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“in the universal womb that is boundless space
all forms of matter and energy occur
as flux of the four elements,
but all are empty forms, absent in reality:
all phenomena, arising in pure mind, are like that.
just as dream is a part of sleep,
unreal in its arising,
so all and everything is pure mind,
never separated from it,
and without substance or attribute.
experience is neither mind nor anything but mind;
it is a vivid display of emptiness, like magical illusion,
in the very moment inconceivable and unutterable.
all experience arising in the mind,
at its inception, know it as emptiness!”
― Longchenpa
The Practitioner of Meditation
by Longchen Rabjam
Secondly, as an individual who takes up the practice,
You must have faith, perseverance, renunciation and a sense of disenchantment.
You must be saddened and wearied by samsara, and strive for freedom.
Renouncing the concerns of this life and seeking eventual enlightenment,
You must leave distractions and busyness far behind, and have few mental afflictions,
Be easy-going and tolerant, and have pure perception and great devotion,
As well as stability of mind[i] and deep respect towards the teachings—
[Practitioners such as this will accomplish the most supreme liberation!] [ii]
You must serve, in the best possible way, a noble teacher,
And purify your mind through study, reflection and meditation.
In particular, you should spend your days and nights
Diligently applying yourself to the essential instructions of the aural lineage.
Without becoming distracted for a moment by ordinary concerns,
Diligently apply yourself to the profound innermost meaning.
Never transgressing the precepts of the shravakas, bodhisattvas and vidyadharas,
With your own mind under control, help others in any way you can,
And take whatever you experience onto the path to liberation.
As a beginner, it is most important that you secure your own well-being,
Guarding your mind in solitude, abandoning distractions and busyness,
Avoiding unfavourable situations, and subduing the mental afflictions with appropriate antidotes.
Ensuring that your view and conduct are in harmony, enthusiastically devote yourself to meditation.
Whenever any of the ordinary five poisons arise, in that very moment,
Catch them with mindfulness, and, without distraction, apply the antidotes.
With conscientiousness, introspective vigilance, self-restraint and a sense of dignity, bring your own mind under control.
See the equality of praise and blame, approval and disapproval, good and bad reputation,
For they are just like illusions or dreams and have no true existence.
Learn to tolerate them as if they were mere echoes,
And sever at its root the mind which clings to an ‘I’ or a self.
In short, by never transgressing the Dharma in all that you do,
Bring your mind under control, do no harm to others,
And without succumbing, even for an instant, to the mental afflictions,
Devote your days and nights to virtue—this is crucial!
Nowadays, when people are so unruly,
It is vital that you first achieve your own well-being in solitude.
Just as a bird can not fly without both wings,
The welfare of others cannot be accomplished without the higher faculties of perception,
So diligently strive for your own wellbeing, whilst mentally considering the welfare of others.
Without letting your mind be deceived by the devious maras of distraction and busyness,
It is vital that you apply yourself to the practice—
Do not cause yourself to suffer regrets at the time of death!
Therefore, make your mind ready now,
And consider this: Were you to die now, what would become of you?
Without any assurance as to where you’d go or what might happen, [iii]
To spend your days and nights in the grips of confusion and distraction,
Is to squander and make meaningless the freedoms and advantages.
Meditate therefore on the essential meaning, alone and in solitude.
For it is now that a long-term strategy is really needed.
How can you be sure where you will go in future?
You must diligently apply yourself this very day!
These delusory appearances of samsara are like treacherous pathways.
Keep this in mind: You must find the methods to free yourself.
For if you remain deluded now, you’ll wander in delusion forever.
So arouse perseverance and keep this in your heart.
The ocean of mental afflictions and the sea of self-grasping are difficult to cross,
But now that you have the vessel of the freedoms and endowments, use it to reach the distant shore!
Now that you have gained this rare opportunity through the force of your merit—access to the path of liberation and enlightenment—
Secure your own benefit and happiness by striving with heartfelt sincerity!
Life is impermanent and changes from one moment to the next,
And we expertly deceive ourselves with distractions, postponing virtuous practice.
When we have long become accustomed to delusion,
In each moment we’re naturally drawn into the mental afflictions,
And even if we apply ourselves to merit and virtue,
We find they do not easily arise.
Strive, therefore, to avert the miseries brought about by your own actions! [iv]
There is not the slightest joy to be found within the states of samsara.
The sufferings of conditioned existence, if you think of them, are impossible to bear.
Therefore apply yourself right now to the means of gaining freedom.
If you do not earnestly devote yourself to the essential meaning,
The state of leisure and intermittent Dharma will bring no benefit.
So develop a strong sense of weariness for all that is impermanent,
And, without being distracted even for an instant, generate enthusiasm for the practice!
If you realize this at the very outset,
You will swiftly achieve the state of an Arya!
Accomplishing your own welfare, the welfare of others will come naturally,
And you will find the supreme path of liberation from the states of samsara.
When everything that you do is in accordance with the Dharma,
Then you are one who has the basis for attaining enlightenment.
This concludes the second section, being an explanation of the individual practitioner who cultivates samadhi, from Finding Comfort and Ease in the Meditation of the Great Perfection.
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[i] As H.V. Guenther noted, the word bstan meaning teachings appears in the root text and also when the root text is given in the auto-commentary, but in commenting on this line, Longchenpa uses the word brtan meaning firm or stable. I have tried to incorporate both senses into the translation.
[ii] This line appears in the auto-commentary, The Pure Chariot (shing rta rnam dag), but not in the root text.
[iii] gtad so. The commentary spells this as brten so. I am taking it to mean assurance, reliability.
[iv] Root text has las kyi gdung shugs. Commentary has las kyi rlung shugs.
Kyabje Thinley Norbu Rinpoche (1931-2011), was born as the son of Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche, former head of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism in 1931 in Tibet. Kyabje Thinley Norbu Rinpoche was widely recognized as an emanation of the great master Longchenpa and was one of the most deeply revered masters within the Nyingma lineage. Rinpoche was the holder of the Dudjom Tersar lineage and father of Their Eminences Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Garab Rinpoche and Tulku Jampal.
Kyabje Rinpoche passed into Parinirvana 27th December 2011.
This is a chant of praise and deepest devotion to our beloved Guru and calling him from Afar with intense and powerful yearning ...
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A Mirror Revealing the Crucial Points: Advice on the Ultimate Meaning
By Longchen Rabjam
Single embodiment of the compassion, power and activity
Of the infinite mandalas of victorious buddhas, beyond measure,
Glorious lama, supreme sovereign lord of a hundred buddha families,
At your feet, now and forever, I pay homage!
Ema! Fortunate yogins, listen now:
We have gained a perfect human form with its freedoms and advantages, we have met the precious teachings of the Mahayana, and we have the freedom to practice the sacred Dharma authentically. So, at this time, let us not waste our lives in meaningless pursuits, but work towards the genuine, lasting goal.
There are infinite categories of teaching and countless are the ways to enter the vehicles. Explanations can involve a great many words and expressions. Unless we can take to heart the essence of the genuine meaning, then even committing many hundreds of thousands of volumes to memory will not decidedly bring benefit at the moment of death.
Seemingly, we might have boundless knowledge, all derived from study and reflection, but if our fundamental character is not attuned to the Dharma, we will not tame the enemy, the destructive emotions.
Unless we limit our desires from within by adopting an attitude of not needing anything at all, then even mastery over a thousand worlds will bring no real satisfaction.
Should we fail to prepare for the uncertainty of the time of death, we will not accomplish the great purpose, that which we will surely need when we die.
If we don’t overcome our own faults and train in impartial pure perception, then having attachment and aversion will prevent us entering the ranks of the Mahayana.
Since there is not a single being of the three realms and six classes who has not been our parent, if we do not make pure prayers of aspiration out of unceasing compassion and bodhichitta, we will not unlock the treasury of altruism.
Unless we have such devotion for our kind teachers that we consider them as greater than the Buddha, we will not receive even a single portion of their blessings.
Without genuinely receiving blessings, the tender shoots of experience and realization will not grow.
If realization doesn’t dawn from within, dry explanations and theoretical understanding will not bring the fruit of awakening.
In brief, unless we blend our own mind with the Dharma, it is pointless merely to adopt the guise of a practitioner.
Restricting ourselves to only basic sustenance and shelter, let us regard everything else as unnecessary.
Practice guru yoga, pray with single-minded attention, and direct all virtuous actions to the benefit of all beings, your very own parents.
Whatever you encounter—be it happiness or sorrow, good or bad—regard it as the kindness of the lama.
In the expanse in which self-awareness arises spontaneously, free of all grasping, rest and relax, without contrivance or fabrication. Whatever thoughts arise, recognizing their essence, allow them all to be liberated as the display of your own intrinsic nature.
Without the slightest trace of anything to cultivate or focus upon in meditation, don’t allow yourself to drift even for a single instant into ordinary confusion. Instead, remain aware and undistracted during all activities, and train to recognize all sights and sounds and sensory experience as the play of illusion. In so doing, you will gain the familiarity that brings control in the bardo state.
In short, at all times and in all situations, let whatever you do accord with the sacred Dharma and dedicate all virtue towards enlightenment. If you do so, you will fulfill the vision of your lamas and be of service to the teachings. You will repay the kindness of your parents and spontaneously benefit yourself and others. Please keep this in mind.
Even were we to meet directly, I would not have a greater instruction than this to impart, so take it to heart at all times and in all situations.
Lord of the victorious ones, Longchen Rabjam Zangpo, wrote this on the slopes of Gangri Tökar. May virtue abound!
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Nel giorno dell'anniversario di Longchen Rabjam |
