your own shortcomings.
The greatest of evils is to hold religious prejudice and to criticize other people without knowing their mind. So give up prejudice as if it were poison.
Master Padma said: Even though you have taken so many rebirths since beginningless time, you have not accomplished the welfare of yourself and others. Now, in this body, you should accomplish the benefit of self and others.
Even though you have incarnated so many times in the past, you had no opportunity to train in the Dharma but only plunged further into the dungeon of samsaric existence. Now exert yourself in training in the Mahayana teachings during this brief time while you have met the Dharma.
Keep company with those who increase virtue. Give up friends who increase misdeeds.
Do not restlessly hanker after things like a dog or a hungry ghost, but rest loosely by means of applying the remedies. If you tire yourself with restless hankering, you will agitate your own mind with evil deeds, and through that the minds of others. Thus you will accumulate misdeeds.
If you consider even slight discomfort to be suffering, it will grow to be more painful. You will find no happiness unless you let your mind rest loosely.
Do not pursue former suffering. Everything, whether good or bad, is past and gone. Do not anticipate future suffering.
No matter what suffering may befall you now, do not give in to it, but develop courage again and again.
In any case, if you do not apply the remedies to your mind, suffering will never cease.
Relax your mind in its natural state without modifying or spoiling it and turn it gently to what is virtuous.
Master Padma said: When you persevere in Dharma practice, it is essential to always train in turning any virtuous root of action, through body, speech, or mind, to be for the benefit of others.
First, train gradually in this with the smallest deeds. From time to time, check to see whether or not you are tainted by the defilement of self-interest. You will not be successful if you retain even the tiniest taint of selfishness. Make sure not to be tainted by the defilement of self-interest.
The difference between the greater and lesser vehicles is the arousing of bodhicitta. The difference is created not by the view but by compassion. Therefore keeping the view of the natural state, train yourself in great compassion.
For the benefit of self and others, abandon the suffering of samsara forever.
Train repeatedly in feeling renunciation for samsara.
Train in taking upon yourself the burden of the suffering of others.
First train in regarding all sentient beings as being like yourself. Train in feeling that the suffering of others is your own suffering. Then train in cherishing sentient beings as being more important than yourself.
Train in the great compassion that involuntarily acts for the welfare of others.
The word Mahayana implies simply to cherish others as being superior to oneself. Mahayana never implies the pursuit of happiness solely for oneself with no thought for the suffering of others, regarding oneself as more important.
Master Padma said: If you train your mind in love, compassion, and bodhicitta, you will not take rebirth in the three lower realms. Moreover, from this very moment you will never fall back. This alone is my oral instruction.
Wherever you go, keep bodhicitta in mind, never departing from its company.
Whatever action you engage in, train in doing it for the benefit of sentient beings. Train in regarding others as more important than yourself. You will attain numerous qualities as a result of this training, such as having unimpaired samayas and vows.
Unless you cultivate bodhicitta, you will not attain enlightenment, even though you may gain mastery of mantra and be very powerful.
All the supreme and common accomplishments will result from bodhicitta arising in your being. That alone is my oral instruction.
Master Padma said: Whether you meditate on emptiness or anything else, it is mistaken meditation practice unless it becomes an effective remedy against disturbing emotions and ordinariness. Something that does not counteract the disturbing emotions and ordinariness is a cause for falling into samsaric existence.
If any teaching you study, reflect upon, or expound becomes an effective remedy against your disturbing emotions as well as an aid for allowing the pure Dharma to take birth in your being, then that is called a Mahayana teaching and is unmistaken.
No matter how much you may be acclaimed as learned in study, exposition, and meditation, if your intention is only the eight worldly concerns, your activity is called a black Dharma practice.
In any case, it is essential to meditate on appearance and existence3 as being magical illusion, so as not to allow your attachment and clinging to grow stronger and stronger.
“A great yogi” simply means being free from attachment and clinging.
Master Padma said: The welfare and happiness of all sentient beings result from the teachings of the Buddha. So study the tantras, scriptures, and sutras and listen to the words of the masters.
Actions and their resulting happiness and suffering grow forth like seeds, so discriminate between virtue and evil deeds.
If you do not observe your vows, the root of your Dharma practice is rotten. Protect your vows and samayas as carefully as you would your own eyes.
In any case, if you have no trust when practicing the Dharma your effort is wasted, and anything you do will be futile. In whatever you do it is essential to be free from doubt and mistrust.
Master Padma said: Some people call themselves tantric practitioners and engage in crude behavior, but that is not the action of a tantrika.
Mahayana means to cherish all sentient beings with impartial compassion.
It will not suffice to claim oneself a tantric practitioner and then refrain from adopting what is virtuous and not avoiding or shunning evil deeds. It is essential for all tantric practitioners to cultivate great compassion in their being.
Without giving rise to compassion in your being you will turn into a non-Buddhist with wrong views, even though you may claim to be a practitioner of Secret Mantra.
Master Padma said: Secret Mantra is Mahayana. Mahayana means to benefit others.
In order to benefit others you must attain the three kayas of fruition. In order to attain the three kayas you must gather the two accumulations. In order to gather the two accumulations you must train in bodhicitta. You must practice the paths of development and completion as a unity.
In any case, a tantrika who lacks bodhicitta is totally unsuited and does not practice Mahayana.
Master Padma said: Secret Mantra and the philosophical vehicle4 are spoken of as two, but ultimately they are one. If you lack the view or the conduct you will stray into being a shravaka. So descend with the view while ascending with the conduct. It is most essential to practice these two as a unity. That is my oral instruction.
SAMAYA.
