During the time of actual meditation in seclusion or in a quiet room, sit upon a
comfortable cushion in the ideal body position. Then recite the refuge prayer and
aspiration to a compassionate attitude like this:
In the supreme Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha,
I take refuge until I attain enlightenment;
May I achieve buddha for all sentient beings
Through the merit of generosity and other virtues.Here we need heartfelt faith in the three jewels—Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha
—and we should repeat the refuge verses three times. Then, with the intention of
attaining buddha not just for ourselves but for all sentient beings everywhere, all
of whom have been our parents at some juncture, we generate a compassionate
attitude. Then we should visualize the root guru in the form of Padmasambhava
seated in front of us, and while in a state of deep devotion induced by his blessing
of mind bestowed on us and all sentient beings, recite the following prayer three
or seven times:
HUNG! On the northwest border of Orgyen,
Born in the pollen bed of a lotus flower,
With miraculous supreme accomplishment,
You are known as Padmasambhava, the lotus-born:
Surrounded by a retinue of dakinis,
We follow after you,
Please come here to bless us.
GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUNG.After reciting the Seven-Line Prayer, repeat the mantra OM AH HUNG VAJRA
GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUNG one hundred or three hundred times. Finally, we
receive the blessing of the guru’s body, speech, and mind by means of rays of
white, red, and blue light flowing from the syllables OM AH HUNG in his three
secret places to our own. Then the guru melts into light and dissolves into us, and
his mind becomes inseparable from our own, like water being poured into water.
In that space, without modification, in a relaxed manner, sustain the view.
Alternatively, at this time we can pray to our guru and Padmasambhava as one,
letting the mind stay easy and relaxed, looking at the luminosity of pure presence.
Then, when a thought suddenly arises, we can use either method, and relax into it,
just as it is. With neither affirmation nor rejection, whatever arises in the objective
field or as a thought form does not crystallize, is not pursued, and is left
unmodified. It is naked pure presence, shining and vivid, with neither projection
nor absorption; thus, slowly, pure presence recognizes itself, and we rest in the
stillness of the stream of it.
Again, when thought arises, look into its very essence as before and let it rest in
its natural state, without accepting or rejecting it as good or bad, without desire or
aversion, and so forth. Do not follow thought or suppress it like ordinary worldly
people, or like monks of the lower approaches who count it a sin if the thought is