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Preliminary Practices and Their Importance

His Holiness the Sakya Trizin

Tsechen Kunchab Ling PublicationsWalden, New York


enemies, and towards some we are indifferentwhen, in reality, everyone is the same. Everyone iseveryone’s mother.

It is not proper to now ignore all of our mothersentient beings and seek liberation orenlightenment only for ourselves. Even on theworldly level, imagine that your closest familymembers, dearest ones, friends, or relatives are ingreat suffering while you yourself are in a safe andhappy place. If you are a good-hearted person, youwould not feel happy in such circumstances. Evenif you were unable to help them, you would at leasttry to do something to share their miseries.Similarly, all sentient beings are our mothers. Allsentient beings have been our very dear ones.Ignoring them and just seeking liberation orenlightenment for oneself alone is not right.

Instead, we seek enlightenment for the sake ofall sentient beings. The main purpose of takingrefuge is not for your own benefit, your own wayof being, but for the well-being of all sentientbeings. This focus is what makes the Mahayanarefuge special in terms of the cause, object,duration, and purpose of refuge.

Taking refuge is the very first of the preliminarypractices. Of course, those who are followers of theVajrayana path also need to take Vajrayana refuge,

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In our lives as human beings, many things arerequired of us, and we engage in many kinds ofactivities. But the most important thing we can doin our life is spiritual practice, which allows us toaccomplish peace and happiness not only in thislife but also in future lives. The Buddha’s teachingsays that every sentient being possesses buddhanature. All sentient beings, and not only humanbeings, have the seed of the Buddha within them,so that if we meet with the right methods we canaccomplish buddhahood. Every sentient beingpossesses buddha nature. In this sense, then,everyone is equal. I feel that the Buddha was thefirst person to pronounce equal rights, and notonly for human beings but for every sentient being,and he did so on this basis.

But at the moment, we do not realize ourbuddha nature. We cannot see the true nature of

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our minds because of the two obscurations: theobscuration of defilements and the obscuration ofknowledge. Due to this great ignorance or lack ofwisdom, we cling without any logical reason to theidea of a self rather than seeing the true nature ofour minds. And as a result of the buildup of stronghabitual tendencies, accumulated over a very longperiod of time, we cling to our aggregates as a self.

When you cling to self, then naturally there areothers. When you have self and others, there isattachment to your side, anger toward others, andignorance in general. These are the three maindefilements. From these three arise pride, jealousy,stinginess, and so on. This array of defilementsdrives us to action, or karma, and due to ouractions, we are caught up in what we call samsara,or the circle of existence.

As long as we are in samsara, we are not freefrom suffering. According to the teachings,samsara is divided into six realms: three lowerrealms and three higher realms. The three lowerrealms are the hell realm, the hungry ghost realm,and the animal realm. The hell realm and thehungry ghost realm are not directly visible to us.Instead, we learn about their nature andcharacteristics from the sutras and from theauthentic commentaries. But the animal realm is

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for the sake of all sentient beings, we take refugeuntil enlightenment is reached. For example, if youneed to go to an unknown place, the first thing youneed is a guide who can show you the path. In thisway, the Buddha is our guide. We need to rely onthe guide until we reach our destination, and inthis case, our destination is to accomplish ultimateenlightenment. Therefore, until enlightenment isreached, we take refuge in the Buddha.

To reach your destination, you need to actuallytravel on the path, by walking, by car, or by othermeans. Like this, we take refuge in the Dharma asour actual path. When one takes such a long anddifficult journey, having trusted companions isvery helpful. And therefore, we take refuge in theSangha as our companions.

The purpose of Mahayana refuge is not forone's own sake, but for the sake of all sentientbeings. Because we believe in a cycle of rebirth, itfollows that all sentient beings have been ourmother and our very dear ones in previous lives.We are born into different families, take differentforms, and lead different lives, but at one time oranother, everyone – every sentient being – has beenour parent, our very dear friend, and so on. Due tothe change of life, we do not recognize each otherand we see some people as friends, some as

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level of the Buddha’s followers like theBodhisattvas, but it is not visible to ordinarybeings. However, the nirmanakaya, or emanationbody, is revealed wherever, whenever, in whateverform the situation requires. It may be a humanform, an animal’s form. All kinds of different formscan appear to help beings. The Buddha as one whopossesses the three kayas is described only in theMahayana.

Next, the term Dharma encompasses twoaspects: the Buddha's teachings and realizations.The realizations are what Buddhas andBodhisattvas have gained by eliminating allobscurations and thus fulfilling the truth ofcessation and the truth of the path. Thisexplanation of the Dharma is also specific to theMahayana.

Finally, the term Sangha actually means“community.” In the context of the Mahayanarefuge, the term refers to the holy community, thetrue Sangha, namely, the Bodhisattvas who havealready reached the irreversible state. In this waythe Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are the objects ofrefuge. The Mahayana’s special refuge is with theseobjects.

Then we come to the duration of refuge: sinceour goal is to accomplish ultimate enlightenment

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visible to us, and we can easily see how animalssuffer. The three higher realms are the humanrealm, the demigod realm, and the god realm. Inthese realms, there appears to be a mixture ofhappiness and suffering. However, if we carefullyexamine them, we find that there is no realhappiness. It is only when we compare anexperience to great suffering that it will appear ashappiness. When we think carefully, however, wecan see that even the experiences we consider to behappiness are, in reality, another kind of suffering.

Our human life involves four major experiencesof suffering. Everyone who goes through lifeundergoes the suffering of birth, the suffering ofold age, the suffering of sickness, and the sufferingof death. And in everyday life, there are manykinds of problems that bring us suffering. We donot have direct access to the realms of the gods andthe demigods, but we can learn about them fromauthentic teachings.

Demigods are by nature jealous. They are awarethat they are not equal to the gods, and they are ingreat competition with them. Because their merit isnot equal to that of the gods, they are alwaysdefeated. In this way, they experience greatsuffering.

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In the god realm, there are three different levels.The first is what we call the realm of desire, or thekamadhatu, with six different levels. The gods of thekamadhatu have great palaces, magnificent bodies,and luxurious lives, but they do not live forever.One day, they realize with certainty that they aregoing to die. They know not only that they aregoing to die, but that since their entire life has beenspent indulging in enjoyments and never thinkingabout the spiritual path, most of them will fall intothe lower realms. These gods have a certain kind ofclairvoyance, so that they know the state intowhich they are going to fall, and this knowledgecauses them tremendous mental suffering.

There are higher classes of gods, like those whoreside in the rupadhatu, which means the formrealm. There is also the arupadhatu, or the formlessrealm. Through the power of their worldlymeditation, these beings have attained a very highlevel. In these states, there is no visible suffering,physical and mental, like we have. However, thestrength and power of these gods’ worldlymeditation eventually expires, and they fall againinto the lower realms where they experienceworldly sufferings. This pattern goes on and on,and so it is called the circle of life or the wheel oflife. A wheel turns one round and then another,

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obscurations. If the true nature of the mind wereitself stained with obscurations, then we wouldnever be able to become free from them. But wecan become free because the obscurations are onlytemporary and not part of the nature of the minditself. We all possess this natural purity. But we donot see it because at the moment we have theobscurations. The Buddhas, through theiraccumulations of merit and wisdom, have clearedaway all of the obscurations including theirpropensities. Thus, the dharmakaya of the Buddhasis said to be “doubly pure.”

Sambhogakaya means “body of enjoyment.”When all obscurations are cleared away, greatqualities are attained. We do not have thesequalities at the moment, but when obscurations arecleared, you gain great powers. The ordinaryphysical body becomes the Buddha’s body withthirty-two signs and eighty qualities. The ordinaryvoice becomes the voice of the melody of Brahma,with the sixty branches. The ordinary mindbecomes omniscient wisdom.

Nirmanakaya means “body of emanations.” Toexplain them, the dharmakaya is invisible andbeyond ordinary perception. The dharmakaya isultimate reality, and it is only visible amongBuddhas. The sambhogakaya is visible to the highest

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refuge is the Dharma. These are the two types ofHinayana refuge.

Next, Mahayana refuge has three main causes.Generally the causes of taking refuge are fear, faith,and compassion. All three of these causes arepresent in the Mahayana refuge, but the mostimportant one is compassion. In the Mahayana,every practice that we do is not for the sake ofourselves, but for the sake of all sentient beings. Tohave this goal, it is necessary to have compassion.If you do not have compassion, how can you havea mind to help sentient beings? Thus the maincause of Mahayana refuge is compassion.

The object of refuge, as in all Buddhisttraditions, is the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, butthe Mahayana explanation is different. In theMahayana tradition, the Buddha refers to one whopossesses the three kayas or bodies: the dharmakaya,the sambhogakaya, and the nirmanakaya. Dharmakayameans the “body of reality.” The dharmakaya is notsomething that we gain from the outside when theobscurations are cleared away. The dharmakaya issomething that we already have and and areunable to see because of the obscurations.

The dharmakaya is also said to be doubly pure.Due to the natural purity that we all have, the truenature of the mind is pure and never stained with

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and it does not stop. Like a wheel, we are bornhere, go through this life, and then we die andbegin our next life.

Of course, there is the question of whether thereis a next life in the first place. Some people say thatthere is and some people say that we do not know.Many people believe that there is no such thing asa next life because we do not see it. However, wecan infer a next life because of the differencebetween the body and the mind. The body isvisible. We know where it comes from, how it isformed, how it grows, and how it is sustained. Wecan see it with our eyes, touch it with our hands,and describe its color, size, shape, and so on.Eventually, of course, this body will be disposed ofin one way or another.

The mind is something different. We can not seeit with our eyes, touch it with our hands, ordescribe its color, size, or shape. The mind issomething else altogether, something invisible.Even so, the mind is more powerful. The physicalbody will not function without the mind. A bodywithout a mind is a dead body. The mind is themost important determinant of all good things andall bad things, all virtuous deeds and all non-virtuous deeds. When we die, our bodies will bedisposed of in one way or another, but the mind

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cannot be washed or cremated or buried. Because itis invisible, it cannot disappear. And if it cannotdisappear, then it must enter another life. This isthe logical argument to establish that the mindcontinues from life to life.

Once we can establish that there will be a nextlife, the question from whence our present mindcomes arises. And this allows us to establish thatthere was a previous life. In this way, we learn tosee that the cycle of life goes on and on.

Throughout samsara, everyone is suffering. Ofcourse, in poor countries, there is great physicalsuffering from things like hunger and poverty. Indeveloped countries, too, as everyone can see,people are still not satisfied, even though we havemany facilities. There are always problems andthings to complain about. This shows us that all ofsamsara is suffering. Whether you are a believer ora nonbeliever, whatever your religion, philosophy,or ideology, everyone can agree that no one wantssuffering and everyone is longing for happiness.For the sake of happiness, we develop our nation'sinfrastructure. For the sake of happiness, wepractice. For the sake of happiness, too, we do badthings, hoping that by doing this or that we mightgain a certain kind of happiness. Everything thatpeople do is for the sake of happiness.

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Sangha, but the purpose of doing so is only to havea long life, good health, prosperity, success, and tofulfill our wishes. Although the Triple Gem is theright object, the main purpose is still a worldly one.Both worldly refuges are not the right refuge.

Beyond-worldly refuge also has two types, thatof the Hinayana, or Lesser Vehicle, and that of theMahayana, or Greater Vehicle. The Hinayanavehicle can, in turn, be divided into that of theshravakas and the pratyekabuddhas. This comes tofour major refuge paths in total, each with its owncause, object, duration, and purpose. These factorsseparate worldly from non-worldly refuge.

The main cause of worldly refuge is fear. Feararises when we have some crisis in life, and due tothis fear, we take refuge. The object of worldlyrefuge, as I said, is worldly deities. The duration ofthis refuge is only as long as it takes to overcomethe temporary problems or sufferings, and thepurpose is just for your own sake.

In the Hinayana refuge, the main objective ofthe shravaka is not to become a Buddha but tobecome an arhat. Therefore, shravakas take refugemainly in the Sangha. The pratyekabuddha's mainobjective is to become a pratyekabuddha, which isnot a fully enlightened being. Their main object of

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you can think about these things, and doing thiswill lead your mind to the spiritual path.

So far, I have tried to describe these practices incommon language and to say in plain words whatthe preliminary practices really mean. Moreformally, we can explain the preliminary practicesby dividing them into common and uncommonpreliminary practices. Some preliminary practicesare common to all the Mahayana paths, whetherSutrayana or Mantrayana, and these are called thecommon preliminaries. In addition to these, thereare foundational practices primarily practiced inthe Mantrayana, also known as the Vajrayana.These are called the uncommon preliminaries.

The first practice of the uncommonpreliminaries or ngondros is taking refuge. It is alsopart of the common practices. Refuge has manydifferent levels. The two main levels are worldlyrefuge and beyond-worldly refuge. Worldly refugeitself has two parts, object worldly refuge andmental worldly refuge. Object worldly refugeoccurs when people face a crisis in life, a desperatesituation, and they take refuge in spirits and localdeities, or trees, mountains, rocks, and the like.This is called taking object worldly refuge. Mentalworldly refuge occurs when we take refuge in theright object such as the Buddha, Dharma, and

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But we cannot achieve real happiness byexerting ourselves in making material progress.This is obvious. The only way to achieve realhappiness and peace is through spiritual practicesthat change the mind. In religious teachings, wecan find such practices. There are many differentreligions in the world, and I believe that everyreligion has its own beauty and its own ways tohelp humankind. People are different, and avariety of spiritualities is necessary. To make ananalogy, there is not one medicine that can cure alldiseases. You need different medicines – evendifferent medical systems – for different kinds ofdiseases. For example, Ayurvedic medicine is veryeffective for certain diseases, and allopathicmedicine is more effective for others. Likewise, avariety of spiritual practices is necessary to suitpeoples’ different inclinations.

Since I am a Buddhist, I speak from a Buddhistpoint of view. Buddhists teach that the way toachieve real peace and happiness is through thepractice of what we call Dharma. The word dharmain Sanskrit has many different meanings indifferent contexts, but when we refer to the holyDharma, we refer to the teachings of the Buddha –teachings that have the power to change ourminds.

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If we were to claim that the Buddha is great justbecause of his own majesty, we would not really beestablishing that the Buddha is great. Instead, wefirst look to the teachings that the Buddha gave.Then, when we practice them, we gain experience.The Dharma changes our mental attitude. It givesus the strength to face problems and to developspiritually. It is on this basis that we say that theteacher is great. The one who has given such agreat teaching must be a great religious founder.

According to the Buddha’s teachings, the onlyway to overcome suffering is to practice theDharma. To do this, you need a basis upon whichto develop. This base is buddha nature. Everysentient being has buddha nature, which meansthat every sentient being who meets with the rightmethods can become a Buddha. Among beings,human beings have the best chance of doing so.The lower realms have unimaginable amounts ofsuffering and ignorance, so that there is absolutelyno chance for them to practice the Dharma. In thehigher realms, the demigods and the gods havemuch greater attributes – better places, betterbodies, longer lives, and generally a far betterworld than the one that human beings experience.Yet the human realm involves aspects of both thehigher and the lower realms in an opportune

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genuine Dharma that will lead to liberation andenlightenment.

Nowadays many people think that ngondropractice is just about counting refuge prayers,mantras, mandala offerings, and things like thatuntil you reach a certain number. If you reach thisnumber, then you expect something to happenautomatically. But unless these practices actuallychange your mind, then no matter how manymantras you recite or how many mandala offeringsyou make, it will not make a real difference. It iswhen you are truly changing your mind that yourpractice is very good, even if you are only recitinga few mantras.

First of all, reflection on the suffering ofsamsara, the difficulty of obtaining a precioushuman life, impermanence, and the law of karmaare very important. These are not something thatyou count or recite. Rather, you have to thinkabout them in everyday life, while you areworking, when you are in the midst of people,when you are in your busy life. You can reflect onthese at any time. You can think of samsara, andyou can think of suffering, and you can think ofimpermanence. You do not have to do this in atemple or in your shrine room or the like. Evenwhile you are working or while you are traveling,

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do not really practice the Dharma. Even though wemay recite prayers, wear robes, go to the temple,meditate, and so on, our minds can still be filledwith worldly attachments and worldly thoughts. Inthis way, even apparent spiritual practice can belinked to worldly gain. Although these actionsappear to be spiritual practices, in reality they aresimply another worldly activity. In order to makeour actions a true spiritual path, we should try notto think of worldly gains. We must try to embarkon a true Dharma path that will lead to liberationand enlightenment. Even if we cannot do thisperpetually, we can start by doing it for at least afew hours today.

This is why, in Parting From the FourAttachments, it says, “If you have attachment to thislife, you are not a religious person.” Actually, inTibetan, the word religious is dharmic person. Thispoint is very important. If we practice the Dharmabut we do not do it the right way, the practicebecomes just another worldly activity and is not atrue Dharma practice.

The foundation of practice depends on what wecall ngondro, which means “preliminary practice.”This is very important because through ngondro orfoundation practices, we establish the basis of ourpath, our religious practice, our spiritual practice,

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combination. We have the leisure, the freedom, andthe chance to practice the Dharma, and, at the sametime, we have suffering that helps lead us to thespiritual path. In this way, in terms of a base uponwhich to practice the Dharma, a human life is best.

This human life is very difficult to obtain,especially a human life endowed with all theprerequisites for spiritual practice. A human life,free from unfavorable conditions and possessingfavorable conditions, is very difficult to obtainfrom many points of view: from a numerical pointof view, from the cause point of view, from theexample point of view, and from the nature pointof view. From a numerical point of view, forexample, it seems at first glance that there are verymany human beings, so many that some parts ofthe world have the problem of overpopulation. Butwhen you compare the number of humans to otherliving beings, the number of human beings is notso great. It is possible to count how many peoplelive in a given country, for example, but it is verydifficult to count how many insects live in even asingle house.

Not only is a human rebirth difficult to obtain,it is also very precious. A human rebirth is moreprecious than what we call a wish-fulfilling jewel.It is said that there is a special jewel that can fulfill

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all of your wishes if you clean it and place it on ahigh place. This jewel can bestow all of yourmaterial needs like food, shelter, medicine, clothes,and so on. However, it cannot bestow liberation orenlightenment, or even a higher rebirth. Thishuman life is more precious, then, than a wish-fulfilling jewel because based upon this human lifewe can accomplish a higher rebirth, liberation, andeven ultimate enlightenment. Thus we can see thatthis human life is exceptionally precious. Due toour own merit, virtuous deeds, and special prayers,we have been born as human beings free from allthe unfavorable conditions, and we have attained alife that has all the favorable conditions.

We should take advantage of such a rare andprecious opportunity. We cannot be sure that wewill have such an opportunity in the next life.Therefore, while we have the chance, we shouldmake the most of it. We must try to practice and togain at least some steps towards liberation andenlightenment. Liberation and enlightenment arenot things that anyone can give you like a gift orbestow upon you as a result of your prayers. TheBuddha said, “I have shown you the path ofliberation, but liberation itself depends entirelyupon you.” The Buddha also said, “You yourself

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deeds that we enjoy life. Because we have donevirtuous deeds in the past, today we enjoy life. Andbecause we have done non-virtuous deeds in thepast, today we suffer. Therefore, we cannot blameanybody else.

This is the Buddhist teaching of the law ofcause and effect, or the law of karma. All goodthings in our lives, like a long life, good health,prosperity, and the fulfillment of our wishes aredue to the good deeds that we have performed inthe past. Likewise, all bad things such as short life,sickness, poverty, and not being able to fulfill yourwishes, failures, etc. are also due to our actions, thenon-virtuous deeds that we have committed in thepast. Today we suffer from these deeds, so wecannot blame anybody else. We have to blameourselves. This is the basic meaning of the law ofkarma. In order to practice the Dharma seriously, itis very important to think about this, and then torealize how important it is to practice the Dharma,to do so without wasting any time, and to do soeffectively.

Among ordinary people, there are of coursemillions and millions who are not interested in anykind of spiritual path. There are many who areinterested in a spiritual path. Among these, thereare some who appear to practice the Dharma, but

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For example, in South India, there is a smallvillage with a typical village school. Since thevillage and the school are very poor, of course theroofs are all made of grass. One day there was a bigfire. The roof burned very quickly, and soon theentire school was on fire. All of the small childrenwere unable to escape, and many of them died. Ofcourse, their parents were terribly sad and theyexperienced great suffering. Their parents werevery religious. Every day, they did pujas in theirhomes in front of statues of deities, and they madeofferings and did traditional prayers. Their mainprayer was, of course, for the safety of theirchildren. All parents love their children, and everyday they prayed for them. When the children diedin the fire, however, the parents became so angry attheir gods that they threw all of the statues into aditch. If we believe that there are gods that createsuffering, then of course we cannot blame theparents for discarding their statues. If we believethat the deities create all suffering and allhappiness, then why would they give us suffering?

But in the Buddhist tradition, we cannot layblame at the feet of deities. The deities may help usin certain ways, but the main determinant is ourown actions. It is due to our own bad deeds thatwe face suffering. It is also due to our own good

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are your own savior.” Nobody else can save you.Only we can save ourselves.

The way that the Buddha helped sentientbeings was not by performing miracles or helpingwith his hands, but by showing us the rightdirection. He said, “This is the right way, and thatis the wrong way. If you go that way, you aregoing to suffer. But if you go this way, then youwill be freed from suffering.” The Buddha hasshown us the path, but to reach the destination weourselves have to travel there. The Buddha cannottransport us there. We have to make the journeyourselves.

The Buddha is like a doctor. If you are sick, it isimportant to have a good doctor. But after theconsultation, the main thing is for the patient tofollow the doctor’s advice, take the right medicine,observe the right protocols for healing, and so on.You might have the best doctor, but if you do notfollow the doctor’s advice, if you do not take theright medicine, if you do not do the right things,then you will not cure your disease. Similarly, theBuddha is like a doctor, the Dharma is like themedicine, and we ourselves are the patient. Themain cause of recovery is the patient following thedoctor’s advice. By doing the right things, we can

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cure our disease. This is why it is said, “Youyourself are your own savior.”

Therefore, having all the opportunities that weare born with as human beings, and having all thenecessary conditions, we should not waste them.We must capitalize on our opportunity quicklybecause one can never know when this life willend. The Buddha said that all compounded thingsare impermanent. Compounded things meansthings that are created through causes andconditions. All such things are impermanent.

It is said that the end of gathering is separation.Whenever we gather for an event, it is easy to seethat eventually we will all go separately in ourrespective directions. But we often think of othertypes of gatherings – like family, for example – aspermanent. They are also only temporary. No onelives forever. Furthermore, the end of accumulationis exhaustion. No matter how much youaccumulate of wealth, possessions, material things,and power, these things do not last forever.Eventually they are all exhausted.

The end of rising high is falling. No matterwhat height you reach, you will eventually fall.History tells us that in ancient times there wereuniversal emperors who conquered manycontinents. Even in modern history, there are

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prayers, recite many mantras, and do lots ofcircumambulations, of course this is meritorious;these actions add up and they are very virtuousdeeds through which you can earn great merit. Butif your mind remains unchanged, that alone willnot accomplish liberation or enlightenment.

To change our minds, it is essential that we dosuch preliminary practices as contemplating thesuffering of samsara, the difficulties of obtaining aprecious human birth, impermanence, and the lawof karma or cause and effect. By contemplatingthese things, we begin to think, “Why are we here?Why do we have to go through this life with all itssufferings? Why do we have to suffer? Who isdoing all this? Why must we toil through so manydifferent kinds of experiences that we encounter?”In response to these questions, the Buddha saidthat everything is created by our own karma. Thereis no outside creator who is responsible for ourhappiness and our suffering. It is our own deeds.

Those who believe that everything is created bya creator can blame whom they may, even thedeities. If you believe that a deity creates sufferingand happiness, then, of course, that deity is toblame. However, we may worship deities and prayto them, and yet they do not help us when we arein a crisis.

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before very old people. Many healthy people diebefore people who are very sick. In the end, no onecan ever truly tell. Therefore, it is important tobegin the spiritual path right away and then topractice it very diligently.

Although we may perform many practicesassociated with the Dharma, I feel that far too oftenwe are not truly thinking about them. We just dowhat others are doing. In particular, among thoseof us who traditionally follow the Dharma, weoften simply imitate others, thinking, “All of thesepeople are going to the temple and praying, and Iwill too.” But we are not really thinking about whywe are practicing the Dharma, about the benefit ofpracticing the Dharma, about the consequences ofnot practicing the Dharma, and so on. This is why Ithink, first of all, that it is very important for us toconsider what is the most important thing in life.How can we achieve real peace and happiness?Reflecting on this question, we realize that the onlyway to achieve real peace and happiness is topractice the Dharma.

How, then, can we practice the Dharma? TrueDharma practice is not just praying or going totemples or making offerings, doing prostrations, orperforming circumambulations. True Dharmapractice is changing our minds. If you recite many

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empires that have owned almost the entire world.But they do not last forever. Eventually, they alllose territory until they are very small. Thus theend of height is to fall.

Last, the end of birth is death. Any life formthat is born into this world must end with death.There is no one who is born who does not die.There is not even the slightest doubt about this. Weread histories of great masters who were very holy,who devoted their entire lives to the benefit ofother sentient beings. But today even those greatones are just historical figures. There are also greatstatesmen, great emperors, great leaders, our ownancestors, and so on. There have been many greatpeople who today no longer exist. And onehundred years from now, no one who is readingthis will remain in this world. Therefore, the end ofbirth is death.

Furthermore, no one can tell us when our deathwill come. There is complete uncertainty aboutwhen death will take us. Although there aredivinations, astrological predictions, andprophecies that might tell you that you are going tolive for a certain number of years, there is nocertainty in this. For example, consider a lit candle.Although the candle may be very tall and shiningbrightly, a gust of wind can blow it out at any

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moment. Similarly, outward events like accidents,heart attacks, and other things can overtake us.

Internally, our physical body is made up ofelements like heat, water, and so on. When theelements are balanced, we are healthy and happy.But if the elements are unbalanced, the bodybecomes disturbed, and all kinds of pains andsickness can arise. Certain diseases can also ariseby eating bad food. All of these considerationsillustrate that there is no definite life span. Certainobstacles can blow it out like a candle at anymoment. Therefore, it is very important to use thisprecious life in the most effective way so that it isnot wasted. This life should be used in apurposeful way, for the sake of the highest benefitto oneself and all beings. We can best do thisthrough practicing the spiritual path so that we canreach at least certain steps towards liberation andenlightenment.

Today we find that many people are interestedin the Dharma path, and many people follow a setof associated traditions. We go to temples, doprostrations, recite prayers and mantras, makeofferings, perform circumambulations, and domeditations. All of this is of course verymeritorious. But these practices alone are not truly

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effective unless we are making inner mentalchanges.

First, we have to think, what is the mostimportant thing in life? Many people want nothingmore than higher positions, wealth, fame, friends,and supporters. But all of this worldly prosperityhas no ultimate purpose. In the human realm, veryfew people attain an age of even one hundredyears. Our lifetime is just a matter of, at most, onehundred years. And after that, our worldlyattainments will not matter. On the day that youleave this world, no matter how clever you are,how powerful you are, how rich you are, howmany supporters you have, or how many friendsyou have, none of these will help. We must die byourselves, alone. Nobody can share that sufferingor prevent it for us.

The only thing that will help at that moment isour Dharma practice. The virtuous deeds that wedo can help us at that moment, and for this reasonit is very important to perform positive actionsright now, while we can. You never know whetheror not you will have an opportunity to practice inthe future. Many people think, “At the moment, Iam young, so for the time being, I will enjoy life,and then when I get older, I will enter the spiritualpath.” But there are many young people who die

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moment. Similarly, outward events like accidents,heart attacks, and other things can overtake us.

Internally, our physical body is made up ofelements like heat, water, and so on. When theelements are balanced, we are healthy and happy.But if the elements are unbalanced, the bodybecomes disturbed, and all kinds of pains andsickness can arise. Certain diseases can also ariseby eating bad food. All of these considerationsillustrate that there is no definite life span. Certainobstacles can blow it out like a candle at anymoment. Therefore, it is very important to use thisprecious life in the most effective way so that it isnot wasted. This life should be used in apurposeful way, for the sake of the highest benefitto oneself and all beings. We can best do thisthrough practicing the spiritual path so that we canreach at least certain steps towards liberation andenlightenment.

Today we find that many people are interestedin the Dharma path, and many people follow a setof associated traditions. We go to temples, doprostrations, recite prayers and mantras, makeofferings, perform circumambulations, and domeditations. All of this is of course verymeritorious. But these practices alone are not truly

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effective unless we are making inner mentalchanges.

First, we have to think, what is the mostimportant thing in life? Many people want nothingmore than higher positions, wealth, fame, friends,and supporters. But all of this worldly prosperityhas no ultimate purpose. In the human realm, veryfew people attain an age of even one hundredyears. Our lifetime is just a matter of, at most, onehundred years. And after that, our worldlyattainments will not matter. On the day that youleave this world, no matter how clever you are,how powerful you are, how rich you are, howmany supporters you have, or how many friendsyou have, none of these will help. We must die byourselves, alone. Nobody can share that sufferingor prevent it for us.

The only thing that will help at that moment isour Dharma practice. The virtuous deeds that wedo can help us at that moment, and for this reasonit is very important to perform positive actionsright now, while we can. You never know whetheror not you will have an opportunity to practice inthe future. Many people think, “At the moment, Iam young, so for the time being, I will enjoy life,and then when I get older, I will enter the spiritualpath.” But there are many young people who die

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before very old people. Many healthy people diebefore people who are very sick. In the end, no onecan ever truly tell. Therefore, it is important tobegin the spiritual path right away and then topractice it very diligently.

Although we may perform many practicesassociated with the Dharma, I feel that far too oftenwe are not truly thinking about them. We just dowhat others are doing. In particular, among thoseof us who traditionally follow the Dharma, weoften simply imitate others, thinking, “All of thesepeople are going to the temple and praying, and Iwill too.” But we are not really thinking about whywe are practicing the Dharma, about the benefit ofpracticing the Dharma, about the consequences ofnot practicing the Dharma, and so on. This is why Ithink, first of all, that it is very important for us toconsider what is the most important thing in life.How can we achieve real peace and happiness?Reflecting on this question, we realize that the onlyway to achieve real peace and happiness is topractice the Dharma.

How, then, can we practice the Dharma? TrueDharma practice is not just praying or going totemples or making offerings, doing prostrations, orperforming circumambulations. True Dharmapractice is changing our minds. If you recite many

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empires that have owned almost the entire world.But they do not last forever. Eventually, they alllose territory until they are very small. Thus theend of height is to fall.

Last, the end of birth is death. Any life formthat is born into this world must end with death.There is no one who is born who does not die.There is not even the slightest doubt about this. Weread histories of great masters who were very holy,who devoted their entire lives to the benefit ofother sentient beings. But today even those greatones are just historical figures. There are also greatstatesmen, great emperors, great leaders, our ownancestors, and so on. There have been many greatpeople who today no longer exist. And onehundred years from now, no one who is readingthis will remain in this world. Therefore, the end ofbirth is death.

Furthermore, no one can tell us when our deathwill come. There is complete uncertainty aboutwhen death will take us. Although there aredivinations, astrological predictions, andprophecies that might tell you that you are going tolive for a certain number of years, there is nocertainty in this. For example, consider a lit candle.Although the candle may be very tall and shiningbrightly, a gust of wind can blow it out at any

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cure our disease. This is why it is said, “Youyourself are your own savior.”

Therefore, having all the opportunities that weare born with as human beings, and having all thenecessary conditions, we should not waste them.We must capitalize on our opportunity quicklybecause one can never know when this life willend. The Buddha said that all compounded thingsare impermanent. Compounded things meansthings that are created through causes andconditions. All such things are impermanent.

It is said that the end of gathering is separation.Whenever we gather for an event, it is easy to seethat eventually we will all go separately in ourrespective directions. But we often think of othertypes of gatherings – like family, for example – aspermanent. They are also only temporary. No onelives forever. Furthermore, the end of accumulationis exhaustion. No matter how much youaccumulate of wealth, possessions, material things,and power, these things do not last forever.Eventually they are all exhausted.

The end of rising high is falling. No matterwhat height you reach, you will eventually fall.History tells us that in ancient times there wereuniversal emperors who conquered manycontinents. Even in modern history, there are

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prayers, recite many mantras, and do lots ofcircumambulations, of course this is meritorious;these actions add up and they are very virtuousdeeds through which you can earn great merit. Butif your mind remains unchanged, that alone willnot accomplish liberation or enlightenment.

To change our minds, it is essential that we dosuch preliminary practices as contemplating thesuffering of samsara, the difficulties of obtaining aprecious human birth, impermanence, and the lawof karma or cause and effect. By contemplatingthese things, we begin to think, “Why are we here?Why do we have to go through this life with all itssufferings? Why do we have to suffer? Who isdoing all this? Why must we toil through so manydifferent kinds of experiences that we encounter?”In response to these questions, the Buddha saidthat everything is created by our own karma. Thereis no outside creator who is responsible for ourhappiness and our suffering. It is our own deeds.

Those who believe that everything is created bya creator can blame whom they may, even thedeities. If you believe that a deity creates sufferingand happiness, then, of course, that deity is toblame. However, we may worship deities and prayto them, and yet they do not help us when we arein a crisis.

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For example, in South India, there is a smallvillage with a typical village school. Since thevillage and the school are very poor, of course theroofs are all made of grass. One day there was a bigfire. The roof burned very quickly, and soon theentire school was on fire. All of the small childrenwere unable to escape, and many of them died. Ofcourse, their parents were terribly sad and theyexperienced great suffering. Their parents werevery religious. Every day, they did pujas in theirhomes in front of statues of deities, and they madeofferings and did traditional prayers. Their mainprayer was, of course, for the safety of theirchildren. All parents love their children, and everyday they prayed for them. When the children diedin the fire, however, the parents became so angry attheir gods that they threw all of the statues into aditch. If we believe that there are gods that createsuffering, then of course we cannot blame theparents for discarding their statues. If we believethat the deities create all suffering and allhappiness, then why would they give us suffering?

But in the Buddhist tradition, we cannot layblame at the feet of deities. The deities may help usin certain ways, but the main determinant is ourown actions. It is due to our own bad deeds thatwe face suffering. It is also due to our own good

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are your own savior.” Nobody else can save you.Only we can save ourselves.

The way that the Buddha helped sentientbeings was not by performing miracles or helpingwith his hands, but by showing us the rightdirection. He said, “This is the right way, and thatis the wrong way. If you go that way, you aregoing to suffer. But if you go this way, then youwill be freed from suffering.” The Buddha hasshown us the path, but to reach the destination weourselves have to travel there. The Buddha cannottransport us there. We have to make the journeyourselves.

The Buddha is like a doctor. If you are sick, it isimportant to have a good doctor. But after theconsultation, the main thing is for the patient tofollow the doctor’s advice, take the right medicine,observe the right protocols for healing, and so on.You might have the best doctor, but if you do notfollow the doctor’s advice, if you do not take theright medicine, if you do not do the right things,then you will not cure your disease. Similarly, theBuddha is like a doctor, the Dharma is like themedicine, and we ourselves are the patient. Themain cause of recovery is the patient following thedoctor’s advice. By doing the right things, we can

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all of your wishes if you clean it and place it on ahigh place. This jewel can bestow all of yourmaterial needs like food, shelter, medicine, clothes,and so on. However, it cannot bestow liberation orenlightenment, or even a higher rebirth. Thishuman life is more precious, then, than a wish-fulfilling jewel because based upon this human lifewe can accomplish a higher rebirth, liberation, andeven ultimate enlightenment. Thus we can see thatthis human life is exceptionally precious. Due toour own merit, virtuous deeds, and special prayers,we have been born as human beings free from allthe unfavorable conditions, and we have attained alife that has all the favorable conditions.

We should take advantage of such a rare andprecious opportunity. We cannot be sure that wewill have such an opportunity in the next life.Therefore, while we have the chance, we shouldmake the most of it. We must try to practice and togain at least some steps towards liberation andenlightenment. Liberation and enlightenment arenot things that anyone can give you like a gift orbestow upon you as a result of your prayers. TheBuddha said, “I have shown you the path ofliberation, but liberation itself depends entirelyupon you.” The Buddha also said, “You yourself

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deeds that we enjoy life. Because we have donevirtuous deeds in the past, today we enjoy life. Andbecause we have done non-virtuous deeds in thepast, today we suffer. Therefore, we cannot blameanybody else.

This is the Buddhist teaching of the law ofcause and effect, or the law of karma. All goodthings in our lives, like a long life, good health,prosperity, and the fulfillment of our wishes aredue to the good deeds that we have performed inthe past. Likewise, all bad things such as short life,sickness, poverty, and not being able to fulfill yourwishes, failures, etc. are also due to our actions, thenon-virtuous deeds that we have committed in thepast. Today we suffer from these deeds, so wecannot blame anybody else. We have to blameourselves. This is the basic meaning of the law ofkarma. In order to practice the Dharma seriously, itis very important to think about this, and then torealize how important it is to practice the Dharma,to do so without wasting any time, and to do soeffectively.

Among ordinary people, there are of coursemillions and millions who are not interested in anykind of spiritual path. There are many who areinterested in a spiritual path. Among these, thereare some who appear to practice the Dharma, but

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do not really practice the Dharma. Even though wemay recite prayers, wear robes, go to the temple,meditate, and so on, our minds can still be filledwith worldly attachments and worldly thoughts. Inthis way, even apparent spiritual practice can belinked to worldly gain. Although these actionsappear to be spiritual practices, in reality they aresimply another worldly activity. In order to makeour actions a true spiritual path, we should try notto think of worldly gains. We must try to embarkon a true Dharma path that will lead to liberationand enlightenment. Even if we cannot do thisperpetually, we can start by doing it for at least afew hours today.

This is why, in Parting From the FourAttachments, it says, “If you have attachment to thislife, you are not a religious person.” Actually, inTibetan, the word religious is dharmic person. Thispoint is very important. If we practice the Dharmabut we do not do it the right way, the practicebecomes just another worldly activity and is not atrue Dharma practice.

The foundation of practice depends on what wecall ngondro, which means “preliminary practice.”This is very important because through ngondro orfoundation practices, we establish the basis of ourpath, our religious practice, our spiritual practice,

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combination. We have the leisure, the freedom, andthe chance to practice the Dharma, and, at the sametime, we have suffering that helps lead us to thespiritual path. In this way, in terms of a base uponwhich to practice the Dharma, a human life is best.

This human life is very difficult to obtain,especially a human life endowed with all theprerequisites for spiritual practice. A human life,free from unfavorable conditions and possessingfavorable conditions, is very difficult to obtainfrom many points of view: from a numerical pointof view, from the cause point of view, from theexample point of view, and from the nature pointof view. From a numerical point of view, forexample, it seems at first glance that there are verymany human beings, so many that some parts ofthe world have the problem of overpopulation. Butwhen you compare the number of humans to otherliving beings, the number of human beings is notso great. It is possible to count how many peoplelive in a given country, for example, but it is verydifficult to count how many insects live in even asingle house.

Not only is a human rebirth difficult to obtain,it is also very precious. A human rebirth is moreprecious than what we call a wish-fulfilling jewel.It is said that there is a special jewel that can fulfill

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If we were to claim that the Buddha is great justbecause of his own majesty, we would not really beestablishing that the Buddha is great. Instead, wefirst look to the teachings that the Buddha gave.Then, when we practice them, we gain experience.The Dharma changes our mental attitude. It givesus the strength to face problems and to developspiritually. It is on this basis that we say that theteacher is great. The one who has given such agreat teaching must be a great religious founder.

According to the Buddha’s teachings, the onlyway to overcome suffering is to practice theDharma. To do this, you need a basis upon whichto develop. This base is buddha nature. Everysentient being has buddha nature, which meansthat every sentient being who meets with the rightmethods can become a Buddha. Among beings,human beings have the best chance of doing so.The lower realms have unimaginable amounts ofsuffering and ignorance, so that there is absolutelyno chance for them to practice the Dharma. In thehigher realms, the demigods and the gods havemuch greater attributes – better places, betterbodies, longer lives, and generally a far betterworld than the one that human beings experience.Yet the human realm involves aspects of both thehigher and the lower realms in an opportune

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genuine Dharma that will lead to liberation andenlightenment.

Nowadays many people think that ngondropractice is just about counting refuge prayers,mantras, mandala offerings, and things like thatuntil you reach a certain number. If you reach thisnumber, then you expect something to happenautomatically. But unless these practices actuallychange your mind, then no matter how manymantras you recite or how many mandala offeringsyou make, it will not make a real difference. It iswhen you are truly changing your mind that yourpractice is very good, even if you are only recitinga few mantras.

First of all, reflection on the suffering ofsamsara, the difficulty of obtaining a precioushuman life, impermanence, and the law of karmaare very important. These are not something thatyou count or recite. Rather, you have to thinkabout them in everyday life, while you areworking, when you are in the midst of people,when you are in your busy life. You can reflect onthese at any time. You can think of samsara, andyou can think of suffering, and you can think ofimpermanence. You do not have to do this in atemple or in your shrine room or the like. Evenwhile you are working or while you are traveling,

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you can think about these things, and doing thiswill lead your mind to the spiritual path.

So far, I have tried to describe these practices incommon language and to say in plain words whatthe preliminary practices really mean. Moreformally, we can explain the preliminary practicesby dividing them into common and uncommonpreliminary practices. Some preliminary practicesare common to all the Mahayana paths, whetherSutrayana or Mantrayana, and these are called thecommon preliminaries. In addition to these, thereare foundational practices primarily practiced inthe Mantrayana, also known as the Vajrayana.These are called the uncommon preliminaries.

The first practice of the uncommonpreliminaries or ngondros is taking refuge. It is alsopart of the common practices. Refuge has manydifferent levels. The two main levels are worldlyrefuge and beyond-worldly refuge. Worldly refugeitself has two parts, object worldly refuge andmental worldly refuge. Object worldly refugeoccurs when people face a crisis in life, a desperatesituation, and they take refuge in spirits and localdeities, or trees, mountains, rocks, and the like.This is called taking object worldly refuge. Mentalworldly refuge occurs when we take refuge in theright object such as the Buddha, Dharma, and

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But we cannot achieve real happiness byexerting ourselves in making material progress.This is obvious. The only way to achieve realhappiness and peace is through spiritual practicesthat change the mind. In religious teachings, wecan find such practices. There are many differentreligions in the world, and I believe that everyreligion has its own beauty and its own ways tohelp humankind. People are different, and avariety of spiritualities is necessary. To make ananalogy, there is not one medicine that can cure alldiseases. You need different medicines – evendifferent medical systems – for different kinds ofdiseases. For example, Ayurvedic medicine is veryeffective for certain diseases, and allopathicmedicine is more effective for others. Likewise, avariety of spiritual practices is necessary to suitpeoples’ different inclinations.

Since I am a Buddhist, I speak from a Buddhistpoint of view. Buddhists teach that the way toachieve real peace and happiness is through thepractice of what we call Dharma. The word dharmain Sanskrit has many different meanings indifferent contexts, but when we refer to the holyDharma, we refer to the teachings of the Buddha –teachings that have the power to change ourminds.

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cannot be washed or cremated or buried. Because itis invisible, it cannot disappear. And if it cannotdisappear, then it must enter another life. This isthe logical argument to establish that the mindcontinues from life to life.

Once we can establish that there will be a nextlife, the question from whence our present mindcomes arises. And this allows us to establish thatthere was a previous life. In this way, we learn tosee that the cycle of life goes on and on.

Throughout samsara, everyone is suffering. Ofcourse, in poor countries, there is great physicalsuffering from things like hunger and poverty. Indeveloped countries, too, as everyone can see,people are still not satisfied, even though we havemany facilities. There are always problems andthings to complain about. This shows us that all ofsamsara is suffering. Whether you are a believer ora nonbeliever, whatever your religion, philosophy,or ideology, everyone can agree that no one wantssuffering and everyone is longing for happiness.For the sake of happiness, we develop our nation'sinfrastructure. For the sake of happiness, wepractice. For the sake of happiness, too, we do badthings, hoping that by doing this or that we mightgain a certain kind of happiness. Everything thatpeople do is for the sake of happiness.

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Sangha, but the purpose of doing so is only to havea long life, good health, prosperity, success, and tofulfill our wishes. Although the Triple Gem is theright object, the main purpose is still a worldly one.Both worldly refuges are not the right refuge.

Beyond-worldly refuge also has two types, thatof the Hinayana, or Lesser Vehicle, and that of theMahayana, or Greater Vehicle. The Hinayanavehicle can, in turn, be divided into that of theshravakas and the pratyekabuddhas. This comes tofour major refuge paths in total, each with its owncause, object, duration, and purpose. These factorsseparate worldly from non-worldly refuge.

The main cause of worldly refuge is fear. Feararises when we have some crisis in life, and due tothis fear, we take refuge. The object of worldlyrefuge, as I said, is worldly deities. The duration ofthis refuge is only as long as it takes to overcomethe temporary problems or sufferings, and thepurpose is just for your own sake.

In the Hinayana refuge, the main objective ofthe shravaka is not to become a Buddha but tobecome an arhat. Therefore, shravakas take refugemainly in the Sangha. The pratyekabuddha's mainobjective is to become a pratyekabuddha, which isnot a fully enlightened being. Their main object of

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refuge is the Dharma. These are the two types ofHinayana refuge.

Next, Mahayana refuge has three main causes.Generally the causes of taking refuge are fear, faith,and compassion. All three of these causes arepresent in the Mahayana refuge, but the mostimportant one is compassion. In the Mahayana,every practice that we do is not for the sake ofourselves, but for the sake of all sentient beings. Tohave this goal, it is necessary to have compassion.If you do not have compassion, how can you havea mind to help sentient beings? Thus the maincause of Mahayana refuge is compassion.

The object of refuge, as in all Buddhisttraditions, is the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, butthe Mahayana explanation is different. In theMahayana tradition, the Buddha refers to one whopossesses the three kayas or bodies: the dharmakaya,the sambhogakaya, and the nirmanakaya. Dharmakayameans the “body of reality.” The dharmakaya is notsomething that we gain from the outside when theobscurations are cleared away. The dharmakaya issomething that we already have and and areunable to see because of the obscurations.

The dharmakaya is also said to be doubly pure.Due to the natural purity that we all have, the truenature of the mind is pure and never stained with

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and it does not stop. Like a wheel, we are bornhere, go through this life, and then we die andbegin our next life.

Of course, there is the question of whether thereis a next life in the first place. Some people say thatthere is and some people say that we do not know.Many people believe that there is no such thing asa next life because we do not see it. However, wecan infer a next life because of the differencebetween the body and the mind. The body isvisible. We know where it comes from, how it isformed, how it grows, and how it is sustained. Wecan see it with our eyes, touch it with our hands,and describe its color, size, shape, and so on.Eventually, of course, this body will be disposed ofin one way or another.

The mind is something different. We can not seeit with our eyes, touch it with our hands, ordescribe its color, size, or shape. The mind issomething else altogether, something invisible.Even so, the mind is more powerful. The physicalbody will not function without the mind. A bodywithout a mind is a dead body. The mind is themost important determinant of all good things andall bad things, all virtuous deeds and all non-virtuous deeds. When we die, our bodies will bedisposed of in one way or another, but the mind

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In the god realm, there are three different levels.The first is what we call the realm of desire, or thekamadhatu, with six different levels. The gods of thekamadhatu have great palaces, magnificent bodies,and luxurious lives, but they do not live forever.One day, they realize with certainty that they aregoing to die. They know not only that they aregoing to die, but that since their entire life has beenspent indulging in enjoyments and never thinkingabout the spiritual path, most of them will fall intothe lower realms. These gods have a certain kind ofclairvoyance, so that they know the state intowhich they are going to fall, and this knowledgecauses them tremendous mental suffering.

There are higher classes of gods, like those whoreside in the rupadhatu, which means the formrealm. There is also the arupadhatu, or the formlessrealm. Through the power of their worldlymeditation, these beings have attained a very highlevel. In these states, there is no visible suffering,physical and mental, like we have. However, thestrength and power of these gods’ worldlymeditation eventually expires, and they fall againinto the lower realms where they experienceworldly sufferings. This pattern goes on and on,and so it is called the circle of life or the wheel oflife. A wheel turns one round and then another,

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obscurations. If the true nature of the mind wereitself stained with obscurations, then we wouldnever be able to become free from them. But wecan become free because the obscurations are onlytemporary and not part of the nature of the minditself. We all possess this natural purity. But we donot see it because at the moment we have theobscurations. The Buddhas, through theiraccumulations of merit and wisdom, have clearedaway all of the obscurations including theirpropensities. Thus, the dharmakaya of the Buddhasis said to be “doubly pure.”

Sambhogakaya means “body of enjoyment.”When all obscurations are cleared away, greatqualities are attained. We do not have thesequalities at the moment, but when obscurations arecleared, you gain great powers. The ordinaryphysical body becomes the Buddha’s body withthirty-two signs and eighty qualities. The ordinaryvoice becomes the voice of the melody of Brahma,with the sixty branches. The ordinary mindbecomes omniscient wisdom.

Nirmanakaya means “body of emanations.” Toexplain them, the dharmakaya is invisible andbeyond ordinary perception. The dharmakaya isultimate reality, and it is only visible amongBuddhas. The sambhogakaya is visible to the highest

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level of the Buddha’s followers like theBodhisattvas, but it is not visible to ordinarybeings. However, the nirmanakaya, or emanationbody, is revealed wherever, whenever, in whateverform the situation requires. It may be a humanform, an animal’s form. All kinds of different formscan appear to help beings. The Buddha as one whopossesses the three kayas is described only in theMahayana.

Next, the term Dharma encompasses twoaspects: the Buddha's teachings and realizations.The realizations are what Buddhas andBodhisattvas have gained by eliminating allobscurations and thus fulfilling the truth ofcessation and the truth of the path. Thisexplanation of the Dharma is also specific to theMahayana.

Finally, the term Sangha actually means“community.” In the context of the Mahayanarefuge, the term refers to the holy community, thetrue Sangha, namely, the Bodhisattvas who havealready reached the irreversible state. In this waythe Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are the objects ofrefuge. The Mahayana’s special refuge is with theseobjects.

Then we come to the duration of refuge: sinceour goal is to accomplish ultimate enlightenment

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visible to us, and we can easily see how animalssuffer. The three higher realms are the humanrealm, the demigod realm, and the god realm. Inthese realms, there appears to be a mixture ofhappiness and suffering. However, if we carefullyexamine them, we find that there is no realhappiness. It is only when we compare anexperience to great suffering that it will appear ashappiness. When we think carefully, however, wecan see that even the experiences we consider to behappiness are, in reality, another kind of suffering.

Our human life involves four major experiencesof suffering. Everyone who goes through lifeundergoes the suffering of birth, the suffering ofold age, the suffering of sickness, and the sufferingof death. And in everyday life, there are manykinds of problems that bring us suffering. We donot have direct access to the realms of the gods andthe demigods, but we can learn about them fromauthentic teachings.

Demigods are by nature jealous. They are awarethat they are not equal to the gods, and they are ingreat competition with them. Because their merit isnot equal to that of the gods, they are alwaysdefeated. In this way, they experience greatsuffering.

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our minds because of the two obscurations: theobscuration of defilements and the obscuration ofknowledge. Due to this great ignorance or lack ofwisdom, we cling without any logical reason to theidea of a self rather than seeing the true nature ofour minds. And as a result of the buildup of stronghabitual tendencies, accumulated over a very longperiod of time, we cling to our aggregates as a self.

When you cling to self, then naturally there areothers. When you have self and others, there isattachment to your side, anger toward others, andignorance in general. These are the three maindefilements. From these three arise pride, jealousy,stinginess, and so on. This array of defilementsdrives us to action, or karma, and due to ouractions, we are caught up in what we call samsara,or the circle of existence.

As long as we are in samsara, we are not freefrom suffering. According to the teachings,samsara is divided into six realms: three lowerrealms and three higher realms. The three lowerrealms are the hell realm, the hungry ghost realm,and the animal realm. The hell realm and thehungry ghost realm are not directly visible to us.Instead, we learn about their nature andcharacteristics from the sutras and from theauthentic commentaries. But the animal realm is

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for the sake of all sentient beings, we take refugeuntil enlightenment is reached. For example, if youneed to go to an unknown place, the first thing youneed is a guide who can show you the path. In thisway, the Buddha is our guide. We need to rely onthe guide until we reach our destination, and inthis case, our destination is to accomplish ultimateenlightenment. Therefore, until enlightenment isreached, we take refuge in the Buddha.

To reach your destination, you need to actuallytravel on the path, by walking, by car, or by othermeans. Like this, we take refuge in the Dharma asour actual path. When one takes such a long anddifficult journey, having trusted companions isvery helpful. And therefore, we take refuge in theSangha as our companions.

The purpose of Mahayana refuge is not forone's own sake, but for the sake of all sentientbeings. Because we believe in a cycle of rebirth, itfollows that all sentient beings have been ourmother and our very dear ones in previous lives.We are born into different families, take differentforms, and lead different lives, but at one time oranother, everyone – every sentient being – has beenour parent, our very dear friend, and so on. Due tothe change of life, we do not recognize each otherand we see some people as friends, some as

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enemies, and towards some we are indifferentwhen, in reality, everyone is the same. Everyone iseveryone’s mother.

It is not proper to now ignore all of our mothersentient beings and seek liberation orenlightenment only for ourselves. Even on theworldly level, imagine that your closest familymembers, dearest ones, friends, or relatives are ingreat suffering while you yourself are in a safe andhappy place. If you are a good-hearted person, youwould not feel happy in such circumstances. Evenif you were unable to help them, you would at leasttry to do something to share their miseries.Similarly, all sentient beings are our mothers. Allsentient beings have been our very dear ones.Ignoring them and just seeking liberation orenlightenment for oneself alone is not right.

Instead, we seek enlightenment for the sake ofall sentient beings. The main purpose of takingrefuge is not for your own benefit, your own wayof being, but for the well-being of all sentientbeings. This focus is what makes the Mahayanarefuge special in terms of the cause, object,duration, and purpose of refuge.

Taking refuge is the very first of the preliminarypractices. Of course, those who are followers of theVajrayana path also need to take Vajrayana refuge,

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In our lives as human beings, many things arerequired of us, and we engage in many kinds ofactivities. But the most important thing we can doin our life is spiritual practice, which allows us toaccomplish peace and happiness not only in thislife but also in future lives. The Buddha’s teachingsays that every sentient being possesses buddhanature. All sentient beings, and not only humanbeings, have the seed of the Buddha within them,so that if we meet with the right methods we canaccomplish buddhahood. Every sentient beingpossesses buddha nature. In this sense, then,everyone is equal. I feel that the Buddha was thefirst person to pronounce equal rights, and notonly for human beings but for every sentient being,and he did so on this basis.

But at the moment, we do not realize ourbuddha nature. We cannot see the true nature of

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which a teacher can only give when you receive amajor empowerment. It is also important that onecreate enlightenment mind. Refuge andenlightenment mind go together because, as I said,the main purpose is to help the sentient beings.

To enter the spiritual path, and to succeed inattaining full enlightenment, we have to overcomeour many obscurations. We have many negativedeeds that we have accumulated throughout manylifetimes, and these have to be purified. The bestway to purify them is through the practice of theVajrayana path, through Vajrasattva meditationand the recitation of Vajrasattva’s one hundred-syllable mantra.

At the same time, we need to accumulate merit,and there are many ways to do this. The mosteffective way is to make mandala offerings. All ofthese are, of course, Vajrayana practices, and onecan only do them after receiving a majorempowerment.

To receive blessings quickly, another crucialpractice is guru yoga. In order to attainenlightenment, you need to realize the nature ofthe mind. The nature of mind cannot be realized byexplanation or by giving examples or by givinglogical reasoning. It can only be realized throughthe accumulation of merit and through receiving

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the blessings of the guru. Therefore guru yoga isvery important. In this way you should emphasizethe preliminary practices.

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Preliminary Practicesand Their Importance

Tsechen Kunchab Ling Publications

First printed in 2016

This booklet was prepared by His Holiness the Sakya Trizin'sdevoted students under the direction of Venerable KhenpoKalsang Gyaltsen. Jia-Jing Lee sponsored this booklet. KyleGarton transcribed the teachings, and DeWayne Dean editedthem. Chodrungma Kunga Chodron and Reverend JamyangLosel did overall coordination. By this merit, may His Holinessthe Sakya Trizin's holy life be long and his teachings flourish.

There is no charge for this book. You are welcome to distribute or reproduce it.

Tsechen Kunchab LingTemple of All-Encompassing Great Compassion

Seat of His Holiness the Sakya Trizin in the United States

12 Edmunds LaneWalden, New York 12586

www.sakyatemple.org

+1-301-906-3378Email: [email protected]

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