I have found the following words to be instructive and helpful — even though they are written in what may be described as a corrective manner.
Generally speaking, the Four Ordinary Foundations [The Four Thoughts] are found in all instructions in the graded path to enlightenment. (Our version is based on Atisha’s system, known as “the graded path for the three types of religious aspirants.” This was elaborated by Nyam-me Dagpo, who merged the two streams of the Kadampa and Mahamudra systems.)
If you do not apply these four with some fortitude, instead of bolstering the meditative practices [which follow], you will only strengthen the “eight worldly dharmas.” [The concerns of a worldly person: (1) profit, (2) loss, (3) fame, (4) notoriety, (5) slander, (6) praise, (7) happiness, (8) misery.]
The root of the entire Dharma is mental rejection of the concerns of this life. But all your religious practice up to now has not destroyed your attachment for this life. Your mind has not turned away from desire. You have not given up longing for relatives, friends, attendants and servants. You have not even slightly curtailed your desire for food, clothing and conversation. You have missed the whole point of applying wholesome action; the stream of your existence is on the wrong course!
You do not consider the extent to which your practice has weakened the conflicting emotions, but only the number of months and years you have been working at it. You examine others’ faults but not your own. You are proud of every good quality you possess. Your thoughts are lost in trivialities such as your reputation and amusements. You indulge in meaningless chatter. You imagine that you have integrated religious and worldly achievements when in fact not even one of these goals has been met. You have failed from the start to think about impermanence and so are in the clutches of your own brutish mentality.
The Excellent One of Drikhung has said: “The [Four Ordinary] Foundations are more profound than the actual practice [of Mahamudra]. [For the beginner, these Foundations are far more accessible and therefore more potent than the advanced Mahamudra meditations.] It follows that it is better to instill these Four Foundations in the stream of your existence, even to a limited extent, than to practice all the recitations and meditations of the four tantras in current use.
An individual who practices Dharma in a half-hearted manner is cheating both himself and others and wasting his human life.
In short, if you lack the determination to leave samsara, all the meditation [you may practice in your mountain retreat] will accumulate nothing but a pile of feces on the mountainside! So, consider the miseries of samsara and the uncertainty of the time of death. Then, no matter how varied your concerns, narrow them down!
They say that the faith of a person who has begun to travel the religious path will diminish if Mara has thrown obstacles in his way. Examination of the guru’s or spiritual friend’s [that is, religious teacher or advisor] faults is a sign of Mara’s embrace. Such a person notices serious faults in most people who practice Dharma, associates with ordinary people, [that is, non-religious people] is unconcerned with strenuous application of the teachings, is satisfied with worldly pleasures and lacks devotion and reverence for the Precious Ones. Such a person should think about the positive qualities of the guru and the Precious Ones and learn to see those who practice Dharma as pure. Seeing bad qualities in others indicates that your own acts have been impure. It is just like seeing your own dirty face in a mirror.
Do not associate with ordinary people or listen to their talk! Remember the shortcomings of worldly pleasures!
Generally speaking, if you have no faith you will not develop “white” qualities. Hence, faith must precede all religious practice. Although there are many kinds of faith, deep confidence and sincere respect for the Precious Ones are included in all of them.
Experiencing the vicissitudes of life and death, illness, demons, and accidents; and listening to the spiritual biographies of the great ones and stories of the Buddha’s previous lives will promote the development of faith. Engender faith by reviewing them in your thoughts daily.
Some people seem to have great faith while in the presence of their guru, but lose it when separated from him. Sometimes they have faith; later it is gone. When they receive desired teachings or gifts, or are tormented by disease-demons or other misfortunes, they have great faith. Afterwards, they have none. They have no heartfelt confidence in one particular root-guru or one profound teaching but often discard one in favor of another.
Reject such practices. Learn to develop unwavering faith. Stop looking to external things. Internalize [the foregoing teachings]. Then when some religious qualities arise in the stream of your existence, you will truly comprehend these instructions. You will be absolutely certain about the Dharma. If you then consider your guru’s kindness, you will experience spontaneous devotion and reverence for him. As a result, all the positive qualities associated with the religious path will spontaneously arise without any effort on your part.
Source: Based on Jamgon Kongtrul. Translated from the Tibetan by Judith Hanson. Foreword by Chogyam Trungpa. The Torch of Certainty. Boston and London: Shambhala Publications, 1977.
The Omniscient Dharma Lord [Longchen Rabjam] said:
Unless you do all you can to develop faith,
You will never attain perfection,
But will wander constantly in cyclic existence.
Therefore, whomever you are following, Make every effort to cultivate faith. (Dudjom Rinpoche. A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.]