0 ******************************************** Mind is mightier than the sword Authentic presence is all Loving actions inform lifes meaning Helping uplift each other. Lama Surya Das DRAFTOctober 2009 ******************************************** 1 ******************************************** WE ARE ALL BUDDHAS A DZOGCHEN NGONDRO Laying the foundationof theDiamond PathVajrayana practice fromKUNZANGS HEART PRACTICE by Lama Surya Das (Lama Kunzang Tenzin) ********************************************2 I.THE BASIS: PRESENCING

THE MEDITATORS PRELIMINARIES Which help prepare and stabilize the ground. Emaho! First, find a comfortable seat.Breathe, relax, center and smile. Befriend yourself.Relax and release all the physical and mental tension. Focus on your inhalation,Relax with your exhalation. Doff the straitjacket of habitual neurotic tendencies and preoccupations, And just let go, let come and go.There is nirvanic peace in things leftJust as they are. Let be, at home, on the spot. Awake and aware. As it is,KuntuZangpo! You are the one Youve been waiting for. 3 OM Now, pray to the Buddha and/or your Root Guru From the heart, in your own words, With whatever prayers and invocations you know, Or without words and concepts.Rest inseparable In meditative equipoise, balanced and at ease In the innate Buddhaness of ones original nature, KuntuZangpo! You are the one. Just sitting, just breathing, just being. Enjoy the Three Naturals: Natural body, natural breath & energy, natural heart-mind. Simply perceiving and experiencing, Allowing and releasing, Savor the natural state of just being. All good,KuntuZangpo! 4 AHAmerican Buddhas, awaken! Cast off your mental fabrications and conceptualimputations. Why try to tie knots in the sky? Take a break from self-improvementand other projects. Dont let your mind bother you. Lighten up and enlighten up; Keep your native sense of humor. Dance in emptiness, the last and best resort! Be a wisdom pioneer, a Dzogchenaut plumb inner space, And let your limitless enlightenment potential effortlessly unfold. Buddhas not pretending Ordinariness and naturalness is the Way. Recognize the perfect equality and rightness of all things, splendid KuntuZangpo! HUNG Now, with nothing more to do, Enjoy the View Nothing to adopt or abandon, 5 Nothing to achieve, figure out,Remember or accomplish Enjoy the natural state, As it is, KuntuZangpo. FIRST, allow yourself to arrive settling, relaxing & centering. OM, rest in the natural state or Whatever state youre in The great perfection of things leftjust as they are. Dont contrive, interfere or manipulate, no need to bother with mental activity. There are no waves without wind, so why stir yourself up? Nowhere to go, nothing to do, Nothing special to be or become. Nothing to do but enjoy the boundlesswholeness and completenessOf things left just as they are The luminous Great Perfection. How sweet it is, KuntuZangpo. Now, resting a little. 6 SECOND, increase awareness... concentrating & intensifying. AH, focusing and intensifying by practicing the Vajra Breathing. Complete nine-round alternate nostril breathing to expel the stale prana-energy,And then nine times the Om-Ah-Hung mantra, with the inhalation, Om; holding, Ah;exhalation and turning, Hung. Bring everything into the center,the central channel, the great Middle Way of radiant, pulsating emptiness;Thus resolving everything thru the inner incandescence of naked awareness. KuntuZangpo! You are it. Now, breathing freely. 7 THIRD, let go of all tension, concepts, habitual preoccupations & fixations, releasing completely.

HUNG, releasing totally.Letting go and letting be, Setting everything free In the natural statein harmony, at peace, at rest. See through yourself and see Buddha Be Buddha, KuntuZangpo. Soaring clear and spacious, Rely on being rather than doing,understanding or becoming. Open to the wisdom of allowing uninhibited natural flow, Spontaneous presence and innate Wakefulness Openness and incandescent awarenessinseparable as your own all-encompassing and embracing true nature, KuntuZangpo! Letting go, letting be. 8 Seeing through all illusory appearances and experiences, Recognize the insubstantiality Of all phenomena and noumena both.Just being, thru and thru, endlessly Appreciate the boundless and groundlesswholeness and completeness Of the immaculate perfection The nirvanic peace and bliss inherent in The transrealescent dance of things just as they are, KuntuZangpo! HO Without meditator oranything to meditate upon,Like a dancer one with the dance,Free from subject, object and karmic interaction, Free from adopting or abandoning, Savoring the natural state of the all-encompassing Great Perfection illuminated by naked awareness, KuntuZangpo! Simply, enjoying everything, just as it is. This completes the Meditators Preliminaries, the ground, the basis. 9 _____________________________________ II. THE PATH: REFLECTING THE COMMON PRELIMINARIES To abandon the harmful and unwholesome, To adopt the wholesome & helpful,To purify the mindstream: This is the Buddhas teaching. -- Sakyamuni Buddha A.BUDDHAS FACTS OF LIFE & THE FOUR MIND CHANGERS(Precious Joyous Life, Death and Impermanence, Infallible Karmic Causation, and the Defects and Sufferings of Samsara) Which, when contemplated upon, furtherworld-weariness, re-orientand motivateus, and give rise to inner conviction and freedom through nonattachment and renunciation. Breathe, relax, center and smile. See everything as like a dream. Things are not what they seem to be, Nor are they otherwise. 10 You cant believe everything you think; Why be fanatically opinionated? Intellect is a fine tool but a poor master,And we are too often under its thrall. Always maintain an open and friendly mind. Pay attention; it pays off. Awareness is the essence. Everything must be meditated. Everything we do matters. Transform selfish attitudes and intentions. Wisdom is as wisdom does. Life is like a mirage, an illusion, a techniconscious movie;Cherish it while its given. One moment of total awareness is one moment of perfect freedom and enlightenment. Neither too tight nor too loose, Naturally inhabit the holy now, KuntuZangpo! Life is precious, and not to be squandered or harmed. Killing time is like deadening ourselves, 11 So meditate as fast as you can. May we make life meaningful throughrelational mindfulness And the generous path of altruism. Remember that everyone wants and needs the same as you. Cherish well the opportune vehicleof this rare and precious human life, This lifeboat, this great vehicle. Dont just seek a safe and secure little harbor; Far better to build an ocean-going vessel, an ark even. Become an awakener and an edifier, and deliver the world from confusion and delusion. We each have the potential to make a significant difference; May we all continuously make meaningful connections For the boundless benefit of one and all. Observe how everything passes, all fades away;Through continuous investigation, achieve unshakable certainty that nothing remains long. 12 Were all going to die, But whos going to truly live? Wake up! Its now or never, as always, KuntuZangpo. Uphold this sovereign View. In the ultimate sense, nothing matters; In the relative sense, where we live, everything matters. All things are interconnected, contingent, and interdependent; Everything occurs and functions through cause and effect, the inexorable law of karma. When we see others as ourselves and ourselves in others,Whom can we harm, whom can we exploit? Unless we tame our unruly mind and habits, how can we benefit others? The tongue weighs almost nothing, but who can hold it? What goes around comes aroundin the vicious cycle of samsara, So adhere to the high ground, KuntuZangpo. 13 Maintain elevated View and cultivate mindfulness and wisdom while acting meticulously regarding ethical self-discipline. Trim and temper your neuroses with the sharp sword of discriminating wisdom At least until you realize it all as the immaculate Neurotikaya, For shadows are nothing but light And all that occurs is a lawful unfolding. Work on yourself, awaken again and again. Learn the lessons of experience And become a wise elder and mentor; Forgive and remember. Its not what happens to us but what we make of it that makes all the difference. We cant control the wind, but we can learn to sail and navigate better Across the oceans of confusion and suffering. Achieve mastery rather than remaining a victim. The sunlight of natural awareness clarifies everything. Turn the searchlight, the spotlight, inwards. 14 See thru the seer, know the knower and be free. Dont be like a dog, running after every thrown stick and bone; Be like a lion, and jump right onto the thrower. Gaze nakedly upon your minds nature, Know the one at the root of all. When you are clear, everything is clear. We are all Buddhas; we only have to recognize that fact. Its so close we overlook it.Seems too good to be true, So we can hardly believe it. Natural mind is Buddha Mind. Let the Buddha breathe through you. Pray: Not my life but Bodhisattva activity, Lord Buddha. Life is fragile, tenuous and challenging;handle with prayer. Recognize the true nature of reality. See the Buddha Light in everyone and everything. Unconditional love is far beyond the dichotomies of like and dislike. Truth without love kills; 15 Love without truth is blind. Wisdom without compassion is sterile. Loving and caring, with affectionate appreciation, all the way to enlightenment-- embracing all, empathizing with all, joyful KuntuZangpo! Simplify your life, purify your intention, And refine the spirited heart and mind which animate you. You are far more Buddha-full than you think. Love yourself, accept yourself, and the world will embrace you. When you abide in the true heartland,theres no need to look anywhere else. The heart is an organ of perception.See things as they are, not as they aint. Reality is not all its cracked up to be. Open yourself.Breathe light in and out,Lightbearer KuntuZangpo. Desire for comfort and securityis like a greedy ghost lodged at your hearth. Restlessness, anger and jealousy are obstacles; Strive to loosen and reconditionyour strongest attachments and fixations. 16 Find serenity and contentment wherever you are.Contentment is the greatest form of wealth. Dont seek others light; Cultivate and illumine your own natural resourcesfor a change. What we seek, we are. Come home to your own innate Buddhaness. Worldliness is next to unhappiness. Our wants are so much greater than our needs. When is enough, enough? Theres enough for our need, but not our greed. Be in the world, but not of it. Learn to let go, or get dragged. Why invest in fools gold When the jeweled rainbow treasureis shining within, KuntuZangpo?! B. The EIGHT WORLDLY WINDS Which are habitual pitfalls, temptations and addictions which blow us around and drag us off course. May we be free from desiring pleasure and happiness And not wanting pain and unhappiness; From wanting to gain and succeed 17 And not wanting to lose or fail; From wanting to be praised,And not wanting to be criticized; From wanting fame, And fearing obscurity and anonymity. May we always see through and be free from The momentary feelings of attraction and aversion, liking and disliking,Based on the dualistic illusionof the wanted and the unwanted, of hope and fear; separateness; And thru equanimity and detachment, May we recognize it all as merely subjective,dream-like display of KuntuZangpo. Thus, reflect upon the ephemeral, subjective nature of ones temporal reality, mental projections, preferences and iInterpretations.And without being hooked by illusory appearances, enjoy the single savor of One Taste. This complete the Path reflecting the Common Preliminaries. 18 III. THE FRUITION: PRACTICING THE EXTRAORDINARY PRELIMINARIES in eight parts

Which develops transcendental wisdom. Swoop down from above with the vast View While climbing up from below through relative practices according to ones capacity and aspirations. Although my ultimate View is higher than the sky, my relative actions regarding karmic cause and effect are as finely ground as barley flour. Padma Sambhava, The LotusBorn Guru (8th Century, Tibet) A. FINDING REFUGE Ho! There are no real Buddhas, No Dharma & Sangha, No beings; No karma, nowhere to go and nothing to attain, transform, or purify. Simply resting at ease, relying onthe unfabricated natural state; 19 Through self-recognition I find refugein the empty, open, radiantly unobstructed innate Great Perfection And realize the true nature of thingsjust as they are. Traditionally, as Buddhists we bow and prostrate again and again while chanting the three-fold traditional refuge formula:I go for refuge in the Enlightened Buddha, the Sublime Dharma and the Noble Sanghathus finding refuge in and relying solely upon the Three Jewels, the Triple Gem, the triratna. These represent Teacher, Teaching & Practice, and the Community of Kindred Spirits of the Way. On the inner level we take refuge in Buddha-- the personification of the inner reliance of wisdom, enlightenment, reality-- thru finding refuge in truth itself. We take refuge in the Dharma, that which holds and supports us, the practice path of enlightened wisdom and genuine practice, thru finding refuge in realizing truth. And we take refuge in the Sangha through living and embodying the truth, the enlightened life, including genuine connection, selfless service, and engaging in beloved community. The meditators trikaya innermost refuge is resting evenly and lucidly in the inseparability of the empty open essence of awareness, its radiantly clear nature, and its inherent freedom and naturally compassionate responsiveness manifesting as unobstructed activities. 20 Dzogchen refuge can be found in realitys primordial purity, perfection and completeness inseparable from spontaneous presence/nowness amidst the dance of energy in all its various manifestions. Ultimate, absolute refuge is realized in aimless, goalless, signless, incandescent being itself, groundless and boundless, transcendent yet immanent.At this level, the ultimate refuge vow is the Four Dzogchen Samayas, the Four Rivets of the View committing us to: not a thing, yet the only thing, unique; all pervasive and perfectly accomplished; without separation, interpenetrating; spontaneously present. Rest in this ultimate sanctuary and refuge as your true home, KuntuZangpo. B.BODHICITTA:The Awakened Spirit of Noble Heart Which is the essence of the spiritually refining Mahayana lojong teachings of mind-training, mental development and attitude transformation. Hey! We are all primordially Buddhasby nature,Yet some are asleep & some awakened. 21 We all realize one taste in the immaculate Primordial perfection. All beings have difficulties And want and need the same as we do. As long as there are illusory beings, suffering at the hands of their illusory karma and klesha, I shall practice the Ten Panacean Virtues And awaken dream-like beingsFrom the dream-like sleep of ignorance Until realizing dream-like enlightenment And enjoying dream-like nirvana. The fearless Bodhisattva warriors enlightened magic is Being there while getting there, Every single step of the way. Postponing nothing, fearless and indomitable,May I always generate the indispensable altruistic spirit of Bodhicitta. And, like the MahaBodhisattvas Manjusri and Avalokita, Tara and KuanYin, Remain a bright beacon in this benighted world Until we all together complete thesupreme journey of enlightenment. 22 We need each other in order to develop authentic compassion and become fully enlightened. Were all in the same boat, and sink or swim together. Those who dont pull together pull apart. The Dharma is that which heals what ails us and renews our inner wholeness and well being. It is not just a refuge from the sufferings of samsara/this world, but also a means of creating an inclusive new world and renewed life of joyous freedom and delight. Our entire spiritual life and Mahayana practice is based on the Bodhisattva Vow and the selfless, compassionate intention and unwavering commitment to achieve universal enlightenment. Transforming oneself transforms the world; awakening oneself awakens the world.Stay awake, KuntuZangpo!Continuously illumine this benighted world. C.FOUR BOUNDLESS HEARTITUDES (FOUR BRAHMA-VIHARAS, STATES OF GRACE) Which vastly further unconditional love and compassion, acceptance and kindness, tolerance and forgiveness. May all beings be happy, healthy,content and at ease.May all be free from fear, pain and sorrow. 23 May their good fortune, virtue, understanding and well-being ever increase. All beings are responsible for their own karma.Their happiness and suffering, success and failure depends on their actions and not on me; Nonetheless, I must do everything in my power to benefit them, without hope or fear,expectation or anxiety. From the heart I wish all well the essence of Loving-kindness. I feel their pain and am moved to help alleviate their suffering and confusion the essence of unconditional Compassion. I rejoice in their virtues and accomplishments the essence of Sympathetic Joy. I appreciate and treat them impartially the essence of objective Equanimity. Recognizing our utter interbeing and interdependence, and feeling grateful for the infinite benefactors of all kinds who have helped and protected and nurtured me throughout this and infinite other lifetimes; I hereby resolve and affirm to practice the timeless truth that love is found through loving, and vow to strive all-ways to impartially embrace others in the inclusive circle of heartfelt compassion and care. 24 May I be-come the Bodhisattva of all those who are struggling and in need, especially the underdog, the oppressed and marginalized, those who are lost, ill or infirm, children, animals and travelers from afar. May I be able to take their burdens and sufferings upon me, and share with them all my strength, joy, health and resources. Chant and affirm: I am with Buddha and in Buddha completely; One has no existence apart from that. Who cares if anyone loves and embraces me, Or even if everyone does? Buddha loves and accepts me. I am love and live to love, KuntuZangpo. In gratitude, reverence and appreciation I offer loving service continuously and simultaneously receive it, Circulating through my larger system Like an ever-replenishing fountainof light Ever renewing itself, time without end. 25 D.PURIFICATION ABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE AH! Abiding in incandescent presence, innate wakefulness, nowness-awareness Pure vision unobscured by conceptual scaffoldingor elaborations; With nothing to purify and no one to purify it;in radiant open emptiness; Neither coming nor going, The intrinsic nature of mind is Primordially immaculate, stainless,free from the beginningless beginning. How can cleansing and polishingeither improve or liberate it, our radiant primordial nature, KuntuZangpo? Meanwhile, acknowledging and repenting our misdeeds and confusion, Adhering to universal values and virtues, Straightening ourselves out and resolving not to stray again, Helps us clean up our actand the entire environment,the body of KuntuZangpo. 26 Now chant the Diamond Purification Mantra: OMBENZARSATOHUNG Knowing reality or sunyata is the ultimate purification, as it brings panacean prajna-wisdom. Rigpa practice itself is the ultimate purifier. Awareness is curative, awareness is all. Take care, be aware, KuntuZangpo! On the relative level we purify our hearts and mindstreams, body and soul, karma and energy, through reconditioning and deconditioning our unskillful negative habits and attitudes in favor of more intentionally conscious and even impeccable ways of doing and being. Vajrasattva embodies in one essential form all the yidam deities of the infinite peaceful and wrathful mandalas. Chanting his six syllable and/or hundred syllable purification mantra helps purify all breaches of vows and maintain all tantric vows and samaya. E.OUTER, INNER & SECRET MANDALA OFFERING Which furthers generosity and loosens grasping, helping accumulate good karma and other necessary provisions for the selfless undertakings of the heroic Bodhisattva career. 27 The outer or Nirmanakaya mandala of the entire triple-void universe time, space, & infinity, in form and formless appearances, experiences, and states of consciousness - I offer up To all that is venerable, good and holy; The inner or Sambhogakaya mandala is my impermanent, illusory body offered up free from grasping, attachment or aversion and identification or reification; The secret or Dharmakaya mandala is the primordially pure & perfect radiant innate nature of being, beyond notions of liberation & bondage, samsara and nirvana, existence and non-existence, doing and being. This trikaya mandala is spontaneously offered up To all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas before and above me, and Returned as blessings and simultaneously realized as blissful light Suffusing and illumining all beings everywhere Through inexhaustible circulation As the three-fold blissful Vajrakaya, The very body, speech energy, and mind of KuntuZangpo! 28 Chant the Mantra (with universal-offering mudra):OMBENZARMANDALAHUM Here one can also offering bows and prostrations, acknowledging and repenting ones faults and defects, requesting the enlightened masters not to rest in blissful nirvana but to continue to teach and return to this ephemeral world, invoking transformative blessings, accomplishments and empowerments--thus praying to realize in this very lifetime the five-kaya rainbow light body of complete enlightenment and all other spiritual siddhis (powers and accomplishments). (If desired, use the eight branch offering prayer or any other auspicious and meritorious offering prayers and supplications you know and have at hand.) The Great Yogi Milarepa sang: My body is the holy mandala itself, Wherein resides the Buddhas of all times. With their blessings I am freed From all needs and attachments. By day and night I offer them up; 29 Happy am I to do without material things. Knowing that all beings in the six realms of samsara Are inherently Buddhas, and all the three worlds The self-creating measureless (trikaya) palace, Whatever I do is the play of the Dharmadhatu (ultimate reality); Whoever Im with is the yidam deity; Wherever I stay is the Buddhas abode. Happy am I to forego outer supports, rituals and symbols! F. UNION WITH THE BUDDHA THRU GURU YOGA PRACTICE In which emotion is transformed into devotion, experiencing our true identity, our ultimate object of refuge and reliance. EMAHOPerfect embodimentOf the invisible array of the awakened ones which accompanies us all-ways; You are never far off though we may sometimes feel far from you,Our alpha and omega, KuntuZangpo! 30 Our Buddha-emanated Root Guru is closer than our body, our breath, our pulse, In the heart of our hearts: O Precious lordly master, Praying fervently from the depths of my heart, Without fabrication or doubt and hesitation, Like your only child I beseech thee: Hold me! Help me! Heal me! Hear me! Heed our cries! Please remain like an adornment upon my head,before my eyes,And a warm, shining sun in my heart. You are my all in all! Bless me that the path is free from obstacles. Bless me to be able to practice diligently, continuously and fruitfully. Bless me that I may feel genuine renunciation, devotion and world-weariness. Bless me that in the moment of devotion Awareness nakedly dawns. Bless me that I may realize the siddhis of your awakened three vajras (vajra-body, speech-energy, and mind). 31 Transmit your wisdom, dynamic energy, love and compassion to me That I may become just like you! Merge with me, melt into me, indissolubly one with meFar beyond all notions of oneness and none-ness That we may recognize and realize The splendid, most becoming you, Precious Lotus Guru, Diamond Master, Buddha Guru, KuntuZangpo! O Buddha-Lama, Your empty, transparent body is so vital and vivid; Your resonant vajra speech so clear; Your luminous mind vast and immutable: Directly perceiving the rainbow-like radianceof your true original face In the union of emptiness and awarenessreflecting my higher self Buddhaness; My heart-mind and your Buddha-mind remain ever-inseparable, Kuntuzangpo! Here one can alsoadd in the famous Seven Line Prayer to PadmaSambhava, who is inseparable from ones own heart-guru; or just simply chant again and again his twelve-syllable Vajra Guru mantra until tears and blessings descend like 32 gentle rain, washing away all obscurations and delivering one to his delightful Buddhafield of the ultimate here and nowness. Chant the Mantra:OM AH HUNG VAJRA GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUNG! After resting in nyamshak (experience left as it is), then spontaneously arising from nonmeditation thru the utter inseparability of being and doing in the great non-action of proactive Buddha-activity. Again and again, until tears well up and blessings pour down like spring rain, chant the Mantra: KUNTUZANGPO, LONGCHENPA, KHENPO,ME For completion, in reverence and delight, sing OM AH HUNG HA HO HRI And other spontaneous songs or prayers. 33 G. GRATITUDE & REVERENCE The root guru embodies and actualizes in our own world all the Buddhas of the three times and ten directions. By adhering closely to both the traditional and the heart-essence pith-instruction teachings and training accordingly, in this very life we can realize the rainbow light body of perfect enlightenment--as so many have done in our eminent Nyingma lineage; a magnificient tradition descended directly from Khenpo Bodhisattva Shantarakshita, Dharma-king Trisong Detsen, Lotus Master Padma Sambhava, Dakini-queen Yeshe Tsogyal and impeccable Vimalamitra, through omniscient Longchenpa, fearless Jigme Lingpa, our beloved Nyoshul Khenpo and our otherheart-gurus and lamas, to us today. How fortunate we are! LONG-LIFE PRAYER FOR THE GURU Not only did you place the wish-fulfilling jewel of enlightenment in the palm of my hand, You held my hand until I learned to uphold it. Gracious lord and master ever-present, my life is in your hands Let me directly be-hold you! In-brace us! May you live long! Throughout all my lifetimes May I remain inseparable with the authentic guru, 34 Be guided to unerringly progress through all the levels and stages of maturation, Perfect all enlightened qualities and transcendental virtues, And swiftly attain the citadel of the primordial Buddha. May the Buddhas blessings ever-illumine my mind; May the enlightened Ones blessings ever-unfold in my heart. May the inconceivable blessing of enlightenment itself Dispel the momentary illusion That weve ever been incomplete, separate or apart. Homage to the Root Guru, Who placed Buddhahood in the palm of my hand; May your heart-mind and mine remain inseparable For the boundless benefit of one and all! H.PHOWA PASSING ON PRAYER When the sunset of this life arrives and its twilight shadows fade away, 35 While dreams of the next begin to appear more vividly; May the inner-light essence of the Buddhaand all the radiant awakened ones Continuously guide us onwards and upwardson the path of spiritual enlightenment, Through better and better rebirths Until all are likewise illumined. May we unerringly realize the great path of the rainbow light body,Transferring our current consciousness Into timeless time, this ever-present moment, The ever-fresh wakefulness and immediacy of the supreme state of rigpa, Buddha Mind, KuntuZangpo. This completes the Fruition, practicing the Extraordinary Preliminaries.36 ______________________________________ IV. SIX BUILDING BLOCKS OF AWELL-ROUNDED SPIRITUAL LIFE Which help integrate Dharma into daily life and provide a brief six-step spiritual development programan essentialized, nonsectarian westernized ngondro-- on its own. If we wish to progress and become enlightened, we need to develop and maintain an ongoing spiritual life. Continuity is the secret of success.Heres how: (Three alone-ish) 1. Daily-ish explicit spiritual practice sessions 2. Spiritual study, inquiry and self-observation 3. Inner growth work (Three together-ish, involving others) 4. Group practice 5. Teacher practice 6. Selfless service and compassion in action 37

Practicing with the View in mind enhances all ordinary practices.Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche This completes Section IV, an addendum to help enhance the practices desirable yet optional. You are the Fruition, the result. What we seek, we are. Remain undeceived.Emaho, KuntuZangpo! 38 V.ENHANCEMENT: CONCLUDING PRAYERS,ASPIRATIONS & DEDICATIONS Which help further integrate the practices into a mindful, prayerful, and soulful daily life. THE FOUR DHARMAS OF LONGCHENPA Bless and empower us that our hearts and minds turn toward the sublime Dharma. Bless and empower us that our Dharma practice follows the authentic path of liberation. Bless and empower us that the path truly dispels suffering & confusion. Bless and empower us that confusion itself dawns as the light of primordial awareness. 39 HIS HOLINESS GYALWANG DRUKPAS PRAYER I call on you my teachers- regard me with compassion. I sincerely wish to receive your blessings. Please regard your childs longing desire. Please bless me with the resolve to attain realization. Please bless me to have a steady and smooth mind, So that for this life and those to follow, As a true practitioner whose heart and mind are in accord,The special intention to help others is spontaneously present. May I be able to benefit measureless beings. Without the toxic stains of a competitive mind, Without the intoxicating liquor of anger & lust, May I be able to practice the peaceful and soothing Dharma Through listening and thinking and examining, Especially about those teachings I practice, May I be able to precisely determine their meaning; 40 Raising the victorious banner of ultimate practice, May I be able to accomplish great service to the Dharma. This is the way I pray all the time, And I request all of you to support my prayers. PRAYER FOR TEN ACCOMPLISHMENTS May we realize true sincerity and integrity,Inner purity of mind, Dispassionate equanimity towards all we see, Right understanding of this dreamlike worldand the next, Loving compassion towards others and the genuine intention to be helpful in alleviatingsuffering and confusion. May we directly perceive the truths of impermanence, mortality and interconnectedness, Relinquish wandering thoughts and rampant desires, Accomplish freedom of mind and clarity of spirit, 41 Remember with gratitude those who have gone before and shown the way, And vow to reach together full and complete enlightenment. This prayer was written by the wandering hermit Surya Das at Pao Lin Monastery atop the Buddha Mountain on Lantau Island, Hong Kong, after reading an ancient collection of Chinese prayers to Amitabha Buddha, September 1975. ACCOMPLISHMENT AND COMPLETION PRAYER Lordly Root Guru, from the profound vastness Of the infinite mandala of Dharmadhatu, Enter into our lives, accompany us all ways, Truly reveal yourself to us; Please grant us your continuous blessing and inspiration. Help us, hold us, heal us-- Support us within your compassionate embrace. Through the inexhaustible skillful means Of your boundless Buddha-activity, Empower, encourage and protect us 42 So that by whatever virtue and good karma we may have accumulated here Via our sterling aspirations and sincere efforts, May all illness, conflicts, dangers, outer obstacles, And inner hindrances and obscurations be alleviated and completely dispelled, That we may realize true oneness with your perfect Vajra-body, Oneness with your resonant Vajra-speech, And oneness with your immaculate Vajra-mind, Union with your splendid enlightened qualitiesAnd inseparability with your Buddha-activities. May all beings achieve pure vision, peaceful harmony and great ease, And travel unerringly on the radiant path of awakeningWhich leads to transcendental wisdom, ultimate reality, Liberation and enlightenment:Om Ah Hung! This prayer was written by Lama Surya Dasat the repeated request of his retreat students atDzogchen Osel Ling Retreat Center outsideAustin, Texas in December of 2006. May it be auspicious. 43 NEW MILLENNIUM PRAYER May all beings everywhere, with whom we are inseparably interconnectedAnd who want and need the same as we do-- May all be liberated, healed, harmonious, fulfilled and free. May there be peace in this world and throughout all possible universes, An end to war and violence, poverty and disease, injustice and oppression, And may we all together complete the spiritual journey. SARVA MANGALAMMay all be well and happy! LamaSurya Das, January 1, 2000 44 COLOPHON: To fulfill the repeated request of sincerely devoted students of the Dzogchen Center, while remembering always the kindness, support, inspiration and encouragement of the venerable master Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche from Khatok Monastery in Tibet and his glorious Longchenpa lineage; following in the large footsteps of his lineage teachers, this happily extroverted hermit Kunzang Tenzin has dared to set down these English words of foundational ngondro practice along the Pedernales River in the Valley of the Dharma Kings at Dzogchen Osel Ling outside Austin, Texas, in February of 2007. May they be useful, effective and auspicious!May beings be benefited and the sublime BuddhaDharma flourish on these shores! May the lineage teachers live long and strong, & the flag of authentic study and practice always fly high and point out the direction of free spirit! Lha Gya-lo!Homage to the invisible array Which always accompanies, blesses, guides and protects practitioners and upholders of the Buddha Way.