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Contents

• Practicing the Good Heart
• The Nature of Compassion
• Tantra and Compassion

TANTRA AND COMPASSION

Chenrezig, Buddha of Compassion

The special deity, Chenrezig, is the embodiment of the great compassion of all the Buddhas. Teachings on the guru yoga practice of Lama Tsongkapa, The Hundred Devas of Tushita, mention three different aspects of Chenrezig: the outer aspect, the four-armed Chenrezig that is commonly practiced; the inner aspect, Chenrezig Dorje Chö; and Gyalwa Gyatso, the most secret aspect. Chenrezig has many different aspects. Those who have received the Rinjung Gyatsa initiations will be familiar with the many different aspects of Chenrezig found there, but there are also many other aspects of Chenrezig not contained in the Rinjung Gyatsa.

Why are there so many different aspects of Chenrezig? Because one aspect of Chenrezig is not enough to lead every sentient being to enlightenment. Sentient beings have many different personalities and characteristics of mind, so many different aspects of Chenrezig are needed. Some beings can subdue their minds and generate the realizations of the graduated path to enlightenment more easily and quickly with Four-armed Chenrezig; some with the inner aspect; others by practicing the secret Chenrezig, Gyalwa Gyatso. Blessings are received more quickly when the initiation of a particular aspect of a deity is given to those beings who have more karma to be subdued through contact with it. When the path of that aspect is revealed, realizations are generated more quickly because that particular aspect fits them perfectly. This is why there are so many different aspects of Chenrezig.

Basically, by practicing the various meditation techniques of all these aspects of Chenrezig, we can develop our mind and stop obstacles. With the guidance of these different aspects, we are able to develop method in sutra, and in tantra. We are able to develop loving kindness, compassion and bodhicitta - and also wisdom.

Compassion, origin of the happiness of all living beings, is extremely precious. It is through the compassion generated by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha that we have the opportunity to meet the particular deity that suits us and can quickly guide us to enlightenment. That compassion was generated and developed in Buddha's previous lives when he was following the path as a bodhisattva. In one of his past lives, pulling a carriage on the red-hot burning ground in the hot hells, Buddha generated great compassion for the other beings who were suffering in the same way. In the beginning, because of his compassion for other beings, Buddha generated the Mahayana path; he also practiced tantra out of compassion for others; and even at the end, Buddha achieved enlightenment out of compassion for sentient beings.

In order to be able to guide living beings by manifesting in various forms, Buddha made many prayers and created much merit for many aeons. For three countless great aeons he practiced the six paramitas; for many aeons he practiced just the paramita of charity, making charity of his body, belongings, and relatives to other living beings. For so many aeons Buddha practiced like this, for us. In order to be able to guide living beings, Buddha followed the path and completed the accumulation of merit and purification of obscurations. Generating compassion for each and every sentient being, for each of us, Buddha felt it was unbearable that we should be overwhelmed by karma and delusions, continuously experiencing the suffering of samsara. For this reason, he accumulated merit, purified obscurations, and followed the path for many aeons.

The various deities guide us to enlightenment in different ways. Tara manifests in many different aspects to bring us success. Vajrapani manifests in many forms to help us to develop power. The various aspects of Manjushri guide us to enlightenment by giving us the opportunity to develop wisdom. With the different aspects of Chenrezig we develop loving kindness, compassion and bodhicitta. Deities such as Miyowa help us to eliminate obstacles. Some deities such as the protectors manifest in wrathful aspects in order to subdue the impure conceptions of our uncontrolled mind: self-cherishing thought and ignorance believing the I to be truly existent. Out of compassion, all the many different aspects of Buddhas in the Action, Performance, Yoga, and Highest Yoga tantras manifest in order to guide us to enlightenment.

Not only do the deities manifest in these forms, they also allow us to accumulate merit through reciting their mantras. For example, reciting the Chenrezig mantra just one time can purify the negative karma of breaking all four root pratimoksha vows. A fully ordained monk who has degenerated all four root vows by killing a human being, lying about having realizations, stealing, and having sexual intercourse can purify all these by reciting one Chenrezig mantra. Reciting this mantra even one time can purify many lifetimes of negative karma. All this happens solely through the Buddha's compassion.

The Chenrezig mantra has power because the holy speech of Chenrezig is embodied in the sound and letters of the mantra. Reading, writing or reciting the mantra eliminates the mental stains we have within us; it is these stains that interfere with our obtaining complete happiness and perfectly accomplishing extensive works for other living beings. All these are purified by this mantra. No matter how much negative karma we have accumulated, we always have the opportunity to purify it. These methods of purification also exist through Buddha's loving kindness and compassion.

Not only in the East where there are Mahayana teachings, but even in other countries, Chenrezig, Buddha of Compassion, is the most well-known amongst all the Buddhas. Somehow, naturally, many people come to rely upon the Buddha of Compassion, reciting the Chenrezig mantra and also doing other practices such as nyung ne, which purifies many aeons of accumulated negative karma. It is very common to see the Chenrezig mantra, om mani padme hung, and most people - even young children - find it easy to recite. In this way they accumulate much merit and purify many obscurations. Even people who are not particularly interested in Buddhism, who have not studied it or done any meditation courses, come to know the mantra om mani padme hung just by going trekking.

Actually the reason Chenrezig is so well-known and its practice so widespread is that it is the manifestation of the great compassion of all the Buddhas. Every single living being wishes to have happiness and does not wish to experience suffering. Compassion is the wish to free living beings from all their undesired suffering and its cause. Chenrezig embodies this compassion. Even though there are uncountable different aspects of Buddha, Chenrezig is practiced most. This is the power of the Buddhas' compassion benefiting sentient beings. The Buddhas are unbelievably kind.

Compassion is the source of all the happiness of living beings. In the beginning, because of compassion for others, Buddha generated the Mahayana path and even at the end Buddha achieved enlightenment because of his compassion for us, the sentient beings.

We do not have the karma to see the pure aspects of Buddha, such as the various aspects of Chenrezig. However, Buddha guides us according to the level of our karma by manifesting in various human aspects. Buddha manifests in whatever form is needed to subdue our mind and guide us to enlightenment, whether in the ordinary human aspect who gives us teachings or as the beggar who allows us to accumulate merit. Buddha even manifests in material objects. Where there need of a bridge, to guide sentient beings, Buddha even manifests as a bridge. The variety of ordinary forms is inconceivable. Then, by revealing different means, Buddha gradually guides us to enlightenment.

Samsaric suffering

We should practice tantra out of great compassion for other living beings. The Three Principal Aspects of the Path explains that living beings are swept along continuously by four strong rivers. There is the strong river of ignorance, not knowing the cause of happiness and the cause of suffering. There is the ignorance of wrong view, holding the I and other phenomena as truly existent. And there are other wrong views gained through meeting wrong doctrines.

As well as being swept away by these four strong rivers, living beings are trapped in the iron cage of I-grasping ignorance and bound very tightly by the chain of karma. Their minds completely gloomed by the darkness of ignorance, living beings experience continuously the three types of suffering.

Living beings continuously experience the suffering of suffering and the suffering of change. When they experience some temporary sense pleasure, they label "pleasure" on a feeling which is only suffering. This type of feeling is called "pleasure", but in reality it is only suffering. Even sense pleasures are only suffering.

Even during the times there is no suffering of suffering, sentient beings experience pervasive, compounded suffering, which means being under the control of karma and disturbing thoughts. Not being free from karma and disturbing thoughts is the fundamental suffering.

By thinking of living beings experiencing such misery in this way, we generate bodhicitta. Think of your own kind mother (or your best friend - whichever you feel is kindest) trapped in an iron cage, being swept away by strong currents. There is no sun, no moon, no stars - nothing! It is completely dark. Not only that - her limbs are fastened very tightly by chains so there is no way for her to move. If she could move her limbs, it would not be so bad - but there is no way for her to move. She is very tightly fastened with chains, trapped in this iron cage with no way to escape.

For your mother to be suffering like this is unbearable. You yourself, through being born and suffering, are also in the same situation. And all living beings, the source of all your own past, present and future happiness, who have been your mother and kind to you numberless times, are suffering even more heavily than in this example.

These four rivers of disturbing thoughts have always swept sentient beings from one samsaric realm to another without any freedom at all, so that they continuously experience suffering. Not only under the control of disturbing thoughts, living beings are completely under the control of karma, tightly bound by karmic chains, like having all their limbs tied up with barbed wire.

For example, if someone has a serious disease such as leprosy, no matter how long that person lives - even one hundred years - he has to live with that disease. He has no choice, no freedom: he has to live with that disease. There is no way he can have a complete, perfect body. No matter how miserable he is or how unbearable he finds his situation, he has to live his life that way.

Also, even though they live together for many years, some couples are always fighting. Every day they fight and beat each other. Somehow they are forced to live their lives always quarreling, always in misery, with no way to escape. There are human beings who experience this kind of mental and physical suffering.

It is also like this for animals such as buffaloes and horses, which are used to pull carriages, plow fields or carry heavy loads. No matter how hot it is, no matter how exhausted they are, no matter how much pain, hunger and thirst they experience, for as long as they live, they have no way to escape from these sufferings. They have no freedom. It is unbelievable - so unbearable! They are tightly tied by karmic chains, with no way to escape.

Many creatures such as mosquitoes, scorpions, lobsters, crocodiles and snakes, no matter how ugly their bodies are, no matter how much suffering they have, because they terrify human beings, are simply regarded as objects to be killed. There is no way for them to escape this karma. Once the karmic chain is tied, that karma has to be experienced. For as long as they live, they experience great misery.

Human beings, even though they may have escaped being born as animals, may have no opportunity at all to meet and practice Dharma. For example, the people in the village below Kopan have found a human body; they have not been born as animals. But because they have no opportunity to meet and practice Dharma, their whole life is spent in worldly activities for the happiness of this life. There is no way for them to find satisfaction. Since all their work is done out of worldly concern, it all becomes non-virtue, or negative karma. Day and night every single action of their body, speech and mind is done out of attachment to this life, so all their actions become negative karma.

Even though their work is accomplished with a lot of difficulties, the only result in this life is suffering - and in the life after this. No matter what they do, the only result they experience is suffering. Even their hard work in this life does not result in happiness, only in misery. In this life they experience only suffering and problems, and also in the life after this. The result is greater suffering for many lifetimes.

It is similar with millionaires in the West. Even though they may have some kind of external success, having everything that money can buy, if their attitude is solely one of worldly concern seeking the happiness of this life, every single action of their body, speech and mind is non-virtuous, or negative karma. No matter what they do, there is no satisfaction; their life ends in dissatisfaction. Their life finishes while they are doing work that never finishes. Worldly work has no end; there is no way to complete it. And since all their actions are done only out of worldly concern, it is very difficult for them to receive the body of a happy migratory being in their next life.

Like this, living beings are very tightly chained by karma. In addition they are completely gloomed by the darkness of ignorance. They do not know the cause of happiness or the cause of suffering; they have no understanding of Dharma. Their minds are completely dark. Even though wishing happiness, they perform actions that create only negative karma. The wrong methods they use result in the opposite to what they wish: only suffering, in this life and in the future.

Living beings are completely hallucinated by ignorance, believing that the I and all other phenomena, which arise dependently and are merely imputed by the mind, to be independent and truly existent. Living beings are completely trapped in this ignorance.

Think how incredible it is that sentient beings are suffering, overwhelmed by karma and disturbing thoughts. Some of the kind mother sentient beings have been born in the hells and are experiencing unbearable sufferings of heat and cold. Some kind mother sentient beings have been born as pretas, spending many hundreds of years with heavy sufferings of hunger and thirst. Some kind mother sentient beings have been born as animals, mute and extremely foolish, and being eaten by other animals. These sentient beings pass their whole time in the suffering of suffering.

Other sentient beings have been born as devas, but devas also have much suffering when they experience the signs of death, and there is much jealousy and fighting amongst them. Even the mother sentient beings who have been born as humans suffer birth, old age, various sicknesses and death, even though not wanting to die. Human beings suffer when unable to find the objects they desire and, when do they find them, have the fear of losing these desirable objects. The human body is suffering in nature. Even though the outside appears to be clean, the inside is the same as meat in a butcher's shop. In reality the inside is completely something other than what appears on the outside, and in which we believe. Human beings are born covered with flesh, in a bag full of blood, pus and other dirty things, and tied with veins. It is so upsetting that they have to suffer like this.

All sentient beings experience the sufferings of samsara. Nothing is definite, even though we believe that everything is. Our experiences with relationships show that nothing is definite. There is no satisfaction no matter how much we follow our desires and enjoy samsaric perfections. Sentient beings have to leave the body again and again, and take another body again and again. The high become low. Sentient beings are born alone, and even die without any companion. No matter how many friends and relatives we have during our lifetime, at the death-time we have to go alone. Leaving even our body, we carry all the negative karmas we have accumulated with us. We have to experience alone the results of the negative karma created by us.

Sentient beings live in a complete hallucination of permanence, believing impermanent things - including themselves - to be permanent. Believing the impure body to be completely clean and pure, they grasp that appearance, and again create the cause of samsara. Attachment ties sentient beings to samsara. They also mistake suffering for real happiness. Sentient beings even believe things that are merely labeled and empty of existing from their own side to be independent. They are completely deluded.

The kind mother sentient beings, origin of all your own three times' happiness, are extremely pitiful. Their suffering is unbearable. The Mahayana practitioner with great compassion feels it is intolerable that sentient beings suffer in this way. They feel just like a mother when her beloved child falls into a fire; she immediately has to do something. Right in that second, she must save her child from the fire. It is as if an arrow has been shot into her heart. Like this, the practitioner with great compassion feels it is unbearable that other living beings are experiencing the suffering of samsara.

We have the opportunity to practice, and to benefit sentient beings by freeing them from all their sufferings and leading them to enlightenment. We have this opportunity so it is our responsibility to help them. When a mother is suffering, it is the responsibility of her son or daughter to help her. Freeing every sentient being from suffering and leading them to enlightenment is our responsibility.

Now, if you follow the Paramitayana path in order to achieve enlightenment and free sentient beings from all their suffering and lead them to enlightenment, you need to accumulate merit for three countless great aeons. That is such a long time! To wait so long to achieve enlightenment is unbearable. For sentient beings to suffer in samsara for even one second feels like aeons. To a practitioner with great compassion, the thought of sentient beings suffering in samsara is unbearable; he cannot stand their suffering for even one second. He wants to achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible. For such a practitioner the tantric path is revealed.

The four tantras

There are four types of tantra: Action Tantra mainly emphasizes outer activities such as keeping the body clean, as in the nyung ne practice. Performance Tantra emphasizes inner as well as outer practice. With Yoga Tantra and especially Highest Yoga Tantra, internal practice is emphasized.

In these four tantras, the fundamental practices of divine pride and pure appearance are used in order to achieve enlightenment more quickly than in the Paramitayana path. You visualize yourself and other beings in pure form: yourself as the principal deity and other beings in the pure forms of the mandala deities. You practice pure divine pride and pure appearance of yourself as the deity. When you become enlightened, you see yourself as a Buddha and everything appears to you in pure form: the place as a mandala and the beings in pure forms of the deity. There is not the slightest impure appearance or conception.

In tantric practice, you visualize and train your mind in what you will really achieve and experience in the future: pure body, pure place, pure enjoyments, pure actions. The practice of looking at everything in pure form protects your mind from the impure conceptions that interfere with your achieving enlightenment quickly. These impure conceptions cause many disturbing thoughts to arise and create the karma which causes you to be born continuously in samsara and experience suffering. You visualize now all the pure appearance you will see when you become Buddha.

The four levels of attachment

A tantric teaching mentions that just as a worm born from wood eats up that wood, attachment should be used to destroy the root of attachment. The skilful means of tantra is used to remove completely even the root of delusions. For the Mahayana practitioner who feels such unbearable compassion for sentient beings that he cannot bear their suffering in samsara for even a second, the skilful tantric path is revealed. Loosely speaking, the four tantras - Action, Performance, Yoga, and Highest Yoga - are revealed in order to use attachment to completely destroy attachment.

There are different levels of attachment: attachment arising from looking at the object of desire, from seeing the object smiling, from touching, and from sexual intercourse. The four tantras use these different levels of attachment to destroy attachment itself. Action Tantra is revealed for the Mahayana practitioner who cannot use the strong attachment arising from intercourse in the path to enlightenment, nor the attachment arising from touching, nor even the attachment arising from seeing the object of desire smiling. This tantra is revealed for the practitioner who has only the capability to use the attachment arising from looking at the object in the path to enlightenment .

For the Mahayana practitioner with a little more capability to use attachment in the path, who can use the attachment arising from the object of desire smiling - but not from intercourse or touching - Performance Tantra is revealed. For the practitioner who has the potential to use the attachment arising from touching in the path, but not the attachment arising from intercourse, Yoga Tantra is revealed.

For the practitioner of highest intelligence who has the capability to transform into the path to enlightenment the greatest attachment, that arising from sexual intercourse, Highest Yoga Tantra is revealed. With the skilful means of Highest Yoga Tantra one can achieve enlightenment in this very lifetime, even within a few years, as did Milarepa and many other great yogis, such as Indrabhuti, who achieved enlightenment in three years, and Ensapa, who achieved enlightenment without bearing hardships or leading an ascetic life. As His Holiness Song Rinpoche said, "Without bearing the hardships that Milarepa did, Ensapa achieved enlightenment comfortably in one very brief lifetime."

The meaning of mantra

Tantra is also called mantra: man means understanding; tra means protecting migratory beings, which means compassion. Mantra is the unification of these two, understanding and compassion. The unification of understanding and protection, which is compassion, is mantra. In other words the general meaning of mantra is "protecting the mind."

The specific meaning of mantra according to Highest Yoga Tantra is that by actualizing and developing the primordial subtle mind, the experience of clear light and simultaneously-born bliss, one ceases the continuation of the ordinary mind. The ordinary minds that arise at the time of death during the white, red and dark visions are more subtle than the previous gross mind, but compared to the subtle mind of clear light, these minds arising during the three visions are gross. The continuation of these gross, ordinary minds associated with the three visions is ceased by the clear light, the primordial mind of simultaneously-born bliss.

By developing the real meaning of Highest Yoga Tantra, thus of mantra - that is, the primordial mind of simultaneously-born bliss - we cut off dual view since this cuts off the continuation of the ordinary mind that arises even during the three visions. Only by cutting off dual view can we achieve enlightenment, that is, the unification of the completely pure holy mind and holy body.

Therefore, according to Highest Yoga Tantra, man means the transcendental wisdom of the simultaneously-born clear light; tra means protecting sentient beings from ordinary minds, or dual view. How can the minds of sentient beings be protected? We receive initiations which ripen our mind and allow us to practice Highest Yoga Tantra. We then generate simultaneously-born bliss and as we develop this further, clear light. By developing this clear light, we are then able to cease dual view. When we have this experience, we have actualized the real mantra.

Mantra should not be understood to be just recitation of some secret words. This realization of simultaneously-born bliss is the mantra. Generating this clear light of simultaneously-born bliss protects us from the continuation of the ordinary mind, dual view.

It can also be understood in this way: The guru-deity, whose holy mind abides in the simultaneously-born transcendental wisdom of great bliss, reveals the teachings - particularly the Highest Yoga Tantra path - out of that transcendental wisdom. In this way we are able to practice and actualize the path. The mantra in the holy mind of the guru-deity protects us not only from the sufferings of samsara, but from even the ordinary mind, dual view. If we have this realization of the transcendental wisdom of simultaneously-born bliss, we can protect not only ourself but also other sentient beings, who equal the extent of infinite space, from dual view. This is the meaning of mantra.

The skillful means of tantra

As His Holiness the Dalai Lama has explained, the wisdom realizing emptiness in the Paramitayana path is only gross wisdom. The Paramitayana path does not reveal the subtle wisdom realizing emptiness.

For the primordial subtle mind to realize emptiness, the ordinary gross mind and even the subtle minds that arise during the white, red and dark visions have to be completely absorbed. When these subtle minds are ceased, the primordial subtle mind becomes clearly visible. Generally the nature of the mind, whether it is subtle or gross, is the same. Because of different functions and different ways of perceiving objects, the minds are called different names. For the primordial subtle mind to appear clearly, the gross minds have to be stopped. In order to do this you have to stop the vehicle of the gross mind, the gross wind. And to do this you use such skilful means of tantra as The Six Yogas of Naropa to meditate on inner fire, or tummo.

First you need to listen to, reflect and meditate on lam-rim. On the basis of this experience, you ripen your mind by receiving a complete Highest Yoga Tantra initiation, entering the mandala of a deity such as Gyalwa Gyatso. Such an initiation definitely leaves the seed of the four kayas on the mind. After practicing the first stage of tantra, you then meditate on inner fire in order to bring the winds from the right and left channels into the central channel and make them abide and absorb there. Making all the winds absorb into the central channel stops the gross winds. As the vehicle of the gross mind, the gross wind, is stopped, the effects of the gross mind stop and you actualize the primordial mind. Such skilful methods as making the winds enter, abide and absorb in the central channel are not revealed in the Paramitayana path.

The main purpose of practicing tantra is not just to free sentient beings from all obscurations and lead them to the state of omniscient mind, but to do this quickly. This work for sentient beings is done with the rupakaya, or the holy body of form. The sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya, the two kayas comprising the rupakaya, are the forms that actually do the work for sentient beings. However, without achieving the dharmakaya, there is no way to manifest in the rupakaya. It is the dharmakaya which manifests in the forms that do the work and that other sentient beings can see. The dharmakaya manifests in different forms according to the levels of mind of sentient beings and then guides them by revealing different skilful means. This dharmakaya is not a gross mind but transcendental wisdom, the primordial, simultaneously-born wisdom of great bliss.

Purified of the fabrication of dual view, dharmakaya is completely pure. This primordial simultaneously-born blissful wisdom does not have any fabrication of dual view at all, which means no appearance of true existence. It does not have even the slightest impression, or stain, left by disturbing thoughts such as ignorance. The appearance of true existence comes from subtle mental stains, but these impressions are completely removed by developing the clear light of meaning, their direct remedy. The clear light of meaning completely purifies these subtle obscurations.

The transcendental wisdom of dharmakaya does not have dual view. With this subtle wisdom you completely, not temporarily, cut off the appearance of true existence. Because you cut off the fabrication of dual view, you are in equipoise meditation on the emptiness of all existence forever. You do not arise from that, but one-pointedly, inseparably abide in emptiness, like having poured water into water. This is dharmakaya.

There is no way that any temporary gross thought can become the direct cause to achieve dharmakaya. There is no way that any temporary gross mind can go to enlightenment. The gross mind is called "temporary" because it has to be ceased in order for dharmakaya to be achieved. Therefore, delusions are "temporary" obscurations.

The clear light of meaning, the primordial mind directly perceiving emptiness - the right-seeing path of Highest Yoga Tantra - is the direct remedy to the subtle obscurations of the minds arising during the white, red and dark visions. These subtle obscurations prevent the continuation of our present primordial mind becoming omniscience. The obscuration to omniscience is removed completely by the clear light of meaning.

With the clear light of meaning, even the gross minds arising during the three visions are completely removed. Earlier, with the clear light of example, these gross minds are temporarily absorbed, but manifest again. Developing the clear light of meaning makes it impossible for them to arise again. Therefore, the transcendental wisdom of dharmakaya is in equipoise meditation on emptiness forever. Subject and object are inseparable, like having poured water into water. The clear light of meaning, this primordial mind which directly perceives emptiness and is transformed into great bliss, is the direct cause of dharmakaya.

The main aim of the Paramitayana path is omniscient mind and it is believed that the two obscurations can be removed by this path. However, in reality, it is impossible to purify completely all the fabrication of dual view by the Paramitayana path alone.

With the skilful means of tantra, as the gross wind enters, abides and absorbs in the central channel, the same thing happens with the gross consciousness. Just as at the death time, the pervasive wind - one of the five types of wind - completely absorbs. When every single pervasive wind has absorbed, the primordial mind of clear light is actualized. From that development, you achieve the impure illusory body, which is still stained by disturbing thoughts and still has the karmic potential to take rebirth. It is "impure" because of this potential to take samsaric rebirth due to disturbing thoughts. This first clear light, the clear light of example, does not directly perceive emptiness. Perhaps it could be said that you realize emptiness "in imagination," because there is still dual view with subject (the wisdom of the primordial mind) and object (emptiness). Since dual view is not completely purified, emptiness is not perceived directly.

In clear light of example, "example" means it is similar to the clear light at the time of death. By developing the clear light of example until it directly and unmistakenly sees emptiness, without any dual view between subject and object, you achieve the clear light of meaning. From this you achieve the pure illusory body.

Even after achieving the clear light of meaning, however, you still cannot be in equipoise meditation on emptiness continuously, never rising again from that meditation. The appearance of true existence is the subtle obscuration that prevents your being inseparable forever from emptiness, like having poured water into water. This prevents your achieving the primordial mind of clear light one-pointedly abiding in meditative equipoise on the object of emptiness.

By developing this clear light of meaning, you can completely remove dual view, so that it is impossible for it to arise again. When this happens, you have achieved the result, the dharmakaya. The meditator who has this realization of clear light has the opportunity to attain enlightenment, the holy body of unification of Vajradhara with the seven characteristics, in that life; the methods of becoming enlightened in one brief lifetime can be taught to such a person. Wherever this practitioner is - whether in a prison, in a city, on a mountain - he is living in an inner pure realm. This person has achieved the actual pure realm.

Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo's advice

Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo gives simple, unconfused advice about the essential practice of Dharma. The mind that does not follow anger and attachment is the precious treasure of the holy speech of the Victorious Ones. All obstacles arise from following anger and attachment. For those who practice Dharma and even for those who do not, all the difficulties and confusions of daily life arise from the mind that follows anger and attachment. If your mind does not follow these two, you do not create obstacles and the great meaning of life - all the works for self and other sentient beings - can be accomplished.

If you always meditate on the path, with your mind not separating from emptiness and compassion, you will have happiness all the time. According to Paramitayana, this could be understood to mean emptiness. For the practitioner of Highest Yoga Tantra, it means that the mind should not separate from the practice of bliss-voidness. There will be happiness all the time can be understood from what I have explained about achieving dharmakaya.

Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo answers the questions, "What can I do? There is so much to study. The teachings are so extensive, and my life is short." You may not have finished listening to and reflecting on all the teachings; you may not have a clear, extensive understanding that cuts off all doubts. However, Buddha said that the mind is the source of all samsara and nirvana. So, since your own mind is the root of your samsara and of your liberation, the most important thing is always to keep your mind subdued and peaceful.

All failures and undesirable problems come from the unsubdued mind. Keeping your mind peaceful and subdued is Dharma. Whether you practice Hinayana, Paramitayana or Vajrayana, this is what you have to do. There is no other Dharma practice. There is no tantric practice without the practice of subduing the mind. If you leave out subduing your mind, there is no other practice. Watching your mind all the time and keeping it subdued are the real Dharma. Dharma that is not mixed with the mind is hypocritical - Dharma from the mouth, not from the heart.

Next Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo says, and here he is relating more to the practice of tantra, The very essence of the profound Dharma is condensed in the following: constantly meditate on your body as the deity's holy body, which is the unification of appearance and emptiness; constantly keep your speech in the mantra; and your mind in the sphere of bliss and voidness. Without moving your mind from the sphere of bliss and voidness, follow the father guru's biography. This means that the guru practiced in this way to achieve enlightenment. Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo himself, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Lama Yeshe also practiced this way to achieve the two kayas.

Checking dreams

If you did not dream, that is good because dreams are appearances of the hallucinated mind. However, there are what are usually labeled "bad" and "good" dreams. Seeing the deity, meeting the guru who is giving the initiation, going into temples or shrine rooms, and having dreams of sangha or unbroken statues are labeled as good dreams. Other generally good dreams are: reading scriptures, bathing your body in clean water, drinking milk, and eating curd or rich food.

If you dream of the guru as skinny, sick, or wearing lay dress instead of robes (when he is not a lay person), these are bad signs. Even if you meet the guru in a dream, you may try to get blessings and not receive them. These are signs of having degenerated samaya. If you see the guru, sangha or statues as dusty or unpleasant-looking in your dream, these are the appearances given by a spirit called gel-gun. Dreams of stepping over paintings of Buddha or other holy objects; of having lost your bell and vajra, or mandala, are also recognized as inauspicious. Since mandalas, bells and vajras signify the path and are used to gain realizations, losing these is recognized as an inauspicious sign. These dreams can happen when you have already degenerated samaya or can show what is about to happen the next day. Sometimes dreams come beforehand, showing that some mistake that will break samaya is going to be made.

Also inauspicious are dreams of falling down a mountain, going into a very dirty or tiny cave or house, going somewhere that is so difficult to climb over or through that you get stuck. Dreaming of your body being upside down could be a sign of going to the lower realms. Going downhill, especially on sand, is an inauspicious sign. (Climbing over the tops of mountains or cliffs is regarded as a good dream.) Mountains falling down and houses in space with no foundations also show something inauspicious related to a person's practice, such as missing a basic vow. Riding on camels or donkeys towards the south is also an inauspicious sign.

All these are appearances of the illusive mind, so having a good dream is nothing to be proud or excited about and having a bad dream nothing to be depressed about. Think that any inauspicious signs are dispelled by giving the torma to the interferers, and also by remembering emptiness. Nothing of all these things you dreamt exists from its own side. Even though they appear to exist from their own side as independent, these things are completely empty except as merely labeled on the base by thought. What is appearing as real, as existing from its own side, as not merely labeled, is empty. By meditating on emptiness, you can dispel inauspicious signs and obstacles.

Motivation for the bodhisattva and tantric vows

There is nothing better to do in the world than to live in the bodhisattva and tantric vows, especially the tantric vows. In order to achieve enlightenment quickly for the sake of sentient beings who equal infinite space, is there anything better to do? Nothing! From our own side, there is nothing more practical than this, and also from the side of other sentient beings. Every sentient being needs you to develop your mind through living in the vows, so that you can become a perfect guide, working unmistakenly for sentient beings.

Think, Now my life will become highly meaningful. It will make my parents' suffering worthwhile: my mother suffered so much while I was in her womb for all those months and my father has suffered much worry since my birth. They have been exhausted in body and mind through worry and fear. They have taken care of me, giving me all the best things they could to eat and wear. All the troubles and hardships they have borne for me will now become meaningful and worthwhile.

These comforts I have been enjoying belong to sentient beings. I have been wearing clothes and using things that come from the bodies of other beings. I may not have eaten sentient beings alive, but for all the rest of my pleasures I have been living off them. I have been using other sentient beings as slaves, using their body, speech and mind for my happiness. All these enjoyments have come to me through the physical and mental suffering of other beings. The pleasures of my life come from the suffering of sentient beings - by killing them, or by their creating negative karma. My having this human body and being alive each day, each hour, each minute, will now become worthwhile. Enjoying this food, this clothing, this house, all these things which have come from others, will become meaningful because I will be living in the bodhisattva and tantric vows. Now, my life will become beneficial for other sentient beings.

Motivation for Gyalwa Gyatso initiation

With this most secret Chenrezig practice, Gyalwa Gyatso, you can achieve enlightenment quickly - even within this very brief lifetime. To achieve enlightenment, you must enter the Mahayana path, and the door to the Mahayana path is bodhicitta. Quickly achieving enlightenment depends on quickly generating bodhicitta. Therefore, you need to rely upon the Highest Yoga Tantra path of this special deity, Gyalwa Gyatso, the compassion of all the Buddhas, which quickly generates bodhicitta and grants enlightenment in one very brief lifetime.

You have the same potential within your mind as all the lineage lamas of Gyalwa Gyatso, such as Mitrajoki, the great yogi to whom Gyalwa Gyatso appeared and gave many teachings and initiations. You have the same potential as these great yogis whose life-stories you hear about and whose caves you see, where they practiced and achieved enlightenment. Receiving the four initiations allows you to actualize the clear light of the second stage of Highest Yoga Tantra; you develop this clear light to achieve enlightenment. Through wisdom (clear light) and method (illusory body), you are able to achieve quickly the unification of the holy body and the holy mind, in order to guide sentient beings perfectly. It is by taking initiation that you develop these potentials within you.

Think, I'm going to take the Chenrezig Gyalwa Gyatso initiation to achieve enlightenment, the unification of the holy body and holy mind, quickly and more quickly, as I feel it is so unbearable that sentient beings are obscured and suffering in samsara. To me it is like they are suffering for many aeons. In order for sentient beings to achieve enlightenment, even if I have to suffer in the hells and practice the path for many aeons, from my side I will endure it.

From beginningless rebirths until now, I have experienced numberless times the general suffering of samsara and the particular sufferings of the hell, preta and animal realms. Can I stand the thought of being born again even as a human being? Of being born again from a womb? Remembering all the misery, I cannot stand the thought of experiencing even one more suffering rebirth. Even being born again as a human does not necessarily mean that I will have all the perfect conditions to meet the Dharma and the perfect guru. The thought of taking another human body is unbearable.

It is difficult to see an end to this suffering. At this time I have received a perfect human body, have met a Mahayana virtuous teacher and the complete, unmistaken teachings of Buddha. If I do not achieve enlightenment on this body, I will have to experience the suffering of samsara endlessly. If I do not actualize the path to enlightenment for the sake of other sentient beings in this life, if I do not practice Dharma in this life, it may not be possible in another life.

If we do not practice Dharma now, when will I? I should practice right now, while I have a perfect human body with all the necessary outer and inner conditions. Death is definite, and the actual time of death is uncertain. It could happen any day. It could happen today, at any moment. So many of my teachers and friends have already gone - unexpectedly, suddenly. At any moment, now, it could be my turn. At any moment, other people may hear of my death. Due to some inner disease or some external condition, my death could suddenly happen. Like a candle-flame in the wind, I am are constantly surrounded by conditions which could cause my death. Day and night my life is filled with conditions for death.

If I examine my mind, I find that disturbing thoughts arise frequently, while virtuous thoughts arise only rarely. Even the virtuous actions I do are imperfect, incomplete, weak. And anger and heresy can also destroy the results of my virtuous actions. On the other hand all my non-virtuous actions are perfect, complete and very powerful.

So much negative karma has already been accumulated and has yet to be experienced. According to my karma, if death happened now, my rebirth would be in the lower realms. Before my breath stops, I am are in the human realm; after the breath stops, in the hells. It's simply a question of whether this very fragile breath has ceased or is moving. Right after the breath stops, I will be in the hells. By practicing moral conduct and protecting karma, which means abandoning non-virtuous actions, I may be born in the realm of the happy transmigratory beings - but even that is entirely in the nature of suffering.

I am completely overwhelmed by the fundamental cause of suffering, karma and disturbing thoughts. All my sufferings come from cherishing the I, so the I is an object to be renounced always.

All my temporal and ultimate happiness comes from cherishing others, bodhicitta. Cherishing others is possible because of other sentient beings, so each sentient being is the origin of all my past, present and future happiness, from beginningless rebirths up to enlightenment. Every single comfort in my daily life comes from other sentient beings. The first verse of The Eight Verses says that each sentient being is much more precious than a wish-granting jewel because everything depends on the kindness of other sentient beings. Without the existence of sentient beings, there would be no way I could have even the smallest comfort today.

In the same way I receive all the happiness of future lives, liberation and even the ultimate happiness of enlightenment from the kindness of other sentient beings. Therefore sentient beings are objects to be cherished always. Even all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, with whom we are able to purify by reciting their names, prostrating and making offerings to them, come from sentient beings. So, sentient beings are more precious than the Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Just as my temporal and ultimate happiness depends on sentient beings, the happiness of all other sentient beings depends on me. It is my responsibility. All sentient beings want me to benefit not harm them, and "benefit" means bringing them temporal and ultimate happiness. So it is very clear that the responsibility rests on my shoulders.

Therefore I must achieve the state of omniscient mind in order to accomplish this for all sentient beings. The thought of sentient beings suffering for even one second in samsara is unbearable to me, so I must achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible - right this second! To do this I have to generate bodhicitta, door to the Mahayana path. Therefore I need to rely upon this special deity, Gyalwa Gyatso, which embodies the compassion of all the Buddhas.

I am taking this initiation only for other sentient beings; in my heart there is no other reason at all.