སྐྱོབ་པ་འཇིག་རྟེན་མགྐྱོན་པྐྱོའི་ལྔ་ལྡན་རྐྱོགས་

པའི་མགུར་གི་འགྟེལ་བ།
མཁན་པྐྱོ་བསམ་འགྲུབ།
Commentary on Jigten Sumgön’s

Song of Realization
Fivefold Path of
Mahamudra
By

Khenpo Samdup
 The Fivefold Path Mahamudra
of Jigten Sumgön

When we embark on The Fivefold

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First, in attending to the physical
aspect, we train in The Seven-point
Posture of Vairocana by working to
assume the seven points of this
meditation posture.

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To do this,
1. we sit in a quiet place with legs
folded in lotus (vajra) posture,
2. the spine straight and firm,
3. the shoulders open and
broadened,

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4. the chin tucked slightly in,
5. the hands resting in equipoise
posture,
6. the tongue resting on the upper
palate,
7. and the gaze gently lowered
towards the tip of the nose.

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Secondly, we turn to training in the
essential key points of concern with
relation to the mind in the
preparatory, main, and concluding
phase practices.

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In order to turn our minds to virtue,
we meditate on the four thoughts that
turn the mind.

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To counteract our attachment and
clinging to the present life,
we meditate on the difficulty of
finding the precious human body of
freedoms and endowments.

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Even though we have obtained this
body of freedoms and endowments,
it will soon disintegrate.

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As an antidote to idleness, laziness, and
the attachment to the activities of this
life,
we meditate on impermanence.

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To make meaningful use of our freedoms
and endowments,
we should meditate on karma – the law of
cause and effect.

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As an antidote to grasping at samsaric
pleasures as happiness,
we meditate on the defects of samsara.

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The Common Preliminaries of the four
thoughts that turn the mind, like the
foundation of a house,
are the very roots of Dharma, and are
of prime importance.

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When we are working with the
trainings of the Uncommon Preliminary
practices,
1. we have the practice of Refuge,
which establishes one as a perfect
vessel;

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2. meditation and recitation on
Vajrasattva, that purifies negativities.

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3. Offering the Mandala, which perfects
the two accumulations,

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and 4. the practice of Guru Yoga, that
which enables one to receive blessings.
We should strive, and put forth good
effort, in these four trainings of the
foundational preliminary practices!

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In the third of the Preparation Phase is
the Special Preliminaries,
and within that are the practices of
meditating on loving-kindness,
meditating on compassion, and the
cultivation of bodhicitta.

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As it is said,
If the steed of love and compassion
Does not run for the benefit of others,
It will not be rewarded in the assembly
of gods and men.
Attend, therefore to the preliminaries,
And embody this steed of compassion!

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With this very “stallion”- the precious
and supreme steed-like love and
compassion that journeys the Path to
Liberation,
one will trot along the course of the
grounds and paths.

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Through the cultivating of this
bodhicitta,
one will swiftly gallop forth onward -
progressing to established attainment.

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Just as the swift horse urged on,
will set to run the course and take to
the lead quickly,

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we ourselves need to take to the
course of training our minds in the
cultivation of the enlightened mind of
bodhicitta –
the mind set on the altruistic intention
of benefiting others.

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It is said that when this mind of
bodhicitta, which is the wellspring of
accomplishing the purpose of both
others’ and oneself, arises in one’s
mind,
gods and humans will issue forth,
prostrate, and sing one’s praises.

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Upon ones’ arousal of bodhicitta, the
exalted and ordinary beings alike will
bestow accolades such as,
“Well done!” “Very good!” Excellent!”

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Within the mind - that which conceives
and contains all kinds of thoughts and
perceptions,
there are, thoughts of good and bad,
as well as both positive and negative
mind-states.

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For practitioners on the path,
taking on the ‘Great Adornment’ of this
Enlightened, superior mind-state of
bodhicitta is a true necessity, and

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something that must be established
before entering the actual practice of
formal Mahamudra meditation.

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As this is the case,
cultivating this enlightened intent - the
mind of bodhicitta,
must be attended to when training in
the preliminary stages of the Fivefold
Path.

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How to Meditate on Love
Buddhahood is attained because of
bodhicitta, which is brought forth out
of compassion.
Compassion is brought forth out of
love.
Therefore, we first meditate on
cultivating love.

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To counteract the tendency for
attachment to the bliss of nirvana -
we meditate on extraordinary love and
compassion.
When love and compassion are
awakened in our mind stream,
confused projections on the path will
be dispelled.

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The essence of love is basic kindness.
This means longing for all sentient
beings to have happiness and the
causes of happiness.

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This intention should be cultivated
along with equanimity, starting with
one’s present mother and expanding
out to embrace all beings equally.

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There are some individuals who find it
difficult to feel love for their kind
parents,
but you can cultivate love even for those
who have not benefited you much.

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You can think of your lover or your child
that you love and cherish from your heart.
You can meditate on them as the essence
of love and in that way single-pointedly
cultivate and grow your love.

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Gradually, you can expand it out to include
all sentient beings.

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The sign your cultivation of love has been
successful is that you do not feel any bias
or discrimination among beings,
whether they are appearing as your
enemies, loved ones, or strangers.

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If you feel discrepancies between your
feelings of love and caring toward
different sentient beings, you should
reflect as follows,

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“My mother of this present life has been
my enemy in other lifetimes.
My enemy in this life has treated me with
kindness and benefited me in previous
lives as my own mother.”

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Keep applying yourself to the cultivation
of love for all beings until you can see all
of them without discrepancy as your own
mother.

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The benefit is that it becomes a source of
well-being and happiness for yourself and
others.
Although we may find it difficult to
meditate on love in this way, we must
diligently strive in its cultivation as best we
can, as it is necessary that we abandon all
harm to others.

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We should see that the desire for own
well- being and happiness, and all others’
desire for their own happiness, is exactly
the same.
We should understand as well, that just as
we ourselves have the wish to be free
from suffering, so too do all other beings.

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As the Buddha said,
We should look to our own situation as an
example, and doing so, we will bring no
harm to others.

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When we consider it, we see that all the
things that we ourselves use and enjoy,
such as water, good roads, electricity, our
homes and other buildings, etc.
come about through the efforts and
kindness of others.

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Basically, all of one’s well -being and
happiness come about through reliance
upon others.
If we were alone in the world,
sustaining ourselves, and living well and
prosperity would be quite impossible!

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In brief, we can see that even the smallest
morsel of food, or tiniest teacup of drink,
come about through this reliance upon
others.
We should recall this again and again, and
consider others fondly, remembering the
hardships they have endured for us.

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This recollection serves to rouse and
cultivate the mind of love and affection,
which is of great benefit!

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The second stage is meditating on
compassion.
Compassion is born from love and caring.
It is defined as the longing for suffering
beings to be free from suffering.

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Think about your own mother on this
earth.
If she was enduring immeasurable pain
and suffering, how could you not help but
feel compassion for her?

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Would you want to help her, to rescue her
from her suffering,
so that you feel a longing for all beings
who have been your own loving and kind
old mothers to be free from suffering and
its causes.

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Even when you experience this kind of
compassion in your meditation sessions,
you should keep cultivating compassion at
all times,
thinking of all sentient beings throughout
your day-to-day activities as well.

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When your compassion has reached the
stage at which you feel equal compassion
for all and see no disparity,
then turn the focus of your meditation
toward strangers and beings to whom you
feel indifference.

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Think to yourself, “All beings are my dear
friends.”
By meditating in this way, the compassion
that longs for those experiencing
excruciating suffering to be free from
suffering naturally will arise equally
toward all beings in your mind stream.

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This is also the sign you have become
accomplished in compassion meditation
and is called “great compassion.”

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The third stage is meditation on
Bodhicitta.
If uncontrived love and compassion are
born in our mindstream, from them arises
the desire to become a buddha only for
the sake of mother sentient beings.

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The desire for enlightenment is completely
stainless, for it is free from the defilement
of self-cherishing nature, free from any
selfish motive whatsoever.
This is what is called “precious bodhicitta”.

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To categorize according to the essence,
there is the aspiring level of bodhicitta,
with a commitment to the result;
and there is the engaging aspect of
bodhicitta, with a commitment to the
cause.

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We should take our vows from our root
lama, who holds a vow lineage that is an
unbroken stream originating from the
perfect Buddha,
and who is knowledgeable and
experienced in the bodhisattva vehicle’s
teachings and practices.

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Once we have given rise to bodhicitta,
even a small virtuous act, because it is
saturated by bodhicitta intention,
becomes sealed by this bodhicitta and
expands to become a vast root of virtue.

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At the time of death, carried onward by
bodhicitta, we will continue to traverse to
happier and happier states, our minds
filled with joy.

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In the best-case scenario we will become
perfectly awakened buddhas.
In the middling scenario, we will become
realized bodhisattvas on the bhumis and
paths,
and in the worst-case scenario, we will be
inseparable from the Three Jewels and
reborn in an extraordinary realm.

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Thus, no matter what, with bodhicitta we
will become victorious.

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Thus, no matter what, with bodhicitta we
will become victorious.

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The Main Practices
When we move into the primary stages of
training on the Fivefold Path, we have:
1. the practices of meditating on the
Deity,
2. Accomplishing the Lama-Guru Yoga,
3. and Mahamudra meditation practice.

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1. Meditating on the Deity

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As it is said,
If one’s body, the King of Deities, is not
stabilized on this unchanging ground,
The retinue of dakinis will not assemble.
Attend with diligence, to the body as the
yidam,
and embody the aggregates and elements
as the primordially established, victorious
deity!
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One’s body – the aggregates, elements and
sense sources have primordially been the
deity “king of form.”
Intrinsically, one’s five physical aggregates
are the five Buddha Families;
and the body’s five elements, are the five
Female Consorts.

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They have been thoroughly established in
this way from the very beginning.

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As this is the case, clearly visualizing and
generating one’s own form in the manner
of it’s primordially existent and
established nature - which is that of the
deity - awareness bodhicitta,
is the “king” of generations.

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In order to purify the conceptions of
fixating to the deity as ordinary,
we meditate on the deity with clear, lucid
and stable deity-pride.
This is development stage meditation –
the “king” of meditations.”

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This meditation practice is that which
establishes us as the embodiment of one
who seizes the kingdom.

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If, through remaining unshakable from the
unwavering confidence of the ground
awareness self- manifesting as the form of
the deity,

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one seizes the stronghold of the stable
pride of the deity,
then the mother dakinis issue forth and
assemble - and Samsara and Nirvana are
brought under ones control.

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Thus, one becomes the embodiment of
the retinue of the Victorious ones!

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Therefore, in our meditation we should
clearly and vividly visualize our form as the
enlightened form of the yidam deity;
meditate in the samadhi of our
Enlightened Nature of Mind;
and issue forth with the Enlightened
Speech of the deities’ mantra.

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It is this persistently devoted engagement
in the practice of meditating on the form
of the yidam deity that is the very essence
of the Path to Liberation.

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Whether in the context of the ground,
path, or result, our basic nature, our true
essence, is unchanging,
beyond waxing or waning,
beyond anything to be denied or anything
to be asserted.

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However, for the sentient beings who do
not realize this,
oneself and the deity appear to be
separate entities.

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When we are totally fettered, encased in
the cocoon of karma and emotional
poisons,
the deity is the embodiment of wisdom –
the wisdom of liberation.

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Fully actualizing the true nature,
Dharmata,
self-benefit is brought to fulfillment.

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For the benefit of others, through
immeasurable wisdom, love and power,
prayers of aspiration and great wisdom
appear in the symbolic mudra of the
yidam deity.

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The deity development stage includes the
visualization of the deity, recitation of the
deity’s mantra, puja and retreat
accomplishment practices of the deity.
These are known as the way to accomplish
the deity on the outer level.

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When we give rise to the deity in deity
development-stage practice,
we need to have three elements intact:
1. clear and vivid visualization,
2. stable deity-pride,
3. and recollection of purity.

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In all these cases, by relying on the
practice of deity development, our
grasping and fixation on mundane
appearances and our mundane
perceptions are purified.
This is the result of meditating on such a
path as this.

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Appearances here refer to the appearance
of all objects of our five senses, such as
form and the rest.
As a method of purifying them, we are
taught in the first element of deity
development on how to visualize with
clarity and vividness.

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Having a clear visualization means
visualizing the universe as the
immeasurable deity palace and all within
the universe as the deities,
recognizing all sounds as the nature of
mantra,
and not letting the mind proliferate after
objects.
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After practicing in this way for some time
and becoming adept in it, the signs or
measures of gaining clarity and stability in
the visualization will be as follows:

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Even after we have been resting our minds
in this nature for a long time,
we will not be disturbed even by the
subtlest thought,
for we will have actualized the
visualization.

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No matter what we are meditating on,
whether it is the face, hands, or
appearance of the deity,
the deity’s coming or residing,
the emanating and re-absorption of light
rays, and so forth,

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we will be able to switch back and forth
between these at will.
This is the ground of gaining stability in the
deity practice.

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The second of the three necessary
elements for deity development is stable
deity-pride.

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Stable deity-pride is taught as an antidote
to our ego-clinging and sense of self.
We have grasping at a self and grasping at
the existence of an objective reality.

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The first one, self-clinging, refers to this
sense of “me” and “I” that we have had
since time without beginning.

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Between clear and vivid visualization and
deity-pride, the latter is actually more
important.

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If we do not have full conviction that we
are the deity, even if the visualization is
clear and vivid,
we will remain stuck in our mundane state
of mind.
Having a clear visualization alone is thus
pointless.

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It also is important to not think of the
deity we are meditating on as just a focal
object in our minds.
We should have the sense of inseparability
between the deity appearing and the one
who is meditating on the deity.

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In this way we are training ourselves to be
inseparable with this sense of “I am the
deity,”
and this deity-pride insulates us from any
obstacles.

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In addition, it has the benefit of destroying
ordinary ego-clinging.
In fact, know that your own mind has
always been the nature of the deity.
Your body is the mandala.
Your speech has always been the nature of
mantra.

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Everything has always been primordially
the nature of the mandala of awakened
ones.
It is only a matter of tapping into this
innate truth and knowing it to be the case.
That is what deity practice is about.
It is not about trying to force something or
imagine something to be the case when in
fact it is not.
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The third element of deity
development-stage practice is known as:
“recalling the purity.”

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This refers to training in the dynamic
energy of the play of appearances and
emptiness,
recognizing that the deity appears in form
body display,
but has never deviated from the nature of
Dharmakaya.

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Clinging to the appearances of an external
world and its contents as being real and
inherently existing is what is known as
clinging to the realness, or “self-nature,” of
phenomena.

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Recalling the purity is taught as an
antidote to grasping at the self-nature of
phenomena.

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Recalling the purity is taught as an
antidote to grasping at the self-nature of
phenomena.
The self-appearing mandala of primordial
knowing is beyond any conceptual
limitation of face, hands, color, shape, and
the rest.

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However, the Buddha’s awakened
qualities, such as the thirty-seven
attributes of enlightenment, and so forth,

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arise to the perceptions of beings
symbolically as the immeasurable deity
palace and the deity with specific face,
hands, and multiple different attributes.

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These are all symbols pointing to the
absolute nature.
Understand this—it does not mean you
just indulge in your mundane concepts
and poisons.

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Next, there is the yoga of recitation, an
aspect of enlightened speech.
When we recite mantras and prayers,
we are purifying our grasping at ordinary
mundane speech and all habitual imprints
associated with this.

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The mantra or recitation we are repeating
again and again is the agent of
purification.
By repeating the mantra, we are creating
the interdependence to awaken to the
result - enlightened speech.

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Through enlightened speech activities we
will be able to fulfill the purpose of
sentient beings.

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If we are lacking meditation on the yidam
deity in our path of Dharma practice,
although we may meditate on the skillful
means and wisdom of emptiness and so
forth,

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as long as we are not free of conceptual
grasping to the elements and aggregates,
we will not awaken into Buddhahood.

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When we adopt engaging in the yidam
deity meditation that is part of Fivefold
Path, we will see that,

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As all appearances are mind,
And are momentary self -manifestations
of thought,
We turn away from clinging to sound
and appearance as ordinary!

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Moreover, when that which arises,
arises as the play of the body, speech,
mind and enlightened activity of the
deity,
the inner and outer obstacles will not
come about.

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And furthermore, through engaging in
making offerings of the desirable sense
objects, riches, and all enjoyments to the
Buddhas,
one will quickly gather and perfect
inestimable accumulations,
and go on to quickly gain all of the
common and extraordinary siddhis.
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Within this path of practice, even
offerings of meat, and so forth, are
stainless and free of any fault.
Offering meat, and making offerings of
the sense objects, possessions and
enjoyments, etc.,
becomes the cause of perfecting the
accumulations.
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Having brought the accumulations to
perfection,
a gathering of dakinis and their retinues
will assemble and issue forth with signs.

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An example of this, among the life stories,
is the story of how the yogi Milarepa,
through having gained complete mastery
over his mind,
was able to pacify a frightened deer of its
great terror, and a fierce dog of its driving
aggression.

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You can find accounts and stories of other
spiritual masters who have reached such
high levels of mastery and states of mind,
clearly detailed in the biographies and
histories.

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2. Accomplishing the Lama (Guru Yoga)
As it is said,
If on the guru, snow mountain of the four
kayas
The sun of devotion fails to shine,
The stream of blessings will not arise.
Attend, therefore to this mind of devotion,
And establish yourself as the snow
mountain Lama’s very nature of the four
kayas!
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Regarding the practice of Guru Yoga, it is
said that when the brilliant, warm rays of
the “sun of devotion” do not radiate out,
the flow of the snow mountain stream
blessings does not spring forth.

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Therefore, one should become the
embodiment of this sun of supplication
and devotion!
A snow mountain river naturally flows
forth invoked by the warm rays of the sun.

123
In the same way, through the disciples
overwhelming and intense yearning,
the blessings of the Lama are invoked,
bringing forth a river-like stream of the
four empowerments that cleanse away
defilements…

124
and like the natural bubbling forth of a
snow mountain river, one’s own mind and
lama’s mind become inseparably one.

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For the fortunate who wish to accomplish
the state of completely perfected
buddhahood,
which is the source of all benefit and
happiness,
the need to rely on a sublime spiritual
friend is an indispensable Dharma.

126
The Condensed Perfection of Wisdom
Sutra (Prajnaparamita-sancayagatha) says:
Always rely on learned lamas.
If you wonder why:
all good qualities of learning arise from
them.

127
And a tantra says:
Even if all good qualities are completely
perfected, without a lama, there is no end
to samsara:
without an oarsman the boat cannot reach
the other shore.

128
Also, due to pure disciplined conduct,
the lama possesses the moral training of
not transgressing the prescribed limits of
what to adopt and discard;

129
due to pure discriminating knowledge, he
possesses expertise in Sutra and Tantra;
and due to pure compassion, he is
endowed with bearing the burden of only
benefitting others.

130
And as it is endowed with the blessing of
the lineage transmission,
the lama’s instruction is profound and
amazing.

131
Furthermore, it is important that the
stream of teachers and students be
uninterrupted,
the stream of empowerments not subside,

132
the blessings of faith not fade,
and the essential points of the practice not
be perverted.
Devotion alone is ascertained to be the
method for giving rise to realization.

133
The principal method for giving rise to the
realization of Mahamudra in one’s mind
stream is
just devotion to the lama.

134
Moreover, it is important to have
confident faith that one’s root lama is
actually the dharmakaya Buddha
Vajradhara,
and to understand the extraordinary way
the Kagyu forefathers of the past relied on
their lamas.

135
The Kalachakra says:
Even by offering to the Three Jewels and
protecting the lives of ten million creatures
in all the kalpas of the three times,
buddhahood will not be attained in this
life.

136
If one pleases the lama - who is an ocean
of qualities - with a pure clear mind,
the supreme and ordinary
accomplishments are certain to be
attained in this very life.

137
And Lord Maitreya says [in the Shalshin
Ngontok section of the Uttaratantra]:
The ultimate reality of all self-born is the
object of realization of faith itself;
the shining sun disk is not seen by those
without eyes.

138
So it is taught, in both sutras and tantras,
that the best method for giving rise to the
qualities of realization in the student’s
mind stream is mainly devotion.

139
3. Mahamudra Meditation
Now we come to the third of the main
practices of The Fivefold Path -
Mahamudra Meditation,
which is very essence of the completion
stage practice. Thus it is said…

140
If from the sky-like expanse of Mind-as-
Such, the clouds of preconceptions are not
blown away.
The planets and stars of the two wisdoms
will not shine.
Attend, therefore, to this mind without
preconception,
And embody this form of sky-like
Dharmakaya expanse of mind itself!
141
The Sugatagharba - our Buddha Nature is
the unconditioned nature of the ultimate
reality.
It is primordial, clear-light dharmata,
empty of any existence whatsoever,
and as such, it is free of any limits –
just like the sky.

142
This nature is the unification of cognizance
and emptiness,
and the fleeting, co-emergent stains of
conceptual thoughts,
take form like clouds gathering in the sky.

143
In the non-conceptual practice of
Mahamudra meditation,
one sustains a non-distracted, attentive
awareness that recognizes, but does not
grasp at,
the arising of thoughts in the mind.

144
Through this recognition, both the
afflictive and the cognitive obscurations
are naturally purified into themselves,
and the intrinsic qualities and attributes of
the two omnisciences,
which have been inherently present from
the very start, become manifestly evident.

145
Just as…when the gathered cloud-cover
clears from the sky,
the stars and planets naturally shine forth!

146
As expressed above, the primordial nature
of mind is empty, essence of clear light.
Mind’s innate nature itself is Dharmakaya,

147
and the meaning of Dharmakaya is
that primordial knowing,
the union of luminosity and emptiness,
that primordial knowing,
the luminosity-emptiness,
that is none other than this momentary
thought.

148
There is no such primordial knowing,
no luminosity-emptiness,
to be found anywhere outside of or other
than this momentary thought itself.

149
Wisdom, or rather Dharmakaya, is not
apart from this.
From the vantage point of mind’s nature,
we are buddhas not sentient beings.

150
However, not recognizing that we have
always been buddha,
we sentient beings meaninglessly
experience the suffering of samsara.

151
For example, water can freeze and take all
sorts of shapes and forms, but in essence
there is nothing in any of those ice
sculptures apart from water.
In the same way, no matter how many
different appearances arise in the outer
world, in essence they are nothing other
than the nature of mind.

152
However, referring again to the ice
example,
due to temporary conditions of
temperature, water and ice appear to be
totally separate entities.

153
In the same way, due to karma and
negative emotions –
that is, because of self-grasping –
the confused perception of dualistic
appearance of samsara came to be.

154
Although there are all kinds of conditions
that lead to water freezing,
ice has never been devoid of the nature of
water.

155
Similarly, no matter how many different
kinds of sufferings we experience in the
world of samsara,
the nature of our minds has never
changed,
has never been anything other than the
essence of primordial awareness –
the Dharmakaya.
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Thus, sentient beings are pervaded by
emptiness - the Dharmakaya.
The suchness nature of Buddha is no
better, no different, than the suchness
nature of sentient beings,
for the suchness nature is inseparable.

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Beings who are bound in samsara are still
in the family of Buddha, still have buddha
nature.
The Dharmakaya is there as the ground,
path, and fruit present in everyone.

158
What the above line illustrates is that in
the basic ground the innately pure buddha
nature is always present in sentient
beings,
and like the sun and its rays it is already
imbued with all the innate qualities of
purity and fruition.

159
This already perfect state has always been
innately present in all beings,
spontaneously.

160
Even though temporary,
adventitious (unintended) obscurations can
never defile or injure the innate nature of
mind,
which is the very essence of buddhahood,

161
just as clouds can veil the direct view of
the sun’s rays,
adventitious (unintended) obscurations veil
the direct view of the Dharmakaya,
of its innately perfect qualities of purity
and fruition.

162
On the path,
through the two accumulations,
we can clear away the obscurations
and directly actualize the state of
buddhahood imbued with the two purities
- innate and realized.

163
When mind is let go, relaxing in its natural
state,
look directly into the essence of mind
itself,
this open, vivid, present awareness, clear
and without thoughts.

164
As you are resting in this nature, whatever
thoughts surface, look directly into the
essence of the thoughts.
Meditate as before and gain conviction.
These very thoughts that are unceasing
are nakedly present, clarity-emptiness.

165
Consider, for example, the waves that rise
and fall on the surface of the ocean - they
are the ocean.
There are no ocean waves apart from the
ocean.
There is no ocean outside of or apart from
the waves. It is just like that.

166
A negative thought does not need to be
rejected or rid from your mind.
You need not try to find some wisdom to
counteract the negative thought.

167
Whatever is holding you down,
if you realize this extraordinary path,
in which simply recognizing whatever
arises enables it to naturally release on its
own,
then you will become a buddha in one
lifetime.

168
If strong desire emotion arises, do not
follow after it or get lost in it.
Instead, look directly into the essence of
that desire and rest your mind there
without wavering.

169
When desire arises it is rootless and
groundless.
This is known as not rejecting desire, but
rather as desire purified into its own
nature, desire liberated in its own ground.
That itself is discriminating wisdom.

170
That itself is Buddha Amitabha.
In the same way, at the arising of the five
emotional poisons, do not follow after or
indulge in them,
but look into their essence and rest there.

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By doing so, the emotions and thoughts
are pure in their own ground, are naturally
free in their own nature.
They arise, but they are rootless.
These are the five wisdoms. These are the
five buddhas.

172
Whatever thoughts or emotions arise, look
directly into their essence and rest there.
When you do this, the thoughts or
emotions naturally self-release for they
have no intrinsic realness.

173
This practice is from the oral instructions
for taking the five poisons onto the path.
This practice should be understood and
sustained.

174
The Conclusion- The Dedication
Finally, we come to the conclusion of the
Fivefold Path,
which consists of sealing through a
dedication
made with the three spheres in their
complete purity.

175
As it is said,
If the wish fulfilling gem of the two
accumulations is not polished by
aspiration,
the results we’ve hoped for will not arise.

176
Attend ardently, therefore, to this final
dedication,
and offer out these roots of virtue –
embody the wish fulfilling jewel –
the cause of the accumulations of merit
and wisdom!

177
When we engage in the dedication stage,
we do this from within a state that is
devoid of conceiving of the three spheres,
and we think,
“So that every sentient being, unceasing
and limitless in number, may reach the
state of Enlightenment, I make this
dedication…”
178
In this way, we should establish our
practice of dedication,
and take on the embodiment of the
wish-fulfilling jewel,
that through aspiration, rubs to a shining
polish!

179
It is through sealing with a dedication in
this way,
that we bring about the fruition of
accomplishing both the temporary and
ultimate purposes of others and ourselves.

180
This pure dedication at the end is the
wish-fulfilling gem through which all
needs and desires are accomplished!

181
All the virtues possessed and accumulated
in samsara and nirvana are dedicated.

182
This being so,
here the intent is that all virtues –
all that are contaminated and all that are
unstained –
of all the buddhas of the three times,

183
all bodhisattvas, shravaka noble ones,
pratyekabuddhas,
and the entire measure of all virtues of all
ordinary beings,
are all to be gathered together into the
mandala of one’s mind.

184
And taking all of those virtues in one’s
own mind stream
and those of all others without exception,
dedicate them for the attainment of
precious unsurpassable enlightenment,

185
so that all collections of errors and faults
are completely purified
and the treasure trove of all happiness and
good qualities becomes manifest:
as it is taught, this Dharma is extremely
important.

186
And by this virtue,
which is as white as the completely pure
snow mountains,

187
and which comes from having written
down the words of the extraordinary
special Dharma
arisen from the enlightened mind stream
of the Dharma lama who is a father,
may the teachings of Rinchen Pal Jigten
Sumgön spread in the ten directions.

188
And by this power,
may the mind streams of the sentient
beings of the world
become completely free from all of the
accumulated ignorance and delusion
abiding in their mind streams from
beginningless time,

189
and may all the paths and bhumis be
perfected,
and the omniscient buddha bodies and all
wisdoms without exception be attained.
This is the aspiration.

190
Commentator’s Dedication
By the cause of whatever little virtue I
have previously accumulated, and by the
empowering condition of the humble
merit arisen from these efforts,

191
I pray that this commentary on The
Fivefold Path Mahamudra of Jigten
Sumgon, who is the crown ornament of
the Kagyu Practice Lineage,
becomes the unceasing cause for limitless
wayfarers to enter into the sphere of
complete enlightenment.

192
Excerpting passages from within some of
my previously written commentaries such
as Stages of Meditation Awakening the
Mind, and others, I have extracted out the
substantive material that completely
contains the meaning of the Fivefold Path
of Mahamudra,

193
and have composed and printed this
commentary with the intent to benefit
those with a sincere desire to strive in the
practice of the Dharma.

194
 Khenpo Samdup,
January 15, 2016.

This was written in Garchen Buddhist

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