Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 42-minute teaching, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen guides practitioners through detailed visualization of the merit field for Lamrim practice. The visualization centers on Buddha Śākyamūni with arranged thrones: Maitreya Buddha and the extensive lineage masters to the right, Mañjuśrī and the profound lineage (Nāgārjuna, Tsongkhapa) to the left, Buddha Vajradhāra and the bliss practice lineage (Naropa, Tilopa) at the back, and one’s root guru as a fully ordained monk in front. Geshe-la explains the symbolic hand mudras—teaching and meditation—that represent the guru’s ability to both meditate and teach, and clarifies how to visualize living versus deceased teachers using different cushions. He relates this visualization to the more elaborate Guru Puja merit field and addresses whether the Lamrim should be presented in detailed or summarized form.
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File metadata (for organising)
File: 08 LR 1995 06 18.mp3
UUID: d4e2041d-2535-4b95-9a8c-58f971a500f0
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Lam Rim 1995 Jan-Dec (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1995-06-18
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 41.9 minutes
Words: ~2,218
Again, like, comes in form of Kālacakra. Oh, So so the the root guru that one have one’s one root guru is also also a, manifestation of Buddha, Buddha Śākyamūni. Like Buddha coming in the aspect of our own root guru. So can come into many different aspects, like showing many different aspect to those who wish for fullywardened ones, they have their own, come into the fullywardened aspect and to those who wish for female body, they get or say, they can also manifest into the female bodies. So then now we’ll go back to the visualization, the central tone quite high.
And then this full side of the center, you visualize throne, which is little lower than the central one. So so on the on the on the left throne, on the side of on the left of Buddha, there’s the the left throne, which where all the extensive lineage masters reside. And the central figure of that is Maitreya Buddha, is like that throne where Maitreya Buddha is encircled by the rest of the masters like a Sangha and so on, which is also like sitting around. So so that is what you visualize on the right side. Mhmm.
The the first explanations. And now the left of Buddha. So on the left of Buddha, there’s again this throne. And then on the throne, the main central figure is Mañjuśrī. And then the rest are Lineage Masters, which are like that of Nāgārjuna and then the Lama Tsongkhapa and the rest masters, which is the throne, sitting around the throne of the central one, central one which is Mañjuśrī, and which is known as the masters of the profound lineage.
So then now on the the back of the center, the back throne, there is again the lineage gurus which are there again, which are known as the central figure on that throne is Buddha Vajradhāra. And then the rest around him are the masters which are the Naropa, Tilopa and those other masters which are known as the bliss practice lineage. So those masters are around that. So so then and then this the the front throne, the front throne which is on the front throne, the central figure is one’s one’s own root guru in the front throne, which is in the aspect of fully ordained monk. One’s own root guru in the aspect of fully ordained monk and how one’s own guru look.
You should visualize in person when you see him, how it looks like in that aspect you visualize. Mhmm. So also the right hand which is like in the mudra which is known as like explaining the teachings. So, then the left hand in the posture of like meditation posture, holding a vase known as like the life So, this two mudras, like two hand symbols, what does it symbolize is that like sitting, like the meditation posture, which is sitting in meditation on emptiness while in emptiness. And it’s like teaching mudra that is like while sitting in meditation, giving teaching, something like this symbolizes that.
So so, like, the teachings, like, the explain explaining of teachings, it is it’s what you do when you are not in meditation. So while you are meditating, you don’t teach. But then, like, these two mudras together symbolizing like both at once. It’s like showing that our own root guru has the quality of Buddha which can do both at once. So another, like, the mudra of, like, explaining teachings or Dharma is that also encouraging the disciple for listening the teachings.
That’s one another reason. And then like the meditation on the left, again, it’s encouraging students, the followers to do meditations after hearing the teachings. So as Lama Tsongkhapa explains in his teachings, saying that there are two obstacles for our liberations. And one is the ignorance or not knowing. That is related with the mind and that makes our mind stop gaining liberations.
And the second is that of the death. The death which again stops us, is this death stops or brings seeds to our our life. And that it stops that also which hinders or stops us from gaining liberation. So here, again, the teaching mudra that symbolizes, like, clearing out clearing the ignorance or not knowing. So so then, again, on the left hand, like holding the life path.
That is like showing sort of like giving protection to life, like stopping death. So so then that that that throne which your root guru is seated on is circled by the rest of your gurus like there may be a monk, there may be in the form of monk or there may be in the form of lay person, male or female, whatever you visualize around the throne, and all sitting on a small throne. And that’s the same with the rest of the rest of the, like, lineage masters, like, all sitting on a small throne. So, like the cushions that you use for those lamas, the lamas that were your one to one Lama and them is that if the Lama is still alive, then then you use a normal cushion. And if the Lama is already passed, then you use a lotus cushion.
So so in Tibet, all the way of doing is that how they do this is that, like, lamas, those who, again, take reincarnations, usually for them, they use the normal cushion, Normal, like sitting on normal cushion. But then those Lamas who haven’t taken reincarnation, those who never come back, then they use the lotus cushions. That’s how we visualize. So, we stop here for today and the rest, explain next time. So is wondering just maybe wants to know how people want Lamrim teaching to be presented?
Like of us how you like the teachings? Do you want more in a a very detailed explanations like having all the examples and all different explanations like in very detail or you like more presented in like summarized form, short form. How you like is asking? So, and then that’s what wants to know. And then second thing is that if you have any other questions you can ask also.
Yeah. Any other ideas? So there are different limitations which has little different ones. And this is one of the explanations, like giving all the explanations and like symbols and all explanations. It’s one of the detailed one.
And then if you want to, the most detailed one, the most elaborated one is the explanations which is the merit field that is in the Guru Puja. How it is in the Guru Puja, see the paintings up there on the top. That’s like sort of the detail, elaborated one. So so as maybe as as some of you suggested, like, maybe we go in detail, like, explaining all in detail. And probably, Geshe-la saying maybe it will take two years to complete.
So so so he will do go with explaining more like detail giving detailed explanations. And maybe some part maybe he will like shorten. Like for example, like you’re suffering of more realms and that part. Maybe he will like shorten because maybe some people won’t like to hear that. So that’s what he will do is.
So there are some difference with these two visualizations of refuge objects. Like with the Guru Puja one, the central figure like a in the aspect of and but having the nature of one’s own. That’s that is what do you do according to or Guru Puja text. So then on the back throne, there’s like bliss practice lineage masters. And there, what we explained was vajradhara, Naropa, Tilopa, and other masters.
So so like with the Guru Puja ones, with the Guru Puja merit field, that has like five levels. So like in the central figure is Buddha Vajradhāra. So then all the rest are like below that. The aspect of in the aspect of the rest below that. So, on the left side of those masters is the the father tantra deities, like Chakrasamvara and so on.
So then like again, like also on the side, there are father tantra deities like vajrabhairava and so on. So So then on the left side is the lineage of mother tantras. And that is like Heruka and Vajrayoginī. Okay. So so then on the side of on the side of those deities of the mother tantra is again another lineage like a known as the thirteen drops.
Yeah. I’m not sure with the numbers like twelve, thirteen or sixteen. Said lineage mass like deities. So so like so there are like five like five lines of deities. So so when you visualize the merit field that you visualize first ocean of milk.
And at the center, there’s like the tree. And then on that tree, you visualize all this, like this merit field. Kālacakra. And which has like eleven, what is it, layers. And like to explain all the hearer today, we won’t have enough time.
Maybe you won’t also get food. Oh, really? So you have other questions besides this? Yeah. Mhmm.
So the central figure, the center on there was like this big, very big throne. And there are like five small ones on top of that. And then the central one was a little higher, bigger one. And then and then, like, you visualize the four other thrones in four directions, which is like a not to the very to the very end of the main throne, big throne, but you keep some space there which is where you can fit the surrounding masters of those lineage. And yeah, the circling master of those lineage.
So which is like all those lamas, the lineage gurus, all they are also sitting on a small throne. So all have a small throne, each one. We are circling the main main figure. So on the on the left throne, the left of the central throne, the main figure is Mañjuśrī. And then on the back of the central throne, Buddha vajradhara.
So on the right side, that is the Maitreya Buddha. So the center the the front is good. So so so then then all like, the central figure Buddha Buddha Śākyamūni, like like, surrounded by all like, surrounded there. Again, also all the all the teachings that he gave in the aspect of, like, different and teachings, in the aspect of teaching, having that aspect but which shows which is like the the true cessation. That that is what what what like a the true cessation.
In the in the nature of true cessation but having coming in the form of text, like like which is around Buddha Śākyamūni. And same thing with the rest of the master, whatever they teach, their teachings in the form of like a text and then which having the nature of like true cessation. So like a like a the text that just Geshe-la pointed on that side, which like the and these columns which are which are like a which which are from Tibet. That’s how they visualize. But then probably we can also visualize this text in the form of like the normal books that we use.
So that way of visualizing is Tibetan ways, so maybe you you won’t maybe you don’t like that. So Geshe Chökyi said, like, it’s okay to visualize in the form of books. So so, like, having the in the aspect of books, all the teachings in front, and which is having the nature of the true cessation and true path. That’s what in the nature, it is what it is. So if you if you don’t see having the nature of true cessation, true path, then then this this refuge object doesn’t fulfill all the qualities of three refuge objects.
So the true cessation means that thing that which contracts or that which destroys all our delusions delusions like attachment, hatred, and so on. So so then the the path that leads to that is the true path. So that is known as that’s like, how do you say, the the real, I would say, refuge objects or known as the the Dharma. So, for example, Buddha Śākyamūni is like one who shows like one who shows the refuge objects. One who shows like one who who shows these teachings.
The main refuge objects that protects one, that which protects one is the Dharma refuge, which is the true cessation and true path. And that is what destroys the delusions or protects one. So so with having, like, all these visualizations and and if you recite these refuge prayers, then the prayers become very powerful. Visualize each objects and then continue with that, like changing the objects. And then there will be a time when where one can have complete visualization at once.
We visualize, that’s when we have time, we visualize like that way. But if you don’t have much time, then you can just think there are all those subjects there. So we stop here. We do the dedication prayer. On page number five, number eight.
Think that he will explain next time when where we should keep the meditation of deities.