Taming the Mind

Taming the Mind

Dharma is a Sanskrit word with ten different meanings. In the context of the Buddha’s teachings, the dharma is what removes ignorance and reveals wisdom. By practicing the dharma we can bring out our innate wisdom and develop harmonious relationships with everyone.

Like all sentient beings in this world, we have problems and fears. If we try to find the cause of our unhappiness, we may think that there are various things and people in the world that cause our suffering, but this is not so. The external factors that bring sorrow at one time can bring joy at another time. We have to look inward to find the source of our problems. Everything we experience, whether pleasant or unpleasant, is the result of causes and conditions related to our state of mind.

The mind produces all our experiences and perceptions. When we tame the mind so that it rests calmly and clearly, then all our experiences are open and relaxed. When the mind is peaceful, then simultaneously the speech and body become peaceful. But if the mind is uncontrolled, then our words and actions

are also out of control. Until we tame the mind, experiences of joy do not last more than a short time, no matter how many external supports we use. It is only by taming the mind that we can truly understand ourselves and others and find ultimate peace and joy.

People do many things in this life to become famous, rich, or successful. These things may provide momentary excitement, but they will not bring lasting happiness. For example, when you die you have to leave your wealth and power behind. No matter how famous you have been, sooner or later you are forgotten.

Fame is like a thunderbolt that makes a loud noise but soon becomes silent. This lifetime is very precious because of the unique opportunity we now have to practice the dharma, to remove our ignorance and reveal our inner wisdom. If we do this, it will definitely benefit ourselves and others in this and future lives. Dharma practice means taming the mind so that its true nature or essence is revealed. When you tame your mind, you find joy in this life and

guidance for the bardo state after death. Controlling the mind brings peace and confidence and the ability to act with authority to accomplish your goals. An important point about disciplining the mind is that it is something that we must do for ourselves. We cannot depend on someone else to do it for us. Buddha Shakyamuni taught that you are your own protector and savior. It is through controlling the mind that you will achieve realization and develop inner wisdom.

Taming the mind does not mean eliminating outer objects or suppressing inner thoughts. It means revealing and maintaining the natural state of the mind. Taming the mind has nothing to do with cultivating certain thoughts; it is simply keeping the mind in its fundamental state, where its clarity and wisdom are revealed. The true nature of the mind is calm and clear and full of compassion and love and wisdom.

We do not always experience the mind in this way because ignorance obscures our awareness of the mind’s true nature. However, the wisdom nature is always there, and it can shine through and guide us in our lives. Even foolish people have wisdom and can exhibit beautiful qualities because this basic goodness is found equally in all beings. Not only human beings, but all sentient beings have the same nature and potential for enlightenment. The problem is that temporary obscurations cover and distort the essential nature of the mind. When we completely remove the ignorance and reveal the mind’s true nature, we are enlightened.

It is important to remember that our true nature is only temporarily hidden. When we know that, we can work with courage and joy to remove the ignorance and let the essence of the mind shine forth. It is important for our diligence to be based on a joyful attitude, because without joyful effort we cannot reveal this true nature.

We need to exert ourselves now because this opportunity will not last forever. We must remember impermanence and the changing stages of life and death. Thinking about death and impermanence is often unpleasant — we usually do not like to acknowledge that everything, including ourselves, is subject to the

law of incessant change. But change has good aspects as well, because without change there is no growth or improvement. With the right techniques, skills, and effort, we can learn and make positive changes. By understanding impermanence and causality we can work toward enlightenment and make the most of this human life.

As sentient beings we are constantly searching outside ourselves for happiness; but external causes of happiness never last. Eventually the happiness turns into suffering. After the suffering more happiness may arise, but we never seem to rest in ultimate peace. By reading history or by examining our own

experiences we can see that external conditions never bring permanent joy. This means that we have been looking in the wrong place, like thirsty people digging for water in rocky ground. They know water comes from the earth, so they dig and dig, but they are digging in the wrong place. Likewise, we should

not look outward for the source of peace and happiness; it can only be found by looking inward and experiencing the natural state of the mind. The nature of the mind is not hollow or blank; it is profound and blissful and full of wonderful qualities. The mind is the source of both worldly existence and

enlightenment, samsara and nirvana. Everything needed to find liberation from suffering is contained within the mind. The teachings of dzogchen, “the great perfection,” are the highest teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni and Guru Padmasambhava. These teachings have been passed

down to us through the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. In the area where I was born in eastern Tibet, before the Chinese invaded, there was a famous dzogchen master who would travel from village to village and give teachings. His techniques were quite renowned. After teaching the foundation practices he

would tell his students, “Now, it is your responsibility to find your own mind. Go out and find your mind and bring it back to me.” Even if the students wanted to stay with him, he would not let them. He insisted they go off for at least three days to find their mind.

So, they went off in various directions; some went to the mountains and some went to the rivers. Many of his students thought they had to bring something back. One devoted student found some nice stones near a big river, and among the stones he found one particularly attractive white stone. He brought the

rock back and told the master that he had found a stone that represented his mind. When the dzogchen master saw the stone, he grabbed the student by the collar and shouted, “What are you talking about? Are you crazy?” The student felt frightened and confused, and the master said, “This rock is not your

mind; your mind is what is upset.” For the first time the student gained some realization about the mind. Later, this student became a famous master. Merely understanding the mind is not enough. Recognizing it as the source of happiness and suffering is good, but great results come only from looking

inward and meditating on the nature of the mind. Once you recognize its nature, then you need to meditate with joyful effort. Joyful meditation will actualize the true nature of the mind, and maintaining the mind in this natural state will bring enlightenment. This type of meditation reveals the innermost, profound wisdom that is inherent in the mind.

Meditation can transform your body into wisdom light, into what is known as the rainbow body of wisdom. Many masters in the history of the Nyingma lineage have achieved this, as can anyone who practices these methods of meditation. The wisdom aspect of our nature exists at all times in each of us. You have

always had this nature and it can be revealed through meditation. When you maintain the mind in its natural state, wonderful qualities shine out like light from the sun. Among these qualities are limitless compassion, limidess loving-kindness, and limitless wisdom.

To achieve this result as quickly as possible, people do meditation retreats. Among the Tibetan Buddhist schools, the Nyingma and Kagyu schools put great emphasis on retreat practice, both group retreats and individual retreats. Retreats are done in different ways for different lengths of time. The most

popular are the three-day and the three-month retreats, but there are also three-year retreats. When people do three months or more, the main practice is to experience inner wisdom by maintaining the mind in its natural state. Other practices focus on doing prostrations, on developing loving-kindness and

compassion, and on developing pure perception by visualizing a wisdom body and reciting mantras. The purpose of retreat practice is to dedicate all activity to the practice of the dharma. During retreats the practitioners try to refrain from following their regular thoughts. The mind is maintained in

the natural state, the speech is transformed into mantra, and the body is transformed into the wisdom body. There is a famous story about two brothers who decided to go on retreat for three years. One of them, Drukpa Kunlek, was known as a crazy yogi. When they agreed to go on retreat, Drukpa Kunlek

emphasized that they should stay in their retreat cabins for three years. He told his brother, “If you leave your retreat cabin, I will not stay any longer. As soon as you break the retreat, I am leaving too.” His brother replied, “What are you saying? We are going on retreat, and that means we are not

going to do anything else. Are you crazy?” Even his brother thought Drukpa Kunlek was a litde bit crazy. They were on retreat in two different cabins. The more conventional brother was the head of a monastery and he had many students and responsibilities. During the first week of the retreat, he thought about his monastic duties and all the people involved in his work. He also designed a new building and did a lot of planning.

While the abbot was having all these thoughts, Drukpa Kunlek suddenly came out of his cabin and started laughing and shouting, “You broke retreat. I am not going to stay here because you broke the rules.” The abbot replied, “How have I broken the rules? I never went out. I am still in retreat.” Drukpa Kunlek was a great yogi who could read his brother’s mind, and he said, “You went out of retreat when you were planning all those things for your monastery. Your mind has been all over the place. If the mind is traveling, there is no point in keeping the body in a cage. I’m leaving.” Perhaps Drukpa Kunlek was acting

crazily, but he understood that the real meaning of retreat is to maintain the mind in its natural state. All the levels of the teachings by Buddha Shakyamuni are dedicated to subduing the mind and bringing out inner wisdom. Once we are able to tame our wild

thoughts, then everlasting inner peace and joy will manifest. This is not a fairy tale — this can be demonstrated by personal experience. Once you have this realization, your mind will be unshakable like a mountain, always calm and peaceful.The Causes and Conditions of the Mind

Meditation practice reveals our true nature as being totally perfect and complete. However, at present, in an illusory and temporary way, we are incomplete. Although we have many good qualities, we also have many obstacles.

In order to reveal this completeness, the most important things to work with are the body, speech, and mind. In Buddhism, these three aspects are called the three doors. Along with the three doors, we cling to other dualistic labels like “he” and “she” and “I” and “you.” Of all our concepts, the notions of having body, speech, and mind are always with us, so if we can make their activities positive, then we are performing dharmic activity. If we do not have the ability to make our body, speech, and mind positive, then we are in either a neutral or a negative state.

It is very important to tame the mind because it is the basis for speech and action. Buddha Shakyamuni and many Buddhist masters have said that the mind is like a king and the body and speech are like servants. We do not have to believe this just because the Buddha taught it; we can test it in our own experience. If the mind accepts something, then the body and speech follow. If the mind is not satisfied, no matter how nice it looks on the outside, the body and speech will refuse it.

Since mindfulness supports what is positive, we should try to be mindful in all our activities. Along with mindfulness, we should always try to be honest and compassionate and helpful to others. If we direct our mind, along with our body and speech, in a positive direction, we will definitely become more peaceful, clear, and relaxed.

In our present state we are continually thinking about “me” and “mine.” When we observe this thinking about “me,” we see that it is just a way in which we grasp and hold on to the idea of a self.

What is the relationship between the self and the body? If we do not investigate at all or if we just look at the surface, we might say that the feeling of having a self seems to rely on the body, and at the same time, the body seems to rely on the sense of the self. But if we analyze carefully, these two

things are totally different. The body is not “I” and “I” is not the body. The body is made of the five elements: earth, water, fire, wind, and space. Also, we have the five aggregates of form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. The form aggregate refers to the physical body and

the other aggregates are part of the mind. But all of the elements and the aggregates are different from the self, and the self is different from them.

The “I” exists when we start to form attachments; the “I” is nothing other than the grasping itself. As for what is doing the grasping, it is the mind. Since all the notions of a grasping self are developed by the mind, the mind is the most important thing to understand.

On the gross level it seems as if the mind relies upon the body. Without investigating, the body looks more stable than the mind. For example, when you get sick, the physical pain affects your mind so that you feel unhappy. When your body becomes more

comfortable, then you feel better mentally as well. However, if you look deeper with your inner wisdom, you can tell that the mind does not rely on the body; it is the body that relies on the mind. The body is merely temporary and dependent upon the mind. The mind is like the ground; it is more vast and subde than the body.

The mind is also more subtle than the speech. Speech is developed by the body and the mind, but mainly by the body. According to the Buddhist point of view, there are 1,072 principal nerves or channels that extend throughout the body, and all of them are

filled with wind. The way speech develops is that first you have a thought, which travels with the wind. The wind pushes and makes vibrations in the channels and then speech is formed. It is possible to touch the body but it is not possible to touch sound. Speech is not the body, and yet it is also not the mind.

To see how vast and subde the mind is, we can look at the continuity of our thoughts. For example, the present thought developed from the thought of the previous instant. Thoughts continue from the previous minute, the previous hour, from today, yesterday, and so on.

It is important to investigate whether or not the present thought has a cause. The present thought is a result, and every result must have a cause. Everything that we see or hear or touch has causes and conditions. Our past thoughts influence our present thoughts. The mind does not come from something

permanent; the mind is changing and moving every instant. If the mind were permanent, we would not be thinking at this moment, because permanent means unchanging. But thoughts change constantly. For example, as these words change, your mind changes accordingly. It never stays the same. There are thousands of instants of thoughts; each follows the other continuously like a river. The present thought is the result of the last thought, which was the result of

the thought before that, and so on. For example, where does the consciousness come from at nine o’clock? It is a result of the consciousness at eight o’clock. The mind at eight o’clock came from the mind at seven o’clock, which came from the mind at six o’clock, and so forth. In the same way, the thoughts we have today came from our thoughts yesterday. And yesterday’s consciousness came from the day before yesterday. And this month’s consciousness

came from last month, and this year’s consciousness came from last year. Investigating in this way, you can see that your consciousness goes back to the day you were born. Your sense of identity comes from your consciousness as an infant, starting when you were so small that your mother could carry you in one hand. How did that baby develop? It came from your mother’s womb; your body developed from the two elements of your parents. But those two elements

could not develop a baby if there were no consciousness. When your consciousness was trapped between those two elements, that was your conception, and gradually you were formed. Your consciousness was the cause, and the dominant condition was the two elements of your parents. When a cause and certain conditions occur perfecdy at the right time, then a specific result develops. The consciousness that was trapped between the two elements of your parents

came from the bardo, or intermediate state. Your consciousness in the bardo state came from your consciousness at death in your last life. The consciousness at death in your last life can be traced back to your consciousness at birth in that life. And that birth’s consciousness goes back and back and back to beginningless time.

This is how you can trace your mind. Your present mind has a cause and it has conditions, and it will continue without interruption until you attain enlightenment. The continuation of consciousness through different stages is what Buddhists call past and future lives. Even though at this moment you do

not remember your past lifetimes, or you do not understand how you were conceived in your mother’s womb, there is definitely a continuation. You have come here now, and you will go on continuously in the future. It is similar to seeing a flowing river. Since the river has arrived at this point, you know it

must be continuous. Even though you cannot see its source, you know that the river has come from somewhere and will continue to go somewhere. You have come from the past, from beginningless time. Now you are here, and your consciousness will continue tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year.

It is very important to understand the way causes and conditions work because this understanding brings inner wisdom. The cause of the body is the elements and the cause of consciousness is consciousness itself. Whatever results will be similar to the causes and conditions that produced it. For example, if we

plant a seed of wheat, we will grow wheat, not corn or soybeans. Similarly, human beings give birth to human beings, not donkeys or elephants. Buddha Shakyamuni taught extensively about cause and result. In one sutra he taught by using the example of rice growing in a field. The Buddha said to a farmer, “Where does a grain of rice come from? Each grain of rice comes from the rice that you planted the year before. It did not develop from a permanent cause

or from no cause; it developed from a similar cause and certain conditions. Last year’s rice also had a similar cause, and it goes back to beginningless time. Nobody can tell exactly where the first grain of rice came from. Also, a cause must be complete to produce an effect; it cannot be faulty or damaged. If this grain of rice does not encounter any major obstacles, it will go on endlessly in the future. The same cause will bring the same results again and

again. But if we cook this rice and eat it, that will cut the continuity of the results.” Similarly, it is very important for us to understand how cause and effect relate to the mind — to know how the mind develops, what it is like now, and how far it will go. One day all of us will have to go through the stage of death; we have done it before and we will do it again. Nobody can ignore or run away from death. When we feel afraid to die it is because we do

not understand the nature of death. Death is the separation of the body from consciousness; that is all. The body developed from the five elements and it will dissolve back into the elements, but consciousness did not develop from the elements. Since the mind is different from the elements, it will flow on

continuously. We might doubt the existence of past and future lives, because we think nothing exists beyond what we can perceive with our senses. But actually, we are uncertain.

What happens after death, according to the Buddhist teachings, is that the body, the form aggregate, does not continue, but the other four aggregates of feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness continue. In terms of consciousness, the habitual tendencies connected with the five sense consciousnesses, and the mental consciousness, the emotional consciousness, and the alaya consciousness travel to the next life. The alaya is the subconscious mind that is mixed with karmic habitual tendencies. This deepest part of consciousness goes on to the next life.

Habitual tendencies are one part of karma. After people die they no longer have the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body consciousnesses. Although the five sense consciousnesses are not active at that point, their habitual patterns continue. It is the same as when you are dreaming; your five senses are not functioning, but you still perceive yourself seeing and hearing and talking. Actually, those things are not happening; they are only habitual perceptions. Similarly, in the bardo state there is no sensory activity, only habitual tendencies. In that way the alaya and the habitual patterns go together to the

next life. It is the conscious mind that reincarnates. One could say that the mind travels to the next stage, and when it encounters the necessary conditions, there is rebirth. This is not the reincarnation of a truly existing, permanent mind, because the nature of the mind is emptiness. In fact, it

is only because of emptiness that it is possible to be reborn. If the mind were permanent, it could not change. We are reborn due to ignorance, and once the ignorance is removed through the realization of emptiness, we are not forced to reincarnate. People who realize the nature of the mind are liberated and do not reincarnate by the power of karma.

It is similar to having a large piece of gold but not recognizing what it is. If you do not know its worth, then what is the benefit of having it? But if you recognize that it is gold, then you will be wealthy. Likewise, if you neurotically cling to things as being solid and real, then the natural state is

not self-liberating. The impetus of current habits will continue to carry your consciousness to rebirth after rebirth. Just knowing about emptiness is not enough to stop reincarnation. Mere intellectual understanding is not realization. According to Buddhism, understanding

and realization are different. We may understand something, but we have to experience it to gain realization. For example, if we look at a map we can know something about the place we are going, but it does not mean that we are there. If we go there, we will experience something quite different from what is

on the map. However, learning from a map is very helpful. Similarly, understanding emptiness is the first stage of realizing the true nature of the mind. Emptiness is not the cause of rebirth; habitual, dualistic grasping causes rebirth. At the same time, emptiness is what makes it possible for things to change. Reincarnation does not mean that the mind does not change; without change there is no birth. For instance, when we plant a flower, it is changing,

step-by-step, moment by moment. The seed becomes a sprout, and the sprout continues to change until it becomes a flower. Or consider a building — even if we cannot see it with our eyes, it has been subdy changing ever since it was built. It is the same way with each of us — our bodies and thoughts are changing in each moment. In every moment we have the opportunity to let go of our habitual clinging.

Ignorance blocks our vision in many ways. For example, if someone asks us where the mind came from or where it will go in the future, or how long we will live on this earth, we do not know the answers. Ignorance has covered up wisdom to the extent that we do not even understand the way things work at the relative level of cause and effect. Buddha Shakyamuni said that sentient beings are wandering in darkness, unable to see beyond what they can feel.

Ignorance also obscures the mind’s enlightened qualities. One way that ignorance obscures the wisdom mind is through negative emotions like anger, jealousy, and desire, which keep the mind from remaining in the natural state. When we are under the control of negative emotions, we simply cannot have a

peaceful state of mind. We find ourselves wor-ried and uneasy, floating in an ocean of ignorance, where we are tossed about by waves of resentment, fear and attachment.

It is important to remember that ignorance can be removed; it is not the fundamental nature of the mind. If we understand the causes and effects of ignorance and wisdom, we can work to remove confusion and bring out the inherent enlightened qualities.The Primordial Nature As human beings we operate on

the level of confused relative appearances, making distinctions and perceiving things as good or bad, helpful or harmful, true or false. But all these concepts and judgments come from our imagination. The relative truth of the way things appear may be accurate in our current situation, but it is not the absolute truth of the way things really are. In the natural state of reality, all things are equal. The natural state is beyond any ideas we may have and

even beyond our imagination. From the perspective of the natural state, all our plans and actions are merely imaginary, like the play of children that has nothing to do with reality. Once we understand the true nature of the relative level, then we can reach the absolute level, which is enlightenment. When we

fully realize the wisdom of self-born awareness, we become buddhas who are liberated in the state of nirvana. In normal awareness we operate on the basis of habits. But continuing to follow habitual patterns will not lead to enlightenment; we will only stay the same and never achieve higher understanding.

Our present mind is like a nest constructed of subtle and gross thoughts. We think in terms of subjects and objects, inside and outside. We are constandy judging people and situations, seeing them as beautiful or ugly, pleasant or unpleasant, right or wrong. Who is making all these decisions and judgments?

We might say, “I did that, I felt that.” But really, what is this “I”? Where is it? Who is doing all the analyzing and discriminating? To find out, we must look at the mind. It is the mind that does the analyzing and discriminating. If we look carefully at the mind, we begin to understand its nature. When we

look for the mind, we discover how difficult it is to find. We cannot put it in our hands. We cannot see it or its nature. The mind is a vast emptiness called shunyata, or great emptiness. The emptiness nature does not mean that it is blank or a black hole. The mind has many beautiful qualities, like

clarity and wisdom, yet these qualities are inseparable from emptiness. Emptiness is not the same as nonexistence, which is symbolized in Buddhist philosophy by impossibilities like the horns of a rabbit or the child of a barren woman. The reality of the mind is emptiness, yet the mind reflects and

radiates awareness in every direction. In the dzogchen teachings Buddha Shakyamuni taught that the nature of the mind is clarity and vastness, and that it is always enlightened. It is more open than space, clearer than crystal, brighter than the sun. However, our mind is usually very active and full of

confused thoughts. If we sit and look at the mind for just one minute, we can see it wandering in different directions, roaming around like a drunken elephant or jumping like a restless monkey from tree to tree. The relative nature of the mind is continuously arising mental activity.

Different types of outer objects provoke different mental reactions. All our reactions can be summarized in three main categories: feelings of happiness, feelings of suffering, and neutral feelings. Once you have experienced a feeling of happiness, then you desire to have a similar experience, then a third

and a fourth and a fifth and a sixth. There is no end to this and no satisfaction. You simply want more and more, and you end up striving to attain it again and again. This is attachment. Then, inevitably there will be times when you experience the opposite of happiness. Suffering and negative emotions

arise and you experience anger over the fact that something is disturbing your happiness. This also has no end; it repeats itself over and over. When you are attached to pleasant feelings, you simultaneously build up other attachments. When you experience happiness, it can lead to pride or jealousy at the

same time. All thoughts and feelings are developed through a system of cause and effect. The effect of one cause becomes the cause of the next effect, and so on.

Experiences and feelings come from the mind. Our confused experiences will disappear when we maintain the mind in the natural state. Enlightenment is simply maintaining the mind in its own clarity and emptiness. It is similar to muddy water becoming clear when it is left alone. Nothing special is needed to reveal the mind’s true nature; one simply remains in the natural state. There is nothing to do but sit and relax.

When we are active, we generate more thoughts and find ourselves caught in an endless circle of thinking and feeling. When we meditate we stop turning this

wheel. From the perspective of the natural state we can see that our world is created by our thoughts. Everything that we know, simply by virtue of our

knowing it, is created by the mind. For example, in our everyday life we follow various standards of conduct. Someone might say that a certain way of behaving is not appropriate; this simply means that the behavior is not correct according to that person’s habitual thinking. All rules of conduct are merely creations of people’s minds.

Conceptual thinking operates on the basis of habitual patterns. The habits that you repeat circle back on you again and again and again. Whatever habits

are learned in this lifetime will be reflected in future lifetimes; they are maintained within the mind. Whatever felt comfortable when you were a child

formed into habitual patterns that continue now that you are grown. The habits you establish in your mind are reflected in your behavior. In Buddhism this is known as the law of karmic cause and effect.

There are different levels to the mind. We have five aspects of consciousness: the eye consciousness, the ear consciousness, the nose consciousness, the tongue consciousness, and the body consciousness. The five sense consciousnesses are related to the five sense organs; they do nothing more than take in the five kinds of perceptions.

Behind the senses we have the mental consciousness. The mental consciousness analyzes the perceptions of the senses. For example, the eye consciousness brings what it sees to the mind, and the mind analyzes it and discriminates in terms of good, bad, or neutral. It does the same thing with perceptions of

the ear, nose, tongue, and body. The mind consciousness also analyzes perceptions in relation to the past, present and future. The level of mind where the habits are stored is known as the alaya , or the subconscious. All of our activities and states of mind rely on this subconscious storehouse, which is very

deep and subtle, like the ocean. All thoughts arise from and go back to this state. In deep sleep the six consciousnesses dissolve back into the alaya and you do not have dreams. In light sleep dreams begin to appear, and as you awaken, your thoughts manifest once again. Behind the alaya is great emptiness,

the true nature. Emptiness is the source of all mental activity, and all movements of the mind are pervaded by primordial awareness. The primordial nature of the mind is not separate from the relative phenomena we perceive right now. It is not the case that the primordial nature is good and the relative

nature is bad. They are two sides of the nature of mind. If awareness is focused only on regular thoughts, we remain unaware of the primordial nature and this onesidedness prevents understanding of the way things really are.

The true nature of mind is beyond conception, yet it is present in every object. The true nature is always there, but due to our temporary obscurations we do not recognize it. From the dzogchen perspective, samsara and nirvana are equal. We cannot reject one aspect and accept the other because both samsara and nirvana are manifestations of the true nature of awareness. Buddha Shakyamuni taught that this world comes from the primordial nature. Whether we recognize the primordial nature or not, whether our actions are based on that understanding or not, we are never separated from primordial nature.

The primordial nature is beyond all concepts. It is the beginning of the mind and the end of the mind. We already have it; we do not need anything further. The Buddha and other great masters taught that there is nothing to acquire externally; it is only a matter of working to reveal what we already have. In the Prajnaparamita Sutra the Buddha taught that there is nothing to gain and nothing to lose. We already have enlightenment, but we have to realize it personally.

Although the primordial nature is inconceivable and insubstantial, it is not truly nonexistent. To find and experience its nature of clarity and emptiness you must look at the mind. The primordial nature is beyond conceptions; it cannot be explained. Emotions and other mental activities can be explained, but the primordial nature of the mind cannot be encompassed by words. Although you can say it is clarity and vastness, you cannot see it or touch it; it is beyond expression.

The primordial nature is described as the union of clear light and emptiness. Describing the true nature in words is like looking through a window and seeing the sky as square. The actual nature of the mind cannot be expressed since it is completely beyond concepts. All you can do is look at your own mind and experience its primordial nature. When you are able to maintain that state, you reach enlightenment.

There is a story told in Buddhist texts that shows how the mind operates in relation to nirvana and samsara. There was once a prince who lived in a beautiful palace. One night, while having a nightmare, he walked out of the palace and went to a different

country where nobody knew him. Eventually, he forgot he was a prince. He worked hard at various jobs; he did not always have good food or clothes, and he suffered a lot. Then, one day he remembered that he was a prince who had lived in a palace. He remembered how to get back and he returned to his palace and became the prince again. Everyone was overjoyed and showed him great respect.

What was the difference in the prince when he was suffering in the world and when he was living in the palace? He was the same person before and after he returned to his kingdom. Nothing was different except his recognition. When he recognized himself as a prince, he acted like a prince. That is the only difference.

In our case, we are known as human beings, and people who are enlightened are known as buddhas. The only difference between the buddhas and ourselves is that the buddhas are aware of their primordial nature while we have not yet come to this recognition. There is a story about this concerning Drukpa Kunlek, the crazy yogi mentioned earlier. One time he went to a temple in Lhasa where

there is a famous statue of the Buddha. This statue is said to have been blessed by Buddha Shakyamuni himself. You may have seen photographs of this place; Tibetans try to go there on pilgrimage at least once in their lives. When people visit this statue they bring incense, make offerings, and do a lot of prostrations.

When Drukpa Kunlek went to the temple, he did not prostrate, but just stood there looking at the statue. The priest who took care of the shrine felt a little funny because Drukpa Kunlek was not showing the proper respect. After a while, Drukpa Kunlek composed a verse and then did prostrations. He said,

“At the beginning of time, you and I were equal; there was no difference between us. You worked to recognize your nature and became enlightened. I did not recognize my nature and merely slept. Therefore, I will prostrate, not to you, but in recognition of your excellent endeavor.”

The buddhas are not higher than us, and we are not lower than the buddhas; we are equal. The only difference is whether the buddha nature has been recognized. We have to work to experience that recognition, but once we recognize it we are the same as all the buddhas. There is no difference in the ground of our basic nature.

Taking Refuge

The first step in practicing Buddhism, according to the three traditions of hinayana, mahayana, and vajrayana, is to take refuge. The seed or cause for taking refuge is a feeling of interest and closeness to the three objects of refuge: the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha. On the outer level, the Buddha

is the person who gave the teachings; he is the guide. The dharma is the teachings; it is a guidebook that describes where to go. The sangha are the beings who follow the path described by the dharma. There are different levels of the sangha — some members of the sangha are highly realized beings and some are beginners, but anyone who follows the Buddhist path is a member of the sangha. This is the outer meaning of taking refuge.

The three refuges also have an inner meaning related to the mind. The mind's primordial nature is totally pure, clear, and enlightened from beginningless time. One's own pure awareness is the primordial buddha. Buddha actually means the perfect understanding that is free from all deluded and dualistic thinking. This is the absolute buddha. Maintaining the qualities of the primordial nature and radiating them to all sentient beings is the inner meaning of

taking refuge in the absolute dharma. Dharma is a Sanskrit word that can be translated as “protection.” Practicing the dharma protects the mind from delusion and duality. The mind contains tremendous, vast qualities that cannot be put into words. The primordial nature of the mind includes a completely nonviolent attitude of infinite loving-kindness and infinite compassion toward all beings, and these qualities are known as the dharma.

The inner sangha is also contained within the mind. Sangha is a Sanskrit word meaning “inseparable.” This refers to the inseparability of clarity and emptiness as the true nature of the mind. These qualities are always present as the unity of skillful means and wisdom. Clarity and emptiness are always

present, and that is the meaning of the absolute sangha.Whoever connects will destroy all peril and feeble situations. The infallible three jewels, as lama, will never deceive. From now on, from the depth of my heart,

I take refuge until I attain the heart of enlightenment. Spontaneous poem by Kltenchen R-Jden Shemb Rinpoche (calligmphy byKhenpo TsewangDongwil Rinpoche) Anyone can take refuge; it is open to everyone who has joyful interest and devotion toward the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha. As a Buddhist, you

continue to take refuge on both outer and inner levels until you come to a full realization of primordial awareness. When you have achieved enlightenment, then you do not have to take refuge any longer; instead you become an object of refuge.

The refuge ceremony conveys the lineage blessings of Buddha Shakyamuni, the dharma, and the sangha. When taking the refuge vow, a person should have the pure motivation of doing it for the sake of all sentient beings. During the ceremony, the participants meditate on the historical buddha, Buddha Shakyamuni, as the representation of enlightenment. They visualize him in the sky in front of them as a real, living buddha who is radiating wisdom light in every direction. He is surrounded by many realized beings, such as bodhisattvasand arhats and the buddhas of the three times. All of them are smiling and radiating rainbow light of wisdom and blessings. The aim of taking refuge is to remove the dark ignorance of sentient beings and to reveal their true

awareness. To affirm this, the teacher and students chant three times: “I take refuge in the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha until I become enlightened. I am doing this for the benefit of all sentient beings.” When the chant is repeated for the third time, the students visualize wisdom light radiating from the objects of refuge and entering their hearts. At that moment the teacher snaps his fingers and the students receive the lineage blessings. Then, each

student receives a dharma name, and a little piece of their hair is cut off. The piece of hair is an offering to the Buddha, the dharma, the sangha, and the teacher. This indicates the change from being an ordinary person to being a member of the Buddhist sangha.Training in Discipline, Concentration, and Wisdom

The primordial nature of the mind is filled with inherent qualities of bliss, compassion, and wisdom. It is always peaceful and fresh. In order to bring out these inner qualities, Buddha Shakyamuni taught the three techniques of discipline, concentration, and wisdom.

According to the Buddhist teachings, discipline is not like following orders or being forced to do something; discipline means to relate fully with your own mind. In order to uncover our true nature we need to discipline our body, we need to discipline our speech, and we need to discipline our mind.

Discipline is the first stage of cleaning up and preparing for further developments. It is like clearing the ground — if we want to erect a beautiful building, we need to clear the surface first.

Not only in practicing the dharma, but also in the ordinary world, we need to pay careful attention to what we are doing. Just as good planning is important in ordinary activities, discipline is important in practicing the dharma. Discipline should be accompanied by mindfulness, careful attention, and

joyful effort. With good discipline as the ground, the next step is to develop concentration. It is not enough to be disciplined and well prepared for future developments; to get good results we also need concentration. Concentration is directly related to our discursive thoughts; until we develop good concentration we will remain on the surface of the mind without discovering its deeper wisdom.

You know how your mind is working right now without needing to ask someone else. You can simply ask yourself; you already know. For example, all day your thoughts have been running on and on, not stopping for even a minute. Your thoughts continue from the time you wake up until the time you go to sleep. Since your body does not have the energy to keep going, you need to sleep, but even when you are dreaming your mind is still active. When you wake up in

the morning, even if your body does not want to get up, your mind makes it go in different directions. Your mind also directs your speech to say various things, sometimes nice and sometimes not so nice. Your body and speech act according to the direction of your mind.

To discipline your mind and have concentration you need to become your own teacher. A skillful teacher can give guidelines and instructions to assist you, but real discipline and concentration must come from yourself. External supports or forces cannot subdue your mind and bring good concentration. For

example, in this country you see the police carrying pistols and sticks, but there continues to be violence, which shows that external force cannot do all that much. If you become your own teacher and your own law, that will be worth more than a million police surrounding you.

To develop discipline and concentration requires continual practice with joyous effort. If you have been practicing with concentration for a few days or a few weeks, that will bring some results, but it will not bring great results. I am not saying that meditating for one day or one week will not help you; it will help you, but not a lot. For example, if you want to walk from here to a distant town, it is too much to think that you will arrive there by taking

three steps. You will be a little bit closer, but you cannot reach your destination in three steps. However, if you continue with joyful effort and courage, you will get closer and closer to your goal.

If you have the time to practice meditation for one year without any major obstacles, that will definitely bring good results. You probably will not reach enlightenment after a year, but you will certainly have more mastery over your mind. If you meditate for two years, the results will be doubled or even tripled. If you continue to meditate for five or ten years, you will have more control of your mind and be able to reveal more of its inner qualities. When

you meditate with concentration, there are three particular experiences that arise: bliss, clarity, and nonthought. Sometimes you feel great joy, sometimes your mind is very clear, and sometimes there is complete equanimity. To experience these you do not need to meditate for a long time, although for a beginner these experiences will not last long because of the limited ability of a beginner’s meditation.

The experience of meditative bliss is greater than ordinary worldly happiness. Sometimes when you are meditating, a feeling of blissfulness suddenly arises from the subtle state of your mind and pervades your entire body. This bliss is healthy and brings out your inner qualities. Some people use drugs to i

nduce blissfulness and visions, but drugs are external supports that cannot bring lasting happiness. The bliss experienced in meditation can last for many days, according to your ability to meditate. When you experience this kind of bliss, on the outside you might look very poor, but inside you remain very joyful.

The second main experience in meditation is clarity. Sometimes while meditating you can suddenly feel that your mind is very clear and bright. Even if you are meditating in the dark, you do not feel heavy or tired. Sometimes your body feels very light and your mind is very clear, and many kinds of reflections

appear. Clarity brings great wisdom and the ability to read other people’s minds, as well as to see your own past and future lives. The third main experience is nonthought, or a state of equanimity without distractions. Beginners can also experience this. Nonthought is more settled than the

experiences of bliss and clarity. If you have thoughts, they suddenly dissolve and you can remain continuously in meditation. As your ability to meditate develops, your mind becomes more and more settled, so that you can meditate for one hour or one week or one month without being distracted by thoughts. You simply remain in the natural state for as long as you want. Bliss, clarity, and nonthought are the main qualities of concentration. However, it is

important not to be attached to them or concerned about whether they arise or not; one should simply continue to practice. Along with discipline and concentration we also need wisdom. The nature of wisdom is emptiness-clarity; it is always fresh and complete and free from all confused thinking.

Primordial wisdom is the only thing that can dispel the darkness of ignorance, so it is compared to the light of the sun. Primordial wisdom is the cause of enlightenment, or one could say that primordial wisdom itself is enlightenment.

Wisdom is not something we can obtain from outside ourselves; it has been with us from beginningless time. This enlightened nature pervades every sentient being equally. It is not the case that only the Buddha has this nature; it exists in every mind. Although ignorance and obscurations cover our wisdom, the

primordial nature is always radiating. For example, we know in a general way what is good for us and what is bad for us. This is the power of the primordial wisdom, radiating through the heaviness of ignorance. However, for wisdom to manifest we have to work to bring it out. The discovery of wisdom

requires relating with your mind by having discipline and concentration. In the beginning of dharma practice it is important to know that the mind is the most important thing to work with, and the best ways to work with it are through discipline, concentration, and wisdom. By practicing these three

techniques, enlightenment is right here with us.Cultivating Bodhichitta It is important to realize that enlightenment is totally dependent upon your own effort. It is not something that a teacher can give you or that you can find outside yourself. Your mind has an enlightened nature which can only manifest

by your own effort and actions. You have the natural capacity to be enlightened, and it is in your hands whether or not you actualize this opportunity. The best way to actualize enlightenment is to develop bodhichitta. Bodhichitta is a Sanskrit word; bodhi means “enlightenment” and chitta means “mind” or

“thought.” When you develop the thought of enlightenment, you are training your mind so that you will be able to truly benefit other beings. Bodhichitta can be understood in two ways, as relative and absolute. Relative bodhichitta is the actual manifestation of loving-kindness and compassion for all beings.

Absolute bodhichitta is the realization of emptiness as the profound true nature of reality. Some people start meditating on love and compassion and then come to an understanding of emptiness. Other people meditate on emptiness and, by that, gain an understanding of love and compassion. Both aspects of bodhichitta are part of the enlightened nature of the mind. Bodhichitta is very precious and important; if you do not have bodhichitta, no matter what

other techniques you use, you will never attain enlightenment. When Buddha Shakyamuni gave teachings to the king of the nagas, he said, “Great naga king, if you have just one thing, that will be enough to attain enlightenment.” When the naga king asked what that might be, the Buddha replied, “It is bodhichitta.” Whenever you practice any form of meditation or perform any beneficial activity, you should invest these practices with bodhichitta so that they will lead to enlightenment.

The thought of enlightenment is the intention to benefit all sentient beings, without any concern for your own welfare. When you practice according to the bodhisattva’s motivation, you dedicate all your practice and activities for others; you focus on opening your heart to them without any attachment to

yourself. If you think, “I want to practice to get rid of my emotional problems and be happy,” that attitude is not bodhichitta. If you work for yourself alone, thinking, “I want to attain liberation,” that is a very small liberation. If you work for the benefit of others, since your motivation and actions

are much more vast, you reach “the great liberation,” or mahaparinirvana in Sanskrit. Of course, you also become liberated, but you are working primarily for all sentient beings. The root of bodhichitta is compassion. Compassion is feeling, deep in your heart, the suffering of others and wishing for them to

be free from all pain. The root of compassion is loving-kindness, which is the feeling of wanting to replace suffering with happiness and peace. Having true love and compassion for everyone is the most precious practice of the dharma. Without this, your practice will remain superficial and never be deeply

rooted in the true dharma. The feelings of love should be extended to every sentient being, without partiality. Compassion should be directed toward all beings in all directions, not just to human beings or to certain beings in certain places. All beings existing in space, all those who are searching for

happiness and joy, should be put under the umbrella of our compassion. At the present time our love and compassion are very limited. Our bodhichitta is so tiny that it looks like a small dot; it does not expand in all directions. However, bodhichitta can be developed; it is not outside the realm of our

potential. Once it has been developed, this small dot of bodhichitta can expand to fill the entire universe. Whenever we begin to learn something new it is difficult because we are not used to it, but if we train diligently then it becomes easy. Shantideva, the great meditation master and scholar, said that

there is nothing that remains difficult once it becomes familiar. You can see this from your own experience. When you were a baby, so small that your mother could carry you in one hand, you did not even know how to eat or use the toilet. But now you are far beyond that and what you have learned has become easy.

Similarly, we can learn to develop bodhichitta. There are many examples of people, like the great masters of India and Tibet, who became familiar with the thought of enlightenment and accomplished it. For example, before Buddha Shakyamuni was enlightened he was just an ordinary person. In the Jataka Tales

there are many stories about the ways he practiced bodhichitta before he became enlightened. Over the course of many lifetimes he dedicated his wealth and property, and even his life, for all beings. By working diligently to understand the true nature of the mind and by dedicating all his activities to

others, he became enlightened. If we work at it, we can achieve the same result. All sentient beings are equal in that all of us want happiness. To see this clearly, the Buddha said that you should use yourself as an example. Just as you do not want to be harmed, in the same way no one else wants to be

harmed. If someone is hurting you, then you cannot be happy, and it is exactly the same with others. When you are suffering you want to remove whatever is bothering you; you do not want to keep the cause of your suffering for even one minute. Similarly, other sentient beings want to be free of problems and

pain. When you practice bodhichitta you realize that all beings are equal in this way. Relative bodhichitta can be divided into two types: these are called wishing bodhichitta and actualizing bodhichitta. The first is the intention to benefit others. As you begin to realize how much other beings suffer, you develop the wish to remove their misery and establish them in happiness. In the second stage, actualizing bodhichitta, you actually work to help others.

After developing the intention, you must do whatever you can to help, in accordance with your capabilities. It is not easy to remove the suffering of all beings, but you can begin with those near you, and as you develop your abilities you can help more beings until eventually you are helping everyone. To practice bodhichitta, you need to dedicate your efforts freely and openly without expecting anything in return. The more you meditate and practice

bodhichitta, the more you feel that others are as dear as yourself, and eventually their welfare becomes even more important than your own. Buddha Shakyamuni told a story about putting another’s welfare above one’s own. One time a mother and her daughter needed to cross a big river that had no bridge

or boats. They tried to swim across, but the currents were very strong, and when they reached the center of the river they were swept apart. As the mother was drowning she felt great compassion for her daughter and thought, “It is all right if I am carried away by this water, but I wish my daughter would survive.” While having that loving intention she died. The daughter was thinking the same way: “It is all right if I drown, but I hope my mother will

survive.” At that very moment she also died. The Buddha said that because of their genuine thoughts of love and compassion, they were both immediately reborn in a higher god realm called the Brahma Realm.

In general, your state of mind right before you die is very important. At the moment just before death, even the smallest thought can change the direction of your rebirth. It is good to remember this when you are with people who are dying. It is important to let them die in peace, without stirring up their

emotions. It definitely helps people if they die with peaceful thoughts. Further, if you can create thoughts of love and compassion in a person’s heart just before their death, it will change their future life.