The Two Motivations

Pema Dragpa February 22, 2018

“In Vajrayana, there are two good motivations that are extremely important that we should always try to have: (1) the vastness motivation of bodhichitta and (2) the purity motivation of the Vajrayana. The opposite of these motivations are hindrances and obstacles to our practice, so we should avoid them.

We can activate and glorify the beautiful, vastness motivation of bodhichitta by thinking of all living beings. Bodhichitta is wisdom and compassion. When we unite and illuminate these together in our heart, everything becomes quite good and beautiful. This is the best way to develop our purity understanding of the true nature, which Vajrayana teachings often mention. We should see everything as beautiful and perfect. When we have love, compassion, and wisdom in our hearts, the glory of the Vajrayana naturally arises. This motivation is always important—not just for you or me, but for everyone who practices the Vajrayana.

The second motivation is the purity understanding of the true nature, which means that everything is naturally pure and beautiful. In Vajrayana, we don’t stay in the world of duality. Instead, we instantly leap over to the purity state of the true nature as it is, without being blocked by duality. Courageously and skillfully we lift ourselves up and out of the mundane samsara view. This doesn’t mean we’re trying to cover anything up by just saying it’s beautiful. When we’re not caught in the grasping of duality mind, we’re in the authentic nature of our mind. If we stay in the true nature for even one instant, it reveals the beautiful nature of everything.

In reality, everything is in this beautiful, natural state. But to realize this purity, we have to connect to our heart and the nature of our mind. If we abide in nondual awareness, we’ll begin to see that everything is already pure, divine, and enlightened. This is how we begin.

These two motivations are very important. The teachings always mention them, and we’ve heard about them so many times from Khenchen Rinpoche. Every time he taught, he always highlighted these motivations. Not only him, but also whenever we read or receive teachings from other great masters, such as His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, they always highlight these motivations because they are the essence of our practice. They are our ground and foundation—the platform we’re standing on. With this base, we can begin to develop everything mentioned in the Vajrayana. But without this firm foundation, our practice won’t go very far. That’s what the teachings say and that’s really how it is. In a way, these two motivations are very basic, but they’re so important and we must be firmly rooted in them.”

Ven. Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche

The Essential Journey of Life and Death, Vol. 1:

Chapter 18 (pgs 227-228)

Photo of Ven. Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche at PBC Orgyen Samye Chokhor Ling Nunnery in 2013.