Video. Tulku Sangngak Tenzin Rinpoche. Attaining a Human Birth and Buddhist Refuge

[Tibetan prayer] Rinpoche greets everyone! Hello!

Rinpoche came two years ago, yes, that was the first time Rinpoche came. Two years ago — last year Rinpoche couldn't come, and now this time, this year, Rinpoche has come; we don't have very much time.

Rinpoche says that some of you were here at the teachings two years ago. And some are newcomers to these teachings. Rinpoche says: of course, I can't remember everyone who was here two years ago.

Rinpoche says that this time his visit is not so long; we don't have very much time. Rinpoche thanks those who prepared for the visit, those who worked to make this visit happen. Thank you.

Rinpoche also greets the translator, who studied in Nepal and India, and went on pilgrimage in Bhutan.

Rinpoche says: why have we gathered here today? We have gathered for the teachings. And the chance to receive teachings is a very rare and precious opportunity. And today we have gathered precisely to make use of this rare and extraordinarily precious chance to receive teachings, to learn something. [Tibetan prayer] [Tibetan prayer] [Tibetan prayer] And why is this opportunity so precious? At first glance there seems to be nothing special about gathering here today for the teachings. After all, what is so difficult about it?

We simply set out, came, and gathered here to receive teachings. But in fact there are, here, subtle conditions, causes and effects that arose long before this meeting and that have brought everyone here today. We do not see them, we may not know of them, but in truth it is as if this weaving of circumstances, this prior convergence of circumstances, this interconnection of causes and conditions had to arise earlier so that we could all receive teachings here today. [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] And it is said that this interconnection, these causes and conditions — that is, karma, causes and effects — this interconnection is called, as it were, secret, subtle, profound. That is, what we cannot see, what does not lie on the surface, but which in truth is our previous profound secret connection — through vows, through Dharma, through shared vows — that gathered us all together today. And although we cannot see it, and although it seems to us that there is nothing special about it, that we simply came here and all gathered to receive teachings, in truth this profound secret interconnection brought us here — vows taken in the past, causes generated in the past that ripened into today's conditions.

It is they that gathered us all together, though it is not obvious, though we cannot see or understand it.

So it seems.

That is, this also concerns the interconnection of cause and effect that gathered us here, and thanks to our past vows and karmic connections, we are receiving precisely the teachings of the Great Perfection. And we have not only gathered here in order to receive them. We must also remember that these opportunities to receive teachings, these profound interconnections that brought us here, are not permanent; they too change, and therefore we must make use of this precious opportunity. And remembering how many causes and conditions had to come together for this to happen, we must value this opportunity and make effort to realize the teachings, to practice them.

[Tibetan verse] That is, we must remember that there is no other reason, no other meaning to our gathering here for the teachings, than to practice these teachings, to gain experience in practice, so that, if we already have . experience, it may grow and flourish further; there is no other meaning, no other reason for us to be here. We must make use of this meaning, make use of this opportunity. And we do not know what lies ahead, but the fact that we will receive teachings here together and put them into practice creates what is called tendrel — that is, an auspicious connection — so that we may meet again and again, and so that we may receive teachings again and again.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] That is, Rinpoche reminds us that, again, the meaning, the purpose of our gathering together to receive teachings is not to succeed in politics, not to . accumulate some material wealth or prosperity, but precisely to attain liberation. The purpose of practice, the purpose of receiving teachings, is the attainment of liberation; there is no other purpose. And therefore, remembering this, we must keep our vows, we must remember the instructions we have received. And we must realize this purpose of receiving teachings; this is the most important thing — to realize, to fulfill the meaning of the teaching, and the meaning of the teaching is the attainment of liberation.

Yes, and each of us present here, all of us, we devote time to these teachings, we — we incur certain expenses, and this opportunity that we thereby gain, we must use it. We must use the meaning and benefit of this opportunity to the fullest. And moreover, when we do so, when we receive teachings and use them meaningfully, then we accumulate good karma, we accumulate merit. Good karma accumulated in this way also has very great value. [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] If we consider how much effort we put into achieving something in samsara, in worldly life, how much we do, and if we compare the benefit of these worldly affairs with the benefit of Dharma practice, we will understand that for the Dharma we must make even greater effort, because the benefit, the value of Dharma practice exceeds the benefit and value of our worldly affairs.

And when we determine for ourselves what has the highest value, and when we understand that Dharma practice has the highest value, then this is the choice we make in our life. After all, we should choose what has the greatest value. And when we understand that it is Dharma practice that has the highest, greatest value, then we direct the greatest amount of effort precisely in that direction. Because we are convinced, we have chosen what is most precious. And when we speak of Dharma practice, why is it the most precious? Because it brings benefit.

It always brings benefit: in this life it brings good karma, in this life it also brings us happiness. In the next life, and ultimately, it is Dharma practice that brings us liberation. And understanding this, we make our choice, we choose what is most precious. And if we choose what is most precious, then it is precisely in that direction that we apply the greatest effort. So our efforts, our diligence should be directed precisely toward Dharma practice, if we have truly understood its supreme value.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] If we recall our worldly affairs, our worldly concerns, if something does not work out for us, we should not be upset. After all, we understand that these worldly affairs, our worldly goals, will not lead us to liberation, will not lead us to complete, final happiness; therefore we should not be upset if something does not work out for us. And moreover, worldly affairs, our worldly goals, often not only fail to bring this highest benefit, but also become an obstacle and turn into unfavorable circumstances. Therefore, understanding this, understanding the nature of worldly affairs, worldly concerns, we should not be upset if something does not work out for us, we should not — . that is, we should not attach too much importance to whether or not what we intended in our worldly activity works out. [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] And conversely, if in the teachings, in Dharma practice, we have not understood something, and something does not work out for us, if we go the wrong way, then that is a cause for regret, because it is precisely Dharma practice that has the highest value and benefit, the highest benefit.

And here, if something does not work out for us, if we cannot practice, we do not understand the teachings, and we cannot enter the path and walk it, then this is grounds to be upset and to regret. [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] Therefore, where do we direct our attention, our diligence, our effort? To what has the highest value — to Dharma practice. And understanding this, we must work, we must make effort on this path. And if we do this, then it — this is undoubted, this is the right path. And it brings benefit both on the temporary, relative level and on the absolute level.

And it brings immeasurable merit, immeasurable accumulation of good karma. And therefore it is so important, and therefore, one-pointedly, with . diligence and aspiration we must practice the Dharma, because this is precisely what leads us to the highest result, to the highest benefit, and it is very important to understand this.

[Tibetan verse] If we do not practice now, then who knows what will be in the future? Who knows what our future births will be, because if we practice the Dharma, it brings us benefit, and from life to life we walk the path. But if we do not practice the Dharma, if we do not use the opportunities we have now, then what will be in the future, what will be in our next births? And now, when we have this opportunity, when we have obtained this precious human birth, when we have met the holy Dharma, we must not let this most precious opportunity slip away.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] That is, right now we have youth, we have health, we have time, but who knows what will become of us in 15–20 years? It is impossible to say which of us will even be alive. And therefore it is necessary to use this opportunity now, because we do not know what will be in the future, and to practice now, to practice constantly; and then those, say, 15–20 years will not pass in vain, they will be filled with practice, and we will gain the result. But we must not put off our practice to the future, because it is unknown how long we will live, unknown how long our life will be and which of us will still be alive in 15–20 years. We must resolve that we will use the opportunity to receive teachings, to practice now.

[Tibetan verse] At the same time, if, for example, there are among us those who possess the highest capacities, they can attain liberation within 15–20 years. That is, we cannot say there are no such people. They can. Some of us who possess such capacities can attain liberation within these 15–20 years, complete liberation, and then we will rejoice in this.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] But suppose that in this life we cannot attain complete liberation — what then? Then we must make the aspiration, the firm certainty, that in the next life I will continue to walk this path. Yes, this is very — that is, in this life we prepare so that in the next life we may obtain this opportunity to walk the path of Dharma.

What does it mean to prepare? To prepare means to make aspirations. Yes, in this life I was not able to attain buddhahood, but I make the aspiration that in the next life I may again have a precious human birth, endowed with the freedoms and the advantages. And that I may again continue Dharma practice. We make such an aspiration, we prepare for this, we develop or strengthen this aspiration in our mind.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] And for us to obtain a precious human birth again in the next life, there must be three causes for this. That is, we must accomplish three causes.

[Tibetan verse] And the first of these three causes is practice, practice in this life, meditation in this life. If we do this, then in this way we create one of the three causes for obtaining a human body, a human birth in the next life.

[Tibetan verse] And the second cause is the keeping of vows, or, one might say, discipline. Observing the rules of discipline is the principal cause for obtaining birth in the three higher realms. And therefore it is very important — this is the second cause — and, among other things, in order to obtain a precious human birth, to keep vows and observe discipline.

[Tibetan verse] That is, those vows we take, those promises we make, whatever number of these vows we can keep — one, two, three, and so on — that is, if we decide that we will give up alcohol, and then keep this vow, this is the keeping of a vow, discipline. If we decide that we will not smoke, and again we observe this promise, this vow. And if we decide that we will not take the life of living beings, and again we keep this vow — this is what is meant, this kind of discipline.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] And as Chandrakirti said, there is no other path to obtaining birth in the higher realms than observing discipline. And when we speak of discipline, again, what is it? We sometimes speak of the ten virtues, which are the opposite of the ten non-virtues. And however many of them we can observe, however many vows we can keep — the more, the better. It is precisely this that is the cause for obtaining birth in the higher realms, including a precious human birth. So what are the ten virtues? They are the giving up of the ten non-virtues, which include taking life — that which concerns the body — false speech there — that which concerns speech, and so on. That is, we have ten non-virtues, and correspondingly ten virtues, which is not to commit the non-virtues; and however many of them we can observe, keeping these vows, the better, and by this we create the cause for obtaining a precious human birth in future lives.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] Here it is not only a question of a monk's vows, for example. That is, as if it does not concern us. There are very many categories of vows. There are the vows of monks and nuns, there are the vows of lay people, there are the bodhisattva vows, there are the secret mantra vows. All of these are vows, and it is necessary, whatever vows we take, to keep them. That is, the most important thing is that we take vows and we keep them, whatever they may be, to whatever category they may belong, and it is precisely this that is the cause for obtaining a precious human birth in future lives.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] We must understand this importance of keeping vows, that this is the very first, the most important cause for obtaining a precious human birth. Whatever vows we take, there are so many vows. And we know that now we have the sacred month of Saga Dawa. Certain vows, commitments, also pertain to it. In each month we also have certain days with which certain commitments are likewise connected. Whatever vows we take, the bodhisattva vows — yes, lamas come, there come teachers, they give vows, they explain vows, and what we have taken, what we can keep, we must keep without fail.

And this is very important. This is discipline, this is the cause for obtaining a precious human birth. [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] That is, Rinpoche says: for example, now it is the sacred month of Saga Dawa, and I take the commitment not to kill people. Well, somehow — yes, and I say: well, it seems no one is killing anyone. But if we truly take this vow and keep it, there is great benefit in it. After all, we do not kill anyway; we have no need or necessity to kill anyone.

But if we take a vow and keep it, this has very great power. Yes, this is what is meant.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] That is, we must understand that our very intention, how to put it, to observe a certain vow, has power. Even if, for example, we have no opportunity to break it. That is, if I take upon myself the commitment that I will not kill tigers and elephants in this place — but again, perhaps I have no such opportunity, there are no tigers and elephants, but the fact that I take such a vow and the fact that I keep it — and this applies to all other vows — already has great power, this already leads to the accumulation of good karma and the creation of this wholesome potential.

That is, we must understand in general what a vow is and what keeping a vow, observing a vow, is, and this is discipline. It is what we are actually able to do. That is, we should not take vows that we cannot keep. That is, we should take only those vows that we are truly able to keep, and keep them. Because if we take a vow that we are not able to keep, we break it, and thereby we accumulate non-virtuous karma, non-virtue. And therefore it is not worth doing so, because it will bring great harm.

We should take only those vows that we can keep, and keep them. This is our task, and herein lies the chief benefit of keeping vows, of discipline.

[Tibetan verse] That is, this accumulation of virtue, which is important, happens when we keep vows. And, for example, we take a vow not to kill living beings, that is, not to kill. We take such a vow and keep it. And thanks to this we accumulate very great virtue, because the life of a living being is the greatest value. And, for example, such a vow — rather, the keeping of such a vow — brings very great benefit and the accumulation of great virtue.

Here Rinpoche asks: well, who among you can keep the vow not to kill elephants during Saga Dawa? Raise your hand. If you are not sure that you will not kill elephants during Saga Dawa, then do not raise your hand.

Someone did not raise their hand. This one is not sure that they won't kill an elephant.

These questions remained for later. Oh, I — there he is, Ditin. It doesn't seem so.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] Yes, whether it be an elephant or another living being, this life is very important. Just as we cherish and value our own life, so all living beings also guard and value their life. If we take a vow not to kill, say, certain categories of beings, even this already brings very great benefit and virtue, because there is nothing more precious or important than life.

[Tibetan verse] We must keep the vow with all our strength. Whatever vow we take, we must keep it, because right now we have obtained this precious human birth. And for our future benefit we must keep all the vows we have taken with all our strength.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] So, this was the second of the conditions for obtaining a human birth. The first was Dharma practice, the necessity to practice. And this means that we must not waste this life in vain. Since we have such an opportunity, we must not let it slip away; we must practice without fail. And this creates the conditions for a human birth. And the second, as was explained, is discipline; keeping vows is also a very important, principal cause for obtaining birth in the higher realms.

And the third is aspiration. That is, we must make aspiration without fail. We must, as it were, connect through aspiration our . present life, our practice, with future births. That is, the third necessary condition is aspiration, which we create, which we sustain.

And what does aspiration mean?

We make such an aspiration, we form the intention: may I again in future lives obtain a precious human birth. May I again be able to receive the profound instructions of the Great Perfection, the teachings of the Great Perfection. May I, through this practice, these instructions, attain buddhahood. That is, such an aspiration we generate, such an intention we form. [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] This is all preparation. That is, we need to prepare.

We prepare even for our ordinary affairs. And for such an important matter as a precious human birth in the next life — for that we must prepare especially, and this is preparation. This aspiration, such an intention in the mind — this is — everything that has been said, the causes that we create — this is the preparation so that in the next life we may again obtain a precious human body. Otherwise how will it come about, otherwise will we be able to obtain it again, this precious human body?

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] This preparation — that is, on the one hand the necessity of it is explained, and on the other hand how to do it; that is, we can understand that it is necessary to prepare for the next life, because we have no choice — it, this next life, will come anyway; that is, we have no possibility of remaining in this life, we will have to . enter the next life. And therefore preparation is necessary for us. And understanding its necessity, we must know how exactly to prepare. And this is what was explained. Creating these three causes for a precious human birth — this is preparation.

And understanding that we will enter the next life, that it is inevitable anyway, we must prepare for it, and prepare for it precisely in this way, with diligence, with understanding. This creating of the three causes spoken of earlier — that is, to practice in this life, to keep all the vows we have taken, and to make aspiration — this is preparation.

And all who have gathered here, we are practitioners.

And in order to practice, we must know the method, how to practice. Because if we do not know the method, we will waste our time in vain, we will not achieve the result. That is, it is very important not simply, so to speak, to practice or to be a practitioner, but also to know how to practice.

And when we practice, everything in the practice must be clear to us, we must know how to practice — three stages: the preliminary, the main, and the concluding — all three of these stages must be clear to us so that we can practice.

And when we speak of these three — the preliminary part or introductory part, the main, the concluding — then what is the introductory part? It is the generation of bodhichitta. You know what this is, you have done the preliminary practices, what the vow of bodhichitta is — this intention to bring benefit to beings is the entry into practice, and this intention to bring benefit is extraordinarily precious. And if our practice is embraced by this intention to bring benefit to beings, then the benefit of the practice will be enormous, immeasurable. And we must always remember this and understand that the entry into practice is this commitment of bodhichitta, the commitment to bring benefit to beings.

As for the introductory part — literally, this joining with practice — the first thing is, of course, refuge, the vow of refuge, taking refuge; this goes without saying, it is an obligatory part. And next is the generation of this noble aspiration, of bringing benefit to beings, the generation of bodhichitta. And by this intention our entire practice must be embraced.

[Tibetan verse] And all of us here are Buddhists, followers of the Buddha's teaching. For us, the gateway to entering practice, any practice, is refuge. We take refuge, we take the vows of refuge, and it is precisely this that is the gateway, the entry into practice, this is . the foundation for practice. And how do we do this, how do we take refuge? You probably know — we visualize the refuge tree. We study, we become aware of those qualities, those virtues that are connected with the objects of refuge.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] And when we visualize the refuge tree — the root lama, the lamas of the lineage, the bodhisattvas . . and so on. We visualize it in the tradition of Longchen Nyingtik, for example, if we know it, or in any other tradition that we practice, with which we have a connection, which we understand; we use this visualization of the refuge tree, in which there are fully present all the buddhas, bodhisattvas, the lamas of the lineage, and the root guru, and turning to them has enormous benefit, because with faith and devotion we receive blessings, and these blessings give us strength in practice. And this is the most important thing — that precisely the lamas, our guru, the lineage of transmission, all who are present, the enlightened beings in . our visualization of the refuge tree — their blessings give us strength for practice.

And we must understand wherein lies the value of this refuge tree. It consists in this: that in the refuge tree all qualities are present in their fullness. That is, it is not just a piece of something, but it is the complete set of qualities: dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, nirmanakaya. It is the complete set of qualities of the three lineages of transmission: the mind transmission of the buddhas, the symbolic transmission of the vidyadharas, the oral transmission of ordinary people. That is, the teachers of all three lineages of transmission. With the teacher — that is, all are fully and completely present in the refuge tree, and herein lies its supreme value; we must understand its noble qualities.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] We must know these noble qualities, the benefit of refuge, of all the objects of refuge, of this practice in general, of the visualization of the refuge tree. And, for example, the refuge tree, the practice of taking refuge in the Longchen Nyingtik tradition, is described in great detail in the text "The Words of My Perfect Teacher." Likewise, as it were, in other traditions, the refuge tree has the very same meaning. That is, all Three Jewels, the three roots, are fully present in the Refuge Tree. If we take the Longchen Nyingtik, then in the center is the principal object of refuge — this is Guru Rinpoche, in yabyum, and so on, surrounded on the right side by the bodhisattvas, on the left side — this is the monastic sangha, the texts, the yidams, the Dharma protectors, and so on. Yes, you know.

That is, in the refuge tree the three roots, the Three Jewels, are present, and when we turn to them, we receive in return the stream of their compassion, the stream of their blessings. And what does this mean for us? That whatever happens in our life, we should not think that we are alone. When we do this practice of taking refuge, we — . that is, the compassion of these beings, and they themselves, are not separate from us. And we should never think that we are alone in our difficulties or in our practice. That is, these objects of refuge — if we take refuge in them, if we turn to them — they are constantly present.

They are the ones who help us, the ones who support us. This is precisely how we must understand it: that we are not alone, we are with this whole refuge tree, which helps and supports us, gives us blessings, who look upon us with compassion, and who are not separate from us. And then, whatever difficulties may arise for us, we will not be frightened, we will not be upset, because we know that all of them help and support us.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] And so the refuge tree — the lamas, the protectors, the deities, and so on — they are our friends who, as it were, will never betray us; that is, they do not depend on how we behave, they — because our ordinary worldly friends may treat us well if we treat them well, and they may treat us not so well or deceive us at some moment. The objects of refuge, the deities, the buddhas, the bodhisattvas, the teachers — they are not like that; their compassion and their help are unchanging. Their blessings are unchanging; they do not depend on anything, they do not depend on our behavior. It is simply their quality, and it is always present. And in this they differ from our, let us say, worldly friends and helpers.

[Tibetan verse] And when we understand that it is they who are our, let us say, unchanging, most reliable, highest friends and helpers, then we turn to them with all faith and devotion. It is to them that we must feel the highest faith and devotion, because they will not deceive us, will not betray us, will not turn away from us. And in this sense they are higher, they are worthy of greater trust than our other, let us say, friends and helpers. And we must understand for ourselves who is the highest, let us say, our friend, our helper.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] That is, clearly visualizing the refuge tree, recalling all the time the noble qualities, turning to them with prayer, with faith, with devotion, then we receive blessings, we receive this help that knows no change. These are the ones who will not deceive, who will not betray us, will not turn away from us, and not only in this life. Our ordinary friends — they are only for this life, whereas the objects of refuge — say, most of the bodhisattvas, gurus, lamas, and so on — they will be with us with such unchanging help and compassion until we attain complete liberation. And it is precisely for this reason, understanding this, that we turn to them with prayer, with aspiration, with faith and devotion. This is very important — to understand this, to do this, to take refuge in this way is very important.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] And moreover we try not to part from them; that is, understanding the qualities and benefit of the objects of refuge, of taking refuge, we try in all our activity not to part from them, to constantly sustain this visualization, to constantly sustain this connection with the objects of refuge. And when we, for example, are sitting, we visualize them in the sky before us, and when we walk, we visualize them on our right shoulder — them, that is, the refuge tree; when we fall asleep, we visualize the refuge tree either in the heart or, as it were, at the foot of our bed, the place where we sleep. When we take food, we visualize the refuge tree at the throat and imagine that this food is an offering to the objects of refuge. And we practice in this way, as it is said, in all four activities — that is, moving, abiding, sleeping, eating.

And this is a very important method — the method of never parting from the refuge tree in any of our activity.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] And at first this may seem difficult, but we must practice it, train in it again and again, and then it will no longer be difficult; we will get used to it, and it will become easy for us. .

And what is the benefit of this? That this blessing, the help of the buddhas, bodhisattvas, all the deities of the three roots, will be with us always. And whatever we do, whether it be any worldly activity or our practice, there will always be present this power of blessing. . . And then we no longer need to worry, to fear that something will not work out for us, whatever we do, because the power of blessing will always be with us, once we get used to it, once this connection with the objects of refuge, with the Three Jewels, with the three roots, becomes uninterrupted; because within the three roots, the Three Jewels, are contained all the enlightened beings, all the deities, peaceful and wrathful. And, as it were, all their help, all their qualities, all their powers will be with us all the time, if we train and achieve that we are constantly inseparable from the objects of refuge.

And then we should no longer have, how to put it, the worry that I am alone, I have no friends, I have no helper. Just imagine how many deities, teachers are present in the refuge tree. There are so very many of them. And just imagine that you are with them all the time, that you are surrounded by them all the time. That is, you can never think: I am alone. Imagine how many there are, and that they are always with you.

We must understand that together with them everything is within our power. That is, we can no longer think that I lack the strength for something, or that we lack the courage to do something because we doubt our own strength; rather, we must understand that together with all the objects of refuge, together with the refuge tree, we can do everything. That is, there is nothing that would be beyond our power. What we cannot do alone, that, together with them, we will surely be able to do. And we must develop within ourselves this understanding and this confidence. This again comes from the understanding that all these objects of refuge, the refuge tree, are inseparable from us.

And therefore their power is our power. And whatever we undertake, whatever ideas or intentions we may have, we can accomplish it with their help, with their power.

[Tibetan verse] We need to understand this — that it is precisely the objects of refuge, the refuge tree, that are — that are such companions of ours, possessing power, noble qualities, blessings. And it is precisely this practice of taking refuge, of joining with the objects of refuge, that is the foundation for attaining happiness, because in the end we all strive for happiness, we want to be healthy — but how are we to obtain this? And the foundation — the foundation for our welfare, for our, so to speak, fortunate progress from life to life, is precisely the practice of refuge, and we must remember this precisely as the foundation, the foundation of our happiness, our welfare.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] That is, again we must understand for ourselves the reason why refuge, why the practice of refuge brings such benefit, because it is precisely this practice that is the cause — the cause of happiness, the cause of welfare — because the objects of refuge have this power. We must understand that the power lies with them. And if we take refuge, then it is precisely this power that brings us benefit and happiness. And understanding this, we carry out this practice, we understand its noble qualities, its result, its benefit.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] In the Longchen Nyingtik tradition the practice of taking refuge is performed as one of the preliminary practices, and the accumulation is done in the amount of one hundred thousand. And in all, in the preliminary practices, there are five accumulations of one hundred thousand each. And it may seem to us that this is so much. And when we do the refuge practice, we may also think: why so much, one hundred thousand? But when we understand that it is precisely this that creates the foundation for our happiness, for lasting happiness and welfare, then it no longer seems to us so much. And this tradition was given or explained also by Patrul Rinpoche.

And now, when we do these preliminary practices, we must understand in general why we do this.

But if we understand that this creates the foundation for firm, lasting welfare, which is, after all, what we strive for, then it no longer seems to us that this is so much. But having done this accumulation, these preliminary practices, it creates a foundation, creates a basis for practice and for our welfare.

[Tibetan verse] And on the one hand, the practice of taking refuge is the foundation for welfare, and on the other hand, for attaining liberation we need to remove obstacles. In this sense the practice of taking refuge is also, let us say, supreme for removing obstacles, because these enlightened beings, the objects of refuge, have this power of which we spoke, the power to remove obstacles. And by turning to them and practicing, taking refuge with faith and devotion, we create the conditions for the removal of obstacles. That is, yes, Rinpoche says, we need our path to be free of obstacles, our path to attaining liberation. And we need to remove obstacles in order to advance along it and reach the goal. And in this sense the supreme method for removing obstacles is also the practice of refuge, when we turn to the objects of refuge.

And they, as was said, our unchanging, most faithful friends and helpers, help us in removing obstacles, because their power is great. We must resolve this for ourselves, we must understand this, we must have confidence in it, we must have no doubts that it is precisely they who are our most devoted, unchanging friends, helpers. It is precisely they who remove obstacles on the path; they have this power.

Yes, I have not yet said that these objects of refuge are also called, how to put it, protectors — that is, they are our protectors and patrons, if one may say so. And speaking of who is present in the refuge tree, we say that all the deities and all the objects of refuge can be gathered into the dharmakaya — Samantabhadra; the sambhogakaya — Vajrasattva; and the nirmanakaya; usually we speak of the lotus-born Padmasambhava, we speak of them as the central objects of refuge, as the dharmakaya, the sambhogakaya, and the nirmanakaya, who unite within themselves all the other objects of refuge.

Yes, in the sambhogakaya — Samantabhadri, look: dharmakaya — Samantabhadri, sambhogakaya — Vajrasattva, nirmanakaya — Padmasambhava. Then we say that their manifestations are countless, but their realization, their state of mind, are not distinct from one another.

[Tibetan verse] And what is important here, what is the cause for obtaining this blessing — it is our faith and devotion. That is, when we have stable faith and devotion toward the objects of refuge, then this enormous benefit, this turning to them — then their boundless blessing, we can receive it. And this practice — through deep, strong faith and devotion, the receiving of blessing and power from the refuge — is called guru yoga.

And when we understand, or, how to put it, contemplate, practice, that our mind, our own mind, is not separate from the objects of refuge, when we join, unite with the objects of refuge, and when we know how to do this, how to practice this, then we accomplish all the stages — . the view, the meditation, the conduct. That is, when we do such guru yoga, when we abide in the indivisibility of our own mind and, as it were, the mind — the enlightened mind — of the objects of refuge, then here all the stages of practice are complete. And it is precisely then that we receive this supreme blessing.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] And in order to carry out the practice, we must know how to do it; that is, it is very important to know the method. Besides, it is necessary to understand the meaning and the benefit. And sometimes we may think that this practice of taking refuge is not so important. But in fact, as was explained, it is very important. And we should not, how to put it, underestimate it. We should not underestimate either its power or its benefit, nor .

its role as the foundation; because, yes, as Rinpoche says, if we build, how to put it, a house well, say, on a swamp, in some unstable place, without a foundation, without a base, will it stand, will it be a reliable house? No, it will not. Obviously, if there is some unstable ground there, then it will not. Therefore we should not underestimate the practice of refuge, we should not belittle it. We must understand that it is such a very important foundation for our practice, for those who walk the path of Dharma, who carry out the practice of Dharma; and for our practice such a reliable, stable foundation is necessary. [Tibetan verse] That is, if — yes, you will choose — what will you choose, something beautiful or something reliable, stable — what will your choice be?

Because one can also build a beautiful house on a swamp. But what will the choice be — in favor of something stable, reliable, or simply of something that looks good?

[Tibetan verse] Yes, and why did Rinpoche say that sometimes, again, we underestimate the practice of taking refuge, because we consider that we are practicing the Great Perfection. Yes, that is, supposedly the practice of refuge — we, as it were, no longer value it, no longer consider it so profound, so important, so necessary. But in fact, if we consider that we have a great and important task — the attainment of liberation, and this is not some small, insignificant matter, it is a very serious matter, and for it we also need a firm basis, a stable foundation. Rinpoche says: it is not so hard to make something beautiful, attractive, but to create something truly stable, to create something very reliable — for that effort is required; and for our practice, for our great, serious task, the attainment of liberation, this reliable foundation is needed.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] That is, Rinpoche urges us to remember the importance of the preliminary practices — the thoughts that, let us say, change our mind, train our mind, what is called lojong in Tibetan — that is, mind training. Then the practices of taking refuge, of generating bodhichitta — we should not underestimate them, we should not think that they are not so important, or something. They are very important. This creates that foundation on which our practice then gains power and brings the result. Because, as was said, we need a great result. We have a great goal, and an important one.

And in order to attain it, we need to build our path. And we need this reliable and stable foundation. And under no circumstances should these preliminary practices be underestimated. And we must understand their significance, their power as the foundation for our path, for our attainment of liberation.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] That is, Rinpoche says that it is worth spending time on explaining this, because it truly has great value. And it is both the hope and the aim of Rinpoche that our practice be stable, be successful. It is precisely for this reason that Rinpoche has devoted so much time to explaining the necessity of these preliminary practices, the necessity of creating a reliable foundation. It is precisely because Rinpoche very much hopes that the teaching, the practice, will bring fruit, and therefore he considers it necessary to explain all of this, so that there be benefit, so that there be good for us, for the practitioners. [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] Rinpoche says: although we do not have very much time, this time we have five days. And Rinpoche very much hopes that during this time we will all be able to gain great benefit — even in this short time Rinpoche hopes that the teachings will bring great benefit.

We have the opportunity to receive these teachings thanks to our karma, thanks to our aspirations, thanks to our good fortune. And Rinpoche very much hopes for the benefit of these teachings, and likewise considers it necessary to explain how to create this reliable, stable foundation for our practice, so that it brings the result, so that it brings the greatest benefit.

And Rinpoche says that tomorrow and the day after we will receive teachings on Patrul Rinpoche — the special teaching of the wise and glorious king. And last time, two years ago, we went through the first section of these teachings, and now we will receive the second and the third.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] And when we receive the teaching of the Great Perfection, it does not mean that here we do not apply the practice of taking refuge that was explained today. .

No. On the contrary, we turn to the objects of refuge, we take refuge, and we receive this blessing, the power for the path of the Great Perfection. We might think that in the teachings of the Great Perfection there are no deity practices and so on, but this is not so, because the teachings of the Great Perfection, they unite within themselves all practices, because the view of the Great Perfection embraces all paths and all practices; and therefore we should not think that it is something separate, separate from the preliminary practices, separate from the deity practices. No. The Great Perfection is, as it were, a special path, but the view of the Great Perfection embraces and unites all paths without exception. And it is said that the teachings of the Great Perfection are the shortest path, the swiftest path, but there is no contradiction with the other teachings.

[Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] [Tibetan verse] That is, in this way the teachings of the Great Perfection unite all the other teachings. Because, yes, for example, we say that in the teaching of the Great Perfection this view is the view of the dharmakaya. We speak of the primordially pure ground. And just imagine — this view of the primordially pure ground — is it easy to visualize within it a deity, the refuge tree? Yes, it is easy; there is no contradiction here. And therefore it is said that the teachings of the Great Perfection unite, they do not contradict, all other paths and teachings.

Rinpoche says: yes, with this we will conclude for today, because it is already late; some of you arrived by 6:30. So a great deal of time has already passed, and with this we will conclude for today.