The Tara Compendium. Chokgyur Lingpa

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The Tara Compendium - Chokgyur  Lingpa


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her constant protection from samsara, the lower realms, and all fears.

      Imagining this, with one-pointed devotion repeat the words for taking refuge:

       NAMO,

       In the guru, in Noble Tara as yidam, and in the Three Jewels and the ocean of conquerors,

       I and all sentient beings take refuge with one-pointed devotion until enlightenment.

      Repeat those lines a hundred or a thousand times, however much you can. Then imagine that the objects of refuge melt into light and dissolve into you, blessing your stream of being. Then simply settle in the state of equanimity, free from mental constructs. At the end, dedicate the merit. Having gone for refuge like that, you must then train in the refuge precepts: the three general precepts, the three specific precepts, and the three subsidiary precepts. This is the general training for all Buddhists. By upholding these precepts, you will attain eight extraordinary benefits.

      By this, we have covered the practices for the inferior type of person. These are the common stages of the path.

      THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS OF MIDDLING CAPACITY AND FOR THE GENERAL TRAININGS

      This has two parts: reflecting upon the causal relationship of samsara and reflecting upon the causal relationship of liberation.

       Reflecting upon the causal relationship of samsara

      This also has two parts: reflecting on the result, which is suffering, and reflecting on the causes, which are the origins of suffering.

       Reflecting on the result, which is suffering

      “When my mother is full, I will feel like I am being crushed by a mountain. When she is hungry, I will feel like I am dangling over a precipice. When her food and drink are too hot or too cold, I will suffer from these extremes. When taking birth, I will feel like I am being squeezed through the eye of a needle. Even when wrapped in the softest cloth, I will feel as if I have been thrown into a nest of thorns. When somebody picks me up, I will feel as if a hawk is holding me with its talons. Thus, I will experience those types of suffering.”

      In general, birth is accompanied by unbearable sensations; therefore, it involves suffering. These sensations are also the seeds giving rise to more negative emotions and negative connections. They are the source of further suffering, since they result in aging, becoming sick, dying, and so forth. They trigger other emotional states, when one meets with circumstances later on. In this way, birth is the basis for the accumulation of karma; thus, it is the source of negative emotions and the other seven types of suffering.

      Second, since the body undergoes constant momentary change, it inevitably disintegrates. One has five types of suffering due to aging. First, one’s luster fades, the flesh loses its color, the skin becomes unattractive, and the hair turns gray. One’s shape deteriorates, one’s teeth fall out, the body slumps, the arms and legs become crooked, and the skin dries out. One’s strength also diminishes, making it hard to get up, sit down, or move about without help. Furthermore, the sense organs degenerate, as one’s eyesight blurs, one’s hearing fails, and so forth. Finally, one loses the ability to enjoy things, feeling hungry when lacking food yet unable to digest large quantities, and so forth. These five types of discomfort accompany aging.

      Fourth, when the time of death arrives, one needs to part from everything one values, such as possessions, friends, family, attendants, and employees. Even this body is left behind. An intense feeling of mental uneasiness occurs at this time. These five types of suffering accompany death. Moreover, one will be completely preoccupied by trying to protect possessions, property, fame, good name, food, wealth, livestock, and the like. One toils constantly to first accumulate them, guard them, and then increase them. Day and night, one is busy with this. The slightest loss creates an intense, harmful anguish, which is also painful.

      Fifth is the suffering of trying to achieve and find what one does not possess, such as wealth, food, property, and so forth. This requires constant laborious effort, even at the cost of being hungry and thirsty. Even at the cost of life and limb, one needs to exert oneself, sometimes going in want of food and clothing, which is also painful.

      Sixth is the suffering of meeting with the unwanted. We never know when something or someone harmful is going to appear, whether it be an enemy, someone seeking revenge, bandits and thieves, carnivorous animals, and so forth. Also, if one is a subject of a local ruler or the servant of someone rich, one will have to do undesirable work for them, which is also painful.

      Seventh is the suffering of being helplessly parted from loved ones, such as one’s father and mother, siblings, spouse, friends, followers, and so forth. One’s status, influence, and possessions disappear; money and articles get destroyed or vanish; cattle and horses die; or a plague occurs. When any of these happens to something one is attached to, there is also a deep-felt sorrow and suffering.

      If one is born as an asura, a demigod, then from the very moment of having that bodily form, there is an intense sense of competitiveness and rivalry that spurs constant fighting and quarreling with others. Especially when contesting the devas, asuras always lose, get beaten, or get killed, since they have less merit. Since asuras are mostly negative-minded, they lack trust and interest in dharma practice.

      In short, no matter where one takes rebirth in samsara, whether high or low, there is not the slightest bit of real happiness.

      As Guru Rinpoche said:

       In samsara, which is like being on the tip of a needle, there is never any real pleasure.

       Even when there is the slightest comfort, it always changes.

      Every type of neutral sensation experienced by the five perpetuating aggregates is also the all-pervasive suffering of being conditioned. This first type of suffering permeates every samsaric state, without a single exception.

      Suffering upon suffering, which is the second type of suffering, encompasses the three lower realms and the higher realms, with their disease and other kinds of evil influences and all their painful sensations.

      The samadhi states belonging to the dhyana states in the rupa- and arupa-dhatus, the pleasure and joys of devas and human beings, and all pleasant sensations are the suffering of change, which is the third type of suffering. Therefore, one should develop the intention to attain liberation to be free from these three types of suffering.


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