Two of the places that we meet the Dorje Chang Prayer are at the beginning of the Phowa meditation and in the fourth part of the preliminary practices. Although it is short, it contains a very powerful and direct instruction on what to practice on the way to liberation and enlightenment. It goes back to Chödje Pengar Jampal Zangpo, a student of the sixth Karmapa, Tongwa Dönden. He was not a tulku or a recognized incarnation, but through his persistent practice of Mahamudra, he attained realization and became a teacher of the seventh Karmapa, Chödrak Gyamtso.
The text starts with an opening to the transmission lineage. This gives the security of an old company, one that has been producing enlightenment for over 2500 years and that we can trust. It begins with Tilopa’s direct perception of Dorje Chang. Dorje means “the unchanging nature of enlightenment,” and Chang means “have at one’s disposal” or “own.” Dorje Chang is a blue Buddha-aspect, which expresses the truth nature of mind.
Tilopa had met the holders of the four transmission lineages in India and gotten their transmissions. His most famous student was Naropa. He reached enlightenment after he overcame many difficulties, both large and small. Later, he gathered all the transmissions that Tilopa had collected into one system called “the Six Yogas of Naropa.”
Marpa was the first Tibetan in the transmission lineage. From Naropa, he received the transmission for the way of methods (way with form, i.e., all the meditations on the forms of energy and light), and from Maitripa, he received the way of insight (way without form, directly looking into the nature of mind).
Marpa’s student, Milarepa, had a very difficult beginning. For his mother’s sake, he used black magic to kill 36 members of his family, and we can be sure that his motivation for practicing the dharma was paranoia. But because of special treatment from Marpa and because of his own intense practice in various mountain retreats later, he realized Buddhahood.
Milarepa’s student Gampopa initially got his education in the Kadampa School, with its main focus on the gradual path, and joined this with the Diamond Way method that he got later on from Milarepa. Gampopa had four main students, each of whom founded his own Kagyu transmission lineage. The first Karmapa, Düsum Khyenpa, founded the Kamtsang Kargyüdpa-lineage (also known as the Karma Kagyu School). Tsultrim Nyingpo carried on the lineage of the Gampopa monastery, Dhagpo Kargyüdpa. Babrom Dharma Wangchuk founded the Baram Kargyüdpa lineage, and Khampa Dorgyal moved to the north to build a gompa in Phagmodru, so his lineage became famous as Phagmodru Kargyüdpa. He himself, who was called Phagmo Drupa, passed on to several students the huge amount of teachings that he had collected. This was the origin of the eight small transmission lineages: Drikung, Taklung, Yabsang, Shugseb, Marpa, Yelpa, Throphupa and Drukpa Kargyüdpa. Today only a very few of these four big and eight small lineages remain as independent transmission lineages.1
The next part of the prayer deals with the four steps that are necessary on the way to enlightenment. The first step involves the four general preparations, which help us dissolve the attachment to the conditioned world: the four basic thoughts. The basis for our development is that we understand that we can only find ultimate happiness within ourselves. We are already buddhas, whether we know it or not. And we already reside in the enlightenment that we are seeking. As precious as this opportunity is, we still have to open the lid of the treasure chest to experience these qualities. Samsara sometimes seems to be very nice, with all the great things that we can pass our time with. But if we try to turn them into the source of our own happiness, then it will be like children trying to find the end of the rainbow. Just when we have reached the aim of our longing, the happiness seems to be somewhere else. If we understand that all phenomena arise out of our own concepts, we can relax in the middle of the conditioned world. While we are creating free space for our dharma practice, we understand that our meditation is the biggest present we can give to the society around us. How much time can we waste—and how quickly—both our own and that of others, with this confusion!
The second step is about trust: trust in the nature of mind. The spacejoy quality of mind can actually be experienced at every moment. We open up to this possibility by taking refuge in the Buddha, who showed this, both in the powerful methods that he gave us and in the friends on the way.
What unites and coalesces our development is our trust in the lama. Through the openness to the teacher, qualities can ripen very quickly. When we recognize these opportunities, we want to overcome all obstacles on the way. And in order to do it quickly, we simply become engaged with the four preliminary practices. Since despite our best motivation, we still have to fight our disturbing emotions, our energy system’s still being a little “out of tune,” the Refuge meditation and prostrations can help us get this under control while opening our heart center at the same time. Through the Diamond Mind meditation, we flush all useless impressions out of our store consciousness. We practice Mandala Offerings (the third of the preliminary practices) to get enough surplus for understanding “the treasures of the oral teachings.” Then only the ego stands in our way, and here we are aided (in the Guru Yoga meditation) by firing our guns with six wishes that the ego cannot tolerate, while the loving lama is sitting over our heads.
The third step is about non-distraction. Distraction is one of the main reasons for our chronic roaming in samsara. A good foundation for calming the mind is a correct sitting posture. If the body is straight, all energy channels are straight. If the energy channels are straight, the winds (energies) flow evenly. If the winds flow evenly, it will be possible to keep the mind focused. Here, at least initially, it is good to choose a meditation object: an external object, a Buddha statue, the breath— or we can focus on the light-energy-form of a yidam or the Karmapa, e.g., the creation phase of the Diamond Way meditations.
“We tie the wild horse of the mind, with the rope of awareness, to the pillar of the meditation object.” When we notice that we are distracted, thinking about the past, analyzing the present, or planning the future—then we simply let it go and return to the meditation object. Here again, it is important not to analyze: Was it a good or a bad distraction? How long was I distracted? Or why? Avoiding all of this stuff, we want to just bring our mind back to the meditation object. For this, a special honesty is necessary because there is this special kind of distraction that is hard to decipher, namely the very sugar-sweet indulging in self-adulation by the spiritual ego: “My meditation today is really great. That must be the clarity the lama is always talking about,” and so on. Just let go and return to the meditation object. This gives us two big advantages. First, we get to know ourselves better and better. We become more precise in recognizing when our mind starts to get off track with stiff ideas and disturbing emotions. And second, as soon as we notice it, we are able to let it go much easier; and this is the condition for liberation.
The fourth and last step points directly to the ultimate goal, namely that everything is “liberating in itself.” No phenomenon of the outer or inner world can appear as it does without our perceptions and concepts. Our mind constantly creates the world we are living in. The fact that we can talk with others about this only proves that others have similar tendencies. When we look at these perceptions, concepts, and thoughts, then we see that they are only waves in the ocean of the mind—thus not real! But where is the mind? It is like space, not discoverable but nevertheless the cause for all experience—be it the conditioned world (samsara) or realization (nirvana). Recognizing this is a major breakthrough. The world becomes a gift but still functions within the principle of cause and effect.
We exercise this “liberating in itself” in the dissolving phase of the Diamond Way meditation. Thanks to Chödje Pengar Jampal Zangpo for this short and powerful text, which shows us clearly the way into the Great Seal.
Here is the English translation of the prayer as it appears in the Guru Yoga meditation (part of the Ngondro practice) in Diamond Way Buddhism.
I call upon the great Diamond Holder, Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa, Milarepa, Lord of the Dharma Gampopa, omniscient Karmapa Duesum Khyenpa, the holders of the four major and the eight minor lineages such as the Drikung, Taglung, Tsalpa, and the radiant Drugpa. Incomparable Dhagpo Kagyu lamas, protectors of beings, you mastered the profound path of the Great Seal. Inspire me so that I follow your example and can hold the lineage as you have!
Non-attachment is said to be the foot of meditation. As a meditator, free from attachment to food and possessions, one severs the ties of this life. Grant me your blessing so that I do not cling to fame and wealth!
Devotion is said to be the head of meditation. A meditator constantly calls upon his lama as he is the one who opens the door to the treasury of profound instructions. Grant me your blessing so that I develop non-artificial devotion!
Non-distraction is said to be the actual meditation. To a meditator, the essence of all arising thoughts is always fresh. He remains in that non-artificial state. Grant me your blessing so that I may be free from grasping at objects of meditation!
The nature of thoughts is said to be the Truth State. To a meditator, they are nothing whatsoever but appear as anything— they arise as the unhindered play of countless experiences. Grant me your blessing so that I recognize the inseparability of cyclic existence and enlightenment!
- Often the Tibetans have more than one name for the same person or lineage. For a list with different names and for more information, see H.H. the 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje’s website: www.karmapa.org. ↩︎
