A Quintessential Instruction on the Vital Point in Three Statements

by Jamgon Mipam

The following is a complete translation of Mipam’s short work presenting an instruction on the practice of the Great Perfection. Here, he draws from the style of meditation teachings based on the last testament of the Indian master Garap Dorjé, which is called “Three Statements That Strike the Vital Point.” Garap Dorjé’s words were popularized in a famous commentary by Patrul Rinpoché, who was one of Mipam’s teachers. Mipam here contributes his own quintessential instruction, in verse, around three statements that similarly articulate the view, meditation, and conduct of the Great Perfection. Reflecting the direct style of quintessential instructions, he highlights the importance of personal experience as opposed to dry intellectual thought.

Homage to Mañjuśrī!

The carefree, ordinary mind Cannot be shown by words; it must be known by oneself.When fabrication, artifice, and fixation subside in themselves, This is called “recognizing the nature of mind.”

Without being caught in the tangled knots of thought, and Without deviating from the innate state, When deliberate effort and fixation are gone, This is called “sustaining meditation.”

The mind is at ease when All the manifold waves of thought, like clouds in the sky, Neither help nor harm. This is called “liberation in itself.”

This quintessential instruction on the vital point in three statements, Composed by Mipam Namgyel, Is realized by those with inner experience; Empty-talking intellectuals just don’t get it!

From:Douglas DuckworthJamgon Mipam: His Life and Teachings (p. 189)Shambhala Publications, 2011