PRAYERS FOR MEDITATION
 

               One night early in Water-Pig year (1983), my wisdom consort Rigdzin
Wangmo had a dream in which appeared a female companion who had often
appeared in her dreams. The girl said, "Now you should ask Rinpoche to
write a supplication prayer. Alright?" and left. Later, on the tenth of the
waxing moon, she appeared again, saying, "Why haven't you asked about
the writing of that prayer?"

That next morning, when we were discussing the dreams and the prayer, I
said, "There are already plenty of supplication prayers, but not enough
people who do them." Rigdzin Wangmo insisted, saying, "No matter
whether it's short or long, you must write this supplication."

Then I thought, "These days there is danger from disease, war, and
famine. In order to protect people from these dangers, I should write a
prayer reminding the Compassionate Ones of their vows to help beings." But
although I was thinking of writing one, due to the distraction of many
events, I didn't have the chance.

Once again, on the evening of the 10th, the girl appeared, as before.
She said in the dream, "Don't neglect the prayer that I asked for
before. There is a great need for it!"

So, I thought to write it on the 15th of the same month. On the night
of the 14th, I prayed with one-pointed mind to Guru Rinpoche, asking for
his blessing in order to compose the prayer, making this aspiration, I
went to sleep.

The next morning at dawn, in my own dream, I was at the head of a large
hall like temple. Out of nowhere a young white man appeared in white
clothes, with long hair spread out over his shoulders, holding a pair of
cymbals. he rolled the cymbals, making a lovely sound, and danced
toward me, spiraling closer and closer, in circles toward the right, dancing
as do the Ging. He said:

"If you want to establish the teachings,
Make them firm in your mind.
In the depths of mind, you will find Buddhahood.

If you wish to visit Buddha fields,
Purify ordinary deluded attachment.
The perfect, excellent Buddha field is near at hand.

Develop diligence to practice
The essence of the teachings.
Without, who can gain the siddhi?

It is hard to see one's own faults.
So, pointing them out to oneself
Is a crucial instruction.

In the end, when faults are, one by one, removed
Enlightened qualities increase and shine forth."

At the end of this poem, he rolled the cymbals and then crashed them
together, and I awoke. After I woke up, I did not forget what he had
said, and I understood it to have been advice on practicing what to accept
and what to reject. I was regretful that, although I had actually seen
the face of my only father guru, I had not recognized him.

I, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, old father of the Nyingma, wrote this from my
own experience. May it be of benefit. Sarvatha Mangalam.



Notes

The four dharma practices:
not returning verbal abuse; not returning physical abuse; not returning
anger for anger; not returning provocation even though one has been
provoked.


The four boundless ones:
boundless love; boundless compassion; boundless joy; boundless
equanimity.


The first root samaya transgression:
disparaging one's master.
 

The four thoughts that turn the mind to Dharma:
keeping in mind 1) the rarity of the free-well-favored human birth; 2)
the inevitability of death; 3) the inescapability of karma, cause and
effect; 4) the vast inherent suffering of samsara.


Kyerim:
developing stage meditation.

Dzogrim:
completion stage meditation.




Translated by Bhakha Tulku and Constance Wilkinson,
Boudhnath, Nepal, 1989

Originally published at Sahayogi Press,
Kathmandu, Nepal