The Heart of Meditation

171 Pages·2016·36.09 MB·English

by  Tenzin Gyatso

S22.95
The hearl of m editation - the thing
that brings iL alive is compassion. WiLho11L
thal essential foundation, olhcr practices
arc pointless. Forlunat.ely, the mind can be
trained in corn passion, and the mind thu
trained with the qualities of love, empathy,
kindness, and respect for others is ready
for the practice of the Great Completeness
(Dzogchen), ' hich is considered the
pinnacle of spiritual practice in Lhe
Nyi11grna tradition of Tibetan Bnddhism.
Flis Holiness the Dalai Lama here
teaches the Great Completeness simply
but thoroughly, using as his reference
a Yisionar. poem by the nineteenth
century master Patrol H.inpochc lo show
that insight can never be separated from
corn passion. Th rough practice of the
Great Con1plet.eness, we can access our
inncr1nost awareness and live our lives i11
a \\·ay that acknowledges it and manifests
il. The wisdom and compassion that arise
from such in ight are critical, His !Joline s
teaches, not onl) Lo individual progress in
meditation but to our collective progress
toward peare in the world.
His Hou NESs THE FouRTEENTn DALAI LAMA
is considered the foremost Buddhist lead
er of our time. The exiled head of the
Tibetan people, he is a Nobel Peace Laure
ate, a Congressional Gold Medal recipient,
and a remarkable teacher and scholar who
has authored over one hundred books.
a
PATRUL RLNPOCHE (c808-1887) was prom
inent lineage master from easterh Tibet
whose teachings and writings remain
widely influential in the Nyingma lineage.
JEFFREY HorKINS is founder and president
of the UMA Institute for Tibetan Stud
ies. He is professor emeritus of Tibetan
Buddhist studies at the Universil)' ofVirgin
ia. He served as His Holiness the Dalai
Lama's chief interpreter into English on
lecture tours for ten years, 1979 1989, and
has translated an cl eel itecl fifteen books
from oral teachings by His Holiness the
Dalai Lama. lfo has also published numer
ous translations of important Buclclhisl
Lexts that represent the diversity of views
found in Tibetan Buddhism.
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©2016 Shambhala Puhlif'alions. Inc.
Prinlcd in Jmli<1
"One of the greatest living teachers of Dz?gchcn, His
Holiness the Dalai Lama, explains one of the most pro
found texts of this tradition (Patrul Rinpoche's Three
Keys), and the teaching is translated by one of America's
leading scholars, Jeffrey Hopkins. Does it get any better
than this?"
-JosE. I. CABEZON,
author of The Buddha's Doctrine
and the Nine Vehicles
"Despite the alleged sectarianism of Tibetan Buddhism,
there has been a long history of mutual influence and
inspiration across the traditions. Over the course of the
past four hundred years, one of the most famous has been
the study and practice of Dzogchen by the lineage of
the Dalai Lamas. It continues to the present day, as this
volume eloquently attests.''
-DONALDS. LOPEZ]R.,
author of From Stone to Flesh:
A Short History oft he Buddha

The
HEART
of
MEDITATION
Discovering Innermost Awareness
THE DALAi LAMA
Translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins
fom oral teachings
A teaching on Patrul Rinpoche's
Three Keys Penetrating the Core
*
5HAMBHALA
SOUTH ASIA EDITIONS
1016
Shambhala South Asia Editions
472.0 Walnut Street
Boulder, Colorado 80301
www.shambhala.com
© i.016 by The Dalai Lama Trust
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
sysrem, without permission in writing from the publisher.
98765432.1
Printed and bound in India
i§ This edition is printed on acid-free paper that meets the
American National Standards Institute z39.48 Standard.
Designed by Steve Dyer
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Names: Bstan-'dzin-rgya-mtsho, Dalai Lama XIV,
I
1935-author. Hopkins, Jeffrey.
Title: The heart of meditation: discovering innermost awareness I
The Dalai Lama; translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins.
I I
Description: First edition. Boulder: Shambhala, i.016.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
I
Identifiers: LCCN i.015oi.1940 ISBN 978-1-56957-041-8 (hardback)
I
Subjects: LCSH: Rdzogs-chen.
BISAC: RELIGION I Buddhism I Tibetan. I
RELIGION I Buddhism I Rituals & Practice. I
RELIGION I Buddhism I Sacred Writings.
I
Classification: LCC BQ7935.B774 H45 2.016 DDC i.94.3/ 4435-dci.3
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2.015oi.1940
CONTENTS
Foreword
IX
PART 0 NE The Buddhist Path
1. My Focus 3
2.. Empathy: The Basic Practice IO
3. Meditation: Channeling the Force of Mind 16
Identifjing the Mind 20
Technique
2.2.
4. Knowledge: The Purpose of Concentration 24
Begin with Yourself 2 7
Progress to Enlightenment 28
Qualities ofB uddhahood 34
PART Two Introduction to the
Great Completeness
5. The Fundamental Principle Common to
All Orders of Tibetan Buddhism 41
Innermost Awareness Pervades Every Type
ofC onsciousness
43
Practicing the Path Right Now
44
v
CONTENTS
6. The Innate Mind of Clear Light
No Exertion
of
The Centrality oft he Mind Clear Light
Types ofB ooks
PART THREE Commentary on
Patrul Rinpoche's Three Keys
Penetrating the Core
7. The First Key: Introducing Innermost
Awareness 53
Relax 54
Stop Thinking/or a While 55
~od 56
8. The Supreme Way to Rest 61
of
Levels Consciousness 61
The Clear Light within All Consciousnesses 74
9. The All-Good Diamond Mind 77
Aiming Your Attention at Space 78
Identifjing Innermost Awareness 78
10. The Second Key: Maintaining Medication 81
No Danger 82
Clouds and Sky 83
of
Meeting Mother and Child 84
The Clear Light ofD eath 85
Mother and Child Clear Lights in the Poem 87
Remaining in the Experience 88
VI
CONTENTS
Dealing with Interference 88
Inside Meditation and Outside Meditation
Are Similar 89
Three Types ofR elease. from Conceptions 91
11. The Gradual Way 93
The Danger 94
Coming to a Decision 95
12. The Third Key: Self-Release 97
The Space ofN oninvolvement 98
The Crucial Difference IOI
Confidence 102
13. The Uniqueness of the Three Keys 104
Altruism 105
The Greatness oft he Path 105
The Triad ofV iew, Meditation, and
Behavior 109
The Final Lines oft he Poem u5
PART FOUR The Old and New
Translation Schools Compared
14. Basic Structures in the Old Translation
School of the Great Completeness 119
The Two Truths 119
Basis, Paths, and Fruits 123
A SpecialMeaningof"Meditation" 128
15. Advice 133
vii