Three noble principles (Tib. དམ་པ་གསུམ་, dampa sum, Wyl. dam pa gsum) — there are three things that make all the difference between your practice being merely a way of bringing temporary relaxation, peace, and bliss, or of becoming a powerful cause for your enlightenment and the enlightenment of others. They are:

• good in the beginning: arousing bodhichitta as a skilful means to ensure that your practice becomes a source of merit for the future
• good in the middle: maintaining the view of the nature of mind, the attitude of non-grasping free from conceptualization, that secures the practice so that the merit cannot be destroyed by circumstances, and
• good in the end: sealing the practice properly by dedication | dedicating the merit, which will ensure that it continually grows ever greater.

The three are referred to in a popular quotation from Longchenpa:

:“Begin with bodhichitta, do the main practice without concepts, :Conclude by dedicating the merit. These, together and complete, :Are the three vital supports for progressing on the path to liberation.”

Alternative Translations

Oral Teachings Given to the [[About Rigpa]] | [[Rigpa]] Sangha

Sogyal Rinpoche

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