Teachings and Prayers for your home practice:

The Lamas at Kathok Gonpa prepare students to receive Dzogpa Chenpo teachings in the Longchen Nyingthig tradition.

Also read about the Nectar Pills of Great Liberation

An excerpt from An Essential Instruction on Refuge and Bodhichitta by Patrul Rinpoche: Generating Bodhichitta

Generally there are said to be two levels to bodhichitta, the relative and the ultimate. Relative bodhichitta is the mind that is intent upon attaining perfect enlightenment for the sake of others, and ultimate bodhichitta is the wisdom that directly realizes emptiness.

Relative bodhichitta itself can be further divided into aspirational bodhichitta, which is like the wish to go somewhere, and the bodhichitta of application, which is like actually making the journey. In both cases, bodhichitta is generated through formal practice, and so it is known as ‘coarse bodhichitta arising from signs.’

Ultimate bodhichitta only arises through the power of meditating on the path, and is therefore known as ‘subtle bodhichitta, which is gained through reality itself.’

Relative bodhichitta has two points or aspects: compassion, which is focused on sentient beings, and wisdom, which is directed towards perfect enlightenment. If either of these two aspects is lacking, then it will not be the bodhichitta of the Mahayana, so it is important that they are both complete.

Here in the present context, the generation of aspirational bodhichitta alone has two aspects: focusing on merit which is the cause and aspiring towards perfect enlightenment which is the result.

The first of these is covered in the phrase “practising generosity and so on.” When all sources of virtue are categorized, they may be included within what are called ‘the three bases for creating merit’. These are the creation of merit through generosity, the creation of merit through discipline and the creation of merit through meditation. When we relate these to the six paramitas, the first two relate to the paramitas of the same name, and the creation of merit through meditation relates to patience, concentration and wisdom. Diligence assists them all.

These six paramitas are also based on specific states of mind:

1. Generosity is an attitude of giving.
2. Discipline is an attitude of renunciation.
3. Patience is an attitude of imperturbability.
4. Diligence is an attitude of enthusiasm.
5. Concentration is non-distraction.
6. Wisdom is the precise discernment of phenomena.

The second aspect of aspiring towards the result of perfect enlightenment is covered in the phrase, “May I attain buddhahood for the benefit of all beings.” This is the actual bodhichitta endowed with the two points or aspects. “For the benefit of all beings” is the thought of who we are practising for, and is focusing on sentient beings with compassion. “May I attain buddhahood” is longing for what we are practising towards, and is wisdom directed towards complete enlightenment. It is therefore the aspirational bodhichitta, which is to think, “Through all these sources of virtue of mine, may I attain buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings who are as infinite as space!”

The Precepts of Aspirational Bodhichitta

In addition, there are the five precepts of aspirational bodhichitta, which are as follows:

1. Never giving up on sentient beings.
2. Continually reflecting on the benefits of bodhichitta.
3. Exerting yourself in the methods for accumulating merit and wisdom.
4. Applying yourself to the training in bodhichitta.
5. Adopting and abandoning the eight wholesome and unwholesome dharmas.

Giving up on just a single sentient being causes you to lose your bodhichitta of aspiration completely, so develop a wish to benefit all beings.

Reflecting on its benefits causes you to develop enthusiasm and apply yourself to arousing bodhichitta, so reflect continually on the benefits to be gained from the generation of bodhichitta.

Gathering the accumulations increases the strength of your bodhichitta, so accumulate merit and wisdom in various ways, such as the seven branch practice.

The training in bodhichitta has three elements:

1. training in the cause by meditating on the four immeasurables,
2. the actual training, which is to practise taking the vow of bodhichitta three times during the day and three times at night,
3. and the training in the precepts, the meditations on equalizing and exchanging yourself and others, and consider others as more important than yourself.

The four immeasurables are as follows:

1. Love, which is the wish that all beings who are unhappy may find happiness.
2. Compassion, which is the wish that all who are suffering may be freed from suffering.
3. Sympathetic joy, which is the wish that those who are happy and free from suffering may never be separated from their happiness.
4. Equanimity, which is the wish that those who feel attachment and aversion towards anyone, close or distant, may pacify their attachment and aversion.

The actual training in bodhichitta is to take the vow of bodhichitta by means of any formal practice—whether elaborate, medium or short—at the six times of the day and night, i.e., at dawn, mid-morning, midday, afternoon, dusk and midnight.

• 'Equalizing self and others’ means recognizing the equality of yourself and others in wishing to find happiness and wishing to avoid suffering.
• ‘Exchanging self and others’ means giving your own happiness to other sentient beings, and taking their suffering upon yourself.
• ‘Considering others as more important than yourself’ means setting aside your own benefit and accomplishing the benefit of others.

The eight wholesome and unwholesome dharmas consist of four wholesome dharmas to be adopted and four unwholesome dharmas to be abandoned.

The four unwholesome dharmas are as follows:

1. Deceiving anyone worthy of veneration.
2. Feeling misplaced regret.
3. Abusing a holy person.
4. Cheating others.

The four wholesome dharmas are as follows:

1. Being careful never to lie, even at the cost of your life.
2. Setting everyone on the path to enlightenment.
3. Showing similar respect to bodhisattvas as you would to the Buddha.
4. Being honest to all beings.

If you apply yourself to these practices, then you will never forget the mind of bodhichitta in all your future lives, and all the qualities of the bhumis and paths will develop and increase like the waxing moon.

Virtue!

| Translated by Adam Pearcey, 2004