THE CONTINUOUS RAIN OF NECTAR THAT NURTURES THE SPROUTING OF THE FOUR KAYAS

A Guru Yoga of the Sixteenth Lord, Rigpe Dorje

With a Commentary on the guru yoga:

THE MEANS TO ATTAIN THE FOUR KAYAS

Composed by Kyabje Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche

Translated by Lama Eric Trinle Thaye

BENCHEN SUNGRAB GYUNPEL KHANG

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword by the Seventeenth Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje

The Continuous Rain of Nectar that Nurtures the Sprouting of the Four Kayas

The Means to Attain the Four Kayas

Generating the Image of the Guru

Supplication: The Main Practice

Receiving the Four Empowerments and Sustaining Your Nature

Inseparably Merging Your and the Guru’s Mind while Reciting the Name Mantra

A Brief Biography of His Eminence the Tenth Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche

Copyrights

FOREWORD BY THE SEVENTEENTH KARMAPA, OGYEN TRINLEY DORJE

This guru yoga of the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, is special and of particular significance because it was composed by the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa himself, and to this day it remains as the daily guru yoga practice for many of his students.

His Eminence Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche, the composer of this commentary, is the tenth incarnation in a lineage, which, from its inception, has been closely connected with the Karmapas, and that holds particular importance in the Golden Rosary of the Karma Kamtsang. The first Sangye Nyenpa, Drubthob Sangye Nyenpa Tashi Paljor, was one of the closest disciples of the Seventh Karmapa, Chödrak Gyatso, and root guru of the Eighth Karmapa, Mikyö Dorje. The Sixteenth Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, recognized the Tenth Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche, brought him to Rumtek monastery, and enthroned him there. Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche was in the first cohort of shedra students at Rumtek monastery and studied under the direct tutelage of the Karmapa.

Because Rinpoche received the transmission of this guru yoga and the practice instructions directly from the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa himself, his commentary is authoritative and of great value.

My thanks go to Lama Eric Trinle Thaye for his work in translating the text and commentary and to Marlies Poerschke for facilitating this publication. I pray that this book will bring benefit to many.

As this is a sacred, practice text, students should seek the necessary transmissions and instructions from a qualified lama before reading or practising it.

Seventeenth Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje

November 2018

H.H. the Sixteenth Karmapa

རྗེ་བཅུ་དྲུག་པ་རིག་པའི་རྡོ་རྗེའི་བླ་མའི་རྣལ་འབྱོར་སྐུ་བཞིའི་མྱུ་གུ་སྐྱེད་བྱེད་བདུད་རྩིའི་ཆར་རྒྱུན་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་བཞུགས་སོ།

THE CONTINUOUS RAIN OF NECTAR THAT NURTURES THE SPROUTING OF THE FOUR KAYAS

A Guru Yoga of the Sixteenth Lord, Rigpe Dorje

༄༅། །ན་མོ། །

NAMO

སྙིགས་མའི་གདུལ་དཀའ་འདུལ་མཛད་པ། །

nyik may dül ka dül dze pa

Respectfully bowing to the guru, the guide,

རྣམ་འདྲེན་བླ་མར་གུས་བཏུད་དེ། །

nam dren la mar gü tü de

Who in this degenerate time tames those difficult to train,

སྐལ་ལྡན་བློ་ཡི་ཀུ་མུད་ཚལ། །

kal den lo yi ku mü tsal

I will now impart a succession of drops of amrita to blossom

འབྱེད་པའི་བདུད་རྩིའི་ཐིག་ཕྲེང་སྤྲོ། །

je pay dü tsi tik treng tro

The waterlily grove minds of the fortunate.

དེ་ཡང་ཐུན་མོང་གི་ཆོས་དང་འདོད་ཡིད་ཆེས་ཀྱི་བསམ་པ་དང་། །གཞན་གནོད་གཞིར་བཅས་སྤང་ཞིང་། གཞན་ཕན་གཞི་དང་བཅས་པ་སྒྲུབ་པའི་དམ་བཅའ་སྔོན་དུ་བཏང་ནས། དངོས་གཞི་ནི།

Begin by generating a mind filled with awe towards, longing for, and firm trust in the collective Dharma. Pledge to abandon harm towards others together with its basis, and vow to cultivate altruism and its basis. Then, the actual practice:

ༀ་སྭ་བྷཱ་ཝ་ཤུདདྷཱཿསརྦ་དྷརྨཱ༔སྭཱ་བྷཱ་ཝ་ཤུདྡྷོ྅་ཧཾ།

OṂ SVABHĀVA ŚHUDDHĀḤ SARVA DHARMĀḤ SVABHĀVA ŚHUDDHO’ HAṂ

ཆོས་དབྱིངས་སྐྱེ་མེད་སྤྲོས་བྲལ་དབྱིངས་རོལ་ནས། །

chö ying kye me trö dral ying röl ne

In the dharmadhatu, the unborn playful expanse free from elaboration,

གཞོམ་མེད་ནཱ་དའི་དབྱིངས་ཀྱི་ངང་ཉིད་ལས། །

shom me nā day ying kyi ngang nyi le

From the very state of the expanse of the indestructible nada,

མདུན་མཁར་ཀུན་བཟང་མཆོད་སྤྲིན་རྒྱ་མཚོའི་དབུས། །

dün khar kün sang chö trin gya tsoy wü

In the space in front, amid a sea of utterly excellent clouds of offerings,

ཡིད་འཕྲོག་སེང་ཁྲི་པདྨ་ཟླ་བའི་སྟེང་། །

yi trok seng tri pema da bay teng

Is a captivating lion-throne, a lotus, and a moon. Atop these,

སྐད་ཅིག་དྲན་རྫོགས་རྩ་གསུམ་འདུས་པའི་སྐུ། །

ke chik dren dzok tsa sum dü pay ku

Complete in an instant of recollection, is the three roots in one, the lord of victors,

རྒྱལ་བའི་དབང་པོ་ཞི་འཛུམ་སྟོན་ཟླའི་མདངས། །

gyal way wang po shi dzum tön day dang

Smiling peacefully, radiant like the autumn moon, and wearing the gold-blazed black crown—

མཐོང་གྲོལ་ཞྭ་ནག་གསེར་མདོངས་འབུམ་ཞུ་གསོལ། །

tong dröl sha nak ser dong bum shu söl

The hair of one hundred thousand dakinis—that bestows liberation upon sight.

ཕྱག་གཉིས་ཐབས་ཤེས་ཟུང་འཇུག་རྡོར་དྲིལ་འཛིན། །

chak nyi tap she sung juk dor dril dzin

His two hands, the union of means and prajna, hold a vajra and a bell.

ཆོས་གོས་རྣམ་གསུམ་གསོལ་ཞིང་ཞབས་སྐྱིལ་ཀྲུང་། །

chö gö nam sum söl shing shap kyil trung

Wearing the three monastic robes, with his legs in vajra posture,

བདེ་སྟོང་གཉིས་མེད་དབྱིངས་ལས་མ་གཡོས་པར། །

de tong nyi me ying lé ma yö par

He never wavers from the expanse of non-dual bliss-emptiness.

མཚན་དཔེའི་རྒྱན་ལྡན་གཟི་བྱིན་འབར་བཞིན་བཞུགས། །

tsen pey gyen den si jin bar shin shuk

Adorned by the marks and signs, he appears blazing with splendor.

ཞེས་བློ་གཏད་ལིང་འགེལ་ཅི་མཛད་ཁྱེད་མཁྱེན་གྱིས་བློས་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་པ་ནི།

With a mind of unshakable trust in and reliance on the guru, recite this supplication:

སྐྱབས་གནས་ཀུན་འདུས་དྲིན་ཅན་བླ་མ་ལ། །

kyap né kün dü drin chen la ma la

Kind guru embodying all refuges,

གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་སོ་བདག་སོགས་འགྲོ་བ་རྣམས། །

söl wa dep so dak sok dro wa nam

I supplicate you—grant your blessing that

རྨོངས་པའི་མུན་པ་ཞི་བར་བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས། །

mong pay mün pa shi war jin gyi lop

The darkness of ignorance for me and all beings be dispelled.

སྐྱེ་མེད་འོད་གསལ་འཆར་བར་མཛད་དུ་གསོལ། །

kye me ö sal char war dze du söl

Please cause unborn luminosity to dawn in our beings.

ཅེས་ལན་ཁ་ཤས་བརྗོད་མཐར།

After repeating this a few times recite:

དཔལ་ལྡན་བླ་མའི་གནས་གསུམ་འབྲུ་གསུམ་ལས། །

pal den la may ne sum dru sum le

From the three syllables in the glorious guru’s three places

འོད་ཟེར་དཀར་དམར་མཐིང་གསུམ་གཅིག་ཆར་འཕྲོས། །

ö ser kar mar ting sum chik char trö

Lights radiate—white, red, blue, and all three at once.

རང་གི་སྒོ་གསུམ་ལ་ཐིམ་དབང་བཞི་ཐོབ། །

rang gi go sum la tim wang shi top

Dissolving into my three places, I receive the four empowerments.

ཉོན་ཤེས་སྙོམས་འཇུག་བག་ཆགས་ཀུན་སྦྱངས་ནས། །

nyön she nyom juk bak chak kün jang ne

The afflictive, cognitive, absorptive, and habitual veils all removed,

རྣམ་གྲོལ་ངོ་བོ་ཉིད་སྐུ་མངོན་དུ་བྱས། །

nam dröl ngo wo nyi ku ngön du je

Complete liberation, the essence kaya, is realized.

མ་བཅོས་གཉུག་མའི་ངང་དུ་ལྷུག་པར་བཞག །

ma chö nyuk may ngang du lhuk par shak

Rest at ease in the unaltered natural state.

ཀརྨ་པ་མཁྱེན་ནོ། །

KARMAPA KHYENNO

གྲངས་མང་བཟླ། བླ་མའི་སྐུ་གསུང་ཐུགས་དང་རང་གི་ལུས་ངག་ཡིད་གསུམ་དབྱེར་མེད་བསྲེས་ཏེ། འཁོར་གསུམ་མི་རྟོག་པའི་ངང་ཅི་ནུས་སུ་མཉམ་པར་འཇོག་གོ། །མཇུག་ཏུ་དགེ་ཚོགས་གོང་འཕེལ་དུ་བྱ་བའི་བསྔོ་སྨོན་ནི།

Repeat this many times. The guru’s body, speech, and mind and your body, speech, and mind mix inseparably. Rest in equipoise in a state of non-conceptual threefold purity for as long as you are able. Finally, the dedication and aspiration to amplify the accumulated virtue:

དགེ་བས་འགྲོ་ཚོགས་མཁའ་མཉམ་ཡིད་ཅན་གྱིས། །

ge we dro tsok kha nyam yi chen gyi

By this virtue, may the misdeeds, downfalls, habitual tendencies,

ཐོག་མེད་ནས་བསགས་སྡིག་ལྟུང་བག་ཆགས་དང་། །

tok me ne sak dik tung bak chak dang

And confusion of conceptual ascription that all groups of sentient beings filling space

ཀུན་བརྟགས་འཁྲུལ་པ་ལྷག་མེད་རབ་བསལ་ཏེ། །

kün tak trül pa lhak me rap sal te

Have accumulated since beginningless time, be utterly dispelled, without remainder.

གཞི་དབྱིངས་ཀུན་ཁྱབ་རང་ངོ་ཤེས་པར་ཤོག །

shi ying kün khyap rang ngo she par shok

May we realize our nature, the all-pervasive fundamental expanse.

བསླུ་མེད་སྨོན་ལམ་རྒྱ་མཚོའི་གོ་བཙན་ཅིང་། །

lu me mön lam gya tsoy go tsen ching

These unfailing aspirations, an ocean of impenetrable armor,

ཡེ་ནས་བྱང་ཆུབ་རྒྱ་མཚོར་ཡོངས་བསྔོས་པས། །

ye né jang chup gya tsor yong ngö pe

Being fully dedicated to the ocean of primordial awakening

བསྔོ་བྱ་སྔོ་བྱེད་རྒྱ་མཚོའི་མཐའ་བྲལ་ཀྱང་། །

ngo ja ngo je gya tsoy ta dral kyang

Free of dedicated and dedicator, though the ocean is limitless,

འཁོར་བའི་རྒྱ་མཚོ་དོངས་ནས་སྤྲུགས་གྱུར་ཅིག །

khor way gya tso dong né truk gyur chik

May the depths of the ocean of samsara be emptied.

གཞི་དབྱིངས་ཁྱབ་བརྡལ་འོད་གསལ་འདུས་མ་བྱས། །

shi ying khyap dal ö sal dü ma je

The fundamental expanse is all-pervasive, luminous and non-composite.

ལམ་གྱིས་མངོན་གྱུར་ཇི་ལྟར་རབ་བགྲོད་དེ། །

lam gyi ngön gyur ji tar rap drö de

By perfectly traveling the path that manifests it,

མཐར་ཐུག་འབྲས་བུ་མངོན་སངས་རྒྱས་གྱུར་ཅིག །

tar tuk dre bu ngön sang gye gyur chik

May we attain the ultimate result, manifest buddhahood.

སྐུ་བཞི་བླ་མའི་གོ་འཕང་ཉིད་ཐོབ་ཤོག། །།

ku shi la may go pang nyi top shok

May we attain the very state of the guru’s four kayas.

ཅེས་པའང་བྱ་རྒོད་རྣམ་རྒྱལ་རྡོ་རྗེ་ནས། བཀྲ་ཤིས་པའི་ལྷ་རེག་གིས་མཐའ་བརྒྱན་ཏེ་བསྐུལ་ངོར། ཀརྨ་པའི་མཚན་གྱི་ཟིལ་བུ་འཐོར་བའི་ཆ་ཕྲར་གཏོགས་པ་བཅུ་དྲུག་པས། ས་ཁྱི་ཆུ་སྟོད་ཟླ་བའི་ཡར་ཚེས་ལ་ཤར་མར་བྲིས་པ་དགེ་ལེགས་འཕེལ།། །།

Jagöd Namgyal Dorje encouraged me to write this, augmenting his request with an auspicious silk scarf. Thus, the sixteenth one, who has merely been sprinkled by a few drops of the name ‘Karmapa’, has written this down just as it arose during the waxing phase of the sixth month in the earth-dog year. May virtue increase!

H.E. Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche

བླ་མའི་རྣལ་འབྱོར་སྐུ་བཞིའི་མྱུ་གུ་སྐྱེད་བྱེད་བདུད་རྩིའི་ཆར་རྒྱུན་གྱི་འགྲེལ་པ་སྐུ་བཞིའི་གོ་འཕང་འཐོབ་བྱེད་ཅེས་བྱ་བ་བཞུགས་སོ། །

THE MEANS TO ATTAIN THE FOUR KAYAS

A Commentary on the Guru Yoga—The Continuous Rain of Nectar that Nurtures the Sprouting of the Four Kayas

Composed by Kyabje Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche

To the root guru, mighty Vajradhara,

Lord of all, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje,

I respectfully pay homage with my three gates.

Bless us that our three gates become pliable.

Having first offered supplication to the root guru, the supreme, mighty Vajradhara, I present The Means to Attain the Fruit of the Four Kayas: a commentary on the profound guru yoga, The Continuous Rain of Nectar that Nurtures the Sprouting of the Four Kayas—a guru yoga for the master of all families, the glorious lord of the victors, Buddha Karmapa, the great sixteenth supreme victor, Rangjung Kyabdak Rigpe Dorje.

First, go for refuge and generate bodhichitta. The text then begins with OṂ SVABHĀVA ŚHUDDHĀḤ SARVA DHARMĀḤ SVABHĀVA ŚHUDDHO’ HAṂ. This mantra removes accumulated faults caused by the totally obscuring stain of dualism. The practice then unfolds in four parts: the generation of the guru in front of you; the main practice of supplication; receiving the four empowerments and resting in your nature; and inseparably merging your and the guru’s mind while reciting the name mantra.

GENERATING THE IMAGE OF THE GURU

All phenomena of samsara and nirvana—in terms of both how they actually are and how they appear—never have wavered, never do waver, and never will waver from the state of the inconceivable dharmadhatu, the primordial, fundamental abiding mode of being. As it says in Uttaratantra:

Like pure gems, space or water,

It is forever naturally free of affliction.

And from Saraha:

The co-emergent, the taste of amrita,

The very nature of continuity,

Like the flow of a river or space,

It remains forever unchanging.

While traveling the path, we need to recognize the very qualities of the fundamental nature and then repeatedly familiarize ourselves with these. In order to do so, we must follow an experienced and realized guru. Until we have stabilized in our being that which we have received directly from the guru—the profound critical points of perfect view, meditation, and conduct—we should develop the prajnas of study, reflection, and meditation. Then we must attain the fruit of these—the perfect realization that all phenomena are unborn. From Entering the Middle Way:

Therefore, the Teacher said that all phenomena

Are primordially peaceful, uncreated,

And naturally and completely beyond suffering.

Therefore, there is never any creation.

From Maitreya’s Aspiration Prayer:

They are unborn. They don’t arise.

They have no nature. They don’t abide.

There’s no cognition. There is no substantiality.

May I realize that dharmas are empty.

These points above clearly express the nature of emptiness. Further, the nature of emptiness is not merely a complete nothingness or a lack of conception. Naturally abiding with it and primordially inseparable from it is individual self-aware wisdom. Since adventitious confused conditions have never tainted this basis, we say it is free from elaboration. This indicates its nature, the lucidity aspect. As it says in Aspirations for Mahamudra:

May clinging to experiences as good be naturally liberated.

May the delusion of thoughts being bad be purified in the expanse.

May ordinary mind, with nothing to remove or add, to lose or gain,

Unelaborate, the truth of dharmata, be realized.

Sherab Drukgyal says:

Recognizing that these two—outer appearances

As empty reflections and inner awareness

Transcending intellect—abide as a primordial union,

One masters the meaning of the view free of extremes.

From the expanse of lucidity-emptiness, free of gathering or parting, varied playful energies that are effortless and unceasing arise as the fully bloomed joy of bliss-emptiness, not arisen from means or effort. This joy that descends from above and is supported from below moves from the soles of the feet to the crown of the head. There is contact with resultant joy, and the coarse and subtle knots of the three principal channels and the four chakras are spontaneously freed. Thus, one attains true mastery in the Secret Mantra’s path of the messengers and stability in the indestructible result. As it is said:

Though it is possible that the ocean waves

Where creatures dwell may come to an end,

The buddhas’ actions to tame

Sentient beings will never cease.

Invoked by the condition of the spontaneous sound of the nada is the energy of the expanse, non-referential great compassion arisen from supreme attachment to beings.

From the very state of the union of that compassion and impartial great love imbued with courageous splendor free of disheartenment, instantly in the space in front, unstained by defilements of clinging to substantiality or clinging to conceptuality, the untainted utterly excellent expanse of earth and sky fills with immeasurable banks of clouds of inexhaustible offerings. Vast like a bottomless sea, the arrangement of these offerings completely fills all space. Amid these is a lion-throne, the mere sight of which totally captivates the minds of gods and all beings. It is symbolic of overcoming wrong views or mistaken conceptions. The lotus is symbolic of the basis being untainted by faults. The moon is symbolic of dispelling the feverish torment of beings’ afflictions. “Atop these, complete in an instant of recollection” means that you needn’t labor to progressively generate the form of the guru. You imagine that suddenly or immediately all aspects of his form are perfectly complete down to the smallest details. As it says in Saṃvarodaya:

For meditation on the mandala of the generation stage,

The dull and middling must use conception.

For sharp beings, the form is instantaneous—

It is the mandala of mere mind itself.

Through this yoga of instantaneous form,

One meditates on the completion stage.

There are three approaches to generation-stage meditation: methods for beings of lesser, middling, and superior capacities. It is said that those belonging to the first two categories employ progressive generation, while those of superior capacity generate it instantaneously. The Rosary of the Yoga of Completion states: “Generation in an instant is the profound generation stage or the non-profound completion stage.” Thus it is said that this is deity yoga for those of superior capacity. In any case, the form that one is meditating upon is the three roots in one. The root of blessings is the gurus. The root of siddhi is the yidams. The root of activity is the Dharma protectors. He is the embodiment of all of these gathered in one being. As it is said:

The guru is Buddha. The guru is Dharma.

Likewise, the guru is Sangha.

The guru serves the function of all.

And:

The very essence of the vajra holder

Is all buddhas gathered in one.

And:

The guru, in whom all qualities are complete, is the

Nature of the compassion and wisdom of all buddhas.

The guru comes in human form as an object for disciples.

The guru is the unsurpassable root of all siddhis.

Thus the guru is the essence embodying all Three Jewels. He is the embodiment of all Three Roots. Being the lord of the victors, he is victorious in battle over the four maras. He is the eminent being who has attained the fruit—the highest mastery of stable and enduring immortality. He is the guru of gurus; a master of masters. He is the embodiment of the activity of all the victors, the glorious and great Gyalwang Sixteenth Karmapa, Rangjung Kyabdak Rigpe Dorje.

Symbolic of his untainted mind or non-referential great compassion that never abandons disciples of the three capacities, he appears peaceful and smiling. His peacefulness attests to his mastery of the excellence of abandoning self interest. He is smiling on account of his mastery of the quality of the union of compassion and emptiness for the benefit of others. Thus, his peaceful and smiling countenance is radiant with beauty and enchanting like the rising autumn moon. Resting upon his head is that which arises as the spontaneous manifestation of the wisdom of the victors of the three times. For those with great merit and uncontrived devotion, it bears the power to bestow liberation from the ignorance in their being upon mere sight or by merely beholding it. From Uttering the Names of Manjushri:

With sapphire-blue hair knotted on top,

And wearing a great sapphire on top of his locks,

He’s the glorious one with the radiant luster of a magnificent gem,

Having as jewelry emanations of Buddha.

He’s the shaker of spheres of hundreds of worlds,

The one with great force with his extra-physical powerful legs;

He’s the holder of the great (state of) mindfulness.[1]

Thus, his head bearing many qualities is adorned by the gold-blazed black crown. In essence, it is hair from the heads of one hundred thousand wisdom dakinis. It clearly appears as a crown that he is wearing upon his head. His two hands—symbolizing the inseparable, primordial union of means (great bliss) and prajna (emptiness)—hold a vajra and bell crossed at his heart. He wears the three monastic robes. These show the need to train in view and conduct, inseparably, in all of the stages of the path through which followers approach the victor’s teachings—from the Vinaya canon up through the non-dual tantras. His legs in vajra posture signify not abiding in either of the extremes of samsara or nirvana, but having utterly transcended them and been conferred dominion over the union of the two kayas. His mind has never wavered, does not waver, and never will waver from the expanse of non-dual bliss—the great bliss of co-emergent wisdom—and emptiness endowed with all superb aspects that has never been tainted by subtle or coarse obscuring stains such as duality. He arises as the play of the dharmata Samantabhadra. From the The Great A-li Ka-li River Tantra:

Symbolic of the essential meaning of the unerring supreme path,

The chariot’s tradition of non-realization, a path divorced from words,

The ultimate recitation, the profound approach and accomplishment of the guru,

Is the heart essence of the victors of the three times.

From Saraha’s The Queen’s Doha:

Without conception; there is no object to conceive of.

With no object, how could there be meditation?

There isn’t even non-meditation.

Whoever is familiar with the meaning of this

Is equal to the mind of all the buddhas.

And from the lord of yogis, Virwapa:

As the basis for awareness is pure, it is called “perfect buddha.”

Having reached the exhaustion of fabricated intellect, it is called nirvana.

It is unaltered, unchanging, utterly free from all abandonment and attainment.

As the above quotations demonstrate, think that from within that state, in order to tame pure and impure disciples, through consummate skillful means, he appears, utterly blazing with the splendor of these and various ordinary qualities, adorned by the ornaments of the marks and signs. Offering respectful prostrations with your body, respectful praise with your speech, and respectful supplication with your mind, think: “Guru, I rely on and place all my trust in you alone. I hold your speech to be true. I see your deeds as noble. Guru, in all my happiness and suffering, successes and failures, I rely on you.” If your supplication is uncontrived and from the depths of your being, you will decisively know that the guru is the only true jetsun capable of hearing and answering it. All hope and fear will be exhausted. In this state, continue with the main practice.

SUPPLICATION: THE MAIN PRACTICE

He is the embodiment of the Three Jewels. He is the Three Roots in one. All-embodying, wish-fulfilling sovereign, precious guru, you are the embodiment of the qualities of all the buddhas of the three times, all refuges in one. I and all beings have fallen sway to karma and afflictions and are unfortunate ones who are slaves subjected to endless suffering. The kind root guru is the very nature of a kindness that would be difficult to repay even over an aeon. While properly understanding the reasons for doing so, if you supplicate him from the depth of your heart from now until the heart of enlightenment is reached, a certainty free of doubt will arise in your being that the guru definitely hears you from the expanse of great compassion and wisdom. And so, regarding me and all beings who are bewildered in dense obscurity, it is said:

Sentient beings are actually buddhas,

Though adventitious stains obscure it.

From Aspirations for Mahamudra:

Although beings’ nature is always buddha,

Not realizing it, we wander in endless samsara.

For sentient beings whose suffering is boundless.

The dense darkness of ignorance that knows nothing (or the stain of not knowing that our own mind is primordially pure buddha) has no nature. This stain has not penetrated our fundamental being. From the Uttaratantra:

That which is the luminous nature of mind

Is changeless, like space, and not afflicted

By the adventitious stains of desire and so forth

That arise from mistaken conception.

Having properly internalized this meaning, the adventitious stains are dispelled in their own place, like a knotted snake freeing itself, like ice melting into water. Grant your blessings that these shortcomings that obscure us may be cleared. These having been completely pacified or removed, please cause the arising of the unborn abiding nature of mind, about which Tilopa said:

Don’t think, don’t reflect, don’t examine,

Don’t meditate, don’t analyze, don’t engage in hope and fear.

Thus, intellectual effort that clings to these will be liberated on its own

and one will arrive at the primordial dharmata.

Master Krishnacharya said:

Conception itself is confusion.

Both subject and object do not exist.

Being impermanent and false, they lack truth.

Therefore, conception is a path of confusion.

As these indicate, regarding the nature of emptiness and that which is called luminosity, the victor Maitripa says:

Therefore, the very nature of mind,

The very state of mahamudra

Left unaltered and unchanged:

For one who actually realizes that,

All phenomena are mahamudra—

The great pervasiveness of the dharmakaya.

And:

Prajna, whose nature is boundless great bliss,

Is impartial, like the light of the sun and moon.

Kye ho—this spontaneously arising for the yogi is wondrous.

Thus, with the exhaustion of all subtle and coarse stains of clinging to objects and mind as two, the inseparable great union of the character of mind as empty and its nature as luminous dawns in our being. We must repeat this supplication many times, until the meaning becomes internalized.

RECEIVING THE FOUR EMPOWERMENTS AND SUSTAINING YOUR NATURE

Clearly imagining the master as described above, from the three syllables ༀ ཨ༔ ᫺ᨘ (oṃ ah huṃ) in the glorious guru’s three places, lights that are the embodiment of purifying blessings radiate: white, red, blue, and all three at once. Dissolving into your three places, you receive four empowerments: those of body, speech, mind, and all three inseparable. That which is to be cleared, the afflictive obscurations, the cognitive obscurations, the absorptive obscurations, and the habitual obscurations are all removed. The text then speaks of the fruit, that which is to be obtained. This is implicitly known to be the three kayas, and explicitly it says that complete liberation, the essence kaya, is realized.

Through the stages of receiving the four empowerments, the blessings enter your being. The meaning of that is as follows. We need to receive the blessings of the guru through empowerment. Without relying on empowerment, it is difficult to receive blessings. To clarify the stages: the causal empowerment ripens unripened beings; the path empowerment is practice done by the ripened; and the fruition empowerment is attaining the supreme result of practice.

However, here [in the Mahamudra tradition], it is called the empowerment of the transfer of blessings. In the Dzogchen tradition, it is known as the empowerment of dynamic awareness. Whichever the system, by truly seeing the guru as Vajradhara, supplicating him, and practicing the profound inner samadhi (the essence of the four empowerments), the wisdom of realization will spontaneously arise in your being. And this is also the supreme means to spontaneously remove the chronic disease of the five poisons; there is no more profound way to receive blessings. These are the benefits of what is known as the profound path of guru yoga.

Therefore, if by practicing the four empowerments you consummate the true empowerment, the viras and virinis and dakas and dakinis will gather like clouds in the twenty-four places of the vajra body. Subjugating the eight classes of gods and spirits, they will become your protectors, committed to you through weighty samaya and will carry out your commands. This special quality arises through this practice alone. Thus, you will not have to follow the path of the lower-tantra traditions, where they rely on the common siddhis to approach the final supreme result. Further, you won’t need to rely on the higher-tantra traditions where they rely on the illustrative wisdom of the third empowerment to introduce the true wisdom. The blessings of the true lineage bears an untainted supreme realization that has been transferred from the dharmakaya Vajradhara down to the root guru. Thus, rouse fervent devotion towards your vajra master in whom you’ve placed all your trust, receive the four empowerments, and mix your and the guru’s mind inseparably. By the power of the transfer of blessings, you will be able to arouse co-emergent wisdom of the true meaning (or the unborn luminosity of the dharmakaya) in your being. Therefore, you should consider this a vital instruction.

INSEPARABLY MERGING YOUR AND THE GURU’S MIND WHILE RECITING THE NAME MANTRA

Rest in a state with the mind unaltered, in the freshness of the natural state, not reflecting on the past nor inviting the future. Rest at ease, effortlessly, in this uncontrived present knowing and begin the recitation of the name-mantra, Karmapa Khyenno. Glorious Saraha said:

For mahamudra—freedom from mental engagement—

As there is not a trace of meditation, don’t meditate.

Never separated from the meaning of non-meditation is supreme meditation.

It is the flavor of non-dual, co-emergent great bliss.

From Tilopa:

The place: not solitude and not non-solitude.

The eyes: not open and not closed.

Mind: not altered and not unaltered.

Know the natural state through lack of mental engagement.

When you see the qualities of the fundamental nature of your mind, this is the accomplishment of the guru of the ultimate nature. Thus, not bound by concepts of hope, fear, and so forth, you should recite the name-mantra within a state of resting relaxedly in the freshness of mind left as it is.

For the concluding dedication: by these roots of virtue via the profound path of guru yoga, for all classes of beings of the six realms who have been my mother—all sentient beings filling space without exception—however many there are who have experienced intense suffering in all their lives from beginningless samsara, may all the non-virtuous misdeeds they have accumulated arisen from the cause (the source that is karma and the afflictions), that which has resulted from those downfalls (falling into the lower realms), the habitual tendencies accumulated by again falling sway to karma and the afflictions while wandering the lower realms, and the confusion of conceptual ascription caused by imprints of dualistic appearance that project existence where there is none in reality, be utterly dispelled without remainder. And may we realize our nature as the fundamental buddha nature and the expanse of that which is primordially empty of the stain of fixation on perceiver and perceived. This is the all-pervasive Samantabhadra that pervades all of samsara and nirvana and is not subject to union or separation with the mind-streams of sentient beings but inherent to them. Avalokita said:

Since whatever arises is itself the natural state,

Being mindful of whatever arises, just let it be.

A king of yogis practicing like that

Will have no doubt that that is emptiness.

From a tantra:

Since this wisdom that is self-awareness

Transcends the domain of speech,

[It is realized by] the stages of blessings.

It is like the wisdom of omniscience.

Suryagupta stated:

Looking at the body, it is unborn.

Looking at the mind, it is beyond elaboration.

Non-duality transcends intellect.

I don’t know anything.

The meaning of these quotations attests to that.

As the buddhas and bodhisattvas speak the truth, whatever unfailing aspirations they formulate are inexhaustible, immeasurable, and incalculable. From The Aspiration for Excellent Conduct:

As far as to the ends of the blue sky,

And likewise to the ends of sentient beings,

Up through the ends of karma and afflictions,

Thus far are the ends of my aspirations.

From Bodhicharyavatara:

For as long as space endures,

For as long as beings remain,

For that long may I abide

To dispel the woes of beings.

From the relative perspective, the essence and character of these aspirations are like the expanse of a great ocean. Their vows and promises are an impenetrable armor that no circumstance can alter. From the ultimate perspective, we shouldn’t seal the practice with aspirations or dedications made through effort and means while clinging to the concepts of threefold fixation. Rather, we should fully dedicate the practice to the inexhaustible ocean-like awakening of measureless qualities that is the primordial unsurpassable result, realizing that the dedicated roots of virtue, the dedicator, and the object of the dedication are all not truly existent. Just like the vast ocean is deep, limitless, and beyond all measure, so too is the suffering of unrealized beings who are overcome by the great demon of clinging to substantiality. Against their will they are overpowered and tormented by the torture of long wandering in the three realms of samsara and being subjected to continuous suffering so difficult to escape. We should never abandon our great love and compassion for them. As it says in Aspirations for Mahamudra:

Although beings’ nature is always buddha,

Not realizing it, we wander in endless samsara.

For sentient beings whose suffering is boundless

May unbearable compassion arise in our being.

From the glorious hermit Saraha:

From the state of spontaneous realized conduct,

When seeing the weariness of ignorant beings,

Tears flow from the power of unbearable compassion.

Exchanging self and other, one works to benefit them.

When reality is examined, free of the three referents,

It’s untrue, like a dream or an illusion.

Since without attachment and obstruction, there is no joy

Nor weariness, one becomes like a magician performing illusions.

May the depths of the great ocean of samsara be emptied, and may I be able to place those beings in the ocean of the four bodies of the victors.

The wisdom of the dharmakaya, the fundamental nature, is beyond expression. The profound expanse is the ultimate reality that transcends all attempts at elaboration. Its nature is great and all-pervasive, free of discrimination. Its essence is known as luminosity, co-emergent great bliss. It is also known by other terms, such as mind itself, mahamudra, the natural state free from the extreme of mental engagement. It is primordial inherent spontaneity. Being self-arisen awareness that transcends causes, conditions, and effort, it is non-composite. Through the path of practice, co-emergent wisdom manifests, like the sun unhindered by clouds. As it is primordially unfettered by confusion, there is no true liberation of dharmata. As it never wavers from the expanse of the natural state, one is never separated from non-meditation, resting in the fundamental state. By perfectly traveling it, may we attain the ultimate result, the purification of fundamental awareness, manifest buddhahood. May we attain the very state of the guru’s four kayas—the dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, nirmanakaya, and svabhavikakaya. Thus, make these aspirations. As it says in Aspirations for Mahamudra:

The ground of purification is the mind’s nature, a union of lucidity-emptiness.

What purifies is the great vajra yoga of mahamudra

What is purified is the stains of adventitious delusion.

May the result of purification, the stainless dharmakaya, be revealed.

The practice of the profound path of guru yoga entitled The Continuous Rain of Nectar that Nurtures the Sprouting of the Four Kayas is extremely profound and deep. As the power of its blessings is immeasurable, someone like me is not capable of commenting on it as I do not have even the tiniest bit of learning that would enable me to do so—this I know as my own mind is not hidden from me. However, as I am one who was placed at the feet of the great and supreme Sixteenth Gyalwang and was nurtured in the cooling shade of his compassion, my fortune is not small. When I was young, I received this transmission from His Holiness and was incredibly fortunate to recite it together with him and his retinue. Of this much, I am certain.

These days, wherever I go, encountering precious photos of the sixteenth supreme victor (that would plant seeds of liberation upon sight) and even hearing people speak his name is quite rare. Moved by such, ever recalling his countenance, his deeds, and his teaching, I supplicate him with pure awe-inspired longing and confident devotion through the recitation of this guru yoga every day, without fail. Continuously holding him in my heart, I have composed this brief commentary as it arose in my mind. Do not see this virtue as containing faults. I am certain that if others read it, the seed of liberation will be planted in their being.

My kind old tutor, Tenam, has repeatedly encouraged me to write this, so with his noble prompting, on September 15th, 2016 I began this work and concluded it on the 26th. Supplicating the guru and deity as inseparable, as per my understanding, I, the one born at Paro Taktsang in Bhutan who merely bears the name “Sangye Nyenpa,” offer this from the Benchen Shedra in Yangleshö.

1 From A Concert of Names of Manjushri, translated by Alexander Berzin, 2004.

A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF HIS EMINENCE THE TENTH SANGYE NYENPA RINPOCHE

Following the paranirvana of the Ninth Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche in 1962, the present Tenth Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche was born in 1964 at Paro, Taktsang, Bhutan. His Holiness Sixteenth Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje (1924-1981), predicted his birth place, the year, birth sign and the names of his parents. When he was four years old he was taken to Rumtek Monastery where he was enthroned as the Tenth Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche and given the name Karma Palden Rangjung Thrinle Kunkyab Tenpe Gyaltsen Pal Sangpo by His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa. Rinpoche received novice ordination, the Bodhisattva vows and many empowerments as he grew up at Rumtek Monastery in the care of His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa and other great masters.

Rinpoche engaged in extensive studies of the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, relying on his root gurus His Holiness Sixteenth Karmapa, His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910–1991) and the present Twelth Kenting Tai Situ Rinpoche with whom Rinpoche enjoys a particularly close relationship. He further received many teachings and empowerments from numerous teachers of the various Buddhist schools especially from the late Saljey Rinpoche (1910-1991).

Following ten years of study at the Nalanda Institute in Rumtek, Sikkim, Rinpoche obtained the title of Acharya and is regarded as one of the most learned Rinpoches in both philosophy and tantric rituals.

Rinpoche’s vast activity for the benefit of beings includes the restoration of Benchen Monastery in the area of Ga Batang in Kham, eastern Tibet, and the establishment of Benchen Shedra (monastic university) called Benchen Sungrab Gyunpel Khang in Pharping, Nepal. While Rinpoche resides at Benchen Phuntsok Dargyeling Monastery, Kathmandu, he travels extensively, teaching and supporting both ordained and lay sangha.

For more of Rinpoche and his monastery, please visit

www.bencheninstitute.org & www.benchen.org

COPYRIGHTS

The Continuous Rain of Nectar that Nurtures the Sprouting of the Four Kayas & The Means to Attain the Four Kayas © Benchen Sungrab Gyunpel Khang and Kyabje Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche

Translation © Lama Eric Trinle Thaye

Many thanks to Jo Gibson and Cathy Neumann for proofreading the English.

Cover photo of His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa leaving the shrine room after Mahakala initiation, Rumtek, Sikkim, 1979 © Jobst Koss

Photo of His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa performing the Black Crown Ceremony © Lars Gammeltoft

Photo of His Eminence Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche © Bencien Karma Kamtzang Poland

Cover & layout: Beata Tashi Drolkar

ebook by:

dharmaebooks.org

1. Front Matter

2. Table of Contents

3. Foreword by the Seventeenth Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje

4. The Continuous Rain of Nectar that Nurtures the Sprouting of the Four Kayas

5. The Means to Attain the Four Kayas

1. Generating the Image of the Guru

2. Supplication: The Main Practice

3. Receiving the Four Empowerments and Sustaining Your Nature

4. Inseparably Merging Your and the Guru’s Mind while Reciting the Name Mantra

6. A Brief Biography of His Eminence the Tenth Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche

7. Copyrights

Table of Contents

Front Matter

Table of Contents

Foreword by the Seventeenth Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje

The Continuous Rain of Nectar that Nurtures the Sprouting of the Four Kayas

The Means to Attain the Four Kayas

Generating the Image of the Guru

Supplication: The Main Practice

Receiving the Four Empowerments and Sustaining Your Nature

Inseparably Merging Your and the Guru’s Mind while Reciting the Name Mantra

A Brief Biography of His Eminence the Tenth Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche

Copyrights