Meditation is so much easier than most people think.

Because,
as long as you are aware of what is going on and you are able
to remain in the state of non-distraction, then whatever you
experience is actually meditation.
Remaining undistracted brings a sense of ease and spaciousness,
like a bird soaring above everything instead of struggling along
on the ground below.

How to Inspire Ourselves

on the Path

You see everything with much more awareness and intelligence,

and as a result, you can accomplish more, with less effort and less
stress.

How to Inspire Ourselves on the Path

New Years Advice to the Sangha
A teaching from Kirchheim 30 Dec. 2010

Keep Your Mind Healthy

So often we waste our precious time thinking all kinds of thoughts,
worrying and getting caught up in emotions and stories.

With additional points from other teachings

When we spend so much time lost in patterns of negative

thinking, it actually attacks our immune system and makes our
body, energy and confidence weaker.
But when you bring pure awareness to all your activities, then
distraction and worry will gradually disappear, and your mind will
settle, and become more calm and peaceful. Youll be much more
relaxed and open to dealing with whatever comes your way and
you will get far less emotionally involved in what you perceive.
Whatever you do, you will not be wasting time, and your mind
and body will become more and more healthy and positive.
The simplicity, spaciousness, humour and courage you can find
through integrating your meditation into your day will help
you to avoid being overwhelmed by work or burning out.

To follow the spiritual path and live up to our true potential,

we need to be skilful in creating the right conditionsin
our environment, our practice and our daily lives. This
allows our minds to turn towards the Dharma and the
Dharma to change the core of our being.
Here is a simple guide on how to inspire ourselves on the
path each day, from the moment we wake up, so that we
can overcome obstacles, become more familiar with our
true nature during life, and meet death well prepared.

It will also bring you stability and confidence, with which you
can face life and the complexity of the world with carefree
dignity, and with composure, ease and humour.
This text is based on Sogyal Rinpoches oral teachings to his students,
it is not meant for public distribution. Please keep it for yourself.
Rigpa 2011

I. Creating the Environment

way is to start remembering automatically and cut through the

habit of forgetting.

First, it is crucial to have a cosy place that helps you feel happy
and inspired to practise. Even if it is just one small corner of a
room, make it into a sacred place where you only practise, study
and spend time connecting with your true nature.

The secret is to get used to the nature of mind, to keep

remembering it again and again and again. Whatever the
situation, always come back to the nature of mind.

Have a comfortable seat and arrange your shrine beautifully so

that the whole environment is conducive for your mind to enter
naturally into practice.
You can have a powerful and elaborate shrine with many photos
and images, or something very simple, with just a Looks Like
Me image of Padmasambhava, and a photo of our Buddha
statue at Lerab Ling.
You could have a photo of your master that especially moves you,
or even an image of natural scenery that really uplifts your mind.
As it is said: If you create the auspicious condition in your
body and your environment, then meditation and realization
will automatically arise. So be creative and skilful in finding
ways to make your environment as inspiring as possible.
When you have an inspiring outer environment and an inspiring
practice, then there is always something to look forward to
when you wake up.
But if there are times when you feel too busy or agitated,
then listen to an inspiring teaching to transform your mood
and create the right inner environment for practice. Let the
understanding and realization that is awakened through the
teaching become your meditation.
For more advice on creating the right environment see the Rigpalink
teachings on The Simple Formula, July 2007 and Section II.A. of the
Audio MP3 Advice on the Home Retreat.

Just as waves arise from the ocean and go back into the ocean
again, let whatever you experience bring you back to the nature
of mind, the state of rigpa.
In this way, everything becomes an introduction. When you can
dissolve everything into rigpa, it is the best of all purifications,
the strongest medicine, and the most powerful way to remove
obstacles. It is also the ultimate form of therapy.
But if you get distracted and forget, dont feel bad about it.
Instead, immediately remember the practice again.
One very special method of integration is: every time you
remember the practice, you count one and then keep track of how
many times you remember throughout the day. Gradually you
try and increase this number until practice becomes your natural
reflex, and even distraction arises as an invitation to mediation.
Shamatha Without Support
If you cannot remain in the nature of mind all the time, then
you can also remember shamatha without support, in which
you simply remain in the state of non-distraction, while not
focusing on anything in particular.
By remaining present and in the state of non-distraction
throughout whatever you do, while walking, eating, or caring
for others, there is awareness, spaciousness, and mindfulness,
which can make everything really inspiring. This is meditation
in action.

11

III. Integration

II. Formal Practice

For more advice on integration, listen to the Rigpalink teachings:

November 2005: Integration: Meditation in Action,
December 2007: The Essence of the Simple Formula Part 6: Integration,
November 2009, Creating Perfect Buddha Mind through Practice.
May 2009, Overcoming Distraction with Openness, Presence and Vigilance
and Section II.A. of the Audio MP3 Advice on the Home Retreat

The whole point of practice is to realize the nature of your mind

or your buddha nature. And to actualize this, it is crucial to
do formal practice. Just as if you dont cook a meal, there is
nothing to eat, if you dont practise in formal sessions, there is
nothing to integrate.

In order for practice to transform you completely, you cannot

just leave it on the cushion; you must apply it in everyday life
and integrate it into every situation. The teachings and practice
need to become a part of your being, so that in whatever you
do, you have mindfulness, a sense of presence and stability, and
a remedy for difficulties when they arise.
In fact, what matters most of all in life and at the moment of
death is how much your everyday mind has been transformed.
So in your daily life, if you are able to apply all the different
methods available to you in the teachings, then thats wonderful.
But if not, just start by focusing on one, like the nature of mind,
or shamatha without support.
Remember Automatically
The very best way to practise is to rest in the nature of mind
all the time and in any situation, allowing your practice to be
continuous, like the flow of a river.
Often, although we can rest in the nature of mind, we dont
actually do it, because we forget. Instead of having a habit of
remembering the nature of mind, we have a habit of forgetting.
Therefore, the main thing is to remember to do it. We can use
reminders like notes or bells on our mobile phones, but the best

10

However, formal practice doesnt mean being rigid and stiff.

As Suziki Roshi says: formal practice, informal mind. You
may meditate in formal sessions, but your practice can still
be spacious, relaxed and cosy, with an inner atmosphere of
contentment and ease.
Beginning the Day
The best time to practise is first thing in the morning. When
you start practising immediately after you wake up and before
you get busy, then it blesses your whole day.
Also its very good to watch a short teaching on the nature of
mind to inspire your practice and help you to rise above your
ordinary patterns of thinking. Watching a teaching reminds
you that you are much bigger than your thoughts and emotions.
It brings ease and spaciousness to your mind and sets the tone
for the day.
There are so many wonderful teachings to choose from,
including many short evocative teachings on the nature of mind.
So choose one that really inspires and wakes you up, and then
watch it every morning. Each time, before you watch it you can
think, Now Im going to meet my master again. Making this
part of your routine will change your way of thinking and help
you avoid getting stuck or falling into depression.

The Framework for Practice

Always embrace your practice with the three noble principles
the motivation of bodhichitta at the beginning, the View free
from concepts in the middle, and the dedication of merit at the
end. This ensures that whatever you do, even just reciting a
single mantra, will have tremendous power to bring about your
enlightenment and the enlightenment of others.

Guru yoga is an especially powerful way to invoke the nature of

mind, because the lama is the embodiment of your true nature.
Through guru yoga, you remember the kindness of the teacher,
his teachings and the introductions that he has given you,
and you merge your mind with the lamas wisdom mind. The
tremendous blessing of the lama brings the nature of mind to
you in a very human way, one that is both warm and vivid.

Then, according to the pith instructions of Dzogpachenpo,

begin your formal practice with the three crucial points:
the crucial point of the body, the crucial point of the speech
and finally, the crucial point of the mind, which is to arouse
bodhichitta and practise invocation, prayer or guru yoga.

The crucial point is to bring the nature of mind alive again and
again. So start trying out the nature of mind everywhere and
all the time! Try it in the middle of strong emotions, when you
are busy, or when you are feeling stressed, bored or inspired. It
might be a lot of fun.

To put it very simply, the three crucial points are to leave your
body still, speech silent and mind at peace and at ease.

But dont just rely on the introduction by the master. You need
to renew the experience of the nature of mind again and again
so that you develop a good habit of remembering it. One piece
of very practical advice is to practise for short periods, many
times over.

The masters say: First thing in the morning, check your

motivation, last thing in the evening, check your action. So
at the beginning of the day, really arouse your motivation and
make a pledge to refrain from harm, cultivate a good heart and
work on transforming your mind.
You can invoke all the buddhas and masters and ask them to
guide you in all that you do, as well as to inspire you and bless
your mind.
Then, throughout the day do your best to live and act mindfully
in accordance with your motivation. At the end of the day,
check your actions.
It is also good to do a little practice before you sleep. Just as
practising in the morning blesses your day, practice in the
evening can transform your night. You may even be able to
continue practising as you sleep. In this way, the whole cycle of
night and day is permeated by practice.

There so are many good teachings on the introduction to the

nature of mind, as well as how to integrate this into your every
activity. Have a few of these good teachings easily available and
watch them frequently.
For example, see the Rigpalink teachings:
March 2006, Leave Your Confusion Behind,
February 2007, Always Remember the View,
January 2008, Hook the Nature of Mind with Devotion,
March 2008, The Blessings of Pure Perception,
March 2010, Opening to the Freedom of Minds Essential Nature,
April 2010, Mind Left Unaltered.

The teachings put you in the right mood, and inspire you
with the atmosphere of the nature of mind. Then you can just
continue to abide by that.

you remember it more clearly. Eventually, all you may need to do

is just watch the first few minutes, and the entire teaching will
immediately come to your mind and help you. Have teachings
like these as your refuge and source of help.
If you are going through a difficult period and feel you want
to communicate directly with me, sometimes the best way
can be to listen to my teachings with devotion. Through the
medium of the teaching, you can receive the blessing as well as
the answers and support that you need.
Remember Your Insights
Whenever a teaching brings inspiration and shifts something in
you, be sure to write it down so that you dont forget it. It is so
important to record your insights and realizations, because they
are your wisdom. They are like a teaching already inside you
that has the power to transform you.
There was one student of mine who once had a very powerful
insight while sitting on a rock. So I told her to go back to that rock
again and again in her mind and vividly recall every detail of her
experience in order to bring the insight alive over and over again.
In the same way, you must bring your insights into your life, by
remembering them and always keeping them in the forefront of
your mind. Then they will change your life dramatically.
Nature of Mind is Most Important
There is nothing more important in life, and at the moment
of death, than the nature of mind. So you must work on being
able to arrive at the nature of mind again and again.
The key is to learn how you can produce the nature of mind in
your practice, through, for example, using an inspiring image,
chanting a mantra, or practising guru yoga.

For more on beginning the day, as well as on the three noble principles and
three crucial points, see the Rigpalink teachings on The Simple Formula
August to November 2007, and Section II.A. of the Audio MP3 Advice
on the Home Retreat.

A Natural Habit
If you set aside a certain time for practice each day, it gets easier
and easier to practise, because practice becomes a natural habit.
Then, most important is to really enjoy your practice and let
it be something delicious and nourishing. Practice can be the
most wonderful way of spending time with yourself.
Sometimes when you just stop and read the practice texts in
a relaxed way, you discover how amazing and inspiring they
are. When you can enjoy practice, discipline becomes easy, and
theres no sense of pressure to do it. It becomes as natural as
eating or drinking.
Daily Practice
Its very good for everyone in the sangha to have a daily practice.
And within this, it would be great to include a short practice of
Tendrel Nyesel.
Even if you dont understand Tendrel Nyesel completely, you
can just follow along with my chant. Tendrel Nyesel is such an
incredible practice for removing all inauspicious circumstances.
And it doesnt take long; you can do it in just seven minutes,
depending on how much time you allow to recite the mantra.
Doing such a powerful practice each day is extremely
beneficial.
For instructions on how to practice Tendrel Nyesel simply, please consult the
handout How to practice Tendrel Nyesel simply which is available from
www.rigpaportal.org

Whenever you are not so inspired to practise or you feel a bit

lazy, try just turning on a practice that inspires you like Tendrel
Nyesel, the Seven-Line Prayer or the Vajra Guru Mantra.
The chants themselves carry so much blessing that as soon as
you hear them, you might immediately start practising.
Of course, if you can do your full daily practice in the morning
that is wonderful, but if not, then try to do at least a little bit of
sitting and watch a short teaching on the nature of mind.
A Focus for Study and Practice
One very important point is to have a focus for your study and
practice, such as a particular series of teachings or a practice like
meditation, ngndro or Riwo Sangch. Having a focus helps
a lot, because when you concentrate or focus on one thing, its
power grows stronger and stronger.

Meditation Teachings
Be sure to have a complete set of the recent cycle of teachings on
meditation. Listen to them and practise meditation thoroughly,
so that these teachings are firmly established within you.
For more on meditation, listen to the Rigpalink teachings:
December 2008, What is meditation?,
February 2009, Shamatha Without Support,
April 2009, Practising Shamatha With Support,
May 2009, Overcoming Distraction with Openness, Presence and
Vigilance,
June 2010, Gaining Confidence in Your True Nature, Part One ,
July 2010, Gaining Confidence in Your True Nature, Part Two.

In the courses and transmissions such as the Home Retreat, you

have an opportunity to focus on each of the practices, to study
the teachings on them and to experience each one. But you
shouldnt feel pressured to fully accomplish all of the practices
during this time.

A First Aid Kit for your Mind

To keep yourself inspired, it is essential to learn how to take care
of your mind and be able to transform it in any situation. So
you need to have a first aid emergency kit of teachings, practices
and reminders, to help bring your mind back whenever it gets
stuck. There is always a way to change your mood, because
whatever you are feeling is just a state of mind.

Once you have tasted each one, then you can go back and
choose a particular one to focus on and spend more time with
that practice.

The tools are there for you in the teachings, but you need to
actually use them. So make a point of finding teachings that
really work for you.

If you like, choose a few different things to focus on so that if

you get bored with one, you have another option. For example,
if the teachings in the courses or transmissions dont always
satisfy you, then you can also study another series of teachings,
such as those on lojong, or meditation.

You can even make a personal list of the best teachings for
transforming your mind in different situations, and then share
it with others.
When you find a teaching that makes a shift in you, go over
that teaching again and again until you know it by heart.
Instead of just listening passively, engage with the teaching each
time and go through the process of the teaching. This will help