Ganden Lha Gyäma: The Guru Yoga of

Tushita’s Deva Host

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TFTblog
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on Ganden Lha Gyäma: The Guru Yoga of Tushita’s Deva Host

Geshe Rabten gave this commentary on the Lama Tsongkhapa

Guru Yoga practice in Dharamsala, India, in June, 1975.
Translated by Gonsar Rinpoche. Edited by Dr. Nicholas Ribush
and Sandra Smith.

You can read an extensive commentary on Lama Tsongkhapa

Guru Yoga
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 and listen to the oral transmission of this practice
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given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche on the LYWA website.
Read further teachings on this practice by His Holiness Serkong
Tsenshab Rinpoche.
A Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga practice booklet,
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translated and arranged with additional prayers by Lama Zopa
Rinpoche, is available from FPMT Foundation Store.
Photo from a course at Tushita Retreat Centre, Dharamsala, India, in June of
1975, taught by Geshe Rabten and translated by Gonsar Tulku. Photo by Dan
Laine.
The Guru Yoga of Tushita’s Deva Host
(Bla-ma’i-rnal-‘byor-dga’-ldan-lha-brgya-ma)
Today the teaching will be a brief discourse on the practice of
guru yoga called Gan dän lha gyäi ma. Both Gan dän lha gyäi ma
and the Guru Puja are guru yoga in connection with Lama
Tsongkhapa. The only difference between them is in the
elaboration of the words. In meaning they are exactly the same.
The qualities we need to develop most are wisdom, compassion
and power. The practice of this guru yoga in connection with
Lama Tsongkhapa is the best method to accomplish all three.
Through the practice of this guru yoga we can accomplish these
three attributes of the Buddha, particularly his wisdom. Since you
have all come here with the will to practice guru yoga, if you listen
carefully and practice every day it will be very beneficial for you.
In ultimate nature, Lama Tsongkhapa is form combined with the
wisdom, power and compassion of every buddha. When Lama
Tsongkhapa manifests in the wrathful form of a Highest Yoga
Tantra deity, it is Yamantaka. When he appears in the peaceful
form of a bodhisattva, a buddha, it is Manjushri. When he appears
in the form of a human being as a master guru of many sentient
beings, it is Lama Tsongkhapa. What we see on the altar is a
statue of Lama Tsongkhapa.
The full life story of Lama Tsongkhapa is beyond explanation. It
comes in such a big volume that it cannot be finished in a few
hours. Also it is not necessary at this time to give you a full
biography of Lama Tsongkhapa. Lama Tsongkhapa is one with
Manjushri. Therefore, the actual nature, the essential nature of
Lama Tsongkhapa is the wisdom attribute of the Buddha. There
are various ways of accomplishing and increasing wisdom. But
this method, the practice of guru yoga in connection with Guru
Manjushri is the best method. It is the supreme method for the
accomplishment of wisdom.
Many people think that this planet on which we live, this small
Earth, is the only world, the center of the universe or the only
world with beings. People may think this, but it’s not right. There
are countless worlds smaller and larger than this; countless
realms of beings other than this Earth on which we live. There are
countless impure realms like this one, where beings are endowed
with suffering; completely oppressed with suffering, karma and
delusion and so forth. There are countless such worlds in the
universe and also there are countless pure worlds, pure realms
where beings are free from this kind of suffering.
Among these pure realms, the Buddha Heavenly Abode of
Tushita is one of such pure realms where beings are separate
from all the gross forms of suffering and their cause and even the
word suffering does not exist. But it is not the Tushita that is a few
yards away [Lama Yeshe’s Tushita Retreat Centre, Dharamsala
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]. Generally speaking, Tushita is a deva realm. There are many
different deva worlds and ordinary Tushita is one of the deva
worlds. Tushita Buddha Abode belongs to and is part of the
ordinary Tushita deva land but it is separate and much higher—in
reality and in essence.
It is in the higher realms of this Tushita of which we are speaking
—the one that is separate from the ordinary deva land Tushita—
that buddhas, bodhisattvas and many other beings live. They are
all completely free from suffering. Of course, the buddhas are
completely free from suffering, but even the bodhisattvas and
other unenlightened beings are much higher and free from these
gross obstacles. By the blessing of the environment itself it is
easy for these beings to practice Dharma and to progress and
develop their minds. Here, virtuous qualities of mind such as
compassion, love and so forth are easy to generate and increase.
So, it is a purely heavenly abode where the beings are free from
all obstacles and suffering and endowed with everything
necessary for spiritual development.
Also the qualities of the Tushita pure land, such as the beautiful
flowers, lakes, mountains and so forth there, are not just ordinary
substantial phenomena, but manifestations of the buddha mind,
reflections of the great beings who live there. The qualities of this
abode are beyond the comprehension of ordinary beings. Even
the sound of the leaves blown by the wind gives teachings on
emptiness, bodhicitta and so forth, and the songs of the beautiful
birds in the trees are also Dharma teachings.
From here, in India, the direction of Tushita is to the north, high
above us in space. At present, the lord of this abode is Buddha
Maitreya. [Geshe Rabten points to his altar.] That painting up
there is one form of Buddha Maitreya and that little statue to the
left side of Lama Tsongkhapa is Maitreya Buddha. Buddha
Maitreya is the lord of this abode Tushita but is not like a worldly
lord, like a king or ruler of a country. He is the lama, the master of
all those bodhisattvas and other beings who live in this world. He
is constantly turning the wheel of Dharma for the sake of the
beings who live in Tushita and the other bodhisattvas who come
there from other worlds to receive the nectar of Buddha
Maitreya’s teachings.
At present in this world in which we live, the Dharma of Buddha
Shakyamuni is still flourishing. But this will gradually degenerate
and completely end, after which a new era of Dharma will start.
That will begin by Buddha Maitreya appearing in this world. Lama
Tsongkhapa is, in one way, as I explained before, the combined
form of all the attributes of Buddha Maitreya in nature. But at
present, he is in Tushita in the form of a bodhisattva called
Jampel Nyingpo, remaining there in that form as a chief disciple of
Buddha Maitreya. Also, Lama Atisha is also there place in the
form of a bodhisattva called Namkha Trimame, another chief
disciple of Buddha Maitreya. But although Lama Sumati Kirti
[Losang Dragpa, that is, Lama Tsongkhapa] is in Tushita at the
feet of Buddha Maitreya, as disciple, as prince of the devas there,
other manifestations of him are also in many different forms in
many different worlds. Even in this world, there are countless
forms of Lama Sumati Kirti helping sentient beings. There are
many scriptural sources, stories and reasons to prove that Lama
Tsongkhapa is presently with Buddha Maitreya, but I won’t explain
them at this time as it would take too long.
Practicing the guru yoga of Lama Tsongkhapa is of great benefit
because it establishes a great relationship with Lama
Tsongkhapa, Manjushri and Buddha Maitreya as well. It becomes
a preparation for us to be able to reincarnate at the feet of
Buddha Maitreya when our present life ends and continue
towards accomplishing our goal in Tushita.
When practicing this guru yoga, we invite, or invoke, Lama
Tsongkhapa from the heart of Buddha Maitreya. I will explain from
the beginning what we must do in this guru yoga, including the
preparation.
To practice this guru yoga you should first clean your place, the
environment in which you are going to meditate. Then, if you have
a thangka, statue or picture of Lama Tsongkhapa to serve as a
base, or an object, of your meditation, that would be highly
beneficial. At the front of that you should arrange all your offerings
nicely; place everything in a pure, proper and correct way…the
water offering, flowers, incense, light, fruit and so forth.
Then sit facing the altar and begin your practice by inviting Lama
Tsongkhapa from Tushita from the heart of Buddha Maitreya and
then make the offerings, prostrations and the following limbs.
However, it is not enough just to invite the deity; you must also
make certain preparations from within yourself. The best such
preparation is to take refuge in the Triple Gem and generate
bodhicitta.
Kön chhog sum la kyab su dro

Sem chän tham chä dag gi dröl

Jang chhub nä la gö par gyi

Jang chhub sem ni yang dag kye
I go to the Triple Gem for refuge
I will liberate all sentient beings
And lead them to (or establish them in) the stage of bodhi
(full enlightenment)
I will perfectly generate bodhicitta
I will not explain refuge and bodhicitta in detail because I have
already explained these in previous teachings.
First we take refuge in the Triple Gem. After taking refuge, what
we wish and are willing to do is liberate all sentient beings from all
suffering. Therefore, the second line is, “I will liberate all sentient
beings.” By liberating all sentient beings from suffering, then
where will we lead them; to what kind of stage? It is to liberation,
or nirvana, that we wish to lead them. This nirvana is not the
ordinary nirvana of the arhats but the ultimate bodhi stage of
buddhahood. Therefore, the third line is:
And for that purpose, to liberate sentient beings from
suffering and lead them to the stage of enlightenment,
then what I want to do, what I am going to do, comes in
the next line:
We should recite the above verse three times, not only repeating
the words but contemplating the meaning deeply.
After this comes another verse blessing the place or the
environment:
Tham chä du ni sa zhi dag

Seg ma la sog me pa dang

Lag thil tar nyam bäiduryäi

Rang zhin jam por nä gyur chig
Everywhere may the ground be pure,
Free of the roughness of pebbles and so forth
May it be in the nature of lapis lazuli
And as smooth as the palm of one’s hand
That is the blessing of the ground, the place where you are
meditating. Then there follows another verse to bless the
offerings:
Lha dang mi yi chhö päi dzä

Ngö su sham dang yi kyi trül

Kün zang chhö trin la na me

Nam khäi kham kün khyab gyur chig
May human and divine offerings
Actually arranged and mentally created
Clouds of finest Samantabhadra offerings
Fill the entirety of space
There are two purposes of meditation. One is to purify all
obstacles and interferences; the other is to grow and develop all
the inner qualities. Blessing of the environment—preparing the
pure ground, or place, for your meditation—symbolizes
purification of the obstacles, all inner roughness. Making infinite
offerings to the buddhas symbolizes infinite development of all
inner qualities and richnesses.
Now, the actual visualization of this guru yoga will be explained
according to this illustration. If you can find such a picture it will be
beneficial. The place above Lama Tsongkhapa is the Tushita
abode, the abode of Buddha Maitreya. The actuality of this abode
is beyond painting or drawing, but to symbolize this actuality we
see some radiance, clouds and things like that around the palace.
The Tushita pure land is not dependent on the light of the sun or
moon. It does not have to be illuminated by some other
astrological body; it is illuminated by the radiance of the beings
that live there.
The central figure in Tushita is Buddha Maitreya. He is shown
demonstrating the Dharmachakra mudra, the gesture of turning
the wheel of Dharma. He is not sitting cross legged but on a chair.
The significance of this special position is that it shows that he is
prepared to get up soon—he is not fully relaxed, settled or firmly
seated; he is just about to get up and come into this world as the
successor of Buddha Shakyamuni. Showing the Dharmachakra
mudra means that he is constantly turning the wheel of Dharma
for the benefit of sentient beings, now and also after life in this
world.
There are also some other smaller figures to each side of
Maitreya Buddha: Atisha and Lama Tsongkhapa’s Nyingma lama,
Lhodrag Namkha Gyeltsen. These are the chief disciples and
there is also a great assembly of bodhisattvas and many other
beings surrounding Buddha Maitreya, receiving Mahayana
teachings from him.
After taking refuge, generating bodhicitta, purifying the place,
blessing the offerings and so forth, we begin the actual guru yoga
by inviting Lama Tsongkhapa from the heart of Buddha Maitreya.
Invocation
Gan dän lha gyäi gön gyi thug ka nä

Rab kar zho sar pung träi chhu dzin tser

Chhö kyi gyäl po kün khyen lo zang drag

Sä d’ang chä pa nä dir sheg su söl
You who emanate from the heart of the savior of the
hundred devas’ Joyful Realm
On the peak of a cloud (water holder) resembling clumps
of extremely fresh white curd
The king of Dharma, omniscience Losang Dragpa, with
your sons:
I request you to come to this place
This is the invitation. Ganden is Tushita in Tibetan and lha gyä
literally means the hundred devas of Tushita, “hundred” being not
literal but meaning very many buddhas and bodhisattvas. Gön
means lord, or savior. So, the one who is the lord of the hundred
devas of Tushita is Maitreya Buddha, who is lord not in the sense
of a worldly lord leading a country but in the sense of being the
spiritual master, leader or guide of all those beings.
When we meditate here, it’s not that we are inviting Lama
Tsongkhapa with strong devotion but up there, Buddha Maitreya
and the others are paying no attention to us and just keeping
themselves busy with whatever they’re doing. It’s not like that.
The way we should meditate is that they are all paying full
attention to us, completely involved with what we’re doing. All the
bodhisattvas, and Buddha Maitreya in particular, are looking
directly down at us with radiant smiles, with much affection and
love, looking at us, ready to help.
Thug ka nä means from the heart. This is where Lama
Tsongkhapa comes out from. First a pure white radiant cloud,
which is in the nature of compassion, emanates from Buddha
Maitreya’s heart, or holy mind—the love that Buddha Maitreya
has for the sentient beings of this world. It is not just an ordinary
cloud but one with deep meaning, symbolizing the purity and
perfection of his great compassion. It should be as white and
radiant as possible and very thick, like a heap of fresh, white curd.
The thickness of the cloud symbolizes Buddha Maitreya’s strong
love and compassion for sentient beings. It springs out and rolls
down and remains there in front of us. If you meditate and
practice seriously, you sit quietly in your room, read the words
slowly, then visualize as clearly as possible with all your effort.
The cloud rolls down and stops in front of you. At its end there is a
large heap of cloud. This is like preparing the way and the seat.
In front of you there are three big heaps of clouds. On the central
cluster is a golden throne decorated with precious stones. To
each side of it there is a lower, smaller throne. The golden throne
is supported by eight lions and on it are a lotus and a moon disk.
Then, after visualizing this cloud, when we recite the last two lines
of this verse, Lama Tsongkhapa and his two chief disciples, or
spiritual sons—Gyältsab Rinpoche and Khädrub Rinpoche—
emanate from the heart of Buddha Maitreya. Lama Tsongkhapa is
an emanation of the wisdom of all the buddhas; Gyältsab
Rinpoche is an emanation of the compassion of Maitreya; and
Khädrub Rinpoche is an emanation of the power of Maitreya.
These three, master and spiritual sons, come down on the white
cloud. They spring forth instantly and come down effortlessly,
without any difficulty, like being completely tired after a long
journey with heavy luggage on their backs; not like that. They
come down instantly, suddenly; spontaneously. Lama Tsongkhapa
and his two chief spiritual sons are one in nature, but when the
compassion of Lama Tsongkhapa takes form it is on his right side
as Gyältsab Rinpoche and when his power takes form it is on his
left side as Khädrub Rinpoche. But all three are one in nature.
Therefore, when we practice this kind of guru yoga it helps us
accomplish all three attributes of the Buddha: wisdom, power and
compassion.
Lama Tsongkhapa is called the king of Dharma not because he is
some great monarch who rules over many subjects but because
he is an emanation of the wisdom of all the buddhas. Fully
accomplished wisdom is that which rules over all of Dharma.
Therefore, Lama Tsongkhapa is called the king of Dharma. It is
similar when he is called omniscient. In Tibetan, kün khyen means
one who knows all—because Lama Tsongkhapa is an emanation
of the wisdom of all buddhas, he is omniscient. Nothing is hidden
from the Buddha mind. Losang Dragpa (Skt: Sumati Kirti) is his
human name, his Dharma name as a human being. So, we are
requesting the assembly of all three, master and spiritual sons, to
come down and remain in front of us.
The actual way to accomplish wisdom, the method to employ,
comes at the end of this guru yoga, where the guru mantra of
Lama Tsongkhapa is recited.
Requesting to have a stable life
This second verse is the request to always remain in front of us.
Dün gyi nam khar seng thri pä däi teng

Je tsün la ma gye päi dzum kar chän

Dag lo dä päi sö nam zhing chhog tu

Tän pa gyä chhir käl gyar zhug su söl
In the sky before me, on a lion throne, lotus and moon
disk,
The jetsun lama smiles with delight.
Supreme field of the merit of mind’s devotion,
I beg you to abide for a hundred eons to increase the
teachings.
Dün gyi nam khar means in the sky, or space, in front of us—
about two meters; not too high, not too low, but about the level of
our forehead. At that spot there is the heap of cloud, which is in
three parts, as explained before. On the center one is the golden
throne with lotus and moon disk. On top of that sits Lama
Tsongkhapa. On each side of the main throne are two smaller
golden ones, also with lotus and moon disks, on which are seated
the two chief disciples.
These golden thrones are supported by lions. Actually, they are
lions in appearance, but in nature they have the quality of the
enlightened mind. Among animals, the lion is king; the victorious
one who is not afraid of any other animal. The throne of the lama
is supported by four lions, which symbolize the four great qualities
of the buddha mind called the four fearlessnesses.
On each golden throne supported by four lions is first a lotus disk,
or seat, whose nature is Lama Tsongkhapa’s fully accomplished
renunciation. On top of that is a moon disk, or seat, whose nature
is Lama Tsongkhapa’s fully accomplished bodhicitta. On top of
that sits Lama Tsongkhapa, who himself is in the nature of
wisdom, the fully accomplished right view of shunyata. Thus,
these three—lotus, moon and lama—symbolize the three principal
aspects of the path.
The words in this practice are very simple and easy to read but
have extremely profound meanings. Just the words je-tsün lama
are highly significant. Je signifies the path in common with the
small scope; tsün signifies the path in common with the medium
scope; lama signifies the path of high scope. Lama Tsongkhapa,
by practicing all these three stages of the path and gradually
accomplishing them, finally accomplished the state of
buddhahood.
Gye päi dzum kar chän means smiles radiantly with delight, with a
radiant delightful smile, which means that Lama Tsongkhapa and
his two chief disciples, the three lamas, are looking down on us,
not in an unhappy or displeased way but in a radiantly smiling
way full of compassion, love and affection. The way the lamas
look at us delightedly rather than unhappily is an auspicious
preparation for our always being able to please our lamas and
never disappoint them and have a close relationship with them.
Dag lo dä päi means the faith and devotion of our mind;
expressing the strong faith in and devotion to our lama in our
mind. Out of strong devotion we want to accumulate great merit in
connection with our lama. The supreme field for accumulating
merit out of devotion is the lama, therefore, we request Lama
Tsongkhapa to always remain so that we can create merit in the
highest possible way.
Tän pa gyä chhir käl gyar zhug su söl. Apart from acting as the
supreme field for accumulating merit out of devotion, there’s
another reason for asking the lama to abide, which is for the
dissemination, or flourishing, of the Dharma in the ten directions.
For that purpose we also request you, the jetsun lama, to remain
for a hundred eons (Skt: kalpa).
Since the flourishing of the Dharma and the happiness of sentient
beings is the supreme request, there is no request superior to it,
therefore, in this particular practice, it is placed here first.
Generally in the seven limb puja, the request for the long life of
the lama or the buddhas is the sixth of the seven limbs. But here,
because it is such an important request, it is explained first of all.
As I explained before, the most important object—the Triple Lama
—is visualized front and center, but also, all of space surrounding
the lamas is filled with clouds of offerings, as we visualized at the
beginning. So, when meditating on this, we visualize in space
many offering deities—many offering gods and goddesses
holding various offering objects—on the clouds to either side and
above the three lamas.
Prostration
She jäi khyön kün jäl wäi lo drö thug

Käl zang na wäi gyän gyur leg shä sung

Drag päi päl gyi lham mer dze päi ku

Thong thö drän pä dön dän la chhag tshäl
Your holy mind understands the full extent of objects to be
known.
Your eloquent speech is the ear-ornament of the fortunate
ones.
Your holy body is glowing and glorious with fame.
To you, who is meaningful to see, hear and remember, I
prostrate.
Next, following the usual order of the seven limb puja, which here
we are offering to Lama Tsongkhapa, comes the limb of
prostration. We prostrate to the lama by expressing the qualities
of his body, speech and mind. Usually when we prostrate to and
praise the body, speech and mind of the Buddha, we do it in that
order—body, speech and mind—but in this guru yoga, mind
comes first, then speech, then body.
We start with mind instead of body because in essence, Lama
Tsongkhapa is, in nature, the wisdom of the Buddha; wisdom is
the essential aspect of the enlightened mind. Therefore, instead
of body, we first praise the buddha mind, the mental quality of the
Buddha, of the lama. She jäi khyön kün means the entire extent of
knowable objects, everything that exists; jäl wäi means to realize
or cognize. So the entire extent of knowable phenomena is
realized or cognized by what power? It is realized by the power of
the buddha mind, the omniscient mind of the lama.
The second line of this verse praises the qualities of Lama
Tsongkhapa’s holy speech. Käl zang na wäi means the ear of the
fortunate ones, those who have received the opportunity to
practice Dharma in general and the Mahayana in particular.
People who have the great fortune of following and practicing the
Mahayana Dharma are the most fortunate ones. This ear
ornament, gyän gyur, is not an ornament like the earrings Indian
women wear. The true ear ornament of the fortunate is not
material but is the eloquent speech, leg shä sung, the teaching of
the Buddha that is well explained, vast and profound. This is the
true ear ornament of the fortunate.
When the fortunate ones, those who practice the Mahayana
Dharma, hear a teaching of the vast and profound
Buddhadharma, it pleases their ear sense. Therefore, it is called
an ear ornament. If that’s true for the Mahayana in general, what
need is there to specify the teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa? They
are unbelievably deep, profound, vast and clear; not indecisive,
but extremely decisive and definite. They dig the depths of the
Buddha’s teachings and make them clear. In Tibet, the Dharma
masters used to say that if you’re undecided about the meaning of
a teaching, look to the teachings of Je Tsongkhapa, because they
are so decisive.
The next line praises the qualities of Lama Tsongkhapa’s holy
body. Because of his omniscient mind and eloquent speech, as
explained before, he became extremely famous in the Land of
Snows, Tibet, for the glory of his being. Everybody praised him.
Since Lama Tsongkhapa came along later, he did not go to India
to receive teachings from the Indian masters, but there’s not a
single part of all hundred volumes of teachings of the Buddha in
the Kangyur that Lama Tsongkhapa didn’t study and learn.
There’s no way to explain in just a few words Lama Tsongkhapa’s
qualities. If you are interested you can read his extensive
biography, which explains in his life in great detail.
Not only was Lama Tsongkhapa extremely learned in all the texts
but he was also highly realized, having gained many great inner
experiences through the practice of tantra. If you are really
interested, you can read another biography called In Praise of the
Sacred Life: the Story of Lama Tsongkhapa, which makes all this
very clear. If you can receive teachings on that text it will be
evident. What I am giving here is just a very simple introduction. If
you want to know these things more deeply, you’ll need to receive
teachings particularly on his life.
So, drag päi päl means the glory of fame and lham mer dze päi ku
means resplendent form, or that merely his appearance is very
powerful and glorious. Just by his appearance he overshadows or
overpowers all those who see the manifestation of his form. This
power of his appearance is not external power; it is inner power.
Through his inner realizations, his inner power, his appearance
becomes so powerful to sentient beings that it completely
releases them from their life sufferings.
His power not being external means that he has no high rank,
social status or external superiority. As you probably know, Lama
Tsongkhapa was born in Amdo in East Tibet in a poor family. In
the same way that many students came from far eastern Tibet in
those days—begging for food along the way and carrying their
bedding and other small things on their back on a bamboo frame
—Lama Tsongkhapa himself also traveled alone to Lhasa, in
central Tibet. It took him about six or seven months. Once there,
he met many great masters and not only put great effort into
studying all the teachings of the Buddha, but he also meditated on
them, realized their profound meaning, and became so glorious
that he became like the sun, completely illuminating the whole of
Tibet with the light of Dharma. There are many other things like
this that could be explained, but we don’t have enough time to go
into them now.
The fourth line of this verse tells us that because Lama
Tsongkhapa is endowed with such a body, speech and mind, to
see his physical manifestation, to hear his name or about his life
or to listen to his teachings, and to remember him from our mind
becomes beneficial, worthwhile and very fruitful for us. Of course
we have to prostrate to the lamas, but first we should know the
reason for doing so. If we don’t know why we are prostrating, then
even if we do bow down, it won’t become particularly beneficial or
be sensible to do so. When we bow down to someone, we need
to know the qualities of the object of prostration to make it
meaningful. Therefore, this brief explanation of Lama
Tsongkhapa’s body, speech and mind are explained. The purpose
of prostration is to express our respect and to accumulate merit;
this is enhanced by knowing the details of the life and qualities of
the object of prostration. Prostration is also an antidote to pride.
Offering
After prostration, the next limb is offering. The material offerings
you are making should already have been placed on your altar
before beginning the puja. The offering limb comes in these lines:
Yi wong chhö yön na tshog me tog dang

Dri zhim dug pö nang säl dri chhab sog

Ngo sham yi trül chhö trin gya tsho di

Sö nam zhing chhog khyö la chhö par bül
Beautiful drinking water, various arranged flowers,
Fragrant incense, light, scented water and so forth;
Actually performed and mentally transformed oceans of
clouds of offerings
I offer to you, the supreme field of merit.
Yi wong means pleasing. That means the offerings should be
pure, clean and good in appearance. Making an offering that
doesn’t even please ourselves is not at all good for the
accumulation of merit. Yi wong chhö yön actually means pleasing
water offerings, but it doesn’t have to be only water. We can also
offer tea, milk, yogurt or any other kind of liquid. However, in this
practice it is not right to offer wine, beer, spirits and so forth
because Lama Tsongkhapa was a bhikshu. Na tshog me tog
means various flowers, many, many different kinds of flowers,
some as individual stems, some as garlands and some as flowers
for house decoration. There are many different ways to offer
flowers. If we can get actual flowers we should offer them by
placing them at the front of the altar, but if we can’t, we still have
the right to offer all the flowers growing wild in fields and on
mountains and cultivated flowers in people’s gardens and in the
park. You can offer all these beautiful flowers mentally and make
an immense offering of them to the lamas.
The next line talks about offering incense and so forth. We should
offer incense that smells good, but the fragrant incense and
scented water we offer should be natural and pure, like from
sandalwood and flowers, not chemical perfumes and powders or
the smell of soap or anything like that. If such natural fragrances
are not available we can create them in our mind. Visualize that
all of space, the whole environment, is filled with the fragrance of
flowers, sandalwood and so forth. Dri zhim dug pö is fragrant
incense and nang säl is light.
The light we offer is not only that of butter lamps, candles and so
forth—whatever’s on your altar—but also the light of the sun and
the moon. You can even offer the electric lights of cities and so
forth. Basically, we offer whatever helps illuminate darkness. In
the West, big parks, for example, are very beautiful at night, with
all their light displays. All these beautiful appearances we take not
for ourselves, for our own pleasure, but in order to make an
offering of them to the lama. Take it mentally and, in this case,
offer it to please Lama Tsongkhapa.
Dri chhab is scented water. This scented water is also natural:
sandalwood water, rose water, saffron water and so forth. It is not
artificial perfume. If we have this kind of natural scented water we
put it in a cup or bowl and offer it. Although it is meant for the
body of the lama, we don’t pour it onto the pictures or statues
because it might damage them. Sog means and so forth or the
like. Here, sog includes the food offerings, the music offerings,
and all the other offerings, such as garments etc. These are
explained in detail in the offering part of the Bodhicaryavatara.
In the next line, ngö sham means actually arranged, or performed,
and refers to those few offerings that we have put on the altar. But
we have to offer much more than that. Thus we have yi trül, which
means manifested from or created by the mind, a huge collection
of offerings that fills all of space. All these vast clouds (chhö trin)
of offerings are like an ocean (gya tsho)—in other words, very
many.
The last line of this verse refers to the fact that in order to attain
buddhahood we need to accumulate vast stores of merit and the
best means of doing this is with our guru, our lama; here, Lama
Tsongkhapa who is, in essence, our own root guru. There is
nothing superior to this, therefore he is referred to as the supreme
field of merit, sö nam shing chhog. For example, by sowing grape
seeds in a field we obtain a great crop of grapes. Similarly, by
accumulating merit in relation to the supreme field of the guru, we
obtain the greatest of all results, the supreme fruit of buddhahood.
In this way, the lama is also a field that yields fruit, but the fruit we
obtain is the supreme fruit, the ultimate goal, therefore the lama is
referred to as the supreme field, very different from an ordinary,
worldly field.
Confession
The next verse is the limb of confession. Here we confess all our
downfalls, all the non-virtuous actions that we have accumulated,
in front of Lama Tsongkhapa. This comes in these lines:
Gang zhig thog me dü nä sag pa yi

Lü ngag yi kyi mi ge chi gyi dang

Khyä par dom pa sum gyi mi thün chhog

Nying nä gyö pä drag pö so sor shag
Whatever non-virtues of body, speech and mind,
And especially, actions opposite to the three vows
That I have created from beginningless time,
From the bottom of my heart, I regret and fervently
confess them all individually.
The first line is different in some texts, where it is dag gi thog me
instead of gang zhig thog me but it means more or less the same
thing. Dag gi is actually clearer than gang zhig. Gang zhig refers
to the actual downfall itself whereas dag gi means “by me,” the
one who actually accumulated these downfalls.
There can be another difference in some texts, where it says lü
ngag yi sum, which means “by the three doors of body, speech
and mind,” instead of lü ngag yi kyi, which means simply “by body,
speech and mind.” It can be either way; it doesn’t really matter.
Thog me dü nä means from beginningless time. All the non-
virtuous actions that we have accumulated in the past up to now,
from time immemorial up to this moment, all that we have done in
the past…this is what it means. What we have accumulated from
time immemorial are so many non-virtuous actions—killing and so
forth—by body. We have also accumulated countless non-
virtuous actions of speech, such as lying. And by mind, we have
created even more. To be very precise, we can say that almost
every thought we have had has been non-virtuous. That is how
much non-virtue we have accumulated through our mind.
We don’t remember most of the non-virtuous actions that we have
accumulated in this life, but we should at least be able to
remember the gross ones, the most important ones. But while we
can be fairly sure of the major negativities we have created in this
life, we might have some doubt about the non-virtues that we
have accumulated in our past lives. However, we can see that we
have a natural tendency to accumulate non-virtuous actions—
nobody has to teach us and we don’t have to make any effort to
learn them. Very naturally and spontaneously we accumulate
many non-virtuous actions. This inherent tendency to create non-
virtuous actions in this life is the fruit of past non-virtues, a clear
sign of the great acquaintance we developed with non-virtuous
actions in past lives.
For example, when actors or dancers they develop acquaintance
with their parts and moves they become so accustomed to what
they’re doing that their performances become very natural and
spontaneous. They don’t have to think about what they’re doing at
all. Every movement of their body, every song, comes without
effort. Simultaneously, our present spontaneous tendency to
create non-virtuous actions is the best proof of the existence of
past lives and the accumulation of non-virtuous actions in those
lives as well.
The next line says, “And especially, actions opposite to the three
vows.” In other words, in addition to all the non-virtuous actions
that we have accumulated in general, we also have some extra
ones that we have accumulated in connection with the various
vows we have taken. Most of us have taken all different kinds of
pratimoksha vows: upasaka/upasika, shramanera/shramanerika
and bhikshu/bhikshuni vows. In addition to those, many of us
have also taken tantric initiations in which we have received
bodhisattva and tantric vows. Anyway, each of us should know
what vows we have taken. However, more—far more—than the
number of vows we have taken, are the transgressions of those
vows that we have accumulated; so many that they completely
pour over us like monsoon rain. If we look at our daily life very
precisely—for example, if we look honestly at what we have done
from this morning up to this moment—we’ll find that even in this
very short period we have already accumulated many
transgressions of our pratimoksha, bodhisattva and tantric vows.
The final line of this verse reads, “From the bottom of my heart, I
regret and fervently confess them all individually.” Nying nä
means from the heart. Gyö pä drag pö means with very strong
repentance. This means that simply uttering a few words while
feeling nothing in our heart is not confession; this does not help
us purify our non-virtuous actions. We need to confess non-
virtuous actions with strong repentance from the depths of our
heart. So sor shag has two different meanings: one is the
confession of each negative action individually, one by one; the
other is to confess again and again. So sor can be interpreted
either way; however, interpreting it as again and again is deeper,
more beneficial. It is not enough for us to confess our non-
virtuous actions just once. We need to remember and confess
them again and again.
Rejoicing
Nyig mäi dü dir mang thö drub la tsön

Chhö gyä pang pä däl jor dön yö je

Gön po khyö kyi lab chhen dzä pa la

Dag chag sam pa thag pä yi rang ngo
In this time of the five degenerations, you strove for many
listenings and realizations,
And made meaningful the perfect human rebirth
By renouncing the eight worldly dharmas.
In the savior’s extensive deeds I rejoice sincerely from the
depths of my heart.
This is a time of degeneration of the Dharma. The great
bodhisattvas and others who practice bodhicitta purposely take
birth among sentient beings in such degenerate periods in order
to help when it is really needed. The time of Lama Tsongkhapa’s
birth was also during this period of the five degenerations, when
1.  Beings’ lives are short;
2.  There is much fighting and trouble among sentient beings;
3.  Delusions are very strong and manifest grossly;
4.  Wrong views about Dharma, karma and so forth abound
among sentient beings; and
5.  All energy, possessions and material power are deteriorating.
So, Lama Tsongkhapa appeared at a time when these five signs
were flourishing. He was greatly learned and knew all the texts
from India as well as their Tibetan commentaries. He had studied
all Nyingma, Kagyü, Kadam and Sakya lineages and received all
the practices and teachings of the different traditions. It is very
beneficial to study his life.
Mang thö means he had much learning and drub la tsön means
he made a great effort to practice. Lama Manjushri appeared to
Lama Tsongkhapa and urged him to meditate, so he went directly
to meditate as soon as possible. Some people may think that
because Lama Tsongkhapa was a great guru and a famous
master that he was of high rank and had many luxuries and things
like that, but that’s not at all how it was. He didn’t lead that kind of
life.
When he and his eight chief disciples left for meditation they went
as hermits, without any belongings or possessions. Before they
left for retreat Lama Tsongkhapa and his disciples collected
everything that they had except their robes and monk’s bowls and
sold them to use whatever money they got for offerings. Even so,
they had very little money, just a few Tibetan tsang, which is like a
few rupees. So, they made offerings by selling their possessions,
then left completely for meditation.
First they put much energy into their preliminary practices, living
on the mountain, each of them in a different cave. Lama
Tsongkhapa himself put great effort into his preliminary practices
because they are the foundation of all spiritual development. For
example, he made so many mandala offerings using a flat piece
of stone as a mandala base that his arm became so calloused
that it was almost like a horn. Lama Tsongkhapa and his disciples
sacrificed all worldly pleasures such as good food and so forth to
live a very simple, meditative life. Some of them even fasted,
living on just a few juniper seeds a day. They meditated with great
effort for many years until each accomplished the goal of his
meditation. Some accomplished the different tantric deities and
received direct instructions from them, direct visions and so forth.
Many of these deeds are in Lama Tsongkhapa’s great life story,
but many are in the secret, tantric, life story of Lama Tsongkhapa,
which is a separate text. It is not very long, so it would be
excellent if you were to receive teachings on that. So that is the
meaning of the line, “In this time of the five degenerations, you
strove for many listenings and realizations.”
The next two lines say, “And made meaningful the perfect human
rebirth by renouncing the eight worldly concerns.” Chhö gyä
means eight dharmas; in other words, the eight worldly dharmas.
The first of these eight worldly dharmas is yearning for the
pleasure and happiness of this life only. The second is yearning
for praise. When someone praises us we enjoy it very much, so
we’re always craving praise from others. The third is yearning for
favorable speech, words. We are always seeking for something
good, something nice and sweet to hear. The fourth worldly
dharma is yearning for material gain in this lifetime—food,
clothing, money and so forth.
The fifth worldly dharma is aversion to the suffering of this
lifetime. The sixth is aversion to criticism and blame. The seventh
is aversion to hearing unpleasant things, the opposite of yearning
for pleasant words; a dislike of unpleasant words. And finally, the
eighth worldly dharma is aversion to not getting material things.
Thus you can see that in the eight worldly dharmas there are four
that we always seek out and four that we always wish to be
separated from. They are called worldly dharmas because they
are the principles of worldly people, those who do not practice
Dharma at all or who do not practice it purely, beings whose
whole lives are completely spent and sacrificed for gaining the
first four and abandoning the second four. We are completely
deceived by these eight worldly principles. They take us away
from the true practice of Dharma. Not only do they interfere with
our practice of Dharma but they also cause us much trouble and
suffering.
All the fighting, death and other sufferings in the life of a worldly
person are because of these eight worldly dharmas. From a
quarrel between two or four people up to a war between great
nations, all is for the purpose of the eight worldly dharmas.
Although these eight worldly dharmas interfere with our practice
of Dharma and cause us much trouble and suffering, if they didn’t
always force us to accumulate non-virtuous actions, they might
not be so bad, but the fact is that all the non-virtuous actions that
we accumulate individually or in common, from childhood all the
way through our entire life, are all incurred through our pursuit of
the eight worldly dharmas.
Therefore, these eight worldly dharmas that give us so much
trouble are completely unworthy of the attachment we have for
them. They are deeply wrong for us to be involved in. But out of
ignorance, we worldly beings, not knowing this, get purposely,
voluntarily and completely involved in them. True practitioners of
Dharma totally renounce the eight worldly dharmas and practice
everything that is their opposite. All the great gurus of the past,
such as Jetsun Milarepa and Lama Tsongkhapa, renounced the
eight worldly dharmas, fought against them with all their might
and gained victory over them.
Lama Tsongkhapa said, “Even from childhood I had a
spontaneous tendency to be afraid whenever somebody offered
me something or prepared a high seat for me, because I realized
that all worldly gains are deeply impermanent.” So, chhö gyä
pang pä means by renouncing the eight worldly dharmas. Däl jor
dön yö je means making this perfect human rebirth meaningful
and worthwhile: by renouncing the eight worldly dharmas he
made the precious human life that he had obtained worthwhile
and fruitful. Lama Tsongkhapa never wasted even a second of his
precious life.
The next two lines read, “In the savior’s extensive deeds I rejoice
sincerely from the depths of my heart.” Gön po khyö kyi means
you, the savior. Lab chhen dzä pa la means in the great wave of
your deeds, the vast and profound deeds of Lama Tsongkhapa, I
rejoice from the depths of my heart.
Dag chag means I or we; sam pa thag pä means from the depths
of our thought or mind; yi rang ngo means rejoice. All together, it
means that we rejoice in the great, extensive deeds of Lama
Tsongkhapa, not just paying lip service to them but we rejoice
from the depths of our heart, from deep within our mind.
Rejoicing is the supreme practice for accumulating merit.
Rejoicing counteracts all delusions in general but it is the direct
antidote of jealousy in particular. Jealousy toward the goodness
and practice of other beings causes our merit and development to
degenerate. Rejoicing in the goodness and precious deeds of
other sentient beings doesn’t take much effort but accumulates
vast amounts merit. In other words, they put much effort into
practicing Dharma but simply by rejoicing in their practice, we can
create much merit for ourselves.
Requesting to turn the wheel of Dharma
The next verse is a request for the turning of the wheel of the
Dharma, a request for teachings.
Je tsün la ma dam pa khye nam kyi

Chhö küi kha la khyen tsei trin thrig nä

Ji tar tsham päi dül jäi dzin ma la

Zab gyä chhö kyi chhar pa bab tu söl
Please, holy jetsun gurus,
From billowed clouds of compassion and wisdom in the
sky of dharmakaya,
Make rainfalls of profound and extensive teachings of
whatever is suitable
For the ears of sentient beings who are the objects to be
subdued.
Je tsün la ma means venerable lama. I explained the meaning of
that in Verse 2. Dam pa means holy, or supreme; the supreme
guru. Lama Tsongkhapa has given us all the methods and
prerequisites that gradually lead us to the attainment of the
ultimate goal of enlightenment. Therefore, he is the supreme
lama. Khye nam kyi means by you.
The next line says that all of space of dharmakaya is filled with
the clouds of wisdom and love. Chhö ku means dharmakaya; kha
la means space. Because Lama Tsongkhapa is a buddha, his
mind is in the nature of the dharmakaya; his mind resembles
space, infinite space. Gathering in this space of Lama
Tsongkhapa’s dharmakaya mind are clouds of wisdom and
compassion, from which falls rain. Khyen means wisdom; tsei
means love and bodhicitta—the method side qualities of mind.
Trin thrig nä means by gathering the clouds.
The next lines say, “Make rainfalls of profound and extensive
teachings of whatever is suitable for the ears of sentient beings
who are the objects to be subdued.”
Ji tar tsham päi means fittingly, or whatever is suitable. We are
requesting the lama to turn the wheel of Dharma, to give
teachings in a way that fits, or suits, the capacity of the sentient
beings. This has a deep meaning. For example, a wise doctor
gives medicine to different patients according to the strength of
their body. A doctor does not prescribe strong medicine for a
person who is very weak because the patient’s body cannot
support it; therefore the doctor prescribes a milder medicine; for
patients with stronger bodies the doctor prescribes stronger
remedies. Like this, in a fitting way, the doctor writes the
prescription. A doctor just thinking, “I have this really strong
medicine,” and then immediately prescribing it without thinking
about the capacity of the patient, may do more harm than good.
It is the same for patients as well. They should take the medicine
that suits their body; they can’t just go out and buy the strongest
medicine there is without taking into account the strength of their
body. Therefore, in the same way, we request the lama to teach
the Dharma according to our capacity, for the benefit of all
sentient beings. If a lama gives a student of small capacity a very
high and powerful practice, it might harm rather than help the
student. Dül ja means disciple, the object to be subdued; dzin ma
is another Tibetan word for earth, or ground—dül ja dzin ma la
means on the field, or ground, of the disciples, the objects to be
tamed. Zab means profound; gyä, vast, extensive; chhö kyi, of
Dharma; chhar pa, rain; bab tu söl, let pour down. Thus, we are
requesting the lama to let pour down the rain of profound and
extensive Dharma fittingly on the ground of the disciples.
As I mentioned before, generally in the seven limb puja, the
request for the long life of the lama or the buddhas is the sixth of
the seven limbs, so normally it would come at this point, but in this
practice, because it is such an important request, it is explained at
the beginning.
Dedication
Therefore, the next limb is that of dedication.
Dag gi ji nye sag päi ge wa di

Tän dang dro wa kün la gang phän dang

Khyä par je tsün lo zang drag pa yi

Tän päi nying po ring du säl je shog
I dedicate whatever virtues I have collected,
For the benefit of the teachings and of all sentient beings,
And in particular, for the essential teachings
Of venerable Losang Dragpa to shine forever.
We dedicate all the merits that we have accumulated since
beginningless time up to now for two great purposes. One is for
the benefit for the doctrine, the teaching; for the flourishing and
stability of the Dharma. The other great purpose is for the benefit
of all sentient beings. Then, in particular, since this is a guru yoga
practice in connection with Lama Tsongkhapa, we dedicate all our
merit for the flourishing and stability of Lama Tsongkhapa’s
teachings, the essence of which is the three principal aspects of
the path: renunciation, bodhicitta, and the realization of shunyata.
The essence of the teaching of Lama Tsongkhapa is these three
principles of the path and the practice of tantra as well. We
dedicate our merit for all that to flourish forever.
Actually, there isn’t any separate, independent doctrine or
tradition of Lama Tsongkhapa. In reality, the tradition of Lama
Tsongkhapa is the Kadam tradition, which was founded by Lama
Atisha. But then we have this term “Gelug,” which makes it even
worse. It is not only pronounced incorrectly but it’s also spelt
wrong. It should be Ga, not Ge, because Lama Tsongkhapa
founded the first monastery, the great monastery on the mountain,
Gadän Monastery. Once Lama Tsongkhapa’s tradition became
established, people started calling it the Gadän lug, Galug for
short; lug means tradition. So, Galug means tradition of Gadän.
Now that we have invited Lama Tsongkhapa from the heart of
Buddha Maitreya, requested him to remain in front of us as a field
of merit and to this field of merit have made all the offerings,
including the seven-limb puja, from prostration to dedication, we
offer a mandala.
[Here offer a long or a short mandala.]
Recitation of the guru mantra
After the mandala offering comes the recitation of the lama
mantra and the practice for accomplishing the three attributes of
the Buddha in general and the wisdom attribute in particular.
There are many different kinds of wisdom. First we need great
wisdom. But it is not enough simply to have great wisdom; we
also need illuminating wisdom, a wisdom that is very clear. But
neither are great wisdom and clear wisdom enough; we also need
quick wisdom; wisdom that is very fast without taking time.
Neither is it enough to have great, clear and quick wisdom; we
also need profound wisdom, which can dig deeply into our
practice. Superficial wisdom is not of much benefit or use; it
understands and realizes only that which is on the surface. It
cannot plumb the depths.
Thus, there are four wisdoms, and we can accomplish them all
through the practice of the guru yoga of Lama Tsongkhapa. In
order to do so we must first rid ourselves of interferences to the
development of wisdom; we must purify all our impurities.
Therefore, before reciting the lama mantra, we make a specific
request:
De tar shug drag söl wa tab päi thu

Je tsün yab sä sum gyi thug ka nä

Ö zer kar po bug chän thrö päi ne

Chig tu dre nä rang gi chi wor zug
Thus by the force of strong request,
From the hearts of the venerable father and sons,
Hollow rays of white light emanate,
Combine into one and absorb into the crown of my head.
This verse means that through our having made the offering of
practice and a mandala to Lama Tsongkhapa and by the force of
our request made with strong devotion to Lama Tsongkhapa and
his two main disciples, three hollow white beams of light, like
tubes, emanate from their hearts, combine into one, enter the
crown of our head and absorb into us.
Bug chän means hollow, like a tube; chig tu dre nä means
combined into one; rang gi chi wor zug means absorb into the
crown of my head.
Three light rays emanate from the heart of Lama Tsongkhapa and
his two chief disciples. The central one comes from Lama
Tsongkhapa, one from Gyältsab Rinpoche (to Lama Tsongkhapa’s
right) and the other from Khädrub Rinpoche (to his left). You
should remember this very precisely because in meditation you
have to visualize all the details. The light rays that emanate from
their hearts are radiant white in color. They are beams of light but
hollow inside, like a tube; empty inside. One starts from the heart
of each of the three lamas, but after a short distance they
combine into one. The end of this single beam that is a
combination of all three absorbs into the crown of your head.
So, when you meditate seriously, you have to make this
visualization very precisely. Three radiant white light tubes start
from the hearts of the three lamas, concentrate into one, and that
very concentrated hollow beam of light absorbs into the crown of
your head. Then:
Ö kar bu gäi jug ngog lä jung wäi

Dü tzi kar po o mäi dog chän gyi

Nä dön dig drib bag chhag ma lü pa

Trü nä rang lü dang säl shel tar gyur (or, shel tar dag par
gyur)
Through the white light hollow beam of light flows
Radiant white nectar the color of milk.
All illnesses, spirit harms, defilements, obstacles and their
imprints, without exception,
Are washed away and my body becomes as pure and
clear as crystal.
Radiant white nectar, amrita, flows through the hollow tube of light
that has emanated from the hearts of the three lamas. This
ambrosia is much more radiant than milk and absolutely white in
color. Although in appearance it is like a liquid, it is in nature the
buddha mind. It starts flowing down the three tubes of light, which
then combine into one—like three rivers that come from three
different valleys and unite into one, which then becomes much
more powerful—enters our head and flows down into our body.
When the amrita, whose nature is that of the buddha mind, comes
into our body it completely washes away all interferences,
illnesses—physical and mental—evil influences, downfalls, karmic
obstacles, obstacles due to delusion and imprints; all gross,
medium and subtle interferences are completely washed away.
Our body is completely rid of them, as it says in the last line of this
verse, and our whole body becomes full of light and amrita and
extremely radiant, like a light body, like light fills a bulb. Like that,
our body becomes completely full of light and amrita, with no
external or internal impurities left in it. But this light and amrita are
not simply like ordinary water or some other liquid like that—in
this light and amrita are tiny letters, tiny versions of the lama
mantra, the syllables of the mantra and many different things
mixed with and absorbed in it, which I will explain in detail.
If we practice this guru yoga purification very strongly it becomes
exactly the same as practicing Vajrasattva meditation. The effect
is exactly the same, sufficient for Vajrasattva purification. But
when practicing this meditation—the light and amrita flowing
down, entering us and purifying all our obstacles and filling our
whole body—we should not do the visualization quickly but slowly,
stage by stage.
During this time, we recite the lama mantra, this one-verse praise
that is the lama mantra of Lama Tsongkhapa. We recite it again
and again, all the while visualizing in our mind the entire process
of purification. Therefore, if we practice this lama mantra, called
the migtsema, correctly, with the right motivation and the proper
visualization, it also fulfills many other practices, because it
contains within it the profound meaning of many aspects of
Dharma; many things are concentrated in these few words.
So, to summarize, we have reached the point of complete inner
purification by the white light and nectar that emanates from the
three hearts of the three lamas, which are combined into one.
This light and nectar absorbs into the crown of our head and
enters our body, purifying all our obstacles, external and internal.
Our body is filled with light and amrita, then it becomes radiant
and completely pure, inside and outside. At the end of the
purification, our body becomes completely in the nature of light,
like a light bulb which changes completely from the outside.
Our body is completely filled with amrita and light, and within this
there are many syllables of the lama mantra. Those who can read
Tibetan should visualize the syllables of the lama mantra, which
are not as they are written, but are more in the nature of light.
They are like light letters. When we say that our body is filled with
syllables of the lama mantra, it is not like a bag filled with grain;
rather, the syllables fill our body like rain in a fog. With this
visualization in our mind, recite at least one mala of the lama
mantra. During this one mala, visualize this process of
purification, with light coming down from the chests of the lamas,
entering our body, purifying the obstacles and filling it with light
and amrita, and the lama mantra syllables.
The one-verse lama mantra starts with this line:
Mig-me tze-wäi ter-ch’en chän-rä-zig
Avalokiteshvara who is great treasure of compassion
without apprehension.
Chän-rä-zig is Avalokiteshvara. Mig-me means without
apprehension, without grasping. This refers to shunyata nature,
which is without inherent nature, or void of inherent nature. This
shunyata nature is called mig-me. Mig means apprehend and me
means without. Mig-me means no true inherent nature to
apprehend.
Compassion without apprehension means compassion which is
accompanied or supported by the wisdom realizing shunyata.
Compassion which is supported by the realization of shunyata is
much greater, more profound and powerful than ordinary
compassion without the support of wisdom. Tze-wäi is
compassion and ter-ch’en means great treasure. The great
treasure of this compassion which is supported by the wisdom of
all the buddhas is Avalokiteshvara. When the compassion of
every buddha appears in the form of a deity, it is none other than
Avalokiteshvara. In this prayer we are saying, “Lama Tsongkhapa,
you are in the nature of Avalokiteshvara who is the great treasure
of the compassion of all the buddhas.” Many scriptural sources
and reasons have proven completely that Lama Tsongkhapa is
the manifestation of Avalokiteshvara, but there is no need to
explain this in detail now. Therefore, this practice of guru yoga will
be sufficient for a person who wishes to develop compassion
through the practice of Avalokiteshvara meditation.
The next line is:
Dri-me kyen-pä wang-po jam-päi-yang
Manjushri, the lord of wisdom without defilements
Dri-me is without defilement or impurity. Ky’en-pä is wisdom or
comprehension, cognition. Dri-me is realizing everything in a pure
sense without any mistake or wrong view. The wisdom of every
buddha, without defilement or illusion, is the very nature of
Manjushri. In other words, Manjushri is the very form of all the
wisdom of every buddha. This means, “Lama Tsongkhapa, you
are also the very Manjushri who is the lord of wisdom without
defilement, the wisdom of every buddha.” As I explained in the
beginning, although Lama Tsongkhapa appeared in human form
as a spiritual master, in his ultimate nature he is Manjushri.
The next line is:
Dü-pung ma-lü jom-dzä sang-wäi-dag
Vajrapani who destroys the force of mara without
exception.
When the power of all the buddhas appears in the form of a deity,
it is Vajrapani. Dü-pung means the force of mara and refers not
only to some fierce demons, but also includes both external and
internal forces of mara. The external forces of mara are the evil
forces and the internal mara is the real mara, which is the force of
delusions and the imprints of delusions. This means, “Lama
Tsongkhapa, you are also the very Vajrapani who is the destroyer
of all evil forces.”
In short, Lama Tsongkhapa is the combined form of all three
deities; Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri and Vajrapani. In other words,
Lama Tsongkhapa is the concentrated form of all three attributes
of Buddha: compassion, wisdom and power. There are people
who wish to practice meditation in connection with
Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri and Vajrapani and there are those
who wish to develop compassion, wisdom and power. If we
practice this guru yoga seriously, it will be sufficient. Through this
guru yoga, we can accomplish all our goals together.
The fourth line is:
G’ang-chän khä-pä tsug-gyän tsong-kha-pa
Tsongkhapa who is the crown of the sages of the Land of
Snows
Although there were countless masters in Tibet, when Lama
Tsongkhapa appeared in the Land of Snows he became the
crown of all the sages or masters in Tibet.
The next line is,
Lo-zang drag-päi zhab-la sol-wa-deb
I request to the feet of the Lama Lo-zang dr’ag-pa
Lo-zang drag-päi is Lama Tsongkhapa’s personal name. What are
we requesting? We are requesting Lama Tsongkhapa to bestow
upon us the blessing of the three attributes of Buddha, so that we
will receive these three attributes within ourselves; so we will
generate, grow and accomplish these three within ourselves. With
this meaning in our mind and with the visualization as explained
before, we practice the recitation of the lama prayer.
Thus, first we purify all the obstacles and interferences that are
within us. After the purification, when all these obstacles and
interferences are purified, we must begin the actual practice for
the development of wisdom. There are three stages of wisdom.
First, we must develop great wisdom. Previously there was
radiant white light emanating from the chests of the three lamas,
combining into one and absorbing into the crown of our head and
purifying us. Now this light suddenly changes color. For the
development of great wisdom, the color of the light suddenly
changes into yellow. It is not absolutely yellow; it is more like
orange. Actually, the amrita flowing in the light tube is this color,
so by changing the color of the amrita, it also changes the color of
the tube, the light itself. So, everything turns a light orange color.
There is a particular recitation that starts with:
Lar-yang ch’e-wäi ky’en-rab mar-ser-gy’i

Dü-tzi nam-par j’ung-wä rang-lü-g’ang
Again the great wisdom comes in the form of orange amrita that
fills our body. This means the great wisdom of all the buddhas is
transformed into orange-colored amrita which emanates from the
chest of Lama Tsongkhapa, comes down through our head and
fills our body. If a bottle is filled with orange liquid, from outside
and inside the color is completely changed to orange. In the same
way, our body is filled with orange amrita. This is not exactly like
filling a bottle with an orange water, because it is not only amrita
liquid but also, as explained before, it is radiant, orange light. So
from outside and inside we become completely in the form of
orange light.
The next line is:
Dü-tzii dül-nam je-tzün jam-yang-kyi

Nam-par säl-lä wö ch’og-chu-yi
The atoms of amrita appear in the form of Manjushri. Here we
visualize that the atoms of amrita are in the form of small
Manjushris, so our body contains countless small forms of
Manjushri. From these Manjushris in our body, light emanates and
goes out in all ten directions. This invites and brings back to us
the great wisdom of all the buddhas in the form of countless
Manjushris in all sizes. They absorb into us through all parts of
our body, like rain on a lake. It’s as if all the raindrops are
completely absorbed into the lake. We must meditate strongly that
we have received the power of the great wisdom of every buddha
within us.
The next line is:
Gyäl-d’ang d’e-sä ch’e-wäi ky’en-rab-nam

Lha-küi nam-par tim-pä rang-lü-g’ang
Light emanates and goes out to the ten directions. The great
wisdom of the Victorious Ones and their sons comes in the form
of the deity and fills our body.
With this visualization, the orange-colored amrita and light comes
down from the chests of the lamas, then enters and fills our body.
All the atoms of that amrita are in the form of countless
Manjushris. From these Manjushris, light emanates and goes in
the ten directions, inviting the great wisdom of every buddha in
the form of countless, different-sized Manjushris. These
completely absorb into us, thus we receive the power of the great
wisdom of every buddha within us. With this visualization and
meditation we make one mala of recitation of the lama mantra.
The next stage is the development of the clear wisdom of every
buddha. For the development of clear wisdom, again we visualize
the lama with light emanating from his chest and absorbing into
us. It is the same colored flow of amrita as previously, but instead
of the form of Lama Manjushri in the amrita, it is now the
Manjushri mantra. All the atoms of the amrita are not in the form
of the body of Manjushri; instead they are in the form of the
mantra of Manjushri, OM AH RA PA TSA NA. So, all the atoms of
the amrita are in the form of the mantra syllables, which are of
very strong radiance. The light of even one syllable can
completely illuminate the whole universe, it is so powerful. They
are luminous syllables. Because this is for the development of
clear wisdom, we should also visualize as clearly as possible that
all the lights and everything else are radiant, clear and luminous.
These syllables, as I explained before, are not like painted, drawn
or written letters. They are all in the form of light letters, absolutely
luminous. The light of all the mantra syllables emanates to the ten
directions and the clear wisdom of all the buddhas is invited in the
form of the letters OM AH RA PA TSA NA in countless numbers,
and these absorb in us. So with meditation we recite the lama
prayer again with another mala. That is the meaning of the
following verse, which we recite before the second mala of the
lama mantra.
Lar-yang säl-wä ky’en-rab mar-ser-gy’i

Dü-tzii nam-par j’ung-wä rang-lü g’ang

Dü-tzii dül-nam a-ra-pa-tza-näi

Nam-par säl-lä wö-tr’ö ch’og-chu-yi

Gyäl-d’ang d’e-sä säl-wäi ky’en-rab-nam

Zung-ngag nam-par tim-pä rang-lü-g’ang
This is the same prayer as the previous one for great wisdom, but
there have been just a few changes. In the first line, it is now säl-
wäi ky’en-rab, which means clear wisdom. The second line is
exactly the same. In the third line, instead of Manjushri’s body, it
is a-ra-pa-tza-näi. The fourth line is the same. Again the fifth line
is changed to säl-wäi ky’en-rab, which means clear wisdom. The
second line is exactly the same. In the third line, instead of
Manjushri’s body, it is a-ra-pa-tza-näi. The fourth line is the same.
Again in the fifth line, change to säl-wäi ky’en-rab, clear wisdom.
In the last line, there is now zung-ngag, which means in the form
of mantra. Having rejoiced in this verse, begin the lama mantra
again and recite another mala, doing the visualization that has
already been explained. When you have finished one mala of the
lama mantra for the development of clear wisdom, then go to the
next stage.
Now is the time for the development of speedy or quick wisdom.
For that, again the visualizations are similar. The light and amrita
are all as before, however, the atoms of amrita are not in the form
of the deity’s body nor in the form of the mantra, AH RA PA TSA
NA. They are all in the form of the essential syllable of Manjushri,
DHI, which is the syllable of the mind of Manjushri. Therefore, for
the development of clear wisdom, all the atoms of the amrita are
visualized in the form of this seed syllable DHI. From outside, we
can see everything very clearly. Our body becomes very radiant
outside and inside. From the DHIs in our body, orange light
emanates and goes out to the ten directions inviting the quick
wisdom of all the buddhas in the form of countless DHI syllables,
which absorb into us. Thus we receive within ourselves the quick
wisdom of every buddha. With this meditation we practice another
mala of the lama prayer after we have recited the following verse:
Lar-yang nyur-wäi ky’en-rab mar-ser-gyi

Dü-tzii nam-par j’ung-wä rang-lu-g’ang

Dü-tzii dül-nam DHI-yig mar-ser-gy’i

Nam-par säl-lä wö-tr’ö ch’og-chu-yi

Gyäl-d’ang d’e-sä nyur-wäi ky’en-rab-nam

Sa-b’ön nam-par tim-pä rang-lü-g’ang
Again, this is the same verse with a few little changes. Now it is
nyur-wäi ky’en-rab which means quick wisdom. The next change
is to DHI-yig mar-ser gy’i which means the orange syllable DHI.
Again, line five is changed to nyur-wäi ky’en-rab, the quick
wisdom of the Victorious Ones and their sons. In the last line, sa-
b’ön nam-par means in the form of the seed. After you have
finished one mala for the development of clear wisdom, stop and
recite this verse; then with this visualization, recite one mala of
the lama mantra for the development of quick wisdom.
Still another wisdom is left—profound wisdom. For the
development of this wisdom, the visualization is basically the
same except the atoms of amrita are in the form of the sword and
the scripture—the symbols in Manjushri’s hands. You don’t have
to feel any discomfort from visualizing many swords in your body,
because all these swords and scriptures are in the nature of light.
As before, light emanates from the swords and scriptures and
goes into the ten directions, inviting the profound wisdom of every
buddha in the same form. A countless number of swords and
scriptures absorbs into us; thus we receive the power of the
profound wisdom of every buddha in the same form within us. We
receive the blessing of the profound wisdom of every buddha, so
that our wisdom can penetrate to the very depth of every object of
analysis. With this visualization we practice the lama mantra and
another mala, after reciting the following verse.
So, if we practice one mala for each, this makes five malas
altogether. The first mala is for purification, then there is one mala
for each of the four developments of wisdom. If we can practice
more than that—hundreds of thousands and ten-thousands or
hundred-thousands, it is even better.
Lar-yang zab-päi ky’en-rab mar ser-gyi

Dü-tzii nam-par j’ung-wä rang-lü-g’ang

Dü-tzii dül-nam leg-b’am ral-dr’i-yi

Nam-par säl-lä wö-tr’ö ch’eg-chu-yi

Gyäl-d’ang d’e-sä zab-päi ky’en-rab-nam

Ch’og-tsän nam-par tim-pä rang-lü g’ang
The first change is to zab-päi ky’en-rab, which is profound
wisdom. The next change, in line three, is to leg-b’am ral-dr’i-yi,
which means scripture and sword. All the atoms of amrita are in
the form of scriptures and swords. Again, line five changes to zab-
päi ky’en-rab. Finally, line six starts with ch’ag-tsän which means
the hand symbols. With this visualization, we recite one mala of
the lama prayer.
Therefore, if we practice the guru yoga in this way, this practice
will be sufficient for many other practices. After five malas of
recitation of the lama mantra, if you have time and want to
practice more of the lama mantras that is better. When we have
finished the lama mantras, we conclude the visualization is with
these lines:
Päl-dän tza-wäi la-ma rin-po-ch’e
The glorious precious Root Lama
Dag-g’i ch’i-wor pä-däi teng-zhug-la
Remain on my head on the lotus and the moon disk.
Kadr’in ch’en-päi go-nä je-zung-te
Hold me out of the great compassion, great kindness
Ku-sung t’ug-kyi ngö-drub tzäl-d’u-söl
I request you to grant me the siddhi of body, speech, and
mind.
We are requesting the lama to come down on our head, to remain
on our head and bestow upon us the blessing of all the qualities
of the body, speech and mind of the Buddha. In our visualization,
first Gyältsab Rinpoche, who is on Lama Tsongkhapa’s right side,
absorbs into him, then Khädrub Rinpoche, who is on his left side,
also absorbs into him. From the bottom of the seat of the throne,
gradually the golden throne is absorbed to Lama Tsongkhapa,
then he comes down and remains on our head, facing the same
direction as we are. At that time, Lama Tsongkhapa’s body must
be visualized as so radiant and so beautiful on our head. We must
visualize that Lama Tsongkhapa has completely accepted and
promised to give us all the powers.
The next verse is similar to the preceding one:
Päl-dän tza-wäi la-ma rin-po-ch’e
The glorious precious Root Lama
Dag-g’i nying-g’ar pä-möi teng-zhug-la
Remain on the lotus in my heart.
Ka-dr’in ch’en-pöi go-nä je-zung-te
Hold me by your great compassion, great kindness
J’ang-ch’ub nying-pöi b’ar-du tän-par-zhug
Remain steadily up to the essence of bodhi, buddhahood
We are requesting Lama Tsongkhapa to come down and remain
in our heart always, steadily, until we reach buddhahood. So,
Lama Tsongkhapa becomes smaller and smaller until he is the
size of our thumb. When he is about that size, he enters through
the crown of our head and slowly comes down to the lotus at the
center of our heart and remains there.
There are much more elaborate forms of visualization but all
these are not necessary at this time. This guru yoga and
visualization can be so much more detailed, with many more
things to visualize, but at the present time this might be too much.
At this time, I am giving you a simple meditation especially for the
development of the four wisdoms.
Now one short dedication is:
Ge-wa-di-yi nyur-d’u-dag

La-ma sang-gyä drub-gy’ur-na
Accomplish the state of Lama-Buddha
This refers to Lama Tsongkhapa who is the lama or spiritual
master, and Buddha. He is both lama and Buddha in one.
Through this practice we also accomplish this state of the Lama-
Buddha, therefore this meditation is called guru yoga or Lama
Näljor, or sometimes La Drub, which means to accomplish the
lama.
By accomplishing this state of the Lama-Buddha, what is our
purpose? That is the next line:
Dro-wa chig-gy’ang ma-lü-pa
All beings without exception
D’e-yi-sa-la gö-par-shog
May I lead them to that state.
After we have accomplished the state of Lama-Buddha, then our
task is to liberate all sentient beings from suffering and establish
them in the state of buddhahood. That is the conclusion of the
guru yoga. For those who especially want to practice seriously, if
in the practice there are any questions, difficulties or doubts in the
practice, or anything that is unclear, then you can come to me and
I will solve the problem.