A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 09:01, 12 March 2021

[ 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path of Dharma; • to listen with the mind distracted by external factors; • to listen with the six senses excessively withdrawn so that one does not understand the words or the meaning of what is being explained; • and to listen with a sad and weary mind.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.” [ 51 ] PART TWO

The Main Explanation of the Stages for Setting Out on the Path Section One: The general preliminary practice for each session, which makes one a fit vessel Section Two: The specific preliminary practice for the yogas of the two phases

SECTION ONE

The General Preliminary Practice for Each Session, Which Makes One a Fit Vessel [ 52 ] CHAPTER FOUR

The General Preliminary Practice for Each Session, Which Makes One a Fit Vessel

G

ENERALLY SPEAKING, WHICHEVER STAGE OF THE PRACTICE

one is engaged

in, it is most important to begin by making use of a pleasant, isolated place where nothing will happen to adversely affect one’s concentration, such as people moving about or disturbances from noise. As the Six Prerequisites for Concentration points out, Like bangles on a young maid’s wrist,a With many there are constant fights; With even two there will be rivalry: So I must remain alone. There, not only should you give up all negative and neutral activities of body, speech, and mind, but also, until you achieve a little stability, you must even for the time being abandon positive actions if they adversely affect your concentration. Once you have stemmed the continuous flow of exhausting tasks, idle chatter, and thoughts and can rely on being free from these three faults (physical, verbal, and mental) related to concentration, make a firm resolve to devote yourself completely to the practice. 21 For this, it is important to have in mind the eight types of mental application that act as antidotes in eliminating the five faults, since they are indispensable accessories to putting the instructions into practice. The five faults, as listed in Distinguishing the Middle from Extremes, are as follows: Laziness, forgetting the essential instructions, Wildness or dullness, Nonapplication, and overapplication— These are said to be the five faults.b In other words, these faults are: • being lazy and uneager to practice; • forgetting the words and their meaning with regard to what one is meditating on; • being overpowered by wildness or dullness; • not using the antidote when either of these two occur; and • applying the antidote too strongly once one has overcome wildness and dullness. [ 53 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/53 [ 54 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/54 [ 55 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/55 [ 56 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/56 [ 57 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/57 [ 58 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/58 [ 59 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/59 [ 60 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/60 [ 61 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/61 [ 62 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/62 [ 63 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/63 [ 64 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/64 [ 65 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/65 [ 66 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/66 [ 67 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/67 [ 68 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/68 [ 69 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/69 [ 70 ] In Sayings on Impermanence we find:

If even the body of the Sugata, blazing with a thousand marks, Accomplished from hundreds of meritorious acts, is impermanent, How will one’s body, as undependable As a bubble that bursts, not certainly perish? Look at how the sun will set—the Buddha who came for beings’ sake; And the moon as well—the treasury of the sublime Dharma. And know that in all one’s prosperity, one’s retinue and wealth, There is nothing that is eternal. The protectors of the world—Brahma, Ishvara, Vishnu, Indra, the Four Great Kings, and others—fill the world with great beams of light and are brighter than a thousand suns. Their majesty and merit are renowned through all the heavens and the earth. They are the lords of all worlds— subterranean, earthly, and heavenly—adorned with the greatest fortune. And yet for them too the time will come to die, as is written in the Vinaya scriptures: O monks, look at all these riches that fade and are essenceless. As I remember my past lives in cyclic existence, even though I was Brahma, Indra, the Four Great Kings, and other lords of beings an inconceivable number of times, I was never satiated, and I transmigrated and fell to the lower realms. Furthermore, the gods, demigods, accomplished ascetics, and mantra holdersb are also all bound to die, as the Vinaya scriptures affirm: Gods who have accomplished concentration, spirits who can take human form,41 Demigods, sages, and ascetics, refulgent with splendor And living for kalpas on end—if even they are impermanent, Need one mention human beings, Whose frail bodies will perish and disintegrate like bursting bubbles? Universal emperors with dominion over the four continents, kings, ministers, monks and nuns, brahmins, householders, and the rest—not a single being is exempt from death, as we read in the Intentionally Spoken Chapters: Emperors who possess the seven jewels, Kings and ministers, Monastics, brahmins, householders, and the rest— All these beings are impermanent: They are like beings in a dream.

C. Reflecting on the inevitability of death by investigating different examples In this world of ours, there has been change as the past age of complete [ 71 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/71 [ 72 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/72 [ 73 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/73 [ 74 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/74 [ 75 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/75 [ 76 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/76 [ 77 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/77 [ 78 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/78 [ 79 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/79 [ 80 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/80 [ 81 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/81 [ 82 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/82 [ 83 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/83 [ 84 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/84 [ 85 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/85 [ 86 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/86 [ 87 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/87 [ 88 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/88 [ 89 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/89 [ 90 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/90 [ 91 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/91 [ 92 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/92 [ 93 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/93 [ 94 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/94 [ 95 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/95 [ 96 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/96 [ 97 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/97 [ 98 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/98 [ 99 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/99 [ 100 ] Furthermore, when they see the majesty and abundant pleasures of gods with greater merit, the ones with less merit become depressed and intimidated. For the weaker gods, there is the distress of being driven out of their homes by the stronger ones. The gods in the realm of the Four Great Kings and the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, in particular, quarrel and fight with the demigods, and they suffer horribly when they are cut and torn, or killed, by their weapons. b. REFLECTING ON THE SUFFERINGS OF THE TWO HIGHER WORLDS In the form and formless worlds there is no manifest suffering of suffering, but the gods there are never exempt from the suffering of everything composite.j Because the ordinary beings k in these realms become, as it were, intoxicated with concentration, they do not make any progress in increasing their good qualities. Once they have tasted the flavor of concentration, they dare not be parted from concentration as an experience,72 and as a result, their concentration fades and they die. In particular, when the propelling action l they performed in a previous life is exhausted, the ordinary beings in these realms again take birth in the world of desire. Although they have had an apparently blissful experience in their earlier meditation of worldly concentration and now in the concentrations of the form and formless realms, when the propelling force for this tainted bliss is spent, they will again fall into the lower realms without any idea where they are going, like an arrow being shot into the sky. Letter to a Friend says: A Kamaloka god, one gains such bliss, As Brahma, bliss that’s free from all desire; But know that after that comes constant pain: As firewood one feeds Avici’s flames.73 So, wherever we are born in the three worlds of cyclic existence, there is suffering. Whatever the place, it is a place of suffering. Whoever accompanies us is a companion in suffering. Whatever we experience, it does not go beyond the experience of suffering. As is stated in the Sublime Continuum, Just as in excrement there are no good smells, for the five kinds of beings there is no happiness; Their sufferings are like the ever-continuing sensation of fire, weapons, caustic salts, and so forth.74 That is what we have to understand.

III. REFLECTING PARTICULARLY ON THE NATURE OF THE THREE KINDS OF SUFFERING

The Fully Ripened Effect The relative gravity of negative actions depends on specific factors such as their motivation, object, time, and frequency. Thus, the worst negative actions result in rebirth in the hells, less serious ones result in rebirth as a hungry spirit, and the least serious lead to rebirth as an animal, with the respective experiences of suffering described in the previous chapter. The Close Mindfulness Sutra states: The fully ripened effect of the least serious negative actions is rebirth among animals. That of more serious ones is rebirth among the hungry spirits. That of the worst ones is rebirth in the hells.

The Effect Similar to the Cause EXPERIENCES SIMILAR TO THE CAUSE

Taking life results in one’s having a short life. As a result of stealing, one will be short of possessions. Sexual misconduct results in one’s having numerous enemies. From lying, one will often be criticized and belittled. As a result of sowing discord, one will quarrel with one’s companions. Because of one’s harsh speech, everything one hears will be unpleasant. On account of worthless chatter, one’s words will lack authority. As a result of covetousness, one’s wishes will never be accomplished. Harmful intentions will result in one’s always being afraid. Wrong views will result in one’s being stupid and confused. This is stated in the Jewel Garland as follows: Take life, and you will have a short life, Take what is not given, and you’ll be deprived of wealth, Commit adultery, and you’ll have enemies, From telling lies, you will be much criticized, By sowing discord, you’ll be parted from your friends, Speak harshly, and you’ll hear unpleasant things, From worthless chatter, nothing you say will command respect, Covet things, and all your hopes will be shattered, Harbor malice, and fear will be your lot, From holding wrong views, you’ll meet wrong views.79

ACTIONS SIMILAR TO THE CAUSE

Purifying Negative Actions and Obscurations, Which Are Unfavorable Conditions on the Path: Instructions on the Meditation of Vajrasattva

T

HIS

CHAPTER

COMPRISES

TWO

SECTIONS:

GENERAL

POINTS

to

be

understood, and the points of the training in this case. The first is divided into three parts: the reason one needs to purify negative actions, the method for purifying them, and the benefits of purification.

I. GENERAL POINTS TO BE UNDERSTOOD A. The reason one needs to purify negative actions Since time without beginning, throughout our whole series of lives in cyclic existence, we ordinary beings have been accumulating the two kinds of obscuration, along with habitual tendencies, and we now have a great many of them in our stream of being. Because of them, the path to liberation and omniscience is obstructed, and, in particular, during the main practice, experiences and the wisdom of realization are prevented from forming properly in our minds. These interruptions and obstacles are the result of our past negative actions and downfalls related to vows. Furthermore, it is said that from breaking the Secret Mantra Vehicle commitments, many unpleasant things will happen to us in this life, we will meet with obstacles on the path, and we will go directly to the Diamond Hell, as we read in the tantras: The diamond ogre will suck the blood from your heart, You’ll have a short life, with much illness, the loss of your wealth, and fear of enemies; And in the truly horrendous Hell of Ultimate Torment, For ages you’ll endure the most unbearable pain. So because of the enormous benefits and risks involved, should the slightest breach occur, it must be parted froma immediately. Actions motivated by the three poisons comprise mental actions, which are not given physical or verbal expression directly, and physical and verbal actions, which are actually expressed. For all actions, though, it is the thought that comes first. As it is said, Because it makes the world go dark, Mind is the root of the poisons. All through our beginningless series of lives, we have unknowingly and imperceptibly gathered a mountainous burden of negative actions and [ 171 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/171 [ 172 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/172 [ 173 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/173 [ 174 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/174 [ 175 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/175 [ 176 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/176 [ 177 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/177 [ 178 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/178 [ 179 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/179 [ 180 ] All that appears and exists is viewed as purified, as the infinite display. OM VAJRA SATTVA HUNG Recite this mantra as much as you can. At the end, the universe and beings visualized as a Buddhafield and deities all melt into light and dissolve into you. You yourself then dissolve into the vital seed syllable in the heart. This again dissolves in stages from the bottom up into the nada,m and the nada in turn vanishes into the state of emptiness, the nonconceptual clear light. Rest in evenness as long as you can, completely relaxed in the inexpressible state of great bliss, pure from the very beginning, free of all concepts of an object to be purified and a subject that purifies. Then, when you rise out of that state, dedicate the merit with such prayers as, By the merit of this May I swiftly accomplish the nature of Vajrasattva, And, not leaving out a single being, May I establish them all in his level. Then continue with your everyday activities. Until you have signs that you have purified your negative actions and obscurations, it is important to be completely concentrated on the visualization and to do the recitation without distraction. As the Great Master said, If you are distracted, with your mind elsewhere, Even reciting for a kalpa will bring no result. What are the signs of success in this practice? Meditational experiences or dreams in which you vomit or purge, are washing, are dressed in white, cross a wide river, fly through the sky, see the sun and moon rising, and so forth, are signs that you have purified negative actions. Dreams or experiences in which dirt, pus, blood, and lymph come out of your body are some of the indications that you have purified illnesses. Those in which minute animals such as ants emerge show that you have expelled negative forces. In particular, you may have real, direct experiences of clear awareness, of physical lightness, and of spontaneous devotion and determination to be free. In general, if you have genuine confidence in the law of cause and effect, there is no way that you will not feel regret for your negative actions, and when this is so, your parting from faults too will be authentic. From purifying your mindstream in this way, you will certainly have more and more good experiences, and your realization will increase. Nowadays, however, we are not fundamentally interested in purifying our obscurations and do not make the effort. Even if we do, we follow the prayers and rituals merely as a duty, but without real, heartfelt confidence or shame and regret. This is why the qualities of experience and realization are as rare as stars in the daytime. So never underestimate the importance of this method for purifying obscurations, and make every effort to practice it so that it is truly effective. [ 181 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/181 [ 182 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/182 [ 183 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/183 [ 184 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/184 [ 185 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/185 [ 186 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/186 [ 187 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/187 [ 188 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/188 [ 189 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/189 [ 190 ] 7. Considering one’s aim in making such an offering The master Ashvagosha says: All these sources of good that I have accomplished I dedicate as the cause of the state beyond the world, Without thoughts related to cyclic existence, or hopes Of any resulting fame, praise, or happiness, celestial or human. Unless all our meritorious actions are backed by the skillful means of compassion and the wisdom of emptiness, they will merely become causes of cyclic existence resulting in cyclic existence. So it is extremely important that our actions be exclusively backed by the wisdom that realizes the profound meaning. As we find in The Way of the Bodhisattva, When something and its nonexistence Both are absent from before the mind, No other option does the latter have: It comes to perfect rest, from concepts free.155 When we do not have in mind any characterizing thoughts, nor even think of emptiness, which is absence of characteristics, but remain, without remaining,l in the state of emptiness—the ultimate nature that transcends both things with characteristics and the mental image of absence of characteristics—the accumulation of merit becomes perfectly pure, as indicated in Introduction to the Middle Way: Giving, void of giver, gift, receiver, Is called a perfection that transcends the world.156 The object to which you are offering the Buddhafield, the things you are offering, and you yourself, the offerer, are from the beginning devoid of real existence or characteristics, so rest in evenness in the natural state completely free of elaboration, without any concept of subject, object, and action. Offering in this way, as an unceasing manifestation of the merely illusory appearance aspect of interdependent arising, will become an unsurpassable source of good, in which generosity and the other transcendent perfections are performed with the eye of wisdom and the two accumulations are united. 8. The unique benefits From the point of view of actually making the offering, a cloud of offerings like this constitutes the accumulation of merit, while from the point of view of its being backed by wisdom free from concepts, it constitutes the accumulation of wisdom. Even if we make a materially small mandala offering, our special visualization and attitude serve as skillful methods to increase it, and we will therefore gain infinite merit. Among the numerous explanations on this point, the Mandala Sutra states: [ 191 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/191 [ 192 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/192 [ 193 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/193 [ 194 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/194 [ 195 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/195 [ 196 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/196 [ 197 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/197 [ 198 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/198 [ 199 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/199 [ 200 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/200 [ 201 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/201 [ 202 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/202 [ 203 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/203 [ 204 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/204 [ 205 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/205 [ 206 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/206 [ 207 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/207 [ 208 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/208 [ 209 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/209 [ 210 ] And as already quoted, the master Ashvagosha says: All these sources of good that I have accomplished I dedicate as the cause of the state beyond the world, Without thoughts related to cyclic existence, or hopes Of any resulting fame, praise, or happiness, celestial or human. The “state beyond the world” comprises the three levels of nirvana. Of them, the Listeners’ and Solitary Realizers’ nirvanas are inferior with respect to the Great Vehicle’s nirvana, so we should not dedicate to these, for as the Buddha advises in the Middle Sutra of Transcendent Wisdom, Subhuti, you should dedicate this source of good only to the level of Buddhahood. Do not dedicate it to the levels of Listeners or Solitary Realizers, or to other levels. Dedicate, therefore, only to the level of Omniscient Buddhahood, as in the Prayer of Good Action: All of it I dedicate to enlightenment. And in the Sutra of Complete Dedication: These sources of good I dedicate to Buddhahood. By dedicating to that end, we will incidentally reap all kinds of happiness in the meanwhile (a long life, good health, and happy circumstances—good family, wealth, and so forth), like the bran one gets as a by-product with the grain from a good harvest. (iii) For whose sake one dedicates If we dedicate our merit to ourselves alone, or to a few people like our relatives and friends, even if it is an enormously positive action, its benefit will be diminished and it will be wasted, as the Middle Sutra of Transcendent Wisdom points out: Dedicate it for the sake of all sentient beings and not simply to your own gain, for you would then fall to the level of the Listeners and Solitary Realizers. For this reason, we should dedicate it so that all beings, as numerous as space is vast, attain unsurpassable enlightenment, feeling for them an immense love and compassion, for in the countless times they have been our parents, they have shown us nothing but kindness. The Way of the Bodhisattva says: My body, thus, and all my goods besides, And all my merits gained and to be gained, I give them all and do not count the cost, To bring about the benefit of every being. [ 211 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/211 [ 212 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/212 [ 213 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/213 [ 214 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/214 [ 215 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/215 [ 216 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/216 [ 217 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/217 [ 218 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/218 [ 219 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/219 [ 220 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/220 [ 221 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/221 [ 222 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/222 [ 223 ] I pray to you from the depth of my heart. Without my parting from you for an instant, Bless me with your guidance, And make me inseparable from you. Consider that at this, the teacher’s face joyfully breaks into a smile, his eyes filled with love and compassion, and he comes onto the crown of your head, where he immediately melts into light, dissolving upward from his throne and downward from the hair on his head to become a ball of light at the level of his heart. This passes through the crown opening on your head and dissolves into the middle of your heart: The teacher melts into the essence of great bliss, becoming a sphere of fivecolored light an inch in size, which dissolves into the middle of my heart: my mind becomes inseparable from the teacher’s mind. Remain in evenness for as long as you can, in the natural, innate state of luminosity beyond mind—awareness-emptiness, the nature of the absolute teacher watching itself. As you arise from that state, again view all appearances as the multifarious expression of the teacher’s body; all sounds as sound-emptiness, the spontaneous resonance of the channels; and all thoughts that arise as the spontaneous manifestation of the diamond wisdom. Conclude by dedicating the merit and saying prayers for auspiciousness: Precious, glorious root teacher, Dwell on a lotus seat on the crown of my head. Guide me with your great kindness, And grant me the accomplishments of your body, speech, and mind. With regard to the glorious teachers’ lifestyles May I never have even an instant’s wrong view. Through devotion—seeing everything they do as perfect— May the teachers’ blessings enter my mind. All the positive deeds accumulated in the three times, symbolized by this one, Unsullied by the stains of any selfish desire for personal peace and happiness, I dedicate to the infinite hosts of beings, without a single exception, As the cause for their attaining unsurpassable enlightenment. In all my lives, may the feet of my teachers, the lords of the families, Never cease to adorn the wheel of great bliss in my crown, And through the path of devotion, may their minds and mine mingle as one. Grant the good fortune that the twofold goal be spontaneously accomplished. [ 224 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/224 [ 225 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/225 [ 226 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/226 [ 227 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/227 [ 228 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/228 [ 229 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/229 [ 230 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/230 [ 231 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/231 [ 232 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/232 [ 233 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/233 [ 234 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/234 [ 235 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/235 [ 236 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/236 [ 237 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/237 [ 238 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/238 [ 239 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/239 [ 240 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/240 [ 241 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/241 [ 242 ] Recite this as many times as you can. 2. Arousing the supreme bodhichitta, the essence of the path of the Great Vehicle Appealing to the objects of refuge as your witness, recite: All beings filling space have been my parents. They wish for happiness, yet all they achieve is suffering. How pitiful they are, wandering in cyclic existence with no chance of escape. I must do everything I can to free them. To that end I will drive myself with undistracted effort And see the profound yoga through to completion. Bringing to mind bodhichitta in aspiration and in action, recite as many times as possible: Heed me, Protectors and your Children: With the four boundless attitudes I will wholeheartedly take up the good of beings; Holding bodhichitta, I will train in the six transcendent perfections. May the twofold goal be spontaneously and gloriously fulfilled. Do the mind training of equalizing and exchanging oneself and others, and imagine giving away your happiness and taking on others’ suffering. At the end of the session: From the objects of refuge a boundless nectarous stream of blessings In the form of brilliant white rays of light issues forth. They dissolve into me and everyone else and purify the obscurations of body, speech, and mind. In an instant we melt into light and dissolve into the objects of refuge. The surrounding objects of refuge melt in stages and are absorbed into the main deity; The main deity is absorbed into the absolute space beyond concepts. With this dissolution, rest in evenness. 3. Meditation and recitation on Vajrasattva, to purify negative actions and obscurations that act as unfavorable conditions Visualize your root teacher in the form of Vajrasattva and consort actually present above the crown of your head. Developing intense shame and regret for the negative actions you committed in the past and vowing henceforth never to repeat them even if your life is at stake, imagine that the stream of nectarlike bodhichitta from the mantra garland in his heart purifies all your negative actions, obscurations, faults, and downfalls, with nothing left. [ 243 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/243 [ 244 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/244 [ 245 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/245 [ 246 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/246 [ 247 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/247 [ 248 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/248 [ 249 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/249 [ 250 ] filling the whole of your body and, dissolving into the radiant, naked state of awareness-emptiness, fall asleep in this state without mental dullness and without being interrupted by other thoughts. If you wake up, stop the flow of thoughts and reflections—distraction, wildness, stupefaction, and so on— and maintain the radiant state of luminosity. By doing so, you will be able to recognize the luminosity of sleep and the dream state. Again, when you get up in the morning, imagine the teacher passing up your central channel and out into the sky in front of your head, remaining there joyfully, and resume your practice as described above. Furthermore, when the time comes for you to die, mingling awareness and the absolute expanse of luminosity, remain in evenness. This is the very best form of transference. If you are unable to do that, remember the three aspects of yogic perception in the intermediate state, and by that means you will be liberated. So, maintaining constant devotion and keeping the commitments perfectly purely, be diligent in making the practice of the two accumulations combined grow more and more. Exert yourself in this way, beginning with the four practices for turning the mind, until you gain true experience in each of the stages of accumulation and purification. In particular, practice the Guru Yoga with intense diligence, convinced that it is the most extraordinary and profound essential point of the path of the Diamond Vehicle, and considering it, therefore, as the vital force of the main practice. Without the need to rely on the other practices of the generation and perfection phases, you will certainly be liberated in Chamara, the Buddhafield of Lotus Light and, traversing the four knowledge-holder levels as if by magic, reach the level of the wisdom teacher, Samantabhadra. The wise, if some there be, who wish for perfect freedom From the burning torment of samsara’s pit of fire, And who rely on this sublime path, this king of forest trees, Will find relief in its dense, cool shade—enlightenment. By the power of deeds well done, may all beings filling space Become the beneficiaries of this profound teaching, And without ever turning back, joyfully and swiftly enter That beautiful city, the Land of Lotus Light! This “Chariot of the Path of Union,” a recitation text for the preliminary practice of the general sections of Lama, Completion, and Mind of the new treasure, the profound and secret Heart Essence of the Dakini, is based on a previous, slightly unclear arrangement, which I intended to rearrange in a way that would be easy to recite and practice. Recently Tulku Jigme Chöying Norbu Dön Thamche Drubpe De from Kongyul Len Ri Sang Ngak Chödzong sent me a letter with the sincere request, “You must by all means complete this as it will surely be of immense benefit to all fortunate beginners practicing this path.” Because of this, I, Jigdrel Yeshe Dorje, the shoot of the knowledge holders, composed this at the age of thirty-four on the tenth day of the wisdom side [ 251 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/251 [ 252 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/252 [ 253 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/253 [ 254 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/254 [ 255 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/255 [ 256 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/256 [ 257 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/257 [ 258 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/258 [ 259 ] 121. The ten powers of perceptual limitlessness (Tib. zad par gyi skye mched bcu), also called the ten limitless ayatanas, concern the four elements (earth, water, fire, and wind), the four colors (blue, yellow, white, and red), infinite space, and infinite consciousness. Through concentration, the specific quality of any one of these ten can be transferred to the others. Thus the solidity of earth can be transferred to water, so that it can be walked upon. The eight kinds of perceptual domination (Tib. zil gyis gnon pa’i skye mched brgyad), also called the eight dominant ayatanas, comprise four kinds of ability to control shapes (as large or small) while remaining visible or invisible and four powers over the colors (blue, yellow, white, and red) of outer phenomena. The eight perfect freedoms (Tib. rnam thar brgyad) comprise three in performing miraculous manifestation and transformations (form beholding form, nonform beholding form, and beholding beauty); four with regard to the subtle mental perceptions of the four formless states of infinite space, infinite consciousness, utter nothingness, and neither existence nor nonexistence; and the perfect freedom of cessation. See Treasury of Precious Qualities, pages 341–43. 122. Tib. gzhan don bcu gcig: using whatever means are appropriate to help those who need befriending, those who do not know how to help themselves, those who have helped one, those who are afraid, those who are in misery and pain, those who are destitute, those who need somewhere to stay, those who wish to get on well with others, those who are engaged on the right path, those engaged on the wrong path, and those who can only be convinced by means of miracles. 123. Sublime Continuum, I, 77. Although there is a great difference between a Buddha’s activities and those of a Bodhisattva, ordinary beings are unable to see any difference. 124. Ornament of the Sutras, XVII, 7. 125. Ornament of the Sutras, XVII, 14. 126. Ornament of the Sutras, XX, 28, 29. 127. Ornament of the Sutras, XVII, 15. This quotation defines the six transcendent perfections by explaining their Sanskrit etymology. 128. Ornament of the Sutras, XVII, 74. 129. The Way of the Bodhisattva, VIII, 120. 130. The Way of the Bodhisattva, VIII, 129. 131. The Way of the Bodhisattva, VIII, 131. 132. To take Shantideva’s analogy of preparing for the journey and actually setting out, losing the aspirational bodhichitta is equivalent to tearing up one’s travel tickets. 133. The Way of the Bodhisattva, V, 11. 134. The Way of the Bodhisattva, I, 6. 135. The Way of the Bodhisattva, I, 18 and 19. [ 260 ] 136. The Way of the Bodhisattva, I, 12. 137. Tib. mchod sdong, lit. “offering tree,” can mean a shrine or stupa to which the faithful make offerings. The Bodhi tree is also referred to as “the great offering tree.” 138. The Way of the Bodhisattva, I, 9. 139. Tib. don yod, lit. “meaningful” or “significant,” i.e., it benefits beings (even if it does not appear to be a positive action). 140. The Way of the Bodhisattva, I, 36. 141. These similes are to be found on page 352 et seq. of The Flower Ornament Scripture, Vol. 3, translated by Thomas Cleary, Boston: Shambhala, 1987. This work is a translation from the Chinese of the Avatamsaka Sutra. 142. Tib. chos bzhi, lit. “four things” or “ways” (Skt. dharmas). 143. Tib. mtshams med du: kha’i las, lit. “actions for which there is no interval between the action and its resultant suffering,” i.e., the five crimes with immediate retribution (mtshams med lnga). See “The Five Crimes with Immediate Retribution.” 144. The hundred-syllable Heruka mantra reads O M VAJRA HERUKA SAMAYA MANU PALA YA, VAJRA HERUKA TENOPA TISHTHA DRIDHO ME BHAWA . . . SARVA TATHAGATA VAJRA MAME MUÑCHA VAJRI BHAVA MAHA SAMAYA HERUKA AH.

145. We have reproduced the mantra here slightly differently from its usual Tibetan transliteration in order to follow more closely its sense in Sanskrit. 146. I.e., fulfill all my wishes. 147. Tib. jo wo je lha gcig. Atisha Dipamkara (982–1054), who was known throughout Tibet as Jowo Je (Lord), was, for his disciples, the unique refuge (lha gcig). 148. Tib. zlas nyams (transgression by association) and zhor nyams (incidental transgression). 149. Jewel Garland, 212. 150. The term “alternative” (Tib. gzhan) is that used in the Kalachakra tantra, as explained by Jamgön Kongtrul in his Treasury of Knowledge. See Myriad Worlds, page 148. 151. Their names in English are literally Yoke Bearer (Tib. gnya’ shing ’dzin), Plow Bearer (gshol mda’ ’dzin), Forest of Acacia Trees (seng ldeng can), Lovely to Behold (lta na sdug), Horse’s Ear (rta rna), That Which Bows Down (rnam ’dud), and Rim (mu khyud ’dzin). 152. The shapes of these continents are said to reflect the appearance of their respective inhabitants when seated cross-legged. 153. The thirty-two weaknesses of womankind (Tib. bud med kyi skyon sum cu rtsa gnyis) may refer to thirty-two kinds of sickness to which women are prone and which interfere with spiritual practice. [ 261 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/261 [ 262 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/262 [ 263 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/263 [ 264 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/264 [ 265 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/265 [ 266 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/266 [ 267 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/267 [ 268 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/268 [ 269 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/269 [ 270 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/270 [ 271 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/271 [ 272 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/272 [ 273 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/273 [ 274 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/274 [ 275 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/275 [ 276 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/276 [ 277 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/277 [ 278 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/278 [ 279 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/279 [ 280 ] Page:Dudjom Rinpoche A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.pdf/280 [ 281 ] yan lag bdun. A form of prayer comprising seven parts: prostration, offering, confession, rejoicing, requesting the teachers to turn the wheel of Dharma, requesting them not to pass into nirvana, and dedication of merit. SEVEN BRANCHES,

’phags pa’i nor bdun. Faith, discipline, generosity, learning, a sense of decency, a sense of shame, and wisdom. SEVEN NOBLE RICHES,

VAIROCHANA, rnam snang chos bdun. The seven points of the ideal meditation posture: legs crossed in the diamond (vajra) posture, back straight, hands in the gesture of meditation, eyes gazing along the nose, chin slightly tucked in, shoulders well apart “like a vulture’s wings,” and the tip of the tongue touching the palate. SEVEN-POINT POSTURE OF

SHAKYAMUNI, sha kya thub pa, “Capable One of the Shakyas.” The seventh of the thousand Buddhas in this Fortunate Kalpa. The Buddha of our time, who lived around the 5th century B.C. kha na ma tho ba, lit. “that which cannot be mentioned” or “cannot be praised.” This term covers every kind of action that results in suffering and not only the most serious kinds of wrongdoing. Shameful actions are divided into those that are naturally negative and those that are negative in that they involve breaches of vows. SHAMEFUL DEEDS,

SHANTIDEVA, zhi ba lha, “Peaceful God.” The great 7th century Indian poet and mahasiddha (great accomplished being), author of the famous poem on the practice of bodhichitta, The Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhicharyavatara). SHATHA, g.yo ldan, “Land of Deceit.” The subcontinent situated to the north of the western continent, Aparagodaniya. SHIKHIN, gtsug tor can, “He Who Bears the Crown Protuberance.” The second of the thousand Buddhas in this Fortunate Kalpa. SHRI SINGHA (Skt.), “Glorious Lion.” An important master in the lineage of the Great Perfection; teacher of Jñanasutra, Vimalamitra, and Guru Rinpoche. ’dod khams kyi lha, Skt. kamalokadeva. Four Great Kings, Heaven of the Thirty-Three, Heaven Free of Conflict (Yama), the Joyous Realm (Tushita), Enjoying Magical Creations, and Mastery over Others’ Creations. SIX CLASSES OF GODS OF THE WORLD OF DESIRE,

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