Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 129-minute session, Lama Zopa Rinpoche guides a Mahāmudrā retreat group through foundational refuge and bodhicitta meditation. He begins with a detailed visualization of the merit field—the assembled spiritual masters and enlightened beings—then leads practitioners through formal refuge in the guru, Buddha, teachings, and monastic community, each step involving visualization of light that purifies negative karma and mental obscurations. He then teaches the four immeasurable thoughts paired with Tonglen practice, moving through each of the six realms and cultivating compassion by reflecting on all sentient beings as one’s mother. An extensive offering practice follows, visualizing offerings from Buddhist centers worldwide multiplied into infinity. The session concludes with mandala offering and dedication prayers. Intended for practitioners with visualization experience in a retreat setting.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 09 2004 04 13 MR.mp3
UUID: 8bb66d9a-2dc0-45e3-8c98-726522d9b87d
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: y Mahāmudrā International Retreat (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 2004-04-13
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 128.6 minutes
Words: ~4,832
So page nine, I’ll read out the visualization for the refuge. In space in front of me is a large dual throne supported by eight great lions. On top of which is a seat of a variegated lotus and moon and sun mandalas. On top of this sits the essence of my own root guru in the aspect of the conqueror Śākyamūni Buddha. The color of his holy body is the color of pure gold and he has an Ushnish on the top of his head.
Śākyamūni Buddha has one face and two arms. His right hand is in the mudra of touching the earth and his left is in the mudra of concentration, holding a bowl filled with nectar. He is wearing the saffron robes of monk and is adorned by the marks and signs. His holy body is in the nature of transparent light and he sits in the vajra posture in the center of an aura of light rays. Surrounding him are the direct and indirect gurus, deities, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, dakas, dakinis, and Dharma protectors.
In front of each of these holy beings on a faultless throne sits the Dharma explained by them in the form of texts having the nature of light. All of these beings in the merit field are in the aspect of being pleased with me by remembering their qualities, By remembering their kindness, I feel great devotion towards them. Surrounding me going out endlessly are all sentient beings, all experiencing the various different types of suffering of the six realms, all in human form. They’re extremely pitiful and crying out for help. I lead them in taking refuge.
The motivation From beginning this time until now, I and all my sentient beings have been experiencing the various general sufferings of saṃsāra numberless times, especially the sufferings of evil-gone realms. Still it is difficult to see the end of Samsāra, to see the depth of suffering. At this time I have received a perfect human rebirth, qualified by the eight freedoms and ten richnesses, which is difficult to find, but once found is highly meaningful. It can be used to attain a good future rebirth, liberation and even enlightenment. Now, after having met the precious teachings of the Buddha, which is so difficult to meet, if I did not try to attain the most sublime state of full enlightenment, which is beyond the state of peace in all samsaric sufferings, I will have to experience over again the general sufferings of saṃsāra and the particular sufferings of three lower realms.
Who has the power to protect me from these sufferings? Only the guru and the three precious gems abiding in front of me. I must achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all mother sentient beings. Therefore, I’m going to take refuge in my guru and the three precious gems. So first of all, focusing on the direct and indirect gurus, remembering each guru with whom one’s made Dharma contact, with awareness one hundred percent, meditating, looking at them as Guru Śākyamūni Buddha.
From the heart, not just from the mouth, completely relying on the guru. thinking one’s whole life is in the guru’s hands. Remember all the various negative karmas created in this in past lifetimes in relationship with these gurus and generate the mind of regret. Then as you recite the refuge in the guru, think that five colored light rays descend from the five places of the guru’s holy bodies, purifying all the general obscurations and particularly all the heavy negative karmas in relationships, relationship with the guru such as harming the guru’s holy body, breaking advice, disturbing the holy mind, criticizing without devotion, giving rise to heresy, and all the obstacles prevent us from seeing our gurus as actual Buddhas. Think all these negative karmas and imprints.
Come out from the lower doors, mouth, pores, ears in the form of liquid smoke or black coal or dirty liquid, your body becomes completely transparent, very calm and clear in the nature of light. And think, all these negative karmas, creating relationship all negative relationship with all my gurus are now completely purified. Next is receiving all the qualities, five colored beams with the yellow the strongest. Enter into your body mind and body mind of all sentient beings, and you receive all the qualities of guru’s holy body, speech, and mind. And in particular, the understanding and teachings and realizations increase, and you’re able to see each and every one of the gurus as actual Buddha.
Protection and guidance of the holy virtuous friend. Now focusing on the Buddhas and taking refuge in the Buddha billions of times more than a person with a chronic disease would take refuge in the only one doctor that could cure them. Purifying all the negative karmas created in relationship with the Buddhas. Think completely purified. Next, receiving all the qualities of Buddhas, including the ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, eighteen unmixed qualities and forth.
Think I and all mother sentient beings have now come under the protection and guidance of all the Buddhas. Taking refuge in the holy Dharma, billions of times more than somebody who is dying of thirst would see water. Purifying all the negative karmas created in relationship with the holy Dharma, Being completely purified. Then receiving all the blessings, all the realizations of the holy Dharma from Guru devotion to enlightenment, to true path, true cessation. All the realizations. Think I and all mother sentient beings have now come under the protection and guidance of the holy Dharma.
Next, purifying all the negative karmas created in relationship with the Sangha. Thus taking refuge, relying billions of times more on the Sangha than one would rely than somebody who want needed to get to a place that was very dangerous and where they didn’t know the way would rely totally completely on strong guides who could take them there and protect them on the way. This is in the same way we take refuge in the holy Sangha. Purifying all the negative karmas created in relationship with the Sangha. They’re receiving all the realizations of the Sangha in our minds.
So Sangha includes not just the bodhisattvas and arhats, Pratyekabuddhas, also includes dakas and dakinis, Dharma protectors, and every single ordained being is object of refuge, Sangha. Think I and all mother sentient beings have now come under the protection of the holy Sangha. Then all. Received all blessings, qualities come under protection. I go for refuge until I’m enlightened to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Supreme Assembly.
By my merits from giving and other perfections, may I become a Buddha to benefit all sentient beings. Now think that through the virtue of taking refuge and generating the mind of bodhicitta, Guru Śākyamūni Buddha and nectar flows from the Gurus is extremely pleased, and a replica absorbs into you. You absorb into emptiness and re-arise in the form of Śākyamūni Buddha. From every pore of your holy body, light rays go out. At the tip of each beam is a is a Śākyamūni Buddha which goes to the crown of all sentient beings’ heads, ripening and liberating them.
Touching each being in the hell realm, the hungry ghost, each animal being, each human, each sura, sura being, each intermediate state being. Their minds become dharmakaya, their bodies become rupakaya. They’re transformed into Śākyamūni Buddha and absorbed back. The beams absorbed back into you. Feel great joy for having liberated and enlightened each and every being.
Then with the awareness that this is just visualized, in reality, sentient beings are still suffering continually because they’ve not yet eliminated the delusions and karma from their minds, we generate the four immeasurable thoughts. So the purpose of these four immeasurable thoughts is to enhance and increase our bodhicitta. Śāntideva says, just as a mother, each time she thinks of her son who is sick and suffering, more and more compassion arises. In the same way, each time we do the four immeasurable thoughts, more compassion and love should arise in our hearts for all sentient beings. So the method for doing this, according to Rinpoche’s instructions, first of all think to yourself, reflect on the disadvantages of self-cherishing thought.
Remember, the self-cherishing thought has been extremely harmful to oneself since beginning this rebirth and also extremely harmful to others. My self-cherishing thought not only interferes with ultimate happiness and liberation, but also with this life’s happiness and peace. And as long as I keep the self-cherishing thought in my heart, it will continually harm me, never allowing me to achieve ultimate happiness and peace. Therefore, I must eliminate this immediately. Then as we recite, each verse there is a different practice with Tonglen, so we just do one verse each day focusing on the Tonglen practice.
So the very first one, developing equanimity, as you recite this verse, you think to yourself that you are taking on all the delusions, the whole package of delusions of all sentient beings, all their attachment, all their anger and hatred energy, all their jealousy and pride, every single emotional disturbing thought in the minds of other sentient beings, you imagine taking that on, taking it right into your heart, and destroying self-cherishing thought. Recite it the first few times. How wonderful it would be for all sentient beings were to abide in equanimity, free from hatred and attachment, not holding some close and others distant. May they abide in equanimity. I myself cause them to abide in equanimity.
Please, guru deity, bless me to be able to do this. How wonderful it would be for sentient beings were to abide in equanimity, free from hatred and attachment, not holding some close and others distant. May they abide in equanimity. I myself will cause them to abide in equanimity. Please, guru deity, bless me to be able to do this.
To take all the disturbing thoughts, negative emotional minds, all sentient beings onto your self-cherishing thought and destroy it. How wonderful it would be for sentient beings to have happiness and the causes of happiness. May they have happiness and its causes. I myself will cause them to have happiness and its causes. Please bless me to be able to do this.
How wonderful it would be for all sentient beings to have happiness and the causes of happiness. May they have happiness and its causes. I myself will cause them to have happiness and its causes. Please bless me to be able to do this. How wonderful it will be for sentient beings are free from suffering and the cause of suffering.
May they be free from suffering and its causes. I, myself will cause them to be free from suffering and its causes. Please, Guru Deity, bless me to be able to do this. How wonderful it would be if all sentient beings were free from suffering and the cause of suffering. May they be free from suffering and its causes.
I myself will cause them to be free from suffering and its causes. Please, Guru deity, bless me to be able to do this. How wonderful it would be for sentient beings were never separated from the happiness of high rebirth and liberation. May they never be separated from these. I myself will cause them never to be separated from these.
Please, Guru Deity, bless me to be able to do this. How wonderful it would be if sentient beings were never separated from the happiness of high rebirth and liberation. May they never be separated from these. I, myself, cause never to be separated from these. Please, guru deity, bless me to be able to do this.
Then generating our special bodhicitta. Thinking to ourselves, a kind mother, hell beings are the source of all my past, present, future. Then being my mother countless times, cherishing with the greatest affection and love, protecting my life from danger countless times each day, bearing so much hardship for me. It is so unbearable for me to think of even one of these hell beings having to experience the unimaginable sufferings of the lower realms for even one instant. But there are numberless hell beings experiencing these sufferings for a great length of time.
Therefore, I must do something. I must free all these beings from suffering and bring them to perfect happiness. Therefore, I’m going to do this profound practice of Guru Yoga. The kind mother hungry ghost beings are the source of all my past, present, and future happiness. There have been my mother countless times cherishing me with the greatest affection and love.
It is so unbearable for me to think of even one of these hungry ghost beings experiencing the unimaginable sufferings of hunger and thirst. Even one of these beings experiencing such suffering for an instant is unbearable, but there are numberless hungry ghost beings experiencing these sufferings for a great length of time. Therefore, I must do something. Therefore, I must free all these beings’ no suffering and bring them to happiness. Therefore, I’m going to rely upon this profound quick path of Guru Yoga.
The kind mother animal beings, the source of all my past, present, and future happiness. They’ve been my mother countless times, cherishing me with the greatest affection and love, protecting my life in danger countless times each day, bearing so much hardship and suffering for me. It is so unbearable for me to think of even one of these animal beings experiencing all the numberless different sufferings in the animal realms. But there is not just one animal being. There are numberless animals experiencing these sufferings.
Not just for an instant but for a great length of time. Therefore, I must do something. Therefore, I must achieve enlightenment. Therefore, I’m going to rely upon this profound quick path of Guru Yoga. The kind mother human beings are source for my past, present, future happiness.
They’ve been my mother countless times, cherishing in the greatest affection and love. It is so unbearable for me to think of even one of these human beings having to experience all the various different types of suffering in the human realms even for an instant. But there’s not just one. There are numberless human beings experiencing unimaginable suffering for a great length of time. Therefore, I must do something.
Therefore, I must achieve enlightenment. Therefore, I’m going to rely upon this profound quick path of Guru Yoga. The kind mother Sura and Asura beings are the source of my past, present, future happiness. They’ve been my mother countless times cherished me with the greatest affection and love. It’s so unbearable for me to think of even one of these Sura or Asura beings experiencing the various sufferings, completely trapped by the sense pleasures in the Sura and Asura realms.
Experiencing all these pleasures with attachment and burning up all the positive karma. At the time of death, the suffering experienced in the last seven days before the sura beings die is far greater than the suffering experienced in the lowest hell realms. Therefore, I must do something to free these kind beings from all their suffering and bring them to such perfect happiness. Therefore, I’m going to rely upon this profound quick path of Guru Yoga. Kind mother, intermediate state beings are source for my past, present, future happiness.
They’ve been my mother countless times cherishing me with the greatest affection and love. It’s so unbearable for me to think of even one of these beings experiencing the great panic and fear in the bardo state. And there’s not just one of these beings, there are numberless beings experiencing such suffering for great length of time. Therefore, I must do something, therefore, I must achieve enlightenment. Therefore, I’m going to rely upon this profound quick path of Guru Yoga.
For the sake of all mother sentient beings, I shall quickly quickly in this very life obtain the state of a primordial guru, Yidam Buddha. I shall free all mother sentient beings from suffering and place them in the great bliss and Buddhahood. Therefore, I shall now practice profound path of Guru Yidam Buddha. For the sake of all mother sentient beings, I shall quickly, quickly in this very life attain the state of primordial Guru Yidam Buddha. I shall free all mother sentient beings from suffering and place them in a great bliss and buddhahood.
Therefore, I shall now practice profound path of Guru Yidambuddha. For the sake of all mother sentient beings, I shall quickly, quickly, in this fair life, attain the state of a primordial guru, Yidambuddha. I shall free all mother sentient beings from suffering and place them in the great bliss and buddhahood. Therefore, I shall now practice profound path of guru Yidamb yoga. The merit field absorbs into light and absorbs into oneself.
Because I, the deities, the field of merit and all other phenomena are imputations, dependent arisings, everything becomes empty having a true nature of selflessness, free from the four extremes such as eternalism, nihilism, and so forth. The meditation, taking the three courses apart. Verse nine. Generating the merit field. To the one endowed, transcendent, and beyond, the one gone beyond, the foe destroyer, the complete, perfectly fully awakened being, perfect in knowledge conduct, regard to know the world, supreme guide of human beings, tamed, teacher of gods and humans, the founder, the endowed, and send a destroyer, the fully awakened one, and to all you here, offer this bath possessed of all qualities.
Bathing with an extremely sweet fragrance, the sun shining.. Also offer a bath with the pure water of the gods. Holy body created by ten million excellent virtues. Holy speech fulfilling the hopes of infinite migratory beings.
Holy mind seeing all existence as it is. Now offer this bath unto one Dorje Chang. Offer this bath to the bodies of lineage gurus, profound view. I offer this bath to the holy bodies of lineage gurus of vast practices. I offer this bath to the holy bodies or the lineage gurus.
I offer this bath to the holy bodies of the illuminating spiritual friends who guide the fortunate, using skillful means to lovingly subdue, Guhyasamāja, blissful Heruka, most glorious Vajrabhairava and the rest. I offer this to the holy bodies of founding Buddhas. I offer this bath to the supreme Dharma. I offer this bath to the guiding Sangha. I offer this bath to three precious gems, om ah hum.
In times long past before the Bhagawan, you committed to protecting as your children all beings who accomplish practices according to Dharma. The assembly of Dharma protectors and supporters are offered this bath. To the five long life goddesses, supporters, the Dharma, all the protectors in the snow land of Tibet, especially those of this country and this place, to all the local gods, nagas, landlords, and spirits that offer this bath. To our guests and our hosts, with many jeweled vases of scented water, beautifully filled up with excellent songs with a variety of music are offered as a bath. And now dry their bodies with incomparably clean, sweet, smelling cloth.
Om hrih hum tram hrih ah kaya vishodhana svaha. Just as a goldsmith polishes gold already pure and refined, so do I apply the best fragrance that pervades billions of universes to the holy bodies, the controlled ones. By offering these soft light divine clothes with indestructible faith in those who attain the indestructible holy body, may I also achieve the vajra holy body. Because the conquerors are adorned by natural ornaments of marks and signs, they do not need any other kind of ornament. But by offering these supreme jewel ornaments, may all sentient beings achieve the holy body adorned by all the marks and signs.
By offering this auspicious vase beautified by jewels and filled with various essences, may all stains of karma and delusions be purified, and may I and all sentient beings be imbued with a moisture of bodhicitta. Om vajra, come here. Om. Offering the crown. So just visualize this.
You don’t have the verse yet. With most excellent light radiating forth in a ten direction, splendor of good fortune ablaze just everywhere. This crown ornament of precious golden powders to the crown of the Shakya king I offer. May I there may thereby the precious teachings spread in the ten directions. The world become pervaded by major happiness.
And by its becoming the crown ornament of transmigrators, gods included, may they all gain the level of one endowed with the ten powers. Out of your loving compassion for myself and my greatest, oh, Bhagawan, please remain as long as I continue to make offerings by the force of your magical powers. So the prostration verses. One time in spasm and one time in English. Grants the atmosphere of great bliss.
Supreme state of the three kayas in an instant. Guru, the jewel like body, vajra holder. I prostrate your lotus feet. I showed in yesterday’s session. When you do this mudra, first you hold up the vajra and that’s to remind you the dharmakaya, holy mind.
So from the dharmakaya, merit field manifests. So then next ringing the bell is from the dharmakaya, manifests as the merit field manifests as to guide us. And then as we do the lotus turning mudra, symbolizes then from the the merritt field manifests as manifesting infinite forms to guide us to enlightenment. And then finally, we reflect that just as our Gurus manifest from the dharmakayas and Sambhogakāya and the Rūpakāya forms to guide us, so too when we achieve the Guru’s holy state, we also perform the same activities manifesting out those three kayas in order to guide all beings to enlightenment. You, the wisdom knowledge of all infinite conquerors, appearing in any way that subdues with supreme skillful means, you manifest as saffron robe marks.
Holy refuge savior, I prostrate at your feet. You eliminated all thoughts and their instincts and our treasury of infinite precious qualities, sole source of benefit and bliss without exception. Perfect pure guru, I prostrate at your feet. Teacher of god’s known and nature of Buddhas, source of eighty four thousand pure Dharmas, you tower above the whole host of arhats. Kind guru, I prostrate to you.
To Gurus dwelling in the three times and ten directions, three supreme jewels and all worthy of homage, with faith, conviction, and ocean of their praise, I prostrate manifesting as many bodies atoms of the world. Then Rinpoche guides his practice, then here’s the extensive offering practice. So I’m not going to guide that. I’m going to leave that for Rinpoche to guide. But anyway, we generate the motivation, thinking.
At any rate, I must achieve a state of full enlightenment in order to benefit all sentient beings. In order to do this, I need to accumulate extensive merit. Therefore, I’m going to do the practice of making extensive offerings to the merit field. And then bring to mind all the various different offerings set out in the FPMT centers. So not just the offerings here, so not just the bowls, also the lights, also the flowers, Now also the food offerings.
And then the rest of the centers, so Mongolia, two thousand such offerings. Then Kopan is five hundred offerings. Land of Medicine Buddha is five hundred offerings. Then also in Taiwan, three hundred offerings. Then also his houses in Aptos, there’s five hundred bowls and then thousands of small lights and then tea offerings and food offerings and candle offerings and flower offerings.
Then also in the house in Washington, there are extensive offerings set out. Then also various different students in Singapore and Malaysia, and she has daily extensive offerings. Then also wherever there are offerings set out in all the centers, in all the students’ homes, wherever there are offerings set out from the Buddha, These actually performed offerings and then mentally creating numberless more offerings as we do each of these different offering prayers then including all those offerings along with the other offerings. So bottom of page thirty. Visions of sixteen goddesses.
Open the Heruka practice, coming out one’s heart and making the offerings and generating infinite bliss in the minds and mouth filled with each offering. So also offering numberless eight auspicious signs, numberless eight substances, numberless seven universal monarchs, and all the other different offerings are normally included in our long life puja. All these offerings generating infinite bliss in the holy mind, the virtuous the Guru Puja merit field, inseparable from one’s own root guru. Page thirty four, the mandala twenty, three heaps. Refuge, saviours, treasures of compassion, eminence, supreme, merit field.
With pure faith, I present to you a billion times over. Mount Meru, the four continents of seven precious royal emblems, the precious minor symbols and more, perfectly the life and environments and their beings, and a great treasure of all that gods and humans use or desire. By the merit of having offered this mandala to the merit field, may I and all sentient beings be able to meet the pure wisdom teachings of Tathagatas, which contain the teachings of those eminent ones who live in pure morality, Have the brave attitude to follow extensively the bodhisattvas conduct and practice the yogas of two stages, the essence of which is the transcendental wisdom of non dual bliss and voidness. May I and all sentient beings be able to meet this pure complete teaching of Lama Tsongkhapa, the unification of Sūtra and Tantra right this second. So I’ll finish here and we’ll break for breakfast.
And when we come back we’ll carry on with the purification. So there’s a separate sheet. You have specific dedication prayers. It’s on a separate sheet. It says special dedication prayers from our Mahāmudrā retreat.
It’s a separate white sheet. Due to the merits of three times collected by me, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and all other sentient beings, main bodhicitta, cherishing others, letting go of oneself, letting go of the I, which is the source of all the happiness and success of myself and all other sentient beings, be generated within my own mind and the minds of all sentient beings without even a second’s delay. May that which has already been generated increase. Due to the merits of three times, by me, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, all us sentient beings. May all the father and mother sentient beings have happiness.
May the three lower realms be empty forever. May all Bodhisattvas prayers succeed immediately. May I be able cause all this to happen by myself alone. Due to the merits of three times created by me, Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and all other sentient beings. May his holiness of Dalai Lama, the Buddha of compassion, and all other holy beings, all our virtuous friends have stabilized, and may all the holy wishes succeed immediately.
Due to the merits of three times created by me, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and all other sentient beings. May I be able to offer skies of benefit to all sentient beings, as Lama Tsongkhapa did, by having within me the same qualities qualities that Lama Tsongkhapa had from now on in all my future lifetimes. Due to the merits of three times created by me, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and all other sentient beings, which are totally nonexistent from their own side. May the I, which is also totally nonexistent from its own side, achieve Guru Śākyamūni Buddha’s enlightenment, is also totally nonexistent from its own side, and lead all sentient beings with totally non existent from their own side, to that enlightenment which is totally non existent from its own side, by myself alone who is also totally non existent from its own side. I dedicate all my merits in a way greatly admired by the Buddha’s and bodhisattvas the three times and realized by glorious Mañjuśrī.
May I be able to completely actualize Lama Tsongkhapa teaching, which unifies Sūtra and Tantra within my mind and spread these teachings in the minds of all sentient beings. Thus, may Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings flourish forever. Due to all the merits of three times created by me, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and all other sentient beings, may any sentient being who hears me, touches me, remembers me, thinks about me, talks about me, whether praising or criticizing, amuses me or treats me badly, simply by having made that connection with me, never be reborn in the lower realms. May those sentient beings immediately be liberated from all disease, spirit harms, negative karmas and obscurations, and quickly achieve enlightenment by actualizing the whole path, especially bodhicitta. So have a one hour break.
We’ll come back at nine o’clock and continue with the Lama Chöpa and also do the Jorcho Guru Yoga and other prayers as has been requested before lunch. Lunch will be eleven thirty today. So please keep silent throughout breakfast and to lunch.