Guru Nyima Ozer (Skt. Sūryaraśmi, Rays of the Sun) a manifestation of Guru Rinpoche, embodies the radiant energy of the sun, dispelling darkness and ignorance with his brilliant light of wisdom. He appears as a wrathful form of Guru Rinpoche, representing the powerful, transformative energy necessary to overcome obstacles and confusion.

“The tirthikas try to poison Guru Rinpoche, who transforms their concoction into amrita nectar. Irradiant from his drink, he inspires faith amongst the tirthikas, and is known as Guru Nyima Özer.”

~ Dudjom Rinpoche

May the light of Guru Nyima Ozer guide us toward liberation and enlightenment.

The Thirty-Seven Practices of All the Bodhisattvas states:

“When one has abandoned evil lands, afflictions gradually wane. When one is without distraction, virtuous practice waxes on its own. When one is clear-sighted, certainty in Dharma is born.

Keeping to solitude is the bodhisattva’s practice.”

Between One Breath and the Next

"Breathing gently, people enjoy their slumber.

But between one breath and the next there is no guarantee that death will not slip in. To wake up in good health is an event which truly deserves to be considered miraculous, yet we take it completely for granted."

- Dza Patrul Rinpoche

"Words of My Perfect Teacher"

Good morning; good studies and practice!

Mandārava herself was an incarnation of the Buddha Paṇḍāravāsinī, the consort of Amitābha.

She attained full enlightenment alongside Padmasambhava in the famed Maratika Cave in Nepal.

Together there they received, practiced, and accomplished the Chime Soktik, a terma received directly from Buddha Amitayus who they met face-to-face. This terma is the central long-life practice of the Dudjom Tersar lineage.

Princess Mandarava Importance in Long-Life Practices

1. Attainment of Immortality: According to Tibetan Buddhist texts, Mandarava achieved the state of immortal vidyadhara (wisdom holder) through her mastery of advanced tantric practices, particularly the Chulen or “Extracting the Essence” practices. These techniques involve absorbing the essence of elements like air and light, nourishing the practitioner’s subtle body, and extending life force beyond the normal human lifespan.

2. Role in Padmasambhava’s Longevity: Mandarava is said to have practiced longevity techniques with Padmasambhava in the Maratika Cave in Nepal. It was there that both attained the “immortal life empowerment” from Amitayus, the Buddha of Infinite Life. This accomplishment is seen as pivotal in the continuation of Padmasambhava’s spiritual mission and his influence over centuries.

3. Spiritual Power and Influence: Mandarava’s realization exemplifies the potential for human beings to transform their bodies and extend life through spiritual practice. Her story and the practices associated with her inspire practitioners in Vajrayana (Tibetan Buddhism) who seek longevity not only in terms of physical life but also as a way to deepen spiritual realization.

4. Embodiment of the Sacred Feminine: Mandarava represents a powerful symbol of the sacred feminine in Vajrayana Buddhism. Her life story demonstrates that women can attain the highest levels of spiritual realization and transcend ordinary existence through profound devotion, wisdom, and tantric practice.

Mandarava’s life and teachings hold great significance for long-life practices in Tibetan Buddhism, representing the potential for spiritual practitioners to transcend death and achieve a state of enlightened immortality.

All difficulties arise because you do not think of others. Whatever you do, constantly look into the mirror of your mind and check whether your motive is for yourself or others. Gradually you will develop the ability to control your mind under all circumstances; and, following in the footsteps of the accomplished masters of the past, you will attain enlightenment in one lifetime. A good mind is like a rich earth of glittering gold, illuminating the whole sky with its golden radiance. But if the body, speech, and mind are not tamed, there is very little chance that you will attain any realization. Please always be aware of your thoughts, words, and actions. If they go in the wrong direction, your study and practice of the Dharma will be useless.

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Observing light is a cause of liberation for noble ones.

— Paṭisambhidāmagga (Khuddaka Nikāya)

In the Unsurpassed Anuttara Yoga Tantra class, saṃsāra is the non-recognition of natural, innate, and uncontrived pristine wisdom, its cause, the karmic latencies of transference, is the principal origin. The truth of the path consists of not being distracted from the two stages of ripening and liberation, and the truth of cessation is the body endowed with the seven aspects of union (Tib. ཁ་སྦྱོར་ཡན་ལག་བདུན་, khajor yenlak dün) — the seven qualities of a sambhogakaya buddha. Jigme Lingpa quotes Acharya Vagishvarakirti in his auto-commentary on the Treasury of Precious Qualities, who lists them as:
(1) complete enjoyment (ལོངས་སྤྱོད་རྫོགས་, longchö dzog),
(2) union (ཁ་སྦྱོར་, khajor),
(3) great bliss (བདེ་བ་ཆེན་པོ་, dewa chenpo),
(4) absence of a self-nature (རང་བཞིན་མེད་པ་, rang shyin mépa),
(5) presence of compassion (སྙིང་རྗེས་ཡོངས་སུ་གང་བ་, nyingjé yong su gangwa),
(6) being uninterrupted (རྒྱུན་མི་ཆད་པ་, gyün michepa) and
(7) being unceasing (འགོག་པ་མེད་པ་, gokpa mépa).

"The khaṭvāṅga is the divine body;
Prajna is the sound of the damaru.

The lord who holds the vajra is day;
The yogini is night."

- Charya song of the Mahasiddha Luipada

"Firmly holding the central channel as the khaṭvāṅga;
The unstruck sound of the damaru resounds with the ultimate sound of emptiness.

Having adopted the conduct of a Kapalika-yogin, Kanhapada roams about in the city of the body,
Being of one disposition towards all beings."

- Charya song of the Mahasiddha Kanhapada

No reference point (Skt. animitta, Tib. མཚན་མེད་, tsenmé) is a term used in Vajrayana Buddhism to describe the state of mind that is free from any conceptual fixation or grasping. It is also called the state of non-meditation or non-fabrication, as it does not rely on any artificial or contrived methods of meditation.

No reference point is often associated with the teachings of Dzogchen and Mahamudra, the highest forms of Vajrayana practice which emphasize the natural and spontaneous expression of the mind’s innate wisdom, which is not obscured by any dualistic thoughts.

To attain this, the practitioner needs to receive the transmission and instructions from a qualified Vajrayana master, who introduce the practitioner to the nature of one’s own mind. The practitioner then needs to apply the methods of meditation and conduct that are suitable for one’s level of realization, and gradually dissolve the habitual patterns of ignorance and attachment that prevent one from recognizing the true nature of reality.

'Trekchö makes the inner elements dissolve,
They break down into particles, but into light are not refined.
By contrast, thögal makes the elements transform into
The vajra body of great transformation,
Which brings benefit to beings till samsara has been emptied.

Thus the thögal teaching is more eminent
Than all the doctrines on the grounds and paths,
On conduct and results,
That other Buddhist schools propose
Through mind's investigation.
Its special features are set forth in pith instructions.

And yet, until the adventitious factor: apprehension of the 'I"
Subsides in the pure space of dharmadhatu,
Beings are taken in by it.
This ordinary way of thoughts and things
Is lord and ruler of existence.'

~ Jigme Lingpa

"When retiring to sleep, draw the Guru from above your head into the center of your heart,
abandon the coming and going of thoughts, memories, and all mental activity,
and relax into a state of undistracted devotion and prayer.
Then the clear light will gradually arise out of deep sleep.

If you want to do the meditation of recognising, changing, expanding, and purifying dreams,
you must maintain an attitude during the day that all appearances are dreams,
and then it will be easy to deal with dreams.

If you tend to solidify appearances during the day,
then at night, even if you recognise dreams, the practice will be difficult.
Also, to cut through the intermediate existence
you need to have cut through the dream experience.
If you don't realise that all waking appearances are like dreams or illusions,
then one vast mass of delusion will obscure another."

                                         ~

Jamgon Kongtrul

Creation And Completion
Essential Points Of Tantric Meditation

Translated by Sarah Harding.

"All sounds of audible emptiness are the guru’s speech.
Thoughts and memories are integrated as the guru’s mind.
This is the integration of the guru’s three kāyas.

With this especially exalted integration on the path,
during all equipoise and subsequent attainment,
day and night, you know that everything that appears is the guru.

That very guru is your own mind.
The mind and the guru inseparable
is the natural arising of great bliss, clarity, and emptiness."

~ Niguma

"Contemplating the lives of the Masters, one sees that, even a desire for more instruction is a distraction.

Keep the essence of the teaching safe in your heart.

Too many explanations without the essence is like many trees without fruit.

Though they are all knowledge, they are not ultimate truth. To know them all is not the knowing of truth.

Too much elucidation brings no spiritual benefit."

~ Marpa Lotsawa's Final Instruction for Jetsun Milarepa.