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Aspiration by Guru Rinpoche – Phakchok Rinpoche message in November 2012 สารจากท่าน พักชก ริมโปเช พฤศจิกายน 2555

Guru Rinpoche Day
 

Dear Friends Near and Far:

Greetings to you all on this tenth day of the tenth month of the dragon year! I hope you’ve all been happy and healthy. I am well and at the moment in Poland wrapping up the teachings here and now yearning to be back home and to the moment of experiencing the descending of the Thai airline into the Valley and having to get the first glimpse of the Great Stupa glittering away at high noon two days from today!

 

Coming back to this auspicious day, I would like to share with you this amazing aspiration made by Guru Rinpoche on the request of Trisong Detsen. This is an aspiration for all the future generations, the precious masters and the precious sanghas.

 

The Aspiration of the Vajradhatu Mandala

Chokchu Dushi – Aspiration by Guru Rinpoche

 

Namo Guru 

 

On the tenth day of the monkey month in the monkey year, Orgyen uttered this aspiration on the occasion of revealing the vajradhatu mandala in the turquoise-coated middle chamber of Samye. Thereafter, the king and the disciples made it their daily practice: All future generations should wholeheartedly take it up as their practice as well! 

 

Victorious ones and your sons in the ten directions and four times,

Assemblies of gurus, yidams, dakinis, and Dharma protectors,

Please come here all of you, numerous as dust motes in the world,

And be seated on the lotus and moon seat in the sky before me.

 

With respectful body, speech, and mind I bow down

And present you outer, inner, secret, and suchness offerings.

In your presence, sugatas, supreme objects of worship,

I feel shame for all my past evil actions

And regretfully apologize for my present non-virtues.

In order to turn away from them in the future I shall restrain myself.

 

I rejoice in all the gatherings of merit and virtue

And ask you, victorious ones, not to pass into nirvana

But to turn the Dharma wheel of the Tripitaka and the unexcelled teachings.

All accumulations of virtue I dedicate to the minds of beings

So they may reach unsurpassable liberation.

 

Buddhas and your sons, please listen to me!

May this excellent aspiration which I have begun here

Be expressed in accordance with the victorious Samantabhadra and his sons

And with the wisdom of noble Manjushri.

 

May all the precious masters, the splendor of the doctrine,

Reach everywhere like the sky.

May they shine on everyone like the sun and moon

And may their lives be firm like mountains.

 

May the precious sangha, the foundation of the doctrine,

Be in harmony, keep pure vows and be wealthy in the three trainings.

May the practitioners of Mantrayana, the essence of the doctrine,

Keep their samaya and perfect the development and completion stages.

 

May the ruler who supports the Dharma, the patron of the doctrine,

Expand his dominion and aid the Buddhist teachings.

May the nobility and chieftains, the servants of the doctrine,

Increase their intelligence and be endowed with resourcefulness.

 

May all rich householders, the sponsors of the doctrine,

Have wealth and enjoyments and be free from harm.

May all the countries with faith in the doctrine

Have peace and happiness and be free from obstacles.

 

May I, a yogi on the path,

Have flawless samaya and fulfillment of my wishes.

May anyone connected with me through either good or evil karma

Both now and ultimately be cherished by the victorious ones.

May all beings enter the gate of the unexcelled vehicle

And attain the vast kingdom of Samantabhadra.

 

Exert yourself in this aspiration during the six sessions. Samaya. Seal. 

 

The great terton Chokgyur Lingpa, emanation of Prince Murub, revealed this treasure among a crowd of people. He took it from underneath the upper part of Piled Jewels Rock Mountain situated on the right slope of the most sacred place, Sengchen Namtrak. Written by Tsogyal in Tibetan shurma letters upon silk paper made from the robe of Vairochana, it was then immediately transcribed correctly by Padma Garwang Lodrö Thaye. May virtuous goodness increase.

 

Keeping you all in my heart and prayers and as always, sending you all much love and affection.

 

Sarva Mangalam,

 

Phakchok Rinpoche

 

 

 

Translated by Erik Pema Kunsang. Edited by Marcia Binder Schmidt, Kerry Moran and Michael Tweed. 

© Rangjung Yeshe Translations & Publications, 1995

www.phakchokrinpoche.org

www.cglf.org

The Prayer in Seven Chapters to Padmakara – Phakchok Rinpoche message in October 2012 สารจากท่าน พักชก ริมโปเช ตุลาคม 2555

The Prayer in Seven Chapters to Padmakara

Dear Friends Near and Far:

I hope you have all been happy and healthy. I am in Arhus, Denmark at our meditation center and all is well here. For today’s Guru Rinpoche Day, I would like to share with you an excerpt from, “The Prayer in Seven Chapters to Padmakara”. And from the forth chapter, “The Prayer Requested by Namkhe Nyingpo”:

Do this towards all you see:
Outside, inside, environment and beings, all things-
Whilst seeing them, without grasping, remain.
This freedom from the trap of duality, subject-object clinging, is
the very form of the deity-luminous and empty.
To this lama, the very self-liberation of desire and
Attachment, we pray!
To the Lotus-born Guru of Orgyen, we pray!

Do this towards all that you hear:
All sounds, grasped as sweet or harsh,
Whilst hearing them, empty, without after-thought, remain.
This empty sound, with no beginning and no end, is the speech of the victorious ones.
To this empty sound, the speech of all the buddhas, we pray!
To the Lotus-born Guru of Orgyen, we pray!

Do this towards all that stirs in the mind:
Whatever thoughts and emotions of the five poisons arise,
Don’t invite them, don’t chase after them, don’t let mind fabricate or contrive:
Simply allowing them to settle in the face of their own arising, is liberation into the dharmakaya.
To this lama, rigpa’s self-realization, we pray!
To the Lotus-born Guru of Orgyen, we pray!

Thus, outwardly purify appearances of their allure;
Inwardly, free mind from grasping;
And, by the self-recognition of lumonisity,
May the compassion of all the sugatas of past, present and future
Inspire and bless beings like us with self liberation!

May we be able to mingle our minds with our Guru when reciting these lines with immense longing and devotion.

Sarva Mangalam,
Phakchok Rinpoche

Hope, Fear and Ego – Phakchok Rinpoche message in September 2012 สารจากท่าน พักชก ริมโปเช กันยายน 2555

Guru Rinpoche Day
 Dear Friends Near and Far:I hope you have all been happy and healthy. I am in Guadalajara, Mexico preparing for todays Guru Rinpoche Day’s feast offering. I am going to keep each and everyone of you in my mind during the feast offering.

So for today’s Guru Rinpoche Day, I would like to share with you a key that helps unlock the root of all hope and fear. To really understand the dharma, to practice the dharma, and to apply the dharma, you really need to understand this key. On a day to day basis, where does all our hope and fear arise from? It arises from identity, feeling, belief, and ego clinging. The root is ego, this self centered ego.

What is hope? Hope is a positive attachment. When you don’t receive that or don’t have that you feel pain. What is Fear? Fear is something that you don’t like to have or don’t want to be. So most of our thoughts and feelings are contained in hope and fear.

Now I am going to give you a short quotation:

“Without cutting or reducing ego clinging, no matter how much you want to practice the dharma or live a positive life it is not going to work.”

As usual, my advice is don’t believe me but see it for your own self. So usually I say “seeing” is the first step, “recognizing” is the second step, “admitting” is the third step, “changing” is the fourth step and “measuring change” is the fifth step.

From another quotation:

“Without cutting the root of ego, meditation is just a creation of mind. Understanding is just labeling. Thinking that you understood is just subtle pride. When you really cut the root of ego, you don’t differentiate between yourself and others, and then you will understand selflessness. It is then when the realization of emptiness and compassion is going to be inseparable.”

So it is very important to reduce the ego. My message today may sound complicating to some, helpful to a handful and completely gibberish to many! But from my part, it is, has been, and will always be a joyful pleasure to connect with each and everyone of you and be a constant reminder of impermanence with each passing GRD one year after another.

Enclosed is a picture of my grandfather, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche pointing his finger inward. Thinking of you all and keeping you all in the depth of my heart and aspiration.

Sarva Mangalam,

Phakchok Rinpoche

www.phakchokrinpoche.org

www.cglf.org

Three Qualities – Phakchok Rinpoche message in August 2012 สารจากท่าน พักชก ริมโปเช สิงหาคม 2555

 Guru Rinpoche Day
Dear Dharma Brothers and Sisters,I hope you have all been happy and healthy. I have been well and busy hopping from one city to another on the eastern coast of United States.  I started out this morning at the Garrison Institute and then to Bedford to do a puja at a close friend’s place  and then to Irvington for an afternoon teaching followed by dinner with few friends and now finally in Room # 232 of some hotel an hour away from NYC. Yes, I am exhausted and therefore will keep todays GRD message short, my apologies.

So, whether in your mundane life or your spiritual, always remind your self of the three qualities:

1. Intelligence and wisdom in your brain

– Knowing your own negative emotions, knowing the dharma, and knowing how to practice the dharma.

2. Compassion in your heart

– Compassion without bias, compassion without judgement, and compassion without ego.

3. Dignity and confidence in your gut

– Knowing that you can succeed in your practice, seeing your improvement, and gradually gaining dignity in your practice without ego.

See it, experience it, and investigate whether having these three qualities in your life impact your life positively or not!

 

Sarva Mangalam,

Phakchok Rinpoche

www.phakchokrinpoche.org
www.cglf.org

Preliminary Practices (Dudjom Tersar Ngondro) Dharma talk and group practice with Lama Rinchen Phuntsok Wednesday 8th August 2012 – การปฎิบัติพื้นฐานแห่งธรรม บรรยายและปฏิบัติร่วมกัน โดย พระลามะ รินเชน พูนสก วันพูธที่ 8 สิงหาคม 2555

 

Dharma talk and group practice on Preliminary practices (Dudjom Tersar Ngondro) by Lama Rinchen Phuntsok on Wednesday 8th August 2555 6:30pm-8:30pm
การปฎิบัติพื้นฐานแห่งธรรม บรรยายและปฏิบัติร่วมกันโดย พระลามะ รินเชน พูนสก วันพุธที่ 8 สิงหาคม 2555 18:30น.-20:30น.

At Welcome apartment (ram’s home)
RSVP: Please let us know if you’ll be coming by clicking “Attend” on the Mongkol Sri facebook event page or send request in contact us

ณ อาคาร เวลคัมชั้น 12 ติดสน. บางรัก ถ. นเรศ
สำรองที่นั่ง contact ที่นี่ หรือ Mongkol Sri facebook event page หรือโทร 081-9855564

 

Location
Welcome palace apartment (ram’s home). For directions please see below. Please feel free to call ram at 0819855564 orcontact us for more info and feel free to invite others who might be interested as well.
Date/Time: 6pm-8pm, Wednesday 8th August 2012

This event is free of charge suitable for everyone from beginner to advanced practitioner.

Please share this event with others who might be interested as well and if you wish, you could bring some vegetarian snacks and drinks which will be shared with others.

Directions
Welcome Palace apartment on Naret rd. (a one way street), off of Sriphraya road. If you are coming by Sub-way (easiest) you can take the Samyan station exit in front of the temple then catch a Taxi or take a Motorbike Taxi (20 Baht) from there by telling them to go to Bangrak Police station. If coming by BTS you can get off at Saladaeng station and take a taxi from there as well. You can just tell the taxi to come to the Bangrak police station if you are coming directly from elsewhere. Once at the police station, my building is an old white building just before the station, come on the 12th floor on the right side and you’ll see a big door and I’ll be in there. If you see a lot of Africans in the building it means that you are in the right building.

 

The Path to Enlightenment Dharma talk by Lama Rinchen Phuntsok on Sun 29th July 2012 ธรรมบรรยาย หนทางสู่การตรัสรู้ วันอาทิตย์ที่ 29 กรกฎาคม 2555 โดย ลามะรินเชน พูนสก

On Sunday 29th July 9:30am-12:30pm, Lama Rinchen Phuntsok will be giving Dharma talk on “The Path to Enlightenment”

วันอาทิตย์ที่ 29 กรกฎาคม 2555 9:30น.-12:30น. ธรรมบรรยาย “หนทางสู่การตรัสรู้” โดย ลามะรินเชน พูนสก
ท่านสามารถนำอาหารมังสวิรัติและ เครื่องดื่มมาแบ่งปันให้ผู้มาปฏิบัติท่านอื่นด้วย
ณ อาคาร เวลคัมชั้น 12 ติดสน. บางรัก ถ. นเรศ
สำรองที่นั่ง contact ที่นี่ หรือ Mongkol Sri facebook event page หรือโทร 081-9855564

ไม่มีค่าใช้จ่ายใดๆ

 

Please share this event with others who might be interested as well and if you wish, you could bring some vegetarian snacks and drinks which will be shared with others.

Location: Welcome palace apartment (ram’s home). For directions please see below.

These events are free of charge and suitable for everyone from beginner to advanced practitioner.

RSVP: Please let us know if you’ll be coming by clicking “Attend” on the Mongkol Sri facebook event page or send request in contact us

 

Location

Welcome palace apartment (ram’s home). For directions please see below. Please feel free to call ram at 0819855564 orcontact us for more info and feel free to invite others who might be interested as well.
Date/Time: 9:30am-12:30pm, Saturday 28th July 2012

This event is free of charge suitable for everyone from beginner to advanced practitioner.

Directions

Welcome Palace apartment on Naret rd. (a one way street), off of Sriphraya road. If you are coming by Sub-way (easiest) you can take the Samyan station exit in front of the temple then catch a Taxi or take a Motorbike Taxi (20 Baht) from there by telling them to go to Bangrak Police station. If coming by BTS you can get off at Saladaeng station and take a taxi from there as well. You can just tell the taxi to come to the Bangrak police station if you are coming directly from elsewhere. Once at the police station, my building is an old white building just before the station, come on the 12th floor on the right side and you’ll see a big door and I’ll be in there. If you see a lot of Africans in the building it means that you are in the right building.

 

Instruction that will help at the time of death – Phakchok Rinpoche message on Guru Rinpoche day สารจากท่าน พักชก ริมโปเช กรกฎาคม 2555

Guru Rinpoche Day
Dear Friends Near and Far:Greetings to you all on this Guru Rinpoche Day, the day he was known as Guru Senge Dradok back in the 8thcentury raising the victory banner of the Dharma when he vanquished the tirthikas from South India who were attempting to harm the Buddha Dharma.I truly hope that you’ve all be happy and healthy. I am happy and juggling a bit with my weight here in Hong Kong but besides which all is well!

A student of mine recently asked me for a pith instruction that will help him at the time of death and I couldn’t think of any other teaching but the advice given by Guru Rinpoche to his consort, the Lady of Kharchen, Yeshe Tsogyal.

And from the “Dakini Teaching”, it goes . . .

“Master, although I have served you for a long time, I am now an old woman with no confidence at all about the moment of death.  So I beseech you to hold me with compassion and give me a single instruction – concise and easy to practice – that condenses all the oral teachings into one.”

The great master replied, “Devoted woman with a faithful and virtuous mind, listen to me.  Although the profound key points of body are many, rest freely and relaxed, in whatever way you feel comfortable. Everything is included in simply that.

Although there are many key points of speech, such as controlling the breath and reciting mantras, stop speaking and rest like a mute.  Everything is included in simply that.

Although the many key points of mind involve concentrating, relaxing, projecting, absorbing, focusing inward and so on, everything is included in resting in genuine simplicity, free and easy, in your own nature.

“The mind won’t remain serenely in that state.  Like a cool breeze in the heat of the sun, if you ask, ‘Is it nothing?’ it vanishes swiftly like mist.  If you ask, ‘Is it something?’ it has no shape, color or any identifying characteristic whatsoever but is utterly empty and completely awake.  Vividly awake – this is the fundamental nature of your mind.

“Since this is how it is, the view is to recognize and resolve on that point. 

The meditation is to remain undistracted in a state of tranquility, steadfast, without fabrication or fixation. 

In that state, to be free from clinging or attachment, accepting or rejecting, hope or fear, towards any of the experiences of the six senses – that is the conduct.

“Whatever doubt or divided mind occurs, supplicate to your master.  Don’t remain among a crowd of people; practice in seclusion.  You must give up whatever great desire and yearning you have for this life, completely cut your attachment toward those with whom you have ties of attachment, and practice.  In that way, although your form is human, your thinking will be equal to that of an enlightened one.

“To continue, at the time of dying, practice as follows:

“As the earth element dissolves into the water element, the body becomes heavy and cannot support itself.  As the water element dissolves into the fire element, the mouth and nose dry up.  As the fire element dissolves into the wind element, the body heat slips away.  As the wind element dissolves into consciousness, one cannot but exhale with a rattle and inhale with a gasp.

“At that time, it feels like you have been pressed down by a huge mountain, are trapped within darkness, and hurled into space.  All these appearances are accompanied by roaring and ringing sounds.  The entire sky will appear as vividly bright as silk brocade flung open.

“Furthermore, within a dome of rainbow lights the natural forms of your awareness will materialize as peaceful, wrathful, and semi-wrathful deities with various heads.  Brandishing many kinds of weapons and filling the sky with fierce sounds.  The light, moreover, will be like a hundred thousand suns shining simultaneously.

“At this time, your innate deity will remind you of awareness, saying: ‘Don’t be distracted!  Don’t be distracted!’  Your innate demon will disturb the appearances and sweep them away, uttering many sharp and fierce sounds and leading you into confusion.

“When this occurs, know that the sensation of being pressed down is not a mountain pressing down but is your own elements dissolving.  Do not fear that!  The feeling of being trapped within darkness is not darkness, but are your five sense faculties dissolving.  The feeling of being hurled into the expanse of space is not being hurled.  It is that your mind and body have separated and your breathing has stopped so that your mind is without support.

“All experiences of rainbow lights are the natural radiance of your awareness.  All the peaceful and wrathful bodies are the natural forms of your awareness.  All sounds are your own sounds.  All lights are your own lights.  Have no doubt about this!  If doubt arises, you will be thrown into samsara.  Having resolved this to be self-display, if you rest wide awake in the luminosity inseparable from emptiness, by simply that you will attain the three kayas and become enlightened.  Even if cast into samsara, you won’t go.

“The innate deity is the present taking hold of your mind with undistracted mindfulness.  From now on, it is most important to have no fascination, happiness or sorrow, and to be without hope and fear or clinging and fixation towards any of the objects of your six sense faculties.  If from this time onward you attain stability, you will become enlightened by taking hold of your natural state in the bardo.  Therefore, the most vital point is to sustain your practice undistractedly right now.

“The innate demon is your present habitual ignorance, your uncertain mind, and your doubt.  Whatever fearful phenomena appear at that time – such as the triad of sounds, colors and lights – do not become fascinated, do not create doubts and do not panic.  Since you will wander in samsara if you fall back into doubt for even a single moment, gain complete stability.

“At this time, all womb entrances will appear as celestial palaces, and you must not be captivated by them.  Be sure of that!  Separate yourself from hope and fear!  Without taking another rebirth, you will become enlightened.  I swear this without a doubt.  During this period, you are not benefited by a Buddha; it is your own awareness that has been enlightened from the very beginning.  You are not harmed by the hells.  Fixation is purified by itself so that all hope and fear concerning samsara and nirvana are severed at the root.

“Examples for becoming enlightened at such a time are like murky water becoming clear and limpid, like gold being purged of impurities, or clouds vanishing from the sky.  Having attained the space-like Dharmakaya for your own benefit, you will accomplish the benefit of sentient beings pervading space.  Having attained Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya for the welfare of others, you will benefit sentient beings as much as your awareness pervades phenomena.

“If this instruction is given three times to a very evil person, such as someone who has killed his own father and mother, he will not fall into samsara even if thrown there.  Thus, enlightenment is without a doubt.  Lacking an instruction like this, regardless of however many other profound teachings you may have, you can only speak the words.  Hence, since you do not know where you may wander, practice this teaching with perseverance.

“Concerning the disciples to whom this type of teaching should be given, they should be those with great faith, great diligence and great intelligence, who always remember their teacher, have confidence in the oral instructions, and exert themselves vigorously in the practice.  Their understanding should be stable and they should have the capacity to give up worldly concerns.  To them you should be generous.  In addition bestow the master’s seal of entrustment, the yidam’s seal of secrecy, and the dakini’s seal of entrustment.

“Although I, Padmakara, have followed many masters for three thousand, six hundred years, have requested oral instructions and detailed explanations, and have taught, meditated and carried out sadhana practice, I have not found any teaching more profound than this.  Now I am going to tame the rakshas, and you should practice exactly in this way.  Mother, you will become enlightened in the Buddhafield of Vajra Varahi.  Therefore, persevere in this instruction.”

After he spoke, the guru mounted the rays of the sun and departed to the land of the rakshas.  The lady attained liberation at this time and put the teaching in writing, hiding it as a profound treasure.  She made this aspiration: “In the future, may this be passed on to Guru Dorje Lingpa.  May it then benefit many beings.”

This completes the extremely sacred instruction, The Most Refined Essence: the reply to questions on self-liberation in the bardo of dying.  Samaya, seal, seal, seal.

For those of you who just embarked on the path, don’t be alarmed by the instructions above. To you all I would like to simply remind that, at the time of death, do not have any regrets of this life, no attachment or clinging to this life and to your samsaric belongings, confess of all your wrong doings, shouldn’t fear and instead when fear arises, think of your guru, and finally know that all the experiences that you are experiencing are nothing but the reflection of your mind.

Sarva Mangalam,
Phakchok Rinpoche

www.phakchokrinpche.org

Pith instructions by Padmasambhava – Phakchok Rinpoche message in June 2012 สารจากท่าน พักชก ริมโปเช มิถุนายน 2555

Guru Rinpoche Day

Beloved Friends Near and Far,

I hope you and your loved ones have been happy and healthy. I am at the moment in a small Malaysian city of Batu Pahat leading a Mahamudra retreat. And all is well here!

For today’s Guru Rinpoche Day, I thought of extracting few pith instructions by Padmasambhava to his close student, Trisong Detsen and a brief overview of how it all started.

How Padmakara came to the Snowy Land of Tibet.

It all started with Samye! The Great Lopon, Padmasambhava came to Tibet on the invitation of the Great King, Trisong Detsen under the guidance of the Great Abbot, Shantarakshita to built the first ever Buddhist monastery of the country.

When King Trisong Detsen, the thirty-eighth king of Tibet, was twenty-one years of age he formed a strong aspiration to spread the sacred teachings of the Dharma. He invited the Great Abbot; Shantarakshita from India who helped laid the foundation of the great temple. Whatever was build during the day was dismantled at night by the local spirits creating much obstacle which eventually lead the Abbot to make the prediction to invite the great master Padmasambhava to come to Tibet.

At the Tamarisk Forest at Red Rock, Padmakara met the king of Tibet and then proceeded to the top of Mount Hepori to bring the gods and demons of the country under his command. He laid the foundation for Samye and saw it through to completion, employing also the gods and demons who had earlier hindered the building. In five years the work was completed for the temple complex of Glorious Samye, the Unchanging and Spontaneously Accomplished Temple.

After the completion Samye, the King requested empowerment and instruction from Padmakara. At Chimphu, the hermitage above Samye, the great master gave profound teachings to many destined students headed by the king and his sons and the twenty-five disciples.

Guru Rinpoche remained in Tibet for 55 years and six months; 48 years while the king was alive and seven years and six months afterwards. He arrived when the king was 21 (810 A.D.). The king passed away at the age of 69. Padmakara stayed for a few years after that before leaving for Ngayab Ling by liberating the king of the Rakshasas and assuming his form at the Glorious Copper Colored Mountain of Glory.

Below is an excerpt of the extraordinary teachings given by the Master to the King.

Guru Rinpoche said this to Trisong Detsen:
To condense all into a single sentence: the view is to be free from convictions, meditation is to not place the mind on anything, experience is to be free from savoring the taste and fruition is beyond attainment. The Buddhas of the three times have not taught, are not teaching, and will not teach it to be any other than this!
(Advice from the Lotus Born pg. 38)

Guru Rinpoche to the King:
The awakened mind of bodhichitta is not created through causes nor destroyed through circumstances. It is not made by ingenious Buddhas nor manufactured by clever sentient beings. It is originally present in you as your natural possession. When you recognize it through your master’s oral instructions, since mind is the forefather of the Buddhas, it is like the analogy of recognizing someone you already know.
(Advice from the Lotus Born pg. 38)

King: What does it mean to ‘clear away the faults of conviction’?

Guru Rinpoche:
Even though you have realized that your mind is the Buddha, don’t forsake your master! Even though you have realized appearances to be mind, don’t interrupt conditioned roots of virtue! Even though you don’t hope for Buddhahood, honor the sublime Three Jewels! Even though you don’t fear samsara, avoid even the minutest misdeed! Even though you have gained the unchanging confidence of your innate nature, don’t belittle any spiritual teaching! Even though you experience the qualities of samadhi, higher perceptions and the like, give up conceit and pretentiousness! Even though you have realized that samsara and nirvana are nondual, don’t cease to have compassion for sentient beings!
(Advice from the Lotus Born pg. 39)

King: What does it mean to ‘gain certainty’?

Guru Rinpoche:
Gain certainty in the fact that since the very beginning your own mind is the awakened state of Buddhahood. Gain certainty in the fact that all phenomena are the magical display of your mind. Gain certainty in the fact that the fruition is present in yourself and is not to be sought elsewhere. Gain certainty in the fact that your master is the Buddha is person. Gain certainty in the fact that the nature of view and meditation is the realization of the Buddhas. Practice by means of such confidence.
(Advice from the Lotus Born pg. 39)

Sarva Mangalam,
Phakchok Rinpoche

www.phakchokrinpoche.org

www.cglf.org

Dispel Obstacle – Phakchok Rinpoche message in May 2012 สารจากท่าน พักชก ริมโปเช พฤษภาคม 2555

Guru Rinpoche Day

 

 

Dear Friends Near and Far,

 

I hope you’ve all been happy and healthy. I am very well and just started off with my travels for this year. I left the Valley this afternoon for Malaysia where I’ll be for the next few weeks. I’ll be hopping from one city to the next in Asia en route to North America via Australia and then to South America, Europe and finally back home in October. I have just started my journey and I’m already tired! But I’m certainly looking much forward to seeing many of you during my stops around the globe.

 

It’s already late here in Malaysia and by the time I send this message out, it’ll probably land in your inbox on the 11th for those of you living in East, for which I truly apologize. But for the rest of you in the West, still the morning of 10th, Guru Rinpoche Day!

 

Anyhow, about two weeks ago we were on a pilgrimage following the footsteps of the Lotus Born in Nepal and Sikkim. It was a memorable trip still so vivid and in memory of it, I would like to share Padmasambhava’s last instructions to his students before leaving for the Chamara Island.

 

At the pass of Gunthang, on the border of Nepal and Tibet, as Padmasambhave is getting ready to leave for the Chamara Island of the cannibal demons, his students implore him not to leave them. Padmasambhava has no choice but to leave, for the cannibal demons would spill out from the Chamara Island into our world and destroy the human race and only he can tame them with his wisdom and compassion. To the grieving students, Padmasambhava encourages them by saying, ‘ for the people of the future, I have left behind blessings in the form of body, speech and mind.’

 

‘I have left “kutsaps”- representation of myself in the form of statues, blessed them and concealed them with the intention that beings in the future might see them, receive blessings and make a direct connection with me.’ He made the aspiration that coming into contact with a kutsap would be no different than meeting Padmasambhava in person. Beings who make such a connection will be blessed in this life and future lives. It serves as a source of blessing, removes obstacles, as well as strengthens and deepens one’s connection to Padmasambhava.

 

‘To represent my speech there are the many treasure texts hidden. The famous prayer to dispel obstacle, a terma of Chokgyur Lingpa is one such example.

 

Guru Rinpoche, the Buddha of past, present and future,

Dewa Chenpo- Guru of Great Bliss- the source of all siddhas,

Dud Dul Drakpo Tsal- Wrathful One that Subdues Negativity- who removes all obstacles,

Grant your blessings we pray! Through them, may all our obstacles, outer, inner and secret- be quelled,

And may all our aspirations be fulfilled!

 

‘And for my mind representation, it is always with those who have a karmic connection with me. For those who pray to me I am always there, especially on the tenth day of the month, I will be there to dispel the suffering of the beings.’

 

Sarva Mangalam,

 

Phakchok Rinpoche

 

 

 

 

 

www.phakchokrinpoche.org

 

Taming the Mind – Phakchok Rinpoche message in April 2012 สารจากท่าน พักชก ริมโปเช เมษายน 2555

Tame your own mind

Guru Rinpoche Day

Dear Friends Near and Far,

Greetings to you all on this Guru Rinpoche Day. Wherever you are and in whatever situation you are in, I truly hope that you are genuinely happy and healthy and that your karma never runs out and take you away from this current state.

I am by the way, in the Kathmandu Valley and presently, pleasantly happy and a little bit busy presiding over the Hundred Diety puja. Today is the 4th day of the 9-day/24 hour puja. And while sitting in the puja, I was checking in and out thinking of what to write for today’s GRD message. Lately I’ve been reading a series of question/answers between the Lotus Born and his Tibetan consort, Khandro Yeshe Tsogyal and then thought of sharing one such with you all.

During the fifty-five years that Guru Rinpoche remained in Tibet, Khandro Yeshe Tsogyal, his peerless student, served him as the most devoted and diligent attendant. Without exception, he bestowed upon her the entire extract of his oral instructions, and the essence of his wisdom. During this time, she collected and committed to writing all the teachings that he gave and kept them concealed as precious treasures.

She said, ‘on different occasions, he gave advice on dharma practice that I persistently retained in my perfect recall, collected and wrote down for the sake of future generations. Since they were not meant to be spread at the present time, I concealed these teachings as a precious treasure. May they meet with worthy and destined people’.

She goes on to say, “this ‘Cycle of Teachings Through Questions and Answers’ was committed to writing in the upper cave at Chimpu on the twenty fifth day of the second moon of fall in the year of the sow”.

An extract of a teaching from this particular terma treasure called Cycle of Teachings Through Questions and Answers:

Master Padma: When practicing the Dharma, you must first tame your own mind.
Lady Yeshe Tsogyal: What does that mean?
Master Padma:
You must extinguish the scorching flames of anger with the water of loving-kindness.
You must cross the river of desire on the bridge of powerful remedies.
You must light the torch of discriminating knowledge in the darkness of stupidity.
You must crumble the mountain of pride to the ground with the pestle of diligence.
You must overcome the storm of envy by wearing the warm garment of patience.

In any case, these five poisons, your old archenemies, will ruin your being in the three realms of samsara if you uninhibitedly indulge in them. Do not let them run wild. There is a danger in that.

Sarva Mangalam,
Phakchok Rinpoche

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