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The Emanated Scripture of Manjushri: Shabkar's Essential Meditation Instructions
Instructions for traversing the entire Vajrayana path to enlightenment from one of Tibet's most famous wandering yogis.Composed by Shabkar at the Cave of Miracles close to Mount Kailash around 1815, this compendium of spiritual instructions is written in the form of questions and answers, alternating verse and prose, between Shabkar and his disciples. It presents the essence of the entire graded path to enlightenment, using Tsongkhapa’s Great Graded Path (Lam rim chen mo) as its model. In twenty-three pieces of advice, he explains the need to renounce the world, how to develop genuine compassion, and methods for achieving an undistracted mind that can unite meditation on emptiness with compassion. His nonsectarian approach is evident in his teachings on the nature of mind according to the Mahamudra tradition of Milarepa, his practical explanations of Saraha’s songs of realization, and the attainment of buddhahood without meditation, which draws on the teachings of the Great Perfection, Dzogchen. Shabkar’s style is direct and fresh; his realization infuses his instructions with an authenticity that will continue to inspire Buddhist practitioners for years to come.
235 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 5, 2019
31 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Shabkar
12 books12 followersShabkar Tsogdruk Rangdröl (Tib. ཞབས་དཀར་ཚོགས་དྲུག་རང་གྲོལ་, Wylie. zhabs dkar tshogs drug rang grol) was a Tibetan Buddhist lama and Dzogchenpa considered to be an emanation of Milarepa due to his yogic lifestyle and prolific composition of spontaneous poetry and songs.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 20, 2024
My review of the book, and a few excerpts:
A very very interesting book. Very complete, very warm and sweet. Very pithy, poetic and profound.
The book is a Lamrim (Stages of the Path) text, based on Tsongkhapa's 'Great Treatise', but then—after the section on ultimate bodhicitta, or the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajnaparamita)—it keeps going, giving instructions on Mahamudra, Dzogchen (just slightly, I'd say), the bardos (briefly) and the advantages of solitary retreat.
The non-sectarian vibe of the text is very inspiring and feels very wholesome. The author was a Nyingmapa, but also a direct student of the Gelug lineage (or vice-versa). That Shabkar had visions of Atisha, Tsongkhapa and Padmasambhava feels quite refreshing, and he does quote from a huge variety of sources—mostly gelugpa, nyingmapa and kagyüpa. Some even consider him a reincarnation of Milarepa, forming thus a strong link to the Kagyü school.
It's also noteworthy that his non-sectarian spirit preceded the "official" Rime movement, the non-sectarian endeavour of 19th century Tibet, headed by great masters such as Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, Jamgon Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye and Patrul Rinpoche. The latter is said to have been a great admirer of Shabkar, but when finally attempted to meet him in person, Shabkar had already passed away.
The chapters in this book often open with very poetic and heartfelt praises by Shabkar's disciples—often very educational and profound in themselves—followed by Shabkar's reply (sometimes in verse, sometimes in prose, sometimes both).
Shabkar usually praises back his disciples with very warming words. The whole feeling of the text is very sweet, personal and intimate, even familiar and cute (like we're witnessing a profound interaction between a parent and a child). For example, the Mahamudra chapter starts with mutual praise:
"My disciple, the extremely devout, vastly intelligent doctor and scholar of medicines Lhaje Chogyal, gave me much food—fruits, rice, and so forth. He offered me a stainless silk scarf and requested instruction with the following:
Generally speaking, you are a spiritual friend to all,
But to me you are a constant source of refuge.
Root guru, Vajradhara, most regal—
Look upon your child with eyes of compassion.
Protector of the dharma treasury, you have spoken much of the profound and vast dharmas:
Of a provisional meaning, relating to cause and effect,
And of the ultimate, introductions pointing to the nature of mind and so on.
Having fallen under the influence of attachment and aversion,
I’ve engaged in the ten nonvirtuous deeds.
In your divine presence, guru most precious,
I worry as I have neither shame nor fear
of falling to the three lower realms—
Pray look upon this rotten-hearted vagabond with compassion!
In the earlier part of my life,
I was obsessed with food and clothing,
I ate all day, slept all night,
and delighted in the breaking of vows and samaya.
Now that I come to practice the divine Dharma,
I realize that the summer sun warms all as she sits proudly in the sky,
and the winter winds freeze all they caress,
I think myself a practitioner, but to miss a single meal
leads me to think I’m at death’s door!
Pray look upon this humble vagabond with compassion.
Pray grant me some beneficial instructions, to protect and change my attitude—
Something to immediately soften my rigid mind!
To this effect, grant your blessing."
___
In the context of ultimate bodhicitta, Shabkar says:
“Understand that in these decadent times life is short and the time of death uncertain. There are also many things you might like to know, which leave little time for practice. As such, the sole sufficient Dharma to swiftly deliver you to the omniscient state of complete and perfect buddhahood is the precious ultimate bodhichitta—the experience that is essentially emptiness and clarity conjoined.
Free of all grasping, it is a great and utter openness—the ground of both samsara and nirvana.
“With a strong sustained mindfulness, which is all-pervasive, relaxed, and serene, one that doesn’t hold on to or reject anything, remain within this great, vast expanse that is free from all extremes, the dharmakaya. You will in turn awaken from the darkness of afflictive emotions, grasping, and concepts. One day before too long, enlightenment will be yours.
“Once the natural state, the vast sky-like expanse of emptiness/clarity conjoined, is rendered evident, the subtle obscurations of center and periphery will be cleared.
“It is essential to mix appearances with mind. Appearances are neither outside of you, nor are they inside mind itself; emptiness isn’t obscured by appearances, and they in turn aren’t blocked by emptiness.
“Once a conviction of the great expanse, the union of appearance and emptiness, has dawned, remain within it.
“To do this will cut the eighty-four thousand destructive emotions at their root, the meaning of the eighty-four thousand dharma teachings will appear clearly in your mind, and everything within samsara and nirvana will appear as if a drama. To know this Dharma is to free all.
“As such, the guru who reveals it to you is kinder that any buddha; indeed, they should be viewed as the very embodiment of all buddhas. With the greatest of devotion, you should supplicate such a master from the very depths of your heart.
As it is said:
Within the emptiness of bliss, clarity and nonthought, the guru’s mind is like the sky.
And:
Profound wisdom is as vast as space.
Supplicate the guru in various ways—always clearly and from the very depths of your heart. As the quotes say, the guru’s mind, the dharmakaya, is as vast as the sky. It abides clearly, continually, pervading both samsara and nirvana. It is unbiased clarity and emptiness, free of all elaboration and notions of time and change. Mingle your mind with this wisdom—like space merging with space.
“Once they are mixed and you have given rise to a great concentration, a meditative absorption that is as vast as the sky, sustain it such that you continue to experience it continually day and night.
“Should you get distracted, loosen the meditation, begin to despair, supplicate your guru, mix your mind with his, and once again begin the single-pointed practice of meditation in a carefree and relaxed way.
“Similarly, if torpor, dullness, and drowsiness strike, raise your voice and supplicate the guru in melodious tones.
“Awareness is like the sky—dismiss any notion of direction—expand, elevate, and heighten it. Experience an expansive openness, and fill it with a relaxed, all-embracing mindfulness, and, no matter what may happen, you must sustain this awareness without the slightest distraction. This is what is referred to as the regal guard.
"I summarized in verse:
Within that emptiness of bliss, clarity, and nonthought, I supplicate the vast, sky-like mind of the guru that perfectly abides as the three liberations.
I supplicate the mind of all buddhas:
Realization equal to the extent of space,
All-pervasive and permeating both samsara and nirvana,
Vivid, and unobscured by any notion of time.
Limitless buddha fields abide in the purity of mind itself, the dharmadhatu.
Bless me such that my mind may merge with this exalted mind of the guru and all buddhas.
My guru’s discernment churned the ocean of milk that is the sutras, tantras, and shastras to produce the butter of quintessential instructions,
Which he kindly shared with me.
The door to the jewel treasury of mind itself—
Source of both common and uncommon accomplishments—
Was unlocked with the key of the guru’s instructions and fulfilled the aims of one and all.
The dramas of samsara and nirvana are played out in the pure realm that is the dharmadhatu of mind.
It is truly the greatest of spectacles, the likes of which have never before been seen in this world.
The source of everything in samsara and nirvana is the sky-like nature of mind,
A spacious expanse with neither direction nor partiality.
It cannot be won by exertion, but rather by relaxation.
Whatever arises, be it good or bad, doesn’t exist outside of yourself.
The natural forms of the emptiness of mind itself appear like reflections in a mirror.
Mind itself is the ground of all—
If anything appears within it, it doesn’t exist.
It is like the outer sky, vast and spacious, pervading and permeating both samsara and nirvana.
Suchness completely pervades all.
It is impossible to conceive of it as this or that,
Or to point to its center or border.
Let go and relax within this expanse and experience that which is unchanging and vivid, like the sky.
Do not attempt to carefully divide the great all-pervading dharmadhatu into sections.
It would be like trying to measure space;
The attempt will only cause you obscuration.
Essentially, everything that arises is the display of mind,
And mind itself is empty luminosity; rest therein.
If unpleasant things occur, don’t get stressed,
Simply remain open and completely at ease.
If you can sustain meditative equipoise within the spacious, unfragmented, undivided, and all-pervading nature of emptiness and clarity,
You’ll completely purify adventitious emotion and conception,
The meaning of Dharma words will arise from within,
You’ll see samsara and nirvana as if a show,
And you’ll fulfill the twofold benefit of self and other.
In dependence upon supreme, ultimate bodhichitta, the dharmakaya is rendered evident,
And without moving therefrom, may the rupakaya fulfill the wishes of all beings."
___
While praising the great outdoors as a particularly well-suited place for practice, Shabkar says:
"Having thought about birth, death, and the sufferings of samsara, seek out a qualified guru.
Serve at his feet and receive his instruction—both vast and profound.
Then, motivated by a wish to awaken, to become Buddha for the sake of all beings, seek out mountain solitude.
Leave for the tall mountains whose peaks are clad in white cloud,
A place of nature where clean drinking water cascades down rocky falls,
Becoming gentle streams that seem to chatter as they gurgle freely along,
And where foliage and trees, beautified with flowers and laden with fruit,
Move in great swaying motions, when roused by cool, scented breezes.
Waving their arms, they call, ‘Come and practice meditation here!’
It is said that when meditating, should you wish to sit very still, go to a still place.
Here the hermit lays out his cushion, covering the ground with leaves and twigs, and arranges offerings of fresh, scented flowers to fill the twigs, and arranges offerings of fresh, scented flowers to fill the environment.
Bees intoxicated with pollen and nectar bob and dive about, buzzing their little tunes,
Beautiful animals frolic and rest upon the soft green grass,
While birds dip and dive among the branches of the trees, singing their pleasant songs.
Such pleasing and isolated groves, rich and abundant, are like heaven on earth.
To take seven steps toward one is to accrue great merit,
To stay in one will bring happiness, well-being, and renown,
And to stay and practice there will bring buddhahood.
Fortunate disciples of my heart, let us live in accordance with the masters of the past,
Disentangle and detach ourselves from worldly concerns,
And retreat to pleasing places where awareness becomes clearer.
Let’s take just the bare necessities and leave everything else behind,
And spend our days and nights exerting ourselves in the practice of the vast and profound instructions we have received!”
___
As instructions to navigate the bardo states, Shabkar teaches thus:
"The essence of everything is primordially empty, and from within that emptiness, appearances arise like dreams,
And just as those dreams appear from mind, so too do all phenomena.
The fundamental nature of mind is primordially beyond grasping.
It is a union of emptiness and lucidity, vast like the sky.
This is the dharmadhatu, free of all peripheries.
Let go and relax within this expanse.
Clouds may well gather in the vast sky, But when the wind blows, they scatter.
Similarly, when torpor, dullness, and drowsiness gather, your awareness
Similarly, when torpor, dullness, and drowsiness gather, your awareness can be made clearer through the raising of your gaze.
May awareness be realized as a carefree, all-pervading expanse, a vast and lofty expanse, like the sky.
With torpor, dullness, and drowsiness purified in their own ground,
Meditation is brilliant and as unobscured as space.
As waves arise from the ocean,
So too thoughts from the mind.
When oceans still, their waves are pacified.
Within the stillness of equipoise upon the empty clarity of mind itself, thoughts similarly calm.
Meditative equipoise within the natural state,
Thoughts and concepts naturally released within their own space,
And holding the ground of the natural state,
These three, although spoken of separately, are to be practiced together, as one.
Meditating like this, you’ll master the finest equipoise;
And when you die, you’ll surely be liberated in the dharmakaya.
...
Dissolve yourself, your environment, and all beings within emptiness.
Within that emptiness, appearing instantaneously like reflections in a mirror, the elements appear one upon the other;
The inestimable mansion sits atop them all.
At its center, you appear as the yidam deity.
You must appear clearly, with the stable pride of being the deity.
Meditate on lights and offering goddesses radiating from the seed-syllable and the surrounding mantra garland at your heart.
They make offerings to the buddhas and bodhisattvas and return with their blessings in the form of lights.
These lights dissolve into you and purify your negativities and
These lights dissolve into you and purify your negativities and obscurations.
You become one with the deity and possess its power.
Light is radiated once again, it permeates the entire universe and its inhabitants, cleansing them of impurity, fault, and defect.
Have the strong belief that the entire environment arises as the mandala of the deity and all sentient beings as deities—
Every sound is mantra and conceptual thought is wisdom.
Recite the mantra of sound and emptiness conjoined.
To conclude, absorb everything within emptiness.
And, from within that emptiness, arise as the deity to make your prayers of auspiciousness and dedication.
If you are able to meditate accordingly and are not liberated within the dharmakaya at the time of death,
Your deity yoga will surely purify the mental body of the intermediate state and you’ll be liberated as the sambhogakaya.
...
Having entered the path of natural luminosity, the gurus, yidams, and dakinis will gradually guide you to the pure realms of the five buddha families such as Manifest Joy.
Please all the buddhas who dwell there by making offerings and prostrations.
Then raise a hand to your ear and listen to the beautiful melodious tunes;
Have no doubt, they will prophesy your enlightenment.
One day you will die; if, at that time, you think that you would like to travel to a pure realm, it is necessary to complement those thoughts with prayer.
To that end, if you purify your life yet do not liberate as a sambhogakaya in the bardo,
Keep the intention to be born in a nirmanakaya pure land in mind,
And it is certain that you’ll be miraculously born from a lotus in whichever realm you contemplate.
Listen to the teachings of the Buddha and practice them well,
For once you awaken yourself, it will then be up to you to serve as guide for those still sleeping in impure realms."
___
In the chapter on compassion we read:
"Bring to mind your mother of this life. Now picture her possessed by spirits and driven insane, blind and without a guide, wandering in dangerous places where with every step there is a great danger of stumbling and falling into terrible abysses. Imagine your kind mother is in such a predicament and give rise to an uncontrived, genuine compassion.
Reflect that all beings have had the experience of being a mother to you and how since time without beginning, they have been insane, possessed and driven insane by the evil spirit of the destructive emotions, their wisdom eye blinded by ignorance, bereft of the guidance of a spiritual friend, wandering along the uneven and dangerous road of samsara, ever close to the edge and a fall ever downward to the three great abysses of the lower realms."
And also:
[Continues in comments:]
A very very interesting book. Very complete, very warm and sweet. Very pithy, poetic and profound.
The book is a Lamrim (Stages of the Path) text, based on Tsongkhapa's 'Great Treatise', but then—after the section on ultimate bodhicitta, or the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajnaparamita)—it keeps going, giving instructions on Mahamudra, Dzogchen (just slightly, I'd say), the bardos (briefly) and the advantages of solitary retreat.
The non-sectarian vibe of the text is very inspiring and feels very wholesome. The author was a Nyingmapa, but also a direct student of the Gelug lineage (or vice-versa). That Shabkar had visions of Atisha, Tsongkhapa and Padmasambhava feels quite refreshing, and he does quote from a huge variety of sources—mostly gelugpa, nyingmapa and kagyüpa. Some even consider him a reincarnation of Milarepa, forming thus a strong link to the Kagyü school.
It's also noteworthy that his non-sectarian spirit preceded the "official" Rime movement, the non-sectarian endeavour of 19th century Tibet, headed by great masters such as Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, Jamgon Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye and Patrul Rinpoche. The latter is said to have been a great admirer of Shabkar, but when finally attempted to meet him in person, Shabkar had already passed away.
The chapters in this book often open with very poetic and heartfelt praises by Shabkar's disciples—often very educational and profound in themselves—followed by Shabkar's reply (sometimes in verse, sometimes in prose, sometimes both).
Shabkar usually praises back his disciples with very warming words. The whole feeling of the text is very sweet, personal and intimate, even familiar and cute (like we're witnessing a profound interaction between a parent and a child). For example, the Mahamudra chapter starts with mutual praise:
"My disciple, the extremely devout, vastly intelligent doctor and scholar of medicines Lhaje Chogyal, gave me much food—fruits, rice, and so forth. He offered me a stainless silk scarf and requested instruction with the following:
Generally speaking, you are a spiritual friend to all,
But to me you are a constant source of refuge.
Root guru, Vajradhara, most regal—
Look upon your child with eyes of compassion.
Protector of the dharma treasury, you have spoken much of the profound and vast dharmas:
Of a provisional meaning, relating to cause and effect,
And of the ultimate, introductions pointing to the nature of mind and so on.
Having fallen under the influence of attachment and aversion,
I’ve engaged in the ten nonvirtuous deeds.
In your divine presence, guru most precious,
I worry as I have neither shame nor fear
of falling to the three lower realms—
Pray look upon this rotten-hearted vagabond with compassion!
In the earlier part of my life,
I was obsessed with food and clothing,
I ate all day, slept all night,
and delighted in the breaking of vows and samaya.
Now that I come to practice the divine Dharma,
I realize that the summer sun warms all as she sits proudly in the sky,
and the winter winds freeze all they caress,
I think myself a practitioner, but to miss a single meal
leads me to think I’m at death’s door!
Pray look upon this humble vagabond with compassion.
Pray grant me some beneficial instructions, to protect and change my attitude—
Something to immediately soften my rigid mind!
To this effect, grant your blessing."
___
In the context of ultimate bodhicitta, Shabkar says:
“Understand that in these decadent times life is short and the time of death uncertain. There are also many things you might like to know, which leave little time for practice. As such, the sole sufficient Dharma to swiftly deliver you to the omniscient state of complete and perfect buddhahood is the precious ultimate bodhichitta—the experience that is essentially emptiness and clarity conjoined.
Free of all grasping, it is a great and utter openness—the ground of both samsara and nirvana.
“With a strong sustained mindfulness, which is all-pervasive, relaxed, and serene, one that doesn’t hold on to or reject anything, remain within this great, vast expanse that is free from all extremes, the dharmakaya. You will in turn awaken from the darkness of afflictive emotions, grasping, and concepts. One day before too long, enlightenment will be yours.
“Once the natural state, the vast sky-like expanse of emptiness/clarity conjoined, is rendered evident, the subtle obscurations of center and periphery will be cleared.
“It is essential to mix appearances with mind. Appearances are neither outside of you, nor are they inside mind itself; emptiness isn’t obscured by appearances, and they in turn aren’t blocked by emptiness.
“Once a conviction of the great expanse, the union of appearance and emptiness, has dawned, remain within it.
“To do this will cut the eighty-four thousand destructive emotions at their root, the meaning of the eighty-four thousand dharma teachings will appear clearly in your mind, and everything within samsara and nirvana will appear as if a drama. To know this Dharma is to free all.
“As such, the guru who reveals it to you is kinder that any buddha; indeed, they should be viewed as the very embodiment of all buddhas. With the greatest of devotion, you should supplicate such a master from the very depths of your heart.
As it is said:
Within the emptiness of bliss, clarity and nonthought, the guru’s mind is like the sky.
And:
Profound wisdom is as vast as space.
Supplicate the guru in various ways—always clearly and from the very depths of your heart. As the quotes say, the guru’s mind, the dharmakaya, is as vast as the sky. It abides clearly, continually, pervading both samsara and nirvana. It is unbiased clarity and emptiness, free of all elaboration and notions of time and change. Mingle your mind with this wisdom—like space merging with space.
“Once they are mixed and you have given rise to a great concentration, a meditative absorption that is as vast as the sky, sustain it such that you continue to experience it continually day and night.
“Should you get distracted, loosen the meditation, begin to despair, supplicate your guru, mix your mind with his, and once again begin the single-pointed practice of meditation in a carefree and relaxed way.
“Similarly, if torpor, dullness, and drowsiness strike, raise your voice and supplicate the guru in melodious tones.
“Awareness is like the sky—dismiss any notion of direction—expand, elevate, and heighten it. Experience an expansive openness, and fill it with a relaxed, all-embracing mindfulness, and, no matter what may happen, you must sustain this awareness without the slightest distraction. This is what is referred to as the regal guard.
"I summarized in verse:
Within that emptiness of bliss, clarity, and nonthought, I supplicate the vast, sky-like mind of the guru that perfectly abides as the three liberations.
I supplicate the mind of all buddhas:
Realization equal to the extent of space,
All-pervasive and permeating both samsara and nirvana,
Vivid, and unobscured by any notion of time.
Limitless buddha fields abide in the purity of mind itself, the dharmadhatu.
Bless me such that my mind may merge with this exalted mind of the guru and all buddhas.
My guru’s discernment churned the ocean of milk that is the sutras, tantras, and shastras to produce the butter of quintessential instructions,
Which he kindly shared with me.
The door to the jewel treasury of mind itself—
Source of both common and uncommon accomplishments—
Was unlocked with the key of the guru’s instructions and fulfilled the aims of one and all.
The dramas of samsara and nirvana are played out in the pure realm that is the dharmadhatu of mind.
It is truly the greatest of spectacles, the likes of which have never before been seen in this world.
The source of everything in samsara and nirvana is the sky-like nature of mind,
A spacious expanse with neither direction nor partiality.
It cannot be won by exertion, but rather by relaxation.
Whatever arises, be it good or bad, doesn’t exist outside of yourself.
The natural forms of the emptiness of mind itself appear like reflections in a mirror.
Mind itself is the ground of all—
If anything appears within it, it doesn’t exist.
It is like the outer sky, vast and spacious, pervading and permeating both samsara and nirvana.
Suchness completely pervades all.
It is impossible to conceive of it as this or that,
Or to point to its center or border.
Let go and relax within this expanse and experience that which is unchanging and vivid, like the sky.
Do not attempt to carefully divide the great all-pervading dharmadhatu into sections.
It would be like trying to measure space;
The attempt will only cause you obscuration.
Essentially, everything that arises is the display of mind,
And mind itself is empty luminosity; rest therein.
If unpleasant things occur, don’t get stressed,
Simply remain open and completely at ease.
If you can sustain meditative equipoise within the spacious, unfragmented, undivided, and all-pervading nature of emptiness and clarity,
You’ll completely purify adventitious emotion and conception,
The meaning of Dharma words will arise from within,
You’ll see samsara and nirvana as if a show,
And you’ll fulfill the twofold benefit of self and other.
In dependence upon supreme, ultimate bodhichitta, the dharmakaya is rendered evident,
And without moving therefrom, may the rupakaya fulfill the wishes of all beings."
___
While praising the great outdoors as a particularly well-suited place for practice, Shabkar says:
"Having thought about birth, death, and the sufferings of samsara, seek out a qualified guru.
Serve at his feet and receive his instruction—both vast and profound.
Then, motivated by a wish to awaken, to become Buddha for the sake of all beings, seek out mountain solitude.
Leave for the tall mountains whose peaks are clad in white cloud,
A place of nature where clean drinking water cascades down rocky falls,
Becoming gentle streams that seem to chatter as they gurgle freely along,
And where foliage and trees, beautified with flowers and laden with fruit,
Move in great swaying motions, when roused by cool, scented breezes.
Waving their arms, they call, ‘Come and practice meditation here!’
It is said that when meditating, should you wish to sit very still, go to a still place.
Here the hermit lays out his cushion, covering the ground with leaves and twigs, and arranges offerings of fresh, scented flowers to fill the twigs, and arranges offerings of fresh, scented flowers to fill the environment.
Bees intoxicated with pollen and nectar bob and dive about, buzzing their little tunes,
Beautiful animals frolic and rest upon the soft green grass,
While birds dip and dive among the branches of the trees, singing their pleasant songs.
Such pleasing and isolated groves, rich and abundant, are like heaven on earth.
To take seven steps toward one is to accrue great merit,
To stay in one will bring happiness, well-being, and renown,
And to stay and practice there will bring buddhahood.
Fortunate disciples of my heart, let us live in accordance with the masters of the past,
Disentangle and detach ourselves from worldly concerns,
And retreat to pleasing places where awareness becomes clearer.
Let’s take just the bare necessities and leave everything else behind,
And spend our days and nights exerting ourselves in the practice of the vast and profound instructions we have received!”
___
As instructions to navigate the bardo states, Shabkar teaches thus:
"The essence of everything is primordially empty, and from within that emptiness, appearances arise like dreams,
And just as those dreams appear from mind, so too do all phenomena.
The fundamental nature of mind is primordially beyond grasping.
It is a union of emptiness and lucidity, vast like the sky.
This is the dharmadhatu, free of all peripheries.
Let go and relax within this expanse.
Clouds may well gather in the vast sky, But when the wind blows, they scatter.
Similarly, when torpor, dullness, and drowsiness gather, your awareness
Similarly, when torpor, dullness, and drowsiness gather, your awareness can be made clearer through the raising of your gaze.
May awareness be realized as a carefree, all-pervading expanse, a vast and lofty expanse, like the sky.
With torpor, dullness, and drowsiness purified in their own ground,
Meditation is brilliant and as unobscured as space.
As waves arise from the ocean,
So too thoughts from the mind.
When oceans still, their waves are pacified.
Within the stillness of equipoise upon the empty clarity of mind itself, thoughts similarly calm.
Meditative equipoise within the natural state,
Thoughts and concepts naturally released within their own space,
And holding the ground of the natural state,
These three, although spoken of separately, are to be practiced together, as one.
Meditating like this, you’ll master the finest equipoise;
And when you die, you’ll surely be liberated in the dharmakaya.
...
Dissolve yourself, your environment, and all beings within emptiness.
Within that emptiness, appearing instantaneously like reflections in a mirror, the elements appear one upon the other;
The inestimable mansion sits atop them all.
At its center, you appear as the yidam deity.
You must appear clearly, with the stable pride of being the deity.
Meditate on lights and offering goddesses radiating from the seed-syllable and the surrounding mantra garland at your heart.
They make offerings to the buddhas and bodhisattvas and return with their blessings in the form of lights.
These lights dissolve into you and purify your negativities and
These lights dissolve into you and purify your negativities and obscurations.
You become one with the deity and possess its power.
Light is radiated once again, it permeates the entire universe and its inhabitants, cleansing them of impurity, fault, and defect.
Have the strong belief that the entire environment arises as the mandala of the deity and all sentient beings as deities—
Every sound is mantra and conceptual thought is wisdom.
Recite the mantra of sound and emptiness conjoined.
To conclude, absorb everything within emptiness.
And, from within that emptiness, arise as the deity to make your prayers of auspiciousness and dedication.
If you are able to meditate accordingly and are not liberated within the dharmakaya at the time of death,
Your deity yoga will surely purify the mental body of the intermediate state and you’ll be liberated as the sambhogakaya.
...
Having entered the path of natural luminosity, the gurus, yidams, and dakinis will gradually guide you to the pure realms of the five buddha families such as Manifest Joy.
Please all the buddhas who dwell there by making offerings and prostrations.
Then raise a hand to your ear and listen to the beautiful melodious tunes;
Have no doubt, they will prophesy your enlightenment.
One day you will die; if, at that time, you think that you would like to travel to a pure realm, it is necessary to complement those thoughts with prayer.
To that end, if you purify your life yet do not liberate as a sambhogakaya in the bardo,
Keep the intention to be born in a nirmanakaya pure land in mind,
And it is certain that you’ll be miraculously born from a lotus in whichever realm you contemplate.
Listen to the teachings of the Buddha and practice them well,
For once you awaken yourself, it will then be up to you to serve as guide for those still sleeping in impure realms."
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In the chapter on compassion we read:
"Bring to mind your mother of this life. Now picture her possessed by spirits and driven insane, blind and without a guide, wandering in dangerous places where with every step there is a great danger of stumbling and falling into terrible abysses. Imagine your kind mother is in such a predicament and give rise to an uncontrived, genuine compassion.
Reflect that all beings have had the experience of being a mother to you and how since time without beginning, they have been insane, possessed and driven insane by the evil spirit of the destructive emotions, their wisdom eye blinded by ignorance, bereft of the guidance of a spiritual friend, wandering along the uneven and dangerous road of samsara, ever close to the edge and a fall ever downward to the three great abysses of the lower realms."
And also:
[Continues in comments:]
January 13, 2024
A famous Nyingma adept/siddha's teachings to his disciples while in a cloistered meditation retreat in the mountains that also draws on Gelugpa lamrim teachings. Definitely not what I was expecting and yet shows how nonsectarian some of the most famous Tibetan teachers were. A most inspired and refreshing approach to such a rich and multifaceted tradition.
July 14, 2021
Something to read again and again I think. A great non sectarian master. The teachings in this work cover the whole spectrum of Tibetan Buddhist teachings and should be taken to heart.
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