DJKRPema Lingpa Ngondro Bartsham Dec 2013 KSPNotes 2

Teachings on Ngndro
Notes of teachings on ngndro given by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche during the Pema
Lingpa Tersar Wangs and Lungs at Bartsham, Bhutan, over the period December 22, 2013 to January
9, 2014.
These notes were compiled and translated into English by Khenpo Sonam Phuntsho.
Teachings on Ngndro, Bartsham 2013/2014
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2015 by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche and Siddharthas Intent Society.
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Acknowledgement: Khenpo Sonam Phuntshos notes were edited by Tashi Colman and Andrew
Munro with editorial assistance from Alex Trisoglio and transliteration expertise from Julie Jay.
Introduction
I believe that all you who have gathered here, risking the cold weather of Bartsham, have come
genuinely intending to receive the transmission of the treasure teachings of Pema Lingpa, and
not as a way to fill in the space between the other worldly things you might be doing. In this
degenerate age people dont consider the dharma or spiritual practice important. Worldly
affairs are considered more important. And so dharma practice or spiritual practice is
undertaken as something to fill in the gaps while people try to accomplish their worldly pursuits.
Some people might come to a transmission like this one thinking, Khyentse Rinpoche is giving
these transmissions. If I don't attend people might criticise me. But I believe that the people
gathered here are not motivated by the eight worldly dharmas. Therefore, the people who have
gathered here to genuinely receive the transmission for Pema Lingpas treasure teachings,
risking this cold weather and many hardships and difficulties, should truly rejoice.
The sponsors have been requesting me to give this transmission for a long time and now it is
happening. The lineage of this transmission comes from Kyabj Dudjom Rinpoche. I received this
transmission in present day Pema Gatshel when I was very young, about seven years old.
Whatever empowerments, oral transmissions, and teachings I missed I received from Dudjom
Rinpoche when he gave the transmission to the royal great grandmother of Bhutan, Queen
Phuntsho Choden, at Dechencholing in Thimphu.
Ensuring the continuity of Pema Lingpas treasure teachings
I lack the qualities of a Mahayana spiritual friend or of a vinaya preceptor let alone those
qualities of a vajra master required for giving the transmission of these treasure teachings. But
simply because I have the transmission lineage, I am giving this transmission as clouds of
offerings to the lineage masters, buddhas, and bodhisattvas to all the objects of refuge. I am
giving the transmission mainly to ensure the continuity of the transmission lineage of the
treasure teachings of Pema Lingpa. I am also giving the transmission to enable people to
practice these treasure teachings. Empowerments and oral transmissions are necessary for our
practice of the development and completion stages.
It seems that in the past the treasure teachings of Pema Lingpa, a Bhutanese, spread far and
wide in Bhutan. But lately the Bhutanese are quite influenced by teachers and teachings from
Tibet. You are receiving this transmission from Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, a Tibetan lama,
whose seat is in Tibet. I should mention that the two previous Khyentse reincarnations were
exceptionally great masters of vast activity. I am Dzongsar Khyentse only in name. These days
the Dudjom Tersar teachings are very popular and widespread in Bhutan, and the master who
brought those teachings to Bhutan, Kyabj Dudjom Rinpoche, was also a Tibetan. Shabdrung
Ngawang Namgyal, the great Drukpa Kagyupa master who established the spiritual and
temporal system in Bhutan, was a Tibetan too.
Pema Lingpa, on the other hand, was a native of Bhutan. He came from Bumthang and must
have been a person who chewed pan and carried a long sword. So it is the special responsibility
of the Bhutanese people to take care of his teachings in other words to inherit the wealth of
their father. The historical records tell us that the people of Bhutan have had great respect and
reverence for Tibetan lamas. But the Tibetans themselves havent had much respect for
Bhutanese lamas. However Pema Lingpa was one of those great masters who were also deeply
respected by the Tibetans. He is counted among the five king-like tertns. When I say we should
take care of the teachings of Pema Lingpa, it doesnt mean that we should ignore all the other
teachings. In fact, we must try to receive and safeguard each and every teaching as much as
possible.
Some people say that the old treasure teachings, such as the teachings of Ratna Lingpa, Karma
Lingpa and so on, are outdated or expired and thus no longer effective. They say the new
treasure teachings are more powerful and effective. Then there are those who believe that the
old representations and relics are more sacred than the new ones. But actually, each and every
treasure teaching, whether Pema Lingpas Lama Norbu Gyatso or the Tsokye Tuktik from the
Dudjom Tersar, has the complete path to buddhahood. Each sadhana or teaching has the
complete path to enlightenment. Each aspect of the teachings can lead us to enlightenment if
we practice sincerely and wholeheartedly. I earnestly pray that this present transmission will be
accomplished without any obstacles.
One of the texts for which I am giving the reading transmission contains the root verses of the
sacred ritual dances from Dramitse. The text also contains the root verses of the Ging dance. I
am telling you this because people who dont understand the significance of these ritual dances
sometimes perform them at parties and celebrations. We can accomplish a lot of merit just by
practicing these dances if we know their purpose and background. We can accumulate merit
and purify our defilements through just seeing these dances.
There is another point here. We practice wrathful pujas and other rituals to dispel obstacles and
to drive away the so-called spirits that cause sickness. But if we witness these dances with
devotion, understanding their background and purpose, then there wont be any need for all
these exorcism rituals. We can dispel sickness and obstructive spirits just by viewing these
dances with devotion.
The treasure teachings of Pema Lingpa have incredible qualities but have degenerated
Pema Lingpas teachings are very profound. Each of his teachings contains the complete path to
enlightenment. In particular the treasure teachings of Pema Lingpa have incredible qualities.
Unfortunately, the teachings of Pema Lingpa seem to have degenerated over the years and have
even disappeared from the land of their origin. Whatever teachings and traditional practices
remain today are largely ritualistic, such as simple village rituals that are performed for
temporary worldly purposes.
Even the dharmapla prayers have become a kind of ordinary cultural tradition. People in the
rural areas of Bhutan seem to believe that if they dont do these dharmapla practices every
year, the dharmaplas might cause them harm. Most people dont even seem to know which
dharmaplas they are propitiating. Those few people who know it's the Black Maning
dharmapla look upon Black Maning as a demon of some kind who will bring misfortune if they
fail to please him. So people now regard the dharmaplas as dreadful and frightening entities.
Since Buddhist ritual practices have become only cultural traditions, people now use symbols
such as the phallus which clowns carry during religious festivals. In far-flung areas like
Dewathang, people make tormas that represent their father, mother, grandfather,
grandmother, and so on. Actually, according to the Pema Lingpa teachings, tormas represent the
deity and its consort. Then people engage in all kinds of dances, like the cat dance, the monkey
dance, and so on. They make these kinds of tormas and do these kinds of dances strictly as
cultural affairs.
However, in some villages there are still people who believe they should practice the shitr of
Pema Lingpa the practice of the one hundred peaceful and wrathful deities. This must be a
sign that they retain a connection to the teachings of Pema Lingpa. The shitr practice includes
all aspects of the path that will lead practitioners to perfect buddhahood in this very life. While
giving the reading transmission, I have discovered that only in the teachings of Pema Lingpa can
there be found a very clear commentary on all seventeen Dzogchen tantras. Pema Lingpas
terma contain so many incredible teachings.
The example of the prince who forgot who he was
In the context of wang or abhisheka, there are some people who seem to be satisfied with just
receiving the empowerment substances. This approach is fine, but if we want to understand the
essential meaning of empowerment, there is an illustrative story in the empowerment manual
for one of Pema Lingpas treasure teachings. One day a prince ventured out onto a crowded
street. The street was so full of people that the prince became separated from his attendants
and got lost. He had no idea where he was, and didnt know how to get back to his palace. So he
became just an ordinary person there. He worked for a living, got married, and had children.
Meantime at the palace the king was growing old. He was nearing death and wanted a
successor. So his ministers combed the streets in order to find the prince and finally they did
find him. They told the prince that he was not an ordinary man. He was a prince and must go
back to the palace and become king.
In the same manner, empowerment is introducing us to our own actual nature. In other words,
it is introducing us to our naturally present dharmakaya or tathgatagarbha. Without knowing
that the innate buddha is present within us we wander in the six realms of samsara. As we
wander in the six realms, our guru introduces us to our own basic, innate nature saying, You are
the deity; you are the dakini. In the shitr mandala, the hundred sublime deities refer to the
buddha within us. That is what is being introduced in the empowerment.
It is not just the innate nature of our minds that is introduced. All of our aggregates are similarly
introduced. For example, the eyes with which we see objects are introduced as the Bodhisattva
Kitigarbha, and the form that the eyes see is introduced as the dancing goddess. Because we
fail to recognize this, we mistakenly see the five elements as ordinary earth, wind, water, fire,
and space. So the earth element is introduced to us as the consort Buddha Locan. Water is
introduced as the akini Mmak. In other words, not only is the nature of ones mind
introduced in the empowerment but also all of ones aggregates, yatanas, dhtus, and
elements are introduced as deities.
Thus empowerment is basically introducing us to our true nature. In particular, the symbolic
word empowerment is an introduction to the nature of mind. Having received this introduction,
through keeping samaya and practicing the sadhana, practitioners of the highest calibre will be
enlightened in this very life. Medium calibre practitioners who are unable to attain
enlightenment in this lifetime will, at the time of death, recognize the appearances in the bardo
of dharmat and attain liberation just like a child climbing into its mothers lap. If, having
received the empowerments, we can practice the path without breaking samaya our
attachment to samsara will disappear and we will recognize all appearances as our projections.
In summary, the best practitioners will attain liberation in this very life. Intermediate ones will
attain liberation in the bardo of dharmat. A practitioner who doesnt attain liberation in the
bardo of dharmat but receives the empowerments and practises the sadhana will not be
terrified by the appearances of the bardo. Such a practitioner will take a human rebirth
endowed with the freedoms and riches and will gradually attain enlightenment. On the other
hand, a person who lacks spiritual experience will be horrified by the appearances of the deities
and the sounds, forms, and lights in the bardo state and will want to run away, thereby jumping
into samsaric rebirths.
Cultivating genuine interest in the dharma

Notwithstanding this degenerate age of ours, when I see people sitting in the cold weather,
convinced of the preciousness of the buddhadharma and of the importance of receiving
empowerments and reading transmissions, then I feel that the Buddhas teachings will continue
for some time. This is a cause for rejoicing. I am not saying that you should be proud of
attending these teachings, but you should really rejoice in the fact that your motivation in being
here is a genuine intention to receive the teachings, understanding their preciousness.
The buddhas and bodhisattvas of the past underwent infinite hardships to receive the Buddhist
teachings. They carved a thousand holes in their bodies, filled these with oil and made of them
butter lamp offerings simply to receive a single word of teaching. The 8,000 verse
Prajpramit Stra tells how the bodhisattva rya Sadaprarudita, the 'always weeping'
bodhisattva, underwent great hardships in order to receive the prajpramit teachings. There
are also stories of Tibetan vidydharas, monks, and lay practitioners who had to endure
immense hardships in order to receive the teachings.
With such examples in mind, we should really rejoice when we see people in this degenerate
age taking an interest in the dharma. So all those here to receive the transmission should rejoice
in having a genuine interest in and enthusiasm for the dharma. In about thirty years, there will
probably only be one hundred people or so interested in practicing the dharma. Due to the
impermanent nature of compounded phenomena previously great and flourishing Indian
dharma centres such as the universities of Nland, Vikramail and Taxila now lie in ruins.
Similar situations will happen in the future.
The dharma has nothing to offer this life
The dharma is not intended for this life, to make things work out better in this life. It is aimed at
enlightenment or at the very least at the next life and the lives thereafter. The dharma has
nothing to offer this life. Of course if we practice the dharma then things like long life, freedom
from sickness, and prosperity may come along in the process. But dharma practice is for the
next life and the lives thereafter. It is better to spend your time doing business, or even telling
lies, than to try and use the dharma to make this life work out better. Doing business and telling
lies are more profitable than practicing the dharma in order to create better circumstances in
this life.
So study, contemplation and meditation should be done to attain enlightenment, not for this
life. However these days, our practice of dharma seems mostly directed at improving our
circumstances in this life. We perform pujas so our businesses will be successful. If someone is
starting up a corporation he will ask the monks to perform a puja or chant the praises to rya
Tr and so on in order that the corporation will be successful. We can't blame people for this.
Peoples perceptions are very limited they see only this life and cannot see beyond. Since this
life is all they see, this life is all they care about.
Culture and dharma are different but closely related
There is something else about practising the dharma that I need to repeat again and again.
Dharma and culture are two different things. Culture is created by human beings. To take the
example of Bhutanese culture, Buddhist ceremonies in Bhutan feature an involved process of
serving a variety of things such as tea and saffron rice and then bowing down and so on. But this
is cultural. The reality of phenomena is not like that and cannot be shaped by human beings.
Buddha himself said that whether the buddhas appear or not, the actual nature of things can
never change.
But even though the dharma and culture are different, they are also closely related. A strong
connection exists between them like a cup and the water or tea that is in it. When we are
thirsty its the tea we need to drink. We can drink it from any kind of cup gold, silver, wooden
or other. But we have a tendency to make a big deal about the cup. So we end up looking down
on a wooden or simple metal cup. But the important thing is actually the tea. The cup is just a
container for the tea, no matter whether it is made of gold or wood. So we should never look
down on other cups, even if we ourselves have cups of gold.
Culture poses both advantages and disadvantages for the dharma. Actually, there are more
disadvantages because over time culture tends to take over the dharma. Culture keeps on
changing and it can become a kind of bastardised culture. So in most cases culture will end up
causing great harm to the dharma.

As part of the present transmission of the treasure teachings of Pema Lingpa, I will give
teachings based on the ngndro of Kunzang Gongd The Embodied Realization of
Samantabhadra. Based on this text Ill be talking about how to contemplate and practice the
dharma. Ngndro and preliminary practice are just terms given to this particular practice,
which actually contains all the methods of the nine yanas or the three yanas. Ngndro practice is
very important. In The Words of my Perfect Teacher Paltrul Rinpoche emphasises that ngndro
practice is more important than the main practice.
But even ngndro practice has become a kind of tradition or culture. These days the first thing
dharma practitioners ask each other is: Have you finished your ngndro practice? or Have you
done the 100,000 prostrations? But ngndro practice doesn't have an end. The practice of
ngndro will only be concluded when you have 32 major marks and 80 minor marks on your
body, when you have the ua on your head that ordinary eyes can't see. The great masters of
the past created this requirement of one hundred thousand accumulations in order to make us
practice. This is the skilful means that the early great masters devised to help us engage in
practice. If you can, there's no harm in doing one hundred thousand prostrations a hundred
thousand times. But if you do the prostrations properly, with the right motivation and the right
visualization, even a single prostration can suffice.
Before adopting a religion, first study, contemplate and examine it
Now, what is the dharma? The dharma is the nature or the reality of phenomena, or the
method to understand that reality. Such dharma is not the creation of monks or of rowdylooking Bhutanese gomchens or meditators. The buddhadharma has existed in this world for
over 2,500 years. These days other religions such as Islam and Christianity seem to be taking
root in Bhutan. I can't say that those religions are bad. I cant strongly say that you shouldn't
adopt them. The omniscient Longchenpa said that we should not denigrate or disparage other
faiths. But before adopting any religion, you should first study, contemplate and examine it. If
you find that its teachings are helpful to you and to others for this life and the lives hereafter, or
even lead to the attainment of enlightenment, then adopt those teachings and practice them.
In the 2,500-year history of the buddhadharma, there has never been any suggestion that war
should be waged in order to convert people to the Buddhist religion. Rather it is other religions
that have resorted to waging wars in order to convert people to their faiths. Buddhism doesn't
believe in using force to convert people to its teachings.
Subsequent to the Buddha Shakyamuni, there have been so many incredible practitioners who
adopted and practiced Buddhism, such as the dharma King Aoka, King Harshvardhana and so
on. Having met the teachings of the Buddha, they laid down their arms and became great
patrons of the buddhadharma. From India the buddhist teachings slowly spread to other parts
of the world and there have been so many great buddhist practitioners in China, Japan and so
on. However the Indians were not able to sustain the buddhadharma, so it disappeared from
that country.
Here I want to repeat something that I always say to my Indian friends. Usually, we tend to think
that goods labelled 'made in India' are poor quality. Even something like the Indian-made Prado
automobile looks like a Bolero jeep. But India does have one great and very precious export
the teachings of the Buddha. India has exported the buddhadharma to many parts of the world:
China, Cambodia, Mongolia, Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka and many other countries. So Indians
should take pride in this particular export.
Buddhism has been practiced not only by kings, but by great scholars. And there have also been
great patrons of Buddhism, not only in India but in places such as China. Due to their patronage
Buddhism spread widely in China, as well as in Mongolia and Japan. The Buddhas teaching is
not something that can be adopted and practiced by anybody and everybody just like that. It
should first be studied and undergo serious analysis and examination. Many people have spent
many years testing the teachings of the Buddha in this way. Through analysis and examination
they have found that wisdom and benefit are the result of practicing the buddhadharma.
Finding that the buddhadharma is profound and majestic, they naturally took a deep interest in
it.
But since cultural practices have become so strong in Buddhism we now have a situation where
even lamas and khenpos don't know the dharma properly. So we should be really concerned
and careful. In the past there were lineage masters such as Tilopa, Nrop, Samantabhadra, and
Guru Rinpoche. In Bhutan there were Tibetan and Bhutanese lineage masters such as Jigme
Lingpa, Pema Lingpa and so on. But if we are not careful in the future we will have Western
lineage masters such as 'David, 'Linda' and so on. So we must be really careful not to let culture
take over the dharma.
Renunciation
I am going to briefly teach on the Kunzang Gongd ngndro. As I explained earlier, the dharma
is directed towards the next life and particularly the achievement of liberation and
enlightenment. Since even lay people should try their best to develop revulsion towards
samsara, I need not mention how important it is for dharma practitioners to have such
renunciation. How should we understand renunciation? When you are carsick you lose any
desire to eat food. Similarly, you should be disgusted by samsaric wealth and activities, knowing
that they dont have any essence or lasting value.
Kunkhyen Jigme Lingpa said that renunciation, devotion and compassion are sublime wealth.
People work very hard in pursuit of precious worldly things like gold. If people are willing to
undergo endless difficulties to acquire mere worldly gems then we should not be lazy in our
efforts to attain the sublime wealth. To acquire this sublime wealth requires a great deal of
merit and exertion.
In the Prajpramit Stra, the Buddha praises a bodhisattva who is subject to constant
sadness, saying that such sadness is evidence of his merit. In fact, it is difficult for most dharma
practitioners to have genuine renunciation towards samsaric activities even once a year. Ideally,
you should feel the disgust towards samsara that a tiger would feel towards grass that you offer
him as food. But even if you lack such disgust you should at least try to have less craving and
attachment towards material things. And even those loppons and lamas who cannot abandon
the world as Milarepa did should understand that samsaric wealth has no essence.
Material wealth is the greatest obstacle to dharma practice
Usually we are caught up in the eight worldly dharmas. Even lamas and tulkus get entangled in
the worldly dharmas. I tell the Tibetan lamas that its not alcohol or women that are the greatest
obstacles to dharma practice. It is material wealth. Material wealth is the greatest cause of
disharmony among lamas. I myself am always getting lost in the eight worldly dharmas. As long
as we get lost in materialism, it is difficult for us to become genuine dharma practitioners.
Gomchens camouflage themselves as worldly people in order to conduct business and make
money. And when monks are horny they dress up as lay people.
The craving for material wealth destroys not only Buddhism but other faiths too. Material
wealth is like saltwater; the more you drink, the thirstier you get. We always want something
more. For example, in the past there were no mobile phones. Now that we have mobile phones
we have the new complaint of not getting through on calls. So material wealth brings no
satisfaction. It only ends up causing harm and destruction to dharma practitioners as well as to
countries and the world at large.
In the past people used to build stupas. Now people destroy and vandalize such stupas in order
to obtain material wealth. Not being contented with the amount of material wealth that they
have really destroys dharma practitioners. Milarepa left his village and went to solitary caves in
the mountains where he lived on nettles. He said he would be satisfied if nobody knew or cared
whether he was sick or dead. Even if monks and gomchens are not able to have this kind of
renunciation, at least they shouldnt always get lost in counting money. Jigme Lingpa said that
whatever material wealth we have now is the result of the merit weve accumulated in our past
lives. So when you have some money make offerings to the Three Jewels and give to the needy.
By doing that you can at least purify the defilements of kor, the misuse of offerings.
Briefly, in order to abandon our attachment to material wealth we should contemplate the
essenceless nature of samsara, based on the teachings in the instruction texts. When we say
that samsara has no essence, its not as if the Buddha transformed something that had an
essence into something essenceless. For example we can see that even among families and
relatives where we may think there should be natural affection there is enmity, back-biting
and criticism. Friends and spouses can become enemies as well. There are long explanations in
the Kunzang Lamai Shelung, as well as three different instructions in the Dudjom Tersar
ngndro, on how to arouse renunciation. Since you have received the transmission for the
Kunzang Gongd ngndro you should read and contemplate these instructions.
Among contemplations, the contemplation of impermanence is the best
In order to develop renunciation mind we need to contemplate the four ways of turning the
10
mind away from samsara. First, we should contemplate the impermanent nature of
compounded things. The Buddha has said that among footprints that of the elephant is the best
and that similarly, among contemplations, the contemplation of impermanence is the best. We
should sincerely reflect on the fearful nature of the experience of death and the even more
dreadful uncertainty of when death will come. This is something that we should take to our
hearts. The Buddhas teachings explain the profound meaning of impermanence. If an
understanding of impermanence takes root in our minds then we will have more enthusiasm for
practicing the dharma. As Gampopa said, May my mind turn towards the dharma. Reflecting
on impermanence will help our minds turn towards the dharma. Not only monks and gomchens
but ordinary lay people as well should reflect on impermanence.
We dont need to talk about the implications for enlightenment or the conditions of the next life
failing to understand impermanence causes a lot of problems in this life. People think that
they are going to live very long lives and this gives birth to lots of hope, fear, attachment,
aversion and so on. If ordinary lay people were to sincerely contemplate impermanence then
there would be more love and affection between spouses. When partners have lived together
for twenty or thirty years very commonly they grow tired of each other. If, before they went to
bed, the husband and wife were to think that that this might be their last sight of their spouse
then they would feel more love and affection towards each other.
The great Sakya master, Jetsn Drakpa Gyaltsen, said that we spend our whole lives making
plans and preparations yet nothing materialises. Nothing fruitful comes from these plans. If we
reflect on impermanence, not simply from a dharmic point of view but even from a worldly
perspective, then greater peace and happiness will be the result. By reflecting on impermanence
we can truly taste our lives. In the beginning we will have difficulty contemplating
impermanence. However, as we get used to it, we will really enjoy whatever we eat or drink.
And everyone will speak gently to one another. For example, no one will speak harshly to
someone who is going to die tomorrow. Also things like destroying stupas for material gain
wont happen. Its very unlikely that a person who knows hes dying tomorrow will vandalize a
stupa for money.
I am giving these counsels for the benefit of worldly lay people. For dharma practitioners its a
must to contemplate impermanence. Dont postpone this practice till tomorrow or some other
time. Dharma practitioners shouldnt think that, having received the teachings today, they can
go sometime later to some solitary place and practice then. We should begin practising right
now, at this very moment. Pray to Guru Rinpoche that we can generate renunciation and that
impermanence will take root in our minds. In addition, we should also do meditation practice.
Later, I will teach you how to do contemplative meditation.
The second of the four ways of turning our minds away from samsara is to contemplate the
rarity of our having a precious human birth endowed with freedom and riches. Freedom means
having the opportunity to practice the dharma. We should continually bear in mind that in our
next lives we may no longer have the devotion we now have for the Buddha, dharma and
sangha. We should reflect in this way on the rarity of our precious human body. Im not going to
say much on this subject.
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Generating proper motivation

Both teacher and students must generate proper motivation with respect to the teachings. The
students should not listen to the teachings as if they were listening to a story but should listen
with renunciation, devotion and bodhicitta. They should understand that they are receiving
these Vajrayana teachings so that they can enlighten all other beings. Similarly, the teachers
motivation should be the enlightenment of his students. He should aspire also that his teachings
will be the cause of his students becoming enlightened.
Students should listen to the teachings with the motivation of all three yanas so they should
also generate Vajrayana motivation, looking at the teacher not as an ordinary human being but
as the Buddha or Guru Padmasambhava in human form. They should regard the place where the
teachings are taking place not as an ordinary place but as the buddhafield of the Copper
Coloured Mountain. And they should see the recipients of the teachings as male and female
vidydharas. Pure vision or sacred outlook makes our motivation grand and vast. But these days,
monks study in the shedra with the sole aim of getting the degree of khenpo or geshe or
teacher. Considering the times we are living in such a motivation is not bad but it is very limited.
Because they have such a limited aim these monks achievements stop at the point where they
obtain a khenpo's or a geshes degree.
Renounce this life!
In monasteries but also in the outside world especially in foreign countries there are people
who study or come to hear the Buddhist teachings mainly out of curiosity. Some study the
teachings just so they can become scholars or translators. But there are others, not concerned
with material wealth, who really find the essence of the teachings. They study and practice the
teachings in order to escape the world of suffering. Motivation makes a big difference in the
goal or result that you achieve. So dharma practitioners should renounce this life.
There is a story of a Kadampa geshe who was instructed by his teacher to practise the dharma.
This geshe thought that he would be practising the dharma if he fashioned small miniature
stupas and made offerings. While he was engaged in this his teacher came by and asked what he
was doing. The geshe said that he was practising the dharma. The teacher then said, What you
are doing is good, but you should practice the dharma. The student then thought that
practising the dharma meant that he should do prostrations and circumambulations, so he
started on that. Again his teacher came to him and said, its good that you are doing this, but
really, you should practise the dharma.
Then the geshe thought that practising the dharma meant that he should go into retreat and do
meditation practice. But while he was meditating his teacher again came to him and said, Its
good that you are doing meditation, but still, you should practice the dharma. By then this
student had done every possible kind of dharma practice and had nothing left to do. The
student then asked the teacher what he meant by practising the dharma. His teacher said,
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Renounce this life!

As long as you are attached to this life it is impossible for you to practice the dharma. Majur
spoke four lines to Sachen Kunga Nyingpo, the first founding master of the Sakya tradition. The
first line is: If you have attachment to this life, you are not a dharma practitioner. So the
greatest obstacle to dharma practice is not being able to renounce this life in other words
being attached to wealth and belongings.
How much wealth do we really need?
We should think deeply about material wealth. On the surface, material wealth seems
indispensable. We need wealth for survival its a necessity. In particular, when it comes to
monastics, wealth is needed to build temples and monasteries and for the representations,
offering articles and so on. We really need to think about this deeply. We need these necessary
conditions to live in this world. Alcohol and women are dispensable you can either have or do
without them. By contrast, we need material wealth to survive. But how much do we really
need? Even dharma practitioners think that we need to accumulate wealth for the sake of the
dharma, in order to build monasteries and so on. In great dharma centres, many offering articles
and representations are made and embellished with gold, silver and the like. Such dharma
centres continually accumulate these costly articles. As a result, even the representations of
body, speech and mind become objects of attachment as if they were material wealth rather
than offering substances.
These days, when a lama passes away, there tend to be five or six reincarnations who are
recognized. Some of them are recognized by their parents and friends, and some are selfrecognized. Then there are those tulkus who are already adults when they are recognized. All
of this happens because of attachment to wealth. We get lost in this wealth. Dharma
practitioners in particular should be very careful about wealth. We need a certain amount of
wealth to survive, and to live, but excessive wealth is harmful. When we are sick, we need a
certain amount of medicine. However, if we take more than the required dose, it will cause us
harm. Likewise, if we indulge excessively in wealth, it will degrade and destroy our wellbeing.
I have a friend named Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche, who is also a tulku of Jamyang Khyentse Chkyi
Lodr. I came upon him one day painting over an antique statue with inexpensive gold paint. I
asked what he was doing, and he said that he was making an offering to the statue. This had a
great impact on my mind. Usually, we try to make our statues look antique and old so that we
can sell them for a high price. We try to make the representations of body, speech and mind
look old and dirty so that they seem antique, in order to make some money out of them. That is
not the motivation of a dharma practitioner. Actually, we should be cleaning these antique
statues with metal sand paper and painting them gold and so on. That would constitute an
offering to the statues.
It is essential that we reflect on this precious human life endowed with freedom and
riches. Freedom and riches means the opportunity to practise the dharma. Human beings have
this freedom. Animals dont have it. For them even having a meal tomorrow is something
uncertain. There is no certainty at all that they will have anything to eat the next day. We
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human beings at least have the strength and freedom to get what we need. Moreover, human
beings know far better than animals what is good and what is bad. At the very least, human
beings know how to feel shame. Unlike dogs, humans dont sleep with their parents or siblings.
Human beings have freedom and strength; they can speak and they can understand what others
say. We need to think time and time again that we may not have these same opportunities in
the future.
The third way of turning our minds away from samsara is to contemplate the defects and
disadvantages of samsara. The teachings tell us that living in samsara is like trying to rest on the
tip of a needle. There is no peace or happiness at all. We dont need to talk about the sufferings
of hell and the lower realms. Even in this human realm, our lives lack any certainty at all. The
way we thought in the morning will not be the same in the evening. We will think in a different
way. Our human lives are like a feather carried away by the wind. Nothing is certain and nothing
is firm and stable. It is changing all the time. We need to reflect on the changing nature and
uncertainty of samsara.
Karma has power and authority over what happens, we dont
The fourth way of turning our minds away from samsara and towards the dharma is to
contemplate cause and effect or karma. Karma is very profound. We cannot understand karma
unless we understand the meaning of sunyata or great emptiness. The meaning of karma is that
nothing exists without causes and conditions. Things are just not created by supernatural
beings. Everything is the result of corresponding causes and conditions. Different things appear
as the results of different causes and conditions. In the same way, all suffering and happiness
result from virtuous and non-virtuous actions.
The main point here is that we dont have any power or authority; it is karma that does.
Everything is manipulated or controlled by karma. If everything were to happen as we wish,
there would be no need to consider karma or cause and effect. But things dont happen that
way. For example, we may send our children to school hoping that they will receive a good
education, get a decent job and have a good life. Our children study, graduate from university,
but then, when they are about to get a job, they either pass away or encounter an accident or
some other misfortune. Actually, the biggest problem children face today is that there are no
jobs. They cant find employment. So we cant achieve our objectives as we wish.
On the other hand, the possibility of our not fulfilling our wishes is at least ninety percent. You
may make plans to go to Trashigang, but there is no guarantee that you will actually get there.
Therefore karma is our greatest ruler or king. Dharma practitioners really need to think that they
should not squander the opportunity and freedom that they have now. Those gomchens who
are doing meditation practice should remember that in future lives they may not have the
opportunity to meet and practice the dharma. Since samsara is uncertain, we cant make our
wishes come true.
All of us in this degenerate age are planning to live for 100 or 1,000 years. This makes having
renunciation mind very difficult. We should pray to the Three Jewels, the buddhas and
bodhisattvas that we will be able to generate revulsion towards samsara. We should not pray to
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the Three Jewels for ordinary things like long life, freedom from sickness or prosperity. We
should pray to be blessed so that our minds will turn towards the dharma.
Gampopa said that if we practise these four contemplations, these four thoughts that turn our
mind away from samsara, then our minds will turn towards the dharma. It doesnt matter
whether or not we formally recite the verses. The important thing is to contemplate and reflect
on these four points. So, to this point what I have been teaching on relates to turning our minds
towards the dharma. Gampopa teaches that next we need to make the dharma become the
path to enlightenment. For that to happen, we take refuge, generate bodhicitta, do mandala
offerings and so on. I will now give teachings on these inner ngndro practices.
We need reason-oriented devotion
The most important thing for dharma practitioners is to generate renunciation mind. It is
essential that they have renunciation. In addition, dharma practitioners need devotion and
confidence. In Bhutan, faith or devotion has become just a kind of tradition or culture the
Bhutanese have less and less devotion based on logic or reason. Devotion that is based on
tradition or culture and not on reason has no root or footing. We really need to try, through
hearing and studying the teachings, to give birth to reason-oriented devotion. Worldly and
ordinary lay people should try to generate this devotion, not just monks and nuns. Accordingly,
they should study and they should ask the lamas and khenpos questions. In dharma practice we
need logical devotion, devotion that is born from knowing the reason for our commitment. Just
trying to have devotion by imitating what others do will not work.
I feel that it would be good if the lay people interacted with the learned khenpos, lamas and
lopons. Actually, this brings up another instance where cultural habit or tradition has had a
really bad influence on the dharma. Lamas like me sit on very high thrones, as if sitting in the
sky. This makes us inaccessible to students and devotees. So they dont get the opportunity to
ask questions and clarify their doubts. The Bhutanese and also the Tibetans should try to ask
questions of their teachers without hesitation as Western students do so that their doubts
get clarified and they don't get entangled in blind faith.
The lama or guru is like a doctor or physician and the student is like a patient. The dharma is like
medicine. If the patient and the doctor are far apart, then the doctor cannot examine or
diagnose the patients illness and prescribe the right medicine. Then the patient wont be cured
of his illness. Likewise, when there is too large a separation between teacher and student, the
lama wont be able to give teachings and clarify the students doubts. The student doesnt get
the instruction that he needs and doesnt attain liberation. This kind of cultural habit is harmful
to dharma practice.
It is important to hold the dharma, the teachings, in the highest esteem. In the sutras, there are
stories of the Buddha prostrating to the seat from which he gave teachings. At the same time, it
would be beneficial if there is at least occasional interaction between teacher and student to
discuss the greatness of the teachings, the biographies of the lineage masters, the teachings on
the four contemplations for turning our mind away from samsara and so on.
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For Buddhist practitioners, devotion and sacred outlook are very important. Harbouring doubts
about the teachings obstructs dharma practitioners from attaining their goal. This kind of doubt
is represented by the nyul spirit. During the practice of drupchen, there is a particular ritual for
the suppression of this spirit, which symbolizes removing the obstacle that obstructs
attainment. The nyul spirit is the manifestation or expression of doubt.
Taking refuge
We should begin our practice by praying to the precious guru. The Kunzang Gongd ngndro
begins: I pray to the unsurpassable precious Guru. We should visualize the guru in the sky in
front of us and pray to him with fervent devotion. In the end, the guru dissolves into us. After
dissolution, we should generate revulsion towards samsara by reflecting on the preciousness of
human birth, impermanence, cause and effect and the defects of samsara. We should be
convinced that we have neither the power nor the authority to manipulate anything. Then we
should cut our attachment to samsara by remembering that wherever we are born there is
suffering. We should generate the longing to free ourselves from samsara and to attain nirvana
and buddhahood. Then we should generate compassion for our parent sentient beings who are
going through all kinds of suffering.
Generally speaking, it is important to pray to the guru. In the Vajrayana, it is especially
important to pray to the guru and have devotion. Praying to the guru simply means to
remember the sublime qualities of the guru, particularly the gurus realization. We usually pray
to the guru to grant us something. The prayer Calling to the Guru from Afar begins by
supplicating the precious guru in this way: Guru pay heed to me. Please know me, so that I will
remember the gurus qualities.
As I earlier explained, it is very difficult to have the sublime wealth of devotion, renunciation and
compassion. We may have superficial devotion, but it is very difficult to have firm and
everlasting devotion. So we must make every effort to give birth to authentic, genuine and firm
devotion. The Shravakayana and Mahayana possess so many different methods for generating
devotion, renunciation and compassion. In the Vajrayana, the most important method for
attaining this sublime wealth is to pray to the guru. In the Longchen Nyingthik ngndro, there is
a section on praying to guru while generating revulsion towards samsara.
Taking refuge means accepting the truth of things
Refuge is the foundation of all the ngndro practices. It is the basis of Buddhist practice. Refuge
also distinguishes Buddhists from non-Buddhists. I dont know if wearing different robes and
shaving ones head distinguishes a Buddhist from a non-Buddhist. Taking refuge has several
different meanings. Taking refuge means accepting or confirming. For example, if you believe
and accept that this place is Bartsham and then come here based on that belief, then your belief
is a correct belief. Taking refuge is like believing and accepting that this is Bartsham and not, for
example, Bidung. Your belief that this is Bartsham is supported by reason and logic. If you
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believe in reality, or things as they are, then you are not on the wrong path.
When we say, I take refuge in the dharma, it is fine for those who are not well versed in the
Buddhist teachings to take refuge in some large volumes of Buddhist scriptures. However, if we
are really talking about the teachings of the Buddha, then we should recall that the Buddha said
that all compounded things are impermanent. If you believe and accept the truth that all
compounded things are impermanent, that is actually taking refuge in the dharma. Those who
believe that all compounded things are impermanent and all emotions are pain are Buddhists,
and those who dont believe that are not Buddhists. Other faiths like Islam and Christianity dont
have these same beliefs.
The different reasons that we take refuge
In any case, there are various reasons and causes for taking refuge. To begin with, we take
refuge out of fear, out of compassion or out of devotion. For instance, because of our fear of
getting wet in the rain, we take refuge in an umbrella. Our refuge object should be something
that doesnt deceive us. If we take refuge in an umbrella as protection from the rain it will work,
whereas a flimsy cloth will not. Likewise, the object of refuge should not deceive those who take
refuge. We may take refuge out of our fear of some temporary suffering, such as being
punished, or to obtain relief from sickness and so on. This kind of fear is a very small, petty fear,
and accordingly this is a very limited way of taking refuge. Its okay, but we really need to take
refuge out of fear of the different kinds of sufferings in samsara. Samsara is a deluded state, so
we should take refuge in order to get out of this deluded state.
The best kind of fear is fear, not only of samsara, but also of nirvana. If we take refuge in order
to transcend both samsara and nirvana then this is the best refuge it is the Mahayana refuge.
It is taking refuge with the utmost confidence. Another reason or cause that we take refuge is
out of compassion for sentient beings. We should know that all sentient beings have been our
parents. Even if we arent able to experience compassion for all sentient beings, we should at
least have compassion for those who have benefitted us in this life, such as our parents and
friends. We should at least love and have affection towards these beings. Since you want to help
these beings, you take refuge in the Buddha, dharma, and sangha so that you can enlighten
them.
We can also take refuge out of devotion. We do this by taking refuge in the Buddha, dharma and
sangha, being aware of their sublime qualities. Just as we willingly go through hardships to get
precious things such as gold, we should dedicate ourselves to taking refuge in the Triple Gem
through studying, contemplating, and meditating so that we can generate the sublime qualities
of the Triple Gem in our mind stream.
There are two different kinds of refuge, relative and absolute. When we say, I take refuge in
the guru, Buddha, dharma and sangha, in the absolute sense we are taking refuge in the nature
of our minds, which is the three kayas. The actual buddha is the nature of our mind. An
historical Buddha such as Shakyamuni is an expression of this inner buddha. If we can recognize
the nature of our mind through hearing, contemplation and meditation, that is the real refuge.
And it is this refuge that really differentiates Buddhists from non-Buddhists because in other
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faiths, such as Christianity and Islam, the object of refuge exists outside your own mind.
Since the objects of refuge are present in the nature of our minds, when we finish taking refuge
we dissolve the refuge tree into ourselves and then try to recognize the nature of our mind. It is
not easy to recognize the nature of ones mind as the ultimate refuge. Its even difficult to
believe intellectually that that ultimate refuge is present within us. Because of our strong
dualistic grasping, we are convinced that we are deluded good-for-nothing beings. So we need
to begin by taking refuge in the outer objects of refuge and then receive blessings and
empowerments. But at a certain point we need to understand that the Triple Gem is actually
present within us.
In the Longchen Nyingthik sadhana, there is the verse: the deity is me and I am the deity. In
summary, if we recognize that the Buddha, dharma and sangha are present within ourselves,
then that is the ultimate or absolute refuge. Other religions dont have this kind of refuge their
followers regard their object of refuge as something outside that is truly existing.
Our beliefs and views are influenced by cultural habits and also by our educational upbringing.
In Bhutan, there are people from my generation who were educated at Christian schools and
colleges in Kalimpong, Darjeeling etc. They think that the Buddha is something like the Christian
God. In the relative sense, its fine to think that the Buddha was an Indian or a Nepalese.
However, we must understand that the real buddha is not someone who exists outside of
ourselves. Gomchens and monks might understand this, but ordinary lay people generally dont.
One important method used in the practise of refuge is to visualize the refuge tree. You can
consult the instruction texts or you can ask the lamas and khenpos for detailed explanations on
how to visualize the refuge tree. If we are visualizing the details, then we would visualize a wishfulfilling tree with five branches and so on. The most important thing here is to visualize our root
guru surrounded by the lineage gurus, buddhas, bodhisattvas, deities, dakinis and protectors.
When we visualize our root guru in the middle, it is also appropriate to visualize him or her in his
or her present human form. Lama Shang Rinpoche, who is one of the most realized and
experienced Kagyupa masters, says that the human guru we now follow should be visualized in
his ordinary form since he is actually an expression of the innate guru.
We must think that the object of refuge is really present in front of us
However, other masters such as Paltrul Rinpoche encourage us to visualize the guru as
Samantabhadra, Vajradhra, Guru Rinpoche and so on, rather than in his ordinary form. The
reason not to visualize the guru in human form is because the main purpose of practice is to
purify our impure perceptions. If we visualize the guru in his ordinary form, it may not help us to
purify our impure vision. Whereas if we visualize our guru in the form of Guru Rinpoche or
Samantabhadra, it will help us transform our impure perception into pure perception. At any
rate, practitioners should visualize the guru in the form that suits them.
It is very difficult to visualize each and every detail of the gurus form like a sculptor modelling
a sculpture. For example, when we think of our mother, we only remember her gross form, not
her individual parts. Likewise, we cannot easily visualize the gurus form clearly and completely.
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Beginners can use a picture of the guru to begin with, but experienced practitioners should
avoid relying on this. A painted image of the guru is lifeless; the eyes dont blink, and the image
is flat and two-dimensional. The most important thing is for us to have conviction that the
object of refuge is there in front of us. We must think that the object of refuge is really present
in front of us.
The mind of the guru is the Buddha, the speech of the guru is the dharma, and the form of the
guru is the sangha. Again, our own guru is the guru, deity, dakini and dharmapla all in one. So
the guru is the embodiment of all objects of refuge. There are three reasons for taking refuge.
The first reason is to be free from sickness and obstacles and to have a long life, in order to
accomplish those activities that will help turn our minds towards the dharma. Secondly, we take
refuge as a method to destroy our ego-clinging. Thirdly, we take refuge in order to dispel impure
perception.
Another important point regarding taking refuge is that one is not taking refuge alone. All
sentient beings, including your friends, relatives and enemies, are taking refuge alongside you.
Thinking in this way generates bodhicitta and has other positive effects. In our daily lives, we
may engage in many rituals and activities designed to magnetize others. For example, we may
hoist red prayer flags for that purpose. Such activities can lead to negative side effects. Actually,
the most effective method of magnetizing others is taking refuge for the sake of all beings. If we
take refuge in that way, then we will be able to magnetize others temporarily without suffering
bad effects in the future.
We have been discussing what are essentially relative refuge practices. After having taken
refuge and recited the refuge prayer, we now move on to the absolute or ultimate refuge
practice. From the object of refuge light rays emanate and liberate all sentient beings. In the
end, the object of refuge, the guru, dissolves into ourselves. Resting in the state of that
dissolution is the ultimate refuge. According to the refuge prayer of the Kunzang Gongd
ngndro, we are basically taking refuge in primordial awareness or dharmakaya, which is allperfect and spontaneously present at all times within ourselves. We take refuge in the
dharmakaya free from the defilements of dualistic thinking.
It would not be right to go into detail about the absolute refuge, as most of the listeners here
might not understand. I am just mentioning it to create an auspicious circumstance, because if
we hear this teaching again and again we will become habituated. We can see that the
Bhutanese are so habituated to Bollywood movies and songs that they even sing Bhutanese
music Bollywood-style. This concludes the teachings on the refuge section.
Bodhicitta
The next section has to do with bodhicitta. Since bodhicitta is the root of the dharma, it is very
precious. We are all followers of the Mahayana, and moreover of the Vajrayana. Regardless of
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which Tibetan Buddhist tradition we follow, bodhicitta is crucial. In one of the sutras, the
Buddha said, Supposing that there are 500 arhats sitting in a chariot and there is nobody to pull
it. If the Buddha were to come by, those 500 arhats would not have enough merit to cause him
to pull that chariot with even one of his toes. On the other hand, if there were a person sitting in
the chariot who didnt possess bodhicitta but had merely heard of it, then the Buddha would
have to pull the chariot with his neck. This illustrates the importance of bodhicitta.
Dharma practitioners cannot live without bodhicitta
Even though a practitioner or follower of the dharma has little learning, he or she should take
refuge and generate bodhicitta. Bodhicitta can be generated or aroused. Firstly, we can
generate bodhicitta through taking the Mahayana bodhisattva vow. Even if we dont formally
take the vow, we can at least generate the altruistic intention to enlighten all beings. In other
words, we should have the intention to benefit others and to bring them to enlightenment.
We must not become tied down to an intention that benefits beings only in a small and
temporary way wishing to build them a house for example. However, due to our habitual
patterns it is very difficult to have genuine bodhicitta. Even though we recite the words may I
enlighten all beings, this is something very difficult to accomplish. Since bodhicitta is as vast as
the sky, we tend to get discouraged or frightened when it comes to enlightening or benefitting
other beings in a substantial way. Because we have not recognized the view of emptiness the
view that is free from all kinds of elaborations and judgements we become discouraged by the
infinite nature of bodhicitta. Our habits make it difficult to have this view free from
elaborations.
Thus, we tend to make aspirations only for our own benefit or at most for our relatives, friends
and acquaintances. Such aspirations are limited. We should try by all possible means to
generate the vast intention to benefit all beings. The Bhutanese people traditionally are narrowminded, but they should try to broaden their minds. Our aspirations should not be limited to the
present moment or the present place. Like the bodhisattva Samantabhadra, we should aim to
generate the vast intention to enlighten others. Samantabhadra made the vast aspiration to
enlighten all sentient beings by himself without relying on anybody else. Likewise, we must
generate the motivation to practise the dharma in order to enlighten all beings. That is not
something impossible. It is possible.
The main thing is that we need to get accustomed to this noble intention. If we get habituated
to bodhicitta, we will not have any doubt or hesitation about benefitting other beings or in
bringing them to enlightenment. As Shantideva said: There is nothing that is impossible if we
get used to it. So there will be no difficulty in benefitting other beings if we get used to this vast
intention of bodhicitta. We may take the form of kings, ministers or even prostitutes it all
depends on what benefits other beings.
There are monks and gomchens who perform rituals in a village and care only about the
offerings they will receive at the end of the day. The whole day they wait for these offerings,
taking long breaks and chanting the prayers as little as possible. Then, the moment they receive
the offerings, they wrap up the ritual and call it a day. It is not just these monks and gomchens
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who act like this. Some lamas who encounter foreigners sincerely interested in learning and
practicing the dharma try to squeeze money out of them rather than helping them. And we
need to be very careful with respect to the misuse of the kor offerings.
I always tell the monks at my monasteries that its not good to feed our families and relatives
with offerings. Misusing offerings is more serious than slaughtering animals. So when we
perform rituals in a village, we should aspire not only to benefit our hosts temporarily but
ultimately to bring them to enlightenment. If we fail to make this aspiration and dont dedicate
the offerings of our sponsors in accordance with the dharma, then this will defile and obscure
both sponsor and practitioner in this life and the next.
We should exercise great care in performing the purification and liberation rituals, as well as the
exorcism rituals to drive away obstacles and obstacle-makers. These are very risky and
dangerous practices. Maintaining the attitude of bodhicitta is the only way to counteract the
danger. When monks and gomchens offer prayers for a household, they should aspire to fulfil
the wishes of the host in accordance with the dharma and ultimately to enlighten all sentient
beings.
This kind of aspiration makes our practice powerful. As dharma practitioners we cannot live
without bodhicitta. It is indispensable! We must try in whatever way we can to give birth to
bodhicitta. Even if we cant give rise to grand aspirations, if we are involved in, say, chanting the
words of the dharma, we should aspire that such chanting will enlighten all beings. In short,
whatever virtuous practice we engage in, we should do for the sake of enlightenment.
There are two different kinds of bodhicitta relative and absolute. Absolute or ultimate
bodhicitta is meditating on the ultimate view of sunyata. The omniscient Longchenpa said that it
is almost impossible for beginners to have absolute bodhicitta. So we should rely mainly on
relative bodhicitta.
There are, as well, two kinds of relative bodhicitta: the bodhicitta of aspiration, and that of
action. Action, or application, bodhicitta is engaging in practices such as the six paramitas and
the four factors for inspiring students. However, it is very difficult to actually practice the six
paramitas. We may only be able to make a few butter lamp offerings or give a few rupees to
beggars, and so on. Since application bodhicitta is so difficult, Longchenpa has said that we need
to practice mainly aspiration bodhicitta. In the Stra of Advice to the King, there is the story of a
king who had so many queens and subjects that it was very difficult for him to practice
application bodhicitta. The Buddha told this king that he should practice aspiration bodhicitta.
We ourselves should try our best to generate aspiration bodhicitta. When we rise in the
morning, we should make the aspiration to benefit all beings and ultimately to enlighten them.
Aspiration bodhicitta is very economical; it doesnt require any expenditure on our parts. We
simply need to give rise to a good aspiration. And its not necessary to formally chant a prayer
such as Samantabhadras aspiration prayer. At the same time, if we can, it is good to chant this
prayer, which is very powerful. In addition to those aspiration prayers that already exist, we
should make our own aspiration prayers in our own languages and dialects.
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Actually, we dont know how to make aspirations it is very difficult. We dont know who wants
what. We might make the aspiration that a hungry person gets some food, but we dont know if
that food will help or harm that person. It might kill them. We dont know what different
individuals want. And if we made an aspiration such as everybody having a Toyota Land Cruiser,
then that aspiration being fulfilled would be terrible. There would be gas shortages,
environmental pollution and other problems, and it would be disastrous for the planet. So our
aspiration really cant be that individual beings should have everything they want, because there
is no end to what people want. Therefore, we should follow the example of the buddhas and
bodhisattvas. We must make our aspirations follow those made by the buddhas and by
bodhisattvas such as Majushri and Samantabhadra. The buddhas and bodhisattvas know what
beings really need. If we make aspirations just as they have, then such aspirations will bring
benefit.
We should practice the four contemplations in order to make our minds turn towards the
dharma. We should reflect again and again on the defects of the three realms of samsara, the
impermanence of life in particular, and on samsaras uncertainty and impermanence in general.
We should reflect on cause and effect. We should know that no one has the power to create his
or her own circumstances. It is karma alone that has the authority to manipulate everything
we lack the power to have things as we want them.
At present, we have been born as human being. We know how to speak and how to understand
others. We also know how to differentiate between virtuous and non-virtuous actions.
Furthermore, we have encountered the dharma and met with sublime teachers. We also have
some kind of interest in and enthusiasm for studying and practicing the dharma. We should
reflect again and again on the fact that we may not obtain this precious human body in the
future. These contemplations are the methods for turning our minds towards the dharma.
Getting habituated to practice is the start of becoming a true dharma practitioner
The next of the Four Dharmas of Gampopa concerns the method for the dharma to become the
path. Taking refuge, on which I have already taught, is the first part of the method. Ill continue
now on the second part which is bodhicitta. There is no need to mention that dharma
practitioners such as monks and gomchens should have bodhicitta, but even worldly folk must
have it. We must not postpone our bodhicitta practice. We shouldnt think: At the moment, I
don't have the time and the right conditions for practice but in a few years I will practice in a
grand manner. Because the time when we can practice in such a grand and elaborate manner
will never come. So, as much as possible, we should begin to practice now. Even if that means
reciting just a single " O mai padme h, or "O h vajra guru padma siddhi h " or
offering just one butter lamp. And we should do this act with the motivation of enlightening all
sentient beings. Even though our practice is seemingly small and unimportant, we should
accompany it with aspiration.
Due to our habitual patterns, we have a tendency to look down on small practices like offering a
single butter lamp or reciting some short prayers. We ignore such small practices, but then we
are not able to get around to the grand and elaborate practices. In the Words of my Perfect
Teacher, Paltrul Rinpoche said that we should practice the way a hungry yak eats grass. A hungry
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yak does not make any distinction as to whether the grass is long or short; it eats it all.
I am giving this advice to ordinary worldly folks, not to committed dharma practitioners. People
tend to think, When I have grown old, then at that point I will practice and recite the mantras
like O mai padme h, or "O h vajra guru padma siddhi h. What guarantee is
there that you will live to an old age? Life is impermanent; it is uncertain. And I want to say this
particularly to the worldly lay people. We think that when we do dharma practice, we ought to
accumulate hundreds of thousands or millions of mantras. Of course if you could do that, that
would be actually good. It's certainly not bad. But what is important is to be consistent with
your practice.
People are always engaged in their day-to-day activities, such as cooking, going to the office,
washing clothes and so on. The endless nature of such activities is one of the downfalls of
samsara. There is no end to samsaric activities. Not only worldly lay people, but even so-called
dharma practitioners such as myself get entrapped in samsaric activities. We are always busy
doing projects. We build one thing and then move onto another, so that we always have so
many things to do. As Longchenpa has said, we are caught up in our own self-created work that
no one else asked us to do. We create our own work and we busy ourselves doing it. We also
create deadlines for the completion of the work, but we're unable either to complete the work
or to keep up with those deadlines. In the process of all this, we run out of money and become
destitute, as Longchenpa pointed out in the Thirty Verses of Heart Advice. Then we have to go
around collecting donations so that we can continue with our projects. In this way, there is no
end to what we do. There is no end to samsaric activities. Therefore these days, even among
dharma practitioners, its very difficult to find a practitioner like the yogi Milarepa who leaves
everything and goes to a cave to practice.
However caught up we are in worldly activities, for at least three to five minutes each day we
should visualize the buddhas and bodhisattvas in front of us and generate bodhicitta, the
altruistic intention to enlighten all sentient beings. If we consistently practice in this way, over
time we will get used to it. As Shantideva said, there's nothing that does not become easy if you
get used to it. Gradually we will become habituated to the practice, so that we will feel
uncomfortable if we don't do it. And that is the beginning of becoming a true dharma
practitioner. At some point, even when we engage in worldly activities, we will end up doing
dharma practices such as generating bodhicitta or making aspirations to enlighten all sentient
beings.
It is very difficult to make a habit of dharma practice. My friend Jigme jokes that if you can't
sleep, you should chant the vajra guru mantra and then you will just drift off. The point is that
right now we are not habituated to dharma practice, so it doesnt come spontaneously and
effortlessly. Since the Bhutanese are so accustomed to the sport of archery, their interest in
practicing archery comes almost effortlessly. In the same way, we need to build up the habit of
practicing the dharma.
I neednt address this advice to dharma practitioners the appellation practitioner means that
they should be practicing the dharma most of the time. Worldly lay people should spend three
to five minutes a day meditating on bodhicitta and making good aspirations. In this way, they'll
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become used to it. For example, heavy drinkers start by drinking a small amount of alcohol and
over the years they become total drunkards. If a person drinks a huge amount of alcohol all at
one go, then he will get sick and wont want to drink after that. So we need to establish the
habit of spending a small amount of time every day practicing the dharma, and in this case
generating bodhicitta.
In order to generate bodhicitta, we need to have a witness or support. Here that support or
witness is the refuge tree. The particular support we employ for our bodhicitta aspiration is very
important because the merit we accumulate will very much depend on the kind of support. For
example, if we offer a glass of water to a person who is thirsty we will accumulate merit, but if
the water is offered to a bodhisattva then the merit will be manifold. This is because the support
or object of offering is more precious. So we need to generate our bodhicitta aspiration in front
of an appropriate support or witness. This is all I have to say at this point concerning relative
bodhicitta.
We now come to absolute or ultimate bodhicitta. The notion of buddhas as opposed to
sentient beings is a concept that is created by dualistic mind. Neither buddhas nor sentient
beings constitute entities that truly exist outside our minds. Because of our ignorance, we label
phenomena as good, bad, small, big, Dorji, Tashi etc. Because we do this, subject and
object are separated and become far apart. Because of the dualistic separation of subject and
object, we wander endlessly in this cyclic existence known as samsara. When sentient beings
perfectly actualize the primordially awakened view through meditation they attain the state of
buddhahood. This is difficult for beginners to understand, but it is not meaningless chatter.
Toys are something precious to small children, but as the children grow up they lose interest in
their toys. We child-like, ordinary beings have toys such as wives, children, homes, power, rank
etc. When they regard us ordinary beings playing with our toys, compassion arises in the minds
of the realized bodhisattvas.
Here, I am reciting the bodhicitta verse from the Kunzang Gongd ngndro. This verse may
seem difficult to comprehend, but I am reciting it to plant a seed in your minds. Because if you
hear it again and again, you will gain familiarity with this teaching.
Vajrasattva practice
The refuge and bodhicitta aspirations that we have been discussing are called the common
practices. That is because the practice of refuge can be found in the Shravakayana, and the
practice of bodhicitta in the Mahayana. The visualization and recitation practice of Vajrasattva
marks the beginning of the Vajrayana path. Vajrasattva practice is a method for purifying the
defilements of our negative actions. Vajrayana practice is like drinking tea. We should clean the
teacup before we drink the tea. Similarly, in order to practice the Vajrayana path we need to
purify our mind. There are very many different methods for purifying our mind. Among these
the practice of Vajrasattva is the most effective.
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In the practice of Vajrasattva described in the Longchen Nyingthik, we visualize Vajrasattva

sitting on the top of our heads. The amrita that flows down from the union of deity and consort
purifies our body, speech and mind. In the Kunzang Gongd ngndro, the text directs us to
visualize ourselves as Vajrasattva. Now, who is Vajrasattva? Vajrasattva is the embodiment of
the vajra mind of all the buddhas. Just as Majushri is the embodiment of the wisdom of all the
buddhas, Avalokitevara is the embodiment of the compassion of all the buddhas, and Vajrapni
is the embodiment of the power of all the buddhas, so Vajrasattva is the embodiment of the
mind of all the buddhas.
Vajrasattva is nothing other than tathgatagarbha, the nature of our minds. Since we have not
recognized the actual Vajrasattva, we visualize our guru in the form of Vajrasattva as a means to
help us recognize the innate Vajrasattva. The main thing in the practice of Vajrasattva is to
confess our negative actions of past, present and future. We take Vajrasattva as the support, or
object, to whom we confess our negative actions. And here, we should talk about the four
strengths of confession.
o
First, there is the object or support for confession, which is Vajrasattva.
Second, we should realize that the unwholesome actions we have committed

are destructive. We should feel regret, knowing that such unwholesome actions
are bad and destructive. If we lack remorse and regret, we wont even have the
wish to confess our negative actions. Without regret, even if we pretended to
confess our negative actions, we couldnt purify them.
Third, we must wholeheartedly confess all our negative actions of past, present
and future, whether we remember them or not. We should confess each and
every negative action we have committed.
Finally, it is important is to make the commitment not to repeat these negative

actions. That is the fourth of the four strengths of confession.
Employing these four limbs of confession, we visualize Vajrasattva, and we accomplish

purification through the descent of amrita from Vajrasattva. We can either visualize Vajrasattva
sitting on the crowns of our heads or visualize ourselves as Vajrasattva as in the Kunzang
Gongd ngndro.
When we speak about visualizing Vajrasattva, we are talking about the development stage of
meditation. Kyrim means development or creation stage, and this word is so profound. When
we see a rainbow in the sky, it appears as something very vivid and beautiful. However, we cant
bring that rainbow home. Although the rainbow appears vividly, it does not have any substantial
existence. The rainbow lacks true, substantial existence. But even though its empty, it appears
clearly. Likewise, all the phenomena of the three realms of existence appear, but lack any true
existence. They are empty. Even while they are empty, they are not completely blank. They
appear. All the phenomena of samsara and nirvana are empty, but appear. This is the
inseparability of clarity and emptiness.
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Although all phenomena are the union of clarity and emptiness, Longchenpa pointed out that
some beings are more confused by the emptiness aspect and some are more confused by the
clarity aspect. At the time beings are confused by the clarity aspect, they think that things are
truly existent. When they are confused by the emptiness aspect, they become nihilists and think
that there is no cause and effect, no past or future life, no good or bad, no samsara or nirvana,
and so on. Such confusion as to the clarity and emptiness aspects of phenomena gives birth to
ignorance. From that ignorance, all kinds of negative emotions arise. Through these harmful
emotions, we create karma, and karma brings rebirth. Enmeshed in the cycle of emotions,
karma and rebirth, we wander endlessly in the three realms of cyclic existence.
A foolish person who sees a rainbow and doesnt understand that it lacks true existence may try
to reach out and take hold of the rainbow. Similarly, when we fail to understand the non-duality
of the clarity and emptiness aspects of phenomena, then clarity and emptiness become
separated or get divorced. We practice Kyrim and dzogrim in order to unite the two aspects of
clarity and emptiness. Generally, Kyrim has to do with the clarity aspect and dzogrim deals with
the emptiness aspect. Actually, they are inseparable. Kyrim and dzogrim are in union.
The purpose of visualizing ourselves as Vajrasattva, or of visualizing Vajrasattva as the deity
sitting above our heads, is to purify our habitual pattern of viewing ourselves as Dorje, Pema,
David, Aria, Tashi, etc. We visualize Vajrasattva in order to destroy this habit. The Kunzang
Gongd ngndro directs us to visualize ourselves as Vajrasattva luminous-white, transparent
and adorned with ornaments. The point here is to visualize Vajrasattva in a form that is
beautiful. Whatever deity we visualize, we should visualize its form as beautiful and attractive.
Majushri and Avalokitevara should also be visualized in attractive forms. When we practice
the Longchen Nyingthik ngndro, we visualize our own guru in the form of Vajrasattva.
The visualization and recitation practice of Vajrasattva is a method for confessing our negative
actions and karmic defilements. In general, even non-Buddhist religions like Christianity and
Hinduism are concerned with cleansing the defilements of negative actions. These religions talk
about negative actions as sins. But the Buddhist concept of sin is totally different from that of
other faiths. Christians believe that everything is the creation of God, and that we must follow
the command of this Almighty. Whatever goes against the Almightys command is a sin. For
Christians, whether something is a sin or not is therefore predetermined. Christians believe, for
example, that killing pigs or fish for food is not really a sin because their God created these
animals as food for human beings.
Vajrasattva practice is the best means for purifying defilements
In Buddhism, karma, or cause and effect, is a limitless concept. Even highly learned scholars such
as panditas have difficulty explaining the finer details of cause and effect. A person has to fully
realize the view of sunyata to be able to explain karma in its smallest details. From the Buddhist
understanding, when we have not realized the right view, then we perceive things in a distorted
way. Buddhism regards any action, whether physical or mental, which is rooted in a distorted
understanding of the view as unwholesome. In other words, any action motivated by the
harmful emotions is considered to be an unwholesome action or sin. Its like touching a burning
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iron without understanding that it will burn you. Not knowing the true nature of phenomena,
we perceive them in a mistaken way. This wrong perception gives birth to misconceptions. We
perceive impermanent things to be permanent, dirty things to be clean, and things devoid of self
to have a self, or true existence. When we engage in actions based on these wrong attitudes,
then we create negative actions or sins. There may be some difference in their degree and
magnitude, but any action committed out of a mistaken attitude is considered a negative action.
Dharma practice aims to reverse or transform such mistaken views. Having the right view will
counteract negative actions.
Our practice of the dharma, and our efforts to engage in wholesome action, shouldnt be
motivated by such petty goals as long life, prosperity and so on. Practicing the dharma based on
this kind of small motivation cant purify our negative actions and defilements. Understanding
the view, we need to practice the dharma with the objective of obtaining enlightenment in
order to enlighten all beings. This will purify our negative actions and obscurations. Engaging in
dharma practice with the right view serves as the antidote for negative actions, the root of
negative actions and the harmful emotions.
It is very difficult to confidently distinguish which actions are positive and which are negative.
Seemingly negative actions can be positive, and seemingly positive actions can be negative,
depending on the motivation underlying them. Killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive
speech, harsh words, idle gossip, covetousness, harmful thoughts and wrong views are negative
actions. We should always remember that Buddhists dont regard happiness and suffering as the
creation of some supernatural almighty being, but as the result of corresponding positive and
negative actions. If you plant an apple seedling and have such necessary causes and conditions
as fertile soil, fertilizers, water and sunlight, then if there are no obstacles the seedling will
grow into an apple tree and bear fruit. Likewise, negative and positive actions will bear their
fruits when the necessary conditions are present and no obstacles occur.
We human beings always do contradictory things. What we want, and the things we do to get
what we want, contradict each other. For example, we want to live long lives. But if we really
want to live for a long time, we need to stop taking the lives of others. If we dont give up
harming others, we wont live long, even if we receive long life initiations a thousand times.
Similarly, the root cause of being poor is having stolen or taken what was not given. We may do
wealth-summoning rituals in order to become prosperous and rich, but the most effective way
to attract wealth is to abandon stealing and taking what has not been given, and instead to
practice giving. We may claim that weve never stolen anything, or that we dont steal in this
life, but this is hard to say. Determining what is stealing can be very tricky. If you don't pay your
bus fare or your full taxes, then that is stealing. So we need to be very careful.
Similarly, it is very easy to lie. In this life, some people have no luck, or are looked down on and
not respected. This is because they told lies in their previous lives. Another effect of lying is that
our speech becomes weightless it has no credibility. In contrast, the speech of Buddha
Shakyamuni was majestic. The story goes that the Buddhas younger brother Nanda had a wife
who did not allow him to leave the house. One day, the Buddha went to Nandas house to beg
alms. He stood outside the house and shook his staff. The sound this made was so powerful that
Nanda could not resist coming out of the house. Since the Buddha had never told a lie, his
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utterances were very powerful and strong. The Buddhas words were words of truth, and that
truth dragged Nanda out of his house.
Then, there are some people with mental problems, which comes from their harmful thoughts
towards others. Some dharma practitioners also experience bad luck things dont go the way
they want. Right at the start, these dharma practitioners may not have much enthusiasm for
receiving the teachings. Or, even though they do want to receive teachings, they may not be
able to find a teacher who will give them. Or, even though they actually receive the teachings
from such a teacher, they will be unable to understand them, or may understand them wrongly.
When such dharma practitioners practice in retreat, a few days of retreat can seem like ages. On
the other hand, when they are involved in gambling and other games time flies by. All these
situations are the result of the defilements of negative actions. Having wrong views towards the
teacher and doubting the teachings also result from our negative actions and obscurations.
Of the many methods for purifying the defilements of negative actions, those of the Vajrayana
are best. Here, we will talk about the practice of Vajrasattva. The secret mantra, the Vajrayana,
is very profound and vast. The deities we visualize, such as Vajrasattva, Krodhikali etc., actually
are the mantra. As Ive explained, the actual deity is the nature of our mind or the
buddhanature. But when we make use of these deities, we do so through symbols or aspects.
For example, Krodhikali or Troma is black, stands, holds a curved knife and is adorned with
ornaments. But the subtle deity is the mantra, or the syllables. Syllables such as "O mai
padme h" are the deity. The deity is not something which exists externally.
In Kyrim, and in dzogrim practice with characteristics, all of the one hundred peaceful and
wrathful deities are understood to be present within our body. Because they are present in our
body, reciting the mantra causes our inner channels and winds to move. When the recitation
and visualization practices are accompanied by an understanding of the ultimate view of
shunyata, then all kinds of impure actions and defilements are melted, just as the suns heat
melts the frost.
One important point is that we should trust and have confidence in this practice. In Buddhism,
unlike other religions, trust, confidence and faith develop as a result of thorough study,
contemplation and analytical meditation. Once we have engaged in such analysis, we should
develop certainty or confidence. Just to go on examining, without ever reaching certainty, would
be useless and fruitless. If a patient reads a medical textbook and doesn't develop confidence in
its diagnosis of and treatment for his ailment, then his continuing to read the medical textbook
wont help. Having analysed and examined, we need to develop certainty and confidence in the
secret mantrayana. Having reached such certainty and confidence, we then purify our negative
actions and obscurations through the recitation and visualization practice of Vajrasattva.
According to the long version of the Kunzang Gongd ngndro text, we should recite not only
the one hundred syllables mantra, but also the six syllable mantra. As Ive explained numerous
times, the actual method for purifying our negative actions and obscurations is to meditate on
the true nature of our minds in other words to prolong the natural state. As a method for
resting in the true nature of our minds, we try to perceive all appearances as Vajrasattva.
Vajrasattva is not lifeless, like a clay or metal statue. We should understand that the
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visualization of Vajrasattva is like the reflection of the moon in the water. That reflection
appears clearly, but is empty in nature. Similarly, Vajrasattva is empty of true existence, but
appears clearly.
Again, we should visualize Vajrasattva as we do a reflection in a mirror. Although the reflection
has no truly substantial existence, it appears in the mirror due to causes and conditions. So we
must visualize Vajrasattva as the union of clarity and emptiness, not as a truly existing objective
phenomenon. We need to seal our visualization with this view and to prolong it in the state of
the ultimate view.
Shamatha
The Indian master Acharya Vasubhandu said: Apply perfect discipline, study, and contemplation
to the practice of meditation. After studying and contemplating, we should meditate in order to
put the teachings into practice. In the Samdhirja Stra, the Buddha said that a second of
meditation accumulates merit more powerfully than such methods as prostrations, making
offerings or performing pujas. This is because meditation is more effective in uprooting the
emotions and corresponding actions.
We practice meditation to attain buddhahood, not to calm or tranquilize our minds
In Bhutan, the name gomchen is given to dharma practitioners. Generally however, due to
their traditional habits, the Tibetans and Bhutanese seem to spend more time performing rituals
like pujas and recitations. Some people, whose minds are slightly broader, go to shedras to
study and to do some amount of contemplation. Even those who go into retreat seem to prefer
reciting mantras to the extent that they wear out their malas. So these days, practicing
meditation, or even talking about meditation, seems to be dying out in Bhutanese society.
Bhutanese people are surprised when they see other Bhutanese practicing meditation they
seem to think that the Bhutanese meditators are acting like foreigners. This kind of attitude is
very lowly. A member of the Bhutanese nobility said to me: In Thailand, people practice
meditation, which is very commendable, but the Tibetan and Bhutanese lamas dont seem to do
this kind of practice. Dont the Tibetan and Bhutanese traditions have the system of
meditation? What this person said is true!
When we do meditation, we can have many obstacles, like feeling drowsy and bored. We tend
to get distracted. I dont know if people feel drowsy and bored when they are practicing pujas.
Not only gomchens, but also monks and nuns should practice meditation. Even ordinary lay folk
should meditate.
When we talk about how the practice of meditation is regarded in the West, there are people
there who meditate as a kind of mental therapy to calm their minds. These people are in the
habit of taking tranquillizers to calm their minds, but they say that meditation is much more
29
effective. As Buddhists, we dont practice meditation to tranquilize or calm our minds. We

meditate in order to attain buddhahood. So whoever wishes to attain buddhahood should
meditate.
I once visited a store in Burma, where the clerk simply sat upright in silence for three minutes
without speaking to any of his customers. When he was asked about this, the clerk said he had
the habit of doing meditation, which he would forget if he didnt engage in it continually. This
person was basically talking about shamatha, or calm abiding meditation. Actually, reflecting on
the preciousness of human birth, the impermanence of life, the defects of samsara and the law
of cause and effect are also meditation. Nevertheless, the foundation of all the different kinds of
meditation is calm abiding meditation, the development of mental stability. In order to lay the
foundation for meditation, it is very important to practice shamatha, or calm abiding
meditation.
When meditation becomes a habit, we will have the impulse to meditate every day
Shamatha is a very vast subject. The subject becomes vaster when combined with the subjects
of penetrating insight or vipassana. There are so many mahmudr and mahsandhi teachings
that concern shamatha meditation. In particular, the mahmudr writings of Kunkhyen Pema
Karpo, a Drukpa Kagyu master, contain many detailed instructions on gradual methods for
developing mental stability, or shamatha. The main purpose of calm abiding meditation is to
make the mind pliable, workable and malleable to make our minds become our slaves. At the
moment, we cant make our minds work for us. Rather, it is our minds that make us work. Since
we are without any authority over our minds, our minds command us.
It is a fact that as ordinary beings we are subject to desire, anger and ignorance. However, if
someone were to ask us to become angry at this moment, we would be unable to. We dont
have any control or power over when we become angry. The reason is that we lack control of
our minds. Because of the habits we have accumulated over many lifetimes, our minds are rigid
and stubborn. To make our minds flexible and workable like dough, we should practice
shamatha meditation. During the course of this teaching, I am going to teach a few methods for
practising calm-abiding meditation.
When we talk about calm-abiding meditation, there is one thing to keep in mind. The
instructions are that we should not follow past thoughts or anticipate future thoughts. When I
give this instruction, some people think, Ah! Khyentse Rinpoche is teaching dzogpachenpo. I
must make it clear that I am not teaching dzogpachenpo. None of the Buddhas teachings tell us
to follow past thoughts or to anticipate future thoughts during meditation. There are many
angry, fierce, and wrathful female dharma protectors. They are very stubborn and might not let
me live if I were to teach dzogchen or mahmudr to such a large audience.
Whether you are practicing dzogpachenpo, chagyachenpo or any other advanced form of
meditation, you need to base those practices on shamatha meditation. So I am going to teach
the methods for shamatha. Actually, you can practice calm abiding meditation while you are
sleeping. Or you could go to a discotheque or bar and do shamatha meditation there. However,
this would be too distracting for beginners, who lack capacity for that. If you try to do
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meditation while you are lying down, you will probably fall asleep. So the posture you adopt
when you do shamatha meditation is very important. In the Drukpa Kagyu tradition,
practitioners spend at least a month just sitting in the vajra posture of Vairochana before they
do any kind of other practice.
There is a story about a rishi who was practicing meditation. He wasnt able to meditate well
and couldnt achieve mental stability. It happened that he came across a monkey who had seen
the proper posture for meditation and was displaying that posture. The rishi understood and
adopted the posture for his own practice. After that, his meditation progressed. So it is best if
you can sit in the Vairochana posture. Even if you cant do that, you should sit upright and
straighten your spine. Further, the omniscient Longchenpa has spoken about the benefits of
sitting underneath a tree or beside a flowing river while doing meditation practice. We need to
apply such methods according to the time and situation.
The next important thing is to receive practical oral instructions from a master about how to
meditate. Masters like Lama Shang Rinpoche and Tsel Natsok Rangdrl have provided many
such instructions. There are also numerous Drukpa Kagyu masters who have given pith
instructions on shamatha meditation. For example, if you feel drowsy and sleepy when you
meditate, you could drink coffee. Or, if you cant sit on a flat mat, then put a thick cushion under
your bum.
An important point for beginners is to meditate for as short periods as possible perhaps three
to five minutes. Advanced meditators can meditate for as long as they want, because they can
sustain the meditation. If beginners were to meditate for a long time, they would get bored and
become discouraged. If you drink a whole bottle of alcohol in one go, you may lose your
appetite for any more alcohol. But if you drink little by little, then gradually you will become a
perfect alcoholic. Similarly, you should practice meditation in short sessions.
It would be good if we could make a commitment such as, Every day between my rising and
going back to bed, I will practice meditation for three to five minutes. If we practice in this way,
then meditation will gradually become a habit and we will have the impulse to meditate every
day.
[Rinpoche then led sitting practice for about 5 minutes, preceded by these instructions:]
When you are doing shamatha meditation, there is no mantra to recite or deity to visualize. You
just need to sit upright with a straight spine and rest your hands on your knees. You may not be
able to resist blinking your eyes or swallowing a small amount of saliva. Apart from that, you are
absolutely not allowed to do anything. You should not move your body, cough, sneeze, or pick
up your mobile phone. If you have forgotten to switch off your mobile phone and it rings during
your meditation, dont respond to the call. Just let it ring. Otherwise, if you attend to each and
every thing, five minutes might end up becoming the whole day.
[After the meditation session:]
We didn't actually meditate a full five minutes, only four minutes and fifty-five seconds. For
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some people, the five minutes must have been a very long time. They must have been dying to
finish the session. And some people might have remembered things that they had forgotten.
Why would we now remember what we didnt remember before? Its because we have let our
minds go. In other words, we have let our minds relax. Usually, we are constantly distracted.
Our cup is in our bag but we look for it elsewhere because weve forgotten that we put it in our
bag. Sometimes we look around for our coat even while were wearing it! This happens because
our minds are distracted. We are not vigilant! Not moving and not doing anything at all this is
how we should sit while meditating.
Knowing that you are distracted is worth one thousand ounces of gold
As I explained earlier, the main purpose of shiney or shamatha practice is to make our minds
workable, pliable or malleable to make our minds soft and flexible. However for Buddhist
practitioners, the purpose of meditation is not just to make the mind pliable. The purpose of
shamatha or calm-abiding meditation is to give birth to penetrative insight. In Tibetan, this is
called lhagthong, which means seeing further or seeing beyond. What is seeing beyond? What
more do we see when we meditate? What is it that is being seen beyond, through our
meditation?
Due to our ignorance and the afflictive emotions, we sentient beings dont see the true nature
of things. Through meditation, we can see their true nature. That is what is being seen beyond
through meditation. The scriptures explain this penetrative insight, or seeing beyond, as the
praja of recognizing no-self. At the moment, we cling to our egos. Penetrative insight is seeing
the absence of any self, seeing beyond our habitual delusion of a self. The direct method for
developing penetrative insight is shamatha, or calm-abiding meditation. The beginning
meditator should sit, just as I have explained. There is nothing to visualize or to recite. We just
focus our minds on the movement of the breath. We should be aware of the movement of the
breath. We should know that we are breathing as we breathe in and out. This breath is
something of great importance to us. If it stops, it will be time for us to be wrapped in a shroud.
[Rinpoche then led a second shamatha session, after which he said:]
Generally, when we try to focus on the movement of the breath, our minds dont stay on the
focal point of the breath. They wander here and there, thinking of so many things and hearing
many different kinds of sounds. Because of all these distractions, we may have been able to
focus our minds on the object of the breath for a second or two only. On this matter, I want to
say one very important thing: That is very good! If I could, I would award you a medal for this,
because this is a meditators first experience of meditation.
On the other hand, there are some gomchens who come to me and say that they experience
clarity, luminosity and bliss or that they see Guru Rinpoche. That is really not good! If you feel
bad when your mind gets distracted, its a good sign, because knowing that you are distracted is
non-distraction. You are not distracted! The omniscient Jigme Lingpa has said: Knowing that
you are distracted is worth one thousand ounces of gold. If you dont believe this, you can find
it in Jigme Lingpas instructions on meditation Gomchok Drilen. When gomchens tell me that
theyve experienced clarity and bliss or have seen Guru Rinpoche, this is sheer fabrication. Its
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just their imaginations. To be sure, there is a non-distracted state in the midst of turbulent
thoughts. However, when people try to make something out of that they develop pride and
arrogance.
Some people practice meditation for one year, two years or twelve years, without a single sign
of improvement. They have no visions or good dreams, so they feel very bad. They become
discouraged with their meditation because they havent seen any progress. Such
disappointment is very good. On the other hand, sitting in a blissful state without any thoughts
for twelve years and being satisfied with that is not good, because the meditators with those
experiences dont know that they are distracted. If you know that you are distracted, then you
are not distracted. Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche said that its very important to have awareness or
mindfulness if you dont, then you are like a mound of shit. In other words, a person who is
unmindful is no better than a pile of shit.
To sum up: meditation is very important because it strengthens the mind. It makes the mind
more muscular. When we are distracted, our minds become engrossed in all kinds of activities,
such as trying to compete with others, and this makes our minds feeble and weak. Then we get
disappointed and become sad.
Maala offering the accumulation of merit

The next part of the ngndro is Mandala practice, which is done to accumulate merit. The
meanings of the phrases accumulation of merit and gathering of merit are similar. Merit
plays an important part not only in dharma practice its important in worldly life as well.
However, merit is not the same thing as luck. Luck is viewed as something fortunate that comes
about accidentally, without any causes or conditions. But merit has to be accumulated; it has to
be created. And just as merit can be created, it can also be exhausted. The so called wangtang
and lungta are essentially types of merit.
Dharma practitioners have so many different ways to think about merit. Some things that
appear to result from merit actually do not, while some people who appear to have merit don't
have it. For example, the richest man in the world today is Bill Gates. Those who want to
succeed in business and become wealthy regard his success as evidence of merit. However,
those who are dharma practitioners dont regard Bill Gates as having any merit at all. So when
we talk about merit, we need to think about what our aim or goal is. For people whose aim is
enlightenment, immense material wealth is not merit.
Acharya Avaghoa wrote the Buddhacarita, which tells the stories of the Buddhas lives. He
describes how the Buddha was born as Prince Siddhartha, journeyed from his palace and then
saw people who were sick and people who had died. As a result, the Buddha developed
renunciation and wanted to set out in search of the dharma. But his father, King uddhodana,
didnt want Prince Siddhartha to leave. The King created enticing situations to distract
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Siddhartha and he instructed his guards to stop the Prince if he tried to leave.
One night, as all the guards were sleeping, the Prince was able to sneak out and become a
renunciant. After meditating for six years with hardly any food or water, he finally attained
buddhahood under the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya. After his enlightenment, the Buddha turned the
wheel of dharma. As a result, we now have the teachings that show us the way to liberation.
Because of these teachings we know where to go and how to come back when we stray from
the path. Ashvaghosha says that the fact the palace guards fell asleep was due to such merit as
we sentient beings have.
Those whose aim is to accumulate wealth will have a different idea of merit. Muslims consider
Siddhartha to be a good-for-nothing who failed in all his worldly affairs and couldn't even take
care of his wife. From the worldly point of view, that is true; the Buddha did not take care of his
wife and kingdom!
I have been speaking about the value of accumulating merit. There is little need to say how
important it is that dharma practitioners accumulate merit. But merit is important also for those
who engage in business, farming and other worldly activities. Worldly activities cant succeed
without merit. In the context of the dharma, we are concerned with sublime wealth devotion,
renunciation, and compassion. To gather such sublime wealth is difficult. Having true
renunciation or genuine sadness towards samsara doesnt come easily. Having devotion is
similarly difficult because of our tendency to lose our devotion when things dont go our way.
We need to accumulate merit in order to acquire the sublime wealth of renunciation, devotion,
and compassion.
Devotion towards ones guru is the best method of accumulating merit
We need merit in order to find a teacher and to assemble the necessary conditions for our
receiving the teachings. All of this depends on the amount of merit that we have. We need merit
in order to recognize the reality of interdependent phenomena. There is very little scope for
actually understanding reality through study. Our study can only help us understand the reality
of phenomena to a very small extent. We need to have accumulated merit in order to fully
understand interdependent reality. In particular, there is no way that we can realize
dzogpachenpo or mahmudr through intellectual study. To realize these, we need merit and
the blessings of our guru. We must accumulate merit in order to receive the introduction to
dzogchen or mahmudr from our teacher and to recognize and actualize this.
We can understand philosophical subjects such as Mdhyamika, prajpramit, and logic
through study and debate. However, as Mipham Rinpoche taught, because mahsandhi and
mahmudr are too easy, we have difficulty realizing them. There is nothing to study. In his
Instruction on Mountain Retreat, Dudjom Rinpoche said that its difficult to see our own
eyelashes because they are too close. Likewise, it is difficult to recognize the nature of our
minds, as this is too easy. The only way for us to understand and experience mahsandhi and
mahmudr is to accumulate merit. In the Vajrayana, the most effective method of
accumulating merit is to have devotion towards the guru and compassion towards all beings.
Other ways of accumulating merit include building representations of the body, speech, and
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minds of the buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Worldly folk can accumulate merit through doing prostrations, making offerings and so on.
However, these practices of making offerings and doing prostrations should not be hijacked by
cultural habits. Because of our cultural habits, we tend to think that if we don't have a set of
seven offering bowls, we cant make an offering to the Three Jewels. Actually, it is okay for us to
offer just a single flower to a representation of the Three Jewels. And if we dont have even that
one flower, then we can just visualize and make mental offerings.
Prostration and offering are the first two methods in the seven branch offering practice. The
third is to confess before the Buddha, dharma, and sangha all the unwholesome actions we have
committed. We must confess all our negative actions of body, speech, and mind, such as killing,
stealing, lying and so on. The fourth method of the seven branch offering is to rejoice in the
virtue and merit of other beings. When we see or hear of others doing virtuous things, we
should rejoice. The practice of rejoicing is very economical. It doesnt cost us a thing, but at the
same time it brings us so much benefit. In the condensed Prajpramit Stra, the Buddha
taught that rejoicing in the merit of others is more beneficial than offering the three worlds
filled with precious jewels. However, rejoicing in others virtuous activities is not all that easy to
do. We invariably become the victims of our own jealousy. Rather than rejoicing when some rich
person makes elaborate butter lamp offerings, beings in this degenerate age tend to say: Okay,
this person is rich, so his making these kinds of offerings is no big deal. So rejoicing is not easy;
it is difficult.
The next of the seven branch methods is to request the buddhas, bodhisattvas, and teachers to
turn the wheel of the dharma. Some people might think: What is the use of requesting those
buddhas and bodhisattvas who have already passed away to turn the wheel of dharma? They
might think that since the Buddha entered Parinirvana long ago, it is pointless to request him to
turn the wheel of dharma. We must not think in this way. If we continually request the buddhas
and bodhisattvas to turn the wheel of the dharma, then one day we may come to understand
the teachings that we cant understand now. Such understanding will be the fruit of having
continuously requested the buddhas and bodhisattvas to turn the wheel of the dharma.
Then we should request and supplicate those buddhas and bodhisattvas now living who wish to
enter into nirvana to remain here and not to depart. Supplicating those buddhas and
bodhisattvas in this manner will help us overcome wrong views. These days, some people teach
what is good and what is bad, or what is virtuous and non-virtuous. Yet at the same time, they
engage in non-virtuous activities such as destroying stupas, stealing, lying etc. Such actions sow
doubt and confusion in peoples minds, so we need to request the buddhas and bodhisattvas
not to enter nirvana and to stay here to turn the wheel of the dharma.
Lastly, we should dedicate whatever merit we have gathered for the enlightenment of all beings.
We shouldnt dedicate this merit so that our business dealings may prosper. This is the time of
the year in Bhutan when people engage in the orange export business, but we should not
dedicate our merit with the aim of making our orange business more profitable.
Besides making this seven-branch offering, we should accumulate merit through saving the lives
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of other beings. Also, one of the most effective methods for accumulating merit is to go on
pilgrimage to holy places. The moment you think about undertaking a pilgrimage from Bartsham
to Paro Taktsang you begin to accumulate merit. As soon as you make the wish or begin your
preparations, you will accumulate merit.
When you actually visit such temples and monasteries, it is not necessary to offer a thousand
butter lamps. Of course if you have the resources and can afford it, you should offer as much as
you can. But it is not necessary to make grand offerings. If your means are limited, at the least
you could clean the temple. Even if you cant clean the temple, you shouldnt make it a mess by
throwing garbage and plastic around. If you dont dirty the temple, then you will accumulate
merit. But people who litter the place with plastic waste and other garbage will exhaust
whatever merit they have.
Among the many methods for the accumulation of merit, devotion towards ones guru is the
best and the most effective. Doing the visualization and recitation practices of the deities are
also means for accumulating merit. These are included in the five limbs of accumulating merit.
Another way of accumulating merit is to make tsok or ganachakra offerings. When my
grandfathers, Lama Sonam Zangpo and Kyabj Dudjom Rinpoche, were alive, people used to
bring tsok offerings of cooked rice, vegetables, meat, wild berries and so on. My grandfathers
would be very pleased with that. Kyabj Dudjom Rinpoche remarked that the Bhutanese people
really know how to make tsok offerings and accumulate merit.
When we make tsok offerings, we spend our time and resources, and we put effort into the
preparation of the offerings. If we spend time and effort in preparing the tsok offerings, we will
accumulate merit. However, it is not necessary to offer so much meat. Even when we slice a
radish as a tsok offering, we accumulate merit.
Unfortunately, the way that people make tsok offerings has degenerated. Nowadays, half-asleep
people just grab a packet of Maggi noodles or biscuits from the store and offer this as tsok. I say
this particularly to the Bhutanese: This kind of degenerated practice will have serious
consequences. I am not trying to talk politics. This is not politics it is fact. These days,
everybody has a mobile phone. In a few years, there will be a situation where a mobile phone is
a lot cheaper than an apple. There is the possibility of famine in Bhutan, since everything is
imported from outside and we don't use what we have here.
Refraining from offering packaged food might hurt the shopkeepers and vendors who have
pitched their tents on the road leading to the Chador Lhakhang temple. But if we make tsok
offering in a traditional manner with cooked rice and vegetables, it will actually help to improve
the economy. Instead of selling tsok materials packaged in plastic, why not cook rice, put it in
containers and sell big containers of food for 100 rupees and small ones for 50 rupees? This is
the same as the cost of the packaged food. People can still make money from selling cooked
food, and its much better.
Among the formal practices the Kunzang Gongd ngndro offers for accumulating merit,
mandala offering is the most effective. Just as in the refuge, you visualize in front of you the
gurus, buddhas, bodhisattvas, deities and protectors to whom you are offering the mandala. You
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then perform the three-kaya mandala offering as described in the Kunzang Gongd ngndro.
You can consult the lamas, teachers and khenpos for detailed instructions. In the nirmanakaya
mandala offering, you offer all the precious things that exist in the universe. The concept of
what is precious depends very much on the place, time and situation. Our religion, Buddhism,
comes from India where the cow is considered to be very precious. Therefore the wish-fulfilling
cow is included in the mandala offering.
Actually, some of the things mentioned in the mandala offering are of no use in the
conventional sense. For example, if someone were to offer me an elephant, I would just be
frustrated. An elephant is a huge, gigantic animal that eats a lot. Where could I possibly keep it?
In the mandala offering, we offer the continents of the four directions. Since we havent been to
these continents, we don't know what they are like. So we could offer places like Bangkok,
Singapore and Hong Kong. Because we can visit and see pictures of these places, we can more
easily imagine them. When we make the mandala offering, we chant, We offer all the wealth of
gods and humans. In short, we should offer all the precious things that we can think of and
imagine.
It is important that we accumulate merit and purify our obscurations. In the Vajrayana path, we
are involved with either the accumulation of merit or the purification of obscurations. Vajrayana
offers a wide range of extraordinary methods to purify defilements and to accumulate merit
easily and painlessly. Such methods and skilful means are very important. If we are able to
utilize skilful means, we can achieve our objectives quickly and without much difficulty or pain.
For example, while we might have milk, if we dont have a method for separating butter from
the milk we cant produce butter. Using skilful means such as churning, we can produce butter.
Similarly, without skilful means or method, we cannot achieve anything. So the Buddha taught
very many different methods in accordance with the propensities of sentient beings.
In the ultimate reality, all that appears and exists can be an offering substance
If we give alms to a poor person out of compassion, we will accumulate merit. But if we give
those alms, not just out of compassion but also with respect, knowing that the beggar is a
human being like ourselves, then the merit will be greater. And if we were to give alms to a
beggar with the aim of enlightening all beings then, because our intention is so vast, we will
accumulate even greater merit. In the Madhyamika-avatara, the great Indian pandita
Chandrakirti wrote that a first bhumi bodhisattva who hears a beggars request for alms
experiences a joy that is greater than the combined joy of five hundred arhats attaining nirvana.
Moreover, since we are Vajrayana practitioners, our giving should be accompanied with the
outlook that the sound of the beggars plea for alms is not an ordinary sound but rather the
sound of Vajravrhis mantra. If we give with the understanding that the beggar on our
doorstep is in fact Krodhikali, there to receive our transcendent offering, then the merit
accumulated will be immeasurable. So again, the main method for purifying the defilements of
our unwholesome actions is the practice of Vajrasattva, and the main method to accumulate
merit is offering the mandala offering.
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The Kunzang Gongd ngndro contains the mandala offering of the three kayas the
nirmanakaya, samboghakaya and dharmakaya. The nirmanakaya mandala offering is to offer all
the precious things in the whole universe. Then there are the samboghakaya and dharmakaya
mandala offerings. These are profound offerings that people may or may not understand.
Nonetheless, since these are described in the ngndro text I will provide some explanation, so
that people can at least make a connection with them.
In reality, this samsaric world, whether it is Bartsham or Trashigang, is a buddhafield. At the
moment, due to our confused perceptions, we see Bartsham as an ordinary place rather than a
buddhafield. This is just the projection of our confused perception. In reality, there is no
objectively existing place such as Bartsham. Since an objective place called Bartsham does not
truly exist, there is nothing that cannot be a mandala offering. At the moment, we think of
offering food, drinks and all kinds of good things. But we could also offer the hell realm of the
razor field and so on. When we say we can offer even the hell realm, we are speaking from the
ultimate point of view. In the ultimate view, we could offer even our shoes to the shrine. I am
explaining this because it is mentioned in the three-kaya mandala of the Kunzang Gongd
ngndro. The Longchen Nyingthik ngndro also has a three-kaya mandala. Ngndro is just a
name! From the very start, we are talking about the main practice. In the Longchen Nyingthik
ngndro refuge, we take refuge in n, pra and bindu and also in dharmakaya,
samboghakaya and nirmanakaya. Therefore, in the absolute sense, there is nothing that cannot
be offered.
In sadhana practice, we offer amrita. This literally means to eat shit and drink urine. However,
after hearing such information, we shouldnt just jump into outrageous behaviour. Guru
Rinpoche has taught that ones view should be as high as the sky and ones own actions as
subtle as flour. Until everything appears to us as an infinite pure buddhafield, we shouldnt jump
into acting outrageously. We can check the nature of our experience by not eating for a day.
Then we will realize whether everything has become for us a pure buddhafield or not.
While we are on the path, we need to unite view and action. View and action should
complement each other. In the ultimate reality, all that appears and exists can be an offering
substance. How should we understand the three-kaya mandala offering at this stage? As I
explained earlier, a rainbow appears clearly but is empty in nature. This is the unity of clarity
and emptiness. The emptiness aspect is the dharmakaya, the clarity aspect is the samboghakaya
and the unity of clarity and emptiness together is the nirmanakaya. That is how we should
understand the three kayas. With that understanding, we should offer our outer, inner and
secret wealth, including our spouse, children, and all kinds of precious things. In the end, we
should dissolve the gurus, buddhas, bodhisattvas, deities,and protectors to whom we offer into
ourselves and remain in that state for as long as we can.
As in the case of taking refuge, there are relative and absolute mandala offerings. How do we
practice the absolute mandala offering? How are we to meditate on emptiness? First, we
should dissolve the object of offering into ourselves and rest in the state free from reference.
How should we sustain this the view? Because beginners cannot remain in this reference-less
state, as previously explained they should practice shiney or shamatha meditation. They should
learn to be mindful and vigilant.
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If we know that we are getting distracted during our meditation, this means that we are not
distracted. To be really concerned and frustrated about ones distraction is actually good. A
meditators concern and frustration with his experience of distraction is a sign that that
meditator knows how to meditate. Whereas seeing lights or experiencing bliss is not a sign of
good meditation.
Guru yoga
Guru yoga is the essence of all paths. The Vajrayana in particular regards the guru as very
important and precious. Enlightenment is impossible without the guru. At the start, we need
devotion in order to rely on the guru. But having actual and genuine devotion is extremely
difficult. Our present devotion towards the guru is based more on love or liking. Because human
beings are so biased and sectarian, our devotion towards a particular guru may be based on his
being the son of this or that person, or because he is from this or that lineage. Tibetans view
gurus differently based on what region they come from or the lineage to which they belong. In
Bhutan, gurus are categorized as lamas of the Eastern or Western regions, or from Trashigang or
Trashiyangtse, etc. Even more disgusting is when we are devoted to a lama because he is the
reincarnation of my father, grandfather, uncle and so on. So our devotion to our teachers is
quite influenced by our sectarian attitudes.
And if either the mahsiddha Tilopa or Guru Padmasambhava were suddenly to appear on our
doorsteps, we might send him away. Dressed Indian style with long hair, and unwashed, he
wouldnt look how we expect a teacher to look. Instead, he might more resemble an Indian
sadhu. The teachings describe Guru Rinpoche as being adorned with sublime physical
characteristics. Since Guru Rinpoche was also an Indian, he might well have dressed Indian style,
in the manner of a sadhu. So having devotion towards the guru is very, very difficult.
At the same time, because it is impossible to attain enlightenment without relying on a teacher,
the guru is considered more precious and gracious than all the buddhas. And the guru is also
important and precious in that he is someone we can relate to. It would be very difficult to
relate to a being with four heads and sixteen arms. Whereas the guru appears as a normal
human being who eats, shits and sometimes gets mad at his students. Sometimes the guru may
even get drunk. So the guru appears as someone who appears not much different from us, his
students. Of course, that is also why it can be difficult to have devotion towards him.
As a first step, we need to examine the guru. Many of the sutras and shastras relate the qualities
and characteristics that a guru should have. In general, the guru should be learned, disciplined
and kind. Among these three qualities, kindness or good heartedness is the most essential. A
guru who possesses learning alone will not be able to tame students and followers. On the
contrary, there is a danger of the students of such a teacher becoming arrogant and proud. The
quality of being disciplined is better than that of being learned. But generally speaking, the
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teacher should also be learned.

In this degenerate age, it is very difficult to find a teacher with all the necessary qualities.
Nonetheless, a teacher should at least be kind and good-hearted, be devoted to the Three
Jewels and have certainty regarding cause and effect. It is even more important that the teacher
be concerned about the enlightenment of his or her students. Jigme Lingpa said that we need to
examine our teachers to see if they have these qualities. These days, people don't often
undertake that examination. They just follow after any teacher who smiles at them.
The buddhadharma can either be upheld or destroyed by tulkus
Identifying some people as tulkus doesnt tell us their worth as teachers, because there are just
so many different kinds of tulkus. There are those tulkus whose recognition comes from their
own parents, relatives or friends. In China, there are supposed tulkus with title and lineages
that have never existed anywhere before. And there are people who just seem to proclaim
themselves as tulkus. Khyentse Chkyi Lodr said that the buddhadharma could either be
upheld or destroyed by tulkus. This is true because, while great masters spread the dharma, bad
teachers destroy it.
To be sure, some of these tulkus have certificates attesting to their status. But getting such
certificates doesnt seem to be all that difficult. The first step is that a would-be tulku goes to a
not-so-high ranking lama and somehow persuades this lama to provide a letter recognizing him
as a tulku. Then the would-be tulku goes to a higher lama who is a student of the first lama and
shows him that letter. In this way, he is able to get a recognition letter from the higher lama.
After gathering many letters from here and there, this person then goes to an even higher
ranking master who doesnt have much knowledge of how things work in the conventional
world. He shows his letters to this great lama and requests a certification letter. Then he
manages to take a picture with a great master such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He uploads
the picture on Facebook and circulates it in places like Taiwan and Hong Kong. This is how
people become tulkus. This is the way they cheat people.
To be able to receive teachings from an authentic teacher, we should first gain conviction in the
teachings through study and hearing. If we study the teachings, then untrustworthy people
wont be able to deceive and cheat us. It seems that it is quite easy to cheat the Chinese people.
While they have wisdom, they sometimes seem to believe without examining. On the other
hand, Westerners are more difficult to cheat. If some tulku were to go to the West and proclaim
I am a tulku, no one there would even care. So it is important to study and gain knowledge
about the dharma.
We should follow a teacher who is genuinely concerned about the liberation and enlightenment
of his students. I once went to Varanasi to find a teacher who could instruct me in one of the
Vedas. I sought out a sdhu who was both learned and accomplished, and who many people
had recommended. When I first attended upon him, he was sweeping the floor of his temple.
After he had finished his cleaning, he asked me what I wanted. I told him that I wanted to study
Shaivism with him. The sadhu told me: Yes, you may. Then he took me to the place where he
was staying. I was expecting that he would instruct me to read various kinds of instructional
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books. However, the sdhu unexpectedly told me that I should first serve the temple by
sweeping, cleaning and cooking for three years. After that, he would teach me Shaivism.
Feeling overwhelmed, I experienced both joy and sadness. I wasnt sad because the sdhu didnt
immediately teach me Shaivism, but because in Buddhism such traditional ways of teaching
have disappeared. At the same time, it was joyful to discover that, even in this degenerate age,
there are people who still follow the traditional ways of giving teachings. So we need to follow
an authentic teacher who is good-hearted and kind. After finding such a teacher, we need to
receive the teachings and the empowerments he gives with an attitude of devotion and respect.
Of all the teachers we follow, we need to have extraordinary devotion towards the teacher who
grants us the fourth empowerment who introduces us to the nature of our minds. When I say
we should have devotion towards our root guru, I dont mean just love or liking devotion.
Deshung Rinpoche said: At first we should look upon the teacher as the buddha. In the middle,
we actually see the teacher as the buddha. In the end, our own mind becomes the buddha. This
is the extraordinary characteristic of the Vajrayana path.
In the beginning, since it is very difficult to see the teacher as the buddha, we need to make
believe, or pretend, that the teacher is a buddha rather than an ordinary human being. After
some time, we begin to actually see the guru as the buddha. Towards the end, through the
gurus blessings, we will begin to see the nature of our minds and finally we will become a
buddha. Once we see our own minds as the buddha, we will have accomplished our task. Our
mission is complete!
Authorization blessings for the practice of nyungney
You will be receiving two jenangs, or authorization blessings, for the practice of nyungney. One
is from the lineage of Apang Tertn and the other originates with Jamgn Kongtrul Rinpoche.
Jamgn Kongtrul Rinpoche was not just a great master of the Karma Kagyu lineage. He was a
great upholder of all the teaching lineages of Tibet. He and Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo made
the teachings easy to study and digest. Without these great charioteers of the teachings in Tibet,
we would not have the teachings in the form we have today.
We should know the background of the teachings we receive. Otherwise, people may go to
Taiwan and other places and say that Riwo Sangch is a teaching of Kyabj Dudjom Rinpoche
which it is not. It is the teaching of Lhatsn Namkha Jigme. I received the transmission of Apang
Tertns nyungey practice from His Holiness Sakya Trizin in the United States. His Holiness Sakya
Trizin received this practice from Jadrel Jangchup Dorje, who was the main lineage holder of
Apang Tertns treasure teachings. So it is a complete and authentic lineage.
We will now discuss tendrel. The concept of tendrel or auspicious coincidence is very
important. In Bhutan, alcohol and saffron rice is served in order to create auspicious conditions.
Tendrel actually means interdependence. If particular causes and conditions assemble and
there are no obstacles, then a particular result will occur. For example, once we have eaten, we
cant avoid producing excrement. So tendrel is the gathering together of causes and conditions,
and these then producing a result. The omniscient Jigme Lingpa said that the yogi who
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meditates in a cave and the patron who supports him have the tendrel or auspicious conditions
to attain enlightenment together.
The guru is our own perception or projection
These days we do big drupchens or accomplishment practices in order to create tendrel. Though
we may have the necessary physical resources for these practices, we can lack the time and
diligence needed to accomplish them. Therefore, we invite lamas and yogis who have the time
and blessings to do drupchens, in order to create auspicious conditions. Among the many way of
creating tendrel, the best is guru yoga. Such conditions as praying to the guru, receiving
empowerments and merging our minds with the mind of the guru create auspicious conditions
for us to recognize the nature of our minds.
The guru is our own perception or projection. In fact, all that exists is the guru, because
everything is our own projection. Even our daughter-in-law is the guru, because she too is our
perception. However, right now we lack the confidence and devotion to receive blessings from
praying to this kind of guru. Since we have not reached the stage where we see all appearances
as the buddha, we are unable to receive empowerments and blessings from just anyone and
everything. We can only relate to someone as a guru, if we perceive that person to be learned,
compassionate and realized.
Such a guru appears because of the merit we have accumulated. The appearance of a guru, our
devotion and confidence in him, and our interest in practising the dharma are all signs of our
having accumulated great merit. Such signs result from many causes and conditions. In
Buddhism, everything arises from causes and conditions, and nothing can exist without them. To
be devoted to the guru, even in a love or liking way, is evidence of having gathered merit.
Possibly, we have developed a liking for the guru because he has given us money or food, or has
said nice things to us. Here also, some kind of merit is involved. If auspicious causes and
conditions were lacking, then we might have become devoted to thieves or prostitutes, instead
of to the guru.
In the absolute sense, the guru is a reflection or the radiance of tathgatagarbha the nature of
our mind just like our reflection in the mirror. He is the appearance of the nature of our mind.
As I explained earlier, in the practice of guru yoga we first attempt to see our guru as the
buddha. After some time, we can actually see our guru as the buddha. Finally, we see our own
minds as the buddha. Therefore, pretending that our guru is the buddha is nothing other than
confirming our own buddha nature. In reality, thieves and prostitutes are equally the radiance
or manifestation of tathgatagarbha, but because of a lack of tendrel we don't have devotion
towards these kinds of manifestations of buddha nature. Because of tendrel, we practice guru
yoga in order to connect ourselves with the inner guru.
By visualizing our guru as the buddha and the place where we are as a buddhafield, we will
gradually purify our obscurations. Due to the ultimate nature of our mind, we are able to
transform our guru into the buddha, and this place into the buddhafield of the Copper Coloured
Mountain, without moving an inch from this very spot. Enlightenment is something that
happens right here; there is no pure realm that exists someplace else. Whereas, the heavens
42
found in other religions do exist someplace else. Nirva is nothing other than the recognition of
the actual nature of our minds. However, it's not easy to recognize the nature of our minds. The
reason we cant recognize is not that the nature of our minds is too complex. Its that its too
simple.
If we were to lose our cow, we would look for it by following its hoof prints. The hoof prints
arent the cow, but without following them well never be able to find it. If we do follow those
hoof prints, we should finally find our cow. Likewise, when we look for the nature of our minds,
then guru yoga is similar to the cows hoof print. By praying to the guru and receiving blessings
and empowerments from him, we will finally find our lost cow tathgatagarbha. When we
recognize the nature of our minds, we attain enlightenment. This is why guru yoga is the most
precious of all methods. Guru yoga is unique to the Vajrayana. While both the Shravakayana and
sutra Mahayana emphasize the importance of the spiritual friend, neither of them teach
merging our minds with that of the guru.
Here, I want to make one very important point. Generally, we look on the teacher as someone
who commands or disciplines us. That is a traditional part of the relationship, but the guru is
actually not our boss. Rather the guru is the path. Our having devotion towards the guru and
doing whatever he commands is how we practice the guru as the path. Dharma protectors such
as Mahkli and Ekaja should also be regarded as manifestations of guru. The instruction on
how to take the guru as the path is very important.
In the actual practice of guru yoga, such as in the Kunzang Gongd ngndro, we are directed to
visualize our root guru in the sky in front of us. As I explained earlier, we can visualize our guru
in his human form. If we have difficulty with that, then we should visualize our guru in the form
of Guru Rinpoche, Vajrasattva, Samantabhadra and so on. Above our guru, the lineage masters
appear sitting on top of each other, and the guru is surrounded by the yidam deities. We should
not visualize the guru as if he were a lifeless statue. Even if we are unable to visualize clearly, we
should have confidence that our guru is in fact right there in front of us. We should pray to our
guru through reciting supplications like those in the Kunzang Gongd ngndro.
I mainly wanted to say the following. The omniscient Jigme Lingpa said that of all practices the
practice of meditation is the most powerful. But remembering the guru is many times more
powerful than meditation and such practices as prostrating, making offering and so on. I have
explained the reason. In order to catch fish from the river, we use the method of a hook. The
term fish should be understood here as a metaphor for what we want to catch which is the
nature of our minds. The Buddha taught us 84,000 different methods for catching this particular
fish. Each of these 84,000 different teachings is a method to make us recognize the nature of
mind. Among all these methods, guru yoga is the most effective.
We do our best to create a multitude of conditions causing distraction
The guru is really ones own mind. Jigme Lingpas answers to questions on meditation practice
provide a detailed explanation on this subject. Jigme Lingpa has said that remembering the guru
is the same as what is called mindfulness in the practice of meditation. When you lack
awareness and mindfulness you become distracted, and this leads to all kinds of problems. All of
43
the highest Vajrayana teachings, such as mahsandhi and mahmudr, emphasize mindfulness.
Our lack of mindfulness causes us to give birth to emotions such as ignorance, anger, and
jealousy, and to wander endlessly in sasra. That such emotions are present within us shows
that we are distracted. We become distracted in different ways through anger, desire and so
on.
These days, we are doing our best to create a multitude of conditions that cause distraction. We
have so many kinds of appliances and gadgets that help distract us. As a result, its hard to find
genuine meditators these days. We just cant help doing something to keep ourselves
distracted. We even want to make a phone call during the middle of our dharma practice. Any
kind of busyness we involve ourselves in is just a method for distraction. When our minds are in
a turbulent state, we use tranquilizers in order to calm or to distract ourselves. The tranquilizers
may help for a while, but then the problems return. People who are unhappy often drink, in an
effort to distract themselves. When something difficult happens, they turn to alcohol for relief.
Eventually, their drinking can ruin their lives.
There are many causes and conditions for distraction, and we can easily become their victims.
That is why we need to meditate and practice mindfulness. The practice of mindfulness in the
mahsandhi includes what is called the innate natural mindfulness of dharmat. This means
not doing anything, not fabricating at all. It is really difficult for beginning meditators to practice
this kind of mindfulness. As I have explained, we should first practice shamatha in order to
develop the mindfulness to know that we are distracted. When we know that we are distracted,
then we begin to be concerned about that distraction. For the time being that is sufficient! We
shouldnt ever look forward to experiences of clarity or to visions of deities. Such experiences
and visions are not beneficial.
If we meditate and pray to the guru, then one day our ordinary experiences will dissolve
Once we become concerned about our minds being distracted then, even if we cant go practice
in the mountains like Milarepa, we can at least act mindfully. That kind of awareness is
constructed or forced mindfulness. If we continually practice this kind of mindfulness, we will
become used to it. Then, one day when we encounter a qualified teacher and receive his
instructions, the forced mindfulness will blossom into unfabricated mindfulness.
If we pray to the guru and receive empowerments with devotion, one day a small, seemingly
unimportant condition may trigger our freeing ourselves from sasara. At that time, all our
ordinary dualistic perceptions will dissolve. Once we become a yogi, we wont see any difference
between a heap of gold and a mound of shit. For the yogi, theres no difference between the
person who offers him precious things and praises him in one ear and the person who harshly
denounces him in the other ear.
An important teacher of mine, Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, told me this story. One day, while Paltrul
Rinpoches student Nyoshul Lungtok and his attendant were traveling through an isolated place
in Tibet, they were set upon by robbers. The robbers started beating Nyoshul Lungtok
mercilessly. Unable to stand seeing his precious teacher being beaten, his attendant sprang at
the robbers. At that moment, Nyoshul Lungtok grabbed hold of him and the two men wrestled
44
with each other. The robbers were bewildered to see the two men struggling with each other.
Nyoshul Lungtok then said to his student, What are you doing! This is the time to remember
the instructions and to apply your meditation. At that very moment, the attendant experienced
the dissolution of ordinary experiences, and his grasping onto the eight worldly dharmas
dissolved. If we meditate as I have explained and pray to the guru, then one day the same thing
will happen to us.
At the conclusion of the guru yoga, we receive the four empowerments. Also, there is a section
in the guru yoga practice where you receive the self-initiation. We should receive the
empowerments in order to maintain the continuity of the empowerment lineage. However, in
addition to this, practitioners should receive the self-initiation from time to time. Generally, the
four empowerments are received from the three centres of the gurus body, starting with his
forehead, in the manner set out in the ngndro text.
There is one important thing to say here. We have received so many empowerments, and we
should also receive the empowerments in the guru yoga practice, regardless of whether there
are empowerment substances or not. And it is okay to receive these empowerments through
merely eating and drinking the empowerment substances. However, strictly speaking, as long as
we continue to perceive appearances as ordinary, we havent received the vase empowerment.
We actually receive the vase empowerment only when we see all appearances as the deity.
Similarly, we dont truly receive the secret empowerment until we hear all sounds as mantra.
And as long as our minds are confused and affected by external phenomena, we cant really
receive the third empowerment, the wisdom empowerment. Finally, until we experience all
appearances as the radiance of rigpa, we do not receive the fourth empowerment that of
word.
Most empowerment rituals (though not in the authorization blessings) involve these particular
four empowerments. Why should we receive them? Longchenpa said that an eggshell has four
layers. In order to hatch, the chick has to break through all four layers. Likewise, sentient beings
have four layers body, speech, mind and the union of those three. The four empowerments
help us to break through these four layers and to reveal the inner essence of the egg. After we
receive these empowerments, we should dissolve the guru into ourselves and remain in the
unfabricated state for as long as we can. Dissolving the guru into ourselves is not like putting
objects into a bag, where the bag and the things in it dont ever merge. Instead, we should
merge our mind with the gurus mind, in the manner of water being poured into water. There
should not be any grasping onto external things. Then, following the empowerments, we should
do the dedication and aspiration. This concludes the teaching on the Kunzang Gongd ngndro.
The lineage of Pema Lingpa

Here is some additional advice for those people, especially the Bhutanese, who decide to
practice the teachings of Pema Lingpa. Today, Pema Lingpas teaching lineage has almost
45
disappeared. We need to preserve and uphold it, just as we would treasure our own inherited
wealth. Practice is the best way of caring for and upholding the teachings. Contrariwise, building
big temples and monasteries is not the best way. In some places, you will find huge temples
with hardly any monks. We have to actually practice the teachings. In Buddhism, it is easy to
practice there is no need to get up at three or four in the morning for prayers as the Muslims
do.
The omniscient Longchenpa was a prior incarnation of Pema Lingpa
We should care for and uphold the teachings of Pema Lingpa, who was a Bhutanese. The
biography of his lineage has a story about the passing away of the eighth Pema Lingpa tulku.
One night, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo had a dream in which he went to the Copper Coloured
Mountain of Guru Rinpoche. There, he heard people saying that Pema Lingpa would be arriving.
After some time, he noticed a man eating something among the crowd of people. The man had
a large lump in his cheek, and reddish liquid was coming out of his mouth. Although he was
escorted by dakas and dakinis, the doorkeepers wouldn't let him enter. The next morning, when
his attendant came to serve tea, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo told him that he had had a bad
dream that could indicate that the Pema Lingpa tulku had passed away the previous night.
Pema Lingpa has recorded his life story in his own hand. It seems he was quite an unusual kind
of person. Sometimes, he appeared like a lama, and sometimes he appeared in quite outrageous
aspects. It seems that he swore a lot. We can see in his writing a lot of Bumthangpa! Pema
Lingpa must have taken many impure births.
In his past lives, Pema Lingpa seems to have taken a number of inferior rebirths. In one rebirth,
he was born as an insect a mosquito. At that time, three brothers were engaged in building the
famous golden stupa in Kathmandu Nepal. A mosquito bit the cheek of the eldest brother, who
killed the insect. Feeling great compassion towards the mosquito, this eldest brother made the
aspiration that wherever he was reborn there also the mosquito should take rebirth, so that the
insect would benefit from him.
The eldest brother was later reborn as King Trisong Deutsen in Tibet. The mosquito took rebirth
as his daughter, Princess Pemasel. Princess Pemasel died when she was just eight years old. She
died so young because of her past evil actions. In a previous life, she had been one of a mans
two wives. She was so jealous of the other wife that she killed that womans baby. As a result of
that action, her later life as Princess Pemasel was very short. In the introduction to the Longsal
empowerment, its written that Guru Rinpoche entrusted the Longsal teachings to her.
Princess Pemasels next rebirth was not as Pema Lingpa. There were many intervening
incarnations. Princess Pemasel was first reborn as Pema Ledrel Tsal, a great tertn who
discovered the Khandro Nyingtik cycle of dzogchen teachings. After Pema Ledrel Tsal took a
consort, he discovered two treasure teachings. However, the consort he had taken wasn't the
actual consort whom Guru Rinpoche had prophesized. When Pema Ledrel Tsal realized this and
was about to join the consort who had been prophesied for him, his first consort became
furious. With the help of her relatives, she made arrangements for the assassination of Tertn
Pema Ledrel Tsal. Pema Ledrel Tsal told her that it would create unimaginably bad karma if she
46
and her relatives were to kill a master prophesied by Guru Rinpoche. He told them there was no
need for them to kill him, and he then passed away on his own.
One shouldnt regard Tertn Pema Ledrel Tsal as a person who lacked control over his affairs
and could be killed by other people. Actually, he had control over his very life and death! Before
passing away, he made the aspiration to reincarnate in five years. That reincarnation was as the
omniscient Longchenpa. After Guru Rinpoche, Shantarakshita, and King Trisong Deutsen,
Longchenpa is, I think, the master most respected by the Nyingmas. Before Pema Ledrel Tsal
passed away, he entrusted his treasure teachings to his main three students, one of whom was
Gyalse Lekpa Gyaltsen. Later, Longchen Rabjam reclaimed those treasure teachings from the
students of his previous incarnation.
Longchen Rabjams incarnation was born in Bumthang and was a tertn. He was killed when
someone hit him in the head with a stone while he was stealing some beans. His immediate
incarnation was the tertn Pema Lingpa, who became renowned throughout the three realms.
Conclusion aspiration & dedication

Regarding Avalokitevara empowerment: The Lamp that Dispels the Darkness of Ignorance
Earlier, I bestowed the Avalokitevara empowerment called The Lamp that Dispels the Darkness
of Ignorance. Pema Lingpa unearthed this terma from Tang Rimochen in Bumthang.
Avalokiteshvara is a very important deity. Both Arya Tara and Guru Padmasambhava are said to
have emanated from Avalokitevara. He is the root of both these deities. Many of the most
beneficial activities come from Avalokitevara, out of his great compassion for sentient beings.
And it was Avalokitevara who uttered the Heart Stra in response to Shriptras questions.
Nowadays, even Shiva is considered to be an emanation of Avalokiteshvara.
So Avalokitevara is a very important deity. He is the principal deity in the nyungney or fasting
practice. I will give the authorization blessing for this practice based on the tradition of Apang
Tertn. Nyungney is a very effective practice that doesn't involve any risk. Whereas, other
tantric practices can be risky if you don't know how to do the visualizations properly. People
should try to support Nyungney practice, even if this means doing just a single nyungney
practice session. In most cases, there are eight or sixteen pairs of nyungney practice.
Transmission for all the Pema Lingpa treasure teachings that I received
I have now given transmissions for all of the Pema Lingpa treasure teachings that I received from
my own teachers. To conclude the transmission, I have bestowed the empowerment for the
Long Life Practice of Carrying the Jewel on the Path. I am a tulku of Khyentse Rinpoche and this
practice has a special connection with the Khyentse lineage. Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo
received this teaching in a vision from Pema Lingpa as a close lineage transmission.
47
The purpose of receiving the long life initiation is to lengthen our lifespan. The purpose of living
long is to accomplish our aims. For dharma practitioners, this means to accomplish our dharma
practice. Paltrul Rinpoche said that the dharma and worldly aims do not go together. There is no
end to worldly activity. In any case, the purpose of the long life initiation is to make our lives
peaceful and happy. We may believe that having a lot of money will make our lives peaceful and
happy. But we can look at wealth from many angles. For example, a person could be very
wealthy, but if he doesnt use his wealth to make offerings or to help others, then its a
complete waste. Such a person is like a hungry ghost.
Especially for ordinary lay folk, these times have brought profound changes. In the old days,
there was no way to make a phone call from here to Trashigang. These days, we can use our
mobile phones to call, not only Trashigang, but even the United States. We have to consider this
as some kind of material progress. But we should think about such developments very carefully.
The improvement of outer conditions can bring along with it many physical and mental
problems. In Bhutans case, thirty years ago there were no drug addicts in this country. Now, we
have so many substance abusers. So development is not necessarily good.
We cant stop change, either worldly or spiritual. However, we can make the change go at our
pace. The Bhutanese are naturally virtuous. They dont steal or lie, and they have the habit of
helping each other. These unique qualities of the Bhutanese may have come about because of
their involvement with the teachings of the Buddha. Also, there are a few positive habits that
have been passed down from our parents. These days, we don't even know if cooking will be
taught in our schools, let alone whether our inherited values will endure. As times change, we
should take care of the unique Bhutanese values. Yes, parents should send their kids to school,
but a childs main school is his or her home. Parents should set a good example for their
children. They should think twice about fighting in front of their kids.
These days, because children have so many worries, parents should think carefully about
whether or not they should be beating their kids. Parents should be loving and affectionate
towards their children, particularly because modern kids suffer from the sickness of
development. If something goes wrong, young people may resort to drugs, suicide and so on.
We tend to ostracize drug addicts. But instead of ostracizing them, we should look after them
and be loving and affectionate towards them.
Let me speak frankly here. These days, having a university degree may not help us get a job.
Even young people who have certificates are finding it very difficult to find jobs. Bhutanese kids
go to school ambitious to work in an office, rather than as a servant. That is a very bad attitude.
The purpose of education is to get a decent job, so one can support oneself and stand on ones
own feet. But at the same time, the Bhutanese should really take care of such values as kindheartedness and the willingness to help others. When I went to Singye Dzong, I saw some young
Bhutanese helping older people without being asked. This is really good. At the moment, the
Bhutanese still know how to make a fire and to cook food. But if we dont preserve those values
and skills, they will disappear. Future university graduates may not have the skills either to make
a fire or to cook food.
Bhutan is situated between India and China, so now we copy everything from these two
48
countries. It may be good to adopt some Indian and Chinese things. The buddhadharma, for
example, came from India. But some of the things the Bhutanese choose to copy from the
Indians dont make sense. For instance, Indian toilets have a jet to clean ones bottom after
defecating. Now, the Bhutanese people have also put such a jet inside their toilets. But the
Bhutanese dont need such equipment, because they dont clean their bottoms like that.
Another example is the Bhutanese preferring Bollywood songs to their own songs. Nowadays,
even the Bhutanese administrative system has become like Indias. Due to my having the title
Rinpoche, I have no problem getting what I want done. However, ordinary Bhutanese people
seem to face great difficulties in their dealings with the government offices. We should give
serious thought to this matter.
Anyway, rather than this often mindless materialistic copying, what the Bhutanese people really
need is peace and happiness. But happiness comes from the mind, rather than from material
wealth. Wealth is not a reliable source of happiness.
We should end by making the aspiration to sustain the buddhadharma through hearing,
contemplation and meditation. If the buddhadharma is not there, then all virtuous things will be
lost. When I say we should uphold and sustain the teachings, I mean all the lineages and
teachings of Buddhism. For instance, in Burma and Sri Lanka, the Shravakayna teachings are
currently in a very shaky state. We should be concerned about those teaching lineages too.
When the forest is on fire, you cant save just one tree. You have to save all the trees. So I
request the lamas, tulkus and khenpos present here to have concern for all of the Buddhas
teachings. You have received so many empowerments and transmissions, so you should apply
them to your practice, and also make aspirations and dedications.
Let us dedicate whatever merit we have accumulated, for the enlightenment of all beings, and
make aspirations for the teachings to live long and for our dharma practice to be successful. Let
us pray also for the long life of the holders of the teachings, especially the holders of the
teachings of Pema Lingpa, such as Sungtrul Rinpoche and Gangteng Tulku.
There is a monk in Bumthang called Lopen Tseten. Once, Khyentse Chkyi Lodr visited Lhalung
monastery, the main Pema Lingpa seat in Tibet. The lamas there told him that they were
looking for the reincarnation of Thuksey Rinpoche, the tulku of Thuksey Dawa Gyaltsen, who
was Pema Lingpas son. Khyentse Chkyi Lodr told the Lhalung lamas that he had just seen who
they were looking for a boy of about five years who later became Lopen Tseten and that this
boy was, in fact, an incarnation of Lhalung Thuksey Rinpoche. So pray for Lopen Tsetens long
life too. Lastly, let us pray for the long life of the King of Bhutan. He keeps the Bhutanese
together. Finally, pray for all beings of this world to experience the golden age.
49

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Teachings on Ngndro

Teachings on Ngndro, Bartsham 2013/2014

Siddharthas Intent Society supports Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoches buddhadharma activities

Teachings on Ngndro, Bartsham 2013/2014

Teachings on Ngndro, Bartsham 2013/2014

Cultivating genuine interest in the dharma

causing great harm to the dharma.

Teachings on Ngndro, Bartsham 2013/2014

Teachings on Ngndro, Bartsham 2013/2014

Generating proper motivation

Renounce this life!

Teachings on Ngndro, Bartsham 2013/2014

Teachings on Ngndro, Bartsham 2013/2014

Teachings on Ngndro, Bartsham 2013/2014

Teachings on Ngndro, Bartsham 2013/2014

Teachings on Ngndro, Bartsham 2013/2014

In the practice of Vajrasattva described in the Longchen Nyingthik, we visualize Vajrasattva

First, there is the object or support for confession, which is Vajrasattva.

Second, we should realize that the unwholesome actions we have committed

Finally, it is important is to make the commitment not to repeat these negative

Employing these four limbs of confession, we visualize Vajrasattva, and we accomplish

effective. As Buddhists, we dont practice meditation to tranquilize or calm our minds. We

Maala offering the accumulation of merit

minds of the buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Teachings on Ngndro, Bartsham 2013/2014

teacher should also be learned.

Teachings on Ngndro, Bartsham 2013/2014

The lineage of Pema Lingpa

Teachings on Ngndro, Bartsham 2013/2014

Conclusion aspiration & dedication

Teachings on Ngndro, Bartsham 2013/2014

Teachings on Ngndro, Bartsham 2013/2014

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