The Dzogchen Primer

by Marcia Schmidt

  Why is a mother so special? When we are born, we are totally helpless and incapable of caring for ourselves. We are absolutely dependent upon our mother. She is the one who looks after us much more in the beginning than our father does. A father may of course be kind, but not in the same way as a mother. A mother gives constant, unconditional love and care to a baby—she pays more attention to it than to herself. In fact, a mother is continually saving her baby’s life: if she just abandoned it, it would not remain alive. An infant is that helpless.

  Some people are puzzled by the nature of compassion and want to know what is meant by the term. Here’s an example: imagine that your mother is in front of you, surrounded by slaughterers who chop off her hands, legs, and arms. They pull out her eyes, cut off her ears and nose, and finally chop off her head. How would you feel seeing your mother chopped up into pieces? Wouldn’t you feel desperately sad and griefstricken? That emotion is compassion. Right now we may merely think of our present mother, but, in fact, all other sentient beings—no matter who they are, even animals—have been our mothers. Our present separation from them is only a matter of time and space. If we really take this to heart, how can we help feeling compassion for all sentient beings?

  All sentient beings want only happiness. No one wants to suffer. But through attachment, anger, and delusion, beings only create negative karma for themselves, forging a path straight into the three lower realms. In the past, our mother sentient beings headed to these three unfortunate states; in the present moment, they are heading there again, and in the future they will continue on that same painful route. Contemplating this, how can we help but feel compassion? The emotion this evokes is what is meant by compassion. If we keep turning our backs and abandoning all our mothers for the sake of our own pleasure and benefit, thinking, “I will do a little meditation, attain enlightenment, and be happy,” then what kind of people are we? Isn’t that a totally heartless way to behave?

  Without fertile soil a seed cannot grow into a flower. Compassion is like that fertile soil. The blessing of faith is like the rain that falls from above. When the seed of training in mind essence is planted in the fertile soil of compassion and is watered by the rain of blessings through our devotion, it will automatically grow.

  A genuinely compassionate person is naturally honest and decent and will shy away from hurting others through evil deeds. Therefore, he or she will automatically progress and will engender many qualities. If we have compassion, we will naturally heed the cause and effect of our actions. We will be careful. Someone who lacks compassion can easily become a complete charlatan who does not care about anyone else. Such an impostor only takes advantage of others. He or she will definitely not progress.

  To lack trust in enlightened beings is like planting a seed in dry soil. How will the seed grow? However, if the seed meets with fertile soil and rainwater, nothing can prevent it from sprouting and growing. Conversely, the seed lying on bare rock without fertile soil and moisture will remain the same from year to year, with no difference, no progress.

  It is not enough to practice by merely sitting and saying, “Empty, empty. This mind is empty!” We want to genuinely progress: in order to do this, faith and devotion are essential, and compassion is indispensable. Without devotion and compassion, we are as hardened as someone who sees a buddha fly past in the sky and says, “So what!” Or we are like someone who watches another living creature being chopped up with their entrails hanging out who says, “I don’t care!” Then our practice is no different from the seed lying on bare stone. It will never grow. When such a jaded and faithless person sees the buddhas fly by in the sky, he thinks, “They are probably just holding their breath or pulling some trick.” Likewise, when he sees another person being cut up, he says, “That’s their karma. It has nothing to do with me. I’m fine here. Their suffering is their business.” With such an attitude there will never be any true progress in meditation.

  Here is another example of someone who lacks faith. Let’s say that we tell someone about how the American lifestyle is, about the beautiful houses and gadgets and so forth. That person might reply, “I don’t believe you. I’ve never been there and seen them, so these things cannot exist. You’re lying: whatever I haven’t seen doesn’t exist.” This may sound absurd, but many, many people have said, “I don’t see any buddhafields, so they don’t exist. I don’t see any hell realms, so there are no such places.”

  The reason I do not think this way is that I trust in my main teacher, Buddha Shakyamuni. He could clearly perceive the three times and see the six realms of sentient beings and all the buddhafields in every direction. Because of the depth of his wisdom, I consider everything he said to be utterly and flawlessly true. Between Buddha Shakyamuni and myself there has been a lineage of great masters in whom I also have total trust. This trust extends all the way to my root guru, in whom I have complete faith from the very core of my heart. I have total confidence in all these beings; I don’t feel that any one of them ever told a lie.

  Since Buddha Shakyamuni there have been countless other practitioners who have had that same trust and confidence in the teachings of the enlightened ones. Through these qualities they were able to attain great accomplishment. They could fly through the sky, pass through solid matter, and reach complete enlightenment in a single lifetime. If we disbelieve the statements of the buddhas because we can’t experience such things through our own senses, we are like someone who, when he is told, “Behind this hill are some villages,” replies “No, there aren’t, because I haven’t seen them.” How does that sound? Doesn’t it sound stupid?

  These many practitioners of the past trusted the Buddha when he said, “There are buddhafields above and lower realms below; in between are the effects of our own karmic actions.” They had confidence in the words of the enlightened one, the statements of the bodhisattvas, and the oral instructions of their own root gurus. Inspired by this trust, they put the teachings into practice, and through doing so they gained realization. In fact, they could not avoid attaining accomplishment; neither could they avoid benefiting countless other beings. This is not merely an old story from the past; this is still happening today.

  If we rely only on our own personal and limited experience as the measure for everything, we can certainly say, “I don’t see any buddhafields, so there aren’t any. I don’t see any hell realms below, so there aren’t any. If I do something negative right now, I don’t suddenly end up in the lower realms. Nothing at all happens. Therefore, my actions have no effect.” But fortunately we have more than our own limited knowledge to rely on when we evaluate such statements. We have the words of the perfectly enlightened one, as well as the lineage of great masters. There have been and indeed still are countless practitioners who have been able to attain accomplishment through their trust in the buddhas. This is the reason we can feel complete trust in those teachings.

  I myself have never been to any buddhafields with this present body, so I could say that according to my own experience there are no buddhafields. Similarly, in this very body, I have never been to the hells, so I could say that there are none. I could also say that my actions have no karmic consequences. I could certainly be in doubt about all these things, were it not for the three types of perfect measure. These are the words of the Buddha, the statements of the great bodhisattvas, and the oral instructions of our own root gurus. For these reasons I myself can say I do not have any doubt regarding these matters, but totally trust in these teachings. This kind of trust makes accomplishment through Dharma practice possible. Conversely, if we continue to hesitate and generate doubts about the teachings of the Buddha, accomplishment is not possible.

  Take this example: in one hand I have a huge diamond, in the other a chunk of glass. I say, “One of these is a diamond: would you like to buy it for a very good price?” Now, you are not sure which is the diamond and which is just glass. Because of this doubt, you would have to say, “I don’t know,” and you would never be able
to purchase the diamond no matter how much of a bargain it would be. That is how it is to be in doubt. Doubt hampers every activity we do in this world, no matter what.

  To sum up, we need devotion to enlightened beings and compassion for those who are not. Possessing these two, what is then the main training? It is maintaining nondistraction. When we forget mind essence and are carried away, the demon of distraction lies in ambush. But with devotion and compassion, the practice of recognizing mind essence will automatically progress. Many people come to me saying, “I’ve tried to meditate for years, but nothing happens; I’m not making any progress.” This is because of not using the effective method, the right means. We may have the knowledge aspect of having recognized mind essence, but without combining it with means of trust and compassion, we will not make any headway. We may know how to assemble and drive a car, but if we do not have the necessary parts we will never be able to ride anywhere.

  Please keep this teaching at the very core of your heart; not at the edge or to one side of your heart, but at the very center. Please think, “That old Tibetan man said devotion and compassion are essential. I’ll keep that right in the center of my heart.” I have wanted to say this for a long time, but I feel that now people are more willing to listen. It’s because it’s extremely important that I felt it should be said repeatedly.

  I am telling you the truth here. I am being honest with you. I am not lying. If you practice the way I have described here, then each month and year will yield progress. And in the end, no one will be able to pull you back or prevent you from attaining enlightenment.

  Adapted from Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Repeating the Words of the Buddha (Boudhanath: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1996), “Devotion and Compassion,” and Rainbow Painting (Boudhanath: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1995), “Devotion and Compassion.”

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  BODHICHITTA: THE TEACHINGS ON TAKING THE AROUSING OF BODHICHITTA AS THE PATH

  Padmasambhava

  The great master Padmakara is an emanation of Buddha Amitabha. Having trained his mind in the numerous Mahayana sutras, he loves all sentient beings as a mother loves her only child. Acting always for the welfare of others, he is the steersman who delivers all samsaric beings to nirvana. Without being asked he gives instruction to all those to be tamed. Endowed with great compassion, he is the king of all bodhisattvas.

  When he was staying in the Lion Fortress Cave at Monkha, I, Lady Tsogyal of Kharchen, aroused bodhichitta, the mind set on supreme enlightenment. Having offered a mandala of precious substances to the great master, I made this petition: Emaho! Great master, you have taught that having cultivated love and compassion for all beings, the sole importance in the Mahayana teaching is to train in bodhichitta. This being so, how should we engage in the training of bodhichitta?

  The master replied: Tsogyal, if, having entered the Mahayana, you do not train in bodhichitta, you will fall into the lower vehicles. Therefore it is essential to always arouse the mind set on supreme enlightenment and to exert yourself in the trainings of benefiting others.

  Countless detailed explanations of that have been given in the sutras and tantras of the Mahayana. When bodhichitta is explained concisely in accordance with these teachings, it is divided into three sections: the outer training, the inner training, and the secret training.

  THE OUTER TRAINING IN BODHICHITTA

  Lady Tsogyal asked: What are the methods of the outer training? The master replied: There are twelve points to the outer training:

  1. The essence of training in bodhichitta

  2. Its divisions

  3. Its definition

  4. The characteristics of the person

  5. The object from whom you take the vow

  6. The ceremony for taking it

  7. The benefits of the training

  8. The reasons for training

  9. The shortcomings of not training

  10. The precepts

  11. The dividing line between losing and possessing it

  12. The method for repairing it if damaged

  She asked: How are these points you described?

  1. The Essence

  The master replied: The essence of arousing bodhichitta is the desire to attain unexcelled enlightenment together with the vow to do so in order to liberate all sentient beings from samsara.

  2. The Divisions

  The sutras describe many classifications of divisions, but in short, there are two kinds: aspiration and application. The aspiration is the wish to accomplish the welfare of beings, but that alone is not sufficient. It is important to actually engage in benefiting all sentient beings.

  It seems to be quite difficult for prejudiced people who are not free from egotism to give rise to bodhichitta.

  3. The Definition

  The definition of bodhichitta is the arising in oneself of an altruistic attitude that has not previously arisen.

  This attitude will not arise in beings who have not gathered the accumulations.

  4. The Characteristics of the Person

  The person who engages in the training of bodhichitta should possess certain characteristics. He should aspire toward the teaching of the Mahayana, unlike the shravakas and pratyekabuddhas. Due to great intelligence, he should be totally free from doubt. He should have taken refuge in a master and in the Three Jewels and should feel weary of incorrect or inferior teachings. He should be naturally peaceful and gentle.

  The people of Tibet are hostile toward the Dharma, the ministers are evil-minded, the king is gullible; there are only a few who are suitable recipients for the Mahayana teachings. Tsogyal, be free from partiality toward friend and enemy.

  5. The Object

  The object from whom you take the bodhichitta vow should be a master, who has the Mahayana aspiration and whose mind is filled with love and compassion. He should be a teacher who does not act for the benefit of himself for even an instant and who observes his precepts without transgressions.

  In this dark age, one will fall into the hands of Mara unless one follows a qualified master.

  6. The Ceremony

  The ceremony for taking the bodhichitta vow is as follows. Having arranged an extensive display of offerings before the Three Jewels on the fifteenth or the eighth of the waxing moon in an auspicious year and month, pay respect to the Sangha. Offer a ganachakra to the yidam. Make extensive torma offerings to the dakinis, Dharma protectors, and elemental spirits. Give away all your possessions and gather a vast amount of merit.

  That same evening, offer the initiation fee to the master. With respect for the master, the disciple should gather the accumulations by means of the seven branches of purity.17

  In particular, you should apologize for misdeeds as follows. Visualize the syllable AH at the crown of your head. By means of the light streaming forth from it, establish all sentient beings in the enlightenment of the buddhas and make offerings to all noble beings. By means of the light being absorbed back into the AH, absorb the nectar of the siddhis of all the noble ones, which then dissolves into your body, speech, and mind and burns away all of your misdeeds and obscurations. Imagining that, recite AH 108 times.

  Imagine that the light radiating from the HUNG in the heart of the wisdom being in the master’s heart center dissolves into your body, speech, and mind and thereby burns away all misdeeds. Thinking this, recite HUNG 108 times.

  Then follows the verbal apology. Remembering all misdeeds accumulated since beginningless samsara, recite this apology three times with remorse.

  Vajra master and all vidyadharas, pay heed to me!

  Assembly of yidam deities together with your retinue of peaceful and wrathful buddhas, pay heed to me!

  Victorious ones of the ten directions together with your sons, pay heed to me!

  Mother dakinis guarding the teachings together with the Dharma protectors, pay heed to me!

  In the presence of those who are worthy of veneration, I, ——, remorsefully apologize for all the evil karmic actions I
have accumulated by the power of erroneous thinking by means of body, speech, and mind, through committing unvirtuous actions and misdeeds, causing others to commit them, or rejoicing in their doing so, since beginningless lifetimes to this very day.

  Then resolve not to further proliferate misdeeds. Repeat the above supplication and then say three times:

  Just as the tathagatas and their sons of the past, by means of the perfect life-examples of the paths and bhumis, turned away from unvirtuous actions and misdeeds, so will I, ——, from this very moment until reaching the essence of enlightenment, turn away from committing misdeeds through erroneous thinking. I vow to henceforth refrain from them.

  THE ACTUAL AROUSING OF BODHICHITTA

  This has two parts. The first is for the beginner to arouse the bodhichitta of aspiration.

  From the core of his heart the disciple should arouse the genuine attitude of thinking: In order to save all the sentient beings of samsara from the ocean of suffering, I will attain unexcelled enlightenment!

  At the end of repeating the above supplication he should say three times:

  With the attitude of regarding all sentient beings as being my fathers and mothers, my brothers and sisters, my sons and daughters, or my teachers and Dharma friends, I, ——, from this very day until reaching the essence of enlightenment, will generate the firm intention of liberating all beings who have not been liberated. I will cross over the ones who have not crossed over, I will relieve the ones who are not relieved, and I will establish in the nondwelling state of enlightenment of the buddhas all beings who have not passed beyond suffering.18