Opening a Path to the Sea of Awakening Mind

Practice Material

I and all beings, in their infinities,
Whether demonic, crippling or alien,
Are, in the end, the same in emptiness.
Confused is the person who takes what is empty as real.

Waves breaking against a black sand beach, under a blue sky with clouds.

Mind Training in Eight Verses

Practice Material

No matter where, no matter who,
In no way am I better, I deem.
As for others, in my heart
I hold them humbly in high esteem.

Street sign with two arrows pointing in opposite directions, labeled “Victory” and “Defeat,” against a blue sky.

Milarepa's Song to Lady Paldarboom

Practice Material

Ah, Lady Paldarboom
Fortunate and devoted student,

Take the sky as an example,
Practice without any sense of limit or position.

Take the sun and moon as examples,
Practice without any sense of clarity or distortion.

Traditional Tibetan thangka painting of Milarepa seated outdoors, wearing white robes.

Longchenpa's 30 Pieces of Sincere Advice

Practice Material

You make an effort at practice and become a good and knowledgeable person.
You may even master some particular capabilities.
But whatever you attach to will tie you up.
Be unbiased and know how to let things be – that’s my sincere advice

Older man typing on a typewriter with books and papers nearby.

How I Live The Practice

Practice Material

I wander in the state of no coming or going.
The zombies of appearances of the eight concerns,
The cannibal demons of compliance with social convention,
The sirens of meaningful projects to undertake,
The whole crowd of emotional reactions to anything that arises,
All become my servants and are swept away in the vast ocean of pure being.

Abstract motion-blur image of people walking, rendered in blue and white tones, creating a sense of movement and anonymity.

Eight Thoughts of Great Individuals

Practice Material

As long as I dwell in the world, may not a single thought of harming others arise in my mind.
May I strive energetically for the welfare of beings, not faltering even for a moment from discouragement or fatigue.

Color photo of Kalu Rinpoche wearing red and yellow robes, smiling warmly, with a green background.

Devotion Pierces My Heart

Practice Material

Even with a free and well-favored birth, I waste this life.
The meaningless activities of conventional life constantly distract me.
When I work at freedom, which is truly important, laziness carries me away.
Because I am turning away from a land of jewels with my hands empty,
Guru, think of me: look upon me quickly with compassion.
Grant me energy to make my life worthwhile.

Traditional Tibetan thangka depicting a seated lama in red robes teaching, surrounded by disciples and ornate details.

Daily Bodhisattva Vow

Practice Material

This day my life is fruitful.
I have claimed my human heritage.
Today I am born into the family of the awakened.
Now I am a child of buddha.
From now on I will do only what befits this family.
I will do nothing to disgrace this noble and faultless family.

Thangka of a bodhisattva figure seated in meditation, with two hands at the heart and two hands holding lotus flowers, framed by an ornate halo.

Dakini Song

Practice Material

When wanting and grasping hold sway
The dakini has you in her power.
Wanting nothing from outside, taking things as they come,
Know the dakini to be your own mind.

Thangka of the lionhead dakini, a wrathful female figure, dancing amidst flames, holding a curved knife and skull cup.

Aspirations for Mahamudra

Practice Material

It doesn’t exist: even buddhas do not see it.
It doesn’t not exist: it is the basis of samsara and nirvana.
No contradiction: the middle way is union.
May I know the pure being of mind, free of extremes.

Tibetan thangka of a Ranjung Dorje in red robes seated on a throne, hands in the teaching mudra, with a decorative backdrop.

All the Matter in the World

Practice Material

All the matter of the world,
living and not living,
Appear as objects to my eyes.
Let me rest in the appearance of things,
without seeing them as things.

Close-up of a golden statue of Guru Rinpoche, Padmasambhava, showing the face and eyes in detail.

A Shower of Energy

Practice Material

In these ways, all experience, appearance, sound, or thought,
Are signs that point me to know directly the nature of being.
They are solely expressions of my magnificent teacher.
In recollecting your great kindness, I pray to you.
Give me the energy to know directly the nature of all experience.

Kalu Rinpoche in a yellow robe, smiling warmly with deep expression lines.

A Prayer Song to Mother Labkyi Drönma

Practice Material

Whatever appearances of happiness and suffering arise,
Look at their essence and they will spontaneously subside.
This is the mahamudra of making all tastes equal

Thangka of a dakini in dynamic dance, holding a curved knife and skull cup, surrounded by a halo of light.

A Light in the Dark: Dzogchen Pith Instructions from Ju Mipham

Practice Material

Now, as you experience this vague knowing in which there is no thought or movement, look at what knows that this is happening, look at what is mentally or emotionally inert, and rest there. Then you experience an awareness that is free from thought and movement, has no sense of inside or outside, and is utterly clear and transparent, like space. Experience and experiencing are not separate. Yet you are unshakeable about what you are, thinking, “This is all there is!”

Thangka of Ju Mipham seated cross-legged, holding a teaching text, with a serene expression and halo.