02 Nyung Ne Sadhana

Nyung Nay: Fasting Puja with the Great Compassionate One, Chenrezig Start the session with hands in the mudra of the lotus essence and say om payma utpa waye soha

I offer myself totally at all times to the Buddhas and bodhisattvas residing in the ten directions until reaching the essence of awakening. I request you to accept me and to grant the unsurpassed attainment of awakening. Taking Refuge and Generating Bodhicitta I take refuge until I am awakened in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. By the merit I create by engaging in generosity and the other far-reaching practices, may I attain Buddhahood in order to benefit of all sentient beings. (3x) With the thought wishing to liberate migrating beings, I shall always take refuge in the Buddhas, Dharma and Sangha until I reach the essence of awakening. With wisdom, compassion and enthusiasm for the welfare of sentient beings, I take a place in the presence of the Buddhas and generate the altruistic intention. (3x) The Foundation of All Good Qualities (first session) The kind and venerable spiritual mentor is the foundation of all good qualities. Seeing that dependence on him or her is the root of the path, I request inspiration to rely on him or her with great respect and continuous effort. A human life with leisure is obtained this once. Understanding that it has great value and is hard to find, I request inspiration to generate unceasingly the mind that takes hold of its essence day and night. The fluctuation of our body and life is like a bubble of water; remember death, for we perish so quickly. After death, the effects of black and white karma pursue us as a shadow follows a body. Finding certainty in this, I request inspiration to always be careful to abandon even the slightest destructive action and to complete the accumulation of virtue. There is no satisfaction in enjoying worldly pleasures. They are the door to all misery. Having realized that the fault of samsaric perfections is that they cannot be trusted, I request inspiration to be strongly intent on the bliss of liberation. That pure thought (to attain liberation) produces great conscientiousness, mindfulness, and awareness. I request inspiration to make the essential practice keeping the vows of individual liberation, the root of the doctrine.

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Having seen that all beings, my kind mothers, have fallen like me into the ocean of cyclic existence, I request inspiration to train in the supreme altruistic intention, assuming the responsibility to free all migrating beings. Generating the altruistic intention alone, without cultivation of the three ethical practices, does not lead to awakening. Having realized this, I request inspiration to practice with intense effort the vows of the conquerors and their spiritual children. By quieting distraction to false objects, and analyzing the meaning of reality, I request inspiration to generate quickly within my mind stream the path uniting serenity and insight. When, trained in the common path, I am a suitable vessel, I request inspiration to enter with ease the great gateway of the fortunate ones, the Vajrayana, the supreme of all vehicles. The basis of achieving the two powerful attainments is the pure vows and commitments that I have pledged. Having found true understanding of this, I request inspiration to keep them even at the cost of my life. Having realized the significance of the two stages,i which are the essence of the tantric path, I request inspiration to steadfastly practice without laziness the four sessions of yoga, and realize what the holy beings have taught. May the spiritual teachers who lead me on the sacred path and all spiritual friends who practice it have long life. Please inspire me to quickly and completely pacify all outer and inner hindrances. In all my rebirths may I never be separated from perfect spiritual mentors, and enjoy the magnificent Dharma. Completing all qualities of the stages and paths, may I quickly achieve the stage of Vajradhara. Taking the Eight Mahayana Precepts (first session) In front of me is my Guru, the Great Compassionate One surrounded by all the Victorious Ones and their spiritual children. All Buddhas and bodhisattvas residing in the ten directions, please pay attention to me! Preceptor, please pay attention to me! (omit if taking before a Buddha image.) Just as the past tathagatas, the foe destroyers and the completely perfect Buddhas, like the heavenly steed and the great elephant, accomplished their objective and did their task, laid down their load (of the contaminated aggregates), achieved their own purpose, consumed their ties to samsara; as they possessed perfect speech, a mind properly liberated, a wisdom properly liberated; just as they perfectly took the Mahayana precepts for the sake of all sentient beings, in order to bene-

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fit them, to liberate them, to eliminate famine, to eliminate sickness, to perfect the thirty-seven aids to awakening, and to realize the highest perfect awakening; In the same way, for the sake of all sentient beings, to benefit them, to liberate them, to eliminate famine, to eliminate sickness, to perfect the thirty-seven aids to awakening, and to realize the highest perfect awakening, I, (say your name), will also perfectly accept the Mahayana precepts from this moment until sunrise tomorrow. 3x Prayer of commitment to keep the precepts and the Dharani of Pure Morality From now on I will not kill, or take another's property. I will not engage in sexual activity and will not speak false words. I will totally avoid intoxicants, which are the cause of many faults. I will avoid eating food at improper times. I will not wear perfumes, garlands and ornaments, or sing, dance and so forth. Just as the foe destroyers abandoned killing and so forth, may I, by avoiding killing and so forth, quickly attain the highest awakening. May I be freed from the ocean of cyclic existence, this world disturbed by many sorrows. om ahmoga shila sambara bara bara maha shuda sato payma bibu kita budza dara dara samanta ahwalokite hum pey soha (21x) By having the flawless ethical conduct of the Dharma, pure ethical conduct, and ethical conduct without conceit, may I complete far-reaching ethical conduct. (End of the ceremony of taking precepts.) Requests to the Lineage of Spiritual Masters (First session. Condensed) The heavens of the dharmakaya are supreme, yet out of warmth, a hundred thousand moisturebearing clouds of non-referential compassion gather. I request Padmapani, skilled in sending a rainfall of attainments of benefit and bliss to limitless migrators. I request the ocean of varieties of emanations of the supreme arya, universally appearing as environments and inhabitants, apparitions of analytic wisdom and compassion unified with an allpervading nature, pure from the very beginning. Please inspire me so that Padmapani, who enjoys the Potala, may care for me closely like an only child. By drinking the essence of the nectar of the Mahayana, may I accomplish solely what is pleasing with my body, speech and mind. Please inspire me to let go of all the pleasures of cyclic existence, to be unattached to the bliss of my own peace, and to generate the supreme mind wishing to liberate mothers equal to space from the ocean of suffering. Please inspire me to eliminate ordinary appearance and grasping with the clear appearance and divine identity of the six deities: the deities of thusness, sound, letter, form, mudra and sign.

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Please inspire me to accomplish each and every common attainment through dependence on the concentration with four-branched repetition, and to complete perfect concentration with the yogas of absorption in fire and sound. Please inspire me to uproot the two obscurations with the great space-like concentration bestowing immaculate liberation that destroys all trust in grasping at signs, and with a mass of merit of skillful means. Please inspire me to attain soon the complete direct exalted wisdom regarding all phenomena, the wish-fulfilling form bodies with their nets of light, and to spontaneously achieve the enlightened activities, ripening and liberating migrators of the five families. Request to the Supreme Compassionate One (second session) Namo Guru Lokeshvaraya Praise to the beautiful Four-Armed Lord of the World, supreme embodiment of all the three-time conquerors, possessing supremacy, excellent holder of the lotus. Your stainless feet beautifully adorn my crown. May the karmic pollution of myself and others be washed away by your cool compassionate tear, great loving protector, sole refuge of pitiful, guideless migrating beings, you who first generated bodhicitta and then reached culmination. O merciful one, please behold with your compassionate eye the beings of unfortunate rebirths, caught in realms difficult to escape, experiencing individual results of negative actions as hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, demi-gods, and the rest. Behold with compassion the thoughtless ones who return empty-handed; even their high rebirths were without meaning. Their human bodies were so rare and fragile, but their lives were consumed only in suffering. Amidst their endless actions, the Lord of Death arrived. Behold with compassion tough-skinned beings like me, who maintain a religious manner but do not achieve the great meaning, being overwhelmed by attachment, hatred and the eight worldly concerns, without having subdued our minds by observing cause and effect. With compassion please lead those without refuge on the path; for when the vision of this life fades, the vision of their self-created karma arises as the enemy in the intermediate state, and they are taken on a precipitous route by Yama’s messenger. Look upon us with compassion, Guru Avalokiteshvara, mother attached by compassion to all sentient beings, who is the special, sole refuge of the Land of Snows. May I and all others quickly attain your state of awakening. Herein lies a request for blessings through lamentation to the Lord of the World, Avalokiteshvara, composed by the Master Chandrakirti.

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A Lamentation Requesting Blessings from the Great Compassionate One (third session) By Master Chandrakirti, Translated by Yangsi Rinpoche with Namdrol. I prostrate to the all-mighty Bodhisattva Chenrezig Arya Chenrezig, the great compassionate one, Your perfect body the color of a stainless conch, Beautified by a pure, luminous moon disk Like a thousand rays of sun shining in the sky Overshadowing the brilliant light of the dakas, Renowned as the teacher and guide of the beings of the three realms of existence, You are the single friend of all migratory beings. Loving compassion protector deity, please consider me. I, from beginningless time, Have wandered in cyclic existence on mistaken and abandoned paths Erring due to mistakes and non-virtues of the past. I deeply regret and feel sorrow for all of my misdeeds. By the force of my egotistical actions, I am sinking within the ocean of cyclic suffering, The blazing fire of anger burning my mind, The accumulated darkness of ignorance obscuring my wisdom. My consciousness is submerged within the ocean of attachment, The mountain of great pride forces me down to the lower realms, The swirling winds of jealousy distract me in samsara, I am bound by the tight knots of egotistical view. Fallen into this pit of desire, like a well of burning coals, The mire of violent suffering falls like rain. The fire element, the scorching sun, burns from above. The water element, the moisture of the earth, brings cold from below. Outside the bitter cold burns. Raging winds terrorize me to the depths of my heart. This suffering is intensely difficult to bear – How can you restrain yourself? All of this suffering I have confronted, Never abandoning aspiring faith for you, Supreme Arya. Noble protector, how could you think not to benefit beings? Loving protector, why won’t you show me compassion? Miserable by reason of birth, I am weary of karma.

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Though despondent from fatigue, the force of karma cannot be changed. Its impetus is like a stream of water And, like a hurricane, the power of karma is extremely difficult to reverse. These hardships are difficult to express. My body, speech, and mind come under the command of non-virtue. By the force of the fierce burning fire of negative karma, The miserable result of consciousness arises. If the aggregate – this body of illusion – cannot bear this Loving protector Chenrezig, can you bear it? When I seek to see the Compassionate One’s face, Luminous like the sun, lustrous like the moon, I cannot see with eyes afflicted By the eye-disease of beginningless ignorance. Protector of the world, where are you now? Unable to tolerate this terrible suffering, Reeling from the panic of extreme terror and fear, I utter this longing lamentation, A miserable, desperate plea for help. Loving protector Chenrezig, how can you bear it? When, at the time of death, I change my body, I will be separated from friends and relatives, taken by the Lord of Death. My worldly relatives will not want to let me go But, due to the power of karma, I will be taken alone If, at that time, no refuge exists for me Will you, loving protector, dismiss me into samsara? A being like me, oppressed by karma Due to wrong prayers from beginningless time Has not yet been released from the three realms, the place of samsara. As many times as I have taken rebirth over countless eons, Taking countless bodies which fell apart, If I collected the flesh and bones they would fill the world. If I collected the pus and blood it would equal the great ocean – But if I consider what remains of my karma, it is beyond thought, inexpressible. Although I have passed through the three realms countless times, All of my actions have been a meaningless waste. Among all of my possibly existent countless rebirths, If there had been only one in which I had completed a single action towards the unsurpassable purpose of enlightenment, From doing only that, there would have been some meaning

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Karma is powerful, and due to the great force of the afflictions Beings take bodies of flesh and blood and wander in samsara. Caught in the wretched misery of the prison of existence Due to my wrongdoings all of this fierce, inexhaustible suffering Arises from my own actions – I request you, with your great compassion, to cut this continuum And destroy the winds of affliction and karma. As I wander perpetually in the darkness of ignorance By the power of the winds of affliction and karma Can’t you see with the rays of your lamp of wisdom? Since I cannot endure the results of my wrong actions Won’t you carry out your compassionate enlightened activity? Since I suffer the sickness of the three poisons, so difficult to bear, Won’t you heal me with the skillful medicine of compassion? Since I plummet from the cliff of wrong views, Won’t you catch me with your compassionate hand? Since I burn in the great suffering fire of karma, Won’t you allow the cooling continuum of the water of your compassion to fall upon me? Once I have purified my karma in the three realms of cyclic existence And obtained my goal, At that time your great compassion will be of no benefit to me. If you disregard the karmic propensities of sentient beings For whom will your great compassion act? To you, supreme tamer of beings, endowed with the power of compassion, Please don’t be careless, indifferent or lazy – Compassionate victor, from your heart, look upon me! Translated by Yangsi Rinpoche with Namdrol. Self-generation Instantly I arise as the Great Compassionate One. Consecrating the Offerings om pay may tatrita hum pay om sobhawa shudo sarwa dharma sobhawa shudo ham The offering substances become empty. Within the sphere of emptiness, from eight bhrum’s eight vast and extensive precious vessels arise. Within each, om melts into light from which arise

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drinking water, water to bathe the feet, flowers, incense, lights, perfume, food and music. Empty in nature, they have the aspect of the individual offerings and function to bestow special uncontaminated bliss. om argham, padyam, pupay, dupay, alokay, genday, niuday, shapta ah hum Visualize the Field of Merit From my heart, light rays radiate and invoke Chenrezig surrounded by the root and lineage gurus, meditational deities, Buddhas, bodhisattvas, dakas, dakinis, Dharma protectors, and guardians. The Seven-Limb Prayer I bow down to the youthful Arya Manjushri. You lions among humans, Gone to freedom in the present, past and future In the worlds of ten directions, To all of you, with body, speech, and sincere mind I bow down. With the energy of aspiration for the bodhisattva way, With a sense of deep respect, And with as many bodies as atoms of the world, To all you Buddhas visualized before me, I bow down. On every atom are Buddhas numberless as atoms, Each amidst a host of bodhisattvas, And I am confident the sphere of all phenomena Is entirely filled with Buddhas in this way. With infinite oceans of praise for you, And oceans of sound from the aspects of my voice, I sing the breathtaking excellence of Buddhas, And celebrate all of you Gone to Bliss. Beautiful flowers and regal garlands, Sweet music, scented oils and parasols, Sparkling lights and sublime incense, I offer to you Victorious Ones. Fine dress and fragrant perfumes, Sandalwood powder heaped high as Mount Meru, All wondrous offerings in spectacular array, I offer to you Victorious Ones.

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With transcendent offerings peerless and vast, With profound admiration for all the Buddhas, With strength of conviction in the bodhisattva way, I offer and bow down to all Victorious Ones. The Eight Offerings and the Mandala Offering (Visualize offering goddesses and offerings fill all of space. It is important in Kriya Tantra to do the hand mudras while making the offerings)

om arya lokeshvara sapari wara argham prati tsa soha. (padyam, pupay, dupay, alokay, genday, niuday, shapta) This ground, anointed with perfume, flowers strewn, Mount Meru, four lands, sun and moon, Imagined as a Buddha land and offered to you May all beings enjoy this pure land. The objects of attachment, aversion and ignorance — friends, enemies and strangers, my body, wealth and enjoyments — I offer these without any sense of loss. Please accept them with pleasure and inspire me and others to be free from the three poisonous attitudes. idam guru ratna mandalakam nirya tayami The Bodhisattva's Confession of Ethical Downfalls om namo manjushriye namo sushriye namo uttama shriye soha (3x) I, (say your name) throughout all times, take refuge in the Gurus; I take refuge in the Buddhas; I take refuge in the Dharma; I take refuge in the Sangha. To the Founder, the Transcendent Destroyer, the One Thus Gone, the Foe Destroyer, the Fully Awakened One, the Glorious Conqueror from the Shakyas I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Great Destroyer, Destroying with Vajra Essence I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Jewel Radiating Light, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the King with Power over the Nagas, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Leader of the Warriors, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Blissful One, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Jewel Fire, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Jewel Moonlight, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, Whose Pure Vision Brings Accomplishments, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Jewel Moon, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Stainless One, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Giver, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Pure One, I bow down.

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To the One Thus Gone, the Bestower of Purity, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Celestial Waters, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Deity of the Celestial Waters, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Good, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Sandalwood, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the One of Unlimited Splendor, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Light, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One without Sorrow, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Son of the Desireless One, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Flower, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, Who Understands Reality Enjoying the Radiant Light of Purity, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, Who Understands Reality Enjoying the Radiant Light of the Lotus, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Gem, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One Who is Mindful, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One Whose Name is Extremely Renowned, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the King Holding the Banner of Victory over the Senses, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One Who Subdues Everything Completely, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Victorious One in All Battles, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One Thus Gone to Perfect Self-control, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One Who Enhances and Illuminates Completely, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Jewel Lotus Who Subdues All, I bow down. To the One Thus Gone, the Foe Destroyer, the Fully Awakened One, the King with Power over Mount Meru, Always Remaining in the Jewel and the Lotus, I bow down. All you thirty-five Buddhas, and all the others, those thus gone, foe destroyers, fully awakened ones and transcendent destroyers who are existing, sustaining, and living throughout the ten directions of sentient beings' worlds — all you Buddhas, please give me your attention. In this life, and throughout beginningless lives in all the realms of samsara, I have created, caused others to create, and rejoiced at the creation of negative karmas such as misusing offerings to holy objects, misusing offerings to the Sangha, stealing the possessions of the Sangha of the ten directions; I have caused others to create these negative actions and rejoiced at their creation. I have created the five heinous actions, caused others to create them and rejoiced at their creation. I have committed the ten non-virtuous actions, involved others in them, and rejoiced in their involvement. Being obscured by all this karma, I have created the cause for myself and other sentient beings to be reborn in the hells, as animals, as hungry ghosts, in irreligious places, amongst barbarians, as long-lived gods, with imperfect senses, holding wrong views, and being displeased with the pres-

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ence of a Buddha. Now before these Buddhas, transcendent destroyers who have become transcendental wisdom, who have become the compassionate eye, who have become witnesses, who have become valid and see with their omniscient minds, I am confessing and accepting all these actions as destructive. I will not conceal or hide them, and from now on, I will refrain from committing these destructive actions. Buddhas and transcendent destroyers, please give me your attention: in this life and throughout beginningless lives in all the realms of samsara, whatever root of virtue I have created through even the smallest acts of charity, such as giving one mouthful of food to a being born as an animal, whatever root of virtue I have created by keeping pure ethical conduct, whatever root of virtue I have created by abiding in pure conduct, whatever root of virtue I have created by fully ripening sentient beings' minds, whatever root of virtue I have created by generating bodhicitta, whatever root of virtue I have created of the highest transcendental wisdom. Bringing together all these merits of both myself and others, I now dedicate them to the highest of which there is no higher, to that even above the highest, to the highest of the high, to the higher of the high. Thus I dedicate them completely to the highest, fully accomplished awakening. Just as the Buddhas and transcendent destroyers of the past have dedicated, just as the Buddhas and transcendent destroyers of the future will dedicate, and just as the Buddhas and transcendent destroyers of the present are dedicating, in the same way I make this dedication. I confess all my destructive actions separately and rejoice in all merits. I implore all the Buddhas to grant my request that I may realize the ultimate, sublime, highest transcendental wisdom. To the sublime kings of the human beings living now, to those of the past, and to those who have yet to appear, to all those whose knowledge is as vast as an infinite ocean, with my hand folded in respect, I go for refuge. General Confession Woe is me! Spiritual masters, great vajra holders, and all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas who abide in the ten directions, as well as all the venerable Sangha, please pay attention to me. I, who am named _________ , circling in cyclic existence since beginningless time until the present, overpowered by afflictions such as attachment, aversion and ignorance, have created the ten destructive actions by means of body, speech and mind. I have engaged in the five heinous actions and the five parallel heinous actions. I have transgressed the vows of individual liberation, contradicted the trainings of a bodhisattva, broken the tantric commitments. I have been disrespectful to my kind parents, spiritual mentors, spiritual friends, and those following the pure paths. I have committed actions harmful to the Three Jewels, avoided the holy Dharma, criticized the arya Sangha, and harmed living beings. These and many other destructive actions I have done, have caused others to do, and have rejoiced in others' doing. In short, I have created many obstacles to my own higher rebirth and liberation, and have planted countless seeds for further wanderings in cyclic existence and miserable states of being. Now in the presence of the spiritual mentors, the great vajra holders, all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas who abide in the ten directions, and the venerable Sangha, I confess all of these negative actions, I will not conceal them, and I accept them as negative. I promise to refrain from doing

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these actions again in the future. By confessing and acknowledging them, I will attain and abide in happiness, while by not confessing and acknowledging them, true happiness will not come. (Return to the Seven-Limb Prayer)

Every harmful action I have done With my body, speech and mind Overwhelmed by attachment, anger, and confusion, All these I openly lay bare before you. I lift up my heart and rejoice in all merit Of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas in ten directions, Of solitary realizers, hearers still training and those beyond, And of all ordinary beings. You who are the bright lights of worlds in ten directions, Who have attained a Buddha's omniscience through the stages of awakening, All you who are my guides, Please turn the supreme wheel of Dharma. With palms together I earnestly request: You who may actualize parinirvana, Please stay with us for eons numberless as atoms of the world, For the happiness and well-being of all wanderers in samsara. Whatever slight merit I may have created, By paying homage, offering, and acknowledging my faults, Rejoicing, and requesting that the Buddhas stay and teach, I now dedicate all this for full awakening. om ahmoga shila sambara bara bara maha shuda sato payma bibu kita budza dara dara samanta ahwalokite hum pey soha (21x) May all sentient beings have happiness and its causes. May all sentient beings be free of sufferings and its causes. May all sentient beings not be separated from sorrowless bliss. May all sentient beings abide in equanimity, free of bias, attachment and anger. The deities of the field of merit return to their own abodes. (This completes the five preliminaries. Now do the actual body of the practice:)

SELF-GENERATION 1. Ultimate Nature of the Deity

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om pay may tatrita hum pay (Emanate a great number of wrathful beings from your heart in order to expel the hindrances)

om sobhawa shudo sarwa dharma sobhawa shudo ham (Om by essential nature all phenomena are pure; by essential nature, I am pure.)

The pure nature of all phenomena is me. Myself, the meditational deity and all phenomena become completely one in emptiness. 2. Deity of Sound My mind is one with the ultimate nature of Chenrezig's mind, emptiness. This manifests as the sound of the mantra which pervades all of space. It is as if my mind were sound, the sound of my mind in the aspect of the sound of the mantra, resonating throughout all space. 3. Deity of Letter The ultimate nature of the deity is inseparable from the transcendental aspect of my own mind. This manifests as a moon mandala. Above that, the sound of the mantra resonating in space manifests around the moon in the aspect of written letters which are like very pure and bright mercury mixing completely with grains of gold. 4. Deity of Form That transforms into a thousand-petaled lotus, glittering with brilliant light. Its center is decorated with om mani padme hum. Infinite light radiates from the lotus, moon and mantra letters, presenting clouds of offerings to all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas. They bestow blessings and inspiration of their body, speech and mind, and the light re-absorbs. Again light radiates. On the tip of each ray is the Superior, the Great Compassionate One, going out to purify and empower all the sentient beings. A great cloud is emanated and from it a rain of nectar falls, pacifying the sufferings of the sentient beings. All sentient beings are satisfied with bliss and become Chenrezig. All of these Chenrezigs absorb back into my mind which is in the form of lotus, moon and mantra garland. These transform into a variegated lotus and moon seat. Above that I arise as Chenrezig, white, youthful, radiating and beautiful. I have eleven faces. Of the three on my shoulders, the center face is white, the right green and the left red. Above those, my center face is green, right red and left white. Above those, my center face is red, right white and left green. All of the faces have fine, narrow eyes and are smiling. Above those is a wrathful dark blue face, snarling and having three eyes and yellow hair standing erect. On the top of that is the red head of Amitabha Buddha, in the form of a monk, peaceful and smiling. My first two hands are at my heart, palms together, holding a wish-fulfilling gem. On my right, the uppermost hand holds a crystal rosary. The next hand is in the gesture of giving realizations

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and from it a rain of nectar falls, curing the hunger and thirst of the hungry ghosts. The next hand holds a Dharma wheel. On my left, the uppermost hand holds a white lotus. The next hand holds a vase with nectar. The next holds a bow and arrow. The other 992 hands, soft like lotus petals, are in the gesture of giving the highest realizations. In the palm of each hand is an eye. The hands do not extend beyond the crown pinnacle nor below the knees. An antelope skin is draped over my left shoulder. I am adorned with a skirt made of the finest cloth, a golden belt decorated with jewels, jeweled crown, earrings, necklace, armlets, anklets and scarves of different colors. My red-yellow hair is arranged in garlands. At my crown is a white om, throat red ah, heart blue hum. At my heart is a moon disc with the white syllable hri. 5. Deity of Mudra om pay ma utpa waye soha (With the mudra of the lotus essence, touch your hands to your heart, brow, neck, right and left shoulders. Say this mantra while touching each point.)

6. Deity of Sign Invocation and Absorption of the Wisdom Beings From the hri at my heart, light radiates, invoking from the ultimate nature, the Superior Chenrezig, surrounded by the Buddhas and bodhisattvas. om arya lokeshvara sapari wara vajra samaya dza dza dza hum bam ho (With dza, they come to my crown; hum they enter; bam they absorb but are not mixed; ho they become non-dual like water in water.)

Empowerment From the hri at my heart light radiates, invoking the five Dhyani Buddhas, Amitabha being the principal Buddha. om pancha kula sapari wara argham prati tsa soha (padyam, pupay, dupay, alokay, genday, niuday, shapta) "I request you to initiate me." Being requested in this way, they empower me with the water of the vase: om sarwa tathagata abikay kata samaya shri ye hum. My body is filled with nectar, and all stains and obscurations are purified. The excess water overflows my crown and forms a swirl which becomes the five-pointed crown of the five Dhyani Buddhas.

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At my heart is a moon disc. Seated on that is the transcendental wisdom being, white Chenrezig, with one face and two arms. His right hand is in the mudra of giving sublime realizations and the left is holding a lotus at the heart. At the heart is a moon disc. On that is the concentration being, the white syllable hri. That is surrounded by the mantras. (Meditate to develop clear appearance of oneself as the deity and divine identity. Then, aware that the two, appearance and emptiness, arise together, meditate on the yoga of non-dual profundity and clarity.)

Consecrate the malla (rosary) (first session) (Holding the malla at your heart, recite:)

om guru sarwa tathagata kaya vakasita vajra prana mayna sarwa tathagata vajra pada bandanam karomi (1x) om basu mati shriye soha (7x) Mantra Recitation At my heart is a white moon and the concentration being hri. Surrounding this, standing clockwise on the moon are the syllables of the long mantra, white in color. Inside this stand the syllables of the six-syllable mantra. Light radiates from these and completely fills my body. All obscurations, disease and hindrances are purified. The light radiates outside, carrying a countless number of Great Compassionate Ones. They purify all sentient beings' negative karma, disturbing attitudes, and obscurations. The light gives sentient beings all the temporal happiness they want. It also ripens their minds so that they receive the realizations of the gradual path to awakening and attain the ultimate happiness of Buddhahood. All sentient beings become Chenrezig. The light then re-absorbs into me. namo ratna trayaya/ namo arya gyana sagara/ berotsana buha radzaya/ tatagataya/ arhate/ samyaksam buddhaya/ namo sarwa tatagatebhye/ arhatebhye/ samyaksam buddhebhye/ namo arya awalokite/ shoraya/ bodhi satoya/ maha satoya/ maha karunikaya/ tayata/ om/ dara dara/ diri diri/ duru duru/ itte wate/ tsale tsale/ partsale partsale/ kusume kusume ware/ ihli mili/ tsiti dzola/ ahpanaye soha/ (Recite 108x while doing the visualization. Or, recite it once and from tayata.... 107x. Then recite as much as possible:)

om mani padme (Visualize Vajrasattva on your crown. Nectar flows from his heart into you, purifying any incorrect mantra recitations. Recite 3x the 100 syllable mantra:)

om paymasattva samaya manu palaya/ paymasattva deno patita/ dido may bhawa/ suto kayo may bhawa/ supo kayo may bhawa/ anu rakto may bhawa/ sarwa siddhi mempar yatsa/ sarwa karma 15

su tsa may/ tsitam shriyam kuru hum/ ha ha ha ha ho/ bhagawan/ sarwa tatagata/ payma ma may mu tsa/ payma bhawa maha samaya sattva/ ah hum pey

THE FRONT-GENERATION om payma tatrita hum pay om sobhawa shudo sarwa dharma sobhawa shudo ham The mandala becomes empty. Within this emptiness, at my heart appears a hri. From this comes a white brum which goes to the site of the mandala. It emits five-colored light rays and transforms into a jeweled mansion. At the center is a jeweled throne, with a lotus and moon seat. A hri rests on that. It transforms into Chenrezig white, youthful, radiating and beautiful. He has eleven faces. Of the three on his shoulders, the center face is white, the right green and the left red. Above those, his center face is green, right red and left white. Above those, his center face is red, right white and left green. All of the faces have fine, narrow eyes and are smiling. Above those is a wrathful dark blue face, snarling and having three eyes and yellow hair standing erect. On the top of that is the red head of Amitabha Buddha, in the form of a monk, peaceful and smiling. Chenrezig's first two hands are at his heart, palms together, holding a wish-fulfilling gem. On his right, the uppermost hand holds a crystal rosary. The next hand is in the gesture of giving realizations and from it a rain of nectar falls, curing the hunger and thirst of the hungry ghosts. The next hand holds a Dharma wheel. On his left, the uppermost hand holds a white lotus. The next hand holds a vase with nectar. The next holds a bow and arrow. The other 992 hands, soft like lotus petals, are in the gesture of giving the highest realizations. In the palm of each hand is an eye. The hands do not extend beyond the crown pinnacle nor below the knees. An antelope skin is draped over his left shoulder. He is adorned with a skirt made of the finest cloth, a golden belt decorated with jewels, jeweled crown, earrings, necklace, armlets, anklets and scarves of different colors. His red-yellow hair is arranged in garlands. In the east section of the mandala, a blue hum transforms into Akshobya. In the south, a yellow tram transforms into Ratnasambhava. In the west, a white om transforms into Vairochana. In the north, a green ah transforms into Amogasiddhi. All of them have at their crown a white om, throat a red ah, at the heart a blue hum. Invoking the Wisdom Beings and Performing the Empowerment From the syllable hri at my heart light radiates and invokes from the Potala Chenrezig surrounded by a vast assembly of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. (Kneel while saying:)

Protector of all beings without exception, divine destroyer of the obstinate hosts of maras and their forces, perfect knower of all things, Bhagawan and attendants, please come here. 16

om sarwa tathagata arya lokeshvara sapari ware eh ah hi vajra samaya dza dza dza hum bam ho From the tathagatas' hearts goddesses such as Gokarmo emanate. om pancha kula sapari wara argham prati tsa soha (padyam, pupay, dupay, alokay, genday, niuday, shapta) They carry vases filled with nectar and say, "As the gods offered a bath to the Buddha at the moment of his birth with the pure divine water, so do we offer bath to the holy body." Om sarwa tathagata abikay kata samaya shriye ah hum (Offer the eight offerings--om arya lokeshora argham, etc.-- and the mandala. Then praise:)

The infinite light born from bliss, Amitabha; holder of the white lotus, the immovable one, Akshobya; the protector, the source of jewels, Ratnasambhava; the one who appears in pure form, Vairochana; the accomplisher of all work, Amogasiddhi; I prostrate and admire you, assembly of deities of the mandala. Consecrating the Nectar in the Vase From my own and the front Chenrezig's fingers nectar flows and fills up the vase. (Recite:) namo ratna trayaya/ namo arya gyana sagara/ berotsana buha radzaya/ tatagataya/ arhate/ samyaksam buddhaya/ namo sarwa tatagatebhye/ arhatebhye/ samyaksam buddhebhye/ namo arya awalokite/ shoraya/ bodhi satoya/ maha satoya/ maha karunikaya/ tayata/ om/ dara dara/ diri diri/ duru duru/ itte wate/ tsale tsale/ partsale partsale/ kusume kusume ware/ ihli mili/ tsiti dzola/ ahpanaye soha/ (3x) om mani padme hum (a few malas) (Then recite 3x the 100 syllable mantra or om payma sattva hum.) The wisdom beings in me absorb into the front generation. Praise On a lotus and moon seat on my crown is Gelongma Palmo, her palms together, introducing me to the field of merit. (Prostrate while reciting the following praise 21x:) Om I prostrate to the savior of the universe, the lama of the universe, praised by the beings of the three realms, the principal gods, maras and Brahmas. Who fulfills all wishes by others admiring the Sublime Victorious Capable One, I prostrate to the great protector of the three worlds. Holder of the precious holy body of countless ones gone to bliss, Whose crown is adorned with the one gone to bliss, Amitabha, Pacifying the hunger and thirst of the pretas with your right hand in supreme giving. Whose left hand is perfectly adorned with a golden lotus. With scented red-yellow garland of top hair like lightening, Face beautified like the full moon, Supremely good and encompassing lotus eyes, Fragrant and white like a conch. Holding immaculate glittering groups of pearls, 17

Adorned with beautiful beams like the red of dawn, Beautified with hands like a lotus lake, Youthful having the color of autumn clouds, Whose two shoulders are adorned with many jewels, With young smooth palms like exquisite leaves, Left breast covered with a deer skin, Beautified with ornaments of earrings and bracelets, Dwelling in the highest immaculate lotus, Whose abdomen's surface is smooth like lotus petals, With exquisite golden belt adorned with jewels, Lower body clothed in a beautiful skirt, Having the highest wisdom of the Buddha, gone beyond the great ocean, Having the supreme state by collecting the causal merit for innumerable eons, Source of continuous bliss and eliminator of aging and disease, Liberator from the three lower realms, showing holy deeds, Supreme among embodied beings, victor in battle against hosts of negative forces, Feet beautified with the sound of golden ankle rings, Protecting beings by abiding in the four immeasurables, Going like a swan and a powerful elephant Seeking teachings and completely fulfilling the collections, Liberator from the ocean of milk and the ocean of water. Whoever, man or woman, directing their mind to Chenrezig, purifies with this sublime praise and admires clearly, may all their worldly and transcendental wishes in this and all future lives be fulfilled. Request Prayer (Kneel while saying:)

O Arya Compassionate-eyed One Who is the treasure of compassion, I request you, please listen to me, Please guide myself, mothers and fathers In all six realms to be freed quickly From the great ocean of samsara. I request that the vast and profound Peerless awakening mind may grow. With the tear of your great compassion, Please cleanse all karmas and delusion. Please lead with your hand of compassion Me and migrators to fields of bliss. Please Amitabha and Chenrezig In all my lives be virtuous friends. Show well the undeceptive pure path And quickly place us in Buddha's state.

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Offering Tormas (last session) (Consecrate the tormas:)

om payma tatri ta hum pay om sobhawa shudo sarwa dharma sobhawa shudo ham Everything becomes empty. Within emptiness, appears a brum which becomes a large jeweled pot with a white om inside. That melts into light and becomes a great ocean of undiluted wisdom nectar. om ah hum (3x) (Offer to Chenrezig, and the five Dhyani Buddhas while reciting:)

om arya lokeshvara sapari wara idam balimta kaka kahi kahi (3x) om arya lokeshvara sapari wara argham, padyam, pupay, dupay, alokay, genday, niuday, shapta prati tsa soha. (Chenrezig is extremely pleased by the offering and is very blissful.)

The thousand arms are the thousand wheel-turning kings. The thousand eyes are the thousand Buddhas of the fortunate eon. I admire and prostrate to you, venerable Chenrezig, who shows whatever manifestation is needed to subdue sentient beings. Great Compassionate One, please help me to quickly generate the precious bodhicitta. May whatever suffering or happiness I have in life be used to practice thought training. Please, may I quickly attain your awakened state and make my life useful for all sentient beings. (The second torma is offered to Dharma protectors such as Mahakala and to the dakinis:)

om akaro mugam sarwa dharmanam adinupana tota om ah hum pay soha (3x) om dakini shri dharma pala sapari wara argham, padyam, pupay, dupay, alokay, genday, niuday, shapta prati tsa soha You, the vast protectors of the directions, dakinis and dharma protectors who are constructive guides, please take this offering of the five sense pleasures and help increase and spread the teachings. Help all sentient beings be happy and the wishes of myself and all others be successful. (The third torma is for the landlord spirit, especially a spirit from Tago who promised before a lineage lama to help Nyung Nay practitioners. It is also offered to the worldly gods, naga kings, and helpful spirits:)

Nama sarwa tathagata avalokitay om sambara sambara hum (3x) I bow to Tathagata Many Jewels. I bow to Tathagata Holy Beautiful Form. I bow to Tathagata Very Gentle Body. I bow to the Tathagata Free of All Fears.

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Please accept this offering of the five sense pleasures. Help to spread the Dharma. Pacify hindrances to myself and others. Help all Dharma works and wishes to be accomplished. Offering Bath In a fragrantly scented bathing house with a bright and shining crystal foundation, attractive pillars of shining jewels and a canopy of glittering pearls, just as the gods offered a bath to the Buddha at the moment of his birth with pure divine water, so do I offer bath to the holy body. By my offering a bath of scented nectar to you, the liberator Chenrezig, who is the lamp of all sentient beings, may all the stains and the two obscurations of all beings be purified and may they achieve the stainless three bodies. om sarwa tathagata arya lokeshvara sapari wara abikay kata samaya shri ye hum Purification (To purify any mistakes from doing this practice incorrectly, recite the 100 syllable mantra 3x, or:)

om payma sattva hum I request you, the Great Compassion One, to accept my apologies for all mistakes I have done in this practice. Do not allow these to obscure my mind. Distributing the Nectar (The essence of the water in the vase on the shrine is the transcendental wisdom of great compassion in the aspect of nectar. A little of this water is mixed into the vase on the leader's table and then distributed.)

om mani pay may hum Chenrezig and the mandala come in front of me and from the holy bodies, white nectar flows into me. It completely cleanses the outside and inside of my body. All the obscurations, impressions, negative karma, disease and spirit harms are completely purified, with nothing remaining. (Sip the nectar three times. The first sip purifies unsubdued mind, the second the obscurations to knowing, and with the third the dharmakaya is actualized. On the fasting day, the water is not drunk, but is put on the top of the head.)

Absorption I am the samaya being, the Great Compassionate One. All my faces absorb to the root face, all the arms to the root arms. I maintain the divine dignity of myself as the Great Compassionate One, with one face and two arms, with an om at my crown, ah at my throat and hum at my heart. Asking the Mandala to Return

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(If the front mandala is a drawn figure, do the dependent abiding:)

I request you to abide here with this object, so that sentient beings will benefit and be free from disease. Please enable us to have long life, power, and sublimity. Om supa tita vajra ye soha (If the mandala was drawn with rice:)

Om as you work for sentient beings, grant all realizations. After you have gone to the Buddha fields, please return. Om vajra mu. The wisdom beings go to the natural abode. The visualized samaya beings melt into light and absorb into me. Dedication Due to this merit may we soon Attain the awakened state of Chenrezig That we may be able to liberate All sentient beings from their sufferings. May the precious bodhi mind Not yet born arise and grow. May that born have no decline But increase forever more. Due to the merits accumulated by myself and others in the past, present and future, may anyone who merely sees, hears, remembers, touches or talks to me be freed in that very instant from all sufferings and abide in happiness forever. In all rebirths, may I and all sentient beings be born in a good family, have clear wisdom, have great compassion, be free of pride and devoted to our spiritual masters, and abide within the vows and commitments to the spiritual masters. In whatever guise you appear, O Chenrezig, whatever your retinue, your life span and pure land, whatever your name most noble and holy, may I and all others attain only these. By the force of these praises and requests made to you, may all disease, poverty, fighting and quarrels be calmed. May the Dharma and all auspiciousness increase throughout the worlds and directions where I and all others dwell. May the source of benefit and goodness, the doctrine, spread and expand. May the beings upholding the doctrine have excellent health and may the source of happiness and well-being for all embodied beings, the doctrine of the Buddha, always increase. In the snowy mountain pureland You’re the source of good and happiness

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Powerful Tenzin Gyatso, Chenrezig May you stay until samsara ends. The Benefits of this Practice (last session each day) Chenrezig, who is the nature of compassion, and Gelongma Palmo, purify the ordinary defilements by this path of abiding in retreat which was communicated well. From whatever virtue accumulated by following this practice, a happy and comfortable birthplace and the teaching of the Victorious One are obtained. By keeping to this practice, the happiness of all sentient beings increases; all obstructions to the realization of the holy Dharma are pacified, and the accumulation of good and favorable conditions are realized without effort. Difficulties of the body may arise from this fast, but by clearly concentrating on the emptiness of the deity's body, the physical defilements of myself and all others are purified. May the end of the path be reached and the body adorned with the 32 marks and 80 signs be obtained. Through enduring the difficulties caused by not speaking during this fast, the intonation of mantras is perfected by the sound of emptiness. The verbal defilements of myself and all others are purified. May we reach the end of the path and attain the charming voice of the Brahma gods. By bearing the difficulties of the mind in not letting it wander during this fast, by the power of the deep yoga of compassion and emptiness, the mental defilements of myself and all others are purified. May we reach the end of the path and obtain the great bliss of the Dharmakaya. During this fast, if the fortunate person feels hot, cold, or tired, may the karma which through the power of hatred would cause one's rebirth in the hellish realm be purified, and may the gate to rebirth in the hellish realm be closed. Because of the difficulty of not eating and drinking during this fast, if the miseries of hunger and thirst arise, may the karma which through miserliness would cause one to be reborn among the hungry ghosts be purified, and may the gate to rebirth among the hungry ghosts be closed. During this fast, if, through not letting the mind wander about, it becomes maddened by agitation, drowsiness, sleepiness and dullness, may the karma which through stupidity would cause one to be reborn among animals be purified, and may the gate to rebirth in the animal realm be closed. In general, at all times during this fast, with our mind bent toward the benefit and happiness of others and by thinking that whatever misery of body and mind arises is the suffering of all sentient beings, may we take it upon ourselves. When the time of our death arrives, having previously welcomed the Great Compassionate One, may we be open to the sight of his beautiful eleven faces and may the One Who Has a Thousand Eyes watch over us. By the power of your thousand arms, may the lower realms be emptied. By the rays of light emanating from and returning to your body, may the suffering of the six realms disappear, and may we be inspired by the essence of the power of universal love. Having been born in the heart of a thousand petaled lotus in the supreme Land of Great Bliss, where there is not even the word "suffering," may we see the face of the protector Amitabha. May we receive the prophecy of our awakening through his inspired voice. May we quickly actu-

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alize unceasing activity for the spreading of this path in all directions and at all times by using the friendly help of the Six-armed One who protects the Buddha's word, the eight great nagas and the keeper of the place of Tago. (This prayer on the benefits of doing Nyung Ne was composed by Pandit Tamchek Kyenpa.)

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The Benefits of Doing Nyung Ne By doing Nyung Ne even once in the above manner, the amount of time one will spend in samsara is reduced by 40,000 eons. As it states in the Tantra of the Eleven-faced, "Whoever on my account performs the fasting ritual on the fourteenth or fifteenth day of the month, their time in samsara will be reduced by 40,000 eons. It is of great import to hold my, the Blessed One's, name. It is of greater import than to hold the names of one trillion Buddhas." Further it states, "By reciting this dharani even once, even the four acts which bring the root downfall of a hearer will be purified. Even the five heinous actions will be purified. Since such is the case, what need is there to consider or to speak of earnest application to that which has been so explained? Since these practices give rise to the roots of virtue in many tens of millions of hundreds of billions of hundreds of thousands of Buddhas, what need is there to consider or to speak of doing this recitation or sadhana practice? All your wishes will be completely realized just as you intend!" Furthermore, it is stated, "Those in disadvantaged situations, if they perform the Nyung Ne ritual once will, when they die, be reborn as bodhisattvas or as those in privileged positions. If this dharani is recited once in the hearing of an animal as it dies, it will definitely be reborn in the pure realm of Sukhavati. Or, if this dharani is recited in the hearing of an animal as it dies, it will take rebirth as a human being in the human realm and the tendency to develop bodhicitta will be planted in the thread of its consciousness. Similarly, through engaging in the fasting ritual with one's body, physical obscurations are purified. Through observing a vow of silence with one's speech, verbal obscurations are purified. Through mentally reciting the dharani, mental obscurations are purified. If one performs this meditation and recitation correctly and recites the dharani 108 times on a daily basis, the benefits and advantages are inconceivable. As it states in the same tantra: "If you rise in the morning and recite this dharani 108 times, you will come to hold completely ten positive qualities in this very lifetime. What are these ten you ask? They are as follows: 1) your body will always be free of diseases such as edema, 2) you will be completely guided by all tathagatas, 3) due to this, you will come by wealth and food and property without having to struggle for these, 4) all your enemies will be summoned to you and subdued, 5) the hosts of rulers will speak truthfully to and be considerate of you, 6) your body will not be harmed by poisons, mineral poisons will not harm you, epidemics will not harm you, 7) weapons will not harm you, 8) you will not die by water, 9) you will not die by fire, and 10) the hour of your death will not be untimely. Furthermore, you will come to hold completely four positive qualities: 1) at the hour of your death you will see tathagatas, 2) you will not be reborn into lower states of existence, 3) the hour of your death will not be one of dying without letting go of anxiety, and 4) upon your dying and passing from this life, you will be reborn in the pure realm of Sukhavati." Thus did Avalokiteshvara himself say. Furthermore, by even acting as a sponsor for the performance of the Nyung Ne ritual or as an attendant for the Nyung Ne ritual, one attains enormously great merit. It is said that if you serve the gruel on the mornings after the performance of the Nyung Ne ritual, the merit is equal to that of serving a bodhisattva dwelling on the eighth ground. If you serve one who has merely taken the temporary poshadha ordination, this is equal in merit to serving an arhat. The sponsor, as well will not be reborn in lower states of existence, but will become endowed with bodhicitta, and in all lifetimes will come by an inexhaustible treasury of wealth and completely perfect the far-reaching attitude of generosity.

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Long ago, Lady Chokyi did the Nyung Ne practice for a long time. When she came to die and her bones were scattered in the charnel ground, the fragments of bone picked over by the crows became relics. If you consider this and other accounts of benefits and advantages that cannot possibly be fully described, you will exert yourself greatly in practicing the path of Nyung Ne. Therefore, while the Dharma spoken by the Buddha is not lacking in profundity, the unsurpassable path of tantra is very profound indeed. In order for superior individuals to attain the level of Vajradhara for the sake of sentient beings, the path of unsurpassable yoga was shown as a short path for those individuals who otherwise might require a very long time to attain this. Although it is explained that there is the chance of danger being incurred in other disciplines of anuttarayoga which people cannot uphold, this Dharma brings great benefits to any individual who practices it, be they of superior, middling or ordinary faculties. As the bodhisattva Dawa Gyaltsen said, "It is said that this sacred Dharma acts as a cause for all who see it, hear of it, come in contact with it or enter the doorway to it to be freed from lower states of rebirth. As this sadhana of the 1000 armed, 1000 eyed form of Avalokiteshvara is a sadhana of all Buddhas and bodhisattvas, everyone should train in this." Thus with great compassion teach this Dharma as much as possible to all sentient beings. For an individual who has recited the requisite number of mantras and carried the formal stages of this practice to a successful conclusion, teaching this Dharma to others is of inconceivable benefit and advantage. Having just completed the requisite number of mantras in formal practice, if that person goes to the summit of a high mountain, all sentient beings who see that person will not be reborn in lower states of existence. If that person crosses a river, all the beings living in that river and all those who drink that water will not be reborn in lower states of existence. Those upon whom that person's shadow falls, or who touch that person's body, or who see that person with their own eyes, they will not be reborn in lower states of rebirth. Since this is said to be the case, what need is there to consider or speak of the great benefits and advantages of that person teaching this Dharma? Furthermore, as is stated in the sutras, it is said to be of greater merit to teach a single four-line verse of the Buddhadharma to sentient beings, than to fill the universe with the seven precious substances and to offer it to the Three Jewels. Being mindful of such attestations, it is fitting to exert oneself with an unflagging diligence in teaching such profound Dharma as this to others.

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NOTES DAILY ACTIVITIES When you are not meditating, but are doing your daily activities, visualize and be mindful of a small Chenrezig made of radiant light at your heart. (If you have received the empowerment, you can visualize yourself as Chenrezig.) This is effective to help you be mindful of your actions, for Chenrezig is a witness to all you do or say during the day. Also, whenever you eat or enjoy other sense pleasures, imagine offering them to Chenrezig. Whenever you are praised, rather than become proud, think Chenrezig is being praised. THE EIGHT MAHAYANA PRECEPTS The eight mahayana precepts are taken for twenty-four hours. It is especially good to take them on full and new moon days and on other Buddhist festival days. Observing precepts for even such a short time has tremendous benefits: one accumulates a great amount of merit (merit) in a short time. One will receive upper rebirths and eventually will attain awakening. One is protected from harm and the place where one lives becomes peaceful and prosperous. One's mind is peaceful and calm; one gains control over one's bad habits; there are fewer distractions when meditating. One gets along better with others. One will meet the Buddha's teachings in the future and can be born as a disciple of Maitreya Buddha. The eight precepts are: 1. Avoid killing, directly or indirectly. 2. Avoid stealing and taking things without permission.3. Avoid sexual contact. 4. Avoid lying and deceiving others. 5. Avoid intoxicants: alcohol, tobacco and drugs (except for medicinal purposes). 6. Avoid eating more than one meal that day. The meal is taken before noon, and once one has stopped eating for thirty minutes, the meal is considered finished. At other times of the day one can take light drinks, but not undiluted whole milk or fruit juice with pulp. Avoid eating black foods: meat, eggs, onions, garlic and radishes. 7. Avoid sitting on a high, expensive bed or seat with pride. Also avoid sitting on animal skins. 8. Avoid wearing jewelry, perfume, and make-up. Avoid singing, dancing or playing music with attachment. For a precept to be broken completely, four conditions must be present: 1. The motivation is a negative attitude such as attachment, anger, etc. 2. There is an object of the action, e.g. a being that is killed or an object that is stolen. 3. One does the action. If one tells someone else to kill, steal or lie, it is also a transgression. 4. The action is completed, e.g. the being dies before oneself or one thinks, "This is mine." The first time one takes the precepts, it is done from a Master. Thereafter, one can do the ceremony before a Buddha image by regarding it as the actual Buddha.

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THE BODHISATTVA’S CONFESSION OF ETHICAL DOWNFALLS There are a variety of purification practices, "The Bodhisattva's Confession of Ethical Downfalls" being one of the most popular. We all have done actions that we now feel badly about doing, and we have aspects of ourselves that we do not like and wish to change. Purification practices are excellent means to remove emotional burdens such as guilt, as well as to pacify the obstacles to our happiness and self-improvement created by the imprints of our destructive actions. Guilt over past actions is useless, only leaving us feeling helpless and hopeless. On the other hand, acting to purify the negative imprints and disturbing attitudes is very productive. It helps us to change our bad habits, and subdues obstacles to long life and success in our spiritual practice. A complete purification practice consists of four opponent powers: 1. The power of regret for having done the negative action. 2. The power of reliance: taking refuge, which corrects our relationship with holy objects, and generating the altruistic dedicated heart, which corrects our relationship with other sentient beings. 3. The power of the remedial action, e.g. prostration, offering, reciting the names of the Buddha, reading or contemplating the Dharma, etc. 4. The power of the promise not to repeat the action. There are several visualizations of the thirty-five Buddhas. The easiest is to visualize Shakyamuni Buddha, golden in color, with thirty-four light rays coming from his heart. These light rays form five rows and upon each ray is seated a Buddha. The Buddhas in each row resemble one of the five Dhyani Buddhas. In the first row, are the next six Buddhas mentioned in the prayer. They resemble Akshobya Buddha, blue, the left hand in his lap in the gesture of meditative equipoise, the right hand in the earth-touching gesture (on the right knee, palm down). However, the One Thus Gone, the King with Power over the Nagas, looks slightly different: he has a blue body, a white face, and his hands are folded together at his heart. In the second row, the next seven Buddhas resemble Vairochana Buddha, white, with both hands at the heart, the index fingers extended. In the third row, the next seven Buddhas resemble Ratnasambhava Buddha, yellow. His left hand is in meditative equipoise, and his right hand is in the gesture of giving (on the right knee, palm outwards). In the fourth row, the next seven Buddhas resemble Amitabha Buddha, red, with both hands in meditative equipoise on his lap. In the fifth row, the next seven Buddhas resemble Amogasiddhi Buddha, green. the left hand is in meditative equipoise and the right hand, bent at the elbow, the palm facing outwards.

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Visualize that you are surrounded by all sentient beings in human form and that you are leading them in prostrating to the Buddhas. While prostrating, imagine much light coming from the Buddhas and flowing into you and into all the sentient beings around you. This light purifies all imprints of negative actions and all disturbing attitudes. OUTLINE OF NYUNG NE PRACTICE: I. Preparation 1. clean oneself and the room (outer cleansing) and generate motivation of bodhicitta (inner cleansing) 2. take the Mahayana precepts 3. invoke the field of merit 4. meditate on the seven limbs 5. recite mantra of pure ethical conduct II Actual practice 1. meditate on self-generation 2. generate the mandala in front 3. recite the long mantra 4. make offerings 5. recite the prayer admiring Chenrezig 6. offer the tormas III Conclusion 1. offering bath 2. dedication 3. purification and apology 4. dependent abidance 5. absorption and arisal as simple Chenrezig THIS TEXT Venerable Lama Zopa Rinpoche, in his great compassion, compiled this text. It is a combination of the long Nyung Nay puja by the Seventh Dalai Lama, Kelsang Gyatso, and a very condensed puja by the 13th Dalai Lama. This is not a final translation, and there may be errors. The prayer of the benefits of Nyung Ne comes from another text.

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The two stages are the generation stage and the completion stage of the highest class of tantra.

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