"When sunlight falls on a crystal, lights of all colors of the rainbow appear; yet they have no substance that you can grasp. Likewise, all thoughts in their iunfinite variety – devotion, compassion, harmfulness, desire – are utterly without substance." Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Although Atisha’s Light for the Path to Enlightenment is the best known Lamrim Dharma text, and although Lamrim Dharma writings are best known in the Kadampa-Gelugpa lineages, there have been examples of Lamrim compilation in the Nyingma tradition, such as The Jewel Ladder by Minling Terchen Gyurme Dorjee (1643 – 1714). There are not many Lamrim compilations based, as this one, on the words of Padmasambhava, and fewer still ( if any) which incorporate Dakini-wisdom related to crystals and jewels. Yet the Dakinis are active now, as in the past, in revealing various skilful means practices related to jewels, gems and crystals. Kyungpo Naljor, a twelfth-century Tibetan master once had a visionary experience in which a Dakini appeared to him and sang to him about how he could work with Dakini energy:
Crystal Dakini guards against interruptions,
Jewel Dakini increases wealth.....
Know that the crystal is the non-thought of mind itself,
And the Crystal Dakini guards against interruptions.
Know that the source of wealth is contentment
And the Jewel Dakini fulfills all wants and needs.
Wake Up To Your Life, Ken McLeod, pg 214.
This work is in part based on indications given by the crystal dakini, who is a real being, and who can be consulted. It is also enriched by teachings and experiences imparted directly by specific highly evolved crystals. Crystals are used in many ways in dharma practice, for example in the mandala offering to accumulate vast merit, and at other times for integral purification. To Lhanang Rinpoche, who has gifted me with precious crystal and thankas, and my friend and mentor Margherita, I extend my gratitude for inspiration and guidance which has helped make this book possible.
The Great Mother herself gives us parts of her physical body, the gems, jewels and crystals, which carry teachings, blessings, and energies of awakening. Each jewel crystallizes and condenses one or more of the Rays which bring healing and grace from on high. For many of us, in the absence of direct or continuous personal contact with wise gurus, these highly evolved beings of the mineral kingdom can and do play an important role. They collaborate with our aspirations and align us to the sanatana dharma, the timeless truth of the way to enlightenment. May the Crystal Dakini and the Jewel Dakini bless you with skilful means to enrich your way forward in dharma meditation with crystals.
For some people, crystals function as a point of entry into Dharma. That has certainly been my experience. As the journey unfolds, it can traverse several levels. There is firstly, the personal and notional. Then comes a phase of archetypal or universal awareness. And lastly, one may touch or enter into the transcendental plane. The individual, universal, and transcendental are all aspects of the divine, and crystals can serve us in the journey at every stage.
