Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 46-minute Lam Rim session, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen teaches detailed visualisation of the merit field for guru yoga. He explains how the four gurus — Vajradhāra, Buddha Śākyamūni, historical lineage masters, and one’s root guru — are inseparable in nature, unified in Lama Dorje Chang as central figure. The teaching walks through complete iconography: ordained robes, teaching and meditation mudras, begging bowl of nectar, Utpala flowers, sword and wisdom text on lotus thrones, pointed golden hat. Throughout, Geshe-la connects this visualisation to understanding saṃsāra’s impermanence and the renouncing motivation essential for practice. He emphasises that even one minute of meditation done with the right intention becomes a cause for liberation, and stresses the foundational importance of preliminaries — purification and accumulation of merit. For those already familiar with guru yoga and deity visualisation.
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File: 16 LR 1995 05 14.mp3
UUID: 87f4464f-a94a-4516-9c46-b5ad3ae17296
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Lam Rim 1995 Jan-Dec (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1995-05-14
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.7 minutes
Words: ~2,671
And then and then the third line called. It’s a it’s it is Buddhist. And is. So these four these these four having one one what’s that? One nature or inseparable in nature is the is the is the central figure or the main figure.
The main deity. So these four gurus not like separate in nature. So because if they are separate in nature, then we cannot make being one them being one nature. So as we visualize from the beginning, they’re being they’re having the same nature. As we have visualized, we can also logically prove that.
So so visualizing that being the central figure is is is to to to bring confidence in one that these four have the same nature. So so if you if you if you look at like the separate deities of these four, then like vajradhara, the blue body, and with consort, Buddha Śākyamūni wearing robes. So and and then, like, whatever whoever one’s root guru is in in in that aspect, is it fully ordained monk or in the aspect of monk or or lay? Or is it Lay, male, female? So so we’re visualizing that aspect.
And when when Buddha taught Tantra when Buddha first taught Tantra, he taught Tantra in the form of Buddha. Is with one face and two arms. So so when when Buddha taught the Guhyasamāja Tantra, then took the aspect of having three face and six arms. And then when Buddha taught the Heruka Tantra, then he taught he was in the as in in that in that aspect which have four face and twelve arms. So Buddha himself showing this aspect of the deity and taught the taught the tantra.
So so when when Buddha when when Buddha no. It’s a past. When Buddha passed in in when after his enlightenment when when he passed, when he died, after that, he again came to this world in the in the form of different like or different or or saint. And and like for example, and and Like showing different the aspect of different and others and taught the teachings. So so the and then in Tibet, the early early part of spreading the teachings in Tibet.
Like, the three, the Abbot Shāntarakshita. The Abbot and then the the master Padmasambhava and the the Dharma king called. So it showed Buddha showed the the they took the aspect and taught the teachings. And then and then the latter part of the spreading of teaching in Tibet, Buddha can show different aspect like the aspect of came into different aspect like and Tsongkhapa and so on. So so in in in this degenerated time also, Buddha coming coming in different aspect.
Whoever wants good guru is coming should think Buddha is coming in that aspect. Whether it’s ordained or lay, one should think that way. So we we don’t we don’t we are we are not fortunate enough to to actually meet Buddha, Buddha Śākyamūni. Buddha Buddha works for us. Buddha always works for us.
Buddha Śākyamūni always works for us. So so so the the lama, the root guru which who who from whom one received all the teachings is is the the emanation of Buddha. So so one should one should have this faith and trust being one’s one guru good guru is the Buddha. There’s no Buddha beside this. So so it’s as a as a example, it’s like a like a like a person like, what you say, playing a drama.
Like, when the person dressed up in Tibetan dress and if he walks in, then we know or we see him as in Tibetan. And a person dressed up in western coat and come in, we see the person being a western. So so it’s one person coming into different aspect. So so seeing that all of this being one, all all all of this emanation being the same and and visualize the Lama Dorje Chang, this for being the main main, I would say, deity of the merit field. So if one if one don’t understand this part, then the the the normal guru yoga practice that we do is not well understood.
So so so the the the main deity of the center of the merit field also is known as one with the three kindness, one who having the three kindness. And according to Sūtra, the three kindness is known as one who the or one who bestows or gives the vows. And one who gives the the explanations of the teaching and one who gives the oral transmissions of the teaching. And then according to Tantra, these three kind kindness is that one who gives the empowerment or initiation and gives the gives the tantric explanations. And then thirdly, one who gives gives the advices the advices.
And all these three is received from one lama. So so the external appearance of of the of the main center deity is once you visualize like a in the aspect of fully aspect of fully ordained monks. As you see the up there. So so wearing the the three Dharma robes, like the choker the upper garment, the lower garment, and the choker. And then on the on the right hand in the mudra of giving teaching.
And left in the mudra of meditation. And and on the left hand, holding also holding a begging bowl filled with nectar. So so with the nectar, the qualities of the nectar he’s like explained in past teaching, so he’s not going to explain it. So so then the a branch of the lotus like this. Yeah.
Holding by the the thumb and the the ring finger. Holding up the branch of the lotus. So the holding Utpala flower also the same when when the begging bowl and then the going So so there’s two lotus. Both hands are holding also lotus. One one So so then on the lotus the Utpala lotus on on the right, the level of your of your ear.
Having sword. And we’re just standing so with with the flames on the side. So so on the on the left on the on the left also it’s on the side of on the on the level of ear where on the on that lotus, the Utpala lotus, a text. So which explains the the teachings on emptiness. So so that’s just like that’s what you visualize general as an a general visualization.
And then while you are doing while you are if you are doing different practice, then, you know, like, if you are doing a or different practice according to different deities, then the text that is on your left on the on the lotus of the of the main figure, you visualize whatever whatever study that you are doing, that text being put on that on top of the lotus. Mhmm. And then where a hat with a golden, what’s it, golden color hat with a with a with a, what do you call, a sharp pointed. And that’s that’s what the central figure the main deity wear also wearing that hat. So Geshe-la will give more explanation of these different symbols or the meanings on the next teaching.
So Then they are like When So if you understand the meaning of all the all all these different things, all the different what is it? All the different objects. Then then when you when you when you see the the image of the deity, then by the way, you you you can you you you you understand because you know the meaning of different or you know the symbol of different things. So otherwise, if you don’t know the meaning of those different symbols or the objects, then even if you come to see the image or or of the different deities, you won’t you won’t you it won’t it won’t be like that. You you I would say, you come to it won’t be like that like the same thing that you come to know the meanings of those symbols.
So we stop here for today and do, like, question and answer, like, for about fifteen minutes. Mhmm. Mhmm. It’s under under thrown. No.
Above under under this, we talk about the three questions. So, like, we talk there are, like, eleven layers of petals. There’s the yeah. That’s But so the the tree has this, like, eleven layers, yeah, of of these flowers, eleven layers of petals. Yeah.
And like the first the like eleven layers and at the very top has one the four petals. And on top of that, So then the four petal on the very top, yeah, there is the this that like the petal as a lotus. And on top of that, the sun and the moon cushion. On top of that, you visualize the the central figure. Mhmm.
The t So the the throne is under under the last layer of the, what do call, the the the lotus, the petals. Yeah. The last one. Like, are eleven. Yeah.
This counting from the top, the last one on the bottom. So there’s the throne, and then on top of that, this lotus. And, also, you have to visualize a a small throne up on top, like, under the lotus on the top, the very top one. One throne also there too. So, like, generally, the whole the whole refuge objects, the merit field, like a sitting on one big throne.
And then, again, each each deity is sitting on each throne on that big throne. So, like, there’s one symbol of this, setting of this layer this tree is that because for the for those with the sharp intelligence, they come to realize the emptiness before bodhicitta. So for them, like, just to gain the liberation, for the for the for those sharp intelligent ones to gain just to get liberation, they have to gain the understanding of emptiness. So, like, for the for the sharp intelligent ones, they say they said that they need the understanding or the realization of emptiness before before even before before liberation. And this is like a that doesn’t mean that they had they the sharp intelligence gains as a realization of emptiness before gaining liberation.
But for them, there’s this, like, explanations that it says that they they need to know the how do you say? They need to know emptiness before before gaining liberation for for the for the sharp intelligent ones. So so Geshe-la is saying that that that is I mean, this explanation in the text, it is not it’s not explained very clearly why, and and that’s what Geshe-la thinks and that’s what Geshe-la thinks. And maybe there may be different explanations also you’ll hear from different lamas or teachers. And when you hear, you have to also know why this that that these different explanations.
Know why this explanations. So so so if it’s not clearly explained in the text, then Geshe-la said, cannot decide, saying that’s the right one. So Subject. Yeah. Just explaining his his, what do you say, his understanding of it.
So so then later when you when you hear other things, then when you come to clear out the doubts, then you just stick to that. Sorry. Can you second. Yeah. So which is knowing one thing is just knowing the nature of saṃsāra.
Like what nature it has. Like, sometime it changes what is it? What is it? Like, the suffering changes into happiness. Happiness changes into suffering.
And and also, like, one have achieved one of some of those highest state in saṃsāra, like being born as the the Indra Brahma, the different states of god. So so even we have achieved that state, the highest state in Samsāra, but that is not stable. And we fall and that’s that we fall down again and become been born as a very poor one. We won’t have any food to eat or clothe away, like, it changes in that too. So even just to this life, thinking of this life, in some time, the friends that we have is nothing nothing definite.
Sometimes they become friends. Sometimes it becomes enemy. And and sometime, like, even like a food, what we use in Samsāra, that sometimes the food that we eat being very nourishing, but sometimes it it just that turns into poison or brings sickness. So all of those sort of all of these arises or comes from this contaminated body that we have. This contaminated aggregate.
So this aggregate, this body that we have, as long as we have this body, then all the suffering arises. And we at present, we have we have like a attachment. We are we are attached to our body. So so at present that we we don’t have time to do the Dharma practice, and we always run after our work. That’s because of this for the purpose of this body.
So so because of this body getting hungry, one has to eat. This body has to getting tired, we have to rest and and all these things. So so so then, like, that is what this body is, and so I want to renounce from this body. That is like a want to be, like, completely, I would say, separate from this. So so so with that with that with that what do you say?
With that motivation or with that intention, if you do do any practice like one minute of meditation or like reciting one line of mantras or mani pemiho, it becomes a cause for that. So that’s the one the right hand, especially I was just showing there, teaching. So from there, the branch of a Utpala flower going down and flower coming on this side. So then there he holding the begging bowl on his left. This I guess, something.
So, like, holding this this one, not this one. So so then at the same time, like, holding probably not this index finger and the thumb together, holding the Utpala flower and going around and coming on on the left So, like, the the thumb and the index finger? So so the the the inside the bowl, there is the nectar, the begging bowl, and the nectar explanation of nectar given last time. So the preliminaries or the preparatory practices are most important. And it is because when you accumulate merit and purify with the purification.
And that’s the most important one. So like like the offering, for example, offering to the to the making offering to the right place field is like which is which which completes the accumulation of these two, like, the accumulation of merit and accumulation of wisdom. So these are and then because these two accumulations are the wisdom and the merit is the cause of the two bodies of the Buddha. So so then, like, the is also, like, doing the purification that also is one of one one of the preparatory practices. And that like, the purification and accumulation, these two are very important.
So so the most important part is the the beginning part. If the if the beginning part starts like or the preparatory or preliminary starts well, then the the actual part is already shows it’s it’s already good. So so as it’s showing that the preliminaries, the beginnings are very important that the Mahāyāna’s bodhisattvas, they also like those who are in the pure lands. They come down to this earth, to Jambudvipa. And sorry.
And, like, to the practice of purification and accumulations. So so then if you let’s say, if if you if you don’t have much time to do much time to do the practice, then you can can shorten you can shorten the the both part like the preliminaries and the the actual part two. We we took ten minutes more. So