Suppose there are three people: one going to Tashi Lheunpo, one to Rong, and one to Chushur. The first wants to go to Tashi Lhuenpo but must share some of the road with the other two. The three have three different things in mind – two are traveling to other Rong or Chushur, and the first intends to continue on to Tashi Lhuenpo.

So, in the small and medium-scope sections of the lamrim, you must focus on achieving Buddhahood for the sake of sentient beings. Developing Bodhicitta is the actual practice; the small- and medium-scope parts of the path are preliminaries to developing Bodhicitta. You may be wondering, “In that case it must be sufficient to teach the great scope from the outset. I doubt that the so-called small and medium are needed.”

There are two reasons for discussing all three.  There are people who cannot train their minds in the great scope initially, so they need to practice in stages through the small and medium scopes. This approach is more beneficial for people with good, mediocre, or inferior minds.

Also without some familiarity with the earlier parts of the path, you will have no renunciation at all in our mindstream, so you need to defeat any pride you may have about being a Mahayanist or follower of the secret tantras.

To develop Bodhicitta, which is the actual practice, you need to develop such compassion that you simply cannot bear others being tormented by suffering. But in order to develop this compassion, you must know exactly how you yourself are plagued by suffering. And you must understand that the whole of samsara is by nature suffering.

But first you must fear the lower realms, for without this you will have no repudiation of celestial and human happiness. You must therefore train your mind in the small- medium-scope parts of the path. This training is like the foundations and wall-supports of a house.

We have not yet achieved advanced results like previous practitioners. Je Milarepa trained in the common path under Marpa, and many of his songs are about his development of these realizations. And you need the lamrim to make the especially rapid progress promised by the secret tantras. This is the implication of the names the Easy Path and the Swift Path.

That Milarepa achieve the unification in one lifetime was not due to tantra alone; he had already trained in the path of the three scopes in former lives. In one former lifetime, for example, he was Kadampa Chagtrichog, as said in the introduction to mind training.

Although people who embark on the secret tantras must have trained in the shared part of the path beforehand, we did not do this: we embarked on the secret tantras first, did not keep our tantric commitments, and thought we meditated on the two stages. They say that many such people will go to the Vajra Hell.

You must be farsighted from the beginning. You must feel,” I am prepared to use my entire human life to pursue just one meditation topic of the lamrim.” But we are farsighted about worldly things, which is the wrong way round.

Lack persistence worldly things, not the Dharma. If you feel, “It’s impossible not to achieve anything in Dharma” and practice with courage, you will not have to spend a month or a year on a single meditation topic.

Geshe Kamaba said:

“We say our contemplations achieve nothing. Why do you think that is? Don’t lie: you are distracted in the daytime and fall asleep at night!”

In other words, never mind our spending a month on a meditation topic; we have not even meditated on a single topic for the length of a single meditation session. How unrealistic to feel, “Even now I haven’t developed realizations!”

We don’t make determined practice our starting point, yet we roll our eyes into the top of our head [and pretend to meditate] when we do just one recitation of, for example, [Tsongkhapa's] Basis of All Good Qualities. If we act in this way, our wish to develop insights and realizations into the lamrim is an extremely greedy one. This is where the fault lies.

Karag Gomchung Rinpoche, a Kadampa, said:

“Look far ahead. Be farsighted. Be in tune.”

These three things are vital. The meaning is that you must look far ahead to the goal of omniscience; be farsighted about the small and medium scopes; and meditate to reach the right pitch or tension. Your practice, too, should be at the right pitch.

When you receive the Dharma orally from your guru and then practice frantically for a few days with superficial renunciation, this is a sure sign that you will make no progress.

In the small scope section, you become moved to renounce the lower realms, and in the medium scope, you are moved to renounce all samsara. But you will not achieve this unless you depend on the lamrim.

Kyabjye Pabongka Rinpoche quoted this verse by Je Rinpoche:

Anyone unattached to worldly happiness who,
Yearning to give meaning to their optimum rebirth,
Follows a path pleasing to the victors-
O fortunate ones! Listen with clear minds.

The first line refers to the correct view according to the medium scope; the second refers to the small scope section of the path; the third to bodhicitta and the great scope…

Source: Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by Kyabjye Pabongka Rinpoche.

As I have already said, when you cultivate the part of the lamrim shared with the small scope and uphold ethics of abandoning the ten non-virtues, you will get a rebirth in the upper realms and be temporarily free from the sufferings of the lower realms.

Each of the three scopes contains its own version of the [first] cause of taking refuge. For the small scope it is: fear of going to the lower realms ourselves.

If you now feel, “I must work only for my future rebirths,” yearn for good rebirths only, and lose interest in this life’s trivia, you have developed your first type of realization into the small scope of the lamrim.

Dharma Protector of the Small Scope

Kalarupa/Kamayama/Dharmaraja Yama represents the impermanence of all rebirths; he also classifies people according to the laws of cause and effect and according to what sins or virtues people have done. If one relies on this Dharma Protector, one will easily develop realization into the small scope-that is, into impermanence, cause and effect, and so on.

Chapters of the Small Scope of study

1. The Optimum Human Rebirth; Remembering Death
2. The Suffering of the Lower Realms
3. Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels
4. Observing the Laws of Cause and Effect

Source: Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by Kyabjye Pabongka Rinpoche.

The medium scope include the practices as that will cause one to gain the definite excellence of liberation – such practices as abandoning [the first two] four truths, engaging in [the last of the two truths], and the practice of the three high trainings.

We train the mind according to the part of the path we share with the medium scope expressly so as to develop renunciation in our mindstreams, not actually to tread the medium-scope path.

In this medium-scope section of the lamrim, you must develop thoughts of yearning for liberation. There are two ways of developing these: by thinking about the nature of the four truths, or by thinking about the twelve links.

Each of the three scopes contains its own version of the [first] cause of taking refuge. For the medium scope: fear of samsara.

Nevertheless renunciation is the principal path in the medium-scope section. Following the development of renunciation in our mindstream, any virtue we create will be a cause for our liberation.

As long as we have not developed even a contrived form of the principles of the path, such as renunciation, any virtue we create will usually only turn samsara’s wheel.

Dharma Protector of the Medium Scope

Vaishravana is the lord of Dharma of the medium scope. The Maharaja Vaisharavana promised before Buddha to principally guard the vinaya part of the three baskets, as well as the high training of ethics from among the three high trainings.

Chapters of the Medium Scope of study

1. The General Sufferings of Samsara;
2. The Sufferings of the Higher Rebirths
3. Understanding the Causes of Samsara; The Path to Liberation

Source: Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by Kyabjye Pabongka Rinpoche.

His face has a stern expression with bushy eyebrows and a beard, and his eyes are wide and round. His body a rich golden yellow in color.

His right hand holds a victory banner, while his left holds a mongoose, commonly associated with good fortune in ancient India. The mongoose spits jewels symbolizing his capacity as a wealth deity.

Vaishravana has two main aspects: that of a warrior protector and that of a deity of wealth. He is one of the primary protectors of the Gelugpa Sect, specifically serving as the Protector of the middle scope of the Lamrim.

In his capacity as one of the Four Directional Guardians, he is often depicted on the outer walls of monasteries and temples, to safeguard against harmful interferences.

His spiritual energy in the form of sound that helps to transform the mind (Mantra):

OM VAISHRAVANA YE SOHA

Literally meaning “64 Offerings”, this puja calls upon the fierce energies of Kalarupa for protection and smooth flowing in one’s life journey, both secular and spiritual.

This puja is one of the few that are regularly done for protection and smoothness for spiritual practice in general.

Benefits:

• Protection from black magic
• Dispels harmful energies and spirits
• Development of wisdom
• Overcomes anger, fear, pride and jealousy

This puja is available in the Kechara Puja House in both Small and Medium puja sizes, depending on the scale of the problem. Click here for more information.