Self-Immolation

"If you would ask, O Lord of Secrets, how disciples should view masters, then I would answer that they should view them just as they view the Bhagavan. If the disciples view their masters in this way, They will always cultivate virtues. They will become buddhas And benefit the entire world."

"Just as a chariot with one wheel Will not go down the path even though it has a horse, So too, without assistants for meditation, People will not gain attainments. These assistants should have intelligence, a good appearance, great purity, Be of reputable lineage, and inclined toward the teachings. They should have great confidence, perseverance, and have disciplined the senses. They should speak pleasantly, be generous and compassionate, Forbear hunger, thirst, and the afflictions, And not worship other deities and brahmins. They should be focused, adept, grateful, And have faith in the three jewels. Since those who have all such good qualities Are very rare in this age of strife, Mantra practitioners should rely on an assistant who has One half, one quarter, or an eighth of these qualities." Subāhu-pariprcchā-tantra

"Some people express The good qualities of sandalwood Saying, "Sandalwood is like this: It is the pleasant aspect of incense." Then some other people Might ask them, "Do you possess A bit of that sandalwood Which you so praise?" They then reply, "I do not have The incense that I praise To gain my livelihood." Just so, in later times there will arise Monks who do not strive at yoga And make a living by praising ethical discipline. They will have no ethical discipline." King of Concentrations Sutra

"People degenerate by relying on those inferior to themselves; By relying on equals, they stay the same; By relying on those superior, they attain excellence; Thus rely on those who are superior to yourself. If you rely on whomever is superior-thoroughly pacified And endowed with ethical discipline And exceeding wisdom You will become superior even to those who are superior." Mitra-varga

Bo-do-wa said: "For attaining freedom there is nothing more important than the guru. It is sufficient to learn the activities of this life by watching others, but you will not learn them well without an instructor. Likewise, without a guru, how can we succeed in traveling to a place where we have never been, having just been reborn from a miserable realm?"

"In short, attaining and bringing to completion all the bodhisattva deeds, and, likewise, attaining and bringing to completion the perfections, levels, forbearances, concentrations, superknowl-edges, retentions of teachings heard, dedications, aspirational prayers, confidence to speak, and all the qualities of a buddha are contingent upon the guru. The guru is the root from which they arise. The guru is the source and creator from which they are produced. The guru increases them. They depend upon the guru. The guru is their cause." Bodhisattva-pitaka

"Therefore, all appearances are the dharmakaya, All beings are buddhas, All composite actions are the primordial dharmadhatu, All nominal phenomena are like a rabbit’s horns." Sarahapāda

All sentient beings are emanations of mahamudra, The essence of those emanations is the forever non-arising dharmadhatu, Also all characteristics of dualistic appearances, Happiness, suffering and so on, are the play of mahamudra, the original dharmata. Virupa's Treasury of Doha's

Some people are ill, their bodies tormented; For many years there is not even temporary relief. Afflicted with illness for a very long time, They seek a doctor, in search of a cure. Searching about again and again, They at last find a physician with skill and knowledge. Treating the patients with compassion, The doctor gives medicine, saying, "Here, take this." This medicine is plentiful, good, and valuable. It will cure the illness, but the patients do not take it. This is not a shortcoming of the doctor, nor the fault of the medicine; It is just the fault of those who are ill. Likewise, after you have left the householder's life for the sake of these teachings And have come to know the powers, meditative stabilizations, and faculties, How can you attain nirvana without making effort At meditation, an effort at what is right? Samādhirāja Sūtra

"Beyond reckoning in space or time; without direction or locality; impossible to represent; ultimately indescribable; Blissful with the experience of that which is inmost; a field of awareness free of mental constructs: that state of overflowing fullness is Bhairavī, the essence of Bhairava. It is that essence which is ultimately real & fundamental; it is that which ought to be known & experienced; it is that which is inherently pure, and it is that which pervades everything." Vijñāna-bhairava-tantra

Jai Mahākāla. Āchāryaji will be giving a talk on consciousness at 8:00 AM PDT today on Zoom. You may join using the following link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86895536905?pwd=Zi9UQmlOdisyK0FUVkVmVHV0NW5Rdz09

Śūnyata (शून्यत, “void”).— If you can concentrate on your body as void (śūnyata) or space and transcend all thoughts, even for a moment, your mind will be liberated and will take on the form of that void. It is important to note that you do not have to concentrate for hours and hours in order to experience this state. Even if you focus the mind for just a moment, it is enough to give you the experience of a heightened state of awareness. ( Vijñānabhairava verse 46)