Putri Repung Retreat Instructions Part Two

Putri Repung - Phurba Retreat July 2012 Instructions and Teachings By His Holiness Dungse Shenphen Dawa Norbu Rinpoche Part 2 of 2

Mandala of Vajrakilaya, Putri Repung

Introduction In continuation of the teachings on the Putri Repung Cycle of Vajrakilaya, below is the final Part Two. To begin here, Rinpoche was asked about the relationship between Vajrakilaya and the dharmapalas and if he could explain a bit more about the protector’s role generally…

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The Dharmapalas The dharmapalas are hard to explain. Some ancestors refuse to take rebirth and instead help living beings. They can warn of disease and natural disaster and things like this. The protectors who have taken a vow under Guru Rinpoche will support all practitioners. Also local spirits are sometimes joined into one’s practice. They are not enlightened. In other words they are not wisdom bound but they can help.   All the teachings of terma are protected by dharmapalas. They ensure that termas continue to prevail—that they are protected and that they stay intact. Guru Rinpoche entrusted all of his termas to protectors. With these dharmapala protectors, throughout all your rebirths once you do the protector practice they will be there for you. They will give you all the causes and conditions necessary for your realization. This is buddha’s activity. They have an infinite span of life. Once you are connected to a protector it will always be there to rescue you. Due to the vow they have taken they will always be there for those that practice. So, much of the retreat activities depends on the protectors.   There is no such thing as luck or a lack of protection. One’s driving force and will are due to the protectors. So the subtle consciousness that takes you onto the right path—this is due to the protectors. Once you keep the relationship to the protectors, they will always stand by you because of their vajra oath and command. So, as I said, all the terma practices that we are doing are protected by dharmapalas. Some of the protectors can be very jealous of their termas. Others open the door for you more readily.   When, as a small boy I had visions of extremely frightening protectors, His Holiness advised me to see them as friends and view them as being at my service. The prayers of wish fulfillment are the protectors; the four activities are the protectors; these strengths are not yours. These protectors will connect you to future disciples and clear the way of those with negative attitudes. They are true friends. They do not change their colors. I myself would have died seven times already in this life if it had not been for my protectors. I always had a voice coming in my head at these times—generally this came in the form of the voice of my mother.   The first level, in your practice of the protectors, is to take refuge in them. The second level is to see them as friends. The third level is for them to serve you. So the relationship needs to be developed.   One of the protector practices, (Hrih Dza), manifested as a result of the ancestors in France going to His Holiness to complain that they never got any Putri  Repung  Teachings  ©  YesheMelong  2014        

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credit or appreciation for the work that they do for beings there. So it is important to give back to our ancestors and local protectors/palas. They need to be thanked. Mostly we have only taken. The dharmapala offering manifests as whatever they want. The offering goes to all the six realms.   If you want things to go well, the dharmapalas will sort out the success. On your own you cannot do much. They have the words, the power and the will to make things really work. There’s no need to be fanatical about doing Dharmapala practice but you should definitely stay in touch! In the bardo they will be your guides. The garnet tent you visualize at the heart center of yourself as Kilaya is the dharmapala chief of protectors, Hayagriva. Your protector is your soul mate. His Holiness always advised to do Dharmapala practice to keep in their good books. Their wrathful forms are peaceful in their true nature and they can be quick to act. Some are quicker to act; others are harder to get to respond quickly.   Do all the protectors and then later one will come to you and tell you their connection. They will come to you when you are mature. Once you’ve made the connection and then if you don’t practice or maintain the connection, the protectors will show their displeasure. This is a sign of their love for you. Sometimes it may be misunderstood as an infringement of one’s privacy—but it isn’t like this. In the West we need to adjust our understanding. Rather in the West if someone comes to help you with your work, you get apprehensive about it—this is a problem. But if someone wants to input something—they are helping. Do the protector practice so that you extend a ring that the protectors can hook. They have vowed in front of Guru Rinpoche so they will not hesitate to help under any circumstance. Trust Guru Rinpoche, the buddhas and bodhisattvas, and the lama. If they have the qualities of the Buddha, how can you not trust that?   The dharmapalas have been around for a long, long time—way before you came onto the scene. The Ma Su Du Sum (i.e. Hrih Dza) is dedicated to the French ancestors. His Holiness had a dream about them. They were all from nobility but came in clothing that was all tattered and torn. They came to him saying they’d done so much for the people and got nothing back—so he composed this practice for them.   As for your offering, light incense, make a dharmapala cup,   whatever you are eating and drinking,  put the first part on the top of the dharmapala cup— this is good practice. For example, using tea/wine/whiskey—pour a bit in the dharmapala cup first before you take any. Get into this habit. Most of the dharmapalas should be done in the evening. When traveling, offer whatever you can for the protectors—ask for an extra bottle or whatever to do so. The dharmapalas are in the nature of awareness so there is no need to have a special Putri  Repung  Teachings  ©  YesheMelong  2014        

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cup for them. If the substance or material is there and offered to them, the form it takes doesn’t matter so much.   As I said, with respect to the protectors it is important to understand that all the termas have been entrusted to them to ensure practitioners have the circumstances to practice until they gain realization. The protectors are your mentors carrying you to the very depth of this practice. During Dharmapala practice the point is to realize the heart of buddhahood. The protectors provide the favorable circumstances for this. They have taken an oath for the purpose of supporting practitioners on the path. You need to remind them of their samaya. They have vows to shelter and protect, up to and including removing all those that obstruct your progress in practice. Just as Kilaya removes outer, inner and secret obstacles. It’s the same with the protectors. You need someone to take you to the door. These protectors guide you through all the different intrinsic passages of the mind. Without a guide you would not be able to enter those different entries of the mandala. So befriend the protectors. Ask them to fulfill your activities. Ask them to protect you. In the sense of fulfilling your ancestry, the Dharmapala practice becomes an offering to every protector, even to gods. The country you’re born in is under the sphere of certain protectors called Birth Gods. These are the protectors of the soil you were born on.

His Holiness’ Text: Putri Repung Retreat Instructions First develop the bodhicitta mind with the motivation that, ‘I will practice Kilaya to realize the wrathful and the peaceful deities for the benefit of all my parent beings.’     The title of the text and practice here is: - ‘Vajra Diamond which upon Touch Destroys Duality.’  ‘Rek’  means ‘touch’; ‘Pung’  means ‘destroy’  or ‘detonate.’ So everything that is touched by Kilaya is detonated and destroyed in terms of the duality of the mind. In the ultimate nature, there is no such thing as ‘negative force.’   This is just a conjuration of dualistic mind. Nonetheless it is experienced relatively. Putri Repung is indestructibility. Dorje Phurba is the diamond life phurba. Dorje refers to the qualities of being indestructible, invincible, firm, indefinite, uncuttable, not holding to duality. Nothing can weaken it or make it loose. It cannot be defeated. Phurba is sometimes translated as ‘dagger that pierces.’   So you have to strike—you have to strike at the ‘dra’   and the ‘gek.’   These are the obstacles and their makers. Remember the Four Mind Qualities of the Phurba: First is the Phurba of Compassion, which strikes at the six realms. Second, the Phurba of Signs, which strikes at the dra and the gek. You need the three satisfactions in place for this quality to arise successfully. Third is the Phurba of Union, which strikes in the space of the secret center of the consort. This is union. Fourth is the Phurba of Rigpa, which strikes in the space of the Putri  Repung  Teachings  ©  YesheMelong  2014        

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dharmadhatu. These are the four ways to cultivate the view, meditation, action and conduct; as well as trekchö, togyal, fruition and confidence.  

The Preciousness of this Teaching Two activities will develop from the Phurba; one ordinary, the other extraordinary. The ordinary are the peaceful, empowering, magnetizing and subjugation activities. The extraordinary are the four kayas or five buddha families. Guru Rinpoche gave this empowerment and teaching at the very last moment before he left Tibet. He gave it at the last border mountain to Yeshe Tsogyal. Yeshe Tsogyal found it to be so extraordinary and precious that she saw the only really suitable person she could transmit it to, was His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche. Later in her testimony, Jigdrel Yeshe Dorje is mentioned. His Holiness found four hundred volumes of teachings in his initial terma revelation yet he only took one, the Putri Repung. He thought the rest would be too complex and too much for people to be able to do.  

The Mandala This commentary of His Holiness is in his own words. You need to set the mandala correctly. Set it up in the most beautiful and pleasing way. It is an offering, so it needs to be beautiful. And set it according to the elaborate formula, i.e. with seven peaceful and seven wrathful offering bowls with banners and flowers, pearls and canopies. It has to be set correctly. Use a painting and get the torma, a decent kapala—it’s good to sprinkle some nectar in the kapala with the phurba inside and the mandala image underneath. You can use a metal kapala if you don’t have a bone one. You need to have at least one good skull-bone kapala if you can. Make sure it’s not stained by incest or retardedness. When you see it, you can recognize this. If you have a number of good kapalas, it will bring you prosperity and good fortune. Look to examine the hole through which the consciousness moves. Look at the thickness also; there are signs like an elephant. The pointed end points to realization. This end faces you when placed on the shrine. Acquire a good kapala, a good bone mala and a good skull drum. The kapala should be what you eat and drink from—practice on that. Set up the long life implements.   By the way, hair represents the 100,0000 dakinis—it represents power. In rage or frustration if you pull your hair out you are damaging your own wisdom. Generally we find it hard to see the wrathful in the peaceful but at its base it always has dharmata.  

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Three Sections to this Practice There are three sections to this practice: -   1) The preparation   2) The main section   3) The conclusion  

The Preparation The preparation for this retreat is the same as for most. The general setting up of the altar is the same. First you need to get all the materials together for this.   The retreat of Kilaya should be done in a wrathful environment, not with rolling hills, flowers and meadows. Your perceptions need to be agitated. This is how to purify anger. This is the worst affliction. A single instant can destroy kalpas of merit. So first is the place—it should have rocks and sharp edges, trees with thorns and with closed ravines which are suffocating. In other words, it should be a barren land with rocks and bare mountains and with soil in which nothing grows. Even the sky should be rough and angry. This is good for Kilaya. There are many places that have auspicious signs in the mountains. You need a quiet, deserted place—an abandoned place is best. In Tibet great sages did their retreats in such places. In Kathmandu, Yanglesho was a frightening place once, but perhaps not so much now.   So find a wrathful place, then sweep it clean. Use an authentic picture, which means a thangka painted with effort. If you can commission a thangka for your retreat, this would be good. You need to do many virtuous actions to develop the merit for the retreat to go well. This is the causal merit for the retreat. Don’t just go dashing in; rather, make tsa-tsas, read scriptures, do charitable works, make confession etc. Assemble your food, medicine, tsok offerings, incense and take everything you need in with you. The idea is to lock down. You cannot order supplies once you’ve started. This will just invite in negative spirits—they will take the opportunity to come in with the new articles. Also, while in retreat you must seal the door. You have said you would stay in retreat so you must maintain your commitment. In reality the four kings go North, East, South and West. Each should have his own offering. We just use a picture symbolically but assume that all the four directions are covered. Assemble everything you need. Regarding clothes, stay in the same set of clothes for the whole retreat. This can be more relaxed if needed, but it’s good to stay in the same clothes if possible. Servants can be included, that is, allowed to come within the boundaries of the retreat.  

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Mark the outside of the retreat one week before you start the main retreat. All retreats should start late afternoon. All should end easily by noon at the latest. So start around 4pm or 5pm. Some retreatants take the accomplishment blessings early morning, others later, more like 10 am. When you end your retreat you are not allowed to mingle with others. You need to settle into the flow. If you mingle in ordinary activities, then straight away you dilute the power of the blessings. So come out slowly—maybe talk to one person on the first day.  

The Main Part Use the Kilaya tsok sadhana to make the red and white offerings and those made to the kings, (p 6-7) and create the protective circle. This you need to re-create every morning. Remember it so nothing can penetrate and hurt your retreat practice and mandala. It is the center of an atom—the nucleus of the vajra tent. The outer rim is made of diamond phurba vajras. The whole space of the rim is filled with vajras leaving no space unprotected. Everything is held together in a lattice of vajras.   Ngondro will always be the first session of practice in retreat. Concentrate on the Four Mind Changes. You need to contemplate these seriously. Repeat them again and again until you strike the essence of their meaning. Then you will begin to understand the cause and nature of suffering. The key here is the Four Mind Changes. Ngondro has five sections. Complete them all. You need causal merit. The more you have of this the more successful your retreat will be. Causal merit is the input for wisdom merit. The water bowl offering is a wealth offering. It is offered to all the buddhas and all the beings in the six realms. To fish water is nectar, to hell beings pus—all beings see it differently according to their perceptions. Ransoming lives is an excellent practice if you find the opportunity. Most important here is tsok. Normally, one would do tsok everyday in retreat. It is of great merit and value. If it is too long for you, then you can just recite the Ram Yam Kam one hundred and eight times, sprinkling the offering with your bumpa containing bumze 25. This is sufficient. Everything is included in this practice. You just need to maintain the awareness of the deity and follow the sadhana practice. If you follow the tsok of Kilaya, everything is there— removing obstacles, the wheel of protection, all the praises and offerings and so on.   Proverbially we use five kinds of cow substances to clean the space of the retreat ground. The cow should be totally red and graze for one week in pure grassland. Then you use the milk, urine, dung and yogurt. This is the purest offering. In the brahmin tradition they would sprinkle cow urine to purify the

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kitchen. It has recently been found that the best way for antibiotics to work is to use cow urine. It has healing properties. Before you invoke the Four Great Kings, (p 4 of the tsok) first go through the sadhana of Kilaya. You need to feel the rays of light going to all four Kings. ‘Vajra Sama Dza’ is the mudra of subjugating and equalizing with the protectors. The lasso, hook, and chain bind them so they won’t go away. They are implements of compassion. Then do a nominal tsok, offer to the protectors. Offer the best you can with beautiful incense, the best of the five sensory fields, the best water to wash and drink, celestial music, delicious foods etc.   The kings won’t come alone. They will come with whole retinues— unimaginably huge scores of retinues will come. So with the power of the mind manifest an infinity of   ‘balingtas’ (offerings). All the retinues have Prime Ministers, a cabinet, administrative staff, not to mention entire armies. They have the same structures that we have. Their armies are now guarding every space of your retreat. They will not let anything in to disturb you. You can use cookies to symbolize offerings but it is better to make tormas. It’s easy for the kings, just a conical shape and a ball. These offerings for the kings are taken out and left out. Visualize the offering coming from the heart center.   You need to visualize Vajrakilaya in detail to do the protective circle. Do the Kilaya mantra for a while, paying attention to all of Kilaya’s aspects and also the light rays emanating and re-absorbing. From his heart center vajra phurbas shoot out in all directions to form a canopy tent of vajra phurbas. This vajra tent is crucial to erect. Otherwise the essence of your heart is not protected. Here we are creating the atom of the heart. The whole being is in it but the essence is the heart which needs to be protected. So make sure you are in the protective circle. The vajra circle represents the molecules and atoms of your mind. The outer core is fire. This ring of fire is constantly blazing; nothing can touch it. It is a fire of protection. It will burn noxious beings. The symbol is also about exhausting your concepts. These rings reflect the inner elements. The circle is also the nature of your rigpa awareness free of duality. Thus, the fire is blazing wisdom fire. There is no chance of any negative spirit entering through that— it’s impossible.   In the Nam Chak Putri it describes how visualizing these circles in this way relates to visions that arise in togyal. The protective circles should be there all the time. The point is to be in constant awareness. It is tremendously hard. It is hard to remember all the time. When you forget, just recreate it and feel ‘I’m in the tent again’. When a mother loses her only child, her awareness of the child will be with her constantly until she finds him or her. Similarly we should have this same reflex—all the time willing ourselves to be in the vajra tent and being Putri  Repung  Teachings  ©  YesheMelong  2014        

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in the presence of rigpa. That is what cuts through duality. Nothing else will cut anything. This awareness is the five wisdoms; it contains all five primordial wisdoms. This unfabricated, uncontrived, pristine clarity of rigpa is the very nature of intrinsic awareness which does not hold to duality. It is neither consciousness, nor intellect nor memory—these have been framed. Rigpa is free of all this. Therefore be aware and watch awareness constantly. Due to habits we lose our awareness all the time. It’s the same with respect to the small and big vase. It will form upon the thought once you place vase awareness there. If you lose your awareness, the small vase is gone. So just as nothing should come into the retreat and nothing should go out—so too, you need to keep the realization in and not let it out. These are the disciplines. During retreat, you’ll see mood swings, anxiety, sadness etc. These are all irrelevant distractions. Whatever comes, constantly pray to the guru, “Please give me your blessings—give me strength to let these things go.” These obstacles will vanish. These emotions are the negative perceptions that have come to challenge your retreat. Don’t entertain them; correct yourself; educate yourself. When will you get the opportunity again to undertake such a rare and precious practice? Rather, determine to seize this opportunity now and not to waste a single moment with it. If you have a wish-fulfilling jewel in your hands you need to know what to wish for—don’t fritter it away on trivial things. Its true when you settle and reflect, thoughts will come, but they come to be liberated, not as obstacles. So let them go. There is no essence in any of those thoughts at all.   Sometimes intense suffering will arise. Sometimes you will see many faults of commitments—whatever, let them go; don’t grasp; don’t entertain them. They are crooked experiences coming into you now. So have courage and steadfastness. Your strength of samaya and commitment, your strength to overpower these negative forces, is your driving force. You need great effort and great diligence—this is important. The Four Nails come from these, as I explained before. Afterwards develop the bodhicitta mind on the basis of the rough experience, consider how all sentient beings suffer like this and in innumerable ways. Think how you can benefit them and alleviate their suffering. So always bring your experience back to your motivation.   First is motivation. Next is determination. Determine,  ‘I can be of some help and I will work for the benefit of sentient beings’. Determination is the driving force that makes you push in that direction. This determination is also the relative and absolute bodhicitta. The absolute is the profound respect that all beings have the tathagatagarba. The relative bodhicitta is actually being able to execute this awareness and work with enlightened motivation and will for all sentient beings with equanimity.   Putri  Repung  Teachings  ©  YesheMelong  2014        

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The Conclusion So first thing is motivation, next is determination to stay with the Four Nails, with whatever arises in the practice sessions—and third is dedication. If you don’t dedicate, the seed won’t sprout properly. Dedicate the merit of your practice for the welfare of all parent sentient beings. And make sure you dedicate in the dharmakaya, it will be more fruitful—here the result will be inexhaustible.   Finally remain in awareness, unifying subject, object and action into one awareness. Don’t separate these out. Have no pride in the dedication, like ‘I, the practitioner did this great practice and dedication.’ Don’t boast. Unify into one taste and remain there.  

Post Meditation As post behavior/meditation, if you come out the same self as before—then nothing much has happened. So continue with the awareness of the practice even when not in practice. You are not supposed to talk—not even to yourself! With your eyes show humility; gaze with compassion; purify your perception of each other. See others in the nature of buddhas which is how each of you really are. If it’s too hard for you to see others as buddhas, at least see others as dakas and dakinis and follow this aspect of respect for each other. The whole point of the practice is to subjugate your ego. Try to reduce your ego as much as possible. Go into humbleness and simplicity—this is true virtue. The higher your practice, the humbler you’ll become. The higher your practice, the simpler you’ll become.  

The Shrine Set-up—Same for All Retreats The set up for the retreat shrine is the same for all retreats except the main deity. Also you might need the long life vase to be on a tripod. Whatever the main deity is, you will need a central tripod. In respect of the Dakini you need a kapala, four-star chakra wheel, a mirror and a crystal. If you are familiar with the set up for one, it is more or less the same for all. The same disciplines should be followed regarding shaving and washing etc. If you want the retreat to be successful, follow the same format. It is the way it is done in our lineage. Then if you follow these guidelines, there is no question that it will be successful.     Proverbially you should try to get the best kapala and terma phurba if possible— it will be like a magnet bringing all the energy of Kilaya. That is the purpose of Kilaya. Normally, none of the phurbas are made by human beings. Damchen Dorje Legpa made the terma phurbas from meteorite. He made them with zikhim and meteorite. Normally they would be a combination of sky metal, Putri  Repung  Teachings  ©  YesheMelong  2014        

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gold, silver and copper. However, the knowledge of how to combine the metals is now lost—the demi-gods and spirits used to know.   A kapala and a phurba are essential to have for Phurba practice. You need to draw an eight-spoked yellow chakra wheel in the kapala. (For your retreat here you have a paper cut version of this). Normally we smoke and purify any impurities that these ritual objects may have come into contact with. Use gugul and mustard seeds or the purifying pills. Tripods are useful for the central kapala, for the long life vase (or bumpa if don’t have this) and probably for the main deity torma too. Tripods should be metal especially for Kilaya since he relates to the metal aspect. In the wrathful offering bowls you need the two tormas—one for the senses and the other for the samaya breakers. Incense on the wrathful side is made of human flesh.   Your yidam is now Kilaya. Your principle yidam does become Kilaya so, no need to ask what your main yidam is.   In your long life jar, imagine that the small red long life pills mingle with the sweets, but don’t eat them, at least not all of them. His Holiness had miraculous signs when he did Chime Tsog Tik, that’s when he made these pills, so keep them to use for all your retreats. However, if the life of a family member is in danger you can give them one to extend their life. Guru Rinpoche made them with his hands as did His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche. They are empowered with the syllables ‘Hrih’ and ‘Ah’. You can get no better than that I’m sure. Sometimes there are signs of the bubbling up of the nectar. For your Long Life nectar, it is best to use a metal bowl (silver or gold) or it can be a jade bowl. But try to avoid glass or crystal bowls. The accomplishment nectar would be best in a second kapala which does not need to be top quality. But the nectar will only boil in a kapala. If one does not have a second kapala, then a bumpa should be used which is preferable to a metal bowl. The tsok nectar can be any bowl including crystal or glass. You need the gektor, cheddo and tenma tormas if you are doing tsok. Once the shrine is set up, it’s the mandala so it’s good to do three prostrations to it three times a day—in the morning, afternoon and at night. Keep the mandala completely clean. When you light incense spread it around the mandala. With the water bowl offerings each morning, sprinkle them with ‘Ram, Yam, Kam.’ The bumpa on the shrine is not active. The active one you have on the ritual table in front or beside you, with your dorje and bell etc.   Don’t give your rakta to anyone else—it will open the door to obstacles. Once given, it becomes yours. Be very careful how you use it. You need rakta,  just a sprinkle, not too much. Also you need bumzey 25. You need this for everything—sang, retreats, washing statues etc.   Putri  Repung  Teachings  ©  YesheMelong  2014        

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The Kyerim of the Palace According to the Putri Repung the syllable Hung becomes Kilaya and the rest of the palace and retinue. But if you need more detail you can elaborate with the Kyerim described in the Nam Chak Putri of Dudjom Lingpa.   First there are three circles or rings surrounding the palace. These rings are rotating.   The first ring is the circle of constantly blazing wisdom fire which burns all noxious beings. In fact, Kilaya practice is about understanding the atoms of the mind. The signs of alchemy are all here. The whole mandala is describing how the atoms form. In respect of the deities, these atoms will appear just like this in togyal.   The second ring is a circular wall of vajra dorjes or vajra phurbas. These create a completely indestructible wall whereby each vajra itself is individually indestructible but as a connected lattice it forms an utterly undefeatable protective wall. The qualities of the vajra are that it is firm, fixed, it does not hold to duality etc. These are diamond dorjes.   The third ring is the circle of multicolored lotuses. This is called the Ring of Pema. The fourth ring contains the eight cemeteries. These each contain a cemetery, a stupa, a tree, a guardian and a lake with a naga. In these eight fields there are birds, carnivores and other animals—humans, zombies, dead rotten and semirotten bodies—raw meat and bones. In each cemetery you hear the dakas and dakinis; great mahasiddhis also travel there and all the activities of the charnel grounds are happening there. Beings are being chopped up and they are either burnt, left for animals or used as an offering. There is a lot of wailing—with sounds and experiences of excruciating pain here. All the elements are present at the cemeteries—fire, water, wind and earth. The dakas and dakinis live at the stupa. At the trunk of the tree there is a protectress and local divinities are on all the leaves. Each cemetery has one big lake where a naga lives. So there are a lot of corpses and skeletons with pieces of fresh and rotten body meat scattered everywhere.  

The Inner Meaning of the Rings The fire circle is to burn the impurities and habitual patterns. The vajra circle demonstrates the indestructible vajra mind essence. The ring of lotuses is the absolute nature of the mind which cannot be polluted by relative phenomena. Their multicolored nature is indicating the five wisdoms in rigpa. The Putri  Repung  Teachings  ©  YesheMelong  2014        

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cemeteries represent the subjugation of rudra and his possessions. They can also be understood to be the eight consciousnesses. All of this is the nature of awareness. In the end all of this is about rigpa awareness. The four rings—the fire, the dorjes, the ring of lotuses, and the cemeteries can be considered significant border ornamentation. After the four rings visualize two jagged mountains on each of the four sides. Beyond each of these mountains there lies a triangular ocean of rakta, i.e., blood. In front of this is the earth space with a huge lake surrounded by wish-fulfilling trees, the seven royal emblems, victory banners etc—all spontaneously self arising. You can refer to the Nam Chak Putri to get a more detailed description—it’s more elaborate. In the middle of this field is Mount Meru. In the Putri Repung it is made of skulls—in the Nam Chak Putri,   lapis lazuli. For us Mount Meru is made of skulls and skeletons. On the very top of Mount Meru is a five-pronged dorje. In the middle of this on a square sits the syllable Dhrum. This Dhrum syllable is multicolored and iridescent with all the five wisdoms.

Elaborate and Simple Generation In our short sadhana of Putri Repung, it starts with Hung. If you want to elaborate, start with the Dhrum, then visualize Eh, (the nature of space) Yam, (earth), Ra, Su, Kem, Ram, (Fire)—in other word, all the elements. The Dhrum on a square goes to the Eh within a downward pointed triangle. Upon this, is a twelve-spoke wheel or five-pronged vajra. So the vajra stands on the top of a downward pointed triangle whose point goes into the Dhrum standing on the square. Following this the Yam of the earth begins to form… or you could go directly from the Hung.  

The Outer Palace This syllable Hung or Dhrum radiates tremendous rays of light and forms the square walls of the palace. The syllable Dhrum then turns into the outer palace. The first outer wall is blazing with the dazzling brilliance of diamonds. It means that the peaceful aspects are going to give rise to the wrathful. These four walls are made of diamond. You can see through this wall. The inner side of these walls has five coats of color; red, blue, yellow, green and white. These are transparent colors—they represent the five wisdoms. In addition to this outer wall having four sides, it also has four doors. The ceiling is yellow. There are pearl garlands outside each door held by crocodiles along with silken banners. Above each door there is a parasol made of human skin. The four doors represent the four mind changes. Each door has four steps in the front. There is red carpet on the ground on the outside of the wall. There are tassels of arms and legs with innards hanging out. Along with the body parts there are also strings of pearls and gems. This is showing that the Putri  Repung  Teachings  ©  YesheMelong  2014        

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peaceful and wrathful are in union and not separate from one and other. Together with the parasols on top of the doors are dharma wheels with two animals on either side. At the end of each corner of the curved roof there are peaceful and wrathful decorations.  

The Inner Palace Inside the palace itself there are eight pillars showing the eightfold noble path. On top of the ceiling are the joists which form the frame for the roof, i.e., the beams. These represent the Thirty-Seven Aspects of Enlightenment. The roof beams are held together with meteorite nails. This is a lower roof, (like the structure of our temple roofs)—and it is decorated with pearls and human intestines. The outside roof is made of mahadevis skin, as well as human and garuda skin, i.e., where the shingles would be. On the top most roof, I hear there is a blazing (still beating) heart sitting in the mouth of the open jaws of Yamantaka, (Lord of Death). The walls are all made of skeletons—some are dry; some are semi-dry; some are completely raw and dripping with blood and the rest. The ceiling is also made with human and garuda skin. Bodies are piled up making the inner walls and they are cemented together with blood, meat, bile and fat etc. At the four corners are four banners made with human skin and with hands, legs and innards hanging all over the place as tassels. This space is extremely wrathful. There are no windows to this inner part of the palace.   Now within this palace, in the center, visualize on the floor of the palace a blue triangle (blue representing dharmadhatu space; three sided representing path, liberation and attainment). If you understand the dharmadhatu, you understand liberation. On that, there is a circle with a straight edge. On top of this create a space for Kilayas Twenty-one Sons, the sixteen Phurba Protectors, the Ten Herukas and the Four Supreme Sons. In other words, starting from Kilaya at the center, have a four spoked wheel around which the Four Supreme Sons appear; a ten spoked wheel around which the Ten Herukas manifest; a sixteen spoked wheel for the Sixteen Phurba Protectors; followed by a twenty-one spoked wheel for the Twenty-one Sons. The Twenty-One Sons are seven each for body, speech and mind. The sixteen Phurba Protectors each have particular names. There are four at each gate/door. The Twenty-Eight Mighty ones and the Five Garudas are also present. But the Sixteen Phurba Protectors are the main ones for the practice here. They are represented by the torma you were given for this retreat. The phurba protectors have six arms,   like Kilaya,   and their body is a phurba dagger. So for the Putri Repung, you can visualize on top of the blue dharmadhatu triangle, a blazing blue Hung which instantly turns into Kilaya; it instantly turns into the Twenty-one Sons, the Ten Herukas and the Four Supreme Sons. But first you need to get Kilaya.  

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The Point of The Approach—You Become Kilaya The practice of this requires you to forget your own name. That just ties you to your relative mundane world. His Holiness used to say that the practice of the deity should be such that you don’t know who you are. So at all times visualize yourself as Kilaya—not like a statue or static picture—but alive, vibrant and moving. The reality of Kilaya is such that you become Kilaya; that is the whole point of the Nyempa, that is, the approach.   In one month you should complete approximately 250,000. In six months you should accumulate around 1,600,000. Actually, there is a lot of effort we need to put in here. When you are reciting the nyempa, you will come to a stage when you exhaust your karma. The point is to turn your body into the body of Kilaya which is the tathagatagarba. That will extinguish the winds of karma which have brought so many rebirths. Until you exhaust these winds, you will have rebirth.   So meditate on the multi dimensional elements of Kilaya’s appearance and mandala. Visualize his eyes roaming, his tongue rolling, sounds roaring with ‘Hung, Hung; Phet, Phet’   to subjugate through fear those who can be and to seduce those that can be seduced. As for those that cannot be subjugated by fear or seduction, hypnotize them with sounds and stun them with the horror of your body. You are not supposed to recollect anything apart from Kilaya. You should shatter and destroy the image you have of yourself. Practitioners of long retreat come out not knowing who they are. They have destroyed the relationship they have with themselves.   When you visualize Kilaya the most important thing is the firm devotion you have to the teacher. If you cannot purify the vision you have of your teacher, how can you purify anything?

The Inner Level of the Whole Mandala As indicated, the outer ring of fire is to burn noxious beings but also it is wisdom fire. The whole structure of the palace is made of atoms of the mind. The atoms will only arise when there is intense heat. So you need to create the highest degree of heat. This needs to be steady and constant. Out of the fire comes the diamond element. This is the shell of the atom. It is the vajra diamond. After the diamond outer ring appears the ring of multicolored lotuses. This ring is reflecting the primordial wisdom. The core of the atom is primordial wisdom. It is the core of the dharmadhatu. It appears yet it is empty. The whole phurba teaching is really on the science of the mind. It isn’t given openly because few would understand it.

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Following the ring of multicolored lotuses are the eight cemeteries. Again, all this is created in the inner atoms of the mind, which refer to one’s perception. This is none other than the simultaneous arising of the field of perception and illusion. Within the mind’s imagination—the space of the intellect, everything manifests such as the cemeteries, the corpses, the zombies, cut up human corpses, entrails spilling out and blood oozing everywhere.   What is this? This is to cut through our perception—to cut right through the matter of our perception. This is how the atoms can penetrate the matter. The atoms of the mind can pierce through matter. You need to develop sensitivity to this. These are the skillful displays of dharmata. There is no reality to them at all. Yet they appear. The atoms of the mind are empty of reality. Yet they show proportion, quantity, texture, shape and color. All the sensory elements are displayed perfectly by the mind. Although the appearance is nothing, nonetheless it still appears. So this inner level of seeing the cemeteries and everything here is showing that the atoms of the mind can penetrate anything. The atoms have no weight or solidity whatsoever yet they can penetrate any and every phenomenon.   Following the mountains and the oceans of blood is Mount Meru. Although it appears as a mountain, it is the space of the universe—universal space. So there are thousands of myriads of countless universes represented by this mountain. Mount Meru is in fact a myriad of universes. Buddha said there are myriads of worlds suspended like this. We are not the only humans. In the Putri Repung, this mountain is comprised of innumerable skeletons piled up on top of each other. But remember Mount Meru is essentially universal space. Our space is blue. There is space for each of the five colors. Under our galaxy of blue space there are hundreds of universes.   The top of Mount Meru is the place where the palace of Kilaya forms. First, on the top of Mount Meru, there is a square plateau. On that square, the blue Hung, which is our rigpa gradually floats down. At this point it is most important to abandon all concepts—leave them behind. All phenomena are empty— everything comes into emptiness. Generally this is what the Hung means—that all phenomena are empty and devoid of nature. The Hung is our nature, the embodiment of all the primordial elements of our mind.   This Hung is blazing. It is radiating and absorbing, involved in the unhindered activity of the buddhas. The light rays are going to all the buddha fields and all the six realms. The light shoots out and takes back the essence of phenomena and gets more and more brilliant as a result. It is so brilliant the eyes cannot possible see it. It is one hundred thousand times more brilliant than the sun’s rays emerging from a solar eclipse. The Hung descends down from the Putri  Repung  Teachings  ©  YesheMelong  2014        

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emptiness. Let the Hung descend. The Kyerim will be ineffective if the mind is not one with the Hung. The Hung must become the self.   In the Nam Chak Putri the five colored Dhrum turns into the six elements and then into the palace and Kilaya. If you like, from the Hung you can visualize the elements as follows:-   Eh –  Blue/Space –  Square. On top of this is:   Yam –  Green/ Wind –  Downward pointing triangle. On top of this is:   Ra –  Red/Blood – Circle on a cross (like the female symbol). On top of this is:   Sum –  Yellow Earth/skin –  Rectangle. On top of this is:   Kem –  White/Bones –  Downward pointing triangle. On top of this is:   Ram –  Red/Fire –  Circle. Finally, on top of this is:   The Palace then Kilaya.

Recap To recap, the four-spoked wheel, the ten spoked wheel, the twenty-one spoked wheel, all arise from the Dhrum or Hung. Kilaya arises in the midst of the palace on a blue triangle and circle with an edge. The sons etc all represent atoms of your mind. This matures into togyal. At the beginning you see a circle of light. You see the atoms in stillness, and then in movement as slowly they simmer and move. Small circles of blue, green, yellow, red—small balls of light arise. Later you see another color. They  arise in layers. You’ll see different colors coming into one—all will dissolve into one. You may see a cluster of ten and everything else disappear. These are different visions that arise which pertain to the different levels of awareness—the nirmanakaya, the sambhogakaya and the dharmakaya. The dhamakaya is seen at the very end when all the atoms are fused together into one. This is the most refined awareness. When visualizing Kilaya, start with the phurba body. Some will see symbols first before the deity, others will see letters appear first. Once the visualization and the mantra are solid, then when one rolls the phurba sparks will fly. Until they are solid, nothing will appear from or with the phurba. Remember one must have developed absolutely pure compassion before using the phurba to strike.  

The Circle of Mantra Visualization Do the mantra syllables both as a rotating circle at the heart and as a firebrand going through the yab and yum’s central channel. Visualize from the Hung, fourteen syllables bursting out. The Hung emanates the entire mandala including Putri  Repung  Teachings  ©  YesheMelong  2014        

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the fourteen syllables. The fourteen syllables fill all of space simultaneously— the atoms just burst out. These syllables or atoms form the rings—feel the presence of that awareness. It forms the triangle dharmadhatu base, the cemetery palace and then the Hung transforms into Kilaya. The mind has to see all of this. It is with the mind that you see all the elements of the mandala and the pure buddhafields. The process of conception is in the formation of the atom. It can only be found in intense heat.   When doing the fireband though the yab and yum’s central channel, the circle of mantra must turn in a wheel through Kilaya and his consort’s body. It starts at the heart of the jnanasattva; goes up out of Dorje Sempa’s mouth; up through the throat chakra and up to the crown; then out through your mouth to the consort’s mouth. She sucks the breath in and takes it into her central channel, up to her great bliss chakra and then down through her central channel and the remaining chakras until it reaches the yab’s dorje. Then it goes through the dorje and up through the yab’s central channel until it reaches the heart where immense bliss is experienced. The mantra keeps traveling in a circular formation up and down going through the central channels. This practice generates tremendous bliss which goes to healing. It shouldn’t be dissipated in ordinary union. Each mantra recitation you do will have fire, rays and sparks coming from it. The point of the mantra is to turn the wind into wisdom fire. In tsa lung it is important to harmonize the breathing. The thigle will then become lighter and more powerful.  

At the end of the retreat You will do this individually in your room. Then come out before 11am. Take all the blessings before that.   First do the tsok, then at the mid section of the practice, take the blessings. For the gektor send a cookie. Do one plate for the Guru, Yidam, Dakini and another small one for yourself.   After reciting the tsok prayer for some time, sprinkle the offering with nectar containing dutsi. Remember to include a piece of meat in the tsok. This is to show we haven’t abandoned the passions—it is taken to transmute these. So not abandoning desire, rather it is taken onto the path. Also we are saying ego has been defeated and we are seeing the egolessness in our own nature. So meat is a sign of defeated rudra.  

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First—Tsok Take some of the tsok and nectar for yourself—of course, first  assume you have already offered it to all the root teachers, all the lamas, all the buddhas and bodhisattvas – but then take some of the tsok yourself.   The Phurba Blessing After offering and taking some tsok, go to the kapala on the tripod. Take the phurba and hold it in both hands. Visualize yourself, the phurba and the yidam as indivisible—so samayasattva and jnanasattva are one awareness. At this time feel the vajra pride and confidence of being Kilaya. You are not only Kilaya but you are also the whole mandala, including the Twenty-one Sons, the Ten Herukas and the Four Supreme Sons plus the Forty Protectors and the host of lineage holders. Feel the blessings coming from the phurba. You are taking this from all the lords present in the mandala. Place this phurba on your crown, throat and heart. Take the blessing like this three times and recite ‘Om Ah Hung’ at the same time.   The Main Torma Blessing Then you have the Lha Tor, main torma blessing. Again take this blessing on the crown, throat and heart. Recite ‘Om, Ah Hung’ at the same time. Then gently touch the torma on the accomplishment nectar and then drink all the contents of this. Imagine the torma merging with the nectar when you touch it to the bumpa/accomplishment nectar. If it’s a torma made of flour etc you can break a small piece off and place it in the bumpa/nectar before drinking it. Take it off with the index finger and the thumb. Don’t eat it! It’s to place in the bumpa to be added to the nectar in there. Then place the torma back on top of the altar. Whatever you do, don’t eat the tormas!   Take these blessings and feel extremely fortunate. This is probably the most fortunate thing that has happened in your life. Think that the five perfections are all present as the sambhogakaya, these are: perfect teacher, teachings, retinue, time, and place. His Holiness said it is good to drink all the nectar if you can.   The Phurba Activities Here we are going to take the phurba on the table or ritual tray and learn to roll, stab and twirl it. This is the Lha Phurba. You should have one full sized phurba. First recite the Razor Mantra twenty-one times, (page 26 in the tsok). Alternatively the main Kilaya mantra is enough. During the recitation roll the phurba from left to right and then right to left—then stab three times. So roll the phurba back and forth, pushing it from the left hand into the right and then from the right into the left. Then push it down (i.e. stab downwards—not pointing in or out) three times. So keep it straight and upright when stabbing.

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Following this, make three circles around your body with it—first clockwise then anticlockwise. Between each circle you can roll it in front to make it more elegant. Once you’ve finished rolling clockwise and anti-clockwise take the phurba in the right hand and hold it up to the sky—twirl it there in the sky, clockwise and anti-clockwise again three times each. While doing all this, recite the mantra the whole time and visualize sparks coming from your heart and going to the phurba. Thus the whole phurba comes alive with sparks and the syllable Hung. Masses of sparks flame out from the tip.   This is the completion of the four activities. In this way, on the right side, all the stars and planets are brought under one’s subjugation. On the left side all the vow breakers and negative forces that are evil are also completely subjugated. When you take the phurba in the middle and turn it clockwise, all the nagas, serpent forces and negative spirits of the earth and forests are subjugated. When you take the phurba anti-clockwise it enters the hells and hungry ghost realms and subjugates there. It is subjugating to transfer compassion. Otherwise there is no point. The duality that is in our mind and in every phenomenon needs to be subjugated and transformed into compassion. Kilaya is essentially peaceful. From the peaceful arises the wrathful. These forms exist because of your emotions. Otherwise there would be no need for deities like Kilaya to manifest at all. By these activities a portion of your negative karma will be reduced. The extent depends on the intensity by which this is done.   The Long Life Blessings After this you can add the long life practice such as Chime Tsog Tig and accumulate as much as you can—say at least one, two or three malas. You can also do the long life on page 26 of the Kilaya tsok. Sometimes when we do the wrathful practices strongly we lose energy from the crown of our head so we need to do the long life to replenish this loss. Visualize five colored rays of light coming out of the Hung at your heart. These turn into dakinis holding long life arrows all dressed in the five colors of the five buddha families. These dakinis hook the lost life force and strength and bring it back to your heart center. Visualize the light rays falling back into you like rain and saturating the Hung in your heart. Then visualize your merit and life becoming span-less; your age is reversed to agelessness; and your merit is made inexhaustible. Visualize yourself gaining strength that doesn’t degenerate and your lifespan becoming immortal. All your concepts are reversed. At the end hook all the dakinis of long life back into the Hung at your heart—compel them to come to you. As they do they rain down blessing flowers and rejoice. Then take the long life vase and place it on your forehead. After this, take the arrow and twirl it three times clockwise and three times anti-clockwise. Imagine gathering the dakinis when doing this. Then place the arrow on your forehead. Consider then that a double dorje rests on the crown aperture and seals this point. This seals the door so the Putri  Repung  Teachings  ©  YesheMelong  2014        

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positive energy you’ve generated cannot escape and no negative energy can enter. Then take the long life nectar—drink it all and eat three of the long life pills including, if you wish, one of the small ones that His Holiness made.   Complete Tsok Following this go back to the sadhana and complete the tsok. Toss some rice on the mandala at the end here, for auspiciousness. After the tsok, the retreat has ended officially.   Observing the Signs Now you need to observe the signs. For those of you on the upper floor, look up. For those on the lower floor climb the stairs and go up. If there are no stairs, look upwards out of a window or door. Don’t look down. Feel you have taken a step upwards. This is very important when you end retreat. Gaze upwards. Your wind force should be raised upwards. Tendrel is extremely important. Everything is to do with tendrel in the Nyingma. If you have some yogurt in your room, eat this. The Buddha took some yogurt just before attaining enlightenment. Don’t, whatever you do, get into an argument. Don’t discuss mundane matters. At the end of the retreat it is important not to gossip at least for a day. Stay quiet. You may be officially out of retreat but keep the protection of silence for a while. Try to keep quiet. You are meant to do a peaceful Jin Sek, fire puja offering but instead you will do sang. Light incense in your room and do the Riwo Sang puja.   It’s important to finish before midday, best by 11am. I liked to take the blessings at sunrise. It’s the best time to take them, as it shows the rising of your experience and realization. So your retreat could end at 9am. Anything earlier is fine. You could get up at 3am, (Rinpoche raises his eyebrows towards everyone in a gesture of mock challenge). Do sang after tsok—then look up to the sky.   For the tsok you need to recite Ram Yam Kam one hundred times otherwise there it is not a complete tsok. His Holiness said if you recite this one hundred times it is the same as a full tsok. It’s optional to do the full Kilaya tsok.   The Four Great Kings Following Riwo Sang Chö at the end of the retreat, then you have to thank the Four Great Kings and their retinues. There is a particular sadhana for this but we will simplify things here. Make a stack of four cookies, four separate plates are better but one plate is ok. Verbally say: -    “Thank-you for protecting me and for holding the four directions totally protected. You upheld the vajra tent. Now I wish to thank-you. My retreat is over now I’d like to ask you and your retinue to return to where you came from Putri  Repung  Teachings  ©  YesheMelong  2014        

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and in future retreats I will ask you to come again to protect me. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart! In appreciation, please accept this offering for yourselves and your retinues. May it become whatever you wish for and satisfy every need and desire for you and all your retinue. May you all be totally fulfilled by this.”   Actually the best offering is the offering of your practice in retreat. This is the same for the guru. So in the sense of that, offer this.   Tendrel—Auspicious Connection Then, the first person you see should have pure samaya. When you come out of retreat, auspicious circumstances are important. You should speak no harsh words. You need to be cautious. Don’t agitate things. Following a Kilaya retreat, you may come out with tremendous agitated energy. Partake of a glass of wine or yogurt or both. Take it as tendrel. Normally we’d offer eight medicinal substances and seven banners. Whatever you do don’t get into ordinary talk. Only do so if absolutely necessary. Continue to follow the Jetok (post meditation)—the reel of practice is still rolling. Your practice still vibrates even though you are officially out of retreat.   Recap of Points to End Retreat: -   1) The Kilaya sadhana (at least)   2) Dharmapalas and protectors   3) Tsok—send a red gektor for the obstacle makers and white torma for the local deities   4) Take the blessings –   a) The Kilaya main blessings i.e. the phurba, the torma and the long life   b) The activity mantra/the razor mantra   c) The phurba rolling—recite the root mantra here or the razor mantra.   d) The Long Life practice   5) Close the dharmapalas   6) Close tsok if long Kilaya tsok done –  offer the remainder.   7) Riwo Sang Chö   8) Thank the guardians.   At the end, sprinkle rice on the mandala.   Possible Order for Following the Texts Here: Page 1-10 Kilaya Tsok (KT)   Go into normal Kilaya sadhana do a long recitation practice.   Dharmapala practice   Page 27-30 (KT) Offering the Tsok   Take the Blessings of the main Phurba, Torma and long life substances   Long life Practice –  Chime Tsog Tik   Putri  Repung  Teachings  ©  YesheMelong  2014        

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Conclude Dharmapala   Page 31-32 (KT) - offer Cheddo and Tenma   Page 34 (KT) request accomplishment   Page 35 (KT) 100 syllable mantra   Page 37 (KT) Dedication   Alternatively you could use the whole Kilaya Tsok text as the base if you are familiar with it. Rinpoche said this would be good.  

General Points The Mala The mantra for blessing your mala is: -   Om Rutsi Ramani Prava Dhana Ye Soha.   Pick up mala with your left hand. Come to the guru bead. Hold it in both hands with the middle fingers forming a peak over the guru bead and let the rest of the mala be held in the cup of both hands. Then recite the mantra. First, in the Phurba practice, visualize yourself as Kilaya and then the syllable Hung shooting out from your heart into the guru bead. Following this, instantaneously the guru bead becomes Kilaya. More Hungs shoot into the mala and instantly the beads come into the Kilaya family, as the retinue of Kilaya. Just assume they are all there—all the protectors, sons and herukas. If you are not sure if the Forty Protectors, Twenty-Eight Mighty Ones, Twenty-One Sons, Ten Herukas and Four Supreme Sones are all there, just assume each of the beads is the syllable Hung. Once you visualize this, then recite the main Kilaya mantra at least twenty-one times and the Rutsi mantra also at least twenty-one times. Then keep the guru bead as it is and open the crossed fingers and blow on the mala. Then let go of the guru bead and mingle all the beads with it. Now your mala is blessed. Every time your mala falls, you sit on it or something like this—you need to purify it. Before retreat you need to bless your mala at the beginning to strengthen the mala for the purpose. You should do this once a day at the beginning of the day. You can do this with any yidam practice using the appropriate seed syllable and mantra for that yidam. Don’t be rough with your mala. It’s a samaya object. Don’t sit on it! For Kilaya, the best mala is bone; the second best is raksha; the third best is bodhi. You can use sandalwood oil to make it shine and preserve it well, but don’t do this with a bone mala. The Kapala In general for the kapala, it is good to put five types of grain, and precious, i.e., real gems, such as diamonds and sapphires, because the kapala is like a gem—it is the house for the brain and it is where the thirty-two buddha fields reside. These grain, coins and gems help to keep the phurba standing upright. You can use gold, silver, copper or iron for your phurba. This is the best way to keep a Putri  Repung  Teachings  ©  YesheMelong  2014        

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terma phurba. However this is not for when you are in retreat, rather here stick to the instructions given i.e black grains for Kilaya—this is a very strict instruction to maintain for this particular retreat. They should be black grains moistened with just a flick of nectar. In the mandala plate offering, you should have semi-precious gems. If you use family jewelry it needs to be boiled and washed with saffron water. In other words it needs to be purified. Recite the purification mantra and sprinkle them. Torquoise (the naga’s gem) is a protection against naga illnesses and planetary influences, particularly those born with weak nerves. It reinforces the nerves. The Small Drum With the small drum, the two strikers represent the relative and the absolute in union. The two skull bones forming each side of the drum symbolize the path and realization. The skull represents the potent energy of human beings within which its own energy is transient. The skin demonstrates the subjugation of ego. The sound is emptiness: in sound there is emptiness; in emptiness there is sound. The bones form a bridge showing the egoless mind. There should be three mantras written on the inside there. The tassel has all the auspicious signs saying, ‘May I always be victorious and enthroned on compassion.’ The drum is the speech of all wrathful protectors. The most excellent drum is one where the two skulls are from a girl and a boy both of whom were born and died in the same year. If you use the drum for Calling the Lama, do the Seven Line Prayer then three drums calls. Here you are using the drum as an invocation calling the dakas and dakinis to your waking up. This is to purify our notion of sleep. Place the drum upright on the tassel or down on its side when putting the drum down. It doesn’t matter which way. The drum when used in the dharmapalas is mostly for invocation. The vibration on the skull sends the energy of invocation. Only the last drum is for sending out. You play the drum after the first line of the dhamapalas, during the cymbals and kangling and before sprinkling from the bumpa. Blessed Substances I’ve given you torzey. When you make your yidam torma, you insert this in the bottom. It empowers the torma. This comes from the time of Guru Rinpoche when he used this substance. It is important to have particularly for the main yidam torma. You must have torzey and the mantra rolled and correctly written in gold. Then the bottom should be sealed with clay or glue. I’ve given you rice blessed by His Holiness. This is good for natural disasters relating to the elements such as fires, floods. You can also use this for demonic influence by Putri  Repung  Teachings  ©  YesheMelong  2014        

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burning and blowing it around the space inside the house or apartment etc. When these teachers touch anything it turns to terma. So you can use it to sprinkle and bless things. By adding dutsi to bumzey 25 it becomes bumzey 35 and you can then use it for empowerments. Regarding the Kilaya tsok—the white torma goes out prior to the four kings. Then there is the supplication. After this begin the tsok and send the gektor.   You need to get red cow pills—i.e. from a cow with only red hair, and not a single white or black hair etc. Servants or Entrants Regarding servants or entrants, you can place a name on the side of the altar. You should have no more than one person. They should drink the bumpa water when they come and go and throw extra over their left shoulder. You should recite one mala of Hayagriva and the purification for water mantra over the bumpa at the start of the retreat. Then the bumpa is empowered for purifying anything that comes in the retreat space, including food and provisions (i.e. Om Benza Trodha Hayagriva Hung Phet). You can gugul the bumpa too. The person/helper needs to be dependable. They can’t leave you half way— otherwise there will be a breach of practice. Additional Points On the accomplishment side, His Holiness talks of signs—there are more about those in the text.   The development of the four activities is important. This is the reason you have a second phurba. The activities are peaceful/pacifying, empowering/enriching, magnetizing and subjugating.   If you do one hundred thousand of the Jin Sek (fire puja), great fortune will follow. There are four types of Jin Sek. (Rinpoche mentions the need for the wang to empower for this). If you do the Jin Sek all the land will be pacified, that is, wherever you’re allowed to make the fire for this.

Kilaya’s World At night visualize the yidam at your heart when you sleep as far as possible. Practice should be done in such a way that you erase your normal name and you assume the form of Kilaya all the times. Kilaya should be in your awareness constantly. Sleep as Kilaya, walk as Kilaya—do everything as Kilaya. Just as with the dream practice, we practice seeing everything as a dream, that is, viewing all as dream people, houses, trees, dogs—now see everything through Putri  Repung  Teachings  ©  YesheMelong  2014        

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the awareness of and as Kilaya. Just like when you get into the habit of seeing everything as a dream and seeing all phenomena as empty, all phenomena as unreal—here, now, we need to see everything as Kilaya—forms as Kilaya, sounds as his mantra and thoughts as his luminous display. This is important. All phenomena now need to be taken as Kilaya’s.

Retreat Practice Overview This summer retreat is a preparation. One month is the minimum for any retreat. Six months is fair. Three years is good.     It is best to go straight into retreat following instructions. Do a month. All your accumulated karma will to some extent be purified. You will leave more enlightened. There is no delay in the blessings of this practice. It is like a torrential rain pouring down. Even during this time and period His Holiness’ students are going through the rainbow body. It means this practice is valid.   Gerard Godet went to rainbow body. Similarly for you also realization can be received—it is guaranteed if you follow the instructions properly. There is no need to doubt. His Holiness’ attendant, Lama Gongdu left relics of five different colors like Longchen Rabjam. Many of His Holiness’ disciples have shown the total realization of buddhahood. It is prophesized that His Holiness will have one hundred million students who become enlightened through his teachings. Thursday in the 11th Tibetan Month is a good day to start retreat. Generally face East for your meditation seat. Of course, first you need to find the right retreat place. Please note—these teachings were not recorded, thus this is not a transcript as such, but rather notes taken from the teachings and verified through Dungse Shenphen Dawa Norbu Rinpoche’s advice and guidance. The commentary of His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche referred to herein, may be available upon formal request to Dungse Shenphen Dawa Rinpoche.

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