The Dzogchen Primer

by Marcia Schmidt

  Secondly, for arousing the bodhichitta of application, form the thought: From this very moment and for as long as samsara is not emptied, without being distracted for even a single moment, I will accomplish the welfare of beings in manifold ways. Repeat the above supplication, after which you should say three times:

  From this very moment until samsara is emptied, I, ——, will persistently generate the firm intention to gradually train, carry out and perfect the six paramitas and the four means of magnetizing. Just as the buddhas of the past and all the bodhisattvas by means of the perfect life-examples of the paths and bhumis, were endowed with the root and branch vows, in that way I also will train, carry out, and perfect them. Please regard me as a bodhisattva.

  The master then says, So be it! and the disciple, It is good! It is meaningful! After having repeated the above three times, one has obtained the vow.

  In order to keep the vow unimpaired from that moment on, the master should instruct the disciple in the precepts. The disciple should then offer a gift and perform an extensive offering of thanksgiving.

  From that moment on it is of the greatest importance to continuously exert oneself in arousing bodhichitta and in the trainings of bodhichitta, like the steady flow of a river.

  7. The Benefits

  The benefits of training in the bodhichitta you have thus developed are as follows. Elevated above the shravakas and pratyekabuddhas, you are included in the assembly of Mahayana practitioners. Your disturbing emotions, misdeeds, and obscurations are all annihilated from their very root. All the virtuous actions of your body, speech, and mind become causes for what is meaningful, and a vast gathering of merit will be perfected in your being. You will always be watched over by the buddhas and bodhisattvas and the great protectors of the Dharma. All sentient beings will love you as their own child and find you beautiful to behold. You will never be separated from the Mahayana teachings.

  In short, you will quickly accomplish the superior qualities of buddhahood and awaken to true and complete enlightenment. Thus the qualities are inconceivable. Therefore be persistent in just this.

  8. The Reasons for Training

  It may be sufficient to attain liberation by yourself alone, so why should you liberate all sentient beings from samsara? Since all beings are your own parents, your debt of gratitude is inconceivably great, and so you need to train in order to repay their kindness.

  Their kindness consists in forming the basis for your life and body; raising you from childhood with the best food and drink; undertaking all kinds of pain and difficulties for your benefit; cherishing you as higher than themselves, more important even than their own hearts.

  Moreover, they have endowed you with wealth and possessions, educated you, connected you to the sacred Dharma, and so forth. Because of the inconceivably great kindness of these parents, you must liberate them all from samsara. Since all sentient beings have the basic cause, the essence of enlightenment, you are also connected with them and so you must liberate them all from samsara.

  Tsogyal, if you desire happiness for yourself alone, you have no connection to perfect buddhahood.

  9. The Shortcomings of Not Training

  The defects of not training are as follows. Having fallen to the level of being a shravaka and pratyekabuddha, you are hindered in attaining the great enlightenment; all the actions you perform become futile; all the merit you have accumulated in the past will be exhausted; you will always be hampered by spirits; others will feel hostile and dislike you. In short, your wishes will never be fulfilled and so forth. Thus there are countless shortcomings.

  Tsogyal, how silly it is to expect to be a Mahayana follower without possessing bodhichitta.

  10. The Precepts

  There are two types of precepts to observe. For the precept of the bodhichitta of aspiration you must train again and again in bodhichitta with the intention to never forsake sentient beings. The bodhichitta of aspiration is impaired if:

  — preceded by the intention to reject another sentient being, you get angry or physically hit another person and allow one day to pass without applying an antidote.

  — preceded by the intention to deceive your master, teacher, vajra friend, or anyone else worthy of respect, you deceive them and let one day pass without applying an antidote.

  — you cause someone to regret a vast root of merit he has created, which is an object for rejoicing and not for feeling regret. This occurs when, preceded by the intention to make him feel remorse, you say, “There is something superior to this! This is not excellent!”

  — motivated by anger, you utter a sentence of criticism to a bodhisattva who has developed bodhichitta.

  — without compassion, you deceive another sentient being.

  These deeds are called the five perverted actions if you allow one day to pass without counteracting them with an antidote. Give them up as they will cause you to lose your vow of aspiration.

  Tsogyal, you can be ruined by taking many precepts that you do not keep.

  There are, moreover, five actions to which you should adhere.

  1. As an antidote to showing anger or beating sentient beings, you should always be peaceful and gentle and try to help them.

  2. As an antidote to deceiving someone worthy of respect, you should be conscientious and never lie even at the cost of your life.

  3. As an antidote to causing others to feel regret, establish all sentient beings in the virtue that leads to the great enlightenment of the buddhas.

  4. As an antidote to criticizing others out of anger, you should praise all followers of the Mahayana while regarding them as your teachers.

  5. As an antidote to deceiving sentient beings, you should take your own mind as witness and, with pure intention, follow those who are stable.

  Adhere to these deeds and you will be a holder of the teachings of Shakyamuni even though you are born as a woman.

  Secondly, the precepts of the bodhichitta of application will be explained under three points: (1) the ten nonvirtues to be abandoned, (2) the ten virtuous actions that are the antidotes, and (3) the ten paramitas that are to be engaged in.

  THE TEN NONVIRTUES

  Among the ten nonvirtues, there are first the three physical deeds: killing, taking what is not given, and engaging in sexual misconduct.

  Killing. The essence of killing is to interrupt the continuation of life. There are three types enacted by the three poisons:

  1. Killing out of desire means to slaughter animals due to desire for their meat, skin, and so forth.

  2. Killing out of anger means, for example, to murder another with a vicious intention.

  3. Killing out of delusion means to kill without intention, for example, when a child kills a bird or an ant dies by being trodden on.

  Sentient beings who are not free from the three poisons have no happiness.

  The act of killing is completed when committed by means of the following four aspects:

  1. The preceding thought of intending “I will do such a misdeed!”

  2. The deliberate engagement in the act and pursuing it with effort.

  3. The actual deed of killing, experiencing the act.

  4. The conclusion of rejoicing in the act without feeling regret.

  The results of killing appear in three ways.

  1. The result of ripening is that by killing out of desire you will mainly be reborn as a hungry ghost, by killing out of anger you will mostly be reborn in the hells, and by killing out of delusion you will mainly be reborn as an animal.

  2. The result of the dominant action is that, dominated by the former unvirtuous action, you will have a short life span and much sickness even if you take rebirth as a human being.

  3. The result corresponding to the cause is that you will take pleasure in the act of killing, due to your former habitual tendencies.

  Tsogyal, therefore we should not commit these actions. The sutras teach that if you put effort into abandoning these actions you will turn away f
rom the previous result of ripening, the result corresponding to the cause, and the dominant result. Then you will attain the abundant happiness of gods and men.

  Taking What Is Not Given. The essence of the second physical nonvirtue, taking what is not given, is the act of making another person’s possession your own.

  This nonvirtue includes taking by force, for example, robbing in open daylight, taking by sneak such as stealing unnoticed, and taking by deceit, for example, dishonesty with weights and scales.

  Tsogyal, people who have not turned away from desire possess no happiness.

  Just as before, this action is consummated when four aspects are complete, and the results are again of three types:

  1. The result of ripening is that you fall into the three lower realms according to whether the act is done to a greater, medium, or lesser degree. In particular, you will be reborn as a hungry ghost.

  2. The dominant result will be that, even if you are reborn as a human being, you will have few possessions and encounter a lot of thievery and robbery.

  3. The result corresponding to the cause is that, due to this unwholesome habitual tendency being accumulated in the all-ground, you will delight in taking what is not given in future lives.

  Tsogyal, if you give up committing such actions you will have three results. You will obtain the opposite of the previous three results, such as being reborn in the forms of gods and men, having much wealth, and so forth.

  Sexual Misconduct. The essence of the third physical nonvirtue, sexual misconduct, is the act of engaging in intercourse with an object of desire with whom one has no authority to do so.

  When divided, there are the following kinds:

  1. It is unsuitable for a commoner to have intercourse with someone under the guardianship of a king, such as his queen.

  2. It is unsuitable to have intercourse with someone prohibited by the law.

  3. In India, it is unsuitable to have casual intercourse with someone under the guardianship of parents, since men and women not in their own household are protected by their parents.

  4. It is unsuitable to have intercourse with someone protected by “civilized principles,” which means someone with whom it is shameful, such as a mother or a sister.

  5. It is unsuitable to have intercourse with someone under the guardianship of the sacred Dharma, such as the guru’s consort, an ordained person, and so forth.

  Lustful people do not enter the path of liberation. Tsogyal, apply the antidote.

  There are also occasions on which it is unsuitable to have intercourse even with your rightful companion:

  1. It is unsuitable to have intercourse at an inappropriate time such as on the full moon, the new moon, and the eighth day.

  2. It is unsuitable to have intercourse in an inappropriate location, such as in the presence of a shrine for the Three Jewels.

  3. It is unsuitable to have intercourse in an inappropriate orifice, such as engaging in the manner of animals.

  Tsogyal, in general people who have not abandoned the life of householders are trapped in the prison of Mara.

  As before, the act of sexual misconduct is consummated by means of the four completing aspects, and again there are three types of results:

  1. Through the result of ripening you will be reborn in the three lower realms. Even if you do take rebirth in the higher realms, you will have fights with your spouse and so forth.

  2. The dominant result is that even in future lives your helpers, spouse, and so forth will be unresponsive and show various acts of ingratitude.

  3. The result corresponding to the cause is that your unwholesome habitual tendencies will cause you to take pleasure in sexual misconduct.

  Tsogyal, if you give up these acts and refrain from engaging in them, you will obtain the opposites of their results, so abandoning them is of great importance.

  Secondly, there are four types of verbal nonvirtues.

  Telling Lies. The essence of the first, telling lies, is to verbally state that something untrue is true.

  When divided, there are the following kinds:

  1. There are lies that neither benefit nor harm, such as the lies of an old senile man.

  2. There are lies that do benefit or harm, such as benefiting one person while harming another.

  3. The “lie of having supreme human qualities” means that you claim to possess such qualities in your stream-of-being, such as higher perceptions, when you do not.

  Tsogyal, do not utter a lot of thoughtless words.

  As before, the act of telling lies is consummated by means of the four completing aspects, and again there are three types of result:

  1. The result of ripening is that you fall into the lower realms.

  2. The dominant result is that even if you are reborn as a human, your voice will hold no power.

  3. The result corresponding to the cause is that in future lives you will again delight in telling lies.

  Tsogyal, if you give up these acts you will obtain the opposites of their results, so abandoning them is of great importance.

  Divisive Talk. The essence of the second verbal nonvirtue, divisive talk, is the act of separating people who are good friends.

  When divided, there are the following types:

  1. Public divisive talk by talking directly to someone’s face.

  2. Indirect divisive talk by talking in a roundabout way.

  3. Private divisive talk by talking to others individually.

  Tsogyal, people who cannot keep their lips tight will have no happiness.

  The four completing aspects are just as before, and there are again three types of results:

  1. The result of ripening is that you will fall into the three lower realms.

  2. The dominant result is that, even if you take rebirth as a human being, you will have few friends and many arguments. You will always have many regrets and be disliked by everyone, and whatever you utter will be ineffective.

  3. The result corresponding to the cause is that in future lives you will again take pleasure in divisive talk.

  Tsogyal, if we abandon such acts we will attain the opposites of their results, so it is important to abandon them.

  Idle Gossip. The essence of the third verbal nonvirtue, idle gossip, is to waste free time.

  When divided, there are the following types:

  1. Shamanistic incantations.

  2. Storytelling and word games.

  3. Bantering conversation.

  Just as before, it is consummated by the four aspects and will have these three types of results:

  1. The result of ripening is that you will fall into the three lower realms.

  2. The dominant result is that, even if you are reborn as a human being, your words will be undignified, babbling, and unconnected.

  3. The result corresponding to the cause is that in future lives you will again take pleasure in uttering idle gossip.

  Tsogyal, if you give up these acts you will attain the opposite of their results, so do not be fond of pointless chatter.

  Harsh Words. The essence of the fourth verbal nonvirtue, harsh words, is talk that hurts another person.

  When divided, there are the following kinds:

  1. Exposing someone’s faults in public.

  2. Hurting someone indirectly.

  3. Uttering in private something that will hurt another person.

  Tsogyal, the fire of harsh words burns the heart of both yourself and others. The weapon of harsh words kills the life force of liberation.

  This act is consummated by the four completing aspects, and has the following three types of results:

  1. The result of ripening is to be reborn in the three lower realms.

  2. The dominant result is that, even if you take rebirth as a human being, whatever you say will be offensive to others and you will always appear to aggravate them.

  3. The result corresponding to the cause is that you will be fond of speaking harsh words.

  Tso
gyal, if you abandon these actions you will attain the results of their opposites. The sentient beings of the dark age have no happiness.

  Thirdly, there are three mental nonvirtues.

  Covetousness. The essence of the first, covetousness, is attachment to something excellent.

  When divided, there are the following types:

  1. Refraining from giving away your own possessions.

  2. Desiring to make others’ possessions belong to yourself.

  3. Attachment to something excellent that belongs to neither oneself nor others.

  Tsogyal, do not hold on to ownership of material things. Dharma practitioners with no understanding of impermanence have no happiness.

  This action is consummated by the four aspects and has the following three results:

  1. The result of ripening is rebirth in the three lower realms.