Takes time for karma to ripen

Karma Rinpoche

Once, a disciple asked me if she could give up Buddhism. She said that ever since she took refuge and believed in Buddhism, many things had gone wrong for her. I replied, "Yes, you can." She then asked, "Can I return my refuge certificate to you?" I said, "No need, just burn it. Bow three times before the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, thank them for their past help, tell them that you no longer wish to be a Buddhist. After that, burn the certificate. I hope that you continue to be a Buddhist, but if you don’t want to, then you should do as I said.” 

She burned her refuge certificate and stopped being a Buddhist. Half a year later, her husband was diagnosed with cancer. Within a year, her father-in-law, mother-in-law, and her own father also got cancer—four family members in total. While she was overwhelmed by all this, she discovered she had ovarian cancer herself. She came looking for me and asked, "Can I become a Buddhist again?" I asked, "Why do you want to come back now?" She then told me everything that had happened.  

I said, "The misfortunes you encountered after taking refuge were all minor issues. It was the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas protecting you, preventing these problems from becoming major obstacles. Although your accumulation of merits is still insufficient, the misfortunes you should go through have already been reduced. But you didn’t want it—you threw away that protective umbrella of the Triple Gems. It’s not that the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas did not protect you, instead you were the one who abandoned them. Now that greater difficulties have struck, you come seeking their help again. Of course, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are still kind and compassionate, but why didn’t you cherish your faith when things were better?"  

Many people are like this. Why must disaster strike before they develop faith in their own religion? Why can’t they appreciate their blessings while life is still relatively peaceful?  

Padmasambhava said in “The Great Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo”: "When karma ripens, it is like a raging river—you cannot force it to reverse its course." So, we cannot expect that all our sufferings vanish just because we practice Dharma. But we can lessen the suffering, slow down the torrent of karma, and at least preserve half our life rather than lose everything completely. Many of my disciples were diagnosed with cancer and told that they would die by doctors from major hospitals years ago, yet they are still alive and well today. They say, "Thank you Guru!" I tell them, "Don’t thank me. Thank the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and thank yourselves for purifying your karma through sincere faith."  

However, karma takes time to ripen. Don’t assume that reciting a few Sutras today or taking refuge for a year or two will completely purify all your karma—that’s impossible. But it is possible for many obstacles to quietly fade away without you even noticing. As for whether good fortune will increase, that depends on whether you’ve planted the seeds of virtues.  

Through continuous practice, even if we don’t perceive obvious changes, misfortunes are quietly going away, and blessings or merits are gradually accumulated. Just like how when we eat three meals a day, we grow up steadily without noticing our bodies changing.  

Modern people live in a highly competitive environment where speed is prioritized. They believe that if they put in effort, they should see results quickly, so they expect the same from spiritual practice, hoping to see immediate good fortune. But think about it, even planting a seed takes time before it bears fruit. You can’t just sow it today and harvest tomorrow.  

From my observation, whether doing virtue or non-virtue, it takes about 25 years, or roughly two cycles of 12 years, for the karmic results to become clearly visible. Among the people I’ve known, after around 25 years, most evildoers have met with misfortune, while those who sincerely continued doing virtue see their blessings manifest.  

The purification of obstacles and the accumulation of merits work differently.  It’s somewhat like clearing land versus planting seeds. Many disciples ask, "I’ve been purifying for so long, so why haven’t my good fortune happened?" This is like asking, "I’ve cleared the land many times, so why haven’t the crops grown?" Even the most fertile soil won’t yield a harvest if no seeds are planted. Of course, keeping the land free of weeds is good, but to reap good results, you must sow the seeds of merits.  

The way we plant the seeds of good fortune is by accumulating merit—making offerings to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and practicing generosity toward the six realms of sentient beings. Most importantly, after performing virtuous deeds, we must dedicate the merit to all beings and entrust it to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Then, when we need it, we can draw upon it.

Becoming a real practitioner

Jamyang Rinpoche

The most important practice in Dharma is the practice of impermanence. If this practice is not done well, Dharma practice will fail. If impermanence is practiced well, the mental afflictions are sure to be reduced by, say, at least 40%. For instance, if your mind is full of distractions, just by practicing impermanence, at least half of these distractions would fall away. The practice of impermanence is very powerful for dealing with afflictions. 

The teachings on impermanence are not for frightening others. It is to be used on our own minds to increase our wisdom, for bringing our practice to the next level, and for countering the mental afflictions.  We should check how useful this teaching is in our own lives. 

For example, we may be very attached to our homes, or very attached to our ‘face’ and reputation when we are outside.  These brings us so much suffering. When someone praises our outfit that day, how happy do we get? After spending much money on our makeup, fashion accessories and clothing, if we meet someone who insults our appearance, we get so offended. Where do these emotions of happiness and suffering come from? It comes from our idea that we are so beautiful today with a great makeup — it is a form of pride. The suffering comes from our pride, which is in the mind. If you address this pride and reduce it, then it doesn’t matter what others say.

Like my younger sister in Yarchen monastery. She has very little desires and seldom gives rise to any affliction. Really! This is what I observed of her.  Even when my father flies into a rage, she would run to him laughing and upon seeing her, his anger would melt away. Many disciples have seen my sister. Even before she started practicing Dharma, she was like that. After practicing Dharma, it goes without saying.  Since young, she had very little desires. My father even said that this girl will starve to death when she grows up because she had no agenda or selfish aims.  For instance, when we give her the leftovers from our food, she would just take it happily and finish it up.  It didn’t matter if the food was delicious or not, she would accept any food. She is the same now. She is always contented. After you give her food and she finished it, she would leave happily. It is the same for clothes, she would take any kind of second-hand clothing that people threw out. If people said she was crazy, she would imitate a crazy person to amuse them. Everyone was just helpless around her.  She was always happy-go-lucky.

Nowadays, people get good and expensive clothing and other good conditions, but they are always unhappy and complaining. Their family is in chaos, their friends always see them with a grumpy face, is this a meaningful kind of life?

When people are easily contented, life is easy. Instead, being very narrow-minded and keeping a lot of stuff in their mind, then even a slight noise makes them irritated. You have practiced Dharma for many years, is there the slightest change in you?  Has your thinking changed? Do you have a stronger interest and faith in the study and practice of Dharma? Is your desire for worldly things getting less and less? Otherwise, the more you practice Dharma, the more greedy you get, then your Dharma is completely upside-down. What you are practicing is completely opposite to Dharma…

When you practice impermanence, it spurs you on in your practice. When I was doing my ngondro prostrations, my entire body was in pain. When I sat down to take a break, I thought to myself, “Death comes anytime, what if I die soon? I have not even finished my ngondro. How can I die like that?” This thought gave me the strength to persist in my practice and finish the ngondro. 

When I was 9 years old, I could do about 6000 full prostrations daily. We did not use wooden boards like people did now. We did our prostrations on the uneven ground with grass and stones.  It was winter, about minus 20 plus degrees. We did not wear gloves or any protection. The palms, wrists, elbows and knees were scrapped raw and bleeding.  Usually, I did 5000 full prostrations per day. But if I did not have to make food and my teacher made it for me, I could perform 6000 plus prostrations daily. 

It was the thought of impermanence that drove me through these difficult practices. I always thought: what if I died soon, at least I should die while practicing, this merit would at least make me a Dharma practitioner in future lives. This thought sustained me and the pain and tiredness became more bearable. When I woke up in the morning, it was incredibly painful and I was tempted to sleep more. But I thought, what if impermanence came? All the suffering and exhaustion can vanish when the thought of impermanence truly arises. What if I died now and have to face the Lord of Death? Isn’t that going to be much worse? What if my negative karma dragged me to the hell realms? The small tiredness here cannot compare to the horrifying sufferings in the hell realms. So I did not dare to take it easy or be lazy. 

The mandala offering was very hard on me too. My teacher went to find a very heavy mandala plate that was plated in gold. I was very small-built then. We were doing the Nyingthik ngondro and there were the 37 heaps prayer and the 3-kaya prayer. Each session lasted for 2 hours and you had to hold the plate for two hours continuously. When it was time for meals, you could hardly move your wrist, it was too stiff and painful.  Sometimes, it got so excruciating that I wished to take a break.  

But the thought of impermanence pushed me on. I pressed on, enduring it for one day, two day, three days, by the seventh and eighth day, the pain started to ease as the arm got used to the posture. At the beginning, the entire arm and part of the chest would become swollen. Without the practice of impermanence, it would have been impossible to persist, I may have given up. 

Due to recalling impermanence and the suffering of samsara, it really felt like this suffering was very small, hardly worth mentioning.  The real suffering is in the process of death and the lower realms. What if we end up in the hell or animal realms, what are we going to do? If we were born in the animal realms and people caught us and started slicing us up or boiling us in the water like the seafood is cooked nowadays, how terrible is that pain? How can we endure this if we had to go through it? We do not have the slightest confidence that we will not fall into such states in future. Compared to the torture in the animal realms, the pain in my arm is quite bearable. Thinking of this, all the tiredness and pain would fade away. This comes from habituation in the four thoughts that turn the mind towards Dharma. 

When we have contemplated and meditated on these four thoughts deeply, the higher practices are not difficult at all. When the foundation is weak, then the later practices will seem very difficult and insurmountable. Because there are many inconveniences and hardships in Dharma practice. For instance, the prostrations and mandala offerings are the most tough in the ngondro. Many people fail or give up in these sections.  Also, the visualization for Refuge and Bodhichitta is complex and quite difficult to concentrate on. Without a strong motivation coming from deep habituation in the four thoughts, it is hard for us to discipline the mind to do the subsequent practices correctly. 

After listening to the teachings, you should not just leave it aside. When you go home, look over the materials again. It is not a lot. Just review it, sum up the main points and meditate on it for a short while.  In your usual life, think about impermanence more often. Apply it to the situations you are in. Think of how precious your life is, you can also reflect on the lives of other people. 

When you truly see how precious your life is and how impermanent it is, life becomes very precious and special to you. Time becomes very precious.  Your longing for the Dharma intensifies. Your faith increases and you become a real practitioner.

Integrating Dharma views into the way you think

Geshe Thubten Palsang

When contemplating a Dharma point you heard before, it feels at first like you are  pushing your mind to accept it. For example, when reflecting on dependent origination, you first try to convince yourself that "a result arises from numerous causes and conditions coming together". This is the initial level of understanding.  

After repeatedly deepening your reflection to a certain extent, this concept finally becomes your own. At this point, it is no longer just a concept but reality to you—this is the second level of understanding.  

The initial level of understanding feels like indoctrination. In the past few days of teachings, everyone was "indoctrinated" with many explanations, scriptural quotations and examples on the topic of dependent origination. But I think only the second level of understanding is real understanding...  

Regarding the statement, "a result arises from numerous causes and conditions coming together", you must scrutinize it from many angles over and over again.  Through repeated contemplation, you develop full certainty in it and this Dharma concept truly becomes the way you think. Only then can this understanding stand up to any situation or difficulties you face in life.  

In these adverse situations, this understanding serves its function and helps you develop further contemplations.  This then is the benefit of your study. If you merely think about the idea once or twice casually and have only a vague sense of agreeing with this view, then it will be of little use when the situation requires it.

~~

Some people feel that HH Dalai Lama's teachings are repetitive and lack novelty, but those who are experienced in Dharma will value HH’s teachings and find deeper insights in his teachings the more they listen to it. 

A distinctive feature of HH’s teachings is that, due to his vast knowledge and the limited time he has to teach, he approaches the same topic from a different angle each year.  Those who truly appreciate HH’s teachings, upon hearing his explanation of a topic for the first time, might think, “HH has chosen to explain this topic this way for some important reason, what could be his intention?” 

They hold this question in mind and when they hear His Holiness explain the same topic again from another perspective, they retain it in their minds, gradually building up their understanding.  After listening to HH dissect the same topic from three or four different angles, the listener will feel that he has begun to comprehend the topic to a deeper degree.

The most profound Dharma

Lama Atisha

The most profound dharma is cause and effect. It is even superior to gain stable conviction in karma than to see the face of the yidam deity.

(Note: Lama Atisha is one of the most accomplished scholar-yogi in India.  He revived Buddhism in Tibet when it was degenerating. )

Unmistaken Dharma Practice

Guru Rinpoche

Whether you meditate on emptiness or anything else, it is mistaken meditation practice unless it becomes an effective remedy against disturbing emotions (mental afflictions) and ordinariness. Something that does not counteract the disturbing emotions and ordinariness is a cause for falling into samsaric existence. If any teaching you study, reflect upon, or expound becomes an effective remedy against your disturbing emotions as well as an aid for allowing the pure Dharma to take birth in your being, then that is called a Mahayana teaching and is unmistaken. No matter how much you may be acclaimed as learned in study, exposition, and meditation, if your intention is only the eight worldly concerns, your activity is called a black Dharma practice.

Low quality practice does not bode well

Phurpa Tashi Rinpoche

When doing the preliminary practices, don't just pay attention to the number of accumulations. You should not neglect the visualizations or contemplations needed for each practice. 

Try your best to make each step of the practice clearer and purer.  In the Generation Stage of deity practice, it is said that the three qualities of (1) clear appearance, (2) recollection of purity and (3) stable divine pride are needed. Therefore, each stage of practice must be done properly. We should not try to get it over with in a careless and slipshod manner. The purer the practice, the better it is.

We may imagine that realization will happen all of a sudden if we just receive the higher practice. These are just fantasies.  Realizations or attainments in the more advanced practices depends on how well you put effort in the earlier stages of practice.  Each effort in the preceding practices adds up gradually to bring the final result. 

I have met many students in many places who were very slipshod in their study and practice of the preliminary teachings.  They were just eager to get through it and reach the more advanced teachings which they imagined would bring them their desired accomplishments.  These students invariably end up with no results at all even after they have finished receiving all the advanced teachings.  They end up like people who have not received any teachings in the first place.  Usually, what happens is that these students wander to other teachers and start all over again receiving another set of teachings. 

Many students say, "I have received the Dzogchen from others but I have not received the Dzogchen pith instructions from this teacher," and they come to receive these instructions all over again. This is completely unnecessary. 

Today, when you practice any instruction, you are not very serious about it. You go through the process carelessly, doing it in a superficial and muddled manner.  For the sake of completing some numbers or just to complete the task, you go through the motion of practicing in a mechanical way. You think that when you reach a higher stage of practice, your hoped-for results will suddenly dawn upon you like magic. 

Remember this! Many practitioners who thought this way had a very bitter ending. They ended up with nothing at all.  They might then go for a second or third round of teachings.  Even if they come for a hundred rounds of teaching, I'm afraid nothing much will change. 

Instead of this, why not regard whatever practice you are doing with total seriousness and make sure you do it well and properly.  We have to remember that whatever meditative view or insight you gain in the end is always the cumulative result of every drop of effort you used on the path from the beginning.  It is not that the realizations drop from the sky the moment you receive the higher teachings. This will never ever happen. Never!

Whether you are doing the preliminaries or the main Dzogchen practice, each step of the practice has to be viewed with full seriousness and done properly... the methods for each step of the practice must be fully understood and mastered.  Otherwise, a slipshod approach to Dharma practice will not end well...

Whether you practice meticulously or in a slipshod manner, time passes by nonetheless.  So why not value your time more? Use more effort in your practice. If all of you had practiced in a careful and precise manner, I am sure your meditative view and insight today would not merely be at its present level.

Accomplishments of Chenrezig Practice

Gyaltrul Rinpoche

Many thousands of practitioners in Tibet were known to have achieved the highest realizations through this path. In my monastery of Dhomang, I never heard of any retreatant, any hermit, who didn't receive signs at the time of his passing, such as rainbows and other obvious signs, that enlightenment had been achieved. 

I don't know about the tulkus, but those old hermit lamas were extremely diligent in their practice. They went straight for the target like horses with blinders on—no turning back. They would keep on practicing in retreat until they attained the highest accomplishment. 

For many of them, the older they became, the happier and more beautiful they became. It seemed curious to me, as a child, seeing these people who were supposed to be growing old and unhappy becoming more youthful and happy. 

My teacher, who taught me my ABC's, who taught me just about everything, as far as the nuts and bolts are concerned, and was like a mother to me, maintained a continual retreat in his everyday life for about 40 years. He always performed a regular nyungne (2 days fasting retreat based on Chenrezig) and he kept up his sessions no matter where he was going or what he was doing. 

He was a traveler, like a gypsy. Inside, he was a hermit; outside he had to keep going here and there and doing things. Whether he was walking, or riding on his horse, whenever it was time for the next session he just started up. He was always chanting and reciting and praying. He didn't have to sit in silence in retreat like you do, in so-called ideal circumstances. 

I remember when I was with him during that time, and I saw with my own eyes and heard with my own ears. His white hair began to turn black once again. He had lost his teeth, because of course he was old and we had no dentists in Tibet, but then new teeth came in, just like in his youth, and he became very powerful. So this old man I'd been with, the one who had white hair and no teeth, now had black hair and new teeth, and the skin on his face became taut again like a young man's. 

He never escaped from Tibet when the Chinese came, but prior to my own escape he made many prophecies about what would happen to some of the great teachers of this tradition, very amazing prophecies because, indeed, they came to be fulfilled later on. 

He told me that when I made it to Bodhgaya, Varanasi, and other sacred places in India, the holy spots of Lord Buddha, to please remember to pray for him. I said, "What are you talking about? I'll never get there in this lifetime; it's impossible! It's so far away! I'm not going there." And he replied, "Yes you are. You're going there, and you'll arrive safely, by the grace of the white man who will accompany you." 

I ignored his words, shrugged them off, until later when I was in Bodhgaya; then I remembered. At the onset of the Chinese occupation things became very bad at the monastery in my region. People were being killed, and at that time I felt that I wanted to get out of there. My old teacher said, "Now is the time to go," and instructed me in how to escape. He promised me that I would be safe by the grace of the white man who would accompany me every step of the way, and I asked, "Who is this white man you keep talking about?" because I was still just a boy, and he said, "It is Avalokiteshvara. He will be with you." This was my teacher's tutelary deity, and he had accomplished some 400 million recitations of 0M MANI PADME HUNG. 

Merit for Dharma teachings

Gyaltrul Rinpoche

The Buddha's manifestations are occurring in many, many realms of existence, appearing in countless modes, for the sake of guiding and liberating others.  Many individuals on various planes of existence receive teachings from the Buddha according to their merit, but if that merit isn't sufficiently strong the teaching will eventually die out in that particular realm. 

It's one thing to have the good karma and sufficient merit to receive a teaching, and it's altogether another thing to have the continuing merit and good karma to maintain the presence of that teaching, not only in one's mind, but in one's karmic environment as well. 

For example, consider the situation in the present time when the merit for the Buddhadharma's continued existence in Tibet has become exhausted. For the most part, it has passed from that land and spread to Western countries. Here in America there is some merit for dharma to flourish right now, but that doesn't mean it will always be here. Its continued presence is dependent upon the ability of the people here to continue accumulating the necessary merit.

Pure appearances in a pilgrimage

Lama Dorje Rinchen

The main point of pilgrimage is that one must have first resolved that external appearances are inseparable from mind. This is the homework you must accomplish prior to the pilgrimage. 

This means that you have done a considerable amount of practices and gained a certain amount of confidence whether in terms of the meditative view or through accumulation of a certain number of mantras while meditating on the deity.  If this condition is met, your experience during the pilgrimage will be spiritually elevated.  The encounters would be of an entirely different order. 

A Gelukpa scholar Gendun Chopel said, “Without sufficient accumulation of merits or mantras, simply going for a pilgrimage does not bring any special experiences or attainments.” However, if you have done the necessary accumulations of mantra or already developed some insights into emptiness, the pilgrimage will be totally transformed.

The proof of this is that when the past great masters went on pilgrimage, they would see the Dakas, Dakinis, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas appearing. This does not mean that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are biased and only show themselves to particular persons, such as to these masters who were themselves emanations of Bodhisattvas, while ignoring the ordinary people.  The deities do not give such preferential treatment, they show themselves unreservedly to everyone, but if your karma obscures you, you simply can’t see them. 

Once, when the Rinpoches were released from jail (at the end of the cultural revolution), to compensate them, the government treated them to a trip to Mount Putuo which was an island sacred to Kwan Yin or Chenrezi. The local guide brought them to two caves and told them that many people have seen the various manifestations of Chenrezi and other strange appearances in these caves. The guide then told them to try their luck since they were Buddhists. All the Rinpoches recited the Mani mantra and some supplication prayers to Chenrezi in the caves but no-one saw anything, so they went on with the journey.  

A Rinpoche from Golok was present with the previous Adeu Rinpoche.  They had been incarcerated together for about 20 years and were good friends. This Golok Rinpoche declared, “Impossible! It’s impossible that we can’t see anything. It’s impossible to have no response. We should pray properly again.”

Among the group, only Adeu Rinpoche and Golok Rinpoche were left behind, so they went into one cave each and started praying earnestly. Adeu Rinpoche said that he suddenly began to see a black shadowy blob in front of him. As he continued to pray, the shadow gradually became clearer and clearer until it revealed the form of Four-armed Chenrezi. Adeu Rinpoche was still astonished at the vision when he heard a cry from Golok Rinpoche in the next cave, exclaiming, “I saw it! I saw it! Come quickly!” 

Adeu Rinpoche went over quickly and the Golok Rinpoche said, “See! Such a resplendent form of Thousand-armed Chenrezi, I have never seen anything so beautiful in my life.” All Adeu Rinpoche could see was darkness in the cave. But Golok Rinpoche insisted strongly saying, “See, here is the head, here are the arms holding the Dharma implements. So beautiful, so exquisite!” Adeu Rinpoche still could see nothing. 

Everyone’s karma is different, the two Rinpoches each saw different manifestations of Chenrezi. Of course, the nature of these appearances is one and the same. Pilgrimage is like that. If we lack the merits or lack the sincerity, the pure qualities of mind cannot manifest externally as these holy appearances, then we cannot see anything...

These two masters had absolute faith in the Triple Gems. To the Tibetans, the Triple Gems are infallible and will never deceive or let them down. They had this kind of unshakable faith. They had the confidence that the Triple Gems would definitely take care of them and protect them. They would also take any suffering or setback to be a blessing of the Triple Gems.  There is no notion of blaming the Triple Gems or thinking, “I have been so faithful, I have recited so many mantras, I have been so generous in giving, why am I still facing such obstacles?” Such thoughts would never occur to them.

A great Drukpa Kagyu master Gotsangpa was said to complain to the Triple Gems whenever he was feeling hale and hearty, saying, “Where are your blessings? You did not bless me today.” But if he felt unwell that day, he would thank the Triple Gems for their blessings, feeling that he has finally received their care and compassion. 

Gotsangpa regarded sickness or suffering as a way to quickly exhaust his negative karma. He felt that since he had accumulated a great deal of negative karma since beginningless time, how could he possibly be well and healthy? So, he saw good health as a lack of blessing. Instead, whenever he felt tired, sick or had some obstacles, he regarded that as a true blessing from the Triple Gems. These great masters had this kind of uncontrived faith. 

Therefore, when Adeu Rinpoche and Golok Rinpoche went to Chenrezi’s holy place and could not see anything. They did not think it was a fault of the holy place, they felt it was their own lacking or their own obscurations. What they needed to do was to be even more diligent and sincere. Because, to them, the Triple Gems would never let them down as long as they had total faith. The Tibetans had this type of unquestioning faith.  Tokden Ajam often told me stories of the great practitioners in the past, they were sometimes quite incredible and I often responded with some skepticism, “Is that really true?” Ajam would reply, “Ah, you foreigners have very little faith in the Triple Gems.” But they Tibetans had doubtless faith.

Pureland is a manifestation of pure mind

13th Pureland Patriarch Master Yin-guang

To take rebirth in the pureland, one must first purify the mind. As the mind is purified, the pureland becomes correspondingly pure. To truly purify this mind, it is essential to uphold the pure precepts of the Buddha. If one can truly keep these precepts, the defilements of greed, anger, and ignorance are controlled and not carried out in action. The path of discipline (precepts), concentration and wisdom will fully manifest. Limitless merits along with insight into vast profound truths will be attained even if you do not seek it. These (qualities) appear in the mind.

Complete Freedom in Death

Jamyang Rinpoche

The other day, I had a checkup on my eyesight. Four years ago, it was 70 degrees, this eye (Rinpoche points to his right eye), now it is 170 degrees. What does this tell me? It means I am on my way home. The Lord of Death, Yama, is issuing me a warning letter, “You are already on your way home.”  These are signals to us that we are getting old and going home. Are we prepared for this journey?

If we go overseas to work and the time for our job is nearly up, we should have some savings to show for the time spent overseas. That way, we can use it on our needs back home.  If there are no savings at all, then these few decades of our life have been a complete waste of all our toil and hardship, we only return home empty-handed.

Similarly, we have come to this human birth once with all its precious opportunities for Dharma practice and attaining liberation. We can make sure that we take rebirth in the pureland and attain Buddhahood. But our lives lacks a clarity of purpose; we are surrounded by negative influences, negative friends or negative teachers who steer us towards worldly attachments such as reputation, benefits, position etc. We bet our entire lives on these plans. When it is time to face death, when we look back over our lives, all we have to show for it is nothing.

Look at people who are dying, even their bodies are left behind. Look at the kind of fear and suffering they go through; these will befall us definitely. No one can run away from this outcome. Whether it is a baby that was just born today or an old man in his 80s, we all walk the same path to death.

The person in the highest position will die in exactly the same way as a beggar. No matter who you are, death is your only fate. Death is extremely fair. A person of high stature will also go through the bardo, whatever negative karma you create will ripen on you just the same.

Milarepa said that watching the way a sinful person dies is the greatest teacher, why? Because the torture and suffering they go through reminds us of the inevitability of death and how much suffering it entails. When we look at the death of a practitioner, we also witness the power of Dharma.

In Yarchen monastery, there was an old Lama in his 70s. He stayed in Yarchen monastery for more than 2 years, less than 3 years.  He was my neighbour. I often had my meals at his home, he gave me food. One afternoon, he told me to come in and said, “I will be passing away tonight.” He did not even have a cold, he was perfectly healthy.  He was in the middle of receiving the full teachings on Dzogchen, he had not completed Togal practice yet.  He told me, “I am going to leave tonight, you must go to Lama Achuk Rinpoche tonight and inform him. Guru will take care of the necessary arrangements from tomorrow onwards. Do not tell anyone else.”

I wondered if this old man was slightly absurd as he was healthy without even so much as a cough. He made buns for me and we had a meal together. He said, “This is our last meal together. After this, I can’t help you anymore. You have to find your own meals.” This old lama had always made meals for me. I was very poor when I was younger. After my meditation sessions, I would look for rising smoke from the chimneys and just pop by anyone’s place to ask for a meal. I was pretty thick-skinned. Even if they don’t give me food, I would still stand by waiting. In the end, I would eat whatever they gave me. I had no food in my own house.

This old man often gave me food as he was better off.  He also divided his possessions up, telling me, “This portion is for the monastery, this is for Lama Achuk Rinpoche, this pot is for you.” When I reached home, I thought about it.  Sometimes, it is said that practitioners cannot be judged outwardly. As the saying goes, “One never knows who is a thief and who is a Bodhisattva.” The thief will not admit he is a thief and the Bodhisattva will not tell others about it either.  So, I thought that anything is possible, and went to Guru at around 7pm or 8pm to inform him of what happened.

Guru said, “It is true, he will leave tonight. You should follow his instructions. Lock the door. Tomorrow, go there and make the water and lamp offerings, don’t let anyone else into the house. Only you can go in.”

When I returned home, I thought, “The lama is sitting there by himself, will he really die? I have locked the door from outside, if he can’t come out from his house, won’t it be troublesome?” I sat on the roof of my house that night, it was very cold, about minus 20-30 degrees in the winter.  I kept waiting, then changed the water and lamp offerings, then continued waiting… up till around 2 or 3am.  A Dharma brother said, “Why are you sitting up there for such a long time, your ears would be frost-bitten.”

But I was just afraid of locking the old lama in if he did not die.  I peeked secretly in his window while I changed the water offerings. The lama was just sitting there quietly without moving. I could make out his silhouette through the window.

Seven days later, I exited my meditation session when the conch was blown. Guru came, bringing Asang Tulku Rinpoche and another monk with him. Guru told me to unlock the door and to light the lamps. I did as was told and looked at the lama who was just sitting there with his head slightly downwards.  Guru did some prayers with the bell and vajra, and upon concluding, the Lama’s head drooped down completely and the white and red fluid flowed out of his nostrils. (Rinpoche gestured at his left nostril when saying that the blood flowed out.) These are the red and white Bodhichitta fluids, a sign of attaining Buddhahood.  The body had been there for seven days in minus 20 plus degrees, but it looked healthy, was soft and remained warm at the arm-pit regions. I was there personally handling the corpse.

If you practice Dharma properly, you can achieve this. Why can’t we achieve this? Due to a lack of determination and a one-pointed mind.  You can’t let go of reputation, benefits, position, relatives. You are entangled by problems of wealth and possessions. Due to this, your mind is tied up and unable to practice. Or you are always clinging to your children or family.  These are your constraints.

Pure samaya

A sharing by an accomplished master

During Lama Rinpoche's teaching today, an elderly monk passed away. He was someone who had taken ordination later in life. He stayed here for six years, having left home due to conflicts with his family. He didn’t know how to meditate—whenever he tried, he would just fall asleep.  He never spoke ill of any vajra brothers or sisters. He had faith and pure perception toward his Guru and fellow practitioners. Due to the power of this quality, he was unable to speak negatively about anyone. His samaya was exceptionally pure.  

He often visited me and would talk about his hometown, but whenever he spoke of that, he never mentioned anyone’s faults.  He only spoke of their virtues. 

Today, while Lama Rinpoche was expounding on the Manjushri scripture, he passed away. He wasn’t sick at all, nor was he in any pain. He simply sat there peacefully and left. His head tilted slightly forward, and no one realized he had passed until after the teaching ended, when everyone stood up and he remained still.  

His passing was so effortless! He entered samadhi and remained in that state for seven days. When he was cremated, incredible signs appeared in the sky—rainbow clouds, shapes of victory banners, and many other wondrous manifestations. Though he had taken ordination late in life, due to the immense power of the Vajrayana and his pure observance of samaya, he became a practitioner of the highest capacity.  All his obscurations were completely purified.  

During those seven days in samadhi, when the door to his room was opened, an extraordinary fragrance filled the air—a scent far surpassing any worldly fragrance. Everyone remarked on how wonderful it smelled. Even the most renowned Khenpos and Tulkus would find it difficult to manifest such signs during death. This is not to say anything bad about other lamas, really not. It’s just that this old monk had very few opinions or disturbing thoughts. He did not have doubts on others, always thinking, “Everyone is so amazing, so wonderful!” He never spoke ill of anyone and was extremely careful in his conduct.  

In the context of Vajrayana, maintaining such purity guarantees Buddhahood—one will surely attain Thugdam (post-death meditative equipoise.  Please explain this to the other students clearly. This old monk’s peaceful passing was primarily due to his pure samaya. With pure samaya, one is certain to receive the Guru’s blessings! This is not limited to any lineage, tradition or school, whether one is a Khenpo or a Tulku makes no difference. Many people display auspicious signs at death, but this old man—though nothing remarkable could be said about his life—manifested such rare and extraordinary signs!

How to practice Dharma

Jamyang Rinpoche

Lama Atisha said, “Even if one keeps the three levels of vows perfectly, if a practitioner does not have the mind that renounces samsara, (performing many positive deeds) become the cause of samsara instead.”

A person keeps the three levels of vows perfectly (Pratimoksha vows, Bodhisattva Vows and Vajrayana samayas), practices the Dharma day and night diligently but he has not renounced or turned his mind away from the three realms of cyclic rebirth (samsara).  Then no matter how this practitioner practices or chants, it will not become a merit for liberation or a cause for liberation from samsara.

Some people seem to be doing a good job with keeping their vows. They studied a lot of Dharma and did many years of retreat. Wow, it seems like they are such great practitioners, but the truth may not be so because they did not give rise to genuine renunciation in their minds.

Some people may be dressed in rags and shabby-looking, they may seem to be staying in isolated mountain retreats or the cities in an aimless manner.  They do very little recitation of mantras and so forth. Are they lousy practitioners?  The truth may not be so too because they are practitioners who always check their own minds.

In Yarchen Monastery, there was an old lama who was very diligent in his Dharma practice. He did large amounts of recitations and homework diligently. There was another lama who was quite mediocre. He was in his 40s. The old lama was in his 70s. We never ever saw the younger lama doing his practice. After Lama Achuk Rinpoche finished giving teachings, the younger lama did not even glance at his texts a second time.   He would just sit there by himself with his monk shawl covering his head (Rinpoche demonstrated how). He did this daily without doing anything else.

Once, we were sitting on the grass plains meditating. After the session of meditation, we began to discuss Dharma. The older lama who liked recitation couldn’t keep up with the discussion.  In terms of the contemplation of Dharma, the younger lama was much richer in his understanding.

Some time later, when we received Dzogchen teachings from Lama Achuk Rinpoche, we were practicing Togal. Lama Achuk Rinpoche commented about the younger lama, saying, “He is someone who has attained Buddhahood in this life.”  In terms of Togal, this younger lama has probably reached the level of rainbow body.

(Rinpoche laughed) At the beginning, all of us admired the older lama. This younger lama was held as an example of a poor practitioner while the older lama was regarded as a good practitioner. But later on, it became clear that the older lama was probably still attached to some parts of samsara and fixated on his external practice, while the other lama was always introspective and examining his own mind with constant mindfulness.  Hence, in terms of actual Dharma attainment and practice, the younger lama surpassed the older lama by a lot.

The older lama had very little contemplation of Dharma. His main practice was recitation. His self-reflection and internal mental practice were lacking. Without inner reflection, it is very hard to generate renunciation.

When we know a place is very dangerous and fearsome, we will do our best to avoid that place. When we ate something delicious and have been poisoned before, the next time we see that delicious dish, we will avoid it fearfully at all cost. Because we know that eating it again, we will just suffer from wracking pains… Merely seeing the dish would bring us fearful memories, let alone eating it again.

In the same way, if we have contemplated deeply and habituated ourselves, the very thought of samsara, from the highest heavens to the hell realms, will generate fear in our hearts.  We will be very determined, “No matter how, I will never ever return to samsara.  I must find a way to escape in the bardos.”  This is strong renunciation. 

If we do not have renunciation, when we hear of the various realms of samsara being described, whether heavens or hells, we do not have the slightest feeling. We may talk alot about the intense hunger in the preta realms, but our minds are unmoved. The reason we do not feel anything is because we have not contemplated deeply and habituated ourselves to these contemplations. Without habituation, there is no renunciation.

Without renunciation, no matter how we recite or practice Dharma, just as Lama Atisha said, you can’t free yourselves from samsara. Here it is said (Lama Atisha), “If you practice very diligently day and night but do not dedicate your merits towards perfect Buddhahood, the merits would be destroyed by inverted thoughts. Even if you have the qualities of wisdom, pure vows, study and practice, without abandoning the eight worldly Dharmas, everything would become the provision for only this life, you will not attain the path in future lives.”

As said, even if one is a great Khenpo or a master with great wisdom, your vows are perfectly pure, you have mastery over the Dharma teachings and teach it eloquently, your contemplation and practice of Dharma is also quite good, yet all your diligent practices such as making offerings, generosity to others etc can still be contaminated.

For instance, you might teach Dharma but it is stained with the wish for fame. You may contemplate and practice the Dharma but you are concerned with what kind of karmic rewards it will bring. You keep pure vows but you hope for others’ praise or a good reputation.  Then everything you do has been stained by the eight worldly dharmas. In this case, all your practice will only become a worldly merit. You do not even have the slightest merit for liberation.

We should look at our motivations when we release lives etc.  I myself have this obstacle. When I go and do puja, I observe my own motivation. When you come for teachings from home, you should also observe your own motivation, how dreadful and impure it can be.

The moment you observe your motivation and see how impure and dreadful it is, you start becoming a real practitioner.  Because you are finally becoming aware of your mistakes. Normally, we think that we have no mistakes. But we should observe ourselves clearly.

The mind does not stop moving for even an instant.  The mind sways between virtue to non-virtue constantly from thought to thought. Without self-reflection, we don’t know what the mind is really doing. Now, after learning Dharma, we begin to observe our minds.

Upon self-reflection, we feel the burden of this mind.  We feel how terrible the mental afflictions are and how they keep arising in our minds. This proves that your practice is improving. In the past, I told Lama Achuk Rinpoche that when I was meditating by myself, the mental afflictions were arising non-stop. It was very hard to handle them.

I told Guru, “I used to be quite a good person, why am I becoming worse after meditating?” The moment I looked at my mind, I became very bothered by all the afflictions that were arising… I told Lama Rinpoche, “The afflictions are arising one after another non-stop, I am so tired of dealing with them, what should I do?” 

Guru said, “This means that you are really practicing Dharma. This is good. You are beginning to recognize your mental afflictions. Originally, you were full of these mental afflictions, but you did not recognize them and allowed them to be free to do anything they want.  Now, due to your self-reflection, you recognize them and are restricting their freedom. Your practice is progressing in the correct direction.”

In the course of our Dharma practice, when you recognize more and more of your afflictions, this is true practice.  When you don’t recognize them, you feel like you are such a great person, then it is for sure that you are not practicing Dharma well.

Mind can only be changed by mind

Jamyang Rinpoche

Many people think that practicing Dharma is recitation or doing good deeds such as offering lamps, offering flowers, circumambulation of mandalas etc.  They consider this Dharma practice. Actually, this kind of practice is more like the external appearance of practicing Dharma.  The real Dharma practice must take place in our minds. The mind must be transformed. 

Recitation cannot change the mind.  Doing good deeds cannot change the mind. The mind can only change through correct habituation when we observe the mind and distinguish between what is virtue and non-virtue.  By nature, the mind is neutral. It cannot be manipulated or changed by using an external action, it can only be changed through a mental process. 

The mind can only be changed by mind itself. It can only transform when we habituate the mind.  Nothing else can change it from the fundamental level. Sitting in an excellent meditative posture, singing or reciting the mantra melodiously, releasing many lives, offering many flowers, reciting many mantras etc will not automatically reduce the mental afflictions.  

The main point of Dharma practice is to weaken or remove the mental afflictions.  This can only happen through habituation to the correct view. Non-virtuous thoughts have to be trained so that they become virtuous. It is the mind that has to be liberated, not your body or speech. It is your own mind that has to be liberated, not other people or the external environment. 

Hence, it is vitally important to practice on the level of mind when we engage in Dharma practices.  Don’t limit yourself to superficial appearances of Dharma practice. Stop emphasizing on external oriented Dharma practice.

Bliss can cover the truth

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo

Sometimes practitioners enter into blissful states and think they are liberated; everything is so clear. But what can happen is that the state of bliss can act as a shield which hides one’s negative emotions. One’s delusions, greed, lust, anger, and ill-will are all still lying latent. This is very dangerous because it deludes us into thinking that we are much more spiritually advanced than we are and that all our negative emotions have been eradicated. We can get into this state where all seems absolutely perfect, but actually the deeply rooted problem has never been resolved.