Faith cannot be forced in the disciple’s mind. You must understand the qualities of the objects of your faith; only then is there a ground for faith. Because these are difficult times, if a disciple has true, firm faith that isn’t wishy-washy but is based on a true wish to practice on the path, and if a teacher at least possesses impartial compassion, then these two make a suitable connection–the faithful disciple and the compassionate teacher–and it is appropriate to nurture that connection and practice on the path.
Obviously, these are not all of the qualities mentioned above, but it is very difficult if not impossible, in these degenerate times, for both lama and disciple to have all the qualifications and to come together at the same time. What is obvious and true for you now is what you call your “luck,” which is actually the force of good karma accumulated in the past; you only call it “luck” because you know nothing about it. It’s just an accumulation that you’ve unknowingly made.
Look at your present situation and compare yourself with millions of people in this and other countries who have no time for any kind of spiritual pursuit. This karma you have is really quite strong because it’s remarkably natural and easy for you–at least for these Nam Cho transmissions. Sofr these particular transmissions there’s a great amount of karma that we’re all a part of, and a great amount since the Nam Cho revelations are teachings of the ninth vehicle, the peak of the path, the atiyoga transmissions, you should rejoice in having this kind of natural, spontaneously arising karma to make these kinds of connections.
Padmasambhava said, “My dharma of the secret mantra is extremely dangerous, like taking a wish-fulfilling jewel off the head of a poisonous snake.” If you’re able to get the wish-fulfilling jewel it has the power to fulfill all your wishes. But you risk your life trying to get it. Padmasambhava gave this analogy for the path of secret mantra, and it pertains especially to the path of terma revelations. There is also the analogy of the snake in the bamboo shaft with only two directions to go: up or down. If you keep samaya and practice well, you go straight up and experience very swift results. If you don’t keep samaya and don’t practice, then just as good results are swift, so are negative ones.
To be a suitable disciple, the main quality you need is faith. It doesn’t matter which dharma you’re receiving–Kagyu, Nyingma, Sakya, Gelugpa; hinayana, mahayana–you don’t even need to be smart. You just need faith.
The following is a prayer from the Nam Chö Daily Practice Book from Palyul Ling International:
As the single source of benefit and bliss,
May the doctrine remain in this world indefinitely and
May those of supreme birth who uphold the precious doctrine,
Live long firm lives like banners of victory!
May the lives of the glorious spiritual teachers be firm and
May all sentient beings, who are equal in number to space, be well and happy.
Through myself and all others, accumulating merit and cleansing obscurations,
May we quickly be placed on the stage of Buddhahood.
I pray that the spiritual teachers may enjoy excellent health.
I pray for their supreme long life as well.
I pray that their enlightened activities may spread forth and expand.
Grant blessings to never be separated from my spiritual teachers.
May myself and limitless beings without exception,
By the root of this very virtue,
Completely cleanse the karmic negativities and obscurations of all lifetimes,
And be liberated in the expanse of the profound Dharma treasury.
The following is an excerpt from a teaching offering by Kyabje His Holiness Pema Norbu Rinpoche at Palyul Ling in New York:
First examine your mind and try to get rid of any afflictive emotions or negative thoughts. Try to give rise to devotion, faith, inclination, and in that way, carry through the Guru Yoga prayers with a very sincere mind. From the core of one’s heart do the supplication prayers.
All the practices that we are doing during the retreat were revealed by Treasure Revealer, Tulku Migyur Dorje. The history or story of Tulku Migyur Dorje starts before the time of Shakyamuni Buddha. There was a king called Akara. When he was the son of the king, he went to collect some jewels from the ocean and wandered. As he was wandering he carried with him a cloth net called Zarapa, which is why he is also referred to as Arapa. For a while he had been looking for the guru named Apara. Apara was a great mahasidda who wandered, so Akara had not been able to find him. One day the guru master, Apara, knew that the King’s son was coming, so he waited in a certain place. When the King’s son, Arapa met the master Apara, he didn’t know who he was, and asked, “Do you know where Apara is?”
Instantly Apara flew in the air and landed on a rock where he left a footprint, and stayed there. Instantly Zarapa developed tremendous devotion. He went there and started receiving teachings. He received all the teachings and based on his practice, he had accomplishment. Then Zarapa also had many disciples.
He was reborn as three masters who had great miraculous activities. And then he was reborn several times in India. He was reborn as Kungol during the time when Shakyamuni Buddha was just attaining enlightenment in India. Kungol attended all the Buddha’s teachings and maintained the Buddha’s teachings.
During the time when Guru Padmasambhava came to Tibet, he was born as a great yogi known as Shupu Palge Senge. He helped Guru Padmasambhava’s activity by translating all the teachings from Sanskrit to Tibetan and then also by bringing tantric texts and teachings to Tibet.
Tulku Migyur Dorje had about 500 different lives. For a long time he had been manifesting in the six realms and benefiting all sentient beings, especially beings in hell. Lots of hell beings were liberated. When he was in the hell realm, of course, he didn’t experience the suffering of hell because of his power and realization. He just benefited and liberated all those hell beings. He emptied many areas of hell. Sometimes the karma of some hell beings was so strong that he couldn’t help them, so he drew mantras on the sand and then threw them in the fire, which extinguished the fire, and benefited those beings.
Also he manifested in the animal realm just as very tiny animals like insects, and then huge animals, and birds and so forth. And then according to their own family, they started giving teachings and that way lots and lots of animal beings were benefited and liberated.
Later in Tibet he was born in a place called Ngam. When he was just three years old, he started giving teachings. His parents wouldn’t allow him saying, “What kind of ghost language you are speaking?” When he was 11 years old, his master, Chagmed Rinpoche, knew he was a special being and invited him to his place. Chagmed Rinpoche had a relative who was a very negative guy. The relative saw that Migyur Dorje was staying there for awhile and somehow obscured his mind a bit. So Chagmed Rinpoche gave Migyur Dorje lots of purification nectar, and with that the obscurations were purified. Later he had clear visions of many deities. That is how all the Namchö teachings were revealed.
Then Chagmed Rinpoche started teaching Migyur Dorje all the scripts. And Migyur Dorje told him, “I know all those scripts.” Then he asked Chagmed Rinpoche about the scripts from many different countries, and said, “Do you know these?” And Chagmed Rinpoche said, “I don’t know them.”
In the beginning Chagmed Rinpoche was Tulku Migyur Dorje’s master. Then later when Tulku Migyur Dorje started revealing the Namchö cycle of teachings, Chagmed Rinpoche took Tulku Migyur Dorje as his master. The whole complete revelation of the Namchö cycle of teachings were revealed in that way.
This Namchö is the exact Dharma teaching appropriate for this time. It is very condensed and profound, and has a great deal of blessings. In that way Tulku Migyur Dorje brought a lot of benefit. Then somewhere in another Buddhafield, a Buddha was going to pass into Nirvana, and so Migyur Dorje needed to go there then as a kind of representative and to attain enlightenment. He lived only about 19 years on this earth.
The complete revelation of this Namchö passed from Chagmed Rinpoche to Rigdzin Kunzang Sherab until our present day lineage holders. Many countless beings have become great mahasiddhas. It has been explained that there would be like 100 million masters who are honored with that banner. All the lamas who have the rank of Vajra Acharya, have great signs when they pass away. You are also following this tradition and practice. If you think properly and do the practice, then the same blessings are also there for you.
The following is respectfully quoted from “The Great Perfection Buddha in the Palm of the Hand” from the Nam Chö Treasures by Migyur Dorje:
NAMO DU SUM GYUN CHED MED PAR DRO DÖN DZED
To those beings who accomplish the purpose of others, without interruption in the Three Times,
MI CHOG TSEN PAI RAB GYEN TRINLEY TER
A treasure of miraculous activity, supremely adorned with the major and minor marks,
SANGYE NAM LA CHAG TSAL KYAB SU CHI
To all the Buddhas, I prostrate and go for Refuge.
SHI WA CHAG DRAL CHIR MI DOG PAI LAM
To the peaceful Path of no reversal, which is separate from desire,
GYUD LUNG MEN NGAG DRUB TSOG NYON MONG DRAL
Free from delusion is the path of Tantras, Transmissions, Secret Oral Instructions and Accomplishment Practices
DAM PAI CHÖ LA CHAG TSAL KYAB SU CHI
To the sacred Dharma, I prostrate and go for Refuge.
TSOG SHING MA NOR LAM NAI NYON MONG DRAL
Free from delusion is the unmistaken field of Refuge of Beings who remain on the stages of the Path.
SANGYE TEN DZIN PHAR CHIN DRUG LHA NEI
To the holders of the Buddha’s Doctrine, who maintain the practice of the Six Perfections,
GE DUN NAM LA CHAG TSAL KYAB SU CHI
To the entire Sangha, I prostrate and go for Refuge.
GYAL KUN NGO WO KYIL KHOR KUN GYI TSO
To the essential nature of all the Buddhas and the head of all Mandalas,
YID SHIN DRIN CHEN DREN PAI NGÜDRUB BEB
Whose wish-fulfilling great kindness is the source of all spiritual attainment.
LAMA NAM LA CHAG TSAL KYAB SU CHI
To all my Lamas, I prostate and go for Refuge.
CHÖ KUI TSAL LEI DRO DON SHI TRU TSOG
As the display of the Dharmakaya, the peaceful and wrathful Deities, arise to accomplish the purpose of Beings.
THUG JEI NGANG NEINGÜDRUB KUN TSOL WAI
From whose loving kindness, all spiritual attainments are received.
YIDAM LHA LA CHAG TSAL KYAB SU CHI
To the Meditational Deities, I prostrate and go for Refuge.
DAG PA DEI TSOL DAM TSIG CHEN GYI NYEN
To the source of pure bliss, the friends of Samaya upholders,
LEG NEI TONG DZIN DRUB PAI DROG DZED MA
Bringing good fortune and befriending those who accomplish the understanding of Emptiness.
KHA DRO DAM CHEN TSOG LA KYAB SU CHI
To the Dakinis and Oath Protectors, I prostate and go for Refuge.
YE NEI TONG NYID TRO DRAL DÜ MA CHEI
Primordially, the nature of Emptiness is unaltered and uncompounded,
KA DAG OD SAL LONG YANG RANG SHIN LA
As the natural great expanse of the originally pure clear light,
DZIN MED RANG SAL JEN PAR KYAB SU CHI
In this ungrasped, naked self-clarity, I go for Refuge.
LHUNDRUB RANG SHIN YESHE NGA DEN OD
The natural, spontaneously accomplished light of the five Primordial Wisdoms,
YING RIG THIG LE RIG PA LU GU GYUD
Is the indivisibility of the Sphere of Truth and Pure Awarness appearing as a light chain of pure-awarness molecules.
RANG SAL DU DRAL MED PAR KYAB SU CHI
In this undiminishing self-clarity, I go for Refuge.
MA GAG RANG SAL DE CHEN THUG JEI LHA
To the compassionate Deity of great bliss and unceasing self-clarity,
RANG SHIN OD KYI DRO WAI MUN SEL WA
Whose natural light clarifies Beings from the darkness of delusion,
SHAR DROL THOG THA MED PAR KYAB SU CHI
In the nature which is liberated the moment it arises, and unblocked by limitation, I go for Refuge.
REFUGE VERSES:
LAMA LA KYAB SU CHIO
I take Refuge in the Lamas
SANGYE LA KYAB SU CHIO
I take Refuge in the Buddha
The following is a full length video teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo offered at Kunzang Palyul Choling:
All beings suffer from the dis-ease of desire. The mind of Enlightenment appeared in the world as the Buddha who prescribed the medicine. If taken deeply and applied consistently, cure is guaranteed. And yet, constantly engaged in an ongoing mantra of delusion and discursive thought, we think we know a better way. Jetsunma implores us, “Literally, there are beings right now who have no other connection to liberation than you. The more you dance around, the more they suffer, the longer they wait. These precious ones are the ones you should live and breathe for.” We have to take our medicine, for their sake.
The following is from the Nam Cho Daily Practice Book from Palyul Ling
Seven-Line Prayer to Guru Rinpoche
HUNG In the northwest country of Uddiyana,
Born in the pollen heart of a lotus,
Endowed with the most marvelous spiritual attainments,
You are renowned as the “Lotus Born.”
Surrounded by a retinue of many Dakinis
Following in your footsteps,
I pray to you, please come forth and grand your blessings!
GURU PEDMA SIDDHI HUNG
The Mountain of Burnt Offerings is Herein Contained
OM SWATI
“The Mountain of Burnt Offerings” is an instruction taken from Lhatsun’s “Vidyadhara-Achievers of Life Force.” To do this practice, prepare some auspicious things such as good quality wood, incense, medicine, and three white and three sweet substances, flour etc. Place them inside a clean container or hearth; light a fire and sprinkle them with clean water.
First Refuge
OM AH HUNG
Of all the refuges in samsara and nirvana present throughout space, the quintessence
Is the power and wrathful vidyadhara, Pema To Treng Tsal.
The phenomenal world is totally perfected within his body as a Buddha mandala.
We take refuge so all beings may cross over unenlightened existence.
(Repeat three times)
Bodhicitta
We generate Bodhicitta on the ground (alaya) of the sphere (bindhu),
The supremely secret, clear light and ultimate wisdom.
So all beings may purify the three obscurations,
And attain the spontaneously self-perfected bindu of body, speech and mind, and through the four spontaneous visions, attain liberation in the youthful vase body.
(Repeat three times)
Seven Part Suppliation
I pay homage to the continuously present and unmodified nature of pure presence (rigpa.)
I offer the clear light, freedom from depths and limits.
I confess within the vast expanse, the equality of samsara and nirvana.
I rejoice in the great wearing out of reality, freedom from conception.
I ask you to always turn the wheel of dharma, the great perfection,
And to churn up the depths of samsara.
Free from the limiting three conceptions, I dedicate this to reaching the far limit.
Self-Visualization
From the dimension of primordial ultimate reality and the unceasing potency,
In Pema To Treng: white-reddish body, youthful and handsome.
The brightness of his noble symbols and marks are blazing, holding vajra and kapala,
Perfectly adorned with majestic ornaments and garments.
Imagined form and wisdom are not separate; the form embodies all enlightened beings,
The great splendor of everything within samsara and nirvana.
OM AH HUNG BENZAR GURU PEDMA SIDDHI HUNG
(Recite mantra many times)
RAM YAM KAM
Based on emptiness, the burnt substances are transformed into inexhaustible amrita
That emanates throughout space massive clouds of vast desirable qualities.
(Bless with the three syllables, the repeat the treasury mantra three times:)
NAMA SARWA TATHAGATE BHAYO BISHO MU KHE BHE SARWA THA KHAM UTGA TE SAPHA RANA E MAM GA GA NA KHAM SOHA
Inside a vast container made from the essence of vajra jewels,
Objects pleasing to the senses of mundane existence, the samaya substances,
Blessed by the three syllables become wisdom amrita.
Offering clouds pleasing to the senses swirl throughout the phenomenal world.
These are offered to the lamas, yidams, dakinis and Dharma protectors;
To however many Buddha mandalas there are in the ten directions;
To our other guests, the Dzambuling lords of the land, the six kinds of beings and those to whom we owe karmic debts;
Particularly to those who steal life and life force,
Those who send illness, elemental spirits who stir up obstacles,
Those who send bad signs and indications in our dreams and send all kinds of bad omens,
The eight types of demons who are masters of malevolent magical projections,
Those to whom we owe karmic debts of food, housing and wealth,
Demons who are masters of obscurations, demons who cause insanity, male and female ghosts,
Demons who cause fatal accidents, demons who take the essence of health and wealth, other demons who live in cities, all male and female demons.
As the red flames burn, karmic debts are paid back.
Whatever is desired arises as desirable qualities.
As long as there is a sky,
We form the intention that these desirable qualities be inexhaustible!
The negativities and obscuration we have accumulated in the three times
And our incorrect use of offerings to the three jewels or for the benefit of the dead,
Are purified by the flames offered in this burnt generosity.
Each flame is an atom containing the entire phenomenal world.
Inexhaustible masses of Kuntuzangpo offering clouds.
Thoroughly permeate the pure realms of all Buddhas.
Flames radiate offering clouds of five-colored wisdom lights,
Pervading the six realms of existence, even the worst hell realm (Avici,)
The three planes of samsara are liberated in the luminous form of the rainbow body.
May all beings awaken to the very heart of enlightenment.
OM AH HUNG
(Recite the three syllables 100 or 1000 times etc, and then:)
In an immeasurable container, the three dimensions of existence (kayas,)
The ultimate, blissful and manifest form aggregates of the phenomenal world
Melts into amrita, filling space with rainbow lights.
This inexhaustible, quintessential amrita of samsara and nirvana,
Since forever and until now,
Is totally dedicated to our guests in the phenomenal world.
Having perfected the levels, paths and fruition qualities,
And having completely dispelled the obstacles to view, meditation and action,
Within the dynamic space-like dimension of Kuntuzangpo’s realization,
May we attain the immortality of the youthful vase body.
When the great ocean of samsara is empty,
May we awaken in Akanishta, land of the lotus nets.
Aggregates and elements are burnt substances blazing radiantly and brilliantly.
White and red bodhicitta are burnt substances blazing blissfully yet non-substantially.
Emptiness and compassion are burnt substances pervading the dimension of real existence (dharmadhatu.)
Within the phenomenal world, in the ground of the five vajra lights of samsara and nirvana,
We offer the burnt substances of spontaneously self perfected and complete enlightenment.
May all previous karmic debts be purified.
May they not remain in our present stream of being; we openly admit our errors.
In the future, may we not experience cyclic obscurations.
As to the vows and trainings of the pratimoksha, bodhisattva and vidyadhara paths,
And the many kinds of secret mantra commitments (samayas,)
We openly admit all breeches committed consciously or unconsciously.
May all illness, demons, obscurations and impurities be purified.
May the times of plague, famines, and weapons be pacified.
May the times of foreigners invading the central land be averted.
May the obstacle of the guru being invited to manifest Dharma elsewhere be averted.
May inauspicious bad omens for the country of Tibet be averted.
May the planetary forces, nagas and king-like spirits who take away our life force be repelled.
May the eight great fears and sixteen lesser ones be averted.
Where ever we live, may all inauspiciousness be averted.
May the power, strength and energy of demonic forces be repelled.
OM AH HUNG
When accumulating, start again from “Drung”
At the End:
May all the Buddhas be pleased with these offerings.
May the minds of the oath-bound ones be satisfied.
May the desires of the six kinds of beings be satisfied.
May our karmic debts and debts of the flesh be purified.
May the two accumulations be completed.
May the karmic traces of the two obscurations be purified.
May the two sacred dimensions be attained.
Through the power of this vast and great generosity,
May we become self arisen Buddhas for the benefit of beings.
May all beings who were not liberated by previous Buddhas,
Be liberated through this generosity.
May the elemental spirits who are living here or visiting,
Living on earth, under it, in the sky or wherever,
Always be loving towards beings,
And practice Dharma day and night.
Through this virtue may all beings
Perfectly accumulate merit and wisdom,
And from this merit and wisdom,
May they attain two sacred dimensions.
Not clothed with exertion and effort,
May it happen auspiciously that the wish fulfilling tree,
Fulfill the hopes of beings,
and accomplish their intention.
(Thus recite the words of auspiciousness and dedication.)
This practice is known as the diamond practice. It can prolong life and remove obstacles, particularly those with unpaid karmic debts. This was revealed in Sikkim, the secret hidden land, to Namkha Jigmed by the dakinis who revealed it to him as the practice which opens the gate to the secret land.
