thrangu rinpoche -the short dorje chang lineage prayer

8/12/2019 Thrangu Rinpoche -The Short Dorje Chang Lineage Prayer

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Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche

Instructions on

rDo-rje-Chang-Thung-ma,

The Short Dorje Chang Lineage Prayer

by Bengar Jampl Sangpo


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Speaker:On behalf of the Shambhala Community and the Sangha of Novia Scotia,I would like to welcome you to the Halifax Shambhala Center. I know that many ofyou know, respect, and love Thrangu Rinpoche from our many years of knowinghim and for others of you this might be the first time you have met, so I would liketo say a few words of introduction

The Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche was born in Tibet in 1933. He is the ninth, I

believe, in the line of reincarnations of the Thrangu teachers. Following theinvasion of Tibet, Thrangu Rinpoche escaped with many other teachers and helpedestablish Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim, which became the seat of the KarmaKagy Lineage. For twenty years Rinpoche served as the Abbot of RumtekMonastery, so in a sense he is the Abbot of the Kagy Lineage. He was Dharmabrother with the Vidyadhara Chgyam Trungpa Rinpoche, founder of Shambhalain the West, and Thrangu Rinpoche serves as the Abbot of Gampo Abbey in CapeBritain at the Vidyadharas request. Thrangu Rinpoche also has a monastery,

nunnery, and school in Nepal and he travels around the world teaching. He isrenowned for his vast knowledge and his ability to express very clearly theinstructions of the profound practices of meditation, which are held by his and ourLineage. Rinpoche, would you please turn the Wheel of Dharma to benefit manysentient beings.

Ever fresh and resplendent, the vivid display of the major and minor marksShines with the light of a hundred rays, auspicious and virtuous;May the glorious treasure of the soothing moonlight that benefits others,

Brilliant and good beyond bound, spread like strewn flowers.

Khenpo Karma Namgyal, New Years Greeting, Dec. 31, 2007.


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Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche

Introduction

I am very happy to teach at the Shambhala Center. In particular, I am very happy to

give teachings on The Vajradhara Lineage Prayer. To begin with, I want toextend my tashi-de-leg, my best wishes to everybody here.

In all Kagy Centers in the great and small Kagy monasteries and centers male and female practitioners recite The Short Dorje Chang Lineage Prayerdaily. There is a reason why practitioners of the Karma Kagy Lineage recite thisprayer every day.

The Short Dorje Chang Lineage Prayer was written by Bengar Jampl Sangpo,who was a disciple of the Sixth Gyalwa Karmapa, Tongwa Dnden (who livedfrom 1416-1453). Because it is so important, Venerable Chgyam TrungpaRinpoche translated it into English as The Supplication to the Tagpo Kagy sothat his pupils could recite it as part of their daily practice. I havent heard a clearaccount about this, but I did hear that it was the first translation into English that

Venerable Trungpa Rinpoche made. He did this and gave it to his pupils, becauseof its profound meaning and great blessing.


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Bengar Jampl Sangpo

The reason this prayer has such a great blessing is because its author, BengarJampl Sangpo received all his Dharma instructions from the Sixth GyalwaKarmapa. Then he went to a place in the north of Tibet in order to meditate theinstructions he had received.

To describe the location where he went, there is the great Sangpo River that flowsthrough Tibet and reaches down through India as the Brahmaputra River. TheNagchu River flows behind the Brahmaputra and into Burma, where it is called theSaween River. Between the Sangpo and Nagchu Rivers lies the very impressiveNangchen Thaklha Mountain Range, which in Dharma terms is the residence ofNangchen Thaklha, the deity bound through oath by Guru Rinpoche to protect andguard the Dharma teachings in that area, specifically the Karma Kagy Teachings.The Nagchu River flows behind the Nangchen Thaklha Mountain Range. At itssource is the great lake Namtso Thungmo, which is the residence of NanghenThaklhas consort. So, there is the great lake behind the Nangchen Thaklha.

Two local deities are revered most highly in Tibet. The seat of one is located atNangchen Thaklha and the other the seat of the other at Nagyl Pumra Mountain,the spot where the Nagchu River bends and separates, one river flowing into Chinawhere it is called the Yellow River. The Nagyl Pumra is seen as a local deity and

guardian of the teachings, so one supplicates him too. There are two very importantmountain ranges and therefore two very important mountain deities, NangchenThaklha in Upper Tibet and Nagyl Pumra in Lower East Tibet. And so, havingreceived instructions from the Sixth Gyalwa Karmapa, Bengar Jampl Sangpocrossed the Nangchen Thaklha Mountain Range and arrived at the shore of NamtsoLake.


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Tibet is far away from any ocean; there are only lakes, so there is no expanse likean ocean. The largest lake in Tibet is Namtso. Nam means sky and tso meanslake, thereforeNamtsomeans vast like the sky. There was a little island in themiddle of the lake, called Tsenmodo, fingernail-stone, its name describing howtiny the island was, almost like a little hill. In the past, it is said that this island wasin the middle of the lake; nowadays it is near the shore, because the lake is drying

up. In the winter the lake would freeze and meditators and masters would walkover to the little island. In the summer the ice would melt, so they could stay in thecave there and practice for many months in solitude, until the lake froze again andthey were able to return home the next winter.

Many Lamas went to Tsenmodo Island to meditate and it is said that some of themdid have a hard time. There was a Drukpa Kagy master whose name was Lorepa.

He went there, took enough food along to do a retreat, and everything went quitewell for a year. When the lake froze the next year, his pupils were able to consulthim and receive instructions. He took an attendant along after he had completed hisfirst retreat and both had enough provisions to last for a while. But the followingwinter the lake didnt freeze, so they had to stay another year without enough toeat. They thought, What should we do? They had leather belts, cooked them, anddrank the broth for a while. When they ran out of that source of nourishment, theLama performed a sacred feast. The next day the local deities responded bywashing the corpse of a deer to the shore of the tiny island. The attendant found thecorpse, so they could live on the deer for a while. But the lake still didnt freeze thefollowing winter. The attendant was really worried and told the Lama, We will diehere. He had an idea and thought, If I die, its all right. The Lama can eat me.He went to the Lama and asked, You know, a human body has been washedashore. Is it all right for us to eat it? The Lama answered, Yes, thats fine. Sothe attendant ran to the lakeside and was about to kill himself, when the Lama


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came running down to the shore and stopped him, saying, No, you may not dothat. I am happy to die while practicing the Dharma. That is fine with me. You maynot kill yourself. We will just carry on with our practice. That night the attendanthad a dream that many Dakinis appeared in the sky and said, Everything will beall right. Dont worry. Tomorrow you will be able to leave. When they woke upthe next morning, they found that the lake had frozen and they could cross it. So, itwasnt always easy for Lamas to meditate there.

Bengar Jampl Sangpo did a retreat on that island for eighteen years and didnthave any problems. Some say it wasnt difficult for him because NangchenThaklha fed him; others say he lived on the food of meditation. In any case, hedidnt have any problems and stayed there in retreat for eighteen years. At the endof this time, on the basis of his realisations from practicing on the tiny island, hecomposed the rDo-rje-Chang-Thung-ma. On an ordinary level, it is said that it is avery special prayer, because it is the result of eighteen years of experience. In

Dharma terms, though, it is said that it has a great blessing, because it is a prayerresulting from eighteen years of sincere and deep meditation.

The Supplication to the Dhagpo Kagy consists of three sections, the first beinga prayer to the Lineage Masters, which is like an account of the Kagy Lineage.The second consists of the instructions and the wish that all living beings are ableto practice them correctly. The third section contains a wishing-prayer that allliving beings be benefited.


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One: The Homage

Great Vajradhara, Tilo, Naro, Marpa, Mila, Lord of Dharma Gampopa,

Knower of the Three Times, omniscient Karmapa,

Holders of the four great and eight lesser lineages

Drikung, Tag-lung, Tsalpa, these three, glorious Drukpa and so on

Masters of the profound path of Mahamudra,

Incomparable protectors of beings, the Takpo Kagy,

I supplicate you, the Kagy Gurus,

I hold your lineage; grant your blessings so that I will follow your example.

The Supplication Prayer, The Short Dorje Chang Lineage Prayer, begins withVajradhara, Dorje Chang in Tibetan. Now, the teachings come from BuddhaShakyamuni. How is it said that the Mahamudra teachings come from Vajradhara?Some people may think this doesnt make sense. When one looks at the Buddha,though, he has three aspects: that of body, speech, and mind. Buddha Shakyamuniis the supreme nirmanakaya. He was born in Nepal, achieved enlightenment and

turned the Wheel of Dharma in India - he spread the Dharma in the nirmanakayaemanation, while he embodies all three kayas.


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Buddha Shakyamunis mind is the dharmakaya and therefore there is the aspect ofthe Dharmakaya-Buddha. It is said to have the qualities of perfect knowledge andwisdom, perfect love and compassion, too. Not only does he have wisdom andcompassion but also power. That is the Dharmakaya-Buddha the mind of theBuddha. As to the nirmanakaya, in the beginning the Buddha was born, in themiddle he lived, and in the end he passed into nirvana. The Dharmakaya-Buddha isnot born in the beginning, doesnt live in the middle, and in the end doesnt passaway. The dharmakaya is unchanging, which is symbolized by the vajra. So when

one speaks about Vajradhara, the Holder of the Vajra, this refers to the holder ofthe unchanging permanence of dharmakaya-wisdom. So, the Dharmakaya-Buddhahas perfect wisdom, compassion, and power, but he cannot enter into a relationshipwith those who have to be trained, because they cannot experience thedharmakaya. In order to be able to train beings, the Dharmakaya-Buddha manifeststhe rupakayas, the form bodies. There are two form bodies: The Sambhogakaya-Buddha appears to those who are pure and are Bodhisattvas who have achievedhigher levels of realization. The Nirmanakaya-Buddha appears to ordinary livingbeings who have not achieved any higher realizations. So, there are two forms thatmanifest to beings in order to instruct and train them.

The Dharmakaya-Buddha, i.e., the Dharmakaya-Vajradhara, manifests in asambhogakaya form to pure beings in the blue colour, with one face and two arms,both holding a vajra. When one looks at Buddha Shakyamuni and Sambhogakaya-Vajradhara, they seem to be different, but their nature is the same - both have the

same wisdom-mind.


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Tilopa received the Mahamudra instructions from the Sambhogakaya-Vajradhara.He encountered this emanation and received the teachings, and receiving theinstructions from the Sambhogakaya-Vajradhara is not different than receivingthem from Buddha Shakyamuni. Therefore, in the description of the Lineage,Vajradhara is mentioned first. The prayer continues: Tilo, Naro, Marpa, Mila.The life-stories of these great masters have been translated into English, so those ofyou who are familiar with the teachings will have read them. Therefore, there is noneed for me to describe their lives to you here.

Milarepa had two disciples, one like the sun and the other like the moon. The onewho was like the sun was Dhagpo Dashn, Gampopa, and the one who was like themoon was Rechung Dorje, Rechungpa. As Mr. Roberts, who is the translator here,is translating the life of Rechungpa from Tibetan into English, you will be able toread it when it is published, so I am not going to describe his life here. You willhave to buy the book.

Gampopa, the pupil like the sun, received all teachings from Jetsn Milarepa, whotold him, You should go to the south of Tibet, to a mountain called Gampodar, amajestic mountain that looks like a king sitting on a throne and is surrounded byhills that look like ministers. Go and meditate there and teach pupils in that place.Gampopa then had a dream that a bird flew to a mountain peak and many otherbirds assembled around it. He told Milarepa his dream, who responded that he

would benefit many beings by going to that place and that there would be a greatpropagation of the teachings as a result of his practice there.


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Gampopa went to Gampodar Mountain, as his teacher had instructed him to do, butit was a completely isolated place and nobody was around. He asked himself, Thisis where Milarepa said I should be and that I should meditate in retreat for thirteenyears here? This was his advice? Then Gampopa had a dream that the thirteen-year retreat he was advised to do would benefit many beings. When he woke up, hethought, What does this dream mean? How can I benefit anyone here? There isnobody in sight. He had a few more dreams, built a monastery, and had 800 pupilsin all.

In The Samadhirajsutra, The King of Samadhi Sutra, it is stated that BuddhaShakyamuni asked the assembly of disciples who were receiving teachings fromhim, In the future, who will spread the teachings when they diminish? InGampopas former incarnation as Bodhisattva Chandraprabakumara, he stood upand replied, I will do this. I will propagate the teachings in the future. Eighthundred disciples of Lord Buddha were present on that occasion and all promised,We will help Chandraprabakumara spread the teachings then.Chandraprabakumara was reborn as Gampopa and all 800 disciples were reborn as

his pupils. The teachings he professed were the Mahamudra teachings.

There were three men from Kham in East Tibet among the 800 great meditatorswho were pupils of Gampopa. One was to become the First Gyalwa Karmapa,Dsum Khyenpa as he later came to be known. Before then, his name was Khampaser, the White-haired Khampa, because he was already old and had white hair.Gampopa passed on the transmission of Mahamudra to him, the reason he receivedthe name Dsum Khyenpa, which means Knower of the Three Times. The

Mahamudra teachings were transmitted onwards from the First Gyalwa Karmapa.The transmission was passed on through the four primary and eight secondarybranches, known as the Four Great and Eight Lesser Lineages. Bengar JamplSangpo described this in the prayer and wrote the aspiration that disciplesaccomplish the instructions that are transmitted through these Lineages.


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The Mahamudra teachings are easy to practice they are special and superior. Ifpupils wish to practice Vajrayana, they certainly have the aspiration to follow theseteachings. During the times of Buddha Shakyamuni, devotees would spend theirentire life practicing the teachings and would beg for their food instead of workingfor their living. During those times, one wealthy family would feed 1000, 2000, oreven 3000 monks and supply them with their daily needs, so wealthy householders

would accumulate merit by enabling monks to practice. This is not the customanymore and begging is considered a bad way of earning ones living nowadays.So people have to have a job and work for their living, which is good. Workingdoes not stand in opposition to the Dharma, because it is possible to have a goodjob. Some people do experience a contradiction and think, I am working andcannot practice the Dharma and when I practice meditation it is bad for my work.What puts an end to this feeling? Mahamudra meditation. By practicingMahamudra meditation and integrating ones experiences in ones life, working forones living does not stop one from practicing Dharma and practicing Dharma does

not interfere with ones job. So, Mahamudra is especially beneficial during thesetimes. When I travel to America and Europe, I always give the Mahamudrateachings, because I feel that they are very beneficial for people living in thesetimes.

There were 84 Mahasiddhas in India, who each lived a different kind of life. Theygained accomplishments by practicing Mahamudra. King Indrabhuti, for example,was very wealthy; he ruled over an extensive kingdom and was involved withmany activities that were necessary in order meet all his obligations. But his manyduties did not stop him from practicing the Dharma, because he was practicingMahamudra. He ruled while practicing Mahamudra and became a greatMahasiddha, an accomplished being. Nagarjuna was a great scholar who composedmany texts; he used sharp logic and clear reasoning to refute erroneous ways.


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He wrote treatises that people could accept. Even if they didnt totally agree, manypeople were different after they read his treatises, because they felt, This is right.This is correct. This is how one should think. Nagarjuna had many pupils andwrote many books, but teaching and writing were not obstacles to his practice,because he was practising Mahamudra. Tilopa made his living by grinding andpounding sesame seeds. He became a Mahasiddha by practising Mahamudrameditation while pounding the sesame seeds to win oil to pay for his living.

It doesnt matter what kind of job one has whether one works as a scholar or as aservant one can practice Mahamudra. Whether one is a man or a woman, one cangain the result of Mahamudra meditation. I think it is a very beneficial practice andI want to give these teachings to you with this good intention. Sometimes I teachThe Concise Words of Mahamudra by Naropa, or The Mahamudra TeachingsGiven along the Ganges River by Tilopa, or Moonbeams of Mahamudra byDhagpo Tashi Namgyal. This time I will present the Mahamudra teachings

according to The Short Dorje Chang Lineage Prayer. It is a very fortunateoccasion to be able to teach this and it will be very beneficial to receive it, topractice it, and to gain benefits from it. I am very happy to give Mahamudrateachings at this time.


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Two: The Instructions

We are looking at The Short Dorje Chang Lineage Prayer that was written byBengar Jampl Sangpo, a teaching that deals with the power of supplicating theLineage Gurus and how one relies upon the Lineage that comes from Vajradhara

down to ones own Root Lama. The prayer presents the entire path of practice,although it doesnt speak about progression along the paths and bhumis. Instead, itshows how someone at the beginning should practice, how they practice next, andwhat benefit will be achieved. In this way, the entire path of

Mahamudra and its practices are explained in this short text.

When Naropa was teaching Mahamudra to Marpa, he said that the Lineage wouldbe like a lions cub in it relation to its mother, because the cub would grow up to be

stronger than its mother. In the same way, through the transmission of Mahamudraeach pupil will be greater than his or her teacher.

There are Mahamudra instructions and the different ways in which they arepracticed. In particular, there are the teachings of Gampopa, called the union ofthe two rivers, because Gampopa united the Mahamudra instructions he hadreceived from Milarepa with those he had received from the Kadampa Tradition of

Lord Atisha. A beginner needs to practice the preliminary teachings of Atisha inorder to stabilize their mind. Having completed the preliminary practices, a pupilgoes on to receive Mahamudra instructions. In this way, there is this method ofpractice transmitted by Gampopa - the union of the Kadampa and MahamudraTraditions.


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1. The Feet of Meditation

Revulsion is the foot of meditation, as is taught.

To this meditator who is not attached to food and wealth,

Who cuts the ties to this life,

Grant your blessings so that I have no desire for honour and gain.

In this verse, Bengar Jampl Sangpo addressed the preliminary practices. Whilereciting and contemplating the short prayer, one meditates on the precious humanexistence, impermanence, karma, and suffering. Lord Buddha taught thatmeditating on impermanence is very important, because in the beginning itencourages one to enter the way of the Dharma. It is not pleasant for a beginner tocontemplate impermanence; it doesnt make anybody happy, rather sad. Oneactually wants to be happy and content instead of sad, however by contemplatingimpermanence one will wish to enter into the practice of Dharma. Sadness will

have that effect; it works like this in the beginning. Contemplating impermanencein the middle enhances one to be diligent. One might think, Having contemplatedimpermanence and having entered the Dharma, why bother thinking about itanymore? That is a wrong way of thinking, because seeing there is the danger ofbecoming lazy - recalling impermanence again and again will encourage one tocontinue practicing the Dharma. Contemplating impermanence helps one overcome


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ones laziness, therefore in the middle it enhances ones diligence. So,contemplating impermanence in the beginning causes one to enter into the Dharma,and in the middle it inspires one to be diligent. What happens in the end?

Diligence helps one achieve the result, and one will attain the result in the end. Onewill experience and conclude, Now I have gained the benefit of practice, afeeling that resembles holding it in ones hands. The first two, entering the Dharmaand persevering in practice, are temporary effects that one has from contemplatingimpermanence. The ultimate benefit of contemplating impermanence is gaining theresult. This is why one engages in the practices of contemplating the four ways ofturning ones mind away from samsara.

Contemplating impermanence is also beneficial when one has doubts about the

Dharma or when ones interest in practicing diminishes or ceases. Contemplatingimpermanence will enhance ones practice when situations like that arise.Sometimes one might have two states of mind: the aspiration to practice theDharma on the one hand and laziness or lack of enthusiasm on the other. These twostates of mind can cause one to waver and wane. What does one do when thishappens? In accordance with the teachings of the Buddha, one contemplatesimpermanence, which will create within oneself the taste, enthusiasm, anddiligence to practice the Dharma.

There are texts one can read on turning ones mind towards the Dharma, such asThe Jewel Ornament of Liberationby Gampopa, The Words of My Perfect Teacherby Patrul Rinpoche, and The Torch of Certaintyby Jamgon Kongtrul Lodr Thaye.Even if one doesnt read these books, one can understand what Jetsn Milarepameant when he sang: I read the texts of apparent phenomena. I havent read textswritten with black ink. In the same way, one doesnt really have to listen to a


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teacher explain impermanence or to read about it in books. One can just look atphenomena, at beings who live in the world, at ones family or friends, or at onespossessions to see that everything is impermanent and nothing lasts.

There are many machines that one can buy these days. They are new, wonderful,and shiny when one buys them. Maybe after a month something goes wrong, afteranother month something else goes wrong with it. Whether it is a car or acomputer, when one bought it, one thought, Oh, this is perfect, but after a whileit is second-hand and one doesnt like it anymore. If one buys a car, one can drivearound in it or just park it in the garage no matter, something will go wrong.When one sees that something went wrong, one thinks, Oh, this is the nature ofthings. Everything is impermanent. In this way, reflecting and rememberingimpermanence encourages one to turn ones attention towards practicing theDharma.


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2. The Body of Meditation

Awareness is the body of meditation, as is taught.

Whatever arises is fresh the essence of realization.

To this meditator who rests simply without altering it

Grant your blessings so that my meditation is free from conception.

Following the explanation of the general preliminaries, Bengar Jampl Sangpooffered an explanation of the special preliminaries. After having practiced both,then one goes on to practice shamata meditation. Chgyam Trungpa Rinpoche was

aware that this was another time and place, so he taught shamata before he taughtthe special preliminaries, the reason I will teach in that order now.


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Shamata

The verse on shamata meditation teaches that shamata means being undistracted. Inthe beginning, one cannot be undistracted, because ones mind is so habituated tobeing involved with thoughts. Therefore, in order to stabilize ones mind, in thebeginning one practices shamata meditation.

What difference does it make if ones mind is distracted? When distracted, onebecomes involved with a lot of thoughts. If one examines what is happening whilethe mind is thinking, one can see that good and bad thoughts arise. One mightthink, Its fine to have good thoughts as long as there are no bad thoughts.However, if one examines ones mind to see what kind of thoughts one has beenhaving, one will find that most of them are bad and only a few are good. One can

be happy and have happy thoughts or one can be sad and have sad thoughts. If oneis truthful, one will see that the number of happy thoughts are few in comparison tothe number of sad thoughts that one has. This being the case, it is good to reducethe number of thoughts one has. It is like that on the relative level, but one alsowants to develop wisdom and awareness. One might think, A lot of thinking isneeded in order to develop wisdom. But if one thinks a lot, many of thosethoughts will be obstacles to the development of wisdom. In order to develop goodqualities in ones mind as well as wisdom, it is good to make ones mind stable.For that reason, it is important to practice shamata meditation.

A beginner in meditation has to do shamata. Someone who has been able todevelop meditation also needs to increase minds stability as much as possible.Therefore, the practice of shamata meditation is very important for meditation ingeneral. Then there is Mahamudra practice. There are three aspects of Mahamudra:the view, the meditation, and conduct.


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Mahamudra

Looking at view in general, there are two kinds. One usually develops and gains aview through reasoning and logical analysis. The Mahamudra view, in contrast, isnot won through thoughts, but is a direct experience one wins though meditationpractice. Shantideva wrote that what is fabricated by the mind is relative and theultimate is not fabricated by the mind. In order to realize the ultimate truth, onedoes not create a view by means of conceptuality. The ultimate truth is directlyexperienced through meditation.

In seminars, Chgyam Trungpa Rinpoche taught about the ordinary mind, ta-mal-gi-shes-pa, and gave students direct pointing-out instructions; they were then ableto gain for themselves the direct experience of t-g-s. Having been given the

pointing-out instructions and having directly recognized Mahamudra, one doesmeditation based on that. One continues with that meditation and cultivates theexperience through further practice. One can do a short period of meditation basedon that each day. Whether one is doing ones work, talking, writing, or drivingones car, one maintains that experience through mindfulness and awareness. If onesucceeds, it will affect any work or activities one does; it will also continuallyincrease ones experience.

In the text Creation and Completion, Jamgon Kongtrul Lodr Thaye taught thatone has to apply effort in meditation and increase ones experience of meditation.If one is practicing only within the frame of formal sessions and forgets about itafterwards, then one will not develop ones experience. One needs to maintainmindfulness and awareness after formal meditation sessions. Maintainingmindfulness and awareness does not mean one sits in meditation all day, rather one


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holds the experience of meditation with mindfulness and awareness while workingand living up to ones commitments and responsibilities. Therefore, ones practicewill not be detrimental to ones work and daily activities or vice versa.

The main teaching that Marpa Lotsawa presented was blending meditation withdaily events. There is the meditation phase and what is called the post-accomplishment phase. Whatever activity one is doing, one blends onesmeditation experience with every activity. One also blends ones meditationexperience with the emotions that arise, and this is how one attains the result.

Chgyam Trungpa Rinpoche is a great Siddha, so he gave his pupils the pointing-out instructions, which is very exceptional. Earlier Kagy Masters did not give thedirect introduction to the nature of the mind that freely, but expected their pupils to

progress through stages before presenting pointing-out the dharmakaya to them.So, first there would be gaining the view or recognition of the mind in a state ofstillness, then in a state of movement and so on. Stage-by-stage there would bepointing-out instructions of the nature of ones mind. I want to thank you forstudying the teaching on Pointing-Out the Dharmakaya and for practicing it. Inthat way, you can gain direct recognition of your own mind and cultivate yourexperience through practice.

The Mahamudra teachings are very important. When the Sixteenth GyalwaKarmapa came to the West, he was asked, What would be the most beneficial textto translate into English for Westerners? He replied that The Moonbeams of

Mahamudraby Dhagpo Tashi Namgyal would be most beneficial to translate intoEnglish, because practicing it would not stand in opposition to the Western culture.


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Continuing with the prayer, Bengar Jampl Sangpo tells us that the purpose ofmeditation is to be undistracted, which is achieved through shamata meditation.Having accomplished an undistracted state, one also needs to gain the view.Having gained the view, one needs to cultivate and remember it. One needs toblend it with ones daily activities i.e., with ones conduct. As said, it is importantto blend mindfulness and awareness with all activities in ones life.


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3. The Head of Meditation

Devotion is the head of meditation, as is taught.

The Guru opens the gate to the treasury of oral instructions.

To this meditator who continually supplicates him

Grant your blessings so that genuine devotion is born in me.

Bengar Jampl Sangpo taught shamata in this prayer. He also taught thepreliminaries and wrote that devotion is the head of meditation. When one hasstable shamata meditation and is not distracted, then one can engage in the special

preliminary practices, which are making prostrations, practicing Vajrasattva, andoffering the mandala. These practices are primarily for the purification of onesobscurations and for the gathering of accumulations - they are done for thatpurpose.


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Ngndro

Making prostrations is a special means to accumulate merit, but that is not all.While one is doing prostrations, one can practice shamata, or rest in the true natureof ones mind, or engage in the generation stage of practices, in which onevisualizes the refuge deities before one. If one is distracted, there will not be thatmuch benefit. One should practice resting in the nature of ones mind or visualizethe Gurus and yidam deities before one without being distracted by thoughts.

Vajrasattva meditation is practiced in order to purify ones obscurations. At timesone can have many disturbing emotions, or ones interest in the Dharmadiminishes, or one has doubts, or one is unhappy. One can practice Vajrasattvawhen such situations occur. One imagines that amrita flows from Vajrasattva and

from the syllables of the mantra into oneself and one experiences that this dispelsall harmful emotions, thoughts, mental unhappiness, etc. One practices Vajrasattvawithin the context of the preliminaries, but one can also practice it any time whenone is feeling depressed, when one has lots of thoughts, when one is lazy and onesdiligence in practicing the Dharma diminishes, or when one is sick. In all suchsituations, practicing and visualizing Vajrasattva will be very good, because oneexperiences that one is free of all obstacles.

In order to accumulate merit and develop wisdom, a disciple offers the mandala. Ifone has accumulated much merit, then meditation and wisdom will arisespontaneously. There are two kinds of meditation practices. One is by usingreasoning. Through deductive reasoning, one eventually understands emptiness,which is the nature of all phenomena. In order to have wisdom that realizes thenature of all things, though, one needs to have accumulated merit. For instance, in


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the description of the previous lives of the Buddha, we learn that he even gave hisbody in order to feed the hungry. However, in the practice of Vajrayana, onedoesnt need to and one doesnt spend a long time accumulating merit. Instead, onecan accumulate merit as an aid to developing ones wisdom by offering themandala, i.e., by making an offering of the entire universe in ones mind.

Whether one is able to follow the path of Dharma or not, whether one is able todevelop meditation or not, whether one attains the goal or not, everything dependsupon ones devotion. Therefore Bengar Jampl Sangpo offered an example whenhe wrote: Devotion is the head of meditation. Looking at our body, it is quite bigin comparison to our head. The body does all the work and the head doesnt seemto do much. One may think, Well, the head isnt that important, because it is sotiny and doesnt do anything. Actually, if the head were missing, we wouldnt beable to see, to talk, to eat, or to listen to anybody. But one can do many things eventhough ones head is small and seems to be insignificant. In the same way, one

might think, Well, devotion is small and not important. In fact, it is veryimportant - without it, one wont be able to accomplish anything; whereas withdevotion, one will be able to accomplish many things. Therefore it is important tohave devotion.

The way to develop devotion while doing the preliminary practices is to supplicateones Root Guru and the Gurus of the Lineage; thereby one receives the blessings.

Receiving the blessings increases ones experiences and realizations. One does thiswithin the context of the preliminary practices. Generally, through supplication tothe Guru, through the development of devotion, then all qualities within theDharma one wishes to attain will arise as a result of having devotion to onesteacher. Chgyam Trungpa Rinpoche composed The Sadhana of Mahamudrawhile meditating at Tagtsang, the Tigers Nest in Bhutan. When he accomplished


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his practice, a vision, i.e., a mind-terma, arose to him. When the time was right, hewas able to write down the Sadhana and present it to his pupils. I think it is a veryspecial practice to develop devotion and to receive the blessing. Trungpa Rinpochetaught this mind-terma to his disciples, because he saw that it would be verybeneficial for them, that it would clear away their obstacles and enable them toreceive the blessing and achieve realization.

In the practice of Guru Yoga, one does the generation phase of practice, which hasthree qualities. First there is the clarity of appearance of the visualisation.Secondly, there is stable pride, the confidence that one is the deity that one ismeditating. Thirdly, there is the mindfulness of purity, which means that one isaware that one is not an ordinary being and one knows why. One can say that thisis the completion phase or perfection stage. For example, when one visualizesDorje Drolo, one knows the meaning of all features, signs, and symbols in thevisualization. One will have studied and will know this, therefore, one is mindful

of that during meditation. One can say that it is a Guru Yoga practice.

Deities like Chenrezig reside in other realms. Connecting with Chenrezig involvesa relationship with someone living in this world, in a human form on this earth.Guru Rinpoche went to Tagtsang in Bhutan and manifested the form of DorjeDrolo. Manifesting that way, Guru Rinpoche was able to subjugate all negativeforces in Tibet and establish the Dharma there. Later there was the manifestation ofthe Second Gyalwa Karmapa, Karma Pakshi. He had great clairvoyance, power,and miraculous abilities. He was able to manifest all these powers, too. So, DorjeDrolo and Karma Pakshi had slightly different physical forms, but in essence theyare the same in essence they are one. Through the practice of Guru Yoga one canreceive their blessings, and by receiving the blessings one will develop experiencesand realizations. Guru Yoga is an important practice to do.


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That was the explanation of the verse stating that Devotion is the head ofmeditation. Next is the verse on the blessing to realize the inseparability ofsamsara and nirvana.


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4. The Nature of Thoughts

The essence of thoughts is dharmakaya, as is taught.

Nothing whatever but everything arises from it.

To this meditator who arises in unceasing play

Grant your blessings so that I realize the inseparability of samsara and nirvana.

There are the pointing-out instructions that are given by the teacher so that astudent recognizes the nature of his or her own mind and practices that. This issomething you all know and have experience of. Therefore there isnt much that I

can add to what you know already, but I do want to say that one needs to cultivateand hold that experience.


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Vipassana

In the general presentation of the paths, there are five the path of accumulation,the path of application or juncture, the path of vision, the path of meditation, andthe path of no-more-training. A practitioner on the first path

accumulates merit. On the second path, one is applying oneself to the practice, so it

is created in ones mind and is therefore a mental construct. On the third path, onehas the direct experience and insight of the true nature of all things. In the Sutras itis said that it takes incalculable aeons to reach the path of vision, but through thepractice of Vajrayana (if there are right pupils, the right teacher, as well as thepointing-out instructions and a disciple practices them correctly) it is possible tohave direct insight into the nature of ones mind and it doesnt take incalculableaeons. Is that enough? One might think, Its enough. I have received theinstructions, practiced them a month or two, and have seen the nature of my mind.

Is that it? No, one has to continue; one has to cultivate that experience. Havingreached the path of vision, one may think, I have arrived at the path of vision, sonow everything is just fine. I neednt do more. But, one has to carry on. One hasto go through the path of meditation. Achieving the path of vision is attaining thefirst Bodhisattva level of accomplishment, which is called great joy. There areten levels of accomplishment, though, so one has to keep on.

You have the very special teacher who has given you the pointing-out instructions;you have been able to see the true nature of your mind, but that doesnt mean onestops there. One has to continue cultivating that experience. One has to carry onuntil one reaches the ultimate goal. There is a saying in Tibetan: If beginningpractitioners have good food, a filled stomach, and sit in the sun that shineswarmly, then they feel content. One can say that they are good practitioners, but


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when difficulties arise, they experience suffering, fear, regret, and so on; theybecome ordinary people again and the instructions are of no benefit to them. It isnecessary to develop further by cultivating ones meditation practice and by notallowing oneself to become overpowered by disturbing emotions, by happiness, orby suffering either. One continues becoming habituated to the insight one has wonon the third path of vision and then becomes skilled in practice, which meansconditions do not disturb or distract. If one can do that, then ones experience andrealisation will increase and develop. So, that is the practice of vipassana. Through

vipassana, one gains realisation, and that is what we practice.


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Three: The Conduct of

Progressing along the Paths

In The Short Dorje Chang Prayer, Bengar Jampl Sangpo addressed four points:

revulsion or non-attachment is the feet of meditation, non-distraction is the actualbody of meditation, devotion is the head of meditation, and the nature of thoughtsis the dharmakaya. Following is the statement of conduct. He wrote:

Through all my births may I not be separated from the perfect Guru

And so enjoy the splendour of Dharma.

Perfecting the virtues of the paths and bhumis,

My I speedily attain the state of Vajradhara.

Not being separated from the perfect Guru points to the fact that through practiceone can be inseparable from ones very special teacher. It doesnt mean that one

always needs to be with him or her in the ordinary sense, but that one is able toenjoy the good fortune or splendour of the Dharma because of having received theteachings. Having heard them, one contemplates them; having contemplated them,one meditates them, and through meditation one is able to enjoy all the splendourand fortune of the Dharma. In that way, one meditates the instructions and holdsthem during all walks of life.


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There were many Siddhas who were great scholars in India in the past Nagarjuna,Asanga, and those who are called the Six Ornaments of the World. They becameSiddhas by being scholars and they became scholars by being Siddhas they wereboth. When the teachings were spread throughout the world, they were spread inthat way. The teachings were brought to China and Japan through scholars whopracticed. Of course, there are different ways in which the Dharma can be

approached. In Tibet, there is the practice of Vajrayana, the swift path, which doesnot mean it is not necessary to hear and contemplate the teachings. While thepractice of Vajrayana is Vajrayana, hearing and contemplating is Sutrayana, soHinayana and Mahayana are the bases of Vajrayana. One might think, Well, ifone is practicing Sutrayana, then one should study and contemplate the Sutras, andif one is practicing Vajrayana, then one should study and contemplate the Tantras.One also wonders, Why study the Sutras and practice Vajrayana? That seems astrange way of doing it. But there is in fact a very good reason for this approach.

If one were to practice Sutrayana only, it would take many, many lifetimes to attainthe state of Vajradhara. But Vajrayana does not have the immense body ofteachings that Sutrayana has, rather presents the essence of the teachings. So, tostudy the Sutras and practice Vajrayana is an exceptional approach. If one canpractice in that way, then it is very beneficial and one can realize the true nature ofeverything. If one can study texts such as The Jewel Ornament of Liberation byGampopa, the Uttaratantrashastra by Maitreyanatha, The Bodhicharyavatara byShantideva, then one can gain certainty of the meaning. Doing that will be verybeneficial for ones realization.


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There are two ways of studying and meditating, either first studying and thenmeditating or first meditating and then studying. If one meditates first and thenstudies the texts, then one sees, Oh, this is exactly what I experienced in mymeditation. It is so clear. It is definitely it. If one studies first and afterwardsmeditates, one then sees, Oh, the experience I have is what is explained in thetexts. I have gained definite recognition. So, there are two ways to practice, one in

which study and contemplation are the companion or helper of meditation, theother in which meditation is the friend or helper of study. If we do that, we willprogress through the paths and bhumis and attain the state of Vajradhara. It is notreally that difficult and can be accomplished in one lifetime. This is what BengarJampl Sangpo taught in the prayer.


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Conclusion

I see you all as my Dharma brothers and sisters, so teaching The Short DorjeChang Lineage Prayer was done with my best motivation. I thought, If I say this,it might help a little bit. If I say that, it might help a little bit. That has been my

motivation while teaching. So please, do practice well.


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Questions & Answers

Question:Thank you very much Rinpoche for your instruction on how to practicein daily life. I had hoped that this was what you were going to say, of course,because I constantly tell myself that I dont have time to meditate, so I try to beaware. Sometimes I wonder if I am not being too proud. What are the obstacles thatcan arise to this kind of practice in terms of going on and thinking, Okay, Impracticing. Then when I sit its fine. Do you understand what Im saying?

Rinpoche: I dont think that pride is an obstacle in this practice, because it isnatural to think, I am practicing during my daily activities. This is what one isdoing, so it is not really a question of pride. Even if there is a tiny bit of pride, it

can be like confidence, thinking, I am able to meditate during my daily life. So, itis more a question of confidence. Confidence is not an obstacle. What is anobstacle is forgetting to do it. Thats the biggest obstacle, so one needs toremember to actually do it - in the morning, afternoon, and evening, whether one ishappy or sad. It is important to always have mindfulness and awareness that one isdoing this practice.

If one is happy, then happiness often overpowers ones meditation and one losesit. In that case, happiness becomes an obstacle to practice. Even when one is very

happy, one needs to be able to maintain mindfulness and awareness. Sometimesone can be very unhappy and then unhappiness overpowers ones practice. Onethen forgets to practice. Even when one is unhappy, one should be able toremember and maintain the practice at all times, whether one is happy or sad,whatever one is doing.


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Next question:I have a question concerning education. I am just wondering whatyour idea is of the best type of education for western society in order to achieveenlightened society? How would you train people?

Rinpoche:Are you speaking about general education?

Same student:I mean generally. I dont mean for instance training in the Buddhist

meditation and teachings, but also just how to train the human being generally?

Rinpoche: Education is very important. It is important to be able to study andlearn. Gampopa said that one would not be in error if one practices learning,contemplating, and meditating together. If one just does meditation by itself, onewill not be able to develop. To hear, i.e., to learn, and to contemplate are important.It is said in the three yanas that you have to learn and contemplate.

Same student:Can I follow up on the question? I was referring more to training

the human heart and emotions and just how to be in society.

Rinpoche:For example, if you look at the monasteries and colleges, there are twotraditions. For instance, in the Gelug Tradition, there is often the study of logic andepistemology to develop a clear understanding. In other monasteries, there isemphasis on conduct and so one studies the Bodhicharyavatara. Even if one isntincreasing ones knowledge or wisdom, whether one is or isnt, through studyingconduct one will have this conduct and will be in harmony with others one will

have the good motivation towards others. For that reason, it is consideredimportant to study Shantidevas text,Bodhicharyavatara.

Student:Thank you very much.


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Next question:Rinpoche, you were talking about the four reminders, in particularthe importance of contemplating impermanence. You said that during thebeginning and middle of the path, impermanence was motivating, causing one toenter and persevere, but in the third state that is brought to result. My question is:What is it that changes in ones understanding of impermanence that goes from justpersevering to bringing to the result?

Rinpoche:This is talking about the ultimate result that comes from contemplating

impermanence. In order to gain the final result, one needs diligence. Bycontemplating impermanence, diligence will naturally arise and one will reach thefinal goal. Whatever goal one has, one needs to be diligent in order to reach it. Forexample, there is the Tibetan story about Norbu Sangpo. He entered into a businessadventure and failed. Then he tried a second time and failed. He tried a third timeand flunked again. He tried nine times in all and was unsuccessful. At that point hegot really depressed and thought, I am not going to make it. He just sat aroundon a meadow and one day saw a little insect crawl up a twig. It was trying to reachthe top of a little flower and fell down. Norbu Sangpo watched the little insect

trying to crawl up to the flower nine times in all. It finally managed to reach theflower and then could eat it. Norbu Sangpo thought, Thats how to do it. Its justan insect but it carries on, even though it failed nine times. I should carry on too.He gave his aspiration another try, started another business, was successful, andbecame famous. Now he is known as the famous Norbu Sangpo. In that way,anyone who has a goal and is diligent in just carrying on will reach the goal in theend.


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Next question:Rinpoche, could you say more about what you mean by the termthat was translated as meditation increases? Certainly, a large part of TrungpaRinpoches teaching was the teaching on cutting through spiritual materialism.Often the teaching is that nothing happens and that one should not look foranything to happen. One should not grasp any experience that one might have.When you use the expression that the meditation increases, what is it thatincreases?

Rinpoche: There are two ways of explaining this, from an ultimate or relativeview. From the ultimate view, as you just said, there is no increase or progress inmeditation, because the natural state of the mind stays the same all the time, i.e., ischangeless. From the relative point of view, we are in the state of delusion, so thereis a gradual progress in ones meditation as one is eliminating this delusion. So, itis a question of whether this is explained from an ultimate or relative view. Forexample, one might be dreaming that one is driving along in ones car, has a flattire, and must repair it. You have to do that, otherwise you cant continue driving.When you wake up, you know that there was no flat tire, but that in the context of

the dream you had no choice but to blow up the tire. In the same way, ultimatelythe natural state of the mind is always the same; it doesnt change, but on therelative level, one has to progress and develop ones meditation.

Same student:Could you say from the relative experience of the practitioner whatthe experience of the increase of meditation would be?

Rinpoche:First one has realization or the view of dharmata, the true nature ofphenomena. One has this view or recognition and has to continue with it until onehas that view or experience at all times - whether one is meditating or not, it isalways present. Having first gained that recognition, then in the beginning one hasthat experience for a very short time and then forgets it; one has it again andforgets it again. By cultivating what one had at the time of having it, it startsgrowing and becomes bigger and bigger; one has it for longer periods of time andthen has to make it even bigger and bigger until it is continuous. In that way it is


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increasing.

Next question:Its about compassion. Im having trouble, because it seemed I hadmore of it when I was an atheist and I dont understand that. Perhaps you canexplain the difference between sympathy, empathy, and compassion? I am gettinga little mixed up about karmic debt, rebirth, and people are suffering. Could youexplain the differences between pity, sympathy, compassion, and empathy?

Rinpoche:What is the actual question?

Student: The difference between compassion and sympathy, pity or empathy.They all seem to go hand-in-hand. Is there a difference?

Rinpoche:Well, Im not really sure what these words mean, because I think thereis only one word in Tibetan, which is ning-je. Its an interesting point.

Student:Okay, just explain pity and good compassion. Pity, which isnt really thatgood but can motivate someone to help someone who suffers, or should it be

genuine compassion? I dont know.

Rinpoche:When you have pity, do you feel upset?

Student:Yes, but I had more of it before I became a Buddhist.

Rinpoche: U-uh! It is said that when one practices the Dharma and hasrealizations, people think that they have more thoughts than before, like moreanger, less compassion, and so on. They will think like this, because formerly they

werent really aware of their faults and qualities. It seems as though emotions growand qualities diminish when one practices, but actually that is not what ishappening. The fact that you see this is a very good sign of progress.

Student:Thank you.


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Next question:I want to ask a question about revulsion and how that translates fora western practitioner to cut the ties to this life?

Rinpoche:Attachment means concentrating ones entire attention entirely on onesown life. If one becomes free of attachment, then one still has to eat, dress, and livein a house. So, whether you have attachment or not, you still have to live.

Student: So, in a sense, one doesnt just walk away from everything that isfamiliar and a part of ones life before one takes up the Dharma?

Rinpoche: One doesnt have to give up anything one had before practicing theDharma, and one doesnt have to give up anything while practicing the Dharma.Living a normal life is not in opposition to practicing the Dharma. However, if onegives up Dharma for the sake of food, clothes, and things like that, then that isattachment.

Student:So, its like attachment in reverse?

Rinpoche:Attachment in reverse hm. Actually, the words in the prayer areshen-log, and logmeans reverse. If one is attached to ones house, food, and variousthings, then one is abandoning the Dharma. If one is practicing the Dharma, thenone doesnt have attachment.

Speaker:Rinpoche, may I offer a poem?

Rinpoche:Yes, fine.

Speaker:Your mind is unchanging enlightenment, which is never non-confusing -the dharmakaya.


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Your speech is compassion, a ceaseless flow of blessings to liberate beings - thesambhogakaya.

Your body is that of a Bodhisattva, manifesting for the benefit of others - thenirmanakaya.

You are Vajradhara in person, and the Lineage of Mahamudra flows through youto worthy students of the Dharma. May we all be worthy students.

May our revulsion, devotion, and awareness increase and may we realize ourminds as dharmakaya.

May we each play a part, each in our own way, in expanding your good activityand that of the Vidyadhara Chgyam Trungpa and that of Sakyong MiphamRinpoche so that in fact enlightened society manifests on this very earth.

You are our very good Dharma friend.

Please live for a long time and please come back to Halifax very soon to teach usmore.

Please accept this small gift as a token of our appreciation.

Rinpoche:Thank you very much.


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May the life of the Glorious Lama remain steadfast and firm.

May peace and happiness fully arise for beings as limitless (in number) as space (isvast in its extent).

Having accumulated merit and purified negativities, may I and all living beingswithout exception

swiftly establish the levels and grounds of Buddhahood.

The Nalanda Translation Committee translated the supplication that was written by

Bengar Jampl Sangpo. Thrangu Rinpoches instructions were presented at theShambhala Center in Halifax, Novia Scotia, and were transcribed and editedslightly by Gaby Hollmann in June 2000, responsible and apologizing for allerrors, and rewritten for the website of Karma Lekshey Ling Institute in Nepal in2008. Photo of Rinpoche courtesy of Katrin Weller from Stuttgart.


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thrangu rinpoche -the short dorje chang lineage prayer

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