mind

A virtuous mind is the source of happiness.

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

The Buddha said that we should completely subdue our minds. Whatever we do, for good or ill, it is our mind that is the true agent. In the very depths of our being, we all desire one thing: we want to be happy. We don’t want to suffer. But because of this—this wanting—the three defilements of craving, aversion, and ignorance arise, and suffering is what we get. It is because of these defilements that we accumulate actions that prevent us from escaping from samsara. So it is important right from the start to see the difference between a good motivation and an evil one. Our own mindfulness should be our teacher. We must examine what is positive and what is negative with mindfulness. If positive thoughts arise, we should go along with them. If nonvirtuous thoughts arise, we should put a stop to them. A virtuous mind is the source of happiness. An unvirtuous mind is the source of pain. It’s as simple as that—as we can see from our own experience. When the Buddha spoke about the hell realms and the pretas, he wasn’t making it up. He was simply talking about how things are.

Counsels from My Heart by Dudjom

Reflecting on the need to guard the mind, which is the root of the Dharma

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

The whole of the Dharma depends on the mind, and the mind is dependent on the precious human body. This is an interdependent relationship of support and what is supported: the mind is the root of Dharma, and the freedoms and advantages are the support or accessory for this. For this reason one need train only in taming the mind, as Nagarjuna advises: 

The vital point is tame your mind, for mind’s The root of Dharma, so the Buddha said. 

And the Great Omniscient One says: 

The Dharma depends on the mind, And that depends on the freedoms and advantages, interdependently.

Now that the many causes and conditions have come together, Tame your mind—that’s the main point of Dharma. 

The sufferings of fear and poverty that occur throughout this life and will occur in subsequent lives are the negative consequences of using your precious human body to indulge in pointless distractions, while all the happiness and good qualities of higher rebirth and ultimate excellence come solely from not wasting the freedoms and advantages. 

As we read in the Sutra of the Arborescent Array: 

Child of noble family, it has never occurred to those who wander in cyclic existence that their body ornamented with the freedoms and advantages is so difficult to find; because of their evil friends,f they continue to circle in cyclic existence and are tormented by the fire of suffering. But I, by reflecting on this supreme freedom, have been completely liberated from existence. You too should do likewise.

A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom
Dudjom Rinpoche Jigdral Yeshe Dorje
Translated by the Padmakara Translation Group
Shambhala, 2011

Attaining Liberation through Guru Yoga

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

According to the Vajrayana view, Guru Yoga is the quintessential practice for attaining liberation. All Buddhas became enlightened by following their teacher’s precious instructions so the Guru is considered even more important than the Buddha because without the Guru, there is no way to achieve buddhahood. When the Guru’s instructions have penetrated the student’s heart, this is the same as finding a precious Wish-Fulfilling Jewel in your hand. Someone who has received the Guru’s mind transmission has no choice but to attain enlightenment, just as someone falling down a steep mountain totally out of control has no choice but to fall all the way to the bottom.

The 84 Mahasiddhas in India and Guru Rinpoche’s 25 main disciples in Tibet, the treasure finders, wisdom holders and accomplished enlightened sublime beings, all became enlightened through the mind transmission of their Gurus. This unbroken lineage has been passed from the primordial Buddha, Samantabhadra, to our own Root Lama who is the essence of all the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three times. All siddhis and blessings are carried and passed through this lineage. Because the path of Guru Yoga is so deeply profound, there is no doubt that if you practice it, you will become enlightened.

~  Lama Tharchin Rinpoche
Ngondro Commentary
© 2000 by Bero Jeydren Publications