THE WAY OF THE REALIZED

OLD DOGS,

ADVICE THAT POINTS OUT

THE ESSENCE OF MIND, CALLED

"A LAMP THAT DISPELS DARKNESS"

BY JU MIPHAM NAMGYAL

TONY DUFF

PADMA KARPO TRANSLATION COMMITTEE

T his text is secret and should not be shown to those who have not had the necessary introduction and instructions of

the T horough Cut system of Dzogchen meditation. If you

have not had the necessary instructions, reading this text can

be harmful to your spiritual health! Seal. Seal. Seal.

Copyright© 2009 Tony Duff. All rights reserved. No

portion of this book may be reproduced in any form or by

any means, electronic o r m e c h a n ical, including

photography, recording, or by any information storage or

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developed, without permission in writing from the

publisher.

First edition, February 2009 ISBN: 978-993 7-8244-2-2

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . • • • • • • • • • • • . . . . . . • • • • . . . . . v

THE WAY OF THE REALIZED OLD DoGs, ADvicE

THAT PoiNTs ouT THE EssENCE oF MIND,

CALLED "A LAMP THAT DISPELS THE DARKNESS"

BY Ju MIPHAM NAMGYAL • • . . . . . . . . . . • • . . • . • • . 1

GLOSSARY . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . • . • . . • • . • . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

llBETAN TEXT . . . . . • . • . . . • . . . . . . . . . . • • • • • • • . . . 29

INDEX . . . • . . • . . . . . . . . • • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . • . 35

INTRODUCTION

This is a text by the great Nyingma scholar-practitioner Ju Mipham Namgyal [1846-1912]. Mipham, as he is usually called, has become the most well known ofNyingma scholars. He is so well known these days that no further introduction to him should be needed.

His text here concerns the practice of the innermost level of Great Completion1• The innermost level of Great Comple­tion has two main practices, one called Thorough Cut and one called Direct Crossing. Of the two, this text concerns itself with the practice of Thorough Cut.

The text lays out its subject clearly, with an economy of words, and with very little philosophical talk attached. The reason for this is that he wrote it specifically for the village tantrikas who, in Tibet at least, tended not to have much learning in these subjects. Another way to say it is that he did not write it for the experts in the monastery; if he had, it

1 Tib. rdzogs chen. Dzogchen.

vi THE WAY OF THE REALIZED OLD DOGS

would be much longer and would use a great deal more technical language than it does. In modern times, we would say that he wrote it specifically for the city-dwelling tantrikas. In short, Mipham's idea was to write a text that would be sufficiendy straightforward that your average yogi practitio­ner could not only understand it but could do something with it.

Despite his intentions, this little text was so well written that it became a favourite amongst Nyingma practitioners. It became so well known that several, very long commentaries were written to explain it. These commentaries have also become very popular. I have a number of these commentaries in my library. Three that should be of interest are very modem-day commentaries by Tibetans who, at the very end of the twentieth century, were regarded as the most learned of Great Completion gurus in Kham during the latter half of the twentieth century. The commentaries include both a shorter guide and a very extensive commentary by Khenpo Jigmey Phuntshog of Serta, and a very extensive set of notes by Ontrul Tenpa'i Wangchuk. Khenpo Jigmey Phuntsok is fairly well known. Ontrul Tenpa'i Wangchuk is very well known within Eastern Tibet though not outside of that. Ontrul Tenpa'i Wangchuk was a direct disciple of the recent mahasiddha of Dzogchen Monastery, Abu Losang Gyatso, and is regarded as the greatest Nyingthig scholar now living. His extensive notes to Mipham's text are called, "Notes to The Way of the Realized Old Dogs That Points out the Essence of Mind". I used his notes several times to clarify ambiguous wordings in Mipham's text and have mentioned it in a footnote each time; doing so should give readers a sense that the Great Completion teaching is alive and well in Tibet

INTRODUCTION vii

at the time of writing, even if it is a rather endangered species, and that it is an excellent source of teaching. Ideally, this book would include a translation of one of the commentaries mentioned or any of several other good ones that are avail­able. However, the commentaries are large and complicated and their inclusion would delay the publication of this impor­tant text.

You can get the sense of what the text is about by reading Mipham's opening verse together with the colophon. In the opening verse, he says that he wrote this text for the city­dwelling tantrikas, the ones who do not stay in large institu­tions doing a lot of study with the attendant hearing and contemplation. He says that the majority of these city-dwell­ing tantrikas, will, without doing any of that and just by following the foremost type of instruction that he is going to present, be able to gain significant levels of attainment and without much hardship, because of the power of this pro­found path. In the colophon, he additionally mentions that he has written it in simple dharma language, so that city­dwelling tantrika types will be able to understand it. He also mentions that this is what is called "a heart's blood type of instruction". This is a particular term used for the type of instruction where the teacher really lays out the core of something based on his own real experience and knowledge of it.

Although he mentions that the text is written in easy-to­understand dharma language, the text itself is filled with the unique but very technical terminology of the Thorough Cut practice of Great Completion. W hen you know the termi­nology and how it all fits together, Mipham's text is not hard

viii THE WAY OF THE REALIZED OLD DOGS

to understand though it points to breath-taking levels of profundity.

The book lays out the general path of the practice of Thor­ough Cut but it also makes what is called a "differentiation". Differentiations are an important part of the Thorough Cut teaching. There are many differentiations that can be made in the context of the Thorough Cut and the one that he uses here to introduce the dharmakaya in an easy-to-understand way shows the difference between alaya, as a part of dualistic mind, and dharmakaya, which is wisdom. There are two points to note in relation to this. Firstly, the Thorough Cut teaching talks about various types of alaya and about alaya in various ways; alaya, for example, is not the same as alaya consciousness. The variety and differences can be quite confusing, even for someone with some technical knowledge. Because of this, Mipham's discussion of the alaya will need clarification unless you are very clear about alaya and the various ways that it is described. The second point is that, normally, these instructions on differentiation are not written down so it can be hard to find out about them. To help with both of these points, we have translated and made a book out of one short but very clear text that lays out several differenti­ations and which clearly distinguishes between some of the different types of alaya. The book is called Differentiating Non-Distraction and So Forth2•

2 Authored by Tony Duff. Second edition published by Padma Karpo Translation Committee in 2008.

Ju Mipham Na1ngyal Mural on the wall of Dzogchen Monastery, Tibet,

2007. Photograph by the author.

INTRODUCTION ix

Our Supports for Study

I have been encouraged over the years by all of my teachers and gurus to pass on some of the knowledge I have accumu­lated in a lifetime dedicated to the study and practice, primar­ily through the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, of Buddhism. On the one hand they have encouraged me to teach. On the other hand, they are concerned that, while many general books on Buddhism have been and are being published, there are few books that present the actual texts of the tradition. They and many other, closely involved people have encour­aged me to make and publish high quality translations of individual texts of the tradition.

In general, we have published a wide range of books that present the important literature of Tibetan Buddhism. In particular, the author of this text was one of the important figures in the transmission of the most profound Great Completion teachings in Tibet and we have published many of the important texts of that system, with each one carefully selected to inform about a particular aspect of that teaching. We can recommend another publication of ours that has Mipham's text called The Method of Preseroing the Face of Rigpa; it contains important instruction on a key aspect of Thorough Cut practice and again is written in simple lan­guage that both the city-dwelling tantrika and expert scholar can understand. Other publications of ours that lay out the whole system and which are important to read in conjunction with this one are The Feature of the Glorious, Expert King by Patrul Rinpoche, About the Three Lines by Dodrupchen ill,

x THE WAY OF THE REALIZED OLD DOGS

Alchemy of Accomplishment by Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, Hinting at Dzogchen by Tony Duff, Peak Doorways to Emanci­

pation by Shakya Shri, and so on. These books are all essen­tial reading for Thorough Cut practitioners, and we are adding other, similar titles all the time.

All in all, you will find many books both for free and for sale on our web-site, all of them prepared to the highest level of quality. Many of our books are available not only on paper but as electronic editions that can be downloaded, and all of them are prepared to the highest level of quality. We encour­age you to look at our web-site to see what we have; the address is on the copyright page at the front of this book. Major book sellers also carry our paper editions.

It has also been a project of ours to make tools that non­Tibetans and Tibetans alike could use for the study and translation of Tibetan texts. As part of that project, we prepare electronic editions of Tibetan texts in the Tibetan Text input office of the Padma Karpo Translation Commit­tee and make them available to the world. Tibetan texts are often corrupt so we make a special point of carefully correct­ing our work before making it available through our web-site. Thus, our electronic texts are not careless productions like most Tibetan texts found on the web but are highly reliable editions that can be used by non-scholars and scholars alike. Moreover, many of the texts are free. The Tibetan text for this book is available for download as a free, electronic edi­tion. It is also included at the back of the book as an aid to serious study.

INTRODUCTION xi

Our electronic texts can be read, searched, and so on, using our Tibetan software. The software can be used to set up a reference library of these texts and then used to read and even research them quickly and easily. The software, called TibetD and TibetDoc, has many special features that make it useful not only for reading but also for understanding and even translating texts. One key feature is that you can high­light a Tibetan term in a text then look it up immediately in any of our electronic dictionaries. We suggest the highly acclaimed Illuminator Tibetan-English Dictionary as the best dictionary for the purpose. As with all of our publications, the software and electronic texts can be obtained from our web-site whose address is on the copyright page at the front of the book.

Health Warning

The text here is about a subject that is kept very secret. Therefore, I have translated the text as it is and provided ample notes so that someone who does understand the mean­ing could understand the translation without mistake. How­ever, I have deliberately not given any further explanation of or commentary to the meaning. Anyone who has had these teachings in person will be able to understand them or at least go to his teacher and ask for further explanation. Anyone who has heard these teachings in person from a qualified teacher, and especially who has had the introduction to the nature of mind3 around which the teachings hinge, please use

3 Introduction to the nature of mind is mostly mis-translated (continued ... )

xii THE WAY OF THE REALIZED OLD DOGS

and enjoy the texts as you will! However, if you have not heard these teachings and if you have not had a proper intro­duction to the nature of your mind, you would be better off not reading this book but seeking out someone who could teach it to you. These days there are both non-Tibetans and Tibetans who can do that for you and who are available in many countries across our planet. In short, the contents of this book could be dangerous to your spiritual health if you are not ready for it, so exercise care.

These days, in the times of rampant globalization, these deep secrets have become very public. That is not necessarily a good thing. For example, I have many times in the last few years run into young men who are extremely confident of their understanding of the meaning of these profound systems but who just spout words that they have read in books. Unfortunately, they have read the books and know the words but have not contacted the inner meaning that the books are intended to be merely a pointer towards. The solidity of their minds is noticeable and it is not being helped by reading these things that they are not ready for and should not be reading.

3( ••• continued) these days as "pointing out" instruction.

INTRODUCTION

My best wishes to all of you. May you preserve the state!

Tony Duff Padma Karpo Translation Committee Swayambhunath, Nepal February, 2009

xiii

THE WAY OF THE REALIZED OLD DOGS,

ADVICE THAT POINTS OUT

THE ESSENCE OF MIND, CALLED

"A LAMP THAT DISPELS THE DARKNESS"

by Ju Mipham Namgyal

I prostrate to the guru and to the Manjushri Wisdom Being4•

Without need of vast training in hearing and contemplating

A majority of village tantrikas who preserve the essence of mind

Using the way of foremost instruction will go with little hardship

To the level of the vidyadharas; it has the power of a profound path.

Now, to talk about that here, you set this mind of yours in its untouched condition, without any involvement in thought at all and then, in that state, you preserve a continuous mindful-

4 Skt. mafijushri jfianasatva. T his is not saying "Manjushri with wise one", it is referring to the superfactual form of Manjushri.

1

2 THE WAY OF THE REALIZED OLD DOGS

ness. When you do so, an even5, indeterminate6 awareness7 that is dark and oblivious8 will occur. When, within that, there is no production at all of vipashyana which does know this and that, then, due to that particular aspect of it, the gurus designate it as "ignorance". And, due to the particular aspect of not being able to say what it is like because there is no identification of it as being like so or being such and such, they designate it as "indeterminate"9• And not being able to say where it was abiding or what it was thinking, they call it "ordinary evenness"10• That is how it is and being that way is

5 Tib. btang snyoms. He glosses the meaning a little further on.

6 Tib. lung rna bstan. He glosses the meaning a little further on.

7 Tib. shes pa. Awareness is always used here and in our other translations to mean the basic knower of mind. It is used both for samsaric and nirvanic situations. Unfortunately, the key term "rigpa" is often translated as "awareness" these days, though it really is not awareness. The term awareness is used in the tradi­tion to refer to the simple, registering mind.

8 Tib. thorn me ba. "Oblivious" means a sort of blanked out state in which you lose track of what is happening in mind.

9 This explains the wording "indeterminate" just applied to this state.

10 When it says ordinary, it means nothing special, just the ordinary type of even-ness meaning even-placement of mind, that samsaric beings have or can develop. When it says "even" it means a state that is not this and not that and this explains the first mention of the word "even" when it was applied to this state just above.

THE TEXT 3

to be staying in the ordinary type itself of the state of alaya 11•

That type of placement of mind has to be used in order to arouse wisdom but, given that it does not have wisdom !mowing its own face shining forth within it, it is not the main meditation; as the Samanta Praye,J2 says,

"The oblivion of no thought process at all� Itself is ignorance, the cause of confusion ... �"

That sort of oblivious awareness in which there is no thought process and no movement is experienced by mind. There­fore, that one which is aware of the fact of that, that is, that one which is just sitting there without doing any thinking, looks from its own situation at itself13 and if, by doing so, a rigpa 14 arises that is free of movement and thought process, that is fully visible yet without out and in 15, like a clear sky, one that is without the duality of something to be experienced

11 "Ordinary" has the same meaning as just given above. In this case it means ordinary old alaya, just as it is for an ordinary samsaric person, and without any consideration of higher realities that might be contained within that alaya.

12 The Prayer of Samantabhadra which can be found within the Mind ofSamantabhadra Fully Visible Tantra.

13 Ontrul Tenpa'i Wangchuk's Notes indicates that this means that the awareness that exists in that unthinking state of oblivion stays in its own place and looks right at its own innate character . . .

14 Rigpa in general means a dynamic type of knowing, one that sees what is going on.

15 Which knows but not in the sense of something in here know­ing something out there.

4 THE WAY OF THE REALIZED OLD DOGS

and an experiencer of it yet which, of itself, firmly decides on its own nature so thinks, "There is nothing other than this", then, given that it is something about which there is no way, using thoughts or expressions, to say, "It is like this", it could be named "divorced from extremes", "beyond expression", "the innate situation's luminosity", and "rigpa"16• That is so because self-introducing wisdom has shone forth and by doing so the darkness of the oblivion of blindness has been cleared off; like the sun's rising has let you see the inside of your house so, with this, a certainty about the reality of your own mind has been produced. This is called "the foremost instruction connected with cracking open the eggshell of ignorance".

When that sort of realization17 happens, because the reality that goes with it is the primordially-present nature being what it is, there is the understanding that it is not compounded by cause and condition and is without shift or change into the three times18, and, there is no observance of the existence of

16 Here rigpa has the specific sense of the rigpa met with on the path of Great Completion.

17 In Great Completion and Mahamudra, the particular event of recognizing your mind is called "realization". The word here has that meaning and refers to that event which has just happened.

18 Without shift or change into the three times means that it never changes into the samsaric type of mind which itself is the situation in which the three times are present.

THE TEXT 5

even an atom of what could be called "mind which is other than this"19•

The darkness of oblivion that came prior to this was not expressible but that was a case of not being able to express it because of not knowing what it was and so not being able to identify it to begin with. The face of rigpa is not expressible either but this is a case of a fact that is simply inexpressible known with a doubt-free decision about what it is. Thus, there is a great difference between the inexpressibility of these two, similar to the difference between not having and having eyes respectively, and, with that, the distinction between alaya and dharmakaya is included in this point, too.

Following on from that, for what is called "ordinary mind", "no activity within mental mind", "beyond expression", and so on, there are both authentic and non-authentic sides. Therefore, if you ascertain the key point of noble meaning within same-sounding terminology, you will discover the experiences of the mind of profound dharma20•

19 In other words, this is it, this is the nature of your own mind that has been primordially present just as it is in its own way of being. Seeing that, which is the meaning here of "realization", you understand that it is not like samsaric mind and, at the same time, you do not see a skerrick of any other kind of mind than just this.

20 The names given all are special names for the special experience of rigpa that are also used for ordinary, samsaric states of mind. Thus, the words themselves have two referents-the authentic or nirvanic side and the non-authentic or samsaric side. In the

(continued ... )

6 THE WAY OF THE REALIZED OLD DOGS

At this time of putting oneself naturalll1 into the state of mind's essence, one faction claims that what is to be done is to preserve mere illumination, mere knowing then to set oneself into a state that has the thought, "It is illumination coming from mental consciousness"22• Another faction claims that it is a mental stabilization in which mind is fixed onto an emptied-out sort of experience that comes from an flat

20( ••• continued) practice of Thorough Cut (and also in Essence Mahamudra), current experience that could be described with these terms has to be assessed to see whether it is the noble, meaning gone bey­ond samsaric experience, side or not. Making this kind of differ­entiation between the two possibilities is the path that leads to the direct experience of the special possibility of profound dharma.

21 Here, naturally is a special term that is the opposite of "con­trived" or "modified". You set yourself, without any alteration of the mind involved, into the state of mind, just as it is in itself at that moment. This is not talk of high realization but just simply saying that the mind of the placement is left to be as it is. 22 The definition of consciousness is that it is "illuminative and knowing". These words could apply to samsaric consciousness and states of mind as much as they could to nirvanic wisdom. One group is mistakenly saying that the experience of ordinary, mental consciousness, because it has these qualities like the ones of rigpa, is the rigpa of Thorough Cut. Having made that mis­take, the state that they set themselves into is actually mental consciousness thinking that it is the luminosity of rigpa. A particular one of the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism is lmown for this mistake but he leaves out the name.

THE TEXT 7

emptiness type of awareness23• However, both of these are mere clinging to experience involved with mental conscious­ness, within grasped-grasping24• Therefore, at that time that these are occurring, in the situations of the illumination and the awareness apprehending it and of the emptiness and the awareness apprehending it, the ongoing mindstream which has the apprehending thought process looks at what it is and if, by doing so, the stake of consciousness that has been cling­ing to the grasped-grasping is uprooted and a decision over a naked, standing out situation of a luminous emptiness that is free from centre and fringe arises, that is, if a crystal clearness arises, then that is named "the face of rigpa". It is rigpa free from the outer coverings of the experiences of grasping, that is, naked wisdom, shining forth. This is called, "The fore­most instruction connected with cutting the net of becom­ing".

Similarly, rigpa divorced from its various outer coverings of experiences connected with mental analysis, like with a wheat

23 Another mistake that can be made is to go to a state which emphasizes emptiness but which is still within dualistic conscious­ness. A flat emptiness is a wide open, even state, but with nothing happening. That sort of abiding has lost the luminosity aspect, somewhat. Again, one school commonly makes this mistake.

24 Grasped-grasping is the way of talking about dualistic mind that is used in the tantras and which accords with, though is not the same as, Mind Only School. An awareness is both the grasper that knows experience and the appearance that is grasped at by the grasper. Thus the term grasped-grasper points at all things being mind. However, the explanation used in the tantras is more refined that the one given in Mind Only school.

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grain and its husks and hairs, has to be identified via reality's own condition illuminating itself5• And simply to recognize rigpa's actual condition is not sufficient; there has to be, within exactly that state of recognition, a practice of familiar­ization26 that has a steady abiding to it. Undistracted preser­vation of a continuity of mindfulness, in relation to an aware­ness that has been set into its own condition is importanr7•

When preserving like thar8, at times there will be a stupefied no-thought in which there is no knowing what it is, at times a full visibility no-thought which has the pure portion of

25 Similar to what was said in the last paragraph, there is a process that has to be followed. The actual wheat grain is inside the ear of wheat with its hairs and husks. The wheat inside the outer covering is what decides on its being wheat just as the inner reality of mind, what it is exactly, decides on what mind actuaiiy IS.

26 The word "meditation" is avoided in this type of instruction because (the original words for) meditation imply creation of something that did not previously exist and cultivation of that. In this case, there is nothing to be created but one does have to become increasingly familiar with what is already there.

27 The type of mindfulness is not the ordinary mindfulness of samsaric mind, it is the dharmata mindfulness that, without conceptual effort, keeps the experience of the recognized rigpa in place.

28 Now he has moved on to discussing the temporary experiences that occur during the course of the practice. The three main ones that are always considered are bliss, clarity, and no-thought; see the entry in the glossary. They can come in either of two ways. After that, there are many other possibilities.

THE TEXT 9

vipashyana turned oue9' at times clinging to temporary experiences of bliss, at times no clinging to temporary experi­ences of bliss, at times temporary experiences of clarity of this and that with grasping, at times pure, unpolluted clarity separated from grasping, at times rough temporary experi­ences that are not nice, at times smooth temporary experi­ences that are delightful, at times loss of meditation because of following after greater levels of disturbance that come from greater levels of discursive thought, at times a polluted state that comes from unabating thickness, and so on. Such waves of thought-which we have habituated ourselves to since beginningless time-and waves of karmic winds will arise in various ways that are uncertain in nature and un-assessable in ex:tene0• When you have been on this kind of path for a long time, if there are events like seeing situations filled with strife and dissension, do not approach them with grasping that goes with trying to make them turn out a certain way1, rather, keep on with your own path. Especially, when you are not

29 This particular one is the recognized rigpa. Full visibility means the same as transparency; see the glossary.

30 Ontrul Tenpa'i Wangchuk's Notes: "T hey will come on in vari­ous ways, some of them that are expected and some not; alto­gether, you cannot know exactly how much or how they will come".

31 Ontrul Tenpa'i Wangchuk's Notes says that, because of our habits of thinking and karma, all sorts of bad things can start to happen as we stay on the path. However, there is no fast fix for these things. We have to leave them be, without the kind of grasping that would have things be otherwise, and keep working on the path, a step at a time. One day, we will get the fruit.

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doing the familiarization, various discursive thoughts can blaze up like a fire, bringing disturbance; when that happens, do not let them stop you. Keeping a balance between tight­ness and looseness, maintain your course and then, through that, the later experiences of attainment, and so on, will gradually arise. 32

At this time, generally speaking, the differences between rigpa and not rigpa33, alaya and dharmakaya, consciousness and wisdom will be an issue. The guru's foremost instructions, given on the basis of his experience, introduce you to these so that you gain assurance34 about them.35

32 This paragraph is about the temporary experiences that inevita­bly arise on the path. He lays many of them out. In particular, he says that the bad ones do happen as the path goes on. He says not to get involved with attempting to change them but to get on with your work of the path. Especially, when really strong ones happen, do not let them make you turn away from the path, rather, keeping a balance, continue with your work. Eventually these kinds of experiences will give way to the later experiences of the path that go with the various levels of attainment.

33 Tib. rna rig pa, usually translated as "ignorance" is actually "not rigpa", the opposite of rigpa. Here, it has to be translated like this or the point is lost.

34 Tib. gdeng. Assurance here is not certainty. A man might be certain that he can fly but a bird, because it knows it has wings and actually can do it, has the assurance of flying. Here, because you are introduced in direct perception to these things by the guru who gives you foremost instructions based on his experi­ence, you do not merely gain certainty but gain assurance. This

(continued ... )

THE TEXT 11

Having gained that assurance, when you are preserving, you have to make the foremost instruction that states that, like water left undisturbed goes pure, consciousness left to be itself will have its reality, wisdom, automatically become evident, prime. It is not that you try to improve the with­drawal and proliferation36 that goes with the intellectual understanding found in books and within the arena of investi­gating what to adopt and to reject with thoughts like, "Is this meditation of mine consciousness or wisdom?"; that sort of thing will cause both shamatha and vipashyana to become a little obscured37•

34( ... continued) is not beginner's talk, this is talk for people who have been on the path for some time.

35 This is where he makes the differentiation between alaya and dharmakaya. This has been discussed in the introduction.

36 Withdrawal and proliferation are the two sides of thinking. Your mind starts to think and, having thought, reels itself back in from the thought. Then is starts again. When you train intellect well, it becomes very efficient and capable at proliferating and then withdrawing back in from the thought process.

37 Anything based on development within dualistic mind will have the qualities of concentrating and then moving off into elabora­tion of thought. The usual approach within that framework is to attempt improvement. However, the meaning of being within non-dualistic mind is not that approach at all. It is beyond books and conceptual ways of thought. Analysing whether you are in rigpa or not or dharmakaya or not or wisdom or not is not what is being talked about.

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If you manage to develop a steady familiarization which has the style of a naturally occurring connection bet ween a shamatha that is a steady stream of mindfulness over a place­ment within own condition and a vipashyana that is one's own face self-illuminated, then the shamatha-vipashyana in which there is primordial inseparability of primordial abiding in own condition and the nature luminosio/8, that is, in which there is self-arising wisdom, the actual mind of Great Com­pletion, will shine forth. This is called, "the foremost instruc­tion connected with abiding in sameness39like space". Glori­ous Saraha spoke like this, too, when he said,

"Thought and to be thought of are utterly abandoned then in that

You are to abide without thought in the way that a small child does ... "

which is about the method for placement and then said,

"If, holding tight to the guru's authoritative words, you make supreme effort .. . "

He followed that by stating the conclusion which is that, when you have received the foremost instruction introducing you to rigpa,

38 The primordial abiding in its own condition is the self-existing shamatha of rigpa and the nature, luminosity, is the self-existing vipashyana of rigpa. The two are primordially unified. That itself is rigpa, self-arising wisdom . . .

39 Tib. mnyam pa nyid. Sameness is the emptiness that causes all phenomena to be experienced as sameness. Sometimes translated as equality.

THE TEXT 13

"There is no doubt that co-emergence will occur."

In other words, from the very outset, your own mind has been happening together with co-emergence mind's reality­which is rigpa self-arising wisdom-and that is not different from the reality of all dharmas either, it is your innate that is the factual luminosity. 40

So, this approach of putting mind into its own condition then preserving the rigpa that is now recognizing its own face or you could also say preserving the essence or reality of mind that has been made manifest, is the foremost instruction that draws together one hundred key points. To do "continuous preservation" is the same.41

The measure of familiarization is lmown through nighttime luminosity. The sign of its being the path of the authentic is that there is realization occurring through a natural increase of faith, compassion, prajna, and so on; being happy and having few problems is something that comes with having

40 What he has done here is to tie the essence Mahamudra in­structions of Saraha to the Thorough Cut of Great Completion instructions of his system. In other words, they are both saying the same thing. The four lines given are a verse that is frequently quoted in Kagyu Mahamudra lineage as showing the whole path of Mahamudra.

41 In other words, this is the one foremost instruction that is the very core key point. There are hundreds of foremost instructions but if you distil their real meaning into one instruction, this one just given is it. It comes right down to recognizing and then doing nothing but continuously preserving it.

14 THE WAY OF THE REALIZED OLD DOGS

one's own, personal experience of this. This path's profundity and swiftness are known through comparison with the extent of realization attained and the amount of exertion required for it by those who engage in paths other than this.42

By meditating on your own mind of luminosity, you will gain the fruition. Or, you could say, discursive thoughts appearing on your own mind of luminosity and its obscurations of latencies will self-cleanse and, while that is happening, the two know ledges will be blossoming without conceptual effort and, when that has happened, the primordial seat of power will be assumed and the three kayas will be spontaneously existing for you43•

Profound. Secret. Samaya.

42 Generally, this path is said to be the most profound and the most rapid. However, for a very good presentation of the details of how this path compares to other paths of the higher tantras, see Padma Karpo Translation Committee's book which presents Dodrupchen ill's text About the Three Lines.

43 He makes a play on words on the Tibetan word for buddha within this sentence. It is impossible to put into English because of the differences of the language. Basically though, he says that your mind will self-cleanse, where "cleanse" is the first part of the Tibetan word for buddha, and then that your two knowledges will blossom, where "blossom" is the second part of the Tibetan word for buddha. In short, he is saying that, if you practice this method of the essence of mind, you will become a buddha in a naturally occurring process that ends with the attainment of the spontane­ously existing three kayas of a buddha. It is very elegant!

THE TEXT 15

On the twelfth day of the second month of the fire horse year, for the village tantrikas and the like who do not make great efforts at hearing and contemplating but want to practice the essence of mind, I, Mipham Jampal Dorje, wrote down this profound advice keeping to easy-to-understand dharma language in the form of heart's blood instruction that shows the experiences of the realized old dogs in general. Goodness. Mangalam.

Translated after receiving instruction on the text by Lama Tony Duff, February 6, 2009, at Swayambunath, Kathmandu, Nepal.

GLOSSARY

Alaya, Tib. kun gzhi: This term, if translated, is usually translated as all-base or thereabouts. It is a Sanskrit term that means a range that underlies and forms a basis for something else. In Buddhist teaching, it means a particular level of mind that sits beneath all other levels of mind. However, .it is used in several different ways in the Buddhist teaching and changes to a different meaning in case. In the Great Completion teachings, a distinction is made between alaya and alaya consciousness; the distinction is subtle but the two must not be confused.

Alertness, Tib. shes bzhin: Alertness is a specific mental event that occurs in dualistic mind. It and another mental event, mind­fulness, are the two functions of mind that must be developed in order to develop shamatha or one-pointedness of mind. In that context, mindfulness is what remembers the object of the concentration and holds the mind to it while alertness is the mind watching the situation to ensure that the mindfulness is not lost. If distraction does occur, alertness will know it and will inform the mind to re-establish mindfulness again.

Assurance, Tib. gdeng: Although often translated as confidence, this term means assurance with all of the extra meaning conveyed by that term. A bird might be confident of its

17

18 THE WAY OF THE REALIZED OLD DOGS

ability to fly but more than that, it has the assurance that it will not fall to the ground because of knowing that it has wings and the training to use them. Similarly, a person might be confident that they could liberate the afflictions but not assured of doing so because of lack of training or other causes. However, a person who has accumulated the causes to be able to liberate afflictions trained is assured of the ability to do so.

Bliss, clarity, and no-thought, Tib. bde gsal mi rtog pa: A practitio­ner who engages in practice will have signs of that practice appear as various types of temporary experience. Most commonly, three types of experience are met with: bliss, clarity, and no-thought. Bliss is ease of the body and-or mind, clarity is heightened knowing of mind, and no-thought is an absence of thought that happens in the mind. The three are usually mentioned when discussing the passing experi­ences that arise because of practising meditation but there is also a way of describing them as final experiences of realiza­tion.

Clarity or Illumination, Skt. vara, Tib. gsal ba: When you see this term, it should be understood as an abbreviation of the full term in Tibetan, 'od gsal ba, which is usually translated as luminosity. It is not another factor of mind distinct from luminosity but merely a convenient abbreviation in both Indian and Tibetan dharma language for the longer term, luminosity. See "Luminosity" in this glossary for more.

Clinging, Tib. zhen pa: In Buddhism, this term refers specifically to the twofold process of dualistic mind mis-taking things that are not true, not pure, as true, pure, etcetera and then, because of seeing them as highly desirable even though they are not, attaching itself to or clinging to those things. This type of clinging acts as a kind of glue that keeps you with the unsatisfactory things of cyclic existence because of mistakenly seeing them as desirable.

GLOSSARY 19

Confusion, Tib. 'khrul pa: In Buddhism, this term mostly refers to the fundamental confusion of taking things the wrong way that happens because of fundamental ignorance though it can also have the more general meaning of having lots of though­ts and being confused about it. In the first case, it is defined like this, "Confusion is the appearance to rational mind of something being present when it is not", and refers for example to seeing an object, such as a table, as being truly present when in fact it is present only as mere, interdepen­dent appearance.

Cyclic existence, Skt. sarp.sara, Tib. 'khor ba: The type of existence that sentient beings have which is that they continue on from one existence to another, always within the enclosure of births that are produced by ignorance and experienced as unsatisfactory. Although the Tibetan term literally means "cycling", the original Sanskrit has a slightly different mean­ing; it means to go about, here and there.

Dharmakaya, Tib. chos sku: The mind of a buddha. Dharma here means reality, what actually is, and kaya means body.

Discursiue thought, Skt. vikalpita, Tib. rnam rtog: This means more than just the superficial thought that is heard as a voice in the head. It includes the entirety of conceptual process that arises due to mind contacting any object of any of the senses. The Sanskrit and Tibetan literally mean "(dualistic) thought (that arises from the mind wandering among the) various (superficies perceived in the doors of the senses)".

Effort, Tib. rtsol ba: In Buddhism, this term usually does not merely mean effort but has the specific connotation of effort of dualistic mind. In that case, it is effort that is produced by and functions specifically within the context of dualistic concept. For example, the term "mindfulness with effort" specifically means "a type of mindfulness that is occurring within the context of dualistic mind and its various opera-

20 THE WAY OF THE REALIZED OLD DOGS

tions". The term "effortless" is often used in Mahamudra and Great Completion to mean a way of being in which dualistic mind has been abandoned and, therefore, has with it none of the effort of dualistic mind.

Elaboration, Tib. spro ba: to be producing thoughts.

Equipoise and post-attainment, Tib. mnyam bzhag and rjes thob: Although often called "meditation and post-meditation", the actual term is "equipoise and post-attainment". There is great meaning in the actual wording which is lost by the looser translation.

Essence, Tib. ngo bo: This is a key term used throughout Bud­dhist theory. The original in Sanskrit and the term in Ti­betan, too, has both meanings of "essence" and "entity". In some situations the term has more the first meaning and in others, the second. For example, when speaking of mind and mind's essence, it is referring to the core or essential part within mind. On the other hand, when speaking of some­thing such as fire, one can speak of the entity, fire, and its characteristics, such as heat, and so on; in this case, the term does not mean essence but means that thing, what is actually IS.

Foremost instruction, Skt. upadesha, Tib. man ngag: there are several types of instruction mentioned in Buddhist literature: there is the general level of instruction which is the meaning contained in the words of the texts of the tradition; on a more personal and direct level there is oral instruction which has been passed down from teacher to student from the time of the buddha; and on the most profound level there is upadesha which are not only oral instructions provided by one's guru but are special, core instructions that come out of personal experience and which convey the teaching concisely and with the full weight of personal experience. Upadesha are crucial to the Vajra Vehicle because these are the special way of

GLOSSARY 21

passing on the profound instructions needed for the student's realization.

Grasped-grasping, Tib. gzung 'dzin: "When mind is turned out­wardly as it is in the normal operation of dualistic mind, it has developed two faces that appear simultaneously. Special names are given to these two faces: mind appearing in the form of the external object being referenced is called "that which is grasped". Mind appearing in the form of the con­sciousness that is referencing it is called "the grasper" or "grasping" of it. Thus, there is the pair of terms "grasped­grasper" or "grasped-grasping". "When these two terms are used, it alerts you immediately to the fact that a Mind Only style of presentation is being discussed. This pair of terms pervades Mind Only, Madhyamaka, and tantric writings and is exceptionally important in all of them.

Note that you could substitute the word "apprehended" for "grasped" and "apprehender" for "grasper" or "grasping" and that would reflect one connotation of the original Indian terminology. The solidified duality of grasped and grasper is nothing but an invention of dualistic thought. It has that kind of character or characteristic.

Introduction and To Introduce, Tib. ngos sprad and ngos sprod pa respectively: This pair of terms is usually translated in the U.S.A. these days as "pointing out" "and "to point out" but this is a mistake that has, unfortunately, become entrenched. The terms are the standard terms used in day to day life for the situation in which one person introduces another person to someone or something. They are the exact same words as our English "introduction" and "to introduce".

In the Vajra Vehicle, these terms are specifically used for the situation in which one person introduces another person to the nature of his own mind. Now there is a term in Tibetan for "pointing out'' but that term is never used for this purpose

2 2 THE WAY O F THE REALIZED OLD DOGS

because in this case no-one points out anything. Rather, a person is introduced by another person to a part of himself that he has forgotten about.

Key points, Tib. gnad: Key points are those places in one's being that one works, like pressing buttons, in order to get some desired effect. For example, in meditation, there are key points of the body; by adjusting those key points, the mind is brought closer to reality and the meditation is thus assisted.

In general, this term is used in Buddhist meditation instruc­tion but it is, in particular, part of the special vocabulary of the Great Completion teachings. Overall, the Great Com­pletion teachings are given as a series of key points that must be attended to in order to bring forth the various realizations of the path.

Luminosity, Skt. prabhasvara, Tib. 'od gsal ba: the core of mind, called mind's essence, has two aspects, parts, or factors as they are called. One is emptiness and the other is knowing. Luminosity is a metaphor for the fundamental knowing quality of the essence of mind. It is sometimes translated as "clear light" but that is a mistake that comes from not under­standing how the words of the Sanskrit and the Tibetan, too, go together. It does not refer to a light that has the quality of clearness (something that makes no sense, actually!) but refers to the illuminative property which is the hallmark of mind. Mind knows, that is what it does. Metaphorically, it is a luminosity that illuminates its own content. In both Sanskrit and Tibetan Buddhist literature, the term is fre­quently abbreviated just to gsal ba, "clarity", with the same meaning.

Mind, Skt. chitta, Tib. sems: the complicated process of mind which occurs because there is ignorance. This sort of mind is a samsaric phenomenon. It is a dualistic mind.

GLOSSARY 2 3

Mindfulness, Tib. dran pa: A particular mental event, one that has the ability to keep mind on its object. Together with alert­ness, it is one of the two causes of developing shamatha. See alertness for a explanation.

Post-attainment, Tib. rjes thob: see "Equipoise and post-attain­ment".

Preserue, Tib. skyong ba: An important term in both Mahamudra and Great Completion. In general, it means to defend, protect, nurture, maintain. In the higher tantras it means to keep something just as it is, to nurture that something so that it stays and is not lost. Also, in the higher tantras, it is often used in reference to preserving the state where the state is some particular state of being. Because of this, the phrase "preserve the state'� is an important instruction in the higher tantras.

Proliferation, Tib. 'phro ba: A term meaning that the dualistic mind has become active and is giving off thoughts. This is actually the same word as "elaboration" but is the intransitive sense.

Rational mind, Tib. blo: The Kagyu and Nyingma traditions use this term pejoratively for the most part. In the Great Com­pletion and Mahamudra teachings, this term specifically means the dualistic mind. It is the villain, so to speak, which needs to be removed from the equation in order to obtain enlightenment. This term is commonly translated simply as mind but that causes confusion with the many other words that are also translated simply as mind. It is not just another mind but is specifically the sort of mind that creates the situation of this and that (ratio in Latin) and hence upholds the duality of samsara. It is the very opposite of the essence of mind. Thus, this is a key term which should be noted and not just glossed over as "mind".

24 THE WAY OF THE REALIZED OLD DOGS

Rigpa, Tib. rig pa: This is the singularly most important term in the whole of Great Completion and Mahamudra. In particu­

lar, it is the key word of all words in the Great Completion system of the Thorough Cut. Rigpa literally means to know in the sense of "I see!" It is used at all levels of meaning from the coarsest everyday sense of knowing something to the deepest sense of knowing something as presented in the system of Thorough Cut. The system of Thorough Cut uses this term in a very special sense, though it still retains its basic meaning of "to know". To translate it as "awareness" which is common practice these days is a poor practice; there are many kinds of awareness but there is only one rigpa and besides, rigpa is substantially more than just awareness. Since this is such an important term and since it lacks an equivalent in English, I choose not to translate it. However, it will be helpful in reading the text to understanding the meaning as just given.

This is the term used to indicate enlightened mind as experi­enced by the practitioner on the path of these practices. The term itself specifically refers to the dynamic knowing quality of mind. It absolutely does not mean a simple registering, as implied by the word "awareness" which unfortunately is often used to translate this term. There is no word in English that exactly matches it, though the idea of "seeing" or "insight on the spot" is very close. Proof of this is found in the fact that the original Sanskrit term "vidya" is actually the root of all words in English that start with "vid" and mean "to see", for example, "video", "vision", and so on. Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, who was particular skilled at getting Tibetan words into English, also stated that this term rigpa really did not have a good equivalent in English, though he thought that "insight" was the closest. My own conclusion after hearing extensive teaching on it is that rigpa is just best left untranslated. However, it will be helpful in reading the text to understanding the meaning as just given. Note that rigpa

GLOSSARY 2 5

has both noun and verb forms. To get the verb form, I use "rigpa'ing".

Shamatha, Tib. gzhi gnas: The name of one of the two main practices of meditation used in the Buddhist system to gain insight into reality. This practice creates a foundation of one-pointedness of mind which can then be used to focus the insight of the other practice, vipashyana. If the development of shamatha is taken through to completion, the result is a mind that sits stably on its object without any effort and a body which is filled with ease. Altogether, this result of the practice is called "the creation of workability of body and mind".

State, Tib. ngang: A key term in Mahamudra and Great Comple­tion. Unfortunately it is often not translated and in so doing much meaning is lost. Alternatively, it is often translated as "within" which is incorrect. The term means a "state". A state is a certain, ongoing situation. In Buddhist meditation in general, there are various states that a practitioner has to enter and remain in as part of developing the meditation.

Temporary experience, Tib. nyams: The practice of meditation brings with it various experiences that happen simply because of the meditation. These experiences are temporary experi­ences and not the final, unchanging experience, of realization.

Thorough Cut, Tib. khregs chad: the Dzogchen system has several levels to it. The innermost level has two main practices, the first called Thregcho which literally translates as Thorough Cut and the second called Tho gal which translates as Direct Crossing. The meaning of Thorough Cut has been misun­derstood. The meaning is clearly explained in the Illuminator

Tibetan-English Dictionary:

"Thorough Cut is a practice in which the solidifica­tion that sentient beings produce by having rational minds which grasp at a perceived object and perceiv-

2 6 THE WAY O F THE REALIZED OLD DOGS

ing subject is sliced through so as to get the underly­ing reality which has always been present in the essence of mind and which is called Alpha Purity in this system of teachings. For this reason, Thorough Cut is also known as Alpha Purity Thorough Cut."

The etymology of the word is explained in the Great Com­pletion teachings either as �9��r�·z�r or �9�·�·�·z:.r·. In either case, the term �·z:.r· is "a cut"; there are all sorts of different "cuts" and this is one of them. Then, in the case of �9�·�·�·z:.r·, �9�·�· is an adverb modifying the verb "to cut" and has the meaning of making the cut fully, completely. It is explained with the example of slicing off a finger. A finger could be sliced with a sharp knife such that the cut was not quite complete and the cut off portion was left hanging. Alternatively, it could be sliced through in one, decisive movement such that the finger was completely and definitely severed. That kind of thorough cut is what is meant here. In th

"' ...... -.r th

"' "' . d b th e case of �9�·9·a:,1·z:.r·, e term �9�·9· IS as an a ver at

has the meaning of something that is doubtless, of something that is unquestionably so. A translation based on the first explanation would be "Thorough Cut" and on the second would be "Decisive Cut".

Other translations that have been put forward for this term are: "Cutting Resistance" and "Cutting Solidity". Of these, "Cutting Resistance" is usually a translation made on the basis of students expressing the "resistance to practice", etcetera. That is a complete misunderstanding of the term. The term means that that the practitioner of this system cuts decisively through rational mind, regardless of its degree of solidity, so as to arrive directly at the essence of mind.

Transparency, Tib. zang thai: This term belongs to the unique vocabulary of Great Completion. It has two connotations: that something is seen directly, in direct perception; and that

GLOSSARY 27

it is seen with full visibility because there is no agent obscur­ing the view of it. The term is used to indicate that rigpa is truly present for the practitioner. Luminosity when it is the rigpa of the enlightened side and not the not-rigpa, usually translated as ignorance, of the samsaric side, has transparency or, you could say, full visibility, as one of its qualities pre­cisely because it has none of the factors of mind as such in it, which would obscure it. Transparency means that the rigpa is in full view: it really is rigpa seen in direct perception and it is without rational mind so it is seen without any of the obscuring factors that would make it less than immediately and fully visible.

Upadesha, Tib. man ngag: See the glossary entry "Foremost Instruction".

Vipashyana, Tib. lhag mthong: The Sanskrit name for one of the two main practices of meditation needed in the Buddhist system for gaining insight into reality. The other one, shamatha, keeps the mind focussed while this one, vipashya­na, looks piercingly into the nature of things.

Wisdom, Skt. jfiana, Tib. ye shes: This is a fruition term that refers to the kind of mind, the kind of knower possessed by a buddha. The original Sanslcrit term has many meanings but overall has the sense of just knowing. In Buddhism, it refers to the most basic type of knowing possible. Sentient beings could do this but their minds are obscured so, although they have the potential for knowing with the wisdom of a buddha, it does not happen. If they practise the path to buddhahood, at some point they will leave behind their obscuration and start knowing in this very simple and immediate way.

This sort of knowing is there at the core of every being's mind. Therefore, the Tibetans called it "the particular type of awareness which is always there". Because of their word­ing, it is often called "primordial wisdom" but that is too

2 8 T HE WAY O F THE REALIZED OLD DOGS

much. It simply means wisdom in the sense of the most fundamental knowing possible.

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INDEX

Abu Losang Gyatso ...... vi dharmata mindfulness.· .. .. '8

actual mind of Great Comple- Differentiating Non-Distrac-tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 tion and So Forth .... viii

alaya ..... viii, 3, 5, 10, 11, 17 differentiation ..... viii, 6, 11

assurance . . . . . 10, 11, 17, 18 differentiations ......... viii attainment .... vii, 10, 14, 20, Direct Crossing ........ v, 25

23 discursive thoughts . . . 10, 14

authentic or nirvanic side . . 5 distinction between alaya and average yogi pract:J.t:J.oner . . vi dharmakaya . . . . . . . . . . 5

balance between tightness and dualistic consciousness . . . . 7

looseness . . . . . . . . . . . 10 dualistic mind . viii, 7, 11, 1 7-

city-dwelling tantrikas .... vi, 23

vii Dzogchen . . . . . ii, v, vi, x, 2 5

compassion . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 emptiness . . . . . . . . 7, 12, 22

consciousness viii, 6, 7, 10, Essence Mahamudra . . . . . . 6

11, 17, 21 essence of mind ... i, iii, 1, 14,

co-emergence . . . . . . . . . . 13 15, 22, 23, 26

crystal clearness . . . . . . . . . . 7 face of rigpa . . . . . . . . . . . ix, 5

darkness of oblivion . . . . . . 5 factual luminosity . . . . . . . 13

definition of consciousness faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 familiarization . . 8, 10, 12, 13

dharmakaya ... viii, 5, 10, 11, flat emptiness . . . . . . . . . . . 7

19 flat emptiness type of aware-

35

36 THE WAY OF THE REALIZED OLD DOGS

ness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Mipham . . . . . . . i, iii, v, 1, 15

foremost instruction . . 1, 4, 7, naked wisdom . . . . . . . . . . . 7 11-13,20 natural increase of faith ... 13

foremost type of instruction nature of your own mind . . . 5

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii nighttime luminosity . . . . . 13

fruition . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14, 27 nirvanic wisdom . . . . . . . . . . 6

full visibility no-thought . . . 8 no movement . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

grasped at by the grasper . . . 7 no thought process . . . . . . . 3

grasped-grasping . . . . . . 7, 21 non-authentic or samsaric side grasper that knows experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 not compounded by cause and Great Completion . . . v-vii, ix, condition . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

4, 12, 13, 17, 20,22-26 not rigpa .. . . . . .... . .... 10

hearing and contemplation Nyingthig .. . . . . . . . . . ... vi . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . vii oblivious awareness . . . . .. . 3

ignorance .. . . . . 3, 19, 22, 27 obscurations of latencies . . 14

Illuminator Tibetan-English one's own face self-illuminated Dictionary . . ... . . . xi, 25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

indeterminate . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Ontrul Tenpa'i Wangchuk Ju Mipham Namgyal . . i, iii, v, . . . . ...... . . . . . . . ... vi

1 ordinary mindfulness of Khenpo Jigmey Phuntshog samsaric mind . . . . . . . . . 8

. . . ... . .. . . . . ..... . . vi ordinary samsaric person . . . 3

luminosity of rigpa . . .. . .. 6 ordinary type itself of the state Mahamudra . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 6 of alaya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

measure of familiarization placement of mind .... . . 2, 3

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 practice of familiarization . . 8

mental analysis ..... . . . . . . 7 prajna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

mental consciousness . . . . 6, 7 preservation of a continuity of mental stabilization . . . . . . . 6 mindfulness . . . . . . . . . . 8

mind of Great Completion preserve a continuous mindful-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 ness .... . . .. . . . . . . . . . 2

mind of luminosity . . . . . . 14 preserve mere illumination Mind Only School . . . . . . . . 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

mind's essence . . . . . 6, 20, 22 preserve the essence of mind

INDEX 37

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 tantras 7,14,23 preserving the essence . . . 13 tantrikas ....... .. v-vii, 1, 15

preserving the rigpa . . . . . 13 temporary experiences . 8-10,

primordial seat of power . . 14 25

primordially-present nature thogal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

. .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 4 Thorough Cut .. ii, v, vii-x, 6,

profundity and swiftness . . 14 13, 24-26

pure portion of vipashyana three kayas of a buddha . . 14

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 thregcho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5

reality of all dharmas . . . . 13 Tibetan software . . . . . . . . . xi

reality of your own mind . . 4 Tibetan text ........ iii, x, 29

reality's own condition illumi- vidyadharas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

nating itself . . . . . . . . . . 8 village tantrikas ... ... v, 1, 15

realization .. . 4, 6, 13, 14, 18, vipashyana ... 2, 9, 11, 12,27

21, 2 5 water left undisturbed goes rigpa . .... .. ix,3-13,24,27 pure .. .... . . .. .. .. . 11

rigpa and not rigpa . . . . . . 10 waves of karmic winds . . . . 9

rigpa of Thorough Cut . . . . 6 what to adopt and to reject rigpa's actual condition . . . . 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Samanta Prayer . . . . . . . . . . 3 wisdom . viii, 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10-

samsaric consciousness . . . . 6 12, 2 7 , 2 8

samsaric type of mind . . . . . 4 wisdom knowing its own face Saraha . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

self-introducing wisdom . . . 4 without shift or change into shamatha and vipashyana the three times . . . . . . . . 4

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 your own mind of luminosity shamatha-vipashyana . . . . 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

state of recognition . . . . . . . 8

steady abiding . . . . . . . . . . . 8