Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 51-minute retreat instruction, Lama Zopa Rinpoche guides students through the preliminary practices and guru yoga that anchor Mahāmudrā meditation. He opens with practical foundation: cleansing the meditation room and mind, then the nine-round breathing practice to purify the subtle channels. He instructs a detailed visualization of the guru as Śākyamūni Buddha, surrounded by a complete merit field of buddhas, bodhisattvas, and protectors, followed by refuge generation for all six realms of sentient beings. The core teaching moves into guru yoga, featuring an elaborate visualization of the guru as Vajradhāra at the center of an emanated mandala. He concludes with symbolic offerings—bathing, dressing, and adorning the visualized beings—and dedications focused on generating bodhicitta and enlightenment for all beings. Intended for practitioners in formal retreat who have received preliminary instruction.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 113 2004 05 02 MR.mp3
UUID: 12631413-6a57-4db0-bf9b-a0bc02e5b265
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: y Mahāmudrā International Retreat (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 2004-05-02
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 51.2 minutes
Words: ~3,963
So on page nine of the combined preliminary practices. So the practice begins, clean the room, clean one’s mind, casting out the thought attachment to happiness of this life. And doing the nine round breathing, cleansing the channels. Visualizing, breathing in the white light, the blessings, qualities, all in that field, breathing out the darkness of the three poisonous minds. In the space in front of me is a large jewel throne supported by eight great lions.
On top of this 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 pure as gold, and he has an uṣṇīṣa on the crown of his head. Śākyamūni Buddha has one face and two arms. His right hand is in the mode of controlling the earth, and his left is in the mode of concentration, holding a ball filled with nectar.
He’s 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 posture in the center of an aura of light rays. Surrounding him are the direct and indirect gurus, deities, buddhas, bodhisattvas, dakas, dakinis, and 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 in the six realms, all in human form. They’re extremely pitiful and crying out for help.
I lead them in taking refuge. From beginningless time until now, I and all my sentient beings have been experiencing the various general sufferings of saṃsāra in numberless times, especially the sufferings, evil gone to realms. Still it is difficult to see the end of saṃsāra to see the depth of suffering. At this time, I’ve received a perfect human rebirth, qualified by the eight freedoms and ten richnesses, which is so difficult to find, but once found is highly meaningful. Some people comment on this right.
Remember the blind turtle? The blind turtle that comes to surface the ocean only once every hundred years is blind. And on the surface of the water is a golden yoke, continually moving, never in one place. How hard it would be for that turtle that can’t see to meet with a yoke which is continually moving, never in one place when it only surfaces so rarely. Like that for us, beginningless times, we’ve wandered in all the realms, particularly the lower realms.
Blind, not knowing cause of happiness, cause of suffering, ignorant. Now just this once, we’ve surfaced, gained a precious human life, and met with a golden yoke of the Buddha’s teachings. Entering into those teachings by having generated reliance and faith in Buddhadharma Sangha, like the turtle putting its neck through the golden yoke. This is like a miracle. This is like something almost impossible.
That won’t last long and may never come again. Therefore, right now in every second, we have the choice to choose between enlightenment or hell, happiness or suffering. It’s in our hands. It can be used to attain a good future 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 and all samsaraic sufferings.
I will have to experience over again the general sufferings of saṃsāra and the particular sufferings of the 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.
Focus on the gurus, your root guru, and all those with whom you’ve made Dharma contact, as well as all indirect gurus and lineage lamas with total confidence and awareness that in reality, they are Śākyamūni Buddha. Meditating one hundred percent awareness. They are Buddha. Remembering the quote, teachings, Buddha himself promised, vajradhara promised to appear in ordinary forms to guide us at this time. Remembering the reasonings that these gurus are the ones doing all the activities of the buddhas.
They are the doers of all the buddha’s actions. They are the ones who every second are guiding me, bringing me closer to enlightenment through their advice, through their blessings, through their very existence. Remembering how there’s nothing to trust in our view that sees ordinary. Even the great masters of the past, before training their minds when they first met, the gurus saw them ordinary. How could it be different for us?
With all our negative karmas, all our delusions, all our negative imprints. Therefore, with total confidence, thinking from the depths of your heart, from the depths of your bones, I totally rely upon you. I put my life completely in your hands. We purify and receive the blessings. Completely purified.
Received all the blessings, realizations. Oneself and all sentient beings now come under the guidance and protection and holy virtuous friends. Focus on the Buddha’s deities, four classes of tantra, along with the Buddhas and the Bodhisattva aspects. Received all the qualities and blessings. Oneself and all sentient beings now come under the protection of Buddhas.
Purified all negative karmas accumulated with the Dharma. This and beginningless past lives. Received all the realizations of holy Dharma from guru devotion up to enlightenment. Oneself and all sentient beings have now come under the protection and guidance of the holy dharma. Purified or negative karmas and imprints, accumulated with the Sangha, since beginningless lifetimes.
The wisdom of bliss voidness from the dakas and the dakinis, and the four activities from the protectors. Think oneself and all sentient beings now come under the protection and guidance of the Sangha. And go for refuge and time and night to Buddha, the Dharma, and supreme assembly. By my merits and giving in other perfections, may I become a Buddha to benefit all sentient beings. And go for refuge and time enlightened to Buddha, Dharma, and supreme assembly.
By my merits and giving in other perfections, may I become a Buddha to benefit all sentient beings. Replica of Buddha absorbed to you, you absorb into light and transform into Śākyamūni Buddha. Every pore of your holy body, infinite light rays go out, and tip of each beam is a Buddha. Comes the crown ahead of all sentient beings in all six realms, ripens them, liberates them. They transform into Śākyamūni Buddha, and the beams of light absorb back.
Feel great joy. Now I’ve enlightened all sentient beings just as I wish. Then realizing this is just visualization, reality sentient beings still suffering because they still have the delusions, karma. Therefore, must generate the four immeasurable thoughts. How wonderful it would be if 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 will cause them to abide in equanimity. Please, good deity, bless me to be able to do this. How wonderful it would be for all sentient beings who do abide in equanimity, free from hatred and attachment, not holding some close and others distant. May they abide in equanimity.
I myself will cause and abide in equanimity. Please, Guru Deity, bless me to be able to do this. How wonderful it would be if 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 will cause them to abide in equanimity. Please, Guru Deity, bless me to be able to do this. How wonderful it would be if all sentient beings and happiness and cause happiness. May they have happiness in this cause us. I myself will cause them to have happiness in cause us.
Please, bless me to be able to do this. How wonderful it would be for all sentient beings and happiness in the cause of happiness. May they have happiness in this cause us. I myself will cause them to have happiness and its causes. Please, Deity, bless me to be able to do this.
How wonderful it would be if all sentient beings had happiness in the cause of happiness. May they have happiness and its causes. I myself will cause them to have happiness and its causes. Please, Guru Deity, bless me to be able to do this. How wonderful it would be if all 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 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, good deity, bless me to be able to do this.
How wonderful it would be if all sentient beings were never separated from the happiness, the high rebirth, and liberation. May they never be separated from these. I myself will cause never to be separated from these. Please, good deity, bless me to be able to do this. How wonderful it would be for all sentient beings were never separated from the happiness of high rebirth and liberation.
May they never be separated from these. I myself will cause never to be separated from these. Please, guru deity, bless me to be able to do this. How wonderful it would be if all sentient beings were never separated from the happiness of high rebirth and liberation. May they never be separated from these.
I myself will cause never to be separated from these. Please, guru deity, bless me to be able to do this. Each hell beings most precious and kind one in my life, each one is like a wish fulfilling jewel. From each one, I receive all my past, present, future happiness. It’s so unbearable for me to think of even one of these beings experiencing the sufferings in the hell realm and there are numberless.
Therefore, I must take responsibility. I must do something. I must achieve enlightenment. Therefore, I’m doing this profound quick path, Guru Yoga. Every single pretas being is a source for my past, present, future happiness.
The most precious and dear one in my life. So unbearable for me to think that even one of these preta beings suffering from the intense suffering of hunger and thirst for even an instant, they’re numberless. Therefore, I must do something I must achieve enlightenment. Therefore, I’m going to this profound quick path of Guru Yoga. Every single animal is most precious and kind one in my life.
Each one’s been my mother countless times. It’s so unbearable for me to think even one of these animals suffering, they are numberless. Therefore, I must achieve enlightenment. Therefore, I’m going to this profound quick path of Guru Yoga. Every single human being is source for my past, present, future happiness.
Each one is a wish fulfilling jewel. So unbearable for me to think even one of these humans experiencing all the numberless sufferings in the human realm for an instant and they’re numberless. Therefore, I must do something, must achieve enlightenment. Therefore, I’m going to practice this profound quick path of Guru Yoga. Every single Sura and Asura being is a source of my past, present, future happiness.
Each one is a wish fulfilling jewel. So unbearable for me to think of these Sura and Asura being suffering even for an instant. Even one being suffering like this, I can’t stand it, and there are numberless. Therefore, I must do something I must achieve enlightenment. Therefore, I’m going to engage in this profound quick path of Guru Yoga.
Every single intermediate state being has been my mother countless times. Each one is most precious and dear one. So unbearable for me to think even one of these beings experiencing all the panic, the fear, the anxiety, the helplessness in the intermediate state, and they are numberless. Therefore, I must do something. I must achieve enlightenment.
Therefore, I’m going to rely upon and engage in the practice of this profound quick path of Guru Yoga by which numberless past masters achieve the state of full enlightenment in one brief lifetime and which is full of blessings. For the sake of all mother beings, are quickly, quickly in this very life, the blissful state of primordial Guru Yidam Buddha, which shall free all mother sentient beings from suffering and place them in the great bliss of Buddhahood. Therefore, I shall now practice profound path of Guru Yidam Yoga. Matte field absorbs gradually into life which absorbs yourself. Then do the practice dissolving into emptiness and taking the three kayas into the path arising in the form of a deity.
In the vast space of indivisible bliss and void, amidst billowing clouds, there is a throne of offering. In the crest of wish granting tree, dawned with leaves, flowers, and fruit, There is a lion throne ablaze with precious gems on which is a lotus sun and full moon. There sits my root guru kind in all three ways. In essence, all Buddhas and a saffron robed monk. With one face, two arms, and a radiant white smile.
Right hand in a gesture expanding the Dharma, left in meditative pose holding an alms bowl full of nectar. You wear three lustrous saffron robes and your head is crowned by a golden pandita’s hat. In your hearts is all pervading lord vajradhara with a blue body, one face, two arms holding vajra and bell, embracing vajradhatu Ishwari. You delight in the play of simultaneous bliss and void, There adorned with jeweled ornaments of many designs and clothed in garments of heavenly silk. Radiant with countless light rays adorned with a major and minor signs.
You sit in the vajra position encircled by five colored rainbow. Your scanders are the five Sugatas, your four elements are the four consorts. Your sense sources, channels, sinews, and joints are the actual Bodhisattvas. Your hair pores are twenty one thousand arhants. Your limbs are wrathful protectors.
The light rays, directional guardians, lords of wealth and attendants, while all worldly gods are cushions for your feet. Surrounding you in their respective orders, sit the direct and lineage gurus, Yidams, wholesome and other deities, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, heroes, and the dakinis encircled by an ocean of Dharma protectors. The three vajras mark the three doors from whom hope light rays radiate to invite the wisdom beings in their natural abode and settle their blessings. Though all things are totally free of inherent coming and going, still you arise for your virtuous conduct of wisdom and loving compassion according to dispositions your varied disciples. Holy refuge saviors, please come forth with your retinue.
Source of goodness and well-being throughout the three times, roots and lineage gurus, yidams, Three Jewels of refuge, heroes, dakinis, Dharmapālas, and hosts of guardians. By the power of your compassion, forth The one gone beyond, foe destroyer,, completely perfected, fully awakened being, perfect in knowledge and conduct, Sugata, know the world, supreme guide of human beings to be tamed. Sugata, teacher gods and Teacher of gods and humans, the founder, the endowed, gone one, and foe destroyer, the fully awakened one, and all of you here offer this bath possessed of all qualities. The bathhouse is an extremely sweet fragrance, crystal floor, beautiful sparkling jeweled pillars. Okay.
The bathhouse has an extremely sweet fragrance, the crystal floor and beautiful sparkling jeweled pillars. The roof is covered by a canopy decorated with shining pearls. Just as after the birth of Buddha, the gods made offerings of pure water. I also offer a bath of the pure water of the gods. Holy body created by ten million acts of virtues, holy speech fulfilling the hopes of infinite migratory beings.
For the mind, seeing all existence as it is, offer this bath of. I offer this bath of holy bodies and each guru’s extensive conduct. I offer this bath of holy bodies and each guru’s profound view. I offered this bath, the holy bodies, and each guru’s blessed practice. I offer this bath of holy bodies of all the gurus.
Guru Vajradhāra encompassing all three refugees, taking the form of the virtuous friend from every side, granting sublime and common realizations to the kind Gurus I offer this bath, who taught me education, who reveals sūtra and tantra text and advice, and who gave vows, initiations, and commentaries on tantra, to direct and indirect gurus I offer this bath. By total control of speech, the hero preserving the teachings, completely controlling the three realms, to the incomparable one I offer this bath. Eyes to view all the vast teachings from gateways of liberation to fortunate ones, who use skillful means to lovingly guide, to the illuminating spiritual friends I offer this bath. I offer this bath regarding the Sangha.
I offer this bath to three precious jewels. In times long past, before the Bhagawan, you committed to sporting as your child or being. So come ish practices according to Dharma. The assembly of Dharma protectors and supporters are offered this bath. The five long life goddesses, supporters of Dharma, or the protectors in the snow land of Tibet, especially those of this country and this place, the local gods, Nagas and local spirits, I offer this bath.
Lords, nagas, and their princes, with many jewel vials of scented water, beautifully filled up with excellent songs, with variety of music I offer this bath. I now dry the holy bodies with incomparably clean, sweet smelling cloth. Om, hung, drum, tra, Just as a goldsmith polishes gold, ruddy, pure, and refined, so do I apply the best fragrance that permeates billions of universes to the holy bodies of controlled ones. By offering these soft, light, divine clothes with indestructible faith and those who maintain the indestructible holy body, may I also achieve the holy body? Because the conquerors are adorned by the natural ornaments, the 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 the marks and signs. By offering this auspicious vase, beautified with jewels and filled with various essence, may the stains of karma and delusions, all six realms sentient beings be purified and may be moistened by the wetness of bodhicitta. With most excellent light radiating forth and ten directions, splendid good fortune blazing everywhere, this crown ornament of precious golden powder, the crown of the Shakya king I offer. May thereby the precious teachings spread into ten directions, the world become pervaded by major happiness. And by becoming the crown ornament of transmigrators, gods included, may the all gain the level of one endowed with the ten powers.
Out of your loving compassion for myself and my guests, oh Bhagawan, please remain as long as I continue to make offerings by the force to your magical powers. Due to the merits of the three times gathered by me, Buddha’s, bodhisattvas, and all other sentient beings. May bodhicitta cherishing others, letting go of oneself, letting go of the I, which is a source for happiness and success in myself and all other sentient beings be generated within my own mind, 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 the three times gathered by me, Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and all other sentient beings.
May all the father, mother, sentient beings of happiness, may three low realms be empty forever. May all bodhisattvas prayers succeed immediately and may be able to cause all this to happen by myself alone. Due to the merits of the three times gathered by me, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and all other sentient beings. May his holiness and Dalai Lama, Buddha of compassion, all other holy beings, all our virtuous friends of stable lives. May all the holy wishes succeed immediately.
Due to the merits of three times guided by me, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and all other sentient beings. May I be able to offer limitless benefit to all sentient beings as Lama Tsongkhapa does. By having within me the same qualities Lama Tsongkhapa has from now on in all my future lifetimes. Due to the merits of the three times gathered by me, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and all other sentient beings, which are totally nonexistent from their own side, with the eye which is also totally nonexistent from its own side. I, the Guru, seek the Mahāmudrā Buddha’s enlightenment, which is also totally nonexistent from its own side.
And lead all sentient beings who are totally non existent from their own side to that enlightenment which is totally non existent from his own side. By myself alone, who is also totally non existent from his own side. I dedicate all my merits and my greatly admired, praised by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the three times, realized by Samantabhādra and Mañjuśrī. May I be able to complete Lama Tsongkhapa’s teaching, which unifies Sūtra and Tantra within my mind and spread these teachings to all sentient beings. Thus, may Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings flourish forever.
Due to all the merits of the three times gathered by me, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and all the sentient beings. May any sentient being who hears me, touches me, remembers me, thinks about me, talks about me with praise or criticism, abuses me or treats me badly simply by having made any connection with me. Never ever be reborn in lower realms. May those sentient beings immediately be liberated from all disease, spirit harms, negative karma, and defilements, and quickly achieve enlightenment by actualizing the whole path, especially bodhicitta. But my hearing that someone is sick may immediately cause that person to be completely recovered, have the most meaningful life by practicing the Mahāyāna path.
But my hearing somebody has died may cause that person to immediately be born in a pure land where they can get enlightened. So I got a bit I got a little bit distracted because just after I said visualize a guru and put yourself completely in his hands, a message came. Rinpoche will come to the Gompa at nine AM after your tea break. So it means we only have half an hour now. So I’ve got a little bit distracted.
But I I would get distracted anyway. I’m always distracted, but more distracted than that. Extra distraction. So we have to come back at nine o’clock. So it’s just time to get tea.
Put yourself completely into his hands. That’s what happened.