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.

Facing Fear

Article

Fear is a reactive mechanism that operates when our identity is threatened. It works to erode or dissipate attention. We move into one of the six realms and react: destroy the threat or seek revenge (hell being), grasp at safety and security (hungry ghost), focus on survival (animal), pursue pleasure as compensation (human), vie for superiority (titan), or protect status and position (god). Because we are less present to what is actually taking place, our actions are correspondingly less appropriate and less effective. We go to sleep in our beliefs and ignore the consequences of maintaining them.

Man in a suit standing on the edge of a cliff, staring into the chasm between two cliff walls, holding a briefcase, with an overcast sky behind him.

Traditional Session Prayers

Practice Material

Traditional prayers, refuge, bodhicitta, dedication, for opening and closing daily meditation sessions

Stained glass windows depicting religious figures and scenes, set in tall, arched frames.

Niguma – The Magic of Faith

Practice Material

A union with teacher (or guru yoga) practice based on Niguma, the originator of the Shangpa Kagyu tradition.

Thangka-style depiction of Niguma, seated on a lotus, holding a skull cup and teaching implements, with a serene expression.

Four Immeasurables – practice

Practice Material

Verses for the practice of the four immeasurables (or the four brahmaviharas). These verses incorporate elements from Theravada, Mahayana, and Dzogchen approaches to the four immeasurables.

Soft-focus golden lights forming a glowing triangular shape against a deep red background.

Five Elements

Practice Material

Pairs of verses for each of the five elements. The first verse in each pair describes the elemental reaction chain and the second one the transformation of reaction into the corresponding aspect of timeless awareness.

Abstract painting with flowing organic shapes in blue, green, red, silver, and gold.

Contemporary Session Prayers

Practice Material

Goodness comes from this practice now done.
Let me not hold it just in me.
Let it spread to all that is known
And awaken good throughout the world.

Dry, golden grass on a sunlit hillside, with a small arrow sign at the edge of a steep slope.