Thus, this teaching from the

glorious voice of Buddha on the

four ways of relying completely

reveals the meaning of everything,

which is the way of taking wisdom

as the path and the pinnacle and

king of all vehicles.

2

for Marion Anna, moonlike dharma sister

chin lab edition 2013 The Dharma is nobodys property. It belongs to

whoever is most interested.Patrul Rinpoche, Words of My PerfectTeacher

3

Contents

1.The Four Reliances: Article from Rigpa Wiki

Miphams commentary

from The Sword of Wisdom

2. Jikme Lingpa

From: Treasury of Precious Qualities

3. Dungse Thinley Norbu

From: Cascading Waterfall of Nectar

4. The Dalai Lama

From: Dzogchen: Heart Essence of the Great Perfection

5. Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

From: Not for Happiness

6. Sogyal Rinpoche

From: The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

7.Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche

From: Rebel Buddha

8. Robert A.F. Thurman, Buddhist Hermeneutics

4

From Rigpa Wiki

The four reliances (Skt. catupratisaraa; Tib. tnpa shyi;

Wyl. rton pa bzhi)

1. Rely on the message of the teacher, not on his personality

(gang zag la mi rton/ chos la rton);

2. Rely on the meaning, not just on the words (tshig la mi rton/

don la rton);

3. Rely on the real meaning, not on the provisional one (drang

don la mi rton/ nges don la rton);

4. Rely on your wisdom mind, not on your ordinary,

judgemental mind (rnam shes la mi rton/ ye shes la rton).

1 Commentary

o 1.1 1. Do not rely on the individual, but on the

Dharma

o 1.2 2. Do not on the words, but on the meaning

o 1.3 3. Do not rely on the provisional meaning, but on

the definitive meaning

o 1.4 4. Do not rely on the ordinary mind, but rely on

wisdom

5

Commentary Mipham Rinpoche says in The Sword of Wisdom:

If you do not have such understanding,

Then, like a blind man leaning on his staff,

You can rely on fame, mere words or what is easy to

understand,

And go against the logic of the four reliances.

1. Do not rely on the individual, but on the Dharma He also says in The Sword of Wisdom:

Therefore do not rely on individuals,

But rely upon the Dharma.

Freedom comes from the genuine path that is taught,

Not the one who teaches it.

When the teachings are well presented,

It does not matter what the speaker is like.

Even the bliss-gone buddhas themselves

Appear as butchers and such like to train disciples.

If he contradicts the meaning of the Mahayana and so on,

Then however eloquent a speaker may seem,

He will bring you no benefit,

Like a demon appearing in a buddhas form.

2. Do not on the words, but on the meaning

Mipham Rinpoche says:

Whenever you study or contemplate the Dharma,

Rely not on the words, but on the meaning.

If the meaning is understood, then regardless of the

speakers style,

There will be no conflict.

When you have understood what it was

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The speaker intended to communicate,

If you then continue to think about each word and

expression,

It is as if youve found your elephant but now go in search of

its footprints.

If you misinterpret what is said and then think of more

words,

Youll never stop till you run out of thoughts,

But all the while youre only straying further and further

from the meaning.

Like children playing, youll only end up exhausted.

Even for a single word like and or but,

When taken out of context, theres no end to what it might

mean.

Yet if you understand what is meant,

Then with that the need for the word is finished.

When the finger points to the moon,

The childish will look at the finger itself.

And fools attached to mere language,

May think theyve understood, but they will find it difficult.

3. Do not rely on the provisional meaning, but on the

definitive meaning Mipham Rinpoche says:

When it comes to the meaning,

You should know what is provisional and what is definitive,

And rely not on any provisional meaning,

But only on the meaning that is true definitively.

The omniscient one himself in all his wisdom,

Taught according to students capacities and intentions,

Presenting vehicles of various levels

Just like the rungs of a ladder.

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Wisely, he spoke with certain intentions in mind,

As with the eight kinds of implied and indirect teachings.

If these were to be taken literally they might be invalidated,

But they were taught for specific reasons.

4. Do not rely on the ordinary mind, but rely on wisdom

Mipham Rinpoche says:

When taking the definitive meaning into experience,

Do not rely upon the ordinary dualistic mind

That chases after words and concepts,

But rely upon non-dual wisdom itself.

That which operates with conceptual ideas

Is the ordinary mind, whose nature involves perceiver and

perceived.

All that is conceived in this way is false

And will never touch upon the actual nature of reality.

Any idea of real or unreal, both or neither

Any such concept, however its conceivedis still only a

concept,

And whatever ideas we hold in mind,

They are still within the domain of Mara.

This has been stated in the sutras.

It is not by any assertion or denial

That we will put an end to concepts.

But once we see without rejecting or affirming, there is

freedom.

Although it is without any subject-object grasping,

There is naturally occurring wisdom that illuminates itself,

And all ideas of existence, non-existence, both and neither

have ceased completely

This is said to be supreme primordial wisdom.

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The definitive meaning can either be understood conceptually, by

means of ideas, or it can be experienced directly as the object of

non-conceptual awareness wisdom. As long as you are caught up in

the conceptual extremes of negation and affirmation, existence and

non-existence and so on, you have not gone beyond the realm of

the ordinary mind. When you arrive at the sublime experience of

wisdom, and all dualistic ideas have been pacified, you are in

harmony with the nature of reality, which is beyond any kind of

refutation and establishment or denial and affirmation, and you

have reached the true depths of the Dharma.

Jikme Lingpa, From: Treasury of Precious Qualities

It is the nature of the ordinary mind to fabricate thoughts; and

words and expressions proliferate accordingly. Therefore, any

examination of the way in which an individual can observe the three

vows together naturally gives rise to endless assertions. They can

all, however, be condensed into the following principle according to

the teaching of the four reliances. (p.312)

The keys that open the treasure chest of Dharma

The twelve branches of scripture, which set forth the doctrine of the

two truths, are evaluated by the wisdom that arises from hearing

the teaching. This evaluation involves the making of two

distinctions: ( 1) the distinction between the teachings of definitive

meaning and the teachings

of expedient meaning; and ( 2) the distinction between the four

kinds of implied teaching* and the four kinds of indirect teaching.

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This assessment can only be made by applying the principle of the

four reliances. (p.336)

The four reliances are as follows:

1. Knowledge of the Dharma comes from following a spiritual

friend. However, the object of reliance is not the person of the

teacher but the doctrine that he or she expounds. One should

follow a teacher only after examining what he or she says.

2. Since the teaching is to be implemented, one should rely on

its meaning, not on its mode of expression.

3 The meaning has two aspects: expedient and definitive. One

must rely on the definitive meaning, and though one follows the

expedient teaching for the time being, one should always do so

with a view to the definitive meaning.

4 The definitive meaning is comprehended by the mind.

However, since intellectual assessment, however excellent, does

not extend beyond the relative truth , it should not be relied

upon. Reliance should be placed in thought-free wisdom that

sees the absolute truth directly." [YG II, 425]

Dungse Thinley Norbu, from: Cascading Waterfall of

Nectar,

Thus, as it says, Vajrayana surpasses the causal vehicle with

characteristics in these four ways.

In particular, as our incomparable Lord Buddha Shakyamuni said:

Do not rely on an ordinary individual; rely on Dharma.

Do not rely on the words; rely on their meaning.

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Do not rely on relative truth; rely on absolute truth.

Do not rely on consciousness; rely on wisdom.

Thus, this teaching from the glorious voice of Buddha on the four

ways of relying completely reveals the meaning of everything,

which is the way of taking wisdom as the path and the pinnacle and

king of all vehicles.

It is as said in The Precious Treasure of the Supreme Vehicle:

In the aim of the common, conceptual vehicle, even though mind is

the basis, path, and result, all of these do not arrive at the meaning.

In this vehicle of Vajrayana, wisdom is the basis, path, and result of

Buddha, so by establishing wisdom, liberation from samsara is

swift. In other vehicles, although there is hope to attain

enlightenment, the basis is the root of samsara, which is ordinary

mind. Not only does that path take a long time, but the result is

extremely difficult to accomplish because the way of establishing

the basis is mistaken.

The Dalai Lama, Dzogchen: Heart Essence of the Great

Perfection

When mind is explained from the point of view of the Highest Yoga

Tantra teachings and the path of mantra, we find that many

different levels or aspects of mind are discussed, some coarser and

some more subtle. But at the very root, the most fundamental level

embraced by these teachings is mind as the fundamental, innate

nature of mind. This is where we come to the distinction between

the word sem in Tibetan, meaning "ordinary mind and the word

rigpa signifying pure awareness. Generally speaking, when we use

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the word sem, we are referring to mind when it is temporarily

obscured and distorted by thoughts based upon the dualistic

perceptions of subject and object. When we are discussing pure

awareness, genuine consciousness or awareness free of such

distorting thought patterns, then the term rigpa is employed. The

teaching known as the Four Reliances states: Do not rely upon

ordinary consciousness but rely upon wisdom. Here the term

namshe, or ordinary consciousness, refers to mind involved with

dualistic perceptions. Yeshe, or wisdom, refers to mind free from

dualistic perceptions. It is on this basis that the distinction can be

made between ordinary mind and pure awareness.

When we say that mind is the agent responsible for bringing the

universe into being, we are talking about mind in the sense of rigpa,

and specifically its quality of spontaneous presence. At the same

time, the very essence of that spontaneously present rigpa is

timelessly empty, and primordially pure totally pure by its very

nature so there is a unity of primordial purity and spontaneous

presence. The Nyingma school distinguishes between the ground

itself, and the ground manifesting as appearances through

the'eight doorways of spontaneous presence, and this is how this

school accounts for all of the perceptions, whether pure or impure,

that arise within the mind. Without ever deviating from basic space,

these manifestations and the perceptions of them, pure or impure,

arise in all their variety. That is the situation concerning the ground,

from the point of view of the Nyingma school.

On the basis of that key point, when we talk about the path, and if

we use the special vocabulary of the Dzogchen tradition and refer

to its own extraordinary practices, the path is twofold, that of

trekcho and togal. The trekcho approach is based upon the

primordial purity of mind, kadak, while the togal approach is based

upon its spontaneous presence, Ihundrup. This is the equivalent in

the Dzogchen tradition of what is more commonly referred to as

the path that is the union of skilful means and wisdom.

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When the fruition is attained through relying on this twofold path of

trekcho and togal, the 'inner lucidity of primordial purity leads to

dharmakaya, while the 'outer lucidity' of spontaneous presence

leads to the rupakava. This is the equivalent of the usual description

of dhamakaya as the benefit that accrues to oneself and the

rupakaya as the benefit that comes to others. The terminology is

different, but the understanding of what the terms signify is

parallel. When the latent, inner state of buddhahood becomes fully

evident for the practitioner him or herself, this is referred to as

inner lucidity and is the state of primordial purity, which is

dharmakaya. When the natural radiance of mind becomes manifest

for the benefit of others, its responsiveness accounts for the entire

array of form manifestations, whether pure or impure, and this is

referred to as 'outer lucidity, the state of spontaneous presence

which comprises the rupakaya.

In the context of the path, then, this explanation of primordial

purity and spontaneous presence, and what is discussed in the

newer schools of Highest Yoga Tantra both come down to the same

ultimate point: the fundamental innate mind of clear light.

What, then, is the profound and special feature of the Dzogchen

teachings? According to the more recent traditions of Tibetan

Buddhism, collectively known as the Sarma schools of the Secret

Mantra Vehicle, in order for this fundamental innate mind of clear

light to become fully evident, it is necessary first of all for the

coarser levels of ordinary mind, caught up with thoughts and

concepts, to be harnessed by yogas, such as the yoga of vital

energies, pranayoga, or the yoga of inner heat, tummo. On the

basis of these yogic practices, and in the wake of those adventitious

thought patterns of ordinary mind being harnessed and purified,

the fundamental innate mind of clear light mind in that sense

becomes fully evident.

From the point of view of Dzogchen, the understanding is that the

adventitious level of mind, which is caught up with concepts and

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thoughts, is by its very nature permeated by pure awareness. In an

experiential manner, the student can be directly introduced by an

authentic master to the very nature of his or her mind as pure

awareness. If the master is able to effect this direct introduction,

the student then experiences all of these adventitious layers of

conceptual thought as permeated by the pure awareness which is

their nature, so that these layers of ordinary thoughts and concepts

need not continue. Rather, the student experiences the nature that

permeates them as the fundamental innate mind of clear light,

expressing itself in all its nakedness. That is the principle by which

practice proceeds on the path of Dzogchen.

The Role of an Authentic Guru

So in Dzogchen, the direct introduction to rigpa requires that we

rely upon an authentic guru, who already has this experience. It is

when the blessings of the guru infuse our mindstream that this

direct introduction is effected. But it is not an easy process. In the

early translation school of the Nyingma, which is to say the

Dzogchen teachings, the role of the master is therefore crucial.

In the Vajrayana approach, and especially in the context of

Dzogchen, it is necessary for the instructions to be given by a

qualified master. That is why, in such approaches, we take refuge in

the guru as well as in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. In some

sense, it is not sufficient simply to take refuge in the three sources

of refuge; a fourth element is added, that of taking refuge in the

guru. And so we say, I take refuge in the guru; I take refuge in the

Buddha; I take refuge in the Dharma; I take refuge in the Sangha. It

is not so much that the guru is in any way separate or different from

the Three Jewels, but rather that there is a particular value in

counting the guru separately. I have a German friend who said to

me, You Tibetans seem to hold the guru higher than the Buddha.

He was astonished. But this is not quite the way to understand it. It

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is not as though the guru is in any way separate from the Three

Jewels, but because of the crucial nature of our relationship with

the guru in such practice and teachings, the guru is considered of

great importance.

Now this requires that the master be qualified and authentic. If a

master is authentic, he or she will be either a member of the sangha

that requires no more training, or at least the sangha that still

requires training but is at an advanced level of realization. An

authentic guru, and I stress the word authentic", must fall into one

of these two categories. So it is because of the crucial importance

of a qualified and authentic guru, one who has such realization, that

such emphasis is placed, in this tradition, on the role of the guru.

This may have given rise to a misconception, in that people have

sometimes referred to Tibetan Buddhism as a distinct school of

practice called Lamaism, on account of this emphasis on the role

of the guru. All that is really being said is that it is important to have

a master, and that it is important for that master to be authentic

and qualified.

Even in the case of an authentic guru, it is crucial for the student to

examine the guru s behaviour and teachings. You will recall that

earlier I referred to the Four Reliances. These can be stated as

follows:

Do not rely upon the individual, but rely upon the teaching.

As far as the teachings go, do not rely upon the words alone, but

rely upon the meaning that underlies them.

Regarding the meaning, do not rely upon the provisional

meaning alone, but rely upon the definitive meaning.

And regarding the definitive meaning, do not rely upon ordinary

consciousness, but rely upon wisdom awareness.

This is how a student should examine a teacher, using these four

reliances. Our teacher, Lord Buddha, said:

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O bhiksus and wise men,

Just as a goldsmith would test his gold

By burning, cutting, and rubbing it,

So you must examine my words and accept them,

But not merely out of reference for me.

Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, Not for Happiness

The Guru Is the Dharma

In the sutras, the same advice about how to follow a guru (often

known as the four reliances) appears again and again: do not

depend on the person, but on the dharma he teaches; do not

focus on the superficial meaning of his words, but on their full

and complete meaning; do not depend on teachings that require

interpretation, but on absolute teachings; and do not depend on

the mind, but on wisdom.

In our everyday lives we are rarely successful at judging others by

their appearance and behaviour alone; and on the spiritual path it is

never a good idea to become too dependent on the personality and

character of your guru. Having analysed him thoroughly and

decided to take him as your path, the important thing is no longer

to categorize him as a "person," because from this point on the guru

is the dharma.

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Sogyal Rinpoche, Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

In Buddhism we establish whether a teacher is authentic by

whether or not the guidance he or she is giving accords with the

teaching of Buddha. It cannot be stressed too often that it is the

truth of the teaching which is all-important, and never the

personality of the teacher. This is why Buddha reminded us in the

"Four Reliances":

Rely on the message of the teacher, not on his personality;

Rely on the meaning, not just on the words;

Rely on the real meaning, not on the provisional one;

Rely on your wisdom mind, not on your ordinary, judgmental

mind.

So it is important to remember that the true teacher, as we shall

see, is the spokesperson of the truth: its compassionate "wisdom

display." All the buddhas, masters, and prophets, in fact, are the

emanations of this truth, appearing in countless skillful,

compassionate guises in order to guide us, through their teaching,

back to our true nature. At first, then, more important than finding

the teacher is finding and following the truth of the teaching, for it

is through making a connection with the truth of the teaching that

you will discover your living connection with a master.

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Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Rebel Buddha

GOING FORWARD: WHAT TO RELY ON

With all the different teachers and teachings we are exposed to

these days, how do we know who to listen to and which teachings

we can have confidence in? The Buddha addressed the question of

spiritual authority in a teaching that came to be called the Four

Reliances. These Four Reliances can help us develop a better

understanding of our way forward in this culture and at this time.

He said,

Rely on the teaching, not the person.

Rely on the meaning, not the words.

Rely on the definitive meaning, not the provisional meaning.

Rely on wisdom, not on consciousness!

We should make a poster of these instructions and hang it

everywhere: in our living room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, on

the floors and ceilings. They are that-important. When we practice

these Four Reliances, we can have confidence that we're on the

right path and that we'll receive the full benefit of it.

First Reliance: Rely on the Teaching

When the Buddha says, "Rely on the teaching, not the person," this

means that we shouldn't be fooled by appearances. The teacher

may be very attractive, come from an illustrious family, and ride in a

limousine with many attendants. Conversely, he or she may look

quite ordinary and live in humble circumstances. Whether the

teacher is Asian or Western, male or female, young or old,

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conventional or unconventional, famous or unknown, you can judge

how qualified and reliable a teacher is by looking at the quality and

effectiveness of his or her instructions, degree of insight and

realization, and lineage connections. This is important, because

there have been many worthy teachers whose appearance and

lifestyles didn't match their students' expectations. Therefore, you

should rely more on the teaching than on what you think or feel

about the person who gives it.

Second Reliance: Rely on the Meaning

Here the Buddha's message, "Rely on the meaning, not the words,"

is that we should rely for guidance on the meaning that's being

pointed out and not just on our conceptual understanding of the

words. Meaning is carried by words but is not the words

themselves. If we get caught at the level of words, we may think

that our conceptual understanding is ultimate, a true experience of

realization. But we should understand that words are like the finger

that points at the moon. If we look only at the finger, we remain at

the level of concept. We will only fully understand the meaning of

the words when we stop looking at the finger and turn toward the

moon. We do this by reflecting deeply on what we've heard, until

our reflections carry us beyond the words to a more direct and

personal experience of their meaning. You'll only know what Earl

Grey tea is by drinking the tea in your cup. You'll only know what

emptiness is by discovering the experience within yourself.

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Third Reliance: Rely on the Definitive Meaning

With "rely on the definitive meaning, not the provisional meaning,"

the Buddha is pointing out that we need to know not only the

meaning of words but also when a meaning is "definitive" and when

it is "provisional." That's another way of saying that some meanings

are ultimate and some are relative. An ultimate meaning is final and

complete that's the way it truly is, and there's nothing more to be

said about that topic. A relative meaning may be an important and

powerful understanding, but it's not final or complete; it's

something that's intended to lead us further. We learn many

relative truths on our way to understanding the ultimate truth. For

example, when Buddha taught the truth of suffering, it helped lead

people to the path that freed them from suffering. However,

suffering is relative in nature; it doesn't exist in the ultimate nature

of mind. What does exist is selflessness, compassion, joy,

wakefulness, and so forth. That is mind's ultimate nature. In the

third reliance, the Buddha is saying to rely on meanings that are

definitive or ultimate. If we tried to hold on to our belief in suffering

as an ultimate truth, then we could never experience the joy of

being free from suffering.

Fourth Reliance: Rely on Wisdom

Here the Buddha is saying that in order to directly experience and

comprehend the definitive, or ultimate, meaning we're talking

about, we need to rely on wisdom-mind's capacity to know in a

non-conceptual way-and not on our dualistic consciousness. When

we say, "consciousness," we're talking about relative mind: the

appearances of the five sense perceptions and the conceptual,

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thinking mind. What is their relationship to wisdom? They're the

manifestation and play of wisdom itself. As vivid as they are, these

appearances have no solid existence. However, until we recognize

that, it can be difficult to see the wisdom inherent in all our

experiences, especially our thoughts and emotions. So how do we

practice this reliance? Once we understand this intellectually, we

need to develop more confidence in it and make it part of our

ordinary experience. For example, when a thought arises, we

remind ourselves that it's just a thought. If it's an angry thought, a

wish to harm someone, we can use that very thought to make a

connection to wisdom, first on a relative level. If we mix our anger

with the thought of compassion, then that changes the signal we're

sending in a fundamental way. It brings a sense of openness and

heart connection that may allow for a better relationship in the

future. So until we're able to connect with ultimate wisdom, it's

important to remember to connect with the qualities of relative

wisdom-a simple sense of openness and compassion for ourselves

and others. When we can do that, we're relying on wisdom and not

on consciousness.

When we examine these Four Reliances, it becomes clear that the

Buddha is showing us how to be self-reliant and discriminating and

how to avoid confusion by not mistaking an inferior authority for a

superior one. They all point to the trustworthiness of our own

intelligence and our capacity to recognize truth. We can also see

that the Buddha is saying that the ultimate guide for our path is

wisdom, not any fixed set of cultural forms, rituals, or practices.

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May this illusory merit allow

illusory beings to go through

illusory stages and reach

illusory buddhahood.

Mahasiddha Thangtong Gyalpo