གསང་སྔགས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ། ཐོག་མ་དང་བར་དུ་མཐའ་མར་གལ་ཆེ་བ། (༢༠༢༣)

I am very glad to see all of you here today, in person. I am incredibly glad about this meeting. [Tibetan verse] And I would like to thank all of you, thanks to whom this meeting took place. And first of all, of course, this is Andrian and Galina. Many thanks to you and to everyone else who helped to arrange these gatherings. I am very glad and want to express my immense gratitude to you.

Thank you very much.

And to the director of the Save Tibet foundation, Yulia Zhironkina, also immense gratitude. [Tibetan verse] I see many familiar faces, the faces I saw in the little squares on Zoom. So most of you I have seen, I have a feeling that I know you, but I think there are also people who have come for the first time. I am very glad that we have all met here today.

[Tibetan verse] We all live in different parts of the world, in different cities, but nevertheless, thanks to scientific discoveries, scientific achievements, all of us have the possibility to gather together online. Twice a week we have meetings. And every week we have this possibility to communicate and exchange knowledge. This is, of course, a magnificent possibility. It is wonderful that we live in such a time that, despite the distance, we can stay in contact, see one another.

But however wonderful technical achievements may be, it is still pleasant at least once in a while to gather in person.

And it is wonderful that this time has finally come, when we can gather here all together and meet in person. I am very glad that we can be together and together devote time to a shared practice.

I assume that most of you who have come here today already have some idea of the Dharma, already feel an interest in spiritual practices. I assume that all those who are here have some idea of such a thing as freedom, inner freedom, liberation. And you came here because you want to find, to attain this freedom, inner freedom.

And to become free, to attain liberation — this is the goal that unites us. Everyone has one and the same aspiration — to go beyond these sufferings and attain inner freedom. And we are all, in this regard, like-minded in the Dharma, friends in the Dharma. And we all have the same views, the same outlook. And roughly the same deeds and actions, because we are united by this one common goal — to attain liberation.

And since each of us strives to attain this inner freedom, this freedom, you came here. And today's topic is Dzogchen of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Of course, Tibetan Buddhism is something very vast. To begin with, [Tibetan verse] Tibetan Buddhism is something very vast, and perhaps among you there are newcomers, perhaps there are those of you for whom . these words, some things may sound strange, may be perceived by you as something .

new, never before seen by you, and so on. But the first thing we must grasp is our own situation. When we practice Buddhism, it is very important that we recognize our own situation, and it begins with recognizing that we were born in a human body. The human body gives us certain advantages and certain freedoms. Being in this body, being in this birth, we can, for example, stop and simply reflect on our life.

And our situation, the one we are in, or in other words, the precious human body — this is a kind of instrument. Your life is a kind of instrument. If you can learn to use it correctly, then it will bring you benefit, good. [Tibetan verse] And the Buddha, when he taught various approaches for practice, when he, for example, explained approaches connected with . the teachings of the Sutras, he said that the precious human body is something very rare. And it would be sad not to use it for spiritual seeking.

If you do not use your precious human birth for spiritual seeking, this would be quite sad.

But if we not only fail to devote our free situation, our precious human birth, to spiritual development and seeking, but on the contrary use it wrongly, then this would be doubly sad.

And the most important thing we possess, being in this precious human body, is our mind, our intellect, the capacity to think. And this is, of course, a very powerful instrument, and it is important that we use it correctly, that we know how to use it. But if it is directed into an unwholesome channel, then this instrument can bring suffering. But if one learns to use it correctly, then we can bring immense benefit both to ourselves and to others. We can help ourselves. And we can also help others, if we tame our mind, if we can subdue our own mind.

And recognizing how precious our dwelling in this precious human body is, recognizing its possibilities, recognizing its advantages, privileges, if we can devote this life to the practice of Dharma, then this leads to the accumulation of boundless merit.

[Tibetan verse] Wholesome merit, virtues — all of this is accumulated through the practice of Dharma, through inner spiritual practice.

[Tibetan verse] with wholesome merit, accumulated merit, then the Buddha also taught that a person who has cultivated virtues, accumulated spiritual merit, nothing can hinder this person in the accomplishment of his goals. [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] There are various methods of accumulating merit, spiritual merit; there are various paths, various means. And whatever actions we perform, these actions, these very deeds of ours, we can turn to good, turn into that which leads to the accumulation of merit. [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] And as for these methods of accumulating merit, they will, of course, be covered in more detail tomorrow. This is one of the texts of the upcoming retreat — it is the integration of one's everyday actions with practice. This is the theme of integrating various practices, putting various practices into life at the level of one's everyday life. This theme will be covered in more detail tomorrow.

Of course, it is very important to know how to accumulate this merit, what easy methods of accumulating merit exist. Because if we know them, if we put them into practice, then our life is not time spent in vain. Our life, in that case, is time spent meaningfully.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] So, we must know how to accumulate merit, we must know how all of this is put into practice, carried out in practice. We have certain ideas about what the practice of Dharma should be. We think that it is something very complicated, but we must learn to integrate our actions with this practice of Dharma. We must know what easy methods exist for integrating one's everyday life with the practice of Dharma.

Usually we think that the practice of Dharma is, for example, sitting in a meditation posture. The practice of Dharma is reading certain prayers, for example, certain rituals. But of course, the practice of Dharma is not limited to this alone. The practice of Dharma is something vast. It contains within itself a great many different means, a great many different ways of putting the practice of Dharma into life. And we must know these paths, these methods.

[Tibetan verse] And we also have certain ideas that the practice of Dharma goes better when we are in a special place. But where we are is not so important, to be honest. We can be in Moscow, in a large, big, huge metropolis. If we learn to integrate with this state of ours, then even being in Moscow, we can engage in very deep practice of Dharma.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] So, there are many methods of accumulating merit. And in this practice we must be greedy. We must use all the methods to accumulate merit. We must learn to use any episode in our life as part of our practice. We must include our spiritual path within our everyday life. I would like to ask you: do you know how rich people become rich?

It seems to me that rich people become rich because they know how to preserve and to multiply. They know how to preserve their wealth, and also by every means try to increase it, using for this all opportunities, all the right, good opportunities. In our practice we too must be like this. In our everyday life many such things always come up that can be used as part of spiritual practice. This is, for example, when we see a person who is in need, this encounter we can use as that which reveals our generosity, for example. Or you have some time, you can spend this time in prayer.

You have some free time, this time you can use for meditation. That is, everything that happens to you, you can use as part of your spiritual path.

[Tibetan verse] It happens that we place our hope on one single thing. But rich people, when they accumulate their wealth, they always distribute their assets. They do not keep their capital in one place. And we too, in our practice, must not place our hopes on one single thing. For example, there are people who think that meditation is the most important thing in practice, and they meditate all the time. But if this person makes a mistake somewhere, if he performs the meditation wrongly, then it turns out that all his efforts are for nothing, he loses his free time. Or there are people who think that all the power of the practice of Dharma is concentrated in prayer, and they spend all their time in prayer.

But what if this person prays and at the same time gets distracted, thinks about his own concerns? Again, in this case the person places his hope on one single thing, and if he does it wrongly, then in the end he loses everything. Therefore we must be versatile, we must be able to use every opportunity in order to bring every opportunity onto our spiritual path. We must be skilled, we must be versatile. And when the time comes for meditation, one must meditate; when the time comes for prayer, one must devote that time to prayer. When the time comes to help someone, one must set everything aside and help that person.

Therefore we must always . see more broadly, not place our hopes on one single thing. In that case everything that happens to us, everything that befalls us in life, all of it can be used as part of the spiritual path, as methods of accumulating merit.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] And in essence, the upcoming retreat is devoted to this theme — how to integrate one's life with the practice of Dharma. And this retreat will begin tomorrow. And during the upcoming retreat we will examine three texts composed by three omniscient masters in the Nyingma tradition. In general, when we speak of Tibetan Buddhism, of course, in it there are a great many different outstanding spiritual masters; for example, throughout the history of all Tibetan Buddhism people always single out three genuine emanations of the deity of wisdom. They always speak of three manifestations of Manjushri. This is, firstly, Sakya Pandita.

This is, secondly, also Longchenpa, and thirdly, this is Je Tsongkhapa. These three figures, in all traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, are known as . the three emanations of the deity of wisdom, the three emanations of Manjushri. If we turn in particular to the Nyingma tradition, to the most ancient tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, in it too three masters are singled out who are recognized by all masters of the Nyingma tradition as omniscient, all-knowing masters. These are Longchenpa, Longchen Rabjampa; also Mipham Gyatso, Mipham Rinpoche. And thirdly, this is Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa.

And the upcoming retreat is devoted to the works of three outstanding spiritual masters of the Nyingma tradition: Longchenpa, Mipham Rinpoche, and Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa. [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] We will examine the advice and instructions of these three masters — Longchenpa, Mipham Rinpoche, and Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa — concerning how to put the practice of Dharma into one's everyday life, how to integrate one's everyday life with the Dharma. We will examine their advice and instructions. I think that they are relevant, important even now. Even for those people who live in big cities, big metropolises, because here there are, of course, many distractions, of course, many such things that fully occupy our time. And I think that the advice of these masters is relevant to this very day, relevant even in such an environment.

And we will try — I will try to reveal their wisdom as much as possible. Of course, to fully show all the depth and breadth of their thought will be impossible, but I will try to do this. Hallo.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] I think that in this too there is a certain auspicious sign, that this retreat unites the works of these three masters, three outstanding teachers, and I hope that their advice, their instructions will bring us benefit. I very much hope so. [Tibetan verse] that they may bring us benefit, that you may draw from them something useful for yourselves.

[Tibetan verse] But This is the kind of topic for which it is impossible to prepare. I, of course, also did not prepare for this topic. This is the topic of the Great Perfection. I thought that this topic could be taught within the framework of three points.

[Tibetan verse] There is that which is extremely important at the beginning. This is refuge. We must, with all our heart, take refuge in the Three Jewels, and our faith in the Three Jewels must be unshakable. This faith is that foundation upon which — that foundation upon which the whole practice is built. And the first thing that must be mentioned here is refuge. [Tibetan verse] If someone follows the words of the Buddha, if someone puts the Buddha's teaching into life, then he takes refuge in the Three Jewels.

And of course, taking refuge in the Three Jewels, we must cultivate within ourselves a very strong faith, unwavering, unshakable faith, trust in the Three Jewels; faith in the Three Jewels must be very strong.

If our faith is steadfast, if it is strong, then this faith helps us open up so as to let in the blessing of the Three Jewels.

If we do not have enough faith, if we do not feel faith at all, do not nurture faith in the Three Jewels, this does not mean that the Three Jewels cease to bless us; their blessing always pours forth, always manifests. But when we have no faith, we simply close ourselves off. When we have no faith, we are not suitable vessels that can let in this blessing. Therefore, when there is faith, then we open up to the blessing, and when there is none, then although this blessing surrounds us everywhere, we do not let it inside ourselves.

[Tibetan verse] Faith and devotion are a kind of ring that we put on ourselves as an ornament. This ring serves as that by which the blessing of the Three Jewels draws us in. Their blessing is similar, one might say, to a hook. If we have this ring, their blessing can draw us in. But if we do not have this ring, that is, if we have no faith and devotion, then this hook of blessing has nothing to catch onto.

[Tibetan verse] And our faith in the Three Jewels must be very strong. We must remember that the Three Jewels in any circumstance, always, in all circumstances, the Three Jewels protect all beings. And their blessing always manifests. This is an immutable fact. If something bad happens to us, then all our suffering, our problems, occur because of our own unwholesome deeds, because of our unwholesome karma, because we ourselves distance ourselves from this blessing. But if our faith is strong, then the blessing of the Three Jewels is always present.

And this is something indestructible, something immutable.

[Tibetan verse] If you take refuge in the Three Jewels, if your faith is strong, your faith becomes . that which makes you happy. Your faith in the Three Jewels, your refuge in the Three Jewels becomes your very real protector. If your faith is strong, then your mind is free of agitation, your mind is free of anxiety, of confusion, of doubt.

If we take refuge in the Three Jewels, then we should have no feeling of loneliness in life, because the Three Jewels are an ocean, a boundless ocean of awakened Buddhas, an ocean of bodhisattvas who surround us. Wherever we may be, we are not alone. An ocean of Buddhas and bodhisattvas always surrounds us. You are always under their watch, under their protection. These are your allies, these are your friends.

[Tibetan verse] If your faith is strong, unwavering, then your mind, you inwardly will never feel empty. But if we have no faith, no faith at all in life, in anything, then the absence of faith leads to emptiness. A person does not understand what he desires in this life, what he wants. A person does not see a point of support in his life, he does not see what he can rely on, and this leads to inner emptiness.

[Tibetan verse] And if we feel such inner emptiness, then this is, of course, very sad. It means that something is something is lacking in this life. But if from within us faith shines, faith in the Three Jewels, if this faith is strong, then we will always see this source on which we can rely. We always have this support, there is always someone on whom we can rely. And when you feel that you are not alone, when you inwardly feel faith, when this faith illuminates you from within, then you will always — this faith also manifests outwardly in the form of a smile, in the form of your certain deeds and actions. You will always radiate this kindness, inner kindness and faith, and will always radiate this inner smile of faith. You will smile, you will always feel comfortable.

And even then, when all circumstances seem to convince us that everything is very bad, everything is very hard, this faith will help us preserve . the desire to live. Thanks to this faith we can, even being in difficult conditions, smile and move on.

[Tibetan verse] So, if our faith is strong, then we always abide inseparably in the state of the blessing of the Three Jewels; faith in that case is an ornament, an inner spiritual ornament. Each day, if our faith is strong, then each day of life is a happy day of life.

If our life is a happy life, if our life is a meaningful life, lived with meaning, then this is, of course, in itself a very great achievement. Each of us, I suppose, strives for this — to live a meaningful and happy life.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] And each day is that of which our life is composed. If we want to live a happy life, a meaningful life, it is very important that each day, each moment be meaningful. Because the past is already something behind us, it cannot be brought back. The future has not yet come, and always with us, always present, is only this current moment — this present moment.

If we are able to live it happily, then the whole of life will be meaningful, the whole of life will be happy, because life is composed of such moments.

[Tibetan verse] Simply be happy now, allow yourself to be happy right now. If you learn to be like this, to be like this, then this is simply wonderful. Why bring into your life much unnecessary suffering? There is already so much of this suffering. Why bring upon yourself unnecessary new ones, invent new sufferings?

If each day you keep within yourself such an attitude, if you see that this leads to happiness, while this takes away happiness, this multiplies suffering. If you see these things, then this is called wisdom — the ability to see that which leads to happiness and that which turns one away from suffering, this is called wisdom.

Wisdom is like a sword. As soon as you have seen the sprouts of future suffering, you must cut off these sprouts.

At some moment you have caught yourself in the thought that you are now worrying. If your worrying is not able to help you, then what is the point of indulging in this worrying? If you have recognized this, simply stop these worries. Stop these worries, cut them off with the sword of your wisdom, of your awareness. If one worries, frets, if one thinks about something, for example, about such a thing over which we have no power, then it is better simply to stop doing this. And here awareness, wisdom, helps. But if one simply worries about this and that, if this becomes a habit, then it even very badly affects one's well-being, one's health.

There is no use in this whatsoever.

When we take refuge in the Three Jewels, everything that surrounds us is a manifestation of the Three Jewels. And then we simply abide in this flow of awareness, of happiness, abide in this happy state amid all these manifestations of the Three Jewels.

If we can train ourselves in such a perception, then such a perception will give us only something good. In such a perception there will be nothing bad.

[Tibetan verse] And at the very beginning it is very important that we have a basis, a foundation, and this is taking refuge in the Three Jewels. Be sure that each day you build this foundation, that you do not leave it unattended. Let this foundation accompany you each day of your life.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] This is a time of decline, as it is said. In the Buddhist view this is a time of decline, a time of degeneration, a time when there manifest such calamities as famine, disease, and so on. This is a time when there is very much suffering in the world. But if our faith is strong, if our faith becomes a conviction, if it is like a mountain, an immovable mountain, then this faith becomes for us a source of strength, of inner strength.

Then the next, the second thing, is that which also plays a very great role. This is, of course, bodhicitta, this is the arising of the spirit, the aspiration toward complete awakening for the benefit of all beings.

If bodhicitta is present in you, if you have given rise to bodhicitta, all your actions carry within themselves a certain meaning.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] So, bodhicitta is the second point. It is very important that all our deeds, actions, our practice of Dharma, that all of this be dedicated to bringing benefit to others. It is very important that we not think only of ourselves. It is very important that we also turn our gaze toward others. It is very important that we teach, accustom ourselves to caring for the benefit of other beings. In Buddhism it is said that there are different realms in which beings can be born, these are the six realms of samsara.

And when we give rise to bodhicitta, this means that we now begin to care not only for ourselves, but begin to care for all these beings who are born in the six realms of samsara. And this caring of ours becomes genuine, it awakens from within, in the depths of our heart. And then our practice becomes even stronger. Bodhicitta is the wish for benefit not only for oneself, but first of all it is the wish for benefit for all living beings.

And bodhicitta is a thought, a very bright thought, a very bright movement of the mind. And a thought is that which possesses great power. We have all ended up here today thanks to our wishes, our motivation, or, to put it briefly, thanks to our thoughts. And we have all ended up here thanks to bright, kind thoughts. If someone had evil thoughts, then that person would hardly have ended up here today.

[Tibetan verse] And it is the generosity of the organizers, it is their labors, efforts, it is also the faith of the listeners, it is the wish to come here — all of this together, combining, forms a power, the power of wholesome thoughts; thanks to the power of such bright, wholesome aspirations things are born in this world.

[Tibetan verse] And we have all also ended up here thanks to our wholesome, bright thoughts, our wholesome, bright, kind wishes. And none of us right now thinks ill of anyone. We wish no harm to people, nor to other animals, to no living beings do we wish harm, we do not nurture a spirit of rivalry, we do not feel envy toward anyone, we have all ended up here because something bright, kind within us has impelled us.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] When we meet online, all our sessions, all our meetings are conditioned by our bright, wholesome, kind thoughts. And meeting together, we devote our time to the study of Buddhism, devote it to how to put the knowledge of Buddhism into life. And of course, bodhicitta is that which plays a very great role in this practice. Bodhicitta, being the wish to bring benefit to all beings, it is conditioned, for example, by the understanding that all living beings were once our parents, that this bodhicitta is based on the understanding that there are infinitely many past lives. And over this infinite number of lives, all beings have already at some time been my kind parents. And we simply do not remember this now.

And if we want to help them, if we truly want to help them, we must devote ourselves to spiritual practice in order to awaken. And the wish awakens in us to become a Buddha for the benefit of all these living beings. And, as you see, bodhicitta is precisely this bright, kind inner movement, this bright thought.

[Tibetan verse] So, when we know that the Three Jewels, the compassion, the care of the Three Jewels is something immutable, and when we know that bodhicitta is something very strong, bodhicitta is something connected with blessing, with strong inner blessing, then all our . movements, all our thoughts become meaningful. .

And all who come our way, and all who have a connection with us, we pray, we hope and pray, we offer prayers, to bring only benefit to all beings who are connected with us.

[Tibetan verse] Of course, when bodhicitta arises, it manifests as the wish for the benefit of all beings. Of course, this is, for example, the wish for the benefit of friends in the Dharma, it is the wish for the benefit of all other beings, even insects, even the tiniest creatures. Compassion awakens in us for all that lives, mercy awakens in us, love, compassion, kindheartedness, which embraces not only people but all other forms of life. This compassion is directed even toward the tiniest insects.

So, we must remember that our movements, deeds, must be a source of benefit, of good and happiness not only for us, but also for other beings. Even our practice of Dharma — although, it would seem, we practice the Dharma in order to attain our own personal well-being, personal happiness, but even our personal practice of Dharma is to dedicate to the well-being of all, the well-being of all living beings. Otherwise, at some moment, even in spiritual practice, things connected with greed appear, things connected with attachment, with anger, and so on.

[Tibetan verse] So, we must be convinced that our intentions, our thoughts are bright, that they are pure. It is very important that our motivation be pure, that this motivation be connected with the wish to bring good, to bring benefit not only to ourselves but to all other living beings. And the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, who like an ocean surround us, they are all witnesses to it, witnesses to how we devote ourselves selflessly to our practice of Dharma, in which there is the wish for the benefit of all, the expression of the wish for the benefit of all living beings.

And if we begin to deceive, to mislead all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas who like an ocean surround us, then this is, of course, unworthy. How can we deceive the Buddhas, how can we deceive the bodhisattvas? If we devote ourselves to the practice of Dharma, we must do this sincerely.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] We must be sincere in our practice. The Buddhas and bodhisattvas — this ocean that surrounds us, the ocean of the Three Jewels in which we take refuge. The three times are known to them. They are omniscient. If we think that we wear a mask, a pious mask, if we pretend that we are practicing the Dharma, then to the Buddhas and bodhisattvas all of this is known. And if we make of the practice of Dharma something connected with . the wish for benefit for oneself alone, then whom in this case are we deceiving here?

We are deceiving only ourselves, this is self-deception. [Tibetan verse] So, when we devote ourselves to the creation of good in this world, to the bringing of good into this world, devote ourselves to virtues, then this leads to the accumulation of merit. Merit contributes to the accomplishment of our goals. But if we do something bad, if we commit evil, then this evil later turns into suffering. Therefore, everything bad that happens to us in life is the result of our past karma, unwholesome karma, it is the result of our past bad actions. Therefore we must remember this, that everything that surrounds us can be used as something that leads to the accumulation of merit.

And everything good is the result of this merit. And everything bad, everything connected with suffering, is the result of our evil deeds, unwholesome deeds.

And this law is immutable. If you do good, then this good leads to happiness. And this is immutable. And when you understand this, it is, on the other hand, called the understanding of emptiness, the empty nature of all phenomena, which is reflected in the law of karma.

This law, cause and effect, is immutable. Everything is subject to this principle: if you . create good, then this good leads to happiness. If you do evil, then this evil leads to suffering. And this principle is indestructible, it is immutable. One might say that this is the most honest, the most just law.

Therefore be careful in your thoughts, in your deeds, in your words.

Therefore be sure that each day your thoughts are connected with something good, with something fine, and if possible let bodhicitta always pervade all your thoughts. Care for the benefit of all beings — let it pervade all your thoughts. If this is so, then this is very precious.

[Tibetan verse] This is something very precious, something very precious indeed, it is the jewel of the mind, when bodhicitta arises in you and when it accompanies you everywhere, when it pervades all your thoughts, when this compassion becomes unconditional, all-embracing, and when your compassion, your care embraces all beings. This is the true jewel of the mind. If such a jewel of the mind arises in a person's mind, then I think that this person is the most capable person, a person who has truly come to a great attainment.

This is one who truly sees the situation in which we all find ourselves, this is one who recognizes that beings, all beings in all these realms, are subject to numerous sufferings. And the one who sees this is a true spiritual hero.

[Tibetan verse] A hero is not one who is able to overcome an enemy by force. Because if someone directs his force at another in order to subjugate that one to himself, then because of this striving, there comes to be in this world even more evil, even more suffering. The one who tries to subjugate others by force, this is not a hero, this is a fool, this is one who understands nothing. Although he thinks that he is trying to accomplish his own personal benefit through the subjugation of others, but in reality this person simply multiplies the causes of his future sufferings. And such a person is not a hero, this is a fool.

[Tibetan verse] And the true hero, the spiritual hero, is the bodhisattva. The bodhisattva is one who is able to devote himself all the time to serving the benefit of others. It does not matter how much time it will take, it does not matter how many beings, they may be infinitely many. It does not matter how many there are. The true hero is one who will gladly devote himself to such service, to the service of the benefit of others. And it does not matter how much time it will take, it may be whole kalpas, it may be whole epochs.

The bodhisattva is the truest hero, who gladly devotes himself to others. [Tibetan verse] So, the second thing is bodhicitta. It is very important that we accustom ourselves to the spirit of bodhicitta. It is very important that we cultivate within ourselves, in our heart, the kind heart of compassion, bodhicitta. It is very important that bodhicitta always, everywhere, follow after us. [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] And in the end it is very important that we always have resolve, the conviction that we truly will be able in the course of this life to accomplish the instruction of the path of Dzogchen, the path of the Great Perfection, that in this one life we will be able to reveal to ourselves our original awakened state.

To possess such resolve is very important. This is the third.

Dzogchen is that teaching which allows one in a single life to reveal to oneself the state of awakening. And this is very important, because right now we have appeared in a human body, we make use of all the freedoms and benefits that human birth grants us. But, on the other hand, this dwelling in a human body can be very short. We do not know how much time we have left. Therefore it is very important that we be able to rely on those teachings which allow one in the course of a single life to reveal awakening.

[Tibetan verse] I think that it is difficult to find other approaches that allow one in the course of a life, a single life, to reveal awakening, one's original awakened state. And Dzogchen, the Great Perfection — this is that teaching which is relevant always, in all times. Right now this is an age of decline, when the lifespan of beings is shortening, when there is much disease, when there are many calamities, misfortunes. But in such difficult times the practice of Dzogchen shines even more strongly. And undoubtedly this practice will bring forth its fruit.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] In Germany there is a small Dharma center called Künsangling, the abode of Samantabhadri. In this Dharma center there is a very good acquaintance of mine. He has poor health, and he cannot walk; he always has a little stick, always a cane, otherwise it is difficult for him to walk on his own. I have known him for 6–7 years, he is a true practitioner of Dzogchen, and we met many times, he is my student. He received from me many times teachings on the preliminary practices, ngöndro, teachings on guru yoga, on the three precepts of Garab Dorje. He also received teachings that introduce the nature of mind. And because of the fact that he has weak health, he cannot walk on his own.

Certain things, such as, for example, prostrations, are very difficult for him to do. But nevertheless, he was a true, genuine practitioner of Dzogchen. And, unfortunately, 2–3 months ago he left us, he passed away. And when he was passing away, he displayed signs that indicated that he was a true practitioner of Dzogchen. He departed in the spirit of the yogins, the adepts of the Dzogchen tradition.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] Last year he called me, and I also spoke with his wife, we spoke through a video call. And last year he was still healthy. He said that this year . he definitely would not depart, he would definitely still remain here. If he was to depart, then it would most likely be the following year. He himself told me last year, when we were speaking by video call, he told me that now was not the time.

Next year, perhaps. And as he said, so it came to pass.

[Tibetan verse] And when there remained still about a month until his passing, he called me and said that his health was worsening, that it was difficult for him, each day it was becoming worse and worse for him, and he asked me whether I might depart in a month. I said: you have devoted your life to the practice of Dzogchen. You are a true practitioner of Dzogchen, you have done everything that was within your power. If you think that now is the time to depart, you may depart. This is what I told him.

And when there remained 2–3 days until his passing, he told everyone that a rain of flowers was falling. And he also told everyone that in the space around him, rainbows surrounded him, rainbow radiances. No one saw this. He saw it. In the last 2–3 days he spoke of how he sees rainbows, he sees a glow, he sees a rain of flowers. [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] And when there remained 2–3 hours until his passing, he was in a very elevated, very exalted state of spirit.

And he said to the people who surrounded him: look out the window, there are many very beautiful rainbows there. And so he departed. And he, of course, would not deceive people. Why would a person who is on his deathbed deceive anyone, mislead anyone?

And when he passed away, they called me immediately and told me of his departure. And at that moment they photographed the house in which he was. The people who were beside him in the last minutes photographed him, and also photographed the house. And when they sent me the photograph of the house, in this very photograph there was a rainbow, although before this there had been none. And he had said all the time that rainbows surrounded him. And in that photograph, where his house was captured, above the house there was a beautiful, lovely rainbow.

[Tibetan verse] During his life he always did the practices of Guru Rinpoche, he always recited the mantra of Guru Rinpoche. He had a very strong connection with him, very strong faith in Padmasambhava, although he was disabled, with health difficulties, he could not do certain practices.

I told him that if one knows, then in this practice there is everything. This is an all-encompassing practice. And he devoted his life to it.

And a week later there was the cremation, and during the cremation rainbows also appeared.

I speak of him because a person who has physical limitations can attain such heights in practice. If a person with physical limitations is capable of this, then what to say of you — you too can come to such heights, you too can put into practice, manifest all of this in reality. And this depends only on our inner state. If this state is pervaded by the spirit of renunciation, if this state is pervaded by faith, if it is pervaded by bodhicitta, then all of this together forms a power that leads to liberation. And this person I have known for some 6–7 years. He devoted only the last 6–7 years of his life to the practice of Dzogchen. And if 6–7 years are able to lead to such changes, then what to say of those people who devote their whole life to practice?

[Tibetan verse] So, when you devote yourself to the practice of Dzogchen, then such a practice — this is that which endows with power, with inner power, leads to the attainment of blessing. To engage in such a practice, it is important to have resolve, conviction. If a person always darts from one thing to another, if his mind is full of doubts, torments, then all of this hinders concentration on one thing. It is very important that we possess the resolve to carry a matter through to the end, and this holds true in any undertaking. If you have resolve, if this conviction becomes for you . the driving principle, then you can achieve heights, success in any undertaking, including in the practice of Dharma.

Such resolve is needed. And the Dharma is something inconceivable. The practice of Dharma is something boundless, vast. If you devote yourself to something boundless, vast, you yourself become this expanse, you yourself become this boundless space.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] If you keep thinking what will happen if I take this up, and what will happen if I do not do that, if you always indulge in such simple thoughts, if such thoughts govern you in life, then such turmoil, distractions will hardly lead to anything good. These thoughts, which always distract, this inner dialogue, it will scatter your attention, scatter your concentration. Instead, if you have taken up a matter, then one must be ready for anything, carry it through to the end. .

One must be sincere in this matter, in its accomplishment, if it is practice. Our motivation must always be pure. It is very important that doubts not overcome us, that we always be resolute. It is very important that faith, bodhicitta, always also follow after us everywhere, accompany us. It is very important that we truly be — truly be full of resolve to awaken in this very life come what may, to become a Buddha in this life, because all the prerequisites for awakening already exist. All the prerequisites for liberation are already here, they are present.

And it seems to us that our current state is our current limited state, our true state, but this is not so. Darkness may persist for thousands upon thousands of years, but the moment a ray of sun penetrates a dark room, this ray of sun immediately dispels the gloom. And in just the same way — although we believe that we are now just as we are, that this is our true state, but the moment we see that all these prerequisites are there, we will attain liberation, we will come to know what inner freedom is.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] Samsara rests upon our attachments, upon our grasping. And if we keep preserving within ourselves these graspings, giving them free rein, if we keep giving free rein to our passions, to our attachments, then all of this will again lead to birth in samsara. And this will be endless. But we have no time to be born again and again in the endless succession of births in samsara. Now that we have appeared in a human body, we also have no time to spend this precious human life on further graspings, on further . passions, on further afflictions. We simply have no time for this, we do not know when this favorable birth in which we find ourselves will come to an end.

And if that small stretch of time which we have, if we devote it to further afflictions, further graspings, then this will again lead to samsara, this will again lead to involuntary rebirths in samsara. Therefore we must move away from such a mind, move away from these former graspings, move away from all these attachments, passions, from these afflictions. And be sure that this life we can devote to serving the benefit of all living beings, because all beings are our parents. These are our kind mothers, these are our kind fathers, and they have shown us boundless kindness. Recognizing this, we strive toward our awakening. And if we have resolve, then we are simply certain that in this life we will be able to manifest this awakened state.

And if you cultivate within yourself such a spirit, cultivate within yourself such a worldview, a boundless, limitless worldview, then this boundless, limitless worldview will lead to a boundless, limitless wholesome fruit. You will reveal to yourself something boundless.

[Tibetan verse] Today I have told you about three things that are very important. Firstly, this is the taking of refuge, because this is the basis. Secondly, this is bodhicitta, the wish to attain the state of a Buddha in order to serve the benefit of all living beings, to bring benefit to all beings. And thirdly, this is the resolve that this life we will be able to live in the spirit of Dzogchen. This life we will be able to devote to the practice of Dzogchen, so that already in this life we may reveal to ourselves our original awakened state, that this precious human body we can use as an instrument in the practice of Dzogchen. This is the resolve to reveal, already in this life, our awakened state.

This is the third.