Karma Chakme's Mountain Dharma Vol 1

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KARMA CHAKME’S MOUNTAIN DHARMA
VOLUME ONE
Entering Dharma’s Gate (the four ordinary foundations) • Renunciation • Various
Greater and Lesser Vehicles • How to Keep the Three Vows • Taking Refuge • The
Generation of Bodhichitta • Protection of the Three Jewels Through Meditation
• Dispelling All Obstacles • Purification of Karma, Vajrasattva Practice • Offering
the Mandala • Guru Yoga
VOLUME TWO
How to Recognize the Arising of Experience and Realization • Love and
Compassion • A Brief Explanation of Geomancy • Instructions on Retreat • Chö
Practice • White Tara and Tseringma • Kriya and Charya Tantra • Yoga Tantra for
Those Skilled in Ritual and Mudras • How to Purify the Obscurations of the Dead
VOLUME THREE
A Concise Liberation Through Hearing: Introduction to the Bardo • Signs Arising
Through Practice • Avoiding Deviations • Dispelling Obstacles and Removing
Impediments • Instructions on Improvement to Increase Experience and
Realization • Five Poisonous Kleshas
VOLUME FOUR
Instructions on Conduct in Order to Behave in Accord with the Victors’ Dictates
• Instructions on Benefiting Beings • How the Best, the Intermediate and the Least
Practitioners Die • Choosing a Pure Realm • How to Reach a Pure Realm
The restricted chapters, not included in these volumes, are available at Karme Ling
Retreat Center with the permission of one’s teacher.
For the complete list of contents of Ri Chö, see “Precious Garland: A List of Contents to
Prevent Disorder”
རིི་ཆོོས
Karma Chakme’s
Mountain Dharma
VOLUME ONE
as thought by
Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche
translators:
Lama Yeshe Gyamtso

Chojor Radha
Namgyal Khorko
KTD Publications
This book is dedicated to
His Holiness the Seventeenth Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje
OM SWA STI KARMA KA BI DZA YA

From the unchanging, permanent Dharmakaya appears the
magical body of Karmapa.
May your three secrets of body, speech, and mind firmly remain
in the vajra realm.
May your boundless activities be blazingly glorious and
spontaneously accomplished.
Aspiration by the Twelfth Gyaltshap Mingyur Gocha. Mangalam

Published by:
KTD Publications
335 Meads Mountain Road
Woodstock, NY 12498, USA
www.KTDPublications.org
Print edition distributed by:
Namse Bangdzo Bookstore
335 Meads Mountain Road
Woodstock, NY 12498, USA
www.NamseBangdzo.com
© 2004 Karma Triyana Dharmachakra

All rights reserved
ISBN 0-9741092-2-3
Ebook edition 2020 by dharmaebooks.org
Dharma Ebooks is a project of Dharma Treasure, which operates under the
editorial guidance of the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje. The
proprietary rights of Dharma Ebooks belong to Dharma Treasure Corporation.
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-

NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Contents
Preface
Advice from Khenpo Rinpoche
Introduction
Short Biography of Karma Chakme Rinpoche
Biography of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche
Karma Chakme’s Mountain Dharma: Volume One

Namthar: The Spiritual Biography of Karma Chakme
Rinpoche
Precious Garland: A List of Contents to Prevent Disorder
Seeing It Makes You Smile: Ordinary Beings Entering the

Gate of Dharma
Putting Away the Dice: Abandoning Samsara’s Path
Gandi of the Nobles: The Three Vehicles
Disk of the Sun: The Way of Protecting the Three Vows
Going for Refuge, Which Protects from All Danger and Fear
The Generation of Bodhichitta, Which Is the Great Path of

Awakening
The Cooling Shade: Placing Others Under the Protection
of the Three Jewels
Dispelling All Obstacles: Visualizations to Benefit Others
The River of Ambrosia That Purifies Obscurations:

Vajrasattva Practice
The Mandala Offering, Which Accumulates a Mountain

of Merit
The Guru Yoga That Is a River of Blessings
Dedication
Glossary
Index of Stories Told by Khenpo Rinpoche
About KTD Publications
Preface
The students of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche wish to express their

gratitude to Rinpoche for bringing Karma Chakme’s Mountain
Dharma to us. As always, Rinpoche presents his teaching with
infinite generosity, wisdom, and compassion, and we appreciate
his confidence in us to receive this teaching.
His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa (Rangjung Rikpe Dorje,

1923–1981) indicated that it was his wish that Khenpo Karthar
Rinpoche present Karma Chakme’s Mountain Dharma to Western
students. In accordance with this wish, Khenpo Rinpoche began
teaching this text in the Year of the Earth Rabbit, February 1999,
at Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, the North American seat of His
Holiness, located in Woodstock, New York. The teachings took
place on weekends over the subsequent four years, concluding
in the Year of the Water Sheep, April 2003.
The original text by Karma Chakme Rinpoche was written in

1659. The text that Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche taught from was
printed and published at Tashi Jong, Himachal Pradesh, India,
and consists of 595 pages in fifty-four chapters. Karma Chakme
requested that the text always be copied and presented in its
ix
Mountain Dharma: Volume One
completeness, thus ensuring that nothing be lost. Because Karma

Chakme’s Mountain Dharma is a complete work of the complete
path, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche follows Chakme Rinpoche’s
instructions in maintaining the integrity of the original text. We
also respectfully follow their wishes and instructions; however,
due to the length of the text and commentary, we will publish
Khenpo Rinpoche’s commentary in four volumes, with a separate
volume for the Tibetan text.
Rinpoche followed the same order as the original Tibetan text

with two exceptions. He began with the namthar (spiritual
biography) of Karma Chakme, which in the Tibetan original is
placed at the end of the text. Rinpoche also omitted the restricted
chapters, which, at some point, will be published separately
for use by qualified students. The result of these efforts is that
the entire contents of Karma Chakme’s Mountain Dharma will be
available in English for the first time.
We would like to express our appreciation and gratitude to our

translators, Lama Yeshe Gyamtso, Chojor Radha, and Namgyal
Khorko, to Jeanette DeFries for transcribing the oral teachings as
well as for her invaluable support and guidance, to Louise Light
and Sandy Hu for their generosity in helping us get started, to
Naomi Schmidt for her technical assistance, to Wendy Harding
for the line drawing of Karma Chakme Rinpoche, to Chojor
x
Radha for his calligraphy, and to Tenzin Chonyi for his kindness
and encouragement.
The editorial and production staff — Maureen McNicholas,

Peter van Deurzen, Daia Gerson, Barbara Majewska, and Mary
Young — also wish to thank all the many others who helped in
so many ways to bring to fruition the wishes of His Holiness the
Sixteenth Karmapa and the wishes of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche.
This would not have been possible without the extraordinary
talents and efforts of all. Our most special thank you is for
Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche for his blessings and guidance.
Together we have made our best effort to present Rinpoche’s

teachings as accurately as possible. However, if any parts are
incorrect or unclear, we take full responsibility. We hope that,
despite our shortcomings, all beings may benefit from these
teachings.
Maureen McNicholas and Peter van Deurzen
xi
Advice from Khenpo Rinpoche
The following paragraphs are taken from the Question and Answer
sessions that were a part of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche’s teaching on
Karma Chakme’s Mountain Dharma. During these sessions, Rinpoche
personally engaged with his students, answering their questions and
offering his advice. Here Rinpoche comments on how the teachings
were given to Tsondru Gyamtso, the uniqueness and value of this text,
and how to use the information and practices contained in the book
to instruct and support their practice.
Karma Chakme Rinpoche was in lifelong retreat when Tsondru

Gyamtso requested teachings on mountain Dharma. Tradition-
ally, when someone was doing a lifelong retreat, provisions
were made for limited communication with the outside. When
a practitioner had completed all of the graduated practices of
the various yidams and had achieved signs of realization, it was
appropriate for them to teach even though they were remaining
in retreat. They would speak through a small aperture in the
wall, and as in the case of Karma Chakme Rinpoche and Lama
Tsondru Gyamtso, the teachings would be received and written
down by a student sitting outside, often in the cold. In some
cases a blessing would be given, with the retreatant actually
xii
sticking his hand out and blessing the person. The reason it
was appropriate for Karma Chakme Rinpoche to teach while
he was still in retreat is that he was in lifelong retreat and he
had completed all of the necessary practices.
•••
This book is almost unique in its clarity of presentation. The

various topics that are dealt with are also to be found in other
texts; however, most of these are so long and detailed that it is
possible to get lost and not come to any real understanding of
the subject. The presentation here is concise and very clear. As
Karma Chakme Rinpoche wrote in his introduction, “If you
place this volume on your pillow, then you have gotten hold of
the one teacher who will never get mad at you.” If people have
this text available, then they will truly have an understanding
of how to practice and how to approach the many different
practices we do. They do not need to use the whole book. They
can select the parts that correspond to their particular practice
and get a much better idea of the purpose of it.
•••
This text is designed as a means of general guidance. It presents

the whole path common to any system of practice in which
xiii
you might be engaged. For example, when the text explains the
preliminary practices, they are presented in their usual sequence.
When it reaches the yidam practices, they are presented in a
general way that can be applied to any major yidam practice,
although you would need the empowerment for that particular
yidam.
•••
When you make tea, you have to know what you are doing. You
have to know how to use the stove. If you do not know what
you are doing, you are going to burn your house down. When it
comes to practicing Dharma, you think that you do not need to
know what you are doing. You do not need to know anything.
You do not need to study. This is incorrect. You may wonder
why I am teaching all of this. Surely, the contents of any one of
these chapters would be enough. It is not enough. Everything
presented in this text is necessary and is here for a reason. You
need to know these things in order to do your practice and to
be able to deal with the problems that arise. Therefore these
practices and these chapters are not redundant. They are not
irrelevant. They are not outmoded. They are here for a reason.
•••
xiv
It is best if these practices are done by someone who has finished

ngondro because the function of ngondro, as its name indicates,
is to prepare you for other practices. However, there is no rule
that says you cannot perform these visualizations until you
have completed ngondro. In the case of the practices to benefit
others, it is best if you have the seed of empowerment and the
required mantra recitations, but it is most important that you
have compassion.
•••
The practices that have been described in this text are a specific
type of visualization practice called an application. To do an
application connected with the practice of a specific deity, you
should have received the empowerment of that deity. Strictly
speaking, in order to perform an application practice, you
must not only have received the empowerment, you must have
performed a specific number of recitations of the deity’s mantra.
This is called being “fit for activity.” The usual requirement is
100,000 multiplied by the number of syllables in the mantra.
Thus if it is a ten-syllable mantra, it would be 1,000,000, and
so on. That is considered the minimum requirement to be “fit
for activity.” The reason for this is that your faculties have to be
empowered and familiarized with the visualization to the point
xv
where the application of that visualization and the benefit of

others will actually be affected.
•••
I would like to say something about this whole question of signs

or indications in practice. Sometimes it happens that practitio-
ners will experience some positive signs in their practice, some
indication that the practice is taking effect. They assume that
that means they are done, that they have attained the result, and
they therefore stop practicing. This is incorrect. Signs in practice
do not indicate that you have reached your destination. They
indicate that you are heading in the right direction and that
therefore you should continue to practice as you have been. It is
as if you were driving for the first time to New York City, and
you were not really sure if you were taking the right highway
or not. All of a sudden you come across a sign that says, “New
York City this way, so-and-so many miles to go.” You would not
stop at that point but would just realize, “Well, at least I am
on the right road and if I continue, I will eventually get there.”
xvi
Introduction
Mountain Dharma, Oral Instructions for Mountain Retreat, by Karma

Chakme Rinpoche is, on an outer level, a comprehensive manual
for all aspects of practice by the great mahasiddha Karma Chakme
Rinpoche. In essence it is a text on how to reveal our own buddha
nature. Buddha nature is who we truly are. It is our own genuine
nature, and it is absolutely essential that we understand this as
the basis of motivation to practice.
Simply knowing that we possess buddha nature, however, is not

sufficient to bring about awakening. If we know this but do not
practice, it will not change anything. After all, this has always
been our nature. We have always possessed buddha nature, or
sugathagarba, but we have not yet attained buddhahood. Just its
being there is not enough. This is like the way it is with water in
Tibet. It is now evident that there is a lot of water underground
in Tibet. We once thought there was a problem getting water,
but now we know that if we dig in the ground, we could readily
gain access to it. Nevertheless the water just being there does
not do us any good unless we actually drill the wells. In the
same way, the only point of studying buddha nature is to be
inspired to practice Dharma, because it is the practice — not
xvii
the knowledge — that reveals our buddha nature and enables

us to attain buddhahood.
What we call buddhahood is nothing more or less than the full

revelation of our own innate qualities that have always been
present. “Buddha” is not something external to us. As long as we
have not discovered our own buddha nature, we can only regard
“Buddha” as external because we have no experience of “Buddha”
as something within ourselves. This text, Mountain Dharma,
Oral Instructions for Mountain Retreat by Chakme Rinpoche, is
concerned with every stage and every detail of the process of
discovering our own buddha nature. It describes how to remove
every type of adventitious obscuration and other impediments
that in any way conceal or prevent the recognition of it.
Nevertheless it is possible to misunderstand the point of this

text. Because the text is called Mountain Dharma, Oral Instructions
for Mountain Retreat, some people may think that it is only useful
for those who are in strict, isolated retreat, but that is not what
this title refers to at all. Mountain Dharma refers to the fact that
this is an allsufficient, single text of instruction. Once you have
received the necessary transmissions and initiations from a
qualified teacher, if you were then to take this text into isolated
retreat and had no other resources — no other literature and
no living instructor — you would still have access to all of the
xviii
guidance and all of the instruction you would need. The reason
why this is called Mountain Dharma is that it is a text that will
give you whatever instruction you need whenever you need it. It
contains within it all the tools you will need at different stages
of your practice in order to realize your own buddha nature.
Therefore this title does not mean that this text is only for those
in retreat; rather, it means that it is sufficient for those in retreat.
Furthermore the text is not designed for advanced practitioners

only. It begins with the most fundamental aspects of Bud-
dhadharma — the vow of refuge and so forth — and continues
all the way through the path, explaining everything you need
to know and everything you need to practice in order to attain
buddhahood. It contains all of the teachings of both sutras and
tantras, an explanation of all of the stages of discipline and
practice corresponding to individual liberation (Hinayana), the
bodhisattva vow (Mahayana), and secret mantra (Vajrayana).
Because of its completeness, this text is therefore regarded as
superior to almost all other texts of this type.
The historical period in which this text was written was a remark-
able and difficult one for our lineage. It was the time of the Tenth
Karmapa, Choying Dorje, who because of political circumstances
was unable to directly benefit beings in any significant way. He
said that Karma Chakme Rinpoche was the emanation of his
xix
activity in upholding the teachings of our lineage and spreading

them widely. In addition, based upon the vision of the Fifth
Dalai Lama, Karma Chakme Rinpoche is considered to be an
emanation of the mind of Amitabha. During this era, the time
of the Tenth Gyalwang Karmapa and the Fifth Dalai Lama,
the writings of Karma Chakme Rinpoche spread like wildfire
throughout Tibet, especially in Kham, forever changing the
character of our practice.
From Rinpoche’s teaching in which he introduced some background to the text.
xx
Short Biography of Karma Chakme Rinpoche
Karma Chakme was born, in accordance with the prophecies

of Guru Rinpoche, in the Do-Kham area of Tibet in the year
1613. His father was the mahasiddha Pema Wangdrak and his
mother, Che Kyong Kye, was a wisdom dakini. At the moment
he was born, his father gave him the name Wangdrak Sung and
bestowed upon him his first empowerment. As a child he was
very accomplished in all aspects of study and Dharma practice,
and by the time he was nine years old, he had received many
empowerments and had become well known for his supreme
intelligence and knowledge.
When he was eleven, Wangdrak Sung met Prawashara, from

whom he received many empowerments, transmissions, and
pointing-out instructions. When he was thirteen, he began a
solitary Chenrezik retreat. After completing this retreat, he
began to bestow empowerments and give reading transmissions
and instructions to everyone who requested him to do so. At the
age of twenty he received full ordination vows from the Tenth
Karmapa, Choying Dorje, at Tsurphu Monastery, and received
the name Karma Chakme. From that time, he diligently served
xxi
the sangha at Thupten Nyinling, a monastery of the Surmang

tradition.
For the next few years Karma Chakme studied with and re-
ceived many empowerments, transmissions, and pointing-out
instructions from His Holiness Karmapa, including Mahamudra,
Chakrasamvara, Medicine Buddha, and Dorje Phakmo. He became
quite well known and his fame greatly increased with his public
examination at the Karma Kagyu Monlam in 1635. Between the
ages of eleven and thirty-seven, Karma Chakme entered into
solitary retreat for at least a few months every year in order to
accumulate root and accomplishment mantras. There was not
a single mantra he had not accomplished. During this time,
he also received many auspicious visions, dreams, and signs of
accomplishment of various deities.
At some point Karma Chakme returned to his native region and

built a retreat house at Palri. He resolved to accomplish Gyalwa
Gyamtso, and received the four empowerments in a dream from
the Tenth Karmapa, Choying Dorje. Soon after this, in 1650, at
the age of thirty-seven, he began a strict thirteen-year retreat,
persevering in the practices of Gyalwa Gyamtso and Mahamudra.
During this period, he wrote many texts and commentaries
including Ri Chö, Instructions for Mountain Retreat written in 1659.
In the same year Karma Chakme recognized and enthroned the
xxii
great terton Mingyur Dorje, who gave oral transmission lineage

teachings for which Karma Chakme was the scribe.
In 1663, at the age of fifty, Karma Chakme ended his thirteenyear

retreat. He continued to greatly benefit beings, performing
ceremonies and giving empowerments often attended by over
four thousand students. Karma Chakme perfected all possible
stages of practice and every miraculous deed for the sake of
benefiting others.
In 1678, the Year of the Earth Horse, at age sixty-six, Mahasid-

dha Karma Chakme Rinpoche announced to thousands that
the time had come for him to change realms, and he passed
away. Many signs occurred at the time of his death, including
rainbows, clouds in the shapes of the eight auspicious symbols,
and countless images of Gyalwa Gyamtso and Dorje Phakmo
embossed on his bones.
Adapted from the “Biography of Karma Chakme” by Jampal Gyepai Loden,

Garland of Immortal Wish-fulfilling Trees, Snow Lion Publications, 1988.
xxiii
Biography of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche
Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche was born in Rapshu in the province

of Kham in eastern Tibet. He was born at sunrise on Mahakala
Day, the twenty-ninth day of the second month in the Year of
the Wood Mouse, 1924. On this day, very early in the morning,
immediately after Rinpoche’s mother went to fetch water from
the stream and carried the full vessel of water back by herself,
Rinpoche was born without giving any pain to his mother. Ac-
cording to Tibetan tradition, all of these special circumstances
indicate a very auspicious birth.
Rinpoche’s father was a devoted Manjushri practitioner who

constantly recited the Manjushri sutra. He would go to sleep
reciting the sutra and when he’d wake up he would simply
continue with his recitation. His practice was so strong that
he was known to benefit even animals when they died. When
Rinpoche was quite young, his father taught him to read and
write and to study and memorize Dharma texts.
Rinpoche decided at a young age to follow the path of his older

brothers, who were both monks. At the age of twelve he entered
xxiv
Thrangu Monastery in Tso-Ngen, eastern Tibet. For the next six

years Rinpoche studied and practiced at this monastery.
When he was eighteen years old, he went to Tsurphu Monastery

to visit the seat of His Holiness, the Sixteenth Karmapa. His
Holiness, who was also eighteen, was not yet old enough to give
full ordination vows, so the following year Rinpoche received his
Gelong vows from the Eleventh Tai Situ Rinpoche at Palpung
Monastery.
After the Gelong ordination, Rinpoche returned to Thrangu

Monastery and participated in the annual Yarnay (three-month
summer retreat). Soon after this, he joined the year-long Vairo-
chana group retreat, which was special to Thrangu Monastery.
By the end of that retreat, Rinpoche was very enthusiastic to
participate in the traditional three-year retreat, which he began
shortly thereafter.
After completing the three-year retreat, Rinpoche expressed the

heartfelt wish to stay in retreat for the rest of his life. He went to
his uncle’s cabin to begin his lifelong retreat, but after one year
the Eighth Traleg Rinpoche strongly advised him to come out
in order to receive transmissions from Kongtrul Rinpoche and
to join Thrangu Rinpoche and other lamas in the newly formed
shedra (monastic college) at Thrangu Monastery, which was under
xxv
the directorship of Khenpo Lodro Rapsel. Traleg Rinpoche felt

that Khenpo Rinpoche had attained insight and realization in
his years of retreat and that this further education would be of
great benefit to many students in the future.
The Second Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, the Eighth Traleg

Rinpoche, and His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa are Khenpo
Rinpoche’s main teachers.
In 1954, when Rinpoche was thirty years old and had completed
his advanced training, he received the title of Khenpo. For the next
four years he was an attendant and tutor to Thrangu Rinpoche.
They traveled together teaching, studying, and benefiting others.
By the late 1950s the threat of the Communist Chinese was

creating an increasingly dangerous situation for the Tibetan
people. In 1958 Rinpoche left Thrangu Monastery along with
Thrangu Rinpoche, Zuru Tulku Rinpoche, and the three-year-old
Ninth Traleg Rinpoche.
With a few horses and some provisions, the party began their
long trek. After two weeks they realized they were surrounded
by Communist soldiers. They managed to escape, but for seven
days they had to survive without food. During this time the
elderly Zuru Tulku Rinpoche fell from his horse, so Lama Sonam
xxvi
(Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche’s younger brother) carried him the

rest of the way. Eventually they met a group of nomads who
gave them some provisions.
After two and a half months, they arrived at Tsurphu Monastery.

His Holiness the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa, with his profound
vision, was aware of the dangers and told them they must leave
immediately for Sikkim. He provided them with the necessary
provisions, and in March 1959 the lamas left Tsurphu.
xxvii
The group quickly reached the border between Tibet and Bhutan.
At this time the Bhutanese were unwilling to grant passage, and
as a result, the party spent one month at the blockaded border
until His Holiness the Dalai Lama could secure permission
for the refugees to enter India. The rinpoches then traveled to
Buxador, located at the border of India and Bhutan, where a
refugee camp was set up by the Indian government.
More than fifteen hundred monks were gathered at Buxador.

Their vision was to maintain and preserve the Dharma. During
this time, due to the heat and unhygienic conditions, disease
spread rapidly through the camp, and by the eighth year of resid-
ing there, Rinpoche was terribly sick. In 1967 Rinpoche went
to Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim, the seat of His Holiness the
Karmapa in India, where he taught the monks and performed
various rites for the local Buddhist communities. As the state
of his health worsened, Rinpoche was sent by His Holiness to
teach at Tilokpur, a nunnery in Himachal Pradesh founded by
His Holiness and Sister Palmo. After this, Rinpoche traveled to
Tashi Jong Monastery, also located in Himachal Pradesh, where
he received the Dam Ngak Dzo empowerment, transmission,
and teachings from Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
Rinpoche’s health improved while he was there, but once he

returned to Rumtek, his condition worsened once again. His
xxviii
Holiness then sent Rinpoche to Tashi Choling Monastery in

Bhutan. Unfortunately, his health again grew worse, leading to
a long and serious hospital stay.
Upon His Holiness’s return from the United States in 1975,

Rinpoche returned to Rumtek. In this same year Khenpo Rinpoche
received the title of Choje-Lama, “Superior Dharma Master,”
from His Holiness the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa.
For so many years Rinpoche had been ill with tuberculosis and
now he was close to dying. He asked His Holiness the Sixteenth
Karmapa if he could go back into retreat for the rest of his
life. Instead His Holiness requested that Rinpoche go to the
United States as his representative to establish Karma Triyana
Dharmachakra, His Holiness’s seat in North America.
Initially unable to obtain a visa due to his illness, Rinpoche

soon acquired a special type of visa enabling him to enter the
United States specifically for the purpose of receiving medical
treatment. Nonetheless, sick as he was, Rinpoche boarded an
airplane in February 1976 to begin a different life as teacher of
the Dharma in a culture and environment far removed from his
home in eastern Tibet.
xxix
When Rinpoche arrived in New York City, he was greeted by

Tenzin Chonyi and Lama Yeshe Losal, who had been sent ahead
by His Holiness while Rinpoche awaited approval of his visa.
Immediately upon his arrival, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche was
taken to a hospital in New York where he spent one month
receiving treatment. It would take another year for him to regain
his weight and become strong and healthy again. Years later
when His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa visited the United
States, Rinpoche thanked him for saving his life. His Holiness
responded by telling Rinpoche that if he had stayed in India
he would surely have died. After his initial recovery, Rinpoche,
along with Tenzin Chonyi, Lama Losal, Lama Ganga, and Yeshe
Namdak, moved into a house in Putnam County that had been
offered by Dr. Shen, a devoted student of His Holiness. From
there Rinpoche traveled to New York City every week to offer
teachings at what was to become one of the first KTC (Karma
Thegsum Choling) centers in the United States.
Soon more centers were established and when His Holiness visited
in 1977, the search began for a permanent site for His Holiness’s
seat in America. His Holiness had told Khenpo Rinpoche that
he should open the new center on the auspicious day of Saga
Dawa in 1978. Early in this year they located a good property
and purchased the Mead House located on a mountaintop in
Woodstock, New York. The day Karma Triyana Dharmachakra
xxx
opened was the very day (the fifteenth day of the fifth Tibetan
month in 1978, May 25, 1978) that His Holiness the Sixteenth
Karmapa had commanded Rinpoche to do so. Ever since this
time Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche has been teaching extensively
with a warmth and directness that communicates the compas-
sionate wisdom of the Kagyu lineage.
The Venerable Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche is the Abbot of Karma

Triyana Dharmachakra in Woodstock, New York, the North
American seat of His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa, head of
the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Rinpoche is also the
retreat master at Karme Ling in upstate New York where he is
now leading his fourth traditional three-year retreat.
For more information about late Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche (1924-2019)

please see: Amrita of Eloquence. A Biography of Khenpo Karthar
Rinpoche
xxxi
རིི་ཆོོས
Karma Chakme’s
Mountain Dharma
volume one
NAMO GURU DEVA DAKINI SARVA SIDDHI HUNG
Karma Chakme Rinpoche begins with homage and supplication to all

dakinis, asking them to bestow siddhi and spiritual attainment, and
pays homage to his own kind guru, Chokyi Wangchuk, “the one who
is the knower of everything, who is the master of the mandala, who is
always gazing upon every sentient being with tremendous compassion.”
2
Namthar: The Spiritual Biography of Karma
Chakme Rinpoche
The mahasiddha Karma Chakme Rinpoche, who lived at the

time of the Tenth Karmapa, was one of the most highly realized
and accomplished individuals in scholarship and meditation
of the time. In order to benefit all practitioners pursuing the
path of the Dharma, he composed over one hundred volumes
of teachings, of which this text, Mountain Dharma, represents
the essence.
During his lifetime Karma Chakme obtained teachings from over

fifty great masters, including the Tenth Karmapa, His Holiness
Choying Dorje, as well as the Tenth Karmapa’s root guru, Chokyi
Wangchuk. The text begins with the traditional Sanskrit invoca-
tion NAMO GURU DHARMESHVARA, “Homage to the guru.”
After Karma Chakme pays his respect and offers devotion to
the guru, he supplicates all of the lamas and the yidams, whom
he visualizes above him in the open sky, inseparable in mind
from the guru.
Before beginning the actual instruction, Karma Chakme describes

his own life, presented in the tradition of a spiritual biography,
3
which is called a namthar in Tibetan. A namthar is actually much

more than a mere biography. It is an explanation of the complete
path to liberation and is presented at the beginning of a teaching
in order to build confidence on the part of the students.
Traditionally, great realized beings humble themselves before

presenting a definitive teaching in order to make it clear that
they do not approach the task with any sort of ego or pride.
Thus Karma Chakme begins by stating that he himself, born
into a very poor, destitute family, has no realization whatsoever
in either worldly or spiritual matters. Although people have
given him the title of lama, he says that he is simply an ordinary
person with no qualities at all. “My qualities and realizations
are so rare that if you say that I have any of these right now, you
might as well say that a rabbit has antlers.”
“Despite my background and my lack of any qualities in meditation

and realization, a person who has complete trust and confidence
in me has requested me to teach and to write. Not only has this
one individual requested this teaching and biography, but many
great, reincarnated lamas, many great diplomats, and many
great geshes have also made the same request. So, even though
there is a crowd of students gathered to hear me teach, I take
no pride in that fact. I am simply teaching with the hope that
what I say will be of some benefit and that it will be of some use
4
to students, like chewing on a radish.” There is a saying in Tibet

that even if you are totally destitute, at least you can chew on
a dry radish, which in Tibet is considered among the worst of
foods. In other words, at least you can survive. Karma Chakme
is saying that by depending upon his teachings, even if worse
comes to worst; you will at least have the minimum you need.
Responding to these requests to teach, and wanting to benefit all

beings, Karma Chakme says he has the responsibility to present
these teachings because he has obtained all the transmissions for
them from many incarnated lamas and teachers. Therefore it is
his responsibility to continue to bring forward the oral tradition,
word by word, without allowing the stream of transmission to
break. Furthermore he claims that he himself is not really the
one giving the transmission. “I offer this transmission to all
the people attending this teaching in the same way that you
offer mandalas to the deities. I myself have no special quality
empowering me to give this transmission; nevertheless, because
I have received it from others who do have such qualities, I offer
this continuous lineage of the stream of the teachings to all of
you with my full, complete respect.”
Next Karma Chakme describes some of the prophecies about

his own present and past incarnations. He writes, “There is
a great Tibetan teacher and terton named Mingyur Dorje,
5
who discovered many termas, including the Buddha Amitabha

sadhana. Mingyur Dorje and I have had a very close relationship
as teacher and student over hundreds of past rebirths. Even when
we both reincarnated in lower realms, we still had relationships
as friends.” According to Mingyur Dorje, the reason Karma
Chakme was known for his displays of compassionate energy
is that he is an emanation of Chenrezik. This also explains why
people sometimes say that Karma Chakme is an emanation of the
Karmapa, since the Karmapa is also an emanation of Chenrezik.
Another great master in Tibet, named Dudul Dorje, has said

that along with Vairochana, Karma Chakme was one of the
lotsawas (translators) during the period of Guru Padmasambhava.
His name during that lifetime was Sena Lek, and he was also a
very famous terton at that time. In addition, Karma Chakme
was also said to be connected to the lineage of King Songtsen
Gampo of Tibet. Karma Chakme says that although he may
be called “an emanation of this and an emanation of that,” he
himself interprets the situation differently. In the six realms of
samsara, the six buddhas are present, signifying that all beings
have buddha essence. “Therefore I must have buddha essence too.
The past masters must be referring to the buddha essence in me,
not the realization aspect of my practice. In the sutra teachings
we talk about tathagatagarbha, the buddha essence, which we
all possess. In this way, even though the great masters have said
6
that I am an emanation of some great terton, I do not present

the teaching with any arrogance.”
“If you really want to know who I am and what I am, I can say
that I am a person from the ignorant caste.” At the time of this
writing, the caste system was very strong and the lowest caste
was known as “the ignorant caste,” so here he is putting himself
in the lowest social sphere. “Nonetheless there was a practitioner
yogi named Pema Wangdrak, who claimed that I was his son,
a yogi. There were four other well-recognized realized beings
with supernatural power who also said that I belong to the yogic
lineage. Even if it is as the great masters say, that I belong to
the line of a great yogi, what does that make me? It makes me
nothing. It is as if I am a great ruler and have no subjects. What
is the benefit?” In this way Karma Chakme asserts again that he
has no feelings of arrogance or pride in giving these teachings.”
“My only quality is that from childhood I took the full ordination
of a bhikshu monk. In the full monastic ordination there are
253 precepts, and I am happy to be able to say that I have kept
the four root precepts and have held them more precious than
my own life. I have not even come close to breaking them. The
rest of the branch precepts are very difficult to keep. There is
a Tibetan expression that says that the causes for breaking the
branch precepts are like raindrops, falling from everywhere. I
7
have perhaps come close to breaking the branch precepts, but I

have kept the root precepts very pure and unbroken.”
Karma Chakme Rinpoche was a very popular teacher, and in

reflection of that he says, “Wherever I go and wherever I sit to
expound teachings, I am showered with offerings and gifts. I do
not know whether such offerings are a hindrance or a benefit
to me, whether such gifts are demonic or divine.” Whatever
they may be, he says that he has never broken the samaya of
bodhichitta. With the Three Jewels as his witness, he declares
that he has never misused or wasted any offerings. “I used these
material and financial gifts to build great statues of the Buddha
and to make offerings to my teachers and gurus. When making
such offerings or building such statues, I have always remained
humble. I have no arrogance or pride in thinking that I am
doing a great thing. In any case, any ability I have to make such
offerings is really a blessing of the guru and yidam.”
Providing details about his own practices, he continues, “I have

practiced one hundred deities, and in every one of these practices,
I have gained some sign of experience or realization in dreams and
other nonordinary signs. However, even with all of these signs,
I have felt no arrogance and have lived a simple, humble life. I
have not bragged about my qualities or experiences to others.
8
“In undertaking these practices, I have accomplished the recita-

tion of the mantras of many deities, and because of this I have
experienced many powers. Such powers may be misused by
ordinary individuals to subdue their enemies. I could easily have
done this because there are many people who have annoyed me
and who could have caused anger or hatred to arise in me, but
I have never used the power and strength of mantra in this way.
Believing in the protection of the Dharma whenever hindrances
or negative influences arose, I did not regard these as the enemy.
When you do not regard them as the enemy, the negative feel-
ings of animosity are instantly burned away like the wings of a
moth burned by fire.
“I have studied many other practices. There is nothing that I

have not turned over to study, in all cases relying upon fifty
very extraordinary teachers. I feel that I am very rich because
of these studies, transmissions of the yidam practices, and ac-
complishments of the mantra practices. I have made the utmost
effort to complete every subject I have undertaken. Having
studied, learned, and also accomplished all these subjects from
many teachers in my young age, now I can be of benefit because
students have so many different needs. In this way, I am like a
merchant with many goods — whatever the student wants, I can
provide, thanks to my great teachers in the past.”
9
Speaking directly of his own meditative experience, Karma

Chakme says, “When I myself obtained the teaching introducing
the nature of the mind from my teachers, I was by then so well
prepared to receive these teachings that I was completely free
from any distractions. In fact I had no awareness of the state of
distraction or nondistraction. Being in a state beyond ‘is’ or ‘is
not,’ I was able to rest in the state of the dharmakaya inseparable
from myself. Being inseparable from the dharmakaya, free from
distracting mind, I was able to receive from my teacher the
introduction to the nature of the mind. Resting fully in the
goodness of that state, I was free from all arrogance and pride.
As I was receiving the instruction on the introduction to the
nature of the mind, I felt the inseparability of the minds of all
the buddhas and myself. Not only did I feel the inseparability
of the buddhas’ minds and my own mind but I also felt the
inseparability of the minds of all the beings of the six realms
and my own mind. Not only that, I actually felt inseparable
from, or beyond, all time and space — past, present, and future.
Everything, my mind and the minds of enlightened and sentient
beings became inseparable like mixing water with water.”
This is Karma Chakme speaking about his own experience. He

warns that sometimes when beginning practitioners reflect on
the inseparability of their minds and the minds of enlightened
and sentient beings, they may think, “Well, then everything
10
becomes one, one whole cosmic mind.” Karma Chakme says that
this is not so. “Although I felt or experienced this inseparability,
I could at the same time clearly experience the innate energy
and essence of all beings separately and individually, just like a
clear, precise reflection of something in a mirror. The reflection
of something in a mirror has no substance. Similarly, although
each thing is so precise and so distinctive, it is also empty of
existence.” Karma Chakme states that since he has experienced
all this, it may be quite all right to call himself a meditator. He
is not really saying that he is a great meditator, but he does say,
“It may be acceptable to say I am a meditator.”
Karma Chakme says that having practiced the sadhanas of the

great yogis of both India and Tibet, he has never experienced the
direct or physical manifestation of these realized beings when
he was practicing. “But I have experienced many realizations
and manifestations of these realized beings in dream states
or in other magical or miraculous ways. I cannot say for sure
whether these are manifestations of demons or whether they
are really the yogis themselves, but whenever I experience such
manifestations, I also experience calmness of mind. It heightens
my spiritual realization, so this is definitely a sign that it is not
a manifestation of a demon but rather a definite realization of
and blessing of past realized beings or yogis.
11
“Although I am not qualified to give teaching to others on any

worldly or Dharma matters, because I have maintained a very
strong bond with the great master Mingyur Dorje, because I
have attended to many teachers, and because of my past prayers
and aspirations, it seems that I have the ability to benefit be-
ings right now through giving teachings. Whenever I give an
empowerment, lung, or instruction that I have received from
my teachers, the student always receives benefit.
“Further evidence that these transmissions are unbroken is that

my students benefited, and many have already attained higher
realization. The sole reason the students are able to experience
quick realization is the result of my very strong, pure samaya with
all my teachers. Feeling the immaculate purity of my samaya with
my teachers, the students gain a sense of confidence and trust
in the teachings. Based on this, many are led to higher realiza-
tion. There are students who have not yet developed calmness
or stillness of mind but are constantly distracted and unable
to remember their past lives. Even all of these people, having
received and applied the practices of this unbroken transmission,
are gradually led to experience their previous births in the form
of dreams and other miraculous or magical illusions.
“My guru, Chokyi Wangchuk, taught me to abstain from criticizing

people, whether they are good or bad, whether they are friend
12
or enemy. By abstaining from criticizing people, it is possible

that you may be accumulating positive karma, but even if you
are not accumulating anything positive, it is definite that you
are not accumulating negative karma. As instructed by my
guru, whenever I speak to anyone, whether they are close to me
or not, I try to explain everything in a manner that is humble,
straightforward, as truthful as possible, and free of any criticism.”
Earlier in the text Karma Chakme stated that by practicing

correctly, one will not only experience realization in the present
but will also remember the experiences of past lives. Now he
relates some of his own past-life memories, which he remembers
very vividly.
“I have seen Buddha Shakyamuni at Bodhgaya. I have seen

Ananda as well. I have seen Lord Nagarjuna. I have seen Pandita
and the dakinis.” When Lord Nagarjuna passed away, Pandita,
his principal disciple, was very depressed and he sat down and
wept. At that moment many dakinis appeared and explained
to Pandita that it was not necessary for him to weep or to feel
sorrow because in the future there would be great teachers who
would appear and who would be of equal benefit to beings.
Karma Chakme is acknowledging that he was a monk at the
time of Buddha Shakyamuni and of Nagarjuna. These are not
merely visions; they are actual memories.
13
Karma Chakme also remembers that he was at the cave of

Milarepa, called Yolmo Khangri. This sacred cave is located
between Tibet and Nepal, and today many students of Khenpo
Tsultrim Gyamtso practice there. When Milarepa was meditating
at Yolmo Khangri, Karma Chakme was present as an emanation
of Zhing Kyong, one of the five female Dharma protectors. He
remembers being in this form, which is like a mountain goddess,
and along with the other four female protectors, participating
in a ganachakra offering to Milarepa.
“I remember that I was the youngest of the three sons of the

king of Tibet known as Trisong Deutsen. My name was Jing
Yon Sena Lek. I remember being a personal attendant to the
First Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa. I remember being the emperor
of China and being a student of Karmapa Rangjung Dorje. I
invited him to China. I was a yogi in the Tibetan province of
Kongpo, where I discovered one of the great holy termas of the
Dzokchen teachings. As a yogi I had many sons, and I offered
one of them to Karmapa, hoping that the child would learn the
teachings and realize the body, speech, and mind of Karmapa,
and that he would accomplish the realization of the three kayas,
the dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, and nirmanakaya. I remember
being a businessman in the streets of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.
During that period I remember sponsoring people to do one
billion recitations of OM MANI PEME HUNG. I remember
14
many things like this, scattered all over here and there, not only
one rebirth but many; not only a few experiences but many.
Nevertheless I have neither fear, hope, pride, nor arrogance in
any of these memories.”
Having told us about some of his past lives, Karma Chakme

now turns to his current life. When he was young, he was very
dedicated to Dharma practice, alternating between doing retreat
and participating in pujas. When he was thirteen, he began a
solitary Chenrezik retreat. After completing this retreat, he
began to bestow empowerments and give reading transmissions
and instructions to everyone who requested him to do so. “The
people seemed to enjoy hearing both the teachings and what I
had experienced in retreat, and many students made material
and financial offerings to me.
“Even though I was now accumulating many students and they

were making many offerings, I still maintained the lifestyle
of a fully ordained monk living very simply and in perfect
accordance with the Buddhadharma. People often developed
a tremendous trust and confidence in me because my lifestyle
was so consistent with the discipline of the Dharma. Because
of this trust and confidence I gathered more and more students
and also more and more offerings. I gave all of these offerings
back to monasteries and to the high lamas, by making personal
15
offerings to them and by building statues and so forth. I have

never kept a single offering for myself.”
Karma Chakme Rinpoche continues, “It is wonderful if I am

able to dedicate my life to the practice of Dharma and able to
go into retreat. If I am unable to dedicate my life to the practice
of Dharma, however, if I am unable to go into retreat, and if
my mind just wanders around in complete distraction, then I
might as well be dead. I have come to the point where I really
have no concern whether I live for a long time or a short time.
The prophecies record that because of my dedication to practice,
the moment that I die I will immediately be reborn on a lotus
in Dewachen, the pure land of Amitabha, and having been born
there I will obtain direct teachings from Amitabha. Because of
my complete confidence that this will happen as predicted, I
neither care nor wish to live for either a long time or a short time.
“Since some students may not be familiar with these predictions

from Amitabha that are found in the sutras, in the teachings of
the great master Mingyur Dorje, and the ancient terma teachings,
I would like to give a short account here in order to enhance
your understanding and to eliminate any doubts in your minds.
“The predictions state that at the moment I die, I will experience

the rebirth of my consciousness appearing on a lotus in front
16
of Amitabha in Dewachen. My form will be one of a bhikshu, a

fully ordained monk, and from that form five emanations will
radiate out in five directions. The first emanation is blue in color
and radiates in the eastern direction penetrating to the Medicine
Buddha realms and conducting the activities of Medicine Buddha
to benefit others. The second emanation goes to the northwest,
in the direction of Uddiyana, Guru Padmasambhava’s birthplace.
Green and wrathful in appearance, this Buddha activity is to
protect all beings who practice the teachings of Mingyur Dorje
and my other teachers, as well as all Dharma practitioners. The
third emanation is born into the family line of the great terton
Mingyur Dorje and his activity is to develop the tantric teachings
during the time of degeneration. The fourth, from Dewachen,
emanates as the nephew of my guru (Chokyi Wangchuk), and
works to fulfill my guru’s activity, especially preserving the Karma
Kamtsang tradition of the Buddhist teachings. It is said that this
nephew, because of past prayer and aspiration, is able to bring
peace to Tibet. The fifth emanation will be born in Bodhgaya in
India during the time called the Good Kalpa, when the people
are experiencing life spans of six hundred years. My activities
during this Good Kalpa will fulfill the sixteen arhats’ activities.
“When the activities of the fifth emanation, the one born in

Bodhgaya in the form of a fully ordained bhikshu, are complete,
and when I have passed into parinirvana, all five emanations
17
will unite back into the main source, the one who appears as a
fully ordained monk on the lotus in the front of Amitabha in
Dewachen. At this time I will cease to take rebirth anywhere
in the world. I will have become fully enlightened, a buddha
who will have the name Immaculate Pemo Chukye. Although I
will be in the Amitabha realm, my complexion will be white in
the nirmanakaya form. At the moment I attain full enlighten-
ment, all those who have built a connection with me through
my teachings, or through any of my emanations or activities,
will, at that very moment, immediately experience rebirth in
my buddha field.
“In recounting all these prophecies about myself, it may seem

as though I am bragging, but any qualities that I may have
developed are also found within all beings. To fabricate a story
simply for personal gain and fame would be hypocritical and
totally contradictory to Dharma practice. Especially in this case
if I, as your teacher, were to lie to you, my students, the negative
karma would be so immense that not only I but also anyone
who believed and acted on such falsehoods would fall to the
lower realms. Because of fear of causing such negative karma,
I assure you that I am not exaggerating or lying about any of
this. Rather, at the request of my vajra friends, I have simply
explained my true life story.
18
“Because these predictions are true, I feel comfortable in pre-

senting them to you. What I have presented here is very short
and I am telling it to you as I remember it, so it is not in a very
orderly form. Those who are interested in a more orderly, precise
text should read the biography I have written at the request of
my teacher, Lord Mingyur Dorje. Because these subjects are
so precise, there is a chance that readers might develop wrong
views that will cause them harm. For this reason I request that
my biography be read only by those who have the empowerment
and the lung.”
Questions and Answers
STUDENT: Karma Chakme seems to be putting himself forward

as the type of person who has no learning and behaves poorly
in retreat. Is that just a formality, or is there a deeper meaning
to that presentation?
RINPOCHE: Self-denigration in this way is characteristic of

the speech and behavior of all great individuals. Somehow they
always say those things about themselves. They will never praise
themselves. This goes against how we normally are in the world.
Individuals like Karma Chakme Rinpoche actually hate any
19
kind of position. They dislike receiving the respect, adulation,

and praise of others. Nevertheless, while they may claim to be
degenerate, when they teach, their quality is evident in their
teaching, even though they will make all attempts to deny and
conceal it in every way. This is simply how they all are. In fact
this is almost the only way we can determine when someone is
such a great individual. Whereas an ordinary person, a mundane
person, will always seek to emphasize, promote, and show their
best qualities, and hide their defects, these great teachers will
always denigrate themselves and will always avoid any kind of
situation of grandeur or position.
STUDENT: The writer of the text begins by telling us that he has

no realization whatsoever, and then he goes on say that when
he received pointing-out instructions, he was able to remain
undistracted in the dharmakaya. How is this possible?
RINPOCHE: When a teacher gives the instructions on the

introduction to the nature of mind, they will include teach-
ings on how to sit and meditate, how to rest in the state of
no concept, and so on. When ordinary students like us receive
these instructions, we go back home, practice the instructions
repeatedly, and do many practices for purification and the
accumulation of merit, such as ngondro practice. Eventually
we get a glimpse of the nature of our own buddha mind and
20
at that very moment we experience a special wisdom that we

have never experienced before. That wisdom is actually the first
stage, the first bhumi of enlightened wisdom. Did we acquire
that wisdom from someone else? No, it came from ourselves. Was
this wisdom that we acquired absent before? No, it was always
there. Our consistent practice led us to see our own wisdom
and our own buddha nature that was always there. Therefore we
got to the first bhumi, the first stage of enlightenment. That is
how an ordinary practitioner evolves to enlightenment. In the
case of Karma Chakme, because of the degree of purification
and accumulation of merit he had achieved in his previous lives,
the moment the teacher talked about what to do, the moment
the teacher gave the instruction, Karma Chakme was able to
accomplish it. The ability to experience that wisdom at that
very instant was the outcome of his previous accumulation of
merit, and it was also a sign that previously he had purified
all obscurations. Such instructions are really like a precious
jewel that has been placed in our hands. We know that there is
something in our hands, but we have no idea what it is. In the
case of Karma Chakme, however, he realized its preciousness.
It is nothing external, nothing new, it is something that was
always there but now it is recognized. Thus because of past-life
accumulation of merit and purification, Karma Chakme was
able to have this experience instantly.
21
STUDENT: Isn’t it unusual to start a teaching by telling the

story of your previous incarnations? Why is it done here and
why don’t other teachers do this?
RINPOCHE: There are several reasons why teachers might not

speak of their past lives. Often when you talk about your own
life, you may indulge yourself by dwelling on what you see as
your positive qualities, your accomplishments, your perfections.
When you do this, unless you are really a very highly developed
individual, it can lead you to develop personal arrogance. Fur-
thermore, by exaggerating your own qualities over and over
again, you come to believe what you are saying, and then you
tend to exaggerate even more. In addition, even if what you are
saying is not exaggerated at all, if you speak the truth of what
you have accomplished in your Dharma practice, then there
are many beings who will be jealous. Again, unless you are very
accomplished, when you end up talking about your biography,
there will be a hundred people who will hate you because of
your accomplishments, and not only will they be jealous but
they will also try to attack you, to bring you down, because of
that jealousy. In the case of Karma Chakme, even when there
were evil beings who would try to bring him down out of anger
and jealousy, because he himself was highly skilled, the evil
beings and all their negative emotions were rendered harmless.
Karma Chakme was also able to plant a seed of virtue in them.
22
To receive such a seed of virtue, the person must have some

connection, good or bad, with the teacher. Maybe they hate
him or are jealous of him, but because he does not respond in
kind, he is able to plant a seed of virtue in them to establish a
connection. That is the method of highly realized beings. When
teachers talk about the details of their lives and accomplishments,
it may look to ordinary people that they are doing this simply
to accumulate students, offerings, and other types of personal
gain. This causes doubt in ordinary people. So again, for this
reason, many lamas do not talk about their biographies. We are
beginning to study a new and very important text by Karma
Chakme, who is unknown to many students. When a teacher
is being introduced, it is beneficial to know who he is, what
emanation he is, and so forth. Therefore to give you some sense
of enjoyment and confidence in this text, I have shared this
spiritual biography of Karma Chakme with you.
STUDENT: Could you say more about the long list of connections
that Karma Chakme had with the Karmapa?
RINPOCHE: Karma Chakme says that he always had some sort

of connection with his teachers throughout his many lives.
Sometimes the teacher was just a friend, and sometimes there
was a teacher-student relationship. Whatever kind of relation-
ship it was, he was always able to maintain a very pure samaya.
23
That ability to maintain such a pure samaya for life after life
not only helped him but it also helped his students and future
students like ourselves, who follow his teachings so that we
will also become free from any hindrance or obstacle on the
path to enlightenment. This is due to the force of the purity of
his samaya, life after life. Another connection between Karma
Chakme and his teachers is illustrated by the fact that he is
known as an emanation of Chenrezik. His Holiness Karmapa
also spoke of Karma Chakme as an emanation of Karmapa
himself. In reality what this refers to is that they are both the
emanation of Chenrezik, so one is not really different from the
other. In essence there is no difference between them. We separate
them, but for them there is no dualistic view. Therefore with all
these connections as well as with the compassionate energy of
Chenrezik, the activities of Karma Chakme and Karmapa have
become very vast and continue into the present.
STUDENT: When Karma Chakme appeared in the form of the

Zhing Kyong during the time of Milarepa, was he actually reborn
in that form, or was he an emanation?
RINPOCHE: He was actually reborn in that form as one of the

five female protectors. He was not an emanation. Often great
realized beings make the prayer “May I be able to benefit every
sentient being in accordance with every one of their needs.” In
24
order to fulfill every need of sentient beings, you have to expe-

rience many different births, many aspects of form and birth.
In that lifetime Karma Chakme, as a result of his prayer, was
benefiting beings as a female Dharma protector. Such protectors,
with their outer fearsome appearances, are able to protect the
Dharma and Dharma practitioners from evil beings. The protec-
tors also bestow siddhi upon serious practitioners, and help to
maintain the continuity of the transmission of all the teachings
by destroying or subduing whatever adverse conditions arise.
STUDENT: Your explanation of how Karma Chakme realized

that his mind was the same as the minds of all the beings in
the six realms was very powerful. I know that we should be
remembering beings in the six realms and praying for them,
but I find myself forgetting that and praying mostly for beings
in the human and animal realms. Could you give us suggestions
for remembering beings in the other realms?
RINPOCHE: In our case as beginning practitioners, all we can

really do is pray for the welfare and happiness of all sentient
beings, that they may be liberated from any negative karma that
they have created and that they may come to the realization or
experience of enlightenment. Our prayer is the best thing we
can do as beginning practitioners. Once we are able to remove
our own mental obscurations, then of course we can do more.
25
Great mahasiddhas like Karma Chakme demonstrate for us that

enlightenment is not like passing into an unconscious state.
Enlightenment is becoming aware and clear about everything,
developing the wisdom state of our mind. That is the way we
can be of great benefit to beings. This is possible for all of us,
but in order to get to that point, we have to really overcome
all obscurations. Until then it is best to always pray for the
happiness and enlightenment of all beings.
STUDENT: The text mentioned at one point that there are six
realms in samsara and six buddhas in the six realms. What is
meant by that?
RINPOCHE: In Buddhism we talk about the six realms, or

sometimes it is translated as the six existences. These are the
human realm, the animal realm, and so on. Within each of
these six realms, there are six types of beings, each having dif-
ferent aspects of suffering and experiences, and each having its
own type of outer appearance. When we consider the different
physical appearances of the beings of the six realms, we come
to the point of asking, “Who gives us the physical appearance
we are born with? Are we shaped by some external being to
look the way we do?” In Buddhism we say that no one shapes
us except our own afflictive emotions — our attachment, anger,
ignorance, pride, jealousy, and greed. Whichever is strongest in
26
us, and whichever we participate in more, creates the karma

that will determine within which realm our subsequent rebirth
will occur. With regard to the six buddhas, the six tathagatas
within the six realms, there is an outer meaning and an inner
meaning. The outer mountain Dharma meaning is simply that
within each of the six realms there is a buddha who benefits the
beings of that realm. The inner meaning of these six buddhas
is the six wisdoms, which are nothing more than recogniz-
ing the absence of each of the afflictive emotions that we just
described — anger, attachment, and so on. Thus when we are
overcome by an afflictive emotion, the inner meaning, or the
innate nature of that afflictive emotion, is wisdom. When we
have not recognized this wisdom, then it becomes an afflictive
emotion — anger, jealousy, and so forth. When we recognize it
directly, that is wisdom. Whether in the lower realms or in the
higher realms, all beings have this buddha essence, and this is
what Karma Chakme describes.
STUDENT: From the perspective of one who has realization,

could you give us some sort of insight as to what it is like to
look at beings without criticism or judgment?
RINPOCHE: Every religion is worthy of respect; however, I am

not qualified to comment on other religions. It is not that I do
not respect them, but I have no knowledge of them, and I do
27
not want to talk about something I do not know. However, I

am very comfortable in Buddhism because I was brought up
from childhood in this religion. Have I accomplished anything
in this practice? No, nothing whatsoever. But I have developed
a tremendous trust in Buddhadharma, as well as in the laws
of karma. Through this trust I have realized that if I keep up
with the Buddha’s teachings or try to follow in the Buddha’s
footsteps, then it will be very beneficial for me in this lifetime
and future lifetimes and also that I could be of benefit to other
beings. Without any doubt, I have a very strong, complete trust
in that. At the same time, being a Buddhist has also caused me
to realize the preciousness of this human birth. When we have
a human life, we have a choice to direct our life to virtuous or
to nonvirtuous actions. Therefore it is very shameful for me
to think of wasting my life by not doing something virtuous.
This is also because, as much as we respect this precious human
life, we also know that it is impermanent. It is subject to loss,
to death, at any time, any moment. Therefore if we do not do
something with this life to establish virtue while all the oppor-
tunities are there, it may be that when death strikes, we will not
have another such opportunity to do good or virtuous actions.
Sometimes when we think about studying the Dharma and doing
our practices, we think, “Why do we have to struggle through
so many hardships? Can’t we just enjoy our life?” Consider the
following analogy: If you have a child and you don’t send them
28
to school but instead let them watch television all day long, the
child would enjoy it very much. He or she would love you. At
that moment it seems that the child who is enjoying television,
not going to school, is really having a great time. However, if
this were to go on year after year, and you did not make them
go to school, your child would have no education. Did that time
of enjoyment really help them or did it harm them? Definitely
it will have caused that person tremendous harm. Therefore
understanding the meaning of precious human life and also of
impermanence is important. Furthermore we are not talking just
about this life. We are talking about life after life. With that sort
of understanding it becomes extremely important to engage in
the virtuous action of practice, not wasting this precious life,
and understanding or remembering the impermanence of it.
Because of my upbringing, I have definitely developed that sort
of devotion to Buddhadharma.
STUDENT: Can a teacher of lesser realization bring a student

to full awakening?
RINPOCHE: Yes. This is possible because if someone sees their

teacher as the embodiment of all buddhas, and has one-pointed
faith in the teacher as Vajradhara, then that individual will
receive the blessing of Vajradhara, even though their teacher
has not attained the state of Vajradhara. This is why we visual-
29
ize our root guru as the dharmakaya Vajradhara and not in the
flesh-and-blood form in which we normally perceive them. Some
teachers actually are fully awakened beings, whereas some are
ordinary beings, but in either case if you see the teacher as an
utterly ordinary person, you will not receive any blessing from
the relationship. If you see them as Vajradhara, you will receive
Vajradhara’s blessing.
There is a story that illustrates the truth of this. There was once
a woman who had tremendous faith in Buddhist teachings but
who had a merchant son who did not have much interest in
the Buddhadharma. Every year as part of his business the son
would go on a long journey to a trading location that was also
known to have a lot of relics of the Buddha. And every year his
mother would say to him, “Well, you know you’re pretty wealthy.
As long as you are there, you could find a relic of the Buddha
and bring it back for me. I do not think that is too much to
ask.” Every year he promised to do so and every year he would
forget and return without the relic. Finally one year she said,
“Well, this is it. If you don’t bring a relic for me this year, I will
kill myself.” So again he made the promise, and again he went
on his journey, conducted his trading, and then came right
back, having again forgotten his mother’s request. When he was
almost home, he suddenly remembered her words and he got
very scared, thinking, “Now my mother is really going to kill
30
herself.” At that moment he happened to see the skull of a dog

lying by the side of the road. Thinking that he had to try to fool
his mother, he took a tooth out of this dog’s skull, wrapped it
up in silk brocade, and brought it to his mother, saying, “Look,
Mother, I have brought you a relic of the Buddha. In fact I got
one of the Buddha’s teeth.” She believed him completely, and she
prayed to the tooth one-pointedly. Over time, the relic started
to produce miracles, including sacred relics called sharira, or
rinsel. In addition, the mother herself reached a high level of
attainment. There is a Tibetan saying that if you have enough
faith, even the tooth of a dog can bring blessing. The tooth of
this dog obviously carried no blessing of itself. The blessing was
in her attitude.
STUDENT: So even if there is no skill in the teacher, it is the

blessing of the buddhas that can bring the student to awakening.
RINPOCHE: Although it is not necessarily entirely due to

the skill of the teacher, the teacher is nevertheless a necessary
condition for that development to occur. It depends a great
deal on the perception of the individual. For example, there is
no one with a greater blessing than the samyaksambuddha, the
“perfect buddha,” yet his own half brother, Devadatta, perceived
him as negative. The Buddha’s qualities only inspired jealousy
and competitiveness to the point where Devadatta attempted
31
to kill the Buddha and ended up driving himself into the lower
realms. Thus even though the teacher may be perfect, the student’s
devotion must be there. Teacher and student must both be
there. For example, Tilopa’s training of Naropa would, by most
standards, seem somewhat odd, as would Marpa’s training of
Milarepa. But through the unflagging devotion of Naropa and
Milarepa and the unlimited compassion of Tilopa and Marpa,
things worked out very well, to say the least.
STUDENT: Could you explain why the texts sometimes refer to

the three kayas and sometimes to the four kayas?
RINPOCHE: The bodies of Buddha can be divided into two,

three, or four. The rupakaya, the form body, is part of the twofold
division, not the fourfold division. I will review the four and then
explain the others. The buddha who appeared in this world of
Jambudvipa as a human being, demonstrating the twelve deeds
and manifesting unexcelled qualities, is a nirmanakaya, or an
emanation body. As an emanation body, he appeared to take
birth, to attain awakening, to teach, and to pass into parinirvana.
However, this nirmanakaya — this appearance of the Buddha
among us — was just a display of the qualities of the Buddha in a
way that we as sentient beings could experience. Ordinary beings
experience the Buddha as the nirmanakaya, but bodhisattvas,
that is to say those who have attained spiritual levels or bhumis,
32
perceive the Buddha somewhat differently. Bodhisattvas are

beyond the world, they are supramundane, but they have not yet
attained buddhahood themselves. Bodhisattvas do not perceive
the Buddha as being born, attaining awakening, and passing away.
They perceive the form or body of the Buddha as something that
is constant and everlasting, beginningless and endless, and that
is called the sambhogakaya, or body of complete enjoyment.
However, this, too, is merely an image that is displayed for the
benefit of beings, in this case beings who are bodhisattvas, who
are very close to awakening. Ultimately the Buddha is really what
we call dharmakaya, or the body of Dharma. And dharmakaya is
the quality or the nature of all things. You can also think of it as
the nature of the Buddha’s mind or the mind of the Buddha. We
call the dharmakaya a “kaya” or a body, but this is metaphorical.
It does not have form; therefore it has no color, faces, hands,
scepters, costume, and so on. Nevertheless it is the qualities
of the dharmakaya that manifest in the experience of those of
purified karma as the sambhogakaya, and in the experience of
relatively impure karma as the nirmanakaya. Since displays of
the qualities of the dharmakaya — which is anything we call
buddha — is a display of the same qualities, it is called the
fourth kaya, the svabhavikakaya, which means “the body of the
essential nature.” It is not a separate thing. It is merely a way of
pointing out that the other three are not separate things either.
33
Rupakaya is a general term that includes both the sambhogakaya

and the nirmanakaya, because they are both form.
STUDENT: What is your own karmic relationship with Karma

Chakme?
RINPOCHE: Well, that is a very interesting question because I

cannot say that I do not have any connection at all with Karma
Chakme. I have the transmission of these teachings that I am
giving to you, and when you have received such a transmission
several times, you have already built a connection. However, if you
are talking about my mental connection with Karma Chakme, he
is a fully realized being and I am a completely ignorant, ordinary
individual. There is no relationship whatsoever. Nevertheless
because I have received this transmission and am teaching this
text, I can say that I do have a connection with Karma Chakme
from the transmission or lineage point of view.
STUDENT: First I want to thank you for your great sacrifice

in coming to America and making the teaching available to
us. Would you tell us, after so many lives and studying and
staying on the path, how would any human being know within
themselves when they have taken that first step, that first step
toward becoming a realized being?
34
RINPOCHE: In response to your first comment, I came out of

Tibet to India not because I wanted to teach, but because I was
afraid of the Communists. I had to escape from my country;
it was not a choice. In addition, my coming here from India
was the command of my guru, His Holiness Karmapa. If such
teaching is of any benefit, you must thank His Holiness, not me.
In answer to your question, the step-by-step explanation of the
path to enlightenment often makes it sound as if enlightenment
is very difficult. Even one step toward enlightenment sounds
very difficult. But in reality enlightenment is not as difficult
as it sounds. It all depends upon an individual’s exertion and
diligence in the practice. There are several positive circumstances
in our favor. First of all, as we explained, there are beings in
all six realms. As beings in the human realm, we are the most
fortunate because we can receive the teachings of enlightenment.
We are all human beings and therefore we are able to study and
practice. Second, even if one is a human being, having the wish or
thought to participate in Buddhadharma is very rare. The mind
that is drawn to Buddhadharma has a tremendous accumula-
tion of merit developed in previous lifetimes. We ourselves are
participating now in Buddhadharma, so it is obvious that those
of us who are participating now and who have participated
in the past have accumulated such merit. Third, it is said that
you have to have a tremendous accumulation of merit not only
to participate in Dharma but especially to participate and to
35
engage yourself in the practice of Tantrayana. All of you are

practicing Tantrayana teachings, showing both ability and a
willingness of mind or an interest in Tantrayana practice. This
definitely shows that you have participated in the accumulation
of tremendous merit in the past. Enlightenment is not really that
far away. It is said that if you are using the Sutrayana tradition
of sincerely practicing pure loving-kindness and compassion
toward all sentient beings, in one second that practice can
burn away the accumulation of the negative karma of many
lifetimes. That is the power and strength of such pure love and
compassion. If you sincerely participate in deity practice, you
can burn the accumulation of negative karma for hundreds of
kalpas in a single instant. In my own understanding, we are not
walking step-by-step to enlightenment. In some sense, I feel, we
are jumping to enlightenment. However, as you jump, whether
you remain where you land or jump again higher and farther
depends upon you as an individual. Will you be diligent in your
practice? That is the question that you have to ask yourself. You
must not think of enlightenment as merely a slow step-by-step
process but understand it as being totally possible in one instant
if your mind is put into the practice. So you see, enlightenment
is not really that far away.
36
Precious Garland: A List of Contents to
Prevent Disorder
NAMO GURU DEVA DAKINI SARVA SIDDHI HUNG. Karma

Chakme Rinpoche begins with homage and supplication to all
dakinis, asking them to bestow siddhi and spiritual attainment,
and pays homage to his own kind guru, Chokyi Wangchuk, “the
one who is the knower of everything, who is the master of the
mandala, who is always gazing upon every sentient being with
tremendous compassion.”
Karma Chakme begins by describing the place and circumstances

under which he did retreat. In the eastern part of Kham, where
he was born, in the direction of the Yangtse River, there is a
very special mountain named Phal Ri, or “Glorious Mountain.”
Everyone who gazes at this mountain experiences a feeling of
happiness and amazement, so the mountain itself is often re-
ferred to as being like an entertainer for people. Karma Chakme
undertook his mountain retreat in Phal Ri, in a place that is
shaped like a triangle — that is, not only did the land come
together in the shape of a triangle but the mountains framed
the sky in the same shape. Karma Chakme says that it was like
doing retreat within the mandala of Vajrayogini. He started
37
teaching from his retreat in 1659. Tsondru Gyamtso, a monk

whose name means “Oceans of Tremendous Diligence,” began
to write down Karma Chakme’s teachings.
He begins with the profound expression “E MA HO! I, the

monk called Bhikshu Karma Chakme, born during the time of
a dark kalpa, am not an expert in the studies of the science of
philosophy. I am not an expert at all in the science of poetry or
art. I have not composed this teaching based on research from
great scholars, nor research from books. I have not composed
this teaching to please the scholars or learned ones. I am not a
master of the winds, nadis, and channels. I have not composed
the teachings in order to gather students or to attract beings.”
As always, Karma Chakme writes in the tradition of a great

teacher, that is, one who always humbles himself. There is a
famous story about him in this regard. During the time of the
Fifth Dalai Lama, Karma Chakme visited Lhasa, the capital of
Tibet. By then he had already become very popular and had
written and delivered many teachings. The Dalai Lama sent a
monk to see who this individual was who had written so many
explanations of the Dharma. Consequently Karma Chakme
went to visit him. After they paid each other respect by offering
scarves, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said to Karma Chakme that
in order to have the right to compose commentaries or explana-
38
tions on the Lord Buddha’s teachings, an individual must have

three qualities. First, the person should be very learned in all
the fields of philosophy and science in Buddhism. Second, he or
she should have achieved a direct vision of the deity. Third, this
individual should have achieved a high realization in meditation.
The Dalai Lama asked, “Which do you have?” Karma Chakme
answered, “None. I have none of these qualities.”
The Dalai Lama was taken aback by this answer and thought
that it would not be appropriate for such a person to write com-
mentaries on the teachings. After all, did Karma Chakme himself
not say that he lacked the necessary qualities? If one person did
this, then another one would, and soon Tibet would be filled
with teachers who were not really realized at all. Because Karma
Chakme seemed to be a very nice, humble monk, the Dalai Lama
said, “Come back tomorrow and we will discuss this.”
The Dalai Lama contemplated what to do. He knew that it

would not be appropriate to let the teachings of an unqualified
teacher spread around Tibet. There must be some punishment
that would also instill fear in other people who lack the necessary
qualities and thus deter them from writing commentaries. The
problem was what punishment to give. The Dalai Lama came to
the conclusion that perhaps cutting or breaking Karma Chakme’s
thumbs and index fingers would be effective because then the
39
monk could not write anymore, and the punishment would be

severe enough to be a deterrent to others. This was what the
Fifth Dalai Lama was thinking as he went to sleep.
That night the Dalai Lama dreamed of Amitabha. In the dream

he saw himself carrying a knife and trying to cut the thumbs and
index fingers off of Amitabha’s hands. He awoke immediately,
with the certainty that the monk he had interviewed that day was
an emanation of Amitabha. The next day when Karma Chakme
came before him, His Holiness paid respect and homage to him
as an emanation of Amitabha. The Dalai Lama then told Karma
Chakme there would be no restrictions on his writings and
teachings. Therefore when Karma Chakme begins this chapter
by saying, “I am not a master of the winds, nadis, and channels”
and so on, we need to remember that this is the manner in which
this teacher always presents himself, and that what he really is,
is an emanation of Amitabha himself.
Returning to the text, Karma Chakme answers the question

of what it was that convinced him to actually undertake these
teachings on doing retreat. He says that because of his daily guru
and yidam practices, and by the blessings of his guru and yidam,
all of the teachings of the Sutrayana and Tantrayana became
very familiar to his mind. He also became very aware of all the
experiences based on applying those teachings. In fact the main
40
points of every teaching of the Sutrayana and Tantrayana had

become so clear in his mind that they became like the reflection
of something in a mirror. “Now that I have become so old, I
do not remember all these teachings precisely. Nevertheless by
the blessings of the lama and yidam, the main points that are
necessary for practicing and for achieving enlightenment are very
clear in my mind. Therefore I have not composed these teachings
through revising existing books, nor have I given them based
on memorizing the texts so that the next day I would be able
to recite them back to you. It is just flowing out of me based on
what I have experienced through my own practices. If I let it flow,
it flows ceaselessly like a river. Sometimes I have no idea myself
where this endless river of thought comes from. Some scholars
may not like these teachings, but I have presented them in the
hope that other ignorant individuals like myself will benefit.”
It is said, and it is very true, that if you become familiar with

all fifty-four chapters of Ri Chö, you will have everything you
need concerning how to conduct a proper solitary retreat. Karma
Chakme himself notes that there are so many topics and so many
texts available to the interested student, that it would be very
difficult to obtain them all. Even if you could obtain all of them,
you would not have enough time to really read and study them.
41
Think about all that is necessary to practice Dharma properly,

particularly all that is necessary in order to conduct oneself in
a retreat. Consider that you cannot possibly be with your guru
for your entire lifetime. You will be away from your teacher
sometimes doing retreat or practicing alone. What will you do
if you always have to rely upon the physical presence of your
guru? Karma Chakme Rinpoche answers that if you become
familiar with all fifty-four chapters of these oral instructions for
mountain retreat, it is like having a guru right there with you.
“Just carry this textbook,” he says. “The moment you are not clear,
read that chapter. It is like having a guru there ready to explain
everything. You do not have to obtain fifty or sixty different
volumes of textbooks. If you become well acquainted with this
text, you have everything necessary to achieve enlightenment.
You have all you need to successfully undertake any practice,
from the most basic to the complete Tantrayana.”
Karma Chakme Rinpoche now provides a table of contents

for each of the fifty-four chapters in the retreat manual.
Chapter 1. The Precious Garland: A List of Contents to

Prevent Disorder
42
Chapter 2. To See It Is to Smile: An Introduction to

Mountain Dharma Serving to Guide Ordinary People into
Dharma’s Gate
Chapter 3. Putting Away the Dice: How to Abandon the

Paths of Samsara and Generate Stable Renunciation
Chapter 4. Gandi of the Nobles: A Clarification of the

Practices of Individuals Immersed in the Various Greater and
Lesser Vehicles
Chapter 5. Disk of the Sun: How to Keep the Three Vows

Easily, Having Received Them in Sequence
Chapter 6. Protection from All Danger: Instructions on

Taking Refuge in Order to Be Protected from All the Dangers
of Samsara
Chapter 7. The Main Path to Awakening: Instructions on the

Generation of Bodhichitta in Order That All One Does Be
Brought to the Path of Awakening
Chapter 8. The Cooling Shade of Compassion: Placing

Oneself and Others under the Protection of the Three Jewels
Through Meditation
43
Chapter 9. Dispelling All Obstacles: Visualizations for

Practice Sessions Used to Help the Weak, the Sick, and So On
Chapter 10. A River of Amrita: Instructions on the

Purification of the Karma, Wrongdoing, and Obscurations
Accumulated Throughout All One’s Lives
Chapter 11. A Mountain of Merit: Instructions on How to

Easily Complete the Accumulation of Merit by Offering the
Mandala
Chapter 12. A River of Blessings: Guru Yoga, Practiced in

Order to Receive Blessings and Increase Experiences and
Realization
Chapter 13. The Traveler’s Song: The Result of Long

Experience, Recounted So That Beginners Can Recognize the
Arising of Experience and Realization
Chapter 14. The Armor of Love and the Breastplate of

Compassion: How to Protect from Obstacles Using the
Buddhas’ Truth
44
Chapter 15. All Jewels Included: A Brief Explanation of

Geomancy, Since One Must Know What Places Are Good for
Retreat
Chapter 16. The Good Path to Freedom: Instructions on

Retreat, Easily Practiced by the Unintelligent
Chapter 17. The Axe That Cuts Through Self-fixation: Giving

Away One’s Body in Order to Gather the Accumulations and
Bring Sickness and Spirits to the Path
Chapter 18. The Conjunction of Life and Fortune: The

Generation of Life and Prosperity in Order to Prolong the
Lives of Gurus, Friends, and Patrons
Chapter 19. The Melody of Brahma: The Practice of Kriya and

Charya Tantra, for the Youthful Who Want Austerities
Chapter 20. Closing the Door to Lower Migrations: The

Practice of Yoga Tantra, for Those Skilled in Ritual and
Mudras
Chapter 21. Showing the Path to Freedom: Visualizations for

the Southern Gate, in Order to Purify the Obscurations of
the Dead
45
Chapter 22. A Concise Liberation Through Hearing: An

Introduction to the Bardo, So That Recognizing It One May
Be Liberated
Chapter 23. Shade of the Ashoka Tree: How to Avoid

Robbers and Death While in Retreat
Chapter 24. All Connection Has Meaning: How to Burn a

Living Inscription in Order to Purify the Obscurations of the
Wealthy Faithful
Chapter 25. Hook of Compassion: How to Guide the Dead,

So That All the Deceased Connected to One May Reach Pure
Realms
Chapter 26. Thunder of Mantra: The Outer Practice of a

Yidam According to Maha Yoga, Emphasizing the Generation
Stage
Chapter 27. The Hero’s Roar: The Inner Practice, for

Those Who Assemble Offering Tormas, Accomplishment
Substances, and so on
46
Chapter 28. The Wisdom Dakinis’ Song of Yearning: The

Secret Practice for Those with Extremely Clear Generation
Stage Visualization
Chapter 29. A Multicolored Jewel: A Homa for Those with

Few Resources Who Are Diligent in Practice
Chapter 30. The Supreme Blaze of Great Bliss: The Very

Secret Practice of the Anu Yoga Tantras
Chapter 31. Boundless Purity: The Just-That practice of the

Ati Yoga Tantras
Chapter 32. The Wish-Granting Jewel: The Combined

Practice, for Those with Powerful Samadhi Who Dislike
Elaboration
Chapter 33. Gold from Jambu River: The Root Words on the
Physical Exercises for Establishing Interdependence in the
Body
Chapter 34. The Magic Mirror: An Essay on Indications

Enabling One to Determine Whether or Not One Has
Accomplished the Three Roots
47
Chapter 35. Showing the Unmistaken Path: Avoiding

Deviations, So That One Remains on the Flawless Path to
Awakening
Chapter 36. A Rain of Amrita: Instructions on Removing

Outer, Inner, and Secret Impediments
Chapter 37. The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel: Instructions on

Improvement, So That Experience and Realization Increase
Like the Waxing Moon
Chapter 38. The Great Peacock That Conquers Poison:

Supporting Instructions on Abandoning the Obscuration by
the Five Poisonous Kleshas
Chapter 39. The Practices of the Victors’ Children:

Instructions on Conduct, So That One Behaves in Accord
with the Victors’ Dictates
Chapter 40. Ocean of Activity: Instructions on Benefiting

Beings, So That One Accomplishes Great Benefit for the
Teachings and for Beings
Chapter 41. The Fruit of the Wish-Fulfilling Tree: How the

Best, the Intermediate, and the Least Practitioners Die
48
Chapter 42. The Guide on the Quest for Jewels: Choosing a

Pure Realm, So That One Knows Where One Is Going
Chapter 43. The Steed Balaha: How to Reach a Pure Realm If

One Dies Without Leisure for Meditation
Chapter 44. Letter of Royal Command: Reminding Someone

of Their Meditation So They Recognize the Ground Clear
Light at Death
Chapter 45. Great Waves of Activity: the Practice of

Protectors in General, So That the Buddhas’ Teachings
Flourish
Chapter 46. Hailstones in a Blizzard; Accomplishing All

Activity: The Quick Accomplishment of the Protectors’
Activity
Chapter 47. Sumeru of Hala: How to Control Shadow-

Spirits, So That No Obstacles Arise for Any Practice
Chapter 48. Like Flies to Rotten Meat: How to Attract the

Protectors to Oneself or Others by Using Their Soul-Stones
and Support Materials
49
Chapter 49. Jewels of the Gods: Writings About Tormas, So

That All Obstacles Be Dispelled and Whatever One Wishes
for Be Accomplished
Chapter 50. The Mother and Protector United, the Special

Dharma of Karma Pakshi: the Integration of Textual and Oral
Instructions
Chapter 51. The Wealth Practice of the Protector, the Special

Dharma of Drogön Rechen: For the Automatic Increase of
Prosperity and Position
Chapter 52. The Protector Instructions from Lhodrak:

Accomplishing All Activity Through the Channels and
Winds
Chapter 53. The Precious Jewel: Instructions on Dedication,

So That One’s Virtue Is Buried as an Inexhaustible Treasure
Chapter 54. Enumeration of Dharmas, the Upadeshas of the

Single Lineage: So That Secret Mantra Not Be Broadcasted,
and Retain the Richness of Blessings
50
Seeing It Makes You Smile: Ordinary Beings
Entering the Gate of Dharma
The next chapter serves as an introduction to Karma Chakme’s

Mountain Dharma, which is intended to guide ordinary beings
entering the gate of Dharma. The function of this introduction
is to explain why and how this text came to be written.
Karma Chakme Rinpoche begins, “I will set forth here, briefly

and in verse, the causes and conditions for the composition
of these instructions for retreat, or mountain Dharma. I am
someone who composes things because I wish to be renowned
as a scholar. I am a hypocrite who wishes to be seen as a good
person. I am someone who builds things out of the belief in
permanence. I am someone who assembles a retinue out of
nepotism. I am someone who pretends to benefit beings out
of the wish to become wealthy. I am someone who remains in
retreat out of the fear of death.” He then says that all of these
things refer to himself, Raga Asya, which is Sanskrit for the
Tibetan word chakme, which means “nonattachment.”
“In the presence of four wise and accomplished gurus, I offered

the promise to practice one-pointedly, and to many prominent
51
individuals and patrons I promised to remain in retreat my whole

life. I left what domestic animals I had on the mountain and
went to live in a hut built in an isolated place. There I remained
in great concern that I might become ill or that I might die. I
pretended to be in retreat but secretly slept the time away.”
“While I was doing this, toward the end of one year, Lama
Tsondru Gyamtso, of excellent family, good intelligence, great
faith, respect, and diligence, came to the door of my retreat
cabin and said the following: ‘This year I almost died and I was
tormented by the agony of apparently mortal illness. I discovered
that I could not overpower this suffering with the realization I
may have from practice. If the suffering of sickness is like that,
then when the suffering of death arises, when Yama, the Lord
of Death, approaches, I am very afraid that whatever experience
and realization I possess will be insufficient.
‘By the compassion of the Three Jewels, I did not die this year.
But, given the nature of this illusory body, I know that there is
no way of avoiding death forever. I wonder if I have done enough
retreat and practice so that I will have no regret at death. I have
a place to practice, but because I do not know how to analyze the
qualities of that place, I do not know if it is really appropriate
or not. I have received many empowerments, transmissions, and
instructions, and I know a great deal about the generation and
52
completion stages, but I have not really accomplished them. I

have no real experience. I have always thought that I would want
to live only in retreat, but I have never received the practical
instructions of mountain Dharma, of how to be in solitary
retreat. I have texts of mountain Dharmas composed by the
Kagyu predecessors, but I have not even received the reading
transmissions, let alone experiential instruction. Furthermore
the methods described in these texts are very difficult to put
into practice.’
“Tsondru Gyamtso addressed me in this way and then made this

request: ‘You have compiled a great deal of instructions for use
in retreat, but up to this point you have not composed a written
text about retreat, or mountain Dharma. Please compose such
mountain Dharma now. It is said that you have harmed your
hands by writing so much. Therefore, since physically writing
this yourself would be tiresome for you, I will write it down if
you will dictate it to me.’”
Chakme Rinpoche continues, “Having said that, Lama Gyamtso

requested the composition of this text, making a mandala offering
of a thangka painted with gold paint bearing great blessing as the
result of being consecrated with the footprints of Kagyu masters.
Lama Gyamtso also offered a volume of his own compositions.
53
He then performed many prostrations and offered one hundred

actual mandala offerings.
“At that time I, Raga Asya, laughed and then responded as

follows: ‘Heh, heh, Tsondru Gyamtso, the essential point of
the mountain Dharma as composed by our Kagyu predecessors
is to abandon all concern with this life and, having done so, to
abandon your birthplace and go into solitude; to be terrified
by impermanence and the thought of death; to relinquish all
concern for food, clothing, and conversation such that you drink
water, gnaw on stones, and wear the clothing of corpses.’” This
last point need not be taken absolutely literally. It simply means
that you are satisfied with whatever you acquire in the way of
food and drink and that you are content with even the worst
of clothing. “Having done that and sustaining the experience
of the nature of your own mind, there is nothing else for you
to do in retreat.
“As far as recitations are concerned, a few words or a few stanzas

of supplication to your guru are sufficient. Aside from waiting
for the coming of death, there is nothing else to think about in
retreat. If those with faith in you should come to see you, then
you should just flee like a wounded deer or antelope and go
somewhere else where they cannot find you. We see this in the
examples of great masters such as Jetsun Milarepa. When he was
54
in retreat and pursued by patrons and students, he would make

sure he was somewhere else by the time they found out where he
was. That is the mountain Dharma of our Kagyu predecessors.
That is being a Dharma practitioner who is, without destination,
carried by the wind.” By this he means that you have abandoned
all concern with where you live and therefore you have no agenda
of establishing anything or maintaining anything.
Chakme Rinpoche continues, “Unfortunately I myself have been

unable to do this. I have remained for a long time here in my
birthplace, so that even the name of the place has attached itself
to me.” During his lifetime Chakme Rinpoche was commonly
referred to as the Yogi of Bari, which was the name of the place
where he lived. He uses this as proof that he had not moved
around very much. “I have been surrounded by my relatives and
monks, so I have never lived alone for a single day. From the age
of eight onward I have consumed the food of the sangha.” Here
he is intending to disparage himself, but in fact the statement
means that he was ordained at the age of eight.
“‘Death has never touched me in the heart. I have even accumu-

lated some horses and cattle. My remaining in retreat has merely
been the building of a residence. Therefore how could I possibly
compose mountain Dharma? I could, I suppose, compose it in
imitation of the writings of our Kagyu predecessors, but if I did
55
so, everyone would recognize this and it would only be extremely

embarrassing. It would be like ‘your nose being embarrassed
by what came out of your mouth.’” This is a Tibetan expres-
sion that refers to the fact that when someone says something
inappropriate, those around them will be embarrassed. What
he means is that if he were to teach the Dharma that he has not
practiced himself, no one would have any confidence in that.
Thus he concludes, “Therefore there is no way I can compose
the mountain Dharma.”
Tsondru Gyamtso thought about this for a day and then he

came back and said the following: “Lama Raga Asya, you were
ordained at an early age, and you have possessed flawless mo-
rality your whole life. You have relied upon many gurus, both
renowned and unknown. You are rich with the empowerments,
transmissions, and instructions of the new and ancient tradi-
tions. In your early years, even when you were busy performing
rituals in villages, you completed innumerable yidam practices
in retreat. After that you remained in retreat for thirteen years.
Innumerable earth termas and sky Dharmas prophesied that you
would appear. In many of these termas, which were hidden in
the ground, and also in the Sky Dharma of Namchö Mingyur
Dorje, Karma Chakme was predicted by Guru Rinpoche himself
to be the holder of these teachings. Thus in innumerable terma
teachings you were prophesied as the holder of the teachings
56
and a fortunate vessel. For seven years now you have performed
incredible benefit for countless people in many places. You are
respected and depended upon by many, many people, and even
now you have renewed your commitment to remain in retreat
for the rest of your life. Therefore please compose a mountain
Dharma in accordance with your own personal experiences
of retreat practice. Even if there were a teaching that exceeds
your own experience, how could we put it into practice? We
are incapable of even emulating your example. Dharma texts
that are not used in practice are merely a heavy weight in the
bookcase. Therefore please bestow instructions that we can
actually use.” Thus Tsondru Gyamtso made this request, and in
response Chakme Rinpoche composed this text.
By the time Karma Chakme agreed to this, it was the middle of

winter, with few daylight hours. He continues, “The days were
short and I had many different daily practices to perform, as
well as many practices and rituals to perform for the benefit,
health, and protection of others. I did not have time to look
at any source text, such as earlier compositions of mountain
Dharmas, and had not ever really studied them. I did not have
time, given my own retreat schedule, to think very much about
what I was writing or dictating. Nevertheless each day at the
end of the afternoon session, just before sunset, whatever I said,
which was whatever I thought of at the time, was written down
57
by Lama Tsondru Gyamtso, who did this in the attitude of faith

that it was profound Dharma. This involved great austerity and
patience on his part, since he was wearing very light clothing
while sitting outside my retreat hut taking dictation in the
middle of winter. His fingers rode the horse of the wind, writing
down exactly what I said as I was saying it.”
Chakme Rinpoche continues, “This text will not contain any

quotations from the sutras and tantras, therefore there is no
danger that it will be studied or read by the learned. I think
it is not in contradiction with authentic sutras, tantras, and
shastras. Nor will it contain any high-blown talk of emptiness,
so there is no danger that it will be read by those with high
realization. I think it is free from falling into deviation or error
about the view. It will not contain any elegant composition or
poetry, and therefore does not possess all the fit characteristics
of composition. I think, however, that it will be beneficial to the
mind. If someone properly practices what I have taught here,
then even if they do not come to be renowned as a siddha, I am
confident they will travel on the path to awakening. In other
words, these instructions contain everything you need to know
in order to attain awakening. Therefore we did not spare ink,
paper, or quills in writing it down.”
58
This concludes the introductory section of Karma Chakme’s

Mountain Dharma.
The Song of Precious Human Birth
The section begins with the invocation NAMO GURU, “Homage

to the Guru.” In response to the request of his disciple, Chakme
Rinpoche begins, “Lama Tsondru Gyamtso, if you really want
to wander in isolation, if you really want to remain in retreat, if
you really want to make meaningful use of your body and your
human birth, if you really want to have no regret at the time of
your death, if you really want to have the assurance that you will
be reborn in the pure realms, if you at least want to be certain
that you will not be reborn in the lower realms, if you really
want to eliminate the bardo, if you really want to accomplish
the happiness of future lifetimes, if you really want to pass from
happiness to greater happiness each lifetime, if you really want
to accomplish your own ultimate good, if you really want to
finally attain buddhahood — if you really want all of this, then
place the following words of advice from my heart in your mind.
“Like a crop that ripens once every million years, we have been
born human beings this once after innumerable births. We must
59
make this rare human birth and this human body meaningful.
Not only is a human birth itself rare, but for thousands of
aeons there is no sound of the Buddhadharma, not even its
name. Throughout most of time, buddhas do not appear, there
is obviously no teaching of Dharma, and thus no opportunity
to practice.
“We have been born in a fortunate aeon, however. Even though

one thousand buddhas will appear in this aeon, in between their
appearance there will be long periods in which the doctrine
of the previous buddha will have disappeared and that of the
subsequent buddha will not yet have appeared. We have been
born during the time of the doctrine of Buddha Shakyamuni
and therefore we have encountered his teachings.
“Although there are many countries within Jambudvipa (this

world), the Dharma is not found in most of them. In some, it
never appeared, and in others it has disappeared. Now, however,
we have the opportunity to encounter the Dharma. Neverthe-
less, if our faculties are unclear, if our minds are so obscured
that we cannot understand the teachings, then even though
we have contact with them, we will technically have a human
birth but it will be of no use. This is not the case for us, as we
are fortunate enough to be born with the necessary intelligence
to understand the teachings.
60
“With all of these favorable conditions, if we do not practice

Dharma now, we will definitely never get such an opportunity
again. Since the acquisition of this precious human existence
is based upon the accumulation of its causes, if we do not ac-
cumulate the causes of a future precious human rebirth, we
will definitely not get one again. Therefore make your present
human life meaningful.
“You may ask, ‘What makes a human life meaningful?’ It is

protecting the roots of your three vows. The three vows are the
pratimoksha vow (individual liberation), the bodhisattva vow
(bodhichitta), and the Vajrayana vow (samaya). You should
protect the root commitments of these vows as attentively as
you would protect your own life. Although you maintain the
root vows, if minor branches of the vows become violated, you
must immediately confess this and restore the purity of the
original vows.
“Thinking of your body as an employee, you should not allow it to

be idle even for a moment. When you are employed by someone,
during the hours when you are working, he will not just let you
sit idle. He will make sure that you are working very hard for him
when you are supposed to be doing so. Think of your body as the
employee of your mind and do not let it goof off. Make use of
your body by performing prostrations and circumambulations,
61
by training the winds, and by training in the yogic exercises.

Make use of your speech by reciting mantras in formal practice
or by reciting supplications and various liturgical practices.
Make use of your mind by meditating upon the generation and
completion stages, and especially by performing the practice
of tonglen, through which compassion is cultivated. Just as you
must pay a salary to an employee, the salary you pay your body
for its service in your practice of Dharma is whatever food and
clothing are necessary to survive physically. The payment need
not be excessive. Simply give your body enough food and clothing
so that it does not die.”
Chakme Rinpoche goes on to say that when you cannot get

adequate food and clothing, you should cultivate the yogic
practice of austerity. This refers to using the nutritive substances
found in minerals and elements for survival without consumption
of conventional food. Even when you have good food, such as
meat, yoghurt, and tea, after one day they become excrement.
Reflect on how meaningless such food is and that it is without
any substantial essence. Before you eat certain foods, they look
really, really good to you. They look good, they smell good, and
you think of them as good. Nevertheless, once you have eaten
them, they do not look good, they do not smell good, and you
do not think of them as good anymore. “Cast aside the depres-
sion that comes from hunger and thirst,” says Karma Chakme
62
Rinpoche. In other words, do not worry and become depressed

about how much you have to eat and drink. You can generate
physical vitality by visualizing the essences of the winds, learning
to absorb the essences, the nutritive or vital essences, of the four
elements through breathing them in.
On the other hand, he tells us, when you do get what you need
to survive, such as adequate food and clothing, you do not need
to throw these things away, because they can become a means
for your gathering the accumulation of merit. Offer them to the
yidams, the deities who abide within your body, and dedicate
this to the accumulation of merit of yourself and others.
Karma Chakme concludes this section, “In short if you do all of

this until you die, your human life will have been meaningful
and you will have no regret at the time of your death.” This
concludes “The Song of Precious Human Birth.”
The Song of Death and Impermanence
Karma Chakme Rinpoche begins this song with NAMO GURU,

“Homage to the Guru,” and continues, addressing Karma Tsondru
Gyamtso, the person who requested the composition of the text,
“Listen, Karma Tsondru, if you are really going to remain in
63
retreat, then it is important and necessary for you to recollect

impermanence and death, which, although it is described as a
preliminary, is important to do all of the time.” The recollection
of impermanence and the imminence of death are introduced
at the beginning of any course of instruction, and therefore
are considered a preliminary, but this is simply because of the
sequence of instruction. Chakme Rinpoche reminds us that it
is necessary to constantly maintain this recollection. “If you do
not remember death in the depths of your heart, your having
entered the gate of Dharma will be meaningless.”
Karma Chakme says that there are people who undertake the
novitiate ordination for the sake of food. There are also people
who undertake final ordination for the sake of social position,
so that they do not have to sit at the end of the row with the
other novices. Such people are merely the reflections, or empty
images, of the ordained, because they are without Dharma.
Even if you learned all the artistic and scientific knowledge that
exists, you could be doing this simply to become wealthy and
famous. Even if you remained in retreat your whole life, practic-
ing intensively, you could simply be doing this to accomplish
the power of mantra to pacify sickness and demons. In other
words, you could practice with the motivation of achieving some
benefit in this life, which would not be a cause of awakening
or benefit in future lives. Furthermore, “You could even keep
64
your vows and your samaya merely through the desire not to
be embarrassed in the presence of others. If whatever you do is
done only for your own benefit or for some purpose of this life,
you have failed to recollect impermanence.”
All composite things are, in their most essential characteristic,

impermanent. Even that which we regard as the toughest and
most stable, for example, these billion worlds, will eventually
be destroyed by fire, water, or wind. If even the vajra body of
the samyaksambuddha must display the manner of passing
away, then what need is there to affirm that our pathetic little
human bodies, the result of such little merit, will die? In other
words, if even the Buddha himself must display the manner of
passing away, then obviously ordinary individuals like ourselves
are definitely going to die. If even such powerful individuals as
Brahma, Indra, and chakravartins must die, then what need is
there to say that all other beings must die? In comparison with
such powerful beings, we are really like insects; our lives are
that weak.
Not only is it definite that we are going to die, but human life
is of uncertain duration. Especially now, in this age of degen-
eration, Chakme Rinpoche says, “There are many who do not
even reach the age of forty. Everyone, from the most learned,
the most moral, the most benevolent, and the most powerful,
65
such as kings and queens, down to the least powerful, such as

beggars and so on, will die. No one has the ability to remain.”
Using the Tibetan word kye ma, which means “oh” and is an
expression of great sadness, Chakme Rinpoche continues, “Oh,
Tsondru Gyamtso, everyone knows about death, of course, but
it is the thought that we do not need to worry about it that
deceives us. This deceives everyone. It seems that I myself am
deceived by this. You must be careful not to be deceived by
thinking that you do not need to remember death.”
There are several methods we can use to remind us that we are

not exempt from death. Whenever you hear that someone has
died, think of it as a sign of your own future death. Whenever
you hear that someone young has died, recollect that there is
no certainty to the duration of human life. Whenever you see
a corpse or bones, whether it be that of a human or an animal,
recollect that that is the nature of your own body. Whenever
you hear that someone died in spite of all efforts at medical
treatment, recollect that medicine cannot avert death forever.
Whenever you hear that someone died in spite of all the rituals
that were done for their benefit, recollect that nothing can avert
death forever. Really, we are like travelers who will stay in a hotel
one night only. Recollect that we are going to pass from this life
as quickly as that. Remember that death is certain.
66
Consider, furthermore, that even if you accumulate an ocean

of wealth, do you have the power to take any of it with you as
provisions after death? Even if you have hundreds or thousands of
employees surrounding you, do you have the power to enlist the
aid of any one of them after death? Even if you amass a private
or state army consisting of millions of people, can you use it to
stop yourself from dying? Even if you could fill the whole world
with food and wealth and own all of it, could you take even the
slightest crumb with you after death?
We never know when we will die. It is always a surprise, like a

stroke of lightning shooting down at us from the sky. Karma
Chakme says, “When it happens, atsamay! Ow!” Consider the
agony of death. Even if you are surrounded by all of your friends
and all of your family, you cannot parcel this experience out to
them. Even if the people who are surrounding you when you
are dying would like to relieve you of your suffering, they do
not have the ability to do that and you do not have the ability
to give it to them. Remember that at the time of death nothing
you have created in this life can help you, not your possessions,
not your friends, and not your family.
Furthermore, when the elements dissolve one into another as you

die, none of the bewildering and terrifying experiences that you
undergo will be alleviated by your intelligence or your clarity of
67
mind. The various appearances of the bardo are like the experience
of a criminal who has been captured and thrown into jail. It is
terrifying. He says, “It is horrendous and it is horrible. Ow!” You
are thrust into an environment that is completely unfamiliar to
you and you are utterly alone. In such a situation, what will you
do? Will you have any sense of destination? Although you may
have developed the intention during your lifetime to be reborn
in a certain realm, there is no guarantee that you can do that.
Once you are in the bardo, you react with fear, you panic. You
have no idea where you are or where to go.
Karma Chakme warns, “When you are in the courtroom of Yama,

lies are of no use.” In other words, when you are in the bardo,
you experience yourself as being judged for what you have done
in your lifetime by Yama, the Lord of Death. It is said that Yama
is omniscient. You cannot lie to him. You cannot claim to have
done what you did not do nor claim not to have done what you
did do. “Yama sees everything on the small print of his mirror.
Tsondru Gyamtso, from now on act and live in such a way that
you will have no fear and no shame on that day.”
This concludes “The Song of Death and Impermanence,” which

is a necessary provision for remaining in retreat.
68
The Song of Karma
Most of the Buddha’s teachings of the four noble truths are

actually an explanation of karma — cause and result. This is
the primary message of the first part of the Buddha’s teaching.
Chakme Rinpoche begins this song with the invocation NAMO
GURU, “Homage to the Guru.”
Karma Chakme warns us that this is a vast subject. A complete,

precise understanding of the subtle workings of karma is unique
to the samyaksambuddha, the “perfect buddha.” Even arhats do
not really understand all the workings of karma, so how could we?
The point in the path where one develops a direct knowledge of
the workings of karma is the level referred to as the realization
in one taste. At this level, one achieves a definitive realization
of the single nature of all phenomena beyond good and bad.
At the same time, as a result of that realization, there is also a
direct perception of the working of karma, which is called “the
manifestation of interdependence.”
Chakme Rinpoche says that although such direct realization of

karma is not within his experience, through the kindness of his
gurus he will explain karma here, taking the Buddha’s teachings,
the words of Buddha Shakyamuni, as a source. He begins by
69
describing the three types of karma: common, individual, and

immovable.
Everything in the external environment, including the entire

world and universe is the result of karma. The external environ-
ment does not come about for any other reason than what is
called the karma common to the sentient beings that will experience
that environment or that world. This is the first type of karma.
Second, the experiences of individual sentient beings, the vari-

ous joys and sufferings that we each undergo, are the result of
the particular actions of each of us as individual beings in the
past. Virtuous actions lead to rebirth in the three higher realms,
which are the human realm, the asura realm, and the realm of
the gods. Unvirtuous actions lead to rebirth in the three lower
realms, which are the hell realm, the preta realm, and the animal
realm. Thus individual karma is the second type of karma.
The third type of karma is called immovable karma. This refers

to the karma of abiding one-pointedly in meditation with an
attachment to the experience or to the taste of meditation.
This causes immediate rebirth as a god of either the form or
the formless realm, depending upon the exact meditative state
in which the person was immersed.
70
After introducing the three types of karma, Chakme Rinpoche

describes the various methods of determining how specific actions
lead to certain specific types of rebirth. The first explanation
considers the motivation for an action. In general, unvirtuous
actions lead to rebirth in the three lower realms, while virtuous
actions lead to rebirth in the three higher realms. Any unvirtu-
ous action motivated primarily by anger or aversion will lead
to rebirth in hell. Just as anger is the worst of the afflictions,
the hell realm is the worst of the six realms. In the same way,
an unvirtuous action of body or speech motivated by greed
will lead to rebirth as a preta and the experience of extreme
hunger and thirst. An unvirtuous action motivated by apathy
or bewilderment will lead to rebirth as an animal, the particular
type of animal depending upon the particular action.
Virtuous actions that are somewhat corrupted by or mixed with

desire will lead to rebirth as a human being, in the human realm,
which although relatively pleasant within the general samsaric
context, is marked by unceasing endeavor and struggle. In the
human realm we are extremely busy from the moment we are born
until the moment we die, always trying to achieve or accomplish
something. When we do actually accomplish anything, we are
so addicted to the struggle that we then compulsively go on to
try to accomplish something else, moving constantly from one
71
thing to another. This is one of the fundamental characteristics,

or marks, of the human realm.
A virtuous action that is corrupted by jealousy will lead to rebirth

as an asura. Asuras, although they are powerful and wealthy, and
theoretically could experience some degree of pleasure in their
realm, are tormented by constant warfare. Consumed by the
need to go to war against the more powerful gods, they suffer
greatly from the inevitable failure.
Virtuous actions that are corrupted by pride or arrogance will

lead to rebirth as a god. The sufferings of the god realm are
basically the sufferings of loss and downfall. A very long time
before the gods die, they become aware of their oncoming death
and can see when and where their life as a god will end. They
also become aware of where they are going to be reborn in their
next life and of all the sufferings they will experience there.
They are tormented for the rest of their life as gods by knowing
what is going to happen. They are utterly unable to prevent it
and they know that they are going to lose the pleasure of being
a god and will experience a lot of suffering. This concludes the
explanation of how actions based on specific motivations such
as anger, greed, desire, jealously, and pride lead to specific types
of rebirths.
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Another way of correlating unvirtuous actions with rebirth in

the lower realms is based on the intensity of the action. Just as
unvirtuous actions motivated by aggression in general lead to
rebirth in hell, so also very strong or extensive acts of wrong-
doing will lead to rebirth in hell. Intermediate wrongdoing,
which is pretty intense and extensive but not too bad, will lead
to rebirth as a preta. Minor wrongdoing will lead to rebirth as
an animal. This is because the hell realm is the worst, the preta
realm is horrible but somewhat better, and the animal realm is
somewhat better than that. In the same way, great virtue will
cause rebirth as a god, intermediate virtue as a human being,
and minor virtue as an asura.
A third way of understanding karma is to correlate the ten

different unvirtuous actions with their specific results. Every
action brings three different types of result, so each of the un-
virtuous actions committed by the body leads to three different
unpleasant outcomes.
The first unvirtuous action is to intentionally kill. This means

to do something with your body, your speech, or your mind
that intentionally and successfully kills another being, which is
typically some kind of aggression. The primary result of killing,
which is called ripening, or maturation, of the deed, is to be reborn
in hell. The secondary result of an action is called the result of
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the power of the action, a literal translation that does not really
communicate the meaning. The secondary result of killing is that
in the future, if you become a human being again, you will have
a shortened life span. This is possible because you might have
done some other virtuous things, so after you have been reborn
in hell as a result of killing and that karma is completed, then
you are reborn as a human being. The tertiary karmic result is
called the similar result. This refers to a result that is similar to
the action itself. Thus in the case of having killed, the tertiary
result is that thenceforth you will delight in killing. You will
have the habit of wanting and liking to kill.
In the same way, each of the other nonvirtuous actions has three
results. The maturation of stealing, of taking what is not freely
given, is to be reborn as a preta in the realm of the pretas. The
secondary result is that even though you might eventually be
born as a human being because of some other virtuous action,
you will be impoverished and you will live in a type of human
environment where the necessities of life are very scarce. The
similar result is that you will like to steal.
The ripening or maturation of sexual misconduct or adultery

is to be reborn as a preta. The secondary result is when you are
born as a human being again, you are reborn in a harsh, desert-
like environment, where it is extremely hot and dry, water is
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scarce, and it is dusty and unpleasant in every way. Born in such

an environment, you are likely not even to have what normal
human beings have to shield themselves from the harshness of the
environment, such as hair. The similar result is that you delight
in adultery. These are the results of the three unvirtuous actions
related to the body: killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct.
The four negative actions involving speech are lying, slander,

verbal abuse, and mindless talk. The karmic maturation of lying
is to be reborn as an animal. The secondary result is that once
you are again born as a human being, you have terrible bad
breath. The similar result is that you like to lie.
The maturation of slander is to be reborn as an asura. The

secondary result is that once you are reborn as a human being,
you cannot get along with anyone; for no apparent reason your
friends and family are always in conflict with you. We can see
such a situation arising when things happen to us for no apparent
reason, because then we blame the other people involved since
we believe that we ourselves have not done anything wrong.
However, the truth is that it is usually not so much the other
person’s initiative as it is the result of our own actions in previous
lives. The similar result of slander is that we enjoy slandering
others because we enjoy divisiveness.
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The maturation of verbal abusiveness is to be reborn in hell. The

secondary result is that even when you are born as a human being,
you are constantly verbally abused by others for no apparent
reason, without your having done anything to bring it on. The
similar result is that you will just naturally find yourself being
verbally abusive all the time. You will like it and it will be very
natural to you.
The maturation of babbling, or mindless talk, is to be reborn

as an animal. The secondary result is that once you are again
born as a human being, even when you tell the truth, no one
believes you. They think you are lying. The similar result is that
your speech will be ignoble. Your words will be ineffective; you
will never be able to speak with any kind of authority.
The three types of mental negative actions are covetousness,

spite or maliciousness, and wrong view. There are two varieties
of covetousness. The first is coveting one’s own possessions,
which is really a type of perverted self-esteem where we overvalue
our possessions and situation, which results in our becoming
obsessively attached to them. The other, more conventional
variety of covetousness is to covet that which belongs to others.
This is basically seeing the excellent or abundant possessions or
situation of someone else and thinking, “Why couldn’t that be
mine? I wish that were mine and not theirs.”
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The maturation of covetousness is to be reborn in any one of

the lower realms, depending upon the specifics of the situation.
The secondary result is that even when you are born as a human
being, your wishes are never accomplished. Everything you try
to do becomes the opposite of what you intend. We often see
this. There always seem to be people who, without any apparent
effort, just accomplish whatever they set their minds to, and
then there are other people who, no matter how hard they try
and no matter how carefully they plan, never seem to be able to
accomplish what they want. Usually we assume that there must
be something extraordinary about the person who accomplishes
everything so easily and something really wrong with the person
who seems ineffective. However, it is not necessarily true that
there is something wrong or right with either of them in this
lifetime. Their situation is the result of their actions in previous
lives. The similar result of coveting is that you will naturally
covet. You will naturally want what belongs to others.
The second form of mental wrongdoing is spite. The maturation

of spite is to be reborn in hell. The secondary result is that even
when you are once again reborn as a human being, you are never
without enemies. You are constantly in a state of fear and anxiety,
sometimes even terror. You always feel that there is somebody
out to get you, and in fact there usually is. The similar result is
that you will be naturally spiteful in your future lives.
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The third form of mental unvirtuous action is wrong view, which

also has the connotation of antipathy or dislike for the truth.
The maturation of wrong view is to be reborn as an animal.
The secondary result is that even when you are reborn as a hu-
man being, you will be born into a society where you naturally
develop a wrong view from the influence of others. The similar
result is that, innately, you have a wrong view, or a tendency to
go against the truth.
These are the karmic results of the ten unvirtuous actions: the
three unvirtuous actions of body, the four unvirtuous actions of
speech, and the three unvirtuous actions of mind. To abandon
these unvirtuous actions and, by implication, engage in such
actions as saving lives and being generous, which are the exact
opposite, is to engage in the ten virtuous actions. Just as the
ten unvirtuous actions lead to thirty unpleasant results, three
for each action, so also the ten virtuous actions lead to thirty
corresponding pleasant results. These are the exact opposites of
the unpleasant results. For example, if killing leads to a short
life, saving lives leads to a long life, and so on.
The text to this point has described how to understand karma

based on the motivation of the action, on the intensity of the
action, and in correlation to the ten unvirtuous and the ten
virtuous actions. To further understand the way karma functions,
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Karma Chakme instructs us to consider the four ways in which

actions can ripen. Here we are not looking at the four different
types of results, as presented in the foregoing discussion. Rather
we are talking about how long it takes for an action to ripen.
The first type of karmic ripening is called evident and manifest

karma. This is when an action in one life manifests in the next
life. For example, the experience of happiness and all sorts of
good things in this life can be the result of virtue accumulated in
the life immediately preceding this one. When a virtuous action
is powerful enough that it will ripen in the subsequent lifetime,
that ripening cannot be stopped by anyone else. Even the most
evil mara who wishes to make you unhappy and obstruct you
in every way can do nothing to prevent the ripening of that
virtuous action.
Unfortunately, in the same way, wrongdoing that is of such

intensity or strength that it will ripen in the subsequent lifetime
also cannot be stopped for you by anyone else, even by the
Buddha. This is a very important point. Buddha cannot remove
your karma. Only you can remove your karma in reliance upon
Buddha. If Buddha could remove your karma, he would have
done so already. We would all have attained buddhahood by now
because, of course, Buddha is perfectly benevolent. However, to
purify karma, two things must come together. First, the Buddha’s
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qualities and compassion make him a fit basis for your own faith
and gathering of the accumulations. Then, based upon that, you
exert the appropriate effort from your side, and in that way your
karma can be purified. Buddha cannot just save you without
your doing anything.
The process of purifying karma is a little bit like trying to grow

a flower. When a seed is planted, it needs to be fostered with
the right conditions: the proper soil, enough water, sunlight, air,
and so on. These are like the various causes and conditions that
must come together to purify an action. Just as the growth of
a plant is dependent upon certain conditions, the eradication
of negative karma is a function of many conditions. Primary
among these are your own wish to purify the karma, your effort
in doing so, and then the qualities of holy beings as bases for
accumulation of merit.
The second type of karmic ripening is based on the actions, either

virtuous or unvirtuous, that are less intense or less powerful than
those that ripen in the subsequent lifetime. The results of these
less intense actions will ripen in the lifetime after that and they
are called results experienced after one more birth.
The third type of actions includes the very small or apparently

insignificant actions, and again they can be either virtuous or
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unvirtuous. These are of uncertain ripening. Uncertain does not

mean that whether or not they will ripen is uncertain, since
one of the characteristics of karma is that it is certain. Rather,
the name here means it is uncertain when they will ripen. It is
uncertain how many lifetimes it will take before they ripen. So
these are called results that will be experienced at some other time.
The fourth type of karmic ripening is called straight-through,

and is divided into two parts: an upward straight-through and a
downward straight-through. These types of actions are also called
actions of uninterrupted, or immediate, consequence. The five negative
actions of uninterrupted consequence are actions that are so
negative, so egregious, that they cause a ripening right after you
die. This is different from ripening effects that are experienced
in the next lifetime. These results are “uninterrupted” in that the
moment you die, you start to experience the result and assume
immediate rebirth in the lowest of hells without passing through
the bardo. The five negative straighthrough actions are killing
one’s father, killing one’s mother, killing an arhat, intentionally
causing a buddha to bleed and doing so with the desire to harm,
and causing a schism in the sangha. These actions are so power-
fully negative that at the moment of your death, you enter the
worst of the hell realms, which is called Avichi, which means
“uninterrupted torture or torment.” Therefore this is called
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negative uninterrupted consequence, meaning “downward right

away, downward straightaway, or downward straight-through.”
An example of this type of karmic consequence is found in the

story of Buddha’s half brother, Devadatta, who attempted three
times to assassinate Buddha. The last time Devadatta made the
attempt, the earth opened up under his feet and he fell to hell. You
can think that his body was destroyed and he was immediately
born in hell or you can think that his actual body fell to hell. It
does not matter. The point is that without going to the bardo,
Devadatta went straight to the worst possible hell realm. When
the earth opened up under Devadatta’s feet, there was hot magma
that immediately began to burn him. As he was starting to fall
and was burning, he looked at the Buddha, realizing that he was
wrong — a little too late — and he screamed, “Gautama, I’m
burning,” and then he fell down to the hell realm. The result of
that moment of regret, born of unimaginable agony and terror,
was that at the end of this aeon or kalpa, after the doctrine of
the last of the thousand buddhas has vanished, he will attain
the state of pratyekabuddha, a solitary realized one. Until then
he is in Avichi.
On the more cheerful side, there is also the upward straight-

through immediate karmic consequence. This is of two types.
In the first type, because of a person’s realization, through
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their accumulation of virtue and the strength of their practice

of Dharma, at the time of death they recognize the ground
clear light. Recognizing this, they therefore remain in what we
call thukdam, which in this context means “meditation.” Thus
when someone recognizes the ground clear light, they do not
go through the bardo.
The second type of upward straight-through is when the trans-

ference of consciousness is effectively performed by or for
someone so that their consciousness is shot out of their body
like an arrow being shot out of a skylight straight to the pure
realms. In that case the person also does not go to the bardo
before being reborn. For example, if, at the moment of death,
through the practice of phowa, you see Amitabha and are im-
mediately reborn in Sukhavati, then that is an example of upward
straight-through. You go immediately to a pure realm without
experiencing the bardo.
Those are the four ways of examining karma based on the ways in
which actions can ripen: in the subsequent lifetime (evident and
manifest karma), in the lifetime after that (results experienced
after one more birth), in some future lifetime (uncertain karma),
and uninterrupted ripening (straight-through karma).
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Another way of looking at karma is to consider the recipient of

the action. The intensity of a karmic imprint depends to some
extent upon to whom the action is directed, whom it affects.
Actions, both virtuous and unvirtuous, directed at your parents,
your vajra master, bodhisattvas on any of the ten bhumis, or
buddhas are the most powerful. They are so powerful, in fact,
that virtuous and nonvirtuous actions that are directed at
those four types of people can even ripen in the same lifetime.
For example, you can think of Devadatta’s falling to hell as
something that ripened in that very lifetime, since he had not
died yet when he fell.
Another complication of the way karma works is that the basic

trend of all of your actions — to the extent that your actions
have a unified trend — can change at some point in your life.
These events are called casting actions and completing actions.
Casting actions are those that determine the fundamental
question of where you will be, and completing actions determine
the details within that.
For example, it is not uncommon that someone could devote

their early life to extensive wrongdoing and then devote the latter
part of their life to virtue. An example of this is Angulimala,
who spent a certain part of his early life engaging in serial kill-
ing but still managed to attain arhatship at the end of his life.
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In that type of situation the virtue you accumulate toward the

end of your life becomes of primary power; therefore that will
ripen first, even though the negative actions were committed
first. The term for this sequence of events is negative casting and
positive, or virtuous, completing actions.
Unfortunately it is also possible that someone could devote their

early life to virtue and then their later days to negativity. This
happens, for example, when someone practices Dharma in their
early life with some sincerity and intensity but at some point
they regret having done so and they think, “Oh, because I spent
my youth practicing Dharma, I am poor. I do not have a social
position. I do not have a real job. I wish I had not wasted my
time. I am going to do everything I can to make up for that.” The
attitude of turning against the virtue they performed in their
youth becomes the predominant karmic tone for the rest of their
life. This is called virtuous casting and negative completing karma.
There is another extremely important point to consider about

actions and their results. Virtuous actions that are not dedicated
to the awakening of all beings are very fragile and can be quickly
exhausted. Virtuous actions get used up very easily by being
experienced as a pleasant result, unless they are sealed by a
dedication such as “through the power of this virtue may I attain
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buddhahood so that I can bring each being without exception

to the same state.”
Any positive result is not only used up quickly when you fail
to dedicate it, but it can be used up even more quickly by your
attitude. For example, if you become arrogant or vain about the
virtue you have engaged in, that will exhaust it — and even more
so if you regret it. Regretting a positive act will immediately
use up all of that virtue, unless it was sealed with an impartial
dedication. If it was sealed in that way, even your own negative
attitude cannot really destroy or use up the virtue itself.
Correspondingly, negative actions can be used up or eliminated

through admission or confession. Confession here refers to all of
the four powers or processes that make a confession valid. These
are the power of support (the object of refuge), the power of
regret, the power of resolution or commitment, and the power of
remedy. Among these, of foremost importance is commitment.
What primarily destroys the imprint of the negative action is the
sincere thought “I will never do that again.” That is the primary
force. Without that commitment, confession is ineffective.
Those are the ways that the imprint of a virtuous action can be
used up or removed and the ways that the imprint of a negative
action can be used up or removed. Aside from those situations,
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if the imprint remains, even though it may be dormant for a

hundred or a thousand aeons, it is not gone. It will definitely
ripen for that individual at some point in some future lifetime
if it is not counteracted.
What you do ripens for you and not for anyone else. Likewise, you
can never experience something that is a result of someone else’s
karma. You can never experience something that is not a result
of your own karma. Everything you experience that is karmic is
the result of your own actions, and everything you do, unless it
is counteracted, leaves an imprint of one kind or the other. For
virtuous actions not to lead to positive results and for unvirtuous
actions not to lead to negative results is even more impossible
than for the sun and the moon to fall to the ground, or for the
wind to be captured in a lasso, or for fire to be cold. Even those
things, Chakme Rinpoche says, are comparatively possible, but
for a virtuous action to lead to suffering or an unvirtuous action
to lead to happiness, these are absolutely impossible.
This is the fundamental teaching of all buddhas: the consistency

of actions and their results. A person who denies cause and result
will lose the faculty of communication. Denial of karma is the
most fundamental and worst form of incorrect view. Such an
incorrect view causes one to be born for innumerable lifetimes
in a situation where they are incapable of understanding karma.
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That is the result of being exposed to this concept and refusing

to accept it.
Chakme Rinpoche concludes this section saying, “Therefore

if you want to remain in retreat, then think very carefully and
precisely, again and again, about karma and put your knowledge
into practice. Make appropriate choices of actions based upon
your understanding of their results. This is the little song that
gives the basic meaning of the results of actions.”
The Song of the Meaningless Nature Of

Samsara
At this point Karma Chakme has completed an explanation of

three of the four ordinary preliminary practices as a basis for
undertaking solitary retreat: precious human birth, impermanence
and death, and cause and result. Now he discusses the fourth,
which is the meaninglessness of samsara.
There is a very good reason to consider the meaninglessness of

samsara. Everyone knows that if you want to shoot an arrow at
a target, you need to see that target very clearly. If you do not
know where the target is, it is very unlikely that you will hit it.
However, if you can see the target and if you make the utmost
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effort, it is quite possible that you may hit the very center of the
bull’s-eye. In the same way, although we know that the idea of
practicing Dharma is to overcome the cause of suffering, until
we also know what it is that is actually causing our suffering,
we will never be successful in our practice. We need to clearly
see the target.
To put this another way, if you are suffering from an illness, you
must first identify the symptoms and then you must find out
from a skilled physician what exactly it is that is causing those
symptoms. Having identified the symptoms and the cause of
your illness, you will then learn what actions you should avoid
that may exacerbate the condition, such as eating certain foods
or undertaking certain activities. Finally you will take medicine
to heal, to overcome your illness completely. The primary reason
why you take the medicine is to overcome the pain associated
with the illness and to experience the resulting happiness that
is free from that disease or that type of suffering. In the same
way, when we practice Dharma to overcome suffering, we first
have to understand the cause of our suffering, and to do that we
have to understand the meaninglessness of samsara. Once we
understand that the cause of our suffering is afflicting emotions
and karma, we will be very motivated to apply the antidote,
which is the Dharma.
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Many students engage in Dharma practice for a long time, but they
still experience no positive results. Often they get discouraged,
thinking there is no benefit to their practice, and sometimes
they give up altogether. When we ask these people about their
practice, we find the problem is that they do not know the point
of why they are doing the practice in the first place, nor do
they even know the proper manner of doing the practice. If we
do not know why or how to practice, we will never achieve an
effective result, no matter how long we engage in the practice.
For all of these reasons Karma Chakme presents here the expla-
nations on the meaninglessness of samsara. His purpose is to
help us clearly understand why we have to practice without a
distracted or confused mind. Karma Chakme begins by saying
to his disciple, “Listen, Tsondru Gyamtso, think properly. If
you really think properly about the sufferings of samsara, your
mind will not be peaceful in the daytime and you will not sleep
well at night. If you really think properly about the sufferings of
samsara, you will see that samsara is like a limitless ocean. We,
the beings of the six realms, have fallen into this endless ocean,
and none of us can escape from its churning waves. Having
fallen into this endless ocean, we all experience the suffering
of birth, the suffering of old age, the suffering of sickness, and
the suffering of death. These sufferings are like the waves of the
ocean that hit us constantly and unavoidably.”
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Not only are we subject to the four types of suffering, we are

constantly creating new causes for further suffering through
our actions within the ocean of samsara. When we participate
in nonvirtuous actions, we are creating the cause for rebirth in
one of the lower realms: the hell realm, the hungry ghost realm,
or the animal realm. The strength of our negative karma pulls us
down, like an alligator pulling an animal down under the water.
We try to escape, we try to pull ourselves out, but the strength
of our karma is so powerful that we are pulled down into the
very depth of suffering. This is the true nature of samsara.
How do we become liberated? How do we escape from this

ocean of suffering? First we must be motivated to find someone
to show us the method of escape and then we must take refuge.
But this in itself is not sufficient. Motivation and finding an
authentic teacher are the initial, primary steps, but in order to
experience true liberation, we have to maintain with great clarity
and precision whatever precepts or vows we have taken, such as
refuge precepts, lay precepts, and bodhisattva precepts. These
precepts become like our boat in the ocean of samsara. If you
have a strong boat, then you have the possibility of experiencing
liberation from the ocean of suffering. If your boat has lots of
holes or cracks in it, you have no guarantee of reaching your
destination safely.You have no guarantee that you will experience
liberation. In this sense, the purity of your precepts becomes
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of utmost importance, equivalent to having a very strong and

proper boat.
Even if you have a strong, flawless boat, if you do not have and
use paddles, the boat will just go wherever the waves take it,
floating without direction. You need the paddles, which in this
analogy are equivalent to the lama’s instructions. Furthermore
even if you have paddles, you still have to work consistently and
with much effort in order to guide the boat to your intended
destination. The meditation practice instructions of an authentic
teacher become like the paddles of the boat. It is you who must
make a real and consistent effort to liberate yourself from the
ocean of suffering. The diligence and effort is totally up to you.
We may ask, “What’s the point of causing ourselves anxiety

by thinking of the sufferings of samsara? What is the point of
thinking
so much about this so that we cannot sleep at night and we can-

not have fun during the day? Why not just relax and enjoy life?”
When people say this, it is because they do not really believe that
there is experience beyond this present experience. They do not
really understand the immense suffering of the lower realms.
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As described earlier in the text, the lowest of the three lower

realms are the hell realms. In the hot hell realm one physically
experiences the feelings of being burned in boiling water and
of melted lava being poured down one’s throat. That experience
goes on continuously, not just for a year or two but for thousands
and thousands of years. As we sit here, enjoying life, if a small
flicker of fire should fall on us, we would immediately rush to
extinguish it because the pain of fire burning our skin would
be so intense. Imagine the pain if your whole body were being
burned. Imagine if your whole body were submerged in boiling
water. Consider also the cold hell. In the wintertime we put on
many layers of clothes to protect ourselves from the pain caused
by the cold. In the cold hell you experience complete nakedness
in a place that is so cold that your whole body cracks open.
There is no one to rescue you. There is no help, and again you
experience that painful suffering from the cold for thousands
and thousands of years. Even if it does cause us to feel a little
uncomfortable, we really should think about the actual experi-
ences of being in the hells. If we do, we will want to do whatever
we can to prevent falling into such places of intense suffering.
The next realm is the preta, or hungry ghost, realm. Imagine

ourselves today when we come home and say, “I haven’t eaten
all day. I’m really hungry. I’m starving.” If we do not eat much
or drink much in one day, when we get home, we think that
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we must have everything in the refrigerator. Imagine if you are

in a realm where for thousands and thousands of years you do
not get anything to eat or anything to drink. The hunger and
thirst are the same as we experience here, but the possibility
of obtaining food and drink is completely different. Here you
can obtain what you need, but think how you would feel after
one day of not eating or drinking and then multiply that by
thousands and thousands. The suffering is unimaginable.
Consider also the animal realm. All animals live in constant

states of intense nervousness and fear. Every sound they hear,
every action around them, is intensely perceived as potentially
threatening. They never experience a state of true calmness or
rest. They are constantly expecting attack from other animals,
and usually for a very good reason. It would be a very painful
experience if we had to live our lives in that way, in consistent,
unrelenting fear and anxiety.
Beings in the demigod, or asura, realm experience thousands

and thousands of years of constant quarreling and fighting.
Whatever happiness they might enjoy from their possessions is
totally negated by their pride and attachment and the resulting
fighting with one another. There is not a single moment of peace
in this realm.
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Finally, consider the god realm, which is also a samsaric realm.

One experiences rebirth in the god realm from having accumu-
lated virtuous karma from positive actions, but these actions
were undertaken with obscured motivation, that is, for personal
benefit and without knowing the proper way of dedicating that
virtue. Thus although there is happiness in the god realm, the
karma causing that happiness will eventually run out, and the
resulting suffering will be immense. For example, think about
how it would be to be involved in a major legal battle. You put
tremendous effort and resources into winning the case, but
your opponent wins and you therefore become extremely angry
and depressed over your loss. Now think about the gods at the
end of their lives in the god realm. Everything they once had
will now be completely lost. Not only that but because they
are omnipotent, they begin to realize that they are not going
to be gods anymore. They can clearly see the end of their lives
in the god realm and also their rebirths in one of the lower
realms. Seeing all that they will lose, their pain and suffering is
therefore very intense.
From these descriptions, we see that the actual sufferings of

beings in the hell realm, the hungry ghost realm, and the animal
realm are greater than we can really comprehend. Beings in the
human, demigod, and god realms may experience some happiness
compared to the three lower realms, but that happiness becomes
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mixed with afflictive emotions, creating more unhappiness.

This is like having very nutritious food that would otherwise
be good for our health except that we add poison to it. The
food is nutritious, but because of the poison we have added,
the food is now very dangerous for us, potentially causing us
much pain and trouble. The poison we add in the higher realms
is our attachment. In the god, demigod, and human realms, we
may experience joy and happiness, but we become attached to
it, and from that attachment we develop other emotions such
as anger, jealousy, and pride. In order to protect our happiness
and to try to create more happiness, we now indulge in more
and more afflictive emotions, which is like adding poison to
what was once good. The karmic result is to have continual
experience of the different levels of suffering in the six realms.
When we really look at the intense suffering of the realms, we

may ask, “Who has created such a depth of suffering? Who is the
creator of these realms?” The answer is we ourselves, or — to be
more precise — our own afflictive emotions. For example, the
karma that you have accumulated through intense hate or anger
causes you to experience the suffering of the hell realm. This
hate and anger comes from you, your own afflictive emotions,
not from an external creator. If you have accumulated karma
through tremendous greed or miserliness, you will experience
the suffering of the hungry ghost realm. If you act in a way that
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you think is virtuous but actually is rather stupid, the strength

and karma of that stupidity results in rebirth in the animal
realm. Even if you are practicing Dharma, if you become jealous
whenever other people seem to practice better or seem to have
better results, you will accumulate the karma to experience
the suffering of the demigod realm. Finally, even if you have
practiced Dharma and also great virtue, if you have a feeling
of pride and arrogance about it and if you are preoccupied by
your own personal needs alone, you then accumulate the karma
to experience the god realm.
In all of these cases, there is no external creator of your suffering.

Rather, because you participate in certain actions, you will ac-
cumulate the results of those actions. It is infallible. It is definite.
Once you understand this, you know that it is absolutely necessary
to engage in Dharma free from any of these afflictive emotions.
Sit down quietly and think honestly about your actions from
the moment you can first remember until now. Consider how
many positive actions and how many negative actions you have
been involved in. It may be rather painful to remember all the
negative ones, but you will clearly see that we are constantly
participating in afflictive emotions and negative actions.
In addition to accumulating karma in this life, we have also

given rise to afflictive emotions over uncountable previous
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lives, and thereby we have accumulated the resulting karma.

Even if you think, “Well, I haven’t done too badly in this life,”
you must realize that in past uncountable lifetimes we have all
participated in many negative actions. Do not simply give up,
thinking, “Oh, I have accumulated so much bad karma. There
is no hope for me.” The accumulation of negative karma has no
advantage whatsoever except for one positive characteristic. If
you recognize your negative actions and confess them sincerely,
then the accumulation of the resulting karma can be completely
uprooted and purified. This is the one positive attribute of
negative karma: it can be purified and totally negated.
How does one purify negative karma? If you acknowledge and

sincerely regret your actions and make the strong commitment
not to repeat them in the future, purification is possible. Mere
words are not enough; you must make a real effort. If you are
very accustomed and attached to the negative actions, it may
not be possible to give up everything all at once. However, if you
make a conscious, continuous effort, then after some time, when
you examine your actions, you will realize that you are making
success in decreasing and eventually overcoming the afflictive
emotions such as jealousy, greed, and anger. It is a good idea
at the end of each day, before going to sleep, to examine your
behavior for that day. When you recognize your negative actions,
generate regret and resolve not to engage in those actions in the
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future. When you recognize the positive actions that you have
undertaken that day, then rejoice and dedicate the virtue to the
benefit and enlightenment of all sentient beings. When you do
this, the virtue becomes indestructible because you have let it
go and have dedicated it for the benefit of all sentient beings.
Please remember that when we talk about negative actions, we

often think only of physical and verbal actions. However, nega-
tive actions also take place in the mind as negative thoughts.
Thus when you review the events of your day, you may conclude,
“Well, physically I did not engage in any negative or violent
actions and verbally I did not really speak any harsh words.”
But your mind that day had many negative thoughts of attach-
ment, anger, greed, and so on. These are also negative actions.
The most important element in overcoming the afflictions that
result in accumulation of negative karma is to be totally aware
and mindful of your mental state.
The Buddha gave 84,000 collections of teachings, each of which

is ultimately aimed at pacifying one’s mind and overcoming
the afflictive emotions. That is why it is said that the essence
of the Buddha’s teachings is “Commit not a single evil action.
Practice virtue completely.” When the Buddha says, “Commit
not a single evil action,” the meaning is very clear. He means
to refrain from any action arising from the afflictive emotions.
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“Practice virtue completely” instructs us to practice loving-

kindness and compassion very sincerely, with all our heart. He
means that we should replace all negative actions with positive
ones. The third line in this teaching by the Buddha is “Pacify
your mind wholly.” In other words, experience the pacification
of your mind free from the afflictive emotions. The teaching
ends by saying that if an individual is doing all of this, then he
or she is a “true practitioner of Buddhism.” These four lines are
the essence of the Buddha’s teaching. They clearly say who is to
be considered a true practitioner of Buddhism. Whether one is a
monastic (monk or nun) or a householder (layperson) makes no
difference. What makes a difference is one’s ability to “practice
virtue completely” and to “pacify one’s mind wholly.” This is the
person who is a true practitioner of Buddhism.
This concludes the section presented by the great master Karma

Chakme, who was called Bhikshu Raga Asya, to his student,
Tsondru Gyamtso, in the Year of the Horse. The teaching was
written down by his disciple, Tsondru Gyamtso, who ends with
his own dedication, “May these teachings be of benefit to many
sentient beings.”
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STUDENT: The text refers to deities residing in the body and

our making offerings to them. I understand there is reference
here to advanced practices, but I would like to know what this
really means and if it has any relevance to someone like me, who
is not an advanced practitioner.
RINPOCHE: The basic meaning of this is that every sentient

being possesses buddha nature, and it is for that reason that we
all have the ability to attain the result of Dharma practice. The
view that buddha nature is the essential nature of each and every
being is common to the Mahayana of the sutras, or Paramitayana,
and to the Vajrayana, or Tantrayana. The Vajrayana goes into
detail about what this means. Vajrayana explains that buddha
nature is the innate presence of the source of all of the realms
and bodies of all buddhas and that these are innate within us.
It talks about the presence of this as dakas and dakinis and so
on. The Vajrayana explanation is essentially saying the same
thing as the sutras. It is just saying it in a little bit more detail.
For example, if we say that buddha nature is like a seed and the
attainment of buddhahood is like the flower that grows out of
that seed, we must accept the fact that in some way the qualities
particular to that flower are inherently present within the seed
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itself. The sutras present this same idea — that the qualities of
the result (the flower) are present in the cause (the seed) — a
little differently. Here it is said that there is this little dark seed
and it is certainly not like the flower. It is very subtle. If you
plant the seed in the ground and you water it in a certain way,
then eventually you will get a flower. That is basically the way
it is presented in the sutras.
The tantras go on to say that if you look at the flower, it has

this kind of petal and this kind of stamen, it tends to be this
color and to have this kind of stem. The tantric approach would
be to explain that the reason why this kind of petal grows out
of this kind of seed is that the seed has the qualities that have
made the plant what it is. It is a matter of the qualities within
the core seed. Therefore in the tantras, it is the equivalent of
pointing out the potential already present in the seed for each
quality evident in the flowers. Without going into more detail,
basically the sutras and tantras are saying the same thing, which
is that we all have buddha nature.
STUDENT: The text speaks about the preciousness of being born

at a time when the Buddha’s teachings are available. The Buddha
himself predicted the end of his teaching in progressive stages.
What stage are we in now?
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RINPOCHE: It is very hard to say, because there are different

systems, or ways of calculating the extent of the Buddha’s teachings.
Numerically, it is usually said to have been ten five-hundred-year
periods, each cycle corresponding to the degree of presence and
effectiveness of the teaching. At the same time, it is also said
that these periods can be used up more quickly than that, even
instantaneously. It is very difficult to correlate our present age
with those predictions. However, based upon the state of things,
I am guessing that the stage we are in now is probably one of
the five-hundred-year periods enumerated by the Buddha, with
merely the marks of the teachings, the merest signs of them, still
being present in the world. Even so, what I have just said applies
only to the general current state of the Buddha’s teachings in
this world today. For certain individuals this statement need
not apply because there are still teachers available who carry the
ultimate lineage of the Buddha’s teachings. Those students who
partake of that are acquiring more than merely just the external
signs of the teaching. For example, although we could say that
the Buddha’s teachings are scarcely present in the world today,
nevertheless we could not say that great teachers such as His
Holiness the Dalai Lama, His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa,
His Holiness Sakya Trizin, and so on are teachers who hold the
merest sign of the Buddha’s doctrine. Rather, they hold its full
meaning and blessing.
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STUDENT: We hear that overpopulation is a serious problem

for our planet, but as Buddhists it seems that we should see
increased human birth as a good thing, as rebirths from other
realms into this precious human life where Dharma is available.
RINPOCHE: In general, of course, it is good when a being that

has previously been in the lower realms is born human. Human
birth is kind of middling within the scheme of samsara. It is not
the most pleasant, yet it is far from being the most unpleasant.
It is a fortunate birth by the standards of samsara. At the same
time, not all human beings practice Dharma. In fact, not all
human beings practice virtue, and the problem with a human
birth is that it can be a positive support or it can be a resource
of the accumulation of incredible amounts of negative karma
very quickly. Human birth, if misused, is a very effective way to
produce a great deal of wrongdoing. Consequently human birth
is not always good if one accumulates a great deal of negativity
while being human, ensuring an unpleasant birth thereafter.
Furthermore the modern concern with overpopulation is based
upon a scientific understanding of how many human beings this
planet can reasonably hope to support and feed, which is based
on an actual situation in the present and foreseeable future and
is different from the question of the long-term karmic develop-
ment of individual beings.
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STUDENT: The text describes yogis such as Milarepa fleeing

from their students. What was their motive, and do teachers
today do this?
RINPOCHE: Before Jetsun Milarepa demonstrated the manner

of attaining full awakening, he sought perfect isolation for the
protection of his practice. Occasionally people would show
up and he would try to avoid them. Once he had attained full
awakening, naturally individuals flocked to him like swans to a
lake, and at that point he was no longer so hard to catch; however,
his desire for isolation is evident in his songs. For example, in the
“Song of Aspiration” he says, “This beggar aspires to be utterly
alone in caves and places where there are no people whatsoever.”
STUDENT: There is a lot of encouragement/emphasis, in the

Kagyu and Nyingma traditions, for practitioners to go into
retreat. Is there any hope for those of us who are trying to
practice in normal life, or is it essential that at some point we
would have to go into isolation?
RINPOCHE: First of all, the whole reason why we usually do not

have the opportunity to do retreat, to emulate the lifestyle of
radical renunciation that is advocated in these lineages, is because
our priority is this life. We prioritize success and pleasure based
upon clinging to the permanence of this life, which is a mistake.
105
It is bewilderment, and in the most extreme cases, we think that

this life is all there is. Whatever we may believe, we tend to cling
to it as the most important thing, since it is right in front of us.
Therefore we prioritize success in this life, and as a result we do
not have time to practice, whether in isolation or not.
Once you see that everything you cling to in this life and in this
world is unreal, that it is impermanent, that it is insubstantial,
and that your perception of these things as real and worthwhile
is bewilderment, you will automatically find all kinds of time
and all kinds of circumstances for practice. If we had not been
born as human beings, that would not be the case. Or if we had
been born as human beings but had no access to teachers and
teachings, that would not be the case. But we have amassed all
of these rare circumstances. We have been born human, we have
access to teachers, and we have access to teachings. In spite of
the fact that we do have the opportunity to pursue whatever
amount of practice we are willing to do, the reason we do not do
so is simply that we bind ourselves up with our own fixation on
the permanence of this life and of our own misplaced priorities.
Practically speaking, this means that to adopt a lifestyle of

renunciation, live in retreat, and practice intensively is of course
best. But even if you cannot do that, you can still make time,
provided you prioritize it. Even if it is a little bit of time in the
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early morning and late evening, there is always some time for
practice. In addition, there are many practices that can be done
under any circumstances, for example, the Chenrezik meditation
practice, the recitation of mantras such as OM MANI PEME
HUNG, Guru Rinpoche’s mantra, Amitabha’s mantra, and so
on. For these to be effective, however, your motivation has to
be that you are doing this practice, whatever it is, in order to
bring all beings to a state of buddhahood. Through having that
motivation and doing even a small amount of practice, there
will be great benefit because you will definitely progress along
the path to full awakening.
Nevertheless, while it is best to do retreat, there are two different

outcomes to retreat, and the outcome depends basically upon
your motivation for doing it. Someone might do a long retreat
with the thought, “I must bring all beings to buddhahood. In
order to do that, I have to attain it myself, and I am willing
to do anything I have to do in order to attain that as quickly
as possible.” A person with that kind of motivation for doing
retreat will get a lot out of it. On the other hand, you could
go into retreat, especially in an organized situation where it is
built into an institution, thinking, “I want to do retreat so that
I can learn a little bit about Dharma, at least a few words and
a few tricks, so that when I come out, I can be a lama and I can
have a certain position, probably have free food, and impress
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people.” If that is your attitude, then it is almost better not to

do it because you will come out with a little bit of learning and
a mountain of arrogance.
STUDENT: But motivation can be tricky. Sometimes it is mixed

and seems to develop slowly. How does the initial motivation
itself become purified?
RINPOCHE: The geshes of the Kadampa tradition certainly agreed

with you. They made the gradual rectification of motivation one
of the foundations of their practice. As you say, in the beginning,
whoever you are, your motivation is mixed. There is a little bit
of good motivation and usually a lot of impure motivation, so
the Kadampas developed specific practices for the observation
and rectification of motivation. One such practice was that they
would sit with two piles of stones, a set of white stones and a set
of black stones. Every time they had a thought that was a pure
motivation, they would put out one of the white stones. Every
time they had a thought that had an impure motivation, they
would put out a black stone. What they found was that in the
beginning of doing this practice, they would have a huge pile of
the negative-motivation stones and maybe only one or two of
the positive-motivation stones. However, if they kept on using
this technique to observe their thoughts closely, then over time
there would gradually be more and more of the positive ones
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and fewer and fewer of the negative ones, until finally they were
even. Then if they kept on with it long enough, eventually they
would get to the point where almost all their thoughts were
positive and it would just be occasionally that they observed a
thought of a selfish or negative motivation.
The point of this technique is that, as you say, motivation can

be rectified — but it will not be rectified all by itself. You have
to have the intention to rectify it. You have to recognize that
your motivation is problematic and you have to be willing to
change. You have to try. You have to put some effort into it.
The problem with most of us is that we just kind of let our
motivations be whatever they are. We accept them as they are
and allow ourselves to abide in a state of the utmost negativity.
Then, since we tend to associate with others who are in a similar
state, we influence one another, and everybody just gets worse
and worse as time goes by.
STUDENT: Is this text solely presenting guidelines for an actual

retreat, or will it also begin to describe specific deity yoga
practices?
RINPOCHE: It is really a combination of both. In the beginning

Karma Chakme provides teachings on how to practice Buddhism
in general — how to practice properly, effectively, and beneficially
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for all beings. Later the text will go deeper. It will explain how
to prepare and undertake a proper solitary retreat. Therefore
altogether the text provides instructions from the Shravakayana,
Pratyekabuddhayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana points of view.
STUDENT: Karma Chakme said that clarity of mind would not

help alleviate the terror at the time of death. I was under the
impression that that is not true.
RINPOCHE: That part of the text was referring to mundane

intelligence and learning. The point was that no matter how
intelligent you are, no matter how learned you are, it will all
be irrelevant at the time of death. Your ability to traverse the
bardo has no relationship whatsoever to your intelligence or
education. What does affect your ability in the bardo is training
in the Dharma, especially receiving the detailed instruction on
how to work with death in the bardo, and then practicing this
instruction to the point of confidence.
STUDENT: Is there a practice such as lucid dreaming that we

can do when we sleep that will help us in the bardo?
RINPOCHE: It is true that lucid dreaming — knowing you are

dreaming while you are dreaming — is cultivated as a prepara-
tion for the bardo. One of the best ways to cultivate lucid
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dreaming is to begin by seeing all appearances during the day

as dreamlike or as illusory. That will help, but nevertheless the
stable cultivation of lucid dreaming is a somewhat demanding,
and therefore advanced, discipline or practice.
A more useful and in general a more effective way of approaching

the preparation for the bardo is to dedicate the merit of whatever
practice you do, and especially to pray for the compassion of
the deities you practice, such as Chenrezik, for your successful
traversal of the bardo and your rebirth in a pure realm. Suppli-
cating Chenrezik to cause you to be reborn in a pure realm and
dedicating your merit to that effect are very powerful practices.
It will be much more powerful if the dedication and aspiration
are made, not only for yourself but for all beings, recognizing
that all beings die and go through the bardo. This makes it very
effective. Therefore with the attitude that you are praying for
all beings, you address your root guru or deity, and you think,
“When the bewildering appearances of the bardo appear to me
after my death, may you appear to lead me to a pure realm.” If
you make that prayer intensely and regularly, it will happen. It
definitely can happen, especially if the supplication is directed
to the Gyalwang Karmapa. He has proclaimed the assurance
that when anyone supplicates him for liberation at the time
of death, he will extend the hand of compassion and lead that
being to the pure realm, to Dewachen.
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This is something that anyone can actually accomplish through

the force of aspiration, supplication, and dedication. By com-
parison, lucid dreaming as a preparation for the bardo is much
harder to stabilize. It is much trickier, and therefore it is not
particularly something you should rely upon. If you wish to
pursue a practice in connection with the state of sleeping, the
most effective and practical one is to go to sleep while very
gently, quietly, maybe even mentally, saying a mantra, such as
OM MANI PEME HUNG. By falling asleep with this mantra
going through your mind, all of your sleep, whether dreaming
or in a state of unconsciousness, will automatically become the
cultivation of virtue. This is because that virtuous state of mind
with which you entered sleep will be maintained until you wake
up. This is the best single use of sleep for practice.
Another way to be benefited in the bardo is if a great lama or

teacher performs the transference of consciousness, or phowa, for
you. If your obscurations permit it and if you have a connection
with that teacher, your consciousness can be transferred to a
pure realm, or at least to a rebirth in one of the higher realms.
It is very good that you are thinking about this. It is always a

good idea to keep in mind the thought that one day you are
going to be in the bardo and that you have to prepare for it and
to dedicate your virtue to that end.
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STUDENT: Karma Chakme stated earlier in the text that he

had fully abstained from any criticism or judgment. In our own
daily lives, even if outwardly we do not say anything, mentally
we are often criticizing. What are some daily exercises to really
start cutting that habit down?
RINPOCHE: We must bear in mind that Karma Chakme was a

fully realized individual who had come to a direct realization
of dharmata. Therefore his state of mind or his mental abilities
cannot really be compared with those of ordinary practitioners
like ourselves. Because Karma Chakme has fully realized the state
of dharmata, whatever he experiences, whatever he encounters,
even those things that seem unfavorable to ordinary people
like ourselves, cause him to have no reaction. He knows for
a fact that those encounters are not real. There is no truth in
them. They are like a dream, an illusion. Having come to realize
the truth of nonreality, Karma Chakme is able to maintain a
completely nonjudgmental state of mind. However, in answer
to your question, for ordinary people like ourselves, there are
some exercises, some practices that can be very helpful.
The first method is found in the Hinayana tradition. In this

practice, whenever you encounter any negative circumstances
such as ill will from individuals, becoming annoyed, and so on,
you should think, “Because of my impure cultivation of karma
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in the past, as an outcome of that impurity I am encountering

this negative circumstance.” The negative circumstance could be
an individual, a person, or just the circumstance itself. It doesn’t
matter. You simply know that whatever it is that has arisen, it
is a result of your own negative karma. You do not blame the
object. Why this helps is that when you think like this, you do
not dwell upon the external cause, the object of the unfavorable
conditions. At that very moment when you accept that it is your
own negative karma, then you cease to dwell on the external
negative circumstances.
In the Mahayana tradition, if someone is angry with you or criti-

cizing you, then you try to recognize the negative emotion that
in the circumstance is so powerful, whether it is anger, jealousy,
or whatever. Then you recognize that because of this situation,
the individual who is criticizing you is accumulating negative
karma. Recognizing that, you see that really you yourself are the
cause of this person accumulating this negative karma and that
as a result this person may then be caused to take rebirth in a
lower realm. Therefore, as a Mahayana practitioner, you develop
some sense of compassion for the person who is criticizing you
or is angry with you and then you dedicate your complete merit
to him or her. By dedicating that merit, you may help stop
them from accumulating further negative karma and therefore
falling into the lower realms. You do this with a sense of love,
114
compassion, and understanding. Remember that you must not

think of the negative circumstance as being caused by the other
person. Rather, you must think, “It is me, my existence, that
is causing this person to criticize me, so I am to blame for the
resulting negative karma.” Now, you may not achieve success
overnight. It is an exercise that you need to do over and over
again whenever circumstances arise. However, definitely if you
make an effort to do this, it will help you to pacify your own
negative emotions, which will really be the outcome. You should
do this gradually, over and over again, and eventually you will
overcome your mind of judgment. One should try both methods,
whether from the Hinayana or the Mahayana tradition, and
alternate between whichever practice is more suitable. Either
can be quite beneficial.
STUDENT: Based on what you just explained, if one accepts

responsibility for one’s own karma, then is this not saying that
the person who is angry at us or criticizing us is not responsible
for his or her own karma, but that somehow we are?
RINPOCHE: Yes, that is exactly the point. The individual re-

sponsibility here is that we make sure that we do not participate
in the accumulation of negative karma on the part of the other
person. That is our responsibility. Thus by thinking in that
manner, when someone is criticizing you or is angry with you,
115
if you do not participate with them in the angry exchange but

rather understand the situation the way just explained, then
you are free from accumulating negative karma yourself or from
participating in the accumulation of negative karma by the
other person. Not only do you not accumulate negative karma
now, but your spiritual development is also enhanced through
the sense of love and compassion that arises in you. So, yes,
it is definitely your responsibility. If you say, “This is not my
fault, it is the fault of the other,” then you are now participating
with that person in accumulating negative karma. You have
both accumulated negative karma, so you have not fulfilled
your own personal responsibility, which is not to participate
in accumulating negative karma. That is really the key. What
the other person does is another matter, but you have to be
responsible from your side not to accumulate negative karma.
STUDENT: I think I understand your explanation that I am

responsible for not furthering negative karma once a situation
arises, but I still want to understand exactly how it is that I
am responsible for the initial negative criticism, before the
person even expressed it to me and the possibility for negative
exchange arose.
RINPOCHE: Sometimes what is perceived as criticism comes

from asking an honest question based on simply not knowing
116
or on ignorance. Somehow that honest question is perceived as

criticism and a negative circumstance arises. For example, I am
walking down a street where nobody has seen a Tibetan monk
before. An individual looks at me and sees a very funny-looking
person, dressed oddly in a way they have never seen. That person
comes close and asks, “What sort of dress is this? What country
are you from?” In some sense this person is really asking an
honest question of wanting to know, but the way it sounds is a
little rude or negative in tone. This can create an atmosphere of
anger. If you think about it, you yourself are to blame. If you were
not wearing that unusual robe and walking down that street, he
would not have developed that questioning thought at all. When
you recognize this, you accept responsibility for the situation
and do not engage in a negative interchange. That is how it is.
STUDENT: Sometimes terrible things happen to people who

are good practitioners and good people. When this happens,
they often ask, “What have I done wrong? Is this some kind of
punishment?” How does one respond?
RINPOCHE: You must reach an understanding of the law of

karma. First, you have to understand through inference that if
you are enjoying a piece of fruit right now, it is because the seed
of that fruit was cultivated in the past. If you are cultivating
the seed now, you will not be able to enjoy the fruit right now.
117
You have to wait for the future when the seed has grown and
ripened. That is the basic nature of karma.
As you indicated in your question, it can be very disturbing

to an ordinary individual’s mind to notice that a person who
seems so sincere and dedicated in the practice of virtue, who is
a good student of the Dharma, who is living life so simply, and
who is kind and helpful to others seems always to be experi-
encing negative karma. At the same time an individual who is
engaged in negative and harmful actions seems to be enjoying
good health and prosperity. This sometimes shakes one’s faith
in karma. What we fail to understand is that karma works
in such a way that when you are creating positive karma, for
example by practicing very diligently, you are burning away all
sorts of negative defilements. Your past accumulation of karma,
whether it is the previous lifetime or the lifetimes before that,
has to ripen. When it does, you are completely exhausting that
negative karma. Because you are practicing so hard, you are able
to burn up or cause these karmas to ripen quickly, so that by
the end you will have no negative karma whatsoever. All that
will be left is complete purity. You are cleansing very quickly,
therefore all this negative karma arises. The result is that it seems
to the ordinary person’s eye that this very diligent individual is
going through more negative experiences than the person who
is engaging in harmful activities.
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Let me give you an illustration of what is happening here. A

person in the United States suddenly decides to move to Tibet.
This person has many debts to many people in this country. As
he is about to move, all the creditors are calling him saying, “I
need your debt paid before you move to Tibet because once you
are there, it will not be possible to contact you.” The analogy
in this illustration is that you, as a sincere practitioner of the
Dharma, are moving to a buddha field. In order to do so, you
must be debt-free and you must be purified, immaculate. To
reach that stage, all of your negative karma must be burned
away, and that is what you are experiencing now. It is actually
very good that you are reaping this negative karma.
The reverse of this is the individual who in this lifetime is

indulging in negative actions of body, speech, and mind and
who does not really practice. Such an individual is accumulat-
ing a lot of negative karma, piling it up on top of what he had
accumulated in previous lifetimes. When this person dies, he
will likely go to lower a realm. What we see is a person who is
always engaging in negative actions but seems to be experiencing
good health and to be free from bad karma. What is actually
happening, however, is that the person’s past accumulation of
positive karma is burning up and all he is really left with at the
end is negative karma. This can be very deceiving, but it is the
truth about the law of karma.
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STUDENT: We often hear in the teachings that even if a person

has accumulated the karmic cause of being born in the lower
realms, through the blessing of having met someone like His
Holiness Karmapa, they would not be reborn in the lower
realms. How does this take place? Does His Holiness actually
remove the cause of the rebirth in the lower realms, or is it that
through his compassion and power he is able to ameliorate the
conditions through which the cause manifests?
RINPOCHE: You could say that it is both of those things that

you mentioned, but it is something else as well. For an individual
to have the opportunity to see His Holiness, or hear his speech,
they must have accumulated vast amounts of merit in previous
lifetimes. Their actually seeing or hearing His Holiness activates
that merit. It is also because His Holiness manifests among us
intentionally in order — purely and simply — to benefit beings.
He has attained buddhahood innumerable aeons ago. Thus it is a
combination of what is already present in the continuum of the
person who sees or hears His Holiness and also His Holiness’s
own compassion.
STUDENT: Would you clarify why it is said that great virtue

leads to rebirth in the god realm? I think of the god realm as
being a place where one does not have the capability in that
lifetime to achieve realization.
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RINPOCHE: What you say is very true, but we need to look at

the context. When it is stated that great virtue leads to rebirth
as a god, intermediate virtue to rebirth as a human, and so
on, the virtue being spoken of is ordinary mundane or defiled
virtue. Undefiled virtue in this case means virtue motivated by
the desire to attain awakening for the benefit of others. From a
mundane point of view, the god realm is better because it is more
pleasurable and more prosperous than the human realm; because
of this it takes more mundane virtue to be reborn there. From
a Dharmic point of view, the human realm is superior because
it is a realm in which one may have the opportunity to practice
Dharma. By no means, however, do all human beings have the
opportunity to practice Dharma. Which is why we stipulate
that the human birth we aim for is the “precious human birth,”
where one not only has a human birth but is born in a country
where one has contact with Dharma and has the health and
resources to access it.
STUDENT: The text says that ultimately we are the only ones
who can purify our own karma. As you said, if the Buddha could
do it for us, he would have done it already. On the other hand,
we make the aspiration to liberate all beings in all realms. Can
we, as future bodhisattvas, truly do that for a being in the hell
or preta realm?
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RINPOCHE: This depends on whether the particular being and

the particular bodhisattva have formed a connection. If in cases
where the being that is now in the hell realm has not formed any
connection in previous lifetimes with a specific bodhisattva, then
that bodhisattva cannot really do very much. In a case where the
being has formed a connection, the bodhisattva can do quite a
bit. Exactly how much they can do or how quickly they can do
it depends on the type of connection.
There are essentially three types of connection that a being could

form with a bodhisattva: a manifestly positive connection, a
neutral connection, and an apparently negative connection. In
the case of a positive connection, where the being already has
faith in the bodhisattva, the bodhisattva may be able to lead that
being right out of hell. In the case of a neutral connection, the
bodhisattva will probably be able to shorten the being’s sojourn
in hell. If the being did something to harm the bodhisattva, thus
forming a negative connection, which is the likely reason they
are in the hell realm in the first place, it is doubtful that the
bodhisattva will be able to help them out until the karma that
got them in there is used up. It is a tremendous negative action
to harm a bodhisattva, and the being that does so will be reborn
in one of the hell realms. Bodhisattvas make powerful aspira-
tions to benefit everyone with whom they have a connection,
especially those people who harm them. Also, a bodhisattva’s
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path is greatly enhanced by suffering harm from others because

it is through this that the bodhisattva has developed increased
patience and so on. Thus there is a connection between the two,
so when the person eventually emerges from the lower realms, the
bodhisattva, because of his aspiration, will be able gradually to
lead the person up, eventually to the pure land and awakening.
STUDENT: What is the best thing that someone can do for a

friend or relative who has recently committed suicide?
RINPOCHE: The best thing you can do is to pray for them.

Since you are quite young, I want to say something to you about
suicide. From one point of view, it is not hard to understand
why people might take their own life, especially under certain
circumstances. Nevertheless it is the worst mistake someone can
make. From the point of view of how it affects them and from
the point of view of how it affects others, it is an extremely
serious mistake. The best thing you can do is to recite either the
mantra of Chenrezik, OM MANI PEME HUNG, or the mantra of
Amitabha, OM AMI DEWA HRIH. While reciting the mantra,
focus on your friend and think that you are praying not only for
him but by extension for all beings who have committed suicide
and who are suffering in any way. Clearly bring your friend to
mind based on your connection with him or her, and develop a
sense of actually communicating with them, actually giving them
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something; the same way you would feel when feeding the birds.
Then the mantra will help them. And your aspiration, because
of your connection with them, will help them.
STUDENT: What is the point in visualizing the body or the face

of a person who has died, since there is no longer any physical
form to that person?
RINPOCHE: You should imagine him the way he was when you
knew him. He does not have that physical body now, but he has
a mental body that is a replica of it.
STUDENT: How do you avoid the immovable karma of being

born in the form or formless realms?
RINPOCHE: Basically the deviation into rebirth in the form and

formless realms is caused by fixation on our attachment to the
peace or tranquillity that is the result of shamatha meditation.
This occurs when someone practices shamatha so intensely that
they generate a state of utter peace of mind, at least on the
surface. The absence of the disturbance of thought generates a
tremendous sense of well-being. This well-being is the primary
object of attachment or fixation, and that is where the problem
starts. Once the person has experienced that well-being, they
start to become addicted to it. Being addicted to it, they suppress
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thoughts because they view them as threatening, as destructive to

that tremendous sense of well-being. The suppression of thoughts
is carried to the point where their mind is one-pointedly focused
inward, without being distracted by thoughts that arise within
the mind by anything external. That kind of deviation, if you
are attached to it, can produce one of these kinds of rebirth.
The problem with being born in the form and formless realms
is that once you are born there, since you do not do anything
except remain in that continuous meditative state, you spend
or use up all of your virtuous karma. When eventually you leave
that realm, you are usually reborn in the lower realms because
you have used up all of your virtuous karma and you still have all
of your negative karma lying in wait for you. The way to avoid
this is to cultivate a stable state in the practice of shamatha not
as the final goal but as a means to an end. Do not fixate upon
nor become attached to the well-being of tranquillity.
STUDENT: You said that the suppression of thoughts is the

problem. How do you know when you are suppressing thoughts
to this level?
RINPOCHE: The problem has two aspects: an aspect of aversion

and an aspect of attachment. The aversion aspect is aversion to
thoughts. The suppression of thoughts is occasioned by a feeling
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of rejection of thoughts. The attachment aspect is being attached

to the well-being that is present in the absence of thought.
STUDENT: Can a person pray that any of the karmic consequences

that they have accumulated happen as soon as possible?
RINPOCHE: Bodhisattvas constantly make the aspiration that

all of the negative karma that they have accumulated throughout
beginningless time ripen in this very lifetime. This is the begin-
ning of their willingness to exchange themselves for others, for
they extend their aspiration by saying, “And may all the negative
karma accumulated by others only ripen for me, and may it do
so in this lifetime.” The result of making such an aspiration is
that when their previous negativity does ripen sooner in this
way, its result is much less than if it had ripened in its own,
otherwise natural time.
There is a story about this. At one time a Sakya geshe was in

retreat on the banks of the Zangpo River. Central to his practice
was making the prayer “May all the suffering of others and may all
my own previous negativity ripen for me right now.” One evening
this geshe became extraordinarily thirsty, much more so than he
had ever been before. The strange and miserable thirst that he
experienced that evening is said to be unlike human thirst at all.
He knew he had a cup with water in it on his table, but when he
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reached over to take some water, the cup was empty. There was
not a drop of water in it. He knew he had a container of drinking
water in his retreat cabin, but when he went to get it, it too was
completely empty. The geshe thought he had better fetch some
water from the river and, desperately thirsty, he went outside.
When he arrived at the river, it was completely dry. This river,
called the Zangpo in Tibet, is the Brahamaputra River when it
reaches India, and it is a very big river. Now it was completely
dry. The geshe could see all the stones, pebbles, and sand on
the bottom of the dry riverbed. When he saw this, he could not
believe it. He thought something must be wrong. He tied one
end of his monk’s shawl to a tree and lowered himself into the
riverbed. Sure enough, there was not a drop of water anywhere
in sight. The tree itself was completely dry. Everything was dry.
By now he was almost dying of thirst, but there was absolutely

no water to be found anywhere. He went back up into his retreat
cabin and prayed, “May I take onto myself the karma of all the
beings who experience this kind of thirst, especially pretas. May
only I have to experience this.” This prayer somewhat relieved
his suffering of thirst, and finally he was able to go to sleep.
When he awoke the next morning, he no longer felt thirsty. He
looked at his cup and it was full of water. He looked at his water
container and it was full. He went outside; the Zangpo was full
to overflowing. In fact now he could not even get his shawl back,
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since it was still tied to the tree that was now submerged in the
flowing river. The geshe went to his teacher and told him what
had happened. The teacher explained that in a previous lifetime
the geshe had accumulated the karma that would otherwise have
definitely led to his rebirth as a hungry ghost and that because of
the power of his aspiration, instead of having an entire lifetime
of such suffering, he merely had to experience it for that one
evening, because in doing so he had used up all of that karma.
STUDENT: If I understand the teachings correctly, any pleasure

we experience in this lifetime is the result of virtue in the past
that was not dedicated toward enlightenment. If this is so, can
we rededicate it now?
RINPOCHE: Yes, you can dedicate or rededicate any merit or

virtue that has accrued in the past. In fact we do this all the
time. Whenever we dedicate any practice or any virtuous thing
we do, we always have the idea “I dedicate the virtue from this
specific action, and by extension, all the virtue I have ever
accumulated in the past, and all that I will ever accumulate
in the future.” We say, “Just as such virtue has been dedicated
to perfect awakening by bodhisattvas such as Samantabhadra,
Manjushri, and Avalokiteshvara, in the same way I make this
perfect dedication to awakening.” If you are sincere and have
no doubt, then through the reference to the perfect dedication
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of bodhisattvas, and through your willingness to embrace all

of your previous defiled merit or virtue within the dedication,
your dedication of past merit will be effective.
STUDENT: During the Buddha’s lifetime, there was one particular

student who, as a result of karma, was very stupid. The only task
he was capable of was sweeping floors, and the Buddha used that
method to help him purify his karma. What is the difference
between ordinary beings changing conditions, as it were, and the
process of purifying karma? On the surface the two look similar.
RINPOCHE: There is a difference. When you are changing

conditions, you change the conditions themselves. When you
change the karma of result, you are working with the cause in
order to change the result. For example, in the analogy you
gave, the student’s intelligence increased by the purifying of his
obscurations through doing the sweeping. This is different from
attempting to change the intelligence itself, which you cannot
do. That would be changing the condition. Since it was karmic,
it had to be approached differently.
Obviously, we can do something about our karma, not so much

by working on karmic circumstances directly but by working on
the imprints of the causes themselves. We do this whenever we
confess or admit wrongdoing. All of the methods of practice we
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do center to a great extent on the purification of our obscura-

tions. To the degree that one purifies one’s obscurations, one
will have experience and realization. The difference is simply
that you are not working with circumstances. You are working
with the causes of circumstances.
STUDENT: The story of Angulimala, the serial killer who became

an arhat, was presented relative to negative casting and positive
completing karma. Could you explain this a little more?
RINPOCHE: In the example of Angulimala, the casting karma

refers simply to the beginning of his life, and the completing
karma refers to the end of his life, what he did in the beginning
and what he did in the end. As you indicated in your question,
he did purify all of the tremendous negative karma that he had
accumulated. He did it in an extremely effective way because
he was actually a direct disciple of the Buddha, consequently
he was able to purify by confessing in the physical presence of
the Buddha himself. What really changed the outcome of his
life is that he became convinced, under the Buddha’s influence,
that what he had done was wrong, and he became so thoroughly
convinced that all of the four powers were present.
STUDENT: Are actions separate discreet units that produce

separate discrete results?
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RINPOCHE: Each action has its own separate result. For example,
in respect to being born as a human being, the predominant
karmic circumstance is your having been born human, which is
the result of one set of actions, but there are many other things
that happen to you that are the results of your previous actions.
Each one of those circumstances is a result of a particular ac-
tion. For example, all the different circumstances of happiness
and suffering that arise, to the degree that they are produced
by karma and are not random conditions, are a result of those
individual actions.
STUDENT: What is meant by group karma?
RINPOCHE: Group karma is the sum of the individual karmas

of those beings that make up that particular group. An analogy
for this is the sand in a desert. When you look at a desert from
a distance, all the sand in it looks like one thing with a certain
shape, but as you get closer, you see that each grain of sand is
a separate thing. In the same way, the world that we live in
and share is a function of our group karma, nevertheless our
individual experience of this world is entirely individual to us.
For example, if we all drink a cup of tea, we are having a similar
experience. Tea will taste like tea to everyone, but each person’s
experience of that taste of tea is individual and unique to them.
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STUDENT: The teachings mentioned the concept of environmental

karma. When a natural disaster occurs, such as an earthquake,
fire, or flood, are these things transitory conditions or are they
an environmental karmic result?
RINPOCHE: It is hard to say whether everything that occurs

in the environment is definitely a function of common karma
or instead is definitely produced by temporary or transitory
conditions. One thing that you need to remember is that the
common karma that produces the environment, for example this
world, is not a unitary thing. The karma that affects this world,
that produced it in the beginning, that causes it to remain for
its duration, and that causes it to be destroyed when it is, is
not due to a single karmic cause. It is a function or sum of the
many karmas of the many beings that are involved with this
world and that experience it. Any given environment contains
different beings over time, some dying, some being reborn,
and some being born in that world that were not previously
in that environment. As a result, what we call changing times
occur in the environment, and these changes really come from
the different beings having different karma being born in that
realm. The environment responds accordingly.
STUDENT: What is the ground that karma ripens in? Does it

ripen in the mind?
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RINPOCHE: It really takes shape or grows within the mind stream.

Our mind is a continuous stream, holding the karmic imprints
of everything we have done in past lives. The mind continues to
experience the results or ripening of karmas in this and future
lives. Whatever we do, whether we cultivate virtue or nonvirtue,
it is the mind that experiences the outcome in the next birth.
STUDENT: The most immediate form of karma that you men-

tioned in the teaching was the one that went “straight-through”
after death. What about the kinds of results that one experiences
right away in this present lifetime, sometimes quite soon after
the behavior?
RINPOCHE: That is not really a “karmic ripening.” It is the

“immediate effect” of the action, but not the ripening result or
the maturation of the action itself. That is still to come.
STUDENT: That is a little confusing for me. Can you elaborate

further on the difference between karma ripening and the im-
mediate effects of actions in the same lifetime?
RINPOCHE: The kind of thing I am referring to is classified as

a condition, a transitory or temporary condition, rather than a
karmic result. It is not a karmic result if it is not the ripening
of the imprint of an action within your being, which is what
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a karmic ripening or true result of an action is. My point was

simply that everything that happens to us is karmic. We have to
make a distinction between conditions and results of actions,
or karmas. It is very difficult to be absolutely precise about
this and to actually point to events in one’s life and say with
certainty that this is karmic and this is not. Only a buddha can
do that. We can, however, have a rough idea of it by basically
understanding that anything we can change, anything we can
do something about, is not fundamentally karmic for the most
part. That which we can do nothing about, that is karmic. For
example, you have many choices and small changes that you can
make in your life; however, these are not changes in the problem
but changes in your conditions. What you cannot change are
the facts of birth, aging, sickness, death, and so on. You can do
nothing about the inevitability of these, therefore that is the
karmic situation. All the things that you can change through
all the various things you do, by whatever means, those are
probably conditions.
STUDENT: The text draws a really bleak picture of samsara. Do

you have to have the fear of being reborn in the lower realms as
a prerequisite for seriously engaging in practice?
RINPOCHE: The fear is absolutely necessary and it is also ap-

propriate, because the sufferings of the lower realms are real.
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They are as real as anything and they last for a very long time.
Under ordinary circumstances we regard it as appropriate to
fear, and therefore avoid, something that is unpleasant, even
though it might be short-lived. It is even more appropriate to
fear, and therefore attempt to avoid, something as horrendous
and long-lived as lower rebirth. At the same time the fear itself
is not enough. The fear needs to inspire diligence within us. In
other words, through fearing rebirth in the lower realms, we
exert ourselves in doing that which will prevent it. Without
that fear, there will not be any diligence.
STUDENT: Is it that, not remembering experiencing the lower

realms, one has to kind of create them in one’s mind?
RINPOCHE: As you say, we cannot remember our previous

experiences of the lower realms. Not only can we not remember
but we cannot even comprehend the sufferings of the lower
realms or the pleasures of the higher realms. We are incapable
of holding these things in our minds and incapable of seeing
them, which is an example of our obscuration, of our ignorance.
However, if someone has confidence and trust in the truth of
the Buddha’s teachings, they can still avoid rebirth in the lower
realms. This is because the Buddha explained how to avoid it,
through the observation of the causes and results of actions. If
you trust the Buddha’s teachings, even though you cannot see
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these sufferings, you can still avoid them, just as someone who
is sightless can be led to a place they wish to go to by someone
who can see; however, they have to trust that person who is
leading them.
STUDENT: Is it common for practitioners to remember their

past lives? If so, is it helpful?
RINPOCHE: When a person practices well, the layers of mental

obscurations begin to peel away. As these obscurations become
purified, one’s past lives become clearer and clearer. Not only do
you become clear about your own past lives but you also become
clear about the past births of other sentient beings as well. How
clearly you see the past lives of yourself and others depends on
how mentally pure you are of obscurations.
Is there any benefit in remembering past lives? Definitely. Remem-

bering past lives gives one a very strong, unshakable confidence
in karma. For example, we say that if you do this good action,
the karmic result in the next life will be this good result. If you
do this negative action, the karmic result in your next life will
be this negative result and so forth. Right now we hear these
words, but nobody is really one hundred percent sure about
it. Nonetheless when you see or remember a past life, you will
not only know what that life was like but you will also know
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what led you to that birth, what caused you that sickness or
that suffering, and what caused you that happiness. Seeing this
so clearly with your own mind you become absolutely certain
about cause and effect, the laws of karma. With this certainty,
you will become even stronger in your practice and stronger in
disciplining yourself to refrain from engaging in any negative
actions. Now you know for sure that if you engage in a negative
action, the result will be negative for you.
This is very similar to the difference between an adult and an

infant. For example, let’s say an adult eats something that is
poisonous by mistake and it makes the person very ill. They go
to the emergency room and the doctor helps them to recover.
Now they know that this particular substance that they ate is
poisonous and they will never touch it again. However, an infant
having the same experience of eating the poison and going to
the doctor and getting better will nevertheless eat the poison
again and again if it is placed in front of them. The infant has
no understanding, no discernment, in regard to the previous
experience. At present we are like that infant. We are not re-
membering the lessons of the past. We participate in negative
patterns over and over again, unable to discipline ourselves
completely because we do not really have total trust in the laws
of karma. Therefore knowing past and future lives does help a
137
great deal, not only to discipline oneself but also to be able to

understand the best way of helping others.
STUDENT: In the West we often hear stories about ghosts,

who are usually described as being sad, confused, or attached
to a particular house or place, but we never hear that they are
particularly suffering from hunger. In what realm is such a ghost
or spirit residing? Are they bardo beings?
RINPOCHE: Before we talk about ghosts, let me first address

your question about bardo beings, which are entirely different.
Bardo means “gap,” or “in between.” A bardo being refers to the
spirit or consciousness that is in between the stage of death and
the stage of rebirth. So these beings are not yet in one of the
realms of samsara, such as the hungry ghost realm.
The actual word ghost is really a collective term as it is used in

Buddhism, and there are many levels or classifications. As we
have discussed, there are beings called hungry ghosts, but there
are also demigod types of ghosts. These beings are very power-
ful, jealous, angry, and hateful individuals who try to use their
power to cause harm to other beings. The “hungry ghost” type
of ghost, on the other hand, is rather powerless and very timid
in many ways. They are so timid that even if food is given to
them, they cannot eat it unless it is offered in a certain way, at a
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certain time, or with certain special prayers. Some of these ghosts

have no capacity to accept food at all even when it is dedicated;
however they are able to experience some satisfaction through
smell. That is why we undertake the practice of sur, in which we
burn the food so that the smell provides relief to these beings.
These are a few of the many classifications that are included in
the general term ghost in Buddhism.
The specific rebirth that you described, in which a being is

attached to a certain place, is usually the outcome of negative
karma accumulated as a result of greed and stinginess, which
are synonymous in the Tibetan language. Consider, for example,
an individual who is very greedy and also very stingy. Such a
person is unable to make appropriate offerings to the buddhas
or to give generously to the poor, and may even be so stingy and
so greedy that they cannot practice generosity with their own
family. When such a person dies, through the force of the negative
karma accumulated from such attachment, they experience a
rebirth that sometimes may be in the form of a “ghost.” We use
the term ghost, but really there is no “ghostness” here. This is an
actual being who, as a result of stinginess and greed, now has
nothing, no food or clothes, and who experiences many more
negative results of being unable to let go.
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STUDENT: During the practice of chö we make offerings to

beings that are only able to enjoy food through that specific
practice. What category of beings are those?
RINPOCHE: They are another type of hungry ghost, as described

in the previous question. This spirit is among the most timid
of all the spirits, and suffers greatly. If you offer them the food
first, they are unable to touch it because of their shyness and
their feelings of inferiority. They do not feel that they deserve
to eat food that is given before we eat, so only when we offer
them the leftovers can they relax and enjoy it. Whenever you are
performing any sort of practice, however, you must remember
that compassion is essential. This is particularly true when
you are doing this practice of giving the leftovers. You need
extraordinary compassion.
STUDENT: I know that I have had pain and suffering in my life,

and over the years I have experienced a lot of afflictive emotions,
but I do not really remember these events clearly when I look
back. The teachings say that we have all experienced all of the
six realms. Why do we not remember the intensity of the pain
and suffering? Why do we forget?
RINPOCHE: The major characteristic of the level of samsara in

which we now exist is that we consider ourselves to be so real, so
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true, so concrete, and so permanent that we forget that we and

everything in samsara are impermanent. We forget that all of
samsara is subject to change. We are so preoccupied with thinking
that everything right now is real and permanent that we forget
what has happened in the past, and even ignore the changes
that are taking place right in front of us. We are so fixated on
the idea that nothing changes that we cannot acknowledge that
everything in samsara is really eventually subject to deteriora-
tion. We believe that everything in samsara is true, real, and
concrete. Therefore, based on that mental block, we are simply
not open enough to remember things. This is why meditation
on impermanence as described in the four ordinary foundations
is so important. This helps remind us over and over again that
everything is impermanent, that everything in samsara is subject
to change. Such meditation ultimately awakens us from our deep
sleep of confusion and forgetfulness.
STUDENT: What is the role of optimism in the context of samsara?
RINPOCHE: It is really a question of how you use optimism,

not just the optimism itself. Suppose you are optimistic and
you think, “I can practice. My practice will get better.” Then
you are using optimism properly. On the other hand, if you are
optimistic about events or achievements in samsara, of course
the optimism itself is good, but one day you will find that you
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have accumulated a lot of possessions and power and then you

will die, and that is the end of that.
STUDENT: I have read that there are god realms where Dharma
is practiced. If this is so, how is rebirth in such a realm less
advantageous than a precious human birth?
RINPOCHE: Any god realm in which the Dharma is prevalent,

such as Tushita, while it is still technically within the geography
of the god realms, we would consider it to be a nirmanakaya
realm, because it is the place where Dharma is available. Places
where the Dharma is available, where there are perfect teach-
ers, as there are in Tushita and as there are in this world, are
considered nirmanakaya realms, not really pure realms but
nirmanakaya realms. Being born in such places is as valuable as
being born in a human realm in which you have the opportunity
to practice Dharma.
STUDENT: You said that we create the six realms with our minds,
as a result of our negative and positive actions. In that case, is
the mind able at some point also to destroy these realms? Is this
what we mean by enlightenment, liberation?
RINPOCHE: Yes, the mind is the essence of everything. The

question of going up to an enlightened state is really one of
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mind. The question of falling down, experiencing birth in the

lower realms, is also one of mind. Thus it is really a question
of how you utilize this mind. If you make an effort to do good,
to minimize and eventually totally cut off all the unvirtuous
actions, that is mind. If you spend a lot of effort to engage in
unwholesome actions continuously, that is also mind. Really it
is the mind that goes through all of this. Remember that the
mind makes choices; it makes the commitment as to which
way to go. When we talk about walking up the mountain and
walking down the mountain, the walking is the same, but the
motivation, focus, and effort are different. You are using two feet
that are taking steps one and after the other. One path takes you
one way, one the other. It is similar with the mind. However the
mind is concentrated or motivated, that is where it takes you.
STUDENT: Is it possible to help another person when their

time comes to die?
RINPOCHE: Whether an individual is living or not living, we can

only help them if we have the power to do so. Our good wishes
are not enough, and that is why we have to practice Dharma.
One can definitely obtain such strength and power by practic-
ing Dharma. If you are a practitioner, then you should consider
the person you wish to help with a true and sincere sense of
compassion, and then with that true cultivation of compassion
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and love you should make a sincere prayer of dedication. The

benefit will be much deeper if the individual has some connection
with you, whether it is a physical connection, such as a relative,
spouse, or friend, or a Dharmic connection, such as a sangha
member. If you are doing a dedication prayer for someone that
you have no connection with whatsoever, then the benefit will
be rather minimal.
STUDENT: In The Jewel Ornament, or the Dakpo Tarje, Je Gampopa

says in the first line, “Samsara is emptiness. It is shunyata. But
its primary characteristic is ignorance.” If we overcome this
ignorance, do we overcome karma?
RINPOCHE: There is no contradiction in that statement. Samsara

is emptiness. That is its ultimate nature. However, because of
our attachment we are unable to experience the true nature
of the emptiness of phenomena, or samsara. What prevents
us from experiencing the true nature of the emptiness of all
phenomena is partly attachment, but what causes that attach-
ment is ignorance, ma rikpa. If you purify ignorance, then what
you have left is wisdom mind, and wisdom mind is always free
from any pollution, free from any karma.
Nevertheless, there is a risk in the statement “all phenomena is

emptiness” (normally this quote is translated “all phenomena”
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rather than “all samsara”). Sometimes when we say that all

phenomena is emptiness, people think that everything is void
or hollow, that samsara disappears. That is not the emptiness we
are talking about. Emptiness here refers to the truth that there
are not any phenomena, which includes everything we perceive
in samsara, that have any true concrete existence. Once you
come to the complete realization of buddhahood, you can still
perceive samsara. Samsara does not disappear, but you have got-
ten to a point where you have gone beyond attachment, anger,
jealousy, and all the afflictive emotions. Samsara becomes free
from all that. Samsara does not simply disappear to the mind
of an enlightened individual.
STUDENT: As I understand it, samsara is a cycle of rebirths

driven by our karma. How did samsara start? Did it always exist
or did something happen to cause it to exist?
RINPOCHE: The question of when samsara began is very similar

to asking when space began. Samsara is beginningless, and
because it has no beginning, it also has no end. If there were a
beginning, then we could also find an end.
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Putting Away the Dice: Abandoning
Samsara’s Path
Karma Chakme Rinpoche now turns to an explanation of the

path by which one learns how to abandon, or how to escape from,
samsara. The main paths within Buddhism are the Hinayana,
the Bodhisattvayana, and the Vajrayana. It is said that the ways
to obtain liberation from samsara are as countless as the fine
lines that are found on a mushroom.
The chapter begins by paying homage and respect to Shakyamuni

Buddha, the one who has fully accomplished and fully perfected
the paths. Addressing his disciple, Karma Chakme says, “Listen
without distraction Tsondru Gyamtso. In order to successfully
undertake solitary practice or retreat, you must first learn to
cultivate the enlightened mind. In the absence of enlightened
mind, you cannot successfully practice any tradition, much less
the Vajrayana tradition. You must also understand the many
classifications of the path. It is essential to follow the proper
path and to know how to face in the right direction in order to
be free from wrong direction and confusion.”
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In the first place we must understand the dangers of mistaken

paths. The first mistaken path is called the wrong path, the path
of no virtue, or the path of negative actions. The second mistaken
path is called the path of the circle. This is when, not knowing
the proper methods, you might believe you are on the right
path but as you travel, you are actually just spinning around
and coming back to the same point again, simply moving in
circles and never making real progress. In addition to the path
of no virtue and the path of the circle, there is also the inferior
path. On the inferior path one engages in mistaken activities
and, like the other two paths, does not arrive at the intended
destination. If we recognize the dangers of these three mistaken
paths, we can avoid them.
As mentioned earlier, it is only in the human realm, which in

Tibetan cosmology is known as Jambudvipa, that the Dharma is
available. The human realm itself is divided into twelve continents
that consist of four major continents in the east, west, south,
and north, and each of these has two subcontinents. Of these
twelve divisions, the Dharma is available only in the southwest
continent. During the period of Shakyamuni Buddha our own
planet Earth was divided into ninety-nine great countries. Of
these, the Dharma was only available in 24 nations, which were
referred to metaphorically as middle, or center, nations. Around
this center were 188 nations, but the Dharma was not available
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in any of them. In a circle, around the outer edges of the 188

nations, were another thousand worlds, and the Dharma was not
available in any of them either. This is the very old traditional
explanation.
During the time when the Buddha was in India, the Dharma did
not reach Tibet; however, Chenrezik made the compassionate
prayer that once the Buddhadharma was firmly established in
India, it would become firmly established in the snowy country
of Tibet. As a result of this prayer by Chenrezik, and due to the
accumulation of merit by many individuals, the Buddhadharma
flourished in Tibet. There were many great, perfected yogis and
practitioners in Tibet. In this way, with the blessing of Chenrezik
and all the bodhisattvas, we see that the activity of the Bud-
dhadharma never ceases. Consequently we know that the great
master, Buddha, existed and we are able to hear the teachings.
At the same time, because we understand that there is such a

possibility as an enlightened being or buddha, there is also the
possibility of a mara, an obstructer of enlightenment. Since
a great teacher like the Buddha exists, we cannot deny that
great evil also exists. Good and bad exist simultaneously, just
like light and dark. Because of the possibility of the existence
of many pure buddha fields, we can also infer that there are
many impure realms as well. These possibilities lead us to infer
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that there are virtuous beings and there are unvirtuous beings.
There is the possibility of afflictive emotions (kleshas), and the
possibility of the absence of those afflictive emotions. There is
the possibility of pure, authentic Dharma and the possibility of
impure, fabricated Dharma. There is the possibility of pure view
and impure view. There is the possibility of beings that maintain
pure precepts and those who transgress or break their precepts.
All of these possibilities exist because everything is interdependent.

Interdependent in this sense means that if we say that something
is tall, we must also say that something else is short, because
without short there is no tall. If there is something good, there
must also be something that is bad. In the same way, if there is a
quality that we call virtue, then there also exists nonvirtue. That
is what we mean by interdependence. Even the great panditas,
the great scholars of India in the past, began by studying this
very basic logic.
The key here is to understand that there are both favorable

and unfavorable paths. By recognizing and understanding this
fundamental point, we can avoid following negative paths. For
example, if you are walking on a very narrow path in the dark
and if you know that the path is narrow and that on each side
is a very long drop to the valley below, then you will be very
cautious and mindful as you walk. If you are not warned that
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there is a dangerous narrow path, then you will just walk along
freely and you will definitely fall. At that point it is really too late
for understanding. To help individuals not fall into the wrong
path, these explanations are given in the beginning.
In order to follow the correct path, it is important to understand

the circumstances in which the teachings took place and how
and why they were labeled in certain ways. One way to describe
this is to consider that in India there were both Buddhist and
non-Buddhist traditions, in China there was Mahayana Bud-
dhism and Taoism, and in Tibet there was the bön religion
and Tibetan Buddhism. The text issues a warning here. In order
to choose the right path, we need to understand that there
are various paths, or religions. At the same time, we must be
careful not to develop feelings of superiority or dislike toward
other traditions. If as a Buddhist in the Mahayana tradition we
develop aversion to practitioners of other traditions, then we
are breaking the precepts of the Bodhisattvayana. According to
the Bodhisattvayana, all beings are equal and one is required not
to exclude any sentient being. In addition, such a view would
also be breaking the samaya of the Tantrayana, because in the
Tantrayana every sentient being has buddha nature. To develop
aversion to buddha nature is the most profound breaking of the
samaya of the Tantrayana. We must accept that there are many
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paths, each of which tries to direct the practitioner toward virtue.

It is not appropriate to dislike or to denigrate other traditions.
The situation of Tibet at this time illustrates some of the pitfalls

involved with the various paths. The text says that it is true
that great masters like Padmasambhava, who compassionately
commanded the twelve local gods of Tibet to protect the Bud-
dhadharma that was being established there, have blessed the
land of Tibet. As a result of such blessing, some people may
believe that everyone in Tibet is practicing the virtues of Bud-
dhism. Of course, this is not the case. There are people born in
Tibet, where Buddhism is firmly established, who because of
their accumulation of negative karma in previous lives, follow
a nonvirtuous path. They do not turn themselves or their minds
to the Dharma; therefore they definitely are not practicing the
Buddhist path. There are others who because of past karma have
strong negative habitual patterns and enjoy sacrificing animals
to deities. Even in a rich Buddhist country such as Tibet there
are some people who deviate from or do not follow the virtuous
Buddhist path.
We have no knowledge of what will happen to us in this lifetime

as a result of our past actions. Because we do not remember
our past lives, we do not know whether we will experience a
long and virtuous life or sudden, untimely death. Because of
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these uncertain conditions, we do not have any idea about our

next birth. We cannot be certain that we will be reborn in a
higher realm or not. Since we have no knowledge of the past or
present conditions of our lives, what is really appropriate is to
practice virtue and Dharma in order to prepare ourselves for
our future lives. Nevertheless, instead of preparing ourselves
by practicing Dharma, we are completely caught up with the
worldly accumulations of wealth, position, power, and friends.
Consequently we are constantly engaging in various types of
unvirtuous activities and we have no time to practice the Bud-
dhadharma. The result is that we are no different from one born
in a realm where Dharma is not available.
Black Bon practitioners, because of their past karmic habits,

believe that by giving the flesh and blood of a particular animal to
a certain deity the practitioner will experience long life, healing
of their illness, and happiness. This is an example of wrong view
or wrong path. Although one is born in a Buddhist country, if
you participate in animal sacrifice, it is the same as if you were
born in a country where Dharma is not available at all. There is
no difference whatsoever.
Another example of non-Buddhist activity in Tibet concerns

the way some people recite the six-syllable mantra, OM MANI
PEME HUNG. Every individual in the country knows this
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mantra, even those participating in animal sacrifice and other

nonvirtuous paths. They all know how to recite it, but they lack
the empowerment, oral transmission, and instruction in the
meditation of Chenrezik. They recite it often because they know
that the six-syllable mantra is very powerful. Although they think
they are reciting the entire mantra of Chenrezik, they recite
the mantra inaccurately and they become like a satisfied horse
lying on the ground in the sun chewing happily and mumbling
“MANI, MANI, MANI, MANI.” Of course, there is no benefit
in that. People who practice in this category are not classified
in the category of wrong view, but rather in the category of “not
finding the path” or “no path.” Here “no path” means that they
are not really searching for any right or wrong path.
There are four basic categories of wrong view that can be expanded
to three hundred sixty categories. The four basic categories are:
(1) believing in eternalism; (2) believing in nihilism; (3) believ-
ing in both eternalism and nihilism; (4) believing in neither
eternalism nor nihilism.
Believing in nihilism is the most serious. If one really has a strong

nihilistic belief, there is no opportunity for enlightenment or
rebirth in the higher realms of samsara — the human realm, the
demigod realm, or the god realm. If you have a strong belief in
eternalism, although you do not have the possibility to experi-
153
ence enlightenment, you do have the possibility to experience

a higher rebirth within samsara.
It is important to be able to discern authenticity when you receive

teachings because sometimes we are unable to recognize when
someone is deceiving us. They are only interested in their own
personal wishes and use the concepts of wrong view, nihilism,
and eternalism simply to gain support and followers. There is one
well-known story that warns of teachings that were fabricated
for personal satisfaction.
Once there was a very intelligent and well educated individual

in India. Because he was also very skilled in presenting his ideas,
people always listened to him. One day he realized that he was
very attracted to his own sister and he decided that he wanted
to marry her, which was against the law and culture of the time.
Knowing this, the man created a new theory. He began to teach
that we have only one life to live, and this is it. He taught that
there was no such thing as past or future and that when we die,
it is the end of everything. There is no reincarnation or rebirth.
He argued that we can clearly see that our body deteriorates
when we die, that it just turns into dust. He said that our mind
itself just becomes part of space. Therefore he concluded that
there is no such thing as legal or illegal. There is no such thing as
physical relation or no physical relation. There is no such thing
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as incest or not. With that theory he eventually convinced not

only his sister but also many others, who all became his follow-
ers. His main motivation for developing this view, however, was
that he wanted to marry his own sister. This is one example of
how entire false paths can be formulated and how one must be
extremely cautious and wary of false ideas and teachings.
In Tibet they often tell another story to illustrate the importance

of discerning the authenticity of the words of a teacher. There was
once a very smart man who lived in a small, prosperous village.
This man decided that he would like to own all the land in the
village, so he devised a scheme to encourage the other villagers
to move to a different place. He began to tell his neighbors that
he had come to truly believe that someday soon many wolves
would come to the village and eat everyone. He suggested that
people move immediately. Because the man was very smart, he
was respected and the people listened, although they did not
immediately pack up and leave.
Nevertheless they began to have concerns and spoke among

themselves, saying that perhaps the words of this great teacher
were true. Perhaps they really were in danger and should move.
Other people had doubts, and this very smart man could see
that he would have to make his story more believable. He went
up to the mountains, killed a wolf, took its paws, and made
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footprints in the snow, encircling the village. The next day he

said, “See, there are a few footprints. This is just the beginning.
Soon there will be hundreds of wolves and they will eat all of
us.” In a couple of days the snow started falling, and again he
made more footprints. People really started worrying, and some
began to move away. Then one wise individual arose saying, “Well,
we do see the footprints of wolves in the snow, but I would be
very interested in the origin of these footprints. I would like to
know where they are coming from and where they are ending.
Let us check this out.” Some of the villagers joined him and
they followed the footprints to where they began, which were
right at the doorstep of the very smart man who had made
the prediction. In this way the villagers overcame the dogma
presented by the teacher, whose real motivation was to drive
the people out of the village. Please remember that we must not
always trust what someone says; we must examine it thoroughly
and ascertain if it is authentic.
We will now discuss the various philosophies and beliefs that

were followed in the past. One philosophy believed only in
the law of interdependence. Another belief stated that there
is no enlightenment, no Buddha, no virtue and no nonvirtue,
no cause and no result (karma). When one dies, that is the end.
They believed that animal sacrifice to the appropriate deity is
necessary to ameliorate and improve difficult circumstances in
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one’s life. It is through pleasing the deity that one overcomes

negative influences, afflictive emotions, and physical obstacles.
Although this is not a Buddhist belief, it existed in both India
and Tibet.
In another tradition, they do not believe in enlightenment,

buddhas, or bodhisattvas. Not believing in buddhas and bod-
hisattvas, there is definitely no way of accepting the teachers of
the Kagyu lineage. They do not take seriously the great stories of
the enlightened beings of the past, in whom miraculous powers
are so obvious. The reason these individuals are so resistant to
accepting or believing in enlightenment is due to their past
accumulation of negative karma. The result of this immense
accumulation of negative karma is immense obscurations that
prevent them from seeing the truth. Because of this deep con-
fusion, they believe in a false reality. That is the answer to the
question why some people cannot believe in enlightenment,
buddhas, or bodhisattvas.
There is a non-Buddhist group that has a similar belief but that

also believes in rebirth. This rebirth has nothing to do with
the positive or negative accumulation of karma, but is based
on the ability to please their gods. If you are able to do so, you
take rebirth in the special god realm that exists in the sky like
an upside-down umbrella. To please the deity, it is necessary to
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sacrifice the fresh blood of an animal or human heart. In some

cases they would need to sacrifice five hundred to one thousand
hearts in order to please the deity. At the time this was written,
such practices existed in both India and Tibet.
Another belief says if you eat the food offered to you by another,
or wear clothes given to you by another, you accumulate negative
karma. To be free from such negative karma, you must not wear
clothes. Being naked, you are then required by this system to apply
ashes to your body. This particular belief did not exist in Tibet.
The belief of the Brahmins in India is closer to Buddhism.

Although they do not take refuge in the Three Jewels — the
Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha — we say that they are
closer because they do abstain from the ten unwholesome actions
and adopt the ten wholesome actions. They do this in order to
please the god Brahma. To further please the god Brahma, they
are very strict in maintaining the purity of the Brahmin caste.
They believe that one must study the gods’ language (Sanskrit)
including sounds, etymology, and poems. By maintaining this
purity, and through the proper aspiration prayers, one experi-
ences rebirth in Brahma’s pure realm. Through this aspiration
prayer, it is possible that they can experience rebirth in a higher
realm, but this realm is not the ultimate realm, because their
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enjoyment in such a realm will become exhausted and they will

fall back to the lower realms of samsara.
There is a belief in Tibet that people completely trust. They do

not take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha,
but rather take refuge in the local deities they believe inhabit
the mountains, water, and all of nature. They worship these
local deities and do everything to please them, in the same way
that the Brahmins try to please their gods. What we come to
understand is that they are taking refuge in worldly gods, so
they are all subject to falling back. They are subject to experienc-
ing temporary benefits from the worldly gods, but receive no
ultimate benefits.
In Tibet, the Bon religious beliefs are similar to the non-Buddhist

beliefs, and like the Brahmins, they practice the ten virtuous
actions. The Tibetan king, Trisong Deutsen, requested the great
scholar Vairochana to bring Buddhism to Tibet. The king was
very supportive of this authentic Buddhism; however, since
the majority of the ministers were practitioners of Bon, it was
clear to the king that if he proclaimed that Bon should not be
practiced, his life would be in danger. King Trisong Deutsen used
skillful means by maintaining the name Bon and changing the
practice to the essence of Buddhist practice. The ministers were
quite content that they still had their Bon religion.
159
During this period Guru Padmasambhava hid many teachings,

which we call termas, and labeled them Bon, although they
actually contained teachings for Tantrayana practice. Later
the Bon practitioners discovered these termas labeled Bon and
they followed the instructions that were actually for Tantrayana
practice. Many attained enlightenment, and because of this
they claimed that Bon practices lead to enlightenment, whereas
in reality the practices were Tantrayana. Guru Rinpoche used
skillful means in naming the terma Bon.
There is a belief in China known as Hashang. Although this

path does not take you to enlightenment, it is not negative. The
Hashang tradition uses something like shamatha meditation,
but they do not have any emphasis whatsoever on vipashyana. If
you believe in the higher realms, that is samsara; if you believe
in the lower realms, that is samsara. They are both suffering.
They give the analogy that it does not matter if you are bitten
by a white dog or a black dog because both are equally painful.
Therefore it is necessary to abandon both virtuous actions and
nonvirtuous actions. They believe that shamatha is the ultimate
meditation and that when you are able to sit still, free from all
thoughts, it is the perfection of shamatha meditation. That is
the belief of this particular tradition.
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In Tibet there is a practice that uses shamatha meditation to

block the feeling of the eight aspects of consciousness. When
you are sitting so still and you block the aspects, if someone
calls your name, you cannot hear because you are so deep into
that meditation. That is their shamatha practice, which is very
similar to the Hashang tradition practiced in China.
There are practitioners who claim to practice the ten wholesome

actions, generosity, and Mahamudra. Nevertheless, no matter
how extensive their virtue, merit, and practice, if they fail to take
refuge in the Three Jewels, they will not experience enlighten-
ment. Regardless of how many millions of times they practice
virtue; it cannot help them to achieve complete liberation. Failing
to take refuge in the Three Jewels, everything is for one’s own
personal benefit and is based on selfish notions that one can be
completely free from sickness, misfortune, and obstacles. They
have not taken refuge in the ultimate — the Three Jewels that
are beyond samsara — but have taken refuge in worldly gods
that are in samsara and subject to ups and downs. Their practice
has virtue, but such virtue is limited and subsequently subject
to deteriorate, so they are not able to experience enlightenment.
If you take refuge in the Three Jewels, then there is every possibility
for enlightenment because you are taking refuge in beings who
have actually experienced complete liberation from samsara.
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When you become Buddhist by taking refuge in the Buddha,

the Dharma, and the Sangha, the outcome of the virtue and the
merit leads you to enlightenment.
In Buddhism there are two main vehicles, the Hinayana and the
Mahayana. In the Hinayana the emphasis is on individual libera-
tion from samsara. The Mahayana path emphasizes an altruistic
attitude, the wish to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all
sentient beings and to establish all beings in enlightenment.
Once you wholeheartedly take refuge in the Three Jewels and
make a firm commitment, then you are on the bodhisattva path,
the Mahayana path.
Karma Chakme concludes this chapter by telling his disciple,

Tsondru Gyamtso, “You must properly cultivate the Mahayana
tradition of taking refuge and precepts and trusting one-pointedly
and whole-heartedly in the Three Jewels. I, Raga Asya, old and
feeble, have given these very heartfelt teachings in the form of
a Dharma song, to my disciple, Tsondru Gyamtso.”
STUDENT: When you were explaining that Guru Rinpoche had

hidden teachings for Bon, it sounded like he was doing a little
162
trickery or deception. He was teaching Tantrayana and telling

them it was Bon. I wanted to be clear about this and the use of
deception for Dharma.
RINPOCHE: When you direct someone away from negative action

toward positive action, that is not really a deception, but rather
skillful means. If you confuse someone more, then of course that
is deception. Padmasambhava knew that traditional Bon practice
could lead these practitioners to accumulate negative karma and
that they would therefore be unable to be liberated from the
lower realms. Out of love and compassion, he provided the path
to liberation in this terma, or hidden teaching. The Bons were
practicing what they thought was Bon, but it was actually no
different from Dzokchen practice or Maha Ati practice. It was
the result of Guru Rinpoche’s skillful means that many attained
rainbow body and reached the highest level of realization. For
example, a person is very sick and the doctor realizes that the
cause of the sickness is addiction to milk. The person is unable
to give up milk, but the doctor knows that milk is causing
extreme harm to the person and the person may die. The doc-
tor produces a white liquid just like milk and tells the person
that it is milk and to drink it every day. The person, thinking it
is milk, drinks it and is cured of the disease and gains perfect
health. Here we have deception as skillfulness coming from an
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altruistic and benefiting mind, in contrast to wanting to hurt

others and acquire gain for oneself.
STUDENT: This morning you said that negative and positive

are interdependent. Is this a Buddhist belief?
RINPOCHE: We cannot call it a Buddhist view. All things are

dependent upon each other. When there is short, there has to
be tall. When there is high, there has to be low. When there is
good, that means there must be bad. It is just a natural thing.
It is not anybody’s specific view. We cannot say it is a Buddhist
view. The benefit of knowing that everything is interdependent
is that we do not overreact to what we encounter — good, bad,
positive, or negative. We know that “good” things happen and
“bad” things happen. If you do not understand interdependence,
when something negative happens, you become frightened or
angry or depressed, thinking someone else is making you suf-
fer. That is really a sign of weakness and not recognizing the
interdependence of things.
STUDENT: Is there within the concept of interdependence of

positive and negative actions the germ of an idea that will evolve
into an understanding of the interdependence of the two truths?
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RINPOCHE: You could say that, but the idea of relative truth
and ultimate truth is interdependent because without “ultimate”
there is no “relative.” Interdependence is a natural thing as it
is. The reason we are introducing this is that by knowing the
interdependence of phenomena we do not suffer from changes
when they occur. We do suffer from changes when we do not
understand why the changes occur. For example, when there is
day there has to be night. That is interdependent origination.
I have not really seen anybody falling on the ground saying,

“Gosh, it’s night. I hate this.” They know it is night. Therefore
if they still like to work late, they turn on the light and they do
not complain that much. If they do not know that, then they
think that somebody caused the darkness. They complain and
they suffer. It is unnecessary pain and suffering. To overcome
that, the knowledge of interdependence is very important.
STUDENT: I would like to ask something about the cultiva-

tion of bodhichitta. It seems like it is not too hard to cultivate
bodhichitta during meditation. Sometimes during the day you
are faced with hostilities and tension in the work environment.
I am wondering if there is some kind of practice that we can do
while working that reminds us to cultivate bodhichitta.
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RINPOCHE: During practice it is not that difficult to cultivate

bodhichitta. The advice is that after your practice, you make the
commitment “I will maintain a strong mindfulness, and I will
not react to any adverse situation that I might have to face.”
Because you have made the commitment to maintain mindful-
ness, you will decrease the anger and negative reactions you
would ordinarily produce when you go to work. It is a repeated
practice that you need to commit to. In the evening before going
to sleep reexamine how you have reacted and how well you have
kept your commitment. “Well, I was not able to keep all my
commitments today, but tomorrow I will do much better.” If
you find you have participated in negative circumstances with
anger, jealousy, or other neuroses, try to purify that by doing
Vajrasattva practice or saying OM MANI PEME HUNG. Then
make another confirmation of the commitment that tomorrow
you will improve. It does require a lot of practice. If we can
overcome hostility and harshness in the world, however, then
enlightenment will not be that difficult. So it does take time,
and we have to practice and commit over and over again.
STUDENT: You talked about how, with karma, you have the
action, and then you have the result of that action. I want to
know where this karma ripens. You have a seed planted in the
ground and then the result of that seed is a plant that grows up.
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RINPOCHE: When we commit a negative action, we plant the

seed of negative karma. The ground is where we plant the physi-
cal seed, but we plant the seed of karma in our consciousness.
For example, if you kill a human being and are not caught by
worldly law, you are free. You are not free from the law of karma,
however. The negative karma of killing a person is planted in
your consciousness, and because of the weight of the negative
karma you experience rebirth in the hell realm. The existence
of the hell realm comes from your own karmic manifestation.
It is not that somebody has created the hell realm.
STUDENT: Does karma always ripen?
RINPOCHE: Yes, definitely. Sometimes the more positive karma

ripens, and sometimes the more negative karma ripens. Once
you have created karma, it always has to ripen. The only time
when you do not have to experience the ripening of karma at
all is when you are enlightened.
STUDENT: I have been told that if you accumulate a lot of merit,

you can cause karma to ripen prematurely. I believe that, but I
don’t have a logical understanding of it. How does merit cause
karma to ripen prematurely?
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RINPOCHE: Actually, the more merit you accumulate, the

faster you purify the negative karma. If you are really very,
very diligent in the practice of accumulating merit, then you
are able to experience the result of your karma in one lifetime.
When the result of action is very slow, one experiences rebirth
after rebirth. If you read the life story of Milarepa, you will
learn that early in his life he killed many human beings. Later
on he felt regret for the negative actions he had performed and
practiced extremely diligently and one-pointedly. Consequently
he reached enlightenment in one lifetime. That is the symbol of
the strength of merit that can purify the karma.
STUDENT: In Christianity there is a concept of grace, which

is divine mercy reaching down and helping. With grace one is
always going toward God. I know that it is different from Bud-
dhism. I am wondering, with all the karma we accumulate and
try very hard to purify, is there any concept of grace?
RINPOCHE: Yes, in Buddhism we have what is called “blessing.”

I cannot say if it is exactly the same as grace. In Buddhism there
is enlightened blessing continuously penetrating every sentient
being out of compassion from the enlightened beings. It is always
there. Getting back to interdependence, in Buddhism blessings
are only beneficial if the sentient beings are open to the blessing.
What we mean is that blessings are always powerful, but if you
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are not open, it cannot help you. The sentient being’s trust or
confidence in the blessings of the enlightened beings is equally
important, and when that and the blessing meet, then, yes,
there is possibility. The analogy used to illustrate how those
two things — openness of the sentient being and the blessing
of the Buddha — are necessary to overcome negative karma is
that the sun is always shining. When the sun shines, we can see
the light of the sun, but those who are underground cannot see
it. It is not that the sun is not shining. If they come up from
underground, they receive the sun. The action of coming up
from underground is the trust and confidence.
STUDENT: You have said that bodhisattvas are everywhere. Do

bodhisattvas sometimes act through a regular person? Occasionally
someone will say something to me and it will be a very profound
and clear message. Then the person turns back into the regular
person they were before. I was wondering if bodhisattvas work
through regular people, or whatever you want to call that.
RINPOCHE: Yes and no. We have to keep in mind that bodhisat-

tvas’ activities are unimaginable; therefore, in that sense, yes. In
saying yes, we must not expect that everyone who says something
wise is a bodhisattva. In that sense, no. It is said in Tibet that
bodhisattvas often predict things through a regular person — a
non-practitioner — who gives a very precise prediction, and
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then becomes an ordinary person again. Since this has happened

before, I do not want to say it is not possible.
STUDENT: Is there any way that we can be aware of buddhas

and bodhisattvas everywhere?
RINPOCHE: It might be helpful to learn more about bodhisattva

activity by reading the biographies of realized beings. In this
way we come to realize that bodhisattvas don’t only give mes-
sages to other individuals, they can manifest as anything, even
sometimes a tree or a plant, if doing so will benefit others. Their
activity is unimaginable, and the way that they benefit others is
not necessarily through verbal communication. One really needs
to get a strong understanding of bodhisattva activity through
studying the lives of the bodhisattvas.
STUDENT: I am hoping you can help me understand about samaya

relations in past lives, and when we take a vow in this life. I have
to guess that in a past life I might have had some connection
to you or to His Holiness Karmapa. Let us say in a past life I
had taken the bodhisattva vow or the lay precepts or even the
precepts of a monk or a nun. I took this as a Mahayanist, so I took
them for all future lives. In this lifetime I have certainly broken
the vows and precepts. Is this the purpose of the purification
practices of Chenrezik or Vajrasattva, to purify our samayas
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and our vows that we have broken from beginningless time? I

have had a hard time relating to what might have happened in
a past lifetime.
RINPOCHE: I really do not know about the past; however, I am

very certain of and completely trust the teachings of the Buddha.
Based on that I am sure you have had a karmic connection with
the Buddhadharma in a past lifetime, and as a result of that
you are now also interested in this lifetime. Based on Buddhist
teachings I am also sure that you have taken many precepts in
past lives. We do not know specifically what precepts you have
taken, but you have definitely taken vows and precepts in previous
lives. Whenever we take precepts in the Mahayana tradition or
the Bodhisattvayana tradition, we are taking them not only for
that particular lifetime but also until we attain enlightenment.
The bodhisattva vow of the Mahayana has one root and many
branches. As an ordinary unenlightened being we tend to break
the branches. The root of the tree is still there even if you break
a branch. You have not yet destroyed the root. The reason that
we say you have never destroyed the root of the samaya from
your past life is that you have taken a human birth. If you take
precepts and vows and destroy the root, you will not have a
human rebirth. If you maintain the root, you will have a human
rebirth, and from there you can develop in Buddhism. In the
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Mahayana tradition, vows last until you reach enlightenment.

As long as you do not give up wanting to help all sentient be-
ings, then you do not destroy the root. If you become angry or
jealous, you do not disconnect from the Buddhadharma at all.
Those are just branches. The root is intact. In the Mahayana,
bodhichitta is definitely the root. Giving up the Dharma, or
giving up wanting to help and benefit all sentient beings breaks
the root, breaks the samaya. Furthermore, if you do not have a
proper establishment of bodhichitta, there is no way to practice
Tantrayana at all.
STUDENT: Someone comes to you and says, “Forget about all

the other sentient beings. Help me and make me happy.” You
answer, “I cannot abandon one single sentient being.” How do
you respond?
RINPOCHE: When we say “benefiting all sentient beings,” we

are not saying that we should be under the influence or control
of someone else. When an individual comes and says, “Help me,”
and you have the power to do so, then you should help him. You
do not have to agree not to help others, because you do not have
to be under the control of this person. This person could be a
mara — a demon — appearing in front of you saying, “Help me
and do not help any other sentient being.” Sometimes maras
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manifest in different disguises to prevent others from following

the path of the bodhisattva.
STUDENT: I have been engaged in Dharma conversations on the

internet, and many questions come up. One of these questions
is, what specifically incarnates? Also, if upon extinguishing all
cravings and desires and there is nothing left to incarnate, how
does the bodhisattva fit in with that — because there is still
desire to help all beings?
RINPOCHE: What reincarnates is the consciousness of the

individual who experiences death and who experiences rebirth.
The conditions of rebirth depend on karma. One’s rebirth is
based on one’s karma and on one’s consciousness. Our parents
help us to experience that physically, but the mind or conscious-
ness is very individual. It is the consciousness that continues to
reincarnate or to experience rebirth.
Desire to help others is most often accompanied by personal

interest. We have the tendency to help our friends and relatives.
You say, “I really want to help my friends or my relatives.” The
problem with this approach is there is “my,” and if another
person or group tries to hurt your friend or relative, you develop
anger toward that person or group. On the bodhisattva level,
since the bodhisattvas are realized, there is no personal concern
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whatsoever. An example is the person who cut off his hand to

give to another. That is impossible for us. We say, “Me first,
then my friends.” On the bodhisattva level there is no concern
for me or my. On our ordinary level there is concern for me
and my, consequently there are attachments and anger that go
together like the two hitters of the damaru. Even if you want
to help, if there is attachment and someone is harmful to your
friend, you give rise to anger and depression. When you have
developed compassion for all sentient beings, if you love and
are concerned for all sentient beings, there is no space for anger.
Since you are not concerned for your own personal welfare
whatsoever, this does not fit into the category of desire. This
unconditional, unlimited compassion for all sentient beings is
completely without discrimination. If you discriminate between
whom you love and whom you do not love, that is very limited.
STUDENT: What are demons? Are demons sentient beings?
RINPOCHE: Yes, they are definitely sentient beings, those that

have accumulated an immense amount of merit in previous
lives. You may ask how it is possible to accumulate merit and
then become a demon or a mara. We must always be aware of
our motivation, because motivation is most important in our
practice. Even if you practice and accumulate a great deal of
merit, if your motivation is negative, you may become a mara,
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or a demon with tremendous power. Unlike ordinary beings, a

mara has the power to manifest in different forms.
There is an old Tibetan story that took place about ten genera-
tions ago in the village called Nyarong. There was once a boy
who was very short and very ugly. Everyone in the village teased
him from the time that he was a child until the time that he
grew up. They never stopped teasing him. There was nothing
he could do. He received many initiations, among which was a
protector initiation. He also received the lung and instructions
for this protector practice. He went to the mountains and did
retreat for many, many years. Although the practice was genuinely
authentic, his motivation was negative. He said, “By doing this
practice may I be born in this village as a very powerful individual
so that I can destroy everyone. When people hear my name,
they will become frightened to death. Now because I am so
ugly nobody takes me seriously.” After many years in retreat he
died. He soon took birth into a large aristocratic family in that
village. From childhood he was very angry, hateful, and cruel.
By the time he was an adult he was killing everyone, including
his own parents. Toward the end of his life he was destroying
and killing everybody. There was a Nyingmapa lama who ap-
proached him and explained that he was completely following
the wrong path. By persevering in this way this highly realized
Nyingmapa lama was able to convince this person that he had
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taken the wrong path. He repented before his death, and because
of his repentance, although he had many subsequent births in
the lower realms, he was finally reborn in the human realm and
was able to pursue the Dharma. In Tibet when they tell children
about the person from Nyarong, the children shake with fear.
This story illustrates the idea of a mara, and the importance of

motivation in our practice. There are individuals in our own
time, such as Mao Zedong, who have great power. Without such
power they would not be able to control and destroy so many
people. Whatever merit they have previously accumulated is
destroyed by wrong motivation. Mao Zedong’s motivation was
to destroy religion — not just Buddhism, but all religions.
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Gandi of the Nobles: The Three Vehicles
He begins with NAMO GURU ARYA MAITRE YE, by pay-

ing homage to Maitreya Buddha, the emanation known as the
lord of unconquerable being, and by praising his root teacher,
Dharmeshvara, paying homage to his very lotus feet. Having
done so, he requests Tsondru Gyamtso to listen carefully.
The Shravakayana Tradition
All the eighty-four thousand teachings of the Buddha are contained

in the two vehicles known as the Hinayana and the Mahayana.
The lesser vehicle, the Hinayana, is divided into two parts, the
Shravakayana and the Pratyekabuddhayana. The Shravakayana
tradition emphasizes the discipline of vows and precepts. Alto-
gether there are seven vows, three for the male practitioner and
four for the female practitioner. The upasaka and upasika are
the vows of the layman and laywoman, who are accorded this
status by going for refuge. The getsul, or shramanera, vows are
those of the novice monk, and the getsulma, or shramaneri, are
the vows of the novice nun. The vows of full ordination for a
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monk are gelong or bhikshu, and full ordination vows for nuns
are gelongma or bhikshuni. Women have a fourth vow called
gelopma, a training vow that is taken after the novice vow and
before full ordination.
Recognizing that life is very short and that time is very limited,
the Shravakayana practitioners do not indulge in superfluous
activities and they limit their needs for food and clothing.
They understand the suffering of the three lower realms and
they understand the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, and
death. They are frightened by these sufferings and they have an
immense desire to liberate themselves from samsara. With the
desire to experience liberation from samsara, they emphasize the
importance of not becoming attached to anything, particularly
pleasure. They give the analogy that as you are walking to your
death, the executioner offers you a delicious feast. How can
you enjoy it? This is to remind you to cut off all attachment
and give all your attention to achieve liberation from samsara
and attain nirvana.
Shravakayana practitioners understand enlightenment and

they also know that enlightenment is very far away. According
to them, it takes three limitless kalpas to come to the realiza-
tion of complete enlightenment. Consequently they are very
strict and very disciplined, especially in regards to abandoning
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negative actions and strictly adhering to the precepts and vows

they have taken. The strictness of the Shravakayana practitioner
is similar to a very strict king who establishes laws and, if his
subjects break these laws, they are executed. Based upon fear
everyone follows that law. Similarly, because of the distance of
enlightenment and fear of the lower realms, the shravakayana
practitioner understands the need to be strongly disciplined in
order not to accumulate any negative activities that hinder one’s
development toward freedom from samsara. That is why the
practices, disciplines, and vows of the Shravakayana practitioner
are very strict. There is no contradiction in the practice of the
Shravakayana practitioner and the Mahayana practitioner except
that the Shravakayana do not have a strong emphasis on wishing
to lead others to enlightenment.
Understanding the negative aspects of attachment to sensu-

ous pleasures and the great distance to enlightenment, the
Shravakayana practitioner realizes there is no time to waste in
pleasure and enjoyment. According to the Shravakayana it takes
three kalpas to reach enlightenment. Accumulating negative
karma by means of attachment will throw one to the lower
realms, consequently they strictly maintain their discipline.
They also try to overcome and purify their very subtle faults and
mistakes by applying the practice of sojong. So means “to restore”
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and jong means “to purify.” You engage in virtue and purify all
mistakes and wrongdoings, including the very subtle mistakes
done without awareness. Sojong practice is for maintaining the
purity of the disciplines and vows taken.
There are two classifications of sojong: Full-Moon Sojong or the

Sojong of Certain Time, and the Sojong of Uncertain Time. The
Full-Moon Sojong is practiced at a specific time, which is the
fifteenth day of the lunar month according to the Tibetan
calendar. Occasionally the fifteenth day is missing, in which
case the Full-Moon Sojong practice is done on the fourteenth
day of the lunar month. Sojong is purifying by confessing vows
broken and by renewing vows. It is necessary to have four fully
ordained monks present in order to perform sojong practice.
The second type of sojong is called the Sojong of Uncertain

Time because you practice the sojong at the time when you
realize you have broken a precept or vow. According to the
Shravakayana tradition, when you have broken a precept or
vow or have done something wrong, you practice the Sojong
of Uncertain Time. The individual sits in meditation posture
in one-pointed concentration recognizing that all conditioned
existence is impermanent, and at the same time understanding
the nature of suffering and that afflictive emotions cause our
suffering. Recognizing this, one tries not to produce further at-
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tachment to anything. Having established that idea, one further

recognizes that all phenomena are empty and that there is no
self. At this point one rests the mind in the natural state; all
phenomena are void of self.
What are the benefits of sojong? First you have to understand

that every negative action performed strengthens and increases
with time if it is not purified. It is just like a house. If you are
able to repair things as they break, then you are able to maintain
the house. If you let even minor repairs go, soon the house
deteriorates, and if you go so far as to let the foundation dete-
riorate, then the next thing that will happen is that everything
collapses. In the same way, the practitioner will be completely
purified by applying the sojong practice for minor wrongdoings,
errors, and transgressions of the precepts. Furthermore, by the
power of sojong you have prevented your major transgressions
from increasing, and by repeating sojong practice even major
transgressions to the vows will decrease so that slowly one can
be rid of them. That is the benefit of the sojong practice.
In the Shravakayana tradition the idea of strong discipline

is to prevent attachment to and craving for worldly things.
The Shravaka does not complain or make a fuss over worldly
existence. For example, the method Shravakayana practitioners
use to overcome the afflicting emotion of attachment is that
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whenever they have the temptation to be attached to their own

physical body, or to someone else’s body, they meditate on that
very body. In contemplating one’s own body, or that of someone
else, one realizes that the body is nothing but a skeleton. One
comes to the point of understanding that there is no point in
becoming attached to a skeleton.
To take this contemplation further, of course the skeleton is

covered with skin and underneath the skin there is meat and
blood. It is said that there are 84,000 bacteria underneath
the skin. If you think further, you see that there is pus and
all impure things in your own body and in the bodies of oth-
ers. Consequently there is no point clinging to or craving for
something that is so impure and filled with filth. Our bodies
are like rotten meat filled with uncountable maggots. How can
one be attached? They conclude that it is completely a delusion
to become attached to your own body or to that of somebody
else. This is the meditation to overcome attachment.
In addition to seeing the impure nature of our body or object

of our attachment, we must also understand that if we become
attached to such an object, we will experience pain and suffer-
ing. For example, when our body experiences illness, swelling,
or infection, the pain can be almost intolerable. Our body
sometimes prevents us from dedicating ourselves one hundred
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percent to practice because we have to take care of it all the

time, especially when we are sick. When we are cold we have
to wear warm clothing, and when we are hungry, we have to
eat. They are not saying that you have to completely abandon
concern about your well-being. The point that they are trying
to make is that you should not be overly attached to your body.
You must maintain good health and well-being so that you are
strong enough to concentrate and to practice Dharma. If you
are overly attached to the well-being and beauty of your body,
that time is taken away from practice time. In general, having
food and wearing clothes is like applying medicine. We do these
things so that we can have a good healthy body and are able to
practice.
There is also a meditation practice that the Shravakayana

practitioner performs as an antidote for hatred and anger. In
Tibetan we use the term she dang khong tro, “anger and hatred.”
The Shravakayana practitioner is not saying that you must go
to a place where there is no object for your anger. We cannot
go anywhere where we cannot experience some frustration or
anger. What is being explained here is how to understand the
nature of hatred and anger. First, we need to understand that
if we continue to engage with anger, it will deepen into hatred,
and that the karma we accumulate from hatred will take us
down to the lower realms. Understanding this consequence,
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we have some sense of compassion for ourselves, thinking, “I

do not want to hurt myself, I do not want to make myself fall
to the lower realms by engaging or participating in hatred or
anger.” With the knowledge of having compassion toward oneself
and understanding the consequences, you know you must not
participate in the four points.
The first point is that anger should not be met with anger. The
second one is that harsh words should not be met with harsh
words. If someone speaks harsh words, and if you reply with
harsh words, then it builds up and deepens the anger. The third
point is that you must not reveal the faults of others. If someone
is pointing out all your faults and mistakes, do not participate in
this degrading situation. The fourth point is that violence should
not be met with violence, physical or otherwise. The reason why
you should not participate in these four points, anger with anger,
harsh word with harsh word, revealing the faults of others, and
violence with violence, is you understand that by doing so the
karma you accumulate makes you fall down to the lower realms.
It is not that you have overcome the emotion of anger, but you
do not want to participate because you do not want to go into
deeper pain and suffering in the hell realm. Having some sense of
compassion toward oneself and having the fear of falling into the
lower realms, you abstain from participating in such activities.
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Next is how to handle ignorance in the Shravakayana tradition.

It is important to recognize that ignorance is the major problem
for those practitioners who waste time and are thus prevented
from practicing. One example of this would be wasting forty years
of an eighty-year life span in sleeping, and thus not practicing.
Recognizing this, one must make an effort to get up early in
the morning and go to bed late at night. One must engage in
whatever practices one has been given, such as chanting sadhanas,
sitting meditation, and walking meditation.
For those individuals who have the problem of falling asleep

while doing meditation practice, the following technique helps
to overcome this. As you sit in full lotus meditation posture,
have a vase full of water on your right shoulder, and meditate.
If you fall asleep or make any movement, the vase falls and of
course you feel the water pour onto you.
It is good to do practices such as circumambulating stupas,

monasteries, and statues; reading the Buddhist teachings; and
writing and copying Buddhist texts. It is also important to
establish a strong respect for all practitioners.
One must recognize that the root of one’s being in samsara is

attachment or fixation to the self, the fixation to “I.” Recogniz-
ing that, you examine your body to find the existence of this
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“I.” You will find there is no really solid, concrete identity that
you can find as this “I” that causes you to wander in samsara.
Not finding this “I” within the physical body, then examine the
mind to find this “I.” Mind is empty. There is nothing there that
is solid or concrete. You cannot find “I” or “self” in the mind.
Not finding that solid “I” in the physical body or in the mind,
you realize that the whole notion of your feeling this strong
existence of “I” is simply from the result of your fixation on “I.”
Recognizing that, you must meditate without any distraction
on the selfless nature. Here we are practicing the meditation
of no personal self.
In the Shravakayana tradition, when a practitioner comes out

of meditation, they recite a dedication prayer in order to real-
ize arhatship. Because of their connection to the practice, and
through the power and strength of their dedication prayer, they
will experience human birth, and when Maitreya Buddha comes
they will be present at his first teaching. At the very moment that
they hear Maitreya’s teaching, they will experience the realization
of arhatship. Similarly, anyone who has made a connection with
the Dharma through practice or circumambulating stupas and
Buddhist statues will experience arhatship during the second
appearance of Buddha. Even if they have not been diligent in
practice, with the proper aspiration prayer, by the virtue of the
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accumulation of merit, and by having made a connection with

the Dharma, they will experience realization.
It is of the utmost importance to maintain connection with

the Three Jewels — the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha
— because by maintaining the connection with the Three Jewels
you have the opportunity to experience liberation during the
appearance of the next Buddha. How do you know such a con-
nection will really help you to experience liberation? It is not
Karma Chakme’s fabrication, but rather it is a prediction from
Maitreya. Karma Chakme goes on to say that it is predicted that
the Red Hat Situ Rinpoche will appear as the fifth Buddha, and
the sixth will be Karmapa himself. If you have made a Dharmic
connection with His Holiness Karmapa or His Eminence Situ
Rinpoche by receiving names, cutting of the hair, or receiving
precepts such as the shramanera or bhikshu vows, you can
experience liberation immediately at the moment when either
the fifth Maitreya Buddha or the sixth Buddha appears.
If you make a Dharmic connection by receiving teachings in the

Shravakayana tradition, you attain the realization of arhatship.
If you make your connection through the Mahayana tradition
you attain the bodhisattva level of realization. If you make your
connection in the Tantrayana tradition you will attain complete
realization. This concludes the Shravakayana section.
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The Pratyekabuddha Tradition
This next section begins with NAMO GURU SINGHA NADA

YE, introducing the Pratyekabuddha tradition. Again, Karma
Chakme pays homage to his teacher and requests his student,
Tsondru Gyamtso, to listen carefully.
The Pratyekabuddha tradition is very similar to the Shravakayana

tradition in that they are frightened of the suffering of samsara
and strongly emphasize discipline and maintaining the purity of
the vows and precepts. Because of their strong sense of discipline,
they emphasize adopting the ten virtuous actions and avoiding
the ten unvirtuous actions.
The difference between the Pratyekabuddha tradition and the

Shravakayana tradition is that the Pratyekabuddhas use their
intellect to understand the idea of our wandering in samsara.
By using this wisdom they conclude that the root of samsara
is ignorance, the first of the twelve links of interdependent
origination. Because of ignorance one accumulates karma, which
is the second link. Karma leads one to experience conditioned
existence, and the means of experiencing conditioned existence is
through consciousness, which is the third link. This conditioned
“stream of consciousness” exists by the influence or power of
our accumulation of karma. This leads to the fourth link, called
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“name and form.” This refers to the five aggregates, of which

form is the first, followed by feeling, cognition, mental events,
and consciousness. These five aggregates are the basis for the
fifth link, the five perceptual entrances or sense faculties — eye,
ear, nose, tongue, touch, and mind. Through development of
the senses, one experiences contact with the world. This is the
sixth link, where there is contact between the sense organ and
the sense object. The sense faculty and the mind faculty contact
the object. All three come together. After that happens, one has
feelings, which is the seventh link. Through experiencing this
sensual contact you experience feeling, which can be pleasant,
unpleasant, or neutral. These feelings lead to the eighth link,
craving or grasping to that which is pleasant and rejecting or
avoiding that which is unpleasant. Having developed this crav-
ing or rejecting through feeling leads to the ninth link, which
is adoption or attachment. You make definite plans to acquire
the desired object or to avoid the undesired object. Through
clinging you come to the tenth link, of becoming. It is here
that one performs an action that creates karmic consequences
leading to the eleventh link, birth. Birth naturally leads to the
twelfth link, old age and death. Once you are born, you cannot
avoid old age and you cannot avoid death. This includes all the
problems, sufferings, and difficulties of life. The twelve links are
what is called the wheel of interdependence. Khorwa is Tibetan
for “wheel,” the endless circle of cyclic existence or samsara.
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Tendrel is Tibetan for “interdependence.” All twelve links are

interdependent and interconnected.
The Pratyekabuddha practitioner, recognizing that the cause of

samsara is ignorance, comes to the point of questioning what
ignorance is. If ignorance is the root of samsara, then you must
look at the nature of the mind. We know that there is no true
concrete identity of mind, but through ignorance, through not
knowing, we believe that there is a mind that is truly concrete. It
is ignorance that makes you strongly believe in the existence of
the mind. By looking at the nature of mind you will see that there
is no solid form of mind. Recognizing this and understanding
that ignorance causes you to believe in the existence of the mind,
whereas actually the mind has no concrete form or identity,
results in you uprooting your fixation on the personal self. If
you practice this frequently, through the wisdom that builds by
such meditation, you are able to uproot your fixation on the
phenomenal self as well. Phenomenal self is defined here as “the
outer phenomena or being.” Understanding those possibilities,
the Pratyekabuddhayana practitioner develops a sense of pride
that, “I will not experience rebirth in samsara again. Because
of this method I will overcome my ignorance by uprooting my
fixation on the personal self.” They feel so confident and they
feel strongly they can do it all alone. They do not feel they need
assistance from teachers or lamas. That is why they are called
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Pratyekabuddha, “self-victorious Buddha,” because they feel

victorious over everything. The Pratyekabuddhayana practitioners
dedicate the merit so that they will experience the highest goal,
which is arhatship.
In the Pratyekabuddha tradition, they do not give teachings and

they tend to prefer isolation. There are two categories in the
Pratyekabuddha tradition. The one called “group oriented” is a
very strict group of five hundred to one thousand Pratyekabud-
dha practitioners. The category called “individual oriented” do
not mix or practice with others, even other Pratyekabuddha
practitioners. These practitioners do not benefit others through
teaching but go from house to house and to their sponsors begging
for food. They will sometimes spontaneously perform miraculous
activities, such as levitating or producing flames around the
body. The sponsor is impressed and becomes quite devoted,
“Oh, this is an individual who is very realized.” Consequently
they pay respect with folded hands, thinking, “May I be able to
become a realized being like this individual.” That sentiment
alone can plant a seed that will help the sponsor and donor to
accumulate merit. At the present time there are no practitioners
of the Pratyekabuddha tradition in either category. It is said
that when Shakyamuni Buddha’s teaching era ends and before
the next buddha, Maitreya Buddha, appears, eighty thousand
Pratyekabuddhas will appear.
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The Outstanding Qualities of the

Bodhisattvayana
Karma Chakme begins by paying homage, NAMO GURU

KARUNI KA LO, and explains the outstanding qualities of the
Bodhisattvayana to Tsondru Gyamtso. “One has to understand why
the Bodhisattvayana is called the greater vehicle, the Mahayana.”
It is important to know the difference between the lesser and the

greater vehicles. The Shravakayana and the Pratyekabuddhayana
practitioners of the lesser vehicle do not have the altruistic
motivation of wanting to liberate every sentient being from the
suffering of samsara. In terms of prajna, their wisdom is such
that they have come to the realization of the personal no self,
but they have not come to the realization of the phenomenal
no self. That is why the Shravakayana and Pratyekabuddhayana
are called the lesser vehicle, or the Hinayana.
The greater vehicle is called the Mahayana. The Mahayana prac-

titioner has a tremendous sense of courage, the courage to bear
whatever suffering, physical or mental, that is necessary in order
to liberate every sentient being from samsara. The Shravaka and
the Pratyekabuddha practitioners do not have this courage to
bear the suffering of our pervasive pain, the experience of ups
and downs of the physical body, let alone the courage to bear the
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sufferings of all beings and to liberate all beings. Consequently

the Shravakayana and the Pratyekabuddhayana practitioners do
not want to live in samsara. Instead they aspire to go beyond
samsara and aim to attain nirvana in order to go beyond suffer-
ing and reincarnation. They are frightened by the experience
of suffering and aspire only to attain personal nirvana, called
arhatship. Because Shravakayana and Pratyekabuddhayana
practitioners have subdued the five afflicting emotions, they
do not have to experience rebirth.
Having subdued the afflicting emotions and having accomplished

profound meditation, they have given birth to the higher abilities
of clairvoyance and performance of miracles. While in a deep
meditative state they are able to see past and future lives; however,
this ability is limited to when they are in a profound meditative
state. By contrast the bodhisattvas are always omniscient; they
see and understand all past and future kalpas.
In order to properly engage with the greater vehicle, the first

thing one needs to do is to take the bodhisattva vow. There are
three types of individuals, and each one pursues the bodhisat-
tva path in a different manner. The highest type of bodhisattva
practitioner has the intention and wish to liberate every sentient
being so that they attain enlightenment before he or she does.
The average type of intention is when the bodhisattva practi-
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tioner wishes that all attain enlightenment together. There is

some emphasis on “me” here, whereas in the first one, you do
not care if you attain enlightenment or not. That is why it is
the highest category. The third one, the lesser type of intention,
is when the practitioner attains enlightenment first and then
leads all beings to enlightenment. In all three types, the highest,
the average, and the lesser type, the practitioner always has the
intention of liberating others, of benefiting all sentient beings.
This is the Mahayana path, not to exclude any sentient being.
If you do not include all sentient beings, complete enlighten-
ment is not possible. By cultivating the mind of wishing to
benefit all sentient beings, which includes yourself, you really
work to benefit every sentient being, to establish every one in
enlightenment. If you work sincerely for the benefit of every
sentient being, the merit you accumulate is so powerful that
you are naturally evolving toward realization. In the Mahayana
tradition, if you establish the mind that wishes to establish all
beings in the state of enlightenment, it takes limitless kalpas to
realize complete buddhahood. This may sound like a very long
time, but if you are not a Mahayana practitioner, you wander in
samsara for millions of limitless kalpas. Compared to that, three
limitless kalpas is nothing. It is like the difference between going
to prison for three years or going to prison for your entire life.
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Even Shakyamuni Buddha, before he was fully enlightened,

practiced the bodhisattva path and was able to cultivate the
altruistic mind within any kind of birth. We must understand
the advantages we have in this human birth with all of its positive
conditions and endowments and we must endeavor to practice
the Bodhisattvayana of perfect buddhahood. We must develop the
willpower and courage to cultivate bodhichitta. Once you have
taken the bodhisattva vow from a qualified teacher, it is important
to renew it as often as possible because you will probably make
mistakes and do things that are contradictory to the vow. The
Shravakayana and Pratyekabuddhayana precepts are very much
like a ceramic pot. If you break it, it is broken. The bodhisattva
vow is like a pot made out of pure gold: if you drop the pot, the
precious quality of the gold does not disappear. Even if the pot
is dented or misshapen, the gold never loses its quality. That is
the outstanding quality of the Bodhisattvayana; if you break your
vow, you can renew it. The manner of renewing the bodhisattva
vow is to visualize yourself in a buddha field like Dewachen and
invoke all the hosts of enlightened beings right in front of you,
feeling their very presence. Then confess whatever wrongdoing
you have committed, applying the seven-branch prayer.
Having learned to purify any wrongdoings against the bodhisattva

vow, next you learn how to continue to practice on the Bodhisattva
path. Although you have now engaged with the Bodhisattvayana,
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the afflicting emotions such as anger, hatred, attachment, and

passion are not immediately uprooted. An outstanding quality
of the Bodhisattvayana is learning to cope with the afflicting
emotions. If anger arises, you apply the remedy for anger, which
is loving-kindness. Loving-kindness is not solid and concrete
like a hammer you can use to crush your anger. Anger is simply
an idea of the mind. Loving-kindness is simply an idea of the
mind. What you are trying to do is to simply transform the idea
of anger to the idea of lovingkindness. When a person causes
you to be angry, it is important to remember that you have
taken a vow to benefit all sentient beings and that this person
is a sentient being. If you become angry, you are going against
your vow. You understand that the person causing you to be
angry may not be in the Dharma and is acting out of confusion.
You need to realize that you are on a different level because you
have taken the bodhisattva vow and you have knowledge of the
Dharma. Thinking like this, you must not react with anger to
whatever is causing you to be angry.
Suppose you have a very good mother that you dearly love. She
contracts a mental disease and due to the nature of the mental
disease becomes completely crazy and from then on continually
irritates you and makes you angry. You realize that you love your
mother very much and that you want to help her however you
can. You know that it is not her but rather the mental illness
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that is making you angry. Understanding this, you will try to

help her even more, rather than avoid her. In the same way, you
understand that it is not the person but rather the confusion
and lack of knowledge of the Dharma that is making you angry.
Knowing this, you have understanding and compassion rather
than frustration and anger.
The remedy for passion and attachment is quite similar to the

remedy used by the Shravakayana and Pratyekabuddhayana.
This view of the impurity of the body of self and others does not
mean that you degrade yourself or others. If you look directly
at your body, outer to inner, you will not find anything solid or
concrete. When passion or attachment arises, use this technique
of looking at your body, knowing that it is impermanent and
has no reality or truth.
The next afflicting emotion is ignorance. We often use the word

ignorant to describe someone who is uneducated; however, in
Dharmic terms ignorance is used to describe not knowing the
cause of why we are wandering in samsara. In the Pratyeka-
buddha tradition, they use the method of contemplation on a
corpse. From this they develop an understanding of the twelve
interdependent links. The bone reminds them of death. Death
has to come from birth, and so on. They work their way back
through the twelve links to the first link of ignorance. If one link
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is undone or eliminated, the chain of birth and death is broken.

For example if there is no ignorance, which creates karma, then
there is no cultivation of karma. If you cease to engage in one,
you are able to cease everything. This is very profound, and to
understand this is supreme wisdom. These techniques and the
example of the twelve deeds of Buddha Shakyamuni will help
you to overcome the ignorance of not knowing why you are
wandering in samsara. All twelve deeds of the Buddha explain
that there is nothing that is permanent or solid. Traditionally
in Tibet, people would recite the sadhana of The Twelve Deeds of
Buddha Shakyamuni as a reminder of impermanence.
It is not sufficient to apply the remedies we have given for

attachment, anger, and ignorance. You must also meditate.
Meditation is divided into two categories, shamatha, or sitting
meditation, and vipashyana, or insight meditation. We will first
introduce shamatha, or sitting meditation. In shamatha you are
developing concentration using the image of Buddha Shakyamuni
as the object of your concentration. If you are doing shamatha
meditation and you begin to feel dull or sleepy, concentrate on the
forehead of the Buddha. If you look at the statue of Shakyamuni
Buddha, you will see there is a white dot between the eyebrows.
Think that there is a very brilliant, almost intolerably brilliant,
light that radiates from this spot. Concentrate on that brilliance
of the light and continue to maintain the concentration. On
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the other hand, if while doing shamatha meditation your mind

becomes agitated and excited, concentrate on the crossed legs
of the Buddha, at the point where they cross. Concentrate and
maintain that concentration. If your mind is somewhat settled
and you are not in either extreme of feeling dull and sleepy
or excited and agitated, then simply concentrate on the heart
of the Buddha, and continue to maintain the stillness of your
mind. These are the techniques used to overcome the problems
you may have while doing shamatha meditation. It is said that
if you are able to maintain stillness of the mind, you are really
achieving the results of shamatha. The teachings that explain these
remedies are from the Buddha’s sutra known as Samadhi Raja.
Shamatha is Sanskrit and shinay is Tibetan. Shi means “calm.” Nay

means “abiding.” Therefore shinay means “calm abiding, free from
any disturbances, simply abiding on whatever you have chosen
to concentrate on.” It is said that through development of calm
abiding, one acquires some ordinary supernatural power, which
is called common siddhi. Some practitioners are able to foresee
the future or perform a quick miracle, and there are people who
regard this as a very high accomplishment. These are actually
ordinary and conditioned accomplishments, not regarded as the
ultimate level. Nevertheless shamatha, or calm abiding, is used
in Buddhism to develop to a higher level of meditation such as
vipashyana, lhaktong or insight meditation.
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With insight meditation the Shravakayana and Pratyekabud-

dhayana come to the point of realizing no personal self. “No
personal self” means that there is no true concrete identity that
you can pinpoint and say, “That is the self; that is the I.” They
come to this point through the use of their logical intellect.
Taking one’s body and looking at each part, from crown to
toes, one tries to find what we call self. Although each part of
our body has its own name, you cannot find the location of an
“I.” Consequently you come to the conclusion that everything is
simply the accumulation of many particles that you have labeled
as “I” and that, in reality, there is no true “I” or self. Recognizing
this, you intellectually understand that there is no personal self,
no personal identity of the self.
In the Mahayana tradition, in addition to recognizing that there

is no personal self, they go deeper and recognize that there is no
phenomenal self as well. For example, there is a pillar, which you
can all see. It looks so concrete, so solid, and so real, but there
is no such thing as “pillar.” If you divide the pillar, it has a top,
bottom, and an in-between. If you say “top-pillar,” that is not
the pillar. It is the top part of the pillar. If you say “bottom,” is
that the pillar? No, because it is the bottom part of the pillar.
In between is also not the pillar. Then you think, “What is this
very solid-looking pillar made of? Many, many material things.”
If you know how to break it down, there are names for all the
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materials, but there is no such thing as “pillar” that stands on

its own terms. In short, one gets down to particles of atoms.
Next you ask, “Who is aware of these atoms? Is it the mind or
is it awareness? Has mind itself a solid, concrete identity?” No.
You realize, therefore, the emptiness of the phenomenal self in
addition to the realization of the emptiness of the personal self.
If you are aware of no phenomenal self for one particular object,
for example the pillar, then through logic you know that all
phenomena have no true self. You do not have to examine every
individual phenomenon. It is like cutting bamboo. If you cut one
bamboo tree and see that the inside is hollow, then you know
that all bamboo trees are hollow inside. The great panditas used
this analytical meditation to come to the point of intellectually
understanding no personal self and no phenomenal self. This
idea of self is simply labeled and fixated in our mind as truth.
Beyond that there is no true concreteness of the personal self
or the phenomenal self.
The intellectual understanding of the empty nature of phenomena

and the empty nature of self can be developed through analytical
meditation, the logical means of meditation. The actual realiza-
tion of the meditation develops in the following way. Using
analytical meditation to come to an understanding of emptiness
or shunyata brings you to the first bhumi and takes one kalpa.
In the second kalpa you climb to the seventh bhumi. Then in
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the third kalpa you climb to what is known as the three pure
bhumis — the eighth, ninth, and tenth.
There are the three obscurations: the obscuration of kleshas

or afflicting emotions, the obscuration of wisdom, and the
obscuration of habitual patterns. From the first to the seventh
bhumi, you are overcoming the obscuration of the kleshas and
the obscuration of wisdom, and by the time you actually reach
the seventh bhumi, you have completely purified both the
obscuration of kleshas and the obscuration of wisdom. From
the seventh bhumi to the ninth bhumi, you are overcoming the
obscuration of habitual patterns. By the tenth bhumi you are free
from the obscuration of habitual patterns, and by the eleventh
bhumi, the buddha bhumi, you have completely purified all
three obscurations. In the eleventh bhumi you are developing
enlightened qualities, such as the qualities to perform the twelve
deeds of the Buddha.
His Holiness Karmapa is a fully realized being; the obscura-

tions are completely removed and he is the embodiment of all
enlightened beings. He is fully enlightened and manifests in many
different forms to benefit sentient beings. Because we are not
enlightened, it is very difficult for us to see and meet him at his
level. For this reason he has come to us in nirmanakaya form in
order to teach and benefit us. We must also keep in mind that
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His Holiness Karmapa not only manifests buddha activity as

a human being but also manifests as an animal, bird, or insect
in order to benefit those beings. Sometimes he manifests as a
medicinal plant to cure disease. The manner and extent to which
His Holiness manifests is unimaginable.
There is a difference between enlightenment and complete

enlightenment. When you are enlightened, but not ultimately,
your personal realization is complete. It is not called ultimate
enlightenment because you still have to accomplish the qualities
of the twelve deeds of a Buddha in order to benefit the limit-
less sentient beings. In the absence of afflicting emotions and
obscurations, one’s enlightened qualities, one’s buddha qualities
are fully developed. When you are completely and ultimately
enlightened, you can turn the wheel of Dharma just like Buddha
Shakyamuni and benefit all beings of all capacities.
Karma Chakme explains that all his teachings and all his com-
mentaries regarding the Shravakayana tradition, the Pratyeka-
buddhayana tradition, the Bodhisattvayana tradition, as well
as that of the personal no self and phenomenal no self were
done without pride or the feeling that he had any ability to
present such a teaching. Karma Chakme continues to explain
that his teachings are based entirely on his guru the omniscient
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Dharmeshvara’s teachings, and because of that he feels confident

that what he presented has some meaning and will bear fruit.
These teachings were given by Karma Chakme, who describes

himself as old and ignorant with a defective memory, to his
student Tsondru Gyamtso, who with devotion and realizing the
preciousness of the teachings, wrote them down.
STUDENT: I have seen the symbol of the eternal knot and I was
wondering if you could explain why we visualize this in the
heart of the Buddha.
RINPOCHE: If you look at the symbol for the knot of eternity,

there is no beginning and no end. This symbolizes the truth
that the Buddha’s knowledge and wisdom has no beginning
and no end; it is limitless. It also symbolizes your own state of
equipoise, which is neither dull nor excited. Your mind is in an
equal state, so you concentrate on the knot of eternity that has
no beginning and no end.
STUDENT: My question is twofold. As you taught earlier, it is

clear that if you orient yourself toward self, as the arhats do, you
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will eventually short-circuit your movement toward complete

enlightenment. Is it also possible to do the reverse, to get so
wrapped up in other people and doing things for others that
you lose sight of your path and your own self? Even in Christian
teaching it says that you shall love others as you love yourself, not
less than but not more than either. To give a concrete example, in
a work situation I tend to be a nice person. I try to be compas-
sionate to someone and they repeatedly take advantage of me
over and over again. How is it possible to gracefully deal with
that situation in terms of compassion? Eventually you cannot
let people take advantage of you either.
RINPOCHE: Yes, in some sense it is very true what you have

quoted from Christianity. You should love others as much as
yourself. This is not contradictory to the bodhisattva wish. We
have said that there are three types of bodhisattva practitioners.
Today we were explaining the highest type. The average type is
exactly what you have said, love others or benefit others as much
as you can benefit yourself. What we have to keep in mind is that
there are two aspects to the bodhisattva path, commitment and
practice. We are beginners on this path, and if you maintain your
commitment, you will see what power and strength you have.
Do your best and at the same time keep the wish that sooner
or later you will be able to benefit every sentient being. By the
time you attain full fruition of bodhisattvahood, at that moment
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you will have no resistance. Whatever people do to you, taking

advantage of you or annoying you, nothing can shake your mind
because you have achieved that level. Even if someone asks for
his hand, flesh, or bone, the bodhisattva, without a moment of
hesitation, when he knows that it is beneficial, will actually give
his own flesh and bone to the person. We are not at that level,
so we must not think that we have to act that way. We have to
act according to our level, but mentally we have to maintain the
commitment “I want to benefit every sentient being.”
STUDENT: I am thinking of taking the bodhisattva vow and

agree to refrain from absolute enlightenment until every sentient
being in the universe has also attained enlightenment. Is there
some contradiction there? If there are an infinite number of
beings in all the universes, then how can you ever reach that
point of absolute final enlightenment?
RINPOCHE: The interesting part is that the less you expect,

the quicker the result. The more you expect something, the
slower the fruition and result. The commitment not to attain
full enlightenment until all sentient beings are established in
buddhahood is true unconditional love and compassion to all
beings and a true and sincere sign of selflessness. There is no
mark of personal need. When we say that we want to reach
enlightenment together with them or before them, there is
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some string, a little bit of a stain of selfish notion. To say “until

I empty samsara and all sentient beings are enlightened” is a true
sign of love and compassion toward all beings, and there is no
selfish motive whatsoever. When there is no selfish motive, the
merit that you accumulate by working free from expectation is
unimaginable. You are, day by day and week by week, developing
merit and you are climbing to the bhumis of enlightenment
naturally. You are climbing up because of true selflessness. The
more you think “I want,” the more slowly you climb up. This is
really the outcome of the selfless nature or selfless quality. This
kind of bodhisattva actually attains enlightenment faster.
STUDENT: It is said that the buddhas do not liberate anyone.

We have to practice and that is why they teach. If we take the
vow not to attain enlightenment until all beings have attained
enlightenment, how can I do that unless I teach everyone how
to be enlightened when I am not enlightened?
RINPOCHE: Traditionally the idea is that by taking the bodhisat-

tva precepts you promise that until all beings are enlightened
you will not attain enlightenment. Now that you have the strong
determination to really bring beings to enlightenment, you should
be very willing to first dedicate your time to developing the
qualities of learning. Through developing the qualities of learning
Buddhism, whatever you have learned and understood well you
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can teach, from a philosophical point of view, to others. Having

learned well and because of your determination to benefit all
sentient beings and establish all beings in enlightenment, you
are also willing to practice and do retreats. When you put what
you have learned into your practice, you gain actual experience.
Now you are no longer simply a scholar but a teacher. At the
beginning you teach the literal meaning and later when you gain
experience from practice you teach the experiential meaning.
Taking the bodhisattva vow means that, if you are able, you
should be willing to teach. If you are able to teach and you are
not willing to do so, then you are not on the bodhisattva level.
STUDENT: Are there buddhas who did not teach?
RINPOCHE: No, there are not really any enlightened beings who
have never taught. When enlightened beings spontaneously teach,
each individual hears at their own particular level. When Buddha
Shakyamuni taught, those who were not fully developed in the
wisdom aspect of their mind heard only the Hinayana teaching.
At the same time, the Mahayana-level student, who was more
developed, heard both the Hinayana and the Mahayana levels
of teaching. Those at the Vajrayana level heard all three levels
of teaching — the Hinayana, the Mahayana, and the Vajrayana
— together at the same time. The Buddha spontaneously taught
all three levels at exactly the same time.
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STUDENT: You spoke today about how arhats have to practice

for eighty thousand kalpas before they achieve enlightenment.
Suppose I attain enlightenment in this lifetime and I do so for
the sake of all sentient beings. Do I liberate those arhats even
though they have not practiced for eighty thousand kalpas?
RINPOCHE: The bodhisattva prayer says, “May I be able to

provide happiness to those with no happiness and liberation for
those not yet liberated.” If you were to attain liberation in this
lifetime and you had the sincere aspiration to liberate all those
not yet liberated, then yes, you could liberate them. Through
prayer and the help of enlightened beings, the arhats do not
always have to exhaust all those kalpas to be liberated. This is
a general explanation.
STUDENT: I was not quite clear on something. It seems like you

were indicating that if you are a bodhisattva, you are potentially
engaged in a process that may never end. Once you take the
bodhisattva vow and you have attained a certain state, you
have got a job and that job is for eternity. Is that a possibility?
Based on that, even Gautama Buddha may not have attained
absolute enlightenment because he still may be out there working
somewhere too. Is this a correct assessment?
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RINPOCHE: The bodhisattva precept is a goal, and one tries

to always keep this in mind. Leading the life of a bodhisattva,
someone completely untouched by any stain of selfish motives,
the accumulation of merit is unimaginable. Attaining enlight-
enment in this manner, by simply working for the benefit of
others, is not against our commitment. It is merit that powers
us to our goals, and based on that, it is similar to one individual
trying to benefit and liberate all beings. In some sense your
question is very true. If Shakyamuni Buddha has taken bodhisat-
tva vows and has attained enlightenment, is this against the
bodhisattva precepts? Not really. Having established the mental
goal of wanting to liberate every sentient being and working
with that mental goal, by the power of the merit and wisdom,
having come to full realization of buddhahood, Shakyamuni’s
buddha activity is unimaginable, benefiting beings everywhere.
This is the outcome of such motivation. It is said that Buddha
Shakyamuni, having attained full enlightenment, can emanate
a hundred billion emanations to benefit beings in the hundred
billion different realms. This power and capacity is the outcome
of the altruistic mind. Although bodhisattvas have power, it does
not equal the power of the enlightened beings that emanate to
a hundred billion realms. This is the result of the bodhisattva
aspiration and commitment.
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STUDENT: First, can a person be a real Buddhist if she does not

believe in reincarnation, and second, would you please explain
reincarnation to me?
RINPOCHE: An individual who does not believe in reincarna-

tion or rebirth does not see the need of developing themselves
for the next birth. Because of not being able to see the need for
improving oneself for the next birth, one does not really feel the
need to adopt virtuous actions and avoid nonvirtuous actions.
One does not feel that it is necessary. In Buddhism we practice
virtue and try not to intentionally engage in nonvirtuous action.
Based on that, we cannot put down a really firm line and say
that if you do not believe in reincarnation, you cannot become
a Buddhist. It is difficult. In order to understand reincarnation,
we need to understand that all beings are made up of body,
speech, and mind. You could say that your parents gave you
your body. Regarding the mind, there is no direct connection
between the mind, or consciousness of the parents and the mind,
or consciousness of the child. According to Tibetan Buddhism,
the mind is the consciousness of the continuity of our previous
lives. The consciousness of mind goes along with one’s own
habitual patterns that have developed by virtuous and nonvirtu-
ous actions. As a result of the karma that you have cultivated,
you experience pain and suffering or happiness in this lifetime.
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The mind is independent and personal. It is similar to planting

crops; when you cultivate a seed, it produces the same: rice
becomes rice and corn becomes corn. Sometimes the condition
of the soil or the weather affects the quality, but otherwise it
does not change. Reincarnation of the consciousness is differ-
ent. Since the karmic seeds planted and cultivated include the
afflictive emotions, it is not certain we will be reborn in the
human realm. The fruition of whatever we cultivate, including
our afflictive emotions, is how we experience rebirth. Good or
bad rebirth is based on how we have cultivated proper karma
and improper karma. This is the idea behind reincarnation or
rebirth. If you have not cultivated any karmic seeds, you will not
have to experience rebirth. If you have cultivated good or bad
karmic seeds, the results will show in your rebirth as success or
failure, pain or happiness.
STUDENT: You said that the Pratyekabuddha often performs

miracles for the patron in order to give inspiration. Why shouldn’t
a bodhisattva do that?
RINPOCHE: Bodhisattvas perform miracles when they see that it

is necessary or beneficial. Bodhisattvas benefit beings by teaching
and providing the method. When people are not ready to open
themselves to the teaching, even a miracle would not help. It is
very much like when we see our reflection in a mirror and we
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recognize ourselves. Some mental reaction is there. If you put a

stone in front of the mirror, the stone has no reaction. Showing
a miracle to an individual who is not at all ready is like putting
a stone in front of a mirror. There is no reaction whatsoever.
Bodhisattvas perform miracles in many ways. Sometimes we are

not pure enough to see the miracle in the sense that our mental
obscurations are too strong. Before Buddha Shakyamuni passed
away, he said that his teachings would continue without breaking
the transmission and that great teachers such as Asanga and
Nagarjuna would maintain the continuity.
There is a story about Asanga. He was given the practice of

the bodhisattva Maitreya. Unless he was able to perfect the
practice, he would not have the ability to strongly establish the
Buddhadharma and continue the transmission. Having received
this practice, Asanga went into retreat for one year. In order to
perfect the practice of the bodhisattva Maitreya, Asanga was
required to actually see Maitreya. Until then he had to practice.
Asanga practiced intensely for one year, yet there were no signs
of seeing the bodhisattva Maitreya at all. He became very discour-
aged and walked away, thinking that it was not really possible
to really see the bodhisattva Maitreya. As he walked down into
the valley, Asanga saw an old man rubbing a very fine cloth on
a big piece of metal pipe. Out of curiosity, Asanga asked the old
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man what he was doing. The old man explained that he needed
a needle to sew his clothing and that by rubbing the metal pipe
with fine cloth, some day the metal would become so well worn
that it would be as fine as a needle. Asanga was astonished at
the patience the old man exhibited just for the sake of worldly
activity. Thinking that he had left his retreat after only one year,
he decided to return.
During the second year there was no direct sight of Maitreya,

and again Asanga walked out of the retreat. This time he saw a
man rubbing a wet feather and sand against a huge rock. Part
of the rock was slightly worn out through the constant rubbing.
When Asanga inquired of the man what he was doing, the
man responded that his house was behind the rock and that
the rock prevented the sun from shining into his house. The
man explained that by rubbing the rock with the feather and
sand, he hoped to one day be rid of the rock. Asanga was once
again astonished at the lengths to which people go for worldly
activity, while he was leaving retreat after only two years, so he
went back into retreat.
During the third year nothing happened again. Asanga really

got discouraged and again walked out of retreat. As he walked,
he saw a wounded dog. Half of the dog’s body was filled with
wounds that were covered with pus and blood. The upper part
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of the body was all right, but the dog was barking with anger.
When Asanga looked carefully at the wound, every part of the
wound was filled with maggots. Asanga was amazed that while
half of the dog’s body was so wounded, the dog still showed a
great deal of anger. Asanga felt so much compassion, more than
he had ever felt before, and he really wanted to help clean the
wound and remove the maggots, but using his hands would mean
harming the maggots. He thought the best method would be to
gently scoop out the maggots with his tongue. With his limitless
compassion, he knelt down and tried to scoop up the maggots
from the wounds. Because there were maggots, pus, and blood,
Asanga closed his eyes and tried to reach down to remove the
maggots. As he reached down, he fell to the ground. When he
opened his eyes, before him stood Maitreya. Asanga said, “So
many years of practice; why did you not come?” Maitreya said,
“I was with you all the time. I was never separated from you, but
because your obscurations were so thick, you were able to see me
only as a human. The intense compassion you have developed
burned away your obscurations. The very patient men that you
encountered were actually me, but due to your obscurations at
the time, you saw me as an ordinary human being. Now you
see me as Maitreya.” Bodhisattvas are always there and they are
sometimes performing miracles, but we are not pure enough
to see them.
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STUDENT: Bodhisattvas are always performing miracles, but

we are too dense to see them?
RINPOCHE: Obscuration is like darkness. It is not something

solid or concrete. Let us say that the building is always there,
even at night. The reason you cannot see the building so clearly
at night is because of the darkness. The building does not disap-
pear, but the darkness obscures our vision.
STUDENT: Do bodhisattvas think that it is harmful to levitate

in front of other beings?
RINPOCHE: Sometimes they do not perform miracles because,

although it is not particularly harmful, it is not beneficial.
Sometimes they may be performing miracles such as flying,
but people cannot see it. An example of one bodhisattva who
could perform miracles is Milarepa. Milarepa could fly from
one mountain peak to another. He did not have to walk, he just
flew. Some people could see this, but few people developed a
sense of devotion. Some people who disliked him, such as his
uncle, told others that it was magic being exhibited and warned
them not to go under the shadow of the flying Milarepa or they
would be cursed. Consequently people tried to run away from
the shadow of Milarepa. For those people the miracle was of no
benefit whatever.
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STUDENT: You said that when we break any of the bodhisattva

vows, we should try to repair them as soon as possible, that we
should visualize the buddha field and feel the presence of the
buddhas and confess and use the seven-line prayer. Was Rinpoche
referring to making prostrations and offerings and so on?
RINPOCHE: The seven-branch prayer is included in the Chen-

rezik practice. While you are reciting the prayer, you can repent
any wrongdoings and renew your vow. That is the advantage of
the Chenrezik practice. You are renewing everything because
the sevenbranch prayer is included. You do not need to do it
separately if you are participating in the Chenrezik prayers every
day. If you want to do it separately, that is fine.
STUDENT: If we recognize our wrongdoing and we do not have

time to meditate, can we do it later on?
RINPOCHE: Later on is fine. As a beginner it is important that

you practice Chenrezik or renew your precepts once a day.
STUDENT: Sometimes when I do something wrong, I realize it

and I confess it and I really feel regret. I have a problem when I
get to the part of promising not to do it again. In some events I
feel very strongly that I do not want to do it again, but in some
events I feel that I am not certain. I might do it again because
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there are certain things that are so difficult to change. I do not

want to be lying to the buddhas or to my guru, so I want to
find a way to confess. Sometimes I say that I will try my best or
something like that, but I do not know if that is appropriate.
RINPOCHE: That is a very honest question and it is not only

you. Everyone suffers from this since nobody can guarantee
that they will never repeat the action. If somebody really can
guarantee that he will never repeat a wrongdoing, then from
that moment they are completely purified from wrongdoing and
negative activity. In your case, the best thing is to promise to try
your best not to repeat it. At the same time, commit yourself to
confessing every day. For a beginning practitioner, confessing
and purifying every day helps one not to accumulate negative
karma. We are committing ourselves to purifying every day, as
well as doing our best not to repeat our negative actions. That
is the best way.
STUDENT: If there is no inherent existence in anything except

mind, as you said this morning with the example of the pillar,
then what is it that we are experiencing right now at this mo-
ment? Is it a projection of primordial mind?
RINPOCHE: The appearance is always there. Right now what

you see happening is the appearance, a perception of the ap-
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pearance. When we are experiencing the appearance, not only

are we experiencing the appearance, we have some sense of
fixation that the appearance is true and real, whereas in truth
it does not exist. Even when you attain enlightenment, you
can still experience the appearance of this, but you go beyond
fixation and attachment. From the point of view of emptiness
there is no concrete permanence, but there is always appearance,
which is free from any fixation. When you come to the point
of recognizing that there is no reality or truth to the appear-
ance that you experience, then you are able to overcome the
attachment and grasping to that appearance. For example, you
suddenly hit your head against the pillar and say, “The pillar
hurt my head.” In reality there is no pillar. There is no solid
concrete pillar. In some sense, when you use your intellect and
logic, that which we call “pillar” is really a combination of many
small particles such as atoms. If you think of the head itself,
there is no one independent identity that we call “head.” The
head is an accumulation of many parts, such as “bone” or “skin,”
and is also a combination of atomic particles. There is no hitter
and no thing to be hit. Neither is real. The pillar is not real. The
head that felt the pain is not real. In some sense the form of the
appearance is similar to a rainbow that has no solid concrete
appearance. Realizing this, you come to the point of knowing
that both the pillar and the head have no solid concrete truth
to their existence. Understanding that there is no truth to the
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existence of anything you now experience, you do not cling or

grasp to whatever you see. Usually we react in one of two ways.
If we like something, we grasp and become attached to it, and
if we dislike something, we reject it. Understanding the truth of
existence, you are able to go beyond attachment and aversion.
Whenever you feel something is good and knowing it has no
reality, you do not grasp it. In the same way if something is bad,
knowing it has no reality, you do not reject it. This is the whole
point of intellectually understanding emptiness.
It is important to keep in mind that intellectual understanding

and actual realization are very different. Of course, one has to
start with intellectual understanding. We have explained the
logic and intellectual understanding of nonexistence. It is only
logical that if you quickly walk into a pillar, you will probably
hurt yourself. Even though we intellectually understand the
emptiness of phenomena, we still grasp and cling to their real-
ity. With complete realization people can walk through walls.
There have been many great teachers who have been able to do
so. Another example is that of His Holiness the Seventeenth
Karmapa, whose handprints are found in stone. Knowing that
stone has no relative truth, he can make handprints or footprints
in stone. Those are manifestations of realization, and that is
the difference between intellectual understanding and actual
realization.
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STUDENT: Just a further question on this. In The Dhammapada it

says, “Be a lamp unto yourself” and “Only you can free yourself,
no other.” We can be in the condition of ignorance and transcend
it. If we can put an end to it, would it not stand to reason that
at some point in some primordial archaic past, kalpas ago, we
started it in the first place ourselves?
RINPOCHE: I am not familiar with The Dhammapada. It seems

it is from the Hinayana tradition. In some sense, yes, there is
always truth to the fact that if we individually do not make an
effort, we cannot experience liberation. Liberation is only possible
through individual effort. Nobody can give us liberation without
our personal work and effort. Secondly, on the bodhisattva level,
we are really practicing hard making an extreme effort in order
to liberate all sentient beings. The mental state is different. Yes,
we have been retaking birth for infinite kalpas. Ignorance and
delusion never age and they will never bring us to the point
of needing liberation. Until we really come to the point of
understanding how important it is to experience liberation,
we do not make the effort to experience enlightenment. And
until then we are always under the influence, the power, of this
delusion and ignorance, which is ageless. Time does not matter
to this afflictive emotion.
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STUDENT: Is my interpretation correct, then, that there really

was no beginning to this process? And that even though we
can attain a very high degree of liberation and enlightenment,
there really is not an ending to the process either? Maybe I am
thinking in terms of beginnings and ends on a relative plane,
rather than on an absolute plane, like the beginning of ignorance
and the end of ignorance.
RINPOCHE: Yes, in the general sense; no, in the individual sense.

Generally, in all beings there is no beginning or end to ignorance.
Individually, like Buddha Shakyamuni, at the beginning there
was ignorance. Then he was able to end it, so there was an end
to that ignorance.
STUDENT: Could you repeat and clarify what the approach to

the three precepts in the Kagyupa tradition is?
RINPOCHE: Today we went over a description of the slight

differences among the different schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
In the next section we will discuss each school in detail. Because
you asked this question, we will go over the Kagyupa briefly
now. Then next time we will know a little more and it will
easily become clear. In the Kagyupa tradition, first one takes
the self-liberating precepts, which are very similar to the vinaya
discipline. The vinaya precepts include all of the following: the
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refuge vow, the upasaka vow, and the shramanera vow applied
to both men and women. It also includes the vows of fully
ordained monk and nun, or bhikshu and bhikshuni vows. All
of these are included in the vinaya precepts. Once you have
taken them, then you come to the bodhisattva precepts. In the
Kagyupa tradition the vinaya is strict physical discipline and the
bodhisattva precept is mental discipline. The vinaya precept has
to do with being mindful and aware of one’s physical conduct
and discipline, and the bodhisattva precept has to do with be-
ing mindful and aware of one’s mental state. We include both
the mental and the physical disciplines together. You do not
leave one having obtained the other. Both are now integrated.
Finally you engage in Tantrayana, called secret Mantrayana.
When you are in the secret Mantrayana tradition, you do not
give up the precepts of the vinaya or the Bodhisattvayana, but
rather include both, maintaining the strong outer discipline of
the vinaya and maintaining the strong inner discipline of the
mind of the Mahayana.
What is the practice of the secret Mantrayana? Among many

others, there are the secret practices of the nadis, chakras, and
bindu. Because they are secret practices, it is sometimes necessary
to practice in solitude or in the traditional three-year, three-month
retreat. The accomplishment of such practices really depends on
the individual. You cannot always say that those who have been
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in a three-year retreat will have it all accomplished. It depends

on how well and how properly they practice. It is not that the
years will give them a high degree of accomplishment, but rather
it is the quality of the practice that gives accomplishment. An
individual having accomplished this is someone who upholds the
three precepts of the vinaya, of the Bodhisattvayana, and of the
Tantrayana. Because of such high tantric accomplishments they
can perform miracles. They would never perform miracles for the
sake of amusement, but if they see it is absolutely necessary for
the benefit of sentient beings, they would. For example, when
Tilopa accomplished these practices, he went to a particular
village. He knew that if he performed a miracle, all the people
in this village would benefit. He levitated to the height of seven
palm trees. Accomplished individuals can do this; however, they
would not perform a miracle if they see that some people will
get confused or irritated by such magic. If they are not open, it
could arouse anger or antipathy in the people. An accomplished
being would never want to plant a seed of anger in anyone. Even
though they are highly accomplished practitioners, they live very
humbly. His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Holiness Karmapa
are very accomplished, but live as simple, ordinary monks.
STUDENT: You said karma is strongly related to interdependence.

Is one’s experience, then, completely a result of karma?
224
RINPOCHE: There was a seed cultivated in the past and you are
able to experience the fruition of that seed now. By cultivating a
seed now, you experience the fruition of the seed in the future.
We are at present experiencing the fruition of the past seed that
we have cultivated. Seed refers to the karma that we plant and
cultivate, and it is the fruition of this seed, this karma, that we
experience as happiness, sadness, success, and misfortune. The
experience that has happened is because of karma. Our reac-
tion to that experience can plant more karma, either positive
or negative. What is happening is that we are again sowing the
seeds of karma, depending on whether we respond with frustra-
tion and negativity or if we respond cheerfully and with some
degree of positivity. It is individual. Karma, cause and effect and
interdependence are almost synonymous.
STUDENT: Does anything happen to us that is not a result of

karma?
RINPOCHE: First of all, your being a human being is your karma.

In addition to being human, whatever ups and downs, good or
bad fortune that you experience, that is also your karma. In the
human realm, by using the proper methods and remedies, one
can sometimes overcome the ripening of karma. Everything
experienced is related to karma.
225
STUDENT: Can one say that things are empty because every-
thing that we experience is a product of our karma, because the
experience is a projection of our karma?
RINPOCHE: That is quite right, because you have to completely

exhaust karma in order to come to the realization of emptiness
or shunyata. What we sometimes fail to understand is that there
is a difference between intellectual understanding and actual
realization. It is easy to hear about emptiness, but to really
come to the realization is very, very different. When you exhaust
karma completely, then you come to the complete realization
of emptiness.
STUDENT: Can you have glimpses of emptiness before you

exhaust karma?
RINPOCHE: As one progresses toward realization, one’s obscura-

tions sort of thin and one begins to have very vague experiences
of emptiness. I am using the word vague here to show that
the levels are so different. You cannot even have a glimpse of
complete emptiness until you reach the high bhumis. On our
level it is really difficult to have a glimpse of emptiness; however,
once you come to the realization of emptiness, then you never
fall back. You never lose that experience. That is the advantage
of the true realization of emptiness. If this were not so, we
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could think that enlightened beings who have come to the full
realization of emptiness may sometimes lose it and fall back.
They never fall back. That is the true realization of emptiness.
Once you realize it, you never lose that experience whatsoever.
I emphasize that the realization of emptiness is very different
from the intellectual understanding of emptiness. Many people
make the mistake of thinking that emptiness means everything
disappears and there is nothing. Consequently they do not really
make much effort to actually realize emptiness.
STUDENT: I have always thought that Buddhism is not really

a religion or a faith so much as an empirical system, a system
whereby you are given a method, something to try out. You try
it out, it works, and you move on. This is in contrast to some
of the other religions where they say you have to believe this
because we say so. Is it correct to describe Buddhism not so much
as faith but as a system of realization that is not really on the
same level as the other religions? They say you have to believe
because it is a revelation from God and that you cannot question
it. For example, in other religions it is not something you can
discover because it is something only God knows.
RINPOCHE: Sometimes you have to identify something. Therefore

maybe people classify Buddhism as a religion, although it does
not belong in that category. On the other hand, we cannot say
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it is not religion. When we have to classify something, we do so

by using the outstanding quality and identifying characteristic
of that object. Similarly, the term Buddhism is used by the whole
world to identify the Buddha’s teachings. In Tibetan we use
the term nangpa to describe those who practice the Buddha’s
teachings. Nang means “inner,” and pa means “practitioner.” The
reason why it is called “inner practitioner” is that our mind has
both defect and quality. The “defect aspect of mind” is simply
all the neurosis and afflictive emotions that cause us to wander
aimlessly in samsara. We do not simply end there by saying that
the mind is bad. The “quality aspect of mind” is that we can
overcome afflictive emotions and reach enlightenment. Buddha
realized the “quality aspect of mind” and taught the method of
how to do so and become free of the “defect aspect of mind” by
following the vinaya, the sutras, and the tantras. One tries to
practice exactly as the Buddha explained in the tradition that
one is following. With consistency and some faith and confidence
in the teachings and the practice, one experiences the results.
STUDENT: Many of us have been raised in the West, and in the

Christian faith you simply have to accept and believe without
asking questions. Nor do you need to practice to demonstrate
internally whether something is real and true, you just accept
it on blind faith.
228
RINPOCHE: We may use the same terminology, but the mean-

ing of the term may be different. Your idea of faith is from the
Christian background, whereas in Buddhism we do not use the
term faith. In Buddhism faith is a clear, complete, total under-
standing that is developed by studying and asking questions
and then cutting through all the doubt. When you come to the
point where it makes sense and is true, your own mind becomes
free from doubt and this is what we call faith. It is absolutely
not blind faith. Blind faith is, like you said, that you cannot
ask questions and you just simply have to believe. In Buddhism
there is no such idea. Secondly, you study about Buddha and
learn how the achievement of buddhahood is getting beyond
all the afflictive emotions. However, when Buddha did this, it
did not mean that he had become a person who had no feeling.
Enlightenment does not mean that you have to go to a level
where you have no feeling whatsoever. You have tremendous
love and compassion that is unconditional. Furthermore you
have gone beyond the discriminative mind to an equal state of
mind. You have developed a complete sense of wisdom, knowing
what is best for the beings you want to benefit as well as what
is not beneficial.
How Buddha reached that level is found in the Dharma, the

teachings of the Buddha, which are precisely the way he prac-
ticed. The good thing about Buddha’s teaching is that before he
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became enlightened, he was an ordinary, confused being like us,

a being under the power of ignorance and attachment. Using
this method of Dharma practice, he overcame afflictive emo-
tions. It is encouraging that we all have the opportunity to reach
enlightenment. When we come to the point that the teachings
make sense and we have also developed personal confidence that
we can reach enlightenment just like the Buddha, who was at
the beginning a very confused and deluded individual just like
ourselves, that is called faith.
STUDENT: To get beyond all afflictive emotions, do we have to

get beyond all good emotions as well? Do we have to transcend
everything? Isn’t even compassion based on emotion?
RINPOCHE: There is always a big difference between helpful

and harmful situations. In the world there is medicine and there
is poison. If you say, “Do not touch any poison,” does that mean
that you should not take any medicine?
230
Disk of the Sun: The Way of Protecting the
Three Vows
In this chapter we will hear about the three precepts, the com-
mitments or samayas, and how an individual practitioner will
keep these precepts. Having knowledge of the precepts is like
removing the darkness from the room so that you can see things
more clearly. Karma Chakme pays homage to Shakyamuni
Buddha and requests his disciple, Tsondru Gyamtso, to listen
carefully. This time, however, Karma Chakme addresses his
disciple as “gelong,” which is an ordained monk, and asks him
to listen carefully to the explanation of the precepts, which are
vast and profound.
There are self-liberating vows, inner vows, and secret vows.

There are many countries that have teachings regarding how to
keep the self-liberating vows and there are many that only have
teachings on how to keep the Mahayana commitment. Tibet is
unique in that it has teachings on keeping the self-liberating
vows, the Mahayana vows, and the tantric vows. Those who
practice with these three samayas are known as “gelong Dorje
Dzinpa.” Gelong, or bhikshu, refers to the ordinary samayas kept
by those who are fully ordained, and Dorje Dzinpa refers to the
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tantric samayas or commitments that one must preserve. Clear

examples of ordained monks who are Tantrayana practitioners
and turn the wheel of the tantric teachings are His Holiness the
Dalai Lama and His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa. Next there
is a group of teachers known as “genyen Dorje Dzinpa.” Genyen
or upasaka, refers to the lay practitioner vows. Genyen Dorje
Dzinpa includes highly respected lamas such as His Holiness
Sakya Trizin of the Sakya tradition and His Holiness Dudjom
Rinpoche of the Nyingma lineage. They are not monks. They are
married and they are highly realized and accomplished teachers
who turn the wheel of Buddhadharma.
The various traditions and vehicles differ in the ways they observe
the precepts. Karma Chakme’s explanation of the precepts is
based on The Hevajra Tantra, which is accepted by all without
any disagreement. When the Buddha gave the Hevajra teachings,
he clearly specified that one must first receive the self-liberating
vow and then receive the bodhisattva vow . Only then can one
receive the tantra or vajra lineage vows. These are the three
different vows to receive and to observe.
According to the Nyingma lineage, there are nine different

vehicles, or yanas. When one receives the teachings of the nine
yanas, one automatically receives the three types of vows. The
Sakya lineage also has a unique view relating to the vows. In
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the Sakya lineage, one first takes the self-liberating vow. Once
you have taken the self-liberating precepts, when you take the
bodhisattva precepts, the self-liberating precepts become part of
the bodhisattva system. After taking the bodhisattva precepts,
when you take the Tantrayana samayas, then the bodhisattva
precepts become part of the Tantrayana system. That is the Sakya
tradition of transforming one into the other.
There are differences in terms of preserving the vows. In the

Kagyu tradition one says, “Tong ne tha de.” If there is degradation
of the commitment of the self-liberating vow, you still have the
bodhisattva vow and the tantric vow intact. If there is a defect
in the bodhisattva vow, the tantric vow is still alive. They are
not damaged or defective. The crucial point is that there must be
no violation of the commitment to the tantric vows. Problems
with the earlier vows bear lesser consequences, and the damage
will not have serious implications to the tantric commitments.
The Geluk tradition says that these three different vows are
interdependent. If one is damaged, the other two are also violated.
It is similar to a building with a foundation, pillars, and roof.
If the foundation is damaged, then the pillars and roof will
collapse. Similarly, if the self-liberating vow is violated, then the
bodhisattva and tantric vows are both automatically damaged.
233
When Buddhism first came to Tibet, there were two ways the
teachings were presented: the pure and the impure. The impure
lineage started in Tibet at a time when there was a teacher,
Gayadhara, who was visiting from India. On his first trip to
Tibet he worked with a Tibetan translator, and together they
did wonderful translations of many tantric teachings. He was a
genuine Buddhist practitioner and gave very good teachings at
that time. On his second visit to Tibet he used the name Red
Sadhu. This time, as his main purpose was to obtain gold, he
distorted the teachings on the three samayas. He thought that
such distortion would make the teachings more attractive to
people with the result that he would receive more gold from
them. He distorted the teachings on the vows by teaching that
first one receives ordination vows and then after a few months
one abandons those vows. One then takes the bodhisattva vow,
keeps it for a while, and then abandons it. Then one takes the
tantric vow, reaching a very high level. He taught that one
could discard the two previous vows and keep the tantric vow
in whatever way one wished. For example, ordinary monks and
nuns could engage in sexual misconduct and people could do
anything they wanted including killing and stealing. Red Sadhu
thought this would be very appealing to many ordinary Tibetans.
His teachings became very prevalent throughout central Tibet,
in such places as U, Tsang, and Nyari but did not spread to
Kham in eastern Tibet. Many Tibetan scholars objected to his
234
teachings since they were clearly distorted and all the schools
of Tibetan Buddhism — Kagyu, Nyingma, Gelukpa, and Sakya
— opposed these teachings. Because all worked together, they
were able to bring back the purity of the practices. They put an
end to his teachings in Tibet.
You may wonder why we present the impure practices since

they were not accepted by all traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.
The answer is that as a practitioner, you should know both the
pure and the impure sides, so when you encounter something of
the impure aspects, you understand what to do. Otherwise one
always stays in the darkness, not being clear what is pure and
what is impure. When Buddhism first came to Tibet, there were
many who presented impure teachings. Red Sadhu, for example,
came to Tibet to obtain gold as quickly as possible. He did not
worry if the teachings were pure or impure. We are fortunate
that the great panditas, siddhas, and practitioners of Tibet were
able to bring back the purity of the teachings.
Although this happened in the past, we cannot say it will not

happen now. There are people, who want to become rich and
famous, who use different techniques to present wrong ideas.
The advantage of knowing about the impure teachings is that,
with your knowledge and wisdom, you can distinguish right
from wrong and consequently will not participate in what is
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incorrect. It prevents you from falling into the wrong hands or

the wrong ideas.
The Sakyapas emphasize that, while there is transformation and

advancement to the three levels of commitments, thoroughly
keeping them all is a necessity. Even when one has reached the
highest result, one must still observe these three commitments
in the proper way. An example of this is Guru Padmasambhava
and his twenty-five different followers. When they teach the
tantric teachings, they act like tantric masters, but in general
life they remain ordained monks.
Gyalwa Tsongkapa, the founder of the Gelukpa lineage, who

was believed to be the emanation of Manjushri, very clearly and
strongly emphasized that regardless of the number of practices
one has realized, one is still subject to observing the three com-
mitments in a clear and proper way. He gave an example of a
crystal bowl without a crack that can contain whatever you put
inside it, such as water. He compares this crystal bowl of water to
the self-liberating vow that can hold the bodhisattva vow. If you
take the crystal bowl of water outside, you can see the reflection
of the moon in the bowl of water. The moon in this analogy is
regarded as the tantric commitment. If you have a bowl with no
defect and put water into the bowl, you can get the reflection
of the moon in the bowl. If there is a crack in the bowl, then
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the bowl can no longer hold the water, and consequently you
will no longer see the reflection of the moon. Just as the bowl
without defects that holds water has the ability to reflect the
moon, the three vows must be preserved and kept clearly and
properly. That is the emphasis that is usually given by Gelukpas.
In the Kagyupa tradition you do not take the three vows simul-
taneously. First you take the self-liberating vow, then you take
the bodhisattva vow, and only then do you take tantric samayas.
Since you must take them separately, when one is lost or dam-
aged, the other two commitments are not necessarily damaged
or violated. There are differences in terms of the potency and
effectiveness of these three commitments. The bodhisattva vow
is more important and more effective than the self-liberating
vow; the tantric vow has more potency and potential then the
other two. Together the three act like the sun, the moon, and the
star. When there is sun, of course, everything is illuminated. If
there is no sun, there will still not be complete darkness because
of the light of the moon. If there are no sun and moon, the stars
will still shine with light. There will never be absolute darkness.
The self-liberating vow is for oneself. The bodhisattva vow is

for the benefit of others. Buddha said that you might sacrifice
the self-liberating vow if necessary in order to accomplish the
bodhisattva vow. For instance, Tilopa was a fisherman and Saraha
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was a hunter. At the self-liberating level, they were violating the

self-liberating vows because they were killing fishes and animals;
however, they were highly realized, enlightened beings and were
able to liberate those fishes and animals. This is a case in which
the self-liberating vow is sacrificed in order to accomplish the
greater aspects of one’s practice, the special and unique practices
of the Kagyu lineage.
A practitioner who is subject to afflictive emotions and defile-

ments must continue to keep the three vows intact. Think of a
chicken that is newly hatched and can do nothing for itself. Its
mother must feed it through her own mouth and the chick must
be protected all the time. Until it can fly, the chick is subject to
all kinds of problems and dangers and must be protected against
rain, wind, and other animals. In a similar way, in the beginning
the commitments must be protected with this special vigilance.
It is especially difficult to keep the vows during these degener-
ate times; however, if one is violated, it is not hopeless because
you still have the other commitments. The self-liberating vows
contain vows prohibiting stealing, murdering, lying, and sexual
misconduct, activities that must certainly be abandoned. If we
can observe just one, there is benefit; however, if one commitment
is violated, we should not be discouraged. If we are able to keep
the other commitments, it is still a source of merit and benefit.
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In Tibet there was a lama who was known as Jikten Sumgon,

which means “the protector of the three realms of the world.”
He was a monk who held the three kinds of precepts. For some
reason, he had to resign his monkhood, and on that day he got
married and soon had many children who grew up and became
butchers. This lama, regardless of whether he lost his vows,
still dressed in monk’s robes all the time. Some of his friends
questioned why he wore the robes since he had given up his
vows. He replied that he still had the imprint of thinking that
he was a monk. He believed that having that imprint could lead
him to the ultimate, highest form of life.
At this same time, there was a monk known as Iron-Footed

Monk, who was able to see Chenrezik in person and to travel
to his realm, the Potala, every day. One day on his way to the
Potala, he met a monk who had violated his commitments. This
monk carelessly hung his robes and begging bowl in a tree and
was plowing a field. In the course of plowing the field he was
killing many beings; insects that lived under the earth were
turned up and exposed to death and insects that lived on top
of the ground were buried. He was destroying many lives. The
Iron-Footed Monk told him it was no use to have monk’s robes
and a begging bowl if he was going to do such terrible things
and suggested that the robes and bowl be given to him instead.
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The Iron-Footed Monk took the robes and bowl to a clean area,
buried them, and continued on his way to the Potala.
When he reached the Potala, there was nothing but a mountain.

As he wanted to see Tara and Chenrezik, he did prostrations and
prayed, however he did not see either of them. He climbed to
the top of the mist-covered mountain and still did not see them.
He spent a great deal of time crying and eventually Chenrezik
came. The IronFooted Monk asked Chenrezik why it took so long
to see him, when in previous times it had taken no time at all.
Chenrezik replied that the Iron-Footed Monk had completely
eradicated a small imprint from the monk in the field. Since this
was a terrible thing to do, Chenrezik was reluctant to come see
him. The monk who was plowing the field, although he did not
have any ordination vow of commitment, still had the imprint
of thinking that he wanted to be a monk. By taking the robes
and begging bowl, the Iron-Footed Monk had destroyed the
imprint of the monk in the field. The Iron-Footed Monk returned
to that field, dug up the buried objects, and returned them to
their proper owner with the request that they henceforth be
kept respectfully. The detailed explanation of this incident is
given in The White Lotus Sutra.
There are many possibilities in one’s lifetime. You can become

ordained as a monk or a nun or you can be a layperson. Because
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of these possibilities, you can experience many different kinds of

good and bad circumstances, but no matter what, as Buddhist
practitioners you will, during the time of Sangye Mö Pa, the last
of the thousand buddhas, become a buddha or the disciple of a
buddha. No matter how much one has violated the commitments
and no matter how serious the consequences, because of the
imprint that continues and because of the potency of Buddha’s
teachings, eventually everyone will become a buddha.
The Kagyu lineage holders clearly see whether one is able to keep
the vows or not. They will give the vows, knowing that eventually
they will plant a seed that will lead to the practitioner’s liberation.
If one has never received any vow, one will never really be able
to escape cyclic existence. If one has received vows, even if there
are violations of the vows, there is still an imprint or seed that
will eventually blossom and will certainly help the individual
to become liberated.
There is a long white flower, the tsampaka, found in India

that retains its beauty even after it has dried. Buddha said that
hundreds of the most beautiful flowers could not compare to an
old dry tsampaka. Similarly, no matter how old, ugly, or bad a
disciple may be, hundreds of ordinary beings still cannot compare.
When the world comes to an end, even the old wretched pieces
of cloth that used to be monastic robes will not remain on the
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earth. The gods and other beings will take these garments and
place them as sacred objects in the god realms. This will happen
when Buddha’s teaching comes to an end. Buddha’s advice is
to develop a genuine respect and equanimity toward monks,
nuns, and sangha, with no thought of judgment, thinking that
one is good or one is bad. There must be equal respect and
understanding for all.
In Tibet there was a great translator (lotsawa) known as Bari

Lotsawa. He had such genuine respect toward all monks and
nuns that whenever he traveled, if he found pieces of red or
yellow cloth, he would pick it up and touch it respectfully to his
head, proclaiming that once this particular cloth was used by a
Buddhist practitioner. He respected all practitioners.
Karma Chakme Rinpoche was a highly realized person and

a scholar who had a genuine, unbiased attitude and respect
toward all Buddhist practitioners. If he entered a shrine room,
he would pick up a small bit of dust because he viewed it as
sacred blessed dust. He would make prostrations so that he
would receive blessings from the cushions in the shrine room.
This is unbiased, genuine respect.
As Buddhists we take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

Sangha can be regarded as those who have taken the self-liberating
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vows. It is therefore very important to have unbiased, genuine

respect for all those in the sangha, since they are part of the Three
Jewels in which we take refuge. Maintaining such an attitude can
bring two benefits. One is that it will inculcate perfect moral
principles and conduct and the other is that it will help us to
accumulate incredible merit. Our aim is to progress, from bliss
to greater bliss to unsurpassable bliss. We are not to be content
with just a little bit of happiness. Now we have this beautiful
precious human life, and on the basis of this we must progress.
Our aim should be to reach buddhahood. One cannot just feel
happy because eventually there is a possibility of getting out
of this cyclic existence. That is the wrong attitude to adopt.
We must be able to observe these commitments as seriously as
possible. By observing proper commitments and by trying not
to violate them we can bring about a better positive result. The
final buddha, who will be known as Sangye Mö Pa, will be here
in the future, but the number of aeons it will be until that time
are uncountable. In the same way if we do not become proper
practitioners, there is no way of counting how many sufferings,
tortures, and ordeals we will have to endure until the last buddha
appears. If we are not careful and do not behave properly, we
may be subjected to sufferings that may also be infinite.
You may have a perfect view of the Buddha’s teachings and a

perfect attitude relating to others, but you must also have the
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absolutely purest conduct and principles of morality. That is

very important. Even though you have vast knowledge, you
should not become inflated by the thought that you are a very
high and knowledgeable person. Your conduct must be subject
to moral observance regardless of how perfect a view you have
with respect to all beings and nature.
There was once a monk who meditated in a cave. His toilet was
outside the cave. Between the toilet and his cave there were
bushes, some of which had bad thorns. Whenever he left the
cave to travel to the toilet, his robes caught on the thorns. Once
he thought that perhaps he should cut the bushes, but he did
not, since he knew that the bushes are a part of nature and he
respected that. One time when he passed the bushes, his robes
became torn, so he got very upset and cut the bushes. Since
Buddha said that we should not damage trees or living things,
by cutting the bushes the monk violated two vows: he not only
became angry and was unable to overcome that anger but he also
doubted the Buddha’s objection to cutting the plants, which is
a violation of his view toward the Buddha.
Since the monk had been very strict in observing morality up

until he became angry and cut the bush, when he died, he was
reborn in the naga realm as king of the nagas. The consequence
of his extreme anger in the cutting of the bushes and his wrong
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view toward Buddha was that he had one of these trees growing
up out of his head. When winds blew back and forth in the realm
of the nagas, he had tremendous pain because his whole brain was
shaken. From this we can understand the kinds of problems and
sufferings to which one can be subjected if one is born in such
a lower realm. It will help us to understand the consequences
of actions and to observe morality in a more rigorous way. If
one is a respected lama or teacher, it is unthinkable to allow
oneself the kind of moments of anger and doubt that the monk
went through. There is nothing worse than that. If one happens
to violate tantric teachings, the consequences would be even
worse. Violations of tantric vows result in rebirth in the vajra
hell, (Nyalwa Dorje Den) where the sufferings are limitless and
unbearable.
The reasons leading to an individual’s rebirth as a devil, demonic

force, ghost, or in vajra hell are as follows. To accept a lama,
whether he is good or bad, receive all of his teachings, and
subsequently develop wrong view and violate all the teachings
received can lead to the worst kind of rebirth. If one happens
to engage in such a violation, then one must have sympathy for
oneself, saying, “Kye ma kye hu,” a sad and pitiful exclamation.
This concludes the section on taking vows, the benefits one
receives, and all the consequences that can result from our failure
to behave properly.
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Now we come to the items we must observe. First we must accept

the self-liberating vow, which includes the following points: not
to destroy lives, not to steal, not to engage in sexual misconduct,
not to become intoxicated, and not to lie to your teachers or
mislead others by saying that you are an enlightened being or
a teacher. Observe these five points for the layperson (genyen).
In addition to these, there are male gelong and female gelong,

bhikshus and bhikshunis, fully ordained monks and nuns, who
have ten essential elements to observe. Altogether, male ordained
have 253 points to observe, while female ordained have 364 points
to observe. Those who are bodhisattva vow holders have four
white dharmas to be respected and four black dharmas to be
given up. There are eighteen points, or poisons, that completely
obliterate the blessings or vows. According to the tantric com-
mitments there are fourteen points, or fourteen root downfalls,
that can completely wipe out the vows. There are eight branches,
or secondary downfalls, that can also harm and destroy.
According to the Nyingma lineage, based on the lama’s body,

speech, and mind, there are twenty-five different commitments
that you must observe. If you elaborate on these commitments,
it becomes about thirty-seven million points to observe, and if
you go into further detail, there are billions of points to observe.
All the commitments can be summarized into two simple points,
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which are not to harm others and not to be the cause of harm
to others, and to fulfill the commitment of the bodhisattva vow
by benefiting others.
Having at this point given an extensive and detailed explana-

tion of the three vows, the chapter concludes with a summary
of them. If all of what has gone before is summarized into its
essence, then it could be said that all of the pratimoksha, or
individual liberation, vows are included in abandoning that
which is harmful to others. This means abstaining from any
action that is directly or indirectly harmful to others. In the
same way, accomplishing that which is beneficial to others with
body, speech and mind, together with the basis of such benefit,
is the essence of the bodhisattva vow. Doing everything you can,
directly and indirectly, and especially dedicating the merit of
whatever virtuous actions you have performed includes all of
the points of the bodhisattva vow. Finally, in the same way, to
have one-pointed devotion for your guru is the essence of all the
Vajrayana vows or samaya. These three points — abandoning that
which is harmful to others, engaging in that which is beneficial
to others, and having one-pointed devotion for your guru — are
inclusive of all the points of the three vows.
“If you feel that the long explanation was too long and the short
one was too brief, and you do not know what you actually need
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to do about this, then here is more.” There are people who find
that the detailed explanation is difficult to remember, let alone
accomplish, but the reduction of the three vows to their essence
is a little bit too concise. For such people, an intermediate
explanation that is shorter than the first and longer than the
second now follows.
First are the pratimoksha vows. The four root vows are the
basic commitments of an upasaka, or lay disciple, a novice, or
a monastic. It is taught that someone who protects the four
root vows with as much care as he protects his own life and
who abstains from intoxicants and meat that was killed for his
specific consumption has what is considered nowadays pure
vows. When the text says nowadays, what it is pointing out is
that at the time of the Buddha it was appropriate to consider
someone who meticulously kept every minor commitment free
of infraction to have pure vows. Nowadays, given the way things
are, anyone who can keep these five vows is doing very well.
The second category is the bodhisattva vow. It is first necessary

to understand that with the bodhisattva vow and the Vajrayana
samaya vows, some degree of pratimoksha, such as the four root
commitments and the abstention from intoxicants, is absolutely
necessary, as it is only based on this that the other two vows
can be maintained. The way that the bodhisattva vow can be
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maintained is, first, by having bodhichitta that sincerely wishes

to benefit all beings and that causes you to dedicate your virtue
for the benefit of beings. The benefit of beings is not merely the
temporary alleviation of specific sufferings such as illness or
poverty. It is the sincere aspiration to bring all beings without
exception to a state of full and complete awakening. The essence
of the bodhisattva vow is to preserve that bodhichitta that wishes
to bring about the liberation of all beings and to dedicate all
of your virtue to that end rather than holding on to it yourself.
The generation of bodhichitta at the beginning of a practice, the
maintenance of nonconceptuality for the duration of a practice,
and the dedication of the merit to the awakening of all beings
at the culmination of a practice are the ways of keeping and
including all of the trainings the bodhisattva vow.
This is important to understand because you might think that as

a beginner you are responsible for emulating the great deeds of
awakened bodhisattvas, who are capable of giving their bodies or
lives for the benefit of others. Clearly, as beginners, we cannot do
these things. What we can do, however, is preserve bodhichitta
and dedicate our merit to the awakening of all beings.
“Buddha Shakyamuni taught this extensively to the king.” Karma

Chakme Rinpoche is telling us that this summary of the bo-
dhisattva vow into the maintenance of bodhichitta and the
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dedication of merit is not something he is making up but was

how the Buddha explained it. The king who is referred to here
would be one of the kings who served as patron to the Buddha
and who requested the sutras in which the Buddha expounded
the bodhisattva vow.
The next category, samaya, is divided into several categories. The

first is the samaya of the guru’s form or body, which is maintained
by thinking of your root guru as inseparable from the lord of your
family, whom you visualize above your head in meditation. In
short, to visualize your root guru above your head, viewing him
as an awakened being, is how to keep the samaya of the guru’s
body. This has nothing to do with whether the guru is a sentient
being or is actually the Buddha. In either case, provided the guru
has bestowed upon you authentic empowerment, transmission,
and instruction, their kindness is identical. It makes no difference
whether they are an awakened being or a sentient being, just
as it makes no difference whether the person who hands you
a bar of gold is a prince or a commoner, learned or ignorant.
Their kindness in handing you that bar of gold is the same. In
the same way, the kindness of the guru in bestowing the means
of liberation upon you is the same whether or not the guru
himself is fully awakened. The samaya of the guru’s form, which
is how we can close the doors to rebirth in the lower realms and
open the door to liberation, is to visualize the guru above your
250
head inseparable from the buddha that adorns the head of your
deity. For example, if you are doing Chenrezik meditation, you
visualize Amitabha above your head. At that point you would
think of the guru as inseparable from Amitabha.
The second samaya is the samaya of the speech of the yidam. This
refers to the generation stage in the practice of yidam medita-
tion in which you visualize yourself in the form of the yidam,
whichever deity it is. While visualizing yourself as the deity, with
your speech, you either recite that deity’s mantra, do special
breathing practices, or the combination of mantra repetition
with breathing called vajra repetition. In any case, visualizing
yourself as your meditation deity and reciting that deity’s mantra
is the way to keep the samaya of the yidam’s speech.
The principal practice in our lineage, of course, is Mahamudra.

Through the kindness of our lineage in general, and especially of
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa, and through the specific
kindness of His Eminence Situ Rinpoche, many students here
have had Mahamudra pointed out to them. The first point in
keeping the samaya of mind, called the samaya of the mind of
the dakini, is to look at your own mind in accordance with the
instructions of Mahamudra. Depending upon your degree of
training, this may be a coarse or a more refined practice. To
look directly at your own mind is the first point of keeping
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the samaya of mind. The second point is to celebrate the great

occasions, which in the specific Vajrayana context means the
tenth day of the waxing and waning moon. It is therefore part
of the samaya of mind to offer feasts and tormas on these days.
The third, and final part of the samaya of mind is discretion,
which is not to expound Vajrayana to those that have incorrect
views or antipathy toward it. The reason for this is that if you
explain Vajrayana to those who distrust it, then not only will
it not help them, but it will harm them and their distrust will
grow. That is why Vajrayana is supposed to be practiced with
discretion. These are the samayas of mind.
The samayas of quality and activity are to dedicate torma daily

to the protectors, as is done in the daily practice of Mahakala;
to dedicate torma monthly, which would usually involve an
extensive form of what is called fulfillment liturgy; and also
the yearly elaborate Mahakala torma offering. The monthly one
is normally done on the twenty-ninth day of the lunar month
and the yearly one is normally done from the twenty-seventh
to the twenty-ninth days of the twelfth lunar month. To do
the daily, monthly, and yearly Mahakala torma offering is the
way to keep the samayas of quality connected with the wealth
deities and samayas of activity connected with the protectors
or dharmapalas.
252
Further samayas are as follows. The samaya of freeing yourself

through realization is to look continually at the nature of your
own mind. This does not necessarily mean that you should try
to maintain a constant recognition of your mind’s nature, but
at least in the beginning you should try to flash on the nature of
your mind at all times of the day. In other words, do not limit
looking at the nature of your mind to formal sessions nor to
specific times of day but try to find brief moments throughout
your day in which you look at the nature of your own mind. The
samaya of ripening, or benefiting others through compassion, is to
train yourself in the practice of tonglen, taking and sending, in
order to enhance compassion and love for others and to actually
benefit others in accordance with your ability and their needs,
through helping people understand Dharma or, if possible,
through providing empowerment, transmission, and instruction.
Always make the aspiration that all of those beings with whom
you have any kind of connection, any being who has seen you,
heard you, ever thought of you, or has ever touched you in any
way, that all of these beings be reborn in Sukhavati, the realm of
Amitabha. To make such aspirations is the Mahayana samaya of
stirring and emptying samsara from the depths. The reason why,
in making this aspiration, you specify that it is for beings with
whom you have a connection rather than merely, as we usually
do, all beings without exception, is that it is much more difficult
253
to beneficially affect beings with whom you have no connection.

This is why when a teacher is asked to provide some service, such
as the transference of consciousness for someone, it is important
that some connection be made, whether through an offering or
in some other way, by the person to be benefited by the teacher.
The connection can be positive or negative, but there has to be
some connection for the aspiration, in this case the aspiration
that beings be reborn in Sukhavati, to affect the person.
The chapter concludes with the remarks, “This brief summary

of samaya and the other vows, clear in its distinctions but easy
to practice, was written on the ninth day of the month of Trum,
in the Horse year, by Raga Asya, who is Karma Chakme. Lama
Tsondru Gyamtso, who requested it, took it down as dictation. If
there is anything wrong with this, I confess it before the learned.
Through the merit of this, may all beings perfect the three vows.
STUDENT: You spoke this morning about the monk who cut
the briars and how this act went against the Buddha’s teachings.
I have never heard those teachings about not cutting plants
before. Will you elaborate on that?
254
RINPOCHE: There is no particular objection to cutting grass or

trees at the level of genyen, the laypeople, or getsul, the novices.
When it comes to the ordained level, there is a strong objection
to cutting trees or bushes, and there is a provision regarding this.
Although it is objected to for those at the level of the ordained
monk, there is a provision to cut trees if it is needed in terms of
a major comfort issue. If it is in the interest of the community
of monks, the sangha, or if the tree causes some problems to
others, such as being poisonous and causing sickness, then there
is a provision that it can be cut. Otherwise ordained monks can-
not cut trees. This morning we were talking about an ordained
monk who, out of anger, cut the trees. That is not permissible.
Buddha said that anything that grows should not be cut. It does
not necessarily mean that anything that has grown, such as a
tree, is a living being; however, it is possible that the tree may
contain life. Buddha said there are many beings that depend
on the tree or there may be some element or spirit that may be
attracted to living there. If you cut a tree, then many lives can
be harmed or destroyed.
STUDENT: When you violate any vows, how do you make up

for that kind of mistake?
RINPOCHE: There are many different teachings on how to purify

violations and restore the violated commitments or samayas. It
255
is very rare to find someone who has never violated any commit-
ment. If one confesses every day and if one really tries to purify
every day, I can guarantee you that there will be no implications
from this violation. That is why Buddhists are always very busy
practicing. It can be like in an individual’s life, he or she must
work and earn a living to maintain himself or herself. This is
like the purification and restoration of violated samayas.
STUDENT: I have heard some people say that bodhichitta, or

true loving-kindness and compassion for other living beings,
cannot be truly experienced until one has reached enlighten-
ment. Would you speak about loving-kindness and compassion
for the unenlightened as well as for the enlightened? How does
it differ, if at all?
RINPOCHE: The aim of developing loving-kindness and compas-

sion is enlightenment. That is the ultimate goal; it does not mean
that loving-kindness and compassion are experienced at the last
minute. On the contrary, if you try to develop loving-kindness
and compassion, I feel certain that as you progress, you will
have better experiences as time goes on. It does not mean that
something will decrease. If you keep working hard, you will have
a better experience and a better realization. In other words you
will have a better result. It is not something solid that you will
achieve the minute you become enlightened.
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STUDENT: I can understand what Rinpoche says regarding

confession, purification, and compassion. In terms of purifica-
tion, what kind of practice should one do when one does not
have access to a lama or a teacher?
RINPOCHE: The best practice to purify and restore the violated

commitment is to confess to your teacher, but if your teacher is
not easily available, then you can use a representation, such as a
statue or a thangka of Buddha, and confess to the representation.
If you do not have such an object, then you can visualize that you
are confessing before all the buddhas and bodhisattvas. Even if
they are not there physically, from the level of the dharmakaya
buddhas, they see you and hear you just as we see and hear each
other right here.
STUDENT: I would like to clarify something: are the self-liberating

vows you spoke of this morning the same as the lay precepts?
RINPOCHE: The self-liberating vows, or pratimoksha vows (so

sor thar pay dom pa), are the vows of individual liberation of the
genyen (lay), getsul (novice), and gelong (fully ordained.) They
do not include the altruistic attitude. Their aim is for individual
liberation based on the fear of suffering and fear of the lower
realms. This is their motivation. In the Tibetan tradition, when
you take any vow, you are supposed to think that you will take
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all vows for the benefit of all sentient beings. There is not re-
ally a basis on which it can be regarded as an individual escape
method. By doing this it becomes part of the bodhisattva vow.
STUDENT: As Western students we are encouraged, but not

required, to take the lay precepts. We are given the option of
taking one or two or three or all of them. We are not required
to take them before we take the bodhisattva vow. Is there a
reason for this?
RINPOCHE: We spoke this morning about genyen Dorje Dzinpa,

or gelong Dorje Dzinpa. Genyen Dorje Dzinpa refers to the lay
teacher of the vajra holder, exemplified by Sakya Trizin, Dudjom
Rinpoche, or Marpa. All are examples of those who are married
and have a family and who first received the lay precepts, then
the bodhisattva vow, then the tantric vow. The difference with
the gelong Dorje Dzinpa is that the gelong are fully ordained
monks, exemplified by His Holiness Dalai Lama and His Holiness
Karmapa. I must be honest and tell you that it is very difficult
to find a pure gelongma or gelong today. At one time in Tibet,
the environment was very conducive to such things. Today, even
in Tibet, the environment is much changed. When the time was
very good, the monks, especially the ordained gelong monks, did
not have to worry about their livelihood. Their food, clothing,
medical needs, and everything else needed was provided. Their
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only concern was their practice and the observance of all the
samaya commitments they made. Now, unfortunately, you have
to work for your livelihood and since you have to observe all
these two hundred fifty-three different moral rules, you cannot
be an ordained monk. The environment is not very favorable;
therefore to have a pure ordained monk is very difficult.
STUDENT: In the Kagyu tradition you talked about how the three
vows could be separate in some ways or exist independently in
a person. It leads me to wonder if in our ordinary lives we were
also benefiting beings in some way by our aspiration. Related
to the idea of aspiration, could we be fulfilling the bodhisattva
vow and yet not be being completely true to our lay precepts?
Although we are not doing very much for beings in our ordinary
lives, are we benefiting them through our practice or aspiration?
RINPOCHE: Yes, aspiration is very important. Even at the lay

level, if you have the bodhisattva vow but cannot do much on
a practical level, to have the aspiration to benefit beings is very
important. In accordance with Buddhist practices, motivation is
very important, especially for people such as us who are more or
less beginners. To have the right motivation is very important.
Whatever you do, if your dedication is for the benefit of all
sentient beings, then it will plant a tremendous seed that can
really grow bigger and bigger.
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No one is perfect at the beginning, at the moment when they

take the precepts or vows. We can think of ourselves as infants,
who can breathe and move a bit, but besides that can do almost
nothing. Of course, in time the infant grows and becomes a
fully functioning adult. In the same way, continuing to have a
positive aspiration and working bit by bit increases our growth
as a practitioner.
STUDENT: I have a general sense that, on higher levels of de-

velopment and wisdom, the quality that one really needs to
develop on one level is the quality that one gives up when going
to the next level. It becomes an impediment. Are these vows
something that you are saying are dependent on one’s level of
development? Does that mean that these vows are relative to
the level of consciousness that we are at and that, later on, we
do not need to be held by them in the same way, such as in the
relative and ultimate aspect of this?
RINPOCHE: When you take the vows, you first take the self-
liberating vows, then the bodhisattva vows, and then the tantric
vows. But this all depends on what kind of motivation you have
and how you perceive the vows. When you take the self-liberating
vow, if you think only of benefiting yourself, then it is just the
self-liberating vow, no more and no less. If you take the self-
liberating vow for the benefit of all sentient beings, that means
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that your scope is bigger, you are more open-minded, and your
vow becomes more like the bodhisattva vow. When you take
the bodhisattva vow and then you also practice visualizations,
recite mantras, and dedicate the merit for all sentient beings,
then you have also joined the tantric level. When you take vows
at the tantric level, it includes the three vows because, right from
the beginning, you have had thoughts for the benefit of others.
You have developed by taking the bodhisattva vow, and now
you are at the tantric level. The self-liberating vow has become
less important at this point. It has become a part that has led
to your higher level. If there is something wrong with the vow
at the self-liberating level, this has less implication because you
have already reached higher levels and have incorporated all the
vows. It depends on the motivation you generate.
If you take the self-liberating precept only to benefit yourself,

then it is very fragile, and violation can destroy the vow. If you
take the bodhisattva vow of loving-kindness and compassion
thinking only of yourself, then it becomes more fragile and easier
to violate and destroy. If you take the tantric vow just to recite
mantras and obtain benefit for yourself, that is technically tantric,
but it does not have too much significance. In contrast to this, if,
at the self-liberating level, you start thinking to benefit others,
you have become like a Mahayana practitioner at the bodhisattva
level. At the bodhisattva level, you can move to the tantric level.
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It all depends on motivation. Rinpoche gave an example this

morning. He spoke about the mahasiddha Saraha, who was a
great hunter who used to hunt and kill deer. At the relative level,
he was hunting and destroying animals and therefore violating
the self-liberating vow, which prohibits killing. He violated the
bodhisattva vow because he killed animals and did not show
loving-kindness and compassion. But he was actually killing
the animals out of great, inconceivable loving-kindness, and
as a result the animals did not have to be reborn in the lower
realms. The moment the animal was killed, the mahasiddha
transported its consciousness to a higher realm, so the deer did
not have to be reborn again as part of cyclic existence. This can
be perceived at whatever level you wish to consider. If you wish
to consider the selfliberating level, Saraha did a terrible thing,
violating all the vows. On the absolute truth level, he was one
of the mahasiddhas and he liberated the deer he killed.
STUDENT: If it is that easy to become enlightened, just to be

killed by a mahasiddha, then why don’t we all have access to
that? I thought it meant that the being only went to a higher
rebirth, not necessarily to enlightenment. Are you saying that
the deer were actually enlightened?
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RINPOCHE: It is not clear if the deer became enlightened at

that point, but I can positively say that the deer eventually
became enlightened.
STUDENT: You spoke about vajra hell and said that the way
one goes there is if one rejects the teachings and violates the
commitments of one’s teacher regardless of whether that teacher
is good or bad. Is that correct? In a case in which there really
is a teacher who is harming students and a student turns away
from the teacher, does the student necessarily go to vajra hell?
Are there exceptions?
RINPOCHE: It all depends on what teachings the vajra master

gave. If he gave undistorted, unadulterated, pure, perfect teachings
to his students, then definitely the student can go to vajra hell. It
is completely dependent on the teachings. If the teachings were
distorted, false, or misleading, then it is unclear who will go to
vajra hell. Unfortunately, these days it is extremely rare to find
a perfect teacher who has accomplished such a level, but it all
depends on his teachings. It does not matter if the teachings are
at the level of self-liberating, bodhisattva, or tantra, as long as the
teachings are pure, without any mistakes, and not misleading,
they have to be accepted very seriously. It is something like one’s
father. A father can be a handsome, brilliant, rich, and wonder-
ful person or a father can be ugly, unintelligent, and poor, but
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that person is still the father, no matter what else he may be.
He has become the vehicle to produce his children. His qualities
notwithstanding, he has fathered us, so we have to accept him.
STUDENT: Can you confess anything to the vajra teacher and

will it be purified just by confession alone?
RINPOCHE: By confession alone, it is unclear whether you would

be purified from the root, but it is definite that you will have
reduced its potency and the danger of its growing bigger. Your
repeated confessions ultimately lead to being able to purify. By
confessing once, you have reduced the danger of its growth, but
only repeated confession can lead to uprooting it.
STUDENT: Recently things have been happening to me that

prompts a question regarding stealing. I am not actually stealing,
but it seems that I am. The situation is that people have been
making mistakes. I purchased an article of clothing and when
I returned home, I realized that I had not been charged the full
price. Right away I was pleased. Then I thought that it really was
not good, since someone was going to be negatively affected. I
thought I would not return the money to the company because
they have enough money. I decided to give the money to a charity.
When I thought about it, I realized that my intentions there
are not right either because I am putting too much emphasis on
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worrying about whether the company has enough money or not.

I am confused regarding that situation. The other experience
was that I got an extra five bags of corn meal. I thought they had
made a mistake and they did not charge me. The question arose
as to what I would do with that. I thought that I would bring it
to a food bank, but then I thought that someone else was going
to suffer. I am confused about the situation. I probably should
pay for it and then bring it to the food place.
RINPOCHE: Right from the beginning you never thought of

stealing, so it cannot be regarded as stealing. Upon realization
that there had been a mistake, you felt joy. If you continue
thinking that way, it may become part of stealing because you
know there was a mistake and yet you feel good about it. Instead
of that, if you give to the charitable organization, that would
be the best solution.
STUDENT: It would be good to go back to the store and give

them the money.
RINPOCHE: I would like to share a personal experience with

you. I was in North Carolina and bought a silver plate. I picked
up two plates by accident, not realizing that the two were
together. I gave it to the cashier and the cashier also thought
it was a single plate. I brought it home and gave it to Thrangu
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Rinpoche. After inspection, Thrangu Rinpoche remarked that

there were two plates. I brought one of the plates back to the
same cashier who had helped me. The cashier felt insulted and
embarrassed, and there were people who accused her of not
being able to sell things properly. It probably jeopardized her
position. In case there is danger of that, it may be better for
you to give the value of the item to a charitable organization.
STUDENT: I have a general question about empowerments.

Could you explain about wang, lung, and tri?
RINPOCHE: Wang is the empowerment of body, speech, and mind.

It is to empower you to practice that special deity. Lung is the
oral transmission from the lineage that started with Vajradhara
and continues on without any break. It has its own significant
blessing and you must get the oral transmission. This is the
link in the practice from Vajradhara to you. Tri is teaching the
practice, the visualizations, mudras, mantras, and ritual objects.
STUDENT: You referred to certain levels of beings on up to

arhats and buddhas. Where are the wrathful deities within this
pantheon? I understand that at one time they were demons
that actually preyed upon people, but then Padmasambhava
got them to protect the lineage. I have always had a hard time
putting my faith in beings that I knew were once demons that
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we changed against their will. Have these beings since become

enlightened and are they now buddhas? I know that they also
represent aspects of our own nature. I would appreciate your
commenting on that.
RINPOCHE: Not all wrathful deities are exactly the same things.
Basically peaceful and wrathful deities, however, are of the same
nature. They are the display, in a peaceful or wrathful form, of
the same fundamental wisdom. All awakened deities are equally
awakened. They are all the display of the same fundamental wis-
dom, which can manifest as a peaceful deity (in order to benefit
those who will be inspired and tamed by a peaceful deity) or as
a wrathful deity (in order to benefit those who will be inspired
and tamed by a wrathful deity). In the same way, this wisdom
can manifest as a male deity or a female deity. The differences
between a peaceful deity and a wrathful deity, a male deity and
a female deity, are all in the appearance of the deity but not in
the actual nature of the deity, which only manifests as it does
for the benefit of those particular beings that are connected to
it. These are all equally displays of the same awakening. This
wisdom can arise, as well, not as a single figure but as a princi-
pal figure surrounded by a retinue, in which case it appears as
though the retinue is in some way inferior to or subservient to
the principal. For example, the deity can appear as a buddha,
peaceful or wrathful, surrounded by a retinue of bodhisattvas,
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dakas, dakinis, and protectors, but all of these are displays of the
same fundamental wisdom. Their wisdom is manifesting as a chief
deity and retinue, again, as a display for the benefit of others.
Buddhas are perfectly capable of manifesting as bodhisattvas if
it is beneficial for beings, but this does not mean that they are
not, in fact, buddhas. Awakened wrathful deities are no different
from awakened peaceful deities except in appearance; however,
there was something else you mentioned that is true. There were
spirits that were bound by Guru Padmasambhava. These were
spirits who, at the time, were somewhat malevolent and who were
tamed and bound by him, placed under oath, and they have since
served to assist practitioners in accordance with their promise
and commitment. These are not the same as wrathful deities.
These are called mundane protectors. They are called mundane
protectors because at the time at which they were bound by oath
they were not awakened beings. They were mundane beings. It
is uncertain whether they are still mundane beings. Some of
them may have, since that time, attained awakening, but they
are classified as mundane because they were initially bound by
oath. These function to help and assist practitioners. But they
are different from wrathful deities, who are embodiments of
awakened wisdom.
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STUDENT: If we are trying to embody peace and compassion,

of what benefit is it to invoke wrathful deities? Is this like Shiva
in the Hindu pantheon?
RINPOCHE: We all want to attain a state of mind that is utterly

peaceful. What prevents us from enjoying that at present and
what prevents us from attaining it is the presence of kleshas and
mental afflictions within our minds. These are obviously strong
enough and powerful enough to control us and prevent us from
attaining the peace of mind we seek. These kleshas not only
bring harm to us but they bring harm, indirectly, to others as
well. Clearly we need to overcome these in order to attain true
piece of mind. In order to overcome them, we need a wisdom
that is stronger and more powerful than the kleshas. This is the
wisdom embodied by the wrathful deities. The wisdom itself
is not wrathful, but it is the power and effectiveness of that
wisdom that is displayed in the form of wrathful iconography.
STUDENT: I am wondering what our approach to taking the

vows should be. If we were going to take vows, for instance the
lay precepts, what should our attitude be as we go into them?
Should we feel that we could really keep them, or should we go
into them with the feeling that we should do our best to keep
the vows but that confession is an option if they are broken?
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RINPOCHE: The difference in presentation of vows, including

the refuge vow, is based on the merit and motivation of those
who take them. Vows can also be viewed differently according
to the different vehicles. The vow of a lay disciple, or upasaka,
is the vow of refuge — taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma,
and Sangha — and in addition, one or more of five lay precepts.
The number of precepts you take corresponds to your degree of
confidence and your ability to keep them. There are basically
two possible ways that you can view taking the vows. One way
is to think, “For the benefit of all beings and in order to remove
the suffering of all beings and establish all beings in buddha-
hood, I will take these vows and will, at all costs, keep them
until I attain buddhahood.” When you take the vows with that
attitude, it makes you what is called an upasaka bodhisattva or
an upasaka, or lay disciple of the Mahayana. Another way that
you can take the vows is to think, “I wish to achieve liberation
from samsara and therefore I will take these vows and will, at all
costs, keep them for the duration of this life.” That makes you an
upasaka of the common vehicle. The ceremony is the same. The
difference is what you are actually thinking when you take the
vow. Because the Mahayana upasaka vow is of greater benefit,
when I give the refuge vow, I use the Mahayana ceremony, but
that does not guarantee that everyone that is taking the vow at
that time is taking it in the Mahayana way.
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STUDENT: That is not quite what I meant. What I thought I

heard yesterday was that it is beneficial to take the vows even
if you break them further down the line, since you can confess
and repair the vow and you still have more benefit for yourself
and other beings than if you had never taken it at all. If that is
so, do we go into the vow with the attitude “I can do this and
never break my vow,” or do we go with the attitude that “I will
do my best, and since I might break my vow, I can always confess
that, thereby giving the most benefit to beings?”
RINPOCHE: It is taught that if you take a vow and you break

it, it is better than not having taken it at all, in the sense that
samsara will have an end for you. Because you did take the vow,
then you have made a connection with it, which will eventually
cause you to be liberated from samsara. But eventually here means
after a great deal of suffering, because the result of breaking any
vow you take is to be reborn, definitely, in lower realms and
to remain there for a long time and experience a great deal of
suffering. In a sense, you can say that it is better than having
no connection whatsoever, but it is not a very happy situation.
You should never take a vow with the thought that you will
just do your best. You should take the vow with the thought
that no matter what happens, you will keep the vow, no matter
how sick you become and no matter how much you suffer, you
will keep the vow. If you have an unconditional commitment
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to the vow, then no matter what happens, you will still keep
it. If your commitment to the vow is conditional, if you think
that you will do your best but you do not know how it will
work out, then it will not take very much to cause you to lose
the vow. The firmer the resolve, the better it is. It is important
to remember that these vows you take are a great source of
benefit, not only for yourself but also for others, not only in
this life but in future lives, and they are a necessary container
for your practice as a whole. Having a vow with a conditional
commitment is like having a container of grain with the lid not
properly on; eventually something will spill out. Having a vow
with an unconditional commitment is like having a container
of grain with the lid properly on so that it is sealed shut and
nothing can get out.
STUDENT: Recently I had a disagreement with my family.

Although I handled it better than I usually do, I showed a real
display of anger with my brothers. I tried to talk to my mother,
attempting to enlighten her before I am enlightened. It brought
about some chaos. I cannot be with them for long periods of
time because I begin to suffer as they do. Can you give me some
advice about this?
RINPOCHE: This is an experience that is characteristic to all

beings within samsara. When we are attempting to interact
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beneficially with others, because we still have kleshas and they

still have kleshas, we are loaded and ready to go off whenever they
get angry enough with us to ignite our anger. When two people
trigger each other’s anger in that way, it is like oil encountering
a fire. Everything just gets worse. This happens to us, in one way
or another, all the time. The best solution is to respond with
greater compassion for everyone in the situation when you see
what is happening. When you try to talk to someone else for
their own good with good intentions that are responsive to their
needs, oftentimes they not only do not listen to you but they
respond with aggression. If you can see that they are misguided
in misjudging your intentions and that that’s why they respond
to you aggressively, this could give rise to greater compassion for
them because you see that their anger is coming from a misun-
derstanding on their part of what you are attempting to do. If
you understand that it is coming from ignorance, that will help
you to not get angry. In this specific situation, however, it may
be the best thing for you to maintain some distance from these
family members and instead pray for them. When you attempt to
talk to them, do so in a very simple and careful way. Do not say
too much. If you are trying to give them advice, then give it to
them in very small pieces, very carefully, and stop as soon as you
start to feel resistance. In that way, gradually you may be able to
develop better communication with them. From your own side,
the experience of doing so will give you an even clearer picture
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of how samsara works, how much we all suffer, what beings are
like, and therefore the benefit and importance of practice and
going for refuge to the Three Jewels. It is unfortunate, but we
cannot simply put a stop to the self-destructiveness of others
simply through our wishing to do so.
STUDENT: When I first came to the Dharma many years ago,

I had the opportunity to take many vows. I was encouraged to
take them. No one ever told me that you would go to the lower
realms for breaking any of them. My question is: if you do not
know when you take the vows what all the consequences are,
is the karmic result if you do violate them the same as if you
knew about it? Can you renew the vows with this knowledge?
This is in regard to all three vows.
RINPOCHE: There are four causes of violating any vow. They

are ignorance of what the commitment is and how to keep it,
an irreverent attitude thinking it is irrelevant whether you
keep the vow or not, disrespecting the vow, and kleshas that
prevent you from keeping the vow when you want to. Of these,
breaking a vow through ignorance, through not knowing what
the vow was or how to keep the vow properly, cannot be said
to be without negative consequences, but it is not as karmically
negative as breaking a vow out of irreverence. Breaking a vow
out of ignorance, breaking a vow out of carelessness, or breaking
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a vow out of being overpowered by your kleshas are all negative,

but they are not as bad because they are not as deliberate as
breaking a vow out of irreverence. The reason why breaking a
vow out of irreverence is the worst, is because you are actually
breaking the vow in two ways. You are breaking the vow and you
are also developing an incorrect view of the Buddha, Dharma,
and Sangha by thinking that the vow does not matter.
STUDENT: Yesterday you talked about the importance of genu-

ine respect. I would like to ask you how we can develop and
accomplish this equal respect and also how we can maintain
it. The story that caught my attention was about the idea that
even if the world ended, you would honor these threads from
these sacred robes because the beings led a sacred life. I want
to know how to apply that.
RINPOCHE: The basic point of that section of the teaching

was the preciousness and value of Dharma. Because Dharma is
so precious, so valuable, and so rare, those who practice it are
precious and valuable, simply because there is no practitioner
who has not gained at least one quality, however slight it may
be, through the practice of Dharma. No matter where you would
place yourself within the ranks of practitioners, something has
happened to you as a result of your contact with Dharma. That
is why every member of the sangha, in the widest use of the term
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sangha, is to be respected. That is one reason. That is why great

gurus of the past have demonstrated respect for even ordinary
members of the sangha in extreme ways. Both Shamar Chokyi
Wangchuk, the Sixth Shamar Rinpoche, and the great translator
Lochen Rinchen Zangpo, used to demonstrate their respect for
the common sangha by placing on the top of their heads the
mats on which the sangha sat in order to receive the blessing of
the sangha. They also placed on their tongues a little bit of the
dust found in the shrine rooms.
As you mentioned, when Buddhadharma disappears from this

world — which does not mean the end of the world — the
robes worn by the sangha will not be left in the world. They
will be taken by gods and will be enshrined in stupas in the god
realms. All of this is simply because the effect that Dharma has
on anyone who practices it is so precious that it is always to be
respected. As well, a genuine practitioner will never think, “I
need more respect.” As it was taught by the Kadampa teachers,
the practice of Dharma is “leaving and joining the dogs.” You
totally surrender any concern with or need for social position
or respect of any kind. If you regard yourself as a dog and not a
person, if you regard yourself as low and inferior, automatically
you will have faith and respect for others. That automatically
produces qualities in you, since you see what is good around you.
If you think that you are wonderful and that you are superior,
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learned, intelligent, and so on, then all of this is pride. You will
be unable to see the qualities of others or, if you do, you will react
to them with jealousy and competitiveness. It is said, “Leaving
the people and joining the dogs makes you a god.” By giving up
any concern with social position, you become worthy of the
highest position because you are without arrogance. Basically it is
through having no pride that we start to develop the qualities of
a bodhisattva. It is obviously true that there are more intelligent
people and more awakened or mature people, but every one of
us, regardless of what else may be true, has buddha nature, and
therefore every one of us is fundamentally worthy of respect.
Not only that but since everyone has buddha nature, showing
respect to anyone, no matter who they may be, is a source of
merit because, in their nature, they are no different from the
Buddha. For that reason, a serious practitioner of the Vajrayana
will take the view that, as is said, “all beings are buddhas. There
are no sentient beings here at all.” Because you are focused on
what is true of beings in their essence, that their nature is the
same as that of a buddha, because you are focused on that, then
that is how you start to experience others. In short, the more we
focus on the buddha nature of others, the more respect there
will be in the sangha.
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Going for Refuge, Which Protects from All
Danger and Fear
The next chapter opens with the Sanskrit invocation NAMO

RATNA TRAYA YA, “Homage to the Three Jewels.” Karma
Chakme then tells his disciple Lama Tsondru Gyamtso, “Listen
without distraction.”
Although all beings seek refuge in one way or another, few

people understand all the different ways we can go for refuge
and what their varying significances are. We are always taking
refuge in something we perceive to be a source of protection,
whether it be immediate, temporary, or permanent. When we
are small children, we seek the protection of our parents. We go
for refuge to our parents from the time we can walk and talk.
Ordinary people in the world seek the refuge or protection of

powerful human beings and powerful nonhuman beings as well.
People in most cultures believe in some form of powerful spirits,
entities that may or may not be associated with their locality,
and seek their intercession and protection. These spirits may not
exist at all, in which case going for refuge to them does not lead
to anything whatsoever. On the other hand they may actually
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exist, but they still can only afford some kind of temporary
benefit. Similarly all religious people take refuge, whether they
call it that or not, in whatever is regarded as the primary focus
of refuge or protection in their particular religious tradition.
The point is that this attitude of seeking the protection of some

kind of higher power does not in itself mean that the source of
refuge you are directing yourself to can give you the protection
you are seeking. For example, in Tibet before the Buddhadharma
was taught, people sought refuge from the various gods and spirits
that were worshiped at the time. All of these ways in which we
seek protection or go for refuge, when they are concerned with
some actual being who is more powerful than ourselves, will
bring some temporary benefit. Just as the parents of a child can
protect that child from some suffering, all of these sources that
we seek to take refuge in can benefit us in some way.
What no source of refuge other than the Three Jewels can do is

to protect us from the sufferings of samsara. This is because in
order to protect beings from the sufferings of samsara, the source
of refuge must itself be free from those sufferings. Whenever
you go for refuge to someone or something that is not in itself
liberated, it can at most bring temporary benefit.
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The reliable or actual sources of refuge in the Buddhist context

are what are called the Three Jewels. All three of these are genuine
sources of refuge; however, only one of them is considered to be
an ultimate source of refuge, and that is the Buddha. Dharma is a
genuine source of refuge, but it is not an ultimate source because
Dharma is like a path or road on which you must travel to get to
a certain destination. Once you have reached that destination,
you no longer need that path. You will not turn around and go
back the other way along the same path. Therefore Dharma is not
considered an ultimate source of refuge. It is, however, necessary.
In the same way, the Sangha, the community that functions as

friends, companions, and guides on the path of Dharma, is also
not an ultimate source of refuge because the members of the
sangha themselves are not fully freed from samsara — that is,
they are not yet buddhas. If they were buddhas, they would be
called Buddha and not Sangha. Being called Sangha, by defini-
tion, they are, at the most, only partially liberated. Therefore
they, too, are only a temporary focus of refuge.
Ultimately the only final source of refuge is Buddha, because

a buddha has two characteristics that are unique. The first is
that a buddha has removed, cleansed, or purified all defects, all
ignorance, all mental afflictions, and all karma. The second is
that a buddha has brought to full perfection or full bloom all
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possible qualities. Because of this perfect freedom and perfect

blooming, a buddha is unique. Another way of putting it is
that a buddha has conquered the dangers that are posed by the
four maras. The four maras are the four things that afflict us in
samsara: death, the kleshas, the skandhas, and what is called the
deva putra mara, or the attachment to pleasure. Because of that,
the Buddha possesses complete and unlimited wisdom, such as
the six types of supercognition and so forth.
A buddha is therefore far beyond samsara. Saying that a buddha

is beyond samsara is more than saying that a buddha is liber-
ated from it. Of course a buddha is liberated from samsara in
that he has exhausted the cause of samsara, which is the mental
afflictions, and he has exhausted fundamental ignorance itself.
This means that he is not only liberated from samsara but he
is also liberated from the onesided nirvana of the Shravaka or
Pratyekabuddha arhats, who have exhausted the mental afflictions
but not fundamental ignorance. Because buddhas are beyond
both samsara and nirvana, they can, through their great kind-
ness, like that of a mother for her children, continually regard
all sentient beings in samsara all of the time. Not only do they
see everyone and everything, they also possess the ten powers
unique to a buddha. Because buddhas possess the wisdom and
the actual ability to benefit beings, they are the supreme and
most worthy or suitable source of refuge.
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It is necessary to understand that the source of refuge has to

possess that which you are trying to gain from it. To take refuge
in something that does not possess the qualities you wish to
achieve would be like expecting gold to fall from the sky. Since
gold is not present in the sky to begin with, holding your hand
out and waiting for it to fall is a waste of time. Thus it is ap-
propriate to go for refuge only to the Three Jewels.
The Three Jewels are understood in different ways within the

Buddhist tradition. There are, first, the views appropriate to the
different vehicles or levels, and then there are the various views
of the different schools.
The first and most fundamental way of looking at the Three

Jewels is that which is found in the pratimoksha. Here, the word
pratimoksha refers to the rituals and view of the common or lesser
vehicle, the Hinayana. From the point of view of the pratimoksha,
Buddha is the historical nirmanakaya, Shakyamuni, who attained
enlightenment 2,500 years ago at Bodhgaya in India. Dharma is
his teaching; it is his turning of the dharmachakra, specifically
the first dharmachakra, which is his teaching of the four noble
truths. Sangha consists of the Shravakas and Pratyekabuddhas,
especially those who have achieved any of the four results of
the Hinayana path. These results are: (1) entering the stream,
which means attaining some degree of stable realization; (2)
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returning once, which means having only one more lifetime

before attaining arhatship; (3) nonreturning, which means
being close to the attainment of arhatship in this lifetime; and
(4) the actual attainment of arhatship. From the point of view
of the Hinayana these are the actual Three Jewels: the historical
Buddha, the teaching of the four noble truths, and those who
have attained or are close to attaining arhatship.
From the point of view of the common vehicle, the actual Three
Jewels are represented by what are called the relative or symbolic
Three Jewels. These are as follows: (1) the stupas and images that
are symbols of the Buddha and that remind you of and com-
memorate the Buddha; (2) the letters or written words of the
Dharma, which you venerate because that is where you acquire
or learn Dharma (for example, in the Hinayana you are taught
to venerate the written words, to place the texts above your
head, not to put them on the ground or under your clothing,
and so on); and (3) all those who wear the robes of the ordained
(this means that whatever the robes are in a specific culture, the
people who wear those robes, in addition to the very robes they
wear, are venerated because they represent the Sangha).
The second special feature of the refuge vow of the common

vehicle is its duration. According to the pratimoksha, when you
take refuge, you do so for this lifetime only. The vow extends
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from the moment at which you take it until the time of your
death. This means that in future lifetimes you need to retake
the vow of refuge.
A third feature is your motivation for taking refuge. According

to the pratimoksha, your motivation is that you fear the suffering
of samsara. You wish to escape from samsara because it is so much
suffering; therefore you alone go for refuge to the Three Jewels.
The Mahayana view of going for refuge is different in regard

to the view of the sources of refuge. Buddha in the Mahayana
context is not only the nirmanakaya, the historical Buddha
Shakyamuni, he is also the trikaya, which is to say, Buddha is both
the dharmakaya and the rupakaya, or form body. The rupakaya
includes the sambhogakaya, or body of complete enjoyment, and
the nirmanakaya, or body of emanation. Thus from the point
of view of the Mahayana, Buddha is the two or three bodies or
kayas. Dharma is the Mahayana Tripitaka, which means the three
collections of Mahayana teachings: the Mahayana Vinaya (train-
ing), the Mahayana Sutrayana (discourses), and the Mahayana
Abhidharma (teachings on the nature of phenomena). The Sangha
in the Mahayana context comprises all the bodhisattvas who have
attained at least the first bhumi. Thus all bodhisattvas abiding
on any of the ten bhumis are the Mahayana Sangha. That is the
Mahayana view of the Three Jewels.
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Another distinction that makes the Mahayana view of refuge

superior to that of the pratimoksha is the duration of the vow.
It is not merely for this lifetime but lasts from the moment you
first take the vow until you attain buddhahood. The reason for
this is that in the pratimoksha, the taker of the vow — that is
to say the container for the vow — is the person’s body and
mind together. When that person dies and that body dies, it is
considered that they can no longer maintain the vow because
the receptacle is gone. According to the Mahayana, the taker
of the vow — and the container for the vow — is primarily the
person’s mind, and the mind does not die. Therefore you keep
the vow, you retain the vow, from the moment you take it until
you fulfill it by achieving buddhahood.
In addition, in the Mahayana your motivation for taking the vow

is not merely to protect yourself from the sufferings of samsara
but to bring about the protection of all beings from suffering
through the achievement of the liberation and awakening of all
beings. That is the way the refuge vow is viewed in the Mahayana
sutras.
In the Mahayana tantras there is, yet again, a distinct view of the
vow of refuge. In the first two of the four levels of tantra, which
are called the kriya tantra and the charya tantra, the Three Jewels
are viewed in basically the same way as in the Mahayana sutras,
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or at least the Buddha is. The Buddha is viewed as the trikaya:

the dharmakaya, the sambhogakaya, and the nirmanakaya. The
Dharma, however, is specifically the kriya tantra and charya
tantra teachings. The Sangha is those who have accomplished
awareness mantra, which is to say those who have become dakas
and dakinis through the practice of the mantras of kriya tantra
and charya tantra.
The duration of the vow of refuge and the motivation of the

vow of refuge, in kriya and charya tantra, is the same as in the
Mahayana sutras.
The Vajrayana is characterized by, among other things, an ad-

ditional set of tantric teachings known as yoga tantra. In the
view of yoga tantra, Buddha is considered not merely the trikaya
but also the buddhas of the five families, or what are called the
five victors. Dharma is the yoga tantra teachings, and Sangha
is the male and female bodhisattvas who abide in the mandalas
of the five buddhas.
The fourth and highest level of Vajrayana tantras is called anuttara

yoga tantra, or highest yoga tantra. In the view of anuttara yoga
tantra, Buddha is identified as the embodiment of the five kayas,
or five bodies. These consist of the three kayas (the dharmakaya,
the sambhogakaya, and the nirmanakaya) together with a fourth
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(the essence kaya, or svabhavikakaya, which is the unity of the

first three) and a fifth (the kaya of great bliss, or mahasukhakaya,
which is the quality of the other four). Dharma is the tantras
of anuttara yoga, the tantras of secret mantra. Sangha is the
supermundane, or awakened, dakas, dakinis, and dharmapalas.
In the highest reaches of the anuttara yoga tantra, which is the

tradition of special instructions, there is a further understanding
of the vow of refuge. According to this tantra, the Three Jewels
are nothing other than one’s own root guru. Why do we say this?
We say this because the mind of the guru is the actual Buddha,
the wisdom of all buddhas. Therefore the mind of the guru is
the embodiment of all buddhas. The guru’s speech is obviously
the source of all Dharma, so the guru’s speech is the Dharma.
The guru’s body is the embodiment of the Sangha, because the
guru is the foremost member of the Sangha. The qualities of
the guru are what are represented by the various mandalas of
the yidams, and the guru’s activity is that of the dakas, dakinis,
and dharmapalas.
From the point of view of the tradition of special instructions,

all other sources of refuge are seen merely as the display of the
guru. Ultimately, at this level, one goes for refuge to the guru
alone. For this reason you find in the liturgies statements like,
“The guru is the Buddha. The guru is the Dharma. In the same
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way the guru is the Sangha. The guru is the source of all.” In guru
yoga practices and guru sadhanas, in particular, you will find
everything phrased in this way. For example, in the guru sadhana
of Milarepa, you go for refuge to Milarepa. You generate the
bodhichitta of wishing to attain the state of Milarepa, and so on.
From the point of view of special instructions, you and all other
beings go for refuge to the guru. You think that you and all beings
simultaneously take refuge in the guru. Your motivation for doing
so is to bring yourself and all beings to the state of the guru,
the state of Vajradhara, in this body and in this lifetime. This is
the view of the vow of refuge found in the tradition of special
instructions within anuttara yoga and particularly embodied
in guru yoga tantras.
Another understanding of the vow of refuge found in the highest

reaches of Vajrayana is expressed in the very secret teachings of
ati yoga, in which the Buddha is the dharmakaya Samantabhadra.
The Dharma is the 6,400,000 tantras of ati yoga. The Sangha is
the awareness-holders, the dakas and dakinis.
The motivation for the vow of refuge is that one goes for refuge
to establish oneself and all sentient beings without exception
in the state of buddhahood in one instant of simultaneous
hearing and realization. Although this form of going for refuge
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is most commonly associated with the Dzokchen tradition, it

is not unique to it. We find this form in guru yoga practices,
such as the Milarepa sadhana, in such formulations as “Grant
your blessing that I attain full awakening at this very moment,
on this very seat,” and so on.
Each vehicle has a different way of understanding and meditating

upon refuge. In the pratimoksha tradition, you do not visualize
Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha in the sky in front of you. The
reason for this is that a buddha is omniscient. A buddha has
unobstructed and unlimited wisdom, so a buddha is aware of
each and every being all the time. A buddha sees and hears
everything. It is impossible that a buddha could fail to be aware
of someone going for refuge or supplicating him. Therefore,
from the point of view of the common vehicle, there is no need
to visualize the Buddha in front of you because buddhas know
exactly what beings are thinking and exactly what beings are
saying. In whatever realm they may be, they are aware of us.
As it says in the aspiration prayer for rebirth in Dewachen by

Karma Chakme, a buddha understands without mistake every
single word spoken by every sentient being. From that point
of view, because buddhas are omniscient, you do not need to
visualize or summon them to get their attention. You already
have it. Thus from the point of view of the common vehicle,
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taking refuge consists mainly of thinking about the meaning

of and reciting the words of the refuge vow.
From the point of view of the Mahayana sutras, you could think
of it in the same way. Because buddhas are omniscient, you do
not need to visualize them or summon them. Ultimately there
really is no need to attempt to get the attention of a buddha.
However, in order to gather the accumulation of merit, when you
are actually taking a Mahayana vow such as the vow of refuge or
bodhisattva vow, you should engage in as much preparation as
possible. It is traditional when taking the bodhisattva vow, which
is when you also take the Mahayana vow of refuge, to carefully
prepare the room in which the vow is going to be given, to set
up extensive offerings, and, if possible, to spend an entire day
before the vow in gathering the accumulations. Then, having
consecrated the place and the offerings, you formally invite
Buddha Shakyamuni, and by extension all other buddhas and
bodhisattvas. In their presence you take the vow of refuge and
the bodhisattva vow. At the conclusion of the ceremony you can
either request the buddhas and bodhisattvas to depart or you
can simply stop visualizing them.
In the three lower tantras — kriya tantra, charya tantra, and yoga
tantra — you take refuge in the context of a yidam practice of
those levels of tantra. You visualize in the sky in front of you the
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particular yidam surrounded by all the buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Above the head of the yidam in front of you, you visualize your
root guru, which in this context is the person from whom you
received the empowerments, transmissions, and instructions for
that yidam practice. You visualize the root guru in the form of
the lord of the family of that particular yidam. In the presence
of the guru and the yidam you take the vow of refuge. At the
conclusion you either request the deities to depart or you simply
stop visualizing them. In these lower tantras you do not dissolve
the sources of refuge into yourself.
Taking the vow of refuge in the anuttara yoga tantra is similar

to what is done in the lower tantras. You visualize the yidam,
in this case the yidam of anuttara yoga, in the sky in front of
you. Again, you visualize the root guru in the form of the lord
of the family of that yidam above the yidam’s head, surrounded
by all buddhas and bodhisattvas and all the other deities of that
yidam’s mandala, gathered like clouds. In the presence of all
these you go for refuge.
In the particular tradition connected with the anuttara yoga

of Mahamudra, the visualization of the sources of refuge is
slightly more extensive. It involves visualizing a lake in front
of you, and from the center of this lake emerges the trunk of a
wish-fulfilling tree that has five main branches. On the central
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branch you visualize your root guru, in the form of Vajradhara,

as the principal figure surrounded by all of the lineage gurus.
To his right you visualize Buddha Shakyamuni surrounded by
all the other buddhas. To his left are all the bodhisattvas, the
Mahayana Sangha. Behind the guru you visualize the Dharma
in the form of texts. In front of the guru you visualize all the
yidams of the four classes of tantra. Below them are the dakas,
dakinis, and dharmapalas. This style of visualizing the sources
of refuge that is used in the Mahamudra preliminary practices
is very common and is found in other traditions and practices
with slight variations.
For example, the practice of White Tara or the practice of Chen-

rezik in an extensive form is similar to this. Instead of visualizing
the root guru as Vajradhara, you would visualize the root guru
as Amitabha. In any of these visualizations of the sources of
refuge you do not need to separately invite the wisdom deities,
the actual beings. The reason for this is similar to the reason
why, in the Hinayana context, there is no need for visualizing
the Buddha: because when you bring a buddha to mind, you are
actually in the presence of that buddha. Consequently there is
no need to separately invite the wisdom deities. Recognizing
this, but also visualizing them in front of you, you go for refuge
with the confidence that you are in their presence.
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Other traditions, such as Dzokchen, have visualizations of the

sources of refuge that are basically the same as in Mahamudra.
In some of them you do not visualize the wish-fulfilling tree,
while in others you do. Aside from slight differences, it basically
comes down to the same thing. For example, in some Dzokchen
systems, instead of visualizing the root guru as Vajradhara, you
would visualize him as Samantabhadra in form, but essentially
it comes down to the same thing.
In any of these higher tantric visualizations of the sources of

refuge, you dissolve the sources of refuge into yourself at the
end of the session. Specifically they dissolve into your heart.
Then, having mixed your mind with the minds of the sources of
refuge, you look directly, simply, and straightforwardly at your
own mind. When you look at your own mind, you will see that
it has no substantial existence.
However, the mind is not merely an insubstantial nothing. It is

awareness; it has an innate cognitive lucidity, which is why we
call it mind. This innate characteristic, the cognitive lucidity of
the mind, is the sambhogakaya.
In addition, this cognitive lucidity is not an invariable, single

thing; it expresses itself or emerges in an unlimited variety of
expressions or cognitions. That is the nirmanakaya.
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The inseparability, or unity, of these three, which is the svabhavi-

kakaya, or essence body, is the nature of your mind. The nature
of your mind as it really is, is the Buddha, the embodiment of
the four kayas. Discovering this within your mind is the ultimate
way of going for refuge to the perfect buddha.
When we say “going for refuge to your mind,” this does not
mean you are going for refuge to your mind in the sense of the
mind that thinks without control. You are going for refuge to
the nature of your mind. In the same way, when you discover the
emptiness that is your mind’s nature, you discover the mother
of all buddhas, Prajnaparamita, which is beyond description,
beyond thought, and beyond imagination. Discovering this
within your own mind is truly going for refuge to the Dharma.
Dharma has two aspects: the Dharma of tradition and the Dharma
of realization. The Dharma of tradition exists in order to en-
able people to develop realization. The discovery of this nature
within your own mind is truly going for refuge to the Dharma
because it means gaining access to the Dharma of realization. In
the same way, when you discover the Buddha and the Dharma
within your own mind, you become a full-fledged member of
the Sangha. In the Mahayana, a true member of the Sangha is a
bodhisattva because he or she has realized the nature of things.
In a similar way, when you recognize the nature of your mind,
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you become a member of the Sangha. This is going for refuge

to the Sangha in the ultimate or fullest way. That is why in the
tantras it says, “Your mind is the supreme source of refuge.”
This does not mean that your confused thoughts and your kleshas
are sources of refuge. They are sources of samsara, and they have
been so from beginningless time. But the nature of your mind,
which is the source of all realization, is the true source of refuge.
By recognizing this nature you attain buddhahood. This is why
it says in the liturgies, “I go for refuge to the ultimate nature and
goodness,” which refers to the essential emptiness, characteristic
lucidity, and unimpeded expression of the mind itself. This is
the ultimate or absolute vow of refuge.
The chapter concludes with the colophon “This little song of

going for refuge arose in my mind on the evening of the third
day of the twelfth month in the Year of the Horse, and was
written down by Tsondru Gyamtso.”
STUDENT: Would you please tell us how we can do our prostra-

tions with quality? I have a hard time with that. When I do them
slowly, I seem to be able to concentrate more on the visualization
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and wholeheartedly try to prostrate. Then there is another side

of me thinking about the 111,111 prostrations. I do not want to
be too slow by only doing thirty a day, but once I speed up, I
tend to lose the quality side of it. Is there a balance to it?
RINPOCHE: With any practice it is important to be as pro-

foundly involved as possible. In a sense this means a certain
type of onepointed concentration. In the case of a practice like
prostrations, onepointedness is not the same as what it is in the
practice of tranquillity, or shinay. In the practice of prostra-
tions, one-pointedness essentially consists of maintaining the
confidence that the sources of refuge are actually present and
maintaining the motivation or intention with which you are
prostrating, paying homage with body, speech, and mind in
order to bring about the liberation of all beings. What needs to
be maintained as much as possible throughout is the confidence
of the presence, of the sources of refuge, and the motivation for
which you are doing the practice.
The existence of the set numbers, required numbers, of these

practices is to inspire diligence. Having a goal in terms of number
enables you to practice more. Nevertheless as you indicated in
your question, if you become too concerned with the number
alone and you allow your mind to wander too much during
the practice, forcing yourself to do a great deal of it but letting
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your mind wander, the problem is that even though you may
complete the requisite number, you may regret the way you
did the practice and you may think that you did the hundred
thousand but you do not really know if you did them properly
or not. In order to maintain balance between one-pointedness
and diligence of the numbers, try to maintain your motivation
for doing the practice throughout the session. By doing so, even
if you only do fifty prostrations in a day, because your motivation
for all fifty will have been bodhichitta, you will feel satisfied
with your practice.
What is especially important is the type of diligence that is called

“the diligence in continuous application,” which means that day
after day, year after year, you keep practicing. You never allow
your practice to degenerate or diminish. For example, whatever
amount of prostrations you begin with, you may increase it,
but you never allow yourself to do less than that. That type of
practice is the most effective. Although the length of our lives
is uncertain, nevertheless if you keep on practicing in that way,
you will come to the end of it. When you do so, you do not need
to regret how you performed the practice.
STUDENT: My hours here are my first steps in learning the way

of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. I do not yet recognize the kind
of state of unconditional commitment that I feel is required in
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order to take refuge. What task might you appoint me in order

to prepare to undertake that?
RINPOCHE: As you say, you cannot be expected to have an

unconditional commitment to something with which you are
unfamiliar; it is best to allow your commitment to grow gradually.
It will grow if you expose yourself impartially to experiences
and sources of learning that will inspire it. We cannot see all
of the six realms of samsara, but we can see part of the human
and animal realm. If you observe the life of people and animals,
you will see the truth of Dharma because you can see how much
everyone is suffering and how what happens to us is beyond our
control. We do not choose to be born and we certainly do not
choose to die. As you become more and more familiar with the
suffering, the anxiety, and the lack of freedom of beings, you will
become more confident that the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha
are authentic sources of refuge.
We do many things throughout our lives. We spend the early

part of our lives trying to learn to do the things that we spend
the rest of our lives doing, and then we die. That is basically
the history of human life in brief. You learn how to do things,
hoping that they will make you happy. You do them and they
do not make you happy. You are never done, and then you die.
No matter how much you achieve, you never achieve success
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because there is always more. Whether you die rich or poor,

whether you die young or old, you did not finish. Nobody ever
finishes. We can never prevent death. At best, we can delay it
for a very short amount of time. Looking around at what is
going on will gradually give you confidence. You can also study
Dharma books, such as The Jewel Ornament of Liberation, and The
Life of Milarepa. Your trust will grow.
Every one possesses the seed of full awakening. This basic nature,
this potential, is the source of all goodness. The problem that we
face is that we have never recognized our basic nature for what it
is. We have never taken full advantage of it. Having become aware
of it, if you start to develop it, then all qualities will increase and
you will definitely attain awakening. This increase of qualities
is something that you can directly experience within yourself.
Buddha, as our primary source of refuge, refers to a being who

became awakened. All buddhas started out as sentient beings.
The difference between sentient beings and buddhas is that
buddhas recognized their true nature and made use of it in such
a way that they were able to eliminate all defects and maximize
all qualities. We have the same basic nature as any buddha. If we
go through the same process, we will definitely achieve the same
results. For example, the flowers on the table in front of me are
extremely beautiful, but there was a time when those flowers
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were not beautiful nor were they even flowers. They were just
seeds. Normally we would say that a seed and a flower are two
very different things. But the only way that you can ever get a
flower is by planting a seed because the seed has within it the
innate potential to become that flower with all of its color and
beauty. In the same way, every one of us has the innate potential
of becoming Buddha, of becoming fully awakened. The difference
between a sentient being and a buddha is no greater than the
difference between a seed and a flower. Although they seem
different, if they are cultivated correctly, the transformation
from seed to flower or from sentient being to buddha will
definitely occur.
STUDENT: In the ngondro liturgy for refuge and prostrations,

just preceding the repetition of the refuge prayer there is a
prayer that basically says, “I take refuge in the essence of the
embodiment of the body, speech, mind, qualities, and activities
of all the buddhas, etc.” Until this weekend I never realized that
qualities and activities might actually be something different.
I was reading it as mind qualities and activities, as in qualities
of the mind and activities of the mind. Could you explain the
meaning of taking refuge in qualities and activities or help
clarify this for me?
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RINPOCHE: That section of the refuge is actually a long introduc-

tion to the refuge vow and is not repeated. It basically makes the
point that the root guru, together with the lineage gurus, is the
all-inclusive source of refuge. It says “the essence of the body,
speech, mind, qualities, and activity of all the tathagatas of all
times and places is the source of all the eighty-four thousand heaps
of the genuine Dharma and the embodiment of the arya sangha.”
All of those things refer to the guru. The point of saying body,
speech, mind, qualities, and activity of all buddhas means not
only the embodiment of all buddhas, but also the embodiment
of every single quality of all buddhas. The idea here with this
list of five things is simply to be all-inclusive. The point of this
is that the guru is the embodiment of all sources of refuge. To
understand this, however, and to understand what we mean by
a guru or lama, especially in the Mahamudra context, you must
understand that the guru is not simply the person that you have
met, the person with whom you could hold a conversation. The
guru is much, much more than that. In the Mahamudra tradition
the guru is considered to be Vajradhara. That is why when we
do ngondro practice, we visualize our root guru as Vajradhara.
Vajradhara is the dharmakaya. Vajradhara is the source of the

lineage and the source of all qualities. The guru is the person
from whom we receive this lineage, the person from whom we
receive what began with Vajradhara. So the qualities of which
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Vajradhara is the source are received by us from our root guru.

This is why we represent the root guru as and consider the root
guru to be Vajradhara. If you were to visualize your root guru as
an ordinary person, as you physically perceive him or her, you
would start to project a feeling of impurity and imperfection
onto that image and might think that your guru is not that dif-
ferent from yourself. You would naturally start to have less faith.
Whether or not the guru has defects, you will perceive them as
long as your feeling of the guru is limited to that flesh-andblood
body that you can see with your eyes.
The dharmakaya, which is the source and nature of all qualities,

is without defect. Vajradhara has no defects whatsoever. When
we take refuge, we visualize two Vajradharas. The one at the
beginning of the lineage is the actual Vajradhara. Then we visual-
ize our root guru also as Vajradhara because just as Vajradhara
is the source of the lineage, our root guru is our source of the
lineage and therefore has the same function for us and is of the
same kindness to us as Vajradhara himself.
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The Generation of Bodhichitta, Which Is the
Great Path of Awakening
The reason bodhichitta is referred to as the great path of awaken-

ing is that once bodhichitta has been generated, it is certain that
the individual who has generated it will at some point attain
buddhahood. It is also certain that without the generation of
bodhichitta, buddhahood cannot be attained. Bodhichitta is
actually the substance of the path to awakening, and for this
reason it is called the great path.
The chapter begins with the invocation NAMO GURU BUD-

DHA BODHISATTVA YE, “Homage to the gurus, buddhas,
and bodhisattvas.” Karma Chakme then tells his disciple who
requested this teaching, “Lama Tsondru Gyamtso, listen without
distraction.” If you really wish to practice the genuine Dharma,
then you must engage in this great path. It is the path that
has been traveled by all buddhas of the past, it is the path of
all buddhas of the present, and it is the great path on which
all buddhas of the future will travel. In short, all who have at-
tained the perfect awakening of buddhahood have done so only
through the generation of bodhichitta of the Mahayana. The
generation of bodhichitta is the moment at which the practice
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of awakening or buddhahood begins. All buddhas of the past,

all buddhas of the present, and all buddhas of the future, who all
began as ordinary individuals like ourselves, began the process
of awakening through their initial generation of bodhichitta.
Therefore if we generate bodhichitta, we begin the same process
of the same awakening.
Bodhichitta is generated through the taking of the bodhisattva

vow. There exist two traditions of the bodhisattva vow. These
are commonly known as the tradition of Nagarjuna and the
tradition of Asanga. These two teachers are therefore called the
two chariots of bodhichitta. The bodhisattva vow of Asanga was
transmitted by Buddha Shakyamuni to the bodhisattva Maitreya,
who passed it on to Asanga. This tradition of the bodhisattva
vow is called the tradition of extensive deeds. The other one,
the tradition of Nagarjuna, was received from the bodhisattva
Manjushri, who received it from the Buddha, and is called the
tradition of the profound view.
The tradition of extensive deeds depends upon a great deal of

preparation. The view in this tradition is that the generation of
bodhichitta is such a momentous event that it is like inviting
a universal emperor or monarch into your home. The home in
this case is the person, and the monarch is bodhichitta. If you
were to invite a universal monarch into your home, you would
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probably renovate it first so that it would be as beautiful as you

could make it. You would certainly clean it, decorate it as much
as possible, and set up a very beautiful throne. You would not
invite a universal monarch without making such preparations,
and even if you did, he or she would probably not show up. From
the point of view of the tradition of extensive deeds, the tradition
of Maitreya and Asanga, you can only generate bodhichitta if
you have prepared yourself in that way.
According to this tradition, bodhichitta will not arise in any-

one’s mind without preparation. Therefore in order to take the
bodhisattva vow in this tradition, you must have received and be
maintaining one of the several varieties of pratimoksha vows, or
vows of individual liberation. You also need to have previously
studied the Mahayana teachings, the Mahayana Tripitaka, so
that you understand fully the implications and significance of
what you are doing. Also, when this tradition of the bodhisat-
tva vow is given, extensive preparation, such as very elaborate
offerings and other procedures for gathering the accumulation
of merit, must be performed. In addition, the ceremony of the
bodhisattva vow itself is very elaborate and quite long.
The other tradition of the bodhisattva vow, which is the one

that is more commonly observed, is the tradition of the profound
view. In this tradition, the view of bodhichitta is that it is so
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wonderful that it is like a seed that will survive in any soil. For
that reason it is thought that anyone who sincerely wishes to
generate it and can actually participate in the ceremony and
repeat the words of the vow after the preceptor will generate
bodhichitta. This tradition of the profound view is much more
easily and much more widely given.
Ideally, in both cases the vow must be received from a guru who
holds and maintains a lineage of the bodhisattva vow, whichever
lineage is being passed down. In extreme cases, when it is utterly
impossible to encounter a teacher, if someone wishes to gener-
ate bodhichitta and they know how to conduct the ceremony,
it can be done in the presence of the three supports: stupas as
supports of the Buddha’s mind, texts that are a symbol of the
Dharma, and statues that are images of the Buddha. In cases
where teachers and the three supports are unavailable, it can be
done in the presence of the visualized sources of refuge. In that
case you would visualize the Three Jewels present in the sky in
front of you and repeat the vow in their presence.
However it is taken, simply taking the bodhisattva vow once is

not enough. This is because you need to protect the bodhichitta
from impairment and you also need to cause it to grow in order
for it to actually become a continuing cause of awakening.
Therefore, so that the vow does not deteriorate and so that the
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bodhichitta you have generated increases, it is repeated every

day. Having once taken the bodhisattva vow, you take it on your
own every day thereafter.
One reason for this is that, given the commitments of the bo-
dhisattva vow, it is impossible that ordinary people such as
ourselves will not violate it. We are always engaging in slight
violations of the bodhisattva vow. All of these minor infractions
are repaired through taking the vow every day, and that is one
reason why it needs to be done. Bodhichitta is like the crops
grown in the northern continent of Uttarakuru. It is said that
when you harvest the crops there, they immediately regrow on
the spot. Bodhichitta is like that. Although we impair it through
minor violations all the time, we can restore it by taking the
vow again every day. It is immediately restored.
The reason these two different traditions of the bodhisattva vow

exist is that, as is often said, the Buddha was extremely skillful in
how he taught. His teaching was always responsive to the actual
needs and dispositions of those to whom it was given. There are
people who are inspired by very elaborate ceremonies and who
regard a simple or relatively informal ceremony of bodhichitta
as not enough of a big deal. They would not feel confident in it.
There are other people who are much more inspired by a concise
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form of bodhichitta generation. Because people actually do have

these different dispositions, these two traditions exist.
The value of bodhichitta is immeasurable. It is like the legend-

ary elixir that transforms base metals into gold. Such an elixir,
by just touching iron or lead, would immediately transform a
mass of that metal into pure gold. Bodhichitta is actually like
that because in an instant, when it is generated, it transforms
an ordinary person into a bodhisattva. As soon as you generate
bodhichitta, regardless of who and what you are, you become
a member of the family of bodhisattvas. Becoming a member
of the family of bodhisattvas means being born into the family
of all tathagatas, all buddhas. This means that once you have
generated bodhichitta and become a child of the buddhas, it is
certain that you will at some point attain buddhahood. Therefore
your virtue, regardless of how ordinary or how confused you are,
actually eclipses the virtue of Shravakas and Pratyekabuddha
arhats because of the power of bodhichitta.
This may seem contradictory, but in fact it is like the situation

of a prince or princess born into a royal family. Immediately
upon birth that child is a member of the royal family. At the
time of their birth they know nothing, they have no power, and
they have no authority they can wield. However, they have the
potential of all of these things and that is why all the ministers
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and commoners in the court pay homage to them. Although they

are babies, they are still princes or princesses and will eventually
be monarchs. In the same way, when you generate bodhichitta,
you become genuinely worthy of the veneration of beings of the
entire world, including gods or devas. You can withstand and
you can digest that veneration. You will not choke on it.
Often when we are treated with respect or veneration, especially

in a spiritual situation, we are obscured by this respect and venera-
tion. This is called “the obscuration of spiritual acquisition.” For
example, when someone asks you to say prayers for them, if you
can actually benefit that person, then the offerings you receive
will not harm you. If you do not perform the prayers or if you
are incapable of bringing the benefit that the person making the
offering intends, you become obscured. You accumulate some
negativity. It is like misappropriation or a sort of involuntary
embezzlement. This does not happen if you have bodhichitta.
Even if you are venerated by the gods, the most powerful ordinary
beings in the universe, because you have generated the intention
to establish every being without exception, including those
gods, in a state of full and perfect buddhahood, because your
intention is utterly altruistic and noble and unlimited, you are
worthy of that veneration and it will not harm you.
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Bodhichitta is the aspiration, the wish, and the intention to

attain full awakening in order to liberate others — that is how
it has been explained by the Victor Maitreya. It has two aspects:
the aspiration, which we call aspiration bodhichitta, and the
implementation of that aspiration.
Aspiration bodhichitta is the wish to attain buddhahood for the

benefit of others. In that sense it is like a hope, a wish, a goal.
Implementation bodhichitta is the actual accomplishment of that
wish generated by going through the process of accomplishing,
or bringing about your own buddhahood.
Practically speaking, implementation bodhichitta consists of

practicing the six perfections, or paramitas. In order to be
called paramitas, they must be motivated by bodhichitta. If
we use generosity as an example, when you perform an act of
generosity, your intention for doing so must be that you wish to
realize full awakening so that you can liberate all beings. Your
motivation must be bodhichitta. If your motivation is merely
the accumulation of merit for your own benefit, then it is not
the perfection of generosity. While you are engaging in the
act of generosity, you must not lose sight of this motivation.
Afterward the virtue of the action needs to be dedicated to the
awakening of all beings. If the beginning, middle, and end of
the six virtuous actions (generosity, discipline, patience, joyful
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effort, meditation, and wisdom) are embraced by bodhichitta,

then they become the six perfections (paramitas) and are the
practice of implementation bodhichitta.
In the tradition of Nagarjuna, the way that we both initially

take the bodhisattva vow and renew the vow on a daily basis is
from The Bodhicharyavatara. It is found in the collected group
chants of the Karma Kagyu, called The Clear Daily Practice, and is
also found in the preliminary practices of ngondro. It combines
the Mahayana refuge and the generation of both aspiration and
implementation bodhichitta into twelve lines. It says, “Until I
reach the essence of awakening, I take refuge in the buddhas,
and in the same way in the Dharma and in the assembly of
bodhisattvas. Just as all buddhas of the past have done, I generate
the intention to attain supreme awakening for the benefit of all
beings.” The first part is the Mahayana refuge and the second
part is the generation of aspiration bodhichitta. Then it says,
“And just as they have gone through all the stages of the training
of a bodhisattva, in the same way I will go through all of those
stages.” In this way you make the second commitment of the
Mahayana refuge, which is the commitment of implementation
bodhichitta. The bodhisattva vow according to the tradition
of Manjushri and Nagarjuna is included in this short liturgy
of twelve lines.
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The commitments of the bodhisattva vow have been explained

in many different ways. They can be expanded upon almost end-
lessly and can be summarized in various ways. Here we follow
an actual summary that was given by the Buddha himself in the
sutra that is called The Sutra Taught to the King.
The first commitment of the bodhisattva vow is to rejoice in all

of the virtue done by others, including bodhisattvas, arhats, and
ordinary beings. One reason for this is that when you rejoice in
an action of someone else, you become deeply affected by that
action. If it is a negative action, by rejoicing in that action you
acquire much the same negative karma as if you had engaged in
the action yourself. By the same token, if it is a virtuous action
and you sincerely rejoice in it, you accumulate the same merit
as the person who actually engaged in that action.
Simply rejoicing in the virtue of others is not enough. You need

to engage in virtuous actions yourself. The second commitment
of the bodhisattva vow is to dedicate all of your virtue, whatever
virtuous actions you engage in, to your own attainment of bud-
dhahood as quickly as possible so that you can establish all beings
in a state of buddhahood. According to Buddha Shakyamuni,
these two — continually making the aspiration that dedicates
all of your virtue to your attainment of buddhahood in order
to bring all beings to a state of complete awakening, together
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with rejoicing in the virtue of others — include all of the com-

mitments of the bodhisattva vow.
There are three types of aspiration bodhichitta. The first type

of bodhichitta is called monarchical bodhichitta. A monarch first
protects himself. By doing this, he secures his power and is able
to effectively protect his subjects. The aspiration to attain bud-
dhahood yourself so that you can thereafter bring all beings to
that state is the way a monarch thinks.
The second type of aspiration bodhichitta is called the bodhichitta

of a captain of a ship. The captain of a ship reaches his destination
at the same time as his passengers. This type of bodhichitta
thinks, “May I and all beings attain buddhahood simultaneously.”
This is slightly more altruistic and therefore considered slightly
superior to monarchical bodhichitta.
The third type of bodhichitta is shepherdlike bodhichitta. The

shepherd guides the flock to its place to graze, making sure that
the animals are protected and have grass to eat. Only then does
the shepherd eat. At night he brings the animals back to where
they sleep. He is the last one home. The shepherd always takes
care of the animals first. Someone who generates shepherdlike
bodhichitta, which is considered supreme, thinks, “May I bring
all beings to a state of buddhahood and only thereafter attain it
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myself.” To generate any one of these three types of bodhichitta

as the dedication of your virtue is the second commitment, which
goes along with rejoicing in the virtue of others.
The specific training in implementation bodhichitta is the

practice of the six perfections, which you need to practice in
accordance with your own ability. There are aspects or forms of
the six perfections that we cannot presently engage in. The point
is to do our best. Aspiration and implementation bodhichitta
together comprise what is called relative bodhichitta.
The second aspect of bodhichitta is absolute, or ultimate, bod-

hichitta. In the writings of great scholars and mahasiddhas
there is some dispute over whether absolute bodhichitta can
be generated by ritual. In essence all concur that you generate
absolute bodhichitta when you directly realize the correct view
of emptiness. The realization of emptiness is equivalent to the
generation or realization of absolute, or ultimate, bodhichitta.
The main practice of bodhichitta is the practice of taking and

sending, or tonglen. It is through this practice that bodhichitta
can be most effectively furthered. In The Bodhicharyavatara it says,
“As long as you do not completely exchange your own happiness
for the sufferings of others, not only is there no way for you
ever to attain buddhahood but you will never even experience
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happiness within samsara.” The aspiration to exchange your

happiness for the sufferings of others is the essence of taking
and sending. It is the only way to attain buddhahood, and it is
the only way to attain any kind of happiness, because altruism is
the cause of happiness, and selfishness is the cause of suffering.
However, the actual exchange of one’s own happiness for the

suffering of others, actually taking on the suffering of others, is
in most cases impossible. It is also inadvisable for individuals
who have not attained at least the first bhumi. When you attain
the first bhumi or first bodhisattva level, you can easily remove
at least some of the sufferings of others through the creation of
emanations and so on. Until then it is inadvisable to attempt
to actually, or physically, exchange your happiness for the suf-
ferings of others. The reason is that this can become more of an
impediment to your progress than a benefit to the other person.
In one of his previous lifetimes, Shariputra, the disciple of the

Buddha, was practicing as a bodhisattva, which is to say that
although he had generated bodhichitta, he had not yet attained
the first bhumi. In order to obstruct his attainment, Mara came
to Shariputra in the form of a Brahmin and said, “I have need
of someone’s right hand.” Because Shariputra had such great
compassion and was trying so intensely to practice the Mahayana
path, he thought, “Well, I’ll give him what he wants.” So he said
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to this Brahmin, “Okay, you can have mine, just cut it off.” The
Brahmin said, “I am not allowed to actually cut you. I am a
Brahmin. So I need you to cut it off yourself”” Shariputra put a
razor in his left hand and cut off his right hand and with his left
hand gave what was formerly his right hand to this Brahmin.
The Brahmin said, “This is disgusting. I cannot accept something
handed to me with someone’s left hand. I can only accept things
from someone’s right hand. You cannot hand me your right
hand with your left hand. It is no good.” He took Shariputra’s
severed right hand and threw it in Shariputra’s face. Of course
Mara was just trying to be difficult and to make it impossible
for Shariputra to do something virtuous, and he succeeded. He
discouraged him so much that in that lifetime Shariputra entirely
gave up the Mahayana path. He thought, “Well, if I cannot help
even one being without becoming discouraged, what point is
there in my aspiring to liberate all beings?”
The point of the story is that as long as we have not attained at

least the first bhumi, which comes with the direct realization
of the selflessness of all phenomena, our fixation on our own
existence and our own welfare is simply too strong. It does not
permit us to engage in this type of altruistic conduct without
the considerable danger of our becoming resentful or regretting
what we have done or even developing intense antipathy toward
the path. This is a serious problem. Once you have become real-
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ized, you can do whatever you want in order to benefit others.

Until that happens, you cannot practically engage in this sort
of bodhisattva conduct.
As ordinary individuals, rather than attempting to physically

exchange our happiness for the suffering of others, we need to
do so through visualization practice. Developing the intention
is effective because all things rest on one’s intention. By devel-
oping the intention to exchange yourself for others, you gain
much of the benefit of actually doing it. This is true with both
virtuous and unvirtuous states of mind. For example, suppose I
generate the thought “I would like to kill every single sentient
being. I would just like to murder them all.” Of course I cannot
do that, but generating that thought is still negative because it
is going to move me in that direction and it will cause me to be
reborn in lower states. In the same way, even though you cannot
actually remove the suffering of each and every sentient being,
generating the aspiration to do so is very powerful.
In accordance with this, in order to practice taking and sending,

we use the breath. We coordinate the visualization of exchanging
ourselves for others with our breathing. When you breathe out,
you think that all of your happiness and all of your merit, in
short all the causes of happiness and all the happiness that results
from the causes of happiness, leaves you and dissolves into each
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and every sentient being. The cause of happiness is virtue and

the result of virtue is happiness. What you are thinking, what
you are imagining and aspiring to when you do this, is that you
wish every being achieve both the cause of happiness and the
result of happiness.
This aspiration that all beings possess the causes of happiness

and happiness itself is what is called maitri, or love, in the Bud-
dhist tradition. When this aspiration is unlimited, when it is
directed equally and impartially to all beings without exception,
it is called boundless or immeasurable love. If you meditate on
that, if you cultivate that kind of love continually, you become
impervious to the aggression of others, the harm of fire, water,
weapons, and poison. You naturally attract other beings because
you are so loving. You attract human beings, gods, and spirits.
Of course the final result of this kind of immeasurable love is
that you will attain buddhahood, but the immediate result is
that you will be reborn as some kind of god, such as Brahma,
the king of gods. This does not mean that you will become some
kind of cosmic tyrant. It means that you will be reborn with an
altruistic mind as a practicing bodhisattva, in a very powerful
position where you can help.
This kind of love is the best armor you can wear, because as
long as you have it, you are impervious to the attacks of Mara.
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Simply because you are free of selfishness, you are concerned

with others. Therefore the weapons of Mara cannot touch you,
in the same way that an empty sky is impervious to any kind
of weapon. No matter how many arrows you shoot at the sky,
you can never really pierce it, because there is nothing there to
be pierced.
We see this in the story of Milarepa. In the first section of The

Songs of Milarepa, it says that he entered his cave and found it to
be full of demons. He tried to banish the demons by visualizing
himself as a deity and reciting mantras. But this had no effect;
they fed on the power of his mediation and became even worse.
When he generated a truly altruistic love and compassion for
those demons, he actually swallowed them up. He swallowed
up their aggression, and they had to leave. In the same way, this
attitude of love is the best way of protecting yourself from all
harm.
The other aspect of taking and sending is what you do when you
breathe in. When you breathe in, think that all of the wrongdoings
and all of the obscurations of all beings, which are the causes of
suffering, and all of the suffering that afflicts all beings, which is
the result of wrongdoing and obscurations, all this is pulled out
of them and dissolves into you. You think that the result is that
all beings are forever free from the causes of suffering, which are
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wrongdoings and obscurations, and that they are also free from
the results of wrongdoings and obscurations, which is suffering
itself. This aspiration that all beings be free from suffering and
its causes is immeasurable or boundless compassion.
This compassion that is impartial, boundless, and unlimited is the

beginning of and the real cause of your attainment of buddha-
hood. It is the seed that will grow into buddhahood. After that,
as you pursue the path, this state of mind of compassion is the
condition that will lead you to the attainment of buddhahood.
Not only is it the seed you are cultivating, it is also the act of
farming the seed, because it provides the water, the manure, the
sunlight, and all the conditions that cause that seed to grow.
When you attain buddhahood, compassion is the gate through

which you benefit beings. It is the cause of all the activities for
the benefit of others in which a buddha engages, just like the
crops that grow from seeds through the application of nurturing
conditions. Therefore buddhahood is born from compassion.
Shravaka and Pratyekabuddha arhats are called “the children

of the Buddha’s speech,” because their attainment is born from
the Buddha’s teachings. Bodhisattvas are called “the children of
the Buddha’s mind.” All buddhas are called “the children of the
bodhisattvas,” because buddhas are born from bodhichitta. A
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buddha becomes a buddha through the full ripening of bodhi-

chitta, the altruistic wish to bring all beings to buddhahood.
That is the cause of buddhahood. All bodhichitta, as well as
the bodhisattvas that maintain and generate bodhichitta, are
born from compassion. Buddhahood comes from bodhichitta,
and bodhichitta comes from compassion. Therefore, as it says
in The Madhyamakavatara, “Compassion is the root of all Bud-
dhadharma. It is the root of all Dharma and the root of all of
the qualities of a buddha.”
Compassion is like the golden wheel that is held in the hand of

a chakravartin. A chakravartin is a universal monarch, and as
the name implies, a chakravartin holds a wheel, or chakra, that
distinguishes him. It is his emblem. It has the magical property
of summoning all his wealth and splendor. Anyone who holds
that golden wheel in his hand is immediately surrounded by all
the splendor, wealth, authority, and luxury of a chakravartin. In
the same way, any person, regardless of his social status, culture,
ethnicity, gender, or age, who has great compassion, will possess
all of the qualities, all of the dharmas of a buddha. This has been
explained in the sutras.
The difference between a person who has bodhichitta and a person

who does not have bodhichitta is great. Although they appear
to be the same, the person who has bodhichitta is substantially
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different. If you throw a small ball of iron into water, it will sink
to the bottom. In the same way, someone who does not possess
bodhichitta, with even a little bit of wrongdoing will be cast
into a lower rebirth. On the other hand, consider a ship, which
is also made of iron. It has much more iron than the little iron
ball, but it will not sink. It will stay afloat on top of the water.
In the same way, someone who possesses bodhichitta as their
motivation will not be reborn in lower states. Even if he or she
appears to have accumulated a great deal of wrongdoing, this will
not cause the person’s downfall. This is because if bodhichitta
is the motivation, not only neutral actions but also most of the
actions that would be considered negative will be transformed
into virtuous actions. This refers to the fact that sometimes a
person with bodhichitta will act for the benefit of others in a
way that seems rough or unkind. If their motivation is genuinely
altruistic and if it is done for the benefit of others, they will
not be coarsened, afflicted, or obscured by the roughness of
their actions.
This is the essential key to the practice of Vajrayana. All of the

accoutrements and all of the techniques in Vajrayana practice,
the practices of union and liberation, all the manipulation
of phenomena, and so on, are very powerfully virtuous and
very conducive to awakening, provided they are motivated by
bodhichitta. The key to Vajrayana being a tool for awakening
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is the motivation of bodhichitta. Therefore bodhichitta is the

root of all secret mantra, the root of all Vajrayana. Thus, Chakme
Rinpoche writes, “Tsondru Gyamtso, keep this in your mind.”
This is extremely important because if Vajrayana is practiced

without bodhichitta as a motivation, it is not going to lead
to awakening. All of the elaborate and powerful Vajrayana
practices, such as the sadhanas of Chakrasamvara, Hevajra, and
Guhyasamaja in the New Translation tradition, or the sadhanas
The Eight Dispensations, The Collected Thoughts of the Guru, and
Vajrakilaya, in the Old Translation tradition — all of these
powerful and famous practices of secret mantra, if practiced
without bodhichitta, will only succeed in turning you into some
kind of little sorcerer. This is because you empower yourself
through these practices; you become a kind of powerful and
charismatic person, but your motivation is incorrect.
Therefore at this point the text says, “All tantrikas of the future,
if you do not understand this, even though you spend your whole
life doing sadhana practice, forget about attaining buddhahood
in one lifetime. This will not even lead you in the direction of
awakening.” Any kind of Vajrayana practice that is not moti-
vated by bodhichitta is like a very sophisticated technological
implement in the hands of someone who does not know what
to do with it. This is because if you do not have bodhichitta,
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you do not understand the very basis of tantra. It would be like

putting me in the cockpit of the most sophisticated airplane
ever developed. I can assure you there will be problems. There
is nothing wrong with the airplane. It is wonderful. It works. It
can do anything you want. But I do not know how to fly it. If you
let me fly that plane and I take off, I am going to hit the ground
at a time and place other than that intended. Vajrayana is like
that. There is nothing wrong with the techniques of Vajrayana.
They are effective, they are profound, but the skill of using them
rests upon the presence of bodhichitta.
In the same way, if you engage in all kinds of austerities for the
purpose of spiritual attainment, keeping flawless moral disci-
pline and vows and keeping all the samayas you accumulate, if
you lack bodhichitta, none of this will further you on the path
to awakening. At the very best, you might attain the state of
a Shravaka or Pratyekabuddha. As long as you do not possess
bodhichitta, even if through shamatha practice you acquire ESP,
this is not going to help you attain buddhahood. You would just
become some kind of saddhu in the marketplace who impresses
others with his power. You might acquire the title of rishi, but
it is not going to lead you to buddhahood. Even if you succeed
in assembling a large number of disciples, that is not going to
help you attain buddhahood. You would just become like the
bhikshu Mahadeva, who caused the division of the sangha two
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thousand years ago. Even if you were to succeed in attaining the

eight great mundane siddhis, this is not going to lead you to
awakening. You are just like a common mundane magician who
can manipulate phenomena. Therefore Lingje Repa said, “The
attainment of the eight great mundane siddhis is amazing, but
it is not very useful in the attainment of awakening.”
We have seen that if you possess bodhichitta as your motivation,

any path you undertake, whether it is the path of the sutras or
the path of the tantras, will be effective. If you do not possess
bodhichitta, because the very essence of the path is not present,
any path you undertake will be ineffective. This is the reason
there seem to be so few people attaining enlightenment or
becoming siddhas nowadays.
When we think of the history of the Buddhadharma, and of

Vajrayana in particular, we can think of innumerable siddhas in
India and also in Tibet. Nowadays there seem to be comparatively
few, which may lead us to the mistaken conclusion that Dharma
has somehow become stale or ineffective and that it does not
work anymore. This is not the case. All of the teachings that
were in India and were transmitted to Tibet are upheld and
available today. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the upholder of
all the traditions of Buddhadharma that were carried to Tibet.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa is the holder of the Kagyu
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lineage and tradition. His Holiness Minling Trichen Rinpoche

is the head and upholder of the Nyingma tradition, and their
Holinesses Sakya Trizin and Sakya Dakchen are the holders of
the Sakya tradition. Each of them maintains all of the traditions
for which they are responsible, ensuring that the transmission
remains unbroken.
STUDENT: There are times where I meet people or am in situa-

tions where I feel like I want to help people, but because of my
capabilities, I think I am very limited. Sometimes I think I do
not have enough compassion or bodhichitta because I did not
extend myself enough. There are times when I feel as though I
have helped up to a point, but beyond that you cannot do much.
It is almost like your giving up on the person. You feel like you
are supposed to keep helping them but you are also, at the same
time, feeling that you cannot do it any more. Part of you feels
like maybe you do not have enough compassion or bodhichitta
for his person. What do you do in cases like this?
RINPOCHE: Sometimes you have to be very sure that you know

what kind of effect an effort to help someone is going to have
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before you decide whether or not to do it. If you are unsure

exactly how much help the person needs, you may be better off
not helping them. Sometimes people do not want to be helped and
they just get angry, so you may do more harm than good. Once,
when we were in New York City, we saw a woman attempting
to bring her shopping home. She had so many bags that she was
dragging them, not even carrying them. Bardor Rinpoche went
up to her and attempted to pick up some of her bags and help
her. She became furious and said, “I can take care of it. I can
carry it. I do not need any help.” And yet she was dragging them
along the ground because she could not pick them up. In the
same way, sometimes it happens that people do not need help
or they do not think they need help and they do not want it.
STUDENT: There are also cases where people do ask for help
and you are helping them and it gets to a point where the help
you give them results in their not trying to help themselves.
They might even go to different teachers and ask them the same
questions repeatedly. The person might be given the same answer
from all the teachers, but the person still does not really follow
what they are advised. Sometimes I feel like they are still trying
to hold on and ask for help.
RINPOCHE: You have to let people like that be. You can pray
for them. You have to have the aspiration that they be able to
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get it together and that they be able to benefit themselves and

others and practice Dharma properly, but there is not much you
can actually do to help them.
STUDENT: I had a situation during the summer where I was

working for my father and we had someone there, a tradesman,
who was giving me a very hard time because he felt that I was
just given things by my father and that it was very easy for
me. He was extremely rude and insulting and it made me very
angry. I specifically tried not to insult him, but I eventually
had to say to him, “Look, either stop it or leave.” He got very
upset. As it happens, my father showed up at that time, so the
incident did not go any farther. I almost felt that it was at the
point where it was going to become a physical confrontation,
and that it almost had to become that because I couldn’t just let
him insult me, walk all over me, and so on, for various reasons,
both on a personal level and in terms of the other people there.
I felt extremely frustrated. It still bothers me a lot when I think
about it. It is still very disturbing. I do not really know what to
do. I could not just leave and it was a very difficult situation.
RINPOCHE: The job you get is largely a function of your merit

as an individual accumulated in previous lives. Whether the
circumstance of your acquiring a position is your right by birth
or your training and qualifications is ultimately irrelevant. When
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someone says the sorts of things that that person was apparently
saying to you, usually they are motivated by jealousy. Someone
who is that jealous and that aggressive is probably coming
out of a long series of rebirths in lower realms, and is possibly
headed for another long series. Certainly, at this point, they are
profoundly unhappy, otherwise they would not be occupying
their mind in that way. When you reflect upon the fact that the
person is certainly more unhappy than you are, it will make you
feel less angry, you will feel more compassion for him, and you
will be inspired to pray for his welfare. When people abuse you
verbally, you have to allow what they say to go in one ear and
out the other and not assume that just because someone says
something, that it is necessarily true.
Also, this happened in the past. No doubt, when this person

said these things to you, you felt hurt and depressed. The words
that they said to you, however, are gone. They no longer exist.
Words leave no physical trace. All they leave is an imprint in
our memory, and what maintains that imprint is your fixation
on the feelings you had when those words were said. If you let
go of that fixation, there will be nothing left of it.
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The Cooling Shade: Placing Others Under
the Protection of the Three Jewels
The next chapter of this text is called simply “The Cooling

Shade.” It describes how to place others under the protection
or the refuge of the Three Jewels. It begins with the invocation
NAMO RATNA TRAYA YA, which means “Homage to the
Three Jewels.”
The topic is introduced using the image of a parasol that shades

one from the burning rays of the sun, with the parasol repre-
senting the compassion of the Three Jewels. The top part that
sticks up like in an umbrella is here an ornamental, golden peak,
representing the precious and abundant qualities of the Buddha,
Dharma, and Sangha. Below that peak is the actual silken fabric
of the parasol itself, which is like divine silk, because it has the
power to protect all beings. This power comes from compassion
combined with the aspiration made by the Buddha, Dharma,
and Sangha.
This parasol of the protection of the Three Jewels is something

that you hold over others’ heads to protect them from the burning
rays of the sun. You hold up this parasol by the golden handle
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of devotion, allowing it to shade others and protect them from

the heat of samsara. The methods that are described in this
chapter can be used to protect or to pray for either the living
or the deceased. These methods work because, as we have seen,
buddhas are constantly regarding all sentient beings all of the
time. Buddhas never stop regarding and benefiting beings. The
manner in which buddhas regard all beings is utterly impartial.
They have the same consummate loving-kindness for each and
every being that they would if that being were their only child.
Generally speaking, we have friends and we have enemies. There

are those we favor and those we hold in disfavor. Buddhas do not
make such distinctions. Buddhas have the same loving-kindness
for all beings and they have completely conquered the hordes
of mara, which would otherwise obstruct or prevent them from
benefiting beings. Therefore if you request the protection of
the buddhas for someone, it is certain that that person will be
protected. This is definitely the best way to protect someone.
There are elaborate ways you can do this, using special ceremo-
nies and so on, but it can also be done equally effectively using
the practices with which you are already familiar. The practice
that is used as an example of how to do this is the Mahamudra
preliminaries, or ngondro, which most people are familiar with.
Each part of ngondro has a method that can be used to benefit
others.
331
Using the first part of ngondro, the practice of going for refuge
and generating bodhichitta, you do the visualization and recite
the liturgy as usual, but in addition you think that not only you
but especially those beings you wish to protect are all going for
refuge, joining their palms in an attitude of devotion, reciting
the refuge vow, and remaining in an attitude of devotion. You
recite the liturgy as usual, and at the end of the session, after
you have completed the repetition of the usual refuge vow and
the taking of the bodhisattva vow, you recite the single line
“We go for refuge to the guru and the Three Jewels” 108 times.
Then, at the end of the session, you think that the sources of
refuge melt into light and dissolve, in this case not only into
yourself but also into those to be protected. Think that by this
occurring, all those to be protected are filled with the blessings
of the Three Jewels. After that, rest in the practice of emptiness,
which in this case is the recognition that you, those you are
trying to protect, and the sources of refuge all have the same
fundamental nature and are, in that sense, inseparable.
By doing this, you are practicing both the relative and the ab-
solute ways of going for refuge. The visualization of the sources
of refuge, the repetition of the refuge vow, and the dissolution
of the sources of refuge into you and into those to be protected
comprise the relative refuge. Resting in an awareness of the
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fundamental equality or sameness of yourself, those to be pro-

tected, and the sources of refuge is equivalent to the ultimate or
absolute refuge. Practicing like this will definitely cause those
whom you designate to be placed under the protection of the
Three Jewels.
The second way to use ngondro practice to benefit others is by

practicing in a special way the second part of ngondro, which is
the meditation and mantra repetition of Vajrasattva. The reason
this practice can also be used is that when you are attempting
to protect others, you are attempting to protect them from suf-
fering. The cause of suffering is wrongdoing and obscurations.
All of the suffering, hardships, and problems we experience in
this lifetime and in past and future lifetimes, as well as the suf-
fering that others experience, are caused by our accumulation
of wrongdoing and obscurations. When we accumulate these
obscurations, and as a result suffer and then become resentful
of our suffering, we engage in more wrongdoing, accumulate
more obscurations, and suffer more as a result, and so on. This
is why we call this samsara, or cyclic existence. The cause leads
to the result, and the result inspires us to accumulate further
causes, and so on.
If the causes — wrongdoing and obscurations — do not exist,

then the result — suffering — will not occur. It will not be
333
experienced. An effective way of protecting others from suffering

is to remove the cause of their suffering. The most effective way
of purifying obscurations is the Vajrasattva practice.
You do this practice exactly as it is found in the ngondro, which

is to say that you visualize Vajrasattva seated above your head. In
addition to this, you think that emanating from the Vajrasattva
above your head are many other Vajrasattvas, who come to rest
or are seated above the heads of those you wish to protect. The
beings for whom you do this can be either living or deceased. You
visualize them and you think that there is a Vajrasattva seated
above the head of every one of them as individuals.
You do the practice as usual, reciting the hundred-syllable mantra,

the six-syllable mantra, the words of confession, and so on. There
is nothing different to recite. At the end of the usual practice,
you do the following special visualization: Think that wisdom
ambrosia descends from the bodies of all the Vajrasattvas and
purifies not only the obscurations of yourself but especially
the wrongdoing and obscurations of each of the other beings
individually. Each being whom you wish to protect or purify has
a Vajrasattva above his or her head, and each of the Vajrasattvas
is purifying the being underneath him. Visualizing this, you
recite the six-syllable mantra OM BENZA SATTO HUNG an
additional 108 times for the benefit of those to be protected.
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At the end of the recitation, as usual Vajrasattva melts into light

and dissolves into you. This means that the Vajrasattva above
your head melts and dissolves into you, and the additional Va-
jrasattvas dissolve into the people above whom they are seated.
Each person’s Vajrasattva dissolves into him or her individually.
Having done that, you briefly meditate on emptiness without
any thought of what you are attempting to confess or purify,
of the person doing the confession, or of the act of confession
as having inherent existence.
This includes both the relative and the absolute acts of confession.
The relative act of confession is the meditation on Vajrasattva
up to and including the dissolution of Vajrasattva into yourself
and the others. The absolute or ultimate confession is the resting
in the fundamental sameness or equality of that which is to be
purified, the person purifying it, and the act of purification.
This can actually reduce the negative karma, even the karma of
previous lifetimes that others have accumulated.
The third way of using ngondro practice to benefit others is

by employing the third part of ngondro, which is the mandala
offering. The reason for this is that all of the happiness that
we experience in this life and in other lives is a result of our
accumulation of merit. You cannot possibly experience even
335
a moment’s happiness without the previous accumulation of

merit as its cause.
The way to accumulate merit that involves the least difficulty is

the offering of the mandala, which is therefore considered the
most profound way of gathering the accumulations of merit. If
you wish to make others happy, you have to accumulate merit
for them on their behalf, and the easiest way to do this is by
making the mandala offering.
You do the mandala practice as usual up to a certain point. You

visualize the sources of refuge — the Three Jewels — which are
the recipients of the mandala offering, in the sky in front of
you. When you offer the mandala, you think that the bodies of
yourself and all those to be protected, all of the possessions of
yourself and those people, and all of the virtues accumulated
by yourself and by them in the past, present, and future — all
are brought together and offered in the form of billions and
billions of worlds. “World” here is visualized as consisting of the
central mountain — Mount Meru — and the four continents.
You emanate billions of these worlds and you mentally fill each
of them with heaps and masses of all the most wonderful, desir-
able things that are found in the realms of humans and devas.
336
You offer the mandala as usual following the liturgy. At the end
you add the offering mantra GURU DEVA DAKINI RATNA
MANDALA TRATITSA SOHA. You recite this mantra 108 times
as a specific accumulation of merit for those you are wishing
to protect. At the conclusion of the session you think that all
of the deities, the sources of refuge, dissolve into you and into
those to be protected. This does not mean that you divide them
so that some dissolve into you and some dissolve into those you
wish to protect. You think that each assembly entirely dissolves
into each person. You get a full set of sources of refuge and each
of them gets a full set.
Then you meditate briefly on emptiness as before. The first

part of this, the mandala offering, is for the accumulation of
merit on behalf of others. The second part, the meditation on
emptiness, is for the accumulation of wisdom on behalf of others.
Through increasing the two accumulations, you will increase
their prosperity.
The most effective way of blessing or consecrating the body,

speech, and mind of yourself and others is the practice of guru
yoga. This of course is the practice or cultivation of devotion.
You can use the fourth part of ngondro, guru yoga, to benefit
others in the following way.
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You visualize the root and lineage gurus above your own head
just as you usually do in guru yoga practice. You do the practice,
reciting as many of the two supplications as you wish. At the
end of the regular practice, before you dissolve the gurus into
you, you repeat the first line of the second supplication, LAMA
RINPOCHE LA SOL WA DEP, “I supplicate the precious guru.”
You repeat that one line 108 times for the benefit of those for
whom you are praying. You visualize the root and lineage gurus
above your head only; do not visualize them above the heads
of those to be protected. While reciting this mantra, you think
that rays of light emerge from the bodies of the root and lineage
gurus above your head. The rays of light enter into the tops of
the heads of all of those to be protected and drive out all of
their wrongdoing and obscurations in the form of black tar or
goo right out the bottoms of their feet. These rays of light fill
their bodies and dissolve into them. Consequently their bodies
become crystalline, stainless, and luminous.
You visualize this while reciting that one-line supplication,

thinking that the blessings of the gurus are actually entering
into these people for whom you are praying. At the end of the
session, the root and lineage gurus dissolve into you as usual.
Chakme Rinpoche says, “I have not seen anywhere an instruction
that you dissolve the root and lineage gurus into the others.”
They just dissolve into you. The reason for this is that you are
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the person whose devotion is powering or fueling this practice.

It is not necessarily the case that those you are praying for have
devotion. They might not be Buddhists at all. They might not
have any connection with the gurus to whom you are praying,
but you can still pray for them because you have that connection.
However, because they do not necessarily have the connection,
at the end of this practice, you dissolve the lineage and root
gurus into yourself, not into them.
This method of using the four ngondro preliminary practices

to protect others or to bring others under the protection of the
Three Jewels is found in commentaries of both the New and
the Old, or Sarma and Nyingma, traditions. Karma Chakme
Rinpoche writes, “I have actually heard these instructions from
my kind root guru, so do not think that I just made this up and
wrote it down.”
The reason this is important is that people go around saying,

“When will I experience the compassion of the Three Jewels?”
They say this all the time without realizing that you have to
know how to bring that about. You have to know how to ask,
how to call for the compassion of the Three Jewels. If you do
not have a drumstick, the drum is not going to make any sound.
339
Karma Chakme concludes the chapter, “Therefore, at the exhorta-

tion of Tsondru Gyamtso, this was composed by the retreatant
called Raga Asya, Karma Chakme Rinpoche, on the evening of
the twenty-seventh day of the tenth month, in the Year of the
Wood Snake.”
STUDENT: I want to clarify my understanding of the refuge

practice. You said that we need to add a certain liturgy about
going for refuge to the guru and the Three Jewels. Does that
come right after the taking of the bodhisattva vow?
RINPOCHE: Yes, it is that one line — “We go for refuge to

the guru and the Three Jewels” — and it is inserted after the
bodhisattva vow has been taken.
STUDENT: When we are practicing the refuge section of ngondro

for the benefit of others, should we be visualizing the sources
of refuge in any special way?
RINPOCHE: The fundamental attitude in going for refuge should

be one of desperation. Samsara will never come to an end —
which is to say that for all beings, including yourself, there will
340
never be a time of freedom and happiness — unless a method of

liberation is found. The first part of the attitude we take in going
for refuge is a feeling of sadness and renunciation. The second
part is the recognition that all the methods we might employ
to bring about our liberation depend upon, or start with, going
for refuge to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
How do we view the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha in the context

of the Mahamudra preliminaries? Essentially the Buddha is
viewed as the trikaya, the three bodies. Dharma includes both
tradition and the realization that that tradition brings; it also
includes both the Dharma of sutra and the Dharma of tantra.
Sangha includes the Hinayana sangha of the Shravaka and Pra-
tyekabuddha arhats, but is primarily made up of all of the male
and female bodhisattvas that abide on the ten bhumis. It is the
exalted Sangha of the Mahayana. Of course, the attitude with
which you go for refuge is that you are doing so not temporarily,
such as for this life alone, but until you have attained perfect
awakening or buddhahood. You are not going for refuge just
to free yourself from samsara but rather because you can then
liberate all beings.
STUDENT: Some of us recently received the empowerment for

Vajrasattva. According to the ngondro practice, we are supposed
to complete the going for refuge before practicing Vajrasattva;
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therefore what portion of the Vajrasattva can be done daily to

keep the commitment of the empowerment? And do we get to
count whatever we do and add it to the number of repetitions
we do in the future?
RINPOCHE: You should work as hard as you can on the prostra-

tions until you finish them. Of course, prostration practice is
very difficult, but you do eventually get to the end of it. The
prostration practice can prevent rebirth in lower states, and
the physical discomfort of doing prostrations, as considerable
as it may seem to be, is far less than the physical discomfort of
rebirth in the lower realms.
For someone who is still doing prostrations and wishes to recite

the Vajrasattva mantra in postmeditation while walking around
or working, either as an observance of the commitments of the
empowerment or in order to generally purify themselves, that is
fine. However, you should not consider it part of the accumula-
tion of the Vajrasattva mantras for the ngondro. Until you finish
the first part of ngondro, you should not begin the liturgy for
the second part, and any mantras you recite in postmeditation
are not counted for the accumulation.
There is a saying that it is better to have a cup of grain than

a large vessel of grain that is mixed with sand and grit. If you
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have just one cup of grain, it is very easy to cook and you have
something you can eat. If you have what seems to be a much
larger vessel of grain but do not know how much of it is actually
grain and how much of it is sand, grit, and small stones, it is
very unwieldy. You do not know how much you have or if you
can actually ever use it to cook and eat.
In the same way, if you approach Vajrasattva practice by just

sort of trying to say the mantra a lot in postmeditation and
trying to count that as Vajrasattva practice, you are ending up
with something that is unwieldy. The practice is mixed with the
distracted mind of postmeditation, so it is not really meditation
practice and also you have no idea how many you have said. You
may have said a lot, you may not have said many at all. You will
not have much confidence in your own practice if that is the
way you approach it. It is much better to take things one step
at a time and to concentrate on one thing at a time so that you
know what you have done and know where you are.
STUDENT: How appropriate is it to do the Vajrasattva practice

without having first taken the bodhisattva vow?
RINPOCHE: Having received the empowerment, it is okay to

do Vajrasattva practice without having separately taken the
bodhisattva vow. Anytime you take any Vajrayana empower-
343
ment, it includes the generation of bodhichitta, which is a kind

of bodhisattva vow. Nevertheless if you separately take the
bodhisattva vow, it will make your practice much more powerful
and definite. The custom in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition is
that every ritual and every personal practice begins with the
renewal of the vows of refuge and bodhichitta. When you are
taking an empowerment, at the beginning of the empowerment
you are instructed to have bodhichitta as your motivation.
There is always generation of bodhichitta in the early stages of
the empowerment ceremony. In addition, at the conclusion of
the ceremony you are instructed to dedicate the virtue of the
empowerment to the awakening of all beings. In a sense, the
bodhisattva vow is included. Nevertheless it is necessary at some
point, for your practice to be full-fledged, to take the vow as a
separate commitment.
STUDENT: I am a little confused about the instructions on us-

ing the Vajrasattva practice to benefit others. Could you please
review that?
RINPOCHE: When you begin the Vajrasattva practice and you

visualize Vajrasattva above your head, you immediately think
that Vajrasattvas are emanating and appearing above the heads
of those to be protected. Essentially, they appear simultaneously
with the Vajrasattva above your own head. Then you go through
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the practice as usual, concentrating on the purification. You

recite the hundred-syllable mantra however many times, and the
six-syllable mantra however many times, and then the liturgy
of confession. After the liturgy of confession, you again recite
108 of the six-syllable mantra, this time concentrating on the
purification of those to be protected. After that the Vajrasattva
above your head melts into light and dissolves into you, and at
the same time the Vajrasattvas above the heads of those to be
protected dissolve into them individually .
STUDENT: I have heard conflicting instructions. In the usual

ngondro practice you only do 216 recitations of the hundred-
syllable mantra. Therefore do you only do 108 six-syllable mantras?
RINPOCHE: What you are asking is about ngondro in general,

so do not confuse this with the practice that is being described.
When you are doing the ngondro practice of Vajrasattva, what
you are accumulating is hundred-syllable mantras. The repetition
of the six-syllable essence mantra at the end of that is for the
purpose of repairing any incorrect repetition or pronunciation
of the hundred-syllable mantra. Therefore the six-syllable mantra
is customarily chanted 108 times regardless of how many or how
few hundred-syllable mantras you have chanted.
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STUDENT: I am dedicated to Dharma practice and I understand

the importance of it. The problem I have is that while sitting
daily on the meditation cushion, my meditation becomes a
little bit solidified. It becomes like automatic prayer. How can
that become more alive and more inspired? In addition, after
about half an hour my knees and back start hurting me and I
find myself wanting to do the practice faster just because I am
experiencing a little bit of physical pain.
RINPOCHE: It is good that you are devoted to and committed to

Dharma, but devotion is easily lost if there is no real understand-
ing of Dharma or of how to practice it. By this I mean that the
problems you are describing in your first question mean that
you have no certainty, no real conviction. If there is that kind of
conviction, the practice will never become stale or solidified in
the way you are describing. Nevertheless this is true for all of us
in the beginning. We always start out lacking conviction because
it only comes through experience. Once that conviction is gained,
you become absolutely certain that the path you are pursuing
will lead to awakening, at which point there is no problem with
staying fresh and in focus. To some extent this is a question of
habit. As you practice more, the habit of practice and the habit
of the insight of practice will increase. The problem we face is
that if we allow ourselves to become distracted while we are
practicing, we amass bad habits as well. It can become easier
346
and easier to get distracted, and eventually it can become sort

of automatic. Therefore it is important to employ the faculty of
alertness, which defends or protects our mindfulness.
The function of alertness is to recognize distraction, and once you

have recognized it, you simply return to the meditation, to the
technique. This return to the technique should be done gently. It
is not a question of attempting to force your mind back. Working
with your mind is a little bit like working with a timid bird.
If you extend your hand and invite the bird, eventually it will
jump onto your hand. But if you thrust your arm out in a hurry
and try to grab the bird, it will fly away. Therefore in returning
to the technique, do so without attempting to force your mind.
With regard to your second question, there are two things that
might be happening. The first thing, which is probably the more
likely, is that your body is not yet used to the physical position
of practice, in which case there is no alternative but to gradually
allow yourself to get used to it. Only maintain the meditation
posture as long as you can do so without discomfort, and gradu-
ally that period of time will increase as your body gets more
used to it. The other possibility is that you have some kind of
physical injury or condition that is causing the pain, in which
case attempting to prolong the sitting period could exacerbate
whatever problem it is. If it is because of an injury or health
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condition, then you should rely upon the guidance of a physician

in determining what posture to use in practice.
Nowadays we have all kinds of problems with our minds and

with our bodies when we practice. The great practitioners of
the old days, who seem to have all but disappeared now, did not
worry about these things because they had this certainty that I
spoke about earlier. They had an attitude that was completely
hard-headed and uncompromising. They thought, “I do not care
if I get sick or even if I die. I will just keep practicing until I
attain awakening.” Because they had that kind of attitude, they
did not have the problems that we face. Since we do have these
problems, however, we have to deal with them individually and
appropriately for each particular situation.
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Dispelling All Obstacles: Visualizations to
Benefit Others
This next chapter essentially explains three different ways of

using deity meditation to remove the obstacles of others. The
chapter begins with the invocation NAMO MAHA KARUNA
KA YE, “Homage to the Great Compassionate One,” which refers
to Chenrezik. In the prior chapter the metaphor that was used
was of a parasol; here it is the metaphor of a breeze.
A wish-fulfilling tree called Gorshisha is found on the Mountain of

the Potala. The Mountain of the Potala is the island pure realm of
the bodhisattva Chenrezik, or Avalokiteshvara. The wish-fulfilling
tree is moved by the breeze of profound instructions, causing its
beautiful or delicious scent of benefit and happiness to pervade
all the hundred directions. In other words, these instructions
are like a breeze that causes the scent of that tree, which is like
the compassion of Chenrezik, to pervade everything.
The actual instructions begin as follows: We have reached the

age of bad times in which there is fivefold degeneration. People
are afflicted by sickness, demons, bad luck, and all kinds of
unpleasantness. Sudden adversity and obstacles of all kinds
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afflict people. In response, the custom arose of people bringing

offerings, whatever they can gather, to teachers and requesting
that they pray for them, perform visualizations, and so on for
their benefit. This custom has developed as a response to the
fact that people have problems that can be benefited by prayers
and meditations being done for them by teachers.
Having received those offerings, if you (as the teacher to whom

the people have turned) do not perform some special visualization
for their benefit, then you are deceiving them. Another difficulty
is that among the visualizations you might do, a lot of them
are going to cause more problems than benefit. For example, in
order to help someone who is ill, you might perform the practice
of chö, or “cutting through.” The problem is that if you do this
practice, it is very hard to withstand the upheaval it is going to
bring. When you practice chö intensely, it produces a lot of fear
and possibly hallucinations or actual dangerous occurrences.
You have to have the courage and the confidence of the view
that will enable you to withstand the occurrences that arise. If
you do not, and most people do not, then having done chö will
actually harm both you and those for whom you are praying.
Furthermore, most patrons of Dharma feel that they are afflicted

by spirits who do not like the Buddhadharma. If you try to do
some sort of exorcism ritual and meditation to remedy this, the
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dharmapalas do not like it because it is as if you are trying to

turn them into your own personal bodyguards. In addition, if
the person has a strong occurrence of negativity running through
his or her life and you try to magically manipulate this, you
actually put your own life in danger.
Therefore, for all these reasons, in answer to people’s prayers,

you need a form of practice or visualization that is not going to
harm you and is certain to benefit them. That which is extolled
for this in all the tantras is authentic of origin, brings immediate
and obvious benefit, and is adorned with profound instructions.
Chakme Rinpoche guarantees it from his own experience. This
means that the instructions Chakme Rinpoche is about to present
are not just found in texts that are past history; it is something
he can guarantee because he has practiced them himself.
His instructions for the first of these practices are to visualize

yourself as some form of Chenrezik, whichever form you are most
familiar with. It could be Gyalwa Gyamtso, the red Chenrezik; it
could be Four-Armed Chenrezik; it could be Thousand-Armed
Chenrezik or Two-Armed Chenrezik — whichever one you
are used to. In addition, above the head of the sick or afflicted
person, seated on a moon-disk seat, you visualize the bodhisattva
Chenrezik in the following specific form: He is white, with one
face and two arms. His right hand is extended in the gesture
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of bestowal of protection. His left hand holds a white lotus by

its stem. He is seated with his legs crossed and is adorned with
all the usual silk clothing and jewelry. In his heart you visualize
above a moon disk the syllable HRI surrounded by the mantra,
which is facing outward.
Then you visualize rays of light emerging from the syllables in

Chenrezik’s heart, and you invite all the wisdom deities, especially
Chenrezik himself, from the realm of the Potala. They dissolve
into the Chenrezik above the afflicted person’s head. Then you
recite a supplication that says, “Great bodhisattva, who bestows
protection and fearlessness upon the fearful, Arya Avalokitesh-
vara, I pay homage to you. I pray that you free this person (say
the person’s name) from the dangers of sickness and affliction.”
After the supplication you visualize ambrosia descending from

the body of Chenrezik, purifying all the sickness and other
afflictions from which that person is suffering and filling his
body with wellbeing. Visualizing this, the mantra that you
recite is OM MANI PEME HUNG. Then say the person’s name
and the name of the sickness or affliction. You continue with
SHANTIM which means “purify,” and KURU YE, which means
“to do”, and SOHA, which means “may it be.” You recite this
mantra as many times as you can. At the end, you think that
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the deity Chenrezik above the person’s head melts into light
and dissolves into that person.
The sources for this are The Lotus Sutra, The Vajra Funjura Tantra,
and also the terma of the Nam Chö, the tradition of terma from
which our Amitabha and Medicine Buddha practices come.
The second of the three visualizations given in this chapter is drawn

from the commentaries on The Kalachakra Tantra, especially from
the commentary that is called Stainless Light. In this visualization
you would normally visualize yourself as Vishvamata, who is the
consort of Kalachakra. In this case, you would visualize yourself
as Vishvamata alone, without Kalachakra accompanying her. As
Thrinley Rinpoche writes, “Because it is also a nondual tantra, you
can visualize yourself as that particular form of Avalokiteshvara
known as Gyalwa Gyamtso.” In any case, you visualize that rays
of light from your heart emanate outward, and at the end of
each ray of light is another Vishvamata. She is white in color
with one face and two arms. In her right hand she is holding
a vase, in her left hand she is holding a white lotus, and she is
riding on a white elephant.
You then visualize that she rides out on the tips of the rays of
light and comes to rest above the person you are trying to protect.
This is primarily concerned with the alleviation of the suffering
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of ill or afflicted people. You visualize that she pours ambrosia

from the vase in her hand, with which she washes away all of
the sickness affecting that person, causing all of their sickness
and demonic obstacles to be purified and causing their body
to become completely cleansed like a vessel of crystal. While
this is going on, you visualize that many other emanated god-
desses who accompany Vishvamata are singing songs of praise
and auspiciousness and sending down a rain of flower petals.
Visualizing this, there is no liturgical recitation, but there is a
mantra, the Vishvamata mantra with something added to it. It
is OM TREM VISHVAMATA SOHA. Then you say the name
of the person for whom you are praying and you say the name
of their sickness or demons, then SHANTIM KURU YE SOHA,
which means, “May they all be pacified.”
The number of mantras you recite is up to you. It depends

upon the seriousness of the person’s illness and the amount of
time at your disposal. At the end you can dissolve the deity
Vishvamata either into the ill person or back into yourself.
Chakme Rinpoche gives his sources, and he does so because
he does not want you to think that he just made this all up.
There is a specific empowerment for this visualization found
in a collection of empowerments called the Druptop Gyamtso,
or Ocean of Sadhanas. The visualization is explained in general
in the commentary on The Kalachakra Tantra. It is explained in
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detail in the commentary Vimilaprabha, or Stainless Light, which

was written by the rigden Peme Karpo of Shambhala. In this
particular text, the practice is explained as a way of dispelling
all of the sixteen dangers, not just sickness.
Next Karma Chakme Rinpoche talks about his own experi-

ence with this visualization so that you will understand that it
actually works. A patron of his suffered from an obscuration
of his vision because of an imbalance of the three humors; he
suffered from too much phlegm. Chakme Rinpoche performed
this visualization one period a day for one month. During that
time the patron had a dream that a woman dressed in white
clothing washed him, and the next morning his vision was
somewhat clearer. Day after day his vision improved more and
more until his obscuration was completely cleared up. Chakme
Rinpoche writes, ”Therefore I have acquired certainty as to the
effectiveness of this visualization.”
The third visualization given in this chapter makes use of the

deity White Tara. In this practice you would normally visualize
yourself as White Tara. However, if you wish, if you are more
comfortable doing so, you may visualize yourself as Chenrezik
in the usual form. It does not matter. In either case, rays of
light emanate from your heart, and these rays of light invite
White Tara from the Potala. She comes to rest above the head
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of, or in front of, the ill person. You supplicate her, which can
be in your own words, for the pacification of whatever danger
or affliction is affecting that person. You visualize that from
her body a stream of milk-like amrita descends, dissolving into
the afflicted person and purifying all of the sickness, demons,
and so on. If you wish, while visualizing this, you can recite
praises to Tara, such as KORWA LE DROL TARE MA, and so
on. However, this is not necessary. In either case, you recite the
mantra TARE TUTTARE TURE but before you say SOHA, you
insert the name of the person and the name of their sickness or
demons, and KURU YE SOHA. This means, “May all of their
sickness and demons be pacified.” At the end of performing
the visualization, you think that Tara dissolves into the person,
specifically into the part of their body that is afflicted by the
sickness. For example, if the person has a toothache, then you
think that Tara dissolves into the person’s tooth, and so on.
This White Tara visualization comes from the Kadampa tradi-

tion. In that tradition it has been taught that in the experience
of many Kadampa geshes, simply doing that visualization once,
for one period, will alleviate the sickness of the afflicted person.
However, this might not be the case nowadays. This is because we
have less confidence in the teachings, or sometimes it is because
of impurities in our samaya, which causes the power to be less
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effective. Also, if the visualization is done by someone without

compassion, it will not have the same effect.
This visualization can be used for any of the sixteen dangers,

which include things like water, abysses or cliffs, fire, predators,
political persecution, and so on. You can apply it to any of those
dangers. Consequently when you are traveling to a dangerous
place or on a dangerous road, or if someone else you know is
doing so, you can visualize White Tara above yourself or above
that person, or directly in front of you or that person. In this
case, Tara would be making the mudra, or gesture, of bestowing
protection, and you would alter the mantra to include whatever
particular danger you are seeking protection from. In other
words, you would take out the words sickness or demons, and
insert dangers on the road, or whatever the problem is.
This is taught in the large text that is called The Hundred Thousand
Praises to White Tara, and it is also taught in the Cha Tupita Tantra
and has been carried down through our lineage as an oral instruc-
tion. This means it has continued to be practiced as an actual
method and is not merely found in old texts. Again, Chakme
Rinpoche writes, “This White Tara visualization is a summary
of all the teachings from commentaries and instructions of the
lineage, as well as based upon my own experience.”
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He then sums up his teaching, and regarding the visualizations

he says, “The virtue of these three methods or instructions is
that they do not harm the person who performs them. That is
to say, sometimes some procedures or ceremonies you might
perform for others might be risky to yourself, but these are
not. Furthermore, they are beneficial to the person for whom
they are performed, not only immediately but also in the long
term. Because the deities being used in these visualizations are
wisdom deities, a connection is established with the person
being prayed for so that they can be reborn in a pure realm, or
at the very least establish a strong connection with that deity.”
Then he concludes the chapter by saying, “This was written down

by the diligent one, who is able to write down these instructions
through his great exertion, even in the freezing cold.” As most
of you will remember, this refers to the circumstances under
which this book was dictated. It was dictated to the person
who requested it, Lama Tsondru Gyamtso, who received each
chapter as dictation while sitting outside Chakme Rinpoche’s
retreat hut in the depth of winter.
Thus it was written down by Lama Tsondru Gyamtso on the

evening of the eighth day of the tenth month in the Year of the
Wood Snake.
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STUDENT: In regard to the concise practice to benefit others

through the short Chenrezik, is this practice available as a text?
RINPOCHE: The application that was taught is not a separate

Chenrezik practice that replaces the ordinary Chenrezik practice.
It is not a short or concise or convenient form of Chenrezik prac-
tice. There is a difference between a practice and the application
of a practice. This is an application. As such, there is no separate
liturgy to be used other than the supplication and the mantra
that were given in the teaching. The supplication is long enough
that you may find it unwieldy to use, in which case just recite the
mantra. The mantra to be recited is OM MANI PEME HUNG
(the person’s name) (the sickness) SARMA SHANTIM KURU
YE SOHA. That is sufficient. If you cannot remember that, it
is sufficient to simply recite the mantra visualizing Two-Armed
Chenrezik above the person’s head, specifically focusing on that
person’s welfare, that person’s benefit. It is not really a liturgical
practice like the Chenrezik puja we do here as a community .
STUDENT: Is it better to do the Chenrezik practice or the

Vajrasattva practice for the specific purpose of purifying illness?
RINPOCHE: The Vajrasattva practice would be better.
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STUDENT: Karma Chakme says that he helped people by doing

this practice. I thought it was impossible to purify someone else’s
karma. I need to understand this.
RINPOCHE: You actually can benefit someone else in this way,

but there has to be some kind of established connection, which
can either be a mundane or a Dharmic one. This is why the
custom in Tibet was that if you became ill or if someone in
your family became ill and you were requesting prayers from a
lama, you would go to the lama with offerings. The purpose of
the offerings was to establish some kind of karmic connection
between the teacher and the sick person so that benefit could
be given effectively. This is also why you can successfully pray
for the longevity of your teacher. If someone is your teacher
and you are his disciple, you have established a connection with
him. This means that your prayers for his longevity will be more
effective than those of someone who has no connection. It also
means that when a teacher prays for his disciples, he can benefit
them greatly. It is similar to the wires that transmit electricity:
As long as there is some kind of wiring present, the electricity
can travel. That is how it works.
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The River of Ambrosia That Purifies
Obscurations: Vajrasattva Practice
This chapter begins with the Sanskrit invocation NAMO VA-

JRASATTVA YE, “Homage to Vajrasattva.” As is the case with
the other chapters, there is an injunction to the disciple who is
writing it down to listen, only here it says, “Listen, Lama Tsondru
Gyamtso, we have great hatred for our enemies.”
People have great hatred for their enemies. We wish to bring

about their downfall, and even if we succeed in doing so, we
are dissatisfied. We want to kill them. We want to eradicate
them utterly and make them nonexistent. The general point
here is that we are constantly thinking about trying to do in or
to outdo our enemies.
If you think about it carefully, enemies, such as thieves and so

on, are our best friends. As Shantideva said, “There is no evil
like anger, and no virtue like patience.” One of the implications
of that statement is that without enemies, we have no real op-
portunity to practice patience, no real opportunity to practice
impartial loving-kindness and compassion. Rather than resenting
our enemies, we should actually feel gratitude toward them.
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Furthermore it says in the text that all those who are our enemies
in this lifetime have, throughout many previous lifetimes, been
our kind parents; and also within this lifetime it is not uncom-
mon for enemies to turn into friends. The most an enemy can
do to us is kill us, which they can only do once. Once they have
killed us, we are dead. They cannot kill us again and again. There
is one enemy, however, that can kill us more than once and that
harms us throughout all of our lifetimes. That enemy is our own
wrongdoing. This enemy can not only kill us, it can actually cast
us, and has cast us, into hell innumerable times. There we are
killed not only once, we are killed and revived again and again.
If you are concerned with enemies, understand that your own
wrongdoing and obscurations are your true enemies. If you are
concerned with doing in your enemies, try to do this one in.
Wrongdoing, if not confessed and purified, even if very slight at

the time it was done, accumulates interest. It actually grows as
each day and each year passes, which is why it is said that even
the small wrongdoings of the foolish are heavy. If we confess
wrongdoing, even if it is not completely purified by the confession,
it will not increase and will actually decrease over time. That is
why it is said that even the great obscurations and wrongdoings
of the wise are light. Anything we do that is wrong, no matter
how slight it is, if it is not confessed, will increase over time; it
will never just disappear by itself. The imprint of any single act
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of wrongdoing, regardless how minor the action itself, in the

absence of confession, will abide for a billion kalpas without
disappearing. The results of our actions ripen only for us. They
do not ripen for the earth. They do not ripen for a stone. They
ripen in the aggregates, sense fields, and elements of the individual
who performed the action.
On the other hand, there is no unvirtuous action so horrific

that it cannot be purified by confession. For example, the king,
Ajanta Shatru, which means “Unborn Enemy,” or “Already an
Enemy Before He Was Born,” killed his own father, who was an
arhat; created a major schism in the sangha of the Buddha; and
with malevolent intent drew blood from the body of the Bud-
dha. Yet through one act of confession he was able to purify all
of this. Another example is Angulimala, “Necklace of Fingers,”
who killed 999 people and collected a finger from each of his
victims, which is how he got his name. Nevertheless he was able
to purify this wrongdoing by one single act of confession.
You might ask how it is possible that such heinous crimes can
be purified by such brief moments of sincere confession. It
happens in much the same way that a single spark is able to
burn a large mass of hay. It was taught by Buddha Shakyamuni
that a confession can purify any wrongdoing. In order to do
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this effectively, however, you need a method, and the method

of confession is what is called the four powers.
To be authentic and fully effective, any act of confession must

contain all four of the following components. The first is called
the power of reliance or support. This means taking as the witness
for your confession “supports,” or representations of the Buddha’s
body, speech, and mind that have blessings, such as a statue of
the Buddha, a volume of Dharma, and a stupa, which have bless-
ings when they have been properly prepared and consecrated.
Alternatively, you could rely on some other support, such as a
Vajrayana mandala or your guru. If you lack any of these and wish
to perform a confession, you may visualize all the buddhas and
bodhisattvas, which means you simply invite them to witness
your confession. This is valid because, with their omniscient
wisdom, buddhas and bodhisattvas can actually hear anything
that is intentionally addressed to them by a sentient being.
The second power is the power of regret. This means sincerely

regretting unvirtuous actions as intensely as you would regret
having drunk poison. If you were to drink poison, the type of
poison for which there is no remedy and which will definitely
cause your death, having discovered that you had drunk it,
you would certainly wish you had not done so. Your wish must
have that degree of intensity. In truth you have more reason
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to regret unvirtuous actions than you do to regret drinking

poison, because drinking poison will kill you, but it will do so
only once. Unvirtuous actions not only cause your death once,
they eventually cause it innumerable times.
The third power is the actual mechanism or procedure of purifica-

tion, the power of remedy for harmful actions or conduct. This can be
any virtuous action whatsoever that is specifically dedicated to
purification. It can be physical acts of virtue, such as prostration
or circumambulation. It can be verbal acts of virtue, such as the
recitation of scripture, liturgies, and mantras. Among these, the
meditation and mantra recitation of Vajrasattva is considered
supreme for purification.
The fourth power is the one we have the most trouble with. It
is usually translated as the power of resolution, but you can call
it a commitment or a promise. It means that you have a strong
commitment never to commit the wrongdoing again. This is the
hardest thing for us because the nature of unvirtuous actions
is that they are habitforming. When you do something wrong,
one of its results is that it reinforces the habit to do the same
thing again. The position we often find ourselves in is analogous
to that of children who are constantly being given clean clothes
and as soon as they put them on, they immediately run out and
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five minutes later they are filthy again. Every time we confess
our wrongdoing, we immediately go out and do it all over again.
Unfortunately, even though we have the other three powers, if

this fourth power is not present, we will not successfully purify
our wrongdoing. For example, certain attitudes can obstruct
this power, such as the arrogant thought “I can take care of this
action of wrongdoing, I can handle it, it is not that important, it
is not that big a deal,” or “I am clever enough, or strong enough,
to withstand its effect.”
Another attitude that can obstruct the power of resolution is

actually being proud of whatever it was one did. I do not know
how prevalent it is in this country, but in Kham, in eastern
Tibet, it was quite common to be proud of unvirtuous things
one had done, especially if they were “macho.” For example, it
was not uncommon to overhear someone casually saying, “Yeah,
when he said that, I stabbed him immediately.” Such a person
would be just as likely to say OM BENZA SATTO HUNG right
after stabbing their victim, which certainly calls into question
how much they really meant to purify their wrongdoing, since
thereafter they would brag about it. In any case, if there is a
lack of commitment, a lack of resolution, then even though one
takes measures to purify or counteract the wrongdoing, they
will not be successful.
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Another attitude that can be problematic is the thought “I have

to do such-and-such thing as part of living in the world, but I will
purify it later.” The thought “I can confess it and purify it later”
presents a threefold problem. First of all it is habit-forming. If
we do it once because we think we have to, we may thereafter
do it again because we liked doing it. Second, the length of our
lives is uncertain, and there is no guarantee that we will be alive
long enough to confess or purify the wrongdoing. The third
problem is that if we go through our lives that way and let the
accumulation of our wrongdoings creep up on us bit by bit, we
can end up being smothered or crushed under a mountain of
wrongdoing from which it may seem almost impossible to escape.
In any case, it is taught that if we do not have the resolution that
will keep us from repeating the unvirtuous action, whatever it
is, we will not be able to purify it even though we have admitted
or confessed it.
The primary method that we use for the act of confession is the
hundred-syllable mantra of Vajrasattva. If you are in retreat and
are doing something else as your main practice, you would recite
the hundred-syllable mantra every day between sessions at least
twentyone times. That way your previous wrongdoing, including
violations of commitments, will not increase. Chakme Rinpoche
adds that this is not simply an arbitrary number he alone has
made up, but is taught in all of the Indian and Tibetan texts on
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this subject and was taught by all the scholars and siddhas from
India and Tibet. It is also said in several places, for example in
The Tantra of Hayagriva that reciting the hundred-syllable mantra
even once will purify all your wrongdoing. It makes sense to
interpret this statement as meaning that the mantra would
have this degree of effectiveness by reciting it with the utmost
conviction, but realistically speaking, we probably cannot expect
that to happen for us. It is, however, by no means impossible.
There is a story from the eastern part of Tibet. In Golok there

was a householder who had a family, and like many people of
that region, in order to sustain his livelihood, he occasionally
killed people. He had killed eighteen people and eighteen horses.
Nowadays we do not think of that as being very much, because
often those who are responsible for the deaths of many people
are responsible for deaths in much larger numbers. In the old
days and in eastern Tibet, killing eighteen people was generally
considered quite an accomplishment. At the end of this man’s
life, as he was ill and dying, his family members went to him
and said, “Father, you know you have done some bad things in
your life. Maybe you should do something about it before you
die.” And he said, “Good idea! Somebody pass me a mala.” One
of the family members handed him a mala, and very slowly
he said OM MANI PEME HUNG one hundred times — one
mala’s worth — and then he handed them back the mala and
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relaxed. He said to his family at that time, “You know, I only

killed eighteen people and eighteen horses. Chenrezik is a lot
tougher than that. I think he can take care of it.” Because he had
so much faith and was sincere in his confession, he was reborn
in the Potala, the realm of Chenrezik.
It all depends upon our degree of faith. The usual number that is
given for the effective recitation of the hundred-syllable mantra
is 100,000. It is also taught that nowadays all of the numbers
that are found in the tantras need to be multiplied by four. The
reason for this is that we live in a time of degeneration, which
means that our kleshas are much stronger. We engage in much
more wrongdoing in general than people did in the past. At the
same time, our faith has actually decreased, so while we have
more to purify, it is harder for us to purify anything because of
our attitude. Therefore it is taught that it is best if you can recite
the mantra 400,000 times; this will be extremely effective. Even
if someone has committed a root violation of samaya, which is
a fundamental violation of the commitments of Vajrayana, if
they recite the hundred-syllable mantra 400,000 times, unmixed
with other speech (which means that they are doing it in formal
meditation sessions, not just reciting it while they are walking
around and talking), their violation will be purified. This is taught
in both the old, or Nyingma, and the new, or Sarma, traditions.
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At this point Chakme Rinpoche offers a compassionate conces-

sion to the needs of individuals. He says that if you find the
hundredsyllable mantra too difficult to recite, you may recite
the six-syllable mantra, OM BENZA SATTO HUNG, 600,000
times, and it will have an equivalent effect of purification.
Karma Chakme Rinpoche now describes why one might want

to do such purification. It is taught that someone who has
committed a root violation of samaya in this lifetime will be
reborn in a specific hell realm. In the sutras this hell realm is
called Shambhala hell, and in the tantras it is called vajra hell.
It is said to be to the northeast of Avichi, which is the lowest of
the eight regular hot hells. It is seven times worse than the worst
of the eighteen regular hell realms. It is a state of inconceivably
great suffering that is completely uninterrupted. We do not
even know how truly bad it is or how long it lasts because the
Buddha refused to speak of it in detail. The reason he refrained
from describing this hell was that he found that when he started
to talk about it, bodhisattvas, out of their compassion for be-
ings, started to vomit blood and die on the spot. Nevertheless
all of the violations of samaya and other wrongdoing that we
have engaged in that might cause us to be reborn in this hell
will be purified and you will not be reborn in that hell realm if
the Vajrasattva practice is conducted with a clear visualization
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and with the full number of the six-syllable or hundred-syllable

mantra. This was taught in The Vajrapani Tantra.
For people like ourselves who are afflicted by a large amount of

ferocious or intense wrongdoing, this instruction of Vajrasattva is
more valuable than a hundred or even a thousand wish-fulfilling
jewels. Legend tells us that there exists a wish-fulfilling jewel
that will fulfill any wishes upon request, but this practice is
even more precious than that because it can purify or remove
the fundamental reason behind all of our suffering.
At this point Chakme Rinpoche says, “Therefore, Lama Tsondru

Gyamtso, perform great benefit for beings and always teach this
practice at the beginning of any course of instruction.” Regard-
less of whatever practice you do, you will see that close to the
beginning of all of them the instruction in the practice of the
hundred-syllable or six-syllable mantra of Vajrasattva is always
presented. The reason is that the most fundamental condition
for the rest of the practices to be effective is an initial effort on
our part at purification. Chakme Rinpoche gives an analogy
for this. He says that if you are dying wool, for example a wool
blanket, before you dye it, you have to thoroughly clean it and
get all the dirt out, otherwise the color will not take. The dye
will not take hold because it will be inhibited by the dirt. If it is
properly cleaned and prepared, then the color will be beautiful,
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exactly as you intend. What this analogy is implying is that if you

prepare yourself through the purification practice of Vajrasattva,
then whatever further practice you engage in will have the full
effect it is supposed to have, and all of the indications of your
practice’s effectiveness that are described in the traditional
commentary will be present in your own experience.
Once you purify wrongdoing and obscurations, it is actually easy

to generate meditation experience and realization. For example,
if you are meditating upon the path of method, which is to
say the six dharmas of Naropa, it was said by the mahasiddha
Talung Thangpa, who founded the Talung Kagyu, that the best
way to ensure the successful generation of bliss and warmth is
to accomplish the practice of Vajrasattva. If you wish to practice
meditation on a wrathful deity, such as Gonpo Bernakchen or
Palden Lhamo, and if you have engaged in the purification practice
of Vajrasattva, then there will be no obstacle arising when you
pursue the main practice and it will only be a source of benefit
for yourself and others. It will go smoothly and there will be
no upheaval. In short, the cause of everything that goes wrong
for us — our sickness, demons, and afflictions of all kinds — is
our previous wrongdoing and obscurations.
Often we become somewhat superstitious and say, “I am experienc-

ing an obstacle. Where did this obstacle come from? Oh no, an
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obstacle!” But all obstacles stem from our own previous wrongdo-
ing, therefore it says in the text, “If you have no wrongdoing and
obscuration, then how could sickness or obstacles ever arise for
you? Where would they come from?” That is why Vajrasattva
practice is the single most effective and most profound method
of averting obstacles and misfortune. When we practice yet do
not experience the results described in the practice manuals, it
is because we are obscured, because we have not gone through
the necessary practice of purification. This is because the signs
or indications of the practice are in fact themselves obscured
by our obscurations.
Therefore the most profound single method for increasing our

realization and our experience of purity or sacredness is the
Vajrasattva meditation. The only reason that we do not see
Mahamudra, that we do not see the nature of our mind as it is
right now, is because of our obscurations, which in this case stem
from what is called connate, or coemergent, ignorance. If we
remove those obscurations, which can be done most effectively
through the practice of Vajrasattva, there is nothing preventing us
from seeing the nature of our mind as it is, and we will. Therefore
there is no more profound method of generating realization of
Mahamudra than the Vajrasattva practice. Chakme Rinpoche
concludes this part of the chapter by saying, “There is no point
in my continuing to say the same thing in many other ways. In
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short, it is taught that you can attain full buddhahood through

this method alone. Therefore, Tsondru Gyamtso, practice it.”
The Actual Instruction in the Use of the

Hundred-Syllable Mantra
Now we come to the second part of the chapter, which gives

the actual instruction in the use of the hundred-syllable mantra.
This part of the chapter also begins with a Sanskrit invocation,
NAMO GURU VAJRASATTVA YE, “Homage to the guru,
inseparable from Vajrasattva,” and, as usual, the injunction
“Listen, Lama Tsondru Gyamtso.” Chakme Rinpoche gives an
explanation of the four parts of the meditation on Vajrasattva
and the recitation of his mantra. The stages of the visualization
are also very important. Thus this practice of Vajrasattva has
many levels, or many styles of practice. These are described as
outer, inner, secret, and very secret because they correspond to
levels of development, degrees of merit, degrees of diligence,
and so on. Nevertheless we must begin with the outer level of
Vajrasattva practice, and only when we have become accustomed
to and familiar with that is it possible to go on to the others.
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The first of these four, then, is the outer practice of Vajrasattva,

which is the Vajrasattva practice with which we are familiar.
It is the style that we employ in the preliminary practices. For
this purpose, you begin by visualizing yourself in your ordinary
form, and above your head you imagine a white lotus flower on
top of which is a moon disk. Standing upright on top of the
moon disk you visualize a brilliantly white and luminous HUNG
syllable from which radiate innumerable rays of light, which
make offerings to all buddhas and bodhisattvas, thus purifying
the obscurations of all sentient beings. These rays of light are
then withdrawn back into the HUNG, which is now suddenly
transformed into Vajrasattva, who is also brilliantly white in
color, or, as it says in the text, “the color of crystal.” This means
not that he is without color but rather that he is insubstantial,
translucent, and almost transparent, so that you can see through
him; you can see his inside from the outside and his outside
from the inside. He is adorned with silken garments and much
jewelry. His right hand holds a golden vajra to his heart, while
his left hand holds a silver bell, the top part of which is a vajra,
to his left hip. He is seated with his legs half-crossed, which is to
say that his right leg is extended slightly forward. Next, having
visualized him, you think that from his body, and especially from
his heart, rays of light radiate outward, and these again make
offerings to all buddhas and bodhisattvas, this time inviting all
of them in the form of light to dissolve back into Vajrasattva,
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who at that point becomes inseparable from all buddhas and

bodhisattvas.
Next, as a result of your devotion and supplication to Vajrasattva,

ambrosia issues forth from his heart in the following manner:
You visualize in the heart of Vajrasattva a moon disk on top of
which is a white HUNG syllable, and surrounding that is his
hundred-syllable mantra. Through the force of your supplication,
you think that from the syllable in his heart a stream of wisdom
ambrosia flows forth. This fills his entire body. The excess that
cannot be contained by his body flows out through the big toe
of his right foot. The ambrosia flowing out of his toe enters you
through the aperture at the center of the top of your head, and
as it fills your whole body, it drives out all of your wrongdoing,
all of your obscurations, in the form of filth and impurities that
are expelled primarily out of your lower door and out of the
soles of your feet. You can visualize the obscurations, impurities,
and traces of wrongdoing in the form of a smoky liquid, such as
creosote. As this is expelled or driven out of you, you think that
it dissolves under the ground. Continuously visualizing that, you
recite the hundred-syllable mantra, or if that is too difficult,
you may simply recite the six-syllable mantra of Vajrasattva.
At the conclusion of each cycle of purification, you think that

your body is completely emptied of all obscurations, which also
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means all substantiality such that your body has become, for
example, a crystal vessel filled with milk-like ambrosia. This
does not mean that you think that your body is made of crystal.
It means that it is insubstantial and translucent so that, for
example, it is a little bit like a crystal vase filled with milk. At
the conclusion of each session of the practice, you think that
Vajrasattva addresses you as follows. He says to you, “Child of
good family,” and then addresses you by name, “your wrongdo-
ing and obscurations have been purified.” Having said that, he
melts into light and dissolves into you. The reason you visualize
Vajrasattva dissolving into you at this point is that once all of
your obscurations have been removed, in essence you have become
identical to Vajrasattva. It is therefore appropriate, once you
have removed the obscurations, to think that he dissolves into
you since you are no longer separate from him anyway. Then
you rest in the confidence of your inseparability from him and
look at the nature of your mind. That is the outer practice of
Vajrasattva, and it is not unique to our Kagyu tradition. It is
found in the preliminary practices of most traditions. The source
of it is the tantras, both the new tantras and the old tantras.
The second aspect of Vajrasattva practice is the inner Vajrasattva

practice, which is essentially similar except that instead of hav-
ing one Vajrasattva who embodies all five buddha families, you
have five Vajrasattvas, specific to the five families. Therefore in
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the same way as before, you visualize yourself in your ordinary

form and you think that above your head is a lotus; however
this time the lotus has only four petals. On top of not only the
center of the lotus but of each of the four petals is a moon disk,
so that there are five moon disks altogether, and on top of each
of these is a syllable. On top of the moon disk in the center
of the lotus is a white OM. On top of the moon disk on the
petal to the front is a blue HUNG. On top of the moon disk
to the right is a yellow SO, or SWA. On top of the moon disk
to the rear is a red AH, and on top of the moon disk to the left
is a green HA. As before, these syllables are transformed into
Vajrasattva, which means that you do the same visualization as
you did the first time with the radiation and collection of rays
of light, the offerings, and so on. In this case, however, there
are five syllables and five transformations. The syllables become
the Vajrasattvas of the five families. The OM in the middle is
transformed into the white Vajrasattva of the Buddha family,
who is often referred to as Buddhasattva, and is essentially the
Buddha Vairochana. The HUNG is transformed into the blue
Vajrasattva of the Vajra family, who is also known as Akshobhya.
The SO is transformed into the yellow Ratnasattva of the Ratna
family, who is Ratnasambhava; the AH into the red Padmasattva
of the Padma family, who is Amitabha; and the HA into the
green Karmasattva of the Karma family, who is Amoghasiddhi.
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They look the same as the Vajrasattva in the outer practice, with
two differences. The first difference is that they are each a dif-
ferent color, as was explained. The second is that although they
are holding their scepters in the same position as Vajrasattva,
the scepters they hold vary. In the case of Buddhasattva, who
is in the middle, in his right hand he is holding a golden wheel
to his heart, and in his left hand he is holding a bell to his hip,
but the upper part of the bell is not a vajra or half-vajra but a
golden wheel. In the case of Vajrasattva, he is holding a vajra and
bell as usual. In the case of Ratnasattva, he is holding a jewel to
his heart, and in his left hand a bell, of which the upper part of
the handle is a jewel. In the case of Padmasattva, he is holding
a lotus to his heart with his right hand and with his left hand
he is holding a bell of which the handle is a lotus. In the case of
Karmasattva, he is holding a double vajra or a crossed vajra to
his heart in his right hand, and in his left hand he is holding a
bell, of which the upper part, the handle, is a crossed or double
vajra. The adornments and ornamentation are the same as they
were in the outer practice. All five Vajrasattvas have the same
silken garments and jewelry. They are all seated in the posture
of royal ease, which means that it is essentially the same as in
the outer practice, with the right foot extended forward, except
that there is more grace to the posture of the upper body, so that
they are slightly leaning in a very, very graceful way. In the heart
of each, on a moon disk, is their individual syllable, which is to
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say the syllable from which they emerged or from which they
were transformed, and each of these syllables is surrounded by
their particular hundred-syllable mantra.
Each of these five Vajrasattvas has a slightly different mantra,

which we will get to in a minute. As in the outer practice, from
the syllables in their hearts, rays of light radiate outward, and
these make offerings to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, who
are included in the five families, throughout all the realms in all
directions. When it says “all buddhas and bodhisattvas included
in the five families,” this means all buddhas and bodhisattvas in
all realms without exception. This is because there is no buddha
or bodhisattva that is not included in the five families, just as
there is no pure realm anywhere that is not included in the pure
realms of the five families. Thus all of these are venerated, and
as before, they dissolve into light and are summoned back and
become inseparable with the five Vajrasattvas above your head.
Then, just like in the outer practice, as a result of your devoted

supplication you think that ambrosia descends from the syllables
in the hearts of the Vajrasattvas. In this case, because there are
five Vajrasattvas, the ambrosia is of five different colors. The
ambrosia descending from the Buddhasattva, in the center, is
white; from the Vajrasattva, in front, is blue; and so forth. All of
these five colors of ambrosia enter into your body through the
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aperture at the center of the top of your head as before and fill
your entire body. These purify individually all the wrongdoing
and obscurations that you have accumulated through the five
poisons. The white ambrosia, which comes from Buddhasat-
tva, purifies ignorance. The blue ambrosia, which comes from
Vajrasattva, purifies anger. The yellow ambrosia, which comes
from Ratnasattva, purifies pride and greed. The red ambrosia,
coming from Padmasattva, purifies desire. Finally, the green
ambrosia, coming from Karmasattva, purifies jealousy and all
of the actions, wrongdoing, and other obscurations that you
have accumulated through these five poisons.
The only reason for rebirth in the six realms is the presence of
the five poisons. If the five poisons are completely eradicated,
then you will not be reborn in the six realms. Sometimes the
six realms are referred to as the five destinies, or the five paths,
because they come from these five poisons. Therefore you think
that as a result of these five poisons and the karma accumulated
through them, which is being fully eradicated, the causes of rebirth
in the six realms have been cut off, as though a door has been
closed. When the ambrosia fills your body, you think that this
ambrosia of five colors is the embodiment of the five wisdoms.
Furthermore, while you are reciting the mantra, you think that,
at the same time, these Vajrasattvas of the five families are recit-
ing their individual mantras, and that the sound of them fills
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the universe, purifying the obscurations of all beings. So in the

case of this inner practice, not only your obscurations but also
those of other sentient beings are being purified simultaneously.
The five mantras are as follows: The basic form of the mantra is
the hundred-syllable mantra and the six-syllable mantra with
which you are familiar. In the case of Buddhasattva, instead of
OM VAJRASATTVA SAMAYA . . . and so on, it is OM BUD-
DHASATTVA. In other words, where you would say Vajrasattva,
you substitute Buddhasattva. That is the hundred-syllable mantra
of the Tathagata, or Buddha family. The six-syllable mantra that
corresponds to that is OM BUDDHASATTVA HUM. Next is
the Vajrasattva mantra of the Vajra family. This is the same as the
usual mantra, except that instead of being OM VAJRASATTVA
SAMAYA . . . it is HUM VAJRASATTVA SAMAYA . . . and so
on. The six-syllable mantra of the Vajra family is the usual one:
OM VAJRASATTVA HUM. The Ratnasattva mantra of the
Ratna family is SO (or SWA) RATNASATTVA SAMAYA . . . .
Thereafter anywhere that you would say VAJRASATTVA, you
would substitute RATNASATTVA. The sixsyllable mantra of the
Ratna family is OM RATNASATTVA HUM. The Padmasattva
mantra of the Padma family is AH PADMASATTVA SAMAYA
. . . and so on. You substitute PADMA wherever there would
otherwise be VAJRA. The six-syllable mantra of that family is
OM PADMASATTVA HUM. Finally, the Karmasattva mantra
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of the Karma family is HA KARMASATTVA SAMAYA . . .

and so on, and the six-syllable mantra is OM KARMASATTVA
HUM. You recite those mantras as much as you can.
At the conclusion of the session you perform some liturgy of

confession. Three are suggested here. The longest of the three
you could perform, if you have time and access to the liturgy,
is called The Agonized Confession of Rudra, which is a fairly long
confession liturgy. If not, you can recite the latter chapter of
The Confession Tantra, which is slightly more common. Again, it
is not that short and goes “OM, supreme wisdom body . . .” and
so on. If you wish to recite something more concise than either
of those, you can recite the stanzas of confession from the Seven
Branches found in The Aspiration to the Conduct of Excellence. This
is the second, longer seven-branch liturgy that occurs in the
Green Tara practice.
At the conclusion of that, you think that the Vajrasattvas of

the five families melt into light and dissolve into you and you
rest without conceptual focus. This is to say, you rest in a direct
experience of your mind’s nature of Mahamudra. The scriptural
source for this inner practice of Vajrasattva is The Tantra of
Emptying the Depths of the Hells, and it contains the essence of
that tantra. That is the inner practice of Vajrasattva.
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The third style of Vajrasattva practice is the secret practice of

Vajrasattva. Again you visualize yourself in your ordinary form
and, as before, above your head you visualize a lotus. This time,
however, on top of the center of the lotus you do not visualize
a moon but rather a sun disk. The reason for this is that in this
form of the practice Vajrasattva is semiwrathful, which is to say
that he is not entirely peaceful in appearance the way he was
in the two previous practices but instead a mixture of peaceful
and wrathful. Above that sun disk you visualize a HUNG. It
is white, as it was in the first Vajrasattva practice, and after it
emerges, it is transformed into Vajrasattva in the same way as
in the two previous practices, which is to say that rays of light
radiate outward from it, making offerings to all buddhas and
bodhisattvas and purifying the obscurations of all beings; then
these rays of light are drawn back into the HUNG, which is
transformed into your guru in the form of Vajrasattva Heruka.
Heruka means that Vajrasattva is semiwrathful in appearance. He

is white in color and luminous. He has one face and two arms.
However, instead of having two eyes as he did in the first two
practices, because he is wrathful he has three eyes, the additional
one being in his forehead. He is smiling but also frowning
wrathfully at the same time. In the previous practices part of
his hair was bound in a topknot while the rest flowed freely
downward. Here, because he is wrathful, his hair is upswept as
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though by the wind. In the previous practices his tiara or crown

had five jewels set in gold, which represented the five buddha
families. Here, in place of the jewels he has five skulls, which
also represent the five buddhas, and they are each topped by a
diadem. Also, in the previous practices Vajrasattva was holding
a vajra to his heart with his right hand. Here in his right hand
he is holding a vajra, but he is holding it aloft into space. In
his left hand, instead of a bell he has a skullcup, which he is
holding not at his hip but in front of his heart. He is adorned
with jewelry that is very similar in design to the jewelry worn
by the peaceful Vajrasattva, except that in the case of the peace-
ful Vajrasattva it is made out of gold whereas here it is made
out of bone. Instead of having silken garments, he has a skirt
made of tiger skin and a shawl made of elephant skin. He has
a consort, Vajratopa, who is bright red in color. She is adorned
with bone ornaments similar to his and has no other garment
or ornamentation. She is in union with the “father” and in her
right hand she is holding a hooked knife while in her left hand,
a skullcup. You may visualize Vajrasattva seated, in which case
he is seated in the posture of royal ease, or else you can visualize
him standing, in which case he is standing with his right leg
bent and his left leg outstretched.
In any case, Vajrasattva and his consort abide in the midst of

a mass of oscillating flames and light that emerge from their
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bodies. In the heart of the father you visualize a moon disk on

top of which, as before, is a white HUNG syllable surrounded
by his mantra. Here again, the Vajrasattva mantra is slightly
different. As before, from the syllables in his heart, rays of light
emanate that invite all gurus, yidams, and dakinis. Having been
invited, they dissolve into both the father and the mother, both
Vajrasattva and Vajratopa. This causes them to become even
more majestic, splendid, luminous, and radiant than they were
before, and also causes their bliss to expand such that from the
juncture of their union there flows forth a stream of ambrosia.
In this case the ambrosia is identified with bodhichitta.
As in the previous practices, this ambrosia or bodhichitta enters

your body via the aperture at the center of the top of your head. As
before, it fills your body, expelling and purifying all wrongdoing
and obscurations and expanding your own realization as well as
your experience of well-being and warmth. The mantra that is
recited for this practice is called the Heruka Hundred Syllables.
It begins OM SHRI HERUKASATTVA SAMAYA . . . and so
on. It is slightly different, and if you do not wish to recite the
hundred-syllable mantra, you can recite the short mantra. In
this case the short mantra is OM AH GURU VAJRASATTVA
HUM. At the conclusion of the session of reciting the mantra of
purification and doing the visualization, you recite the standard
liturgy of confession. This is also found at the conclusion of the
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ngondro practice of Vajrasattva. You say, “Protector, through

ignorance and bewilderment I have contravened and violated
samaya.”
You should address Vajrasattva as “protector” for two reasons.

The first is that his function is to protect you from suffering
by removing the traces of your wrongdoing. The second is that
one of the qualities embodied by his semiwrathful appearance
is his effectiveness in protecting beings. You admit all wrongdo-
ing. Here you are specifically referring to your contravention
and violation of your samaya. Again you say, “Guru Protector,
please protect me.” Then you say, “O Vajra Holder, the principal
embodiment of great compassion, I go for refuge to the principal
protector of beings,” which is to say the principal figure who
removes the suffering of beings. Vajra Holder here is a synonym
for Vajrasattva, and you refer to him as the principal or the chief
because he is the principal deity or means for the purification of
the wrongdoing of sentient beings. After saying that, you think
that your guru in the form of Vajrasattva Heruka melts into light
and dissolves into you, after which, as in the first two practices,
you rest free of conceptual focus. That is the secret practice of
Vajrasattva, which is found in both the new and the old tantras
and in both the oral and the treasure traditions.
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The fourth practice of Vajrasattva is the very secret Vajrasattva

practice. This is different from the first three in that while there
were great differences among them, they were nevertheless
all forms of preliminary Vajrasattva practices. They all had in
common the fact that you visualized yourself initially in your
ordinary form and visualized Vajrasattva, in one form or another,
above your head, purifying you from outside and from above
you. This next Vajrasattva practice is the type you would do,
after completing the preliminaries, if Vajrasattva were your
main practice.
Here you initially dissolve all appearances, including the ap-

pearance of your own physical body, into nonconceptuality or
into emptiness. From within that state or expanse of emptiness
you think that you re-arise in the form of Vajrasattva. Here you
do not visualize yourself in your ordinary form with Vajrasat-
tva above your head, but instead, from the very beginning of
the practice, you visualize yourself as Vajrasattva. In this case
Vajrasattva is in his peaceful form, smiling, with one face and
two hands. The form of the deity here is identical to the form in
the outer practice of Vajrasattva. The difference is that instead
of visualizing the deity above you, you identify yourself, your
own body and mind, with the deity. In addition, above the head
of yourself as Vajrasattva you visualize the buddhas of the five
families. You are Vajrasattva, and the buddhas of the five families
388
are seated above you. Vajrasattva is adorned with golden jewelry

and silken garments as usual. He is holding a vajra to his heart
with his right hand and a bell to his hip with his left. Here it
is specified that the upper garment of Vajrasattva is of white
silk. He also has a lower skirt of silk, of which the color is not
specified, and he is seated in the posture of royal ease; however,
his seat or throne is slightly different here. In the case of the
ngondro Vajrasattva, he is seated on a lotus and moon disk.
Here you also visualize yourself as Vajrasattva seated on a lotus
and moon disk, but the lotus is supported by a golden throne,
which is upheld by eight elephants. Traditionally the elephants
upholding the throne are deities of the Vajra family. You may not
have visualized this during the preliminary practices, because
the idea of having eight elephants above your head might seem
somewhat oppressive.
As in the ngondro practice, in the heart of Vajrasattva, which

in this case is your own heart, you visualize a moon disk. Stand-
ing upright on top of the moon disk is the syllable HUNG
surrounded by the hundred-syllable mantra. The way in which
the hundred-syllable mantra is placed on the moon disk here,
according to the tradition of instruction, is slightly different
from the way it is in the preliminaries. There the mantra does
not turn, and because of the length of it, in order to make it
easy for visualization, it is visualized spiraling inward, not as one
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circle but as a coil or spiral. Here the mantra is to be visualized

as one circle consisting of the hundred syllables. It is written
so that it will turn to the right. The easiest way to say it is that
it is facing outward and will turn to the right.
As in the other practices, having visualized the syllables in your

heart, rays of light radiate up from them inviting all buddhas
and bodhisattvas, who dissolve into you as Vajrasattva, and
especially into the mantra in your heart. Think that the mantra
starts to turn. As it turns, ambrosia streams from it as before and
fills your body as Vajrasattva, driving out all your wrongdoing,
obscurations, sickness, demons, and everything out of the pores
of your skin. As in the other practices, these obscurations are
visualized as all sorts of crud and filth. All of this is expelled out,
leaving your body utterly stainless and luminous in the form of
Vajrasattva, like a vessel of crystal. Visualizing this, you recite
either the hundred-syllable or the six-syllable mantra.
With regard to the emphasis on the use of these two mantras,

traditionally people primarily use the hundred-syllable mantra
of Vajrasattva for the bulk of the session and, at the end of the
session, recite the six-syllable mantra of Varjasattva as many
times as appropriate, for example one hundred times.
390
At the conclusion of the session, you make offerings and per-

form praises to yourself as Vajrasattva in the following way:
Thinking that you emanate offering goddesses or dakinis from
your heart and that they make the seven usual offerings to you,
you recite the offering mantras, OM VAJRA ARGHAM . . .”
and so forth. Then you think that these same offering goddesses
sing praises to you as Vajrasattva. Thinking that, you yourself
recite the praise, which is one stanza.
The meaning of it is as follows. VAJRASATTVA MAHASATTVA,

is the first line and it says that Vajrasattva is a great being, or
“sattva,” because he is utterly pure and embodies the purity that
is the nature of all things.
The second line says, “First Vajra, Samantabhadra.” The mean-

ing of this is that Vajrasattva’s status or nature or realization is
not the result of his having emerged from confusion through
pursuing the path. From the very beginning of time Vajrasattva,
who is also known as Samantabhadra, the primordial buddha,
has been completely pure, completely awakened. Therefore he
is called the First Vajra.
The third line says, “Vajra, all tathagatas.” In being the primordial
buddha, in being that essential nature of purity itself, he is, in a
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single form, the embodiment of the vajra nature of all buddhas

without exception.
Finally you say, “Homage to Vajrasattva.” This is called “the

praise,” and at this point you think that the deity as yourself
simply dissolves, and you rest without any kind of conceptual
focus. You do not request the deity to depart. The reason for
this is that, in the understanding of this practice, your nature
and the nature of Vajrasattva have from the very beginning been
identical. Once you have identified yourself with Vajrasattva
through or in the practice, asking him to depart would be
meaningless, since from the very beginning he has been your
own nature. For example, if you pour water into water, you can
no longer separate them, and any attempt to divide the second
water from the first water will be fruitless.
In the most extensive form of Vajrayana practice, which is the

practice of the combined mandala of the eight dispensations,
there are 725 deities. The essence of the 725 deities is the 100
peaceful and wrathful deities. The essence of the 100 peaceful
and wrathful deities is what is called the 25 deities, or 25 families,
and the essence of this is the five buddhas, each of which has a
fourfold retinue. The essence of the five buddhas is Vajrasattva,
who is called the all-embracing single family. Therefore it is
understood that by meditating on Vajrasattva you are simultane-
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ously meditating on all deities, all buddhas, and all mandalas.

By accomplishing, or realizing, Vajrasattva you accomplish or
realize all deities, all mandalas, and all buddhas. Therefore this
very secret practice of Vajrasattva is considered to be the essence
of all of the tantras and teachings of the eight dispensations and
the peaceful and wrathful deities.
The chapter indicated four Vajrasattva practices: outer, inner,

secret, and very secret. It now gives a fifth, which is called the
Vajrasattva practice of suchness, or of the nature. The reason this
was not enumerated as a phase of Vajrasattva practice at the
beginning is that, strictly speaking, it is not a Vajrasattva practice
at all, and you will see why. All things, meaning all things that
we call relative truth or “the deceptive truths,” are infallible in
their interdependence. This means that because they have no
inherent existence, because they are produced by causes and
conditions, any change in the causes and conditions that affect
or control them or bring them about will change those things
that are affected by them. It is for that reason that these practices
— the outer, inner, secret, and very secret — are effective in the
purification of obscurations. In short, because obscurations and
the traces of wrongdoing that are brought about through causes
and conditions have no inherent existence, they can be purified
through changing the conditions.
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One of the implications is that ultimately speaking, from the

point of view of the definitive meaning, from the point of view
of the nature of things (which could be called Mahamudra),
because wrongdoing and obscurations are only relative truths,
only deceptive truths, only true for deluded cognition, they have
no real existence. From the point of view of the ultimate nature,
there is no such thing as wrongdoing and there is no such thing
as confession because from the very beginning wrongdoings and
contraventions of samaya, downfalls, and so on have never had
any inherent existence.
Practically speaking, this means that your fundamental nature,

which is the nature of your mind and the nature of all things, is
free of any kind of substantial entity or substantial existence. In
that sense one could say that it is like space. Something that is
insubstantial cannot be affected by anything else. For example,
whether there are bright, cheerful clouds in the sky or dark,
threatening clouds has no effect whatsoever on the space of
the sky itself. Nevertheless from our point of view these things
seem to affect us. The reason for this is that as long as we operate
under the illusion or false imputation of substantial existence or
substantial entity, we experience things in a deluded way. In that
deluded way, which we call relative truth, there is consistency
and there is definitely a result of actions. Ultimately, however,
things have always been utterly pure. Not pure in the sense of
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something that was dirty and got cleaned up, but pure in being
the dharmadhatu, or expanse that is the nature of all things, which
is free from, or beyond, any substantiality or insubstantiality.
From that point of view, virtue, which is like bright clouds

appearing in the sky, really brings no benefit and wrongdoing
does no harm. This is not true in our experience, however. Virtue
brings tremendous benefit and wrongdoing brings tremendous
harm. Nevertheless neither affect our fundamental nature,
which remains the same regardless of what we do and therefore
regardless of what we experience as a result. If you engage in
wrongdoing, you end up going to the lower realms, but even
if you are burned in hell for aeon after aeon, your nature has
not been affected in the slightest nor has it degenerated to any
degree. If you cultivate the path, you eventually attain supreme
awakening, samyaksambodhi, but even if you attain that, your
nature has not improved in the slightest degree in any way.
In short, the nature of your mind is like space in the sense that,
not being substantial, it is not truly affected by anything that
occurs within it. Ultimately wrongdoing, or “that which is to
be confessed,” the person performing the confession, and the
act of confessing are all beyond elaboration. They have no true
existence. If you realize that, this is the ultimate confession. This
is taught in the first chapter of The Tantra of Stainless Confession.
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If you actually want to put this into practice, it is done simply

by looking at your mind without prejudice or assumption, and
relaxing in that act of looking.
In order to show that he did not come up with this himself,

Karma Chakme Rinpoche quotes Tilopa’s Mahamudra Upadesha, or
Instructions on Mahamudra. About this Tilopa said, “The darkness
accumulated throughout a thousand aeons is dispelled in one
instant by the illumination of one lamp or torch. In the same
way, at the very instant at which you realize your own self-aware
mind to be the clear light, all of the ignorance, wrongdoing,
and obscurations accumulated throughout innumerable aeons
are burned up.” Therefore this is referred to as the torch of the
teachings, or the torch of the doctrine.
No matter how long a place has been without light, as soon as a

light is turned on, it becomes light at that instant. The amount
of time that has passed is no longer relevant. The darkness does
not need to be separately removed; it is removed simply through
the act of illumination. In the same way, all wrongdoing and
obscurations fundamentally obscure the nature of your mind.
Once the nature of your mind is recognized, that in itself removes
all obscurations. Therefore the entire process we go through of
purification of the obscurations, gathering the accumulations
of merit and wisdom, and the effort to receive the blessing of
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the root and lineage gurus — the purpose and function of all
of this without exception is to bring us to a realization of the
nature of our mind. It is that realization itself that truly and
finally removes all of our obscurations. Therefore that realization
is called the torch of the teachings.
That quotation refers to this aspect of purification, which is

called the ultimate purification, or purification in suchness.
It is possible because your mind in itself — that is to say, the
nature of your mind — is indestructible. It is indestructible
and unchangeable because it is without any substantial entity
or substantial existence whatsoever. Finally realizing the nature
of your mind, therefore, is realizing what is called the true
vajra. All of the uses of the word vajra, including the one in the
name Vajrasattva, are metaphorical and refer to this nature. To
understand that is to realize what is really meant by the concept
of “vajra.” The cultivation of that realization, the cultivation of
that familiarization with and meditation on that nature of your
mind, is the true “Vajrasattva.” This is what is really meant by
the vajra-being, or Vajrasattva.
Therefore, at that level of purification in suchness, one does not

look for purification from outside oneself. One simply observes
one’s mind. One simply fosters the experience and recognition
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of the nature of one’s own mind. That is the ultimate meditation

and mantra recitation of Vajrasattva.
In summation, we have discussed the five styles of Vajrasattva

practice described in this chapter: the outer, inner, secret, very
secret, and ultimate or natural Vajrasattva. If you practice them
properly by reciting the requisite number of mantras and doing
your best to have a clear visualization, there is no doubt that all
of your wrongdoings and contraventions of commitments will
be purified. By practicing in this way, you make your human
life meaningful. Although we have wasted innumerable lifetimes
up to this point, and therefore have not attained awakening, if
we make good use of our present human life, then we ensure
at least our eventual awakening. Certainly, having engaged in
such practices in this lifetime, you will proceed from happiness
to happiness, which means that you will not be reborn in lower
states and will gradually progress along the path until you attain
buddhahood.
When you do a practice such as Vajrasattva — that is, a practice of

purification — there are likely to be indications in your experience
of something happening, some kind of change occurring in you.
These indications can take different forms. What is explained in
the text are indications that we would normally find pleasant
and that we would assume mean that the practice is going well,
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and they do. You should not, however, think that everyone is
definitely going to have the same experience of the practice.
The typical signs described in the text are that you will feel
physically well; you will feel vigorous, tranquil, and at ease.
At the same time, your mind will become clearer than it was
before. You will experience an attitude of renunciation because
you will experience a recognition of the futility of samsara and
the value of liberation. At the same time, you will have greater
faith or confidence through an appreciation of the qualities of
the Three Jewels and a wish to attain those qualities yourself.
Also, some kind of meditation experience or possibly realization
will arise apparently spontaneously within you through doing
the practice. For some individuals there will be experiences like
this, which occur in the waking state, or direct experiences of the
mind. For others there will be dreams that indicate that you are
going through a process of purification, for example dreaming
that you are washing, or putting on bright or white, new, clean
clothes. You could dream that you are drinking some kind of
ambrosia or milk, or dream that you are flying. All of these are
considered to be indications, in this context, of purification.
You could have all kinds of positive experiences like that, an
increase in your experience of sacredness, and so on.
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Not everyone is going to experience purification as a pleasant

thing. Because purification is the removal of the imprints of
previous wrongdoing, you could experience it as somewhat
unpleasant. You could find that your mind is becoming more
and more agitated as you continue the practice. You could
actually even experience some kind of external upheaval in the
circumstances of your life. It is natural for us, when this hap-
pens, to assume that we are doing something wrong, that we are
doing the practice wrong or that we are not doing it enough or
something like that, otherwise these bad things would not happen.
That is not necessarily the case. Do not forget that when you
are doing a practice like Vajrasattva, because you are purifying
your previously accumulated negative karma, that karma may
show up in your life. This is like washing dirty clothes. When
you immerse dirty clothes in the washing solution, initially they
seem to get even dirtier because the dirt starts to emerge from
them, and they may even smell. But they are not getting dirtier;
this is the beginning of the dirt coming out of the clothes. If
these experiences arise for you while you are doing a purifica-
tion practice, be patient. Recognize that it is the eradication
of negative karma, not the accumulation of it, and continue to
do the practice.
That completes the chapter on the Vajrasattva practices of

purification.
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STUDENT: You mentioned that a violation of a root samaya is

particularly serious. What is a violation of root samaya?
RINPOCHE: The generic meaning of a samaya violation is that

when you are practicing Vajrayana, if you violate the commit-
ments, which form the parameters for the practice, then the
practice will not work. No qualities will arise as a result of the
practice. A root samaya violation is defined as one that eradicates
all benefit from the practice. A branch samaya violation is one
that diminishes, impinges upon, or impairs the benefit of the
practice. Thus if you violate branch samaya but not root samaya,
there will be benefit to the practice but there will also be prob-
lems because of the violation. If you violate root samaya, there
will be no benefit whatsoever to the practice of Vajrayana. The
most important of the root samayas — the first of the fourteen
root samayas that are commonly enumerated — governs your
relationship with your root guru. Therefore the most fundamental
definition of a violation of root samaya is to sincerely, that is to
say from the depths of your heart, turn against the guru — his
body, speech, or mind.
STUDENT: Is it necessary to have the Vajrasattva empowerment

for all of the different stages of the Vajrasattva practices?
401
RINPOCHE: Generally speaking, Vajrasattva empowerments are

required in order to do the inner forms of Vajrasattva practice,
such as the inner and secret practices, and so on, but are not,
strictly speaking, required in order to do the outer practice.
The main form of Vajrasattva practice we do, and that with
which we must begin, is the outer practice, which is found in
the ngondro preliminaries.
STUDENT: Is there a separate liturgy for each of those practices,

or could someone do them using the ngondro liturgy?
RINPOCHE: There are liturgies for all of these different aspects

of Vajrasattva practice, although they are not exactly what was
described in the chapter of the manual we were discussing today.
For example, there is the practice of sang thik Vajrasattva, or “the
secret essence of Vajrasattva,” which is kind of a combination of
the secret and the very secret form of it, and so on.
STUDENT: If one knows the ngondro practice and is familiar

with the visualizations and one does not have that much time, is
it okay to skip the liturgy and just do the Vajrasattva visualiza-
tion and the mantra?
LAMA YESHE: Do you mean when you are accumulating Vajrasat-

tva recitations as done in ngondro?
402
STUDENT: No, I mean afterward, when one has completed that.
RINPOCHE: That is fine.
STUDENT: Compared to understanding the purification of

sickness and wrongdoing or the breaking of samaya, I find it
hard to understand what the demons are that I am trying to
purify, so I find it hard to relate to them. Can you offer some
explanation of what demons are and how we can relate to them?
RINPOCHE: The term that has been translated “demon” here

is dön, which has a slightly more specific reference. There are
both outer and inner döns, or demons. Outer döns are when, as
a result of your previous accumulation of negative karma, you
are actually harmed by others. These may be beings with bodies,
such as other people, or they may be apparently disembodied
beings that somehow affect you. Then there are inner döns, and
these are your five kleshas.
STUDENT: If we are then asked to purify, or imagine the pu-

rification of, our kleshas, is that one and the same as purifying
our demons?
403
RINPOCHE: Essentially yes, because if you purify the kleshas,

there will be no basis for the appearance of harm from others
in the external world.
STUDENT: I know that a lot of things are serious wrongdoings,

but other than those I am always in question, thinking, “Is this
wrong, or is it right?” I have a lot of problems with that on a daily
basis. It is similar to the story you told about knifing somebody
and then simply saying, OM VAJRASATTVA HUM. Is there a
book on wrongdoings?
RINPOCHE: There is a sutra taught by the Buddha that is called

The Sutra of a Hundred Actions, (or Karmas), and one of the pur-
poses of that sutra is to delineate what constitutes virtuous
and unvirtuous actions. But I have to tell you that it is very
hard to understand that sutra, so it might not be that useful.
Fundamentally what needs to be understood about actions is
that any action that is motivated by a mental affliction, such
as anger or aversion, including irritation, or any action that is
motivated by ignorance, is unvirtuous. It is because of that, as
you indicated in your question, that we have so much trouble
recognizing our constant minor unvirtuous actions, because the
very nature of an unvirtuous state of mind is that it is obscured
and obscuring. It covers up its own unvirtuousness through its
being an ignorant state of mind, which is one that is not fully
404
aware of itself. Although this manifests in our experience and

our behavior in all kinds of ways, it often manifests as a feeling
of irritation or frustration, which many of us know best as get-
ting angry at yourself or getting angry at an inanimate object.
Normally we would not think of that as unvirtuous because we
are not directly harming anyone else, but it is an unvirtuous state
of mind because it is ignorant and also because it is founded
upon aggression or aversion. In any case the fundamental root of
all of these unvirtuous states of mind and unvirtuous actions is
ignorance, and ignorance by its nature is the hardest to recognize.
STUDENT: This is in reference to confession and the form it

should take, for example the way to work with confession that
is most complete and helps develop the resolve not to repeat
habitual patterns. If I were to go into all the things I have done
wrong, not to mention all the right things that I did not do, it
would take too much time. Instead can I go on to some of the
things I was doing right. Is this okay?
RINPOCHE: What you say is precisely true. None of us can actu-

ally remember all of the wrongdoings we have engaged in, even
in this lifetime. Even if we could remember them, enumerating
these actions one by one would take almost forever. In addi-
tion to that, we have been accumulating this kind of negativity
throughout beginningless time and we have no memory of all
405
of the things that we have done prior to this current lifetime.

Nevertheless we do bear the imprints of those actions and are
at risk of experiencing their results unless we confess them.
Therefore any act of confession has to be stated in such a way,
in such language, that it is inclusive of all of the actions, all
of the wrongdoing that you have ever committed in any way.
So the specific liturgy can vary, but it will always include the
words and the ideas that “I confess all of the unvirtuous actions
or wrongdoing I have performed throughout beginningless
time, or throughout beginningless samsara, with body, speech,
and mind.” You also have to be aware, when you are making or
performing the confession, that you cannot remember all of the
wrongdoings you have committed. You are directing the confes-
sion to all buddhas and bodhisattvas with the understanding
that since they are omniscient, they can and do remember all
of your unvirtuous actions even though you do not. You are
essentially saying, ”All of those actions that I have ever done
wrong, which you know about in detail but I do not remember, I
am confessing and admitting. May I never perform any of them
again.” With such an attitude that is all-encompassing, you can
actually purify all of your previous actions.
STUDENT: Is the Chenrezik visualization, when you have him

over your head and he sends the purifying rays to remove your
obscurations, similar to or the same as the Vajrasattva? Specifi-
406
cally, if you feel that you need more purification, can you extend
the part where you get the flow of amrita, or do you need to do
a totally separate sadhana, such as Vajrasattva?
RINPOCHE: You can definitely do the practice of Chenrezik in

order to purify wrongdoing and obscurations, and you should
not think that it is necessary to shift to a different practice
in order to do it. Ultimately all of these deities, all of these
practices, have the ability to purify anything because they are
all fundamentally embodiments of the same nature, the same
wisdom. For example, because it says that Vajrasattva is the
embodiment of all deities, it also follows logically that Vajrasattva
is present in all other deities, so that when you meditate upon
Chenrezik, he is no different in essence from Vajrasattva. If
any one of them includes all of them, then it must follow that
they are all included in any one. With regard to the technique
of the Chenrezik practice, immediately before you recite the
mantra, you recite the section of the liturgy to which you were
referring, in which you say, “Rays of light come from the body of
the Noble One and purify . . . ,” and so on, and you describe the
purification not only of your wrongdoing and obscurations but
of your perception, so that the entire realm becomes Sukhavati
and all beings become Chenrezik. You can continue with this
visualization while you recite the mantra, continue to visualize
Chenrezik above your head, continue to have the rays of light
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purify you and all beings, and transform your perception as well.
This does not have to be done just briefly and then discarded.
STUDENT: I would like to return to the subject of the four

powers. You taught that if you do not have 100 percent regret,
then you are not going to get the result, so that you really have
to have those first three powers before you even get to the fourth
power. I know, sometimes, that something is not right and that I
should regret it, but I do not really want to regret it. Is there any
way that I can generate more of a sense of regret in my practice?
RINPOCHE: You are perfectly correct in saying that the reason

we have so much trouble generating the power of resolution not
to commit an action again is that we lack sufficient remorse.
You are absolutely correct in saying that. Therefore you are also
correct in saying that we need to exert ourselves in some way
in cultivating regret or remorse for our wrongdoing. The first
step is to recognize what we are doing, which means thinking
about it until we are certain what it means to say that any act
of wrongdoing only leads to suffering. There is never any real
profit or benefit in it; it always leads to suffering. The second
step is actually to contemplate the details of what suffering really
means, especially in its more intense form. To this end you can
turn to books such as The Jewel Ornament of Liberation or similar
texts in which the sufferings of the hell realm, the preta realm,
408
the animal realm, and so on are described in detail. When you

study this material, you need to actually imagine it. You need
to contemplate it in the sense of imagining yourself in your
present body experiencing the sufferings described in the text.
When you are doing this kind of practice, you imagine yourself
as you are now in this body being in whichever hell realm it is,
and at the same time you bring to mind how little tolerance
you have for pain. We find the idea of being stuck by a pin or a
needle, such as when we get an injection, really nerve-racking.
We do not want anything like that to happen to us. Imagine
being immersed in a fire that destroys you again and again and
again, for aeon after aeon after aeon. In the same way, you can use
your imagination to put yourself through any of the sufferings
of any of the realms, especially the lower realms.
What is important to bring to mind when you are doing this

contemplation is that that which experiences the suffering is
the same mind that experiences the human realm today. The
way you experience sensations is pretty much the same. Of
course, the environment is different and the body is different
because the environment is different. But the way that the body
experiences sensation, its degree of sensitivity to pain, is if
anything, greater and more sensitive than what we experience
in the human realm. Fundamentally what this comes down to
is a belief. If you actually believe in the results of actions, you
409
will have no trouble generating regret for unvirtuous actions

or wrongdoings because you will know what they lead to. If
you have that regret, you will have no problem resolving not
to repeat the action. It is like discovering that you had drunk a
deadly poison — you would experience intolerably strong regret
for having done so, as well as the wish to do anything possible
to remove the poison. It depends on how much you believe it. If
you think, “Well, there is a slight possibility that what I drank
had poison in it, but I do not really know,” then of course your
regret will be less strong, and as a result your resolution will be
less strong and intense. It comes down to whether or not you
really believe in karma.
STUDENT: My question is on the subject of virtuous as opposed

to nonvirtuous action. A large part of my life is in the business
world, and I am looking to increase that action in the workplace.
There are certain principles that I observe now, such as not
misrepresenting myself or the company I work for and trying
to make all transactions increase the other person’s confidence
or peace of mind. I am cognizant that I work for a company
that has a certain agenda, which is making more money, and
that is fine with me, but I am looking for some way to align
the teachings with my work on a daily basis, like a kind of
meditation in action.
410
RINPOCHE: Living in this world you must support yourself.

None of us have any choice about that. In your case, that involves
business, and as you have indicated in your question, one has a
certain amount of freedom of choice to pursue business in an
ethical way. Specifically, your commitment to not deceiving
others and trying not to hurt or harm others is admirable, and I
rejoice in it. One thing you might try, as much as you can afford
it, is to give to poor people and others who are needy. That can
help. It not only helps them, but it also helps you maintain a
freedom from negativity in connection with the business. The
act of working, pretty much regardless of the occupation, can
be virtuous, unvirtuous, or neutral. It depends not only on the
effect it has on others but also on the motivations with which
you work. Often in business, because it is by nature competitive,
competitiveness arises, and that can bring about a situation of
negativity to some extent. You need to reflect continually on
this, and determine to work with your motivation.
STUDENT: My question concerns the relationship between

bodhichitta and the four different kinds of visualizations. Unless
I misunderstood, in the first, outer Vajrasattva practice, we are
seeking to purify ourselves. At the other extreme, at the other
end, the visualization also involves the purification of others. I
recognize that for someone like me it would be a hard enough
task simply to purify myself. However, in the context of the
411
aspiration of the bodhisattva vow and bodhichitta, doesn’t the

visualization also involve directly seeking to purify others as well?
RINPOCHE: As you indicated in the way you asked the question,

the explicit presence of the purification of the obscurations of
others in some of the Vajrasattva practices and the absence of it
in others is designed to correspond to the level of ability and the
level of maturity of different practitioners. Although we have
all taken the bodhisattva vow, our actual altruism and resolve to
benefit others even at the expense of our own welfare, is quite
weak until we have purified the majority of our obscurations.
Therefore it may not be appropriate for every practitioner to
focus too much on that initially; it may be asking too much of
them. Although we take the bodhisattva vow early on, we have
to start small, so to speak, start gradually in our implementation
of that vow. For example, in the past, when people were cultivat-
ing their paramita of generosity, when someone was frightened
by even the smallest act of giving something of theirs away to
someone else, they were taught to begin by passing a coin back
and forth between their own two hands. This may sound childish,
but in fact there are people for whom even that is such a big
deal that their hands shake when they do it because they are so
unaccustomed to giving anything away .
412
The preliminary practices are intended to be appropriate for

beginners, people who are at the beginning levels. In the outer
Vajrasattva, which is part of the preliminary practices, the pu-
rification of others is not specifically built in. This does not rule
out your visualizing that all beings are simultaneously purified
along with you. Were it specified in the practice, then you would
have to visualize that, which might be too much. There are some
people who are innately compassionate and altruistic. Such
people can, from the very beginning, from their first encounter
with Vajrasattva practice, think that they are purifying others
along with themselves. When someone has that kind of innate
altruism, it comes from having a habit of compassion and an
aspiration to it from previous lifetimes. Most of us are simply
not born altruistic. Most of us are pretty selfish, and in fact we
tend to delight in harming others, for the most part.
STUDENT: My mother is ninety-one and because of her acute

arthritic pain she has very little enthusiasm about continuing
life, although she does not have any great desire to end her life or
to die. I tried to engage her in conversations when I was visiting
her recently, about how she feels about her life and whether there
were still some unfinished goals she would like to attend to, but
she is pretty unresponsive to any kind of conversation I attempt
to engage her in. Now that we have had these teachings about
confessions and purification of wrongdoing, I am wondering if
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there is any way, with her not being Buddhist, that I might be
able to enhance her transition, which perhaps is rather imminent?
RINPOCHE: Because you are connected to your mother by

descent, what you do can affect your mother very much, espe-
cially if you intend it to. Practically the best thing you can do
for your mother is to pray for her yourself. Pray for her easy
transition. The best ways you can do this are by using the two
mantras: the OM MANI PEME HUNG mantra of Chenrezik
and the Amitabha mantra OM AMI DEWA HRI. In addition
you can blow gently on your mother’s head while saying these
mantras; this causes her to be blessed by the mantra. Also, if it
will not irritate her, try saying the mantras in her hearing, even
just once or twice.
STUDENT: In the practice of confession and purification, is

there any importance or emphasis placed on restitution where
that would be possible?
RINPOCHE: Restitution will definitely help in the purification

of wrongdoing. Actual restitution, manifest restitution, of course,
will help, but so will the motivation of restitution, which is the
thought that the merit of purification is dedicated to all beings,
but primarily to those that you have harmed.
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STUDENT: I understand that the Vajrasattva practice is the

best way to do confession. Is there a practice that a beginning
student, or perhaps someone who is not even a practitioner yet,
can begin immediately in order to do confession, knowing that
it is possible that one’s life could end tomorrow?
RINPOCHE: The two situations you describe are quite different. If

someone is a practitioner but is not yet doing Vajrasattva practice,
that is one situation. If someone is not a Dharma practitioner
at all, has not taken the vow of refuge, and so on, then that is
a very different situation. It is hard to prescribe any mode of
confession for a non-Buddhist from a Buddhist point of view.
However, for practitioners who are not yet doing Vajrasattva
practice, you can simply visualize the Buddha, Dharma, and
Sangha in front of you. Think that they are present and that
they witness your confession, and then perform the confession.
As part of the remedial-conduct aspect of the confession, you
can recite whatever mantra you wish, such as OM MANI PEME
HUNG or OM AMI DEWA HRI, and so on. Again, the hardest
thing about confession is the regret. Without the regret there
will not be the commitment, and therefore the purification
will not take place. The key to regret is that before you begin
the accumulation aspect of the preliminaries, or ngondro, you
should seriously and intensely contemplate the four thoughts
that turn the mind, because only through doing so will you be
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inspired enough to have stable renunciation for samsara. The

four thoughts need to be contemplated to the point that what
you previously regarded with attachment you now regard with
revulsion and disgust. Only at that point will you have sufficient
revulsion to truly regret your actions.
STUDENT: Is the aspiration to purify oneself the key to devel-

oping regret, and is this to be cultivated before the practice of
ngondro begins?
RINPOCHE: It is important and beneficial to have the aspira-

tion to purify your wrongdoing and obscurations, but you do
not need to stop there just because you have not yet begun the
preliminaries. Again, what is most important is to recognize
how serious a problem wrongdoing is. Once that recognition is
established, then any virtuous action is an act of purification. As
it said in the text, “Any virtuous action or practice will suffice.”
Therefore it can be circumambulation, prostration, anything
you like.
STUDENT: In practicing for the benefit of others who may be

ill or in some other type of dire situation, you indicated that
one should visualize the person, mention their name, and then
identify the problem. At this point, can we be effective using
these practices to benefit others?
416
RINPOCHE: You do not do these practices unless you have done a

lot of the specific yidam practice with which they are connected,
so in the case of White Tara you must have already recited at
least one million mantras. They will not really work otherwise
because you have not been empowered to do them. What is
more normally done by people like ourselves is that when we
want to pray for someone, we pray for them. We say whatever
mantra and whatever prayer and think, “May so-and-so’s sickness
be pacified” and in addition to that “May the sufferings of all
sentient beings be pacified.” That is the way that brings certain
benefit, regardless of our degree of training, simply through
the power of our genuine or altruistic bodhichitta. It not only
benefits that person, it benefits us, and indirectly it benefits all
sentient beings. The three application visualizations, which were
taught in the eighth chapter of this text, are basically for use by
those with some experience and realization, and they are very
effective when performed by someone like Chakme Rinpoche
himself, who was a mahasiddha. Because of his attainment,
when he visualized something, it really took effect for that
other person. Although these methods are in themselves very
powerful, we cannot assume that our doing them would have
the same benefit as his doing them.
On the other hand, it is not the case that there are no benefits
in our doing a visualization like that, provided it is done with
417
onepointed focus and the genuine intention to benefit the other

person. There is a story that one year, when Jetsun Milarepa was
in retreat in the mountains, his retreat location was cut off by
snow for six months, from the valley in which his lay disciples
were living. During that period, because he was cut off from
all food and so on, they assumed that he had passed away. To
commemorate him, they performed a service, including a feast
offering, and later, when the snow melted and they encountered
him again, he asked them, “What did you all do on such-and-
such a day? Because starting on that day for about one month, I
was so full, I had no wish to eat anything at all.” From that it is
evident that when, with one-pointed faith and compassion, we
perform some type of ceremony or visualization, it can actually
affect the person who is the focus, such as bardo beings and so
on. That is why we dedicate food and burned offerings and so
on to bardo beings.
STUDENT: How can Vajrasattva be the essence of all the deities?
RINPOCHE: Since all the deities are different manifestations

or appearances of the same single wisdom, the wisdom of the
dharmadhatu, the differences in their appearance, such as their
different colors, costumes, scepters, and so forth, are concessions
to the different needs or dispositions of different beings.
418
STUDENT: Why, then, is Vajrasattva the essence?
RINPOCHE: When it is said that the essence of all deities is

Vajrasattva, it is not referring to Vajrasattva in the sense of a
specific iconographic depiction showing a certain color, a certain
position, and holding certain scepters; it is referring to that
which Vajrasattva represents and embodies. The vajra part of
Vajrasattva’s name indicates the unchanging nature of all things,
while the sattva part indicates the unwavering compassion that is
the effect of the realization of that nature. Thus essentially when
we say Vajrasattva, what we are really referring to is the unity
of compassion and emptiness, which could be called buddha
nature, or could be called the dharmadhatu, or could be called
the dharmakaya, whatever you wish to call it. But in essence it
is that which manifests as any and all deities, and the particular
manifestation of form bodies depends upon the needs of those
beings for whom those deities are manifested.
STUDENT: Then why does Vajrasattva represent, or is specifically

associated with, purification?
RINPOCHE: Because it is through buddha nature, or the rec-

ognition of that expanse that is the nature of all things, that
we purify obscurations. That nature has never, from the very
beginning, been obscured, and therefore when it manifests in
419
a form body as Vajrasattva, it manifests as the embodiment

of that saving from obscuration. The problem is that because
we are dualistic, we think that these different forms, or these
different deities, are different in essence and nature. We think
when we hear the name Vajrasattva that it refers to a specific
form, which is a white deity who is sitting in a certain posture,
holding certain things, and so on. But once you grasp that all
yidams are manifestations of the same wisdom, the same nature,
which appears in distinct forms merely to correspond to the
aspirations of different beings, then you have grasped the root
of purification through Vajrasattva.
I will give you an analogy, one that is imperfect, so it cannot be

taken too far, but imagine that there are one hundred containers
of water lying outside in the sunlight and each of them has been
dyed a slightly different color. Some are different shades of red,
others different shades of blue, and so on. Each of them will,
from a certain angle, have a reflection of the sun in it, and each
of those suns will appear slightly different because of the color
of the dye in the water. The essence of the sun that is reflected
in all of them is not really different; in each case it is the same
sun. What are appearing in the vessels of water are simply dif-
ferent, or distinct, reflections of the same fundamental thing.
In the same way all of these different deities are manifestations
or reflections of the same fundamental nature. That is indicated
420
in practice when, for example at the end of a practice, the deities

dissolve one into another and finally into oneself. It is appropri-
ate to visualize Vajrasattva dissolving into oneself because one’s
own nature, the nature of one’s own mind, is that nature that
Vajrasattva embodies or represents. Thus because Vajrasattva
has never been separate from you, it is appropriate to visualize
that he dissolves into you. We tend to think that we and the
deities are different or that the deity is something outside or
separate from ourselves. We also think that there are differences
among deities, that some are somehow more powerful or better
than others, but this is all because of a dualistic fixation that is
based upon being deceived by relative truth. From the ultimate
point of view of Mahamudra, all deities simply represent this
same fundamental nature or buddha nature, which can be
called many things. It can be called awareness, it can be called
Samantabhadra, and so on.
STUDENT: Do the purification and realization happen simul-

taneously?
RINPOCHE: Yes, but neither occurs all at once. To the extent

that obscurations are purified, there will be realization of the
nature. However, until all the obscurations have been purified, the
realization of the nature, while authentic, will not be complete.
That is why there are different stages and paths.
421
The Mandala Offering, Which Accumulates
a Mountain of Merit
Karma Chakme Rinpoche opens this chapter on the mandala

offering with the Sanskrit invocation NAMO RATNA GURU
YE, “Homage to the precious guru.” This chapter is addressed
to a different student of Karma Chakme, Pema Tupkey, who
is referred to in many of his writings. It is evident from the
beginning of this chapter that he was present along with Lama
Tsondru Gyamtso in listening to the teaching. Thus it begins,
“Listen, Pema Tupkey. There is only one cause for the arising of
well-being and happiness in this and any lifetime, and that is
the accumulation of merit.”
Anything pleasant that arises in your experience, such as pleasant

external circumstances, good health, and prosperity, without
exception arise from a cause, and the only possible cause of such
things is your having previously accumulated merit. If you do
not accumulate any merit, such experiences and circumstances
cannot possibly arise for you because there is no cause that will
bring about their arising. Everything good that happens to us,
that affects us, is the result of our accumulation of merit. The
teaching continues, “Therefore it is of the utmost necessity to
422
gather the accumulation of merit. Even the splendor of the body

of a buddha, the major and minor marks and signs of physi-
cal perfection that grace the body of a buddha at the time of
awakening, results from the accumulation of merit.”
Not only in our ordinary situation do all pleasant experiences

come from our accumulation of merit, but also the observable
characteristics that adorn the form and features of a buddha, their
majesty and splendor, result from our accumulation of merit on
the path. Even though you may have completed the Vajrasattva
practice, which is designed to purify obscurations, you still need
to go further and accumulate merit. The removal of obscurations
itself is not sufficient, in the same way that preparing the field
is not enough to grow the crops — you have to actually plant
the seeds. Removing obscurations is like preparing a field; the
accumulation of merit is like the planting of the seeds.
There are innumerable methods of gathering the accumulation of

merit, but it is taught that there is no way more effective or more
profound than the offering of a mandala. All other conventional
ways of accumulating merit involve using composite things or
giving away or offering composite things, and therefore entail
some kind of limitation or have some kind of taint about them.
Making offering to the Three Jewels, being generous toward
those who are in need, dispersing offerings to the sangha, and
423
serving the sangha, such as providing tea during a group practice,

and so on — all of these things, of course, accumulate merit, as
does creating images, such as having thangkas painted or statues
made. The problem with these is that because they involve your
actually giving up something, they are all basically tainted. There
are individuals who can give things away without any kind of
reservation or klesha, but they are very rare.
This “taint” that is spoken of comes about in three ways. In the

first place there is the taint that results from the fact of your
having an attachment to the process and to the object of giving.
Second, for many of us, in order to acquire the funds we use to
finance that which we give away, there has been some kind of
prior wrongdoing involved in their accumulation. Third, when
we are actually giving, there is always some difficulty involved,
and this can produce some kind of resentment in us afterward,
or in any case there is always the danger that we will regret
our giving in some way. We are always doing good things and
afterward thinking, “Well, I should not have done so much, I
should not have given so much.” The offering of a mandala does
not involve these problems, because all you are doing is moving
piles of rice around. You are not actually giving up anything at all
externally. Therefore there is no more profound or effective way
to gather the accumulation of merit than the mandala offering,
a simple, physically oriented practice.
424
Chakme Rinpoche points out that this is not only his opinion.
He quotes Lingje Repa who was the founder of the Drukpa
Kagyu. “Futhermore, all of the sutras and tantras — and within
the tantras, both the old and the new tantras — are in agreement
that the offering of a mandala is the most convenient and most
effective way of gathering the accumulation of merit. Therefore
it is most appropriate to practice it.”
Like the practice of Vajrasattva, there are different levels or

styles of mandala offering practice: the outer mandala, the inner
mandala, and the secret mandala. As in the case of the Vajrasattva
practice, they correspond to different levels of previous training,
different dispositions, and so on.
The first of these is the outer mandala. To offer the outer mandala,
you visualize all buddhas and bodhisattvas as present in the sky
in front of you. If you actually have the materials for a mandala
offering, the mandala plate and the grain and so forth to be
offered on it, then you physically offer it. This would involve
the thirty-seven-pile offering, or whichever form of the mandala
offering you are doing. If you do not have these materials, the
outer mandala can be offered simply through the mandala gesture
or mudra that we commonly use before teachings.
425
In either case, when you are offering a mandala, you imagine

that it is the entire world consisting of the four continents and
Mount Meru and including all of the wondrous possessions
of humans and gods. You offer not just one of these worlds;
you offer billions and billions of them. Think that you offer
everything fit to be offered throughout the billion worlds in
the entire realm that is the activity of the Buddha. You offer
it by thinking that you give up all of these things and present
them as offerings to the buddhas and bodhisattvas. By doing
so, you accumulate merit that is the same as what you would
accumulate by physically offering all of these billions of worlds
and everything they contain to buddhas and bodhisattvas. The
reason this is the case is that you are not actually accumulating
the merit through physically presenting these things to buddhas
and bodhisattvas, for they have no desire for material things of
any kind. You accumulate the merit through your willingness to
offer everything, through your intention. The intention is just as
well articulated or manifested through your symbolic offering
as it would be through a physical or actual offering, therefore
you accumulate the same merit.
In the practice of the outer mandala, you do not normally

dissolve the field of accumulation into yourself at the end. You
either request that the deities depart and return to their own
places or you simply stop visualizing them and let them dissolve
426
into freedom from conceptual focus. In any case, because it is

entirely symbolic, this practice of the outer mandala is free from
any kind of stain or taint of resentment.
With the inner mandala practice, as with the practice of the outer
mandala, you visualize the Three Jewels in the sky in front of
you. In this case, it is specified that it be all gurus, all yidams,
and so forth. The inner mandala is different from the outer
mandala in that you are not offering the outer world; you are
offering the inner world of your body. In that sense it is similar
to the practice of chö, or severance; however, there are many
differences as well. For example, in this practice, unlike in chö,
you do not need to separate your awareness from your material
body. In the practice of chö you begin by doing the transference
of consciousness; here you do not need to do that. You simply
visualize your body, just as it is, as the mandala of the world and
offer it as such. In detail, you conceive of your four limbs as the
four continents; of your spine as Mount Meru; of your skin as
the golden ground that is the foundation of the world; of your
central channel, or avadhuti, as the wish-fulfilling tree; of your
heart as the wish-fulfilling jewel; and so on. In the practice of
chö there is a very, very detailed list of correspondences between
your various organs, sense organs, and so on, and the different
things that are found in the mandala offering. Here the list is
basically the same. In general, the entire contents of your body,
427
your flesh, blood, bones, and all of your organs, are seen as an
unlimited variety of desirable things that normally belong to
the gods and humans. These would include the sixteen offering
goddesses and innumerable offering substances that produce
undefiled well-being; you offer all of those things. At the end of
offering the inner mandala, you think that the deities who are
the recipients of the offerings dissolve back into you.
The third type of mandala offering is the secret mandala offering.

As in the outer and inner mandala, you visualize the field of
accumulation in the sky in front of you. Again it is specified
that this includes all gurus and yidams gathered like masses of
clouds. To make the offering, you first visualize your mind as a
wish-fulfilling jewel. The reason for this is that just as the wish-
fulfilling jewel is said to be the source of all that is needed or
wished for, your mind is the source of all things. Therefore for
the purpose of making the secret mandala offering, the offering
of mind, you visualize your mind as a wish-fulfilling jewel, and
you think that constantly emanating from that wishfulfilling
jewel, which is actually your mind, are innumerable offering
substances similar to the offerings produced by the aspiration
of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra. In the aspiration of the
bodhisattva Samantabhadra the offerings that are produced
are first of all innumerable in number and variety. Beyond that,
each and every one of them multiplies itself exponentially so
428
that each one produces ten more of its kind, and each of those
ten produces ten more, and each of those ten produces ten
more, so that each offering produces tens, and hundreds, and
thousands, and tens of thousands, and millions, and billions.
Thus you think that in that way, emanating from your mind in
the form of a wish-fulfilling jewel, is an unlimited variety and
number of offerings such that they fill all the realms throughout
the universe to the limits of space. You think that these are
constantly offered to all buddhas and bodhisattvas of all places
and all times. That is the secret mandala offering.
In this way you can continually practice the outer, inner, and
secret mandala offerings. When you reach that point in your
practice, in order to accumulate merit, you should practice this
intensively for a week or two weeks or a month, if possible, in
strict retreat, and in any case with the utmost concentration.
As in the case of the Vajrasattva practice, there will be some

indication of your having accumulated merit. In this case the
signs are first of all what you will experience in the waking state,
and secondly what you will experience in your dreams. In the
waking state you will find that you feel happy and cheerful, and
your mind will be lucid and clear. You will not feel particularly
hungry, even though you do not seem to need to eat as much
as before. You may dream of the sun or the moon rising. You
429
may dream of holding aloft flags or banners of silk, or you may

dream that you are blowing a conch shell, or that you are sitting
on a throne. You may dream that you are wandering through a
field of flowers, and here it says “flowers that are not red.” The
reason for this is that dreaming of walking through a field of
red flowers is sometimes considered a sign of imminent death,
so any other color is okay. Or you might dream that you are in
a place where there is a great harvest, or that you acquire some
jewels or something very, very precious.
All of these are signs of your having gathered the accumulation

of merit, but as with Vajrasattva, you should not mistake these
for an indication that you are done. They merely show that
you are moving in the right direction. Until you attain full
awakening or full buddhahood, you need to continue to gather
the accumulation of merit.
Therefore even after you finish making the mandala offering as

the major focus in your practice, you should continue to make
it every day, which could mean, if you can, doing the extensive
mandala offering (the thirty-seven-pile mandala offering) or if
not, just the one stanza of the brief mandala offering, or if you
cannot do that, even just the mandala-offering mantra. Whichever
one of these you do, if you do it one hundred times every day
430
and visualize the mandala offering those hundred times as well,

then you will continue to gather the accumulation of merit.
Now we come to the presentation of our specific practice of

the mandala offering according to the Mahamudra tradition.
According to this tradition, when you are doing the mandala
offering as it is found in the Mahamudra preliminaries of the
ngondro, you need two mandala plates. One is called the ac-
complishment mandala, and the other is called the offering
mandala. The accomplishment mandala is placed on the shrine as a
support or focus for your visualization of the deities who make
up the field of accumulation, and since there are basically five
groups of these deities, you therefore place five piles of grain on
the accomplishment mandala. Because this has to last for the
duration of your practice, traditionally we use five small tormas
instead of the five piles of rice.
Next you visualize the accomplishment mandala as a palace made

entirely of precious materials. Inside it, seated on five thrones,
you visualize the principals of the five aspects of the field of ac-
cumulation surrounded by their retinues. On the central throne
you visualize your guru in the form of Vajradhara, surrounded
by all the other root and lineage gurus. To his right you visualize
Buddha Shakyamuni, surrounded by all the other buddhas. To
the left of Vajradhara you visualize the principal heart disciples
431
of Buddha Shakyamuni, surrounded by all the other members of

the Sangha. To the rear, you visualize the Dharma in the form
of books. And at the front, you visualize the yidam, surrounded
by all the other yidams taught in the tantras. Also in the palace,
in between these five groups, you visualize all the dharmapalas.
You may either think that simply through visualizing them they
are automatically present because of their omniscience (as is
presented in the ngondro liturgy itself), or, if you wish, you can
insert an actual liturgy of invitation, request to be seated, and so
on. Either is appropriate. Then, in the presence of that assembly
and to that assembly, you perform the offering of the mandala.
At the end of the session you dissolve the assembly into yourself
rather than requesting them to depart, as in the conventional
outer mandala. That is the mandala offering of relative truth, and
that is true also of the outer, inner, and secret mandalas, presented
earlier. All of them are the mandala offering of relative truth,
which gathers the accumulation of merit.
The mandala offering of absolute truth is how you gather the ac-
cumulation of wisdom. This is done by looking at your mind
with your mind. As in the equivalent part of the Vajrasattva
instruction, you simply allow your mind to look at itself, at its
own nature. You rest in that, relaxed, without distraction. That
is how you gather the accumulation of wisdom. Essentially what
432
this means is that you rest free of concept or conceptual elabora-

tion in your mind’s natural state, which is called Mahamudra.
It is best if these two practices, the accumulation of merit and

the accumulation of wisdom, be combined, mixed, or done
simultaneously. This is to say that while visualizing the field
of accumulation and gathering the accumulation of merit, you
also rest in a direct experience of your own nature. Since that
is difficult, it is also acceptable to alternate them. This means
that for the body of the session you gather the accumulation
of merit according to relative truth. At the end of the session,
after dissolving the field of accumulation into yourself, you
look at the nature of your mind and gather the accumulation
of wisdom according to absolute truth. In any case, it is of the
utmost importance that from now until the actual attainment
of awakening, both of these elements, the accumulation of merit
and the accumulation of wisdom, be represented in your practice.
At this point Chakme Rinpoche inserts a quotation from Tilopa

to show that this is not merely his own opinion but is a traditional
teaching of our lineage. It says, “Naropa, do not be separate
from the two wheels of the chariot, the gathering of the two
accumulations, until you attain full awakening.” The meaning
of this is that just as a chariot needs to have two wheels in order
to function as a vehicle, your practice has to include these two
433
elements, the accumulation of merit and the accumulation of

wisdom, in order to function as a vehicle or path to awakening.
When you actually fill up with these two accumulations, once
you have a good stock of them, everything else will happen
automatically. You will automatically have realization of the
nature of all things. Automatically your insight into the nature
of things and the particulars of things will increase. Automati-
cally your wishes will be accomplished in accordance with the
Dharma. Automatically you will understand the meaning of
the teachings of the Buddha. Automatically you will be passing
through all of the various paths and stages that are delineated
in those teachings. And finally, you will come to attain supreme
awakening. That completes the presentation of the mandala
offering, “which is a mountain of merit.”
STUDENT: In the Chenrezik practice as it relates to mandala,

is there a short mandala practice and a seven-branch prayer
where you are making offerings and you say “I and everything
else,” or does the word mandala only relate to the specific kind
of layout of the offerings?
434
RINPOCHE: The daily practice of Chenrezik includes offerings

in the seven branches. It does not specifically include a mandala
offering, although if you are able to remember it while reciting
the offering branch, you can include in your visualization the
offering mandala as part of it, but it is not specifically mentioned
in the liturgy. The nyungne practice of Chenrezik, which is more
extensive, does include the mandala offering in addition to the
seven branches.
STUDENT: In the teaching on mandala practice there was a

section that was related to offering the body. As I recall, there
were correlations to the regular mandala practice that one
learns, that the heart is the wish-fulfilling jewel, and then it
was continued as in chö, and so forth. Could you fill that in?
I have not received the chö teaching, so I do not know what
correlates to what.
RINPOCHE: What was presented is sufficient for the inner

mandala itself. Aside from the heart being the wish-fulfilling
jewel, the spinal cord being Mount Meru, and the four limbs
being the four continents, no details were given. You simply
think that all of your innards take the form of all the splendid
possessions of gods and humans, and that is enough.
STUDENT: What color is the wish-fulfilling jewel? Is it blue?
435
RINPOCHE: The custom seems to be to depict it as blue, when

it is depicted, but its wish-fulfilling quality has nothing to do
with its color. The defining characteristic of a wish-fulfilling
jewel is that it can fulfill one’s wishes in an instant, which might
also include its changing color — if you wanted it to be red,
for example.
436
The Guru Yoga That Is a River of Blessings
The next chapter begins with the Sanskrit invocation NAMO

MAHAMUDRA YE, “Homage to Mahamudra.” Then Chakme
Rinpoche addresses his disciple: “Lama Tsondru Gyamtso, listen.
Because devotion is the source of meditation, meditation on
guru yoga is known to be extremely important.”
The Guru as the Object of Supplication
To begin with, one has to recognize or determine who the guru,

the object of supplication, actually is. It is therefore necessary
to understand the varieties among gurus. There are essentially
five different types of gurus, and these are explained in this part
of the text. The first is the person from whom you take the vow of
refuge, from whom you take the most fundamental upasaka, or
lay ordination, the person who, as it is said, “cuts your hair.” That
guru should be a bhikshu, if there are fully ordained monks or
bhikshus present in the area. If there are none, then it can be
a shramanera (a novice) or an upasaka (a lay disciple). In the
absence of a bhikshu, these others are allowed to give the vow
437
of refuge. Thus the first type of guru is the person from whom
you take this vow. Such a person is very kind to you because he
or she has given you the vow of refuge.
The second type is the khenpo or preceptor from whom you receive
an active ordination. This is either the preceptor from whom
you received the novitiate ordination, which is called “leaving
home,” or the preceptor from whom you received full ordina-
tion, which is called “completing the approach, or process.” The
ordination must be given in the presence of a certain number of
fully ordained monks, depending upon where it is given. If it is
in a central country, that is to say a place where there is a great
monastic sangha, there must be twentyone monks present at
the ordination. If it is in a borderland, which from the Dharmic
point of view means a place where there are very few monastics,
it can be as few as five. Strictly speaking, the ceremony can be
conducted by as few as two, the preceptor and the instructing
master. In actuality if it is any less than five, you will receive the
vow but the two who ordain you will incur a minor violation,
which is like a misdemeanor. In addition, to receive monastic
ordination, you must be without the specific impediments that
disqualify a person for ordination, and again, the situation is
the same: You receive the vow, but the preceptors commit a
misdemeanor. For the authentic pratimoksha vow, or vow of
individual liberation ordination, to be transmitted to someone,
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they must have an actual stable renunciation of cyclic existence

and the wish to be free of it. If they do not have that, then the
vow they receive is, in a sense, not the full, authentic vow of
pratimoksha.
With regard to the guru who transmits the pratimoksha vows

— the refuge, upasaka, and monastic vows — regardless of how
great that person’s qualities may be, he or she is not regarded as
Buddha. From among the Three Jewels, such a person is regarded
as Sangha because the person is fulfilling the function of the
Sangha. This means that you should regard the preceptor from
whom you receive any form of pratimoksha vow as the foremost
member of the Sangha.
Now we come to the guru who administers the bodhisattva vow.

According to the Mahayana, that person must possess the bod-
hisattva vow and must hold its lineage, which means two things:
They must have received it, and they must not have committed
a root violation or impairment of it. If they possess those two
qualifications, it does not matter whether they are a monastic
or a householder, they are qualified to give the bodhisattva vow.
However, as in the case of the pratimoksha preceptor, those
gurus who transmit the vows according to sutra, regardless of
how great their personal qualities may be, are regarded merely
as “spiritual friends,” or as bodhisattva members of the Sangha.
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Generally, it is taught that the attitude you should have toward

your preceptor, the one who gives you the pratimoksha vow, is
the same as toward a parent, for example a father. The attitude
you should have toward the one who teaches you the sutras,
for example the one who gives you the bodhisattva vow, is to
consider them as a physician and to consider yourself to be like
a person who is ill and requires the attention of a physician.
There is no greater view of the guru than that.
Next, we come to the guru who transmits Vajrayana, or secret mantra,

to you. This fourth type of guru is specifically the one from whom
you receive empowerment. Whatever that guru may be, regardless
of his or her possession of personal qualities, the one from whom
you receive any empowerment should always be regarded as the
deity or yidam of that empowerment. This is clearly presented
in many empowerment texts, which were composed in India,
many of which contained the words, “Do not view the guru and
the yidam as different from one another. If you view them as
the same, you will definitely be able to receive sacred siddhi or
attainment.” The meaning of this is that all attainment comes
from viewing the guru as the yidam. Therefore regardless of the
guru’s personal qualities, if you receive empowerment from that
person, that is how you should view them.
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There is a traditional story in our lineage that once, while in the

presence of his guru Naropa, Marpa had a vision of his yidam,
which was the deity Hevajra. Naropa was of course aware that
Marpa was having this vision and he said to Marpa, “To whom
will you prostrate first? To me, the guru, or to your yidam?”
Marpa thought, ”Well, I can usually see the guru when I am in
his presence, but I only rarely see the yidam. Therefore I will
prostrate to the yidam.” However, that reasoning was mistaken,
and as a consequence, Naropa prophesied the following: “Your
Dharma lineage will flourish like the current of a great river,
but your family lineage will vanish like a flower that appears
in the midst of the sky.” Indeed we know that Marpa’s family
lineage did die out, even though he had had seven sons by that
point, while his Dharma lineage did not.
Thus it is taught that if you view the guru and yidam as the same,
you will attain siddhi in accordance with the practice of that
yidam, but if you view the yidam as superior and other than the
guru, it is very difficult for the practice to be successful. This needs
to be pointed out, because it is not uncommon for us to think
that the guru is just a person whereas the yidam is something
spectacular, something wonderful, something supermundane. If
you hold the guru and the yidam to be very different in that way,
your practice will not lead to the attainment of siddhi. It makes
no difference whether the guru who bestows empowerment is
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a buddha or a sentient being. What makes a difference is your

attitude, your degree of faith. If you actually view the guru as
the yidam, then you will receive all of the blessings and all of the
attainments and siddhis that come from that yidam. Therefore
it is said that in the Vajrayana it is our faith that produces the
attainment, not the actual qualifications of the guru. This is
because when you view a guru as a deity, it benefits you, it affects
you, whereas it does not actually bring any benefit to, nor does
it particularly affect, the guru himself. It is simply a method
that leads to your accomplishment or your realization of that
deity. As an illustration of this, Chakme Rinpoche recounts
an event in the life of Milarepa when his students came to him
and said, “Of whom are you an emanation? Of which buddha
or bodhisattva are you an emanation?” And he said, “I have no
idea myself of whom I am an emanation. It is quite possible that
I am an emanation of a sentient being from one of the three
lower realms, but if you view me as Vajradhara and supplicate
me in that way, you will receive the blessing of Vajradhara.” That
is the understanding we have of the guru of secret mantra in
general, which is to say, the guru who bestows empowerment.
The fifth and final type of guru is the guru of Mahamudra, which
is to say the teacher from whom you receive the transmission
of Mahamudra. Unlike the guru of Vajrayana in general, the
guru who teaches Mahamudra cannot be just anyone because
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the qualities of Mahamudra can only be transmitted, or pointed

out, by someone who has realized them. Just as you can only
make tsa tsa in a mold that has the characteristics that you want
to come out in the tsa tsa, so it is taught that for Mahamudra,
in contrast to Vajrayana in general, the teacher or guru must
have realization.
Unfortunately, in the present age of degeneration, we face the

problem not only that such realized teachers are not necessarily
easily available but, even more, that we have no way ourselves of
determining whether someone has realization, especially since
even though they may have realization, we ourselves lack trust,
or confidence. Even though a teacher may be perfectly realized,
we might not believe it or have confidence in them. Therefore
if you are unable to find or connect with a teacher who you are
absolutely certain possesses perfect realization, you should not
think that this disqualifies you as a recipient of Mahamudra
teachings. What you are instructed to do in that case is, having
received the Mahamudra transmission, which could even be
instruction based entirely on a text, to then view the teacher
as whichever guru of the Mahamudra lineage you have the most
faith in. It could be Gampopa or any of the Karmapas, such as
Dusum Khyenpa, or if you are a practitioner of another Kagyu
lineage, it might be Lord Gotsangpa, for example. Traditionally,
in the Karma Kagyu it would most likely be someone such as
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Gampopa or one of the Karmapas. In that case, having received

the transmission from a holder of the lineage, you would con-
sider that figure of the lineage in which you have the greatest
confidence to be your root guru, and you would supplicate him
as such. According to the statements of the great teachers of the
Kagyu lineage, this attitude or approach will produce Mahamudra
realization. This was taught out of compassion and a realistic
sense of the needs of future generations of Kagyu practitioners.
You can supplicate any member of the Kagyu lineage as your

root guru and hold them as such, but in that case, you should
visualize your present teacher in the form of the historical guru
or in the form of Vajradhara. The reason for this is that if you
view your present root guru in his actual form, because we tend
to project a sense of limitation and aversion onto an ordinary
human form, you will receive in your experience not only the
qualities for which you are praying but the reflection of your
own negative projections. Thus in order to receive the qualities
and blessings of realization, without any reflection whatsoever
of negative projections, it is best to view your root guru in the
form of a deity, such as Vajradhara, and not in the ordinary form
in which you perceive him. In any case, the method that produces
realization for someone who has no realization, which is to say
that causes realization to grow, increase, and be perfected; the
method that dispels all impediments and protects you from all
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sidetracks and mistakes; the method that blesses and consecrates

your body, speech, and mind; that enables you to accomplish
your wishes without any impediments; that causes you to be
attended and assisted by all of the protectors of your lineage —
the supreme method for all these things is guru yoga.
Guru yoga is presented in four topics, which are outer guru

yoga, inner guru yoga, secret guru yoga, and very secret guru
yoga. The first of these is the outer guru yoga, which has three
varieties: the visualization of the lineage gurus as stacked one
above the other, the visualization of the lineage gurus as a crowd
surrounding the root guru, and finally the visualization of the
root guru alone as embodying the entire lineage.
Outer Guru Yoga
Stacked Visualization: How to Visualize the Lineage One

Above the Other
The first to be presented is how to perform guru yoga visualizing

the lineage one above the other. If you have received empower-
ment for a yidam practice, then you would visualize yourself
as that yidam when you are doing guru yoga. For example, in
the Kagyu tradition if you have received the empowerment to
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do so, you visualize yourself as Vajrayogini when you are doing

guru yoga. If you have not received this empowerment and are
just beginning with the preliminary practices, then you visualize
yourself in your ordinary form. In either case, you visualize your
root guru above your head in the following way.
On a precious throne upheld by eight snow lions, on top of

which is a lotus and moon disk, is seated your root guru in the
form of Vajradhara. This is to say, you visualize Vajradhara and
think that he is your root guru, your personal guru, appearing
in that form. Then, as the name of this technique indicates, you
visualize the entire lineage, one above the other, above him. His
teacher is above him, and his teacher’s teacher is above him, and
so on until you reach the original Vajradhara from whom the
lineage descends on the top. They are visualized one above the
other just like pearls on a string.
When visualizing the root and lineage gurus in this way for guru
yoga, you do not need to invite them. Normally when you are
doing yidam practice, you visualize the yidam and subsequently
you invite the actual yidam and dissolve it into your visualization.
The visualization is called the samayasattva or samaya deity; and
the invited, actual deity is called the jnanasattva, or wisdom deity.
Here it is understood in the attitude toward guru yoga that it is
unnecessary to invite the gurus because they are always present
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whenever they are thought of, like the reflection of the moon
in a body of water. All the bodies of water automatically will
have the reflection of the moon in them provided that they are
positioned so that the moon can be reflected in them. It is not
necessary for the moon to be separately invited into each pool
of water. In the same way, whenever you think of the guru, the
guru is present. It is sufficient in guru yoga practice to recognize
that from the very beginning, the visualized or samaya guru and
the wisdom guru are inseparable.
The main part of the practice of guru yoga is supplication or

prayer to the guru, which can take several different forms de-
pending upon the specific practice or liturgy of guru yoga that
you are using. In the most elaborate form, this consists of a long
supplication to the entire lineage, each member of which will be
mentioned by name, as in our Mahamudra preliminaries. Here
we focus on one specific type of supplication, which is used in
our Mahamudra preliminaries and is also found in many pre-
liminary practices of both the Sarma and the Nyingma schools.
It is called the Ma Nam Zhi Kor, or the four manams. Ma and
nam are simply the first two words of each of the four lines of
the supplication. Ma means “mother” and nam is the first part
of the word for “space.”
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The next part of the text is a commentary on this prayer. I will

give you a translation of the prayer so that you will understand
the commentary:
All sentient beings, my mothers who fill space, supplicate the guru,
the precious Buddha.
the pervasive dharmakaya.
great bliss, the sambhogakaya.
compassion, the nirmanakaya.
The text explains the meaning of this supplication, which although

commonly used is seldom explained. The first point, which should
be obvious by looking at the structure of the supplication, is that
you are not praying for your own benefit. You are not praying
because you want to be happy or you want to be free of samsara.
You are praying on behalf of all beings.
Wherever there is space, there are sentient beings; and wherever

there are sentient beings, they are afflicted by ignorance, mental
afflictions, and karma. Essentially what this supplication consists
448
of is praying that every sentient being throughout the universe

realize Mahamudra.
Let us consider the second line first. “All sentient beings, my

mothers who fill space, supplicate the guru, the pervasive dhar-
makaya.” What does it mean to refer to the guru as the pervasive
dharmakaya? The dharmakaya is called pervasive because all
buddhas are the same in the dharmakaya. In this sense there is
only one dharmakaya for all buddhas. It is called Samantabhadra,
“the all good,” and is shown as Samantabhadra; it is called Va-
jradhara and shown in that form; it is called the Great Mother,
Prajnaparamita. It is called the youthful vase body; it is called
the primordial buddha. And so on. All of these names are styles
of depiction that indicate this same dharmakaya, which has from
the very beginning been awake, and that is the dharmakaya of
every buddha. The mind of your guru is nothing other than that.
Therefore the mind of your guru is that pervasive dharmakaya
that is the mind of all buddhas. That is what is meant by the
dharmakaya guru.
The next line says, “All sentient beings, my mothers who fill
space, supplicate the guru, great bliss, the sambhogakaya.” The
sambhogakayas, or bodies of complete enjoyment of all buddhas
without exception, no matter how many buddhas there are, are
what we call the five sambhogakaya buddhas, or the sambhogakaya
449
buddhas of the five families. There are no sambhogakayas that

are not included in that. Regardless of which buddha it is, his
sambhogakaya is the five sambhogakaya buddhas. Therefore, that
is also the sambhogakaya of your guru. That is what is called the
sambhogakaya guru.
“All sentient beings, my mothers who fill space, supplicate the

guru, compassion, the nirmanakaya.” Nirmanakaya is unlimited
and innumerable. We can say one dharmakaya and we can
say five sambhogakayas, but because nirmanakaya is a direct
response to the needs of individual beings, there are in a sense
as many nirmanakayas as there are beings to perceive them. The
sambhogakaya is experienced only by buddhas and bodhisattvas,
who have pure perception, but the nirmanakaya, because it is
a spontaneous response to the impure or ordinary perception
of ordinary beings, is in a sense completely unlimited in how
it might appear. We can attempt to sum it up by saying that
according to the sutras there are three types of nirmanakaya.
These are called supreme nirmanakaya, born nirmanakaya, and
made nirmanakaya.
The Abhidharma talks about a billion worlds like our own; it

also states that “billion” is the number that corresponds to
the activity of a single nirmanakaya buddha. According to
the basic presentation, as each of the thousand buddhas of
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this fortunate kalpa appears in this world, he will also appear

simultaneously in a billion other worlds — not only buddhas
but also the great bodhisattvas like Avalokiteshvara, Arya Tara,
Guru Padmasambhava, Vajrapani, and Manjushri. There are
a billion of each of these as well. In fact there are even more
worlds, since this figure of a billion drawn from The Abhidharma
is merely symbolic. Elsewhere it is said that the field of activity
of a single supreme nirmanakaya is sixty-two times the number
of grains of sand in the river Ganges. In all of those worlds, all
of those buddhas, all of those bodhisattvas, and all of those
Guru Padmasambhavas are emanations of Avalokiteshvara.
The meaning of this is that Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezik) is the
embodiment of the compassion of all buddhas, and compassion
is the source of all compassionate activity. That is why you refer
to the guru as compassion, the nirmanakaya guru.
At the same time, Avalokiteshvara, Padmasambhava, and our

root guru, Karmapa, are three different names for the same
thing. They are of the same nature, clearly predicted by Buddha
Shakyamuni himself, all of which is included in what we call
the nirmanakaya guru.
This is the same in essence as the fathers and sons of the Kagyu
lineage. It is for this reason and with this intention that in the
Guru Yoga of the Four Sessions, Gyalwang Mikyo Dorje wrote,
451
“I supplicate you who are the principal figure in the bound-

less realms. I supplicate you who pervade all realms with your
emanations. I supplicate you who surpass our thoughts, our
expectations, and even our hopes.” This and similar parts of the
Guru Yoga of the Four Sessions refer to the fact that the guru, the
Karmapa, is all-pervasive.
All of this is included in what is called the supreme nirmanakaya.

In the histories of the previous births of Buddha Shakyamuni
there are many stories of the Buddha having been born in ways
that were directly responsive to the particular needs not only of
particular beings but of particular species, for example, taking
birth as a fish, taking birth as a rabbit, taking birth as a person
in a difficult social position, and so on. All of those are what is
called born nirmanakaya or nirmanakaya of birth.
In the billion worlds that the text speaks about, each of the
countries that we know in this world, especially the ones con-
nected with Dharma, have an equivalent. Therefore they say that
in those billion worlds, there are a billion Tibets, and in each
of those Tibets, just as in the Tibet of this world, there are the
two principal supports, which are the two Jowo. There are two
images of the Buddha that were offered by the two queens of
Songtsen Gampo. The one offered by the Chinese queen was
Jowo Shakyamuni, which is an image of Buddha Shakyamuni,
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and the other one, which was offered by the Nepalese queen, is
an image of the Buddha Akshobhya, and is therefore called Jowo
Akshobhya. There are such famous supports in each of the billion
worlds, and not only those two, but also all of the properly cre-
ated and consecrated images of the Buddha, including thangkas,
stupas, and so forth. All such things are considered nirmanakaya
because they are emanations or agents of the buddhas’ activity.
They are what are called made nirmanakaya or the nirmanakaya
that is constructed.
That which is in essence a buddha or a bodhisattva can manifest

in any emanation that is appropriate to benefit beings. The
reason for this is that buddhas have to manifest in such a way
that we can communicate with and relate to them. For example,
if a person were to walk into the midst of a group of animals,
the animals would be frightened and run away. Consequently
in order to benefit those animals, a buddha needs to take birth
as that type of animal. Buddhas and bodhisattvas can display
any form of imaginable emanation. Within human society,
they can take any place and fulfill any role — as monarchs, as
ministers, as religious teachers, and so on. An emanation is not
a one-step process. There will be an emanation of a buddha, and
that emanation can produce other emanations, which are called
secondary emanations. Those can produce still others, which
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are called tertiary emanations, and each level of emanation can

produce further and further, so you get four, five, six, and seven.
There are examples of this where great teachers such as Jamgon

Kongtrul Lodro Thaye the Great, and Jamgon Khenytse Wangpo
produced five simultaneous emanations. The point of all of this
is that such buddhas and bodhisattvas are not hesitant or afraid
to take birth, and therefore go through death, in order to benefit
even one single being. They have no hesitation whatsoever about
this. When the Eighth Gyalwang Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje, was
asked how many emanations he had, he answered, “Well, just
in Tibet about 500,000.” Of course, there was only one Mikyo
Dorje, there was one Karmapa who was the throne holder, but he
had emanations and secondary emanations and so on spreading
out to that number. All of this is included in what we call the
nirmanakaya guru, so when you are supplicating in that line,
that is what you are referring to.
To return to the first line — “All sentient beings, my mothers who

fill space, supplicate the guru, the precious buddha” — you are
specifically thinking of your own root guru because, according
to the anuttara yoga tradition of the Vajrayana, your root guru
is the embodiment of all buddhas. The reason that the mind
of the guru is the embodiment of all buddhas is because if the
mind of the guru is the dharmakaya, which is the wisdom of
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all buddhas, it follows that the mind of the guru embodies all
buddhas. Since the guru is the source of Dharma, the speech of
the guru is the embodiment of all Dharma. However the guru
may manifest, whether as a monastic or as a chakravartin, the
body of the guru as the foremost member of the Sangha is the
embodiment of the whole Sangha. The qualities of the guru are
what manifest as the yidams and other deities, and the activity
of the guru is what manifests as dakinis and dharma protectors.
All of this is included in the guru alone, which is why we say,

“The guru is the Buddha, the guru is the Dharma,” and so on. If
you supplicate the guru alone, you are automatically supplicating
all the rest because they are included in the guru. If that is the
way you understand this supplication, the Ma Nam Zhi Kor,
then it is to be used as the principal supplication. Therefore in
the Mahamudra preliminaries, you accumulate 100,000 of that
supplication. Alternatively, you can use a supplication addressed
to any of the fathers and sons of the lineage. For example, in
the Mahamudra preliminaries there is a second supplication
composed by the first Gyalwang Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa,
LAMA RINPOCHE LA SOL WA DEP, which is also included.
You can also recite the name mantra of the guru, which in the
case of the Mahamudra preliminaries consists of the short
supplication to the Karmapa, KARMAPA KHYENNO. In the
Mahamudra preliminaries you do all three of these. After every
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Ma Nam Zhi Kor supplication, you say KARMAPA KHYENNO,

so you accumulate 100,000 of each.
At the conclusion of the session, you think that ambrosia streams

from the bodies of the lineage gurus and the root guru and enters
through the aperture at the top of your head, filling the channels
of the wheel of great bliss (the mahasukha chakra) inside your
head. This first empowerment purifies all physical obscurations
and grants you the vase empowerment, which makes you capable
of accomplishing vajra body. The ambrosia next fills all of the
channels in the throat, purifying the obscurations of speech
and granting you the secret empowerment, which makes you
capable of accomplishing vajra speech. Next the ambrosia fills all
the channels in the heart, purifying the obscurations of mind,
granting you the empowerment of knowledge, and making you
capable of accomplishing vajra mind. Then it fills all the rest of
the channels in your body, from the navel down to the bottoms
of your feet. This purifies all of the wrongdoing and obscura-
tions of body, speech, and mind acting in conjunction. Through
this you receive the fourth empowerment, the precious word
empowerment, which enables you to accomplish the essence
body, which is the vajra nature.
You think that all of the lineage gurus melt into light and dis-
solve into your root guru. The root guru melts into light and
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dissolves into you. At this point you rest in the confidence that
the body, speech, and mind of all of those root and lineage gurus
and your body, speech, and mind are completely inseparable as
though water had been poured into water. Corresponding to the
degree of your confidence — which means the degree of faith
with which you supplicated the gurus during the main body of
the session and therefore the degree of confidence you have in
their having dissolved into you — corresponding to this, there
will definitely arise some kind of meditation experience, maybe
realization. Having enough confidence is sufficient; you simply
do not need to attempt to alter or control what arises as a result
of that devotion.
This is how to perform guru yoga by visualizing the lineage one

above the other, and how to receive empowerment at the end in
the form of one single stream of ambrosia, which is one of the
ways that the empowerment at the end of guru yoga is sometimes
visualized. This technique, the stacked visualization of the lineage
is basically the same in the Sarma and Nyingma guru yogas with
some slight differences in the individuals represented.
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Meditating on the Guru Surrounded by the Lineage Gurus,

Gathered Like a Crowd
First you need to understand the different aspects of lineage,

what constitutes a lineage. There is a difference in the way
lineage is reckoned in the Nyingma teachings as opposed to
the Sarma teachings.
In the Nyingma teachings, the lineage must be sixfold. The

first of the six is “the lineage of the thought or wisdom of the
victors, the buddhas.” This is the lineage that has passed from
the dharmakaya Samantabhadra to the sambhogakaya buddhas
of the five families. It passed from all of the buddhas who have
appeared in the past up until now, which is to say the sixty-five
buddhas that are described as having appeared in the past,
especially the twelve buddhas who have appeared in this realm.
This is all in the context of the Dzokchen tantras, where this is
explained. The point is that this lineage is passed from one buddha
to another simply through the intention of it being passed. No
form of communication, no form of gesture or symbol, is neces-
sary. It passes from one buddha to the next buddha to the next
buddha simply by the presence of the intention through which
each buddha completely recognizes and receives the meaning
of Dharma. Therefore it is called the lineage of the intention or
thought of the victors.
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The second lineage, which starts with Garab Dorje is passed

down to Shri Singha; the eight great vidyadharas of India; Guru
Padmasambhava; and his disciples, such as Mandarava. In the
case of such individuals, the transmission of the lineage occurs
through the display of a very simple symbol or sign, such as a
gesture of the hand, which causes the recipient of the lineage
to receive the complete transmission and to understand the
complete meaning of Dharma. It is therefore called the symbol
lineage of the vidyadharas, or holders of awareness.
The next lineage, the lineage of entrustment of the dakinis, arises

when wisdom or karma dakinis physically entrust teachings to
appropriate individuals. This can be done in two ways. One way
they transmit the teachings is to entrust the “dakinis’ parchment,”
which consists of small scrolls in which there are scripts that
have no recognizable letters and do not mean anything in any
human language. Their function is to cause the teachings to
arise in the mind of the recipient. The other way in which they
transmit teachings is through handing a book, such as an entire
volume of teachings, to the recipient master who is receiving
it. In either case, as soon as the scroll or volume is placed in the
hand of the receiving master, they immediately understand all
of it. They receive the complete transmission, and in fact they
become the inheritor or owner of those Dharma teachings.
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The next lineage concerns the subsequent discovery of such

teachings. Individuals who received empowerment, transmission,
and instruction from Guru Padmasambhava, either in India
or in Tibet, were in many cases empowered by him through
ceremonies of empowerment and through the making of pow-
erful aspirations on his part and on the part of the disciple.
They were empowered by him, upon their subsequent rebirth,
to rediscover teachings they had previously received from him.
The way this works is that the aspiration and empowerment
are done so that the discovery will happen when the particular
teachings will most benefit the people of that time. It will be
discovered by the rebirth of the particular disciple who was
originally given those specific teachings. Usually this involves an
emanation of Guru Padmasambhava appearing in the vicinity
of the person who discovers it. The emanation, who is not the
discoverer himself, will do something to reawaken the person’s
habits, making the person capable of finding it. This is called
the treasure lineage of aspiration.
Many things have to come together for the discovery to occur

and to be most fruitful; it requires a lot of interdependence and
auspiciousness. Essentially, the factors that determine whether or
not these things will come together are the merit and receptivity
of the people at that time, because the discovery is designed to
benefit those people. If they are receptive to the teachings in
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general and will be receptive to that teaching in particular, the

discovery will occur without impediment, and the teachings can
be spread, but it has to be done without any kind of violation
of the circumstances. In other words, if the signs that indicate
it is appropriate to look for and retrieve the treasure are not
present, it may not be retrieved at all, but when the signs are
present and it is retrieved, it is practiced by the discoverer and
transmitted to his disciples and brings great benefit.
The final lineages are what are transmitted from that point
onward. The discoverer passes on the lineage, and then it is
called the ultimate lineage of dispensation, or the passing on of the true
meaning. Or else it might also be called the lineage of compassion
and blessing.
Great individuals, such as the great teachers of today, receive

the complete empowerment, transmission, and instruction of
those teachings and then transmit them in their complete and
elaborate forms to the next generation. Because that involves
primarily oral transmission, it is called the oral lineage of individuals.
In this tradition it is considered important that the actual

texts be used when giving empowerments, transmissions, and
instructions, and it is important that the texts be actually read
and not just recited from memory. The reason is that this brings
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or maintains the blessing of the original dakini scroll, which was

the source for all this. In the Nyingma tradition it is considered
to convey more blessing if it is done that way. It is said in that
tradition that the best lineage will have all six of these lineages
included in it.
In the Sarma, or New Translation, school there are two types of

lineages: the Sutrayana and the Mantrayana (Vajrayana). Within
the Sutrayana, there are several lineages of the bodhisattva vow.
There is the lineage of profound view, which originated with the
bodhisattva Manjushri and was taught by him to Nagarjuna,
and by Nagarjuna to Arya Deva, and so on. Another lineage of
the bodhisattva vow, the lineage of extensive deeds, is the lineage
of Maitreya passed to Asanga, Vasubandhu, and so on. There is
also the short lineage of the bodhisattva vow, which was passed by
Manjushri to Shantideva and by him to the Sumatri Dharma-
kirti, to Atisha, to Geshe Dromtonpa, and so on. Those are all
lineages of sutra.
The Sarma School classifies the lineages of Vajrayana into three

— the long lineages, the short lineage, and the lineages of pure
appearance or vision. In the context of our own Kagyu lineage,
the long lineage of tantra refers to the four lineages that Tilopa
received in India from human teachers, the Vajrayana lineages
of Nagarjuna. The short lineage consists of the one that Tilopa
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received directly from Vajradhara himself, and passed on to

Naropa and so on.
It is called the lineage of pure vision (or pure appearance) when

Kagyu gurus have received teachings directly from their yidam
or from previous mahasiddhas, who are no longer present, such
as Guru Padmasambhava.
In most cases, the teachings were received as a vision while

these masters were awake; not in the form of dreams. There is
no discussion whatsoever about the validity of a sacred or pure-
appearance lineage received when the master is awake. There has
been discussion in the past, Chakme Rinpoche writes, about the
status of lineages received by a master in a dream. Some logicians
have said that if someone receives a lineage in a dream, such as
an empowerment or a transmission or both, it is all right for
them to practice it, but it is not all right for them to transmit
it unless they have attained the first bodhisattva level. However,
according to the Third Gyalwang Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje,
and the Fifth Gyalwang Karmapa, Dezhin Shekpa, regardless of
whether the person has or has not attained the first bodhisattva
level, if they have certainty about the validity of what they have
obtained, then in fact it is better than their having attained it in
an ordinary way in the waking state. For example, when someone
receives a complete transmission and empowerment from their
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yidam during a dream, this is in a sense more extraordinary than

their having received it in a conventional way. Karma Chakme
Rinpoche here passes on something he was told by Ngawang
Tashi Paldrup, that if you think about it, neither waking-state
appearances nor dream appearances are real anyway. They are
both like dreams. Therefore it is acceptable to transmit a lineage
that has been received in a dream. In any case, that is the meaning
of the lineage of pure appearance, which is the third type of lineage
according to the Sarma, or New Translation, school.
The Actual Visualization of the Lineage as a Crowd
Now that we have figured out what the lineage is, the way that
you actually perform the visualization of the lineage as a crowd
is as follows: As before, you visualize your root guru above your
head on a lotus-and-moon-disk seat. Again, you visualize your
root guru in the form of the deity, which in the case of the
Mahamudra ngondro would be in the form of Vajradhara. Sur-
rounding the root guru, you visualize all of the lineage gurus and
all other gurus with whom you are connected in their ordinary
forms, for example, you visualize Tilopa and Naropa as Indian
mahasiddhas.
As in the previous guru yoga practice, no separate invitation

is necessary. They are actually present the instant you recollect
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or visualize them. You then supplicate using either the lineage

supplication or a short supplication. In the previous section,
the Ma Nam Zhi Kor supplication was explained. Here the
supplication KARMAPA KHYENNO is explained.
The word karma, part of the name of the Gyalwang Karmapa,

is Sanskrit. Literally translated it means “action,” but if we
translate it according to the context here, it means that the
Karmapa is the embodiment of the activity of all buddhas.
Our lineage consists primarily of the Gyalwang Karmapa, so
the recitation of KARMAPA KHYENNO is a supplication to
all of the Karmapas. The other members of the lineage are only
assisting in the performance of the activity of the buddhas,
therefore in this one supplication, KARMAPA KHYENNO, you
are actually and simultaneously supplicating the entire lineage.
It is therefore sufficient in itself as a supplication.
At the conclusion of the session of guru yoga, the deities in

the retinue, the lineage gurus and so on, dissolve into the root
guru. Then, from the forehead of the root guru, visualized as
Vajradhara, rays of white light are emitted, which dissolve
into your forehead, purifying your physical obscurations and
granting you the empowerment and blessing of body. Then from
the throat of the guru, rays of red light are emanated, which
dissolve into your throat, purifying obscurations of speech and
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granting you the empowerment and blessing of speech. From

the heart of the guru rays of blue light are emanated. These dis-
solve into your heart, purifying your mental obscurations and
granting you the empowerment and blessings of mind. From
the navel of the guru, rays of yellow light are emanated, which
dissolve into your navel and purify obscurations that equally
affect body, speech, and mind, granting you the blessings and
empowerments of qualities. Finally, from the lower abdomen of
the guru, rays of green light are emanated, which dissolve into
your lower abdomen, purifying the cognitive obscurations and
granting you the empowerment and blessing of activity. Then
you think that in a state of great joy, the guru melts into light
and dissolves into you. As before, you simply rest in the nature
of your mind.
This is how to meditate upon the lineage as a crowd, gathered in

a mass around the guru. It is in accordance with all the various
traditions of guru yoga. When you are doing guru yoga in this
way, surrounding the lineage you can visualize the eighty-four
mahasiddhas of India, the twenty-five disciples of Guru Pad-
masambhava, all sorts of mahasiddhas, vidyadharas, and so on.
You can think that they are all there.
In the stacked visualization, the empowerment took the form of

ambrosia descending through your body. Here it takes the form
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of rays of light. Empowerment by rays of light is in accordance

with kriya tantra.
In the guru yoga visualizing the lineage as a crowd or assembly,

we went into a detailed presentation of what constitutes the
lineage according to the Nyingma tradition and also according
to the tradition common to the Sarma and Nyingma. Within the
context of the third type of outer guru yoga — visualizing the
root guru alone as the embodiment of all sources of refuge — the
understanding of what constitutes a root guru will be presented,
based primarily upon the Kagyu tradition.
The Visualization of the Root Guru Alone as the

Embodiment of All the Sources of Refuge
In order to do this type of guru yoga where you visualize the root
guru alone as the all-sufficient embodiment of the Three Jewels,
you need to correctly determine exactly who your root guru is.
In order to do this, you need to understand what constitutes
a root guru. Nowadays — and although Chakme Rinpoche is
referring here to the time in which he was living and writing,
the seventeenth century, it refers all the more, by extension, to
our present time — monastics in particular and practitioners
in general view as their root guru the person from whom they
received the vow of refuge or the preceptor from whom they
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received the vows of refuge, upasaka, shramanera, or bhikshu.

Although many people think of it in this way, this is not taught
in any sutra or tantra. A preceptor is a preceptor, a root guru is
a root guru, and they are different.
All the different traditions hold the general view that what
constitutes a root guru is a teacher who is a “threefold vajra
holder.” What this means is the teacher from whom you received
the vows of the three vehicles. Therefore if you received the
pratimoksha vow — the genyen, getsul, or gelong vows — either
all three or any one of them, plus you received the bodhisattva
vow, plus you received the complete four empowerments of any
given tantra from a single teacher, that person is the threefold
vajra holder because you have received the vows of the three
vehicles from them. According to most traditions, that is the
person that you should consider to be your root guru.
In the specific context of Vajrayana, the threefold vajra holder

is someone from whom you receive the complete four empow-
erments for your yidam, the reading transmission of the root
tantra, the commentaries, and the practical instructions for
doing the sadhana of that yidam. That is the view according
to most traditions, however if that were true, we would have
many root gurus, because after all, we receive empowerments,
transmissions, and instructions over the course of our lives not
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from one teacher but from many. Does that mean that we have
more than one root guru? According to the Kagyu tradition,
the answer is no.
In the particular tradition of the ultimate lineage, or the lineage of

the true meaning of the Kagyu, even if you receive ordination or
vows from a teacher and you receive oceans of empowerments
and transmissions from them, or they teach you a great deal
about learning in the sciences and other areas of knowledge
and are very kind to you; even if you receive all of this from one
teacher, your kind guru, they are not necessarily your root guru.
Therefore it is said in the Kagyu lineage songs, “I have had one
hundred kind gurus but only one true root guru.” In the same
way, even a teacher who gives you instructions for your practice,
who points out the nature of stillness and occurrence, and the
nature of the experiences of bliss, lucidity, and nonconceptuality,
such a teacher is kind, but they are not your root guru. Someone
only becomes your root guru when, based on their instruction,
you achieve direct realization of the nature of your mind. Ac-
cording to the Kagyu tradition, that is the single criterion for
someone’s being your root guru.
Because that is the criterion, it is irrelevant how much time

you have spent with them or how many empowerments you
have or have not received from them. You might recognize the
469
nature of your mind simply through seeing their face, simply

through meeting them, or simply through hearing a little bit
of their speech, possibly not even formal teachings. You might
recognize the nature of your mind through receiving a blessing,
as is commonly given in a public blessing where the palm of the
hand is placed on the top of your head. Maybe you hear some
teaching from them or receive a very brief empowerment from
them. It might even be someone you never actually meet; you
might actually receive a letter from them or something like that.
However it happens, when you directly and nakedly recognize
the nature of your own mind, the person who causes that to
happen is your root guru. According to the Kagyu tradition,
such a person alone is considered your root guru.
There is a great deal of historical evidence for this position in

our lineage. Lord Gampopa studied for many years with eminent
teachers of the Kadampa tradition, and based on their instruc-
tion he achieved a level of tranquillity such that he could remain
seated in meditation for seven days without moving. Nevertheless
because he did not achieve realization of the nature of his mind
under their guidance, he did not consider the Kadampa teachers
his root guru. His root guru was Jetsun Milarepa.
In the same way, Gampopa’s student Lord Phakmo Drupa studied

with the great hierarch of the Sakya tradition, Drakpa Gyaltsen,
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and based upon his instruction, he perfected the meditation

experiences of bliss, lucidity, and nonconceptuality. He did not
however, fully recognize the nature of his mind under Drakpa
Gyaltsen’s guidance, but did so later under the instruction of
Gampopa; therefore he considered Gampopa alone to be his
root guru.
A few generations later in our lineage, the great mahasiddha

Urgyenpa had already attained so much common siddhi that he
was renowned as a mahasiddha who had mastered many traditions
and teachings. He could display miracles at will. Urgyenpa met
Lord Karma Pakshi, the Second Karmapa, when he was already
in his fifties and only spent two days with him. He considered
Karma Pakshi to be his root guru because during those two days
he received the full transmission of the ultimate lineage of the
Karma Kagyu. He did not receive any elaborate empowerments
from Karma Pakshi. In fact all that Karma Pakshi did was to
fill a plate with barley, stir it with a riding crop that had been
consecrated using the Gyalwa Gyamtso practice, and then place
these on top of Urgyenpa’s head. Normally you would not con-
sider a plate filled with barley or a riding crop as implements of
empowerment. He placed them on Urgyenpa’s head and spoke
some words of impartation — the impartation of command, the
impartation of the lineage — and immediately at that moment
Urgyenpa gave rise to supreme genuine realization. At that
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point Karma Pakshi handed him a copy of the texts that he had
composed pointing out the trikaya, called Karmapa’s Pointing Out
the Trikaya. Handing him that, Karma Pakshi said, “Uphold my
lineage.” That was the transmission of the ultimate lineage. They
were only together for two days, and yet Urgyenpa is the person
who follows Karma Pakshi in the ultimate lineage of unity, the
ultimate lineage of the Karma Kagyu. He was considered by the
Third Gyalwang Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje, to be his root guru.
Rangjung Dorje did not receive all of the empowerments, reading

transmissions, and textual instructions from Urgyenpa because
Urgyenpa had never received them. He received those things from
another disciple of Karma Pakshi, called Nyenre Gendun Bum.
Nevertheless Rangjung Dorje’s root guru was Urgyenpa because
Urgyenpa held the true or ultimate lineage beyond words. In
the same way, the Sixth Gyalwang Karmapa, Tongwa Donden,
had two main disciples, one of whom was Jampal Zangpo, who
composed our lineage supplication, and the other one was the
first Gyaltshap Rinpoche, Paljor Dundrup. They were co-disciples.
They studied together with Tongwa Donden and they received
all of the same empowerments and all of the same transmissions
at the same time. Nevertheless, because Paljor Dundrup did not
give rise to perfect realization under the direct instruction of
Tongwa Donden, whereas Jampal Zangpo did, Jampal Zangpo
comes next in the lineage. Paljor Dundrup gave rise to realization
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under the instruction of Jampal Zangpo when he went over the

teachings they had both received simultaneously from Tongwa
Donden. Therefore it was necessary that Jampal Zangpo, who
otherwise would not have been in the direct lineage, take his
place in the lineage of the Sixth Karmapa before Paljor Dundrup.
In the Kagyu lineage we do not reckon the lineages we have

received separately, thinking that this different lineage of em-
powerment comes from these different masters and this lineage
of transmission comes from these different masters. Although
such things are important for the individual empowerments
and transmissions, we do not think of those as our lineage. We
think of our lineage as the ultimate lineage, which includes the
essence of all of it. The reason for this is that when you generate
realization of your mind’s nature, at that moment you receive the
real empowerment, because at that moment you give rise to the
wisdom that is the meaning of all empowerments. That wisdom
is the supreme essence and the root of the meaning of all of the
Tripitaka and all of the four tantras. All of these teachings exist
in order to transmit this one recognition, this one wisdom. To
recognize the nature of your mind through someone’s instruc-
tion or blessing is called the transfer of the blessings of the ultimate
lineage, or the empowerment that transfers the blessings of the
ultimate lineage.
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This is emphasized particularly in the Kagyu tradition, but it is

not unknown in other traditions. In the context of the Nyingma
school, the same empowerment that is the transfer of blessings
is called the empowerment of the display of awareness and again
refers to the recognition of the mind’s nature. When you receive
that, you have received the essence of all empowerments and all
transmissions, therefore you consider the person from whom you
receive that to be your root guru. Examples of this can be found
even today. His Holiness the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa gave
the same empowerments and teachings to all of his heart sons and
close disciples; nevertheless in his letter predicting his rebirth
he said he would be accepted by Lord Amoghasiddhi, referring
to Situ Rinpoche by his personal name. The implication is for
this ultimate lineage to be unbroken, it has to be continued
by the one person who received it, which was Situ Rinpoche.
That is why His Holiness the Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa
has gone to the great difficulty of traveling all the way back to
India from Tibet. The reason for this is that he must receive
the ultimate lineage from the person who received it from his
previous emanation, and that is Situ Rinpoche.
The Actual Visualization of the Root Guru Alone
When you are actually doing this form of guru yoga, where
you visualize the root guru alone, you visualize your guru, as
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before, seated above your head on a lotus-and-moon-disk seat.

If your root guru is one of the “fathers and sons” — that is to
say, someone who is definitely and obviously a buddha — then
it is appropriate to visualize the guru as you see him, in the form
that you visually perceive him. This is appropriate because it
will only increase your faith and your pure perception of your
guru. If it is a root guru about whom you or other people have
reservations (in other words, one that you might perceive as
imperfect), if you have any reservations about visualizing this
person in his ordinary form, then you had better visualize him
as in the Kagyu ngondro, as Vajradhara.
Visualizing the root guru alone, either in his ordinary form or

as Vajradhara, you think that inside his head at the level of the
forehead is a white OM, in his throat is a red AH, in his heart
is a blue HUNG, and in the center of his body at the level of
the navel there is a yellow HO. From these four syllables, rays of
light radiate and invite all buddhas, bodhisattvas, lineage gurus,
yidams, and dakinis — all of whom dissolve into the root guru.
Reflecting on the fact that the root guru is the embodiment of
the Three Jewels, generate devotion, then supplicate the root guru.
The supplication that is suggested here is the third supplication
found in the Mahamudra preliminaries: LAMA RINPOCHE
LA SOL WA DEP, “I supplicate the precious guru,” and so on.
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You can also use the Ma Nam Zhi Kor, or the name mantra,
KARMAPA KHYENNO.
At the conclusion of the session, from the OM inside the guru’s

head a white OM radiates outward and this dissolves into your
head, granting you the empowerment of the guru’s body. From
the AH in his throat a red AH is emanated, which dissolves
into your throat, granting you the empowerment of his speech.
From the HUNG in his heart a blue HUNG is radiated, which
dissolves into your heart, granting you the empowerment of
his mind. Finally, from the HO behind the navel, a yellow HO
is emanated, which dissolves into your navel, granting you the
complete fourth empowerment. As in the other practices, think
that the guru melts into light and dissolves into you, and then
rest in the experience of your mind’s nature without any altera-
tion or contrivance. This means that with the confidence that
the guru has dissolved into you, you do not attempt to impose
any concept on the meditation experience, such as good or not
good or what you expect to discover and so on.
This approach of visualizing the root guru alone as the embodi-

ment of all buddhas is the essence of all instruction on guru
yoga. These three techniques are all techniques of what is called
outer guru yoga.
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Inner Guru Yoga
The second section of guru yoga is the inner guru yoga, and like
the outer guru yoga, this has three parts. Inner guru yoga is not
superior to outer guru yoga, and it is not that outer guru yoga
is incomplete or less efficient. The inner guru yoga is designed
for someone who has received the empowerments, transmission,
and instruction of a yidam practice, has fully completed the
required number of mantras of that yidam practice, and is able
therefore to visualize themselves as a yidam with relative ease.
This way of doing guru yoga is for such a person.
The basis of the practice of inner guru yoga is to visualize yourself

as the yidam deity, whichever is your yidam deity, and especially
to visualize that the body of the deity is completely hollow. This is
to say, the external form or features of the deity are like a hollow
enclosure, such as a tent or a balloon. The inside of the yidam’s
body is completely hollow. The reason you are visualizing this
is to recollect the fact that the yidam’s appearance is without
any substantial existence.
The yidam is the display or representation of the qualities of

dharmakaya, which is the absolute truth. The appearance of
substantiality is relative truth, and it is bewilderment. If you
visualize the yidam as something substantial, a flesh-and-blood
477
form, then you are degrading something that is a representation

or display of absolute truth into an impure display of relative
truth. Many of the problems people have when they attempt to
do deity practice are connected with this. An example of this
is the thought that, “Well, if I move my hand, then I have to
visualize the yidam as moving his or her hand.” This is a sign of
having missed the basic point of yidam practice, which is that
it is the insubstantial appearance of the qualities of dharmakaya
in that particular form.
Nirmanakaya Guru Yoga
You visualize yourself as the yidam, and in the center of your

body at the level of the heart, you visualize a precious throne
upheld by eight snow lions. On top of that you visualize a lotus
flower, and on top of the center of that a moon disk. Seated on
that, you visualize your root guru in the form of the nirmanakaya
Buddha Shakyamuni, with the complete appearance of Buddha
Shakyamuni. His right hand is extended over his right knee in
the earth-pressing gesture, and his left hand is in the gesture of
meditation. He is adorned with the three robes of a monastic.
In the three places of the body of the root guru as Buddha
Shakyamuni, you visualize three syllables, a white OM, a red AH,
and a blue HUNG. Think that from those three syllables rays of
light are emanated outward, and they summon all nirmanakaya
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buddhas throughout the universe, such as the thousand buddhas

of this fortunate aeon. All of them dissolve back into the root
guru in the form of Buddha Shakyamuni, who is visualized in
your heart. The supplication is the nirmanakaya supplication
from the Ma Nam Zhi Kor, “All sentient beings, my mothers who
fill space, supplicate the guru, compassion, the nirmanakaya.”
You recite that for the bulk of the session. At the end you think
that the Buddha, in essence your root guru, melts into light and
dissolves into you.
The benefits of the nirmanakaya guru yoga are that your morality
will become pure, which means that any previous violations of
morality will be repaired, and future violations will not occur.
You will be able to benefit the Buddha’s teaching. You will have
the ability to do so, and all of the necessary circumstances to
enable that to occur will be arranged. This is the first part of
inner guru yoga, called nirmanakaya guru yoga.
Sambhogakaya Guru Yoga
You visualize yourself as the yidam, and again in your heart you
visualize the lion throne, lotus, and moon disk. Seated on top
of that, in your heart, you visualize your root guru, this time in
the form of the principal sambhogakaya buddha, Vairochana,
who is brilliant white in color and adorned with the silken
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garments and jewelry of the sambhogakaya, like Chenrezik or

White Tara. His hands are in the teaching mudra. Again, rays of
light from the HUNG in his heart, and so on, radiate outward,
inviting all of the sambhogakaya buddhas, such as the buddhas
of the five families, all of whom dissolve back into Vairochana
in your heart.
This time the supplication is the sambhogakaya line from the Ma

Nam Zhi Kor. At the end, as before, you think that Vairochana
melts into light and dissolves into you, and you simply rest relaxed
without any conceptual focus. The benefits of the sambhogakaya
guru yoga are that you will be able to stay put. Being able to stay
put means that when you are trying to do some kind of Dharma
activity or practice, such as trying to remain in retreat or trying
to do some study, it often happens that your mind gets restless
and that you want to go somewhere else. This restlessness will
be prevented by this practice. In addition, you will be able to
hold your ground, which means that you will be able to fulfill
your activity in that specific institution or practice place, and
finally this will give rise to the experience or wisdom of bliss
emptiness. That is the sambhogakaya guru yoga.
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Dharmakaya Guru Yoga
As before, you visualize yourself as your yidam. In the heart,

you visualize a lion throne, lotus, and moon disk, and on top
of that you visualize your root guru seated in the form of the
dharmakaya Vajradhara, with all of the usual ornaments. He is
the color of the sky, holds the vajra and bell crossed in front
of his heart, and so on. Again, rays of light shoot out from his
heart, inviting all the dharmakayas of all buddhas, all of whom
dissolve into Vajradhara in your heart. For this guru yoga it is
especially important to think, “My root guru is just dharmakaya.
He really does not even have form. The perception of him as
form is just my mistake. He is really the dharmakaya.” Giving rise
to the certainty that your root guru is the actual dharmakaya,
then you recite the dharmakaya line from the Ma Nam Zhi Kor.
At the end of the session, think that the root guru melts into
light, which means that you have maintained a bare apprehen-
sion of characteristics. In other words, you are thinking of the
dharmakaya as the dharmakaya, but you are giving it form —
scepters, costumes, ornamentation, and so on. You simply let go
of that, which here is called causing it to melt into light, and you
mix the guru’s mind and your mind. Then rest relaxed, without
any kind of alteration or contrivance, in whatever experience
arises in your mind through mixing it with that of the guru.
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The benefits of dharmakaya guru yoga are that the pure aspect
of your mind will be distinguished and separated from the dregs
of your mind. The pure aspect of your mind is awareness, the
dharmakaya, while the impurities are thought, bewilderment,
and confusion. Through doing this practice, the sediment will
be separated from the pure aspect, and the naked experience
of cognitive lucidity and emptiness will arise. That is to say, a
direct experience of your mind’s nature, unfiltered by any kind
of preconception, will arise, the unity of cognitive lucidity and
emptiness. That is the dharmakaya guru yoga.
These three inner guru yogas, together called the trikaya guru
yogas, come from the text The Fivefold Mahamudra, which is one
tradition of Mahamudra that we practice. This part of the text
concludes with the instruction, “Tsondru Gyamtso, if you want
to give rise to experience and realization, practice these.” This
means that not only Lama Tsondru Gyamtso but also anyone
who wants to generate meditation experience and realization
would be well advised to practice these.
The text continues, “The supreme guru yoga and the guru yoga
of the yidam are the root practices of the secret tradition, which
is the most secret oral aspect of the Kagyu tradition. In fact,
you do not even chant them aloud; there is not even a liturgy
that is recited. Therefore, if it is unfitting even to chant them
482
aloud, how could you expect me to write about them here?”

Other than that, there are several other guru yogas that could be
called secret and very secret, but because people have different
degrees of experience of practice and understanding of Dharma,
there is no need to go into them.
Ultimate Guru Yoga
The text now discusses the results of guru yoga, also called the
ultimate guru yoga. The point is that any form of guru yoga
practice, such as the outer guru yoga, the inner guru yoga, and
so on, will lead to realization. Whatever style of guru yoga you
are doing, whatever the specific practice involved, at the end the
guru dissolves into you and you mix your mind with the mind
of the guru through thinking that the guru’s mind has dissolved
into yours and that they are inseparable and indivisible. Through
the power of the blessing of your devotion to the guru, and
the thought that the guru’s mind has dissolved into yours, the
experiences and realizations that arise through that technique
or in that context are considered free of impediment and free of
defect. Sometimes we might give rise to meditation experiences
that are somehow faulty or defective, but the experiences that
are born of this type of devotion and mixing your mind with
the mind of the guru are considered trustworthy.
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Aside from mixing your mind with the mind of the guru, you
do not have any kind of attitude or preconception about what
that mind, the mixed mind of the guru and you, consists of.
When you are simply resting without alteration, you discover
that it has no substantial characteristic. It has no form; it has no
color; it has no substantial existence whatsoever. Therefore you
can call it empty, or emptiness. That emptiness of your mind is
the dharmakaya, the dharmakaya guru.
Although this mind is empty in the sense that it has no substantial

existence, you do not discover this through thinking “empty.”
You do not come into it with that preconception. You discover
it precisely because you are free of preconception and free of
concept. Although it is empty of substantial existence, that
does not mean it is nothingness, because at the same time your
mind is self-aware. It is aware of itself, and its cognitive lucidity
appears or manifests to itself. That is the sambhogakaya guru.
This cognitive lucidity is not limited or unitary in its manifesta-

tion. The cognitive lucidity itself manifests in the totality of
your experience, which is unimpeded by any kind of limitation.
In this sense, the quality of the display of your mind is like the
display on the surface of a mirror, which is unlimited by all of
the things that are reflected in it. Nevertheless, all of those im-
ages reflected on the surface of the mirror have no substantial
484
existence. They do not exist in, behind, or in front of the mirror.

In the same way, although your mind is completely insubstantial,
because of its cognitive lucidity, it nevertheless manifests as a
continuous and unlimited display. That unlimited display is the
nirmanakaya guru.
When we talk about these three things, they are conceptually

distinguished or isolated from one another. This might lead to
the conclusion that they are three different things, but in fact
they are not. The openness of the mind is at the same time its
capacity to cognize and to display, therefore these three are
fundamentally the same thing. This is the fourth body, the
svabhavikakaya or essence body.
With regard to the relationship between the mind of the guru

and your mind, it is acceptable and appropriate to think that
the guru’s mind dissolves into yours because the nature of the
guru’s mind is exactly the same as the nature of your mind.
You can distinguish between the guru’s mind and your mind
simply based on the fact that the guru’s body and your body
are different. For example, there is water in India and there is
water in Tibet. We can distinguish between them. We can call
them Indian water and Tibetan water, but the water itself, the
chemical composition of water in and of itself, is the same.
485
The distinction you make between two bodies of water based on

geography is like the distinction you make between the mind of
the guru and your own mind. They are in different bodies, but
they are the same in that the nature of the guru’s mind and the
nature of your mind is emptiness beyond elaboration. Therefore
when you mix your mind with the mind of your guru at the
conclusion of the session of guru yoga, you no longer experience
a separation between yourself and the guru. In the songs of the
Kagyu this is called “not finding an object of supplication.” The
guru has dissolved into you and is no longer outside you to be
supplicated.
This is also expressed in the teachings of Guru Padmasambhava

when he said, “Self-awareness is Amitabha; its unimpeded
clarity is Avalokiteshvara; and the self-liberation of thought is
Padmasambhava.” When he says, “Self-awareness is Amitabha,”
it means the nature of your mind, the emptiness, and its in-
substantiality is the dharmakaya, which here is being given the
name Amitabha. There is at the same time an unceasing cognitive
lucidity that is not a lucidity to something outside itself, but it
is lucid to itself. That is the sambhogakaya, which here is called
Avalokiteshvara. The self-liberation of thought, the appearance
of thoughts within the recognition of the mind’s nature, is the
nirmanakaya, which here is called Padmasambhava.
486
Such statements refer to the mixing of the mind with the mind
of the guru, with the result of the recognition of the nature of
that mind. If you realize this through doing guru yoga practice,
then your devotion to the guru becomes what is called “the
devotion of dharmakaya,” because finally it becomes devotion
to the mind of the guru, which is the dharmakaya and which is
also never separate from you. Because the nature of that mind
is the same as the nature of your mind, from that point onward
you are never separate from the guru. This is therefore called the
“guru yoga of the nature,” or the “ultimate guru yoga.”
Whenever you wish to see your guru, simply look at the nature
of your mind, because the nature of your mind is the actual
nature of the guru. If you see the nature of your mind, you
have seen all buddhas, because that nature of your mind is the
dharmakaya, the dharmakaya of all buddhas. That is why in the
Kagyu tradition it is considered of far more importance to see
the nature of your mind than it is to have a vision of a yidam.
If you have a vision of a yidam without having seen the nature
of your mind, then you might think you are seeing one yidam,
or that you also have to see all the others separately. If you see
the nature of your mind, you see the dharmakaya, which is the
actuality of all yidams, of all buddhas, of all gurus, and so on.
487
This section concludes, “Therefore, Tsondru Gyamtso, take as

your continual practice the dharmakaya guru yoga.”
Guru Yoga in Deity Practice
The last section of the chapter on guru yoga also begins with
the invitation “Lama Tsondru Gyamtso, who emphasizes faith
and devotion, listen.” The reason why the emphasis on faith
and devotion is mentioned at this point is not only to say that
Tsondru Gyamtso strongly possesses these qualities but to
point out that they must be emphasized. The practice of guru
yoga, through which faith and devotion are generated, is the
most important form of practice. At the same time, without
faith and devotion, you cannot effectively practice guru yoga.
If someone with no faith and devotion attempts to practice it,
nothing much will happen.
The “jewel of many colors” is a legendary jewel that will adopt

the color of the surface on which it is placed. Here it is used
as an analogy for the way devotion to the guru can be used
in conjunction with deity practice. The jewel is the guru and
one’s devotion to the guru. Placing the jewel on a surface that
transforms its color is like visualizing the guru as a deity.
488
In the same way, by visualizing the glorious guru in the form of

whichever deity you wish, you will receive the blessing of that
form on which you are meditating. The point here is that the
effectiveness of any deity meditation depends upon considering
that visualized deity to be your root guru taking that particular
form. For any deity practice to be effective, it has to be a form
of guru yoga.
“That precious wish-fulfilling jewel, although it has no thought,

if it is placed on top of a victory banner, will rain down jewels,
food, and clothing. In the same way, that precious guru, when
placed at the top of the victory banner of your devotion and
supplicated with intense devotion and yearning, will rain down
both common and supreme attainments.” The guru is like the
legendary wish-fulfilling jewel that, if properly supplicated,
will produce whatever is needed or wanted without thought of
preference or partiality. Just as the wish-fulfilling jewel has to
be placed on a victory banner for the blessing to be received, in
the same way, supplication with devotion causes the blessings of
the guru, and therefore all common and supreme attainments,
to arise spontaneously, just as supplication of the wish-fulfilling
jewel causes the rain of food, clothing, and wealth.
Karma Chakme Rinpoche now goes through the ways that you
can apply this guru yoga to specific purposes. For example, if
489
you wish to purify wrongdoing, visualize the guru as Vajrasat-

tva, which is what we do in the second part of the preliminary
practices, where the Vajrasattva that you are visualizing above
your head is identified with your root guru. The purpose of
this is to purify wrongdoing. If you wish to purify obscuration,
visualize the guru as Akshobhya. If you wish to pacify sickness,
visualize the guru as the Medicine Buddha. This will be most
effective if your wish to pacify sickness is not merely to pacify
your own sickness but to pacify the sicknesses of all sentient
beings and the causes of those sicknesses. If you wish to pacify
demonic disturbances, visualize the guru as Vajrapani; if you wish
to exhibit miracles, visualize the guru as Guru Padmasambhava;
and if you wish for wealth, visualize the guru as Jambhala.
In all these cases, the motivation has to be altruistic. If you are

wishing for wealth or for the ability to perform miracles for
your own benefit and gratification, it is simply not going to
work. However if you wish for the necessary resources or for
the ability to perform miracles to benefit beings and the teach-
ings, then visualizing your root guru in the indicated form and
supplicating them will be effective.
From one point of view Jambhala is a mundane deity, and from

another point of view he is supermundane. Here, in visualizing
the guru as Jambhala you are thinking of him as supermundane.
490
In the same way, if you wish to increase your longevity, visualize

the guru as Amitayus. If you wish to perform great benefit for
beings, visualize the guru as Avalokiteshvara. If you wish for
a great insight, visualize the guru as Manjushri. If you wish to
establish the doctrine and firmly plant the Buddha’s teachings,
visualize the guru as the Lord of the Doctrine, which refers to
Buddha Shakyamuni. If you wish to pacify a danger, visualize
the guru as Tara.
The point of all of this is that you should not think that you can
only visualize the guru in one form. You should not think, “Well,
the guru is Vajradhara, so it is not acceptable to visualize him
as Chenrezik or Buddha Shakyamuni,” or “The guru is Buddha
Shakyamuni, so I should not visualize him as Chenrezik.” You
can visualize your guru as any of these wisdom deities and you
will receive the blessing of whatever deity you visualize him as.
For example, by visualizing the guru as Vajradhara, we receive
the blessing of Vajradhara.
In any of these cases, in essence it is always your root guru visual-

ized in the form of whatever deity you wish. By meditating on
the guru and supplicating the guru in the particular form that
is suited to your particular purpose, you will accomplish that
activity efficaciously. Karma Chakme Rinpoche mentions that
this is not something he is making up, but that it is found in the
491
teachings of our lineage, in a text that is called The Treasury of

Devotion. He says that he has received the transmission of that
text and he is merely setting forth what it says there.
In the practice of guru yoga, there are slightly different ways

you can visualize the guru, which Chakme Rinpoche has just
described. Now there is a presentation of the various places
they can be visualized. The general custom is that when you are
supplicating the guru, you visualize him above your head, and
when you are making offerings to the guru, either physically
set-out offerings or mentally imagined offerings, you visualize
him in the sky in front of you. Throughout the day you can
visualize the guru in the center of your heart. If you are ill, you
may visualize the guru wherever you are ill. For example, if you
have a headache, visualize your guru in the midst of your head;
if you have a toothache, in the midst of the afflicted tooth. If
you are terrified of something, visualize the guru in the place
that you associate with your terror, the place that is the source
of your terror. By doing any of these things, all of the problems,
illness, fears, and so on will be pacified. It mentions specifically
in the text that even if you have a toothache, visualize your guru
in the midst of that tooth as the Medicine Buddha. Chakme
Rinpoche finishes this part of this section saying, “Tsondru
Gyamtso, keep these applications of guru yoga in mind.”
492
He concludes the whole presentation of guru yoga with, “If guru

yoga is practiced sincerely, not merely with your mouth, in other
words, whatever form of guru yoga you practice, whether outer,
inner, or secret, whatever particular tradition it is, it must be
practiced more than as something you are just saying without
really meaning it. It has to be sincere. Sincerity means that it is
practiced with a degree of yearning and devotion that is almost
intolerable.”
If you start with great yearning and devotion in the practice of

guru yoga, your yearning and devotion will increase more and
more. Eventually, through the practice of guru yoga, you will get
to the point where you cannot think about anything except the
guru. At that point, you will come to a very different and far
superior understanding of the relationship between your root
guru and all other buddhas and teachers. You will recognize
that all buddhas and bodhisattvas throughout the universe are
merely the emanation of the guru, because you will see that the
guru is the embodiment of them all. At that point, all sense of
preference and partiality will be swept away, and when you hear
about learned or noble individuals, rather than thinking of them
as some object of jealousy or competitiveness, you will see them
as emanations of your guru. When you hear about the power
or blessing of deities, such as the effectiveness in protection of
Dharma protectors and dakinis, you will no longer think that
493
they are something outside or other than your guru. Instead

you will recognize that they are the emanation of your guru,
emanated for the purpose of activity.
The meaning of this is that as long as we have not properly

practiced guru yoga, we will have a sense that the guru is just
a person and that the deities are somehow superior. When you
properly practice guru yoga, you recognize that all of the dei-
ties, Dharma protectors, and so forth, are merely emanations
or displays of the qualities and activity of your guru. They are
not superior to the guru; in fact, they are not other than or
outside the guru.
Ultimately you will recognize this is true, because the guru is the
embodiment of all buddhas. Once you have completely resolved
within the depths of your heart that the guru is the embodiment
of all of the Three Jewels, then there will be no limit to your
devotion, and you will never be satisfied with your veneration of
the guru. You will never think, “I have offered the guru enough.
I have praised the guru enough.” Even were you to offer your
own flesh and blood as an offering to the guru, that would still
not be enough for you.
Whenever you think of the guru and supplicate the guru, you
will cry uncontrollably. There is actually a saying about this, “If
494
your eyes are dry, you are not a Kagyupa.” You will think that
you are going to explode with devotion, as though your flesh
and bones were going to blow up. It is more than you can stand.
When devotion reaches that degree of intensity, even if you try
to prevent meditation experience and realization from occur-
ring, you will not be able to. Regardless of how little interest
you have in their arising, because of your devotion they will
arise automatically.
In most of your meditation experience and throughout your

dreams, you will continually meet your guru, receive empower-
ments and transmissions from him, receive predictions from him,
receive instructions on how you should avoid certain problems
or impediments, how you can enhance your practice, and so
on. When you dream of the guru, the particular expression and
gestures of the guru will indicate what you should do and what
is going to happen.
In many tantras, such as The Display of Ati, it says that the pre-
cious and kind guru should be visualized above the head or in
the midst of one’s heart. By doing so, you will attain all of the
qualities of a thousand buddhas. The first point here is that the
visualization of the guru is the essence of the visualization of
any deity. By visualizing the guru, you will attain the blessing
and the qualities of a thousand buddhas.
495
“Better than millions of recitations of any mantra, is one sup-

plication to the guru.” This does not mean that the recitation of
mantra is meaningless or has no benefit. The distinction being
made here is between the recitations of deity mantras based
on the misunderstanding that they are somehow other than
your guru, and the simple act of supplicating the guru with the
recognition that the guru is the embodiment of all buddhas
and all deities.
If you think that the deities you meditate on are other than your
guru and are better than your guru, then you will get less out of
millions of deity mantras than you will get out of one moment’s
supplication to your guru. If you have confidence when you
are supplicating the guru that your guru is the embodiment of
all deities, and if you recognize that the deity is nothing other
than your guru displayed in that form, then automatically the
recitation of the mantra is supplication to the guru, and this
distinction does not apply.
In that way, the benefits of supplication to the guru are unlim-

ited and immeasurable. For that reason, in Kagyu tradition the
principal practice is supplication of the guru.
The chapter ends with the following prayer: “Through this pre-
sentation of the practice of guru yoga, in the future may there
496
be many practitioners who, through possessing devotion, receive

a rain of blessings and give forth the good crops of experience
and realization.” Karma Chakme concludes, “May this be taught
to many and may it bring unceasing benefit for beings.” That
completes the chapter on guru yoga.
STUDENT: In reference to the story about Marpa, I am wonder-

ing what Marpa should have done. Should he have bowed to the
guru first? Or, because there is no separation between the guru
and the yidam, should he have bowed to both simultaneously?
RINPOCHE: What he should have done was to bow simultane-

ously to both in the recognition of their inseparability.
STUDENT: How does one visualize the guru as the deity without
actually having the vision, as Marpa did?
RINPOCHE: In general this is possible without having a vision

of the yidam because you take the attitude that the form or ap-
pearance of the guru you normally experience is the nirmanakaya;
that the speech of the guru is the sambhogakaya, which is the
yidam; and that the mind of the guru is the dharmakaya. In that
497
way the guru is the embodiment of the Three Jewels, the three
kayas, and of course, all yidams. More specifically, the instruction
is to view the guru as the yidam you received from that guru at
the time of empowerment. At that time you were instructed
to visualize the guru as the yidam and you were provided with
sufficient details about the yidam’s appearance, otherwise the
empowerment process becomes impractical, because you are
viewing the empowerment implements, such as the painted
icons and so on, as the actual deity, and the guru as some kind
of servant of that deity, which is inappropriate.
In the practice of guru yoga, toward the end of the practice all of
the other members of the assembly, such as the Three Jewels —
the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, — eventually dissolve
into the guru. This visualization is done to remind you of the
fact that although the Three Jewels and so forth appear distinct,
they are all emanations or embodiments of the guru’s wisdom.
STUDENT: At that time, should we also see all the surroundings

as the mind of the guru?
RINPOCHE: When you are engaged in the actual profound path

of Vajrayana, then you are instructed to view all that appears
and exists as the display of the body, speech, and mind of the
498
guru, but this instruction is not necessarily emphasized at the

time of the preliminary practices.
STUDENT: In the Chenrezik practice, you are visualizing Am-

itabha above your head. Since Amitabha is kind of the head of
the Padma family, and Chenrezik came from him, is that sort of
like a form of guru yoga? I mean, when you become Chenrezik,
and you still have Amitabha over your head.
RINPOCHE: It would be hard to say that the practice of guru

yoga is completely present in visualizing Amitabha above your
head, but it is present in the recitation of the lineage supplication
at the beginning of the practice.
STUDENT: In the Chenrezik practice, in the part where you are

visualizing yourself as the deity, you really cannot be the deity
because if you were the deity, you would be enlightened. I do
not understand.
RINPOCHE: As long as we are not free of dualistic fixation, we

fixate upon the appearances of things and their apparent char-
acteristics, which cause us understandably to have the attitude
that “the deity is pure and I am impure, therefore I cannot be
the deity. The deity and I are inherently separate.” However, all
of the qualities of which the deity Chenrezik is the embodiment
499
are inherent or innate within your own nature. In other words,

your fundamental nature or your fundamental being is already
the essence or the nature of Chenrezik. This nature pervades all
things, including all appearances, all sounds, and all thoughts,
consequently in our nature all appearances are already the body
of Chenrezik, all sounds are already the mantra of Chenrezik,
and all thoughts are already the wisdom of Chenrezik. In order
to bring about the direct experience of that, we do the practice.
STUDENT: Does that mean that no matter how terrible one is

at the visualizing part, if one just keeps doing it, eventually it
will happen?
RINPOCHE: Yes.
STUDENT: When you spoke of the nirmanakaya multiplicity of

emanations, does that include all realms simultaneously when
a buddha emanates.
RINPOCHE: Yes, there are such emanations throughout the six

realms, and they will take the particular form most appropriate
to benefit beings in each particular realm.
STUDENT: Does that include both animate and inanimate, such

as rivers and trees?
500
RINPOCHE: Definitely, it also includes inanimate objects. As

you see in the aspiration chapter of The Bodhicharyavatara, bod-
hisattvas aspire to take the form of whatever will benefit beings
or alleviate their particular sufferings, therefore buddhas and
bodhisattvas can emanate as medicine or medicinal substances
or as fruit-bearing trees in order to alleviate hunger, and so forth.
STUDENT: Rinpoche, my question has to do with the descrip-

tion of teachings that arise in a dream and teachings that arise
when awake. My question is, when they arise during what is
called awake, is that a mind ter, or is it an actual creation-and-
completion practice. Is it ordinary? You did say that it can
happen in an ordinary way. What I am asking is, when you draw
a difference between dreaming and awake, is it a vision that
happens spontaneously when awake or is it a realization that
comes from an ordinary practice of a bodhisattva?
RINPOCHE: The reason these visions happen for these great

masters and bodhisattvas, whether they occur in the waking
state or during a dream, is that they have purified most all of
their afflictions and cognitive and karmic obscurations. The one
result of that purification is that they see much more and they do
it much more clearly. As a result, under various circumstances,
these visions can occur for them. It is not necessarily directly
related to their practice at that time. They are not intentionally
501
trying to bring about the vision. They are not thinking, “I want
to see such and such a deity,” or anything like that. Usually it
seems that they are resting their minds in a state of simplicity,
and from within that state the vision arises.
STUDENT: The text differentiates between the dream and the

ordinary awake state. The way you are saying it now, it sounds
like it is all the same if you have a vision.
RINPOCHE: It would be pretty much the same whether you are

dreaming or awake, which is the reason why the whole question
of dream revelation is raised in this chapter, to take exception to
the view that it is that much different. When we dream, we are
doubly confused, we are doubly bewildered. We are intoxicated
by the state of sleep and the state of dreaming. Nevertheless,
because of the removal of their obscurations, these great masters
are not; their minds are as lucid during the state of sleep as
when they are awake. What arises for us is dreams that reflect
habits; what arises for them are visionary experiences. There is
not that much difference between a vision while their body is
asleep and a vision while their body is awake because their mind
is pretty much the same thing. Of course, an observer would
see a difference. In the one case, the lama would be asleep and
in the other case he would be awake. From their point of view,
however, there is no difference.
502
STUDENT: Earlier today you taught us that there is one criterion

only by which one defines one’s root guru, and that is the teacher
with whom one experiences the nature of mind. My question
is, does this mean in a permanent sense, or does it mean the
first glimpse? Does it mean the first time any teacher is able
to impart that experience to you? Maybe it lasts five minutes;
maybe it lasts eight hours.
RINPOCHE: In this case, it refers to an unchanging and full

realization of the mind’s nature.
STUDENT: Do we say, then, that if we have not had that experi-

ence that we have not yet met our root guru?
RINPOCHE: It is true. Until you have an unchanging realization

of the nature of your mind, you do not yet have a root guru,
according to the Kagyu tradition. Until that realization occurs,
you can take as your root guru the person from whom you have
received, from the Vajrayana point of view, the empowerments,
transmissions, and instructions for your principal yidam practice,
or otherwise the person from whom you have received the three
vows — the pratimoksha, the bodhisattva, and the samaya vows.
STUDENT: I guess this question refers to the other method —

not the Kagyu method — of determining one’s guru. A friend
503
of mine said that she had heard that a teacher and a student
should examine one another for three years. I had not heard this
before, and I wondered about that.
RINPOCHE: This custom is recorded as having occurred at

the court in China, when one of the emperors wished to take
teachings from Sakya Pandita, but he insisted on examining the
qualities of the lama for three years before he would take him as
his teacher. After three years he was satisfied that Sakya Pandita
was an eminent guru, and then Sakya Pandita in his turn said,
“Well, I now have to examine you for three years.” Unfortunately
during those three years Sakya Pandita passed away.
That is the story, but I do not know if there ever really was a
specific custom of doing it that way in general. For one thing,
in order to make such an examination of the teacher, you would
require great intelligence, great prajna to be able to do it. Other-
wise, no matter how many years you spend doing it, you might
not be able to understand. Then there is the danger, as we saw
in the story, of impermanence taking effect within the six years.
STUDENT: For those of us in this lineage who have not taken all
of the vows you talked about regarding the guru, should we not
look to or feel that His Holiness, the Karmapa, is our root guru?
504
RINPOCHE: That is fine, especially if you have the attitude that

His Holiness is the embodiment of the activity and wisdom of
all buddhas.
STUDENT: Is it proper, then, to request from the teacher you

are working with at some point to be shown the nature of your
mind? Or will that happen spontaneously?
RINPOCHE: There is a custom of requesting your principal

teacher to give you what is called a pointing-out instruction.
They can do it, but the problem is not the pointing out of it, it
is the recognition of it. They may point it out, but the question
remains as to whether or not you will actually recognize what is
pointed out. The major factors that enable recognition, authentic
recognition, to take place are the things that are accomplished
during the preliminary practices of ngondro. It is for this reason
that so much emphasis is placed on these practices. The purifica-
tion of obscurations, the gathering of the accumulations of merit
and wisdom, and the entrance into you of the blessing of your
guru and his lineage, all of these things are necessary for there
to be any real possibility of recognition taking place. Normally
this happens once the preliminaries have been completed.
Many people do receive pointing-out instructions from various

teachers, and in some cases they actually recognize the nature
505
of their minds. In many cases, what happens is they have a kind

of experience that is impressive to them, and what is happening
is they are receiving a kind of a blessing, but they are not really
recognizing the nature of their mind. Often what happens is
they simply leave the ceremony or the occasion with a sense
of confidence, “Now I have received the transmission,” or “I
have received the instructions from my guru. Now I really have
something.” This can be more a sense of just possessing some
special secret than anything else. There was a Sikkimese man
who could not read Tibetan, and he had received one stanza of
instructions from a Tibetan teacher, and he carried this around
with him in his breast pocket, saying, “I have the instructions of
my guru with me all the time.” However, he could not read them.
STUDENT: During the discussion of inner guru yoga, at the end

of the session of the three varieties it was said that the guru then
melts into you. I am not sure what that means. You have the
guru visualized inside you at your heart level. Where exactly is
the guru melting into?
RINPOCHE: It means the distinction between the guru and

you no longer exists.
STUDENT: The question of “root guru” was something I wanted

to discuss because I have a real problem with this. I always feel
506
like I am never going to find a root guru. During ngondro I had

flashes of all the many wonderful teachers I have seen. I will flash
on His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa. I will flash on Chogyam
Trungpa Rinpoche. I will flash on Lama Norlha, and it’s like,
who is Vajradhara up there? I just cannot keep a visualization
of a root guru during the preliminaries, and yet we have just
been told that the preliminaries are necessary in order to have
just that obstacle removed. Would you comment on this, please?
RINPOCHE: Vajradhara is the embodiment of all of the Three

Jewels because he is the dharmakaya of all buddhas. Therefore
automatically Vajradhara includes all of the teachers with whom
you have any connection. It is not that you are not including the
human teachers who have been your actual sources of Dharma
transmission. It is that Vajradhara is the embodiment of all
of them, and by viewing Vajradhara as your root guru, which
automatically means that you are thinking of all of your indi-
vidual teachers as part of Vajradhara, then you are cultivating
a pure outlook toward your teachers that would otherwise be
somewhat difficult.
As ordinary individuals, we naturally tend to experience things

as somewhat impure, we tend to project impurity rather than
purity onto our experiences and onto the people we encounter.
As long as you think of your root guru as an individual, a person,
507
you will tend to think of him as ordinary, and you will tend to
project all kinds of attitudes and expectations and reservations
and things on your guru. There will be a lot of watching out for
what the guru is doing to see if he is what you want or not. You
think, “Oh, he is mad at me,” or “He likes me,” or you think,
“Boy, he is really wrong. How could he say that or do that?” or
you think, “Oh, he is really right. That is exactly what I wanted
him to do.”
As long as you have all those thoughts, you are allowing the
limitation of your projections to be placed on the growth of
your devotion. On the other hand, if you view your guru as
Vajradhara and think that the form of Vajradhara represents the
kindness of all of your gurus, the function and kindness of all of
your gurus embodied into one form made entirely of light, and
not a corporeality, which therefore cannot be a basis for your
projection of liking the guru’s form or not liking it; and also that
it is simply the embodiment of the wisdom of emptiness, then
that will be the most effective thing for the increase of devotion.
STUDENT: When you say “nature of mind,” is that equivalent

to buddha nature?
RINPOCHE: Yes. They are synonymous terms.
508
STUDENT: Vajradhara is the dharmakaya representation, and then

you have nirmanakaya and sambhogakaya, which you related to
Chenrezik and Amitabha. However, all of these always contain
all of everything else, so what is the point in separating things
into nirmanakaya, sambhogakaya, and dharmakaya?
RINPOCHE: The reason for the isolation of different forms that

correspond to the kayas, or bodies, is to depict degrees of purity
in the outlook of the perceiver of the aspects of Buddha. One
thing was that you were confusing two lists that were given this
morning. One list was Vajradhara as dharmakaya, Vairochana
as sambhogakaya, and Buddha Shakyamuni as nirmanakaya.
The other one was Amitabha as dharmakaya, Avalokiteshvara
as sambhogakaya, and Padmasambhava as nirmanakaya. It does
not really matter. The point you make is still true.
The reason they are distinguished in this way is to make a dis-

tinction between the purity of perception of different observers.
In a sense that which is perfectly pure is the dharmakaya, and
this is experienced by a buddha himself. Then there is the pure
experience of a buddha by another being, a bodhisattva, which is
the sambhogakaya, and then there is the experience of a buddha
by a being of impure perception but with good karma, which
is the nirmanakaya. Then there is the further experience of a
buddha, which is indirect, where the being does not have enough
509
good karma to encounter the nirmanakaya and so encounters

an emanation or is somehow benefited indirectly by the activity
of the buddha. To depict these different levels of perception of
a buddha, these different forms are presented.
STUDENT: The triad with Amitabha, Chenrezik, and Pad-

masambhava — is that a Kagyu point of view? Amitabha and
Chenrezik are both in the lotus family, and I wondered if there
was any buddha family relationship?
RINPOCHE: The designation of Amitabha as the dharmakaya,

Chenrezik as sambhogakaya, and Guru Padmasambhava as the
nirmanakaya is a common one that is shared by the Kagyu and
Nyingma schools, and although these three deities are, when
classified as to family, of the Padma family, this classification
is not limited to a description of the Padma family.
STUDENT: I need further clarification on how we view the root

guru, because this question comes up a lot at our center. Can you
differentiate between “spiritual friend” and how that might be
different from the root guru? I am also trying to get a definitive
understanding regarding who the root guru is. You seem to be
saying that in the absence of a teacher who has pointed out
the nature of one’s mind in an unchanging way, you may then
view as your guru the preceptor of the four empowerments of
510
your yidam; and in the absence of that, the one who offered
you the three vows; and in the absence of that, His Holiness
as the embodiment of all buddhas. There seem to be many, “if
not this, then this.” Is there anything definitive, or is it simply
that we need to see whomever we see as the embodiment of all
buddhas. Is that sufficient?
RINPOCHE: First, the difference between what is called a spiritual

friend and a root guru is great. The term that is translated into
English as spiritual friend literally means “a virtuous friend.” It
is used to refer to any spiritual teacher who is a positive influ-
ence on you, which can mean almost any level of intensity of
positive influence. Essentially, the function of a spiritual friend
is to show you the path. The function of a root guru is to bring
you to the end of the path, and that is the difference between
them. One shows you the beginning and the other one brings
you to the end.
With regard to how you actually identify your root guru, the
way it was explained in the text is that an individual’s root guru,
according to the common tradition, the tradition common to all
lineages, is to consider as your root guru that person from whom
you receive all three levels of ordination: pratimoksha vows, the
bodhisattva vow, and the samaya vows that are received at the
time of full empowerment. If you receive all three of those from
511
one person, according to the traditions in general, that person

may be considered your root guru.
Within the specific context of Vajrayana teaching, if you receive

empowerment, transmission, and instruction from one person,
then this person is called the guru of threefold kindness, and
you may certainly consider such a person your root guru. The
uncommon Kagyu tradition is to consider the person through
whose speech or actions you are caused to recognize decisively
and in an unchanging way the nature of your mind to be your
root guru. It does not matter if he brings you to that point
through giving you a lot of empowerments, transmissions, and
instructions or not. If he causes you to recognize the nature of
your mind, he is your ultimate root guru in the uncommon sense.
You have a common way of reckoning your root guru, and an

uncommon way. With regard to His Holiness, for anyone who
has great and unchanging faith in His Holiness, it is perfectly
acceptable to regard him as your root guru, because to say the
least, he will never let you down. It is never a bad choice of a
guru. So definitely, it is more than appropriate to consider His
Holiness your root guru.
512
In addition to that, there may be other individuals who are kind

to you with whom you have a connection based on aspirations
from the past and so on, and those are also your teachers.
STUDENT: Should you view them all as essentially being the

embodiment of the buddha nature of all buddhas? For instance,
I try to see you as being inseparable from His Holiness Karmapa,
who in turn is inseparable from Vajradhara.
RINPOCHE: It is said to be acceptable to view someone in

that way if you have unchanging faith and devotion, because
regardless of the characteristics of the teacher, if you have that
great devotion for them, you receive great blessing. From the
point of view of the teacher, it may be unfitting, but from the
point of view of the disciple, I would have to say it is acceptable.
STUDENT: Do the buddhas believe in chi?
RINPOCHE: In the context of Vajrayana, it is spoken of, definitely.
RINPOCHE, TO HIS STUDENTS: I want to say something about

this whole business of signs and dreams. Normally I never say
anything about this except in a particular context when teach-
ing people, and in retreat I usually do not talk about it either.
The only reason I have mentioned it now is that it exists in the
513
present text, therefore I am required to go through it. However,
there is a danger in talking about signs and so on, because as
soon as you mention to people that there are signs that can
happen when you do practices, they tend to develop anxiety
and hope about the arising or absence of such signs. As soon
as you pollute your practice with that kind of hope and that
kind of agitation about what kind of signs or experiences you
are going to have, you put a block in the way of the practice. It
is actually better in general not to talk about signs. That way
people have no expectations.
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Dedication
I pray that the Lama’s life be excellent,

That his supreme life be long,
And that his activity increase and spread,
Bless us that we remain inseparable from the Lama.
By this merit may all become omniscient,

From this attainment, after defeating evil faults,
Through the endless storm of birth, old age, sickness, and death,
May we liberate all beings from the suffering in the three worlds.
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Glossary
ABHIDHARMA (Skt.) [Tib. chos mngon pa] Higher Dharma.

The part of the Tripitaka that contains the scholarly analysis
of phenomena. See also TRIPITAKA.
ABSOLUTE TRUTH See TWO TRUTHS.
AFFLICTIVE EMOTIONS See KLESHA.
AGGREGATES See SKANDHA.
AMITABHA (Skt.) [Tib. ‘od dpag med] Buddha of Boundless

Light. One of the five dhyana buddhas, who correspond to
the five buddha families. He presides over the pure realm of
Sukhavati and is lord of the Lotus family. Rebirth in his pure
land guarantees complete enlightenment in one lifetime. See
also DEWACHEN.
ANIMAL REALM See SIX REALMS.
ANUTTARA YOGA TANTRA (Skt.) [Tib. bla na med pa’i

rnal ‘byor] The highest of the four categories of tantra in the
516
Sarma, or New Translation, school of Tibetan Buddhism.

Examples of anuttara yoga are the Karma Pakshi, Hevajra,
Chakrasamvara, and Kalachakra tantras.
ARHAT (Skt.) [Tib. dgra bcom pa] Worthy one. An arhat

is one who, having exhausted all defilements and mental
afflictions, passes into nirvana.
ASANGA (Tib. thogs med) Asanga lived in India during

the fourth century CE and established the Yogachara school
with his brother, Vasubandhu. After twelve years of retreat,
he received a vision of Maitreya and subsequently wrote the
five Maitreya texts, which have had a profound impact on
Mahayana Buddhism.
ASURA REALM See SIX REALMS.
ATISHA (982–1055 CE) Atisha Dipamkara Shrijnana was

a renowned Buddhist scholar and teacher at the monastic
university, Vikramashila, in India. He was invited to Tibet
in 1043, where he founded the Kadampa school and wrote his
most influential work, The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment,
which teaches the gradual path to enlightenment.
517
AVADHUTI (Skt.) [Tib. dbu ma] Central channel; a subtle

channel of the body.
AVALOKITESHVARA (Skt.) See CHENREZIK.
BARDO (Tib. bar do) Intermediate state; most often

referring to the period between death and rebirth. There
are six bardos: the bardo of birth, dreams, meditation, the
moment before death, the bardo of dharmata or suchness,
and the bardo of becoming.
BENZA (Tib. ba dzra) Tibetan transliteration of the Sanskrit

word vajra.
BHIKSHU (Skt.) See GELONG.
BHIKSHUNI (Skt.) See GELONGMA.
BHUMI (Skt.) [Tib. sa] A level in the series of stages of

spiritual development of a bodhisattva on the path to
buddhahood. The Mahayana tradition recognizes ten such
levels, often called the bodhisattva levels; the Vajrayana
recognizes thirteen.
518
BODHGAYA (Skt.) [Tib. rdo rje gdan] A town in Bihar,

India, where Buddha Shakyamuni attained enlightenment
under the bodhi tree. The Mahabodhi Temple was built
there during Ashoka’s period. Bodhgaya has been a major
pilgrimage site for centuries.
BODHICHARYAVATARA (Skt.) [Tib. byang chub sems dpa’i

spyod pa la ‘jug pa] The Way of the Bodhisattva, composed
by Shantideva, an Indian pandita, who lived between 650
and 750 CE. A major text and a great classic of Mahayana
Buddhism, the text is a guide to cultivating enlightened mind
for the benefit of all beings.
BODHICHITTA (Skt.) [Tib. byang chub kyi sems] Mind of

awakening. Relative bodhichitta is the desire to practice the
six paramitas to attain buddhahood for the benefit of all
sentient beings; absolute bodhichitta is immediate insight
into the emptiness of phenomena.
BODHISATTVA (Skt.) [Tib. byang chub sems dpa’] In the

Mahayana tradition, a bodhisattva dedicates his or her
existence throughout all rebirths to the attainment of
enlightenment in order to liberate other beings who are
suffering in samsara. The bodhisattva ideal is in contrast to
519
the way of arhats and Pratyekabuddhas, who attain nirvana

solely for their own benefit.
BODHISATTVA VOW (Skt.) [Tib. byang chub sems dpa’i

sdom pa] The essence of the bodhisattva vow is to preserve
the mind of bodhichitta that sincerely wishes to benefit all
beings, not merely for the temporary alleviation of sufferings
but to bring all beings without exception to a state of full and
complete awakening. The bodhisattva vow is received from a
master who has maintained the vow unbroken.
BÖN (Tib. bon) The religion of pre-Buddhist Tibet, believed

by its adherents to have been introduced by Shenrap from
an area located in what is now Persia. Bön now reflects many
aspects of Tibetan Buddhism but still retains a distinct
identity.
BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI (Skt.) [Tib. sha kya thub pa] Sage

of the Shakyas. The historical buddha was born a prince into
the Shakya clan in the fifth century BCE. Upon attaining
enlightenment at Bodhgaya, Buddha Shakyamuni taught the
Dharma. He is the fourth of the thousand buddhas of the
present era.
520
CHAKRASAMVARA (Skt.) [Tib. ’khor lo bde mchog] A

main yidam that belongs to the anuttara tantra set of the
New Translation school, who is associated with practices for
mental purification and the transformation of obstacles. His
consort is Vajravarahi (Dorje Phakmo).
CHAKRAVARTIN (Skt.) [Tib. ‘khor los sgyur ba’i rgyal po) A

universal ruler; a king who propagates the Dharma.
CHARYA TANTRA (Skt.) [Tib. spyod rgyud] The second of

the four tantras of the New Translation school of Tibetan
Buddhism. It emphasizes external ritual with internal
visualization. See also ANUTTARA YOGA TANTRA, KRIYA
TANTRA, and YOGA TANTRA.
CHENREZIK (Tib. spyan ras gzigs) [Skt. Avalokiteshvara] The

bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all buddhas.
Chenrezik is the patron deity of Tibet. Both His Holiness
Karmapa and His Holiness Dalai Lama are manifestations of
Chenrezik.
CHÖ (Tib. gcod) Meditation practice in which the meditator

offers his or her body in order to overcome the false belief
in and attachment to the ego, including the fear associated
with the ego’s dissolution. The practice was widely taught by
521
Machik Lapdrön, who received it from the Indian teacher

Phadampa Sangye.
CHOKYI WANGCHUK (Tib. chos kyi dbang phyug) The

Sixth Shamar Rinpoche, Karma Chakme Rinpoche’s guru.
DAKA (Skt.) [Tib. dpa’ bo] Male counterpart of the dakini.
DAKINI (Skt.) [Tib. mkha’ ‘gro ma] Sky-walker. Female tantric

deity who fulfills enlightened activities and who protects
and serves the Buddhist teachings and practitioners. Dakinis
transmit secret teachings to select practitioners when the
time is ripe.
DEVA PUTRA MARA See MARA.
DEWACHEN (Tib. bde ba can) [Skt. Sukhavati] The pure

realm of Amitabha Buddha, located in the west. See also
AMITABHA.
DHARMA (Skt.) [Tib. chos] The teachings of Shakyamuni

Buddha; one of the Three Jewels in which one takes refuge. It
is also a term for “phenomena,” “truth,” “law,” etc.
522
DHARMADHATU (Skt.) [Tib. chos dbyings] The all-

encompassing space, without origin or beginning, in which
emptiness and interdependent origination are inseparable.
DHARMAKAYA See KAYA.
DHARMAPALA (Skt.) [Tib. chos skyong] Protector of the

doctrine. Fierce and powerful, the Dharma protectors vow
to guard the Dharma and its practitioners. Dharmapalas
are wisdom protectors, who are emanations of buddhas or
bodhisattvas, and mundane protectors, who are virtuous
samsaric beings.
DORJE PHAKMO (Tib. rdo rje phag mo) [Skt. Vajravarahi]

The embodiment of wisdom, she is one of the main yidams of
the Kagyu lineage and the consort of CHAKRASAMVARA.
DUSUM KHYENPA (Tib. dus gsum mkhyen pa) [1110–1193]

The first Karmapa. Dusum Khyenpa was a student of
Gampopa, who empowered him to practice Hevajra and
Mahamudra. He received the Kalachakra and the lam dre
teachings from Virupa. See also KAGYU, KARMA KAGYU,
and KARMAPA.
523
DZOKCHEN (Tib. rdzogs chen) [Skt. maha ati] The Great

Perfection is the highest yana of the Nyingma school. Taught
by Garab Dorje, it is the ultimate way to achieve direct
realization of the clear and luminous quality of mind itself.
EIGHT CONSCIOUSNESSES (Tib. rnam shes tshogs brgyad)

The five sense consciousnesses are sight, hearing, smell, taste,
touch, and body sensation. The sixth is mental consciousness;
the seventh is afflicted consciousness, the klesha mind; and
the eighth, the alaya, is the ground consciousness.
EMPOWERMENT (Tib. dbang bskur) [Skt. abhishekha]

Empowers, or authorizes, the student to engage in a specific
Vajrayana practice. It must be conferred by a Vajrayana
master who embodies the teaching of the lineage.
EMPTINESS (Tib. stong pa nyid ) [Skt. shunyata] In the

second turning of the wheel of Dharma, the Buddha taught
that neither external phenomena nor internal phenomena
have any real or inherent existence and are therefore “empty.”
FIVE DEEDS WITH IMMEDIATE RESULT See FIVE

NEGATIVE STRAIGHTTHROUGH ACTIONS.
524
FIVE NEGATIVE STRAIGHT-THROUGH ACTIONS (Tib.

mtshams med lnga) Actions that cause the doer to assume
immediate rebirth in the lowest quarters of hell without
passing through the bardo. These are killing one’s mother,
killing one’s father, killing an arhat, intentionally causing a
buddha to bleed and doing so with the desire to harm, and
causing a schism in the sangha.
FIVE POISONS See KLESHA.
FORM KAYA See KAYA.
FOUR IMMEASURABLES (Tib. tshad med bzhi) Also called

the four inconceivables or the four boundless qualities. They
are unlimited love, boundless compassion, unsurpassable joy,
and fundamental impartiality.
FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS (Tib. ‘phags pa’i bden pa bzhi) First

sermon taught by the Buddha, at Sarnath, India. The four
noble truths are the truth of suffering, the truth of the causes
of suffering, the truth of the cessation of suffering, and the
truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering.
FOUR ORDINARY FOUNDATIONS See FOUR

THOUGHTS.
525
FOUR POWERS (Tib. stobs bzhi) To be authentic and fully

effective, any act of confession must contain all four of the
following components — the power of reliance or support;
the power of regret; the power of remedy for harmful
actions, which is any virtuous action specifically dedicated
to purification; and the power of resolution, or the intention
never to repeat the wrongdoing.
FOUR SPECIAL FOUNDATIONS See NGONDRO.
FOUR THOUGHTS THAT TURN THE MIND (Tib. blo ldog

rnam bzhi) They are reflection on precious human birth,
impermanence and the inevitability of death, karma and its
effects, and the pervasiveness of suffering in samsara.
GANACHAKRA (Skt.) [Tib. tshogs kyi ‘khor lo] Literally,

“wheel of gathering.” A ritual feast offering, part of many
sadhanas.
GANDI (Skt.) A wooden gong, which when beaten with

a wooden stick, calls the community to come together for
work, ceremonies, and other matters.
GELONG (Tib. dge slong) [Skt. bhikshu] A fully ordained

Buddhist monk.
526
GELONG DORJE DZINPA (Tib. dge slong rdo rje ‘dzin pa)
Gelong refers to the vows kept by the fully ordained, and
Dorje Dzinpa refers to the tantric samayas. Clear examples
of ordained monks who are Vajrayana practitioners and turn
the wheel of the tantric teachings are His Holiness the Dalai
Lama and His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa.
GELONGMA (Tib. dge slong ma) [Skt. bhikshuni] A fully

ordained Buddhist nun.
GELOPMA (Tib.) [Skt. shikshamana] A postulant nun.

Women are required to take the vows for a postulant nun,
which are taken after the vows for a novice nun and before
the vows of full ordination. See also GETSULMA and
GELONGMA.
GELUK (Tib. dge lugs) One of the four main lineages

of Tibetan Buddhism and the most recent of the New
Translation schools, founded by Tsongkhapa (1357–1419 CE).
GENERATION AND COMPLETION (Tib. bskyed rim and

rdzogs rim) Two stages that are the means and knowledge
of Vajrayana practice. The creation phase, the visualization,
is based on pure perception (perceiving sight, sound, and
527
thought as deity, mantra, and wisdom). The completion stage

is resting in the natural state of mind.
GENYEN (Tib. dge bsnyen) [Skt. upasaka] A Buddhist

layman who is given this status by taking refuge in the THREE
JEWELS. He maintains precepts and gives alms to ordained
sangha.
GENYEN DORJE DZINPA (Tib. dge bsnyen rdo rje ‘dzin pa)
Genyen refers to the vows of the lay practitioner, and Dorje
Dzinpa refers to the tantric samayas. Genyen Dorje Dzinpa
are tantric teachers who are not ordained. This includes
highly respected lamas such as His Holiness Sakya Trizin of
the Sakya tradition and His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche of
the Nyingma lineage.
GENYENMA (Tib. dge bsnyen ma) [Skt. upasika] A Buddhist

laywoman, who is given this status by taking refuge in the
Three Jewels. She maintains precepts and gives alms to
ordained sangha.
GETSUL (Tib. dge tshul) [Skt. shramanera] A novice monk.
GETSULMA (Tib. dge tshul ma) [Skt. shramaneri] A novice

nun.
528
GOD REALM See SIX REALMS.
GURU YOGA (Tib. bla ma’i rnal ‘byor) A practice of

devotion to the guru culminating in receiving his blessing
and becoming inseparable with his mind. It is also the fourth
preliminary practice of the Vajrayana ngondro.
HELL REALM See SIX REALMS.
HINAYANA (Skt.) [Tib. theg pa dman] The vehicle or path in

which practitioners contemplate the four noble truths and
the twelve links of interdependence with the aim of achieving
liberation from the sufferings of samsara. The only Hinayana
school that survives today is the Theravadin.
HUMAN REALM See SIX REALMS.
HUNGRY GHOST REALM See SIX REALMS.
INTERDEPENDENT ORIGINATION (Tib. rten ‘brel)

[Skt. pratityasamutpada] The doctrine that nothing exists
independently, but only comes into existence dependent on
previous causes and conditions. See also TWELVE LINKS.
529
JAMBUDVIPA (Skt.) [Tib. ‘dzam bu gling] The southern of

the four principal continents in Buddhist cosmology.
JETSUN (Tib. rje btsun) A title indicating a master, teacher,

or lord; for example, Jetsun Milarepa.
KADAMPA (Skt.) [Tib. bka’ gdams pa] A tradition brought

to Tibet by Atisha at the end of the first millenium. The
Kadampa school, which emphasized the gradual path, has
not survived as an independent school, but rather has been
absorbed into the other schools.
KAGYU (Tib. bka’ brgyud) The teaching lineage, whose

teachings and practices are passed down through a succession
of realized teachers. The Kagyu traces its lineage back to
the mahasiddha Tilopa, who received the teachings directly
from Vajradhara. The Kagyu are particularly known for their
many great yogis as well as the monastic tradition that began
with Gampopa (1079–1153). One of the four main lineages of
Buddhism in Tibet and one of the three main schools of the
New Translation school, the Kagyupa school is subdivided
into four greater and eight lesser lineages, not all of which
have survived to the present day.
530
KALACHAKRA (Skt.) [Tib. dus kyi khor lo’i rgyud] The

literal meaning is “wheel of time.” A deity manifested by
Shakaymuni Buddha at the request of the king of Shambhala.
Kalachakra is an anuttara yoga tantra. Receiving the
empowerment is thought to guarantee rebirth in Shambhala.
KARMA (Skt.) [Tib. las] Action. The universal law of cause

and effect according to which one inevitably experiences the
results of one’s own positive and negative actions.
KARMA KAGYU (Tib. ka rma bka’ brgyud) The supreme

Kagyu sect under the leadership of the Gyalwang Karmapas.
It was established, in the twelfth century, by the first
Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa (1110–1193), one of Gampopa’s
students. See also KAGYU and KARMAPA.
KARMAPA (Tib. ka rma pa) The Gyalwnga Karmapa, is the

head of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. The
present Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, is the seventeenth
in an unbroken lineage that began with Dusum Khyenpa.
The Gyalwang Karmapas, who embody the activity of
buddhahood, were prophesied by both Buddha Shakyamuni
and Padmasambhava. A manifestation of Chenrezik, they are
pure examples of wisdom and compassion, and have revealed
531
their realization as scholars, yogins, artists, and poets. See also

KAGYU, KARMA KAGYU, and DUSUM KHYENPA.
KAYA (Skt.) [Tib. sku] The three natures, or “bodies,” of

buddhas. The three kayas are the nirmanakaya, or emanation
body, by which buddhas appear in physical form in the realm
of sentient beings; the sambhogakaya, or enjoyment body,
through which buddhas appear to bodhisattvas; and the
dharmakaya, which is the unoriginated wisdom beyond form,
which manifests in the sambhogakaya and the nirmanakaya.
There is a fourth kaya, the svabhavikakaya, or the body of
essential nature, and it expresses the ultimate unity of the
three aforementioned kayas. The term rupakaya, “form body,”
refers to both the sambhogakaya and the nirmanakaya. There
is a fifth kaya as well, the mahasukhakaya, or body of great
bliss, which is the quality of the other four kayas combined.
KHENPO (Tib. mkhen po) Title of someone who has

completed the advanced studies of Buddhism.
KLESHA (Skt.) [Tib. snyon mongs] Emotional obscurations.

The three primary kleshas, the three poisons, are attachment
or desire, aversion or anger, and ignorance or delusion. Along
with pride and envy, they are referred to as the five kleshas.
532
KRIYA TANTRA (Skt.) [Tib. bya ba’i rgyud] Action tantra.

The first of the outer tantras; focusing on cleanliness, purity,
and correct behavior.
LOTUS SUTRA, SUTRA OF THE LOTUS OF THE TRUE

DOCTRINE (Tib. dam pa’i chos padma dkar po’i mdo)
[Skt. Saddharma-pundarika-sutra] A foundational text of
Mahayana Buddhism in which the Buddha explains the
principles underlying the unity of the three yanas and the
concept of skillful means in adapting the teaching to the
capacities of different beings.
LUNG (Tib.) Reading transmission given to a student by a

lineage holder, which is a necessary preliminary to doing the
practice.
MAHAMUDRA (Skt.) [Tib. phyag rgya chen po] Literally,

“great seal.” A meditation practice particularly emphasized in
the Kagyu tradition, Mahamudra is the direct experience of
the empty, luminous, and pure nature of mind.
MAHASIDDHA (Skt.) [Tib. grub thob chen po] Great adept;

the highly realized masters in the Vajrayana tradition. Also
refers to the eighty-four great and eccentric mahasiddhas
who lived in India between the eighth and twelfth centuries
533
CE and who reached great spiritual attainment through the

diligent practice of tantra. Tilopa and Naropa are two of the
eighty-four mahasiddhas.
MAHASUKHAKAYA See KAYA.
MAHAYANA (Skt.) [Tib. theg pa chen po] The “greater

vehicle.” The teachings of the second turning of the wheel
of Dharma in which shunyata (emptiness) and compassion
for all beings are emphasized. See also BODHICHITTA,
BODHISATTVA.
MAITREYA (Skt.) [Tib. byams pa] The buddha of the future,

who at the present time resides in Tushita, a heavenly realm,
from which he emanates manifestations into other realms. He
will take birth as the fifth buddha of the present era.
MANDALA (Skt.) [Tib. dkhyil ‘khor] Symbolic representation

depicting the palace of a particular deity. These circular
diagrams are sometimes elaborately executed with grains of
colored sand and are used for empowerments and elaborate
meditation practices. The mandala offering, the third of the
four special foundations, perfects the accumulation of merit
by repeatedly offering the entire universe to the sources of
refuge.
534
MANJUSHRI (Skt.) [Tib. ‘jam dpal dbyangs] The bodhisattva

manifesting the perfection of wisdom and thus a frequent
figure in the prajnaparamita sutras of the Mahayana tradition.
He is shown wearing sambhogakaya ornaments and holding a
flaming sword in his right hand and a text in his left hand.
MANTRA (Skt.) [Tib. sngags] Sacred sounds representing

various energies that symbolize and communicate the nature
of a deity. Mantras, which are manifestations of the speech
aspect of enlightenment, range from single syllables to
lengthy combinations. OM MANI PEME HUNG, the mantra
of Chenrezik, is among the most widely practiced.
MARA (Skt.) [Tib. bdud] Mara is anything that obstructs the

practice of Dharma and seduces you into abandoning your
practice in favor of worldly activities. The first of the four
maras is the deva putra mara, which is attachment to and
craving for pleasure. The second, the klesha mara, causes one
to take rebirth in the six realms of samsara. The third is called
skandha mara because the skandhas or aggregates are the
cause for the presence of suffering. The fourth one is the mara
of death.
MENTAL AFFLICTIONS See KLESHAS.
535
MILAREPA (Tib. mi la ras pa) This famous yogi (1040–1143) is

one of the greatest and most celebrated teachers in Tibetan
Buddhism. Despite having accumulated heavy negative karma
in his early adulthood, he became the student of Marpa and
attained full awakening in one lifetime. He then composed
the 100,000 Songs, spontaneously created to elucidate his
experience of realization. His students include Gampopa and
Rechungpa.
MOUNTAIN DHARMA (Tib. ri chö) Refers to serious

retreat practice, especially solitary retreat in the mountains.
The essential point of mountain Dharma is to abandon all
concerns of this life and to undertake solitary retreat with the
intent of experiencing the nature of your mind.
MOUNT MERU (Tib. ri rab lhun po) The giant mountain at

the center of the Buddhist world system that is surrounded
by smaller mountains, lakes, oceans, and the four continents.
Meru, or Sumeru, is visualized as a vast peak, and serves as
the focus of mandala offerings.
NAGA (Skt.) [Tib. klu] Powerful serpent beings who inhabit

waters and are often the custodians of treasures, either texts
or actual material treasures.
536
NAGARJUNA (Skt.) [Tib. klu sgrub] A leading Buddhist

philosopher in the interpretation of shunyata, the founder of
the Madhyamaka school, and the author of The Fundamental
Treatise of the Middle Way. Lived in India in the late second
century CE.
NAM CHÖ (Tib. gnam chos) Literally, “Sky Dharma.” A

tradition of terma.
NAMTHAR (Tib. rnam thar) Literally, “records of

liberation.” Biographies of the enlightened masters of Tibet
containing the spiritual path by which the master attained
enlightenment, most often written by their disciples.
NGONDRO (Tib. sngon ‘gro) The preliminary practices

of Tibetan Buddhism in which the practitioner begins the
Vajrayana path, performing 111,111 repetitions of refuge
prayers and prostrations; 111,111 Vajrasattva mantras; 111,111
mandala offerings; and 111,111 guru yoga practices. The
preliminary practices prepare the student for the successive
stages on the Vajrayana path.
NIRMANAKAYA See KAYA.
537
NIRVANA (Skt.) [Tib. mya ngan las ‘das pa] The extinction of
the causes of samsaric existence — false ideas and afflictive
emotions — accomplished by spiritual practice and resulting
in liberation from cyclic existence. See also SAMSARA.
NYALWA DORJE DEN (Tib. mnyal bar do rje gdan) Vajra

hell, where the suffering is limitless and unbearable.
NYINGMA (Tib. rnying ma) The “old” school, or ancient

translation school, which represents the Buddhist teachings
as they were first translated into Tibetan from Sanskrit and
other languages. This school began in the eighth century CE
with Padmasambhava, who buried terma, or hidden treasures,
to be discovered at the appropriate time in the future by
tertons, or treasure discoverers. Dzokchen is the highest
meditation practice in the Nyingma tradition.
NYUNGNE (Tib. smyung gnas) The fasting practice of

Thousandarmed Chenrezik, the bodhisattva of infinite
compassion.
PADMASAMBHAVA (Skt.) [Tib. pad ma ‘byung gnas, gu ru

rin po che] Literally, the “lotus-born” buddha of Uddiyana,
who brought the Vajrayana teachings to Tibet in the ninth
century CE. He subdued the negative forces of Tibet, founded
538
the Nyingma school, and concealed Dharmic treasures

(terma) for the benefit of future generations.
PALDEN LHAMO (Tib. dpal ldan lha mo) [Skt. Shri Devi]
Female Dharma protector, the only female of the eight
Dharma protectors.
PARAMITA (Skt.) [Tib. pha rol tu phyin pa] Reaching the

other shore, transcending concepts of subject, object, and
action. The six paramitas, or the six perfections, are the
transcendent actions of generosity, discipline, patience,
exertion, meditation, and knowledge. The ten paramitas
include these six plus means, strength, power, and wisdom.
PARINIRVANA (Skt.) [Tib. yongs su mya ngan las’das pa]

Final nirvana, the highest nirvana, which is entered at death
once having achieved complete enlightenment.
PRAJNAPARAMITA (Skt.) [Tib. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin

pa] Transcendent knowledge. The Mahayana teachings on
the cultivation of insight resulting in the direct realization of
emptiness.
PRATIMOKSHA VOW (Skt.) [Tib. so sor thar pa] Literally,

“individual liberation.” The self-liberating vow that
539
constitutes the basic ethical commitments of a lay disciple, a

novice, or a monastic.
PRATYEKABUDDHA (Skt.) [Tib. rang sangs rgyas] A solitary

realized one. A Hinayana arhat who concentrates on his or
her own liberation and contemplates the twelve links of
interdependence.
PUJA (Skt.) [Tib. mchod pa] Buddhist ceremonies that

range from the very simple to the most elaborate. See also
SADHANA.
RAGA ASYA (Skt.) Sanskrit for Karma Chakme.
RANGJUNG DORJE (Tib. rang ‘byung rdo rje) The Third

Karmapa (1284–1339), renowned for his texts used extensively
in the Kagyu lineage, among which are The Aspiration Prayer of
Mahamudra of Definitive Meaning, The Profound Inner Meaning,
and Treatise on Buddha Essence.
RENUNCIATION (Tib. nges ‘byung) The stable renunciation

of samsara, which means that what you previously regarded
with attachment you now regard with revulsion and disgust
because you recognize the futility of samsara and the value
540
of liberation. See also FOUR THOUGHTS and FOUR

POWERS.
ROOT GURU (Tib. rtsa ba’i bla ma) According to the

anuttara yoga tradition of the Vajrayana, your root guru is
the embodiment of all buddhas because the mind of the guru
is the dharmakaya, the wisdom of all buddhas. Since the
guru is the source of Dharma, the speech of the guru is the
embodiment of all Dharma. Whether the guru manifests as
a monastic or as a chakravartin, the body of the guru as the
foremost member of the sangha is the embodiment of the
whole sangha. The qualities of the guru are what manifest as
the yidams and other deities, and the activity of the guru is
what manifests as dakinis and Dharma protectors. In Karma
Chakme’s Mountain Dharma your root guru is defined as the
teacher who points out the nature of your mind.
RUDRA (Tib. ru dra) The demon of ego clinging. In Tibetan

Buddhism, the personification of the destructiveness of ego.
RUPAKAYA See KAYA.
SADHANA (Skt.) [Tib. grub thabs] Literally, “means of

accomplishment.” A Vajrayana liturgy and method for one
541
of many deities that includes chanting, visualization, and

mantra recitation. See also PUJA.
SAKYA (Tib. sa kya) One of the four main schools of Tibetan

Buddhism. The lineage, headed by His Holiness Sakya Trizin,
is passed from father to son. It emphasizes lam dre teachings
and Buddhist logic.
SAMANTABHADRA (Skt.) [Tib. kun tu bzang po] Literally,

“all good.” One of the eight great bodhisattvas, he is an
emanation of Vajrasattva, and the primordial dharmakaya
buddha for the Nyingma lineage.
SAMAYA (Skt.) [Tib. dam tshig] Sacred word or vow. The

sacred commitment of Vajrayana is primarily to one’s root
guru and to the practice one has committed to, but also to
the sangha.
SAMBHOGAKAYA See KAYA.
SAMSARA (Skt.) [Tib. ‘khor ba] Cyclic existence, in which

ordinary beings are trapped in an endless cycle of rebirth in
the six realms, which contain endless suffering. The state of
ordinary beings bound to suffering by attachment, aggression,
and ignorance. See also NIRVANA.
542
SAMYAKSAMBUDDHA (Skt.) [Tib. yang dag par rdzogs pa’i

sangs rgyas] Completely and perfectly awakened.
SANGHA (Skt.) [Tib. dge ‘dun] The community of

practitioners who have taken refuge in the Three Jewels. Also,
the noble sangha of realized ones.
SARMA (Tib. Sar ma) The New Translation school, which

includes the Kagyu, Geluk, and Sakya schools. These schools
rely on the texts of the second propagation, brought by
Rinchen Zangpo.
SECRET MANTRA (Tib. gsang sngags) Refers to the

VAJRAYANA.
SEVEN BRANCHES Stanzas of confession from the “Seven

Branches,” found in The Aspiration to the Conduct of Excellence, a
part of many sadhanas.
SHAMATHA (Skt.) [Tib. zhi gnas] Literally, “calm abiding.”

Tranquillity meditation in which the meditator uses
techniques, such as following the breath, to attain a calm and
focused mind. See also VIPASHANA.
543
SHARIPUTRA Highly regarded arhat and foremost disciple

of Buddha Shakyamuni, he was known for his attainment of
wisdom and his exemplary qualities of compassion, patience,
and humility. The Buddha declared that Shariputra was a
perfect disciple.
SHINAY (Tib.) See SHAMATHA.
SHRAMANERA (Skt.) See GETSUL.
SHRAMANERI (Skt.) See GETSULMA.
SHRAVAKA (Skt.) [Tib. nyan thos] Early disciples of Buddha

Shakyamuni, the Shravakas practiced meditation and
contemplated the Buddha’s words, which they actually heard
because they were present at that time. The Shravakayana was
the first yana.
SHUNYATA (Skt.) [Tib. stong pa nyid] EMPTINESS.

Conceptual frameworks are empty of any true essence or
self, are dependent on causes and conditions, and thus lack
inherent existence.
544
SIDDHI (Skt.) [Tib. dngos grub] Accomplishment. The eight

ordinary siddhis show mastery of the mundane everyday
world; the supreme siddhi is enlightenment.
SISTER PALMO A Western woman, a devotee of His Holiness

the Sixteenth Karmapa, was ordained by His Holiness as
Gelongma Kachok Palmo, but was known as Sister Palmo.
With His Holiness, she helped to found and operate a school
for young lamas. Initially, some forty young tulkus from the
four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism attended the school,
acquired English, and were able to greatly benefit many
Westerners. She traveled with His Holiness to the West
in 1974. Sister Palmo was responsible for making available
many early translations of sadhanas and prayers. She also
significantly helped the Tibetans in their early years in India.
SIX DHARMAS OF NAROPA (Tib. na ro chos drug) Naropa

taught Marpa these tantric practices, which are an important
part of the Kagyu teachings and a standard practice in the
traditional threeyear, three-month, three-day retreat. They
consist of tummo, illusory body, dream yoga, clear light,
bardo, and phowa.
SIX REALMS (Tib. khams drug) The six realms of samsaric

existence as shown on the Wheel of Life. The god realm is
545
the highest of the six realms, where beings are dominated by

pride and suffer because they will fall to the lower realms. In
the asura realm, the beings are dominated by jealousy and
envy and suffer as a result of their constant quarreling and
fighting. The human realm is characterized by desire and
attachment, and although the beings suffer from ceaseless
struggle, it is the best rebirth because one has the opportunity
to practice Dharma. The animal realm is dominated by
ignorance and stupidity; beings there suffer from constant
fear. The hungry ghost realm is dominated by greed, and
the preta beings suffer terribly from hunger and thirst. The
lowest of the realms, the hell realm, is dominated by hatred
and aggression, and the beings endure intense suffering.
SIX-SYLLABLE MANTRA Usually refers to OM MANI

PEME HUNG, the mantra of Chenrezik. In Karma Chakme’s
Mountain Dharma, it often refers to the six-syllable essence
mantra of Vajrasattva, OM BENZA SATTO HUNG.
SKANDHA (Skt.) [Tib. phung po lnga] Literally, “heap.” The

five skandhas, or aggregates, are form, feeling, conception,
formation, and consciousness. In the confused state, we cling
to one or another aspect of these five as a concrete self. When
the skandhas are actually seen for what they are, no self is
546
found in them, either singly or taken together. In Vajrayana

they are correlated to the five buddhas of the mandala.
SOHA Tibetan transliteration of the Sanskrit word svaha.
STUPA (Skt.) [Tib. mchod rten] A monument that contains

the relics of the Buddha or high teacher. The stupa symbolizes
the dharmakaya, the mind of the Buddha, and can range from
small and simple to monumental structures.
SUTRA TAUGHT TO THE KING (Tib. rgyal po la gdams

pa’i mdo) [Skt. rajavavadaka] The Buddha’s summary of the
commitments of the bodhisattva vow.
SVABHAVIKAKAYA See KAYA.
TANTRIKA (Skt.) [Tib. ngags pa] Tantric practitioner.
TATHAGATA (Skt.) [Tib. de bzhin gshegs pa] Literally, “thus-

gone.” A fully enlightened buddha.
TATHAGATAGARBHA (Skt.) [Tib. de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying

po] The essence of the tathagatas, it is the seed or essence of
enlightenment that all beings have and is what gives them the
potential to be a buddha.
547
TEN UNVIRTUOUS ACTIONS There are three unvirtuous

actions of body: to intentionally kill, to steal or take that
which is not offered, and to engage in sexual misconduct. The
four unvirtuous actions involving speech are lying, slander,
verbal abuse, and mindless talk. The three types of mental
unvirtuous actions are covetousness, spite or maliciousness,
and wrong view.
TEN VIRTUOUS ACTIONS These involve abandoning the ten

unvirtuous actions and by implication engaging in actions
that are the direct opposite, such as saving lives, generosity,
speaking the truth, and so on.
TERMA (Tib. gter ma) Literally, “hidden treasure.” These

concealed treasures have included texts, ritual objects, and
relics, which were hidden mainly by Guru Rinpoche to be
discovered at the proper time by a TERTON for the benefit of
students.
TERTON (Tib. gter ston) A revealer of hidden treasures that

were concealed primarily by Padmasambhava and Yeshe
Tsogyal.
548
THANGKA (Tib. thang ka) A Tibetan scroll painting

depicting buddhas, bodhisattvas, and other deities, used as
religious objects.
THREE JEWELS (Tib. dkon mchog gsum) [Skt. triratna] The

precious Buddha, the precious Dharma, and the precious
Sangha.
THREE SUPPORTS (Tib. rten gsum) Stupas are the supports

of the Buddha’s mind; texts are a symbol of the Buddha’s
speech, the Dharma; and statues are the form, or body, of the
Buddha.
TILOPA The great Indian mahasiddha who received teachings

directly from the dharmakaya Vajradhara, thus beginning
the Kagyu lineage. He subsequently received four lineages
from four Indian gurus. The lineage that comes to us is
a combination of all four. His principal disciple was the
mahasiddha Naropa, to whom he passed his lineage.
TRIPITAKA (Skt.) [Tib. sde snod gsum] The Buddhist canon.

The three baskets are the sutra-pitaka, discourses of the
Buddha; the vinayapitaka, ethics and discipline; and the
abhidharma-pitaka, principles of higher doctrine.
549
TSONDRU GYAMTSO (Tib. brtson ‘grus rgya mtso) [Skt.

Virya Sagara] The disciple who requested Karma Chakme to
teach about mountain Dharma.
TWELVE LINKS OF INTERDEPENDENCE (Tib. rten ‘brel

yan lag bcu gnyis) The twelve successive phases that begin
with ignorance and end with old age and death, based on the
principle that nothing exists independently, but comes into
existence only in dependence on various previous causes and
conditions. See also INTERDEPENDENT ORIGINATION.
TWO TRUTHS (Tib. bden pa gnyis) Relative truth is how

ordinary beings perceive phenomena; it is considered true on
a conventional level. Ultimate truth is the absolute nature
of relative truth, that all phenomena are beyond arising,
dwelling and ceasing. This ultimate truth is emptiness, which
is only perceived by realized beings.
UDDIYANA (Skt.) [Tib. u rgyan] The country to the

northwest of ancient India where Guru Rinpoche was born
on a lotus flower.
UPASAKA (Skt.) See GENYEN
UPASIKA (Skt.) See GENYENMA
550
VAIROCHANA (Skt.) [Tib. rnam par snang mdzad] The

principal sambhogakaya buddha. Also the name of a great
scholar and translator who lived during the time of King
Trisong Deutsen. He is one of the main masters to bring the
Dzokchen teachings to Tibet.
VAJRADHARA (Skt.) [Tib. rdo rje ‘chang] Dorje Chang,

literally “vajra holder.” He is the dharmakaya Buddha of the
Sarma school.
VAJRASATTVA (Skt.) [Tib. rdo rje sems dpa’] The buddha of

purification. The second of the four preliminary practices,
which is intended to purify obscurations and wrongdoing.
VAJRAYANA (Skt.) [Tib. rdo rje theg pa] The indestructible

path. The Vajrayana follows the bodhisattva path of the
Mahayana and is characterized by an additional set of
teachings based on the tantras, which emphasize deity
practice using visualization, mantra, and mudra. Also
sometimes called Tantrayana, or secret mantra.
VINAYA (Skt.) [Tib. ‘dul ba] Discipline. Part of the Tripitaka,

it contains the Buddha’s teachings on ethics, discipline, and
conduct.
551
VIPASHYANA (Skt.) [Tib. lhag mthong] Insight meditation,

which develops insight into the nature of reality. See also
SHAMATHA.
WHITE TARA (Tib. sgrol dkar) Female deity whose special

function is to promote good health and long life, both
for the practitioner and for others. She is white with two
arms and seven eyes of perfect wisdom that give birth to
enlightenment.
YAMA (Skt.) [Tib. gshin rje] Lord of Death, the

personification of impermanence.
YANA (Skt.) [Tib. theg pa] Vehicle or path. The three main
yanas are the Hinayana, the Mahayana, and the Vajrayana.
YIDAM (Tib. yi dam) A tantric deity. The yidam is a personal

protector of one’s practice and a guide to enlightenment.
YOGA TANTRA (Skt.) [Tib. rnal ‘byor rgyud) The third of the
outer tantras of the Sarma, or New Translation school.
YOGI, YOGINI (Skt.) [Tib. rnal ‘byor pa, rnal ‘byor ma]
Tantric practitioners.
552
Index of Stories Told by Khenpo Rinpoche
Asanga and Maitreya
Businessman who presented a dog’s tooth as the Buddha’s tooth

to his mother
Devadatta falling to hell
Examining a teacher — Sakya Pandita
Householder from Golok
Iron-Footed Monk
Karma Chakme and the Fifth Dalai Lama
Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche and the silver plates
Marpa’s vision
Milarepa and the demons
553
Milarepa and the feast offering
Monk and the thorn bush
Person from Nyarong
Sakya Geshe who had tremendous thirst one night
Shariputra’s right hand and Mara
Teaching fabricated Dharma for personal gain
554
About KTD Publications
KTD Publications, a part of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra,

is a not-for-profit publisher established with the purpose of
facilitating the projects and activities manifesting from His
Holiness’s inspiration and blessings. We are dedicated to
“gathering the garlands of the gurus’ precious teachings” and
producing fine-quality books.
KTD Publications
Woodstock, New York
www.KTDPublications.org
May All Beings Be Happy!

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In addition to the electronic Table of Contents

1. The Table of Contents on the first pages of the

2. Glossary references are in color and also have links.

3. Links in color are also used wherever we have a

Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche

Lama Yeshe Gyamtso

OM SWA STI KARMA KA BI DZA YA

Aspiration by the Twelfth Gyaltshap Mingyur Gocha. Mangalam

© 2004 Karma Triyana Dharmachakra

This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-

Karma Chakme’s Mountain Dharma: Volume One

Precious Garland: A List of Contents to Prevent Disorder

Seeing It Makes You Smile: Ordinary Beings Entering the

Putting Away the Dice: Abandoning Samsara’s Path

Gandi of the Nobles: The Three Vehicles

Disk of the Sun: The Way of Protecting the Three Vows

The Generation of Bodhichitta, Which Is the Great Path of

Dispelling All Obstacles: Visualizations to Benefit Others

The River of Ambrosia That Purifies Obscurations:

The Mandala Offering, Which Accumulates a Mountain

The Guru Yoga That Is a River of Blessings

The students of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche wish to express their

His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa (Rangjung Rikpe Dorje,

The original text by Karma Chakme Rinpoche was written in

completeness, thus ensuring that nothing be lost. Because Karma

Rinpoche followed the same order as the original Tibetan text

We would like to express our appreciation and gratitude to our

The editorial and production staff — Maureen McNicholas,

Together we have made our best effort to present Rinpoche’s

Maureen McNicholas and Peter van Deurzen

Karma Chakme Rinpoche was in lifelong retreat when Tsondru

This book is almost unique in its clarity of presentation. The

This text is designed as a means of general guidance. It presents

It is best if these practices are done by someone who has finished

where the application of that visualization and the benefit of

I would like to say something about this whole question of signs

Mountain Dharma, Oral Instructions for Mountain Retreat, by Karma

Simply knowing that we possess buddha nature, however, is not

the knowledge — that reveals our buddha nature and enables

What we call buddhahood is nothing more or less than the full

Nevertheless it is possible to misunderstand the point of this

Furthermore the text is not designed for advanced practitioners

activity in upholding the teachings of our lineage and spreading

From Rinpoche’s teaching in which he introduced some background to the text.

Karma Chakme was born, in accordance with the prophecies

When he was eleven, Wangdrak Sung met Prawashara, from

the sangha at Thupten Nyinling, a monastery of the Surmang

At some point Karma Chakme returned to his native region and

great terton Mingyur Dorje, who gave oral transmission lineage

In 1663, at the age of fifty, Karma Chakme ended his thirteenyear

In 1678, the Year of the Earth Horse, at age sixty-six, Mahasid-

Adapted from the “Biography of Karma Chakme” by Jampal Gyepai Loden,

Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche was born in Rapshu in the province

Rinpoche’s father was a devoted Manjushri practitioner who

Rinpoche decided at a young age to follow the path of his older

Thrangu Monastery in Tso-Ngen, eastern Tibet. For the next six

When he was eighteen years old, he went to Tsurphu Monastery

After the Gelong ordination, Rinpoche returned to Thrangu

After completing the three-year retreat, Rinpoche expressed the

the directorship of Khenpo Lodro Rapsel. Traleg Rinpoche felt

The Second Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, the Eighth Traleg

By the late 1950s the threat of the Communist Chinese was