Common Questions About Vajra Bridge Practice

41. #Maintaining Practice
Q: Is it alright to maintain practice without speech blessing?
A: Yes, maintenance practice can be done without speech blessing and the nine-fold Buddha breath.

42. #Interruption of Practice
Q: Khenpo, if due to circumstances I couldn't maintain the practice, should I start over from the beginning?
A: Yes.

43. #Making Up Missed Sessions
Q: Khenpo, I missed your recent guided practice sessions. Does listening to the recordings later count towards my session numbers?
A: Yes, if you sit properly and follow the liturgy while listening to the recordings, it counts as a session.

44. #Four Renunciations Practice
Q: A question came up during group practice. It's difficult to clearly divide time between the four individual renunciations. During sessions, we sometimes contemplate all four, sometimes two, rather than just one. This feels more natural and makes it easier to find personally moving points. So the time allocation can't be very precise. I feel we should focus on finding what moves us deeply rather than being strictly bound to format, like only contemplating the precious human life in one session. What do you think?

A: While precise timing isn't necessary, according to the lineage masters' instructions, each stage still needs thorough contemplation. For example, when contemplating the precious human life, the eight leisures affect each person's feelings and thoughts differently, so the time spent can vary. However, when contemplating the precious human life, the meditation should remain focused. If you notice your thoughts drifting to impermanence or karma, you should bring them back to contemplating the precious human life.

45. #Practice Sequence
Q: I'm currently at the fourth stage of refuge. Can I begin bodhicitta practice simultaneously?
A: No, you must complete refuge practice before beginning bodhicitta practice. However, you can start reading materials about bodhicitta to prepare.

46. #Mandala Practice
Q: As I wish to continually accumulate merit, may I ask: at this stage, can I practice mandala offerings simultaneously? Can these be counted towards my numbers?

A: Regarding the accumulation of merit, this part cannot be skipped. At this stage when practising the four thoughts that turn the mind, we understand that whether accumulating merit or confessing negativities, the main thing is the state of mind.

For example, with confession, do you have the four powers of purification? With accumulating merit, do you have the mind of letting go - not practising to gain something, but to relinquish? If you practice to gain something, you won't actually gain anything. Only by letting go of our attachment to wealth and all objects of desire through offerings and generosity can we possibly reveal our inherent Buddha nature.

Therefore, merit doesn't come from outside. While all accumulation of merit appears on the surface to be what we do and receive in return, it's actually the merit that's revealed when we let go of the bondage of ego-clinging and self-attachment that wraps our Buddha nature or tathagatagarbha - it's merit revealed from within.

So what everyone is practising now may seem unrelated. Many think we're practising for this purpose now, then later for that purpose... as if each Buddha and Bodhisattva has different qualities - practice Long Life Buddha for longevity, Medicine Buddha for health, Manjushri for wisdom... having such distinctions. Including in practice methods, as beings with dualistic perception we easily think this way - practice Vajrasattva for purification, practice mandala offerings for merit.

But if we understand the deeper meaning, we'll find that when we practice the four thoughts now to let go of our attachment to samsara and worldly things that we desire due to habitual tendencies and various conditions, when we let go, this "letting go" itself generates and reveals the merit of our inherent Buddha nature.

From this perspective, it's actually the same purpose as making mandala offerings. The purpose of mandala offerings isn't because the Buddha needs them, or because the Three Jewels need them - the Buddha and Three Jewels have perfect qualities and don't lack our offerings. So why do we do this? Because we need to cut through our strongest attachments and desires. While this appears different from the four thoughts you're practising now, the inner essence is the same. So if you practice the four thoughts with sufficient mindfulness and use this process to cut through some of our deep attachments and desires, this itself is already an accumulation of merit.

However, this process still needs to be followed. According to the sequence of Vajra Bridge practice, while all dharma practices are good and don't conflict with each other, can you practice mandala offerings alongside your current practice? That's certainly fine, but it can't replace the future practice. What you're doing now is wanting to accumulate more merit and purify more negativities, but you can't skip the later mandala offering stage just because you're doing it now during the four thoughts stage - that's not possible. You'll still need to do the mandala offering stage later.

If you want to increase your practice during the four thoughts stage, recognising the precious human life and rare opportunity to encounter the dharma, wanting to be more diligent in study and practice, that's certainly fine. But it's not about bringing future mandala offering practice forward - there's no precedent for that.

47. #Lunar Eclipse Practice
Q: There's a lunar eclipse tomorrow morning. During the eclipse, is it better to practice the four thoughts or recite mantras?
A: It's best to recite the Samantabhadra King aspiration prayers. Other mantra recitations or practices are also beneficial.

48. #Vajra Bridge Structure
Q: Is there an outline structure for the Vajra Bridge text?

A: The outline covers the first three volumes, arranged when organising the teacher's explanations. This is for reading and understanding the view. For actual practice, follow Rinchen Tsewang Norbu's "Garland of Lotus Flowers".

The complete text of "Garland of Lotus Flowers" should be included at the end of volume four, showing how each session is divided into sections. You need to look at this text for the practice structure.

49. #Study and Practice Priority
Q: If time for study and practice is limited, is it better to focus energy on practising Vajra Bridge, and study Madhyamaka and Yogacara theory later when reaching those stages?

A: If time is truly limited, of course practice is more important. However, regarding Madhyamaka and Yogacara theory, I personally feel this helps our practice because most people nowadays are educated intellectuals, not like Tibetan nomads who can barely read. In this situation, sometimes only by understanding the reasoning - what we call view - can you have better practice, better conduct, and thus better results. This is why Tibetan Buddhism emphasises view, meditation, conduct, and fruition.

Of course, this isn't absolutely necessary, but I think having some corresponding understanding is needed. You don't need to master it deeply like those who can debate in Buddhist colleges. Given limited time, especially to be frank, when I was young I could do it, but at my age now it's quite challenging to study Buddhist philosophy so deeply, so the focus should be on practice.

However, the Precious Teacher always emphasises that study, contemplation and meditation should progress simultaneously. We can't just practice blindly because we all have our blind spots. So while practising, we need to listen to Buddhist teachings and read books - I mean reading sutras or teachings from great masters, or treatises from realized beings. This will bring more insight to your practice, so it's not just blind practice or quick mantra recitation or mere outer form. So I honestly suggest studying some Madhyamaka, Abhidharma etc., not necessarily very deeply, as everyone's wisdom is limited. Of course, this is my personal view - not every teacher necessarily advocates this approach.

50. #Opening Heart's Power
Q: How do we open the power of the heart? For example, when encountering afflictions, although intellectually I remind myself to contemplate the four thoughts, take refuge, or just observe the mind without following it, I find my mind still doesn't listen - it's like being drawn by afflictions, involuntarily falling into suffering.

A: Opening the heart's power actually requires closing off mental thinking.

Our operating mechanism is that when you use your brain, you don't use your heart, and when you use your heart, you don't use your brain. It's like modern hybrid cars - when using petrol they don't use electricity, when using electricity they don't use petrol. So to open the heart's power, you largely can't rely on willpower transformation, like contemplating various dharma meanings, because this kind of thinking actually opposes your heart, opposes your habitual tendencies. Moreover, it's not opposition at the essential level because it's using the brain to oppose your heart's habits.

So comparatively, a more effective method is to let go of mental thinking, letting our brain have as few thoughts as possible - similar to meditation. Then return to the heart to feel, use the heart to watch these afflictions, or use the heart to watch our habits, not following them but definitely watching them. If we don't watch them, we'll involuntarily be carried away. Only when watching them without participating can our habits and afflictions gradually decrease.

51. #Strong Heart
Q: Respectful greetings, Khenpo. What are the characteristics or qualities of the strong heart you mentioned in your teaching? After the heart becomes strong, how does a practitioner's view of the world and self differ from before? Please elaborate.

A: After your heart gradually becomes able to master itself, the biggest change is... many people nowadays often say: "I know, but I can't do it."

You know you shouldn't do certain things but still do them, so you'll find many practitioners midway feel they have more afflictions than before. Why? Because previously they didn't see it as a problem, but now after practice they know it's not right, yet being unable to change makes them very uncomfortable and difficult to adjust. So although you know, your heart isn't strong enough.

But when we truly accomplish it, your heart becomes truly free - you can move when you want to move, be still when you want to be still.

Of course, along with this comes the ability to master the four elements through supernatural powers, because the four elements are also manifestations of our mind - everything is mind-created, all phenomena are created by mind.

So the greater the heart's capacity, the more it can master, whether the external world or sentient beings, including one's own body - it can transform everything. The four elements no longer maintain their usual nature - earth is no longer solid, water no longer wet, fire no longer hot. One can make fire cool and earth soft, so many supernatural powers appear. Some accomplished practitioners can leave handprints or footprints in rock.

Then viewing the world, of course it's all illusory, meaning nothing has to be any particular way.

Using dreams as an example, when you know you're dreaming it doesn't mean you can change the dream, but when your heart becomes strong enough that you can both know you're dreaming and change the dream, then you can change the external world because it's truly like a dream. You can mould and transform everything as you wish, whether the world or your own body. So many things appear... it's just a state of complete ease and freedom.

52. #Vase Breathing
Q: When practising vase breathing, should the belly expand or contract when inhaling?
A: Amitabha. When practising vase breathing, during inhalation, the abdomen should expand and protrude.

53. #Following Ritual Gestures
Q: When following the teacher's video for practice, if the teacher joins their palms, should we also join our palms?
A: Regarding when to join palms while following video teachings, joining palms expresses inner devotion and faith. Generally, join palms at these times:
- When taking refuge and generating bodhicitta
- During dedication
- When reciting prayers

However, when visualising deities or reciting mantras, focus on visualisation so no need to join palms. Follow the video guidance according to these principles:
- Join palms for prostrations
- Join palms for refuge and bodhicitta
- Join palms for dedication
- Join palms for prayer recitation

54. #Emptiness Manifestation
Q: In Vajra Bridge Volume 1, page 40, line 2, it says "What is the manifestation of emptiness? It is great compassion." Is this emphasising that bodhisattvas are "manifestations of emptiness"? Shouldn't manifestations of emptiness include all phenomena, including tables and people? If "manifestations of emptiness are great compassion", are tables also great compassion?

A: Good evening. What is the manifestation of emptiness? It is great compassion. Actually, this refers to the union of compassion and emptiness, but in reality, everything can unite with emptiness. There's the union of compassion and emptiness, appearance and emptiness, awareness and emptiness, clarity and emptiness, bliss and emptiness. Emptiness is the foundation of all phenomena, or rather their essence. Correspondingly, it can manifest as described in the Heart Sutra: form is emptiness, emptiness is form, form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form, the same is true for feelings, perceptions, formations and consciousness. This means feelings are empty, perceptions are empty, emptiness is feeling. So suffering is a feeling, jealousy is a feeling, great bliss is a feeling, all emotions are feelings, and they're all emptiness.

Of course, from one perspective, the 84,000 dharma teachings are actually 84,000 different approaches to understanding emptiness. Because what needs to be realised is that the essence of all phenomena is emptiness - phenomena don't bind beings, attachment binds them. Only through the wisdom of emptiness can this be cut through. So speaking of manifestations, broadly there are many kinds. Broadly speaking, there are pure manifestations and impure manifestations, including tables, chairs, mountains, waters, grass and trees which are impure manifestations, but we don't usually call these that kind of manifestation. From one perspective, from another angle, it's only when beings perceive them that they appear this way - essentially there are no mountains, waters, grass, trees, sun, moon and stars, no samsara.

The manifestations of emptiness are only luminosity and great compassion. For example, pure beings perceive pure lands they can connect with, like Sukhavati in the west or Abhirati in the east. While impure beings, those in the six realms, see the human realm; some see hell realms or hungry ghost realms. So how to put it - it's not its actual manifestation, rather after something manifests, each being sees something different. It's like a wish-fulfilling jewel manifesting, but in our six realms of samsara it's seen as the water element. Then the water element becomes different for each being: molten iron for hell beings, pus and blood for hungry ghosts, living environment and breathing air for beings, drinking water for humans, and so on.

Actually, emptiness initially doesn't generate such complex things - it just manifests as luminosity, then individual beings, or rather individual pure and impure perceptions, see different appearances. So it's not self-manifesting, what we call the miraculous power of awareness nature, primordial awareness manifesting its miraculous power, actually doesn't have so many complex appearances. But when beings see something simple, they complicate it, see it as complex, see it in their own individual ways.

So does this table count as a manifestation of emptiness? I can only describe it as a manifestation of interdependent origination. Without you as a being, you couldn't see the table. And without emptiness manifesting as awareness's miraculous power, there couldn't be a table. So it's the result of both sides coming together to become a table.

55. #Essential Nature and Buddha
Q: Regarding Vajra Bridge Volume 1, page 83, paragraph 2, "The hidden secret: this means there is no Buddha outside of essential nature." Is this just saying our mind is Buddha, don't seek externally? Isn't it not literally "no Buddha outside essential nature" - how then should we understand Buddhas of other pure lands?

A: No, there really is no Buddha, truly no Buddha outside essential nature. How to understand Buddhas of other pure lands? There are no other pure lands. If you think there's an eastern Buddha, western Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, Avalokiteshvara, Maitreya Buddha, Medicine Buddha, various Buddhas here and there, you're actually treating them as people, as beings, as separate individuals. So as long as there's distinction between Buddhas, seeing this Buddha and that Buddha as different, from the Buddha's perspective, enlightenment would be impossible. So these other worlds and pure lands, the ten directions of east, south, west, north, up, down, left, right, all the Buddhas of the ten directions - these are all distinguished by beings' minds. As I said, this is the result of interdependent origination - in the dharmadhatu, Buddhas have no such distinctions.

But because of their great compassion, they have an energy, or you could say a manifestation of awareness's miraculous power appears. But this manifestation is very simple - you can understand it as a field of light, without any fixed form. However, as always, beings' discrimination sees one in the east, one in the west, one in the south, one in the north, one in each other world. The first type is having this and that Buddha - all such descriptions are what we call skilful means. That is to say, from the perspective of the hidden secret, the ultimate secret, fundamentally all these, the 84,000 Buddhas are all one - there are no such distinctions of this and that. So there really are no other worlds, no other pure lands, which is why the Heart Sutra says: "Those who seek me in form or seek me in sound are practising wrong paths and cannot see the Tathagata." If you think you see me in form, meaning you make form distinctions: Amitabha Buddha isn't the same as Avalokiteshvara, Amitabha Buddha isn't the same as Guru Rinpoche, Amitabha Buddha isn't the same as Medicine Buddha - having such various form distinctions is the wrong path. And sound means you distinguish between this mantra and that mantra, thinking those who recite Guru Rinpoche's mantra can't recite Amitabha's heart mantra, those who recite Amitabha's heart mantra can't recite other Bodhisattvas' mantras or their names and so on. Having such sound distinctions, when reciting names and mantras (actually these are also a kind of name, "Amitabha Buddha" is a name), so when you use sound to seek him, when reciting Amitabha Buddha you think he's incompatible with other Buddhas, is separate - that's practising the wrong path and cannot see the Tathagata.

56. #Smoking and Drinking During Practice
Q: Can one smoke and drink during social occasions while practising?

A: What do you mean by "while practising"? Practising what? The scope is quite broad. Firstly, from the perspective of simply taking refuge in Buddhism, there are actually no restrictions. At least in terms of precepts, there's no prohibition against smoking and drinking. Why? Southern tradition monastics, earlier Hinayana monastics would chew betel nut and smoke. Even in Tibet, particularly in some Gelug monasteries, the monks would smoke - though they used snuff tobacco that's inhaled. I saw this many times in Tibet, almost bought some, not knowing what it was until later. They told me it was snuff tobacco, as the Buddha hadn't explicitly prohibited it.

Regarding alcohol, if you've taken the alcohol precept among the five precepts, then of course it's not allowed. Or if you're a monastic, it's not allowed. Also with the eight precepts, if you've taken those, it's not allowed. But besides these situations, there's no specific mention of alcohol precepts elsewhere. For lay people, there shouldn't be restrictions. Regarding the harmful effects of smoking, many prophecies of Guru Rinpoche in Tibet mention many harmful effects of smoking, saying tobacco and drugs are grown from some demon woman's blood essence. There are many harmful effects.

So in these kinds of prophecies and teachings about harmful effects, it's mentioned. For example, when practising channels, winds, drops, including phowa practice or transference practices, it's mentioned that smoking isn't allowed, has great harm, etc. But in Buddha Shakyamuni's sutras, it seems it's truly not mentioned. My understanding is: are you asking if someone practising Vajrayana who needs to socialise can smoke and drink? Is that the question? The Vajra Bridge itself doesn't mention this, but it depends on what other precepts one has taken.

For example, if they haven't taken the alcohol precept among lay precepts. Because lay precepts can be taken separately - if they've only taken one precept, like not killing or not lying, but haven't taken the alcohol precept, then there's no difference. Can't say it doesn't matter, but it's indeed not breaking precepts. And in inherent negativities, like when we discuss the ten negative actions, ten non-virtues, smoking and alcohol aren't included. We can only say alcohol makes people more likely to commit inherent negativities, right? Because it makes people lose mindfulness and awareness, making it easier to exaggerate, lie, or commit killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, etc.

So indirectly it can cause great harm, but directly speaking, smoking and alcohol aren't included in inherent negativities. That's roughly how it is. Since I'm not clear what "while practising" means - best to avoid them, but if there aren't the restrictions I mentioned above, it seems it doesn't reach the level of breaking precepts.

57. #Quality of Practice
Q: How can one verify if one's practice has quality?

A: For quality practice, you're now practising the four thoughts that turn the mind. While this may change later, at the current stage, your inclination towards virtuous dharma will increase, you'll greatly value and cherish your current opportunity to practice. Things you used to love - shopping, watching films, scrolling through social media... all these previous interests suddenly feel meaningless (though this may change later), and now you're more focused on studying and practising dharma-related matters. From the current perspective of renunciation, this counts as the practice taking root and having quality.

58. #Leg Pain
Q: When doing two sessions daily, my legs hurt the next day. Is this normal? How should I improve this?

A: With two sessions daily, leg aches and pains are completely normal. If you're not used to sitting cross-legged, not used to sitting on the floor, when you start practising there will be some leg aches, pain the next day, even feeling like muscle strain after a while - this is all normal, no need to make any special adjustments.

59. #Teacher's Acceptance
Q: Although receiving oral transmission and empowerment is very important in Tibetan Buddhism, the teacher's acceptance isn't just shown through external transmission. Could you briefly explain the meaning of teacher's acceptance from outer, inner, and secret perspectives?

A: The concept of teacher's acceptance doesn't have clear outer, inner, and secret divisions. While I haven't studied such divisions carefully, the meaning of teacher's acceptance can be understood from multiple angles. Firstly, it means receiving empowerment and oral transmission. When a student has karmic connection with a teacher and the teacher is willing to teach, this relationship begins. For example, Milarepa sought teachings from Marpa for many years, but Marpa didn't teach immediately, waiting until Milarepa had purified his karma before truly teaching.

The teacher's willingness to teach is the most basic acceptance. The subsequent acceptance process depends on whether the student sincerely follows the teacher's instruction, and whether the teacher sincerely wishes to guide the student to liberation. This is a two-way interaction process, including seeking teachings. If the student doesn't seek teachings, the teacher won't teach; if the student isn't willing to follow the teacher's practice, the teacher has no responsibility or obligation to give constant guidance.

In Tibet, there's a vivid metaphor: handing over one's nose ring. This comes from the nose rings of Tibetan yaks. Giving the nose ring to the teacher symbolises the student completely following the teacher's guidance - when the teacher goes left, the student goes left; when right, right; when told to move, move; when told to stop, stop.

This metaphor shows students should completely follow the teacher's instructions. However, this process has degrees. Many people initially think they can completely obey the teacher, but often this is because they haven't yet reached their own limits. When truly facing challenges, even great masters and dharma kings might hesitate. For the teacher to fully accept one, the prerequisite is that the student must completely let go of ego-clinging. Once truly handing over the "nose ring", there's no room for bargaining or defiance.

60. #Lineage Masters
Q: A fellow practitioner asked about our lineage masters' introductions, wanting to know where to study this. They hope to seriously study the refuge teachings.

A: Among the lineage masters in the refuge field, the central row contains the common masters of the Nyingma tradition. Starting from Samantabhadra and Manjushrimitra, including Garab Dorje, Shri Singha, and Vimalamitra. These masters' biographies can be found in books like "The Blue Sapphire" and "Biographies of the Nyingma Lineage Masters".

The masters on the left and right sides of the refuge field are specific to our lineage. For example, the biographies of masters like Pema Dechen Lingpa and Loter Chokyi Gyatso are currently only available in Tibetan, not yet translated into other languages.

This kind of extreme obedience is described in some biographies, like Naropa's absolute obedience to Tilopa. However, this level is extremely rare in reality - perhaps not even one in ten thousand can achieve it. Most people still maintain their own boundaries due to ego-clinging. To be completely accepted by the teacher requires completely letting go of ego-clinging, but this process often comes with great suffering. Therefore, most beings, lacking sufficient practice foundation, find it difficult to truly achieve this.

(Grateful to Khenpo! My understanding is limited; if there are any errors or omissions, I sincerely confess! Om Benzar Satto Hung!)