The Three Profound Pith Instructions: Selections of Tibetan Buddhism Texts by the Venerated Mipham Rinpoche (vegetarian), Part 1 of 2

Today we are pleased to present “The Three Profound Pith Instructions” by the Venerated Master Mipham Rinpoche, which offers guidance on how to overcome fear, pain, and mental anxiety.

The Three Profound Pith Instructions

“I pay homage to Mañjuśhri. If you want victory over the battlefield Of sickness, harmful influences, and mental afflictions, You need the pith instructions on dissolution into the internal body, Into the external world, and in and of itself.”

The Pith Instruction for Dissolution of the External World Into the Internal Body

“If intense fear of harmful influences and obstructing forces arises and nothing eases it regardless of what you do, lay aside the use of protection circles, wrathful mantras, and other such methods for expelling it. How do the countless harmful influences and obstructing forces present here in the three realms cause harm? Within the falsehood arising from the mind that there is a ‘harmdoer’ and ‘one who is harmed.’ Under the influence of dualistic perceptions, we label ‘harm.’ If there were no such grasping, there could be no harm. For instance, if someone is afraid to be next to the corpse of a person who died under terrible circumstances, they could be negatively affected by the corpse. But if a corpse were placed in a bag unbeknownst to them, they wouldn’t be afraid even if they used that bag as a pillow, and likewise it wouldn’t adversely affect them. In this way, we can see that everything is dependent upon whether or not we change our mind. In particular, if one clings to oneself as someone who is harmed and to others as harmdoers, and then fears encountering them— imagining all the problems of meeting them— this fear is the root source of harm, not those harmful influences. […]

If you do not have recognition, think, ‘I’ll allow whatever happens to happen, and whatever is, to be what it is,’ and rest with a relaxed and open mind. Using this example, practice the same way in response to all fears relating to the external world. If you practice in this exact way anytime fear escalates, fear will decrease. As meditative experience gradually increases, the fear of harmful influences will be overcome. […]”