Mahamudra Teachings and Medicine Buddha Teachings (Audio and Unedited Transcript)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Crestone, CO USA June 2008 (Archive #1711)

These teachings were given in June 2008 at the White Eagle Conference Center in Crestone, Colorado. Included is the oral transmission of the First Panchen Lama's Root Text for the Precious Gelug/Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra.

You can also listen to the Chinese translation of the teachings here. Read the edited transcripts of these teachings here.

Day Two Part C: Recognizing Wrong Concepts; Sutra Mahamudra

... Your mind merely impute this is A, this is A, merely impute, merely impute, your mind merely think of this label, your mind merely think of this label, A, like that, with the belief.

Then, next, then there’s the appearance, then there’s appearance, okay, then there’s the appearance that this is A, then you see that this as A, the last, then you see that this is A. So, to be able to see that this is A, so, there is other, how to say, there is a whole evolution, your seeing A [snaps finger] that doesn’t happen, it has, how to say, graduation, evolution.

So, so now, here, so this might be helpful, this can be quite helpful, for discovery, this meditation, the real, say, might be of some help to, the most important discovery in the life to realize what is false, what is the truth, in your life. Lack of that, lack of that realization, discovery, lack of that realization, if you don’t have that realization, then what there is ignorance, not knowing, then that’s why, because of this ignorance not knowing what is reality, what is truth, what is false, not realizing that, and believing the false as truth, believing the false view, believing the false, all these hallucinations as a reality, as truth, reality, so, that, and total believed that’s true, ignorance, so, that’s why we have been suffering, die and reborn, die and reborn, in the six realms and experience all the sufferings of each realm, again and again, over and over, from beginningless rebirth. From beginningless rebirth, we haven’t ceased this ignorance, removed this ignorance, from beginningless rebirth.

So, not having realized the truth of the I, the aggregates, the phenomena, so, however, the emptiness. I’m not talking nothing exists, not talking that, I’m not talking nihilism.

So anyway, so from beginningless rebirth, there’s continuity of ignorance, so, that’s why, that’s why always die and reborn. Why this happening? Why we have to die, always born and dying, so due to ignorance. So, this ignorance is what, I think I might also have mentioned yesterday, but, creates, what creates death, what creates death, rebirth, those two, and then all the between, same, all the sufferings. So, anyway, by, say, created by ignorance, in Tibetan term, marigpa, marigpa, the ?ti mu ten dzin ma rig pa, so the ?ti mu, ignorance, ten dzin, holding true existence, holding the phenomena truly existence, holding the I, I, as truly existent while it’s not, while it’s empty of that, holding the aggregates truly existent while it’s not, while it’s totally empty of that, so like that. Then all the rest of the phenomena, that.

So, anyway, so here, what I was going to say, so now, so the mahamudra, so here, so the, so this is, this is unbelievable, unbelievable, I don’t have many English words so I use the same, so the, it’s unbelievable, I mean, discovery, most ?interesting. [pause]

So realizing, recognizing the false view, that which is hallucination, that which is hallucination, recognizing how this is hallucination, then from that, which is wrong, recognizing that as wrong, then through that, then you see emptiness, then you see the very nature, the very nature of I, the very nature of, everything, forms, sounds, smells, tastes, so, same, the very nature of the mind, so the truth.

So, so it’s, [someone whispering] seems it’s time to go to sleep. I think we can go to sleep in emptiness.

Anyway, so, so it’s really, unbelievable the change, because, from beginningless rebirth, believing the hallucination is the reality, as reality, true, truth, that everything appears something real, something very real from its own side, so, truly existent, truly existent and existing from its own side, existing by nature, all these, in Tibetan it’s different, in the texts different names, but it all means the same. So, each word, if you think, if you think each word, it is interesting, say, the ?rang zhin kyi drub pa, existing by nature, because everything, so as I mentioned before, so when we look at the flowers, ?rang zhin kyi drub pa, existing by nature, that’s how it’s perceived, how it appeared, perceived. Then lights, red light, green light, the, existing by nature, existing by nature, from its own side, how to say, existing from, ?rang ngon kyi drub pa, existing its own side, den par drub pa, truly existent, so basically they’re the same, it’s the same but each word you can say exactly how things appear to you, and how you believe, the wrong way, the wrong one, not the truth, but the wrong one, exactly, the exact term.

So anyway, so here, now I’m going to stop. Because of that, then, that ignorance, so, believing in that, say, something which exists, the phenomena which exist in mere name, merely imputed by mind, including the I, action, object, all that, which exists you don’t see it, which exists in mere name, merely imputed by mind, you don’t see it, it’s unknown. So what you believe is true, reality, is the one which doesn’t exist, it’s completely. So, so that’s why when, the day when you, so that’s why the day when you, so, due to strong guru devotion, receiving blessings of the guru in your heart, the guru devotion is stronger than other times, then because of that, then you are receiving much blessing in, the guru’s blessing entered in your heart, and, then also, along with that, you’re doing intensive practice of purification, collecting merits, and then even a little meditation, even just one or two words, one or two words talking about your hallucination, one or two words, came from experienced lama, this, from Buddha’s teachings, however, one or two words, then that time, clicks [snaps fingers], it clicks [snaps fingers], for so many years you’ve been reciting, you’ve been reading, you don’t feel that, you don’t see that, you don’t feel that, you don’t see, your concept of what is truly existent, what exists by, what exists by nature or from its own side, all that, all those words, something else, you have been thinking something else, when you debate, when you debate Lama Tsongkhapa’s teaching in the monastery, when you debate, also nowadays the debate is also in some of the many other monasteries also they debate, because His Holiness emphasizes very much, the way of studying Dharma, debate, so, the, besides learning the meanings, commentaries, then debate is happening nowadays, I mean, not only Lama Tsongkhapa’s teaching, but also Kagyu, Nyingma, so happening, those large monasteries, then happening.

So, however, so with debate, even if you are debating, so you think those meanings, something else, so, you are, even though you are saying the same words, but your way of thinking is, wasn’t correct, thinking something else. So, anyway, then the day when, all the cause and conditions together, then when the two or three words, then that, so powerful, immediately it clicks [snaps fingers] to your mind, able to recognize, it becomes like mirror, to recognize the false I, that you have been believing from beginningless rebirth, not only from birth, not only from this morning, not only from birth, from beginningless, ?it’s true. Now, this moment, not true, totally not true. So I think those who are receiving blessing of the guru, and all the causes and conditions together, so, you realize this is, from there, this is, unbelievable discovery, because from there, then by developing this wisdom, ultimate wisdom, then you can, then, first conceptual realization, then by developing that, combined with the calm abiding, then you achieve great insight, then you, the extremely refined rapturous ecstasy of the body and mind, through, by doing ?analysis meditation unified with the calm abiding, then, by developing that, then you achieve the wisdom directly perceiving emptiness, you achieve the exalted path.

So then you directly cease, so there’s the path of the merit, the, which has lower, middle, great, so the, so within that there’s many other realizations, there’s from the side of the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment, from those, when you achieve those paths.

So, for example, in the case of, I just mention that, then finish. So the for the Mahayana path, the first path, path of merit, tsog lam, the path of merit, so that has, so when you achieve the, there are three levels, small, middle, great, when you achieve the great path, then there you see, wherever, wherever great path of merit is actualized, while you are working, while you are cleaning, doing service to the guru, or, wherever you are, whenever that [snaps fingers] happened, you see numberless buddhas, numberless buddhas you see because your mind is, becomes more pure, so, then you see numberless buddhas, in nirmanakaya aspect.

Then, for example, Kadampa Geshe Chayulwa, so the, these are the followers of Lama Atisha’s Kadampa teachings, the Kadampa lineage, Kadampa Geshe Chayulwa is one Kadampa geshe who is used, who is mentioned, one who is excellent, incomparable, in regards guru devotion practice.

So, when he is writing texts, when his guru, the minute when his guru, the minute when he hears his guru’s voice calling him, even if he is writing one syllable there, immediately stop, even for example, na, the Tibetan na, anyway, so, the minute when he hears his guru calling him, even, immediately stop the, that syllable na, stop and run and offer service to his guru, so like that. Or, while he is offering a mandala, he is doing his practice, offering mandala, then, even in the middle of it, the minute when he hear, he just immediately stop, and run to, so like that.

However, so he was cleaning his Guru, Kadampa Geshe Chen-ngawa, his hermitage room, Geshe Chayulwa was cleaning his Guru Chen-ngawa’s room. So one day, he put his, he put the garbage, on his robe, then he hold the garbage like this, then he went downstairs, third step or something like that, I’m not sure, went down, then immediately [snaps fingers], then there, he reached the level of realization, ?go lam, he reached the third level of the tsog lam, the merit path. Then, he see, when he reached the third level of step going down, while he was holding the garbage in the robe, shamtab, the lower robe, so he saw so many buddhas in nirmanakaya aspect, so like that.

So, anyway, then the second, path of prepar-, called preparatory path, so the, that Mahayana path, I’m talking here the Mahayana path, so the, because of bodhicitta so, even when you achieve the very first path, there are five paths to achieve enlightenment, Mahayana paths, the first one, Mahayana path, the merit, the great one, so you see buddhas, numberless buddhas in nirmanakaya aspect. Then the preparatory path, , then the, there are four levels: heat, tip, patience, and sublime Dharma, there are four levels within the second one. So I’m now going to stop soon, just this one.

So, the ?tö, the heat, so before the fire burning, actual fire coming, then, at the beginning the wood has to be, become hot, has to become hot. So like that, here, heat, this is on the way to, this is, next path is the right-seeing path, where you have a direct perception of emptiness, so ceases, which directly ceases the defilements. So, there’s the preparation, it has to be hot before flame comes from that, then, to burn, to abandon the delusions. Then, tip, this tip is, after this, there’s no heresy arising, no heresy arising after this. Then, patience, patience, then, from there, then you never get reborn in the lower realms, you never get reborn in the lower realms from there. Then sublime Dharma, then the, after that then the right-seeing path. So, anyway so, just very brief the, there is the, each, the, post meditation, following the achievement, and then the equipoise meditation, the two. Then the, within the equipoise meditation, there’s path without interruption, and the, there’s liberated path, how do you say? Liberated path, yeah. So, so you remove, there’s also the path which is none of that, same, which, is none of that.

So, however, by actualizing this path, the, the path without interruption, [Tibetan] so it’s antidote, the delusion there, then the liberated path, abandon, remove, so the disturbing thought obscuration, 112, get removed from there. Then the path of meditation, same, like that, the details within that. So, by that, then remove, the 16 delusions, removed there, like this.

Now, then subtle defilements, here I’m talking the Mahayana path not the Hinayana, Lesser Vehicle path, I’m talking Mahayana path, so then, Mahayana right-seeing path, Mahayana the path of meditation, so the remove, 116 the subtle defilements, and then by actualizing the path of meditation, also you remove 116 subtle defilements, like that.

So, this is just like a drop, very brief, so that’s how those paths remove the gross and subtle defilements. Then, to end up this, when the subtle defilements completely ceased, so then the, the state of omniscience is actualized, so like that.

So, here, now this, this unbelievable, this experience, you’re discovering, now you are discovering what is the hallucination and what is the truth, the emptiness. From beginningless rebirth, what you have been holding onto believing true, now you realize, totally false, totally false and empty, nothing exists, now you realize. What you have not been discovered, from beginningless rebirth, which exists but not known, unknown, undiscovered, now you see that, the conventional truth, truth for the all-obscuring mind, kun tsob kyi denpa, truth for the all-obscuring mind. I’m not sure the conventional truth, that become very common translation, but exactly how it fits with the Tibetan, I’m not sure.

So, truth for the all-obscuring mind. So however, by using the normal term that is commonly used so far, conventional truth, things, I exist, I, there’s I exists but in mere name, in mere name, merely imputed by mind. This, so, so this most subtle, unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable subtle, almost like it doesn’t exist. It’s not that it doesn’t exist, but it’s like it doesn’t exist, exists, but like doesn’t exist. The reality, how everything, how everything, reality.

So this is, sutra mahamudra, the, so this discovery, cut the ignorance, realize empty what we have been believing true from beginningless rebirth, and from there, then that’s how you can remove, that’s how you can liberate yourself from the, all this, all this superstitious thought, superstitious thought, all these wrong concepts, and karma. Remove even the seed of those delusions, then you achieve liberation. Of course there’s higher, then enlightenment, okay, for sentient beings.

So I think I’ll stop here, okay. So I think that’s it. So maybe you can do some, then meditate for a while. You can do some, then maybe can do tomorrow. You can do some.

So others who, English-speaking ones, now the English-speaking ones, now meditation. You got the idea so meditate.

So the many, many eons, many, many eons I have debts to Sophia, many many eons I have debts to owe her.

So the, but here, the sutra mahamudra, there’s one secret thing, that’s guru entering in the heart, that’s, it’s not just meditating on emptiness, the guru entering in the heart, that’s very, that’s another secret practice, so, that requires, great initiation, maha-anuttara tantric initiation, to be able to do that. So, here, basically, so the basically, so, this is meditation on emptiness, but, you have to do with that secret meditation, so that requires the great maha-anuttara tantra initiation received.

So, however, so those who have received billions of initiations, billions of billions of initiations, and, so, then nothing to say, so the, and those who haven’t received, those who haven’t received any maha-anuttara tantric initiation, so, so this is the [Tibetan] there’s one verse in mahamudra, also, in the, also, the, I think also other, I think also other Kagyu, Nyingma, those other teachings, this term is there. However, so if you let go, if you let go, then no doubt to achieve liberation, if you let go, if you let go, then no doubt to achieve liberation.

So if you hold so strongly this, to all these hallucinations, then thinking this is true, really exists, like this, and you let your mind hold on to this, then, you never let go, so, then never achieve liberation, so that’s what happens up to now. So if you let go, instead of clinging like this, you let go, then, no doubt to achieve liberation.

So from there, the, the I what has been, entrusted or, say, held by the ignorance, and then, instead of holding this is true, then instead of holding this is true, then, hold it, look at it, not true. Holding it as true, instead of this, then look at it false, look at it hallucination, total opposite, then, so then let go, then, you see ?in empty, then you see empty, emptiness, what you have been believing, what you have been believing from beginningless rebirth is not true, totally hold on, so suddenly here, see empty.

So from there, once that experience happens, then you got full confidence, confidence, you got full confidence that you can achieve liberation, that you can achieve liberation from samsara, okay, like that.

Then you go from there, also then, gives, same, with wisdom, so by, can cease the subtle defilements, achieve enlightenment.

So that’s it, so we dedicate the merits, past, present, and future merits collected by oneself, by others, may the bodhicitta be actualized in one’s heart, within one’s heart the loving kindness, compassion, bodhicitta, so as I talked about compassion just before, to actualize within one’s own heart, in one’s own family members, those who are living, those who passed away, we should do the same prayer, ?what you are doing yourself, towards also your family members, so those who are living, those who have passed away, and all the, and in the hearts of all sentient beings, okay, in all their hearts, without delay of even a second, and in whose heart bodhicitta generated, may it be increased.

So this is the most urgency dedication, okay, so like that.

And after that dedicate also, especially the leaders, in the hearts of the leaders of the whole world, bodhicitta to be generated within them, that’s extremely important, so that all the millions of people in each country, in their own country, all those so many million, then, will get so much peace and happiness, success.

Then, third, may the bodhicitta, due to all the three-time merits collected by me, collected by others, may the bodhicitta be actualized in the hearts of all the religious people, there are so many different religions, I don’t know how many, hundreds, thousands, to be generated in all their hearts, without delay even a second.

So this is extremely important, how much peace there will be in the world, so if there’s bodhicitta generated, loving kindness, compassion, then, it will help, the global warming situations, all those dangers, whatever, that’s happening now or future, or whatever, so, do not experience, so like that, okay.

Jang chhub sem chhog rin po chhe…. [3x]

Due to all the three-time merits collected by me and by others, may His Holiness, the embodiment of all the buddhas’ compassion, the, in human form, His Holiness the Dalai Lama to have stable life, all the holy wishes to be succeed immediately, that.

Gang ri ra wäi khor wä zhing kham dir….

Tong nyi nying je zung du jug päi lam….

Päl dän la mai ku tshe tän pa dang….


Dedicate the merits also other gurus, same.

Then may all the, due to all the three-time merits collected by me, three-time merits collected by others, may, then all the father, mother sentient beings have happiness, may the three lower realm beings empty forever, may all the bodhisattvas’ prayers be succeed immediately.
So the prayer include everything, that prayer includes all you need, all you need is there, all sentient beings, so, that we able to do that.