THE THREE CHARACTERS

OF MIND ONLY SCHOOL

AN EXPLANATION BY
KHENPO TSULTRIM GYATSO

BY TONY DUFF
PADMA KARPO TRANSLATION COMMITTEE
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 THE THREE CHARACTERS
OF MIND ONLY SCHOOL

AN EXPLANATION BY
KHENPO TSULTRIM GYATSO

BY TONY DUFF
PADMA KARPO TRANSLATION COMMITTEE
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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

THE THREE CHARACTERS OF MIND ONLY SCHOOL: AN

EXPLANATION BY KHENPO TSULTRIM GYATSO . . . . . . 1

TIBETAN TEXT OF THE EXPLANATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

iii
 INTRODUCTION

The Three Characters are what are called the Imagined,

Dependent, and Fully Existing characters. These three
characters are an essential part of the definitions used in the
Mind Only school of Buddhist philosophy. These three
characters are a way of summing up all the phenomena that
exist and characterizing them according to the level of delusion
or wisdom involved. This helps samsaric beings to understand
their present situation, gives them a guide to the workings
of mind on the path, and shows them how the fruition will
be, too. All in all, the Three Characters give a practitioner
a way to categorize the experiences of their world into these
three characters: totally imagined; not imagined but fictional
nonetheless; and fully existing as ultimate reality.

The definitions of Mind Only school are, in general, very

practical and because of that, the definitions are often used
in other Buddhist systems. For example, the Other Empty
school, whose presentation of the view is preferred in two
of the four traditions of Tibetan BuddhismKagyu and
Nyingmaincorporates elements of both Mind Only and
Middle Way schools, including the Three Characters of the
Mind Only school. Also, the tantras coming from India into

v
vi THREE CHARACTERS OF THE MIND ONLY SCHOOL

Tibet used much of the Mind Only School definition in their

explanations of reality, including the Three Characters. For
these reasons, a knowledge of the Three Characters and the
subjects related to them is indispensable for anyone trying
to understand any of these views or schools.

Khenpo Tsultrim Gyatso, who at the time of writing was one

of the two greatest living khenpos of the Karma Kagyu
tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, has been teaching subjects
like this to Westerners for many years. The khenpo began
to visit Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoches centres in the United
States in the mid-1980's. As part of that, he visited the Naropa
Institute in September, 1986, and gave a simple but clear
explanation of the Three Characters. I obtained a transcription
of the Tibetan, edited it for clarity, translated that, and added
an explanation to help to understand the terminology involved.
This, the result, includes the edited Tibetan text. The Tibetan
text is not difficult; the khenpo spoke clearly and simply on
what could be a difficult subject and the Tibetan is very easy
to follow because of it.

A BRIEF GUIDE TO THE MIND ONLY SYSTEM

Each philosophical school and for that matter each practice

tradition of Buddhism shares a general Buddhist vocabulary
with all other Buddhist schools and traditions but each also
has its own, unique terminology as well as its own, unique
way of using more generally shared terms. To become
proficient in any of these schools or traditions, including Mind
Only school, requires learning the general vocabulary of
Buddhism and unique vocabularies and ways of each school.
To help the reader, I will give a brief introduction to Mind
Only school philosophy and review terms used in it that are
seen in the khenpos explanation.
 INTRODUCTION vii

Most of the conventional or exoteric schools of Buddhism

assert that there are external phenomena which are made of
matter other than mind stuff. Mind Only on the other hand
claims that there are no external phenomena made of
something other than mind, that there is only mind. Hence,
it gets its name Mind Only.

Mind Only school states that mind gets confused and projects
external phenomena where there are none. When that mind
is unconfused it stops projecting outwardly and looks inward
at itself. Thus Mind Only divides all knowable phenomena
into two types: one type which belongs the situation created
when mind is looking outwardly and viewing things
accordingly. All the things involved in this situation are
summed up as the outwardly viewing aspect. The other
is the situation where mind is looking inwardly and viewing
thing accordingly. All the things involved in this situation
are summed up as the inwardly viewing aspect.

In the outwardly viewing aspect, the one mind has seemingly

split into two aspects. One aspect is the perceiver side or factor
and the other is the side or factor that is the appearances
referenced by it. Note the use of the term referenced. The
term to reference is a general term of Buddhism that always
indicates a situation where mind is perceiving dualistically.
It means that mind is not simply knowing its objects but is
referencing them via conceptual tags. Thus, whenever you
see the term to reference in a Buddhist text, you should
understand immediately that the dualistic situation of
perception is being discussed.

Thus, in the outwardly viewing case, mind has developed

two faces that appear simultaneously. Special names are given
to these two faces: mind appearing in the form of the external
viii THREE CHARACTERS OF THE MIND ONLY SCHOOL

object being referenced is called that which is grasped. Mind

appearing in the form of the consciousness that is referencing
it is called the grasper or grasping of it. Thus, there is
the pair of terms grasped-grasper or grasped-grasping.
When these two terms are used, it alerts you immediately
to the fact that a Mind Only style of presentation is being
discussed and it should bring the whole flavour of Mind Only
along with it. This pair of terms pervades Mind Only,
Madhyamaka, and tantric writings and is exceptionally
important in all of them.

Note that you could substitute the word apprehended for

grasped and apprehender for grasper or grasping
and that would reflect one connotation of the original Indian
terminology. You might find that approach helpful when
reading the khenpos explanation.

The solidified duality of grasped and grasper is nothing but

an invention of dualistic thought. It has that kind of character
or characteristic. Therefore, the Mind Only school sets this
down as the most confused way that reality appears. In this
case, it is appearing to a mind that does not see reality, a
confused mind as it is called. It is nothing but labelling1
by thought. This term nothing but labelling has been
translated in various ways. Although it is not literal, I have
used the common translation imagined to give the right
feel for it; it is totally invented by confused mind and therefore
is imagined. Anything that has this character is the first
of the three characters.

1
This is the most literal translation of the Tibetan kun btags. The
Sanskrit is parikalpita.
 INTRODUCTION ix

Even without the extra overlay of this imagined duality,

appearances of the world still appear to beings because of
karma. The appearances and the consciousnesses that know
them are all mind in this case but they have some truth to
them in that they are the straightforward productions of karma.
These appearances and consciousness come about in
dependence on karmic latencies and therefore they are
dependent on those latencies. This level of reality then is
characterised as dependent. This level is still an invention
it is an invention of the karmic process, however, it is not an
outright fabrication of totally confused thought, total
imagination, so it has a little more reality to it. This is the
second of the three characters.

One of the qualities of the Mind Only school is that it is very

closely connected with practice rather than philosophy. It
is also known as the school of those who engage in practice
Yogacharafor that reason. Because of that, the terminology
of the school comes from practical experience rather than
philosophy. Philosophers sometimes mistakenly translate
the terms of the school for that reason. For example, this
second character has been called other powered by
philosophers. However, it is simpler than that; it is a
dependent situation no more and no less, and that is exactly
what the words used to name it mean2.

2
Skt. paratantra, Tib. gzhan dbang. The term is widely used simply
to mean dependent and is one of a pair of terms, the other being
Skt. svatantra, Tib. rang dbang, independent. These words are
in wide use in normal culture, even today in India. For example,
an independent nation is called svatantra and is described as not
being paratantra meaning independent, not dependent, not subject
to someone elses control.
x THREE CHARACTERS OF THE MIND ONLY SCHOOL

The very essence of the mind that is presenting itself as the

appearances and consciousnesses that are dependent in
character is a pure mind that knows its own nature. This is
the wisdom of a buddha. It exists fully and completely in
the sense that it is not manufactured in any way at all. It is
not a product of confusion in any way at all. Unlike the
phenomena of the first two characters, which are products
to a greater and lesser degree respectively of the fundamental
confusion of ignorance, it is just what it is, existing as it does,
is not a product of manufacture or alteration in the slightest,
and never changes from being so. It is present as something
that is fully existing3 and is named accordingly. This is the
third of the three characters.

The third character has been translated as thoroughly

established by philosophers but this makes it sound as though
it is referring to something that you really can prove, logically.
That is not what the name is about. The name is a practitioners
name used to refer to that which is really exists as it is, with
no part of it being less than real. The name is given in relation
to the other two characters, each of which is less than real
so this one is the real thing, so to speak, compared to the other
two characters.

In this way, the Mind Only school starts with mind and shows
how three levels of reality and unreality belong to it. These
can be connected with the two truths common to all of
Buddhas teaching, the fictional and superfactual truths4.

3
Skt. parinihpanna, Tib. yongs grub.
4
Fictional and superfactual are much better translations of the
key pair of Buddhist terms that have usually been translated mostly
as relative and absolute respectively.
The Sanskrit term behind fictional, saviti, is a common
 INTRODUCTION xi

The Fully Existing character is the superfactual truth and the

other two characters are in fictional truth. There are various
ways of explaining this but that gives the reader a simple idea
of it.

word that was used in ordinary language. It means a fiction, a

deliberate coverup. Thus the word was used in a variety of Indian
religions, including Buddhism, to refer to the reality of ordinary
beings, ones who are not spiritually advanced. The reality that these
beings experience is a trumped up one, a big fiction, made up by
their delusion.
The term fictional pairs with another term that is widely used
amongst Indian religions for talking about the reality of beings who
are spiritually advanced enough to see things as they really are.
The term, paramrtha, means the spiritually superior (parama)
fact known by mind (artha). This is the fact of how things are.
In other words, it refers to the superior level of reality to the fictional
one made up by sentient beings, a level which is known by spiritually
advanced beings, and which is simply a factreality without any
fictions. There is no equivalent for this in English so I have coined
the new term superfactual, which is not only a very accurate
translation of both the Sanskrit and Tibetan terms but also conveys
the meaning correctly, as shown in this paragraph.
The two terms fictional and superfactual are used in any
discussion of the two levels of reality that exist for beings as a whole:
the fictional level of reality that sentient beings create for themselves
by means of their delusion and the superior, factual level of reality
that undeluded beings know as a fact. The terms relative and
absolute sound nice but do not convey either the meanings of
the original words nor the meanings that the Buddha gave to them
when explaining these two levels of reality. The terms fictional and
superfactual not only translate the original terms accurately but
also convey the sense of the terms as used by the Buddha. Note
the difference in feeling that you get when you use fictional and
superfactual as opposed to relative and absolute.
xii THREE CHARACTERS OF THE MIND ONLY SCHOOL

Most Buddhist schools look at human consciousness and

divide it up into six types, coming up with a group of six
consciousnesses each operating in a different way. This is
called the six-fold group. The Mind Only School though
asserts that there are eight consciousnesses. In the end, the
two extra consciousnesses of Mind Only schoolthe seventh
and eighth onescome down to being aspects of the sixth
consciousnessmind consciousnessof the six-fold group.
The eighth consciousness, called the laya consciousness, is
defined in many ways, some very different from others, so
one has to be on ones toes when reading literature that
mentions it. In standard Mind Only presentations, it is the
place where karmic seeds are imprinted on the mind and
where they are stored until they ripen. It is used with that
meaning in the khenpos explanation.

There are many words for karmic seeds, each one highlighting
a different aspect of the same thing. One commonly used
term is latency. The Sanskrit term vsan and the Tibetan
bag chags mean something that has been planted on the
mind no more and no less. The original Sanskrit is derived
from the idea of one thing being clothed by another or the
idea of an investment made. Latency is the meaning, not
habitual tendencies or the other variations on that which
have become popular but mistaken translations of it. The
latencies are mentioned in this explanation as the things that
have been imprinted on the eighth consciousness.

In Mind Only school, when these karmic seeds come to life

in the process of interdependent relationship, they produce
consciousness and the content of the consciousness. That
consciousness and its content are true in the sense that they
have been produced in a karmic process. The consciousness
and its content did not come about by themselvesthey are
 INTRODUCTION xiii

not independentbut come about as part of the process of

interdependent relationship that is why they are the
dependent character. When that is further overlaid with
the projection of a dualistic grasped appearance and grasping
consciousness you have something that is just purely imagined.
Thus you have the difference between the Dependent and
Imagined characters. The very essence of the dependent and
imagined minds is the changeless mind that is the wisdom
of buddha. Thus you have the difference between the
Dependent and Imagined, and the Fully Existing characters.

Mind Only literature centres around the premise that there

is only mind. As you might then expect, they have particular
ways of talking about consciousness and so on that are then
a little different from the other schools. In particular, they
are concerned with awareness5 and its simple quality of
registering something. The general definition of mind in
Buddhist schools is illuminating and knowing. The
definition for mind cannot merely be knowing because some
things are said to knowfor example these days a
computer but these things are obviously without a mind.
Therefore, the illuminative property of mind is invoked and
this exclusively identifies a mind. This would take a lot of
discussion, so I will not go on here, but this explains why you
see the terms illuminating-knowing and illuminating-
knowing awareness throughout the khenpos explanation.
To fully understand this, you have to read enough Mind Only
literature that you gain a feel for the words used in that
literature and the specific ways that Mind Only school
expresses itself.

5
Tib. shes pa
xiv THREE CHARACTERS OF THE MIND ONLY SCHOOL

This e-book has a binding offset built in so that it can easily

be printed and bound as a book for your library.

The text iin Tibetan script is included for those wanting to

study it.

With my best wishes,

Lotsawa Tony Duff,
Swayambunath,
Nepal,
4th July 2008
 THE THREE CHARACTERS OF
MIND ONLY SCHOOL:
AN EXPLANATION BY
KHENPO TSULTRIM GYATSO

The Three Characters are named the Imagined, Depend-

ent, and Fully Existing characters. Different ways of
defining them have appeared but, to explain them here in
a way that makes them easy to understand: the one called
Imagined is given its name because it something that is
an exaggeration made up or superimposition done by
discursive thought; the basis for that superimposition is the
Dependent character; and the emptiness or actuality of both
the Imagined and Dependent characters is the Fully Existing
character.

If we apply this first to something like an eye consciousness

apprehending visual form and a mind consciousness with
it, it will be easy to understand. When an eye consciousness
sees visual form, the factor of grasped visual form is Imagined
character. The consciousness that is grasping the visual forms
own factor of illumination-and-knowing is Dependent

1
2 THREE CHARACTERS OF THE MIND ONLY SCHOOL

character. The actuality of both the Imagined and Dependent

characters is the Fully Existing character.

Similarly, if we apply this to something like desire and anger,

the factor of outwardly viewed appearance at the time of birth
of the desire and anger is Imagined character.

When we speak of something which is an outwardly viewed

aspect, we are speaking of something that has an aspect of
having both grasped and grasper. This talk is hard to
understand because it is experience-based.

If the outwardly directed aspect is the Imagined character,

what about the desire and anger; what are they? They have
an entity of illumination-and-knowing and that factor which
is the entity of illumination and knowing is the Dependent
character. The wisdom free of elaboration that pervades both
the desire entity of illumination-and-knowing and the anger
entity of illumination-and-knowing is the Fully Existing
character. That being so, there is no difference in entity for
the wisdom free of elaboration that pervades the desire entity
mind of illumination-and-knowing and that pervades the
anger entity mind of illumination-and-knowing. They are
equal.

Then we could apply this to dreaming, for example to

something like dreaming of a snake. At that time, in the
outwardly viewed aspect, both the factor referencing the snake
and the object snake being referenced by it are the Imagined
character. Why? Because the awareness referencing snake
is the factor doing the imagining or, you could say the
imputing or superimposing, and the snake is a concept being
imagined by it. The meaning is that the snake is imagined
character; the factor referencing it is the imaginer of itthe
 EXPLANATION BY KHENPO TSULTRIM GYATSO 3

agent doing the imagining; and both of them are included

in the Imagined character. The awareness at the time of
dreaming of the snake, the factor of illumination-and-knowing,
is the Dependent character. That entity of the illumination-
and-knowing awareness is wisdom free of elaboration. That
wisdom free from elaboration is the Fully Existing character.

Similarly, if a thought like faith or non-faith arises in us, the

outwardly viewed aspect of the mind of faith or non-faith
is the Imaginary character. The factor of illumination-and-
knowing which is the entity of the awareness involved in that
outwardly viewed aspect that is faith or non-faith is the
Dependent character. The wisdom free of elaboration that
pervades the illumination-and-knowing of the minds of faith
and non-faith is the Fully Existent character.

Moreover, one way to explain it is that everything known

when mind, turned outwards, looks over there, is an
imposition done by discursive thought. Any thing6 that
is not an imposition of a name or thought is called depend-
ent. Then, the emptiness or actuality of both the Imagined
and Dependent, wisdom free of elaborations, is the Fully
Existing character. Now, from this perspective, what is
perceived at this point is an imputation or imposition done
by name and convention and discursive thought, that is, it
is imagined in character. Then, what is not imputed, that is,
not imposed, by name and convention and discursive thought
is the thing itself and that is dependent in character. Here,

6
This is a specific use of the word thing that corresponds to the
Tibetan word dngos po. It means a composite thing that has been
produced by the process of cause and effect. Further use of it will
be marked by putting it in apostrophes: thing.
4 THREE CHARACTERS OF THE MIND ONLY SCHOOL

when we say thing it is referring to something beyond a

convention.

A table is imaginary in character; the basis to which the label

table is applied is the dependent character; and then the
emptiness of both of those is the Fully Existent character. In
short, when you see a table and think table, it is discursive
thought saying, it is table and the table you imagine in that
case is the object superimposed by discursive thought. The
thing that is the basis upon which that imputation is created
is not existing by way of its own entity, either. However, there
is a mind that apprehends the table and that apprehends the
basis of designation of the table; that is the actuality of mind,
wisdom freed of elaborations, and it does have to be included
in mind.

One way of defining the three characters is in relation to

thought. In this, all discursive thought is dependent character,
the objects of the discursive thought are imagined character,
and what the thoughts really are at root is the Fully Existing
character. Again, the object of the discursive thought is
imaginary in character; the thought itself is dependent in
character; and the thoughts own actual situation is Fully
Existent in character.

That was a summary of how the three characters are defined.

This presentation defines the Fully Existing character in terms
of wisdom free of elaborations so it is closerbut in that
particular respect onlyto an Other Empty presentation than
a purely Mind Only presentation.

 EXPLANATION BY KHENPO TSULTRIM GYATSO 5

In the Mind Only system, the term knowables are of two

types: externally viewed and internally viewed aspects. The
term externally viewed aspects refers to the process of
referencing sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches whereas
internally viewed aspect refers to experiencing the entity of
that, which is the factor of illumination-and-knowing. These
two things of externally viewed aspect and internally viewed
aspect are part of the general definition of the Mind Only
system.

Furthermore, in the Mind Only system, grasped and grasper

as two differing things is something that is imputed by
discursive thought. Actually, there is no differing grasped
and grasper; the apparent difference is something that happens
only because discursive thought exaggerates or you can say
superimposes and makes something on this side here and
on the far side over there. That is why it has the name
imagined. The differing grasped and grasper is just an
imputation made by discursive thought.

Now, to explain Dependent. When a table is said to be

dependent, that table is one that is beyond conventions.
Whether you give the item table a name or not, it stays there,
and it stays there as something that holds other things up,
such as a cup. This term Dependent means those things
which, being under the control of other, namely causes and
conditions, are not independent but are dependent on other.

In the Mind Only system, there can be mere appearance of

grasped-grasper. That is a mere appearance of them in which
discursive thought is not thinking of them as different from
each other. In that, the grasper is mind and the grasper is
the appearing factor, or it is also called the superfice, of mind.
And in that case the two aspects of mind are things. They
6 THREE CHARACTERS OF THE MIND ONLY SCHOOL

do indeed shine forth but not independently and that is the

Dependent character.

Then, the emptiness of dual grasped and grasping is the Fully

Existing character. In fact, there is no dual grasped and
grasping. The factual situation is empty of dual grasped
grasping.

Now in Kagyu and Nyingma literature, Mind Only is

presented for the most part like this: dual grasped-grasping
is imagined (what the Gelugpa define as Dependent is defined
by them as Imagined); the illuminating-knowing awareness
that is empty of grasped-grasper is the Dependent; and the
emptiness in that illuminating-knowing awareness of dual
grasped-grasper is the Fully Existing character. Again, dual
grasped-grasper is Imagined in character. The factor of
illuminating-knowing awareness is Dependent in character.
The core, which is the emptiness of dual grasped-grasper in
that factor of illuminating-knowing awareness, is Fully Existing
in character.

In Mind Only, that Fully Existing character is the illuminating-

knowing awareness empty of dual grasped-grasper and the
Dependent empty of Imaginary. The example used in Mind
Only for the Fully Existing is that when confusion sees a snake
where there is a multicoloured rope, the snake is Imagined,
the rope is Dependent, and the rope being empty of a snake
is Fully existent. In Mind Only system, the Dependent being
empty of the Imagined is a Fully Existing situation which never
changes so it is called changeless Fully Existing7.

7
Some translate as immutable fully existing.
 EXPLANATION BY KHENPO TSULTRIM GYATSO 7

In the first section, when I was given the basic definition of

the three characters, I defined this Fully Existing in terms of
wisdom free of elaborations. As I said later, that is close to
the Other Emptiness system. Here, in this second section,
the explanations follow Mind Only system exactly. In the
Mind Only case, the changeless Fully Existing is a non-
affirming negative emptiness of dual grasped-grasper. This
non-erroneous Fully Existing is said in Mind Only to be
defined in relation to the factor of illuminating-knowing
awareness, the factor of illuminating-knowing that is not
covered over with impurities. Generally, just nine divisions
of Fully Existing are explained though there are explanations
of sixteen, and other numbers of divisions, too. When sixteen
are explained, it is the sixteen emptinesses. And then, as
mentioned earlier, when Other Emptiness system is being
explained, the Fully Existing Character is defined in terms
of wisdom free from elaboration.

What do the words Fully Existing refer to, generally

speaking? The phrase is similar in meaning to uncontrived8.
It has the meaning of not being involved at all with the
manufacture and-or alteration that is done by discursive
thought. If we do it that way, then Fully Existing is the
actuality of mind, wisdom freed from elaboration, not spoiled
by conventions, not covered over with impurities, and with
no manufacture and or alteration at all done by discursive
thought. It cannot be covered over by the impurities of
conventions. It cannot be manufactured whatsoever by
discursive thought.

When that wisdom free from elaborations, that Fully Existing,

has conventions and discursive thoughts appear on its surface,

8
Or, you could say, unaltered.
8 THREE CHARACTERS OF THE MIND ONLY SCHOOL

that factor turns to being the Imagined. That being so, wisdom
free from elaborations has to be realized through meditation;
it is not possible to realize it as it is with conventions as the
basis. Why? Because when conventions and names arrive,
discursive thoughts will be shining forth and when that
happens, that is Imagined in character.

Thus, Fully Existing has the meaning uncontrived. Now,

what about Dependent? Dependent means dependent
on other and the meaning of other is explained in The
Treasury of Knowledge9 where it says that other refers to the
various latencies that have been deposited on the laya
consciousness. When they ripen, appearance in generalthe
whole variety of appearances of things10, and conscious-
nessthe conciousnesses of grasped-grasper, arise. The
Treasury of Knowledge says that is it is called dependent on
other because of that. For example, we have various
consciousnesses of visual forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and
touches arise. The consciousnesses are Dependent on other
in this way: various latencies have been deposited on the laya;
those latencies are other; and it is due to those latencies,
that these consciousnesses arise, just as they are arising for
us now. Therefore, these consciousness are Dependent on
other.

9
By Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye
10
Dngos po again.
 TIBETAN TEXT OF THE EXPLANATION

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7-&-%#-:-,-/)#<-69-b-9+ -/)#<-7-#5-+-#5,-
+/$-9+ ,-/)#<-+$-#5,-+/$-#(<-`-Y$-70-#,<-
:#<-+-8$<-i/-9+ #6#<-73,-7-0#-;<-+$-8+-`-F0-
;<-P-/-%#-:-+$--9-,-/+-/-8$-#-9+ 0#-#-F0-;<-`<-
#6#<-0*$-/7-U/<-<-#6#<-73,-7-&-+-,-/)#<-9+
#6#<-73,-7-F0-;<-`-9$-#-#<:-9#-#-&-+-#5,-+/$-9+
;<--#<:-9#-#-&-+ ,-/)#<-+$-#5,-+/$-#(<-`-
#,<-:#<-+-8$<-i/-9+ +-/5,--7++-&#<-+$-5-Z$-P-
/-%#-:-9-,-7++-&#<-+$-5-Z$-<-/7-U/<-`-"-d-/P<-`-
[$-&-+-,-/)#<-9+ "-d-/P<-`-F0--%,-69-<-#6$-/-
+$-73,-7-F0--%,-8+--9+- 69-{-+-#-+!7-:<-"#--
9
10 THREE CHARACTERS OF THE MIND ONLY SCHOOL

9+ #-9-9+-69-,-(0<-$-#-2#-9+ "-d-/P<-`-F0--
+-,-/)#<-9+ +-,<-7++-&#<-+$-5-Z$-#-7l<-8,-,0
$-/-#<:-9#-#-&-%#-8+--9+ $-/-#<:-9#-#-&-+-#5,-
+/$-9+ 7++-&#<-`-$-/-#<:-9#-+$-5-Z$-#-$-/-#<:-
9#-#(-#-:-a/-7-<-o:-b-8-;<-+-8$<-i/-9+ +-8,--
7++-&#<-`-$-/-<0<-#<:-9#-+-+$-5-Z$-#-$-/-<0<-#<:-
9#-#(<-:-a/-7-<-o:-b-8-;<-+-:-$-/-:-a+-9-8+--0-
9+ 0(0--(+-9+ +-,<-H-:0-:-9-,-+9-/5#-,-H-
:0-b-U/<-<-:-b-H-:0-/)$-/-P-/-%#-:-9-,-"-d-/P<-`-
F0--%,-b-:-:-+0#<-7-&-+$-+7-+0#<-8:-b-:-#(-#-
,-/)#<-9+ #-9-9+-69-,-:-:-+0#<-7-;<--+-,-
/)#<-7+#<-e+-`-&-9+ :-+-D#--+<-/)#<--9+
+,-+#-:-+-,-/)#<-9+ +-:-+0#<-7-&-+-7+#<-e+
#-9-9+-69-,-/)#<---9+ +-#(-#-,-/)#<-7<-8$-#-
9+ :-H-:0-/)$-/7-U/<-`-;<--#<:-9#-#-&-+-#5,-
+/$-9+ #<:-;$-9#--+ ;<--#<:-9#-#-$-/-+
<-o:-b-8-;<-9+ <-o:-b-8-;<-+-8$<-i/-9+ +-
/5,--$-2-:-++--+$-0-++-7-F0-D#-7l-/-%#-<--%#-8,-
,-++-7-<0<-+$-0-++-7-<0<-"-d-/P<-`-F0--%,-+-,-
/)#<-9+ ++--+$-0-++-7-"-d-/P<-`-F0--%,-b-;<--
+7-$-/-#<:-9#-#-&-+-#5,-+/$-9+ ++-7-<0<-+$-0-
++-7-<0<-#<:-9#-+-#(-#-:-a/-7-<-o:-b-8-;<-+-8$-
i/-9+ +-,<-8$ d#<-#%#-#-/;+-2:-e+-, +-
 INTRODUCTION 11

89-P-,-F0-D#-b<-/)#<--+-2-*0<-%+-#$-#-,-/)#<-9+
F0-D#-b<-/)#<-7-8:-7+-2-#$-#-,-/)#<-9+ +-,<-
0$-+$-F0-D#-b<-/)#<--0-8,-7-+$<--%#-:-#5,-+/$-
69-b-8+--9+ +-,<-,-/)#<-+$-#5,-+/$-#(<-`<-Y$-
70-+-#(<-`-#,<-:#<-<-o:-b-8-;<-+-8$<-i/-9+
,-/)#<-+$-#5,-+/$-#(-#<-Y$-7-<-o:-b-8-;<-8$<-
i/-9+ +-7+7-+/$--e+-,-2-+-0$-+$-*-X+-+$-F0-D#-b<-
/)#<--9+ ,-/)#<-9+ +-,<-0$-+$-*-X+-+$-F0-
D#-#<-/)#<--0-8,--"-9$-#-+$<--%#-8+--9+ +-
#5,-+/$-9+ +$<--69-/-+-8$-*-X+-:<-7+<-7i-#-7#
%#-2-,-/)#<-9+ %#-2-5<-7-0$-7'#-7-#5-+-#5,-
+/$-9+ +-#(-#<-Y$--+-8$-8$<-i/-9+ 0+9-,-%#-
2-0*$-<-%#-27-/<0-< +-F0-D#-#<-%#-2-9+-69-/-
F0-D#-#<--/)#<-7-8:-9+ +7-/)#<-#5-8$-9$-#-$-
/<-0-i/--9+ 8,-,7$-%#-2-+$-/)#<-#5-73,-7-
<0<-) <0<-`-#,<-:#<-+-<-o:-b-8-;<-9+
<0<-:-29-7<-8$-+#<-`-7# +-,<-+-7'#-2:-#%#-
:-F0-9-D#--*0<-%+-#5,-+/$-9+ F0-D#-#-8:-+-,-
/)#<-9+ F0-D#-#-&<-(+-+-8$<-i/-9+ F0-D#-
*0<-%+-#5,-+/$-9+ F0-D#-#<-/)#<-7-8:-%#-8+--
9+-+-,-/)#<-9+ F0-D#-9$-#-&<-(+-+0-F0-D#-#-#,<-
:#<-<-o:-b-8-;<-+-8$<-i/-9+ F0-D#-9$-:-9-8+-
-9+ 8$-F0-D#-#-8:-+-,-/)#<-9+ F0-D#-9$-
12 THREE CHARACTERS OF THE MIND ONLY SCHOOL

#5,-+/$-9+ F0-D#-9$-#-#,<-:#<-+-8$<-i/-9+
+-02,-(+-#<0-b-7'#-2:-0+9-/Z<--8, /;+-2:-7+-
<0<-10-+$-#5,-Y$-,$-,<-)#-10-#5,-Y$-:-*#-(-/-8+--
9+ #-9-9+-69-,-8$<-i/-+-<-o:-b-8-;<-:-/5#-#-
7# <0<-10-7-:#<-:-;<-e-69-,-"-d-/P<-+$-
,$-/P<-#(<-8+--9+ "-d-/P<--#6#<--l-9-9#-e-:-
+0#<- ,$-/P<--9$-#-$-/-#<:-9#-#-&-f$-/ 9-
/)$-#<-<0<-10-7-:#<-:-"-d-/P<-+$-,$-/P<-#(<-
/5#--9+ <0<-10-7-:#<-:-/6$-73,-*-++--F0-
D#-b<-/)#<--9+ /6$-73,-*-++--8+--0-9+-+-F0-D#-
b<-.9--/)#<-,<-*-++-8$-#-8+--9+ +-d9-,-,-
/)#<-9+-69-b-7# /6$-73,-*-++-8,--+-F0-D#-#<-
/)#<--9+ +-#5,-+/$-/;+-{-8+ %#-1-#5,-
+/$-9+-69-< +-"-9$-*-X+-:<-7+<- "-:-0$-
/)#<-,7$-0-/)#<-,-"7-&-/Z+-`-9+ 7+9-/5#-+-89-
z#-7+-8+ .9--7+-89-z#-*/-`-9+ #5,-+/$-69-{-
+-{-z,-b-#5,-+/$--b9--9$-+/$-0+--:-69-b-9+
<0<-10-7-:#<-:-/6$-73,-[$-10-+-/6$-73,-*-++-0-8,-
-[$-10-+-73,--+-<0<-9+ /6$-/-+-<0<-`-[$-&-70-
<0<-`-F0--9+ <0<-b-F0--#(<--+-+$<--9+
9$-+/$-0+--;9-b-0+--9+-+-#5,-+/$-9+ +-,<-/6$-
73,-#(<-`<-Y$--+-8$-i/-9+ +,--/6$-73,-#(<-8+-
-0-9+ /6$-73,-#(<-`<-Y$- +-,<-/!7-{+-C$-
 INTRODUCTION 13

07-8#-&-2-:-<0<-10-7-U/<-<-.:-&-/-+-:-7+-7l7-8+
/6$-73,-#(<-,-/)#<-) +#-:#<-<-#5,-+/$--
/5#--+-,-/)#<-9+ /6$-73,-#(<-`<-Y$-7-;<--
#<:-9#-+-#5,-+/$ ;<--#<:-9#-:-/6$-73,-#(<-
`<-Y$--+-8$<-i/ /6$-73,-#(<-,-/)#< ;<--
#<:-9#-#-&-+-#5,-+/$ ;<--#<:-9#-#-&-+-:-/6$-
73,-#(<-`<-Y$-7-X$--+-8$<-i/ <0<-10-7-U/<-
< 8$<-i/-+-;<--#<:-9#-:-/6$-73,-#(<-`<-Y$-
#5,-+/$-:-,-/)#<-`<-Y$- +-+-+9-,-*#--h-/-:-
:-+$-7h:-/7-U/<-< :-,-/)#< *#--#5,-
+/$ *#--:-b<-Y$--+-8$<-i/-b-+-:-/5#-#-
7# #5,-+/$-:-,-/)#<-`<-Y$--+-:-7b9-0+-8$<-
i/-9-7b9-/-0+-7-8$<-i/-69-9+ +$-7-U/<-/;+--
:-8$<-i/-7+-<-o:-b-8-;<-:-/5#--9+ #5,-Y$-#-
:#<-+$-*#-(--9+ +-P7-U/<-#(<-7-/;+--7+-<0<-
10-7-:#<-9+ <0<-10-7-U/<-<-7b9-0+-8$<-i/-
+-/6$-73,-#(<-`<-Y$-7-0+-+##-9+ d,-%-0-:#-7-
8$<-i/-+-;<--#<:-9#-#-&-+-:-/5#-#-9+-69 l-0<-
0-#<-7-#<:-9#-#-& 9-Y$<-8$<-i/-:-+e-/-+-10-
%#-/;+--9+-7# +-+$-/%-l#-<#<-/;+--8+--9+
/%-l#-/;+-7-U/<-<-Y$-(+-/%-l#-7+-9+ +-,<-+-#5,-
Y$-#-:#<-:-+-8$<-i/-<-o:-b-8-;<-9+ 9-
Y$<-8$<-i/-69-{-+-#-9-9+-69-,-8$<-<-i/--69-{-+-0-
14 THREE CHARACTERS OF THE MIND ONLY SCHOOL

/%<-7-+,-+#-7l-/ F0-D#-#<-I-/-,<-/6-/%<-0-e+-7-
+,-+#-9+ +-e+-,-<0<-`-#,<-:#<-<--+$-o:-b-8-
;<-+-*-X+-b<-0-/y+--l-0<-0-#<--F0-D#-#<-I-/-,<-
/6<-/%<-0-e+--9+ "-9$-:-*-X+-b-l-0<-#<-*/-b-0-
9+ F0-D#-#<-#$-8$-/6-*/-b-8+--0-9+ <-
o:-b-8-;<-+-69-,-8$<-i/-69-,-*-X+-+$-F0-D#-$-:-;9-/7-
&-,-/)#<-:-7i-#-8+--9+ 7+-e+-,-<-o:-b-8-;<-+-
/V0-,<-D#<-+#<-`-9+-0-#)#<-*-X+-b-Y$-,<-'-P-/-/5,-
-D#<-*/-`-8+--0-9+ #-9-9+-69-,-*-X+-+$-0$-8$<-
/7-U/<-<-F0-D#-:-;9-8$-#-9+ F0-D#-:-;9-/-+-,-
/)#<-9+ +-,<-8$<-<-i/--0-/%<-7-+,-+#-9+ +-
,<-#5,-+/$-69-{-#5,-+-;<-e-03+-:-7+-#<$<-7#
#5,-+-,-#5-F0-;<-`-Y$--/#-&#<-[-2#<-/5#--+-#5,-
69 +7-+/$-#<-[$-/-7+-+$<-7-[$-/-[-2#<--F0-;<-
/6$-73,-b-F0-;<--`-8+--9+ 7+7-&-,<-#5,-+/$-
#<$<-7# +9-,-$-2-#6#<--l-9-9#-e-73,-7-F0-
;<-[-2#<---`-8+--9+ F0-;<-+-#5,-+/$-9+ #-
9-9+-69-,-,-#57-Y$-:-/#-&#<-[-2#<--/5#-8+--9+
/#-&#<-+-#5, /#-&#<-+7-+/$-#<-F0-;<-7+-2--`-
8+--9+ +-$-2-#6#<--l-9-9#-e-73,-7-F0-;<--`-
7# 7+-e+-,-F0-;<-7+-2-#5,-+/$-9+
 Tony Duff has spent a lifetime pursuing the Buddhas
teaching and transmitting it to others. In the early
1970's, during his post-graduate studies in molecular
biology, he went to Asia and met the Buddhist
teachings of various South-east Asian countries. He
met Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal and has followed it since. After his
trip he abandoned worldly life and was the first monk ordained in his
home country of Australia. Together with several others, he founded
the monastery called Chenrezig Institute for Wisdom Culture where
he studied and practised the Gelugpa teachings for several years
under the guidance of Lama Yeshe, Lama Zopa, Geshe Lodan, and
Zasep Tulku. After that, he offered back his ordination and left for the
USA to study the Kagyu teachings with the incomparable Chogyam
Trungpa Rinpoche. Tony was very active in the community and went
through all possible levels of training that were available during his
twelve year stay. He was also a core member of the Nalanda Trans-
lation Committee. After Chogyam Trungpa died, Tony went to live in
Nepal where he worked as the personal translator for Tsoknyi
Rinpoche and also translated for several other well-known teachers.
He also founded and directed the largest Tibetan text preservation
project in Asia, the Drukpa Kagyu Heritage Project, which he oversaw
for eight years. He also established the Padma Karpo Translation
Committee which has produced many fine translations and made
many resources for translators such as the highly acclaimed
Illuminator Tibetan-English Dictionary. After the year 2000, Tony
focussed primarily on obtaining Dzogchen teachings from the best
teachers available, especially within Tibet, and translating and
teaching them. He has received much approval from many teachers
and has been given the titles lotsawa and lama and been strongly
encouraged by them to teach Westerners. One way he does that is by
producing these fine translations.

PADMA KARPO TRANSLATION COMMITTEE

P.O. Box 4957
Kathmandu
Nepal
http://www.tibet.dk/pktc