Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 32.9-minute session, Kyabje Rinpoche offers a detailed commentary on the invocation section of Lama Chöpa, the guru yoga practice. He teaches the visualization of the field of assembly with the three doors (body, speech, mind) marked by Om, Ah, and Hum—syllables representing the enlightened qualities of Buddhas. Rinpoche guides the central practice: light rays emanate from the Hum at the heart, drawing wisdom beings from the state realizing emptiness, and invites them to dissolve into the visualized pledge beings until they become inseparable. He clarifies the order of key verses and explains subtle differences between the Upper and Lower Tantric Colleges’ practices, where Yamāntaka and Heruka are respectively emphasized. For practitioners who have received the Lama Chöpa initiation.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1992-08-14 – 10B – KR.mp3
UUID: 6d4bc540-dac4-4e78-8f3d-16aa32ddccfa
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Guru Puja – Lama Chopa
Date: 1992-08-14
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~1,325
Hello? 14. Following So where it says, da in, So goes in, doje, de refers to, that is to say, deita means them. Anyway, deita refers to them and what them is referring to are the field of collection, the Lama’s and the Lama Losang Tubwang Dorje Chang and all the various levels of beings. And it says that their three doors are marked with three vajras.
So the three doors refers to doors refer to the body, speech, and mind. These are referred to as the three doors and they are marked with the three vajras. And the vajras represent the qualities of the body, speech, and mind of the Buddha’s. That the body of the Buddha, of all the Buddhas symbolized as an Om. The speech of all the Buddha symbolizes as an Ah, the mind as symbolized as So all of the deities within the field of collection they are marked with these three letters at the crown, om, throat ah, at the heart HUM.
If you can’t visualize this with respect to all of them, then you can visualize this at the three doors marked by one hum just with normal letters under the crown. So these marks are signs of Buddhas, that they are only possessed by Buddha’s, that the Om is the Vajra body, the Ah is the Vajra speech and the Hum is the Vajra mind of the Buddha’s and there are only Buddhas which are marked marked in this way. So, then continue with this verse. From the syllable of the hum light rays go out, so that blue light rays radiate out from the hum at the deity’s hearts and in all the 10 directions. It’s, you know, boundless rays, immeasurable rays of light go out and at the end of these rays is a hook and these are it is due to, you know, just like a hook in a fish, the fish doesn’t have any doesn’t have the control to be able to not be drawn forward.
It is uncontrollably drawn forward. Likewise, it is due to the great power of the wisdom of great bliss which is the mind, which is the hum radiating out that these beings are drawn forth and uncontrollably drawn forth by this hook emanating from the hum which is wisdom of great bliss. Then, so you can visualize this, the wisdom beings are coming forth and are going to dissolve into the field of collection which is already pleasantly being visualized. You’re visualizing at this point in front of you is the Samaya Sattva, the pledge beings presently and now you’re inviting the wisdom beings or the Jnanasattva. So, Jnanasattva comes forth in the aspect of fields of collection, many fields of collection just like the ones that you’re visualizing before you presently, and you can visualize them either as one field of collection which is going to dissolve into this field of collection or a field of collection which is going to dissolve into each of the beams visualized before you.
Understand? You can either visualize wisdom beings which are coming forth, coming forth in the aspect of the field of collection. These are the wisdom beings and they are going to dissolve into the pledge beings which is being visualized before you are present and they can either the wisdom beings, you can either have a complete field of collection dissolve into each of the pledge beings or into the or one field of wisdom beings dissolve into the single field of pledge beings. And it says here that they are drawn forth from their natural abodes. The wisdom beings are being drawn forth from their natural abodes.
And what this means is that is the their natural abodes are the meditative equipoise on emptiness. So, are it is the wisdom, the natural abode is the wisdom which is realizing emptiness and out of this abode they come forth in these various aspects of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. So then that next verse goes on to say, this is the words that invited him to come forth where you say, You are the source of goodness, bliss, and perfection. O root and lineage, Yidams, Three Jewels of protectors including all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, the Dharma powers, etcetera. Along with the entourage of the three times by the power of your compassion come forth and abide steadfast.
These are words of invitation. Please come forth. So then verse 16 verse 16 was not composed by the Lama but it was newly inserted. It says, Though all things are free of inherent coming and going. So this refers to emptiness.
Emptiness, you know, does not come and go and just like that you in the nature of wisdom realizing this emptiness are like that emptiness in that you have no coming or going like space. But though you have no coming or going like space, the sake of the various varieties of dispositions of disciples that you come forth in the appearance, in the various appearances such as the Lamas, the Buddhas, the Dakinis, Dharma protectors in many different aspects for sake of the various dispositions of disciples. So there is a difference in the order of verses fifteen and sixteen. According to the practice that was recited by Pabongka Rinpoche, his Guru Puja, in his tradition he would recite verse 16 before verse 15.
If you notice verse 16 it says, the very final words it says please come forth with your entourage. So essentially verse 16 is saying please come, please come. But verse 15 it says come forth and abide steadfast. It’s saying please stay. So, according to Pabongka Rinpoche that verse 16 should come before because you’re asking them to come and then verse 15 and then please stay.
So, that was the way it was decided by Pabongka Rinpoche but it has remained in this case as it was originally composed. So there’s some there’s some difference difference in these verses in that respect. So this is the bottom one is the is the pledge being and the top one is the wisdom being. And one’s on top of the other. According to in in terms of the the lineage of the secret mantra teaching from Je Tsongkhapa there is the tradition according to or the lower tantric college and the upper tantric college. Rinpoche is showing you according to the upper tantric college. Lower tantric college. That’s the same. So upon the wisdom being dissolves into the pledged being.
Dissolves. Start over. Means that they come forth at at the crown. Hum? Hum?
Hum, the wisdom being dissolving into the pledge? They become mixed. Mixed. And they And then they become inseparable indivisible. They blissfully become inseparable.
We’ll stop there, but you can sit here happily or you can ask questions. You can do whichever way you like. I do it according to Gyume, the Lower Tantric College. So there’s there’s really not much difference, just slight difference according to So these are just these are just the slight distinctions which have been developed out out of by lineages of great practitioners that if they were to combine then they would probably settle on one way of doing these. But the two schools they had tried to not allow their rituals to degenerate so they kept up the traditions of these great practitioners the way they were doing it.
So initially, they were they were they were the same, but but the the some of the great lamas within those universities, colleges, began to form the ritual slightly differently. And then this so that they just began to be a different stream of of rituals begin to develop. But other than that, there’s no difference. There’s a slight difference in emphasis of other practices. Gyume, Lower Tantric College, Heruka is emphasized.
At Gyuto, Upper Tantric College, the practice of Yamāntaka is emphasized.