Advice for retreat by great masters compiled by Dharmakirti Tib.

Chung Bhir (Chung gmbhir) Advice from Naropa ou should not share food !ith someone !ho has broken their vo!s" or !ear clothing of non#virtuous beings such as soldiers" murderers" or violent beings. $f !e become sick in retreat !e should rela% and not push ourselves. &e should not recite mantra !hen !e are unable to generate devotion or !hen eating or drinking. After eating or drinking or going to the toilet !e must rinse our mouth before reciting the mantra. 'ne can make purified !ater !ith the purification rite called Nam Chon. ou can simply recite the mantra over the !ater ( times in the morning. There is a very long mantra and a shorter one. 'ther!ise you can receive a small amount of purified !ater from the retreat master and add a fe! drops to your !ashing !ater each day. &hen reciting mantra !e must recite softly and clearly. $f !e recite too loudly and strongly spirits outside our retreat room !ill hear and copy it and your siddhis !ill decrease. 'ne should recite like the sound of a bee humming. Too )uietly is also not good because you !ill miss some sounds. &ith other prayers such as the *even +imb ,rayer and so forth it is actually good to recite them loudly. 'ne should not recite peaceful and !rathful mantras at the same time and one should not recite !rathful mantras near a loud river or !hen the !ind is blo!ing strongly because it is harmful to the local spirits and Nagas. $t is even said that they can e%plode from the po!er of the mantra. -ntil !e have attained the full po!er of the mantra it is not recommended to perform healing !ith the breath and so forth for others. $n the .riya and Acharya Tantras during retreat one should not eat onion" garlic" eggs" meat" or alcohol and one should not take a consort. To attain the full po!er of the mantra it is best not to speak at all during the retreat. 'ne should recite the e%act amount of mantra recommended in the te%t. $t is said that one month of silent retreat is e)uivalent to one year of retreat !here one is talking. Advice from ,adampa *angye for .riya Tantra The /ive Disappearances (siddhis disappear) 0. &hen one has visuali1ed only part of the deity and then gets distracted. 2. &hen one recites the mantra and stops before completed a full mala. 3. &hen one is visuali1ing the light radiating out from the mantra and seed syllables and one becomes distracted" then signs !ill not arise. 4. &hen ritual substances and ob5ects are seen by others. 6.hempo clarified that this is referring to people other than va5ra brothers and sisters in your retreat.7

8. &hen !e give clothes for others to !ear !hen they are still !arm from our body. Also if !e have to !ash our clothes !e should take them off and let them cool do!n one day before !ashing them. $n retreat !e should abandon laughing and dancing and other frivolous activities. &e should not blo! on fire. &e should not try to perform healing or other miracles before !e have full mantra po!er. &e should not associate !ith people !ho have broken vo!s. &e should not let other people touch our mala. 6The mala used for yidam retreats should be kept hidden from others.7 ou should not go near butchers" hunters" divorced people 6.hempo clarified that this is specifically referring to men or !oman !ho destroy their marriage vo!s and family !ith heavy anger and harmful" divisive speech and so forth.7 and the like" or eat from them or !ear their clothing. 'ne should not touch lepers" or eat food that has already been offered to the Triple 9em. The specific times to recite mantras of the 4 activities are: 0. ,eaceful mantras in the morning 2. $ncreasing mantras after sunrise !hen the sun is heating up. 3. ;agneti1ing mantras in the afternoon after 0 pm. 4. &rathful mantras from 4 to < pm. 8. =ery !rathful rituals at night. $n the Drikung .agyu retreats al!ays start in the late afternoon around 4pm and finish in the morning" !hich is opposite to many other traditions that start in early morning and finish at night. The reason is that is creates an auspicious connection similar to that of starting retreat !hen the moon is !aning (decreasing) and finishing !hen it is !a%ing. $t is an interdependent connection for successful completion of the retreat as !ell as increase of e%perience and reali1ation. 'ne should definitely start retreat before the 2>th day of the Tibetan calendar. 9uru ?inpoche@s Advice Tibetan yogis broke the three boundaries of retreat so this is !hy their do not get great siddhis like the $ndian yogis. The three boundaries are the body boundary of not leaving retreat or seeing anyone" the speech boundary of keeping silence" and the mind boundary of not being carried a!ay by strong emotion. $f you break the boundary of body you must make confession and do purification. $f you break the speech boundary you should recite one mala of 'm Ah Aung. $ you break the mind boundary you should meditate on Bmptiness. $f !e break our commitments (samayas) !e !ill not get spiritual attainments (siddhis). The samaya of the body is visuali1ing the deity clearly in detail. $f !e break this samaya !e should try again and again to generate the deity. &e should start very slo!ly visuali1ing the deity section by section. Then e%perience !ill come. The samaya of speech is to recite the mantra clearly !ithout missing any syllables or slurring them. The samaya of mind is to concentrate one pointedly on the deity and mantra !ithout distraction.

/urthermore one should never lose tigle (skt. Bindu eng. se%ual drops or fluids)" one should never spit. $f one does happen to lose tigle then one should practice Chulen and make some pills out of herbs" alcohol and brain" or one can drink chang !hich increases the tigle. $f !e break the speech samaya !e should recite the syllable Ah repeatedly for one mala. $f !e have continuous thoughts arising and cannot concentrate" breaking the mind samaya then !e should stop the mantra and meditate on shamata (meditative concentration). 'ne should never move one@s bed during the yidam retreat or shake out one@s mattress. 'ne should not share plates or utensils" or fight !ith others. 'ne should al!ays offer tormas at the same time each day and one should never take first the food or drink or smell the flo!ers or perfume that is to be offered to the diety. 'ne should not change rooms" but if one must do so one must stay in retreat 8CD longer. /or e%ample if the retreat is 0 month one should stay >C days. $f !e must shake out our mattress !e must rest in *hamata for a long time. $f !e share plates !ith others !e must do 0CCCC more mantra recitations. $/ !e don@t offer the torma on time !e must make confession and offer many e%tra tormas. $f !e eat or smell food or perfume before offering it !e should buy ne! offerings. &e should not let dogs" divorced people" butchers or lepers into our room. $f a dog enters our room !e should light a fire and do the purification rite called Dug Chu (,oison 'ffering). $f !e have taken food from non#virtuous beings !e must rinse our mouth !ith purified !ater. &e should not cut our beard or hair or nails. $f you must do so one should recite the 0CC syllable mantra. ,eople should not sit on your bed. $f someone does so you must purify !ith the Dug Cho purification rite. $f someone touches your mala you should !ash it in Drukar !ater (a !hite incense that smells like pine). ou should not touch !eapons or dismantle them. The 0C mistakes of ;antra ?ecitation 8 mistakes of sound

0. Too loud : this !ill disturb spirits. 2. Too soft : the mantra !ill not be pronounced clearly. 3. Too fast: the mantra !ill not be clear. 4. Too slo!: one !ill never finish. 8. Blo!ing on fire: one loses mantra po!er 8 'bstacles of stopping the mantra in the middle <. Coughing (. *peaking !hile reciting E. *nee1ing >. /alling asleep 0C. /arting

$f one must go to the toilet during the session" one should go and not hold it in" but one must stop after a full mala and rinse one@s mouth out !ith purified !ater before and after. 'ne should not mi% the yidam mantra !ith other mantras. $f you do so you must confess it and start again. ;antras recited outside the fi%ed session are not to be counted in the full mantra count. Neither should one count mantras done for blessing or to purify bad dreams. Ao!ever it is still beneficial to do the yidam mantras outside the fi%ed sessions to help !ith concentrating the mind and increasing merit and to purify bad dreams. 'ne should al!ays keep the same number of sessions per day. $f !e follo! these rules and then still do not get siddhis then there are many methods to get siddhis such as reciting the mantra back!ards and so forth. 'ne should perform the mala blessing and the dor5e and bell blessing as in the te%t. ,adampa *angye !rote do!n advice from an $ndian ogi about food restrictions. Bspecially for mantra recitiation one should never eat the tongue of any animal. This !ill fully destroy one@s mantra po!er. Bating salt destroys ( days of mantra rectitaion. *alt is also not good for certain illnesses such as thickened blood. The antedote for this is to say .a .ha 9a 9ha Na 20 times. 9arlic destroys E days" onion (" spring onion 3 and !ild onion 3. The antedote for these is to recite Tsa Tsha D1a D1ha Na 20 times. /or radish recite Ta Tha Da Dha Na 20 times. Nettles destroy 08 days and one should recite ,a ,ha Ba Bha ;a 20 times as the antedote. /urthermore one should rinse one@s mouth !ith purified !ater. /or salt one should thro! it in the east" garlic in the !est and nettles in the north then purify !ith the !ater. /or the rest one should mash them up and thro! them out. Then visuali1e the protection mandala. These foods disturb our concentration and especially disturb our !inds channels and drops. 9arlic and 'nion increase body heat and cause uncontrolled melting of tigle" then it is lost !ithout control in one@s urine. 6.hempo Tashi described that after many years of not eating garlic he ate a lot at one time and his body began to shake and he lost tigle in his urine.7 Nettles cause tigle to dry up and is especially bad for !hite tigle" decreasing bliss. 'nions disturb the channels and cause the body to feel very heavy. > Causes for lack of results 0. Not enough devotion 2. +o! !isdom 3. +ittle effort 4. Not reciting the te%ts 8. Too fe! offerings to the yidam deity <. Too fe! offerings to the va5ra ;aster

(. ;any conceptual thoughts E. -nsatisfied !ith retreat conditions (food and so forth) >. Desire

>

;istakes to give up !hen reciting mantra

0.

Aeating oneself by a fire in cold !eather

2. *unbathing 3. Too much sleep 4. /rivolous talking 8. Telling stories <. Foking (. +eaning back against the !all E. +ying do!n >. Covering oneself fully under one@s blanket

> ?ules to keep to please the idam Deity 0. Do not take food from non#virtuous beings such as hunters and so forth. 2. Do not !ear clothing from non#virtuous beings. 3. .eep one@s room clean. 4. Do not be too free and undisciplined. 8. Do not offer poor tormas. <. ;ake diligent effort. (. Do not pay too much attention to cleanliness. E. Do not stop in the middle of recitation of the mantra.

>. Do not visuali1e the light radiating from the mantra for too short a time. > ?ules to please the ,rotector Deity 0. Do not fight !ith your consort. 2. Do not fight !ith your va5ra brothers and sisters. 3. Do not argue. 4. Do not offer poor tormas. 8. Do not give the protectors too much !ork to do. <. Do not forget the offering torma. (. Do not make black magic against your enemies. E. Do not take things from your enemies. >. Confess your negativities. 'ne should not invite !omen into your room" or non#virtuous beings. ,eople !ith empty pots should not come into your room or people !ith dark marks on their face or !ith s!ollen faces. These people should not even look into your !indo!. Dogs or negative beings should not go on you roof. > ;istakes causing the lost of ;erit (in general) 0. Not respecting the va5ra ;aster. 2. ;issing or making mistakes in the mantra 3. Not making offerings to the protectors. 4. Not offering to the 3 Fe!els. 8. Not caring for one@s va5ra brothers and sisters. <. Not offering to the local spirits (. Not believing in the po!er of pu5as E. Asking others to interpret ones dreams or signs !ith ;o divintation. >. 9etting too involved in !orldly life.

> &ays of +osing *iddhis 0. Telling others about one@s retreat.

2. Telling others about one@s signs. 3. Telling others about the name of one@s yidam. 4. 9iving empo!erments to other before one is )ualified to do so. 8. 9iving blessings to others before one is )ualified. <. Trying to control the !eather. (. Teaching one@s heart mantra to others. E. *haring secret teachings. >. G > &ays one !ill lose po!er 0. Not visuali1ing the deity clearly. 2. Not enough love and compassion. 3. +osing absolute Bodhicitta. 4. Not enough recitation of the ( +imb ,rayer. 8. Not enough mantra recitation. <. Too much recitation of !rathful mantras. (. Not enough concentration on the thoughts in one@s mind. E. 9iving unnecessary 5obs to the protectors. >. Trying to kill negative beings !ith mantra. > &ays of losing Blessings 0. Not prostrating enough to the va5ra master. 2. Not helping the va5ra master enough. 3. Al!ays complaining. 4. Complaining about one@s deity. 8. Complaining about one@s protector. <. Not praising the protectors. (. Complaining about one@s va5ra brothers and sisters.

E.

>. G 'ne should not give one@s clothes to others. 'ne should not bathe" !ash plates" lose bindu" feed dogs" give leftovers to dogs" shake out one@s mattress" or let others step on one@s shado!. 'ne should prostrate only to your root lama" one should not !ear other@s clothes" or eat too nice food as it increases one@s attachment. 'ne should not eat too poor food" or cut one@s nails or hair. 'ne should not try to cast out spirits or bless others. 'ne should not !ash one@s hair" teach from one@s !indo!" and not leave retreat early. 'ne should not recite !rathful mantras too loudly or spirits !ill become afraid. 'ne should not recite lying do!n" but keep a straight spine !hich !ill keep the channels straight allo!ing the !inds to flo! properly. 'ne should try to keep the ( point posture. 'ne should not spit on the road or thro! snot there. 'ne should not sleep in the daytime. There are many faults and obstacles related to sleeping in the day. 'ne should not start other pro5ects in retreat or spend time !atching tv or reading and so forth. $f you have good or bad dreams or signs you should not pay a lot of attention to them. All ritual substances and ob5ects should not be seen by others. Nectar and tormas should not be given to others. $n retreat !e should not come out even if !e are going to die. &e must recognise !hatever arises as an obstacle of mind. $f you follo! !hat arises it !ill get !orse. $f you don@t react to !hatever arises (visions" spirits" sickness etc.) then there is no !ay for it to harm you. /or e%ample if a spirit is attacking you if you do not react it has no !ay to connect to you and cannot bother you. 'bstacles from mistakes in retreat may not sho! up immediately. They can arise later. There are al!ays obstacles in anything !e do. The most important thing is to not react and continue practicing then one has the chance to become a really great yogi. 'bstacles are like the sound of practicing dharma. $f a bell is rung there is a sound. *imilarly the sign of one practicing are obstacles. They are a good sign. ou must remain concentrated like a hero or heroine. 'ne should not eat or sleep in various places !ithout keeping the place" or !ear other@s clothes. 'ne should al!ays purify clothes and food !ith purified !ater reciting 'm Ah Aung. 'ne should not !ear thick clothes like animal skins" or urinate and defecate in a place !here people !alk. 'ne should not display cra1y yogi activity before the proper time. The main point is to keep a silent retreat. Talking is a !aste of time and energy. $f you hold your speech samaya then the body can go any!here !ithout obstacles. At the very least one should keep silence in the daily sessions. 'ne needs continuous stable effort. 'ne should net decrease the mantra count one begins !ith. /or e%ample if you start !ith 0CCC mantras per session" one should not decrease this. $t is ok to increase the number" ho!ever. $n order to get siddhis one must do both the 9eneration and Completion stages. The essence of all mantras is 'm Ah Aung" one should recite this. 'ne should al!ays continue mantras and prayers in the post meditation to collect merit drop by drop. 6$n the yidam retreat of Chakrasamvara" one can visuali1e oneself as a single Chakrasamvara !ithout the yum in the post mediation time !hen !alking around" cooking" sleeping and so forth.7 The best type of mala is considered to be the ?aksha bead mala for !rathful practice. Bodhi seed malas can be used for any type of activity. Before using the mala for the first time one should !ash the mala and rub it !ith the 8 substances of the co! and sprinkle it !ith saffron !ater and bless it !ith mantra.

&hen one is in silence" one can use sign language to communicate !ith others. $f you must leave the retreat for some reason during the yidam retreat you must rinse your mouth before leaving and before re# entering the retreat !ith purified !ater. During mantra recitation the instructions for food restrictions are similar as before. 'ne should not teach to beings lacking capacity such as ones !ith little devotion or no connection to the dharma. 'ne should keep silence to get siddhis. 'ne should keep the three concentrations of body" speech" and mind to see the true nature of one@s mind. The concentration of the body is to keep a clear visuali1ation of the deity. The concentration of the speech is to recite the mantra clearly together !ith the mantra visuali1ation. The concentration of the mind is to keep clear concentration of the inseparability of you and the deity. ;arpa@s Advice After retreat if !e have to teach others" or give empo!erments or healing !e should do one !eek of Aeruka Chakrasamvara retreat together !ith the 'm e Dharma Ae TentuH mantra. Then one !ill not lose one@s mantra po!er. $f !e teach !ithout understanding the true nature of the mind then !e !ill lose mantra po!er and must do retreat again and again to recharge. 'ne should not use the Chakrasamvara mantra or one@s personal yidam mantra for public pu5as such as fire pu5as and so forth. This you must keep only for yourself. ou can do Chenre1ig or ang1ab Aayagriva and so forth. ou should do 0C e%tra mantras for each 0CC mantras one does in order to make up for mistakes and !hen one is breathing in and the mantra is not heard. 6Therefore one puts 000 beads on the mala to count for this.7 At the end of the session you should offer the mantra to the deity !ith the Tumbul prayer:

I$n this session $ have recited a total of (JJJJJ) mantras of the yidam. $ offer the merit $ have accumulated to yidam (JJJJJJJJJJJ). ;ay this offering benefit all sentient beings and purify the t!o obscurations and habitual tendencies since beginningless time. ;ay $ thus instantly obtain the supreme state of =a5radhara" including the four kinds of accomplishments. Through the immense po!er and blessed !ord of the Buddha" Dharma" and *angha" may this aspiration be fulfilledKL &e should not think that by offering this merit to the deity !e ourselves lose merit. ?ather it is like a small child giving their money to their parents for safekeeping so they don@t lose it. $f !e keep our merit !e are likely to lose it through developing anger or other negative emotions. /urthermore the yidam" like our parents" !ill be happy that !e have saved our merit and !ill !ant to re!ard us !ith more merit of granting siddhis and so forth. &hen chanting mantra is !e speak to someone !e must go back 4 beads. $f !e cough go back 8 beads. $f !e ya!n go back 3 beads. $f !e snee1e go back 0C beads. $f !e spit go back 0 bead. Bet!een sessions !e can recite the yidam mantra to increase our po!er and stability" but it should not be counted in the mantra accumulations. &e should not recite other deity@s mantras during the yidam retreat. &e must be e%act in our mantra count and not do less. ;ore is ok" especially for peaceful and increasing activities. /or ;agneti1ing (,o!erful) and &rathful activities !e should not do more than the suggested number of mantra.

Dreams and signs in retreat are taught to be seen as illusions" ho!ever on a relative level it is still of benefit to check dreams and signs. $f !e are disturbed in dreams !e should do a Tsog feast offering and generate Bodhicitta the ne%t day. $f !e have positive dreams !e should consult someone !ho understands dream signs because !e ourselves cannot al!ays decipher if a dream is good or bad. ,ositive dreams can tell of attainments of siddhis so !e should follo! their instructions. The )ualities gained from reciting the mantras of the four activities are: 0. ,eaceful M long life and increased merit 2. $ncreasing M !ealth and health 3. ,o!erful M po!er and ability to control beings and spirits 4. &rathful M ability to subdue enemies
/or mantras used to kill others if you recite more than is suggested in the te%t you can die yourself. 9enerally !e should not do these last 2 types of activities. $t !ill disturb our practice and shorten our life. Figten *umgon said these t!o are there to sho! that these are possible" ho!ever !e should not actually use them. $f you !ant to use them you must have the po!er to be able to bring being back to life. ;ahakala pu5a and other protector pu5as are very important. ,rotectors are like bodyguards. $f you do not offer regularly to them they !ill not come to help you and you !ill get many obstacles and also spirits can come and take your siddhis before you can receive them. Dharmakirti !rote do!n all this advice from various masters for the benefit of practitioners based on his o!n e%perience of !hat !as helpful for him.