Teaching
A Dharma Teaching by His Holiness Rimay Gyalten Sogdzin Rinpoche
Section 14
The Union of Mahāmudrā and Dzogchen
A Dharma Teaching by H.H. Rimay Gyalten Sogzin Rinpoche.
A Short Prayer For the Blessing of All Beings
I pray to the Holy Root-Guru, who combines all sources of refuge in one, who is the Embodiment of the Three Jewels, the Three Roots, all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Dakas and Dakinis, and Dharma Protectors:
I pray, please bestow the blessings that cause all sentient beings, as many as the limitless sky, to turn their minds towards the Holy Dharma.
I pray, please bestow the blessings that keep us on the perfect path of the Holy Dharma.
I pray, please bestow the blessings that remove all confusion from the Path.
I pray, please bestow the blessings that transform all obstacles into Primordial Wisdom and Compassion.
May my body, speech and mind be of benefit to all sentient beings.
Some of My Thoughts during the Three Years Retreat in Tibet:
In this day and age there is very little happiness. And if there is some, it is very easily exhausted. If we do not want bad times, or if we want suffering to end, we need to practice the Holy Dharma. Whether we want happiness or suffering, know the strong power of previous actions (karma). In the present moment do not keep hopes or fears about your past actions. If your bodily actions conform to the Dharma, everything will be remedied. If we speak with honesty, anger will be transformed. If we keep our minds pure from within, it is like painting pure white over the darkness of a vicious past.
This is tremendously powerful. It means that with practice of the Holy Dharma you don’t just fix-up your life and make a worn and tired life a little better, but you can have a brand new, radiantly shining life in every moment that you realize your true nature. This is what I call a wonderful circumstance and opportunity!
Now, be very modest in all your behavior. Be impartial in your respect towards others. Do not treat anyone with any less respect than you give to those who are most important and precious to you. Cultivate a stable and enduring love and kindness.
To keep these kinds of behaviors in mind is like holding a genuine treasure in your own hands.
To remain impartial in a stable and equal love with respect for all is a truly wonderful practice full of meaning and purpose.
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The Great View of Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā :
E ma ho! Unmistaken is the protection of the Natural State of the Blessed Doctrines of Maha-Ati (Dzogchen) and Mahāmudrā (Chagchen). In the beginning it stops delusions from developing. Later it prevents them even from arising.
Now, just leave your mind in a lucid, naked and relaxed state, free from as much as the smallest hair's contrivance or fixation. Try to remain in this state continuously to support your practice in all circumstances – night and day, eating, sleeping, sitting and walking, etc. It is of paramount importance to guard your mind this way in every moment and not allow it to wander off into distraction. Always staying in ones own essence and not deviating into distraction is the ultimate protection and a boundless store of riches.
The Great Lama Longchen Rabdjam (Longchenpa) has said:
The ordinary Mind (the uncontrived natural state) is the natural sphere of phenomena. To rest naturally and at ease in that is the Natural State of all things and is the practice of Maha-Ati (Dzogchen) and Mahāmudrā (Chagchen).
The Great Terton Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa has also said:
To contemplate good and evil is not what this teaching is about. Nor is it an instruction on how to avoid moral downfalls or a learned discussion on the distinctions between arising and liberating phenomena. The fact is you already have all that’s needed! Your primordial intelligence and Wisdom are not lost; they are present in you at this very moment. There is no view superior to that. We may take teachings from a hundred wise and learned ones, or instructions from a thousand accomplished Siddhas. We may also listen to tens of thousands of teachings or a hundred thousand superficial doctrines. We may even try to follow a million laws of the government, but we will not be able to cut through doubts and uncertainties without realizing the primordial intelligence and wisdom that is within us right now.
Therefore, we must remove all doubt and develop genuine realization. We have to watch our minds and practice the Holy Dharma without interruption. With the Three Jewels and Three Roots we can serve others; without the Three Jewels and Three Roots there are no way we can truly benefit others and ourselves.
Mahāmudrā is the unchanging and infinite, vajra-like “Great-Seal” of bodhicitta, or possessing the view that everything in essence is a manifestation of Compassion. Mahāmudrā is the holy union of absolute confidence and absolute truth.
This is a text written by Gyalten Sogdzin Rinpoche on the meaning of the King of Doctrines. It’s an instruction on how to protect one's mind and to understand easily.
May this practice bring the fruition of all your desires and the accomplishment and complete realization of the Holy Dharma.
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A prayer to the Root-Guru; Self-Liberation through Seeing and Hearing.
To You, Great Father of Omniscience and Accomplishment, Arya Manjushri of the Heavenly Realm in the west, Dewachen, do I pray with faith and devotion and a mind filled with immense longing. I beg You, with Your luminous torch-like Enlightened Heart, please illuminate the darkness of my restless and confused mind, which is controlled by endless deluded contrivances.
With the Holy Water springing from Your Sacred River of Enlightened Mind please flush away all defiled mental inclinations produced by my accumulated wicked karma.
With the Wisdom-Sword of Omniscience and Love of Your Heart please cut the poisonous stem of my clinging to ego’s illusions.
Please, I beg You, bestow the Blessings upon the body, speech and mind of Your son that the time will come when I will be inseparable with You, Father, on Your Sacred Lotus Seat.
Save me from getting caught up in actions that lead to bad and unfortunate circumstances and conditions. Please, lead me onto the Sacred Path of the Holy Dharma.
Please Father, hold my wishes in Your Heart and may the virtue of the Dharma reach out to all sentient beings. May this son of Yours find the True Path.
This prayer was written down by Rimay Gyalten Tulku Rinpoche as it came to him.
May auspicious circumstances increase in the world and the non-bias Doctrine of the Buddha spread wide and far.
Sarwa Mangha Lam
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The majestic presence of the glorious Root-Guru, embodiment of all the Buddha's, is the highest peak of a mighty snowy mountain,
Only the radiant sun of a disciple’s faith and devotion,
Can melt the pristine snow and cause the holy waters of blessing to flow and a rain of wisdom to fall.
May I always hold in my heart the pure aspiration, faith and devotion of the Rimay Tradition.
Commentary: The magnificent, snowy mountain penetrating the infinite sky symbolizes the Root-Guru. One’s own faith and devotion are like the rays of the sun that shines upon the snowy mountain. The sun of faith and devotion shining on the glorious Root-Guru gives rise to a spontaneous flow of blessings, an ever increasing treasure. This, in itself, is the Main Practice. Seeing the Root-Guru as the Embodiment of the Buddha is the Vital Point.
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If we are too attached to this human existence, we are not fully practicing the Dharma or spirituality and will not realize the ultimate fruition of Dharma Practice.
Too much attachment to this samsaric world ( the world of appearance and duality) does not allow for the renunciation needed by true Dharma Practice.
Too much attachment to our own selfish desires prevents the arising of bodhicitta, the Mind of Enlightenment.
Right View, Right Meditation, and Right Action are lost when there is too much grasping and attachment.
Commentary: If we have less attachment, we have more opportunity to practice the Dharma properly and effectively. If we are less attached to worldly existence, then we will have the proper renunciation to practice the Dharma and attain full realization. If we are free of selfishness, we will have the Mind of Enlightenment. When we are free of grasping and attachment, we will naturally practice Right View, Right Meditation and Right Action, so that our Dharma Practice will be pure and complete.
My Heartfelt Wish For Everyone
May the Glorious Blessing of the Root-Guru enter the mind of beings,
so there is no more fear in any moment, not even the moment of dying.
May the Glorious Blessing of the Root-Guru enter the mind of beings,
so there is no more attachment to worldly achievement.
May the Glorious Blessing of the Root-Guru enter the mind of beings,
so everyone has the wisdom to gracefully manage all difficulties.
May the Glorious Blessing of the Root-Guru enter the mind of beings,
so that no one will lose their way in life.
May the Glorious Blessing of the Root-Guru enter the mind of beings,
so every one can awaken Bodhicitta.
May the Glorious Blessing of the Root-Guru enter the mind of beings,
so every one feels confident of reaching Enlightenment and no one will ever be stopped by any kind of misfortune or obstacles.
For the Glorious Blessing of my Root-Guru, I have nothing to repay but can only spend my whole life doing good things for all beings in order to never be separated from my Perfect Guru and live in the Glorious Blessing of my Perfect Root-Guru life after life.
H.H. Gyalten Sogdzin Rinpoche, in retreat at Maha Sukhavati Dharma Centre, West Vancouver, Canada, March, 2006
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Short Teachings
The highest skill is in the realization of egolessness.
The highest nobility is subduing your own mind.
The highest excellence is having a mind that tries to help others.
The highest commitment is continual mindfulness.
The highest remedy is to understand the naturelessness of everything.
The highest activity is not to engage in worldly concerns.
The highest accomplishment is the lessening of the passions.
The highest giving is found in non-attachment.
The highest moral practice is humbleness or humility.
The highest effort is to act without attachment.
The highest meditation is the mind without pride and ego.
The highest wisdom is not to grasp and become attached to anything as it appears.”
Song of Milarepa
“ Meditate in the unborn nature of the mind:
Like space, no centre, no limit;
Like the sun and moon, bright and clear;
Like a mountain, unmoving, unshakeable;
Like the ocean, deep and mysterious.”
In response, one of his female students meditated, and sang:
“ I am happy to meditate like space,
But distracted by clouds and fog that appear there,
I am happy to meditate like sun and moon,
But distracted by the stars and planets that arise with them,
I am happy to meditate like the ocean,
But distracted by the waves that arise,
I am happy to meditate like mountain,
But distracted by the plants and flowers that grow,
I am happy to meditate on the unborn nature of the mind,
But distracted by thoughts and images that emerge in it,
Master, please teach me about these!”
Milarepa was pleased and sang:
“ In meditation like space
Clouds and fog are its pleasures;
Remain in the vastness without centre, age, or limit
In meditation like sun and moon,
Stars and planets are the jewelleries,
Remain in their space, bright and clear,
In meditation like mountain,
Plants and flowers are its decorations or ornaments,
Remain in their space, unmoving and undisturbed,
In meditation like an the ocean,
Waves are its movements,
Remain in their space deep and mysterious,
In meditation on the unborn,
Thoughts and images are its manifestations:
Remain in their awareness, vast and clear.”
Milarepa said, “ This is how I reached Enlightenment – sitting and meditating. If you want to reach it in this life, make the same effort. This is my final teaching.”
“If you knew how hard it is to acquire this human body,
You would see that by living the average life, you are delaying Enlightenment.
If you saw the great benefits of Dharma Practice
You would be sorry, or disappointed, if you stayed attached to your material mind.
If you thought about death,
You would make preparation for your future lives.
If you thought about cause and effect
You would stop being foolish.”
“When hearing, thinking about and practicing the Dharma, one’s goal should be to always purify your own mind.
Then one should proceed slowly upon the path, using virtue as the medicine or remedy to the negative emotions.
Moreover, anyone who claims to study the Dharma without a correct understanding the Vajrayana, and who likes to argue or debate over the smallest points of language, saying, “You say this, but I say that,” completely misses the point.”
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“My Root-Guru, His Holiness 8th Drubgen Yizhin Norbu, never got angry; any anger had been completely pacified by his bodhicitta. Many times even when there were long line-up of people waiting for his blessings, but His Holiness would ask each one of them individually how they were and tap them on the head. Sometimes he dispensed medicine. He was always gentle. All this made him very special.”
His Holiness always said:” to practice whatever you can, so that my teachings will not be wasted.” But above all, make bodhicitta your main practice. You must pursue any of the other meditation subjects knowing that they will assist your bodhicitta.”
“When Lord Buddha Shakyamuni spoke about suffering, he wasn’t referring simply to physical problems like illness and injury, but to the fact that the dissatisfaction nature of the mind itself is suffering.
No matter how much of something you get, it never satisfies your desire for better or more. This endless attachment is suffering;” Attachment’s nature is emotional frustration.
If you do not watch your own mind with an honest open view, you will never have the chance to see what’s in there. Without watching your mind, no matter how much you talk about your mind and your emotions, you’ll never really understand that your basic emotion is attachment and grasping, and that is what’s making you restless, frustrated, unhappy and aggressive.”
“In my own experience, the most difficult period in one’s life is the period of greatest gain in knowledge, experience, and practice. If you go along in an easy way, with everything okay, you feel everything is just fine. Then one day when you encounter problems you feel depressed and hopeless. Through a difficult period you can learn, you can develop inner strength, determination and courage to face problems.
“Who gives you this chance? Your enemy! This does not mean that you have to obey or bow down to your enemy. In fact, sometimes, according to the enemy’s attitude, you may have to react strongly, but deep down, calmness and compassion, or bodhicitta, must not be lost. This is possible.”
“If you watch carefully, you will see that no matter how many things you have or how hard you have tried to achieve them, if there is no compassion in your heart, you never feel quite right. There’s no peace in your heart, and deep within, you always feel that there is something missing.
The best way to give meaning to your life is to make it beneficial for others by having compassion for them. That’s also the best way to find peace, happiness, fulfillment and satisfaction in your own life.”
And as I said, the peace of the whole world and universe depends upon the peace that is in the heart of each individual.
May the light of the virtuous fields pervade the entire world
And may samsara become joyful by the light of the Holy Dharma.
By the blessing of accomplishment may all come perceive the presence of the Buddha.
So if you think the Buddha is always in front of you, than the Buddha is always in front of you.
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Here I would like you to meditate and listen to my wishes and prayers for all sentient beings. These can be part of your wishes and prayers as well.
May the light of the virtuous lands pervade the entire world, and may samsara, or suffering, become joyful by the light of the Holy Dharma.
By the ultimate blessing of the Accomplishments may all come to perceive the presence of the Lord Buddha.
At this very moment, for all the people and nations of the Earth,
May the names of disease, suffering and war never be heard.
Instead, may pure conduct, health, merit, wisdom, bodhicitta, wealth and prosperity increase.
And may Supreme Good Fortune and Auspicious Well Being always arise.
May whatever you wish for in this lifetime, and in every lifetime, come true.
May all the Virtuous Accomplishments be achieved miraculously.
May my deepest wish be realized - that I will always protect and serve all sentient beings in order to help them reach Enlightenment.
Therefore, through the blessings of the Nirmanakaya Body, Samboghakaya Speech, and Dharmakaya Mind, may I deliver all sentient beings into Enlightenment before reaching Enlightenment myself.
May all beings find peace, happiness, joy, and liberation,
In their hearts, in their families, in their communities, and in the whole world.
May His Holiness the 9th Vajradhara Drubgen Yizin Norbu
Return quickly, safely, and into the most auspicious of circumstances.
May all beings be filled with love, trust and laughter at all times.
This has been translated from Tibetan into English by Trime Yeshe.