The Ship Which Sets Beings Free
by Kalu Rinpoche
Oh Vajradhara and the two dakinis who embody pristine cognition, Khyungpo Naljor and the root and transmission gurus,Oh Supreme Bliss, Lord Vajra, Lord of Mystery, and Great Sorcerer, Vajra Terrifier, Horse’s Cry, and the other yidams,Oh dakinis of the five families, Fast-Acting Lord Protector and Remati,Four responsive attendants and an ocean-like throng of other oath-bound protectors,All sources of refuge, the Three Jewels and the Three Roots,Pray, think of me from the domain of the mystery.
Request Through the power of truth in your energy and compassion And through the power of the virtue I gather in the three times,Pray, quickly fulfill these wishes In this life and all my lives to come.
The Four Reflections This precious birth, free and well-favored, is so difficult to obtain.May I not waste it but make good use of it.In reflecting on what is transitory, unstable, and changing,May I dispense with comfort and simplify my life.By understanding the effects of good and bad actions, whatever their importance,May I be able to keep to the workings of seed and result.By seeing clearly the suffering in the three realms of samsara , May I develop the renunciation to leave samsara’s domain.
Refuge and Awakening Mind In this life, in later lives, and between lives, all the time,May I and others find refuge in the Three Jewels and the Three Roots.May love and compassion be born from the depths of my heart For all six kinds of beings, my parents, infinite as the sky.
PracticeIn an uninhabited place in the mountains with all the favorable conditionsMay I practice single-mindedly and reach the peaks of experience and direct understanding.May holy gurus endowed with full capabilities Look after me in all my lives to come.
Guru and Yidam Practice May uncontrived reverence and devotion be born in my heart For my root guru, who is buddha in bodily form.The mandala of deities arises naturally and is always present;Knowing that I am this mandala, may I stabilize its brilliant appearance.By simply doing the ritual practices of gurus, yidams, dakinis, and protectors,May I see them clearly, face to face.
The Root — the Six Energy-transformation Pratices With irresistible bliss and warmth in full blaze in my body May the absorption of bliss-emptiness be stabilized in my mind.Through the understanding that all phenomena are like dreams and enchantments May confusion and clinging to ideas of reality be totally destroyed.At night may I clearly recognize the dream state without effort
Kalu Rinpoche - The Ship Which Sets Beings Free
And practice refinement, increase, emanation, transformation, and precision in perceiving specific objects.In the interior darkness of ignorance, stupidity, and sleep May I recognize and hold the deep and light states of sheer clarity,May I master the various kinds of transference, Dharmakaya, guru, yidam, sky-light, celestial realm, and others.Through the natural arising of each of the three kayas and by the practice of no deviation May the three kayas be actualized in the intermediate state of existence.
The Trunk — the Locket Tradition of Mahamudra The four faults subside naturally, the four kayas are already fully present:In this life may I know directly mahamudra, the nature of being.
The Branches — the Three Ways to Make Practice Effective By reverence and devotion to my guru, by knowing appearances and sounds as deities and mantras,And by knowing appearances and states of mind to be like enchantments and dreams,May I bring all experience into the spiritual path.
The Flowers — the Red and White Dakinis Through the noble queens who dance in the realm of bliss-emptiness May I master the path of generation and completion and travel to their celestial realm.
The Fruit — No Death, No Deviation The body itself is lifeless, the mind knows neither birth nor death:May I know directly the fruit, no death, no deviation.
Lord Protector and Awakened Action May I see clearly the noble form of the guru and the protector as one And attain supreme mastery and mastery of the four awakened actions.By means of calming power and energy equal to the buddhas’,May I dispel all the maladies and miseries of beings.May my life, merit, power, influence, experience, and direct understanding Swell like rivers in the rainy season.In order for me to be the utmost help to the Doctrine and to beings May my power extend over the three realms and the three worlds.In order to be able to destroy the enemies who have broached all ten domains May my power and energy in wrathful mantras blaze like fire.
May I and other beings be completely purified of all the unwholesome acts We have committed, whether unwholesome in nature or because of commitment.
The Six Perfections May I be able to make beings happy By giving them wealth, Dharma, and security.May I always be able to keep the virtuous codes Of the vows of individual liberation, awakening being, and the vajrayana commitments.Even for the sake of a single being, may I endure patiently The chopping of my body into ten million pieces for aeons.In the practice of the supreme path to freedom for all beings May I make the same enthusiastic effort as Sakyamuni Buddha.May I stabilize unwavering tranquility, insight, and absorptionIn dharmakaya, the pure being of mind, sheer clarity without limit.May I have as full a knowledge as Manjushri
Kalu Rinpoche - The Ship Which Sets Beings Free
Of all experience in samsara and nirvana.
Serving the DharmaMay I bring to completion whatever Dharma I practice,Be it sutra or tantra of the New School or Old.May I obtain a pleasing appearance, melodious speech, and a glorious life,Power and wealth, a heart of love, and be attractive to all who see me.May I become like the six gems of the world and like the eight charioteers For the Victorious One’s Doctrine and particularly for the Shangpa transmission.
Death and Awakening At the time of death, may there be no agony,With rainbows and relics appearing, may I be a guide for beings.As soon as I have passed away, may I be bornIn the Realm of Bliss in the presence of Khyungpo and his sons.As soon as I have been born there, may I attain the tenth stage And then attain supreme complete enlightenment.
Awakened Activity Not resting in the end states of existence or peace,May I be as helpful to all beings as the victorious ones and their sons.May all those who have some connection with me Through sight, hearing, recollection, touch, food, or Dharma Be born as my first circle of students.May I rain down a shower of teachings of the Mahayana And the direct path of Vajrayana on all who are to be tamed.In the end may I, on my own, set Each and every sentient being in buddhahood.As long as I and others have not reached buddhahood May there be no hindrances to the Dharma for us for a single moment.
Conclusion and Dedication May all six kinds of beings receiveWhatever happiness and virtue I have On the basis of the happiness and virtue thus obtained May they always be happy and joyful.May the evil, confusion, and misery in other sentient beingsCome into me; may I experience the pain.Because I experience that pain, may all sentient beings Never again experience any misery, evil, or confusion.
Through the inspiration and energy of the Jewels and the Roots,Through the power and vitality of the dakinis, protectors, and guardians,Through the power of what is unchanging and ultimately realAnd the power of the reliable interconnections of what is apparently real May all the wishes which I have expressed be quickly fulfilled.
I dedicate the virtuous seeds of formulating such wishesTo all my mothers who are as limitless as space.May we all be free from suffering, know sublime happiness,And together attain full awakening.
This prayer was composed in the Male Earth Dragon Year (1928) by Karma Rangjung Kunchab 3 / 4
Kalu Rinpoche - The Ship Which Sets Beings Free
(Kalu Rinpoche) who is in the lowest position in the line of transmission of the Glorious Shangpa Tradition.
May this prayer be of great benefit to beings.MANGALAM
[Text Layout by JN – Milan, Italy, December 2007]
