If practice with this realization of Samantabhadra then it's the best way, the quickest way to achieve enlightment

Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche [1]

Dharma Talk 12

So, we were talking about the nature of the mind, the luminosity, that is being very nature of our own mind. Because of that luminosity, because of that reality, everything is possible for us to practice so that we can accomplish the fundamental mind. If there is no such foundation or nature, then it’s impossible for everyone to reach the Buddhahood. But luckily, we have this fundamental foundation in the mind.

The Buddha nature or the nature of the mind is Dharmakaya. Also, Dharmakaya is called Samantabhadra. Samantabhadra is a Buddha, but it’s not a physical Buddha. It’s related to Emptiness, to the nature. So, the nature of the mind is unstained. It’s stainless from the beginning, so therefore it’s completely good. Samantabhadra means completely good. And why it’s good it’s. It is ideally unstained by either good or bad. Sometimes we think something is good, but why we think it’s good – because there’s a bad [thing]. So compared with that bad thing, this is good. It’s here due to your mind – how you think – it’s [good] or not good. We say Samantabhadra or completely good is unstained by either good or bad.

If there were no Samantabhadra, there would be no result from any effort made on the path. Because of this power of fundamental purity, the path has the nature of natural accomplishment. We have to understand that Dharmakaya or Samantabhadra or Buddha nature or the nature of the mind are all the same.  If we don’t have this nature, then no matter how much we try, there’s no result. How much we try to practice for the good result of the path, there’s no result. Because of this fundamental purity, everything is possible. So, we should understand this reality. We should understand how important to understand the nature, [and how important] the realization of this very nature [is]. And it’s very difficult to accomplish the enlightenment. So every effort that we made on the path, every practice that we do for the path is to understand the fundamental purity. And therefore, it is very important to understanding this reality and try to receive the complete instructions and to accomplish the two accumulations to realize the nature or Samantabhadra.

“We have to establish a source or beginning of this yana of Luminosity.” So, the Longchen Nyingthig lineage or the teachings of Longchen Nyingthig or the lineage of Dzogpa Chenpo, the teaching of Dzogpa Chenpo is the Yana of Luminosity. This teaching, this lineage, this Yana is a yana of Luminosity, yana of the nature, yana of the vajra nature or Samantabhadra. We can say that this yana or this lineage or these instructions are the highest among all the teachings of the Buddha. Therefore, it is called yana of Luminosity.

We say that the Dharmakaya Samantabhadra is the origin of the dharma lineage – the lineage of Longchen Nyingthig. We can say the Buddha of this lineage is the Buddha Samantabhadra. Dharmakaya and Samantabhadra are basically the same. They both are the nature, the very nature of the mind. The emptiness part of the mind is the Dharmakaya or Samantabhadra.

“In terms of this true nature, all the buddha in the ten directions were born from the nature of Samantabhadra and were not born in any other way.”  We say the Buddhas in the ten directions were born from the nature of this [Samantabhadra] – this is a different way of being born. We understand how we born from a mother and things were born from their own causes. It’s a different way of being born. But we still use this word. So, in terms of this true nature, all Buddhas, every Buddha is born from this very nature but not in other ways. “There are countless peaceful and wrathful deities, such as Vajradhara, Vajarsattva and the Buddhas of Five Families, which are the dharmakaya’s radiance as pure bodies, the appearance of pure and subtle bodies wearing costumes and jewelry.”  Of course, the Buddhas were born from the nature of the Samantabhadra. Not only the Buddhas but also the costumes they’re wearing, the things that wearing were also born from the same Dharmakaya. So, the Samantabhadra is the base for all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

So basically, it means all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, all like the peaceful and wrathful deities – everyone are manifestations of the Samantabhadra. This is the unique way we understand this lineage, how it sees the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas or the peaceful deities or the wrathful deities, how they appearance. So, if we practice with this realization of the Samantabhadra or the nature of the mind, then, it’s the best way, the quickest way to practice or to make the connection to this Buddha. When we do not have this kind of realization and then it takes much, much longer, takes a lot of time to accomplish any practice. But with this kind of instruction, this kind of wisdom, or understanding, everything comes easier and shorter and quicker and faster. Therefore, the lineage Dzogchen, practice Dzogchen has the most power to accomplish this quickly.

The tradition of the Nyingma tradition has a unique way to explain the lineage. Usually, they talk about three parts of the Lineages. There are three lineages: the Mind Lineage of the Buddhas and the Symbol Lineage of Vidyadharas and the Oral Lineage of individuals. So, when we teach or when we talk about the lineage of the Dzogpa Chenpo then what we teach in these three parts that complete the lineage. if we missed one then it’s not a complete lineage. So, we have to talk about these three things, or three ways to accomplish complete the lineage of Dzogpa Chenpo.

“The mind lineage of the Buddhas is constantly beyond the duality of the adoption and rejection.” So, we are talking about the lineage of the mind, the first lineage of the three lineages; and “Samantabhadra, having the true nature that bestows realization” – that means Samantabhadra, the mind lineage how it comes, how it teaches. Samantabhadra or the other Buddhas do not use physical or words or like we do but they transfer the realization from emptiness to emptiness, wisdom to wisdom – they don’t have to think like we do. They don’t have to explain like we do but they bestow the realization from each other to the Buddhas from the Samantabhadra in the mind, in the wisdom, in the emptiness. That means no thinking, no effort, but it is bestowed like very naturally. So, this is the first lineage of mind the mind lineage of the Buddhas.

“… completely conveyed his self- arisen, naturally present realization. That is how Luminosity Great Perfection was transmitted from dharmakaya Samantabhadra to Vajrasattva and others, and the teaching was spread through the realms of the Buddha of the Five Families.” Of course, the lineage teaching of Dzogpa Chenpo start firstly in the realms of the Buddhas of the five family. And the realization of the luminosity of Samantabhadra or the wisdom or the nature is [transmitted] from Dharmakaya Samantabhadra to the Buddha Vajrasattva and others. So, this is how it began the lineage in the realms of Buddhas.

So, the reason that we talk about these things because every lineage, every tradition always to talk about their lineage and the source of teachings. So, that we have our own understanding and our own way of lineage. First, beginning of this lineage was established in the realms of the Buddhas of Five Families. It means all the Buddhas have practiced Dzogpa Chenpo and because they practice, and they realized the realization of the Dzogpa Chenpo. They are real Buddhas. So, this is how we understand. And it is part of the reality. This is the very important part of this lineage.

According to the teachings of Patrul Dorje Chang – Patrul Rinpoche everyone knows, right? And we see Patrul Rinpoche as Vajradhara – we call him Vajradhara Patrul Rinpoche. It’s the most respected way to see ones’ Guru and most, very, very faithful at very very pure devoted to someone, then we say Dorje Chang. So Patrul Rinpoche was like Vajradhara because of his wisdom, his compassion, his Boddhichitta and his hard work and his kindness to this lineage.

This is not only the way of Patrul Rinpoche teaching but this is the general way of explaining the lineage of Dzogpa Chenpo. So according to the teachings of Patrul Dorje Chang, this is I say that this word or this thing is not my writing original but probably the translator thinks that this is something very important. So, it’s there. It doesn’t matter if it’s there or not. Patrul Rinpoche teaches this way and everyone else, all the great masters in the Nyingma tradition talked about the same way of this lineage. So that was the first part of this lineage – [realization of] the nature of the mind is transmitted from Samantabhadra to Vajrasattva or [to] other Buddhas of the five families.

End of teaching on 07.05.2023

Transcript by Tri Minh Tara & Dieu Hue

Excerpt from MP 3 Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche teaching on 07.05.2023: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CnjBvl4sNyTMKNdkegFIyKiLsRWGJMzp

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Note:

[1] This is Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche’s 12th teaching on May 07, 23 on the book “The Melodious Sound of the Laughter of the Vidyadhars of the Three Lineages”. English version and the title have been sent to Rinpoche for approval.