translated by Richard Barron (Chokyi Nyima)
Today we begin the conferral of all the empowerments, oral transmissions, and
instructions for the great Treasury of Hidden Treasure Teachings (Rinchen
Terzod) cycle. These transmissions have been requested for some time now, by
many lamas, tulkus, members of the ordained sangha, and other students, but
because the necessary circumstances didn't come together, we haven't been able
to begin these transmissions until now. Even as we now embark on this
undertaking, due to considerations of place and time not all of those who
previously requested these transmissions have been able to attend. Nevertheless,
last year people close to me ~ primarily the lamas, tulkus, and entire monastic
community here at my seat ~ have been insisting that these transmissions be
given. So people have arranged to come for whatever duration they can.
Once you have received all of the empowerments, oral
transmissions, and instructions for this great Rinchen Terzod collection, the
benefit for you lies in your practice, while the benefit for others rests on the
perpetuation of the lineage, if you are a lama or tulku; even if you are an
ordained or lay person, I pray that some noble tendency toward the dharma will
be planted in you, if only to a small degree.
The principal recipient in this gathering is Jamgon
Kongtrul Rinpoche, who is the actual custodian of these teachings. Given that I
now can repay him by offering him these empowerments ~ returning them to their
original owner, so to speak ~ I also offer my prayers that in the future Jamgon
Rinpoche will be able to ensure great benefit for beings through all his five
great Treasuries.
Today, then, at the very beginning, I thought I might speak
briefly about an overview of the Rinchen Terzod collection. Many of you no doubt
already know what the Rinchen Terzod is, but many of you may not. Once you have
an idea of the overview, it's useful because you have some sense, now that you
are here, of what it is you are receiving. It is for this reason that I would
like to speak briefly. At this point, it won't do for those who don't understand
Tibetan to be left behind, so I will also alternate by summarizing my remarks in
English. If I don't switch between the two languages, but first make all my
remarks in Tibetan and then repeat everything in English, it will waste a lot of
time.
Let me make a few remarks at the very outset. You might
wonder why we are starting these empowerments in the western month of August,
because in this part of the world August is a month when the weather is bad ~
it's hot, it rains, it's humid, there's a lot of mud. October, on the other
hand, would have been quite pleasant. But if we complete these transmissions
during August, September, and October, it makes it easier for those who wish to
attend the Karma Guncho debates and the Kagyu Monlam. The Karma Guncho debates
were initiated in Nepal by Choje Lama Puntsok. The Kagyu Monlam Chenmo was begun
many years ago by Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche, following which Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche
gave it great support; Bokar Rinpoche then directed it, and after that Lama
Karma Chodrak took over the organization of the event and still renders that
service. Beginning some six years ago, when the head of the Kagyu lineage, His
Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa, Orgyen Trinley Dorje, first came to India, part
of his activities has been to attend the Kagyu Monlam, and this has been a real
stroke of good fortune. People have had, and continue to have, the wonderful
opportunity to serve His Holiness, meet with him, and participate in such a
great prayer festival with him. Therefore, if the time period for these
transmissions here were to conflict with that of the Kagyu Monlam festival,
people would of course wish to attend the prayer festival and many who wished to
receive these empowerments and oral transmissions would be unable to do so,
which would be an unsatisfactory arrangement. This, then, was the reason for
selecting the present time period, so that people could receive the empowerments
and oral transmissions, and attend the Kagyu Monlam festival and Karma Guncho
debates.
Of course, it is slightly inconvenient, with the rain and
the heat. People still might wonder, "Why on earth is Situ Rinpoche doing these
things now? What an odd lama! When he goes to historic Tibet, he goes in the dead of
winter, while when he gives empowerments in India he does so in the heat of
summer!" But there is some purpose to this. Surely there is some discomfort due
to the heat and humidity, but think of this as a way of purifying yourself of
obscurations. Don't just think of it as hardship, alright? It's not all that
hot. There's a saying: "Once you've seen a snake, a frog doesn't look too
bad."Until you've seen a snake, you might think a frog is something bad, but
once you've seen a snake you see that the frog wasn't so bad after all. Compared
to places where it's really hot, I don't think it's so bad here. With respect to
the weather and other circumstances, sure, the organizers, you all, and even I
have some difficulty. I, for one, do not enjoy hot weather in the slightest. But
what else is there to do? For now, think of this as a way to develop yourself
spiritually and purify yourself of obscurations.
I thought to discuss this great Rinchen Terzod collection
in several steps. In general, the great Rinchen Terzod collection is said to be
made up of terma teachings, but it is not entirely terma. It also contains
teachings from the kama tradition, and even some that are connected with the Bon
tradition. These teachings were definitely included for a reason. The collection
contains the teachings of many incomparable lamas. If I were to list them all by
name, there would be too many, but let me at least tell you the names of a few
of the more renowned masters. If you understand that this collection contains
their termas and their works, that knowledge is almost sufficient in itself.
Among the five Treasuries, the one entitled The Treasury of
Vast Teachings (Gyachen Kadzo) is the actual collected writings of Jamgon
Kongtrul, works he himself composed. The Treasury of Knowledge (Sheja Dzo) is
like a collection of his writings on all fields of knowledge, all the secular
subjects included. The Treasury of Hidden Treasure Teachings (Rinchen Terzod),
The Treasury of Kagyu Mantra Teachings (Kagyu Ngak-dzo), and The Treasury of
Spiritual Instructions (Dam-ngak Dzo) are more like collections that he
compiled.
But even these last three are not exclusively the works of
others that he simply compiled. For example, let us consider the collection on
which I am now basing my remarks ~ the Rinchen Terzod. It has many divisions of
teachings. There are more than eight hundred individual empowerments, and among
the sadhanas and activity rituals associated with each of these, there is in
virtually each case something written by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye. So it is
not simply a case of him taking texts that already existed and arranging them in
a collection; there are a great many of his own writings among them, to supply
missing elements or to provide supplementary material.
When Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye arranged a text for the
performance of a ritual, it was, in fact, largely the case that three masters ~
Jamyang Khyentsei Wangpo, Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa, and Kongtrul ~ arranged it,
their minds coming together as one. Strictly speaking, Jamyang Khyentsei Wangpo
was a Sakyapa, Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa a Nyingmapa, and Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro
Taye a Kagyupa. But these masters were not concerned with issues of being Kagyu,
or Nyingma, or Sakya; rather, their three minds were in perfect accord, as one
intention, with mutual respect. That is the kind of thing that can happen when
minds are in complete accord and there is mutual respect, just as bad things can
happen when that accord and respect are missing. In fact, such complete accord
and mutual respect are signs of truly authentic gurus and great spiritual
beings, and Khyentsei Wangpo, Jamgon Kongtrul, and Chokgyur Lingpa demonstrated
these in the case of this collection. Thus, the Rinchen Terzod also contains
many writings of Jamyang Khyentsei Wangpo and Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa.
I thought I might speak briefly about the life of Jamgon
Kongtrul Lodro Taye. If you have read the extensive autobiography he wrote,
there is nothing more to be known about his life, but let me summarize it. There
is a prayer to him that goes as follows:
O Vairocana, you are the universal monarch of the dharma.
May the life force of the vast range of teachings ~ kama and terma, sutra
and tantra ~
the traditions preserved in your five great Treasuries, marvelous and
complete, remain with us and flourish until the end of time!
What this indicates is that, of the buddhas of the five families, Jamgon
Kongtrul was an emanation of the buddha Vairocana. Of the eight "great sons," or
great bodhisattvas in the retinue of the Lord Buddha, he was an emanation of the
exalted Mañjushri; of the shravakas in the Buddha's retinue, he was an emanation
of Ananda; and of the great Tibetan translators, he was an emanation of
Bairotsana. In fact, their emanation was Kongpo Bamteng Tulku, whose rebirth was
Jamgon Kongtrul. Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye's birthplace was Derge Rong-gyap, an
area under the jurisdiction of the king of Derge.
A series of events occurred when he was still quite young.
His father was a man of strong character. Those holding government office were
called "dun-kor" (retinue in the presence), a kind of second-level minister, or
"hor-dra," a kind of third-level official. When one named Tralgyap, the hordra
of Rong-gyap, came to their area, something happened to upset Jamgon Kongtrul's
father, who beat the official. For this he was thrown into the prison of
Rong-gyap Fortress. Even though Jamgon Kongtrul was still just a young boy when
his father was in prison, he journeyed to the fortress to see his father. It was
then, due to his former karma and aspirations, that Jamgon Kongtrul was taken
under the care of the chieftain of Rong-gyap, who saw him as someone quite
extraordinary. Jamgon Kongtrul studied secular subjects to some degree.
He then went to Shechen Monastery, where he studied
Buddhist texts of the sutra and tantra traditions, including pith instructions
from the tantras. Because of previous special tendencies awakening in him, he
could understand these subjects just by hearing and reflecting on them. One day
the Rong-gyap chieftain, being a Nyingmapa, set off on a pilgrimage to the
monasteries of Katok, Palyul, and so forth. This seems to have been when Jamgon
Kongtrul was an adolescent, and Jamgon Kongtrul accompanied the chieftain on
this pilgrimage. When they reached the great monastery of Derge Gonchen, Jamgon
Kongtrul first heard of the seat of Palpung and the name of the ninth Situ, Pema
Nyinje Wangpo; he thereupon felt an irresistible urge to go to Palpung, due (it
seems) to some latent tendency awakening in him. So he took his leave of the
chieftain and went to Palpung.
When he first arrived in Palpung Monastery, Jamgon Kongtrul
met Palpung Ongen, who then introduced him to Pema Nyinje Wangpo, from whom he
received a name. It was actually at this point that he was first given the title
of "Jamgon Kongtrul." When he received the monastic ordination from Situ Pema
Nyinje Wangpo, Jamgon Kongtrul was given the name Yonten Gyatso; when he
received the bodhisattva vow, his name was Lodro Taye. Later, when he received
tantric empowerments, he was given the secret name of Pema Garwang. He also bore
the title of Tennyi Yungdrung Lingpa in connection with termas he revealed.
Thus, he had several names and titles.
Let me speak about his work compiling the five great
Treasuries. And let me say that, in talking about the life of Jamgon Kongtrul
Lodro Taye, I am discussing what it actually the case. I am not just praising
him because he was a lama of my monastery. At a time when the Buddhist teachings
in the Land of Snows, were like a lamp running out of oil, he rekindled
the lamp of the teachings. There was no one like Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye in
revivifying the teachings; that is something I can state categorically, but in
doing so I am not being sectarian, just stating what is the truth.
You might wonder why Jamgon Kongtrul produced these five
great Treasuries. The Buddha's teachings constitute a lineage. It is not enough
for there to be many people wearing maroon robes and shaving their heads: that
alone does not ensure the flourishing of the teachings. There are any number of
maroon garments for sale in shops, and having no hair might mean that you didn't
sweat so much when the weather was hot. But if you think that the flourishing of
the Buddha's teachings lies in such things as there being many monks, or large
monasteries, or many texts, or many new books being written, this is not so. The
Buddha's teachings flourish if the precepts of the pratimoksha vows are
maintained on the outer level; when the training of the bodhisattva is
maintained on the inner level; and when the tantric samaya of the masters of
awareness is maintained on the secret level. Do you understand my point?
So, what was it that Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye foresaw? He
could see that the eight great lineages of accomplishment in the Land of
Snows, and even the indigenous Bon tradition, were facing a great catastrophe.
In order to offset that catastrophe, he saw the necessity of receiving
empowerments, oral transmissions, and instructions. It would be tragic for
teachings to be given if there were no lineage of teachings, or pith
instructions to be imparted if there were no lineage for these instructions.
What would be the tragedy? Forget about the training of tantric practitioners
and bodhisattvas; even the pratimoksha precepts for individual liberation would
be lost. Once the pratimoksha precepts are lost, it is already the case that one
is not an ordained person.
Concerned that the ongoing lineages of empowerment, oral
transmission, and instruction would become impaired, Jamgon Kongtrul was willing
to undertake incredible challenges. By comparison, if someone like me, of sound
mind and body, were to exert himself and undertake such challenges even for
thousands of years, it would not produce such results. Yet Jamgon Kongtrul, due
to his karma and aspirations, did produce such results. If we examine his life,
from one point of view it would seem that he spent his time entirely in
conferring empowerments; from another point of view, in giving teachings of the
dharma; from another point of view, in receiving empowerments and oral
transmissions; and from yet another point of view, in compiling these teachings.
In fact, it seems that he accomplished the work of many people, not just the
work of a single lama; that was his unique quality. And so he compiled these
five great Treasuries. Among these five Treasuries, The Treasury of Kagyu Mantra
Teachings ~ the Kagyu Ngak-dzo ~ contains all of the tantric transmissions of
the Kagyu school, emphasizing those of the newer, or Sarma, tradition.
The Treasury of Spiritual Instructions ~ the Dam-ngak Dzo ~
contains the lineages of the eight great lineages of accomplishment. These eight
are the Nyingma, Kadampa, Lamdre, Marpa Kagyu, Shangpa Kagyu, Shije, Jordruk,
and Dorjei Nyendrup traditions.
Of these, "Kadampa" is term that is used to refer to the
tradition up to the time of lord Tsongkhapa. Once his great seat of Ganden was
founded, the term "Gelukpa" was used; so the two terms, Gelukpa and Kadampa,
refer to the same lineage.
"Lamdre" is the name of a spiritual teaching, just as the
term "Sakyapa" is the name of a place being applied to a spiritual tradition,
which takes its name from the main seat of Sakya in Tsang province.
"Marpa Kagyu" refers to the profound teachings that the
master Marpa the Translator brought to Tibet from India; "Marpa Kagyu" denotes
the lineage that derives from the students of the incomparable Dakpo Rinpoche.
There were four major schools that came principally from the first Karmapa,
Düsum Khyenpa, and eight minor schools that were founded by the students of
Pakmo Druppa. Among the four main schools of the Kagyu tradition, there is the
Kamtsang Kagyu and its many sub-schools, such as the Nedo, Zurmang, and Gyalton.
When these schools had all differentiated, there ended up being four major and
eight minor schools of the Kagyu tradition, which all descended from students of
the incomparable Dakpo Rinpoche. These are collectively referred to as the Marpa
Kagyu.
As for the Shangpa Kagyu tradition, there was a
contemporary of Marpa called Khyungpo Naljor, who journeyed to India and
received teachings from Niguma, Sukhasiddhi, and other masters. The lineage he
founded was called the Shangpa Kagyu. Some people seem to consider the Shangpa
Kagyu one of the four major or eight minor schools mentioned before, but while
these people may be learned in the scriptures, secular fields of knowledge, pith
instructions, practical methods, and so forth, they are a bit lacking in their
knowledge of history!
The Shije (Pacification) tradition is the lineage of the
Choyul teachings that were passed down from such gurus as Padampa Sanggye and
Machik Lapchi Dronma.
The Jordruk (Six Techniques of Union) tradition is also
called the Jonangpa.
The Dorjei Nyendrup (Vajra Approach and Accomplishment)
tradition is also called the Orgyen Nyendrup, because it was passed down by the
siddha Orgyenpa.
The Dam-ngak Dzo, then, is a collection of all the
instructions for these eight great lineages of accomplishment; in addition,
Jamgon Kongtrul included some cycles of teachings from the indigenous Tibetan
tradition of Bon.
He would travel wherever it was necessary to receive
empowerments that were becoming rare, to receive oral transmissions, to receive
instructions, and then produced the Dam-ngak Dzo collection, just as he gathered
all of cycles of Kagyu teachings to produce the Kagyu Ngak-dzo. He gathered all
the cycles of terma teachings to produce the Rinchen Terzod. The Gyachen Kadzo
contains works that Jamgon Kongtrul himself authored. And he collected his
writings on the entire range of fields of secular knowledge into The Treasury of
All-Encompassing Knowledge (Sheja Kunkhyap Dzo). Now, when we say "fields of
secular knowledge", we are not just talking about spelling and grammar; the
Sheja Kunkhyap Dzo contains discussions of all the ten traditional fields of
knowledge, the five major ones foremost.
From time to time, Jamgon Kongtrul would discover a lineage
of teachings that was becoming exceedingly rare. He would journey to some
isolated rural place, where the lineage holder might be some old person who
couldn't even read very well, and he would receive the lineage from that person.
He would look to where the lineages were; he was not concerned with receiving
teachings from great lamas and famous people, and did not disregard more humble
lineage holders.
Jamgon Kongtrul was doing all of this for the benefit of
the teachings in general, and so the term ri-me (non-sectarian) is appropriate
to describe him. In fact, the three masters ~ Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye,
Jamyang Khyentsei Wangpo, and Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa ~ were all great
non-sectarian masters, something to which the historical accounts of them
attest. To give you an analogy, suppose there were a lake of fine water endowed
with eight qualities; from whichever side of the lake you drank, east or west,
north or south, the water would have those eight qualities. Similarly, if you
have faith, samaya commitment, diligence, and devotion toward the eight great
lineages of accomplishment, then regardless of which you practice you can attain
buddhahood; it is not the case that one is better or worse than another. On the
basis of that understanding, you feel respect for and honor all of them.
Now, there is a saying in the ordinary world ~ "killing one
to save another." You shouldn't act in this way. Whatever your individual school
of dharma is, whatever historical lineage you follow, you practice in that
specific way. We do not have the kind of noble karma and aspirations that
Khyentse, Kongtrul, and Chokgyur Lingpa did, and so if we tried to practice
according to all these eight lineages of accomplishment, we would only feel
confused and end up accomplishing nothing. Rather, each of us practices
according to our own lineage of teachings, and serves the teachings and works
for the welfare of beings on that basis. If you have faith and devotion, knowing
all teachings to have identical value, although you cannot practice all the
other lineages than your own, this is what the term ri-me means. Otherwise, to
serve and honor your own teachings, whatever they are, while disparaging the
teachings of others is an extremely bad thing to do; you are actually betraying
your own teachings, not serving them! Whatever your own teachings are, you
uphold them, and if you can serve other schools of teachings, you do so, but if
you cannot, at least have faith in and a pure perception of them. We must be
careful to ensure that we regard these lineages well, that there is no threat of
them being impaired, that there is no discord between them, and that there is no
threat of them becoming corrupted. We need to act as we would, for example, if
we had to go into a thicket of thorn bushes; we would wear appropriate clothing
and guard against the threat of being injured. Do you understand my point? We
must be in harmony with all schools of teachings, honor them all, show respect
for them all.
But still, if you don't look after your own teachings, no
one else will look after them for you. And so the term ri-me also does not mean
mixing everything up together. In the case of someone like Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro
Taye, for example, while he was ri-me, non-sectarian, his seat was Palpung ~ he
was Jamgon Kongtrul of Palpung. From among the eight great lineages of
accomplishment, he considered the Kagyu the most important for him personally.
When he founded his retreat center, he instituted a program of practice for the
complete cycle of the incomparable Shangpa Kagyu teachings. In all cases, he
made sure that everything was authentic. When we examine what has happened in
the last two hundred or three hundred years, we see that if there had been no
Khyentse, Kongtrul, and Chokgyur Lingpa ~ and especially if Jamgon Kongtrul had
not produced his five great Treasuries ~ there would be nowhere one could
receive certain teachings and no idea of who held certain lineages. To put it in
a nutshell, we wouldn't be able even to find them.
People nowadays and of recent times have no time, and
lineages could become interrupted. If they are interrupted, the tradition of
teachings will degenerate. When we speak of the Buddhist tradition degenerating,
people think this just means there will be no more monasteries, no more texts,
no more monks. But to say that the tradition has degenerated really means that
lineages have become interrupted. There may still be monasteries, monks, texts,
and so forth ~ there may even be more of these than there ever were ~ but if the
lineages are interrupted, the tradition of teachings has degenerated. If the
tradition has degenerated due to there being no lineages, rather than one trying
to survive by using the teachings that are written on paper, better for a
servant to run to where his basic needs are met, as the saying goes. If a
servant runs there and makes enough effort to at least get enough to eat and to
keep body and soul together, he should certainly do that. But for him to make
such effort, selling the name of the dharma when no lineage whatsoever exists,
is deplorable. If he lives off the misappropriated gains of such activity, his
only destination is the vajra hell, nowhere else. If there were somewhere worse
than the vajra hell to go to, he would go there! Of the eighteen states of hell
described by the Lord Buddha, he spoke of the vajra hell as the worst; that is
where this person would go, nowhere else. Milarepa stated that while he was not
afraid of anything else, he was afraid of misappropriated spiritual gain. Such
misappropriated gain is like lumps of red-hot iron or boiling molten metal. If
you're going to consume these, you need a stomach made of diamond! If you had a
diamond stomach, then you could drink boiling molten metal; otherwise, for those
of us with flesh-and-blood stomachs, if we drink molten metal, it slides right
through us! That's a way of describing the state of "vajra hell." Therefore,
lineage is very important.
Having discussed the foregoing topic, let me now speak of
those who were the authentic sources of these teachings in the Rinchen Terzod.
They include: Guru Padmakara, the great master Vimalamitra, the exalted and
sublime Nagarjuna, the bodhisattva Sadaprarudita, Dampa Gyagar, Dombi Heruka,
the mahasiddha Jetari, Ahum of Nepal, and many learned and accomplished masters
of the holy land of India.
If we consider the masters of historic Tibet, these include the
great translator Bairotsana, Bari Lotsawa, Nyang-ral Nyima Ozer, Orgyen Terdak
Lingpa, Karma Lingpa, Shikpo Lingpa, Sanggye Lingpa, Duddul Lingpa, Tsasum
Lingpa, Jongchub Lingpa, Kunchong Lingpa, Ratna Lingpa, Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa,
Yarje Orgyen Lingpa, Zurkar Drime Lingpa, Tau Rokje Lingpa, and other great
tertons.
As well, there are teachings that derive from Jetsün
Taranatha, Minling Terchen, Minling Lochen, Karma Chakme Raga Asya and several
of the successive Chakme incarnations, Ju Mipam, Ngari Panchen, Namcho Mingyur
Dorje, Yon-ge Mingyur Dorje, Katok Dampa Deshek, Katok Rigdzin Tsewang Norbu,
Rigdzin Jatson Nyingpo, On-ton Kyergangpa, Rigdzin Longsal Nyingpo, Rigdzin
Gokyi Demtruchen, Rigdzin Tak-gi Shamtapchen, Lhatsün Namkha Jigme, Guru
Chowang, Yutok Yonten Gonpo, Zurkar Dawai Ozer, Gyalwa Longchen Rabjam, Latri
Gyalwa Yungdrung, and other authentic masters. There are also teachings from
Tsele Natsok Rangdrol, Jongling Palden Gyaltsen, the siddha Tamdrin Gonpo,
Nupchen Sanggye Yeshe, Mila Shepa Dorje, Namkhai Nyingpo, Dudjom Rolpatsal, and
a number of the Karmapa incarnations (such as Karma Pakshi and Rangjung Dorje).
Similarly, there are teachings passed down from the great fifth Dalai Lama, Khon
Lui Wangpo, the siddha Tangtong Gyalpo, Drigung Rinchen Puntsok, Drigung Chokyi
Drakpa, Shamar Konchok Bong and several of the other Shamar incarnations, Situ
Pema Nyinje and several of the other Situ incarnations, Karmai Khenpo Rinchen
Dargye, Belo Tsewang Kunkhyap, Mi-nyak Tashi Tobgyal, Mingyur Paldron, Gya
Lotsawa, Chogyal Dorje, Padrowa Tsering Dorje, and many other peerless great
spiritual masters. The foregoing list is just a summary of some of their names.
If we consider the historical succession of these masters, some of the names I
mentioned are from the distant past, others are more recent, so strictly
speaking the succession was a bit mixed up; but if we consider just the titles
of the works, the foregoing list is more or less the case. In fact, I just
listed the names in the most convenient manner, as they came to mind. There are
also some tertons who are known by several different names.
If we discuss briefly the divisions of teachings contained
in the Rinchen Terzod, making it straightforward and easy to understand, there
could first be a discussion of the historical background, of the lineages from
which these teachings derive; second, a discussion of the profound teachings
that have such a history, of the table of contents, so to speak, and how these
teachings are practiced; and third, a discussion of the instructions that derive
from these lineages.
As for the instructions contained in the Rinchen Terzod,
the first major division concerns Mahayoga and the stage of development; the
second, Anuyoga and explanatory commentaries to the tantras; and the third,
Atiyoga and the pith instructions. Jamgon Kongtrul subsumed his entire
collection within these three major divisions.
Mahayoga
In the first major division, that of Mahayoga, there are
two further divisions into the tantra class and the sadhana class. If we
consider the tantra class, this concerns Vajrasattva and the cycle of the
peaceful and wrathful deities. The second subdivision, that of the sadhana
class, is further divided into sections on the primary sadhanas and the
secondary rituals associated with these.
The first section concerns the Three Roots ~ the guru as
the root of blessing, the chosen deities as the root of spiritual attainment,
and the dharmapalas as the root of enlightened activity. There is an entire
group of sadhanas combining the Three Roots in a single practice. These are
followed by specific sadhanas, which focus on the gurus of the lineages, as the
root of blessing; on the chosen deities of the lineages, as the root of
spiritual attainment; and on the dharmapalas of the lineage, as the root of
enlightened activity. In the case of the gurus, there are sadhanas focusing on
the guru as dharmakaya, the guru as sambhogakaya, and the guru as nirmanakaya.
Among the sadhana focusing on the chosen deities as the
root of spiritual attainment, there are eight categories: (1) sadhanas of
Mañjushri, deity of enlightened form; (2) sadhanas of Padma, deity of
enlightened speech; (3) sadhanas of Samyak, deity of enlightened mind; (4)
sadhanas of Amrita, deity of enlightened qualities; (5) sadhanas of Vajrakila,
deity of enlightened activity; (6) sadhanas of Mamo Botong; (7) sadhanas of
Jikten Choto; and (8) sadhanas of Mopa Drak-ngak.
As for the sadhanas focusing on the dakinis and dharmapalas
as the root of enlightened activity, first there are the dakini cycles, and
following that the cycles of the dharmapalas and their attendants. The latter
include cycles of protectors from the masculine lineages and the feminine
lineages.
There is a special section included at this point, which
contains certain cycles of teachings from the Bon tradition ~ for example, the
biography of Guru Rinpoche according to the Bon interpretation ~ all of which
are found here.
The second section, that of the secondary rituals, is
arranged in two subsections ~ the general format of the phases of approach and
accomplishment, and the rituals dealing with specific activities. In the first
subsection, that of the general rituals for the phases of approach and
accomplishment, includes teachings concerning empowerments, personal retreats on
the phases of approach and accomplishment, practices done between formal
meditation sessions, ganacakra feasts, fulfillment rituals, consecration
rituals, and fire rituals ~ a very extensive collection of all such rituals.
Just to give you all a sense of what is found in all the
sections and subsections of the Rinchen Terzod, let me briefly mention the
teachings found in the subsection on the phases of approach and accomplishment,
which constitute the essence of the path. The teachings are: Nyang's General
Format for Activity Rituals; The Pith Instruction of the Golden Wand; the
practice of Amritakundali according to the tradition of Longsal Nyingpo; the
practice of Amritakundali according to the Namcho tradition; a text from the
Lama Gongdü cycle of Sanggye Lingpa that deals with the general principles of
the stage of development, the phases of approach and accomplishment, and
retreat; the manual for the practice of Vajrapani, Tamer of the Arrogant Ones,
from Rolpai Dorje's termas; texts for the preparation of sindhura and other
samaya substances; pith instructions for preparing the "spirit stones" and
protection chakras associated with guardian deities; complete discussions of the
requisite substances for accomplishment, offering, and fulfillment associated
with the phases of approach and accomplishment, empowerments, and mandalas; the
ritual for suppressing the demon of broken samaya, from the Rigdzin Sokdrup
cycle of Lhatsün Namkha Jigme; the ritual for suppressing the demon of broken
samaya, from Rolpai Dorje's termas; the cycle of Mahabala from the Namcho
tradition; the ritual for suppressing the hidden demons associated with the
general gathering of wealth deities; the ritual to suppress the demons that
cause warfare, social unrest, and catastrophes, from the kama tradition of the
Nyingma school; the ritual for suppressing hidden demons, from the tradition of
Chakme; the ritual for suppressing hidden demons, from the termas of Rolpai
Dorje; the ritual for suppressing hidden demons, from the tradition of Rigdzin
Tukkyi Dorje; from Ratna Lingpa's termas, the source terma and rituals for the
minor activities of geomancy, preparation of a site for practice, and installing
and honoring the naga king Mahoraga; Minling Lochen's manual for drawing out
mandalas and its commentary; the compendium of pith instructions for the
precious teachings on the crown, from Sanggye Lingpa's Lama Gongdü cycle; The
Garland of Offerings to the Three Roots, the mind sadhana from Ratna Lingpa's
termas; the practice of the Three Roots from the Namcho tradition; The General
Format for Enlightened Activities, from Chokgyur Lingpa's Zapdun cycle; the
general manual for the peaceful and wrathful forms of the Three Roots; the
manuals for intensive group practice for the two mind sadhanas; the practice of
Kuntup Gyalmo from the Namcho cycle; The Accomplishment of the Life Force of
Masters of Awareness, from Ratna Lingpa's termas; rituals for summoning
blessings from the "cliff terma" of Ratna Lingpa and other sources; Longchenpa's
extensive manual of daily spiritual practices; the inner practices in six daily
sessions; and so forth. There are many such practices when one considers this
subsection in detail; the foregoing was a listing of the general texts
concerning the rituals of the phases of approach and accomplishment.
Next, if we consider the second subsection, that of rituals
dealing with specific activities, these are of two kinds ~ the most sublime
activity, and more ordinary activities. It would seem that there are no more
than a few teachings dealing with the most sublime activity, but as for the more
ordinary activities, there are a number of categories, various kinds of
enlightened activities. Among these are protective chakras, collections of
mantras, divination methods, rituals for a variety of activities, rituals to
bless holy sites, rituals to promote world peace, rituals to dispel
counterproductive circumstances, rituals to ransom life, and so forth ~ there
are many such teachings.
When we examine individually the teachings dealing with
these specific activities, first there is the activity of protection. This
category includes the following ten kinds of rituals: general protection against
illnesses and demonic influence; protection from harm by the four elements;
protection of one's country or region; protection against hail; protection
against frost; protection against epidemics; protection against poisons;
protection against enemies, bandits, and thieves; protection through issuing
injunctions using words of truth; and protection using messages written in words
of truth.
If we categorize activities in another way, considering
that of pacification, there are rituals to pacify by removing obstacles in
general, curing diseases, quelling demonic forces, purifying one of
contamination, neutralizing sorcery, ensuring peace in the world, purifying one
of obscurations and the effects of harmful actions, and so forth. As for
enriching activities, there are practices to enrich by increasing longevity,
intelligence, merit, and harvests; by ensuring the continuity of family lines,
by ensuring that the teachings flourish, and so forth. As for activities of
power, these are not treated very extensively in the Rinchen Terzod; there is
just a brief treatment. Rituals of wrathful activity, involving techniques of
direct intervention, are of both a general and a specific nature. In the first
case, there are four kinds of rituals ~ for protection, averting negativity,
slaying, and so forth.
In conclusion, there are rituals of entrustment to the four
elements. Entrustment to earth involves protective rituals to suppress
negativity and so forth. There are rituals of entrustment to water, to air, and
to fire, making four kinds of rituals in this category.
This concludes my discussion of the first major division.
Anuyoga
In the second major division, that of Anuyoga and
explanatory commentaries to the tantras, there is not an extensive treatment at
all, only a few methods that are included.
Atiyoga
In the third major division, that of Atiyoga and the pith
instructions (that is, Dzogchen), there are three categories ~ the outer
Category of Mind, the inner Category of the Expanse of Being, and the secret
Category of Direct Transmission. If we further analyze these Categories of Mind,
Expanse, and Direct Transmission, there are separate treatments of three
transmissions of the pith instructions of the Nyingtik, or Heart Drop, teachings
of the Atiyoga approach: these three are the transmissions from Vimalamitra, the
great master Padmakara, and Bairotsana.
There are also teachings that unite the intentions of these
three masters as one and present this as pith instructions. These instructions
include: the Chiti teachings, which are general presentations of these profound
instructions, and the Yangti teachings, which are presentations of more secret,
extraordinary oral lineages.
As the positive conclusion to the collection, there are
pith instructions that combine the foregoing three yogas. This concludes my
discussion of the Atiyoga division, which comprises all three Categories of
Mind, Expanse, and Direct Transmission.
Now, in saying "Dzogchen, the pith instructions of
Atiyoga," you might think that these teachings and rituals pertain solely to the
Dzogchen, or Great Perfection, approach, but such is not the case. In this
division there are many teachings that are primarily from the Mahamudra
approach, as well as those that are primarily from the Dzogchen approach. There
are also many teachings that integrate the Mahamudra and Dzogchen approaches.
All of these are also part of the division of Dzogchen, the pith instructions of
Atiyoga.
So the foregoing divisions ~ of Mahayoga and the stage of
development, of Anuyoga and the explanatory commentaries to the tantras, and of
Atiyoga and the pith instructions ~ are like the basic table of contents to the
Rinchen Terzod, in which all of the teachings it contains are subsumed. There
are three supplementary volumes, titled Om, Ah, and Hum. The Rinchen Terzod
comprises thirty volumes (titled Ka to A in the Tibetan alphabet), plus another
thirty (Ki to I), plus the three (Om, Ah, and Hum) making a total of sixty-three
volumes. There are also several further volumes with supplementary teachings. So
now I have briefly discussed the entire collection.
I will be conferring the empowerments for the Rinchen
Terzod; the oral transmissions will be conferred by Yon-ge Mingyur Rinpoche. If
we consider the lineages through which these empowerments have been transmitted,
fundamentally they all derive from the Buddha as their source. Further to that,
some are from the kama tradition; if we examine these kama teachings, they were
passed down by such masters as the great master Vimalamitra and the exalted and
sublime Nagarjuna. As for the terma teachings, they were passed down from Guru
Rinpoche and the great tertons. Some of them have both more direct and more
extensive lineages. All of this has been by way of a very general discussion.
For me, the true Vajradhara in actuality is the buddha
Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpai Dorje, who was incomparably kind in conferring on me
the pith instructions of the Mahamudra approach, like one vase filling another
to the brim. But in the case of the Rinchen Terzod empowerments, the guru from
whom I received these was that glorious and holy guru, the first Kyabje Kalu
Rinpoche, Karma Rangjung Kunkhyap. I received the oral transmissions from the
glorious guru, Kyabje Sanggye Nyenpa Rinpoche, Karma Palden Rangjung Trinle
Kunkhyap Tenpai Gyaltsen Pal Zangpo. Sanggye Nyenpa Rinpoche himself received
these transmissions from Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche
received the empowerments for the Rinchen Terzod from Karse Kongtrul Jamgon
Khyentsei Ozer. So the lineages are very direct and carry a store of blessings,
and have not been undermined by any broken samaya or other disruptive
circumstances.
When you receive these empowerments and oral transmissions,
the most important thing is that you uphold your samaya. You might wonder, "What
am I upholding in order to uphold my samaya?" You should uphold your samaya with
respect to the Three Roots ~ guru, deity, and dharmapala. How do you uphold your
samaya with respect to the guru? How does that guru become a guru for you?
Someone does not become your guru by saying, "I am going to bestow a great
empowerment. You must receive it; it is not permissible for you not to." No one
can say, "I'll pay you, so take this empowerment from me and be my student!"
Rather, someone becomes your guru when you request transmission of the dharma
from them. Since someone becomes your guru due to your receiving the dharma from
them, that guru must have the dharma to give. I received these empowerments from
Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche and these oral transmissions from Kyabje Sanggye Nyenpa
Rinpoche. Between the first Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche and the tenth Kyabje Sanggye
Nyenpa Rinpoche and myself, there has never been the slightest trace of broken
samaya; not the slightest crack in the eggshell, so to speak. Because their
minds and mine are one and the same, there has never been an opportunity for our
samaya to be broken or impaired. On that basis, once I have transmitted the
dharma to you, your become my students.
To uphold samaya with the guru, the samaya is that of
receiving the dharma ~ empowerments, oral transmissions, and instructions. To
uphold samaya with the chosen deity means that you should practice the
meditation and mantra repetition of the deity. And to uphold the samaya with the
dharmapalas means that you should perform the torma offering to enjoin the
activity of the dharmapalas on a continuous basis. But the samaya with these
three ~ guru, deity, and dharmapala ~ is upheld in order for you to attain the
state of perfect buddhahood. You only rely on the guru, deity, and dharmapalas
because you are focusing ultimately on this state of perfect buddhahood, not out
of any mundane concern. All of you, keep this point clear in your minds. Please
think only of practicing the dharma in a completely pure way, not of mixing
dharma and the world. Do you understand my point?
Here I sit, on a large wooden box carved by people who know
how to carve a throne worthy of the Dalai Lama's summer palace, there you sit on
the ground, and I am passing these transmissions down to you. The one sitting on
the large wooden box is the guru, the one teaching the dharma; you who are
sitting on the ground are therefore the ones receiving the dharma. You are
sitting looking upward for the transmissions, not looking downward. This being
the case, we become guru and students; that is the situation of the samaya
between guru and student. If the guru has no samaya, then you do not actually
receive the empowerment. If I have no samaya with my gurus, forget about the
empowerment ~ I could recite the text of the empowerment, but it would be of no
use to you all. But because I do have that samaya, I feel confident in thinking
that the blessing will be transmitted to you. And all of you came here to see me
because you trust in this, too; otherwise, making the time to come and going
through the difficulties you have would have been to no purpose. When you have
that trust, you receive the empowerments that are bestowed.
Take the case of the Rinchen Terzod collection. It contains
more than eight hundred empowerments. If you were required to perform the daily
practices for all of these, you couldn't do it, unless you are able to produce
emanations! There are only twenty-four hours in the day, so you couldn't recite
all those practices. But you should recite The Feast of the Masters of Awareness
(Rigdzin Gaton) daily, and recite a single deity practice, for whichever is your
chosen deity. Everything is included in that. We should perform our dharmapala
practice daily, without fail. Whether you are a tulku, a member of the ordained
sangha, or a layman or laywoman, all who are practitioners of the dharma should
carry out these practices. Do you understand my point?
Now, don't start off trying to do extensive practices, or
many practices. You'll do them for a day or two, or a month or two, but you
won't be able to keep it up. Think very carefully about this! Recite a text such
as The Feast of the Masters of Awareness daily, without fail. With that as your
basis, you can progress further, but it is not right for you to regress. You
might practice for three hours today, but after three months or so, you're down
to one half-hour; and after two years or so, five minutes; and after three
years, you're just sitting there in a stupor, and sleeping in until nine or ten
o'clock. That just won't do. Even if you can't practice more than this basic
commitment, at least do not let that degenerate. People who act like they are
leaping right in from the start do not impress or convince me ~ that's just my
nature. If you just begin by doing something consistent, then you can gradually
build on that. "There is always time to say what hasn't been said, to do what
hasn't been done," as the saying goes. But once you've undertaken something, you
need to carry through on it; it won't do to begin something and not see it
through to completion. If you don't have the confidence that you can see
something through to completion, better not to undertake it in the first place,
but just let it go. Having said all that, you should approach your practice at
the very outset in a relaxed frame of mind, yet still practice well, so that you
do not go against your samaya with the Three Roots.
All of you are already vajra siblings who have entered into
the same mandala. You might wonder how you are to uphold the samaya you have as
siblings. There is no special samaya with respect to your vajra siblings, such
that you can uphold it even if you have undermined your samaya with respect to
the Three Roots; at that point, there would no longer be any samaya to uphold.
Let me give you an example. Suppose someone has died; if you continue to treat
them as though they were still alive, the smell just gets worse day by day. If
this goes on long enough, there could be a risk that the corpse will reanimate
as a zombie! Once the person has died, something must be done. Their body must
be cremated or buried; it won't do just to leave it lying there. Similarly, once
you have undermined your samaya with respect to the Three Roots, you are no
longer a vajra sibling; the intelligent thing to do is to practice well, and so
ensure that things don't come to that.
Nevertheless, if you are someone who is upholding samaya
with respect to the Three Roots, it is extremely important that you uphold your
samaya toward your vajra siblings. Look at the example of the three masters
Khyentse, Kongtrul, and Chokgyur Lingpa; consider what they achieved with their
minds in perfect accord, with mutual respect. All of you should try to emulate
them, and act so as not to go against your samaya with respect to the Three
Roots. All of you are one another's vajra siblings, so don't be petty ~ "She's
better than I, he's less than I, we're the greatest, I'm the best, we two are
the best," and so forth. Since all of you are, in fact, one another's vajra
siblings, treat each other as such, but there is no breaking or impairing of
samaya if you regard someone who is not your vajra sibling as not being your
vajra sibling. That's fine. Do you understand my point? We could pretend to like
everybody to their faces, even though we dislike them in our minds. I'm speaking
very frankly here. For example, if you spend your whole day smiling at everyone,
by bedtime you might actually be scowling. All of us, even if we are lamas, even
if we are tulkus, if we treat the Buddha's teachings as less important and treat
other people's favorable opinion of us as more important, or if we treat lineage
and samaya as less important ~ if we act is such ways, the duration the
teachings will last in this world is shortened. Although the Buddha's teachings
might otherwise endure for five thousand years, it is possible that they might
not last more that two thousand, five hundred or six hundred years.
Suppose someone has done something for me, has helped me,
and so I feel obliged to treat them more favorably than I would others. It's as
though I started with the purest gold, to which I began by adding a single gram
of lead. Then I add another gram of lead. At the end of a hundred years, one
hundred grams of pure gold might be mixed with a thousand grams of base lead.
There is no longer pure gold, is there? Now, generally speaking, there is
nowadays a real need for cooperation and harmony, but in the depths of our minds
we also need to see precisely what is for what is, and what is not for what is
not.
Maybe I have enjoyed some great merit; I grew up surrounded
by fine lamas, fine people, with real altruism. Their nature was one of patience
as extensive as the flow of a mighty river, of altruism as pure as the driven
snow of the glacier, of faith and samaya commitment as stable as the most
majestic of mountains. These were the people who helped me grow. It is due to
that, perhaps, that people nowadays regard me as being rather set in my ways.
But I would rather be strong-minded and set in my ways than someone who is
easily influenced. Do you see my point? Unless I naturally become someone more
easily influenced, I will continue to be strong-minded. If we consider who my
guru was, he was the buddha Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpai Dorje. For nine years I
stayed with him, influenced by his enlightened form, speech, and mind. There was
never any undermining of the samaya between us, and for that reason, out of all
the students the Gyalwa Karmapa had, he chose to leave his last will and
testament with me, very privately. I think I was very fortunate to be so chosen,
but I don't think in the slightest that I am so special, or that I am better
than everyone else. Rather, I think that he might have entrusted this to me
because I am strong-minded and stubborn.
When times are difficult, when the teachings are becoming
corrupted, when the five poisonous emotions are on the rise ~ if something of
such great importance must be accomplished under such circumstances, it won't be
an easy thing to do, but something very challenging. Suppose a certain family
builds a fine house; all their neighbors will become envious. If you really
think about it, what's in it for the family that built the house? They can enjoy
it. But the envious neighbors, even though they might not have more than a
single onyx pendant to wear around their necks, will sell that in order to build
themselves an even better house. And how easy will that all have been, even if
they manage to build such a house?
I have received these lineages, which were passed down by
Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye and still exist as unbroken transmissions, in the
presence of both Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche and Sanggye Nyenpa Rinpoche. These are the
transmissions I am now passing on to all of you.
In recent times and at presents, all the lamas have been
and are working for the teachings. Given that we must work for the teachings in
these degenerating times, occasionally one might feel discouraged, that one's
efforts to help the teachings aren't effective, or that one isn't capable of
helping. But we shouldn't pay any attention to such feelings. Think of
Milarepa's complexion, of what color his body turned. When the hunters saw him,
they weren't sure if he was a human being or a demon. They thought he must be a
demon, and began to flee. When they realized he was a human being, they came to
have faith in him, given how extraordinary he was compared to other people. And
think of what kind of person the first Gyalwang Karmapa, Düsum Khyenpa, was. He
had nothing to wear but an old sheepskin. But in the final analysis, he relied
on his guru, undertook the challenges of practice, and achieved a state of
spiritual attainment. Nowadays, the seventeenth incarnation of the Gyalwa
Karmapa is still only twenty-one years of age. But given that he is the latest
of the successive incarnations of the first Karmapa, Düsum Khyenpa, in light of
that just consider what his magnificent presence, personal merit, power and
influence, erudition, and motivation are like. You might ask, "How could someone
like this come into this world and be present among us?" This came about due to
the influence of the enlightened form, speech, and mind of masters in the past.
It is up to their descendants to carry this on.
If we think of more recent times, during our own
generation, Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche did not have a high position from the outset.
But he pursued his practice of the dharma, had faith in his root gurus, had
altruistic motivation toward the teachings and beings, and great compassion
toward his students and followers; that is why Kalu Rinpoche became a lama to
the world. If you serve the teachings, if you act with real altruistic intent,
then even if you think, "I myself don't need anything," everything will turn out
well as a matter of course.
Nowadays, in these degenerating times, everyone carries a
rope in their left hand and a hammer in their right. I don't mean this
literally, that you see them with these things. But everyone, in a sense, is
carrying them. And what do they use them for? Whenever someone progresses above
them, they throw the rope around their legs and drag them down; and whenever
someone below them seems to be moving upward, they feel that this makes this
person their foe and they beat them down. If you wonder what we are to do in
times such as these, there really isn't much we can do. During the time of the
Buddha, his cousin Devadatta felt such jealousy toward the Buddha that he always
strove to be just like the Buddha. For example, since the Buddha had naturally
occurring designs of a wheel on his palms and soles, Devadatta burned scars of a
similar design into his palms and soles with a branding iron. But whatever he
did, he couldn't equal the Buddha. One doesn't become a buddha by disrespecting
the Buddha, but by relying on the Buddha. Finally, the earth opened up under
Devadatta and he fell into the fire beneath the earth. At that point he had to
cry out, and from his lips came the words, "Gautama, I'm burning! I'm burning!"
And in the final analysis, this was definitely of some benefit to him.
The Blessed One's father, King Shuddhodana, was bitterly
disappointed that his son, the Lord Buddha, did not obey his wishes and succeed
to the throne. In a sutra entitled The Reunion of Father and Son
(Pita-putra-samagama-sutra), there is an account of an excellent way in which he
came to engender faith in the Buddha. The arhat Udayin flew through the sky and
came to meet with King Shuddhodana, the Buddha's father. The king asked his
minister, "Who is this?" His minister replied, "This is one of Gautama's
students." The king thought to himself, "If one of the students is like this,
what must Gautama be like?" And his mind began to change a bit. He offered alms
to Udayin and requested teaching from him, and this caused King Shuddhodana to
go to meet with the Buddha. The king made a magnificent spectacle on his
journey, mounted on an elephant, accompanied by an army, with many ministers and
others in his retinue. When he reached the place where the Buddha was staying,
he saw all the trees, as well as the flowers, as being made of precious jewels.
He perceived the tree under which the Buddha was sitting as being far more
impressive than his entire kingdom. His pride was broken and he came forward to
meet with the Buddha. He saw the Buddha as being in a palace that was like the
vastness of space, in which were contained as many universes as there are grains
of sand in the river Ganges. In all directions, he saw bodhisattvas who had
attained advanced levels of realization, seated on lotuses. Because the king was
still an ordinary person, he was not able to see the bodhisattvas on these
advanced levels that had come from other universes; he could only see spheres of
light above the lotus seats. In the center of this palace sat the Buddha, with
the rules of the gods, Brahma and Indra, and others honoring him. As he met the
Buddha, the king was dumbfounded. He thought to himself, "My son Gautama has
become greater than Brahma and Indra, the rulers of the gods!" He forgot all the
hardship and worry of his being unable to rule as the king of even a small
kingdom, and felt such a decisive sense of joy.
Those of you who serve the teachings and work to benefit
beings, if you act out of an altruistic intent, disregarding any selfish
impulses, the radiance of that will attract those around you who admire you.
They will all feel faith in you automatically; you won't need to use all kinds
of specific means. Just as the Buddha's father, the king, experienced his mind
being guided, you will be able to guide all beings. Do you see my point? You who
are ordained shouldn't just think of yourself as ordinary monks. Everyone has
the buddha nature at the heart of their being. Even the Blessed One himself
stated:
When I was once a beggar,
I offered a bowl of curd
in the presence of the buddha Mahashakyamuni;
it was then that I first gave rise to the aspiration to attain sublime
enlightenment.
According to his own words, the Buddha was first a beggar
who had nothing more than a single bowl of food. He met the buddha
Mahashakyamuni, who was going around collecting alms, and felt faith in that
buddha. He offered Mahashakyamuni his food and gave rise to the aspiration to
attain sublime enlightenment, thinking, "May I become just like you!" Then,
after three incalculably long eons, he awakened to perfect buddhahood. So there
is no way that any of you who are ordained can think, "I'm just an ordinary
monk. I'm couldn't even begin to serve the teachings." Even if you are "just a
monk," if you really apply yourself to the practice of the dharma, you could
definitely become just like the incomparable Dakpo Lhaje, Gampopa. But it won't
be of any use to try hard because you feel proud or jealous. There's no point to
such behavior. Spiritual practice is such that, if you practice purely, you
progress as a matter of course. Do you understand what I'm saying?
There are many masters, such as Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye
and Kalu Rinpoche, as well as masters still living, such as Chatral Sanje Dorje.
These masters have served, and continue to serve, the teachings of the Buddha.
It is my aspiration that you become just like them. So all of you, please take
this to heart.
Well, then, as the saying goes, "If a teaching never come
to a conclusion, it means the teacher is hopelessly lost." And if a teaching
goes on too long, without any end in sight, one just ends up babbling. So we
should stop at this point. We will take a short break, and when we return you
will receive the empowerment and oral transmission for Vajrasattva.
In conclusion, please arouse bodhicitta well and make
prayers of aspiration.
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