​Mind Teachings: Instructions for Dratsün Wangchuk

​Mind Teachings: Instructions for Dratsün Wangchuk I prostrate to the holy guru. O son of an excellent father, there’s no point in the activities of this life. Look at the ways people get sick, and look at the ways they die. Look at the ways they deceive themselves; through making plans to remain, they don’t think of their death. Do you know when you will get sick? Do you know if you will die right now? When the conditions of sickness and death occur, will you have fearless confidence? Therefore, you need to examine yourself again and again. Now you have obtained this excellent human body, and at this time you have met the profound dharma, so don’t be mistaken in your thinking. Whatever you think needs to be in accord with the dharma. Don’t be mistaken in your actions. Whatever you do should not contradict the dharma. You are either in accord with the dharma or not; you have either transgressed your vows and samaya or not. Your own mind is the judge. Having looked within, you need to correct yourself. You cannot rely on what is said by others. When you practice dharma, don’t follow after the mere semblance of dharma. It is necessary to cut your selfishness and obligations to this life. If you don’t cut ego-clinging, even though others may regard you as a dharma practitioner out of respect, there will be no benefit. Having fallen into selfishness, one day you will deceive yourself. If you cut selfishness and ego-clinging, even though others may not consider you to be a good person, there’s no problem with that. If you do not fall under the power of ego-clinging and kleshas, then because all words are just vapor, all circumstances like last night’s dream, and all praise and blame like an echo, there is no benefit or harm at all. However, if you cling to those as real, you will have great obstacles and be propelled into samsara and its lower realms. Not only that, but even in this life, your circumstances will be difficult, and you will be unhappy. Your virtuous actions will not increase, and what you don’t want will definitely increase—that’s certain. If you don’t cling to those as real, they won’t have any power to bind you. Ultimately, you will attain nirvana or the level of a buddha. Temporarily, even in this life you will be happy, flourish in the dharma, and purify your evil deeds and obscurations. In your future lives, you will be born in a pure realm and so forth. All the happiness of this life and the next arise from cutting selfishness and ego-clinging. Therefore, you always need to cut ego-clinging and selfishness. If you don’t understand what ego-clinging and selfishness are, I will point this out to you. If you ask how, it is like this: When good things and popularity come to you, it feels really good, and then when anything undesirable arises—whether great, small, or subtle, even a single good or bad word or look from others—it feels really painful and hurts. This is ego-clinging. Everyone fails to examine this. But other than this, there is nothing to understand. When you understand this, you always need to recognize it. You need to be able to tame it. That is the real enemy. If you are able to recognize and tame it, even if you don’t have the title “lama,” you actually are a lama. Even if you are not thought of as a scholar by others, you actually are a scholar. Even if you are not known as a siddha, you actually are a siddha. You are a scholar because taming ego-clinging is the root of all the sutras, tantras, and shastras. You are a siddha because you have
then what point is there in even the minor higher perceptions, crushing earth, making holes in stone, or tying knots in iron? If you ask, “When one recognizes ego-clinging, what is the antidote to tame it, and how does one apply that antidote?” Well, when ego-clinging suddenly arises: don’t reject it, don’t adopt it, don’t change even a hair of it, and don’t alter its color. Don’t dwell on it or examine it again and again. Directly rest in the natural state. Because it is liberated in its own place, there is no need to liberate it through something else. At the moment it arises in its own place, there is nothing that is not liberated. O son of an excellent father, the root of both faults and good qualities is these two: you are wandering or not; or, you are aware or not. You need to recognize these. Once you recognize them, you need to become familiar with them. Once you become familiar with them, you need to apply them in every circumstance. You must not give in to circumstances for even an instant. Even if you are happy, you need to recognize these two. Even if you are sad, you need to recognize these two. If you are able to become familiar with them, then one day you will spontaneously give rise to overwhelming compassion for all sentient beings, renunciation of samsara, certainty that subtle and coarse cause and effect are unerring, faith that actually sees the guru as the Buddha, engaging the teachings with a superior intention, and joy in sickness and happiness in death. Until these arise, don’t let yourself wander. O son of an excellent father, the time is now, so don’t procrastinate. All your intentions can be accomplished on this very seat. I could show you my raw red heart, but there are no other teachings than these. Even though these words are unpleasant, they have profound meaning. Even if you ask a hundred scholars, the root is included within those two. Even if you meet a hundred siddhas, it seems to me that there is no other conclusion than this. Basically, I am stupid. I haven’t been able to bring the dharma into my own mind, let alone the profound meaning of the practice of the great perfection. Because I don’t know how to write a good line of poetry, or even the details of correct spelling, it is difficult for me to dare to give oral instructions or practices to others. However, I wrote this so as not to refuse your insistent request. Whatever faults and contradictions there are in this, from my heart I confess them all to the guru and the deity. By the virtue of this having benefitted you, may this give rise to vast benefit for the teachings and sentient beings. In general, when completing any virtuous activity; when in front of representations of the three jewels, the guru, or the sangha; or when seeing or thinking of anything—birds, insects, pack horses and mounts, male and female lay people, and so on—with vast bodhichitta, make dedications and aspirations, free from selfishness. Until attaining enlightenment, it is very important to accumulate merit by offering even a grain of barley or a drop of water and to purify obscurations. With all of these, it is always necessary to seal them with all-pervasive awareness, free from attachment and beyond reference point. At the request of Dratsün Wangchuck of Rigdzin Khachöling, accompanied by a khata, this was written by stupid, old Gangshar Wangpo.
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