Book Excerpts

The Confession of Wrongdoing from the Pangkong Chagyapa Sutra:

I admit and confess, without the exclusion or omission of so much as a particle of it, all of the wrongdoing I have done with body, speech, or mind through desire, anger, or ignorance during this life and throughout my beginningless and endless series of births while circling through the three realms of samsara, including the ten wrongdoings, the five acts of immediate consequence, and all actions contradictory to the Buddha's supreme speech. This includes my performance of all such actions, my entrustment of them to others, and my rejoicing in others' performance of them. I admit and confess them! I purify and remove them! I destroy and expunge them! I conceal none of them! I hide none of them! I will neither approach nor perform any of them again!

The Dedication of Virtue

The words of Gyalwa Drikungpa:

Through all roots of virtue accumulated by me or by anyone in samsara or nirvana throughout the three times, may I and all beings quickly achieve unsurpassable, authentic, perfect, precious awakening.

And:

Through these roots of virtue, may I benefit all beings with my body. May I benefit all beings with my speech. May I benefit all beings with my mind. May thoughts of the klesha of desire never arise. May thoughts of anger never arise. May thoughts of pride, jealousy, acquisition, position, fame, renown, and this life never arise. May my being be moistened by love, compassion, and bodhichitta. May I become a caring virtuous friend to all throughout the reaches of space. In this very life may I achieve the supreme siddhi of Mahamudra. When I die, may agonizing suffering not occur. May I not die in a state of resentment. May I not die at the wrong time. May I die in a state of joy and happiness. With a very clear mind-in-itself and a very clear recognition of dharmata, may I achieve the supreme siddhi of Mahamudra either at death or in the interval after death. May it happen exactly like that! May it happen exactly like that! May it happen exactly like that!

Never Abandon the Holy Friend

In the words of the Kadampa Lords:

The first of all instructions
Is to never abandon the holy friend.
Faith, bodhichitta, and all qualities will arise,
Because he is their treasury.

Dakpo Rinpoche said:

If your guru's blessings do not enter you, you will never see this mind-in-itself by looking at it. You will never grasp it by holding it. You will never stop it by suppressing it. You will never abandon these self-appearances by rejecting them. You will never destroy them by demolishing them. Therefore for those who want to gather the accumulations, purify obscurations, pacify obstacles, generate realization, overcome appearances, and perfectly benefit themselves and other there is nothing to do other than to serve, venerate, and supplicate the guru.

Welcoming the Guru

Bhagavat, you are welcome here!
We are fortunate in our merit.
In order to accept our offerings,
We pray that you remain.

I offer you a comfortable and spacious
Lotus with a hundred petals and a calyx,
Equal in size to this billion-world realm.
I pray that you be seated with ease.

I Salute the Feet of My Guru

From Lingrepa's Gurupuja:

The mere recollection of you
Conquers the evils of samsara.
You cause us to achieve unsurpassable awakening.
I salute the feet of my guru.

You dispel what obscures us.
The darkness of our ignorance.
You are like the disc of the sun.
I salute the feet of my guru.

You dispel all the tormenting heat
Of our suffering in samsara.
You are like the disc of the moon.
I salute the feet of my guru.

You dispel the sickness
Of kleshas such as desire.
You are like the king of physicians.
I salute the feet of my guru.

You lead us to the supreme city
Of undefiled great bliss.
You are like the precious, supreme steed.
I salute the feet of my guru.

You bring us across the great rivers
Of birth, aging, sickness, and death.
You are like the king of ferrymen.
I salute the feet of my guru.

You are the source of everything
Beings need or want.
You are like the precious wish-fulfilling jewel.
I salute the feet of my guru.

You pervade all things,
And are beyond meeting and separation.
Your mind is like space.
I salute the feet of my guru.

The light-rays of your speech
Dispel all our bewilderment
And open the lotus of our hearts.
I salute the feet of my guru.

Offering with Oceans of Faith

Having commenced with that, begin by presenting the five usual offerings:

To the Victor and his retinue, an ocean of qualities,
I offer with oceans of faith oceans of flowers
From oceans of realms filled with offerings
To the ocean of Victors. I pray that you accept them.
May I and all beings possess the seven limbs of awakening.

In place of flowers, insert incense and lights and scented water and food. At the end, add the individually corresponding prayers:

To the Victor and his retinue, an ocean of qualities,
I offer with oceans of faith oceans of incense
From oceans of realms filled with offerings
To the ocean of Victors. I pray that you accept them.

May my morality and that of all beings be utterly pure.
May we possess authentic morality.

To the Victor and his retinue, an ocean of qualities,
I offer with oceans of faith oceans of lights
From oceans of realms filled with offerings
To the ocean of Victors. I pray that you accept them.

May the darkness of my ignorance, and that of all beings, be dispelled.
May we possess the light of omniscient wisdom.

To the Victor and his retinue, an ocean of qualities,
I offer with oceans of faith oceans of scented water
From oceans of realms filled with offerings
To the ocean of Victors. I pray that you accept them

May my samadhi, and that of all beings, be purified of the stain of distraction.
May we be blissful and satisfied.

To the Victor and his retinue, an ocean of qualities,
I offer with oceans of faith oceans of food
From oceans of realms filled with offerings
To the ocean of Victors. I pray that you accept them.

May my suffering from hunger, and that of all beings, be dispelled.
May we possess food and drink according to our wishes.

The five desirable qualities:

Although Victors possess undefiled wealth,
Through my offering the five desirable qualities for beings’ benefit
May all beings throughout space
Enjoy a treasury of inexhaustible merit.

The seven articles of royalty:
Through my presentation and mental offering of
These seven precious possessions of the rulers of humanity
To all Buddhas and all their children,
May all beings enjoy inexhaustible treasure.

The eight auspicious substances:
When the lord of devas is victorious at war with the asuras
He is worshipped by eight devis of auspiciousness.
In the same way I offer the eight auspicious substances
To the lords among Victors and to the bodhisattvas.

The eight auspicious symbols:

Blessed by the compassionate protector
Is this wheel caused by merit.
If I offer it to you, at that instant
May you turn the wheel of holy dharma.