A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom
[ 1 ] A Torch
Lighting the Way to Freedom
Complete Instructions on the Preliminary [ 2 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/2 [ 3 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/3 [ 4 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/4 [ 5 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/5 [ 6 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/6 [ 7 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/7 [ 8 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/8 [ 9 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/9 [ 10 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/10 [ 11 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/11 [ 12 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/12 [ 13 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/13 [ 14 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/14 [ 15 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/15 [ 16 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/16 [ 17 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/17 [ 18 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/18 [ 19 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/19 [ 20 ] • to listen without sincere respect and devotion to the master and the
teaching;
• to listen without a genuine commitment to the path of Dharma;
• to listen with the mind distracted by external factors;
• to listen with the six senses excessively withdrawn so that one does
not understand the words or the meaning of what is being explained;
• and to listen with a sad and weary mind.
Rid yourself of these and listen with the right kinds of qualities, as
described in the Sutra Requested by Subahu:
Consider the teacher proclaiming the Dharma as a priceless treasure.
Consider the teaching as a wish-fulfilling jewel.
Consider that to hear the teaching is extremely rare.
Consider that to hold the teaching and reflect on it is most precious
and beneficial.
Consider that a discerning understanding of the Dharma is something
you will not find in a hundred lifetimes.
Consider that those who give up seeking the teachings have thrown
away nectar and can only enjoy poison.
Consider that those who listen and reflect will achieve their aims.
and so on.
So with a correct attitude and perfect mindfulness, meditate as follows: The
place where we are is arrayed with the ornaments of all the Buddhafields
and endowed with boundless good qualities, and on this ground is the
building we are in—no ordinary building, but the Palace of Great Liberation,
bedecked with the “jewels of the Essence of Space,” 2 a measureless palace
formed from the self-radiance of primal wisdom, d utterly perfect in
proportions and design. In its center, seated on a jeweled throne of
indestructibility and on the anthers of the king of lotuses, is the teacher, in
whom the compassion and activities of all the Buddhas of the past, present,
and future are combined; who embodies the net of the magical display of
primordial wisdom; whose activity is such that simply hearing the teacher’s
name brings liberation from cyclic existence and the lower realms; who is
the sole glorious protector of samsara and nirvana. Visualize him or her as
the Universally Good Lake-Born Diamond Bearer in person, with his
consort.e From his mouth the words of the teaching stream forth in the form
of rays of light with syllables made up of the vowels and consonants.
Visualize the men listening to the teaching as the reddish-yellow TikshnaMañjushri,f holding an utpala flower upon which are a sword and a volume
of the teachings. Visualize the women listening to the teaching as the
goddess Tara, who is green and holds an utpala flower. The ears of both
male and female listeners are sixteen-petaled blue utpalas, through which
the words of the teaching enter, lightly dissolving 3 into the lotuses in our
hearts and dispelling the darkness of our ignorance. Consider that the lotus
of knowledge blooms and that the meaning of the teaching is clearly
understood and perfectly retained through the power of unforgetting [ 21 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/21 [ 22 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/22 [ 23 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/23 [ 24 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/24 [ 25 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/25 [ 26 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/26 [ 27 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/27 [ 28 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/28 [ 29 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/29 [ 30 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/30 [ 31 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/31 [ 32 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/32 [ 33 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/33 [ 34 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/34 [ 35 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/35 [ 36 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/36 [ 37 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/37 [ 38 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/38 [ 39 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/39 [ 40 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/40 [ 41 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/41 [ 42 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/42 [ 43 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/43 [ 44 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/44 [ 45 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/45 [ 46 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/46 [ 47 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/47 [ 48 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/48 [ 49 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/49 [ 50 ] supreme concentration of great compassion, you will never be
without transcendent wisdom, you will bring sentient beings to full
maturity, and all your hopes will be perfectly fulfilled.
And the Great Omniscient One says: As a result, unbiased pure perception arises, One is trained in loving kindness, compassion, and bodhichitta, Experiences and realization naturally grow, One acts on an infinite scale for others’ good And accomplishes all their wishes in accordance with the Dharma. And so on—all this is widely dealt with in numerous texts. This completes a brief account of how to follow the spiritual friend, who is the root of the path. a. A good king protects his subjects from difficulties such as being unfairly judged and punished; they go to him to be pardoned. b. The two accumulations of merit and wisdom. c. I.e., the inexhaustible qualities of Buddhahood. d. I.e., the absolute body and the body of perfect enjoyment are present in the body of manifestation. e. The Close Sons, the Buddha’s eight closest Bodhisattva disciples. See glossary, Eight Great Close Sons. f. Tib. gsang ba’i bdag po, another name for Vajrapani. g. See “The Five Crimes with Immediate Retribution.” h. In traditional society, a newly wed bride takes pains not to vex her husband or her mother-inlaw. i. “Opening the Eyes” (Tib. spyan ’byed) refers to painting a statue of the Buddha or a deity, of which the most important part is painting the eyes. The person who does this is often paid a fee for his work. j. Tib. bshags pa, see glossary, parting, for an explanation of this term, formerly translated as “confession.”