Caretaking the Gift

The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Commitment to the Path”

It is so important and so precious that we have this human existence. We should consider ourselves caretakers of that—that prize, that gift, that blessing—that it should not be taken lightly.

Sometimes we think, “Oh, you know, I would really like to live a life that is warm and fuzzy.  I don’t want to live a life where I have to know about all these bad things and apply antidotes all the time.  Oh gosh, that’s just so…  I’d rather be warm and fuzzy like a puppy.”  Well, all right, but I have puppies and I can tell you that I love my puppies so much I can’t explain it.  They are so adorable.  I love them so much.  They are so good for me.  I am so good for them.  I love my puppies.  They are like my kids.  However, my puppies cannot hear the Dharma.  They cannot look at me and say, “This is my teacher.” The devotion they feel is clearly based on food and scratching behind the ears and I hope it’s not the same for my students.  They cannot attain view.  They cannot recognize anything but the most minimal cause and effect relationships.  They know not to sit in an uncomfortable place if they’ve sat there before or they recognize something hot if they’ve seen it before, like that—the simplest associations—but they have no capacity for practice.

And yet, I have my students that say to me, “Oh, they are so lucky. They get to live with you all the time and go with you wherever you are and they sit on your lap.” No they’re not.  You don’t want to travel with me all the time, be with me all the time and sit on my lap.  What is that going to do?  How is that going to get you through life? And what are you going to do in the bardo?

So we have to understand that Buddhism is about really examining what is in front of us, seeing what is on our plate.  And although we may not be so glib and so cool and savvy with the positive remarks and the upbeat thinking, we will be savvy and smart and intelligent and able to change things that would seem to be impossible to change once we understand what the Buddha has taught.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

 

Homage to Śrī Samantabhadra: Longchenpa

LONGCHENPA

The following is respectfully quoted from “Kindly Bent to Ease Us” by Longchenpa:

Homage to the beginningless primordial Lord,
an ocean great and full of capabilities,
Whose range of intuition and depth of
tenderness cannot be fathomed,
Who is the birthplace of the Wish-fulfilling Gem, the
Buddhas and their spiritual sons, and
From whom cloud banks of prosperity and bliss arise.

Sheer lucency, founding stratum of meaning,
immaculate, man’s Buddha-nature,
Through ego-centered apprehensions following the loss
of pure awareness, strays into fictitious being.
Wearied and weakened in the deserts of
Karmic actions and turbulent emotions may Mind
today find comfort and ease.

Friends, a precious human body, being a unique
occasion and the right juncture,
Is very hard to find within the six-life forms.
As delighted as a blind man who has stumbled on a
precious hoard,
Use this body for prosperity and bliss.

What is meant by a unique occasion and the right
juncture?
I am a person beyond the eight unfavorable
conditions:
My mind has not been born in the realms of hells,
of hungry spirits,
And of animals, I am not dumb, and I am not one of the
long-living gods, nor one of the savages, and
I do not harbor wrong views, and do not live in a period
in which there are no Buddhas;
And I represent the right juncture; five events affecting
me directly by being complete in me–
I have become a human being, I live in the central
country, and I possess all senses,
I do not revert to inexpiable evil deeds, and I have
confidence in the foundation of spiritual life; and
Five events affecting me directly;
The coming of a Buddha, his having taught the
doctrine, the presence of his teaching now,
The following so that it continues, and the loving
guidance by others.
These are the eighteen facets of a unique occasion and
the right juncture.
While they are thus complete,
Thoroughly exert yourself and realize deliverance.

If in this lifetime you do not make good use (of your
existence)
You will in the hereafter not even hear the word ‘happy life-form’
But for a long time will roam about in evil forms of life.
Not knowing what is to be rejected and what to be
accepted, so going the wrong way,
You cannot but drift about in Samsāra that has
no beginning nor end.

Therefore, while you still have the power now,
Apply yourself to the accumulation of inexhaustible
positive qualities,
In view of the fact that you are the juncture for the path
to happiness,
And pass beyond the stronghold of fictitious being.

But if I dare not cross the endless ocean of Samsāra,
Although I have a precious boat,
What shall I do when forever
Emotional reactions and frustrations are raging in
tumultuous waves?

Then quickly don the armor of perseverance
And, in order to let the turbid state of mind and mental
events be cleared,
Set out on the path of sheer lucency, of immaculate
pristine cognitions,
And let no obstacles impede the road to limpid
clearness and consummate perspicacity.

He who has become the foundation for bliss and
happiness
And has found a precious and clean vessel,
But does not gather the refreshing rain of the
nectar-like doctrine,
Will let himself be crushed by the swelter of Samsāra.

The downpour of (the Buddha’s) truth, the refreshing
water of pristine cognitions
With clouds of glorious bliss and happiness and
prosperity,
Will fall on the pure mind of living beings, the fertile
soil of a unique occasion at the right juncture.
Therefore, with joy and from your heart engage in the
quest for the real meaning of life.

 

Mirror that Illustrates the Crucial Points: From “Drops of Nectar”

The following is respectfully quoted from “Drops of Nectar” by Ngagyur Nyingma Institute:

The Ultimate and Meaningful Instruction: Longchen Rabjam

Supreme glorious master, all-pervasive lord of the hundred Buddha-families.
Who combines into one, the power of compassion and enlightened activity.
Of the limitless mandala of the infinite Victorious Ones,
I constantly pay homage at your feet.

Ema, fortunate yogins listen to me. We have all now obtained this perfect human body with the freedoms and endowments. We have been introduced to the precious teachings of the higher vehicle. We have the freedom to behave in accordance with the sublime dharma. At this time, we should make sure that our human life does not go to waste and pass without meaning. We must establish our ultimate goal correctly. The categories of teachings are innumerable, the doors to the teachings are countless, and the commentaries to the teachings are vast.

If you cannot practice the essential points of the teachings, then although one knows a hundred thousand volumes of scriptures by heart, certain benefit at the time of death is difficult to achieve. Although you may have acquired boundless qualities of knowledge through study and contemplation, if your mindstream does not accord with genuine dharma you will not be able to tame the enemy of delusions. Moreover, if you don’t commit to an attitude of not needing anything, even with control over the one billion world systems, contentment won’t arise.

Without preparing soon for the uncertain time of death, you will not accomplish the great essential objective when death occurs. If you don’t correct your own mistakes and train in unbiased pure perception, being motivated by attachment and aversion, you won’t fully enter t dharma of the greater vehicle.

Among the six realms of the three worlds, there is not even a single sentient being who has not been your parent. If you do not regularly and continually aspire and pray for their well-being and happiness with the compassionate mind of enlightenment, the treasure of benefiting others will not be revealed. If you do not cultivate the devotion to your root guru that regards him as even more kind than the actual Buddha, the power of blessings will not be great.

If genuine blessings do not enter into you, the sprout of experience and realization will not emerge. Without realization dawning from within, the fruit of enlightenment will not be obtained through mere intellectual understanding or empty talk. In short, if you do not mingle your mind with dharma, merely appearing like a practitioner will not bring about your purpose. Consider that you do not need more than is merely sufficient to support your life force and vital energy.

Pray single-pointedly to your guru and practice Guru Yoga. Whatever virtuous activities you do, always focus on the benefit for sentient beings, your parents. No matter what happiness or sorrow, good or bad might occur, always meditate on the compassion of your guru. Within the expanse of self manifesting non-grasping self-cognizing awareness, abide in non-fabricated and unforced naturalness. Whatever thought arises; know its nature and liberate everything as the play of the true nature of reality.

Without so much as a hair tip of something solid to meditate on, and without falling for even a moment under the power of perpetual ordinary delusion, maintain undistracted mindfulness in all your daily activities. By training in recognizing all sights and sounds — whatever arises of the six consciousnesses — as magical play lacking true existence, you will gain mastery over the experiences of the bardo.

In short, at all times and on all occasions ensure that whatever you do accords with the sacred dharma and dedicate all virtue for the attainment of enlightenment. Acting in that way, you will not only fulfill the intentions of your root guru but also be of service to the teachings. You will repay the kindness of your parents and spontaneously accomplish the two benefits, of self and others.

I request that you retain this in your hearts. Even if you meet me in person, other than these instructions, I have nothing more to say. Therefore, at all times and on all occasions, practice!

The powerful conqueror, the excellent Longchen Rabjam wrote this when he lived on the slope of Gangri Thodkar. May it be virtuous!

 

Drops of the Nectar of Oral Instructions 1

The following is respectfully taken from “Drops of Nectar” by Ngagyur Nyingma Institute:

Drops of the Nectar of Oral Instructions 1: Orgyen Terdag Lingpa

Om Svasti!

Relying upon him, one is completely protected from the many fears of worldly existence.
And established on the path of liberation.
I pay homage to the most kind Master, the Three Jewels Incarnate.
Understanding that he is the essence of my own wakeful awarness.

It is the responsibility of those who wish to attain liberation to follow the displine
Concerning what must be cultivated and what must be abandoned
In accordance with the Victorious One’s teachings, commentaries and instructions,
Thus, adopting this way of acting is appropriate.

The human body, adorned with freedoms and favorable conditions,
Is more extremely difficult to find and is of great importance.
At the time you have something like this, if you do not accomplish the ultimate aim
Who could be more stupid and deluded than that?

All composite things are impermanent and are certain to die.
The time of death is uncertain and the circumstances of death are limitless.
Since at the moment nothing but the sublime teachings will be of benefit,
Without procrastinating practice diligently.

The sufferings of the lower realms are unbearable like a pit of fire.
Sinking there once, how will you find the opportunity for liberation?
Even in the realms of happiness, suffering is actually experienced.
Therefore, you must conclusively establish the means of becoming free.

The seeds of constructive and destructive actions unfailingly
Ripen into the fruit of happiness and sorrow.
As this is the very nature of interdependence, you must rely on attentiveness and mindfulness
Concerning the manner of what to engage in and what to avoid.

From the bottom of your heart, pray to rest your hope permanently
In the unfailing protector, your Master, and the Three Jewels.
Cultivate the enlightened mind of Bodhicitta by offering your compassionate responsiveness
To your fathers and mothers, beings most kind, who are as pervasive as space.

From beginningless samsara until this moment,
Your mind has wandered continuously through ignorance and delusion.
From now on, with no attachment to deluded activity,
Make effort to realize the undeluded true nature of reality

Respectfully following a spiritual master who has all the defining characteristics,
By ripening your mind stream through receiving the perfectly pure four empowerments
Of the great mandala of Vajrayana
Establish yourself unmistakenly in profound interdependence.

As spiritual commitments themselves are the only root of accomplishment,
Without transgressing the boundary of prescribed precepts,
Knowing the restrictions and purposes, practice without confusion
The disciplines of adopting and abandoning according to the Three Vehicles.

The primordial reality and the nature of all phenomena
Is profound, tranquil, unelaborated, luminous and unconditioned.
Apply yourself in the methods of realizing exactly as it is
This vajra mind, perfected in its ground and unchanging.

The manifold appearances of mind, as many as there are,
From their mere appearance, are unreal as magical illusions.
Under the power of habitual tendencies towards singular phenomena,
The causes and conditions of attachment and hatred are
uncertain, and lack single identity.

If analyzed and investigated, it cannot be established as anything.
Yet everyting arises in the brilliant clear awarenss.
As the manifestations of mind are arising unceasingly
It is said that the appearances are themselves what is called mind.

The nature of mind is luminous, intangible and inconceivable.
Its expanse is free of mental constructs, and falls in no particular direction.
Vividly wakeful in the continuity of unconfined self-appearance.
Rest in the primordial purity that is changeless and perfect from the ground.

Binding the essential movements of body with the key points,
Let the movement of the breath in and out come to its natural state.
With no distraction from the focus of meditation on mind itself,
Focus the three doors in union on the essential practice.

Without attachment to the apparent yet empty form of the deities, the illusory bodies,
Engaging in recitation with indivisible wind and mantra train in the continuity
Of mind– luminous, uncompounded great bliss,
The path of method that purifies channels, energies and essential drops.

Through the yoga of the indestructible three vajras: body, speech and mind,
Cleanse the energy channels, dissolve the energies and thoroughly purify the essential drops.
Drawing on the interrelated enhancing pracitces of day and night.
You will experience the fruition of the natural state.

Clearly and without grasping, recognize your own nature by yourself
By the pair of calm abiding cultivated through resting in awareness
And the extraordinary insight of perceiving your nature nakedly.
Nurturing this without distraction is the essence of the path.

The view that understands emptiness is the natural state itself.
Cultivating undistracted mindfulness is the path of meditation.
For the yogi who trains in compassionate expressiveness
As diligently as possible, the foundation of liberation will be firmly laid.

Putting enormous effort into the meaningless activities of this life,
Many are left with only superficial practice toward the ultimate purpose.
Even with the intention to practice the Dharma, those who take it in hand are very rare.
Thus in short, concentrate on the holy dharma.

Persevere in the pure vision that knows with certainty the
Master to be your own awareness.
By arousing unbearable devotion and fierce respect,
You will be blessed to realize the self-arising primordial wisdom
And effortlessly conviction will develop from deep within.

Whatever unfavorable conditions of illness or malevolent influences may arise,
Through never finding their essential nature to be truly established
Except as manifestations of deluded ignorance,
Train yourself by taking adversities on to the path as the play of illusion.

Seek out different spiritual masters upholding their respective Dharma traditions.
According to the interests of those to be tamed, each is profound in its own manner.
In this way, without accumulating the evils of attachment and anger.
Genuinely train in pure vision, non-sectarianism and superior intention.

In a place of solitude, engaging in ordinary food and drink,
Being occupied with frivolous entertainment in attending to your retinue of disciples and patrons,
Endlessly engaged in deceiving people,
Do not be caught in samsara, deceiving yourself through confusion.

By becoming distracted into the many kinds of knowledge that appear to benefit others,
Methods of healing and astrological calculations,
Coming up with examples, and so on, ordinary thoughts build up, and
The images of a great many dharma practitioners are lost.

The natural disposition of the mind is to be self-aware and to rest in its own place;
The radiance of the mind is the unceasing arising of all manner of things.
Recognizing delusion’s own faults and the non-existence of the basis of delusion,
Study, contemplate, and train on the path of indivisibility.

In short, whatever arises, don’t construct thoughts about it;
Nurture it without fabrication, naturally, in its own radiance,
just as it is.
Whatever occurs, be it abiding or moving, do not obstruct or strive.
Always sustain the self-nature of your awareness without distraction.

When gazing directly at your mind,
From the instant of emergence, without defining it as ‘it is thus’
Strive to maintain with no distraction the original face
Of the natural state of your primordially self-liberated awareness.

You have the power to bear the meaningless hardships of this life
Yet for the sake of dharma you don’t give up a single session of sleep.
Be unmistaken in your choice of what to adopt and what to abandon;
Always strive to achieve the ultimate goal.

So be it. This copy is offered from the admonition of oral advice in the words of the King of Dharma, Orgyen Terdag Lingpa, which is known as the Drops of Nectar.

Contemplating this Precious Opportunity by Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso

The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso given at Kunzang Palyul Choling on Ngondro:

The Four Thoughts that turn the mind from samsara are very important.  Our minds are distracted by this world.  We practice a little bit, and then get distracted, thinking life is good — eating pizza in the restaurant, going to the beach on weekends, and enjoying ourselves.  It is really nice.  One could have a very happy life with one’s family, and eating, and experiencing all those happy experiences.  At the end of life, if one could not have the continuation of that kind of happiness in the next lifetime and many future lifetimes, one may get a little upset and think, “I should have done something.  I have just been going to the beach, the mountains, camping, bungee jumping, and all that.  I’ve spent my time doing all that, but I really didn’t do anything.”  Then all one’s karma ripens.  Whether you believe in karma or not, understand it or not, it doesn’t matter.  Whether you are a Christian or a Buddhist or a Hindu or a Jew or a Muslim, in cyclic existence, karma is the life process.  It is the nature of cyclic existence itself.  So that nature ripens to everybody.  Everyone experiences that.  After death, if one has to bear all different kinds of suffering, then one may experience some regret.

This is how one has a very happy life.  You can have entertainment, but at the same time have a kind of entertainment which really makes sense, which you can carry with you.  On weekends, you could come here and participate in a tsog offering or a puja or some kind of a practice.  While you are doing the practice, you may experience some minor problems with your knees or sitting or doing prostrations, but still you are bearing some karma and having some purification.  After all, you could have something you can really carry with you after death.  It is as the Buddha, who is fully enlightened, has explained.  Jetsunma has also explained all this a number of times.  The important thing to realize here is that this precious human birth is one in which one could really become involved in practice, in which one could become involved with the Dharma teachings, in which one could really become involved in Dharma activities.  If one could really have some time to apply to practice, then this becomes a precious human birth.

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