So we must understand that the divine pride to be the mind of the deity of bodhicitta.

Rinpoche recites “Om Mani Pema Hung”]

So first answer the questions that came in yesterday. There are five questions. And then we will do refugee.

Q: The first question. I live with depression, which is sometimes very debilitating. I see a doctor and receive treatment, but it still persists. I had a hard way to overcome the, is there a way to overcome the depression like this?

Answer: So Rinpoche said, when you feel depressed, it is best if you detach your mind and send the mind outside into space. For example, you can think that your yidam deity, for example, White Tara, abides in space, pervades the entire space, and then you send your mind out into space and your mind then merges with the space and with the yidam deity that pervades space. So sometimes you can visualize in this way. And sometimes you can also gather it all back into yourself, for example, you can think that the seed syllable of White Tara is at your navel, or you can think that just a syllable hung is at your navel and focus on that single pointedly. Also at that time, try to sit with a straight back. And when you visualize the hung at the navel, focus on the subtle vibration of the hung at the navel, there is a subtle pulsating sensation that actually always pervades the navel chakra. And when you focus on that you will feel the subtle vibration. And this subtle vibration is the subtle vibrating sound of the hung. And also it would be good to play a mantra CD in your home for example, a White Tara CD continuously around the clock. And then you can practice in different ways. You can sometimes send your mind out into space, and in space you can sometimes visualize White Tara sitting inside the rainbow sphere. And sometimes you can gather it all back again, dissolving back into you. For example you can visualize that it all arises and dissolves from the point between your eyebrows. So sometimes it radiates out so you send your mind out into space starting from the point between the eyebrows, and sometimes then you gather it all back and the mind gathers back into the point between the eyebrows. And actually sending out the mind into space is very helpful for like sustaining, creating an inner strength. You mind is more vast, so you’re developing an inner strength, courage when you send your mind out into space. And also when you visualize Tara in space you receive Tara’s blessing. So when you gather the mind back into your body, you’re gathering back White Tara’s blessings that dissolve into you. And it is especially in that case good to practice Tara, to always recite Tara mantra, and play a mantra CD at home. Especially that is helpful because this is my own practice, I always practice Tara. And if you also practice Tara then you can connect to me and I can help you more.

Q: The second question. In preparing for the event, I looked up the mandala as painted in sand. I had read that a strong response can indicate a karmic affinity to that yidam. How important is it to be introduced to this sort of image?

Answer: So Rinpoche said that a feeling that you have an affinity to the deity is a good sign that you have a karmic connection from the previous life to the deity. That there is an imprint of that deity in your mind. That is why you feel this tendency to the deity or the deity’s mandala. And the mandala is the place where the deity abides. What is most important is the deity itself, that you do not get lost in the outer form of the deity or the mandala, but actually find the deity’s mind. And the deity’s mind is the mind of love. The mind is most important. So when you meditate on the deity that you feel close to, it is most important to focus on developing love and to protect it with patience. And that is the essence actually of all the deities. And if you have love and you bring this love with you, even beyond your death, then later on after death, you will be able to remember that deity, then that entire mandala of the deity will appear to you and you can attain enlightenment into the pure land of that sambhogakaya deity. So your experience that you have is an excellent feeling, it is a sign that you have a karmic imprint, a karmic connection with the particular deity. So if you focus on the practice of the deity, it can be very powerful.

Question: In the creation stage, when you visualize yourself as a deity, do you see the deity in front of you as you, that is to say that is me, or do you become the deity or you are looking out through the eyes of the deity, that my body is the deity’s body?

Answer: So in the beginning, beginning practitioner, for a beginning practitioner, first it is like looking at the reflection, your own reflection in the mirror. So first it seems that the deity appears before you, just like the reflection, your own reflection in the mirror. But then once you habituate to that, you realize that what appears is only your own mind. It doesn’t appear really in front or somewhere else separate from your own mind, but it is actually all your mind. Then you develop the confidence that actually I really am the deity. When you realize that, then finally there’s no more thought of oneself or the deity, no dualistic perception, there’s no front or self, there’s no deity that appears anywhere separated from your own mind because all is just mind, and whatever appears, is the deity.

Question: Sometimes during meditation, my mind becomes very quiet and spacious. And I think, “Ah, maybe this is the nature of my mind.” But it is very neutral, not high and not low. Is this how the nature of mind feels like, very neutral? And is this neutral quiet state what we are to maintain throughout the day?

Answer: So you should have confidence that this actually is the nature of the mind. The nature of the mind is like this state of great equanimity, that is greatly blissful, and that is always there. It never goes, it is unchanging. And what creates suffering is the thinking mind. When you meditate, everything gathers within this great state of equanimity. And whenever you abide within this state you will feel very happy. And then within that great state of equanimity, there is a natural clarity, a knowing aspect, that is you know that this nature is blissful, you know that it is great equanimity. The knowing capacity that is the nature of your mind, that is the clarity aspect. And then your thinking begins again and that is what creates suffering. So suffering is created by thinking. So therefore suffering is nothing else but a thought, a mental creation. And if you realize that, then no outer problem will affect your inner mental state. Even though you might encounter some outer difficulties, your mind will not fall into a state of suffering. You will not hold on to that. You will always come back to this great state of equanimity which is every peaceful. So first when you remain in this state of equanimity, you experience great bliss. So that is what we called the union of bliss emptiness. It's empty, but greatly blissful. And then within that state of bliss, you find clarity when you look at this state of bliss, there is a clear knowing mind that knows its own. So when you remain in the state, do not investigate or think much about what that is, but focus mostly on the clarity aspect, sustain a clear recognizing capacity all the time and in all the activities that you do. So if you are able to sustain that state of equanimity throughout the daytime activities, then that is the best, and that is actually the goal.  

Question: I wish I could follow you everywhere and never be separated from your physical presence. I feel sometimes tremendous longing to be close to you. I do the Tara sadhana on a daily basis but often I stop after the self-visualization and do not go on to the front visualization. I’m wondering how to practice this sadhana as Guru Yoga, and if it is possible, to do more of it than just the beginning part at home. For example the 21 Tara Homage and Vajrasattva mantra that is the Tara etc. Any instructions that can help me to be closer to you while not in your presence and to dispel the guilt and sadness, the regret I feel for not having been able to see you more in person would be wonderful. Thank you.

Answer: So when you practice the sadhana, for the sadhana practice, you should neither think as I mentioned before, front or self, or in other words, self or other. Just visualize the deity and whatever appears in your mind is indivisible from your mind, just as I mentioned before. So the visualization of the deity is not much related to the body because the body is impermanent. It is a compound. So this is how, actually the creation stage, the visualization of the deity also relates to the physical togetherness, being together in the physical level. Because also the physical body is impermanent. And there is no benefit in following someone’s physical form. Just like with the deity in the sadhana practice, it is our minds that need to be together. And the way in which our minds could be together is if we think of one another with love. And we can do that if we are mindful at all times. Mindful of love. And if you are mindful of love at all times, then our minds are always together, not only in this life but all future lives. And that is because ultimately there is no duality in mind, ultimately our minds are actually never separated, we are always one. So the minds are really never apart. What is apart is only the body and the body is just a compound, the body has no essence at all. And there is no point in being close to somebody’s body. It is much better to be close to somebody’s mind. And the way in which we are together in the mind is through love. We become actually close to one another, it is if you cultivate mindfulness of love. So what mindfulness is mindful of is love, it sustains mindfulness of love. And if you sustain that, then I have full confidence in that. So this is also how you should actually engage the sadhana practice. You are never actually separate from the mind of the deity. So whether it is the sadhana practice or following a guru, it is important to understand the mind, and that our minds are actually never apart from one another.

I answered some of your questions. And actually I do not have so many great qualities, and so maybe I wasn’t able to really address some of your questions properly so I’m very sorry for that. But I will answer your questions to the best of my abilities.

So the questions are very important questions, it’s good to ask questions. Because asking questions is not like ordinary conversation. Based on some understanding that we have we ask the question, and then we answer the question, then many people can benefit from that. So you should ask also all your other spiritual teachers any of your questions. And also you should ask, the newer disciples should ask the more senior disciples. There are many senior disciples who have great learning and great practice so you should also ask them. It is also good when disciples ask each other questions. Because the Dharma that they explain is still the same. Not one is better or one is worse. So anyone can really answer the question. And it benefits the one who has the question answered, and also it benefits the one who is answering the questions. So whoever has bodhicitta can really answer any question.

So then for the creation stage, there is a four different types of creation stage, that relate to the four different types in which we can take birth. In general it is good to know about these different forms of creation stage. But then when it actually comes to practice, from a practical perspective, we need to apply whichever creation stage actually suits us the most.

So the first creation stage is a creation stage that is visualized in five steps, so-called the five actualization or manifest enlightenment. And that relates to the way of taking birth in a womb. For example, like a human being. The second type of creation stage is visualized in four steps, and that relates to the birth in an egg, for example, like a bird. And then, the third one is the creation stage visualized in three steps, and that relates to taking birth through heat and moisture, for example, born in a flower. Actually also this is how we are born in dewachen and so on. It happens in all kinds of circumstances. There’s different examples of that. And then the fourth one is the miraculous birth, or relates to the instantaneous creation stage, and here we visualize the deity in one instant, instantaneously. And that others who have not trained much in the visualization, you can visualize the deity in an instant if you have faith and devotion to the deity. Jigten Sumgon had said, to visualize the deity in an instant is a profound point, but you need to have the qualities of faith and trust in the deity. So then when you think of the deity, when you bring the deity to mind, then with the deity through its wisdom mind, the deity in this very moment, clearly knows your intention that you are thinking of the deity. So with the omniscient wisdom the deity knows your supplication. Then with the deity’s love, the deity cares for you, and then, through the deity’s power the deity protects you. So because the mind of the deity is a mind of bodhicitta, the deity will then come and be your support, your protector.

So all of the Buddhist aspirations are accomplished by the virtue of three powers. Number one, the first power is the power of your own intention. And that is why you need to develop a sincere faith and trust. Then secondly is the power of the tathagatas, which is the great merit, the great masses of merit of all the buddhas of the three times. So this massive merit is this great compassion of the buddhas of the three times. And with their great compassion, the buddhas made an aspiration. Their aspiration is to bring benefit, bring happiness to all sentient beings. So the aspiration of all the buddhas is a single one. The enlightened mind, the activities, the path of all the buddhas of the three times is the same. When we give rise to trust and devotion to the buddhas, we connect to the power of those buddhas of the three times. And the third power is the power of Dharmadhatu. And that is ultimately buddhas and sentient beings are not separate. Only temporarily buddhas and sentient beings appear separately. But ultimately, sentient beings do not really exist, they are only confused temporarily. So the temporary separation of buddhas and sentient beings is like that between ice and water. And whenever those karmic imprints of sentient beings come to an end, all beings are the buddha. The Buddha said within all beings is the buddha. So it is important to really understand this power of the Dharmadhatu because if you understand this, then there is no more basis of saying like “I’m a Buddhist” and “he’s not a Buddhist” or “I have received or not received refugee vow and so on.”

So the refugee vow is a method to melt the block of ice of our mind. The refugee vow is like taking this ice and put it into the sun so it can melt. And the sun is love and compassion. And many beings can attain enlightenment in a single life time if they practice the deity. They visualize their form as the yidam, with their speech they recite the mantra and they practice this on the basis of bodhicitta. And that is the method to attain enlightenment in a single life in a single body. So for a beginning practitioner, it is important to bring the deity to mind, you can bring the deity to mind in an instant and do that with faith, with trust in the deity, and then not to grasp too much, not to think too much about like the actual appearance, existence of the deity. Just leave it with “this is the actual deity and it is my mind, appearing in my own mind” and that need to be habituated. So then you are able to remember the yidam deity especially whenever you encounter difficulties. So you need to habituate and train to the point where you’re able to remember even in difficult times. And then the deity practice will surely be of benefit to you.

For example, when we habituate, we practice the wrathful deities. So what is the purpose of that? So in the bardo state after we have died, all these deities will appear before us, the peaceful and wrathful deities. So somebody who has never seen a deity before, when the wrathful deity appears to them, then in the bardo, the wrathful deity appears very frightening. It seems very scary. When we see this frightening appearance of the wrathful deity, we don’t recognize it, because we have never seen it before, so we are afraid, we don’t recognize. But if we have habituated to the deity in our life time, then at that time in bardo, we recognize: “This is the yidam deity, this is actually my nature of mind.” And the moment you recognize, you merge non-dual with the deity and you attain enlightenment in the sambhogakaya pure land of that deity. So that completes the instructions on the creation stage. So it says in the end of that: “Thus be assiduous with the body, the yidam deity”. So practicing the yidam deity is to always have the deity in your mind, to always remember the deity, to always keep the deity in your mind. For example, a way to also habituate is that whenever you wake up in the middle of the night for example, remember your deity and recite the deity’s mantra like the mani mantra.

So often people think that when we practice the deity now, it will only be actually beneficial in future lives. But that also is actually not true. It also can be very beneficial in this life. That’s my own personal experience from having encountered many difficulties in this life. At that time, if you are able to remember the deity, it will surely be of great benefit. For example, if you experience illness, pain or some other kind of suffering, and you remember the deity, it will surely be of benefit when you actually encounter a great obstacle and so on. For example, my own personal experience, one time, when I was traveling in Tibet, it was winter time, there were snow and we were traveling on the road in a car, five people were in the car, and we had a car accident and the car flipped over and so the car turned over and landed on the roof. So it was completely totaled. And nothing happened to anyone of the five people in the car however. And when that happened, when the car was flipping over in this moment, immediately, I only thought of Tara and nothing else, knowing that there is really no benefit of thinking about anything else. So I was thinking of Tara only and fully understand that also have habituated that before and also have developed trust before. And so I believe I did not encounter any great obstacle. So I had many experiences like that. So especially when difficulty arises, you should be able to remember the yidam deity.

And so then there’s also those who say if I have difficulty and I remember the deity, doesn’t help anything. It doesn’t get any better. So a right way of thinking of the deity is not just briefly think of the deity and then keep pondering your problem again. Then of course it will not help. So thinking of the deity means that you have to let go of thinking of the problem. But if you just think of the deity and think I want to be free of this problem, may this go away, actually all you're thinking about is your problem, not thinking about the deity. So if you really think of the deity, then you actually letting go of thinking of the problem. And then the deity can actually arise, this can be of benefit.

So the point is to not think about sickness then how the deity helps you there is that you have to exchange that thought, you must forget about the sickness, let go of that thought and instead think of the deity. But if you only think about I have this sickness I have this pain, then actually whatever you think of, this is where your mind goes to. So when you think about this pain, your mind goes to the pain, and then wherever the mind will go. And wherever your wind energy goes, then that’s where your blood flow will go. And then you're actually intensifying the illness, and often we are even creating the illness where actually there is no illness. Even scientists actually have asserted that.

For example, when if you have a very bad sickness, then there is a tradition that a doctor must tell you that you have the sickness. Often when the doctor tells you that you have this sickness, then you think you have the sickness. And with thinking of having the sickness, it gets actually worse. And often, if you do not think about it, even though you might have a bad sickness, through the exhausting of karma, it will come to an end. It will grow out just like hair, or fingernails and so on, growing out and exchanging for new hair and fingernails. So just like that, we can exchange our illness by thinking of the deity. And that also has to do with whether or not we have practiced confession in our past lives. In the past life, if we have done something wrong and we have confessed that, then in this life, we might find a cure to our illness.

So it is necessary to habituate, to train in the deity so that we are actually able to remember the deity when we encounter difficulties. And then you actually think of the deity, it will be of real benefit. Then that mind that thinks of the deity is like a fire, that burns away anything. Like the illness is like a pair of clothes and dress, and it burns away anything, your entire body. So whenever difficulties arise, you must let go of thinking about those difficulties, and instead think of the deity. And in order to think of the deity, you must have great devotion to the deity. And when your own devotion to the deity and then the deity’s compassion come together, then you will certainly benefit from thinking of the deity. And then you will not lose your inner strength. Then you will be able to let go of thinking about your difficulties. So you shouldn’t think that the deity practice is only beneficial, only useful for the future lives. Actually right now if you trust the deity and you supplicate to the deity, it can benefit you now in this life. So that is my own personal experience.

So the yidam deity says, the in that Tibetan retinues of the mother skyfarers will not gather around. So that is that when you have habituated with the ability to the visualization of the deity at the creation stage, and you see yourself clearly in the form of the yidam deity, then it says “the mother skyfarers will not gather around” so that is all other beings, like worldly gods, humans and non-humans, various spirits and so on will not see you in your ordinary human form but actually will see you as that yidam deity that you visualize yourself. So that actually also becomes your best protection. And there was in the past, where there was an old lady who was home alone, and she was afraid of being robbed by thieves. So out of this fear, she visualized herself as a tiger. And so when the thieves came to her place, she was actually lying down and asleep, but because she had no grasping in her mind and always visualized herself as a tiger, what they saw was not the old lady, what they saw actually was a tiger, so then they left again. So whatever you visualize yourself at, that is what these beings like spirits, humans and non-humans and so on, will see you as. So therefore it is a very powerful protection. And that is also the purpose of visualizing the yidam deity, the clear visualization of the deity.

And then also, in order to accomplish the enlightened activities of the deity, we need to visualize the deity. So for that also, not just the visualization, but especially the divine pride is very important. So there are also many stories about that, about how practitioners, Buddhist and also non-Buddhist have visualized the deity and have accomplished various activities. So that is a significant instruction. Because the mind is like a mirror. Whatever the mind conceives of, that is what it will become. So when the mind thinks of the deity, the mind becomes the deity because the mind itself, being like a mirror, has no form itself. Anything can be reflected within it. So now I appear in this ordinary body, for as long as I have the karmic imprint to have this body. But when that karmic imprint comes to an end, then this body perishes just like a bubble bursting. And then the mind again creates new body. So the body is created by the mind, the habitual imprint of the mind. So when the body appears differently, when the mind creates through training of the creation stage of the deity, this is referred to “accomplishing the youthful vase body,” which is the outer form is like a vase, and within that is the actual nature of the deity. And when that is accomplished and later when you die, it is like a flower blossoming, and you become the deity, of whichever deity you have practiced. So the power of the creation stage, the visualization comes from firm trust and devotion in the deity.

And actually, visualization of various deities and so on, is also practiced in other religions. So before the Chinese revolution in Tibet, there were other wars, for example, fought between like Muslims and so on. And at that time, even in the Islamic practice, there was a practice of visualization. And then they visualized themselves in a certain way then all weapons could not actually harm them. So that is the power of the creation stage. Especially in our tradition, if you practice creation stage on the basis of bodhicitta, then it will lead to the accomplishment of the two siddhis, common and supreme siddhis in all future life times. So the power of the creation stage is that no god, human or non-human, no spirit and so on will not affect one, one overpowers them all and also it becomes a protection, one cannot be harmed by weapons and so forth.

So then when we, once we have visualized the yidam deity, see our own form as the yidam deity, then as a result of practicing the yidam deity, we realize the meaning of Mahamudra. And we receive the blessings of the guru. So this lineage is the practice lineage of blessings. As we mentioned yesterday during the empowerment, it is important to cultivate devotion to the guru. So yesterday when we received the empowerment, we saw the guru, the vajra master as the deity, as Vajradhara, also in the form with the consort, just like in the form of Chakrasamvara. And so we cultivate devotion to the guru by remembering the guru’s qualities. And so it says then “if the sun of the devotion fails to dawn on the snow mountains of the guru’s four kayas, the streams of blessing will not flow down.” And so within the guru, all the buddhas of the three times are complete. Or we also say the guru is the embodiment of the three jewels. The guru’s form is the Sangha, the speech the Dharma and the mind is the Buddha.

The Sangha, according to the Mahayana, Mahayana Sangha are those who have cultivated bodhicitta. And all those who have cultivated bodhicitta, give up harming the bodies of others entirely, harming through the body others entirely. And with their speech, they accomplish the benefit of others completely. And with their mind they cultivate love and compassion for others. So that is the noble Sangha. So in brief, refugee vow, actually in the refugee, the refugee explains many countless qualities of the Sangha. There are many scriptures that explain all these qualities. But to summarize them in brief, the qualities of the Sangha is, the Sangha is someone who has become liberated and then can show the path to liberation to others. So the Sangha has become liberated of self-grasping by cultivating bodhicitta. So the Sangha is someone who possesses an altruistic mind. And through the love of the Sangha, one is able to destroy self-grasping and liberate others with their great love. So they can give love to others and thereby liberate them. So the Sangha is someone who has become liberated from samsara, from self-grasping or has the ability to liberate others. So this, that is the essence of the Sangha or the spiritual master.

And then the Dharma, the speech is the Dharma, the Dharma consists of the 84,000 different Dharma teachings, and then each of them is combined with each other. So each of them contains the other so there are countless teachings that are given by the buddhas of the three times. But in brief, the essence of dharma practice is something that we need to find, we need to extract the essence. Just like nomads for example, they milk a hundred dris, female yaks, and then from the milk of a hundred dris they create one solid piece of butter. So just like that we need to extract the essence of the Dharma. The essence of the Dharma is the two truths and the essence of the two truths gathers in the ultimate truth. So ultimately the purpose of dharma practice is to realize non-duality. And in order to realize non-duality to let go of self-grasping. Because the perception of self, there is always the other. And then we perceive a self and actually there is no self. But this creates the perception of self and others. So the mind temporarily because of self-grasping is like ice. So altruism is like the sun. So that really is the essence of the 84,000 dharma teachings, it is bodhicitta, love and compassion. And who possesses love and patience, that is a noble Sangha. A noble Sangha is someone who has love for all sentient beings, who does not harm sentient beings and who protects sentient beings. So it is someone who has great love and patience for all beings. It is someone who has become liberated from self-grasping and is able to liberate others from self-grasping. So that is the essence, the summary of the Sangha.

So we will conclude with dedication prayers, Rinpoche said just in brief the long life prayers on page 13. And to then actually we will have an official refuge ceremony next week. But there is some people who cannot attend next week. So if you cannot attend next week, we will have a brief refuge ceremony, now following the teachings right now. So if you are not going to be here next week for the refuge ceremony, then you can stay on for the refuge now. If you are going to be present next week for the refuge ceremony then after that dedication prayers then you are free to leave. So on page 13, “for this realm…” (dedication and long life prayers)  

So those who receive the refuge vow, you can just stay seated where you are, you don’t have to come up. And the rest of you, you are free to leave now. So in general ,all the different forms of refuge in the different Buddhist traditions are the same, the three jewels are the same. And so that the benefit of taking refuge is that when we take refuge, we will be protected, from now onward throughout all future life times and until we attain enlightenment.

So first that we all understand the outer sources of refuge, the outer three jewels which are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. And then, however, once we have taken the refuge vow, we must also understand the inner three jewels, how they are complete within your own mind. And that is explained on our refuge card. It says: “I take refuge in the transcendent awareness, the heart essence of Buddha.” So this transcendent awareness is wisdom mind, that mind is for example you wish: “I want to take refuge,” and then you think now I have received refuge. And then you think now I will keep the refuge precepts. So that one, that mind is the same wisdom. And that wisdom mind, that is the mind makes the commitment.

Then secondly, the essence of the Dharma is love and compassion. We have talked about that just before. If you have love, then that is what will protect you until attaining enlightenment if you sustain it. If you sustain a mind of love, then you will be protected. But of course if you do not sustain love, then only the Buddha alone will not protect you. The Buddha gave you the method and you must also make sure you never separate from this method. So it says: “I take refuge in compassion, the heart essence of Dharma.”

And then it says: “I take refuge in spiritual friends, the heart essence of companions.” So companions can be worldly companion like our parents, and our friends and so on, all those that we love very much, but they cannot grant us ultimate protection. So who really actually protects us is the Dharma that we learn from our spiritual friend, our teachers. So because we learn these qualities from our spiritual teachers, we take refuge in our companions.

So how do our spiritual companions actually protect us? They protect us through their words, because what they tell us is first the relative level, the infallibility of karma cause and effect. And then if you realize this relative truth, you will as a result, realize the ultimate truth of emptiness, you realize there is no self, so it is most important to understand the workings of karma, the infallibility of karma. So the way in which the spiritual friend protects us is through the words. So we should not think that they will protect us with their bodies, but we should hold on to their words as a protection.

So then in terms of our teachers there are the worldly teachers like science teachers and teachers of any other field of learning, of whom we learn various qualities of this world. But whatever we learn in this life actually will be also beneficial in next life because whatever we learn in this life will come easier to us in next life. And also we will actually have an interest in learning more in future lives. So therefore, we pay respect to our worldly teachers who protect us in this life. And then there are the Dharma teachers who show us the path to liberation from now onward until attaining enlightenment. The path through teaching us the workings of karma, bodhicitta and how to destroy self-grasping and so on. And if you engage in practice, we will realize the ultimate truth.

So then there are the precepts of the refuge. There are many precepts, in brief, the precepts are the 37 practices, and even more brief, there are four lines here on our refuge card: “Do not commit any wrong, perfectly practice virtue, completely tame your own mind, this is the Buddha's teaching.” So “do not commit any wrong” is to have a sincere wish, may I never harm any sentient being. And “perfectly practice virtue” may I benefit sentient beings as much as I can. And actually if you benefit others you are really actually benefitting yourself. And likewise if you harm others, you are really harming yourself. It is just like you’re throwing a rock into the sky it will fall back onto your head. So just like that if you hurt others, then it will come back to you, that hurt will come back to you in the future. And if you help others that will come back to you also. And so that is to perfectly practice virtue to benefit others. And to “completely tame your own mind” is to have a wish to benefit others because there are many things that we, many virtuous and non-virtuous things regarding the body and the speech. And many of them we don’t observe, and we cannot know about all of them. But what is most important is to have the wish to benefit sentient beings all the time. So your best support, your best protection is to have the wish to benefit others at all times, to have the wish to never harm others intentionally. We will never cause any harm toward sentient beings. And “to tame one’s own mind,” that is to tame the mind to eliminate from the mind all intentions to harm others, afflictions, resentment against others and so on. And instead, cultivate a mind that wishes to help and benefit others.

So then also on the refuge card, there are the benefits of taking refuge. And the benefits actually are the benefits of all the vows of the three levels of the Buddhist path. So number one first, regarding the pratimoksha, it says: “When harm to others and its cause are abandoned, the individual liberation vows are complete.” So that is the essence of the pratimoksha vow, it is a wish to never cause any harm to others. And then secondly, “When help to others and its cause are accomplished, the bodhisattva vows are complete.” That in essence is a wish to benefit other sentient beings. So the pratimoksha vow closes the doors to the three lower realms. The bodhisattva vow leads to the attaining, the bhumis of the bodhisattvas. And then as a result of that, as a result of having developed great compassion, self-grasping will dissolve and then you realize that when there is no more self-grasping, all sentient beings they all possess buddha nature. So thirdly it says: “When one is adept at the pure perception of the vessel and contents, the mantric vows are complete.” So then one becomes a proper vessel for the Vajrayana teachings and close to the state of enlightenment. So this refuge card that you receive is actually a new print of the refuge card, it's designed based on much feedback that we have received. People often say that they have received refuge vows many times but they actually never really understood anything. So because of that, to clarify things for them so they really understand, we have created this refuge card that is very concise, but very complete in meaning.

So then next we will repeat the refuge vow, there are two sections to it, two prayers we will repeat. The first one is a commitment that we take from now and for as long as we live, and that refers to any of the vows of body and speech. So you can think that to yourself, whichever vow you want to take, you can think that to yourself, and make that commitment. And in terms of the timing, ideally you take it for as long as you live, so until you die, or you can take it for years, or at certain times if you cannot keep them continuously, for just a day. And, the more vows you take, the longer you take them, the greater the benefit. So you can think that to yourself. And then the second supplication we take is a vow we take until enlightenment. And so here we make a prayer: “May I never separate from bodhicitta and the three jewels, my sources of refuge, from now onward until I attain enlightenment.” And as we take this commitment in the presence of the three jewels today, and through the blessings of the three jewels, our aspirations will be accomplished.

So, we will come to, first of all, the repeating, after that, Rinpoche will say “thab yin no” which means this is the method, then we respond with “lekso.” So the method is the method to attain enlightenment and “lekso” means excellent, that’s our response. Then after that we will repeat the concluding prayers. And while we repeat the concluding prayers, you can come up one by one to have the piece of hair clipped at the same time we will repeat those lines.

So please repeat: “Noble one, please grant me your attention, from this time on and for as long as I live, I who am called, and say your name, go for refuge in the Buddha, who is supreme among two legged beings. I go for refuge in the Dharma, which is supreme, among those free of attachment. I go for refuge in the Sangha, which is supreme among assemblies. For as long as I live, Noble One, please accept me as a lay adherent to the three-fold refuge, who observes a few precepts. Master, please grant me your attention. From this time on, and until the essence of enlightenment manifests, I who am called, then say your name, go for refuge in the Buddha, who is supreme among two legged beings. I go for refuge in the Dharma, which is supreme among those free of attachment. I go for refuge in the Sangha, which is supreme among assemblies. Until the essence of enlightenment manifests, Master, please accept me as a lay adherent to the three-fold refuge, who observes one or more of the five precepts.”

“Thab Yin No.”

“Lekso.”

We will repeat the concluding prayers. And in the meantime while we do that, please come one by one for the hair clipping. Please repeat and come up.

“Train in emulating all of the conquerors, may I bring excellent conduct to total completion and engage in wholly pure stainless ethical conduct that never degenerates and is without fault. In this and every successive lifetime, may I never be separated from the three precious jewels. For the sake of Dharma, may I be unstinting with even my life force and engaged the purpose of wayfarers through great determination. May precious supreme bodhicitta become manifest where it has not yet arisen. May that which has arisen, not degenerate but ever further increase. In this and every successive lifetime, may I not be separated from the supreme teachings of the unequaled Drikung Ratna Shri and may glorious gurus take me into their care. In all rebirths, may I never be parted from authentic gurus and always enjoy the Dharma’s glories. Having fully completed the qualities of the grounds and paths, may I swiftly attain Vajradhara's state. In each and every rebirth, may I be of noble linage, clear-minded, devoid of pride, greatly compassionate and respectful of the guru. Thus may I observe the samaya with the glorious guru. Whatever aspiration prayers have been made for the sake of the wayfaring beings from ever excellent great Vajradhara on down to the kind root guru, may every one of them be swiftly accomplished.”

So since we have repeated the aspiration prayer already, after you have received the refuge and the hair clipping, then you are free to leave.

“Om Mani Padme Hung Hri”

~ 感謝 Diane, Echo, Iris, Ruyu, Peter, Raye & DJ（美國西雅圖直貢道場、臺灣普賢法譯小組等成員）英聽、中譯、校對與完稿，本篇於2020.07.06完成。一切善德迴向上師長壽康健常轉法輪，文稿若有錯謬敬請來信指正：sstc.roc@gmail.com，感激不盡！