And one would be freed from grasping at signs and... And... One would be freed from extreme views of emptiness and also... Realization is not just left to the verbal repetition. And one would be freed from the trap of being... Living realizations at the concept of verbal repetitions alone.

[01:05]

And one would be freed from the trap of being caught up in... Meditations on voidness or just total absence, darkness. Nemen dukur dukur. I don't know. We will reserve this for future. I don't know. I don't know if you can call it a practice of a monk or a monkess.

[02:32]

That's what we call it. That's why people say that. You see, it's not a practice of a monk. In Nanyangshuo, there are many people who live in the city, and some of them are living in the United States. They have a lot of money, but they don't have a lot of money. In the city, they have a lot of money. In Nanyangshuo, they are not rich. They don't have much money. They don't have a lot of money, but they don't have a lot of money. So they are very poor. They can't afford to buy a house. They can't afford to buy a car. There is a difference between the two. The Chinese and the Mongols have a lot of respect for the Chinese. They respect the Chinese people. But the Mongolians are not as respectful as the Chinese. They have a lot of respect for the Chinese, but they are not as respectful as the Chinese.

[03:35]

There are many other types of Dzogchen teachings, for example, in the Dzogchen itself there is the outer, what is called Semde, the category of mind, the inner, the Longde, the category of space, the secret Mengade Upadesa, the category of secret instruction or pit instruction. Even within the secret instruction of Mengade Upadesa, there is also the outer, inner, secret and even more unexcelled secret. And with that, for example, it is said that there are many different types of Dzogchen teachings. Like for example, there is one type of teaching that are given in the Pandita's approach that is relating to all the various teachings of the Buddhadharma. For example, like in the teachings of Longchen Rabjam, Thegchogdze and Shundze are related to the Pandita's approach, whereas, like in the Nyingri Gyabje, is approach in the yogic style of the Kusli approach. And here, I have related very briefly essentially to the commentary on Shundze, what I have

[05:04]

so far taught you. So, we shall stop here this juncture and afterwards, during the empowerment, we will perhaps find the time here and there for some questions and answers. The blessing or empowerment being given today

[12:57]

belongs to one of the three inner classes of Tantra that we spoke of earlier, this being Geba Maha Yoga and Anu Yoga and Dzogpa Ati Yoga. And the empowerment or the blessing which is being given today of Padmasambhava belongs to the first class of the inner Tantras, that is the Geba Maha Yoga, which has two divisions. This particular empowerment belongs to a category of Tantra called the transmission of Dukkyu. When speaking about transmissions,

[14:19]

especially in the Nyingma system, one speaks of three different types of lineages or transmissions. These being the long lineage, which traces its source in the authoritative teachings of the Buddha himself, and the transmissions of the short lineage, which refers to the classes of practices mainly based on the text of revelation or dharma, and the third transmission, which is the transmission and lineage which evolves from an experience of the pure visions of a meditator, the profound visions. The empowerment which is being given today belongs to the third category, that is the category of the teachings of pure visions of great masters.

[15:22]

And this pure vision was experienced by the fifth Dalai Lama. The fifth Dalai Lama's collected works are classified into three categories, these being the inner and outer and extremely secret teachings. And the empowerment, the text which is being used for today's empowerment belongs to the third category, that is the extremely secret teachings. I received the transmission of this empowerment from Tathagata Rinpoche. And the commentary that I gave earlier on the practice of Dzogchen, the teachings on

[16:38]

transmission I received from Dilgoi Khyentse Rinpoche based on a commentarial text called Ishi Lama. The transmission of Ishi Lama. Ishi Lama. As explained on the first day of the teaching, when engaged in the teaching it's very important

[17:57]

on part of both the teacher and the students to develop the right attitude and motivation of listening to the teaching. Now in this case, for this empowerment, on the part of the guru, the guru has meditated on, prepared himself through certain meditations, so you should visualize the guru in the aspect of Padmasambhava's manifestation, surrounded by the eight manifestations of Padmasambhava in the mandala. And on your part, the students should try to develop within your mind an altruistic aspiration to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all living beings, and also try to remind yourself, try to sort of reflect on the understanding of emptiness, try to bring within your mind your understanding of emptiness. And if you have little experience of Dzogchen, then try to bring about, even if it be a simulated

[18:57]

experience of Rigpa awareness, pristine awareness, and with these preparations in your mind, then you should receive this empowerment. Generally, whenever I give empowerment of highest yoga tantra, I make one requirement on the part of the students in receiving, in taking the empowerment, that is, to have been practicing Buddhism for at least five years since taking refuge. But then there might be exceptional cases where individuals, although may not have spent

[19:59]

that much time in the practice of Buddhism, dharma, but might have from the depth of their heart, interest, appreciation, and so forth, in the profound teachings. So, among the audience here, those who consider yourselves as Buddhist practitioners should prepare your mind in the manner that I spoke of earlier, but those who do not consider themselves as Buddhist practitioners, they can participate in the empowerment only as a witness. Prior to the actual ceremony of empowerment, I will do certain recitations, offering of

[21:01]

dharmas, in order to expel the interferences for receiving the empowerment. It might seem a little odd from one point of view, because as we have been talking earlier, that everything that appears to our mind and every phenomenon that exists are mere sport or display or manifestations of our pristine awareness, but at the same time we are here engaged in a practice where we are trying to expel interfering forces and negative forces, which implies that there is a negative force externally and something which we have to expel. But there is no contradiction between the two. But there is no contradiction.

[22:50]

Although all the phenomena, all the events, forces and so forth are mere sport or display and manifestations of our pristine awareness, rikpa, but as long as we remain under the bondage and confusion or remain in the midst of our conceptual thought level, there is bound to be projections of negative emotions externally appearing as interfering forces. And these forces do interfere in our spiritual progress, so they are to be overcome. But one should not have the notion that they are externally independently existing beings, but rather one should see them as one's own reflections of one's own confused state of mind. And even in the case of interfering forces, which are in fact living beings, but a practitioner

[23:52]

who has a bodhicitta, the altruistic aspiration and a genuine compassion, that practitioner's compassion towards the interfering forces, these beings would be so overwhelming and powerful that it would even transcend the degree of compassion that these living beings themselves have for... they have themselves. Thank you.

[26:37]

Thank you. Thank you. Next we will do the Mantra Offering. Thank you.

[28:10]

Thank you. [...]

[29:35]

ZANG GI YIN PUNG CHE CHUG YIN PUNG DUR DANG RIG RANG LING GYI NYE DE DIG ZANG GI YIN PUNG CHE CHUG YIN PUNG DUR DANG RIG RANG LING GYI NYE DE DIG GOM NYE YANG DA YANG NYE DIG YIN DA GYI CHUG YIN

[30:55]

DIG YIN DA GYI CHUG YIN DIG YIN DA GYI DIG YIN DA GYI CHUG YIN [...]

[31:55]

DIG YIN DA GYI CHUG YIN [...]

[33:09]

DIG YIN DA GYI CHUG YIN [...]

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DIG YIN DA GYI CHUG YIN [...]

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DIG YIN DA GYI CHUG YIN [...]

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DIG YIN DA GYI CHUG YIN [...]

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DIG YIN DA GYI CHUG YIN [...]

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DIG YIN DA GYI CHUG YIN [...]

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DIG YIN DA GYI CHUG YIN [...]

[41:21]

DIG YIN DA GYI CHUG YIN [...]

[43:00]

DIG YIN DA GYI CHUG YIN DIG YIN DA GYI CHUG YIN DIG YIN DA GYI CHUG YIN When speaking of bodhisattva vows, there are many sources for the numbers of bodhisattva vows. All of them, when combined together, one finds mention of 18 root vows and 46 secondary vows. These should be acquainted and practiced properly. In short, one should think that

[44:20]

in order to engage into a tantric practice, I have to first of all generate the bodhicitta, the altruistic aspiration to attain enlightenment. And then, if I follow that generation of the bodhicitta by taking a pledge and vows of the bodhisattva, my sense of commitment in my practice will be all the more forceful and greater. And for that reason, I'm taking the bodhisattva vows. One should think in such terms. So, on your part, from the depth of your mind, you should have three factors, that is, three motivations. These being the desire or motivation to generate the bodhicitta within your mind

[45:24]

and the desire, the wish to take the bodhisattva vows and the wish to commit oneself in engaging in the bodhisattva deeds, bodhisattva's way of life. Naya. When you finish the last line of repetition, the third repetition,

[46:35]

you should imagine that at that point you have received within your mind a complete set of bodhisattva vows. With that, you should repeat for the third time. Naya. Naya.

[47:39]

Generation of such a bodhicitta with such sense of commitment is said to derive great benefits and merits. Nagarjuna says in his Ratnamala, Precious Garland, and also Shantideva says in his Bodhisattva Charavatara, that for a practitioner who has generated bodhicitta with such a sense of commitment from the depth of his or her heart, not only when the person is engaged in the bodhisattva's way of life and bodhisattva deeds, with the mindfulness of his or her pledge, but even when the person is asleep, his merits always increase. Naya. Next is taking the Tantric vows.

[49:02]

The verses which will be recited, in short, says that I shall observe the general commitments, the common commitments of the five buddha families, and the individual commitments and pledges of the individual buddha families. Repeat after me. I shall observe the general commitments, the common commitments and pledges of the individual buddha families, and the individual commitments and pledges of the individual buddha families.

[50:30]

I shall observe the general commitments, the common commitments and pledges of the individual buddha families, and the individual commitments and pledges of the individual buddha families. I shall observe the general commitments, the common commitments and pledges of the individual buddha families, and the individual commitments and pledges of the individual buddha families.

[51:40]

During the second repetition, as explained earlier, you should visualize all the buddhas and bodhisattvas and mandala deities, the principal deities and the guru in the aspect of principal deities in front of you in this space, above in this space, and also visualize all the great tantric masters of the past, and reflect upon their great examples, and develop a deep sense of commitment from the depth of your heart to follow in their footsteps by taking the tantric vows and engaging in the tantric practice properly. So with such sense of commitment, then you should repeat after these verses for the second time. DASHA TUN DRI NENG SONG CHENG CHOG PAR

[53:04]

LAM MED KUN CHOG SUM LAG YAB CHEG SHEG SHING CHENG CHOG SEM CHOG ME NYANG SONG WA RIN GYI DASHIN NYING PAS DA WA RIN NGANG DZE TAM TSE MA LE DAG GE SONG WA RIN GYI CHENG CHOG DZI SHING RIN GYI TAM TSE DU KYAP SUM TSIG SUM MA LE DAG GE SONG WA RIN GYI MING GYO DOR GYI RIN GYI TAM TSE DU CHA GYA NAM SUM MIN GYI RIN GYI SONG WA RIN GYI YUN GYU RIN GYI RIN GYI TAM TSE DU CHENG PA NENG SHE LA LA ZANG PAR ZHA GYEN DREN PEN ME RIN GYI TAM TSE DU TAM TSE MA LE YANG SOG SONG WA RIN GYI NA SOG LE GYI RIN GYI TAM TSE DU CHENG CHENG CHENG PA NENG LA ZANG PAR ZHA CHENG PA TANG A DEN GYI DOR GYI SUM DAG GE KU SUM NYANG SHOR DU PA DANG SHE DANG ME MA TANG DU LANG WA DANG CHENG TENG CHENG PAR ZHA WA NGANG DZE NYING SHU SA GYI DZA WA YAN LA GYI

[54:05]

SANG HA DOR GYI NYING PYO TONG PA KUN DAG GE MA LE YANG SOG SONG WA RIN GYI DE YIN DUG KUN SU SU LE DRE DE LA ME DOR GYI CHENG GYI SA TOR SHOR DAG LE NYIN PA SOG NENG DAG SUM PA LA ME DOR GYI CHENG GYI SA TOR SHOR CHENG TANG MA ZA WA DANG NGANG GYI DANG MA NABAR DAG WA RANG GYI GYUR DU GYI RUNG NYANG PAR ZHA When you finish the last line of the third repetition, again imagine that you have received a complete set of tantric vows within your mind. NGANG SUM PA DE YIN CHENG GYI YANG DZA WA RIN GYI SHOR HO O CHUNG SHU DU GYI GYA WA SA GYI NANG RUNG SHU GYI NGU RUNG CHENG PO RUNG CHENG SOG PA RUNG GYI LA MA TZO SUNG LA ZO NANG DA LA TZE REN SHEN GYI GONG SONG ZER DAG ZHA DRIN GYI NENG SOG CHENG GYI BAR LA ME KUN ZHO SONG NGA GYI PHYI SHIN CHENG SHU SEM CHENG PA NYANG SOG WA RIN GYI DO SHI NGIN PYO ZA WA RIN NGA GYI

[55:07]

DANG TSE MA LE DAG GYI SONG NGA REN GYI CHENG SHU DE SHIN RE GYI DANG TSE GYI DU GYENG SUM CHENG SOG MA LE SONG NGA REN GYI MIN GYUR DO GYI RE GYI DANG TSE GYI DU CHANG KYA NANG SOG MIN GYUR SONG NGA REN GYI RIN GYUR RIN SHIN RE GYI DANG TSE GYI DU CHENG PA NAM KHYER LA LA TZAM PAR ZHA GYEN TEN PAI MAI RE GYI DANG TSE GYI DU CHENG TEN PAI MAI RE GYI DANG TSE GYI DU NA SOG LE GYI RE GYI DANG TSE GYI DU DANG TEN CHENG PA LA LA TZAM PAR ZHA CHENG PA TANG NGA DE GYI DO GYI SUM DAG GYI GU SUM NYANG SOG ZHUG PA TANG ZHUG TANG CHENG PAR ZHA WA NANG NGA GYI MIN GYUR ZA GYI ZA WA YANG LA GYI SANG HA DO GYI NGIN PYO TONG PA GYI DAG GYI MA LE YONG SOG SONG WA RIN ZHA TEN GYI RUG GYI SU SU LE DRE DE LA MENG DOR GYI SHANG GYI SA TOG SHOG LA MENG DOR GYI SHANG GYI SA TOG SHOG Next is the actual entry into the mandala.

[56:22]

So when the guru deity says ZA HUNG BAM HO then you should imagine being admitted into the mandala. ZA HUNG BAM HO Now visualizing that you are making prostrations to the mandala deities with your palms folded repeat after this. Next is placing the students in the place of secrecy.

[57:23]

If time permitting the guru at this point is supposed to distribute the consecrated water from the conch to all the students but since we are short of time I won't be doing that. ZA HUNG BAM HO Next is invitation of the wisdom beings and this showering of the wisdom beings has to be done by

[58:59]

retaining the taste of the nectar on your tongue. ZA HUNG BAM HO Now to perform the following visualizations keep your spine straight and your two palms folded at the level of your navel in a meditative position and retain a taste of the nectar on your tongue and this is the physical posture that you have to adopt.

[60:01]

The visualization which is being described has to be performed when the guru actually engages in the particular ceremony where you will find that the ritual symbols and the instruments will be played. The visualization has to be performed at that point but I will explain it earlier. Now you have to retain at that point while doing the visualization a vast breath at the level of your navel at the level of your heart the downward avoiding wind being drawn upward and then from the upper point of the channel you draw down your breath and at the level of your heart

[61:24]

you retain a vast breath This heart should not be confused with the physical heart which pumps our blood but rather it should one should refer it to the point sort of a midpoint of your central channel where normally we visualize the chakras Now the kind of posture that your mind has to adopt first of all you have to reflect on the meaning of emptiness Now this emptiness is

[62:29]

the type of emptiness that is being spoken both in sutra and tantra Now this mindfulness or reflection on emptiness serves as a cause which conditions you to which induces you to dissolve even the appearances of oneself Now motivated by the strong sense of compassion towards all sentient beings now contemplate on emptiness

[63:32]

reflect on emptiness thinking that not only myself but all sentient beings and all living beings all phenomena and events and so forth lack inherent existence ultimately they do not they are not inherently existent they are not independently existent and contemplate on the empty nature of all phenomena Now if we search for the essence of the label person or human being or sentient beings and so forth it is not to be found

[64:32]

this is quite similar to the kind of awareness the kind of conclusion that even scientists arrive at when they search for what is consciousness and what is mind and soul The same is true of physical matters like the material things if we search for the essence of the label we will find that they are composed of if we carry the investigation further and try to find what the parts are again they are composed of their own elementary parts and so on even ultimately arriving at a point where you don't find anything that is inherently existent or objectively existent Now the same is true

[65:49]

of what we highly regard as a great experience like the clear light experience clear light experience is nothing other than a collection of different instances now if we search within the instances which compose such an experience we do not find essentially what is called clear light The same applies to the emptiness itself if we were to search for the essence of the label emptiness if we subject emptiness also to this kind of ultimate analysis it's not to be found also So this kind of analysis

[66:50]

as a consequence and as a result of all this kind of analysis we find that there isn't any phenomenon a single entity or a single phenomenon which if we subject it to such ultimate analysis it's not to be found it's unfindable But then the question is does that indicate that things do not exist at all but then this is not the case because things do exist because they exist, they do matter for us they are related to our experience of pain and pleasure happiness and unhappiness therefore they do exist Now if it is the case that phenomena do exist

[67:54]

as established by our experience as we can feel, perceive and so forth if phenomena do exist but at the same time they are unfindable when they are sought in such a manner then the question is what is the manner in which they exist what is the level or manner in which these phenomena exist then the only alternative for the phenomena to be existent is that they exist only at a conventional level a relative level they exist by the force of nominality at the nominal level they exist only by the force of convention So this demonstrates the fact that there is a disparity a great disparity

[68:55]

between the way things appear to our mind and the way things exist in reality although things exist in reality as mere labels, designations imputed on the collection of the designative basis but when things appear to our mind they appear as inherently existing objectively existing on their own right which is not the case so we find that there is a disparity between the way things exist and the way things appear to our mind or we perceive them and that very nature that things do not exist as they appear to us is the emptiness which is the ultimate nature of the phenomena so let us do a meditation on this emptiness as far as our understanding can extend so let us do a meditation on emptiness

[70:25]

Meditation on emptiness Meditation on emptiness Now, not only these phenomena like inherent existence and there is a disparity between the way things appear to our mind and they exist but also speaking from the point of view of subjective experience of clear light we find that all of these different polarities that we speak of, good and bad the conventions like good and bad, high and low

[71:52]

and so forth, negative and positive these are all conventions or concepts that are created or that are manifested from the primordial nature of the mind, clear light and it is only when this natural state of the mind of clear light, when it is perturbed that these different concepts arise giving rise to negative emotions and so forth so when seen from an experiential point of view of a clear light although these negative states of mind do appear to us as enduring and lasting and permanent but they are not so so from that point of view, again there is a different level of disparity between where these conscious experiences appear to our mind and where these are and these exist and so

[73:06]

now having developed this kind of understanding the understanding of emptiness and also understanding of this primordial nature of mind being empty of circumstantial conditioning now that very understanding that even it be a simulated one now this should be at the level of your mind in your imagination this experience, understanding of emptiness should be, that very awareness itself should be generated into the deity and so from that point of view from the point of view of the practitioner this should be at the level of your mind from the point of view of the mind this should be [...]

[74:13]

this should be this should be this should be now this awareness of emptiness should be generated into deity as I explained earlier now the stages through which you generate into deity is that first you transform that awareness into a blue letter hum, a blue hum and that blue hum eventually transforms into a blue vajra tara one face, two arms holding vajra and bell embracing a consort his partner his partner who is holding in her hands a curved knife and a skull cup now

[75:25]

now [...]

[76:28]

now yourself in the in the form of this vajra tara embracing his consort or partner at your heart at the level of your heart you should visualize a red vajra varahi about four finger widths in size in height holding a curved knife and a skull cup and dancing with great joy now now at the heart of the vajra varahi who is at your heart at her heart you should visualize a red symbol of

[77:33]

a sign of immutability at the center of which you visualize a syllable pam and on the four corners of the symbol pam pam at the center of which you visualize a syllable pam and at the four corners you visualize the letters ha, ri, ni ha, ri, ni ha, ri, ni now now

[79:00]

now now now

[80:26]

now having done this visualization and at a point when the guru pronounces yam at that point you should visualize that by the force of his having pronounced that syllable yam it activates within your body the elements of wind which pervades your body is activated and this pushes up the vajra varahi at your heart up to your mid-brow where the immutable symbol swastika at the heart of the vajra varahi swirls anti-clockwise very violently thus inducing within you an experience of great bliss which at the same time is mindful of the emptiness of all phenomena and also the perception of all phenomena as mere spot and display and manifestations of the clear light

[81:28]

a basic clear light this dual understanding, the dual realizations of this dual nature that things are empty and also manifestations of this clear light is important because this type of realization this realization opens your mind or heart in receiving the blessings from the guru .

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