the dön; there’s some sense of “let it be.” There is
even an incantation that says, “Not only do I not want
you to go away, you can come back any time you like.
And here, have some cake.”
Personally, when I read that, I got sort of scared.
The commentary said that you invite them back be-
cause they show you when you have lost your mind-
fulness. You invite them back because they remind
you that you’ve spaced out. The döns wake you up. As
long as you are mindful, no dön can arise. But they’re
like cold germs, viruses; wherever there’s a gap—
Boom!—in they come. The dön will refuse your invi-
tation to come back as long as you’re awake and open,
but the moment you start closing off, it will accept
your invitation with pleasure and eat your cake any-
time. That’s called feeding the ghosts.
Offering to the protectors. The fourth practice is to
offer to the protectors, or ask the protectors to help
you with your practice. The protectors protect the
principle of enlightenment; they protect our inher-
ent wisdom, our inherent compassion. In thangkas—
Tibetan scroll paintings—they appear as wrathful
figures with flames coming out of them, big teeth
and claws, and necklaces of skulls. The protectors
are protecting against unkindness, against lapses of
wisdom, against harshness and petty-mindedness,
against fundamental insanity of any kind. The reason
they appear so wrathful is that they’re not going to
106 Overcoming Resistance