Shambhala Publications

Escape from Suffering

~ DudjomTersarNgondro
Repost from • Ngondro preliminary or foundational vajrayana practices Facebook Page

At present, if you have any physical illness or mental disturbance, or are in an undesirable situation, you panic and are totally upset and paranoid about everything, like someone overcome by nausea. So how will it be when you experience the sufferings of the three lower realms? Alas!

Now the only means of escape from these sufferings is to accomplish the ultimate goal of the supreme dharma; otherwise, there is no way out.

You can hardly bear light pain, such as the prick of a thorn or a mild burn from a spark. If something goes against your desires, if you lose money or find yourself in an unpleasant situation, you get upset. You suspect that everyone wants to harm you, and you become so obsessed with your problems that you even lose your appetite. If you can’t bear even such insignificant sufferings, what will happen when you encounter the inconceivable sufferings of hell?

If someone speaks unkind words to you — even if it’s no more than “You are a liar” — it pierces your mind like an arrow and you think, “How dare he say that to me! I’m not going to let him get away with that!” Even if you come down with a very benign illness, you feel so uneasy and rush to the doctor.

So the only way to put an end to samsara is to practice the dharma. The dharma is offered to you, ready to be used. Therefore, it is up to you whether or not you practice it; the teacher cannot practice it for you.

If you practice with full dedication, you can achieve liberation in the span of this present life; if not, you can prepare the ground for achieving it within a few lifetimes, or at least you will acquire some affinity for the dharma that will eventually lead you along the path.

~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche –
A Wonderful Ocean of Advice – Collected Works Vol3 –
Shambhala Publications

 

Vajrasattva Signs of Success

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

Until you have signs that you have purified your negative actions and obscurations, it is important to be completely concentrated on the visualization and to do the recitation without distraction.

As the Great Master said,

If you are distracted, with your mind elsewhere,
Even reciting for a kalpa will bring no result.
What are the signs of success in this practice? Meditational experiences or dreams in which you vomit or purge, are washing, are dressed in white, cross a wide river, fly through the sky, see the sun and moon rising, and so forth, are signs that you have purified negative actions.

Dreams or experiences in which dirt, pus, blood, and lymph come out of your body are some of the indications that you have purified illnesses. Those in which minute animals such as ants emerge show that you have expelled negative forces. In particular, you may have real, direct experiences of clear awareness, of physical lightness, and of spontaneous devotion and determination to be free.

In general, if you have genuine confidence in the law of cause and effect, there is no way that you will not feel regret for your negative actions, and when this is so, your parting from faults too will be authentic. From purifying your mindstream in this way, you will certainly have more and more good experiences, and your realization will increase.

Nowadays, however, we are not fundamentally interested in purifying our obscurations and do not make the effort. Even if we do, we follow the prayers and rituals merely as a duty, but without real, heartfelt confidence or shame and regret.

This is why the qualities of experience and realization are as rare as stars in the daytime. So never underestimate the importance of this method for purifying obscurations, and make every effort to practice it so that it is truly effective.

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

 

Who is Sam Bercholz

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

https://vimeo.com/vajrayana/sambercholz. Enjoy this 4 min video recorded in 2013

Samuel Bercholz, the founder of Shambhala Publications, is a senior student and teacher in the Nyingma traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. He is an accomplished student of both Trungpa and Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoches.

Sam has also authored and co-authored books published in English, Spanish and German.

Sam’s personal experiences on the path of more than four decades has given him insights into the practice of spirituality in America. When you hear his lectures, you will understand how you could have confidence in exploring the introductory teachings of Tibetan Buddhism with him.

Sam will give lectures on Understanding the Student-Teacher Relationship 
April 9th and 10th, the first weekend of the
Vajrayana Foundation 2022 Annual Ngondro Retreat.

Join Sam in-person at the Pema Osel Ling Retreat Center in the Santa Cruz Mountains or join Sam virtually live-streaming on YouTube. Make it your own personal experience.

Note In-person onsite attendance – Proof of Covid Vaccines.
Early registration is recommended as there is limited housing.
The livestream recording will be available to all who register in-person and livestream.

Registration and additional information