Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 91-minute Mahāmudrā retreat session, Lama Zopa Rinpoche guides practitioners through the complete preliminaries: visualizing the merit field with the root guru as the manifestation of all enlightened minds, making prostrations with awareness of the guru’s boundless kindness, offering physical and mentally-created gifts in the nature of infinite bliss, taking bodhisattva and tantric vows, and purifying breaks in samaya with the guru. A distinctive teaching explains why the guru appears in ordinary monastic form—because at our current level we cannot perceive pure celestial bodies, yet ordinary form awakens genuine devotion. Rinpoche emphasizes that samaya breaks destroy all accumulated merit and cause rebirth in hell, but sincere confession and dedicated purification completely remedy these faults. The session concludes with rejoicing in all beings’ merit and requesting the guru’s blessings to reach enlightenment. For practitioners who have received tantric initiation.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 47 2004 04 21 MR.mp3
UUID: 2650a6d8-b22a-43d4-9d00-95d137609d92
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: y Mahāmudrā International Retreat (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 2004-04-21
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 91.9 minutes
Words: ~5,456
This section on prostrating to the guru. Page twenty seven. And before we do that, we’ll do the nine round breathing to settle the mind. Begin by remembering the visualization of the merit field in front of us. In the purest of environments, from an ocean of milk, comes a wish granting tree made of different types of jewels, vast and expansive.
In the center of this, on a beautiful throne upheld by lions, the figure of one’s own root guru in the aspect of Lama Losang Tobden Dorje Chang. From his heart, beams, light rays, five colored light rays go out in different directions on which is seated the direct and indirect gurus. To the right, Maitreya and the lineage of extensive conduct. To the left, Mañjuśrī and the lineage of profound view. Behind, the Mahāmudrā lineage coming from Mañjuśrī and the lineages of the four deities, the deities of the four special deities of the highest yoga tantra.
In front, one’s own root guru in his ordinary form surrounded by all your gurus in their ordinary forms, but without any imperfections, seated around the root guru. Down below, there are the four classes of tantra. Below that, in a row, the Nirmānakāya of Buddhas. Buddha in Nirmānakāya aspect. Below that, the Sambhogakāya Buddhas.
Pratyekabuddhas, dakas and dakinis, Dharma protectors. And on the outside of the wish granting tree, the four guardian protectors along with the entourage. The entire merit field is a manifestation of the absolute guru, the dharmakaya holy mind of all the buddhas, the transcendental wisdom of non dual bliss and voidness. Every single merit field, every single figure in the merit field is a manifestation of this. Even every pore of every merit field is the whole merit field, And the whole thing is inseparable from one’s own root guru.
Think the dharmakaya holy mind of all the Buddha is bound by infinite compassion, appears in all these various forms to guide me and all sentient beings from suffering. Appearing in pure forms as a deity and in Rūpakāya and Buddhas, appearing in impure forms as conventional lamas, appearing in impure forms for my impure mind to guide me. All these figures in the merit field, all these many are one, the absolute guru. And the absolute guru manifest in all these forms as many. This is what my guru is.
All of my gurus are the manifestation of this. With this awareness, reflecting on the meaning of each verse, visualizing infinite bodies manifested, making prostrations covering every atom the earth, and reciting the praises to the guru. We do the prostration verses. Your compassion grants even the supreme great bliss, supreme state of the three kayas in an instant. Guru, the jewel like body, vajra holder, I prostrate at your lotus feet.
You, the wisdom, knowledge, who are infinite conquerors, appearing in any way those to be subdued. With supreme skillful means, you manifest as saffron robed monk. Holy refuge savior, I prostrate at your feet. You eliminate all fault in their instincts. There are treasure of infinite precious qualities.
So source of bliss, benefit bliss without exception. Perfect pure guru, I prostrate at your feet. Meditate on this a little bit. The guru is the doer of all Buddha’s actions. The dharmakaya manifesting all these forms.
Every single activity they do is to cease a fault in our mind and to develop quality. Every single action of the guru towards every single sentient being is to see support and to develop quality. There are no mistakes. Teacher of gods and humans and nagas, all Buddhas, source of eighty four thousand pure Dharma, you tower above the whole host of aryas. Kind guru, I prostrate to you.
To Gurus dwelling in three times in ten directions, three supreme jewels and all worthy of homage, with faith, conviction, and notion of their praise, I prostrate manifesting as many bodies as atoms of the world. Offerings. So vajradhara said, if you want to achieve the supreme state of Mahāmudrā, the great seal quickly, then engage in making offerings to the guru and seeing the guru as inseparable, the deity of the mandala. At any rate, I must achieve the state of full enlightenment in order to benefit all sentient beings. To do this, I need to accumulate the extensive merit.
Therefore, I’m going to do this practice of making extensive offerings to the merit field. Blessing all the offerings set out here, blessing all the offerings set out in Rinpoche’s room above. Blessing all the offerings in all the FPMT centers, Mongolia, Taiwan, Land of Medicine Buddha, Kopan, all the various centers, the organization, also Rinpoche’s houses, Aptos, Washington, Retreat Center, Retreat Place, on the top of Buddha Pureland. They’re seeing all the office set out in students’ houses and Doris’s house in Singapore, Dilian Tew’s house in Malaysia. Now, wherever there are offerings set out with Buddhas, bowls, lights, flowers, incense, tea offerings, beautiful objects, All these actually arranged offerings and then mentally creating countless more, filling the entire earth and sky, blessing all of these and causing them to be received by inconceivable number of Buddhas.
May human and divine offerings actually arranged and mentally created clouds of finest Samantabhādra offerings fill the entire space. By the power of truth, its Three Jewels, blessings of all Buddhas and bodhisattvas. By the power of the great merit, the inconceivable two collections, the completely pure and conceivable sphere of reality, may all these offerings become just so. Putting palms together at the heart, imagining infinite bodies prostrating to the Gurus with awareness, they’re all Buddha’s offering all the offerings set out here, all the other offerings, with the awareness that they’re all in the nature of infinite bliss, the Buddha perceives all these in the nature of infinite bliss and generating the greatest bliss in the guru’s holy mind. Doing this over and over.
Offering, prostrating to all the figures in the merit field, with the awareness even each pore is all the merit field. And the awareness, all this is one’s own guru from their own side. Offering all the offerings in the nature infinite bliss, generating the greatest bliss in the guru’s holy minds. Prostrating offering, generating bliss over and over. Prostrating, making all the offerings which are in the nature of infinite bliss, to all Buddha Dhamma Sangha, the ten directions, and all ten directions statues, dupa scriptures, relics, prayer wheels, and all the other holy objects, with awareness, all these, one’s own root guru from their own side, generate infinite bliss in the guru’s holy mind over and over.
Prostrating, making all the offerings set out here in all the various centers, in Rinpoche’s room above, to the eight medicine Buddhas in order to achieve success or one’s wishes to be fulfilled. Thousand-armed Chenrezig in order to quickly generate great compassion take full responsibility to liberate all beings from suffering, bring them to enlightenment. Guru Vajrasattva in order to do extensive activities for sentient beings. By meditating all these, one’s own root virtuous friend in their own side generate infinite bliss in their holy minds over and over. Prostrating, making all the offerings in nature infinite bliss to all the holy objects in India, especially Bodh Gaya stupas, all the relics, the gurus in India.
By meditating one’s own root virtuous friend from their own side, generate infinite bliss in their holy minds over and over. Prostrating, making all the offerings in ancient infinite bliss, all the offerings set out here in the various centers, Rinpoche’s house, Rinpoche’s houses and so on, to all the holy objects in Tibet, especially the precious holy statue of Buddha, blessed by Buddha, predicted by Buddha in the Jokhang, Lhasa. With awareness, all these holy objects, one’s own root virtuous friend from their own side, generate infinite bliss in the holy minds over and over. Prostrating, making all the offerings set out here in the various different centers, Rinpoche’s houses, which are in the nature of infinite bliss. All the holy objects in Nepal, especially, the relics, all the gurus in Nepal, generating infinite bliss in the holy minds over and over.
Prostrating, making all the offerings, the nature infinite bless, all the holy objects in this world, every single relic, every single statue, every single stupa, every single text, every single prayer wheel, and so on. With awareness, one’s own root virtuous friend from their own side, generate infinite bliss in the holy minds over and over. From all these offerings Oh, I forgot to dedicate. Dedicate all the merits and the practice to every single hell being, every single hungry ghost, every single animal, dedicate all the merits to every single human being, every single asura, every single being, every single intermediate state being, think they all fully received all the merits from this practice, all the causes for enlightenment. From all these offerings, numberless other offerings emanate out for the entire earth and sky.
Infinite, inconceivable offering goddesses. Offering goddesses emanate from one’s heart and present the offerings to the merit field, generating infinite bliss in the holy minds. Refuge saviors, perfectly pure gurus, together with your retinues, I present you oceans of clouds of various offerings. From spacious elegant vessels, radiant and precious, flow gently forth for streams of purifying nectars. Flowering trees, garlands excellently arranged and beautiful flowers fill the earth and sky.
Blue summer clouds of lamp smoke from fragrant incense billows up to the heavens. Joyful dancing light from suns, moons, glittering jewels and flaming lamps dispel the billion worlds’ darkness. Scented water imbued with fragrances of camphor, sandalwood and saffron collects into great lakes. Delicacies of gods and humans drink and nourishing food of a hundred flavors, amassed without measure. Music from an endless variety of various instruments fills the three realms.
Goddesses of outer and inner desire objects holding symbols of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch pervade all directions. Refuge, saviors, treasures of compassion, eminent supreme merit field, with pure faith, I present to you a billion times over. Mount Meru, the four continents, the seven precious royal emblems, the precious minor symbols, and more. Perfectly delightful environments and their beings, and a great treasure of all the gods and humans use or desire. By the merit of having offered this mandala to merit field, may I and all sentient beings be able to meet the pure wisdom teachings, victorious ones, which contain the deeds of those eminent ones who lived in pure morality.
Have the brave attitude to follow extensively the Bodhisattva’s conduct and practice the yogas at two stages, the essence of which is a 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. Now I’m gonna take the bodhisattva vows, generate understanding, the extreme urgency. The most urgent thing for sentient beings is to be able to liberate all of them from their suffering and bring them to a state of enlightenment as quick as possible. In order to do this, no matter what other realization has been generated in the mind, but still it’s not possible to achieve enlightenment without abiding in pure bodhisattva vows.
Therefore, I’m going to take these bodhisattva vows in the presence of the merit field. I go for refuge to the Three Jewels, confess individually all my negativities. Rejoice in the merit of migrating beings. Take hold with my mind the perfect state of Buddha. I go for refuge until I’m enlightened to the Buddha, Dharma, Supreme Sangha assembly, and I do so to attain enlightened mind.
In order to fulfill the aims of myself and others, I should develop supreme and light motive. Toward all sentient beings, my invited guests, I shall act with supreme enlightened conduct. May I become a Buddha to benefit all. And go for refuge as Three Jewels, confess individually all my negativities. Rejoice in the merit of migrating beings, take hold with my mind public state of Buddha.
I go for refuge until I’m enlightened to Buddha, Dharma, Supreme, Sangha, Assembly. And I do so to attain enlightened mind. In order to fulfill the aims myself and others, I should develop supreme enlightened motive. Toward all sentient beings, my migrating beings, I should act with supreme enlightened conduct. May I become a Buddha to benefit all.
I go for refuge as Three Jewels, confess individual my negativities. I rejoice in the merit of migrating beings. Take hold with my mind the perfect state of Buddha. I go for refuge until I’m enlightened Buddha, Dharma, Supreme, Sangha, Assembly. And I do so to attain enlightened mind. In order to fulfill the aims myself and others, I should develop supreme enlightened motive.
Toward all sentient beings, my invited guests, I shall act with supreme enlightened conduct. May I become a Buddha to benefit all. Think, I receive pure bodhisattva vows in the presence of the merit field. What is being degenerated is made pure. What is not being degenerated is increased.
Then even though I’ve practiced some bodhisattva paramita path, the paramita path still takes three countless great aeons to achieve enlightenment. For myself, no matter how difficult and no matter how long, it doesn’t matter. But for that amount of time, those sentient beings with whom I have made with whom I have karmic connection and who depend upon me to liberate them from suffering and bring them to happiness, they have to suffer so long. Therefore, I must achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible. Therefore, I need to rely upon this profound practice of keeping the tantric vows.
All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, please listen to me. I I, from now to reach the essence of Buddhahood to generate the sacred, pure bodhicitta, just as all Buddhas of the three times ensured their own awakening by generating it. I pledge to uphold the vows of Buddha family, to rely on the pure triple gem, Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, and the three disciplines observing proper behavior, gathering virtuous Dharma, and benefiting sentient beings. I pledged to uphold the vajra, bell, and mudra of the great vajra family and to honor my teachers. I pledged to practice the four types of giving six times each day, keeping in mind the delightful commitments of great Ratna family.
For the great Padma family, I pledged to uphold individually the holy dharmas that arose from great enlightenment. Those are the outer secret in three vehicles. For the great supreme karma family, I pledge to uphold all vows well and to make as many offerings as possible. I should generate the vows of Peerless bodhicitta for the sake of all and uphold all samayas without exception. I should deliver those not delivered, liberate those not liberated, give breath to those unable to breathe, and place all beings in state beyond sorrow.
All Buddhas and bodhisattvas, please listen to me. From now until I reach the essence of Buddhahood, shall generate the sacred, peerless bodhicitta, just as all Buddhas of the three times ensured their own awakening by generating it. I shall uphold the general and specific tantric vows and commitments of the five families without exception. I shall deliver those not delivered, liberate those not liberated, give breath to those unable to breathe and place all beings in a state beyond sorrow. All Buddhas and bodhisattvas, please listen to me.
I, from now until I reach the essence of Buddhahood, should generate the sacred peerless bodhicitta, just all Buddhas three times, ensure themselves awakening by generating it. I shall uphold of the general specific tantric vows, commitments of the five families without exception. I shall deliver those not delivered, liberate those not liberated, give breath to those unable to breathe and place all beings in state beyond sorrow. Think, I receive pure tantric vows in the presence of the merit field. What has been degenerated is made pure.
What has not been degenerated is enhanced and increased. Feel great joy by remembering infinite benefits of keeping the tantric vows. What causes me to have so many obstacles in my practice when I’m unable to generate even the slightest realization after so many years, even though I study so hard and work some and study so much and practice so hard, is because of all the heaviest negative karmas accumulated with the holy virtuous friend and this and beginningless past lives. Therefore, I must put special attention to purify all of these immediately by relying upon the guru manifested in the aspect of Samayavajra. So remember the thoughts of incorrectly devoting to the guru, the imprints of which are on our mind streams and need to be purified.
So if having developed the dharma connection, then breaking that, disrespecting the gurus, scorning the guru, arising heresy, one cannot receive even the slightest blessing in one’s mind. Therefore, cannot receive even the slightest realization impossible. Not only that, but it destroys the merits even one instant of anger towards the guru destroys all the merits accumulated over countless aeons. Not only that, but for each instant of anger, we have to suffer many aeons in the hell realms, the most unbearable hell realms. Not only that, but by making mistakes in relationship with the guru, it destroys all our realizations.
Any insight we may have gained completely lost. There’s no possibility to gain fresh insights or realizations. This thought can be created with one guru, but even with one guru, it affects our relationship with all our gurus. Therefore, every single negative karma, every single wrong thought towards the guru is the most harmful thing in our lives, the most harmful thing in our practice. One way of making mistakes is because of being careless in the practice.
Another is because of not recognizing the mistakes, because of not checking one’s behavior with the teachings on guru devotion. Therefore, generate very strong mind of regret for all these negative actions accumulated since beginningless time and also throughout this lifetime with every single one of one’s gurus. Then visualizing Samayavajra at one’s heart on the crown of one’s head through the purification. Says, all your negative karmas, obscurations, and generated are completely purified. Generate strong faith that exactly what said has happened in reality.
Your mental continuum has become completely pure. There is not the slightest obscuration left, even the heaviest negative karmas accumulated in relationship with the guru being purified. So what should one do if one makes mistakes in relationship to the holy virtuous friend with a recognition that there is nothing that cannot be purified. First of all, recognize the fault and confess continually to the guru until he accepts. Secondly, purify by doing something that most pleases the holy mind of the virtuous friend.
You can do Samayavajra, thirty five Buddhas, Vajrasattva, Namasangiti, self initiation, so forth. Thirdly, change your attitude so the thought will not arise again, so that the mistake is stopped. Due to this virtue, may I and all sentient beings be guided by the guru deity from now until enlightened and achieved. May I and all others be protected by the guru deity and keep every samaya of the guru deity. Page forty nine.
Before those having great compassion, I confess with regret and vow never to commit again. Whatever non virtuous and evil actions I’ve done throughout beginningless time caused others to do or in which I have rejoiced. Though all things are like a dream lacking inherent existence, I sincerely rejoice in the bliss and joy of all aryas and ordinary beings and in every virtue that has ever arisen. Rejoicing one’s own virtue, one’s own merit, with the awareness without merit, there is no happiness. No success, nothing you can do at all.
Completely stuck. Cannot achieve realizations, cannot even achieve moment to moment happiness in this life. Therefore, every single merit that we accumulate is so precious. We accumulated so much merit in the past, accumulating so much merit now, will accumulate so much merit in the future up to enlightenment. How wonderful it is, how precious it is, how happy I am, how wonderful, how precious.
Focusing on three time merits accumulated by oneself, thinking over and over how precious, how precious, how wonderful, how precious. Each time one rejoices, the merit doubles. Rejoicing in the merit of other sentient beings, what all sentient beings seek is happiness, what they try to avoid is suffering. And the cause of every single happiness, even the smallest pleasure in a dream, even the slightest cooling breeze on a hot day is merit, virtue. Therefore, every single virtue that others accumulate is so precious.
The number of sentient beings accumulated so much merit in the past, they’re accumulating so much now, and they will accumulate so much in the future. How wonderful it is that they’re collecting all this merit in three times. How precious. How wonderful. Feeling joy in the heart over and over is rejoicing.
Rejoicing in the deeds of Bodhisattvas who, for, every single action they do, every single movement, even each breath is for all sentient beings. Therefore, they continually accumulate most extensive merit, and all this they dedicate for us. There are numberless Bodhisattvas. They’ve accumulated numberless merit in the past. They are accumulating now, and they will in the future.
How wonderful it is. How precious. May I become like this. Rejoice in the deeds of Buddhas who wants ordinary beings like ourselves, but then through bearing hardship to their practice, achieve the state of enlightenment, able to do having infinite inconceivable qualities, able to do extensive work for sentient beings. There are numberless Buddhas.
They create numberless merits in the past. They are now and they will in the future. How wonderful it is. How precious. Think of the lineage lamas of the Mahāmudrā and how they bore great hardship to actualize the entire teachings, passing them to their minds.
And the other great practitioners at Marpa, Milarepa, Gampopa, Guru Rinpoche, twenty five disciples, heart disciples, all the great enlightened beings from all four traditions and others, how wonderful, how precious. Remember their inconceivable qualities and their extensive activities. May I become like this. By making this prayer creates a cause to achieve exactly the same as they have achieved. Please let fall a rain of profound and extensive dharma from a hundred thousand billowing clouds of perfect wisdom and compassion to nurture, sustain, and propagate a garden of Kunda flowers for the benefit and bliss of all limitless beings.
Though your vajra body is subject to neither birth nor death, but as a vessel of the mighty king unification, please abide forever according to our wishes, not passing beyond sorrow until saṃsāra ends. I dedicate the mass of white virtues thus created, so that I may be inseparably cared for in all my lives. My perfect pure gurus who are kind in three ways, and so attain the unified state of Vajradhāra. I prostrate and go for refuge to the Guru and the three precious gems. Please bless my mind.
I’m requesting you to immediately dispel all the wrong conceptions from the incorrect devotion to the guru up to suchness, the view of the white, red, and dark visions that exist in my mind and mind to all mother sentient beings. I’m requesting you to immediately generate all the right realizations from guru devotion up to enlightenment in my mind and the mind to all mother sentient beings. I’m requesting you to dispel all outer obstacles to actualize the entire graduated path to enlightenment in my mind and the mind to all mother sentient beings. I prostrate and go for refuge to the guru and three precious gems. Please bless my mind.
I’m requesting you to immediately dispel the wrong conceptions, for incorrect devotion to the guru up to suchness, the view of the white, red, and dark visions that exist in my mind and the minds of all mother sentient beings. I’m requesting you to immediately generate all the right realizations from guru devotion up to enlightenment in my mind and the minds of all mother sentient beings. I’m requesting you to dispel all outer and inner obstacles to actualize the entire graduated path to enlightenment in my mind and the minds of all mother sentient beings. I prostrate and go for refuge to the guru and the three precious gems. Please bless my mind.
I’m requesting you to swiftly dispel the wrong conceptions from incorrect devotion to the guru, up to suchness, the view of the white, red, and dark visions that exist in my mind and the minds of all mother sentient beings. I’m requesting you to swiftly generate all the right realizations from guru devotion up to enlightenment in my mind and the minds of all mother sentient beings. I’m requesting you to dispel all outer and inner obstacles to actualize the entire graduated path to enlightenment in my mind and in the minds of all mother sentient beings. Lord of sages, source for realizations. Avalokiteśvara, great treasure of non-objectifying compassion.
Mañjuśrī, master of stainless wisdom. Vajrapāni, destroy the entire host of Maras. Losang Dragpa, crown jewel of sages in the land of snow. To you, embodying the three refuges. I make request with respect with my three doors.
Please grant your blessings to liberate myself and others. Please bestow supreme and common realizations. Please bless me to become quickly like you. Thank you. Lord, the savior’s source for realizations.
Now with the Avalokiteśvara, great treasure of non-objectifying compassion. Mañjuśrī, master of stainless wisdom. Destroy the entire host of Mars. Crown jeweler sage, the land of snow. To you, embodying the three refuges.
I make request showing respect with my three doors. Please grant your blessings to liberate myself and others. Please bestow supreme and common realizations. Please bless me to become quickly like you. Lord of sages, source for realizations.
Now, Avalokiteśvara, great treasure of non-objectifying compassion. Mañjuśrī, master of stainless wisdom. Destroy the entire host of Mars. Losang Dragpa, crown jewel of sages in the land of snow. To you, embodying the three refuges, I make request with respect with my three doors.
Please grant your blessings to liberate myself and others. Please bestow supreme and common realizations. Please bless me to become quickly like you. All the rest recite once. Lord of sages, source for realizations.
Avalokiteśvara, great treasure of non-objectifying compassion. Mañjuśrī, master of stainless wisdom. Vajrapāni, destroy the entire host of Maras. Losang Dragpa, crown jewel of sages in the land of snow. To you, guru buddha, embodying three refuges, I make request with respect with my three doors.
Please grant your blessings to liberate myself and others. Please bestow supreme and common realizations. Please bless me to become quickly like you. Requesting the guru. I request the precious guru who encompasses all objects of refuge to the past, present, and future.
Please bless my mental continuum. I request the precious guru who encompasses all objects of refuge to the past, present, and future. Please bless my mental continuum. I request the precious guru who encompasses all objects of refuge to the past, present, and future. Please bless my mental continuum.
Five colored nectar beams flow forth from the guru’s holy body, entering my body and mind and those of all sentient beings. These purify all diseases, spirit harms, negative karmas, and obscurations, especially all the collections of obscurations, negative karmas, and degenerated samayas created in relationship to the holy virtuous friend, such as giving harm to the holy body, breaking the advice, disturbing the holy mind, generating undevotional thoughts, criticizing without devotion, giving up the guru, and so forth. From all my doors, sense organs and pores, these are dispelled in a form of liquid smoke or black soot. They are completely purified. My body becomes a nature of light, calm and clear.
My fortune, merit, and all my qualities of understanding realizations are fully developed. The blessings of the guru’s holy body, holy speech, and holy mind enter my body, speech, and mind and those of all sentient beings. I and all sentient beings are now under the protection of the holy virtuous friend. Page sixty nine. Making request.
So these first three verses, I can think as Rinpoche explained last night, the Dharmakāya holy mind, all the Buddha’s, the absolute guru, all the Buddha’s holy mind can appear in any way in order to guide us sentient beings. If it appears to us in pure forms, at our current level of mind, we’re not able to perceive it. And Buddha’s appearance in in Sambhogakāya forms, but we are not able to perceive these pure forms due to the obscurations on our minds which are not yet purified. If they appear to us in lower forms like animals, dogs, we’re not able to receive teachings from them. Therefore, the most skillful way to appear to us, the most supreme way is in the form of the pure Gelong, the pure ordained one.
The guru who is completely beyond any need for moral training or vows manifests in the form of a pure ordained one for us, to inspire us. The guru, the absolute guru, which is completely beyond the need for any training, appears in the form of the perfect bodhisattva, the Mahāyāna guru, appears in the form of the tantric guru. Taking these forms solely for us due to their kindness. There is no higher way in which they could appear to us in our present level of mind. All the Buddhas guide us in these forms as our gurus.
Appearing in these ordinary forms is therefore the most precious, so precious and so kind. By appearing in these ordinary forms, all the Buddhas are guiding me. Appearing in its ordinary form is a very special kindness of all the Buddhas. Without these forms, I’m totally helpless and lost like a small baby on a dark night in a dangerous forest where a wild creature is left alone, helpless. Therefore, appearing in these ordinary forms is so precious and so kind.
The gurus doers of all the Buddha’s actions, so precious and so kind. And with this awareness making request, Source of virtue, great ocean of moral discipline, treasury brimming with jewels and much hearing, master, second Buddha clad in saffron, elder, Vinaya holder, I make request to you. You have the ten qualities suitable for one to teach the path of those gone beyond. Lord of Dharma representing all conquerors, Mahāyāna guru, I make request to you. You are wise, patient, honest, without pretense or guile.
Your three doors well subdued. You have both sets of ten qualities, know tantric rituals, and are skilled in drawing and explaining. Foremost, vajra holder, I make request to you. To those untamed by countless past Buddhas, the unruly, my greatest of this degenerate age who are difficult to subdue, you show unmistakably the good way of those gone to bliss, compassionate refuge savior, and make request to you. In this time when the sunlight of the teachings is slowly setting, you enact the deeds of a conqueror for the many beings who lack a savior and refuge.
Compassionate refuge savior, I make request to you. Even one of your hair pores is for us a field of merit more highly praised than all the conquerors of three times in ten directions. Compassionate refuge savior, I make request to you. Adorned with the Sugata’s three bodies, you manifest from an alluring net of skillful means in ordinary form to lead all beings. Compassionate refuge savior, I make request to you.
Your aggregates, elements, sense bases, limbs are in nature the sugatas and consorts of five families, bodhisattvas and wrathful deities. Supreme guru, essence of Three Jewels, I make request to you. Arising from the play of omniscient pristine awareness, you are the essence of ten million mandala cycles, prevailing lord of a hundred Buddha families, foremost vajra holder, unified primordial savior, I make request to you. Unobscured, inseparable from the play of simultaneous bliss, pervading everything in motion and at rest, the nature of all things free from beginning or end. Samantabhādra all-pervading bodhicitta.
I make request to you. Through the power of having made offerings, respectful requests to you, holy and perfect pure gurus, supreme field of merit, I seek your blessing, saviors, and rooted in the being of bliss, that I may come under your joyful care. So here we can do the meditation gurus, so please stretch, stretch, relax. Just two, three minutes. Just stretch.
Relax.