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Essential Bundle 

from the Severance of Evil Object, 

Esoteric Instructions of the Perfection of Wisdom

I pay homage and go for refuge to the Mother of the Victors.

These teachings by the Lady Mother Lapkyi Drolma, the emanation form that reveals the intention of the perfection of wisdom, has five parts: (1) preliminary instructions, (2) instructions to recognize mind, (3) the blessing, instructions to separate mind and body, (4) the meditation, resting in the abiding nature, and (5) the view, not getting lost in the devil's activity sphere.

I. Preliminary Instructions

This has ten parts: refuge, engendering the aspiration, taking vows, supplicating, prostrating, offering vast offerings, special refuge along with prayers, confessing sins, rejoicing, and dedicating those to unsurpassable enlightenment.

II. Instructions to Recognize Mind

Whence came this wandering through the three realms as the six [kinds of] continuums since beginningless samsara until now? It came from three [causes]: not recognizing oneself, not grasping the guru's instructions, and one's own meager effort in discipline. Furthermore, if one just lets go of awareness and does not strive in the guru's instructions henceforth, one will not be released from the great suffering of samsaric existence. Therefore, to create confidence and willfully take control, [one should] be inspired by faith and diligence and, without giving in to the power of indifference and lassitude for even a moment, listen to and internalize the instructions of the holy guru and all the profound scripture of the victorious ones and then practice them. To practice one must meditate on the precious awakening mind. For that, first one must identify just exactly what is the mind. That has two presentations: recognizing mind and the method of resting [in it]. 

A. Recognizing Mind

That mind of awakening did not arise from a cause in the first place, nor was it generated by conditions in the middle, and in the end is without birth, destruction, and transition. Free of all recognizable essence, it is impossible to demonstrate any particular characteristic. Natural clarity without concepts about that clarity, it is unconditional meaning. One must know that it is only this in itself. Thus, from the Great Mother: "Mind is unchanging and without conceptual thought." And: "Mind is not mind, the nature of mind is lucid clarity."

B. Methods of Resting

This presentation has seven parts: resting uncontrived, uncorrupted, unchanging, undistracted, in its own fashion (rang lugs), on its own ground, and resting in the native state.

1. Resting Uncontrived

Intrinsic awareness (rig pa) is the awakened mind that is present since forever. Release by relaxing consciousness (shes pa) in its own fashion directly upon the nature of phenomena. Buoyant (bol le), loose (shig ge), lucid (gsal le), crisp (yer re), spreading unbounded (phyogs med du gdal le), pervading unrestricted (ris med du khyab be), brilliant (sing nge), spacious (phyal le), joyful and transparent (dga' yal le)—rest clear and blissful (bde sang nge ba) without losing your mind in any thought whatsoever.

2. Resting Without Corruption by Conceptual Thought

This is to rest one's mind in an uncontrived state without any mental engagement at all. This means not to engage mentally in any likes and dislikes, pleasure and pain, hot and cold, food and drink, enemies and friends, self and others, clinging to desirables, or samsara and nirvana. Thus it states in the Mother: 

By having no mental engagement in form up through no mental engagement in total omniscience, one will not become mixed up with the desire realm, and not become mixed up with the form realm, and not become mixed up with the formless realm.

3. Resting Unchanged by References

It is to rest one's mind uncontrolled (khres se) without inflation, unmoved by anything at all. "There being no obscuration of mind, there is no fear. Having completely passed beyond all error, they perfectly transcend all misery."

4. Resting Undistracted by the Objects of the Six Consciousness Groups

Within a state of no thought, mind's nature is clear, pristine, and blissful. Rest continuously in the sky-like nature without any distraction from thoughts about good and bad objects. Again, it says in the Mother, "All phenomena have the support of space; they do not transcend that support."

5. Resting in the Suchness of its Own Fashion

It is to rest consciousness without support in the state that is bliss, empty, and clear without losing it to mind's thoughts and memories. Again, from the Mother: "Since the perfection of wisdom is equalness, all phenomena are equalness."

6. Engaged on its Own Ground, Not Entertaining Notions

It is to rest in the meaning of totally nonreferential mind, open and alert (hri ge) in the state just as it is: the primordial nature of phenomena of mind itself.

7. Resting as is in the Native State

It is to rest relaxed in its own fashion without effort or accomplishment in the state of great even pervasiveness without mental perambulations in that realm of phenomena; the nature of phenomena that abides since forever. It states in the Verse Summary: "This is inseparable, indivisible from the element of space."

Thus if one knows how to rest within the recognition of mind, the expression of qualities and the experiences and signs of warmth and such will occur automatically.

III. The Blessing: Instructions to Separate Body and Mind

First, go for refuge and arouse the aspiration to awaken, offer vast offerings, and pray to the guru. Then quickly stand up with your two legs held together and two hands palm to palm. With the body tightly poised, and not letting consciousness wander elsewhere, contemplate body and mind in this way, thinking that: 

"This body [consists of] form like a bubble, feelings like illusions, perceptions like reflections of the moon in water, formations like mirages, and consciousness like a plantain tree. It is impermanent, suffering, impure, a leather pouch full of lymph, pus, and blood, pieces of bone, and like a net of veins and sinews and such. Other than being the defining characteristic of impending impermanence, there is nothing at all of enduring stability or worthy of confidence. The mind is lucid clarity, the nature of phenomena that is naturally beyond misery. Therefore I must rest within the unborn state of mind separate from body."

[Imagine that] your mind is wholly contained within two bindu on the soles of the feet. Then they are drawn up slithering [into one] and held for a moment at the navel. Then it is drawn up to the heart, then to the top of the tongue and held there for a moment. Then prāṇa and mind combine within the open brahma aperture in the cranium and shoot out as far as a shooting arrow, freely passing into the vault of the sky. It is sent without attachment. Let it go loose. Send it out easily. Clear and empty in natural pervasiveness. Let awareness go leaping over without support. Let it go without connections. Let consciousness go vibrating in bliss, dissolving in joy, droning ('ur 'ur) in delight. Awareness is empty and clear within the blending of sky and consciousness. Rest consciousness in pure clarity. The signs of holding awareness by that kind of resting are experiences of quivering, trembling, panting, agitation, jumping, being startled, speaking in various tongues, and the arising of whatever is pleasing before the guru. When experiences arise, engage continuously in that state during any of the four kinds of daily activity. 

One should understand that the view is in resolving that that itself is the nature of phenomena. Meditation is to be undistracted within that state. The conduct is to know how to integrate everything in the nature of phenomena from within that state. The fruition is to realize that all phenomena are one and equal. Whatever mental attachment there is concerning sickness and suffering of the body can be integrated on the path in that way.

IV. The Meditation, Resting in the Abiding Nature

Having first obtained the guru's instructions and received the blessings, these are the places to meditate: charnel grounds, great forests, amidst crowds, lone trees, ruins, old shrines, the middle of lakes, snow ranges, and places of great gods and demons. Having gone to such places, the meditation is to release consciousness that was formerly tight into relaxation, and to rest freely. Concerning this the Lady Mother [Machik] said,

While concentrated by concentration, relax by relaxing.

Released by release, let go freely.
Freed by freedom, rest by resting.

That's the resting place of meditation.

Don't hold on to the body as a body. Rest buoyant and loose without hopes and fears, like cutting the rope on a sheaf of husks. Rest mind in its own fashion without fear and anxiety. Whatever appearances occur within the six groups of consciousness, rest without inflation and conceptual thought. Rest without the doubts of a divided mind. This is to rest consciousness blissfully serene (bde lhan ne) and brilliantly lucid (gsal sing nge). The blessings of resting in that way are that various apparitions of vicious gods and demons will irresistibly arise, and when they arise like that, the mind grasps them. This is a sign of having the blessings. If there is agitated trembling at the occasional occurrence of apparitions, it is a sign of a distracted mind. Immediately hand over the body to those gods and demons without concern and with a mind relaxed by relaxing, rest in the expanded perspective of considering [them to be one's] mothers (a ma rtsir). Rest without fear or anxiety. Rest without inflation or conceptual thought. Rest without hopes and fears. Alternatively, rest in the knowledge of the seven ways of resting in the recognition of mind [described above]. By resting like that, experience dissolves in joy, mind relaxes in bliss, delight is droning, consciousness is vivid bliss, and mentation gives way to buoyant bliss. The consciousness of certainty dawns resplendent.

With just that, devils are cut off in the nature of phenomena, discursive thought arises as primordial awareness, the five poisons change to medicine, and bad omens betoken prosperity. Again, at the time of meditating, while resting within the nature of phenomena without fear and anxiety, various apparitions of gods and demons will manifest, such as thundering, droning sounds, beating, pulling, threatening, shouting various languages, displaying various forms, and throwing down mountains. At that time, no matter how the various apparitions appear, know that they are the self-appearance of mind itself. Since that itself is the inspiration for virtuous activity, do not grasp the body as the body, nor grasp the gods as gods, nor grasp the apparitions as apparitions. Turning consciousness to the ultimate nature of phenomena, without fear and anxiety, without inflation and thought, mind is released loosely in its own fashion. Other than mind [feeling] happily buoyant, loose, lucid, and brilliant, mentation is without support, without connection, and one rests relaxed in flawless flexible conduct.

By resting just so, the signs of coemergent experiences and realization are a pleasant buoyancy of mind, blissful trilling (bde phril) of consciousness, dissipating joy of experience (nyams dga' yal), vibrant bliss (bde seng) of body and mind, and pleasant droning (bag dro 'ur). You feel an ardent desire to dance, to sing, to race around without a race, and to engage in activities not done before. When you feel an unprecedented ardent desire to go to the place to give thanks to the gods and demons, it is the spontaneous release of the uninhibited consciousness.

Afterwards, fall serenely into the natural state. This is the unwavering resting in release by releasing described above.

Just this much is to actualize the resolution of demons as gods. 

Again, if various unpleasant things occur, such as one's heart being pulled out, or [someone] saying "your dharma and meditation has no effect," or "you are going to die this instant," and so forth, without thinking that it is true, let consciousness go buoyant and loose. Consider them your mothers. Rest in generating a vast mind. Rest without fear and anxiety and without inflation and concepts. This is the time of genuinely cutting off wrong views.

Also it happens that various apparitions will be displayed in one's dreams. These are various apparitions such as being on the verge of an avalanche from the cliff face, steep ravines, dark forests, entering a lake, great rivers, huge flames, dark tempests, collapsing mountains, many falling rocks, entering a pit, suddenly being carried off by a stag, and so forth. Again, you dream of being chased by many people, or being killed by armed men, or being smothered by many wild animals, pounded by many beasts of burden, many herds of hooved animals, or sustaining bodily harm from birds, meat flies, fish, frogs, tadpoles, spiders, reptiles, horses, buffalo, and so forth. Whatever good or bad dreams come, no matter what, do not take them as problematic. Know that they are the mind's deluded projections and an inspiration to meditate. Rest relaxed in the nature of phenomena without fear and anxiety, without being grasped by any recollections whatsoever, without inflation and concepts. Any good or bad dreams that occur are the apparitions of your own mind, the reflections of habitual patterns. Since there is no real existence at all in the genuine nature, in any case the apparitions will self-subside, self-purify, and self-liberate within the thoughtless mind. With mental inflation loosened, rest in empty lucid awareness. Through that, mind has bliss, consciousness is joyful and transparent, with a pleasant droning. At the time that awareness has thus become empty and clear, like the center of the pellucid sky, appearance arises without fixation. Dream-thoughts arise as the nature of phenomena.

Also, [there can be] despair, restlessness, anger, aversion to staying in the natural state, aversion to practicing virtue, and the mind not abiding in its own fashion due to the proliferation of many thoughts. When those occur, consciousness is distracted and the devil enters your mind. Therefore, to reverse that, recall that the mind itself is oneself and that the devil has no existence outside of that. Rest consciousness serenely in its own fashion within the abiding nature of mind. By resting in that way, once mind is self-liberated within nonconceptual equipoise, consciousness is vibrant bliss, a pleasant droning, joyful and transparent. At that point, conceptual thought arises as primordial awareness. 

Know that whatever sense perceptions appear in one's mind—pleasant and unpleasant, fine and faulty, praise and blameworthy, good and bad, existent and nonexistent, happy and sad, hostile and friendly, wealth and stuff, self and other, hopes and fears, pure and defiled, fear and anxiety—whatever arises is all your own mind. By resting within the great self-liberated, unsupported mind, everything becomes inseparable. If that much happens, all dualistic appearance will by cut off in the nondual. 

Also, by meditating as above, yidam deities [will bestow] prophesies, gatherings of gods and goddesses will make offerings, excellent forms of sense desirables will be displayed, all pleasantries will manifest in waking and in dreams, and various experiences and signs of warmth will occur. However, do not become joyous over their occurrence, just know that all of it is the play of phenomena's nature. Understand it as just the encouragement of the qualities of practice. Having given rise to a spacious mind in the great clarity of the nature of phenomena, rest the mind clear and brilliant without wavering within empty lucid awareness.

Thus after enhancing the experience, awareness abides freed of root within bliss emptiness.

Of the various appearances of the six classes of beings, various apparitions of the pleasures and pains of the three higher realms and various apparitions of the duḥkha of the three lower realms will appear. At that time, know that all of it is the apparition of your mind and that the essence of what never happened and never was born is by nature lucid clarity. Rest the mind directly in the natural state in its own fashion without fear, anxiety, inflation, or concept. When consciousness abides in the natural state of empty bliss, the devil of afflictive emotion is cut off in natural liberation. It states in the Mother:

The son or daughter of noble family who grasps the perfection of wisdom, holds it, reads it, fully comprehends it (kun chub), and properly engages it in mind, even if there are gullies and abysses and rock overhangs and steep ravines, has no fear or anxiety about devils. Why is that? Because they are without inflation.

And:

Meditate in a nonreferential way on external emptiness.

Thus, from the aspect of unimpeded appearances, whatever pleasure or pain and apparitions occur, meditate on all of them without fear and anxiety. Once you have rested in the abiding nature, then through practice all appearances will arise as the dynamic energy and ally of nature's phenomena. 

In case problems occur during meditation, the two flaws of meditation are dullness and agitation. Concerning dullness, there are signs of dullness from the elements and signs of dullness from obstacles. As for the signs of dullness [due to] elements, when the body [feels] heavy and the consciousness unclear, it is a sign of the dullness of earth. If consciousness is unclear and there is shivering, it is a sign of dullness of water. When consciousness is unclear and you feel ravenous and anxious to go, it is a sign of the dullness of wind. If you are unaware of the sluggish mind and hot and sweaty, it is a sign of the dullness of fire. So whichever of the four elements cause dullness, stand up quickly, straighten the body, put your legs together, and palms together at the top of your head. The outer four body elements will dissolve into the inner four elements. The outer and inner four elements will dissolve inseparably. Send the mind constantly to the sky [where] consciousness is without support [and] awareness is without object. Rest lucid and brilliant in the expanse of great intrinsic clarity without thought and dullness will be cleared away. It states in the Mother:

As earth is not in water, it is not referenced. As earth is not inside form, there is no reference. As earth is not in between form it is not referenced. 

And:

The nature of phenomena abides in mind. Space abides nowhere at all. Mind itself abides in space.

And:

To fully meditate on space is to meditate on the perfection of wisdom.

Once dullness is cleared away like that, let consciousness fall in its own fashion and rest relaxed. 

Secondly, the signs of dullness from hungry ghosts are that mind naturally will not abide [due to] great drowsiness, muddled consciousness, or else your heart is just not in to it, and breathing becomes difficult. In that case, pray to the guru, go for refuge, and give your body and sickness and all thoughts to the demons. Strip naked and go running and jumping in scary places. Twist, rub, contract and stretch the body, and do whatever comes to mind. Afterwards with body and mind gently powerful, consciousness becomes relaxed. That is how to redress dullness.

The second fault in meditation is agitation. This is when the mind does not abide in its own fashion and consciousness flows out and in. The antidote to that is to post the guard of attentiveness. By watching the one who proliferates, you can identify that one itself as, in fact, the mind. Suddenly recollecting it, everything is set free, relaxed by relaxation, resting freely. With consciousness facing inward, rest serenely in the state without mentation and memory. If that does not calm you, then observe however much proliferation you can. Externally and internally, let it all proliferate. Letting it go like that, you know that you will not find a place where it goes again, and it goes serene. 

Which is the greater fault of these two: dullness or agitation? Dullness is the greater fault. That is because dullness is predominantly stupidity, while agitation is predominantly awareness. Therefore, since it is greater to rest serene directly upon what was introduced as the abiding nature, all flaws are resolved as qualities. If it happens that consciousness radiates out to objects, since all proliferation is an aspect of agitation, it is important to grasp it with recollection. Therefore, abide within a mind free of elaboration. 

It is said that to engage in [thinking] "form is emptiness" or "it is not empty" is a bodhisattva's elaboration. Then, practice without wavering on the meaning of the unelaborated abiding nature. Again, when any difficult circumstances occur, the instruction is to gather all phenomena into your body, to gather body into the mind, and to let mind go in the realm of phenomena. Resting thus unmoving within the realm of phenomena, once intrinsic awareness is grasped, one goes serenely to bliss. It is the birth of uncommon meditational experience. Then suffering is resolved in bliss. 

In that way, severing all devils in the nature of phenomena and meditating, the threefold warmth will arise. In the application, external warmth is the occurrence of having no sense of the existence of the body and the lack of disease. The sign of inner warmth is to have no sense of the movement of breath in and out and the lack of discursive thought arising. Secretly, the bodhisattva's warmth is when the suchness of mind itself has gone serenely into the state of suchness and uninterrupted great bliss arises. Then, once the incontrovertible meaning of clarity-emptiness has arisen in your being, you easily obtain the result, total omniscience. 

By practicing in that way you train in the intermediate state (bar do). The intermediate state of natural abiding is the present intermediate state. Therefore, being accustomed to [this practice] at this very time, all devilish obstacles will become incentives to practice, or will be understood as allies of the nature of phenomena. By continuously practicing, merely remaining unmoved within the nature of phenomena without any thoughts of good and bad is the training of the present intermediate state. 

If you practice the meaning in that way, at the time of dreaming you will know dreams to be the nature of phenomena. Then without a sense of waking up, you will remain in the vivid clarity within the nature of phenomena without elaboration. That is the training of the dream intermediate state. 

Following through with what you've become accustomed to in the present and continuing with practice, at the moment of death when you are gripped by sickness and are not aware of standing or sitting, before appearance is eclipsed, merely knowing that it is death and needs resolution, if you can manage [to apply it] directly upon [your meditation] experience, then you will actualize it. If you can't manage it, then mentally go for refuge and generate the aspiration for awakening. Supplicate and offer the gift of the body. From within the nature of phenomena, mind is without clinging and without attachment, without fear, anxiety or doubts and second thoughts. Rest in the meditation experience without mental distraction, within the nature of phenomena in its own fashion. The mind dwelling serenely within the unchanging nature of phenomena without attachment and clinging or inflation about anything at all when the breath ceases is the training of the intermediate state of the moment of death.

After that, immediately after the breathing stops, the reality of the inherent abiding nature, the essence of the unborn, arises to all sentient beings. Once that is recognized, you abide within the nature of phenomena. Just attaining stability in that, mind holds its own ground within the sky-like realm that is naturally free of birth and cessation. Within that state, the two form kāyas enact any purpose for whoever is to be tamed. That is the training of the intermediate state of existence. It interrupts the city of the womb, and bypasses cyclic existence to [arrive at] the nature of phenomena. The names given to that are: laying to rest (ngal sos), to pass sentence (chad pa btang), sigh of relief (dbyug phyin), the done deed (bya ba byas), the done action (byed pa byas), cessation of dissipation (zag pa zad), laying down the burden (khur bor), subsequent attainment of self and others' welfare (rang gzhan gyi rjes su thob), and arhant (ar han). 

These are all instructions for the meditation of resting in the abiding nature.

V. The View, Instructions on Not Getting Lost in the Devils' Domain

This has two parts: recognizing devils and cutting off the devils in the nature of phenomena by integrating.

A. Recognizing Devils

This has two parts: the root devils and the subsidiary devils

1. The Root Devils

There are four: 

• Devil of the aggregates
• Devil of a child of the gods
• Devil of afflictive emotions
• Devil of the lord of death

2. Subsidiary Devils 

There are eighteen:

• The devil of clinging to the reality of accomplishing enlightenment
• The devil of apparitions that send obstacles
• The tangible devil of actual things
• The intangible mental devil
• The devil of straying from qualities
• The devil of a bloated mind from meditative experiences
• The devil of suspicious awareness
• The devil of subtle discursive thought
• The devil of the bloated mind of pride
• The devil of slandering envy
• The devil of dull and agitated consciousness
• The devil of sloth and indifference
• The devil of anger and hatred
• The devil of desire and wrong livelihood.
• The devil of straying consciousness
• The devil of depression and despair
• The devil of obstinate reification
• The devil of murderous spirits 

B. Integrating Those Devils on the Path Through the Nature of Phenomena

Those of superior [scope] rest within nonconceptual equipoise without fear or anxiety no matter what devils arise. Those of middling scope seek the one who has the feelings [of devils arising] and understand that devils are their own mind and rest within mind's unborn nature itself. Those of inferior scope give over the body to the dangerous obstructers and rest in nonaction within the state of mental nonrecollection. Furthermore, you should not hold the body as a body, nor hold sickness as sickness, nor hold demons as demons. Completely let go of all obstacles within the nature of phenomena. Rest by resting, release by releasing, rest gently, relax by relaxing, freed by freedom, clear and empty, buoyant and blissful, vividly clear. Rest within total mental nonaction. Thus it says in the Verse Summary: "The wise should know to abide in equanimity."

Therefore you should abide without distraction in the meaning of the equipoised mind itself. Remaining undistracted in the meaning of the abiding nature in that way will bring about the power and energy of blessing. When conferring blessings on someone like a patient, meditate without reference to demons or disease. Touching or blowing or spitting on the affected area, think that all the disease is empty. Rest mind within the state of [knowing that] nothing at all is established and there are no real things. Go for refuge, supplicate, and know the inherent way of the abiding nature. 

That is how to integrate on the path by severing devils within the nature of phenomena. It is the view, the meaning of not getting lost in the devils' domain of experience by making it the domain of the nature of phenomena.

This completes the "Essential Bundle, Root of Dharma" from the Perfection of Wisdom Severance of Evil Object, a teaching by the emanation Jomo Lapkyi Drönma, liberated by the intent of the precepts of the perfection of wisdom.

• Footnotes