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THE HEART OF THE TWO ACCOMPLISHMENTS THE HEART OF THE TWO ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Elucidating the Essential Instruction on the Threefold Excellence

According to the Mind Treasure

The Profound Essence of Tara

Jamgön Kongtrül

Homage to the guru, Noble Tara.

Wearing the armor of your amazing pledge,

Your immeasurable activities liberate all beings.

Greater than all victors and their heirs,

Noble Lady, protect me until enlightenment.

I shall present graded instructions,

Condensing the most vital essence of her profound, most quintessential realization

From the ocean of excellent tantras,

In a way that is complete and precise—the essence of all teachings,

Which brings supreme realization in a single lifetime.

I will start by briefly mentioning the historical background connected with this teaching. There are countless numbers of tantras and pith instructions connected to the Noble Lady Tara, mother of all victors of the directions and times, who are present throughout all the buddhafields. The ones that are present in our realm come through the emanation of Avalokiteshvara, by the name Padmasambhava, who gave concise, medium-length, and extensive instructions on Jetsün Tara to the king of the snowy land, Tibet, and to the close disciples. Most of all, for the sake of future times, he concealed many termas.

From among all of them, I will give these quintessential teachings, which have three aspects. The Heart Essence of Tara teachings were concealed in Shang Zabbu valley. They were the destined treasure of the lord guru, Pema Ösel Do-Ngak Lingpa (Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo), but due to the interplay of circumstances, he was unable to reveal them. Nevertheless, he revealed as mind treasures their root teaching, The Three Vajra Lines, and the amazing sadhana cycle of Chimey Phagma Nyingtik. He also revealed the subsidiary texts for the Barchey Künsel—the necessary sadhanas and activity liturgies and the most quintessential supreme teaching, The Profound Essence of Tara (Drölma Zabtik).

The great treasure revealer Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa, the undisputed and universally accepted incarnated tamer of beings, who appeared at the end of this dark age, went to one of the twenty-five sacred places of eastern Tibet, the place of the enlightened speech of qualities, the lower Dzamnang, the Lotus Crystal Cave. While staying there, at dawn one morning, Noble Tara appeared in person before him and said, “Lekso” (“Excellent”), three times in a row. Due to the blessings of that, these profound and complete teachings overflowed from within the expanse of his realization. Having established it in writing, he then gave this nectar for ripening and liberating to Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo in a lineage for just one person.

Having practiced this for more than three years, my omniscient lord guru, Pema Ösel Do-Ngak Lingpa, graciously bestowed it upon me.

The content of this instruction includes first the root empowerment; the outer, inner, and secret sadhanas; the supreme activities; and, finally, the cycle connected to the guardian of the teaching.

The supreme activities have two aspects, one of which is the exalted Ultimate Instruction on the Threefold Excellence, which actualizes in a single lifetime the state of the female Bhagavan.

The terma text says:

I bow at the feet of Arya Tara.

Here are her gradual pith instructions,

The oral instructions on the threefold excellence—

“Excellent, excellent, excellent”—

The tantra of the indestructible vajra nada,

The inexpressible basis of all expression,

Which manifested in response to the aspirations of those to be tamed.

THE EXCELLENCE OF THE BEGINNING

The explanation of these instructions has three sections: the excellence of the beginning, the instructions that are the stepping stones for the path; the excellence of the middle, instructions for the root of the path; and the excellence of the end, instructions for the main part of the path and the conclusion.

The Instructions That Are the Stepping Stones for the Path

This refers to the path for individuals of lesser and medium capacity, who authentically practice faith and renunciation connected to the vehicles of the truly high states of gods and humans and the states of definite goodness, shravakas and pratyekabuddhas.

This has two parts: the preliminaries for a session and the preliminaries for the teachings.

The Preliminaries for a Session

In a solitary place, free from the thorns of meditative distractions, give up all kinds of deluded activities connected to the three doors of body, speech, and mind. Sit down on a comfortable seat with crossed legs and a straight back. Exhale the stale breath three times.

Then simply relax the mind undistractedly. With vivid mindfulness, imagine that in the sky in front of you, seated upon a lotus flower and moon disc, is your own root guru in the form of Noble Tara, the embodiment of all objects of refuge. With intense devotion and trust make the following supplication:

“Embodiment of all the Buddhas of the three times, Glorious Guru, Sublime and Noble Tara, indivisible, I supplicate you. Please bestow your blessings upon me. Please totally pacify all the stains of incorrect thinking. Please allow true realization to dawn in my mind. Please eliminate every hindrance to accomplishing the teachings of the Mahayana.”

Then imagine that the guru enters through the crown of your head and remains within the dome of light in your heart center. You then dedicate the virtue, saying, “By these roots of virtue, may I attain the precious state of perfect enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings.”

This sequence should be done at the beginning of all the meditation sessions taught below.

The Preliminaries for the Teachings

There are two sections here as well: the instructions for individuals of lesser capacity and the instructions for individuals of middling capacity and for the general trainings.

THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS OF LESSER CAPACITY

This has reflections on five aspects: the difficulty of obtaining the freedoms and riches; death and impermanence; the sufferings of the lower realms; the causes and consequences of karmic actions; and going for refuge.

1. The difficulty of obtaining the freedoms and riches

At the beginning of each session, repeat the session preliminaries, as explained above.

Carefully examine your home, body, and possessions, thinking, “This human body that I have presently, which is the foundation of everything to come, is extremely difficult to attain. Therefore, I will not let it go to waste. I will devote this precious human rebirth to the dharma.” Make this kind of resolve in a sincere way from the core of your heart.

The Buddha said in the White Lotus of Compassion Sutra, the Saddharma Pundarika Sutra:

It is extremely difficult to be reborn as a human being

And even more difficult to attain the perfect freedoms.

It is difficult for the Buddha to appear in the world, and

It is difficult to have the determination to practice the virtuous dharma.

It is difficult to make the perfect aspirations to achieve this.

Thus it is said.

The support of a precious human body is extremely difficult to attain, in terms of its having the eight freedoms, the opposite of the eight unfree states. It is also extremely difficult to attain the ten extraordinary riches.

The eight unfree states are:

1 To be a hell being, who experiences incessant suffering from heat and cold;

2 To be a hungry ghost, who is constantly scorched by the flames of hunger and thirst;

3 To be an animal, mute and stupid;

4 To be a long-lived god, who is distracted by sense pleasures and samadhi and, thus, has no time to persevere in dharma practice;

5 To be a barbarian, a class of humans born in a border land with the mindset of an animal;

6 To have wrong views, lacking trust in the cause and effect of virtue and misdeeds, in the higher realms, and in liberation;

7 To be born in a world where the Buddha has never appeared; and

8 To have impaired faculties, rendering you mute and stupid and unable to discriminate between good and bad.

One possesses the eight freedoms if one is not subject to these eight unfree states.

The five personal riches are:

1 In general, to be a human being;

2 In particular, to be a human being born in a place where the buddhadharma is present;

3 To have unimpaired faculties and basic intelligence;

4 To have an unmistaken livelihood, meaning that you do not have wrong views or engage in the five misdeeds with immediate retribution and the like; and

5 To have trust in the virtuous phenomena, the buddhadharma.

The five riches from others are:

1 The Buddha has appeared in your world,

2 The Buddha has taught the sublime dharma,

3 These dharma teachings are still accessible,

4 Many are still practicing the sublime dharma, and

5 Dharma teachers still provide conducive circumstances to spiritual practitioners.

If you posess all eight freedoms and ten riches, then you have what is known as a precious human body. Just like a wish-fulfilling jewel, once obtained, you must not let it go to waste; rather, exert yourself in every way possible in the dharma.

It is also difficult to obtain these freedoms and riches, as measured by numbers. Hell-beings are equal in amount to the number of atoms on the earth. Hungry ghosts are equal in amount to the number of snowflakes in a blizzard. Animals living in water are equal in number to grains of brewed chang. Animals living on the earth and in the sky are so numerous they could fill an entire valley. In comparison, beings in the higher realms are as few as the number of dust particles on the top of your nail. Moreover, in general, there are very few humans and exceptionally few in the Jambudvipa continent. In particular, those who practice the dharma are as rare as stars in the daytime. Most sentient beings indulge solely in misdeeds; those performing virtue are very rare indeed. From among the virtuous, those who are able to maintain discipline, the cause of obtaining a human body, are extremely rare. To illustrate this, we have the analogy from the scriptures of the blind turtle in the rough ocean.

You must also reflect on how this human life is extremely meaningful. By means of having this human body, you can accomplish worldly success and pleasure in this life and all your future lives. You can attain liberation and also the highest fruition of enlightenment, buddhahood.

There is no guarantee whatsoever that one will have these freedoms and riches in the next lifetime. So casting aside the dreamlike worldly pleasures and activities of this life, one must persevere in practicing the dharma. As Shantideva said:

If one, after having attained the freedoms and riches, then squanders them away, there is no greater waste than that.

2. Death and impermanence

Death is imminent

You must reflect on the fact that your death is imminent. In the sutras, Buddha said, “Bhikshus, all composite things are impermanent.” In general, everything that is composite is not beyond the four limits of disintegration. Especially, the life force of beings is just like a bubble; one is never sure when it will burst. Even though we have obtained a human body now, we will definitely die, since no one in the past has escaped that.

Since the body is something composite, it is not permanent or stable. Life does not linger on for a single moment. It passes by with each moment, as we grow closer and closer to death, just like an arrow shot by a skilled archer, like water cascading down a waterfall, or like a person being led to the scaffold. Buddha said in the Between Tree Sutra:

Like a convict being led towards the scaffold,

With each step you come closer to death.

The time of death is uncertain

Unlike some other kinds of beings and other realms, where the life spans are fixed, here in Jambudvipa the life spans of beings are not fixed. Therefore, many people die the moment they are born, and so on. Aside from the unclean substances that comprise it, this body has no real substance whatsoever.

There are so many conditions for death: external conditions like fire, water, cliffs, wild animals, and so on; internal conditions like physical sickness, evil influences, and problems from eating the wrong kinds of food or medicine; and so forth. So you never know when you are going to die.

As Nagarjuna says:

The circumstances for death are many.

Those for staying alive are few,

And even they can become circumstances for death.

So please, practice the dharma constantly.

At the time of death, only dharma can help

When you arrive at the time of death, nothing except for one’s dharma practice can really be of help. No matter how much wealth we may have, at the time of death we cannot take along even as much as one needle. No matter how many friends, family members, and employees we may have, we cannot take even the most junior servant with us. Leaving our body behind, our mind must follow after its own virtuous and nonvirtuous karma. As it is taught:

Holy Subhuti,

Apart from virtue and non-virtue,

When a sentient being passes on,

Nothing else will follow.

So understand this and make the right choice.

This being so, there is nothing else whatsoever that can help you at the time of death. After death, in all of your following lifetimes, the only thing that can truly be of benefit is the sacred dharma, nothing else. Therefore think, “From this very day onward, I will apply myself wholeheartedly to practicing the sacred dharma.”

3. The sufferings of the lower realms

Hell realms

When we die, it doesn’t end there. We have no choice but to take another rebirth. We also have no control over where we are reborn; based on our own virtuous and nonvirtuous karma, we will be propelled into either the higher or lower realms.

If we are unable to perform virtue now and our three doors are solely involved in negative actions, we will be reborn in one of the three lower realms and undergo inconceivable suffering. The life spans there are extremely long, so there is no escape.

In the hot hell realms, the ground is red-hot iron blazing with extremely hot fire. There are rivers and lakes, whose waters transform into molten copper and trees made from red-hot iron, and so forth. They are filled with hordes of Yamas (Lords of Death); cannibals; vicious birds; and wild, ferocious animals. Each of the eight hot hells, from Reviving down to Incessant Torment, is even more torturous than the previous one.

In the cold hells, the ground is made of snow and ice, and violent storms and blizzards constantly rage. The cold is utterly unbearable. In each of them, from Water Bubbles to Lotus-Like, one’s skin cracks and splits open wider and wider. The suffering in each of the lower cold hells is progressively seven times worse than the suffering in the cold hell just above it. The life spans there are extremely long.

In the four cardinal directions of the eight hot hells are the Pit of Fiery Embers, the Swamp of Rotten Corpses, the Path Filled with Swords, and the Forest of Blades. There are also the temporary hells above and below ground, where one experiences other types of suffering in different bodies and forms. Reflect on these immeasurable sufferings.

Hungry ghost realm

Some of the hungry ghosts live underground in the Realm of Yama. Some live on land, underground, or dispersed throughout space. In the sutra called the Close Habitation of Mindfulness, the Buddha mentioned thirty-six different kinds of hungry ghosts. However, they can all be contained within three main types. Those in the first type have the external obscuration. They see food and drink as pus and blood. Even if they reach the bank of a river, it immediately dries up; or when they see other food or drink, they see armed guards protecting it; and so forth. In this way, they go for many years without finding anything to eat or drink and are constantly ravished by hunger.

Those in the second type have the inner obscuration, and they are unable to eat or drink. In Letter to a Friend, Nagarjuna says:

They feel they have a mouth like an eye of a needle and a belly like a valley. Every time they manage to get just a little scrap down their throat, it doesn’t help anything, because they are immensely hungry.

Those in the third type have the obscuration of food and drink. Whenever they eat or drink something, it immediately turns into fire in their stomachs and burns them. Some of them eat their own excrement and urine and cut off their own flesh and eat it.

They are constantly ravished by unbearable hunger and thirst and are exhausted from searching for food and drink. Since they have no clothes, they get burnt in the sun and freeze in the cold. These and other sufferings torture them. Their life span can be as long as fifteen thousand human years.

Animals

Countless different types of animals live in the oceans. They have no fixed abode but roam from place to place, moved by the currents. They eat one another and are in a constant state of fear and anxiety, so there is no chance to be at ease.

Regarding animals who live on land, the wild ones live in fear of enemies and have no chance to be at ease. Domesticated animals are either used for riding or carrying luggage, or they are killed for their flesh and skin. Thus they suffer in these ways.

Their main suffering, however, is due to their being mute and dumb. As a result, they live in constant fear of being eaten while they are alive. If one had to undergo this kind of suffering, it would be impossible to endure. Thinking of this, make the firm resolve that you will really devote yourself completely to the sacred dharma from now on.

4. The causes and consequences of karmic actions

Buddha says in the Sutra of One Hundred Karmas:

Due to the myriad types of karma,

There are myriad types of sentient beings.

Thus, all happiness and suffering come about solely due to accumulated karma. The result of virtuous action is the experience of pleasure and comfort. The result of negative action is the experience of pain or discomfort, just as a particular crop ripens from particular seeds.

When we do something good or evil, even if it’s a very small action, it can slowly increase, so that its ripening effect becomes multiplied hundreds or thousands of times. Once something is done, whether it is good or evil, small or big, it will not go to waste until its effect has ripened, unless an antidote eliminates it. Whatever actions we perform, whether positive or negative, will have effects that ripen on us alone. Likewise, we will never experience the karmic effects of actions we did not do. Thinking carefully about this, adopt virtuous activity and reject nonvirtuous activity. Nonvirtuous actions can be condensed into the following ten negative karmic actions.

The three negative karmic actions of the body are:

1 Taking the life of another sentient being, who is either of greater or lesser importance, whether motivated by desire, anger, or stupidity;

2 Taking what is not given through force, stealth, or deceit; and

3 Engaging in sexual misconduct, wherein you enjoy someone belonging to a certain family, to a certain owner, or under the guardianship of the dharma.

The four negative karmic actions of the speech are:

4 Lying to one’s parents or to someone of greater or lesser importance;

5 Talking divisively, whether directly, indirectly, or in a concealed way;

6 Using harsh words, directly, indirectly, or implicitly; and

7 Indulging in idle gossip, including gossip that is mundane, completely wrong, or actually true.

The three negative karmic actions of the mind are:

8 Coveting something for oneself, others, or both;

9 Harboring ill-will out of hatred, jealousy, or resentment; and

10 Holding wrong views about karma, about the truth, or about the Three Jewels.

Each of these ten has its specific karmic ripening that corresponds to the cause. Effects that accord with the opposite of these ten are called the ten virtuous actions.

When performing nonvirtuous activity, if we are primarily motivated by hatred, repeat the actions many times, or commit them towards a person of high importance, then the result is rebirth as a hell being. If we are driven by desire, repeat the actions to a moderate extent, or commit them towards a middling object, the result is rebirth as a hungry ghost. If we act out of stupidity or to a lesser degree, the result is rebirth as an animal.

Thus, considering that these actions become the cause of future suffering, apply methods that purify your past negative actions and commit to not repeating them again.

The ten virtuous actions, such as refraining from killing, lying, and so forth, are the opposite of the ten nonvirtuous ones. In addition, one should save lives; be generous; maintain decent conduct; be truthful; reconcile enmity; speak gently, kindly, and meaningfully; reduce craving; and be content. Out of kindness, generate more benevolence. With great conviction in the consequences of actions, develop the threefold trust. This will bring forth results that are the opposite of the ones mentioned above.

If one performs the ten virtues in a greater way, one will be born as a deva, a god. Enacting virtue in a middling way leads to rebirth as a human being. If one performs virtuous actions mixed with impure intentions, one will take birth as an asura, a demigod. Therefore, we should resolve ourselves to the fact that these ten virtuous actions are the cause of all happiness and well-being in this and future lives. Thus, we should think, “I will do only virtue!”

5. Going for refuge

Since the sufferings of the three lower realms are so unbearable, you have no choice but to seek out a refuge that can prevent you from taking further rebirth in those terrible places. In order to grant protection from the sufferings of samsara and the lower realms, one must be free from that suffering oneself. Therefore, mundane sentient beings, even the greatest of them, such as Brahma and Indra, cannot grant protection. As it is mentioned in the Nirvana Sutra:

Those who take refuge in the Three Jewels

Attain a state beyond fear.

Thus, one must rely on the Three Jewels.

The objects of refuge have three aspects. First, representations of enlightened body, speech, and mind and of the sangha are present in front of you. These objects are merely supports for your visualization.

The objects of realization are second. These include the Buddha, who is the embodiment of the three kayas; the sacred Dharma of statements and realization; and the noble Sangha. One regards the Buddha as the teacher, the Dharma as the path, and the Sangha as the companions on the path.

The Buddha is the only ultimate refuge, which is the third aspect. As the Uttaratantra shastra mentions:

The true meaning of taking refuge is exclusively the Buddha.

In this particular context, you regard Noble Lady Tara as embodying every single object of refuge. In essence, she is the mother of all the victorious ones, the female Bhagavan, Prajñaparamita in person. Her form is the Sangha, her speech is the sacred Dharma, and her mind is the nature of the Buddha, the awakened state.

Thus, imagine that Noble Lady Tara, indivisible from your own root guru, is seated in the sky before you upon a lotus flower and moon disc. Surrounded by an ocean of the objects of refuge, the Three Jewels, her right hand is in the gesture of bestowing protection. Sitting below her hand, you and all other sentient beings are under her constant protection from samsara, the lower realms, and all fears.

Imagining this, with one-pointed devotion repeat the words for taking refuge:

NAMO,

In the guru, in Noble Tara as yidam, and in the Three Jewels and the ocean of conquerors,

I and all sentient beings take refuge with one-pointed devotion until enlightenment.

Repeat those lines a hundred or a thousand times, however much you can. Then imagine that the objects of refuge melt into light and dissolve into you, blessing your stream of being. Then simply settle in the state of equanimity, free from mental constructs. At the end, dedicate the merit. Having gone for refuge like that, you must then train in the refuge precepts: the three general precepts, the three specific precepts, and the three subsidiary precepts. This is the general training for all Buddhists. By upholding these precepts, you will attain eight extraordinary benefits.

By this, we have covered the practices for the inferior type of person. These are the common stages of the path.

THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS OF MIDDLING CAPACITY AND FOR THE GENERAL TRAININGS

This has two parts: reflecting upon the causal relationship of samsara and reflecting upon the causal relationship of liberation.

Reflecting upon the causal relationship of samsara

This also has two parts: reflecting on the result, which is suffering, and reflecting on the causes, which are the origins of suffering.

Reflecting on the result, which is suffering

For this first part, you should ask, “If I succeed in escaping the three lower realms, will it be good enough to just be born in the higher realms?” Then analyze this, thinking, “There is no happiness there either, because if I am born again as a human, I will again be tormented by the eight types of suffering, of which the first is the suffering of taking birth. While in my mother’s womb, I will have to constantly undergo the three sufferings, because the womb is constricted, dark, and putrid.

“When my mother is full, I will feel like I am being crushed by a mountain. When she is hungry, I will feel like I am dangling over a precipice. When her food and drink are too hot or too cold, I will suffer from these extremes. When taking birth, I will feel like I am being squeezed through the eye of a needle. Even when wrapped in the softest cloth, I will feel as if I have been thrown into a nest of thorns. When somebody picks me up, I will feel as if a hawk is holding me with its talons. Thus, I will experience those types of suffering.”

In general, birth is accompanied by unbearable sensations; therefore, it involves suffering. These sensations are also the seeds giving rise to more negative emotions and negative connections. They are the source of further suffering, since they result in aging, becoming sick, dying, and so forth. They trigger other emotional states, when one meets with circumstances later on. In this way, birth is the basis for the accumulation of karma; thus, it is the source of negative emotions and the other seven types of suffering.

Second, since the body undergoes constant momentary change, it inevitably disintegrates. One has five types of suffering due to aging. First, one’s luster fades, the flesh loses its color, the skin becomes unattractive, and the hair turns gray. One’s shape deteriorates, one’s teeth fall out, the body slumps, the arms and legs become crooked, and the skin dries out. One’s strength also diminishes, making it hard to get up, sit down, or move about without help. Furthermore, the sense organs degenerate, as one’s eyesight blurs, one’s hearing fails, and so forth. Finally, one loses the ability to enjoy things, feeling hungry when lacking food yet unable to digest large quantities, and so forth. These five types of discomfort accompany aging.

Third, there are five types of suffering due to becoming sick. One experiences a painful sensation, a mental anguish. The muscle tissue degenerates, the skin dries up, and the constitution of the body weakens. One also loses the ability to enjoy pleasant things. In addition, one has to undergo painful medical treatment and so on. Finally, one experiences the fear and anxiety of being on the verge of losing one’s life. These five types of suffering accompany being sick.

Fourth, when the time of death arrives, one needs to part from everything one values, such as possessions, friends, family, attendants, and employees. Even this body is left behind. An intense feeling of mental uneasiness occurs at this time. These five types of suffering accompany death. Moreover, one will be completely preoccupied by trying to protect possessions, property, fame, good name, food, wealth, livestock, and the like. One toils constantly to first accumulate them, guard them, and then increase them. Day and night, one is busy with this. The slightest loss creates an intense, harmful anguish, which is also painful.

Fifth is the suffering of trying to achieve and find what one does not possess, such as wealth, food, property, and so forth. This requires constant laborious effort, even at the cost of being hungry and thirsty. Even at the cost of life and limb, one needs to exert oneself, sometimes going in want of food and clothing, which is also painful.

Sixth is the suffering of meeting with the unwanted. We never know when something or someone harmful is going to appear, whether it be an enemy, someone seeking revenge, bandits and thieves, carnivorous animals, and so forth. Also, if one is a subject of a local ruler or the servant of someone rich, one will have to do undesirable work for them, which is also painful.

Seventh is the suffering of being helplessly parted from loved ones, such as one’s father and mother, siblings, spouse, friends, followers, and so forth. One’s status, influence, and possessions disappear; money and articles get destroyed or vanish; cattle and horses die; or a plague occurs. When any of these happens to something one is attached to, there is also a deep-felt sorrow and suffering.

If one is born as an asura, a demigod, then from the very moment of having that bodily form, there is an intense sense of competitiveness and rivalry that spurs constant fighting and quarreling with others. Especially when contesting the devas, asuras always lose, get beaten, or get killed, since they have less merit. Since asuras are mostly negative-minded, they lack trust and interest in dharma practice.

If born as a deva, one gets accustomed to comfort and carried away by distraction, lacking the impetus to practice dharma. Even though one’s life span is so long, it feels like a fleeting moment before the omens of impending death occur and the light of one’s body starts to fade. One feels sad and doesn’t want to continue sitting, one’s flower garlands start to wilt, one’s garments become soiled, and one starts to sweat. Friends and companions start to flee. Seeing that the next life will be in the lower realms, one experiences unbearable, intense suffering for a very long time.

In short, no matter where one takes rebirth in samsara, whether high or low, there is not the slightest bit of real happiness.

As Guru Rinpoche said:

In samsara, which is like being on the tip of a needle, there is never any real pleasure.

Even when there is the slightest comfort, it always changes.

Every type of neutral sensation experienced by the five perpetuating aggregates is also the all-pervasive suffering of being conditioned. This first type of suffering permeates every samsaric state, without a single exception.

Suffering upon suffering, which is the second type of suffering, encompasses the three lower realms and the higher realms, with their disease and other kinds of evil influences and all their painful sensations.

The samadhi states belonging to the dhyana states in the rupa- and arupa-dhatus, the pleasure and joys of devas and human beings, and all pleasant sensations are the suffering of change, which is the third type of suffering. Therefore, one should develop the intention to attain liberation to be free from these three types of suffering.

Moreover, within samsara, one must wander with no certainty as to whether one is in a higher or lower state, whether there is pleasure or pain, and whether there are enemies or friends. There is no certainty about who one’s parent or child will be, where one will live, what type of body and enjoyments one will have, and so forth. The sense pleasures are never truly satisfying. Whatever suffering one experiences is always depressing, and yet one doesn’t get fed up. One has to shed the body time and time again, needing to be reborn time and time again. Every type of joy or sorrow, success or failure, whether high or low, all of these one must undergo all alone, without any friend or helper. One must undergo the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, death, and the bardo. Thus, seeing samsara as a pit of burning embers or as a death row sentence, where one is tormented by the six-fold suffering, engender this thought: “I absolutely must get free from all this.”

Reflecting on the causes, which are the origins of suffering

For this second part, reflect on the causes that are the origin of suffering. The painful states of samsara do not happen all by themselves, without causes and circumstances. Rather, they occur as the result of accumulated karmic actions. Karmic actions are the result of emotional intentions, and these emotions are of the six primary types, the nine fetters, and so on. There are various ways of classifying them, but all of them can be included in the three root poisons, which are rooted in the ignorance of failing to realize the natural state. That is the basic obscuration that causes sentient beings to cling to the aggregates, leading to the concept of self. Cherishing that sense of self as dear and important becomes the root, or the main cause, of samsaric existence. This ego-clinging gives rise to all of the wrong, unwholesome views. When there is grasping to one’s own body, mind, and so forth; to one’s enjoyments; and to sentient beings that are loved ones, it results in attachment or clinging. This gives rise to conceit, jealousy, and stinginess. When there is harm or insult towards oneself or one’s allies, it results in aggression and hatred. Outwardly, this gets expressed as hostility, fury, spite, and so forth. All of these emotions create unmeritorious karma, which results in the lower realms of samsara. Meritorious actions result in the higher realms. Non-transferring actions, which derive from conditioned meditative states, propel one to the form and formless realms. Due to these causes, the emotions that are the origin of samsara, oneself and all other sentient beings are constantly tossed about within the samsaric states. Therefore, think, “Now I must by all means abandon the emotions.” Thinking that, train in examining your own mind to see whether these emotional states that create samsara are present.

Reflecting on the causal relationship of liberation

When wishing to abandon samsara, one seeks liberation. This is the abandonment of the afflictive obscurations, by means of unconditioned insight and true realization of the natural state, which is free of ego-clinging. The cause of that is one-pointed samadhi, and the cause of that is the discipline of renunciation.

Therefore, think, “Now, in order to free myself from samsara, I will uphold discipline, train in samadhi, and generate true insight, thereby coming to realize the meaning of impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and egolessness.”

These were the practices for the person of medium capacity, which are the preliminaries.

THE EXCELLENCE OF THE MIDDLE

This is the practice of the pure, noble intention that is connected to the Mahayana. It is the path of the superior type of person.

This has two aspects: Training in the entrance door, which is the intent, and expanding upon that.

Training in the Entrance Door, Which Is the Intent

Having understood the faults of samsara, one must abandon them and attain liberation, nirvana. Nirvana, the state that is to be attained, is of three types: the enlightenment of shravakas, the enlightenment of pratyekabuddhas, and perfect enlightenment. From among these three, we must attain the state of complete buddhahood, the most supreme enlightenment and liberation, wherein one perfects abandonment and realization for one’s own benefit and accomplishes unconditioned activity for the benefit of others. Thus, think again and again, “How can I attain this enlightenment?”

Expanding on That

This has two aspects: reflecting on the relationship between cause and effect and reflecting on the meaning.

Reflecting on the Relationship between Cause and Effect

Think, “I want to attain enlightenment, so I need its cause, which is bodhichitta, and the cause of bodhichitta, which is compassion. The cause of compassion is loving-kindness. The cause of that is acknowledging past kindnesses and wishing to repay the kindness of others. The cause of that is understanding that every single sentient being in samsara has been my own parents. All sentient beings permeating space have all been my parents. Every one of them has been kind to me. If only they could all be free of suffering and have happiness. In order to establish all of them in a state of happiness, I will attain enlightenment. Having attained enlightenment, I will also bring all sentient beings to buddhahood as well.” You must train in that intention.

Reflecting on the Meaning of That

This has three parts: training in loving-kindness, compassion, and bodhichitta.

TRAINING IN LOVING-KINDNESS

To begin with, imagine your own mother from this lifetime being right in front of you and think, “First, she produced this body I now have. Having undergone a lot of hardship and trouble for me, she gave me my cherished life and taught me all the ways of the world. In this way, she loved me more than she loved herself. She benefited me in immeasurable ways and protected me from immeasurable harms, which is a great kindness. How wonderful it would be if my mother were happy and truly at ease.

“Not just in this lifetime, but also in countless other lives, she has been my mother. Each time she has bestowed upon me exactly the same help and love. Whether as a parent, friend, lover, or companion, she has given me all kinds of help.” In this way, think of your own mother, who is so dear to you, until you develop and manifest a really acute feeling of loving-kindness, with wishes to help her and for her to be at ease.

Then, expand that loving-kindness to include other people. Begin with a small number of close family and friends, for whom you can easily feel loving-kindness. Then, slowly expand it even further to include people in our own area. Gradually, increase the scope more and more, until you feel the same loving-kindness for all beings in the three-thousandfold universe—the six classes of sentient beings, who are as limitless in number as the expanse of space—as you do for your own mother.

Then, engender again and again the following intention: “May all mother beings be happy and at ease. And may I be able to bring them happiness and ease in a perfect way.” It says in The Jewel Garland, The Ratnavali, that one obtains eight great benefits from training in loving-kindness. The following verse explains these in brief:

Providing three meals a day, every day, to three hundred merchants creates a fraction of the merit of one moment of loving-kindness.

TRAINING IN COMPASSION

All sentient beings, your kind old mothers, are all the same, wishing to have physical and mental happiness and well-being, yet experiencing nothing but misery and suffering. In the three lower realms and so on, they experience the resultant suffering. In the higher realms, they indulge in the causal suffering. Some of them create such severe negative karma that the moment their breath ceases and they die, they immediately take rebirth in hell. Thinking of this, train in intense compassion towards them.

Moreover, to begin with, you should train in relation to your mother in the present life, imagining she has taken rebirth in hell. Imagine that she is being consumed by blazing flames or frozen until totally petrified. Imagine her being chopped into pieces and tortured. Thus, arouse intense compassion. Then in the same way, train in compassion towards all the other beings in hell, who are none other than your own kind mothers.

Similarly, picturing your mother ravished by hunger and thirst and tormented by disease, train in compassion towards hungry ghosts. Imagining your mother rendered incapable—being beaten, enslaved, and forced to do all sorts of arduous labor—train in compassion towards animals. Imagine that she is blind, standing at the edge of an abyss. Since she doesn’t know where to turn, she falls with no escape from suffering. Using that analogy, train in developing an almost unbearable feeling of compassion towards the beings of the three higher realms. Just as before with loving-kindness, gradually expand your sense of compassion to all beings.

When you start to feel an uncontrived compassion, think, “I will protect all of my old mothers, the sentient beings of the six classes, from negative karma and suffering. I will lead all of them out of these painful states of samsara. May they all be freed from suffering. May they be freed from the causes of suffering, karma and the negative emotional states.” Think in that way and also recite the words verbally.

It is said in The Realization of Avalokiteshvara:

If you possess a single quality, that is equal to having every teaching of the buddhas in the palm of your hand. What is that single quality? It is great compassion.

This illustrates the immeasurable benefits of compassion.

Having thus aroused loving-kindness and compassion, which you previously lacked, you must train in strengthening and expanding them and in giving up selfishness. Instead, practice giving your pleasure to others and taking their pain upon yourself, thus equalizing and exchanging yourself with others.

As Shantideva said:

Unless you exchange thoroughly the suffering of others with oneself, you will not obtain enlightenment, and there is no happiness in samsara.

To begin with, follow this train of thought: “I want to be happy, and I don’t want to suffer. All other sentient beings are exactly the same; they are equal in having the same wish. I am just one person, but sentient beings are many, so actually they are more important. Therefore, I will take upon myself the suffering that my old mothers so detest and give them the happiness they wish for.” Combine this with your breathing and imagine that when you exhale, whatever virtue you have accumulated from beginningless time and whatever happiness you now possess, all of it, is sent to other sentient beings in a stream of white light. Imagine with confidence that each and every one of them receives your virtue and happiness in full measure and that they attain peace and well-being and their causes, in both body and mind.

When inhaling, imagine that all the causes of suffering—karma, negative emotions, evil actions, and obscurations—which they have accumulated since beginningless time, as well as the results of suffering, all of it, is completely absorbed into you as a black cloud, and it dissolves into you. Thus, they are all freed from suffering and its causes. Also recite the following from the depth of your heart, training your mind in loving-kindness and compassion:

May all sentient beings attain my virtue and happiness.

May all the evil deeds, obscurations, and suffering of sentient beings ripen upon myself.

TRAINING IN BODHICHITTA

This has two aspects: training in the bodhichitta of aspiration and training in the bodhichitta of application, which is the six paramitas.

Training in the bodhichitta of aspiration

Here, train in the following thought: “In order for all parent sentient beings to constantly have well-being and be perpetually free from suffering, they must attain complete enlightenment. But in order to help them do that, I must first, for their sake, attain the state of true and complete enlightenment myself. Having attained that, I will lead every single sentient being without exception out of samsara’s ocean of suffering and establish them all at the level of Buddha.” That resolve is called aspiring towards enlightenment, the bodhichitta of aspiration.

Just by forming that resolve, you will accomplish the benefit of oneself and others, all personal flaws will be eliminated, and all the virtuous qualities will be gathered, and so forth. In this way, the benefits are inconceivable.

As taught in the sutra requested by Shridana, Resplendent Generosity:

If the merit of bodhichitta were to have a physical form, it would fill the entirety of space and be even larger.

Once you have given rise to this bodhichitta of aspiration, you must train in its precepts. The root precepts are to never forsake sentient beings, to abandon the four negative dharmas, to train in the four positive qualities, and to exert yourself day and night in the skillful means for increasing the two accumulations further and further.

The meaning of forsaking sentient beings is as follows: One may think, for example, “I am unable to attain enlightenment” and then turn away from the Mahayana teachings and revert to pursuing solely one’s own benefit. Since this is completely abandoning the cause for attaining buddhahood, the repercussions are extremely negative. In addition, you may have an angry thought towards just one or two sentient beings, thinking, “May I never meet you again, I will not help you, and the like.” Or you might beat, hurt, or wish to harm someone, whether it be an animal, such as a dog; a thief; a rat; or even a louse. Such actions and attitudes are all included within the category of forsaking sentient beings.

The first of the four negative dharmas is to deceive a guru, meaning someone who is a recipient of offerings and worthy of respect. Here, deceive means “to lie to them verbally and thus trick them.” The second is to cause someone to regret what is not to be regretted; to commit an evil action is a cause of regret, not something virtuous. The third is to disparage someone who has generated bodhichitta. In other words, to either directly or indirectly defame or criticize a bodhisattva, meaning anyone who has just recited the words of bodhichitta on up. Fourth is to deceive a sentient being, either by manipulation or direct lies for selfish purposes. This even includes fooling others with weights and scales in business.

All of these have very negative repercussions. Therefore, you should turn away from them and train in their opposites, the four virtuous qualities. These are, first of all, to be truthful and avoid deceiving others, even at the cost of one’s life. Second is to establish all beings in virtue and especially establish them in the virtuous roots of the Mahayana, such as in the bodhichitta resolve. The third is to regard everyone who has engendered bodhichitta as the teacher in person and to praise his or her excellent qualities. The fourth is to never deceive a single sentient being, but to be honest towards them all and to always uphold the noble intention of taking the burden of benefiting others upon yourself.

You must also, to the best of your ability, train in the accumulation of merit through virtue in your thoughts, words, and deeds and through study, reflection, and meditation on the sacred dharma. According to your ability, you must also train in the accumulation of wisdom.

Training in the bodhichitta of application

Here there are two aspects: the general training in the bodhichitta of application and the specific trainings.

The general training

It is not enough to just wish to attain complete enlightenment; it is necessary to actually train in the activities that are the causes for this attainment. Even though these activities are vast and extensive, their very essence is the six paramitas and the four means of magnetizing. Therefore, you should think, “I will embark upon the activities of the bodhisattva in order to attain complete enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings.” Thus, abide by the four means of magnetizing. These are mentioned in the scripture called the Lotus Mound:

Agreeably beckon sentient beings with the fan of generosity,

Welcome them with pleasantly spoken words,

Make them at ease with meaningful action,

And give them consistent advice.

You practice the six paramitas, such as generosity and so forth, yourself; you teach others using words that make them also embrace the teachings. This includes both the six paramitas and the four means of magnetizing. Therefore, make the pledge to endeavor in practicing these ten paramitas consistently, not sometime in the future, but from this very moment onward. You must take that kind of pledge to unmistakenly, and to the best of your ability, embark upon that practice from now on.

At first, one should arouse bodhichitta either in the presence of a master or in front of a specific sacred object. On a daily basis, one arouses bodhichitta by oneself, which is how it is developed here.

Imagine that the guru, Noble Tara, surrounded by all the victors and their heirs, is vividly present in the sky before you. In her presence, you form the resolve to arouse bodhichitta—the mind set on supreme enlightenment, embodying both aspiration and application—for the benefit of all sentient beings. While keeping that in mind, recite the following verse repeatedly:

HOH

In order to ensure that all sentient beings, my mothers,

Attain the state of enlightenment,

I will refrain from negative actions,

Gather all virtuous qualities,

And always generate the bodhichitta that benefits others.

At the end, totally dispense with mental constructs of the three spheres and settle in the state of equanimity. That is called “sealing the relative bodhichitta with ultimate bodhichitta.”

The specific trainings

First there is a general statement and then a specific explanation.

THE GENERAL STATEMENT

Once you have aroused the bodhichitta of application, you must train in its stages, which can all be condensed into the three superior trainings. As taught in the Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment:

If you want to summarize the nature of the bodhichitta of application, then it is to train oneself thoroughly in the training of discipline, etc., with a great devotion in the threefold training.

Thus, you must develop the superior training in discipline, the superior training in samadhi, and the superior training in knowledge or insight. Of these three, the training in discipline includes the paramitas of generosity, discipline, and patience. The training in samadhi is the fifth paramita of concentration, and the training in knowledge is the sixth paramita, the transcendent knowledge. The fourth paramita of diligence supports all three trainings.

The Ornament of the Sutras says:

In terms of the threefold trainings,

The victorious ones have thoroughly taught those to be the six paramitas.

The first three are the first training,

The last two have one each,

And one belongs to all three of them.

So it is said. These six paramitas embody or complete every single activity that is necessary for attaining enlightenment. As the Buddha taught in the Sutra Requested by Laxan:

Laxan, in order for a bodhisattva mahasattva to quickly obtain true and complete enlightenment, he or she must thoroughly and constantly perfect the six paramitas.

Thus he said.

The main aim is to attain the higher realms and the definitive excellence of liberation and enlightenment. The causes for attaining these are complete within the six paramitas.

In order to attain birth in the higher realms, one practices material generosity and maintains pure ethics and discipline. In order to have a retinue of followers, one practices patience. In order to attain the definite goodness of liberation and enlightenment, one practices diligence, the cause for developing virtuous qualities. The cause of shamatha is concentration, and the cause of vipashyana is knowledge or insight. Since they are progressively more subtle and more difficult to engage in, they are taught in that order. Therefore, form this pledge: “For the sake of accomplishing enlightenment through the path of the higher realms and definite goodness of liberation, I will train myself in the six paramitas, progressively, beginning with the first ones, which are easier, and moving gradually to the latter, more difficult, ones.”

The six paramitas can also be included within the two accumulations in the following way: Generosity and discipline belong to the accumulation of merit, while knowledge is the accumulation of wisdom. The three remaining paramitas of patience, concentration, and diligence belong to both accumulations.

Each of the paramitas is also endowed with four qualities: eliminating their opposites, which are the adverse circumstances; promoting non-conceptual wisdom; fulfilling all desires; and bringing benefit to sentient beings.

The first five paramitas, generosity and so forth, must be embraced by the knowledge that does not conceptualize the three spheres; otherwise, they do not become causes for enlightenment. If they are imbued with the transcendent knowledge, they are truly paramitas, meaning “transcendental,” and are counted among them. In this way, you will attain the state of the omniscient Buddha. This is mentioned in The Compendium:

Thousands and millions of blind people, without a guide,

Will not find their way and never reach their destination.

Lacking knowledge, the first five paramitas,

Being without a guide,

Lack the ability to attain enlightenment.

Accordingly, for whatever action you engage in, such as generosity and the like, be sure to imbue it with the three excellences of preparation, the main part, and the conclusion—and, in particular, with the flawless insight that does not conceptualize the three spheres. As well, think, “For the sake of all sentient beings, from within a state free of conceptualizing the three spheres, I will engage in the six paramitas, which are contained within the two accumulations and endowed with the four qualities, and I will do so continuously, like a magical illusion.” Train in that way.

THE SPECIFIC EXPLANATION

Here there are three sections: a brief explanation of the first four paramitas and detailed explanations of concentration (dhyana) and of insight (prajna).

A brief explanation of the first four paramitas

Generosity, the first of the six paramitas, which is the training for the bodhichitta of application, has three aspects. The first aspect is the giving of material things, such as food, clothing, wealth, material articles, and necessities, with the intention, object, and means that are free of the four impurities and with a pure attitude and application. The giving of fearlessness, or removing anxiety, protects others from disease, poisons, warfare, wildfire, flooding, vicious animals’ attacks, dangerous roads, and imprisonment. The giving of dharma, if you have the ability to teach the dharma, helps people understand the path through which they can reach liberation, without any regard for the giver’s honor, respect, gain, or fame. If you do not have that ability, you should simply read the words of the Buddha aloud, so they can be heard by both human beings and non-humans, meaning the spirits, and so forth.

Discipline, or shila, also has three aspects. The discipline of refraining from misdeeds refers to both intrinsic misdeeds, such as the ten non-virtues, and to pledged misdeeds, the vows you have accepted, including the seven types of pratimoksha vows, the two traditions of the bodhisattva vow, and the root and branch tantric samayas. The discipline of gathering virtuous qualities refers to performing as many virtuous deeds as possibly through your three doors, whether they be small or large virtues. The discipline of benefiting sentient beings, working for the welfare of others, is explained in the Bodhisattva Bhumi as having eleven aspects. However, in short, this refers to both directly and indirectly bringing benefit to other sentient beings and establishing them in virtue with a pure, superior intention.

Patience, likewise, has three types. The patience of taking no offence towards harm means that if someone, whoever it may be, beats you, hurts you, robs you, defeats you, abuses you with nasty words, and the like, you do not retaliate with anger or hatred, but instead cultivate loving-kindness. The patience of undertaking suffering means you gladly endure the hardships of heat and cold, hunger and thirst, exhaustion, and so on when seeking out teachings and practicing. It also implies not getting at all discouraged, but instead generating some fortitude. The third is the patience of finding certainty in the dharma, which means to be unafraid and unintimidated when you hear about the resolve of the conquerors and bodhisattvas and their inconceivable great qualities or when you hear about the natural state of emptiness and the profound methods. It includes generating delight in all of them.

Next is diligence, which also has three types. First is the armour-like diligence, which means not belittling the importance of a small, virtuous action thinking, “This is unnecessary. It does not matter.” It includes not losing courage in the face of great virtue thinking, “I cannot do that. It is beyond me.” Rather, you should take delight in practicing any type of goodness, no matter what it is. The second type is the diligence of application, which means not giving in to laziness and distraction when practicing dharma and virtue, but instead continuing with some constancy. The third type is the diligence of not turning back, which means that even if you have no sign of benefit or result in the practice immediately, you do not lose faith or courage, but carry through until having reached the very final result.

The training here involves pledging that, to the best of your ability, you will train in each of these.

Dhyana, concentration

Here there are two aspects: the causes for bringing forth concentration and the actual concentration, dhyana.

THE CAUSES FOR BRINGING FORTH CONCENTRATION

Dhyana and shamatha are of identical nature, and you must bring forth the support that is the cause for producing them, namely, to keep your body away from distractions (in other words a quiet place) and to keep the mind away from conceptual thinking.

Now, what is meant by distractions? It means children, spouse, friends, and followers—in short, sentient beings. It means food, wealth, honor, and gain. It means praise, fame, and reputation. Becoming attached and clinging to any of these is a distraction. This being so, the Buddha has taught twenty faults or shortcomings of attachment to such distractions in the sutras. In particular, they prevent the mind from simply remaining at ease. Being free from distractions is solitude. When you give up distractions and remain alone in a remote place, samadhi will quickly take birth in one’s stream of being. Therefore, you should do just that.

When remaining in a remote place, you must give up engaging in nonvirtuous actions of body and speech and getting distracted by neutral actions. Stop getting caught up in emotional trains of thought and pursuing deluded, worldly thoughts and activities, whether they be subtle or coarse. Once you are completely free of distraction, train one-pointedly in concentration. That is how the samadhi of shamatha will take birth in your being.

THE ACTUAL TRAINING IN DHYANA, OR CONCENTRATION

The first type of dhyana is the dhyana of peaceful abiding in actuality, which means presently in this life, not in some future life. You do this by developing the shamatha of pliancy of the body and mind. In this present context, there are some physical and mental key points. The first has to do with posture. Sit on a comfortable seat with your legs in the vajra posture. Place your hands below the navel in the gesture of equanimity. Keep the backbone straight with the shoulders spread out like a vulture’s wings. Keep the tip of the tongue on the palette and the chin slightly in towards the neck. The eyes, half open, should look directly forward into space, past the tip of the nose. This is called the seven-point posture of Vairochana. When keeping this posture, you should be neither too tight nor too relaxed, but balanced between the two.

With regards to the key points for the mind, there is training with a support and training without a support.

Training with a support