Any observation of the outer and inner worlds refers one to mind. Only mind is constantly and truly present, although not as a substantial "something." Consciousness is like space, unchanging and timeless, while its object, all outer phenomena, as well as the inner states are conditioned; they come and go. Only the experiencer is present always and everywhere.

The Great Seal, Mahamudra in Sanskrit or Chag Chen in Tibetan, was taught by Buddha in order to fully awaken mind's potential and to seal its enlightened nature. Whoever rests in the radiance of the mirror while enjoying its images and recognizes the indestructibility of the ocean beneath the play of the waves has reached this goal.

The path is a gradual increasing experience of richness and the bliss that enlightenment makes permanent. It begins to manifest in short and less intense forms during the moments when no habits or expectations distract mind. Non-meditators may also taste some of this power during the free fall before the parachute opens or on a fast motorcycle, and everyone (hopefully) knows it from making love. It appears in a flash when sneezing, as the joyful "a-ha" at a new and striking insight or when one shares the joy or good actions of others. Meditation, however, is the concise and scientific way to make this state permanent. In particular the three "old" or "Red Hat" schools of Tibetan Buddhism, which focus on the Diamond Way practices of view and transformation, can make such moments into a lasting experience. Even a short exchange with a holder of the Great Seal awareness can set off this maturation process, but a close friendship with him or one's co-operation in one of his groups is the most effective method. In meditation and life we will then experience a growing and joyful oneness with phenomena until suffering and frustrations are clearly seen as something unnecessary and odd.

During the 2,500 years since Buddha's death, statements of insight and intent such as: "Space is joy"; "Any event is mind's free play"; "One should see the potential Buddha in all beings"; "You can use body and speech to evoke beings' power"; and "As all things are mind, one may as well laugh loudly—call have hinted at the boundless spiritual wealth of the Buddhist accomplishers.1 They point to the goal and ways of the Great Seal, and their skillful methods enable independent people to also help others. While avoiding intellectual and emotional pitfalls, the resultant insights confirm both what is relative (the way) and what is absolute—(the goal) as being in essence joyful. Among the frequently moralistic or superficial offers presented on today's spiritual market, such teachings will exert a growing attraction.

Enlightenment is the full development of all the qualities and abilities of beings, including the indispensable faculty of reason. The steps towards this state cannot be airy-fairy or exotic, and seven hundred years ago the 3rd Karmapa knew this. Simply bathing in their artistic power or making numerous repetitions of the following psychologically effective twenty-five verses will not be sufficient. Without critical analysis, several levels of meaning will be recognized too slowly. Therefore I sometimes choose commentaries that are eye opening and confrontational to a world that is trying to stay blissfully unaware of difficult facts. The critical view thus developed sharpens the understanding of the text, which then bestows a mature overview of the world and the ability to handle daily situations.

Every development in Buddhism starts from a critical analysis of the current situation. This allows one to understand, in an unshakable way, that the present moment offers the most precious and amazingly rare conditions and that one can actually steer one's life consciously towards liberation and enlightenment. These insights are generally known as the "Four Basic Thoughts."

We must first recognize that only very few people around the world have the chance to meet Buddha's full teachings from an educated, free, and empowered position and that only a fraction of them actually use this opportunity.

The second understanding focuses on the impermanence of everything outer and inner. One may die at any moment and only the space-awareness of mind is present always and everywhere. This makes mind vitally important, and we recognize the reasons for practicing here and now.

The third observation centers on cause and effect, (Skt. karma, Tib. lae). In each moment, beings' thoughts, words, and actions lay the seeds for their future. As the results will have the same emotional color as their cause, it pays to be attentive.

Finally, we understand the wisdom of common growth. It becomes increasingly evident that all beings aim for transient kinds of happiness while trying to avoid suffering. Enlightenment, however, is the most formidable happiness of all and can neither disappear nor dissolve. Closing one's mind to its richest potential through laziness or a lack of imagination would be a grievous mistake. Whoever remains on a conceptual level where one experiences being one's body and owning one's possessions does not have the power to ultimately benefit others and finds little comfort when old age, sickness, death, and loss arrive.

These four thoughts give rise to a search for values that can be trusted. Here, only space has the quality of being indestructible, everywhere and always. Though frequently misunderstood by the immature to be a "nothing" or something missing, space is clearly no vacuous black hole. It is much more like a container that holds, communicates among, and makes all beings and events possible. Its essence is immediate intuitive insight; its nature is playful joy; and its expression is active compassion, which benefits beings. It manifests in peace-giving, enriching, fascinating, and powerfully protective ways. Shunning the politically correct, it aims to bring lasting benefit to cultures and beings.

Disturbing feelings, taken seriously by so many, are transformed on the way to enlightenment and become mirror-like, equalizing, discriminating, experiential, and all-pervading wisdoms.2 As Buddha— or Sangye in Tibetan—embodies these levels, activities, and qualities, his state is the first and absolute refuge.

The second rare and precious refuge are the methods bringing beings to this state. Called dharma in Sanskrit and choe in Tibetan, Buddhist teachings consist of 84,000 methods. Filling 108 inch-thick books, they make it possible to advance at the desired speed.

The third refuge, sangha in Sanskrit and in Tibetan gendun, are one's friends on the way, especially the people who see life as a dream and have the strong wish to benefit others, those we call bodhisattvas. Each Diamond Way Buddhist center surely has noble women and men on this level.

If we want to use the exceedingly fast Diamond Way, a fourth refuge becomes necessary. It unites the former three and anchors them in life. This is the teacher, formerly known as guru in Sanskrit or lama in Tibetan. To avoid confusion or rumors, he (or she) must live in a monastery as a monk (or nun), function as a layperson, or have the enlightened view of an accomplisher. He must keep his outer vows, inner promises, and personal bonds; have life-experience; and represent Buddha's body, speech, and mind in a meaningful way. In the Diamond Way, his ability to bring confidence or blessing is particularly important. He must have a real transmission into and experience of the special methods of the ways with and without from—such as the yidam meditations, deep breathing exercises and the Great Seal or Great Perfection teachings. He must also be surrounded by a field of enlightened protectors. The latter will also extend to his students and make their every experience a step on their way.

The lama, yidams, and wisdom protectors are also called the "three roots of accomplishment." The lama gives blessing, the conviction that great goals can be reached and that things are meaningful. The yidams give spiritual powers and the wisdom protectors are the source of one's power to act. Sometimes mentioned singly and sometimes collectively as "lama," these three are essential for progress on the Diamond Way.

Before 1992, when so many Tibetan "venerabilities" of the usually independent Karma Kagyu school dove into the Communist Chinese honey-pot, one still spoke of "high" and "ordinary" teachers. This is now over. The ensuing scandal forced the lineage to transform into an advanced Western transmission of the Diamond Way. So now everybody must take the trouble to imagine their teachers without any cultural packaging or exotic makeup. The students must decide for themselves if the lamas they trust do and say the same thing and if one can use their example for one's own life. As robes and rituals have lost much of their magic, people now evaluate what practical benefit a given teacher may bring them. Knowing that he cannot give what he does not have, they check if they can trust him or if they simply feel sympathy and like his explanations.

In the "Small Way" or "Words of the Elders of the Order"—the literal translation of the term Theravada—which is also known as Hinayana or Southern Buddhism—most take refuge to end or limit their own suffering. The meaning of this act increases immensely however, if one has the "Great Way" or Mahayana motivation of Northern Buddhism to develop quickly so one can benefit others. Driven by this strong wish, special qualities arise; and one can begin to balance mind's growing compassion and wisdom. From here, one may approach the amazing methods and views of the Diamond Way.

The above transference of one's values from what is conditioned and relative to the level of the absolute and timeless is the second necessary step on Buddha's way; a true refuge secures mind's future development and from here on one builds on this solid basis.

After deciding that one is attracted to the Diamond Way, two approaches appear. Some can mobilize the massive amounts of time and energy needed to enter directly into the Four Foundational Practices, the so-called Ngondro.3 Others prefer to visit their local centers, find some time for meditation, increasingly hold Buddhist views and fit occasional courses into their yearly schedules. Both approaches are good and as soon as a certain degree of maturity has been reached, three ways open to those who have completed the Foundational Practices and two to those who have not. They build on the qualities inherent in mind and utilize its ability to know, to do, and to be inspired.

The first of these, the Way of Methods, was brought across the mountains to Tibet around 950 years ago by the hero Marpa. He received it from the accomplisher Naropa while the Muslim invaders were destroying the culture and freedom of northern India. With its focus on deep breathing and the energy channels in the body, it can only be used after the Foundational Practices. However, some of these meditations have limited relevance today as they require yearlong preparations, which the Tibetan economic system permitted but are impossible for people who are today active in modern life. The Westerners who wish to enter extended and mostly celibate retreats are often already absorbed by their own affairs, and this tendency rarely changes afterwards. In addition to this, most of the practices are classified as secret and are not generally available. Except for the Phowa and Clear Light meditations—teachings for conscious dying and pervasive awareness—it is not possible to teach the Way of Methods to unprepared people with a clear conscience. Too many bodily and mental hindrances may ensue. Those who ignore this and teach them anyway, like some Rinpoches, often of other lineages—who have published these teachings, do not benefit themselves and may only help their students for a short period. The hurt pride, which follows failed attempts to use overly advanced meditations, may hinder one's approach to the Diamond Way in future lives. Among the meditations of Tantric Buddhism, another name for the Way of Methods, the greatly desired union practices in particular call for years of absorption, very special partners, and long retreats. On the other hand, using one's body to consciously give joy to one's loved ones is a fine practice in its right. And if the good conditions come together to have a full and lasting experience of space as essential bliss, then one actually achieves the complete unfolding of mind, the state of the Great Seal.

The second approach, the Way of Insight, was the gift of Marpa's other main teacher, Maitripa. Though less engulfed in mystery, his conceptual and total methods are more useful in today's world. When calming and holding mind, the oneness and interdependence of subject, object, and action become clear—and intuitive insight arises. Some teachers give unstructured meditation of this kind right after refuge, teaching people to "simply" meditate on mind. I consider this a big mistake. The very fact that this way is so easy to describe makes it prone to misunderstanding. Any spiritual progress necessitates a wide framework of teachings and is only useful with the right guidance and a massive accumulation of good impressions as one's basis. Otherwise, mind's spontaneity easily degenerates into evaluating passing thoughts; and its shiny quality becomes a sleepy white wall. For that reason, in the meditation lineages of Tibet, such teachings were not given until the Foundational Practices were completed. It is actually much more difficult to calm and clear one's mind without methods than it is to acquaint oneself with the main Buddha-forms and learn their sometimes long and unusual sounding mantras.

The power of Maitripa's teaching lies in its versatility. Based on a pleasant exchange with one's surroundings, the methods require no strict retreats and are easily incorporated into one's lifestyle.

The first part of the Way of Insight called shi-ne in Tibetan or shamata in Sanskrit, calms and holds mind. All religions of experience—such as Buddhism, Taoism, and parts of Hinduism—strive for this state through varying means. This source of extrasensory perception and miracles may also be reached through prayer by members of the faith religions. Almost any method may be used on the Way of Insight to settle and focus mind. Some schools work with mental images, others avoid them. Some calm their mind through a slow, stork-like ritual walk or while chewing their food countless times. The one most commonly used in the "Words of the Elders of the Order" or Theravada, is to count the breath or to have an awareness of its passing at one's nostrils. The Great Way or Mahayana includes strong wishes for all beings or focuses on recognizing the interdependent origination and fundamental "emptiness" of all phenomena. If the latter understanding is experienced and not only "thought," this insight is called lhgtong in Tibetan or vipashyana in Sanskrit, the second part of the Way of Insight, and points directly to mind's essence.

To those with confidence in their buddha nature, the building-up phase in a Diamond Way meditation, called Kye Rim in Tibetan—which means the birth phase of the buddha aspects, is the most effective kind of shi-ne. Here, body, speech, and mind receive the feedback of the hologram-like figures of light and energy called yidams; of their natural vibrations, also known as mantras; and their experience of space and joy as inseparable. Whether a clear image appears or one simply senses the form and knows that enlightenment is wherever one thinks of it, the better one knows the qualities of a given Buddha-aspect and the stronger one wishes to obtain them, the more the transfer actually occurs. The experience of such pure forms, female or male, peaceful or protective, single or united, and the ensuing confidence from the energy and blessing experienced, has a total and profound effect. Their heart-vibrations (Skt. mantra, Tib. ngag) and the transformation of one's inner and outer world into their perfect wisdoms and pure lands influence body, speech, and all levels of mind concurrently.

Yidam meditations bring countless enlightened mirrors to mind's recognition of its own clarity, compassion, and wisdom. The bliss and thankfulness arising when melting together with the buddha aspects, as an expression of one's lama and through the dissolution of all form into timeless, limitless but information-holding space, will burn countless veils in one's mind. Sooner or later it will bring forth an all-encompassing consciousness. The resulting state of radiant awareness beyond concept or form is called dzog rim or the completion phase. It corresponds to the second step on Maitripa's way. To make the final step to the level of the Great Seal, one needs to realize that the meditator, the Buddha meditated upon and meditation itself—subject, object, and action—are all aspects of the same totality. This insight will fully open mind's potential and bring enlightenment.

The third and broadest approach to enlightenment—the Way of Identification with one's teacher— unites and blesses the described ways of methods and insight. This method is meaningful in all situations of life and 950 years ago Marpa's teacher, Naropa, described its effects as comparable to meditating on ten thousand yidam-forms of energy and light. It utilizes all of mind's qualities and is nourished by one's potential for enthusiastic intuition. Its power to widen mind's confidence in the teacher as the expression of one's inherent potential brings the fastest results. This approach of identification may actually be listed as an entirely independent way only because our main teacher, the 16th Karmapa Ranjung Rigpe Dorje gave it to Hannah and me in this format. Until recently, when some texts were discovered in Tibet and smuggled out, nobody was apparently aware that former Karmapas had done exactly the same. It is known as lami naljor in Tibetan or guru yoga in Sanskrit and has always been the secret transformative power of the Kagyu lineage. More than ever, it is the cornerstone of the idealistic new Diamond Way groups in the West. Meditations on one's closest lama and the 16th Karmapa as inseparable from one's mind and as mirrors showing one's potential help more students open up to the blessing of the lineage than any other practice today. Devotion, however, should always be combined with human maturity. Confidence in the teacher must never lead to dependency, humorless behavior, or compulsive imitation. The damage brought about by such tendencies is made evident by the frequent scandals in charismatic cults and sects. A lama only has one role to fulfill: helping his students to find the fearless space that he himself has conquered, thus making them independent. Within the freedom of unfiltered consciousness, one discovers the perfect qualities that were always present in all worlds and in everyone's mind.

The development of awareness, energy, and identification described above should be grounded in the view of the Great Seal as soon as possible. They should then be developed through the four levels of this absolute realization and carried to its ultimate fruit. One insight alone transforms each event into an enlightening experience: the interdependence of subject, object, and action. This highest view allows everybody to be close to life and responsible at the same time. Real maturity means being far-sighted and fulfilling the actual needs of beings by working with causes rather than, shortsightedly, catering to their superficial and changing wishes. Whoever can see the world as the flow of private dreams inside a large collective one, which it truly is, has no option but to work compassionately for the good of all beings.

Thus, it makes no difference if one uses calming meditations to enable mind's limitless wisdom to appear, driven by the feeling that space is joy, or if thankful devotion and confidence in one's enlightened nature motivate one on the Way of Identification: Each way leads to enlightenment, the fruit of the Great Seal.

While teaching in a German castle in the eighties, Kunzig Shamarpa once said that the 16th Karmapa was unable to transmit his one-step way to enlightenment because the times were simply too crazy. The approach consisting of four steps, however, is today open to whoever creates the necessary circumstances. Although the 3rd Karmapa does not use this classification in his twenty-five verses, for the sake of the widest possible view it should be included here.

Uniting basis, way, and goal, the first level is called "one-pointedness." This describes a state where mind enjoys what is there. It is so filled with good impressions that it needs nothing from anywhere else.

Then follows the state of being "non-artificial." Here, one naturally stops pretending, playing games, or behaving superficially. As the uniqueness of everything is so evidently rich and evident, everything artificial falls away.

At the third stage there follows "one taste." This is where the experiencer becomes conscious of itself behind the flow of experiences and mind's timeless mirror recognizes its radiant essence underneath the images it reflects. Non-meditators may also experience this state sometimes where mind is open and totally aware. The search of so many for excitement shows the importance and greatness of self-arisen joy. Once obtained, on the inner and secret levels, it radiates through every conditioned experience and is never again lost.

The last and ultimate state was given a name that is actually a joke. As its essence is highest fulfillment, where the universe vibrates with laughter, it cannot be described with a serious face. Called "non-meditation," it actually means to be without effort, because there is nothing further to be obtained. Here the intensity of ten thousand volts is felt in every cell of one's body and one works ceaselessly for others without even thinking "I" do something for "you." Beyond our ordinary senses, we experience mind through the vibration of each atom.

Thus having become a buddha, no separation in time or space is limiting or real. We act from mind's omniscience and benefit beings in a lasting way, here and now. Thus all things become meaningful. Everything is mind's free play. Every being is recognized to be a buddha who only needs to discover his essence and the world is actually a pure land. This is real enlightenment, the state of the Great Seal.

The following twenty-five verses of the Chag Chen Monlam composed by the 3rd Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje, seven hundred years ago may be read independently of other sources. They point to the nature of mind and are therefore rare and precious.

Yours,
Lama Ole


1. Accomplisher (Skt. Yogi)—a meditator who has realized the nature of mind.
2. Also see Lama Ole Nydahl, The Way Things Are, Blue Dolphin 1996.
3. Lama Ole Nydahl, Ngondro, Blue Dolphin, Nevada City, CA 1999.