Here is one of the songs from "Wellsprings of the Great Perfection" which we would like to share with you. This female teacher was one of the 21 early master in the Dzogchen lineage. Her song of awakening is both evocative and deeply inspiring. Together with my friend Michael Tweed, I tried to find a style of poetry that could be sung. Tara has written the music. This is a first take.
Song of Bodhi the Yakshini
The realization of the Wishfulfilling Jewel, the spontaneous meditation song about accomplishment, was sung in these words by Bodhi the Yakshini as the second glimpse of redness appeared in the sky.
The nature of awakened mind, neither clung to nor beheld,
Yet it appears to all as something to be seen.
Undisturbed by anything, it cannot be dissected.
Such natural mind, on nothing does it dwell.
This knowing is the nature of awakened mind.
However modified, this space is unaffected,
And knowing need not seek this basic space.
Mind-essence’s pure reality, like space,
Is uncontrived, is not a solid thing.
The training, I have realized, is simply this.
When this body made of matter falls apart,
Samantabhadra’s heart will shine within me.
GHITAMA KOLASA A HOH This was the eighth; the essential realization of the Wishfulfilling Jewel. ITHI.
C G D English translation: Erik Pema Kunsang. Music & vocal: Tara Trinley Wangmo. Bamboo flute: Ajith Kodikara. Tabla: Malith Anuradha & Ajith Alosius. Sitar: Deshapriya Mihiripanne. Keyboard: Ranga Jagoda.
(c) 2010 Songs from Sacred Islands.Modified from Wellsprings of the Great Perfection, Erik Pema Kunsang, Rangjung Yeshe Publications. Thanks to Michael Tweed for editing.
Here is one of the original songs known as Realizations of the Eighteen Scriptures of the Mind Section Expressed in Song by the Vidyadharas.
The realization of the Collection of Precious Gemstones, the spontaneous meditation song about nonarising, was sung in these words by Princess Gomadevi at the Hermitage of Conquerors during the latter half of night.
English translation: Erik Pema Kunsang. Music & vocal: Tara Trinley Wangmo. Bamboo flute: Ajith Kodikara. Tabla: Malith Anuradha & Ajith Alosius. Sitar: Deshapriya Mihiripanne. Keyboard: Ranga Jagoda.
(c) 2010 Songs from Sacred Islands.Modified from Wellsprings of the Great Perfection, Erik Pema Kunsang, Rangjung Yeshe Publications. Thanks to Michael Tweed for editing.
From the skies may all the devas ___ shower down a flower rain,
From below may all the nagas ___ raise up vast prosperity,
In the world may all the people ___ live in peace and harmony,
All enjoy auspicious goodness, ___ true, complete enlightenment.
om amarani jivantiye soha
om mani peme hung hrih
om ah hung vajra guru pema siddhi hung
om ah hung vajra guru pema tötreng tsal
vajra samaya dzah siddhi phala hung ah
om bodhichitta mahasukha jnanadhatu ah
om rulu rulu hung bhyo hung
om vajra sattva ah
Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche spoke:
We possess the tathagata-garbha, the enlightened essence which is like pure gold, but we have fallen into confusion which is like gold becoming tainted by impurities. This is what needs to be purified on the Path. Similarly, possessing the deities of the three bases of completeness is like possessing pure gold, but not recognizing it as such is similar to our gold being concealed by impurities.
So what must we do? We need to clear away the impurity that conceals the gold which is possible through practice. If we weren’t already endowed with this pure gold, but instead possessed mere brass, we could polish and clean as much as possible, but the brass would never turn into gold. Nevertheless, since we already have a divine nature, then if we engage in the development, recitation and completion stage practices, which act like a polish, we can realize what we actually are.
If we have a piece of wood and we clean and polish it, will it ever turn into gold? No, that is called ‘regarding something to be what it is not.’ Here, we are talking about regarding things to be what they actually are. Since we already possess the enlightened essence, if we practice on the path of development, recitation and completion, then we will definitely purify our obscurations and truly realize the dharmakaya.
If we don’t mistake the first day of the lunar month, then when we arrive at the fifteenth the full moon will appear complete and round in the sky. But if we mistake the first day to be the second, then when we reach the fifteenth it will actually be the sixteenth and we will have been wrong the entire time.
In short, the main focus of the practice is that the world around us, whatever appears and exists, is a celestial palace while the male and female sentient beings are all dakas and dakinis. All sounds are mantra, and all thoughts and emotions are pure wisdom. This is the key point of this drubchen, the great accomplishment - pure sights, sounds and awareness. This means whatever we see with the eyes is the pure form of the deity, whatever we hear with the ears is the sound of mantra and whatever we think, all thoughts and mental activity, is actually the enlightened Vajra Mind, the self-existing wisdom. This is what we should keep in mind.
If we chant correctly the purity of recitation is said to increase the merit one-thousand times. While maintaining purity of concentration - keeping the correct frame of mind - multiplies the merit one-hundred thousand times.
The dharmakaya mantra is the Buddha of Limitless Light, Amitayus’ mantra: om amarani jivantiye svaha. The sambhogakaya mantra is Avalokiteshvara’s mantra: om mani padme hung hrih. The nirmanakaya mantra is Guru Rinpoche’s mantra: om ah hung vajra guru padma siddhi hung. Finally, for the twelve manifestations of Guru Rinpoche, there is one combined mantra: om ah hung vajra guru padma thotreng tsal vajra samaya dzah siddhi phala hung ah.
In our heart-center are the forty-two peaceful deities, and their combined mantra is: om bodhichitta maha sukha jnana dhatu ah. The essence mantra of the fifty-eight Herukas, the wrathful deities in our crown-center is: om rulu rulu hung bhyo hung. And the essence mantra of all the other deities combined into one is om vajra satva hung, or more commonly: om vajra satva ah.
Erik Pema Kunsang: vocals. Tara Trinley Wangmo: guitar and vocals. Ki-Ja Kristoffersen: vocals and drum. Paul Izenberg: vocals and drum.
This song by Vima Mudra, one of the names of Vimalamitra, is a part of his vajra song entitled Flawless Ambrosia. Here he plays on the word ambrosia—related to the Sanskrit amrita, the nectar of immortality—which means “demon-crusher,” overcoming the Mara of death. One of Vimalamitra’s specialties was alchemy, so it is apt that the portion of his beautiful and profound song presented here covers the view of transforming the five poisons, using the alchemy of self-existing awareness.
This natural song, the view of the Flawless Ambrosia,
Was sung by Vima Mudra, a yogi of the sky.
The attitude of clinging to desire is a demon;
Let’s crush it with the strength of rigpa undetached.
When naturally dissolved within a flawless, empty ease,
Discriminating wisdom is revealed.
The attitude of blatant hatred is a demon;
Let’s crush it with awareness holding no duality.
As it naturally dissolves in flawless magic, empty presence,
The wisdom like a mirror is revealed.
The attitude of slothful dullness is a demon;
Let’s crush it with awareness, lucid yet thought-free.
As it naturally dissolves in flawless, basic, empty cognizance,
The dharmadhatu wisdom is revealed.
The attitude of pride conceited is a demon;
Let’s crush it with awareness, self-existing, ego-free.
As it naturally dissolves into the sphere of flawless, empty rigpa,
The wisdom of equality is revealed.
The attitude of painful envy is a demon;
Let’s crush it with awareness beyond ceasing and arising.
As it naturally dissolves in open space of flawless feeling,
The wisdom all-accomplishing is revealed.
Primeval, self-existing purity of everything,
Root of knowing and its fivefold wisdoms,
From here spread the branches of every type of insight;
This I call the amrita of ornaments.
Tasting this ambrosia, Mara the emotions in delusion
Are crushed by rigpa’s undeluded wakefulness.
Like iron touching the philosopher’s stone,
No division—kayas and the wisdoms self-perfected.
English translation & vocal: Erik Pema Kunsang. Music & vocal: Tara Trinley Wangmo. Bamboo flute: Ajith Kodikara. Tabla: Malith Anuradha & Ajith Alosius. Sitar: Deshapriya Mihiripanne. Keyboard: Ranga Jagoda. (c) 2010 Songs from Sacred Islands. Modified from Wellsprings of the Great Perfection, Erik Pema Kunsang, Rangjung Yeshe Publications. Thanks to Michael Tweed for editing.
Princess Parani was the mother of Prahevajra, the first master in the early Dzogchen lineage.
Here is her song:
English translation & vocal: Erik Pema Kunsang. Music & vocal: Tara Trinley Wangmo. Bamboo flute: Ajith Kodikara. Tabla: Malith Anuradha & Ajith Alosius. Sitar: Deshapriya Mihiripanne. Keyboard: Ranga Jagoda. (c) 2010 Songs from Sacred Islands.Modified from Wellsprings of the Great Perfection, Erik Pema Kunsang, Rangjung Yeshe Publications. Thanks to Michael Tweed for editing.
