Root Text from ‘The Great Path of Awakening’ by Jamgon Kongtrul
translated by Ken McLeod
The Preliminaries, Which Teach the Support for Dharma
First, train in the preliminaries.
The Actual Practice
Training in Bodhicitta
Ultimate Bodhicitta
- Regard all phenomena as dreams
- Examine the nature of unborn awareness
- Even the remedy is freed to subside naturally
- Rest in the nature of all, the basis of everything
- In post-meditation practice, be a child of illusion
Relative Bodhicitta
- Train in taking and sending alternately
- Put them on the breath
- Three objects, three poisons, three seeds of virtue
- Use sayings to train in all forms of activity
- Begin the sequence of exchange with yourself
The Transformation of Adverse Conditions into the Path of Awakening
Relative Bodhicitta
- Drive all blame into one
- Be grateful to everyone
Ultimate Bodhicitta
- To see confusion as the four kayas, the protection of emptiness is unsurpassable
Special Practices
- The four applications are the best method
- In order to take unexpected conditions as the path,
immediately join whatever you meet with meditation
The Utilization of the Practice in One’s Whole Life
What to Do During One’s Life
A summary of the essential instructions:
- Train in the five forces
What to Do at Death
The mahayana instructions for how to die are the five forces.
How you act is important.
The Extent of Proficiency in Mind Training
- All dharma has a single purpose
- Of the two judges, rely on the principal one
- Always have the support of a joyful mind
- You are proficient if you can practice even when distracted
Commitments of Mind Training
- Always practice the three general principles
- Change your attitude, but remain natural
- Do not talk about weak points
- Don’t think about the affairs of others
- Work on the stronger disturbing emotions first
- Give up all hope for results
- Give up poisonous food
- Don’t rely on consistency
- Don’t be excited by cutting remarks
- Don’t wait in ambush
- Don’t make things painful
- Don’t put the horses load on a pony
- Don’t aim to win
- Don’t revert to magic
- Don’t reduce a god to a demon
- Don’t seek pain as a component of happiness
Guidelines for Mind Training
- All active meditation is done in one way
- All corrections are made in one way
- At the beginning and at the end, two things to be done
- Whichever of two occurs, be patient
- Observe these two, even at the risk of your life
- Learn the three difficult points
- Take up the three primary resources
- Don’t allow three things to weaken
- Make the three inseparable
- Train in all areas without partiality
- Overall deep and pervasive proficiency is important
- Always meditate on volatile points
- Don’t depend on external conditions
- This time, practice the important points
- Don’t make mistakes
- Don’t fluctuate
- Train wholeheartedly
- Find freedom through both examination and investigation
- Don’t make a fuss
- Don’t be caught up in irritation
- Don’t be temperamental
- Don’t expect thanks
Concluding Verses
This quintessential elixir of instruction, which changes the five kinds of degeneration into the way of awakening is a transmission from Serlingpa.
The awakening of the karmic energy of previous training aroused intense interest in me. Therefore, I ignored suffering and criticism and sought instruction for subduing ego-clinging. Now, when I die, I’ll regret nothing.