A Torch Lighting the Way To Freedom

The Benefits of Cultivating Faith

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

 

Seat of Dudjom Rinpoche Jigdral Yeshe Dorje ~ Pema Osel Ling Shrine Room ~ Santa Cruz Mts CA

There are boundless virtues in cultivating and increasing one’s faith. It is the foundation for all virtuous practice.

It clears away all the sufferings of cyclic existence and is the first step on the path to liberation. As a result of your faith, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will constantly keep you in mind. You will have a sense of shame, a sense of decency, and wisdom. In all your lives, as soon as you are born, you will meet a sublime teacher, the sacred teachings, and spiritual companions, and you will thus be able to practice the Dharma. You will be protected by those gods who delight in virtue. Falling asleep peacefully, in your dreams too you will have pleasant visions of encountering your teacher and the Three Jewels and practicing the Dharma, and you will wake in a happy frame of mind.

You will accomplish all your wishes and die peacefully, guided by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. You will have none of the terrifying experiences of the intermediate state. You will be reborn wherever your aspirations lead you, and uphold the lineage of the Three Jewels. Swiftly, you will attain Buddhahood. Such are the infinite benefits of having faith, as we read in the Sutra of the Precious Lamp:

Though for kalpas one might venerate beings
Numerous as the atoms of the universes in the ten directions,
Bringing them every kind of happiness, In comparison, nothing is more sublime Than the merit of faith in this Dharma.


A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom
Complete Instructions on the Preliminary Practice of the Profound and Secret Heart Essence of the Dakini
Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje
Translated by the Padmakara Translation Group
Published by Shambhala Publication

The Benefits of Taking Refuge

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

Taking Refuge with Lama Sonam Rinpoche, Pema Osel Ling, September 2025

There are seven benefits of taking refuge: one becomes a Buddhist, a follower of the Buddha; one will not fall into the lower realms; one becomes a support for all vows; one is not harmed by obstacles caused by humans and nonhumans; one has few illnesses and a long life; obscurations of actions performed in the past are purified; and one will swiftly attain Buddhahood through the completion of its cause, the two accumulations.

a. THE BENEFIT THAT ONE BECOMES A BUDDHIST, A FOLLOWER OF THE BUDDHA
By renouncing the ways of non-Buddhists, who rely on Brhma and others for refuge, and taking the Three Jewels as one’s object of refuge, one will be included in the ranks of Buddhists, as the wise have declared, for it is said:

The difference between Buddhists and non-Buddhists is the refuge.

b. THE BENEFIT THAT ONE WILL NOT FALL INTO THE LOWER REALMS
Taking refuge bars the entrance to the lower realms and places one, throughout one’s series of lives, in the blissful states of the higher realms and liberation. It is said that the son of a god who was going to be reborn as a pig was prevented from doing so when he took refuge, as is related in the Tale with a Sow, which declares: Those who have taken refuge in the Buddha Will not go to the lower realms.

c. THE BENEFIT THAT ONE BECOMES A SUPPORT FOR ALL VOWS
Taking refuge reinforces our intention to attain nirvana, this being the reason for our taking vows, and it is therefore the basis of all vows, as the Seventy Stanzas on Refuge explains: A lay practitioner’s going for refuge in the Three Is the root of the eight vows.

d. THE BENEFIT THAT ONE WILL NOT BE HARMED BY OBSTACLES CAUSED
BY HUMANS OR NONHUMANS
The manner in which taking refuge dispels all kinds of fear and danger is described in the Supreme Victory Banner Sutra:

     Monks, wherever you are—in solitary places, cemeteries, empty wastes, and the like—take refuge in the Three Jewels and you will be free from fear,
suffering, and hair-raising experiences.

And in the Essence of the Sun Sutra we find: Beings who go for refuge in the Buddha

Cannot be killed by ten million demons.
Even if they have broken their vows and their minds are disturbed,
They will surely go beyond birth.

e. THE BENEFIT THAT ONE WILL HAVE FEW ILLNESSES AND A LONG LIFE
It is said that as a result of taking refuge, one will be less affected by illnesses related to past deeds and obstacles, and one will live a long life of abundance and splendor, as we find in Ornament of the Sutras:

Against all kinds of negative actions,
Aging, illness, and death
The Buddha gives complete protection.
Because he protects from all kinds of harm,
From the lower realms and wrong paths,
From the view of the transitory composite,n and from lesser vehicles,
He is the supreme refuge.

f. THE BENEFIT THAT THE OBSCURATIONS OF DEEDS PERFORMED IN THE PAST WILL BE PURIFIED
Every single one of the obscurations from deeds accumulated in the past will diminish and be exhausted. And even those who have committed crimes with immediate retribution (as did Devadatta, Ajatashatru, and others) will, by taking refuge in the Three Jewels, be liberated from the lower realms, as has been related in the scriptures.

g. THE BENEFIT THAT BY COMPLETING ITS CAUSE, THE TWO ACCUMULATIONS, ONE WILL SWIFTLY ATTAIN BUDDHAHOOD
In the soil of faith, watered by the rain of the two accumulations, the seed of the enlightened potential grows and ripens into the harvest of Buddhahood, as the Nirvana Sutra tells us:

Those who take refuge in the Three Will acquire the supreme
accumulations of merit and wisdom,
Propagate the Buddha’s teaching in the world,
And thereby attain Buddhahood.

And when the Buddha said, in the White Lotus Sutra of Compassion,

Those who have entered this my doctrine, even lay practitioners or
those who assume the appearance of monks, will in this same
Excellent Kalpa attain the full nirvana without residue in the absolute space,
without a single exception,

He was referring to beings who have taken refuge. Again in the Sutra of the Immaculate he said:

If the merit of taking refuge were to possess form,
it would fill the whole of space and still there would be more.
And in the Condensed Transcendent Wisdom:
If the merit of taking refuge were to take form,
The three worlds would be too small to contain it.
How could one ever measure that treasure of water,
The great ocean, in cupfuls?

There is no end to the explanations the Buddha gave on this. Taking refuge will create the dependent connection through which you will gradually come to accomplish ultimate Buddhahood, turn the Wheel of the Dharma, and gather around you a vast Sangha of Nonreturners.


A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom
Complete Instructions on the Preliminary Practice of the Profound and Secret Heart Essence of the Dakini
Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje
Translated by the Padmakara Translation Group
Published by Shambhala Publication

 

 

Six Mistaken Qualities We Must Avoid

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

When we put all our energies into a practice, it is quite common for bad deeds from the past to surface, so that all sorts of unwanted things happen to us: we fall physically ill, feel mentally anguished, experience the manifestations of negative forces and obstacle makers, fall victim to hostile people, bandits, and thieves, find ourselves subject to people’s criticisms and false accusations, and so on.

These are said to be signs that we are purifying ourselves, like the dirt that comes out when one washes a container. Therefore, when such things happen to you, don the great armor of diligence that renders the practice impervious to unpleasant circumstances.

Although it may happen that we get one or two good qualities here and there as signs of progress on the path, it can be hard to distinguish whether they are genuine signs or obstacles caused by demons.

Even supposing they are genuine, the moment we attach any importance to them, they will turn into demonic obstacles, so get rid of all expectation, apprehension, and doubt, and do not be attached to good signs or frightened by bad ones.

It is said that while we are on the path, there are many mistakes we can make and ways in which we can go astray, but the principal errors are: to treat the teacher as an equal; to be lacking in pure perception with regard to one’s spiritual brothers and sisters; to criticize other philosophical systems while being proud of one’s own; to act hypocritically with regard to the commitments; to give the five poisons free rein; to have no respect for the law regarding actions and their effects; to air one’s views and indulge in big talk about emptiness and so forth; to tell all and sundry about one’s experiences; and to lie that one has sublime qualities that one does not have.

To make these the basis of one’s practice is obviously the greatest error, yet even if the Buddha were to appear in person, it would seem difficult to block this perilous path onto which one can stray, for we ourselves mm are blessed by demons, and beings in the decadent age have but little good fortune, so that there is much running after purely meaningless talk without understanding the real point of the Dharma.

Even though we follow a teacher, train in acquiring good qualities, practice in retreat, and read many profound texts, it does not do the slightest bit of good to our minds and our characters get worse and worse. We grow ever more proud, the eye of pure perception grows dim, and we pass the time only in examining others’ faults.

People like us are impervious to the Dharma, we are breakers of the commitments, burdened with evil deeds from the past; we have truly been blessed by demons.

Our kind Teacher, the Buddha, summed up the Dharma as follows:

Abandon all evildoing,
Practice virtue perfectly,
Completely subdue your mind:
This is the Buddha’s doctrine.

If we were to summarize the whole result of practicing the Dharma, it is that the mind has to be tamed. And yet nowadays there are practitioners who devote themselves principally to harming others for the sake of the Dharma, getting involved in disputes using the teachings as a pretext, tricking and deceiving people with the excuse that it is for the sake of beings—everything in fact that the Buddha taught as being at variance with the Dharma. Do not follow such ways.

In particular, there are the eight ordinary concerns, of which Nagarjuna said:

You who know the world, take gain and loss,
Or bliss and pain, or kind words and abuse,
Or praise and blame—these eight mundane concerns—
Make them the same, and don’t disturb your mind.

These eight ordinary concerns, not to speak of others, seem to stain even those who claim to be genuine Dharma practitioners without their noticing, so it is very important to remain thoroughly attentive.

Moreover, there are six mistaken qualities we must avoid:

  • mistaken patience, where we are unable to put up with difficulties in practicing the teachings but manage to put up with the most grueling tasks in order to see through our projects for this life;
  • mistaken aspiration, where we have no wish to practice the Dharma but are full of enthusiasm when it comes to achieving the eight ordinary concerns;
  • mistaken enjoyment, where we have no taste for listening to the Dharma, reflecting on it, or meditating, but have plenty of appetite for material enjoyments;
  • mistaken compassion, where we have no compassion when we or others perform negative actions, but feel compassion for people who are experiencing hardship for the sake of the Dharma;
  • mistaken care, where we fail to introduce our dependents to the Dharma but help them succeed in this life;
  • and mistaken rejoicing, where rather than meditate on joy with regard to people performing positive actions, we are delighted when our enemies meet with difficulties.

If we are always able to take the lowest seat, there will be no way for pride and jealousy to creep in. And as long as pride does not arise, obstacles cannot occur. But the moment we start to feel proud and think, “Even my teacher is no better than I am,” “Other practitioners do not know as much as I do,” and so on, obstacles will happen.

Dudjom Rinpoche – A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom ~ Shambhala Publications