Citas del Precioso Maestro

1

Mis queridos amigos: en mi primer mensaje, quiero extender un cálido Tashi Delek a todos ustedes en este maṇḍala.

De vida en vida, nuestras mentes han estado conectadas y, por ello, los veo como familia. Lo que ha mantenido nuestras mentes unidas a lo largo de las vidas es el vínculo espiritual del amor. Estos “recordatorios de amor y compasión” deben alentarnos una y otra vez a esforzarnos en cultivar amor unos por otros. Como todas nuestras mentes están conectadas, podemos ayudarnos cultivando amor.

Así, si más personas en este mundo logran generar amor, la paz y la felicidad aumentarán. Siento un gran amor por todos los seres sintientes; por esta razón, confío en que difundir la palabra del amor contribuirá a la paz y felicidad en este mundo.

Mi única oración es:

Que todos los seres sintientes tengan felicidad y amor, la causa de la felicidad.
Que todos los seres sintientes estén libres del sufrimiento y del aferramiento al yo, la causa del sufrimiento.

En tibetano, la palabra para “bondad y amor” es “jamtse” (byams brtse). En la escritura U-Me del tibetano, se puede escribir en una sola línea; para mí, esto es un signo de la preciosidad de esta palabra.

Hoy, les ofrezco a todos mi bondad y amor. Espero que lo guarden en su corazón, pues es la esencia de toda felicidad en esta y en futuras vidas. Es la esencia de las enseñanzas del Buda.

Si tienes amor en tu corazón, incluso aquellos que te odian eventualmente serán tus amigos. Tus verdaderos enemigos son, en particular, el odio y los celos.

Los enemigos externos son una ilusión temporal que surge de un pensamiento engañado. Este pensamiento es impermanente. Los pensamientos van y vienen. Por lo tanto, si no abandonas el amor, la ira en los demás eventualmente disminuirá.

Si amas a los demás, deseas su felicidad. Como nuestras mentes son una, si amas a los demás, esto impregnará su mente y, así, sentirán felicidad. El amor es la única causa de la felicidad. Su naturaleza es omnipresente como el espacio. El amor es la luz del sol de la mente.

Además, me entristece profundamente escuchar sobre el desastre del terremoto en Japón, así como en Nueva Zelanda, el Tíbet y otros lugares el año pasado. Aunque muchos seres han perdido la vida, sus mentes realmente nunca pueden morir.

Y como nuestras mentes están conectadas, podemos beneficiarlos cultivando amor y compasión y recitando el mantra Mani. Si logramos impregnar sus mentes con amor, despertarán del sueño del aferramiento al yo y del sufrimiento.

2

The first step to eliminate suffering is to give up clinging to this life.

From the day we are born to our mothers, until the day we die, this entire life is like last night’s dream. After we have died, we awaken in the intermediate state after death. Then this entire lifetime will seem just like a dream; the human world will become a fading memory. It is like waking up from a dream.

At thispoint, if we have failed to eliminate self-grasping (aferramiento al yo), frightening appearances will manifest—compared to which, this human world appears as a pure land.

Milarepa knew what would happen if he failed to purify self-grasping (aferramiento al yo), and thus he had the courage to dedicate his entire life to practice, undaunted by hardship.

Thus, whenever you encounter difficulty, consider: “this life is like a dream, before too long it will come to an end, and when it comes to an end, I must be prepared.”

In order to secure happiness beyond this life, it is important to understand the causes of happiness.

In order to avoid causes of suffering, we must give up self-cherishing attitudes and cultivate an altruistic mind that seeks the benefit of others.

The jewel of +Bodhicitta+ is the only protection at the time of death. The essence of this is found in the 37 Bodhisattva Practices—it contains a remedy for any kind of suffering, an answer to all questions.

Although the Buddha (Buda)’s teachings are vast, the Buddha (Buda) himself summarized: “perfectly tame your own mind, this is the Buddha (Buda)’s teaching.”

Although most of us live like kings and queens, still we are very skilled in finding a way to suffer— nothing is ever good enough. The rich suffer from their possessions, the poor suffer from a lack of possessions.

Milarepa lived in a cave without food and drink and he was the happiest person in the world.

The truth is that we can only find happiness in our mind. If the mind has a habit of grasping at suffering, it will create suffering and perceive everything as an enemy and a threat. If one does not grasp inside the mind, even an actual difficult circumstance, like an illness, is not perceived as suffering.

Truly understanding karma will enable us to tolerate our present circumstances and will teach us how to abandon suffering in the future. Karma can be explained very easily—love is the cause of happiness; self-grasping (aferramiento al yo) is the cause of suffering.

Therefore, in the 37 Bodhisattva Practices it says:

“all suffering without exception comes from wishing for one’s own happiness.
The perfect Buddhas arise from the altruistic mind.

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This quote is taken from a teaching on refuge that Rinpoche gave in Lapchi in one of Milarepa’s caves to a few retreatants.

“Gampopa said,

“If we do not practice Dharma in accordance with the Dharma, Dharma itself will become the cause for falling into the lower realms.”

What are the so-called Three Jewels? The outer Buddha (Buda) refers to all the Buddhas of the three times. The outer Dharma consists of the 84,000 heaps of Dharma teachings, yet they are included within +love+ and compassion. Sangha refers to a person who has cultivated +love+ and compassion, a good-hearted person. Having been liberated from one’s own suffering, rooted in self-grasping (aferramiento al yo), one is able to show the path of liberation to others. This is the Sangha.

Having received the refuge vow, the Three Jewels are also contained within your own mindstream. These are called the inner Three Jewels. The inner Buddha (Buda) is your mindful-awareness and alertness. The inner Dharma is to never let go of +love+ and compassion, the altruistic mind.

What is the benefit of an altruistic mind? It will destroy self-grasping (aferramiento al yo). When self-grasping (aferramiento al yo) collapses; on their very ground, all sentient beings (seres sintientes) are Buddhas.

Lord (Soberano) Buddha (Buda) said:

“The Buddha (Buda) is within all sentient beings (seres sintientes). Yet they are obscured by adventitious stains.”

What are these adventitious stains? All thoughts and +afflictions+ are contained within a single turn of mind; the root of all sentient beings (seres sintientes) of the three realms is self-grasping (aferramiento al yo). In reality self-grasping (aferramiento al yo) is a mental fixation, a thought grasping at a reality.

Tilopa said,

“Son! You are not fettered by the appearances; you are fettered by grasping at them.”

Once all grasping is cleared away, there is nothing that can obscure the mind. Even if thoughts arise, they will not obscure the mind, if you do not grasp at them. If you grasp at them, you will be hurt like being pricked with a thorn, you will become obscured. This is called ‘fettered.’ We are not fettered by the extent of thoughts that arise, as long as we do not grasp at them.

All you practitioners, retreatants, mountain hermits, know this, yet listen to the advice of me, a man with experience. I have gathered many experiences of suffering and difficulties in this lifetime. It is said, “An elder sick person is the best doctor.”

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We must separate the inner mind from the outer conduct. The inner mind realizes that all phenomena of +saṃsāra+ and +nirvāṇa+ lack inherent existence. The outer universe and inner sentient beings (seres sintientes) lack inherent existence, as they are compounds.

If we grasp at the truth of whatever arises within the mind—pleasure, suffering, thoughts and +afflictions+—we will accumulate karma.

If we recognize +afflictions+ and unwholesome thoughts as they arise, this mindfulawareness is the Buddha (Buda). All Buddhas abide within the mindstreams of sentient beings (seres sintientes).

The thoughts are delusions and lack inherent existence—they come and go—yet innate awareness always remains unchangingly.

Thus do not pay attention to the thoughts, but see the awareness that recognizes them. When awareness holds its own with stability, +afflictions+, pleasure, and suffering will disappear, and your mind will become very clear.

If you grasp at the truth of thoughts, your mind will be obscured. Obscurations (Oscurecimientos) come from grasping at the truth of thoughts.

While understanding that things lack inherent existence and are like a dream, in your activities you should accomplish the benefit of others entirely and abandon harm toward others entirely. Be in harmony with everyone, accomplish the causes of benefit and happiness for all sentient beings (seres sintientes), and try to make them joyful and happy.

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Existen dos sistemas principales en este mundo: el mundano y el espiritual. Estos dos sistemas son como dos ojos, por lo que es importante conocer ambos y comprender su esencia.

Algunas personas rechazan toda espiritualidad y solo creen en el progreso de la ciencia. Esto es un error leve. Necesitamos la ciencia, pero al mismo tiempo no debemos descuidar nuestra mente. Incluso dentro de los distintos sistemas de creencias hay desacuerdo.

Para mí, todas las religiones son necesarias y buenas. También me agrada mucho la ciencia. Me gusta tener los dos ojos bien abiertos.

Una persona que solo se preocupa por esta vida es como alguien que deambula sin rumbo en un desierto sin senderos, sin saber a dónde ir.

Una persona que comprende el karma, causa y efecto, es como alguien que camina por un camino, sabiendo a dónde va y dónde está, pero aún tiene que rodear montañas y enfrentar dificultades.

Una persona con bodhicitta es como alguien que viaja en un tren. Va directamente a través de la montaña y no es obstruido por ningún obstáculo en el camino. También llega al destino más rápido.

Una persona con amor en su corazón puede cortar fácilmente el flujo de las aflicciones.

Si uno posee la mente del bodhisattva, se vuelve muy poderoso para llevar a cabo grandes actividades que beneficien a los demás.

Así como el amor destruye el aferramiento al yo, la sabiduría surgirá naturalmente y se sabrá sin error qué adoptar y qué descartar.

Viajar en tren es como cultivar la bodhicitta convencional. Cuando el aferramiento al yo ha disminuido y uno ve la naturaleza de la mente, se realiza la bodhicitta Última, la vacuidad.

Esto es como viajar en un avión. El avión se mueve por encima de las nubes; las nubes son como los pensamientos y el espacio superior es la expansión del Cuerpo del Dharma. El avión de la clara conciencia se desplaza por el espacio del Cuerpo del Dharma sin obstáculos. Ve el mundo entero y las nubes abajo, pero al estar por encima de ellas, no le afectan las nubes, la lluvia ni las tormentas.

De manera similar, cuando uno realiza la naturaleza de la mente, ya no es afectado por las nubes del deseo y el odio. La conciencia está por encima de esas nubes. Como el Cuerpo del Dharma es como el espacio, es inmutable. El espacio no viene ni va; el espacio simplemente es. Al comprender esto, no hay miedo a la muerte; el espacio no muere ni nace.

Los fenómenos de saṃsāra y nirvāṇa son como nubes; surgen momentáneamente, pero son compuestos. Son impermanentes, sujetos a la desintegración, al venir y al irse. Al moverse por encima de estas nubes, uno no se aferra a su realidad sustancial y, por lo tanto, no se apega a los pensamientos de deseo u odio.

Ver esta naturaleza, aunque solo sea por un instante, es el Gran Sello.

Nunca obtendrás nada nuevo. La conciencia es como el fuego: al principio es una chispa, al final un fuego ardiente. Pero el fuego siempre es fuego. No estás creando una gran mente que no poseías antes.

Verlo aunque sea por un breve instante sigue siendo verlo, pero, por supuesto, debe habituarse. Solo cuando preservamos esta naturaleza de manera continua alcanzamos el estado de gran felicidad y paz donde no hay más sufrimiento.

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Jealousy and pride can be tricky and are difficult to recognize; they sometimes manifest as a subtle feeling of dislike.

For instance, when someone tells you how great you are, you feel good about it. But then the person continues, “You are great, but he is still better.” Then a feeling of discomfort arises.

When others are praised, we do not like to hear about it. When these subtle thoughts of jealousy and pride remain unrecognized, they grow into overwhelming emotions that cling to one’s own happiness and to hostility toward others.

The root of all this is the grasping at a self. Because we strongly believe in this self, we feel alarmed by everything that threatens it. When others criticize us, we get angry.

In fact, when others blame you, they cannot add a fault to you that you do not possess. When others praise you, you are not becoming a greater person because of that. Whatever others say about you does not affect your faults and qualities. Only you can see whether you have this fault or not.

If you do not have the fault for which you have been accused, there is no need to be upset, since criticism does not make you have the fault. If you do have that fault for which you have been accused, then the person pointing it out to you becomes your kind teacher helping you to improve.

Great Completeness (Gran Perfección) Patrül Rinpoche said:

Never look at your own qualities, but never look at others’ faults. Always look at your own faults, but never look at others’ faults.

It is important to recognize each and every subtle arising of jealousy and pride. This requires a great deal of diligence in mindfulness, as these emotions in particular are very difficult to identify.

Whenever such a thought arises you must apply a method to abandon it. Ideally you eliminate it through recognition: if you have trained your mind in mindful-awareness you will see the thought the moment it arises and recognize its empty nature. If you recognize this, this thought is rendered powerless. It will not affect you in one or the other way.

If your mindfulness is not yet strong enough you can apply the bodhisattva approach, considering that the other person is your mother, your best friend, your child, and therefore give rise to love and compassion for them.

And if this is too difficult in a certain circumstance, you can apply the individual liberation approach, and that is to contemplate the faults of this emotion, understanding that as a result of acting on such an emotion you will fall into the lower realms.

You should apply one of these three approaches according to your mental capacity in the moment of affliction. You have to practice according to your capacity, just like a child must wear children’s clothes and an adult wears adult’s clothes. A child in an adult’s cloak would be troubled.

In brief, Lord (Soberano) Buddha (Buda) summarized:

Perfectly tame your own mind This is the Buddha (Buda)’s teaching.

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La compasión con esfuerzo surge al cultivar el pensamiento: “Todos los seres sintientes han sido mis padres en una vida pasada.” Se habitúa al percibir a todos los que uno encuentra como familia.

Por ejemplo, ves a una persona mayor como tu madre o padre, a una persona más joven como tu hijo, a alguien de la misma edad como tu hermano o hermana. Cultivas esto hasta que nazca un gran amor por todos los seres.

La compasión con esfuerzo requiere un objeto de compasión. La compasión sin esfuerzo surge cuando descansas en la naturaleza de la mente. ¿Cómo?

Cuando ves tu propia naturaleza verdadera, experimentas gran gozo, gran alegría. Entonces comprendes por experiencia propia que tal felicidad sublime realmente existe, pero los seres sintientes ilimitados no la han visto. Quienes no han experimentado esta naturaleza sufren enormemente.

Normalmente pensamos que algunas personas tienen gran felicidad y pocos problemas, como los ricos. Sin embargo, los ricos a veces sufren aún más. En resumen, todos los que no han visto la naturaleza de la mente sufren.

Al darte cuenta de esto, al ver la verdadera felicidad, surge una compasión inmensa. La compasión sin esfuerzo no requiere un objeto de compasión.

Para que tal compasión surja, primero debes experimentar la naturaleza de la mente: cómo los pensamientos y aflicciones se disuelven en el espacio inmóvil de la Consciencia Primordial sin rechazar ni aceptar.

Esta es una naturaleza muy gozosa. Al verla, surge naturalmente y sin esfuerzo la compasión por todos aquellos que no han podido verla antes. Si no se ha visto la naturaleza dichosa de la mente, se está destinado a sufrir.

Me postro ante el gran tesoro del amor incondicionado, ¡Chenrezig!

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A thought Rinpoche recorded during the Yamāntaka Drubchen in Los Angeles a few days ago.

In prison, Khenpo Münsel Rinpoche taught me this:

The extent of your realization will be known when you encounter difficult circumstances. You will not know the extent of your realization when things go well.

When you find yourself in a troublesome situation, when you are in great pain, when an intense emotion arises, only then will you know where you are at with practice.

He added:

Adverse circumstances will reveal your hidden faults.

If you are able to hold awareness unwaveringly during such a time, and thus if you are not carried away by the force of the emotion, it is a sign that you have gained experience in practice.

If you were to practice mindful-awareness with great diligence for just a month, if you were to recognize even the slightest thought and not allow your mind to wander off into delusion for that time, even in such a short time you would witness great changes.

Fierce afflictions would not faze you so much anymore, because you would have gained personal experience in observing the illusory play.

There is in fact just one remedy necessary, mindful-awareness. It is the single sufficient remedy that transforms difficulties inside and out.

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Para mí, en este mundo solo hay dos tipos de seres: mis benefactores de amor y mis benefactores de paciencia.

La mayoría son mis benefactores de amor; son muy amables y me ayudan. Algunos intentan causar daño y crear obstáculos; estos son mis benefactores de paciencia.

La bondad de cada benefactor es igual, y por ello mi amor por ellos es igual.

Quizás mis benefactores de paciencia sean aún más amables conmigo, ya que me permiten practicar la perfección de la paciencia. Les estoy muy agradecido a todos los que no me quieren y me obligan a dominar mi ira.

Al mismo tiempo, siento gran compasión por su sufrimiento, pero como me permiten practicar la paciencia y hacer que mi ira y mis celos disminuyan gradualmente, son mis maestros.

Así, al final, cuando alcance la iluminación y toda mi ira y celos desaparezcan, será gracias a su bondad. Por esta razón, los amo profundamente.

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Hay amor puro y amor impuro. La diferencia radica en la posesividad o la liberación.

El amor puro es la raíz de la felicidad duradera. El amor impuro solo crea sufrimiento.

El amor impuro, contaminado por el “yo” y la posesividad, conduce a los celos, luego al enojo y finalmente a la separación. El amor puro, libre de posesividad, lleva a la armonía y la paz, e incluso puede transformar a un compañero negativo.

Una relación se convierte entonces en una actividad de bodhisattva.

Alguien que ha comprendido la naturaleza de la mente incluso aceptará a un compañero negativo, pues ha entendido que las aflicciones son temporales; vienen y van. La mente de esa persona perturbadora y la propia mente, en esencia, son la misma.

Lo que permanece a lo largo de las vidas como la semilla de la felicidad es el amor puro. Así, cuando uno comprende verdaderamente la naturaleza de la mente, los compromisos de samaya no pueden romperse. Incluso si ocurre una disputa, este evento temporal nunca afecta al amor que siempre prevalece.

Si no se comprende la naturaleza de la mente, uno se aferra e intenta poseer. Entonces somos amables con quienes son amables con nosotros, pero no con quienes no lo son. Este amor es impermanente; no puede durar.

El amor puro siempre perdurará. Y mi amor por ti siempre perdurará.

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There are many thoughts of ignorance such as dullness, fogginess, discouragement, laziness, depression, or irritation without reason.

In particular, if we are lazy we will not accomplish anything, neither in a worldly sense nor in dharma.

The supreme antidote is mindful-awareness, it will overcome all negativities. These thoughts are fleeting, they will not last, and they come and go.

Awareness always remains and recognizes them. If you maintain mindfulness you will know with certainty what to do and what not to do.

Thus clear awareness is most important; it is your inner Buddha (Buda). This awareness cannot be seen, it is empty, and yet it has great vividness. It doesn’t come or go, it always is as it is, like space. Remain free from distraction then nothing will obscure this awareness, thoughts have no essence as they will not last. They come and go like waves on water.

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It is said, “If you would like to know what you did in past lives, look at your present body,” and “if you would like to know where you will go next, look at your present actions.”

If you give rise to jealousy and hatred due to self-grasping (aferramiento al yo), you will be a samara sentient being (ser sintiente) wandering down to the hell realm, hungry spirit realm, or animal realm. Where you go is up to you.

It is your choice. It is up to you whether you will go up into the pure lands of the Buddha (Buda)’s or down into samara states. When your own mind is purified, you will become a Buddha (Buda). If you do not purify your mind, you will be a sentient being (ser sintiente). Where you go will be determined by your present actions.

In The Thirty-Seven Bodhisattva Practices, it is said:

The Subduer said that all the unbearable Suffering of the three lower realms is the fruition of wrongdoing. Therefore, never committing negative deeds, Even at peril to one’s life, is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.

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One day each of us will die; there is no one in this world that does not have to die. There is no benefit in being attached to this lifetime, because it will be left behind.

As it is said in The Thirty Seven Bodhisattva Practices:

“Consciousness, the guest, will cast aside the guest-house of the body.”

So, we can ask ourselves: “Does it really not matter whether I am prepared for death, or does it matter somewhat? Why would I want to receive the Transference of Consciouness instructions?”

If you receive Transference of Consciousness instructions you receive a method to attain freedom. The body has nine openings through which the consciousness can leave after death. Only one of them leads to freedom–the opening at the crown.

When we receive Transference of Consciousness instructions, we learn how to transfer our consciousness through the crown.

If we do not know this, we will be tossed around by afflictions such as hatred, desire, ignorance, jealousy, etc., and thus, we will lack independence, we will be overpowered by the afflictions.

Being controlled by the afflictions will cause the consciousness to leave through one of the eight impure openings of the body, which will lead to birth in samara existence.

The Buddha (Buda) said, independence is happiness; dependency is suffering.

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An ordinary person believes in the appearing world as real and the dream state as unreal, whereas the Buddhas have seen this world to be illusory just like a dream.

The Buddhas say that in the intermediate state after death we will perceive delusive manifestations, that the three lower realms are an illusion, and so forth. So then one might think, “If it is just like an unreal dream, then it can’t be that bad.”

That is a quite mistaken understanding. Although illusory by nature, a dream will be experienced as a reality for as long as the dream lasts. This lifetime is like a dream, but until the karma of this life comes to an end, we will perceive this lifetime as real; we will not awaken from the dream of this life.

For instance, if you have a nightmare, you will experience it as a reality for as long as you dream; you will not just wake up at will.

When we die, we awaken from the dream of this life, and this life becomes a fading memory. None of it is left behind, and soon we find ourselves grasping at a new reality, the intermediate state state.

If you understand this life to be like a dream, you will understand that everything within it -happiness, wealth, and pleasure, pain, and suffering–is impermanent and will not last. You will thus not be so overwhelmed by different circumstances. You will stay focused and not be carried away by indulgence in pleasure, and you will not be much affected by difficult circumstances.

Our life is like an oil lamp. The oil is the karma and the fire is this life. As long as there is oil, there is fire. Our life lasts until the karma for this life comes to an end. Then we will move on, controlled by the karmic imprints stored in our mind continuum.

15

Eat little food in the evening, and contemplate death and impermanence before you go to sleep.

The dreams of an ordinary person are the manifestations of virtuous and non-virtuous imprints laid down within the mind. When the wind energies enter the impure channels of afflictions, we experience a nightmare. Nightmares are the self-light of afflictions. Positive dreams are awakening of virtuous thoughts.

In order to recognize the dream state, you must first gain stability of awareness during the day.

First, you must be able to overcome all thoughts and emotions of the daytime; then, eventually you will be able to recognize them when you dream. In the beginning, you will be able to recognize coarse thoughts such as fear during the dream state, and later on also the thoughts in more subtle dreams.

Through this, as ignorance diminishes, your sleep will at first become lighter. Ordinary sleep is a state of deep ignorance; it is an affliction.

Thus, instead of asking, “Did you sleep well last night?” you should ask, “How much time did you waste sleeping last night?”

Of course, we must sleep enough to maintain a healthy body, but there should certainly be a limit.

I suggest no more than five to six hours a night, since you all have to work. Try to fall asleep with great clarity, and eventually through habituation, you will never fall into a state of ignorance, but rather will sustain clear awareness.

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How has saṃsāra arisen? The illusory self-clings to its own happiness.

Ordinary beings are only concerned about their worldly affairs. In order to overcome this attachment (aferramiento), we must first recognize the suffering nature of saṃsāra. For this reason, the Buddha (Buda) first taught, “Recognize suffering and then abandon the origin of suffering.”

Even though we experience all sorts of pleasures as human beings, this samsaric happiness is like eating a delicious meal mixed with poison. Having recognized suffering, we will yearn to become free from it.

How do we do that? We practice the Dharma and liberate our mind from the causes of suffering.

This is difficult because we are attached to worldly life; we think that one day it is going to make us happy. If this would be ultimately true, then there would be nothing wrong with being attached, but unfortunately clinging attachment (aferramiento) can only lead to suffering.

When we pass from this life, we will not be able to bring with us even the slightest thing or person, no matter how much we want to. There is no other way than to leave this guest-house of the body.

The only things that will follow us are the karmic traces stored within our mind-continuum. For this reason, it is so important to recognize suffering and eliminate its causes before it is too late.

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Oṃ Ā Hūṃ Vajra Recitation, Part 1:

What do the Oṃ, Ā, and Hūṃ syllables represent?

Oṃ represents the vajra of form, the union of appearance-emptiness (vacuidad). Ā represents the vajra of speech, the union of sound-emptiness (vacuidad). Hūṃ represents the vajra of mind, the union of clear awareness and emptiness (vacuidad). These are called “the three secrets.”

When there is no grasping to perceived form, this is the union of appearance-emptiness (vacuidad). Forms continue to appear and are seen, yet there is no grasping at their reality.

When there is no grasping at perceived sounds, this is the union of sound-emptiness (vacuidad). Sounds continue to be heard, yet there is no grasping at their reality.

If the mind neither grasps at sights nor sounds, it will naturally rest within the union of awareness and emptiness (vacuidad) and thus will not grasp at mental arisings either.

The three vajras are contained within the vajra of the mind.

Thus the Oṃ, Ā, and Hūṃ syllables mark the forehead, throat, and heart of all deities-—while deities appear in myriad forms, the essence of their body, speech, and mind is the same.

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Oṃ Ā Hūṃ Vajra Recitation, Part 2

Sometimes people ask, “Are we ‘one’ or ’the same’?” Well, we are neither.

Is there “one” space, or are different spaces “the same”? Space is neither “one” nor “the same,” and so is the nature of mind.

Trying to figure it out by labeling it “one” or “the same” is just another mental fixation.

Likewise, there are neither one nor many Buddhas. You can’t say there is only one, as there are limitless Buddhas, yet you can’t say there are many, as their essence is a single ground; emptiness (vacuidad)-compassion abiding like space. Thus, do not grasp at singularity or multiplicity.

Whatever appears is empty of self nature, like a rainbow in the sky. They lack inherent existence, as they are compounds and thus impermanent. The nature of mind of all beings always remains like space; it is uncompounded. While their bodies appear diversely, the mind of all beings has the same essence.

There is only one such thing called “mind,” just as there is only one such thing called “water,” although water manifests in different ways – as oceans, rivers, rain, drops, etc.

If everyone were to practice Oṃ Ā Hūṃ, their mindfulness would have the same essence without the slightest difference in quality or size.

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Recitación Vajra oṃ ā hūṃ:

Como sesión formal de meditación, es mejor practicar en la mañana al amanecer, pero en realidad debes hacerlo durante todo el día. Puedes practicarlo cada vez que respires, y siempre respiras, ¿no?

Al inhalar el aire, piensa “oṃ”. No es necesario visualizarlo ni decirlo en voz alta; solo piensa “oṃ”. Cuando el viento llegue al ombligo, piensa “ā”, y al exhalarlo, piensa “hūṃ”.

El enfoque principal está en el ā en el ombligo. Ā tiene la naturaleza del fuego y es calor. Al inhalar el viento, piensa que se disuelve en el ā del ombligo. La quintaesencia del viento se retiene, y el aire viciado siempre se exhala.

En sesiones formales de meditación, al inhalar, piensa que presionas hacia abajo los vientos superiores y al mismo tiempo elevas los vientos inferiores contrayendo suavemente el ano. Esta “unión de los vientos superior e inferior” forma una esfera en forma de huevo en el centro del ombligo.

Retén la respiración por un corto tiempo y observa la naturaleza de la mente. No retengas el viento demasiado, solo lo que sea cómodo. Luego exhala y piensa “hūṃ”.

En tus actividades diarias, no es necesario retener la respiración; simplemente respira de manera natural y piensa “oṃ ā hūṃ”. El enfoque principal está siempre en el fuego del ombligo, y eventualmente surgirá calor. Este calor, de hecho, ya está ahí, pero los seres ordinarios no lo reconocen.

Esta práctica es un método excelente para sostener la atención; es un método para unir la mente con los vientos. Si nos falta atención, los vientos y la mente van por caminos separados y entramos en la confusión.

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The actual practice of the Oṃ Ā Hūṃ Vajra Recitation:

Of all the chakras in the body, the navel is the most important one.

Our human body first formed from the navel through which we were connected to our mothers. The navel chakra is the royal seat of all winds in the body, and in particular the wind pertaining to the fire element. The fire at the navel is Vajrayoginī and everyone has it; beings only do not recognize it.

The navel chakra is the most stabilizing, grounding chakra; therefore, it is advisable to direct all visualizations to the navel chakra. By focusing on the navel chakra, the winds move down, and thus the mind settles.

Sometimes, when focusing on visualizations at the heart center, as the winds enter the heart chakra, it could lead to emotional imbalance and mental instability. Focusing on the navel center is thus more secure.

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When you meditate, just rest and watch the nature of your mind. There will be a space where past thoughts have ceased and future thoughts have not yet arisen, and that space is completely empty of all fixations.

If you recognize this space, simply continue to remain within it.

One cannot say this moment of emptiness (vacuidad) has been seen, nor can one say it has not been seen.

But the one who thinks, “I have seen it,” this is the one to be recognized. And the one who thinks, “I have not seen it,” is also the one to be recognized. It is the one who performs all the actions. This is the one that you must recognize as the nature of your mind.

This nature is beyond coming and going, it always remains like space. Thoughts come and go, so do not hold on to them, but pay attention to what always remains, no matter what comes and goes around it.

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If we engage in the practice of refuge but we don’t have the arising of authentic love, it will bring very little benefit.

Whenever we even think about our spiritual guide we should have the arising of so much love and devotion that tears come to our eyes.

Whenever we have this kind of strong authentic devotion it is considered a sign of heat, heat generated in the mind that is powerful enough to melt the ice of this mind that is fixed through the habits of afflictions.

Thus we should meditate on loving-kindness, devotion, and compassion again and again until this sign of tears arises.

In Great Completeness (Gran Perfección) teachings it is said that to have this kind of authentic arising of devotion, so much so that one begins to cry, at that moment one can catch a glimpse into the true nature of the mind.

We should make effort then to practice compassion until we actually reach the point of tears.

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How you overcome ordinary thoughts? You must maintain mindfulness and not grasp at whatever arises.

No matter which emotion or thought arises, there is only one antidote; mindful-awareness.

No matter what arises, continue to remain within the natural state of mind. Neither think, ‘it exists, OR ’this is how it is,’ nor think, ‘it doesn’t exist,’ or ’this is not how it is.’

Let go of all beliefs and do not hold on to anything. Only by seeing the space like unconfined nature of mind you will be able to destroy negative thoughts.

In the true nature of mind, there is no existence or non-existence, no this or that, no truth or untruth, no good or bad, no right or wrong.

All worldly affairs seem futile when you rest in this nature that abides like the expanse of space transcending time.

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In the morning, you should reflect on the difficulty to obtain a precious human birth; in the evening, you should reflect on death and impermanence, and throughout the day, you should reflect on karma, cause and effect, and act according to the 37 Bodhisattva Practices.

Meditate in shorter but more frequent sessions to ensure the good quality of your meditation.

It is best to just observe the nature of mind, the ordinary bare mind, and preserve it. When thoughts appear neither reject nor accept them. Do not try to stop thoughts, allow them to arise, but recognize their arising and do not pursue them.

The goal is not to have no thoughts but for thoughts to arise and yet be rendered powerless.

You must habituate this.

Then later when negative thoughts and emotions arise, you will not fall under their power. The energy of these thoughts may arise but will not affect you in one or the other way.

Sometimes in meditation, there will be a time when there are actually no thoughts. In that instant, you will know that this is the true nature of your mind - the mind that abides like space, vivid and empty, open, not grasping at anything. This alert awareness must be upheld throughout all activities.

So do not try to stop thoughts, just relax into the nature of awareness. Whenever you meditate, our minds will be together.

If you understand this you will not feel tired of meditation.

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Bodhicitta is not a practice that fits here or there. Bodhicitta is everything. Bodhicitta is the preliminary, it is also the actual practice, and it is also the result in the end. Thus, you should cultivate bodhicitta day and night, continuously.

When you wake up at night, do not think of yourself, remember sentient beings (seres sintientes), and remember their suffering. Whoever has not realized the nature of mind, reality itself, suffers.

Whether they are rich, poor, beautiful, powerful, smart, or not, if they have not realized how things really are, they are bound to suffer.

Do not forget their suffering and give rise to the courageous resolve not to leave them behind but to engage in activities that will help them become free of suffering.

Through bodhicitta, you will realize that there is no self, self-grasping (aferramiento al yo) will be destroyed, for when you think of others you do not think about yourself.

Ultimately ‘self’ and ‘other’ are but thoughts. When we understand that we are not separate from others, we begin to fathom the preciousness of compassion, of bodhicitta.

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In order to form a positive imprint in your mindstream, you should always recite a deity’s mantra such as the Amitābha mantra, or play a mantra recording in your home.

Think that your Yidam always abides above your crown. Think, ‘when I die it is important that my consciousness leaves through the crown and merges with Amitābha.’

If you habituate this throughout your life, then even if you die suddenly, for instance in a car accident, your consciousness will merge with the Yidam above your crown due to the habitual pattern formed when you were alive.

Then you will be liberated doubtlessly even if you do not have the time to practice Transference of Consciousness. Thus it is important that you repeatedly remember this for as long as you are alive.

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In the past, you have taken on countless lives, you have assumed innumerable bodies. There is no benefit in knowing what you were in a past life. It is important to prepare for the future, to strive for enlightenment.

From the ultimate perspective, past lifetimes are, in fact, illusions.

On the relative level, we talk about numbers and different lifetimes, but in fact there is only a single continuum of mind, that is beyond birth and death.

From the perspective of mind itself, there is no past life, no present life, no future life, and no intermediate state. Past lives are illusions, unreal, so do not ponder over illusions. You don’t have to know about them, as they only belong to the relative level, not the ultimate truth.

What is important for you now is to destroy self-grasping (aferramiento al yo) and to see the nature of mind.

Do not think about the past or the future. Do not even think about the present; do not cling to any thought. Look at your mind right now. Look at the pure natural state as it is.

Only hold on to bodhicitta, love and compassion, and nothing else, day and night.

Always purify your mind by sustaining awareness of the natural state.

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Do not worry about enlightenment; the Buddha (Buda) is within your mind already, ready to be seen. But because we cannot turn inward and are constantly distracted, we fail to recognize the Buddha (Buda).

When past thoughts have ceased and future thoughts not yet arisen, in this space between fixations, you can glimpse the nature of mind abiding like space; this is the Buddha (Buda).

If you remain within this nature continuously, you are enlightened.

Whenever you stop to grasp, there is no cause of saṃsāra. Whenever you begin to grasp, you have again created the cause of saṃsāra.

The Buddha (Buda) is actually not somewhere far away. The Buddha (Buda) is always ready to be seen.

If you do not give up the fixation to a self, but try to escape from saṃsāra by secluding your body, you will still not be liberated.

If you give up the fixation to a self, while continuing to live in the world, you will be liberated.

In particular, when difficulties and suffering arise, do not grasp at them, let these thoughts dissolve into space. Even if there is an external so-called problem, the mind does not need to grasp.

People who do not understand this sometimes commit suicide, unable to bear even the slightest problem.

The Buddha (Buda) is nowhere apart from your own mind.

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Verse 32 of the Bodhisattva Practices:

“If, influenced by afflictions, one points out another bodhisattva’s faults, oneself is diminished. Therefore, not speaking about the faults of those who have entered the Great Vehicle is the bodhisattvas’ practice.”

In his Prayer to be Reborn in Dewachen, Chagme Rinpoche says that the fault of denigrating a bodhisattva is worse than any of the five deeds with immediate result. Since we do not know who is and who is not a bodhisattva, we must be extremely careful.

Thus, the swift path of Vajra Vehicle teaches us to train in pure view, to recognize the buddha (Buda) nature in all beings, the nature which transcends gender, race, culture and social status.

In fact, tantra teaches that we must even see the four elements as deities. A bodhisattva, one who acts for the welfare of sentient beings (seres sintientes), places love, compassion, faith, and respect into the mind streams of many sentient beings (seres sintientes).

If someone denigrates such a bodhisattva, all those beings will turn away from devotion, and this becomes the cause for their plunge into the lower realms.

It is important that you practice free from any bias, do not engage in separation while pretending to be a dharma practitioner.

The mind that thinks they are not good is a dirty mind. As long as you have negative thoughts in your mind, no matter how much you attempt to be pure, you cannot become pure.

It is said that everything that appears and exists is all-encompassing purity, and also that within every sentient being (ser sintiente) dwells the buddha (Buda).

The Secret Mantra Vajra Vehicle teaches that the external universe is an immeasurable palace (palacio inmensurable), and all the internal sentient beings (seres sintientes) are Heroes and Sky Goers. This is how it truly is in reality.

When you understand this, your mind becomes like space, very blissful and happy. But if you hold a biased view of attachment (aferramiento) and aversion, your mind is miserable and your will slander others.

The faults or qualities other traditions may have are irrelevant, what causes harm is your own negative thought.

For instance, if one gives rise to strong faith in a dog’s tooth, relics will emerge from it. The dog’s tooth is impure, but relics will emerge if your own mind is pure.

We have to purify our own minds. We should not insult each other, but rather uphold the Buddha (Buda) Dharma.

The Buddha (Buda) Dharma is love and compassion, and whoever possesses love and compassion upholds the Buddha (Buda) Dharma. Whoever does not possess love and compassion does not uphold the Buddha (Buda) Dharma. In the Buddha (Buda) Dharma, there is no hatred or jealousy, and if we are in the grip of hatred and jealousy, we do not uphold the Dharma.

It is because of such bias that we denigrate and criticize bodhisattvas.

In the Seven Verses of Protection of Tāra, Lord (Soberano) Jigten Sumgön says, “deceived by errant dogma” actually, it is not the dogma that is bad, but rather one’s misunderstanding of it, it is bad.

It is through negative thoughts about others that you are “deceived.”

We practitioners must clean our minds and cultivate pure view free from any bias, thinking that everyone is a buddha (Buda), all sentient beings (seres sintientes) are our parents.

When your practice has developed, you will not denigrate anyone, much less a bodhisattva.

If one fails to benefit beings in this way, and instead transmits thoughts of attachment (aferramiento), aversion, pride, and misconception, one will be plunged into hell.

This is a sign that a spiritual master doesn’t have cultivated true wisdom.

Yet for us, we must be compassionate toward all, especially toward those with inferior wisdom.

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During H.E. Garchen Rinpoche’s recent visit at Jangchubling in Dehra Dun, India, His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Thinle Lhündrup clarified the meaning of White Tāra’s seven eyes. As students have asked about this again and again, Rinpoche would like to pass on the explanation on White Tāra’s seven eyes in this quote:

White Tāra’s seven eyes represent the Three Gates of Complete Emancipation and the four boundless (sin límite) attitudes.

The Three Gates of Complete Emancipation are: wishlessness, signlessness–all phenomena lack inherently existing characteristics such as color and shape, and emptiness (vacuidad)–the enlightened mind that realizes the empty nature of the former two.

In order to attain the Three Gates of Complete Emancipation, one must cultivate the four boundless (sin límite) attitudes–immeasurable love, boundless (sin límite) compassion, immeasurable joy, and immeasurable equanimity. The four boundless (sin límite) attitudes are thus the cause of the Three Gates of Complete Emancipation.

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Apart from sustaining mindfulness throughout the day and night, there is no other clear light yoga.

It begins with being able to sustain mindfulness throughout the day. When your mind is very clear and sharp during the day, eventually it will carry through the night.

When you fall asleep continuing to sustain mindfulness, in a union of clear awareness-emptiness (vacuidad), you will first recognize the dream state. This recognition is called “recognizing the luminosity of the dream.”

Then eventually, through consistent mindfulness, even the dream state will disappear, and you will rest in clarity naturally; awareness will remain.

Eventually, clear awareness will even remain during the deep sleep state. It is like the illumination of a lamp flame. There are no thoughts, and there is a subtle feeling of your sleep’s rest.

This is accomplished when you sustain clear awareness continuously-remain free from the slightest distraction–throughout day and night.

Finally, in deep sleep, you will recognize the clear light of deep sleep. What we call clear light is your ability to outshine thoughts and emotions or feelings with clear awareness.

These thoughts, while arising, dissolve without having affected you or leaving a trace behind. A beginning practitioner will sustain mindfulness sometimes, and then will again become unmindful. This must first be overcome during the day.

You must first be able to destroy whatever habitual thoughts arise, then habituate sustaining clear awareness.

Then when you go to sleep, uphold mindfulness by falling asleep practicing the Oṃ Ā Hūṃ Vajra Recitation. At times, you might remember the Oṃ Ā Hūṃ during the dream state, and eventually mindfulness will remain even in the deep sleep state.

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A person who has seen the nature of mind as it is and has gained stability in abiding in it, as they watch their mind they see the empty essence like space, unidentifiable. The nature of mind cannot be described; it is like space.

Milarepa said, “When there is no difference between space and mind, that is the perfected Dharma Body.”

The empty space-like essence is the quality of Dharma Body. Then, there is a vivid clear awareness that knows its empty space-like essence. The nature of clarity is emptiness (vacuidad); the nature of emptiness (vacuidad) is clarity. They are not separate, they are non-distinct, they are the union of clarity-emptiness (vacuidad).

The qualities of the Perfect Enjoyment Body (Cuerpo del Disfrute Perfecto) arise from the nature, which is clear awareness. From the union of clarity-emptiness (vacuidad) shines the natural radiance of compassion pervading all the reaches of space. It pervades wherever emptiness (vacuidad) pervades. We thus say that the buddhas’ compassion pervades everywhere. The all-pervasive compassion is the Emanation Body.

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There is no greater negativity than committing suicide–one creates a very powerful cause of intense suffering by taking one’s own life.

You must understand that all suffering has its seat in the self-grasping (aferramiento al yo) mind. When trying to exchange your body, it does not result in exchanging your mind–you cannot escape from your mind.

Committing suicide leads to even greater suffering than you experience now; you will not be able to just erase your suffering.

You have your karma and your lifespan. You must allow your karma to play itself out and not bring an end to your life prematurely.

Moreover, by killing one’s body you are killing billions of life-forms living within your body, and you acquire the negative karma of that.

You should rather transform your mind. When you are suffering, practice Giving and Taking (Dar and Tomar); take on the suffering of others and think that by you experiencing suffering they will be released. All suffering is temporary; so is conditional happiness.

The mind must gain stability in being unmoved by impermanent circumstances. It is never too late to begin to practice. We have wandered in saṃsāra since beginningless time, and at some point we must begin to practice.

Don’t worry about how much time you have wasted for eons in the past–begin to practice now and you will die free of regrets. What you do from now on is more important.

When you feel sick in your body, send your mind out into space; do not fixate on the body. Separate the mind from the body and rest in space.

You can also visualize Tāra in space and recite her mantra. I personally have many pains, but if I do not fixate on them, if I send my mind out into space and meditate, I do not feel them.

Only when I begin to think about them do I again feel the pain.

You should moreover think that your own suffering is quite small compared to the suffering of so many other sentient beings (seres sintientes).

For example, I was kept in prison for twenty years, and you could call this a problem, but not one time did I think about when I would be released. I just practiced Tāra day by day, and let alone not thinking of suicide, I was actually quite happy in my mind.

If you want to become free of suffering, you must change your mind, not your body. Pray to Tāra all the time and recite her mantra, so you never forget about her. Then I can also help you, as I am always practicing Tāra.

Whenever you experience pain and difficulty, think of Tāra single-pointedly.

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Meditation means to first recognize and then habituate to the nature of mind. First, you must understand the basic nature of mind. This mind is a single ground within which we are one.

Once you have recognized the nature of mind, you must always sustain it, uphold it, without falling into distraction. To habituate this present awareness is meditation. No matter what external condition may arise, happiness or suffering, you should never stray from this clear awareness that recognizes everything that arises.

You should practice mindful-awareness in all your activities; this is the perfect conduct. The view, the meditation, and the conduct are all mind, the single ground. There are many thoughts that always arise, but thoughts are impermanent; they come and go. The mind from which they arise, however, abides like space; it never comes and goes. It is always there, it has always been there, and it will always be there. It is like space, or a vast ocean, or a mirror. It never goes anywhere, just like space.

Therefore, do not cling to the temporary thoughts. No matter how much you cling to them, you cannot actually hold on to them, as they are impermanent by nature.

Rather, observe that which never goes away, the clear knowing awareness that recognizes all the thoughts arising. This awareness is the buddha (Buda) within you; it is your true nature.

Whatever thoughts arise, negative thoughts, sadness, afflictions, do not follow them but continue to observe with mindfulness.

When this mindfulness is sustained, arising thoughts will naturally dissipate without the need to abandon them. This awareness must be upheld, not only in meditation sessions, but also during all your activities. No matter what you experience, happinessor suffering, it does not affect your awareness; it always is as it is. This nature is buddha (Buda) nature, and every being has it.

In addition, you should read “The Ganges Great Seal (Gran Sello)” by Tilopa every day; this will support your meditation.

You should also read “The Thirty-Seven Bodhisattva Practices” every day; this will support your conduct.

What is most important is to cultivate bodhicitta, love and compassion, in all your activities. Without compassion, you will never understand the nature of mind.

Without compassion, the mind is like dirty water. The water is cloudy, and you are unable to see its true clear nature.

If you give rise to compassion, then you will understand the nature of mind very easily.

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We suffer without choice. We do not want to suffer and we try everything to be happy but suffering happens regardless of our wishes, and we can’t do anything about it. Why is this so?

It is because we have already created the causes for suffering in the past. But, where are those causes of suffering? They are within your mind right now; it is the self-centered mind and all the afflictions that come from it.

If you recognize this, you will understand that you are responsible for your suffering and that there is no one else to blame. Understanding this, you will be able to tolerate difficulties and avoid more suffering in the future.

If you want to be happy you must know the causes for happiness. The Buddha (Buda) said, “I can show you the path to liberation, but liberation depends on yourself.”

Whether you are a Buddhist or not, whether you practice any religion or not, you have a mind, and temporarily all causes for happiness and suffering are within this mind.

The only cause of happiness is love and the only cause of suffering is self-grasping (aferramiento al yo).

If you just understand this, you have understood the workings of karma, cause and effect, perfectly.

All suffering without exception comes from wishing for one’s own happiness. The perfect Buddhas arise from the altruistic mind.'

Whether you follow any religion or not, the true nature of your mind is wisdom awareness and that is the actual Buddha (Buda).

The Buddha (Buda) said:

The Buddha (Buda) is within all beings. Beings are only obscured my temporary stains.

Whenever you let go of the false belief in a self, you will see your true nature, emptiness (vacuidad)-compassion.

Every being sees the Buddha (Buda) when they see what they really are, their true nature.

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What I am sharing with you are not the words of a great scholar but the words of an old father with a lot of experience.

I have experienced great external hardships, having spent twenty years confined in a labor camp. You could call this ‘a problem.’ However, inside I truly did not experience suffering; moreover, I consider my time in prison as a very beneficial time.

As a boy, before I was arrested, I had faith in the Dharma but lacking practical experience, my faith was somewhat depthless. In prison, I had the opportunity to actually practice, taking external hardships onto the path with patient forbearance. Not a single time did I hope to become free from prison, I lived day by day, free of hopes and fears, sending compassion to beings, relying on Tāra, praying to her secretly.

Having thus applied the Dharma and seen the results of practice, I gained confidence in the validity of the Dharma and my faith became deep and irreversible.

Then I thought that it would benefit others to share these experiences, and as I travel to teach, I am only sharing my heart advice based on my own experiences. It is important to gain personal experience in order to really understand the Dharma.

It is important to ask: What is true happiness? Is it external or internal?

Even if one is very rich and has everything one could wish for, if there is hatred in one’s family, one experiences hell-like suffering.

If one is poor but shares love and kindness with one’s family, one experiences a pure land.

Happiness can only arise from within the mind, happiness is not at all related to the external world.

When the mind is disturbed, one finds suffering anywhere, even in a positive circumstance. If the mind is at peace and filled with love, one finds happiness even while surrounded by a seemingly difficult outer circumstance.

“All suffering without exception comes from wishing for one’s own happiness”.

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When you give rise to a wish to help others, your wisdom will increase. Conversely, when you maintain mindful-awareness, your wish to benefit others will increase.

In the beginning, train your mind in the Samantha of love. Through continuous practice, you will gain personal experience and you will see the effects of practice. To apply the practice again and again is the only method to be happy.

If you do not abandon the wish for your own happiness and the afflictions coming from this wish, you will never find true happiness. If you do not abandon the causes of suffering, you will have no choice but to suffer and there is nothing you can do about it.

Karma is nothing that the Buddha (Buda) had just invented. With his all-knowing wisdom, the Buddha (Buda) saw how things really are and with his compassion he showed this to us.

He simply showed us that the very nature of compassion and kindness is happiness, and that the very nature of self-grasping (aferramiento al yo) is suffering. The stronger our self-grasping (aferramiento al yo), the less we are able to care for others. A

ll that the Buddha (Buda) taught in the three vehicles, the individual liberation- Bodhisattva- and Vajra Vehicle-vehicles, is a method to give rise to bodhicitta. These methods must be put into practice and then you must persevere in practice, but you cannot expect immediate results. Your practice is for the sake of many future lifetimes.

The Buddha (Buda) said, “If you would like to know where you will go next, look at your present actions.”

You will only be able to practice the true dharma if you trust in karma, cause and effect, and understand the preciousness of patient forbearance and love.

If you do not have this as a basis, all other practice will bear not meaningful results.

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The view of Vajra Vehicle is extremely difficult to realize.

Because it seems obscure, some feel safer calling themselves followers of the Small Vehicle (Vehículo Pequeño) path and are not interested in the Vajra Vehicle path. This is a legitimate aspiration.

However, the view of Vajra Vehicle is actually not so obscure and difficult to understand. Vajra Vehicle explains how things really are.

For instance, imagine a big glacier. Someone who does not understand Vajra Vehicle will think, “This is a mountain of ice.” Someone who understands Vajra Vehicle will think, “This appears to be a mountain of ice; however, the nature of ice is water. It is not always an ice mountain; once it melts it turns into water.”

If you only understand this principle, you understand the view of Vajra Vehicle. Vajra Vehicle says that although the six realms appear, the appearance is temporary. In reality, all sentient beings (seres sintientes) possess Buddha (Buda) nature, the potential to attain enlightenment.

In the mind, various thoughts arise temporarily. They are not who we really are; they come and they go and constantly change. Now you are angry; the next moment you love. All these thoughts are momentary.

But there is a ground of all beings, there is a conscious awareness that is always there. It never comes and goes; it is always there unchangingly. It doesn’t die and isn’t born. There is an underlying eternal conscious awareness. You have never separated from it and you never will, for this is who you really are.

When you see this nature, your true nature, you see the true meaning of Vajra Vehicle.

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The 37 Bodhisattva Practices Series, Verse 1

“At this time when the difficult-to-gain ship of leisure and fortune has been obtained, ceaselessly hearing, pondering, and meditating day and night in order to liberate oneself and others from the ocean of cyclic existence is the bodhisattvas’ practice.”

Many people do not consider the preliminaries very important, thinking that because they have read a book they already understand the eighteen leisures and fortunes and don’t have to concern themselves with them any longer. They rather move on the ‘real and more profound’ practices.

According to Lord (Soberano) Jigten Sumgön, the preliminaries are most profound. You will only become free from the cycle of existence, the ocean of suffering, if your whole heart wants to become free, otherwise no matter what other advanced practices you may engage in, they will not free you from suffering and in fact, they may even reinforce the “self”.

In the beginning, you must understand the preciousness of this human incarnation and how difficult it is to obtain.

Normally we ask others, ‘how did you sleep last night?’ And when they respond, ‘I slept well,’ we say, ’that’s really good.’ If we didn’t get enough sleep, we feel sorry for ourselves.

This is a sign that the thought of the precious human life has not yet fully dawned in our mind. If it would have dawned in our mind, we would feel sorry for every minute we wasted sleeping. We would not be sluggish and grouchy in the morning, but upon awakening, we would remember the precious human life and feel a sense of urgency to get out of bed.

Thus, in the morning, it is important to remember the precious human life. You may wonder how to do your daily tasks without sleep. You do not need to abandon sleep, but you should practice moderation and discipline.

Furthermore, if you practice for instance the Oṃ Ā Hūṃ Vajra Recitation as you fall asleep, your sleep will become virtuous. Every time you awake in the middle of the night, you should remember sentient beings (seres sintientes) and recite a few Mani mantras for them.

This human life is the fruition of myriad virtues accumulated throughout countless lifetimes.

It is a one-time opportunity and we shouldn’t expect to obtain such a precious opportunity again in the future. Knowing how precious this human life is, one would not waste one’s time with meaningless activities.

Moreover, one will always be joyful even if things seem to go wrong, if one becomes a beggar, is without friends and family, or without wealth. Let alone becoming depressed, one would be happy, knowing that one possesses a precious human body, the ship that can bring one beyond the ocean of suffering.

In fact, one will know that worldly pleasures will only bring one’s own ruin in the future. This human life is very powerful, for humans are endowed (dotado) with intelligence and the six elements. It is the crossroad between going up or down.

If we know how to use this human existence well, we can attain enlightenment in a single life. If we waste this human existence and engage in negative deeds, it will propel us into the lower realms for countless eons.

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The transformation that occurs when the afflictions are subdued with sharp discriminating awareness is the arising of the belligerent deities.

The actual nature of the afflictions is timeless awareness (Consciencia Primordial), thus the five poisons are the five aspects of timeless awareness (Consciencia Primordial). Through the power of awareness, the afflictions collapse and this collapsing is revealing of their true nature, timeless awareness (Consciencia Primordial). This collapsing or transformation is the belligerent deity.

The belligerent deities are infuriated with compassion, they are not angry.

They are like a mother taming a mischievous child. The mother loves the child and becomes infuriated in order to help her child.

The belligerent deities arise with intense compassion taming the very coarse afflictions of sentient beings (seres sintientes). Their compassion is even more intense than the compassion of peaceful deities.

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The 37 Bodhisattva Practices Series, Verse 2

“The mind of attachment (aferramiento) to loved ones wavers like water. The mind of hatred of enemies burns like fire. The mind of ignorance which forgets what to adopt and what to discard is greatly obscured. Abandoning one’s homeland is the bodhisattvas’ practice.”

The root cause of saṃsāra is the attachment (aferramiento) to the false idea of a self. Due to attachment (aferramiento), we take birth in the six realms of saṃsāra again and again.

Although one may live in this world, if one is not attached, one does not wander in saṃsāra.

In our homeland, we meet the adversaries whom we dislike, and we are attached to our families and friends. If we abandon our homeland and go to a different place, we are not attached to the people there, we see them all as the same.

However, if we do not understand the detriment of attachment (aferramiento) and aversion, we will again hate our opponents and cling to our friends, even if we move to a different place.

Again, we become attached to those people who treat us well and we dislike those who are unkind to us.

Thus, it is important to recognize the fault of attachment (aferramiento) and aversion. If you are able to recognize their fault, there is no need to abandon your homeland.

Consider what happens when only a subtle emotion of attachment (aferramiento) or aversion arises. For example, when you are describing a certain person to others, if he is your friend, you will only mention his good qualities; but if you dislike him, you will only point out his faults and not mention his good qualities. Tainted by attachment (aferramiento) and aversion, we cannot see how things really are.

When we think about situations that are less emotionally charged, we come to understand that true intelligence arises within a mind of equanimity, a mind that remains uncolored by attachment (aferramiento) or aversion.

If you are mindful and recognize your mental arisings, for example, in conversation you will immediately recognize when you are tempted to say something negative about someone just because you don’t like them very much.

Attachment (Aferramiento) and love can easily be confused. Love means to feel sincere love and a wish for the other’s happiness, without any sense of ownership and a wish for one’s own happiness.

Even someone who generally understands karma, temporarily dismisses it when an intense emotion of anger or desire arises.

Some are overwhelmed by the emotion and blindly engage in negative deeds.

Others commit evil deeds knowingly but are incapable to resist due to the force of the passion.

This is what the verse means by “the mind of ignorance which forgets what to adopt and what to discard.”

Tilopa said to Nāropa: “Son, it is not the appearances that fetter you, it is the grasping at those appearances that fetters the mind.

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The 37 Bodhisattva Practices Series, Verse 3

“When harmful places are abandoned, afflictions gradually diminish. Without distraction, virtuous endeavors naturally increase. Being clear-minded, definite understanding of the Dharma arises. Resorting to secluded places is the bodhisattvas’ practice.”

Resorting to secluded places’ refers to the isolation of body, speech and mind; not only the body.

The whole purpose of secluding the body and speech is in fact only to seclude the mind. Secluding the mind means not to fall under the power of thoughts and emotions. Only secluding the body and speech while the mind still clings to thoughts and emotions, it is pointless.

We seclude the body by traveling to isolated places, and we seclude the speech by remaining in silence. We do this in order to create an environment in which the mind is not constantly distracted by various sensory attractions.

This is often misunderstood and people remove themselves from society in order to live in a hermitage to do retreat.

But it only becomes a retreat if we are able to seclude our minds by not falling under the power of our own fixations.

Some people never seclude themselves from the world but are still able to sustain awareness and do not fall under the power of their thoughts.

The latter is the one who is actually in retreat.

However, for beginning practitioners, a place in isolation is conducive for practice because the mind is not sufficiently subdued in order to be able to withstand or resist the distractions and entertainments of the world.

In an isolated place, such entertainments are lacking and thus the wild and restless mind will find it easier to calm down.

Since at such a place one is not faced with outer distractions, it is easier to turn inward and watch the mind. By doing so, the wish to practice virtue will increase.

When the mind is calm and stable it is easier to cultivate compassion, patience and the other perfections.

A harmful place is a place that leads to the increase of our negative thoughts and emotions. This can be any place, a mundane place or a hermitage.

If, in a mundane place, one is able to control one’s mind and not fall under the power of thoughts, it is not a harmful place.

In fact, yogins (yogins) whose minds are stable should travel to mundane places of distraction in order to test their accomplishment.

In brief, a harmful place is a place that leads to the increase of negativity and fixation, and a beneficial place is a place where one does not grasp at whatever arises.

Since most people have to work and cannot seclude themselves to isolated places, you can also isolate yourself for short periods of time, for example a week, or for the weekend, or even just for a day or a few hours.

As you gain a living experience by practicing in such a way as much as you can, you will find that often the places we enjoy ourselves at are harmful places, and as your patience increases you will find that your enemies can be an enhancement to your practice.

From the perspective of the Dharma, friend and enemies sometimes change roles.

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The 37 Bodhisattva Practices Series, Verse 4

“Long-associated companions will part from each other. Wealth and possessions obtained with effort will be left behind. Consciousness, the guest, will cast aside the guest-house of the body. Letting go of this life is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.”

From the day we are born to our mothers until the day we die, this entire life, is like a dream.

Ordinary people think that last night’s dream is unreal, but this life is the reality. This is a great mistake.

This life and last night’s dream have the same nature. When we experience them, they constitute a reality, a real experience, yet they are illusory by nature.

After we have died, the consciousness awakens in the intermediate state. Then it is like awakening from the dream of life. Life will seem unreal all of a sudden, everything that appeared to us in this world in this life, will be gone, like last night’s dream, and become a fading memory.

Then the intermediate state, while illusory by nature, becomes our reality.

For as long as we dream, the dream is an actual personal experience. Only when we awaken from the dream we realize that it was just a dream.

Or, even if we recognize that we are in a dream, for as long as the karma to experience this dream lasts, we will continue to experience the illusory suffering and happiness of our dream.

When we dream, the imprints that are stored in our mind, become activated and manifest in the form of our dream perceptions.

Also, the perceptions of this life are nothing but the projections of our own karma, afflictions, and mental imprints.

The visions of the intermediate state have the same nature, they are the projections of our own mind. Although in the intermediate state we lack the aggregate of form (a physical body), all the other aggregates (feeling, cognition, formatives, and consciousness) are still there. The consciousness still clings to the notion of a self and thus experiences fear and terror. You cannot control the appearances of the intermediate state, it will seem just as real as this life.

Lord (Soberano) Jigten Sumgön said, “I am a yogin (yogin) who realizes this life, the next life, and the intermediate state to be one.”

Thus, see the futility of clinging to the concerns of this life!

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The 37 Bodhisattva Practices Series, Verse 5

“When evil companions are associated with, the three poisons increase, the activities of listening, pondering and meditation decline, and love and compassion are extinguished. Abandoning evil companions is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.”

One may think that evil companions are those mean people who hate us. But this is not necessarily the case.

From the perspective of the individual liberation path, an evil companion is someone who prevents us from practicing the Dharma. If we do not practice, the three poisons, desire, hatred and ignorance increase.

A loving friend may be someone preventing your from practice, and a troublemaker may help you to practice.

Furthermore, it is better to have a troublesome friend who believes in karma, than a skillful benefactor who does not believe in karma.

However, a beginning practitioner, whose practice is not yet stable, might be influenced in a negative way by such a companion, for instance, they might begin drinking and smoking, or deny karma. As such negative influence leads to the increase of negative karma, it is better to avoid such companions.

A bodhisattva practices patience and love, thus there is no one to be abandoned.

Those who are troublesome are benefactors of patience, and those who are loving are benefactors of love.

If one is able to sustain stability in patience and love, there is no need to abandon troublesome people.

A bodhisattva will not be influenced negatively, and by keeping the troublesome person company, the latter may even change and become a better person.

Even if we are a beginning practitioner, we might end up in a relationship that we cannot abandon, even though our practice is not yet stable. Due to karmic forces, people meet and are bound to live together. So what can we do?

We have to generate awareness and abandon rather the afflictions than the companion. The true evil companion to be abandoned is self-grasping (aferramiento al yo). If we do not abandon this evil companion, we will always encounter obstacles.

Abandoning evil companions does not mean to abandon our friends who are annoying, thinking, “we always fight, we better break up.” This would be a mistake and by doing that we will meet unharmonious friends again and again. We are holders of the bodhisattva vows. We promised to cultivate love, compassion, and bodhicitta for everyone, so we cannot say “everyone except him.”

Still, we must not accept wrong views. Whatever someone with wrong views, desire, anger, or sectarianism says, you should not listen to it.

In brief, we have to purify our mind; if we follow thoughts of desire and aversion, our love, kindness and compassion vanish.

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The 37 Bodhisattva Practices Series, Verse 6

“When sublime spiritual friends are relied upon, one’s faults are exhausted and one’s qualities increase like the waxing moon. Holding sublime spiritual friends even more dear than one’s own body is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.”

Why is the spiritual teacher more important than one’s own body?

The body is impermanent and we will cast it aside, like a guest leaving a guest-house. But if we understand just one word of our Lama, and practice accordingly, we will experience happiness in all future lives.

When the teacher only introduces us to karma, cause and effect, it is like receiving two wide-open eyes, the knowledge that knows what to do and what to give up.

Simply by being introduced to karma, we are shown to path to create happiness in all future lives.

Therefore, even if someone were to offer us millions of dollars, it could not compare to the value of receiving a single line of teachings from our Lama. In fact, money may easily be used to create even more suffering.

The cause of all suffering is the self-centered mind, and all the afflictions. When you recognize this, your faults will be exhausted.

When you recognize that the only cause of happiness is a pure and loving mind, your qualities will increase like the waxing moon.

The path to such recognition is given to us by our spiritual teacher. For this reason, he is more precious than one’s own body.

What does it mean to hold the spiritual teacher dear?

Holding his body dear only leads to trouble; what we must hold dear are his words or instructions. Holding his words dear means to listen properly and then apply them to one’s own mind, put them into practice.

First we must understand the teachings, and then we must personally experience what we have learned. We experience the teachings by reflecting and meditating on them until a feeling of certainty arises.

For instance, the teacher explains to us the preciousness of love. An intellectual understanding is already a great merit.

However, an intellectual understanding will not dispel the root of our suffering, our afflictions.

It certainly helps, but in order to truly pass beyond suffering, we must practice, gain a living experience. When we gain a personal experience, we will directly see how love is so precious. Knowing this, based on experiencing it directly, one will not let go of it at any cost. Not letting go of love, we will habituate to it to the point when it becomes effortless and always remains naturally. Then we have created perfect peace and happiness and have finally passed beyond suffering.

The root cause is the kindness of our teacher.

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The 37 Bodhisattva Practices Series, Verse 7

“What worldly gods, themselves also bound in the prison of cyclic existence, are able to protect others? Therefore, when refuge is sought, taking refuge in the undeceiving Three Jewels is the bodhisattvas’ practice.”

The reason why we should not seek refuge in worldly gods is because they, themselves, are not yet liberated from suffering. They may be very powerful and magnificent, but this is only the temporary ripening of various karmas. Because they themselves have not eliminated the actual cause of suffering, the afflictions, they cannot provide us with ultimate protection from suffering.

Only someone who has transcended suffering can protect us from suffering. The Buddha (Buda) is the one who has achieved lasting peace and happiness and is free of all suffering and all causes of suffering. Therefore, the Buddha (Buda) has the ability to help us to become ultimately free of suffering.

The method to become free of suffering is the Dharma, the teachings of the Buddha (Buda). If we follow the prescription of the Buddha (Buda), we will become just like the Buddha (Buda) ourselves. Although the Dharma consists of 84,000 teachings, they have a single essence - bodhicitta.

In order to progress along the path of Dharma, we need to rely on a companion, someone who has walked the path and thus possesses the ability to guide us on the path. This companion is the Sangha.

Having taken refuge in the Three Jewels will protect us from suffering because the Three Jewels teach us what to do and what not to do.

If we practice accordingly we will be protected, in this sense we are actually protecting ourselves.

Ultimately, thus, we rely on the inner Three Jewels. When we understand that the Three Jewels are actually complete within our own mind, we will become free of suffering.

The inner Buddha (Buda) is your own mindful-awareness, the inner Dharma is love and compassion, and if you practice their union, your mind is the Sangha.

Since taking refuge means to ultimately take refuge in compassion, we will be protected from suffering.

The essence of the Great Vehicle refuge vow is to think: “I shall not forsake bodhicitta, even at the cost of my life. From this time onwards, until attaining the heart of enlightenment, I shall remain inseparable from compassion-wisdom.”

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The 37 Bodhisattva Practices Series, Verse 8

“The Subduer said that all the unbearable suffering of the three lower realms is the fruition of wrongdoing. Therefore, never committing negative deeds, even at peril to one’s life, is the bodhisattvas’ practice.”

All the unbearable suffering of the lower realms is created by our afflictions.

The Buddha (Buda) did not invent or create a certain belief, but rather, having realized how things really are, the Buddha (Buda) compassionately explained what causes suffering and what causes happiness.

He taught, “If you wish to be happy, this is what you need to do. If you wish to avoid suffering, this is what you must give up.” “The very nature of hatred is hell. The very nature of love is the pure land.”

Hell is not a place someone sends you to in order to punish you. It is just the nature of hatred to produce hell, or the nature of hatred is hell.

This is just how things are. Sometimes people doubt the reality of hell. Even Buddhists sometimes think “it is just a state of mind. If it’s just mind then it’s not real, so it can’t be that bad.”

However, while it is true that hell does not inherently exist, neither does this human life!

If you experience this life as a reality, hell will be experienced in the same way.

For as long as there is negative karma, for as long as there is self-grasping (aferramiento al yo), suffering is a real experience.

Only when one attains enlightenment and realizes emptiness (vacuidad), one realizes that the realms, including the pure lands do not inherently exist.

In addition, we can see the suffering of all realms in our world. There are humans who experience the suffering of hell and hungry spirits.

What is the cause of all suffering? The cause of all suffering is self-grasping (aferramiento al yo) and the afflictions arising from it.

Thus, you should observe your own mind and if you find that you possess afflictions such as anger, the result will certainly ripen in the future.

Milarepa said, “The root of the lower realms is hatred, therefore practice patience even at the cost of your life.”

When you understand the suffering resulting from hatred, you will naturally wish to abandon it. If you do not understand this you may even mistakenly justify anger.

From hatred arises hell, from greed appear the hungry spirits and from ignorance the animals.For instance, some people are unaware and destroy their life by drinking alcohol and taking drugs. This creates a propensity of ignorance leading to birth as an animal.

There is outer and inner karma. Outer karma refers to our external activities. One may think, “I am not killing, or stealing, I’m not doing anything wrong.”

But what is more important is the inner karma. Even if one is not engaging in negative deeds externally, if one fails to give rise to compassion and only thinks about oneself, negative thoughts will accumulate in the mind like snowflakes falling continuously day and night.

If we keep following the afflictions, we will not find freedom for countless eons.

That is only due to the actions we have committed based on this body.

Karma, cause and effect, is infallible.

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The 37 Bodhisattva Practices Series, Verse 9

“The pleasure of the three realms is as fleeting as a dewdrop on the tip of a blade of grass, vanishing in a single moment. Striving for the supreme state of never-changing liberation is the bodhisattvas’ practice.”

The three existences are the human’s on the earth, the gods above, and the nāgas below.

All beings in these realms are attached to the pleasures of sensory enjoyments.

We are not liberated because we are attached to saṃsāra, because we think that we can actually find true happiness by finding gratification for our senses.

We can understand rather easily that hatred is the cause of suffering, and we are ready to give up this affliction.

It is much more difficult for us to realize that the actual cause of still wandering in saṃsāra is our mistaken belief that we will, in the end, find some happiness here. It is thus more difficult to recognize our desire for samsaric bliss (gozo).

We are not free from suffering, because we can’t let go of it. But no matter how hard we try, even if we get what we were striving for, it will not last. When we die, we are forced to let it all go.

What will stay, however, are the negative imprints, the karmas that we created in order to obtain worldly pleasures.

Everything is impermanent, changing moment by moment; nothing lasts, like a dewdrop on the tip of a blade of grass. To cling to the permanence of things is extremely ignorant.

Patrul Rinpoche said, “The attachment (aferramiento) to sights is like a moth attracted to a fire flame. The attachment (aferramiento) to sound is like a deer enchanted by the hunter’s flute. The attachment (aferramiento) to taste is like a fish taking a baited hook. The attachment (aferramiento) to touch is like an elephant mired in a swamp. The attachment (aferramiento) to smell is like a bee flying into a carnivorous flower.”

For example, the elephant finds it very blissful to be in the cool mud, but he is so heavy that he easily becomes mired in the swamp and will die there if he can’t get out.

Likewise, we think that saṃsāra is pleasurable. In the beginning we enjoy ourselves, in the middle we experience misery, and in the end we will find no liberation, like an elephant sinking in a swamp.

In the beginning, we are convinced that obtaining our object of desire will bring us satisfaction. When we get it, it becomes the cause of suffering.

If the good qualities and the faults of an action are equal, or if the faults are predominant, you should not engage in the action.

This is how you should consider before partaking of something pleasurable.

For example, if you consider carefully, you will not drink alcohol excessively. There is nothing wrong with drinking only a little bit of alcohol, it can be medicinal. But if you drink excessively and get drunk, then eventually you will drink yourself to death.

If you are honest, the pleasures of this life, many times are the cause of much suffering.

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The 37 Bodhisattva Practices Series, Verse 10

“When mothers who have been kind to one since beginningless time are suffering, what’s the use of one’s own happiness? Therefore, generating the mind of enlightenment in order to liberate limitless sentient beings (seres sintientes) is the bodhisattvas’ practice.”

Since time without beginning, we have taken birth in cyclic existence, over and over again. In all these incalculable past lives, we have had parents.

If we were to pile up the bones of all our past bodies, it would be greater than Mount Meru. If we were to gather all the tears we cried, it would fill up a limitless ocean.

Since we incarnated infinitely, there is not a single being who has not been our parent in a past life. At that time, they cared for us with great love and sacrificed their lives for our sake. Just like our present parents, they have committed many negative deeds in order to protect us. As a result of these negative deeds, they now suffer in saṃsāra endlessly.

How could we turn our backs at them and leave them alone? Because they are our mothers, and thus very dear to our heart, we want them to be happy.

The wish for the happiness of others is love. If you love someone, you cannot bear to see them suffer. This is compassion. We wish for all others to be free from suffering.

The root of suffering is the self-clinging mind. Although sentient beings (seres sintientes) are limitless, self-clinging is the single root of all suffering.

If you give rise to love and compassion for all sentient beings (seres sintientes), your mind will become vast and all-pervasive.

When love pervades all beings, self-grasping (aferramiento al yo) diminishes. In this way, you accomplish the dual purpose of others and yourself.

Ultimately, there is a single ground within which all beings are one. Because we are connected to all beings on the ultimate level, we can pervade them with love. They can actually receive our love.

For instance, a dog or a cat will naturally come close to a person with great love, and they will run away if one is very angry. This is a sign that of the single ground.

In addition, when you think of others, you do not think about a self. If you are self-centered, your mind becomes narrow, like a block of ice. But when you let go and send out love to others, you will notice how your mind expands. The mind becomes open and spacious, like a vast ocean or the sky.

Bodhicitta is the preliminary practice, bodhicitta is the main practice, and bodhicitta is also the result.

Therefore, be courageous and do not abandon even a single sentient being (ser sintiente) for as long as saṃsāra exists.

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The 37 Bodhisattva Practices Series, Verse 11

“All suffering without exception comes from wishing for one’s own happiness. The perfect buddhas arise from the altruistic mind. Therefore, completely exchanging one’s own happiness for the suffering of others is the bodhisattvas’ practice.”

All the buddhas of the past, present, and future arise from bodhicitta.

In the beginning, the Buddha (Buda) Śākyamuni was an ordinary being like us. Having given rise to bodhicitta, the Buddha (Buda) then accumulated merit throughout three endless eons, and finally attained complete enlightenment.

What we call merit is nothing else than love and compassion for sentient beings (seres sintientes). If we practice virtue with compassion for all beings, it is called merit.

If we practice virtue without compassion, it is not called merit.

If we truly love others, we will easily exchange our own happiness for their suffering. Some people are naturally very compassionate, this is due to the merit they have accumulated in the past. We are compassionate because we love others.

If we would not love them, we would not care about them. But if you love others and see that they experience endless suffering, an unbearable feeling will overcome you. You cannot bear to see them suffer, you want to do anything to free them from suffering. This is compassion.

The root of all the endless suffering is self-clinging. The only thing that destroys self-clinging is love. Thus, what those beings need is love and compassion. If love permeates their mind, their negative karma and suffering will melt away.

For example, if all the people in a war-zone would give rise to love all of a sudden, their suffering would end. Their hatred and jealousy will disappear right there. Thus, their negative karma would become purified.

Bodhicitta is the most powerful way to purify negative karma and dispel suffering. When negative karma and obscurations (oscurecimientos) become purified, they melt away like snow melting in the sun. If the snow mountain is very large, you will not notice that some snow has melted, nevertheless, change happens moment by moment.

If you really understand the pain that is created by self-clinging, if you really trust that striving for your own happiness is the cause of suffering and has never brought you happiness since beginningless time in saṃsāra, you will be able to generate the inner strength to transform your mind.

If you really understand the extent of the wealth of merit gained from bodhicitta, it will be easy and joyful to benefit others.

For example, we believe that we are tired because we work too much. In reality, we are resentful because our payment is not good enough. Imagine someone were to tell you: “I will offer you 10 million dollars if you work for me today.” Would you be too tired to do it? Most likely you would be at your best behavior that day. The merit gained from giving rise to bodhicitta is a far greater wealth than 10 million dollars.

Understanding the benefits of bodhicitta, bodhisattvas are tireless.

When you see how your love touches others, it will become your happiness to give your happiness to others.

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Why are we reciting the Buddha (Buda) Amitābha’s mantra? What is the purpose of mantra recitation?

There is a great merit from reciting the Amidewa mantra with faith and devotion, but it is of even greater benefit to truly understand its purpose.

Since beginningless time in saṃsāra, we have habituated to a belief in a concrete reality, we cling to the inherently true existence of all appearances.

This fixation has formed a deep imprint in our mind which compels us to follow our habitual patterns of destructive thoughts such as anger, jealousy, and so forth. These emotions are the cause of great suffering for our body and mind.

Even though we cannot see these afflictions, their energy is extremely powerful and the feeling may overwhelm us so much that we cannot bear it. These powerful emotions are our habitual imprints, and when they arise, we cannot let them go.

When we practice the deity, we purify these imprints.

By visualizing the deity, such as Amitābha, our habitual imprints with regard to our body are purified. By reciting the mantra, our habitual imprints with regard to our speech are purified. At least for the time when we actually practice, our mind will feel peaceful and happy. The ice-block of self-grasping (aferramiento al yo) will melt a bit.

In the Amitābha mean of accomplishment (método de realización) it says: “The Dharma wheel of unceasing compassion will always turn.”

Even though sentient beings (seres sintientes) are obscured by self-grasping (aferramiento al yo), they possess Buddha (Buda)-nature which is an unceasing continuum.

This nature is wisdom awareness and since it is unceasing there is no one who does not possess at least some compassion. Even if beings have not developed vast bodhicitta, they all possess love at least to some degree. Thus, whoever has a mind naturally possesses an unbroken continuum of wisdom and compassion. Since mind itself cannot perish, it is impossible for this continuum of compassion-wisdom to degenerate.

If you understand that all sentient beings (seres sintientes) have the potential to attain enlightenment, you have understood the essence of Vajra Vehicle.

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Sentient beings (Seres sintientes) believe in a subject-object duality, they think that they themselves are separate from the others out there.

When you directly experience the natural state, all these ideas and fixations fall apart. When the thinking of self and others falls apart, when one doesn’t cling to the habitual discursive thoughts, one realizes that the nature of mind is actually like space. There is no separation or duality in space. Separation is only a mental construct.

When these mental fabrications collapse, one will know the endless space-like nature of mind. There is a sense of ease and peace.

Knowing that sentient beings (seres sintientes) have not realized this reality, one maintains unconditioned compassion.

Abiding in the natural state of mind is a most peaceful and joyous state.

But sentient beings (seres sintientes) have not seen their own true nature, with confused minds the endlessly suffer in illusory saṃsāra. This is a great pity, thus the compassion of those who know reality naturally prevails.

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It is the mind of a Bodhisattva, only caring about others is bodhicitta.

This mind is the essence of all deities. If you practice any deity with this mind, you will be very close to the deity and receive blessings.

What we call blessings is actually nothing but love.

The mind that is free of selfishness and only cares about others is a bodhisattvas mind, such limitless love is conventional bodhicitta.

A Buddha (Buda) has not only perfected conventional bodhicitta but also ultimate bodhicitta, i.e., a Buddha (Buda) mind has fully realized that all duality is delusion and that in fact there are no self and others.

There are different levels of bodhisattvas, there are ten stages or bhūmis a bodhisattva progresses through on the path. The enlightened mind is beyond all paths, there is no more training, it is complete awakening.

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You do not have to keep visualising all the time during mantra recitation.

In the beginning, when we recite the visualisation for the mantra recitation, you should generate the visualisation as explained in the text. Then, you begin reciting the mantra with this visualisation.

When your mind then becomes clear and calm, you do not have to visualise anything. You can just sustain this state of clarity and tranquillity as you recite the mantra.

If distracting thoughts or emotions again arise, you should come back to the visualisation to help you mind return to focus.

When there are no thoughts you can just rest in the empty natural state of mind, abide free from fixation, not separating self and others.

There are three types of uninterrupted-ness when we recite the mantra.

There are uninterrupted offerings to the Buddhas; uninterrupted purification of obscurations (oscurecimientos) of sentient beings (seres sintientes), and uninterrupted attainment of yogic accomplishments or attainments.

The yogic accomplishment is basically the increase of love and compassion; if love and compassion increase, wisdom increases and one attains Enlightenment.

Due to compassion, one temporarily experiences the seven qualities of the higher realms [Better family lineage; attractive physical features; long life; good health; good fortune; wealth; good wisdom*], the happiness of the higher realms and many other benefits that come from mantra recitation.

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Debes entrenar la mente como un músculo. Si quieres entrenar tu cuerpo, debes practicar ejercicio regularmente. Del mismo modo, si quieres entrenar tu mente, debes practicar meditación día a día.

No podrás cargar un peso pesado con músculos débiles. El entrenamiento es un proceso gradual. Debes entrenar la mente de manera persistente y constante si deseas superar dificultades y volverte más fuerte.

Cada vez que reconoces un pensamiento, tu atención se fortalece un poco más. Poco a poco ganarás fuerza interior.

Al principio, no es fácil superar emociones muy poderosas. Si las emociones son demasiado abrumadoras y no puedes superarlas con atención plena, debes aplicar otro método.

Debes pensar en una deidad, como Tāra, inmediatamente, sin permitirte caer en el mal sentimiento.

Al inicio, reconoces las emociones, pero no desaparecen. Eso ocurre porque tu atención aún no es lo suficientemente fuerte. Por eso, debes entrenar la mente en todas las circunstancias, no solo cuando enfrentas problemas.

Primero, debes entrenar la mente reconociendo los pensamientos menos intensos. Si entrenas con constancia y diligencia, eventualmente podrás superar pensamientos aún más poderosos.

Más adelante, ningún pensamiento o emoción podrá perturbarte. Todo se vuelve lo mismo. Entonces, aunque el cuerpo esté en saṃsāra, la mente está liberada.

Debes esforzarte por liberar tu mente en lugar de tu cuerpo.

La conciencia, el huésped, abandonará la posada del cuerpo.

Cuando tu aferramiento mental disminuye, verás lo fugaz que es todo y cómo nada existe verdaderamente. Esta vida es como un sueño.

Nada permanece, el sufrimiento y la felicidad van y vienen. Debes ser capaz de soltar tu fijación por lo que no puede durar.

Los pensamientos de deseo y apego son la ilusión de una mente confundida. Lo mejor es no necesitar nada.

56

The mani wheel has the same benefits of mantra garlands. It becomes an offering to the Buddhas and purifies the obscurations (oscurecimientos) of sentient beings (seres sintientes).

If you spin it your entire life with faith, it is taught that you will not require any other Transference of Consciousness apart from placing your mani wheel at your crown above your pillow. This will pull up the consciousness and is thus a Transference of Consciousness in itself.

Moreover, whoever sees the mani wheel will not be born in the lower realms.

However, many mantras are contained in the mani wheel radiate outside with each rotation and make offerings to the Buddhas and shower a rain of love upon all beings in the six realms, thus melting their selfgrasping and increasing their love.

The mantra accomplishes uninterrupted offering to the Buddha (Buda), uninterrupted purifications of obscurations (oscurecimientos) in sentient beings (seres sintientes) and uninterrupted attainment of yogic accomplishments.

By spinning the mani wheel, you practice virtues of body, speech, and mind simultaneously; physical virtues by holding and spinning the wheel, verbal virtues as you send our mantras, and mental virtues as you sustain mindful-awareness and are not distracted as you spin the wheel.

It also includes prostration, mantra recitation, and meditation. By spinning the mani wheel, you will naturally benefit those who are alive and those who have deceased.

There is no separate visualization that you need to practice.

Disciples or practitioners have different aspirations and inclinations. You can practice according to your inclinations. For some practitioners, they prefer to practice the method with the winds and some others prefer the visualization. Some even think “Nothing works for me. I’m not good at any of that.” Then they grow tired and then they don’t want to practice. But actually to cultivate faith is most important. If you just cultivate unchanging faith, that is the best method.

For example, we have mentioned the benefits of the mani wheel. It is taught if you have a mani wheel and your entire life you have great faith into your mani wheel, then when you die and you have the mani wheel above your crown on your pillow and someone tells you “The mani wheel is there [by your crown]” and you hear that, you know it’s there, then your consciousness will go there and that becomes a Transference of Consciousness practice. It serves the function of a Transference of Consciousness practice. It really has that power.

I have personal experience with that. I am really someone with a lot of suffering experiences. For example, one time in Tibet, we had a car accident. And during the accident, not in the slightest thought about “I could be hurt.” I didn’t think that. I was just wanting to hold my mani wheel protect my mani wheel. Then, nothing happened [that is, no one died or was hurt in the car accident].

I really felt “this is really very powerful - it is really true what the Buddha (Buda) has said.” Such is the power of faith. If you just understand the power of a dharma wheel, a mani wheel.

So, wherever you focus your attention, your consciousness will go there. That is the great quality of faith. Therefore, there is no need to grow tired of practice.

57

Do not think much about demons, spirits and the like. In reality, there are no gods and demons. A god is compassion and a demon is self-grasping (aferramiento al yo).

From self-grasping (aferramiento al yo), the afflictions arise, and they are the cause of all suffering, for others and yourself. This is the actual demon, there is no other demon apart from that. If you want to eliminate that demon, you have to cultivate love and compassion.

Ultimately, gods and demons are the same, as all beings have a single ground of mind. If from this mind temporarily self-grasping (aferramiento al yo) arises, you can label it a demon.

It is very important to understand the levels of becoming a bodhisattva. For this, you must first understand the suffering nature of saṃsāra.

Everything in saṃsāra has the nature of suffering, only when one realizes the nature of mind, attains enlightenment, one will be free from suffering.

If you want to be free from suffering, you must be free from self-grasping (aferramiento al yo), as all suffering comes from wishing for one’s own happiness.

The only way to be free from self-grasping (aferramiento al yo) is to cultivate compassion. This is the root of all happiness.

It is most important that you develop love for all beings. If you have cultivated love, you will have the power to overcome suffering.

Even if you experience some temporary suffering circumstance, you will understand that this is the result of your own actions of self-grasping (aferramiento al yo) and you are now purifying this negative karma.

If you now cultivate bodhicitta, you will not suffer again in the future.

So if you experience some suffering now, you must understand that this is the result of your own actions, and is not caused by anyone else. If you understand this, you will accept your suffering and avoid negative actions to avoid future suffering.

For example, the cause of the hell realms is anger, the cause of the hungry spirit realm is greed, each of the six afflictions is the seed for the six realms of saṃsāra.

If you find these seeds inside your mind, you must work hard to eliminate them each and every day through sustaining mindfulness. You must recognize the emotions upon arising and see its fault. Then, you must sustain mindfulness and not fall under the power of the emotion, not act out on it. Then gradually, the afflictions will disappear.

Always remember this. This is the root of all practice.

58

La práctica de las seis perfecciones es realmente el fundamento del Gran Vehículo. La primera es la generosidad, que es un método supremo para eliminar el aferramiento al yo.

Si poseemos algo muy valioso, tendemos a pensar “esto es mío” una y otra vez. Esto refuerza el concepto y, con el tiempo, nos apegamos tanto que no estaríamos dispuestos a darlo a nadie más. Debido al aferramiento al yo, nos aferramos a ese objeto y nos vemos atados a él.

Si tenemos cien dólares, queremos mil. Cuanto más nos aferramos, más nos ata. Si tenemos mil, queremos diez mil, luego cien mil, y así sucesivamente.

Cuando ofrecemos el maṇḍala, hacemos una ofrenda a todos los seres iluminados, y esta ofrenda mental es un antídoto contra el pensamiento “esto es mío”. Poco a poco, comienza a liberar nuestra mente de la esclavitud del aferramiento al yo.

También tenemos la tendencia a aferrarnos a nuestro propio cuerpo, pensando que esta forma es mía. Si hacemos el esfuerzo de pensar que el cuerpo es como el hogar de otro ser, la casa de alguien más, entonces no hay razón para apegarnos a él.

Este es otro método para entrenar la mente y purificar el aferramiento al yo.

No es necesario reunir todas las sustancias de ofrenda prescritas. Debes reunir lo que puedas, como flores, cuencos de agua, una estatua o imagen, y el resto puedes visualizarlo.

Es importante entender el significado de hacer estas ofrendas. El punto es superar el aferramiento al yo.

Cuando practicamos hacer ofrendas, estamos entrenándonos para entregar lo que nos es preciado y así liberar el apego. Normalmente estamos apegados a los placeres sensoriales, por esta razón los ofrecemos.

El Yidam en realidad no tiene necesidad ni deseo por estos placeres, pero ofrecerlos libera nuestro propio aferramiento y acumulamos gran mérito.

Como resultado de hacer ofrendas, experimentaremos un resultado similar a la causa en futuras vidas, como un cutis hermoso o una vida larga, y finalmente, será la causa para alcanzar el despertar.

59

Sometimes, people have great attachment (aferramiento) to their Lama, and they love their Lama very much. Then, they always must be together, close with their Lama. They think that when they are close to their Lama, when he is physically present, then their practice is benefited, improves - but when they are separated, their practice declines. So they don’t want to separate. Then, when the Lama leaves, they think, ‘Now we are separated.’

That is when one only fixates on the body. But actually, if we cultivate love and faith and trust in the Lama, the mind will always be together. Most important is such a loving and altruistic mind. The Lama has that mind, and if the disciple also has that mind there is no distance.

The mindfulness and the altruism of the disciple and the Lama are exactly the same.

Their mind is the same, just like electricity, or light, in this world. There is only one such thing called light, just like the mind. Every mind is the same. And therefore, there actually is no distance between masters and disciples. The mind can be very close at all times.

On the other hand, if the student lacks faith and trust, compassion, love for the Lama, then even if they are together all the time, it will be of no benefit. They will still argue and there will be no benefit from that.

So, in many cases, it is actually better to be, physically, more far away from the Lama.

60

The root of Vajra Vehicle practice is the samaya.

Many of my senior disciples know about that, but there may be some new disciples, and so the samaya, the root of samaya or the actual samaya, is love, and that love is a bond that keeps us connected throughout many lifetimes.

That is a bond between disciples and disciples, and lamas and disciples, and so forth. If we do not let this bond pass, if we do not interrupt this bond of love, which is the samaya, then from lifetime to lifetime in the future, we will meet again and benefit and help each other.

For others, if we cut that samaya, that bond of love with each other, then we can only harm each other in the future. And so, the samaya between disciple and disciple and disciple and lama is very precious and important.

It is necessary that we observe this samaya and not allow it to be interrupted - also because throughout all time, we have had this positive samaya.

That is why in this lifetime, sharing the connection of practicing the Vajra Vehicle together, and in order to benefit each other again and again in the future, it is important that all of us observe our samaya, that we do not give rise to anger and jealousy toward each other.

And, as it is taught in the tantras, if we observe our samaya, then we will obtain the highest yogic accomplishments within seven lifetimes.

61

When you receive an empowerment, you take refuge as part of the empowerment process, and it is important to understand what refuge is. One takes refuge in the Buddha (Buda), the Dharma, and the Sangha, but what does this mean?

Refuge is an introduction to the fact that your own mind is the Buddha (Buda). You are not taking refuge in an outer Buddha (Buda) or deity. You have wisdom mind, the knowing mind. Everyone has this, and you are introduced to this. That is the Buddha (Buda).

If you have compassion, and everybody has compassion to some extent, then you have the Dharma.

If you practice love, patience, and the mindfulness that holds this love and patience, then you are the Sangha.

Taking refuge is not taking some obscure vow. We are just introduced to how we are and how everyone is, because everyone has a mind.

Regarding receiving an empowerment as a blessing rather than with samayas, the blessing and the samaya are exactly the same.

You must deeply aspire to have love for everyone and abandon hatred and jealousy toward everyone. If you do not have this aspiration, there is no point in receiving the empowerment, because you will not receive the blessing.

62

The meaning of Great Seal (Gran Sello) was explained by the Buddha (Buda) to be inexpressible, beyond expression in terms of being beyond conception and description. It is beyond existence and non-existence, and it cannot be given any name. It simply is a union of awareness-emptiness (vacuidad).

You must look at the one who thinks," I must see Great Seal (Gran Sello)." And, when you look at that one, there is nothing to be seen whatsoever.

It is just like, for example, if I try to find myself. I could circumambulate the entire planet looking for myself, and then finally, someone asks me, ‘What are you looking for?’ And I say, ‘I am looking for Könchok Gyaltsen, I am looking everywhere.’ And then they say, ‘But that’s you!’ And then finally, I see that I have always been there. It is me.

So even if you circumambulate the entire word, you cannot find the meaning of Great Seal (Gran Sello). The one inside who thinks, ‘I must see Great Seal (Gran Sello)’, is the one you need to look at. And when you look at that one, you will see nothing. It will become like the expanse of space, free from any duality of something to be seen or someone to see.

63

When you meditate, you must observe your mind. Don’t focus so much on the movement of the body, but focus on the mind.

When all kinds of thoughts arise - attachment (aferramiento), anger, or virtuous and non-virtuous thoughts - there is an awareness that precedes these thoughts, and that awareness you must recognize.

The thoughts do not yet disappear, but there is an awareness that recognizes these thoughts. That you must recognize. That is what you must develop.

As for the thoughts - you have to just let them go, throw them away like garbage. You must develop stable awareness that recognizes all mental arisings. Then, when that eventually becomes stable - all those thoughts, afflictions, and suffering - you will be able to overcome, eliminate, though this awareness.

If the awareness is not very powerful, you will still cling to the happiness that you want, but your mindfulness will not be able to overcome the suffering that you do not want.

So, you must habituate this mindfulness that recognizes, that sees all the thoughts that appear, and eventually through sustaining mindfulness, you will be able to overcome all conceptuality and suffering.

64

The body is not the ‘me’; the body is impermanent, it is a compound and therefore we can’t find the ‘me’ in the body.

We may then think that the ‘me’ is the mind, so you should look inside your own mind and try to find the ‘I’, the ‘me’ in the mind.

When you look inside your own mind, there is no ‘I’ to be found there, but there is the love that you have for your friend. Then, a very strange feeling will arise. You will think: when mind watches mind and looks at the love that is naturally there, although you cannot see it, there is a pervasive love.

It is just like space but you can’t obtain it, you can’t find it. It has no form. When you look at the feeling of love that you have for that friend, your love and his love are the same.

Hence, we are actually non-dual, we are not separate. You love that person and that person loves you. This love is the same.

Our bodies will be destroyed but there is only one mind. Our minds are one, just like there is only one thing called water in the world. When we understand this, we will understand the non-duality of subject and object of self and others.

This is how we should first meditate: thinking of two people and realizing that we are actually one. Although our bodies appear as two, our mind is actually one. If we meditate in this way, we can understand our true nature.

65

En el budismo, se practica la unión de compasión-sabiduría. Y a través de los linajes de los grandes maestros antiguos, obtenemos las cualidades de compasión-sabiduría.

Cuando pensamos con devoción en un gran maestro del pasado que posee gran sabiduría y compasión, sus cualidades se transmiten a nuestras mentes por el poder del linaje ininterrumpido.

Esto es porque, aunque los cuerpos de los antiguos maestros hayan muerto, sus mentes nunca han muerto. Sus mentes continúan siendo tan vastas como el espacio.

Por lo tanto, quien piense en sus grandes cualidades con devoción accederá a sus mentes. Así, nuestro linaje es llamado el “linaje de práctica de bendiciones.”

Esto es algo que los científicos no han descubierto.

Este es el significado de Mantra Secreto o Budismo del Vehículo Vajra, que enseña que dependiendo de la devoción, uno puede recibir las bendiciones y cualidades del Lama.

No se llama Mantra Secreto porque sea algo que se intente ocultar a los demás, sino porque es difícil de realizar. Si uno no se involucra en su práctica, no puede ser realizado.

66

Even though you have received many empowerments, if you understand the nature of the deity, you understand that it is sufficient to only practice a single deity.

By practicing a single deity genuinely, you are accomplishing the essence of all deities.

In fact, it is better to focus on the practice of just one deity, because then it will be easier to habituate to the deity to the point where you will not forget about the deity.

To accomplish the deity means to never forget about the deity, it means that the deity always remains in your mind, it never separates from you. As it is always in your mind, you become the deity.

If you never separate from the deity, you will also remember the deity in the intermediate state after death, upon which you will attain enlightenment into the Perfect Enjoyment Body (Cuerpo del Disfrute Perfecto) form of the deity.

Sometimes, people worry about receiving too many empowerments because they think that they cannot keep all the samayas. Actually, if you practice the root samaya of love, compassion and mindfulness, you are keeping all samayas of all deities, even if you only recite the mantra of one deity. In order to understand this, you must understand the essence of the deity.

If you think that the deities are all separate, there will be a conflict. Actually, the power of one wisdom deity is contained within all deities.

Various deities appear in order to suit the various thoughts and inclinations of sentient beings (seres sintientes), but actually their nature is one and the same. The nature of all deities is bodhicitta. Therefore, if you practice bodhicitta and mindfulness, and only recite the mantra of one deity, you are keeping all your samayas.

If you do not practice bodhicitta and mindfulness, no matter how many different mantras you recite, you are not keeping your samayas. That is because bodhicitta is the very life-energy of the deity. Without bodhicitta, the deity is like a dead body.

However, it is necessary to practice at least one deity on a daily basis.

In the various empowerment texts, it is mentioned in the section of repeating the samaya that one must recite the mantra of that deity, but this must be mentioned in each mean of accomplishment (método de realización) because in old days the masters would only receive this one empowerment and then practice this for the rest of their lives. For this reason, it must be mentioned in each empowerment text.

But for us, since we receive so many empowerments nowadays, it is crucial to understand the meaning and essence of the empowerment. It is said: “In the expanse of timeless awareness (Consciencia Primordial), all the Buddhas are one.

67

When we have practiced the two-fold accumulation - when we separate from self-centeredness then naturally the mind’s enlightened qualities will be actualized and revealed.

In reality, the antidote to the self-centered mind is loving-kindness and compassion. Accumulating merit removes all mental obscurations (oscurecimientos), and its result is the achievement of wisdom, primordial awareness.

So, the cause is accumulating merit, which is an antidote to the self-grasping (aferramiento al yo) mind and the afflictions.

There is both a conceptual and non-conceptual accumulation. Guru Rinpoche said that ‘although the view is as high as the sky, the conduct must be as fine as flour.’

We must refrain from causing any harm towards any sentient being (ser sintiente), and we must engage in actions that benefit sentient beings (seres sintientes). This is the conduct of the six paramitas.

So, that is first, the conceptual accumulation. Then, the non-conceptual or ultimate accumulation is realizing the meaning, the union, of the two truths.

First, one must cultivate the conceptual truth of love and compassion for all sentient beings (seres sintientes) and with that mind, even if you recite only a single Oṃ Mani Padme Hūṃ, it will pervade all sentient beings (seres sintientes); the merit is inconceivable.

Then, when you meditate on the view, the nature of your mind, you will realize the ultimate truth, the union of emptiness (vacuidad)-compassion. Milarepa said that apart from realizing the union of the two truths, or emptiness (vacuidad)-compassion, there is no separate accomplishment of the non-dual purpose of self and others.

68

We should make an effort to recognize whatever thoughts arise in the mind and to contemplate their fruition.

For example, if I am truly a Great Seal (Gran Sello) practitioner, then when a affliction like anger arises, I will recognize it at that moment. I will also recognize that it has the power to cause a lower rebirth.

It is necessary not only to understand this intellectually, but to put it into practice through our own vigilant mindful-awareness.

For example, if you are shopping in a store, you will see many delightful things, clothing and shoes and objects of desire. The mind is attracted to these things. If we don’t recognize that attachment (aferramiento) arising in the mind, then we can purchase all kinds of things.

We obtain many objects thinking this will cause happiness. But in fact, by not recognizing the afflictions and instead acting upon them, we may think we are accumulating objects, but what we are really accumulating is causes of suffering for the future.

If on the other hand, we follow the advice of Milarepa, who said to recognize attachment (aferramiento) when meeting desirable circumstances - if at the moment of the afflictions’ arising, we turn the mind inward upon itself, then we will see that there is no reason to act upon a spontaneous arising of desire.

69

The essence of practice is really in mind itself, it is accumulating virtue in the mind. When we hold to the commitment that we have made to liberate beings, we continuously act on their behalf.

We don’t act in order to benefit just ourselves in anyway. Not even with the smallest pore of our skin, do we wish to bring benefit to ourselves alone.

In fact, we take the vast mind that says - even if I need to take rebirth in the three lower realms, that is fine. Everything I do is for the benefit of others.

When we have this kind of mindset, then all of our activities of body, speech, and mind become virtuous.

We should recall again and again the qualities of generating bodhicitta, that it establishes us on the path, that it becomes a cause for us to purify negativities and accumulate virtue, and we should rejoice accordingly.

70

In order to meditate properly - that is, in a manner that actually produces the state of complete awakening we call enlightenment - the one indispensable ingredient required that you cannot do away with is bodhicitta, which is the mind of awakening, the altruistic aspiration to liberate all sentient beings (seres sintientes) in enlightenment, the mindset of the awakened warriors, the bodhisattvas.

In fact, that is what you need your mind stream to be permeated with most desperately; that is your most desperate need, especially in terms of practice and proper meditation.

Bodhicitta, the precious mind of awakening, the mindset of the enlightened warriors, is the root teaching of the 84,000 sets of teachings and practices that comprise the Buddhadharma (Dharma del Buda).

Without bodhicitta, whatever practice you engage in is grounded in self-grasping (aferramiento al yo), self-cherishing, and is a fabrication of the self-grasping mind.

That is why bodhicitta is absolutely indispensable, and that is why meditation is not just awareness, or knowledge, or the knowingness that cognizes emptiness (vacuidad).

It is also passionately loving and compassionate toward all sentient beings (seres sintientes).

71

When we take refuge in the Three Jewels, the actual refuge, we should have a clear understanding of the qualities of the Three Jewels, the Buddha (Buda), Dharma, and Sangha.

Although the enlightened buddhas have vast qualities, today I will describe them only in the briefest way.

Whenever we take refuge in the Three Jewels, we should be aware that the virtue we accumulate from saying even one mantra, for example, is multiplied 100-fold by the power of their blessings.

In regards to the first refuge, the Buddha (Buda), there are three principal qualities. First is wisdom - when the state of full enlightenment is attained, one has a clear and complete knowledge and understanding of all phenomena of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa. This becomes the basis to bring immeasurable benefit to beings.

The second principal quality of the Buddha (Buda) is a very loving kind of compassion towards all sentient beings (seres sintientes). Having established this wisdom, one sees the suffering of all beings without exception.

On this basis, one develops loving compassion towards all beings. The wish for them to be completely free from suffering, this feeling towards beings is so strong that it is said to be like that of a mother towards her only child.

The third quality is enlightened activity. In order to bring about the happiness and freedom from suffering on sentient beings (seres sintientes), a fully enlightened Buddha (Buda), through his or her own enlightened activities, manifests limitless Emanation Body emanations until all saṃsāra is emptied.

The second refuge is that of the Dharma. Now, all sentient beings (seres sintientes) encounter various problems, difficulties, suffering and so forth.

The Dharma is the method, spoken by the Buddha (Buda) himself, about how to liberate oneself from these sufferings. These are the clear methods for practice.

If one is sick, one relies upon a doctor and takes medicine that is prescribed in order to clear away the sickness. So it is with the Dharma teachings -they are like a medicine that clears away the illness in the mind, which is the suffering of beings.

Therefore, we take refuge in the Dharma as the method of liberating all beings from the suffering of saṃsāra.

With regard to the third object of refuge, the Sangha, whenever we hear those Dharma teachings, when we generate faith and belief in them, authentic respect for them, then we become practitioners of this teaching - we become the Sangha.

The Tibetan word for Sangha is “gendum,” which means those who are gathering or accumulating virtue. This includes not only disciples of the Dharma teachings, but also our spiritual friends, our guides and masters.

This is a brief explanation of the outer Three Jewels - Buddha (Buda), Dharma, and Sangha.

When taking refuge, we are really cultivating the foundation, the cause of attaining Buddhahood. Beyond taking refuge, we must cultivate mindful-awareness of the nature of mind. Whenever we do this, we are really practicing the Dharma taught by the Buddha (Buda). When this mindful-awareness is combined with loving-kindness and compassion for beings, then our practice is complete. At that time, one becomes the third jewel, the Sangha.

72

We must understand that Buddha (Buda) nature and its wisdom are inherent in our minds. It is extensively explained by many great scholars and masters, but it is very simple.

It is just that awareness that engages in all these activities, worldly or dharmic. It is the one who thinks ‘I must do this, do that, go here or there,’ or ‘the scientists building planes and improving the world doing this and that’. It is just that awareness engaging in all these activities and doing all these things that we must recognize.

If we ride the horse of self-grasping (aferramiento al yo) and merge the mind with self-grasping (aferramiento al yo), we will only go down further and further into saṃsāra - we will have to continue wandering in saṃsāra.

But if we ride the horse of loving-kindness and compassion, we will go more and more through the enlightened qualities of the Buddha (Buda): the Emanation Body, then the Perfect Enjoyment Body (Cuerpo del Disfrute Perfecto), then the Dharma Body - we will go up to complete enlightenment.

Another example is like a big tree. The lower part, the roots, represents the lower realms and selfgrasping, the pain of self-grasping (aferramiento al yo). If there is self-grasping (aferramiento al yo), we will always abide at the lower part of the tree.

But if we give rise to the altruistic mind, then we go up to the higher parts of the tree the branches, the foliage, the leaves, the flowers and fruits and so on.

There is still just one tree, one single ground, but if we abide at the bottom, we experience great suffering and great difficulty from the self-grasping (aferramiento al yo) mind, but if we go up, we bring about the benefit of others and our own happiness.

The basis, the ground, is a single one - Buddha (Buda) nature.

73

A hundred scholars and a thousand yogins (yogins) can say all they want to say about the nature of mind. But all can be summed up by this teaching of Jigme Lingpa.

The mind should never be separated from love and compassion. love and compassion should never be separated from emptiness (vacuidad). And mindful-awareness should never be separated from emptiness (vacuidad).

These are the key teachings.

74

Understanding karma, I was not overwhelmed by suffering in the war. I was able to tolerate and create happiness for the future. Through understanding karma, I have attained independence and am now happy at all times.

It is most important to understand that karma is within the mind. The Buddha (Buda) said, ‘Perfectly tame your own mind. This is the Buddha (Buda)’s teachings.’

The Buddha (Buda) did not say, ‘Perfectly tame others’ minds.’

We must purify our own mind. When you purify your mind, you must begin with those who surround your every day, your family, friends, etc.

I have great hopes that all of you will take this to heart and give rise to kindness and compassion for each other. Give rise to love for your parents, your teachers, and your country, and then expand this love for all sentient beings (seres sintientes).

In the future, when we die, even if we have accumulated millions of dollars, it will be useless. At that point, only a mind of love will be important.

This mind will stay with us throughout all lifetimes. Therefore, it is my great hope that you hold on to this mind of love.

Although I cannot be with you today physically, my mind is with you. I pray that all of you will give rise to love and a kind heart.

We are engaging in a Fasting Practice retreat here in Arizona for the sake of the peace and happiness of this world, so that beings may live in harmony free of warfare, and so that all beings will give rise to a mind of love and compassion and thus be free of all suffering.

75

When bodhisattvas are in the state of view and meditation, they engage in the six paramitas to benefit others.

When such a being is absolutely in the state of self-awareness, there is no fixation whatsoever. That is the paramita of generosity.

In that state, there is no attachment (aferramiento) at all. That is the paramita of moral ethics.

Being in that state, there is no fear. That is patience.

In the state of self-awareness, there is no effort – making no effort at all, but simply being in the state of selfawareness is the paramita of diligence.

The self-awareness, being in its own nature is the paramita of meditative concentration.

Naturally occurring wisdom, which is timeless, is the paramita of wisdom.

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Conventional bodhicitta is based on the understanding of cause and effect and karma.

Absolute bodhicitta is based on seeing the nature of afflictions. When you see their nature is emptiness (vacuidad), that is absolute bodhicitta. Then, you are beyond these concepts.

Cause, effect and karma do not affect absolute bodhicitta because absolute bodhicitta is beyond concept.

But until you have realized absolute bodhicitta, you must believe in cause, effect, and karma. Until then, you should practice virtuous actions.

The unity of absolute and conventional bodhicitta will happen when you understand emptiness (vacuidad) as the nature of the mind. At this time, you will develop great compassion for those who have not seen it. So at that point, relative and absolute bodhicitta unite.

When you practice absolute bodhicitta, you meditate on the nature of your own mind.

Milarepa has said that this nature is our ordinary mind.

Tilopa says when you look at the mind there is nothing to be seen.

This may be a familiar teaching to you, but those new to the dharma may not have heard it.

For beginners, when you meditate you should not chase after your thoughts, just recognize them. Through practicing in this way, experience develops and you get a glimpse of the nature of mind.

If you have trust in your teacher, when you look at the nature of your own mind, you can also think of him or her, or remember the kindness of Milarepa. Then [that] devotion and the practice of recognizing the mind can work together.

Especially in Kagyü, devotion is emphasized.

Having devotion to the Lama, you will gain enlightenment in this life.

There are two teachers, the outer teacher and recognizing the mind. The combination of these two teachers is the best teacher.

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Garchen Rinpoche’s commentary on “especially those enemies who hate me” prayer Whenever we recite this prayer from our prayer book, we should contemplate the nature of these so-called enemies or obstructors, beings who do harm.

We should ask - where do these enemies really come from? If we had not created the cause in our former lifetimes by our negative actions, then there is no way we could experience the present fruition of people doing harm to us.

If we recognize this, if we understand that we owe these beings a karmic debt, then instead of having aversion towards them, we can recognize them as being even more kind than our own parents [because they afford us the opportunity to purify our negative karma and to practice patience].

We can cultivate a willingness to offer them even our own body, our very life essence to those who give us this opportunity to purify our negativities and obscurations (oscurecimientos).

So, as we read this prayer, we should make great effort to recognize those beings we would ordinarily consider enemies to be our kind parents.

Not only are these beings who do harm really kind to us in the present, but they are also kind in the future and especially at our time of death.

If we have the habit of perceiving beings to be enemies, if we have the habit of thinking that people are doing harm to us, then in the future and especially at the time of death, all phenomena that appears in the mind will be seen as enemies.

The Buddha (Buda) himself taught that the real enemy is anger itself, which is conquered through practicing patience.

Therefore, when we pray in this way, we generate patience and eventually loving-kindness and bodhicitta towards them. This is the foundation for practicing patience and realizing Great Seal (Gran Sello).

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La diferencia entre Fe (Tepa) y Devoción (Mogu)

Tepa es en realidad amor: amar a tu lama, gustar de tu lama y confiar en tu lama, etc. Esta es la experiencia de Tepa.

Mogu es cuando ves las cualidades maravillosas de tu lama y generas un gran respeto por él o ella, hasta el punto de que nunca olvidas nada de lo que te enseña.

Cuando tienes tanta confianza, amor y devoción por el lama, siempre recordarás sus palabras.

Tepa y Mogu pueden parecer similares, pero son diferentes.

Primero, tenemos Tepa, y a partir de esto, podemos generar Mogu. Tenemos Tepa – fe, confianza y respeto – por todos los lamas. Mogu, sin embargo, lo tenemos solo por unos pocos.

Tepa básicamente significa gustar de alguien, pero es mucho más que eso. Te gusta alguien porque esa persona no es ordinaria. Esa persona está llena de bendiciones; hay algo sagrado y santo en ella.

Cuando te impacta este tipo de sentimiento hacia un ser sublime hasta el punto de que incluso los vellos del cuerpo se erizan, cuando tienes ese tipo de Tepa.

Hay una conexión mente a mente con tu lama raíz y el Tepa previamente surgido se transforma en Mogu. Las lágrimas vienen a tus ojos. Esto ya no es como el Tepa de los primeros días, sino más bien una fusión de mente con mente.

[Translated by Tashi Jamyangling]

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The Buddha (Buda) taught 84,000 different teachings, but the root of all those teachings, when one finds the essence, is bodhicitta.

Bodhicitta is the cause of all our happiness. It is love and compassion.

No matter who explains the teachings, initially, it is most important for us to have the correct intention, to have the vast mind of awakening. Then, we apply the method which is vast and comes to the ultimate meaning of Vajra Vehicle.

We must first give rise to bodhicitta; we must engage in true bodhicitta. In the end, we must dedicate our virtues with a mind of bodhicitta for the sake of all sentient beings (seres sintientes),

so that they may attain happiness in the beginning, in the middle and in the end. This is the main point that I’m making here - we need to cultivate love and compassion.

So, whenever we engage in explaining, listening to, or meditating and practicing dharma teachings - when it comes to the first one, explaining the dharma teachings, the lama who explains the dharma teachings must have first the intention to benefit all mother sentient beings (seres sintientes) vast like the sky.

He or she must have the wish for them to be happy and free from all suffering, and only with this intention must explain the dharma teachings.

If that intention is lacking, if that teacher only explains the dharma out of self-cherishing, then the dharma teachings that he or she is explaining will be of no benefit.

Then for the one who is listening to the teachings, one also must investigate one’s own intention. It should be for the benefit of all sentient beings (seres sintientes), that they may be free from suffering and that they may have happiness.

If one wishes only for one’s own happiness, if one listens to the teachings with a self-clinging attitude, if one cannot separate from self-clinging, then one will not achieve the happiness one wishes for.

Therefore, one should have the intention to benefit all sentient beings (seres sintientes). We should put our enemies, harm-doers, first and foremost, cultivate compassion and bodhicitta for them in the beginning.

Then when we meditate, when we meditate and visualize our Yidam or when we recite mantra, we must do so never being separated from bodhicitta.

If we never separate from bodhicitta as we engage in deity practice, then we will accomplish the true deity.

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When we generate conventional bodhicitta, if we experience great compassion for one single being, then we should dedicate that merit by thinking - may I experience compassion like this for all sentient beings (seres sintientes) without exception.

When we make this kind of dedication and aspiration without doubt, it will come to fruition.

We will experience the increase of compassion, and so it is true with the sharing of all merit and all dedications.

If we experience happiness, then at that moment, we pray for all sentient beings (seres sintientes) without exception to experience this kind of happiness.

Particularly, when we have an insight into the nature of mind, when we have glimpsed the meaning of Great Seal (Gran Sello), we should not hold on to the merit of that meditation for ourselves. Rather we should dedicate that completely for the sake of all sentient beings (seres sintientes) by wishing that they too should have this glimpse of the nature of their own minds.

Whenever we are meditating on the profound meaning of Great Seal (Gran Sello), occasionally we will see so clearly a glimpse of the nature of mind. From that experience, we might think - now I have seen it, now I really have it, I have no doubt, no hesitation whatsoever in this glimpse of Great Seal (Gran Sello).

Now, there is a great room for error when we have this kind of thought. When we have the notion that MY view is the supreme view, then this is the place from which we can fall down, a place from which we can make a mistake.

We must guard against clinging to this view.

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There are immense benefits in practicing and hearing the dharma.

You don’t have to feel discouraged because of lack of improvement in your practice, because there are many layers of obscuration.

Just as deep snow takes a long time to melt, those with thick obscurations (oscurecimientos) will see improvement slowly. So don’t feel discouraged.

The teaching of the Buddha (Buda) is that the nature of mind contains the seed of enlightenment.

All sentient beings (seres sintientes), even the smallest insect, are equal in that regard. But insects must endure more suffering as a result of their negative karma. There are special means for saving beings like insects, through mantra and blessing pills that will liberate them from their suffering.

Even though the nature of mind carries the seed of enlightenment, we have many sufferings.

Enlightened beings like Śākyamuni Buddha (Buda) are liberated from suffering. The qualities of buddhas are vast - like space or the ocean. We are obscured, like a cloudy sky, and enlightened beings are un-obscured, like space. There are few enlightened beings and many who are ordinary.

Enlightened beings [are those who] have realized the equality of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa. They have realized the inseparability of appearance-emptiness (vacuidad). But ordinary beings have not realized this.

Once they understand impermanence and that the mind cannot be found, they will have no attachment (aferramiento) to phenomena. When they have no attachment (aferramiento), they will be freed from saṃsāra.

In reality, the basic mind of ordinary beings and buddhas are equal. It is like water colored with different colors. Despite the colors, it is all water.

Similarly, the minds of ordinary beings and buddhas are the same. But because we search all the time for happiness in this life and [seek] to avoid suffering, we are bound by afflictions. That is how ordinary beings and buddhas are different.

The deluded minds of ordinary beings see the unreal as real. It is like a jaundiced person who sees a white conch shell as yellow. The deluded mind sees phenomena as existent, concrete, and permanent. Even though there is no self in form, the deluded mind grasps at form as a self.

There are different levels of people. Some have practiced the dharma in previous lives. When they hear the teachings, they immediately have confidence in them, because their obscurations (oscurecimientos) are few. Others do not have such confidence, because their obscurations (oscurecimientos) are thick.

Some scientists are brilliant, but they cannot see the nature of mind.

Only an enlightened being like Śākyamuni Buddha (Buda) can really understood the nature of mind.

There are many jewels in this world, but only the dharma is the Wish-fulfilling Jewel - it can remove the root of suffering. That is why the dharma is regarded as the incomparable jewel.

The three refuges are Buddha (Buda), dharma, and sangha. Buddhas were once like us, but through their practice, they have become a refuge to all beings and show the way to attain enlightenment.

The essence of all the methods for attaining enlightenment is relative and ultimate bodhicitta. The refuge [that is] the Buddha (Buda) are the enlightened beings of the past, present, and future. Their teachings are the dharma. And those who hear and practice this teaching are the sangha. In order for the sangha to be enlightened, they have to understand the nature of mind.

The teacher represents all three refuges, because the teacher’s mind is Buddha (Buda), his teaching is Dharma, and his form is Sangha.

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When you understand the genuine teaching of the Buddha (Buda), it will remove your suffering because from the teachings you understand the truths of impermanence and suffering.

With this understanding, a mother will see her own child is impermanent and must eventually die. If the child suddenly dies, the mother will be aware that this is just how things are. But if the mother thinks of the child as permanently existing and the child dies, the mother will suffer greatly.

The reason we do not understand our own mind is because of so many layers of obscuration.

When a child is born, attachment (aferramiento) and obscurations (oscurecimientos) are born at the same time in the mind of the mother.

You have to look at the nature of obscurations (oscurecimientos) and eliminate them, whether they are greed, anger, or ignorance. It is very important to know how obscurations (oscurecimientos) develop. If you don’t know this, you can’t dispel them.

I spoke of the analogy of the child and its mother. First, the mother likes the child, which is one layer, then the mother sees the child as beautiful, which is a second layer, then as intelligent which is a third layer. It is like being bound by a rope. If the child dies because of impermanence, the mother will suffer greatly.

If you know how obscuration develops, you can immediately look at the nature of the obscuration when it appears.

Our minds are like ice that is frozen by the cold of the afflictions. In order to melt it, we need sunlight, which is the cultivation of bodhicitta.

Ordinarily, if your enemy harms you, you will feel anger. This is like cold freezing water into ice. In a situation like this, it is important to be mindful and to cultivate bodhicitta.

If you can make the distinction between thoughts and mind, within that moment you can be enlightened. If you see the nature of mind and remain in that awareness, you are enlightened. But when thoughts appear and you fail to recognize their nature, you become ordinary. So ordinary beings and enlightened beings are only separated by one moment. So first, you must know the nature of your own mind.

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The practice of recognizing the mind will weaken your afflictions, strengthen your compassion and [your] devotion to your teachers and lead you to see the nature of your own mind.

Progress in your practice depends on devotion. With great devotion, there will be great progress. If you see your teacher as enlightened, you will receive the blessings of an enlightened being. If you see him or her as an ordinary being, you will get the blessing of an ordinary being.

If your teacher does a negative action and you only see him or her as enlightened, you can only receive blessings.

The mind of the teacher and the mind of enlightened beings are connected, even if the teacher is not fully enlightened.

It is like electricity and a wire. When the connection is made, there is light. The teacher and the student are also connected like that.

So, it is important to practice with devotion to the teacher.

It is also important to make practice a habit. You should practice at all times by working with emotions. You should graduate from observing the smaller emotions when you are relaxed, to observing stronger emotions.

When you have succeeded in doing this, your ability to see the nature of mind will be like a raging fire and emotion will be like grass which only feeds it.

Nāropa said that once you are well trained, you will not grasp after appearances. Good or bad things will happen but they will pass you by. Obscuration has no form that you can see. Still, there are countless layers of obscuration. All these layers are removed by confidence in the law of cause and effect and by practice and devotion to the root Lama. These will dispel obscurations (oscurecimientos) no matter how strong. Obscurations (Oscurecimientos) will lessen and the nature of the mind, which is like a clear diamond, will shine forth. Then, there needs no effort to see it. It will shine effortlessly.

Reading the life story of Milarepa will lessen your obscurations (oscurecimientos) - so will the practice of Chenrezig, or chanting the mantra of the Lama.

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Until now, our life has been like watching a movie which increases our obscurations (oscurecimientos). Chenrezig’s practice is like watching a movie which decreases them. When they are gone, there will be enlightenment.

Until now, we have not practiced mindfulness. That is the basis of our obscurations (oscurecimientos) and how our perceptions have become deluded. Now is the time to be mindful of our thoughts and how they arise so that our afflictions will lessen. In that way, mindfulness is like a strong fire.

Even though you have received this method, through past habitual patterns, you cannot dispel your emotions. To do so, you should put more effort into your practice.

But in the practice of absolute bodhicitta, you cannot make an effort, except by strengthening your devotion. When looking at the mind, the mind must remain natural. You cannot apply effort. But, when practicing conventional bodhicitta, you can apply effort by generating compassion.

From now on, you must make a decision that the nature of your own mind is enlightenment.

In order for this nature to appear, you must apply effort in practicing conventional bodhicitta. It is like an antidote for your obscurations (oscurecimientos). It is like warmth which melts the ice of your obscurations (oscurecimientos).

The great Jigten Sumgön, who is like the Buddha (Buda), said the only way to understand absolute bodhicitta is to practice relative bodhicitta.

You start with the person who you love the most and then expand that love to your friends, those you feel indifferent to, then to your enemies and finally all sentient beings (seres sintientes).

If you practice conventional bodhicitta, it will liberate you from the suffering of the intermediate state, because when you practice conventional bodhicitta all beings become like your mother and there is no way you will gather afflictions. In that way, you will not fear the intermediate state state. You will see all beings in the intermediate state as your mother.

If instead of practicing compassion, you have anger, it will lead you to hell. When you are angry, you will never be happy. It will even influence your dreams and you will have nightmares. If you have anger in the intermediate state, you will also have bad experiences.

When I was young, I was very short tempered and I had horrible dreams. But my root teacher taught me compassion and I no longer have bad dreams.

If you practice detachment, it will be easier to keep it in the intermediate state. If you are mindful and do not follow your attachments (aferramientos) now, when you are in the intermediate state and see your future parents, you will not be attached to them and not be reborn in this world.

The mind is like a flowing stream. It will not stay in a cup but will go where it will go. If you do not practice well, your mind will flow away. When the glass of your body is broken, it will go where it will, just as water would land where it spills.

I have said many things but there are two main points.

First, you have to see all beings as your beloved. This has an immense benefit, like a wish fulfilling jewel. This is the practice of conventional bodhicitta.

The second point is absolute bodhicitta. You have to be aware of the nature of mind, no matter how many thoughts arise. You should not be distracted by thoughts, but be mindful.

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For those of us who really want to accomplish the meaning of Great Seal (Gran Sello), we need to understand that daily, constantly, we have thoughts of self-clinging arising in the mind, thoughts conditioned by self-clinging.

Even when drinking a glass of water, we think ‘oh, this water is mine.’ This is ‘my’ water in ‘my’ glass and ‘I’ am drinking. This constantly reinforces this habit. As a result, our self-clinging is like a huge mountain.

If we can create the positive habit of making offerings of all our enjoyments throughout the day to the enlightened ones, then each time we do that, it is like removing one grain of sand from the mountain of self-clinging. If we do this continuously again and again, then one day that mountain will be flattened.

If, on the other hand, we don’t make mental offerings, then this concept of self continues to grow.

So my great hope is that you will all continuously practice offering throughout the day.

This is my great personal instruction to you.

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When you realize that your own mind and the mind of the Lama are one, then you have uncontrived devotion.

First, we give rise to devotion by thinking of the Lama’s qualities, even to the point where tears come to our eyes. However, we do not grasp at this thought, but instead rest in the natural state.

Within Great Seal (Gran Sello), our mind, the mind of the Lama, and the mind of the Buddha (Buda) are one.

The deity’s mind and the Lama’s mind are inseparable. When you practice the deity and recite the mantra, you should not think about different qualities. The essence of the deity, bodhicitta, is the Lama. The mind is the lama; the body is the yidam; and the speech—the mantra recitation—is the Sky Goer (Caminantes del Cielo).

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Whether you have a family life, work, or are in retreat, you must practice the 37 Bodhisattva Practices. If you maintain awareness during all worldly activities, they will become a practice of the six paramitas. Remain inseparable from compassion, and in particular, practice patience. If you are able to do that, there is no need to put your body through hardships.

These days we cannot endure the hardships Milarepa endured, but we can train our minds nevertheless.

If you make an effort to practice, it will lead to enlightenment, either in the first, second, or third intermediate state or within several lifetimes.

It is most important to cultivate a wish to help others. If you cannot generate an altruistic mind, even extensive retreat will be of not much benefit. Conversely, if you do cultivate an altruistic mind and patience, even engaging in mundane activities will become dharma practice.

Longchen Rabjam said:

“When mental arisings settle in their natural state, there is no need to abandon saṃsāra.”

When emotions and thoughts are rendered powerless, there is no need to abandon the mundane world. When the cause of enlightenment is practiced, it will result in enlightenment, even if one does not isolate one’s body from the mundane world.

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Aunque la cualidad de la compasión incondicionada es innata a nuestra naturaleza, temporalmente nuestra naturaleza de Buda es como un bloque de hielo congelado. Su naturaleza es siempre como agua pura; no se ha convertido en roca ni jamás se ha contaminado.

Sin embargo, debido a la condición del aferramiento al yo, que es como el frío, se ha congelado en un bloque de hielo.

El hielo tiene la cualidad del agua, pero debe ser actualizada derritiéndose. Derretimos el hielo del aferramiento al yo cultivando el calor de la compasión. Cuando el hielo se derrite y se convierte en agua fluida, realizamos la verdadera cualidad del agua, el vasto Cuerpo del Dharma oceánico en el cual todos los budas son uno.

Todos tenemos amor, pero debido al aferramiento al yo, se manifiesta como apego. Amamos o nos apegamos a aquellos seres que nos resultan agradables. Sentimos compasión por ellos porque los amamos. Pero como nos aferramos a un yo, este amor no es completamente inclusivo, sino que está sesgado por los deseos del “yo”.

Podemos utilizar este amor sesgado y considerar que todos los seres sintientes han sido nuestras amables madres. ¿Cómo se siente este amor cuando la limitación del sesgo se disuelve? Es muy natural. Todos son iguales; hay compasión por todos los seres, incluso si no están en nuestro campo de visión. Cuando esto se habitúa, se vuelve sin esfuerzo.

Sin embargo, si permitimos que el “yo” lo interrumpa, si nos ponemos celosos y enojados, entonces la mente se vuelve estrecha otra vez. Si realmente amas a alguien, sin importar cuán problemático sea, siempre lo amarás y, por lo tanto, tolerarás sus estados de ánimo temporales.

Cuando amas a los demás, tu mente está muy relajada y feliz. Cuando te enojas, tu mente se vuelve infeliz y estrecha como un bloque de hielo.

La verdadera naturaleza del amor es la felicidad. Eso es lo que es. La verdadera naturaleza de las emociones de la auto-complacencia es el sufrimiento.

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Cuando pierdas la paciencia, debes reconocerlo y sentir arrepentimiento. Cada vez debes comprometerte a hacerlo mejor la próxima vez y a no perder la paciencia nuevamente. Puede que no la pierdas la siguiente vez, pero eventualmente la perderás de nuevo.

Es un entrenamiento de habituación. No podrás dejar de ser impaciente milagrosamente sin ningún entrenamiento. La instrucción esencial es la habituación y la perseverancia.

Si perseveras en la práctica, tu práctica definitivamente mejorará, y al final nunca perderás la paciencia. Es como aprender cualquier cosa.

Puede ser difícil al principio, pero si seguimos haciéndolo una y otra vez, se vuelve fácil. Es un proceso lento, y debes persistir aunque fracases al inicio.

No importa cuántas veces caigas, debes levantarte y hacerlo de nuevo. A medida que tu paciencia aumente, puedes tomar un voto: “No importa cuánto me provoquen, no me enfadaré”.

Esta es la esencia de los votos del bodhisattva.

Pero la paciencia no solo se aplica al enojo; debe practicarse con todas las emociones. Cuando surja el deseo, no debes ceder, sino soportarlo; cuando surja la envidia, debes soportarla, etc. Si puedes ser paciente con todos los pensamientos y emociones, no volverás a caer bajo su poder.

Si careces de paciencia, una y otra vez caerás bajo el dominio de estas emociones.

La paciencia diligente es atención consciente.

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Lidiando con Personas Difíciles

No pienses en esas cosas. No hay ningún beneficio en aferrarse y pensar en ello. Tienes que soltarlo. Todo sigue la ley del karma naturalmente, y no podemos cambiar nada pensando demasiado en ello.

Si los miembros de tu familia te tratan mal en esta vida, es el resultado o acreedor kármico de tus propias acciones pasadas. Somos responsables de nuestro propio karma; nosotros mismos hemos creado las causas de todas nuestras experiencias. Enemigos, obstáculos, parientes problemáticos, etc., son solo condiciones, pero no la causa.

Además, el pasado se ha ido, ya no existe, no podemos cambiarlo, debemos soltarlo, así que no pienses en ello. Lo más importante es lo que está en tus manos: el futuro. Por lo tanto, en lugar de eso, deberías generar amor y compasión para asegurar un futuro feliz.

Si piensas en las faltas de los demás, solo te llenarás de enojo y resentimiento. Piensa en sus cualidades y deja de pensar en sus defectos, entonces surgirá el amor. Si no puedes detener esos pensamientos, piensa en Tara y recita su mantra.

El Buda dijo: “Domina perfectamente tu propia mente, esta es la enseñanza del Buda”. El Buda no dijo: “Domina perfectamente la mente de los demás”. Debes purificar tu propia mente.

Si te aferras una y otra vez a estos pensamientos de resentimiento y frustración, formas un hábito, y este hábito se manifestará ante ti en el Bardo en forma de una percepción ilusoria, que es la proyección de tu propia mente, como un programa de televisión.

Esto es lo que crea el infierno: las proyecciones de la propia ira y resentimiento. Déjalo ir y esfuérzate en cultivar amor. Lo único a lo que deberías aferrarte es al amor.

Entonces no tendrás miedo cuando mueras, renacerás en los reinos superiores y lentamente alcanzarás la iluminación. Así que no te preocupes por las faltas de los demás, más bien purifica tus propias faltas.

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If we want to put into practice the Dharma teachings, the most important thing to do is to cultivate compassion.

When we have the thought—how can I benefit this other person—then we are practicing the Dharma. Then, wherever we go we can continue to accumulate virtue, we can continue to accumulate compassion.

Ordinary beings spend all of their time trying to accumulate wealth and possessions and so forth. But if we can realize that cultivating compassion brings benefit to oneself and others, then instead of making effort for the aims of this life, we will continuously seek to accumulate a vast store of compassion.

Even if we can generate compassion for just one insect, this itself will have a very vast fruition.

All the suffering of sentient beings (seres sintientes) and all the compassion of the Buddhas are interrelated.

When I was visiting Swayambhu, a stupa in Kathmandu, there is a place where many beggars gather. Onetime, when I was circumambulating the stupa, I saw a dog with a huge sore in his body that was infected with maggots. Everyone who walked by this dog and saw his suffering generated great compassion. One couldn’t help but feel compassion at seeing this dog. Immediately, I thought of the story of Asaṅga who encountered just such a dog and generated great compassion. I realized that this dog was really a bodhisattva emanation who came to this place to be a basis for people to generate authentic compassion. Whenever I think of this dog, again and again I feel compassion, and I imagine it is the same for all the people who were there that day.

We should think that those who endure suffering are actually very kind to us, because they give us a basis for generating compassion, for increasing compassion.

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In this world, there are two systems, the mundane and the spiritual systems. The ultimate goal of these is the same. Everyone wants to be happy and no one wants to suffer.

If you wish to be happy, you must understand the causes of happiness.

In the mundane life, we strive after outer pleasure, and yet, without choice, we always encounter suffering. That is because we only recognize the already ripened results and not the cause.

The religions in this world have emerged as people recognized that all the suffering in the world has its causes, rather than the results, that must be destroyed.

Religious practitioners seek methods to eliminate the causes of suffering which are found only in one’s own mind.

Buddhist practitioners practice this, based on the understanding of karma, because if we do not prevent the cause, we will not able to prevent the results.

For instance, some people in this world never suffer much, because they have not created the causes of suffering in the past lives. Others suffer all the time without choice even though they strive for happiness and that is because they did not avoid the causes of suffering.

Possessing both systems is like possessing two open eyes.

It is important to understand that the ultimate goal of both systems is the same, as they both wish to bring about the well-being and happiness of beings. The various religions develop their own tradition in order to bring about the inner peace and happiness of the mind. Thus, if everyone practices their own religion well, it will become the benefit of all.

The Buddha (Buda) realized that the cause of well-being and happiness of all beings is love and compassion, and he called it the precious bodhicitta. Bodhicitta is the state of mind that is totally free from selfishness, and that only and at all times cares for the happiness of others.

If we do not prevent the causes of suffering from arising, there is no way we can create happiness.

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The practice of ethics and morality is connected to the practice of generosity.

As Buddhist we have all taken various vows and commitments, and every time we make effort to uphold these vows we make offerings to the Three Jewels.

Whenever we abandon harming beings and cultivate benefitting beings, this too is making offerings to the Three Jewels.

Even if we are making one single prostration we should think not that we are accomplishing our own benefit or that we are accumulating merit for ourselves by doing this.

But rather we should think that there are countless sentient beings (seres sintientes) who continue to wander in saṃsāra through the force of their negative actions. These beings have no faith in the Dharma teachings, and thus they are bound, they lack freedom.

It is for their sake that I make this prostration. When we prostrate with this mindset, then this too is the offering of the body.

Second is the offering, or generosity, or speech. If we recite even on mantra we should do so for the purpose of all beings. With each recitation of the mantra Oṃ MANI PADME Hūṃ, for example, one emanation body of Chenrezig issues for the benefit of sentient beings (seres sintientes).

Therefore, when we have the mind of loving-kindness and compassion and we recite even one mantra for the purpose of sentient beings (seres sintientes), then that becomes the offering of speech.

Also whenever we speak words that are beneficial or uplifting to others, or when we, through our own speech, bring together people who are in conflict, when we meditate for people, these are also the offerings of speech.

Of all kinds of offering we can make, bodhicitta is supreme.

94

If you receive empowerment, it’s about bodhicitta. If you receive teachings, it’s about bodhicitta. If you practice teachings, it’s about bodhicitta.

Everything comes down to bodhicitta. The essence of practice is about bodhicitta. When you sit down to do your practice, what you practice is bodhicitta.

If you are truly my student, then you will not generate hatred and anger even toward a person who comes to kill me. If you do, then I will have failed as your teacher! If it is his karma to kill and my karma to die, so be it, but as Garchen Rinpoche’s student, you must not lose your bodhicitta and must continue to develop love and compassion for this person.

If someone for whom you care as lovingly as a child ends up wronging you, harming you, hurting you, beating you, or abusing you, it does not matter, you resolutely must not forsake your bodhicitta!

Your body is what you will shed at the end of this life, but the equanimous love in your mindstream is what you want to protect and bring with you throughout lifetimes.

95

Even if we are not able to study all the different scriptures and teachings, we must understand the essence of the spiritual path…And that is to bring about happiness.

True happiness only arises from within the mind. How do we obtain this happiness of the mind? Do we obtain this happiness through money or wealth or friends? All of these are external and none of these can bring peace and happiness of the mind.

It is only the mind itself that can generate that happiness.

So everyone in this world must apply the methods to create ultimate happiness. Understanding these spiritual paths, we begin to learn to tolerate the sufferings that we experience at present, and through understanding the workings of cause and effect.

So personally I am not a person that has any great qualities and by no means a great special master at all. But I have the quality of understanding the nature of suffering and having cultivated a tolerance to overcome suffering.

96

Bodhisattva en tibetano es jangchub sempa.

La primera sílaba, jang, se refiere a la purificación de todos los oscurecimientos, es decir, la purificación de pensamientos como “quiero paz y felicidad para mí.”

La segunda, chub, se refiere a la acumulación de cualidades iluminadas maravillosas.

Cada vez que renunciamos a este pensamiento de querer obtener paz y felicidad para nosotros mismos, tomamos la intención y el deseo de beneficiar a todos los seres sintientes.

Si tenemos el pensamiento de obtener nuestra propia paz y felicidad, ese pensamiento mismo, paradójicamente, es la causa del sufrimiento.

Por otro lado, cuando asumimos el compromiso de beneficiar a todos los seres sintientes, estamos dispuestos a asumir el sufrimiento de todos los seres sintientes. Paradójicamente, al asumir el sufrimiento de los demás, establecemos la causa misma de la felicidad.

De esta manera, también cumplimos nuestro propio propósito.

La tercera, sem, simplemente significa mente. La última, pa, significa como una persona sin miedo, un guerrero.

Cuando uno ha habituado el deseo de lograr el beneficio de los demás hasta el punto de estar dispuesto a entrar en los reinos del infierno para aliviar el sufrimiento de esos seres, uno posee la noble mente de este guerrero intrépido.

Juntas, estas sílabas conforman el significado de bodhisattva.

Un bodhisattva que posee gran compasión nunca abandonará a los seres sintientes, incluso si vagan en el infierno por la eternidad. Los seres infernales no son seres infernales por naturaleza.

Los seres vagan sin fin en el saṃsāra; los seres sintientes no llegarán a su fin pronto. Aunque no podamos liberarlos a todos en realidad, nunca debemos abandonar la aspiración.

Esa es la valentía incansable de los bodhisattvas.

97

Khenpo Münsel’s Pith Giving and Taking (Dar and Tomar) instructions given to Garchen Rinpoche

Khenpo Münsel gave me many special oral instructions on Giving and Taking (Dar and Tomar) that weren’t in the text. In Giving and Taking (Dar and Tomar), generally, we say that we are sending happiness out to others and taking others’ suffering in.

But for the actual meaning of Giving and Taking (Dar and Tomar), you have to understand the inseparability of self and other. The ground of our minds is the same. We understand this from the View.

In this context, even if there are many different types of suffering, there is only one thing called “suffering”. There is only one suffering, he taught.

If there is really only one suffering, then at this time when you, yourself, have great suffering, you should think, “The minds of the sentient beings (seres sintientes) of the three realms and my mind have the same ground.”

However, the essence of the suffering of the sentient beings (seres sintientes) of the three realms and the essence of our own suffering is the same. If you see them to be the same, if you see them as being non-dual, and then meditate on that suffering, in the mind’s natural state, that suffering goes away.

At that moment, you have been able to lessen the suffering of all sentient beings (seres sintientes) of the three realms, all at once.

The “len” of Giving and Taking (Dar and Tomar) means “taking.” First, take in this way.

“Tong” means “giving.”

If you understand your mind’s nature, then you recognize the essence of whatever suffering and afflictions there may be to be emptiness (vacuidad).

When suffering does not harm you anymore, the mind has great bliss (gozo). If at that time, you meditate, making self and others inseparable, then that bliss (gozo) can diminish the self-grasping (aferramiento al yo) of all sentient beings (seres sintientes). It can lessen the self-grasping (aferramiento al yo).

The happiness that is being given is the bliss (gozo) that comes from the practice of giving and taking (Dar and Tomar).

This is how you should practice. This is very special. Others don’t explain it this way.

98

Muchas personas han recibido todas estas instrucciones sobre la práctica de permanencia en calma, ver superior, Gran Sello, etc. Piensan: “Realmente necesito apresurarme y avanzar con esto. Practicaré Samatha por un tiempo, pero pronto debo integrar la práctica del ver superior.”

En realidad, la mejor manera de practicar es que, si eres principiante, dejes de lado las instrucciones sobre ver superior al inicio. Solo concéntrate en la permanencia en calma durante un mes o un año. Simplemente di: “Voy a enfocarme en pacificar mis pensamientos.”

Esta es la mejor manera de progresar. Haz esto durante muchos meses y consigue cierta estabilización. Si tienes alguna experiencia directa de realización meditativa, ve al Lama con esa experiencia para recibir más instrucciones sobre cómo avanzar.

Al principio, cuando intentamos estabilizar esta meditación de permanencia en calma, los pensamientos surgirán uno tras otro, como una cascada muy poderosa. Pero al estabilizarse, encontramos que la mente fluye más como un río, como el Ganges según el Soberano Tilopa.

Fluye a lo largo de su curso de manera lenta y constante, lo que significa que surgen cada vez menos pensamientos en la mente.

Siempre que tengamos muchos pensamientos surgiendo en la mente, muchas aflicciones o pensamientos de cualquier tipo, es necesario atravesarlos, penetrarlos y vislumbrar la mente libre de pensamientos.

Si la mente y el cuerpo están tensos, parece que los pensamientos se suceden uno tras otro. Cuando logramos relajarnos un poco, se vuelve más fácil perforar estos pensamientos que surgen en la mente. Lo importante es primero reconocer los pensamientos que surgen en la mente y luego hacer el esfuerzo de cortarlos.

Cuando intentamos estabilizar este tipo de meditación, también podemos trabajar con la energía de la respiración. Se dice que la mente y las energías sutiles de los vientos están mezcladas; la energía del viento es como el caballo y la mente como su jinete.

Es decir, todo tipo de pensamientos y demás están montados en las energías sutiles del viento. Podemos estabilizar estas energías recitando mentalmente las sílabas oṃ ā hūṃ junto con la respiración.

Inhalamos por las fosas nasales recitando mentalmente oṃ, retenemos brevemente la respiración en el ombligo recitando mentalmente ā y exhalamos por la boca recitando mentalmente hūṃ. Esto ayudará a estabilizar las energías del viento y pacificar los muchos pensamientos que surgen en la mente.

Hasta que alcancemos el estado en el que podamos sentarnos y entrar en una meditación estable, clara y unidireccional a voluntad, debemos practicar de esta manera.

99

As Buddhist practitioners who have generated bodhicitta, it is necessary for us to develop great impartial compassion.

We should think that among all sentient beings (seres sintientes) there is not one who has at one time or another not been one of my kind parents.

Through being ignorant of mind’s nature, through simply not seeing the natural state of mind, beings are deluded by ignorance. That creates the causes of suffering and wandering in cyclic existence.

When contemplating in this way, compassion will naturally increase.

Thus we should make effort to think of our kind mothers, all sentient beings (seres sintientes), in this way again and again. Eventually our compassion will become so great that it is really an inconceivable kind of compassion that totally pervades all space.

It is said that there are as many sentient beings (seres sintientes) as there are particles of dust in space. They are countless. If we extend this feeling of compassion to all the infinite sentient beings (seres sintientes), then without doubt, we will have an inconceivable or pervading compassion.

All of these infinite sentient beings (seres sintientes), without exception, experience great suffering. Even those in the higher realms, although they experience great bliss (gozo) and happiness, they are still subject to suffering, because their bliss (gozo) is fleeting, impermanent.

Even in our worldly realm, if somebody is blessed with wealth and enjoyments of various kinds, they still experience suffering.

Conversely, if one lacks wealth, one is still subject to suffering.

When we deeply contemplate the situation of the beings of the six realms of existence, and we recognize that birth in any of the six realms is the very nature of suffering, then without doubt, we will be able to generate compassion.

When we contemplate the suffering of beings, our minds naturally turn to a method for liberation from suffering. Without the precious Dharma teachings, we don’t have any method to accomplish that purpose.

It is only through the kindness of the Buddha (Buda) who manifests as our kind teachers and spiritual guides that we can understand, that we can hear the teachings on how to cultivate the two aspects of bodhicitta, which is the supreme method for liberation from suffering. Having heard the teachings on cultivating bodhicitta, we develop a strong resolve to liberate all sentient beings (seres sintientes) from suffering without the thought of our own happiness or benefit for ourselves.

In the text Engaging in The Bodhisattvas Conduct, it says, “like the supreme qualities of gold, which has been transmuted from a base metal, this unclean body is transformed into a body of a conqueror, a Buddha (Buda).”

In order to transform one’s own form into something more valuable than a priceless jewel, one should stabilize well this thing called bodhicitta.

We, Buddhists, we speak a great deal about suffering, and this in fact is the teaching of the Buddha (Buda) himself. The reason for speaking of this in such great detail is to show beings their present situation, beings who ordinarily would be unaware of their present situation.

For example, if you are sick and you don’t really recognize the gravity of your sickness, you don’t recognize it as suffering, and so you don’t take your medicine. So, it is for beings who don’t recognize the suffering of saṃsāra.

This is a meditation that brings benefit to oneself and all others as well.

100

love decreases our self-grasping (aferramiento al yo) and the mind becomes naturally expansive. If you have love, you have understood the essence of the Dharma. It gives you the joy of liberation and lasts throughout your future lives until you are able to achieve enlightenment.

When we have developed love, we have achieved the priceless. If you develop it in your mind-stream, you are the richest person. Money and wealth are not reliable because it can collapse at any moment. If you have developed it in your heart, it gives you a lot of happiness.

This is how I survived in prison. love is the most precious thing.

101

Cuando queremos comenzar la práctica del Gran Sello, primero es necesario empezar con la práctica de permanencia en calma. Podemos meditar en la permanencia en calma de dos maneras: con un soporte para nuestra meditación y sin un soporte.

Para quienes están iniciando la práctica de permanencia en calma, es muy útil meditar con un soporte, como la forma del Yidam en particular. Si tenemos una imagen del Yidam y la observamos con atención, estudiamos sus ornamentos y atributos, habituamos la mente a ella, luego cerramos los ojos y vemos a la deidad en nuestra mente.

La mente no descansará en este objeto; de hecho, vacilará. Al principio, irá de un lado a otro y será muy difícil estabilizar esta meditación con soporte.

Muchas personas, al tener esta experiencia, se desaniman al ver cuántas formas de pensamiento surgen, una tras otra, como una cadena ininterrumpida en su corriente mental. Se desmotivan y se cansan al practicar la meditación.

En ese momento, debemos comprender que no es que de repente pensemos más, sino que, al comenzar a meditar, simplemente estamos reconociendo el estado de nuestra mente. Al no haber cultivado este tipo de conciencia en el pasado, hemos dejado que nuestros pensamientos corran sin control. No éramos conscientes del estado de nuestras mentes.

Ahora, a través de la práctica de la meditación, nos volvemos conscientes de nuestras formas de pensamiento. Por ejemplo, hay muchas partículas de polvo en una habitación. Si la habitación está oscura, no las notamos, pero si un rayo de luz entra por la ventana, entonces vemos las innumerables partículas de polvo.

No es que esas partículas aparezcan porque las vemos de repente, sino que siempre estuvieron ahí. Lo mismo ocurre con las formas de pensamiento. Siempre estuvieron presentes y, a través del poder iluminador de la permanencia en calma, nos volvemos conscientes de ellas.

Es como si sales a caminar y tu rostro se ensucia, pero no lo sabes. Cuando llegas a casa y te miras en un espejo, reconoces: “oh, tengo esta suciedad en el rostro”. Es una cuestión de experiencia directa.

Lo mismo ocurre con la práctica de la meditación. No debemos desanimarnos cuando finalmente nos volvemos conscientes; simplemente debemos lavar nuestro rostro.

102

When a realized master gives an introduction to the nature of mind, and the disciple recognizes or looks directly at the nature of mind, then this initial recognition becomes a cause of future recognition of afflictions of attachment (aferramiento), aversion, and so forth.

For example, if someone makes you angry and you have received this introduction to the nature of mind, at the moment the anger arises you look at the anger itself, you turn mind inward upon itself. You see that the source of that anger is not other than mind, and the emotion itself dissipates.

Generally, when we get angry at someone, we remember that interaction, and the next time we see them we remember it again, and each time we see them, we reinforce the habit of that anger.

So, from the initial affliction of anger arises the karmic propensity through repeated recollection of that affliction. But, when from the very start, we recognize mind’s nature in the arising of that anger, the affliction itself dissipates. Then, there is no basis for that karmic propensity to be created or reinforced.

Initially, once we have received the introduction to the nature of mind, the sign that we are putting it into practice is to begin to purify these karmic propensities.

Tilopa said that merely to see the natural mind, merely to catch a glimpse of Great Seal (Gran Sello) one time purifies the negative activity of many eons.

Just like the sun breaking through the clouds in the sky, although our minds are very obscured by habits of afflictions, to catch just a glimpse of the nature of mind completely clears those negativities away in that moment.

Prostrations are an antidote to pride. Whenever we think: “oh! I have particularly good qualities of such and such and I have understanding and knowledge”, this reinforces our self-clinging to the extent that we are not really able to see the good qualities of others. This is truly the definition of pride.

Whenever we come into contact with other teachers, lamas, scholars and so forth of the Dharma, then it is very important that we make effort to offer respect to them, particularly through the practice of prostrations.

We should think of these masters as being the embodiment of the perfect accumulation of good qualities and accordingly show respect through the practice of prostrations.

Even if these are beings with few qualities, it doesn’t matter. We should continually purify our own view of them, show respect to them as great beings.

What will happen as a result of doing this is that we ourselves will take on the qualities in those to whom we are prostrating, and our habit of pride will be purified.

Thus, it is very important for us to show respect to others. This is truly the offering of mental prostrations.

103

Many people have the habit of recalling past sufferings, things that have gone wrong in their lifetime: playing this over and over again in the mind, recalling them again and again, thinking of things another person has said about them.

We should realize that these circumstances are not isolated to this present lifetime, but that we have experienced other such negative circumstances for countless lifetimes in the past. They are nothing more than the condition of negative karma.

They are over now, and there is nothing that can be done to change them.

Regarding thoughts of the future, many people are involved in making mental plans for what they will do.

Instead of engaging in these kinds of thoughts, we should recognize that the future is nothing more than the fruition of my karma or merit and so forth.

I myself have no great power to influence the circumstances of the future. One should also leave behind these kinds of thoughts.

We will experience periods of time when thoughts are not arising in the mind. At that time we should not be attached to the non-arising, but just remain in that state.

Even in that state of calm abiding (permanencia en calma), other thought forms will begin to arise. They will arise naturally; they are nothing to be suppressed. Yet, at the same time we need to recognize them the moment they do arise.

Our general tendency is that the moment a thought arises we are attracted to it. We cling to it, we are attached to it. Then that thought gives rise to another, and another, and another after that.

Within the practice of calm abiding (permanencia en calma) we need to rest in the nature of mind, but when thoughts arise we should not hold onto them, not engage them, but just completely leave them behind.

By doing that again and again over a period of time, these thoughts that make our mind waver will decrease. We will attain a degree of stability in our practice of tranquil abiding.

104

Debemos reconocer que, en general, nuestra riqueza, comida, placeres y demás se convierten en una causa para que la mente quede atada. Por supuesto, si la mente no está atada, no hay daño en disfrutar las cosas de este mundo e incluso del reino puro de los dioses.

Pero para aquellos de nosotros que aún tenemos apego y aferramiento, necesitamos practicar la ofrenda. Todo lo que nos resulta placentero, todo lo que disfrutamos, debemos acostumbrarnos a ofrecerlo mentalmente a los seres iluminados.

Al hacer esto, los lazos creados por las circunstancias placenteras se desatan. Estos son medios hábiles enseñados por el Gran Compasivo.

Todo lo que nos es placentero, todo lo que nos parece hermoso, debemos acostumbrarnos a ofrecerlo una y otra vez a las Tres Joyas. Si vemos joyas hermosas, ornamentos, distintos tipos de ropa, comida, flores, agua, lo que tengamos o visualicemos mentalmente, debemos ofrecerlo.

Cuando hacemos ofrendas continuas de todos nuestros disfrutes, esto se convierte en la causa para purificar nuestro hábito de aferramiento.

Hablamos de la perfección de la generosidad, que es la práctica de hacer ofrendas de cosas físicas.

Cada vez que hacemos ofrendas a las Tres Joyas, esto se convierte en una causa para aflojar los lazos del aferramiento que atan nuestra mente. Milarepa dijo que la ausencia de aferramiento es, en realidad, la verdadera paramita de la generosidad.

Para practicar el Gran Sello, el mayor apoyo es el cultivo de la consciencia vigilante. Si mantenemos consciencia en todas nuestras actividades, cuando veamos algo hermoso, como flores o cualquier otra cosa, puede surgir un pensamiento inicial de: “¡Oh, quiero eso!”.

Sin embargo, si tenemos consciencia vigilante, reconoceremos de inmediato el surgimiento del aferramiento. En ese instante, podemos transformar la aflicción haciendo una ofrenda mental a todos los Budas.

Si nos disciplinamos de esta manera con consciencia vigilante, momento a momento, todo lo que hagamos se volverá virtuoso y meritorio. Sin ese tipo de consciencia, la mente continuará atándose cada vez más a nuestro aferramiento.

105

The Buddha (Buda) said that when we give rise to bodhicitta, then we will accomplish the dual purpose of self and others simultaneously.

How will that be accomplished?

When asked what your own purpose is, what you want to accomplish, you would answer “I do not want to suffer.” Your purpose is freedom from suffering.

Then what is the root of your suffering?

The root of your suffering is the self-grasping (aferramiento al yo) mind. If you give rise to the altruistic mind, then that is the antidote for the self centered mind.

If you give rise to an altruistic mind with great love for others, then your own self-grasping (aferramiento al yo) and that of others will simultaneously diminish, so in this way, you are helping yourself and also others. The two self-graspings will simultaneously collapse as there is no difference between self and others.

It is just like the sun shining on two ice blocks; they melt together.

If you realize that, then you realize the preciousness of bodhicitta. It is said that through the altruistic mind the dual purpose of self and others is spontaneously and simultaneously accomplished.

Regarding bodhicitta, Lord (Soberano) Jigten Sumgön said in one of his many Vajra songs,

“If the steed of love and compassion does not run for the benefit of others, it will not be rewarded in the assembly of gods and humans.”

The altruistic mind is likened here to the steed or the excellent horse. If you just let it sit and don’t run with it then it will be of no benefit; it runs through cultivating the practice of the six paramitas.

When you give rise to bodhicitta, your conduct must become the practice of the six paramitas. Then it doesn’t matter what activity you engage in - whether worldly or Dharmic activity - all your activities become a practice of the six paramitas.

Milarepa said regarding the qualities of bodhicitta, “in whatever you do practice the Dharma perfectly. There is no other skillful means than that”.

106

When you feel tired, you should not force yourself to meditate upon something.

When you meditate, you should just rest in the natural state. The nature of mind is the conscious awareness that recognizes all mental arisings.

This conscious mind is like pure water. The mental arisings are like earth. If your awareness is weak the water mixes with the earth and becomes muddy. This muddy mind is unbearable and people therefore commit suicide. Your awareness must prevail with clarity, then you will not cling to the mental arisings. If you just leave them be they are like a pebble in water, if you cling to them they are like earth making your mind cloudy.

Thus, do not cling to your thoughts, do not grasp at their reality. This life is like a dream. Do not believe in its reality. Preserve the conscious knowing awareness and let go of thoughts, then they will not affect you. Habituate the natural state.

At times, pray to Tāra and recite her mantra. Tāra should appear in your mind, then ordinary fixations will subside.

If the thoughts do not mix with your mind, they are not harmful even if they arise. If you do not grasp at them they are rendered powerless. If you grasp at them, they will wear you out. The actual mind cannot be tired, the fixation to thoughts make you weary.

Your body is not real. It is a compounded phenomenon, a creation of your own imprints/habitual patterns, so it is created by the mind.

Our clinging to physical comfort and aversion toward physical discomfort is a delusion of the mind.

After we have died, there is no body, yet we experience more intense suffering in the intermediate state. If we are able to let go of our thoughts of attachment (aferramiento) and aversion, we will not experience such painful delusions in the intermediate state.

Therefore, we must contemplate that this life is like a dream again and again. If, in this life, we are able to recognize the empty nature of the afflictions we will also be able to recognize the empty nature of the intermediate state.

However, if we give way to the afflictions and accumulate negative karma which leave an imprint in the mind, the frightening appearances of the intermediate state will seem to be real.

This is the point of meditation.

107

Why is it that we must practice Great Seal (Gran Sello) following the Lama yoga practice?

Before we have gained realization, in order to gain realization, we must first and foremost cultivate devotion to the Lama - uncontrived devotion -realizing that the mindfulness of the Lama and my own mindfulness are an inseparable union.

Only through realizing that our own mind and the mind of the Lama are a union will the blessings of the Lama enter our mind.

Some recognize this mindfulness, some do not recognize this mindfulness, but when we think of devotion to our own root Lama, then through this devotion itself, we will recognize that our own mindfulness and the Lama’s mindfulness actually are a union. So most important is the meditation of devotion.

From the perspective of practice, the essence of this mindfulness is emptiness (vacuidad) and its nature is clarity, but if you look for it you cannot find it.

This mindfulness is the same nature as the mindfulness of the Lama, and if you have an unchanging faith and devotion to your root Lama, then the form of the root Lama will appear in your mind, and you will remember the Lama’s instructions.

It is just like ordinarily when you love a person, you cannot forget about them, they will always appear in your mind. In the same way, the Lama will appear in your mind, and each time the Lama appears, you will remember the Lama’s instructions.

This is an easier way of practice for beginning practitioners -to recognize that this mindfulness is the mindfulness of the Lama, or in Great Completeness (Gran Perfección) terms, it is said that it is mindful presence remembering the Lama. So this mindful presence or mindfulness represents the Lama.

Also, each and every day, you can take a commitment to remember the Lama; for example, “today I am going to remember the Lama ten times,” then the next day fifteen times, and then twenty times. You increase your commitment to remember the Lama, and eventually through that your mind will truly become inseparable from the Lama. If you lack mindfulness, then also the Lama will not arise within your mind.

This is a unique instruction.

108

La mente del Gran Amor, cuando se dirige a los Budas, se llama devoción; cuando se dirige a todos los seres sintientes sin excepción, se llama compasión.

Drubwang Rinpoche siempre levantaba la mano y decía: “Que todos los seres sintientes se beneficien”.

Y verdaderamente no hay aspiración mayor que esta.

No importa si uno se llama budista o no. El Dharma es amor. Cuando ves cómo tu amor toca a los demás, se convierte en tu felicidad entregar tu felicidad.

Lo que se llama “bendiciones” no es más que amor.

Si tienes aferramiento al yo, tu mente se vuelve estrecha, como un bloque de hielo. Pero cuando sueltas y envías amor a los demás, notarás cómo tu mente se expande. La mente se abre y se vuelve espaciosa, como un vasto océano o el cielo.

Cuando generas amor por los seres sintientes, entonces somos exactamente lo mismo. En última instancia, el yo y el otro son solo pensamientos. Cuando vemos que no estamos separados de los demás, comenzamos a comprender la preciosidad de la compasión, del bodhicitta.

El amor es la única causa de la felicidad. Su naturaleza es omnipresente como el espacio. El amor es la luz del sol de la mente.