Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 104-minute teaching, Lama Zopa Rinpoche guides practitioners through Guru Puja and then Guru Devotion meditation—the core practice of learning to recognize the guru as Buddha in ordinary form. He explains why Buddhas manifest as ordinary spiritual guides: it matches the karma and perception of students unable to perceive higher forms. Rinpoche establishes that gurus perform all of the Buddhas’ activities: refuge, teachings, initiations, guidance. He uses vivid metaphors—a moon reflecting in many waters; one actor in many roles; flour made into countless foods—to anchor the conviction that all gurus are emanations of one Buddha-mind. The teaching includes Guru Puja liturgy, taking bodhisattva and tantric vows, and practical reminders on maintaining retreat discipline. For practitioners already engaged in intensive practice.
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File: 67 2004 04 24 MR.mp3
UUID: 1fc4722f-4bf8-40a3-8647-34a82d8e5ab0
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: y Mahāmudrā International Retreat (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 2004-04-24
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 104.0 minutes
Words: ~6,351
Recollect the visualization, the mat filled in front, in the most pure of environments filled with countless offerings of Samantabhatra. From an ocean of milk arises a wish granting tree made of the seven precious jewels. In the center of that, on a beautiful throne upheld by lions, sits my guru in the aspect of lama, Lozang, Thobon, Doja Cham. Radiant and smiling. Around him are all the direct and lineage gurus.
And down below, in layers, the deities of four classes of tantra, the Narmanaka and Buddhas, the Bodhisattvas, the Ahattas, Dhakkas and Dikinis, Dhammapattatus, and around the edge, the four guardians in each direction surrounded by the entourage. The entire merit field is a manifestation of the transcendental wisdom of nondual bliss and voidness, the holy mind of all the Buddhas, manifesting whatever form is needed exactly in accordance with the karmic perceptions of sentient beings, manifesting due to infinite compassion so that it can communicate and guide us. Be aware that even every pore of the merit field is the entire merit field. That all the gurus, buddhas, bodhisattvas, manifests as all of these. Then with a mind of great devotion and joy, imagine emanating countless bodies that prostrate in all directions, covering all the atoms of the earth, singing the praises of the guru, and with one’s mind, meditating and becoming oneness with the meaning of each verse, reflecting the qualities of the guru, the true nature.
Your compassion grants even the sphere of 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, your infinite conquerors, appearing in any way that subdues. With supreme skillful means, you manifest as a saffron robed monk.
Holy refuge savior, I prostrate at your feet. You eliminate all force and the instincts and your treasured infinite precious qualities. So source of benefit and bliss without exception, perfect pure gurus, I prostrate at your feet. Teachers of gods and all in natural Buddhas, source of eighty four thousand Puredharmas, you tarab of the whole host of Aryans, kind guru, I prostrate to you. To gurus dwelling in three times in ten directions, three supreme jewels, no worthy homage, faith, conviction, ocean, their praise, I prostrate manifesting as many bodies, atoms, the world.
At any rate, I must achieve a state of full enlightenment as quickly as possible in order to benefit all sentient beings. To do this, I need to accumulate a sense of merit. Therefore, I’m going to just practice with making extensive offerings to the merit field. Remember with each offering that we make has ten results, one of which is enlightenment. By offering just one rice to Buddha becomes a cause of enlightenment in all success.
By offering just this one rice, you achieve the limitless skies of qualities from Buddha’s holy body, speech, and mind, so much profit. In everyday life, we must practice every means of collecting mat, even small merit. So no question about great merit. Why? Because we want happiness and don’t want suffering.
Think of all the things that you have in your house and offer them. The benefits of having so much development in the West is so that we can make more and more beautiful offerings. Blessing all the offerings here, blessing all the offerings in Rinpoche’s room above, blessing all the offerings that are in all the centers, Mongolia, two thousand sats offerings in Taiwan, Kopan above, in Rinpoche’s houses, Nandamalasam Buddha, all the centers, blessing all the bowls, blessing all the lights, candles and fairy lights, blessing all the flowers, blessing all the tea offerings, blessing all the foods, incense, music and so forth. Imagine all these actually arranged offerings and mentally creating numberless more, causing all these to be received by numberless Buddhas. The human and divine offerings actually arranged and mentally created Clouds of finest mud, badger offerings fill the entire space.
The power and truth, the Three Jewels, blessings all, but as somebody suffers by empower, great mind, the completeity of collections, the completely pure and conceivable sphere of reality. May all these offerings become just so. Now, making charity all the offerings. Making charity all these offerings, every how being, every prata being, every animal, every human, every Sutras and Sutras being, every intermediate self being. Think, offer together, and in this way, we’re going to share all the mat.
Putting the palms together, form prostration. Prostrating to all the gurus, all one’s gurus with her most mental contact, also all the linen shalamas, prostrating, making all the offerings which are in nature infinite bliss. In this way, causing great bliss to be generated in the minds of the holy virtuous friends. Prostrate alpha, generate great bliss. Do this over and over.
Prostrating, making all the offerings, all the nature of infinite bliss, all the offerings set out and heal, the offerings set out in all the centers and so forth. To all the figures in the Guru Puja mat field, with the awareness of their virtuous friend in their own side, generate infinite bliss in their holy minds. Do this over and over. Frustrating, making all the offerings out here, all the offerings, Rinpoche, Rimshirs from above, Rimshirs houses and all the centers and so forth, which in a nature of infinite bliss, which Buddha Buddha’s holy mind perceives as infinite bliss. To all Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, in all ten directions, And all ten directions, statues, scriptures, relics, holy objects, prayer walls.
By meditating, the essence is on its own root virtuous friend from their own side, generate infinite bliss in their holy minds. Prostrating, making all the offerings, which are made to infinite bliss, all the holy objects in India, where Buddha and all thousand Buddhas show the act of achieving enlightenment. Then all the relics, all the gurus, damsel, all the holy objects down south on holy objects, all the pilgrimage places, the holy objects in India with awareness that these are the skillful manifestations of one’s own root guru appearing in these ways so that we sentient beings can quickly purify and accumulate merit, generate infinite bliss in the holy minds. Prostrating, offering all the offerings of nature, infinite bless to all the holy objects in Tibet, especially the precious statue of Buddha and Jocang, blessed, predicted by Buddha himself. The Vaitreya statue, meaning Buddha Bodh and Trekkam, secret high Griva and Sera, the special Chenrezig duchenne of Buddhala, and the special Mañjuśrī stanchion in Vethim.
This and all the other holy objects in Tibet with awareness, all of them, root virtuous friend from their own side, generate infinite bliss in the holy mind. Prostrate making all your offerings and each infinite bless to all the holy objects in Nepal, especially Svampana stupa, Bodhana stupa, all the gurus in Nepal, all the relics, each and every single precious statue in Thangka, scripture and so forth, All the prayer wheels with awareness, there’s a skillful manifestations of one’s own root guru, absolute guru appearing in these forms as holy objects for us sentient beings to be able to purify and accumulate mat, generate infinite bliss in our holy minds. Frustrating making all the offerings around here, the offerings around all the centers, to all the holy objects existing in this world. Think of all the Buddhist countries, the ship Burma, where there’s so many Buddhist statues, Thailand, Korea. Throughout the whole world, wherever there are Buddhist statues, stupas, scriptures, prayer wells, relics, gurus, offering to all of these with awareness, root virtues, friend from their own side generate infinite bliss in the holy minds.
Finally, prostrating, making the offers, nature open and bliss to the eight madhass and buddhas for all one’s prayers to be fulfilled, Thousands of Chanresi in order to quickly generate great compassion. And the bodhisattva siddhikkhava, in order to be able to do extensive activities for sentient beings. With awareness, all these, one’s own virtuous friend from their own side, generating infinite bliss in the holy mind over and over. From these offerings, numberless other offerings emanated, filling the entire earth and sky, countless scents of the sixteen offering goddesses emitted from one’s heart present these offerings actual and visualized to the merit field, generating infinite bliss in the holy minds. By the merit of having offered this and doubt in that field, may I and all sentient beings be able to meet the pure wisdom teachings, the Taurus ones, which contain the those eminent ones who live in pure morality and the brave attitude to follow extensively body service conduct.
Apprentice the yogs two stage, the essence of which the transcendental wisdom and non dual bliss and bodhis. May I and all sentient beings be able to meet this pure complete teaching of Lamasong Kapha, the unification of Sūtra and Tantra right this second. So Kantaram shares explanation, the word meet means putting imprints on the mind, but also the degree of our meeting depends on how much we’re able to study and practice. Those who truly meet the teachings of RamaTsongkhapa, the Geshes who do the extensive study in the monasteries. Therefore, praying to meet the teachings in the deepest possible way by actualizing them in our hearts.
Those who have taken by yourself of ours, Papas, my life be all mine kind, unscented beings, the oceans and suffering, and begin to stay the perfect bliss. In order to this, I need to generate bodhicitta, but generating bodhicitta alone is not enough. I must also take and abide in pure bodhisattva vows. Short version. I go for a fresh as Three Jewels, confess individual my negativities.
Joyous in the murder of my grating beings. I take hold in mind, put the state of Buddha. I go for a fresh as Three Jewels, confess individual my negativities. I rejoice in the murder of my grating beings. Take hold with my mind, perfect state of the Buddha.
I go for rough fish of Three Jewels, confess individually all my negativities. Rejoice in the murder of my grating beings. I take hold with my mind, the perfect state of the Buddha. Generate very strong faith, receive pure bodhisattva vows in the presence of the mind field. What has been degenerated is now pure.
What has not been degenerated has increased. For those who take in tantric vows, even if I practice bodhisattva parametric path, still takes me countless great ailments to achieve enlightenment. For myself, no matter how long and how difficult is no concern. But for that amount of time, these sentient beings with whom I have done with whom I have contact and who depend upon me to free them from their suffering have to wait so long, have to suffer so much. Therefore, I must achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible.
In order this, I’m going to take and abide in tantric vows. Short version. All Buddhas and bodhisattvas, please listen to me. I, make a dodgy from now to wish the essence of Buddhahood, should generate sacred, pure bodhicitta, just all Buddhas three times, and show themselves awakening by generating it. I shall uphold all general specific tantric vows, equipments of five families without exception.
I shall deliver those not delivered, liberate those not liberated, give breaths, those unable to breathe, and place all beings to stay beyond sorrow. I shall uphold all general specific tantric vows, equipments of five families without exception. I shall deliver those not delivered, liberate those not liberated, give breaths, those unable to breathe and place all beings to stay beyond sorrow. I shall uphold all general specific tantric vows, equipments of five families without exception. I shall deliver those not delivered, liberate those not liberated, give breaths, those unable to breathe and place all beings to stay beyond sorrow.
Think, I receive pure tantric vows and presence in that field. What has been degenerated is made pure, what has not been degenerated is increased. What caused me to have so many obstacles to my practice, why I’m unable to generate realizations or the heaviest negative karmas, obstacles, creating relationship with the holy virtuous friend. I must get rid of these immediately just as I would try to get rid of a deadly poison in my body. Therefore, I’m going to rely upon the guru manifesting the forms of my vajra to purify all of these.
One’s heart or the crown of one’s head. Make confession and purify. Goes says, where negative karma’s obscurations and generated samaya is completely purified. Generate strong faith that exactly what says has happened in reality. Your mental continuum has become completely pure, while the slightest obscuration is left.
Even the heaviest negative calms accumulate in relationship with the guru and now purified. Think. From now on, I’m going to abstain from these negative actions which are with the goal at least for one day, one hour, one minute. I’m not going to see thoughts in the guru. Due to this virtue, I and all sentient beings be guided by Guru Deity from now until nice and achieved.
May I and all others be protected by Guru Deity and keep every smile to Guru Deity. We’re just so mad. We’re just seeing no one’s past, present, and future mad right up to enlightenment. With awareness, without mind, happiness, no success, cannot move, cannot gain realizations, cannot even gain moment moment happiness. Therefore, every single mind is so precious.
Like electricity generator generating over and over again in one’s heart, joy and all three time rats. Rejoice in three time merits of others, numberless sentient beings, all the numberless virtues they’ve created in the past, they are creating now, and they will in the future. How wonderful. How precious. Rejoicing in all the virtues of bodhisattvas, even the very new bodhisattva, every single action is for others.
Every single breath, every single movement, never sighed his thought of self. Therefore, continually accumulating numerous merit in all this dedicated for others. Numbers body suffers, rejoicing in all their past, present, and future merit. How wonderful, how precious. May I have come like this?
So the amount of merit accumulated by one bodhisattva in one day, if one didn’t rejoice, would take thirteen thousand years to create that much mud. And she says, understanding this, keep it in the heart. Understanding this well, keep it in the heart. Rejoicing at all the numberless mats in the Buddhas, all the mats he commanded in the past, committing now, the will in the future, and rejoicing all the inconceivable qualities and extensive activities in the Buddha’s. How wonderful and precious.
How wonderful and precious. May I become like this? Inspire yourself by thinking about the life stories, life story of Gushekuni Buddha, Namathisha, Lama Tsongkhapa. Think about the life stories of all the linenge lamas in the Mahāmudrā, such as Gyawan Sappa, Katchanese Gadsen, Puchu Nong Jampur, all these holy beings who practice so intensively, achieve the realizations and then spread the teachings in all directions. The Panchanlamas, the Dalai Lamas, all these holy beings, how wonderful and precious.
May I become like this. Sri Ramchas says we should not only study Lamrim, we should also read these life stories and linen shalamas in order to inspire us and give us courage to bear hardship to accomplish our practice. I prostrate and go for refuge, the good, and the three precious gems. Please bless my mind. I’m requesting you to immediately pass for all wrong perceptions of ingrained devotion to the guru.
I’m to sullen your view of the wide, red, and dark visions that exist in my mind and minds all mother sentient beings. I’m requesting you to immediately generate all the right realizations from good devotional to enlightenment. In my mind, the mind is all monocentient beings. I’m requesting you to pass well after any obstacles, actualized, tired gradually pass to enlightenment. In my mind, the mind is all monocentient beings.
I prostrate and go for refuge, the guru and the three precious jams. Please, bless my mind. I’m requesting you to immediately pass for our wrong perceptions for incorrect devotion to the guru. I’ve to solve your view of the wide red and dark visions that exist in my mind and the minds of all 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, all mother beings.
I’m requesting you to pass away all outer and obstacles to agonize the entire graduated path to enlightenment. In my mind and the minds, all mother sentient beings. I prostrate and go for refuge, the Guru and the three precious gems, please pass away my mind. I’m requesting you to immediately pass for the wrong perceptions of inquiry and devotion to the guru. I’ve to sullen your view of the wide red and dark visions.
They exist in my mind and the minds of all Meliscentian 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 in my mind and the minds of all mother sentient beings. So normally when you do this practice, then you don’t do this way.
You offer one mandala to each of the gurus if you have time, to each each guru with whom one’s made Dharma contact. So if there’s eighteen gurus, twenty gurus, there’s twenty mandalas, one each. So this is just for convenience. I request the precious Guru encompasses all objects of refuge of the path, present, and future. Please blast my mind to continue.
I request the precious guru encompasses all objects of refuge of the past, present, and future. Please bless my mental continuum. I request, precious guru encompasses all objects of refuge of the past, present, and future. Please bless my mental continuum. Five colored nectar beams so forth from the guru’s holy body, entering my body, mind, and those of all sentient beings.
These purified diseases spread harms, negative karmas, and obscurations, a special 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 advice, disturbing the holy mind, generating undevotional thoughts, criticizing, giving up the guru, and so forth. From all my doors, sense organs, and pores, these are dispelled in the form of liquid smoke or black soot. They are completely purified. My body becomes a nature of light, calm and clear. My life, 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 into my body, speech, and mind, and those of all sentient beings. I am all sentient beings and now under the protection of the holy virtuous friend. Question, Guru, page sixty nine. Source of virtue, great ocean, moral discipline. Treasury brimming with jewels, much hearing.
Masters, second Buddhas, clad and saffron. Elders, an eye holder, I make request to you. You have the ten qualities suitable for one to teach the path of those gone to bliss. Lords of Dharma representing all conquerors, Mahāyāna gurus, I make request to you. You are wise, patient, honest, without pretense or guile.
Your three doors were subdued. You have both sent to ten qualities, no tantrum rituals, and skilled in drawing and explaining foremost pleasure holder and make a request to you. To those untamed by countless past Buddhas, the unruly migrated to this degenerate age with difficult seduce. You show mistakenly the good way of those gone to bliss. Compassionate refuge savior, I make request to you.
As Sauramshi’s advice is to stop after this fourth fifth and sixth verse to contemplate the meaning. At this time, when the sunlight teachings, the sage is setting, you enact the deeds of a conqueror for the many beings who lack a savior refuge. Compassionate refuge savior, I make request to you. Even one of your hair paws is for us a field of merit more highly praised than all the conquerors of three times and ten directions. Compassionate refuge savior and make requests to you.
Adore with the Sugatas 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, basis, and limbs are in nature, sugardas and consorts of five families. Bodhisattvas and wrathful protectors, supreme gurus, essence, the Three Jewels, I make request to you. Arising from the play of omniscient pristine awareness, you’re the essence of ten million cycles, pervading 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 notion at rest, The nature of all things free from beginning or end, Srimant Bhagra, actual, ultimate bodhicitta, and make request to you.
You are my gurus, you are my girdams, you are the dakinis and Dharma protectors. From now until the enlightenment I shall seek, nor the refuge in you. In this I have pardoned all future lives, hold me with your hook of compassion. Free me from saṃsāra nirvana spheres, grant all attainments, be my constant friend and guard me for interferences. You are my gurus.
You are my gidams. You are the dakinis and Dharma protectors. From now until the nightment, shall seek no other refuge than you. In this life, pardon all future lives. Hook me with the hook of compassion.
Free me from saṃsāra and nirvana spheres. Grant all attainments. Be my constant friend and guard me from interferences. You are my gurus. You are my gidams.
You are the dhikinis and Dharma protectors. From now until enlightenment, I shall seek neither refuge in you. In this I have pardoned all future lives. Hold me with your hook of compassion. Free me from saṃsāra nirvana spheres.
Grant all attainments. Be my constant friend and guard me for interferences. By the force having thus requested three times, nectar and light rays, white, red, and dark blue, stream forth from the places of my guru’s holy body, speech, and mind, and dissolve into my own three places, one by one and altogether. The four obstacles are purged, the four pure empowerments, and seeds of the four kayas are received. A replica of the guru happily dissolves into me, and I am blessed with inspiration.
Through the power, have you made offerings of respectful quest to you, holy and venerable guru, supreme filled of mind. I seek of blessing, saviors, and root for being blessed that I may come under your joyful care. So here we do the Guru Devotion meditation. So we’ve been going through the outlines, but also incorporating Rinpoche’s way of meditating on Guru Devotion. So we covered the eight benefits of correctly devoting and the eight disadvantages of breaking devotion.
Disadvantages of breaking devotion. Then we come to section how to devote. So how to devote has devoting through thought, devoting through deeds, actions. Then devoting through thought, first of all, developing faith by seeing guru’s buddha, why it’s necessary, why it’s possible. And now we’re on the section, what to think, to how to train the mind.
How to train the mind to see the guru as Buddha. Then within this section, we’re going in the reverse order. We began with there’s nothing to trust in your own appearance. And yesterday, did Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, constantly working with sentient beings. And they do this through the vehicle of the guru.
So then today, on the guru, he’s performing all the Buddha’s activities. Or Rinpoche says, the guru is a doer of all the Buddha’s activities or proof that the guru is agent of all the Buddha’s good works. So if we have time, we’ll also do the final one. vajradhara stated accepted guru’s Buddha. So begin by focusing on your gurus in the space in front.
In front of Lama Lozhantur and Doja Cha, one’s own root grew in his ordinary aspect. And seated around him, all one’s gurus with whom one’s made Dharma contact. Think all of them are very smiling and joyful, very pleased with you because you’re doing this meditation. And it’s very important when you do this meditation to not miss out a single guru and particularly focus on those in whom one sees the most mistakes, whom one sees most as ordinary. Take them as a particular object, not just those gurus that you like, but also those that you find difficult.
Then begin by reflecting as follows. Myself and all sentient beings, since beginning this time, have been wandering in cyclic existence, experiencing the general and particular sufferings of the three lower realms. Why? The reason is because we haven’t trained their mind in the correct way of devoting to the spiritual friend. Therefore, right now, myself and all sentient beings are going to train our minds in a correct way of devoting to the to the holy virtuous friend.
Please, Guru Yidam, bless me. Bless us that we may be able to generate the correct realization. On the basis having made this request in conceivable streams and active flow from the holy bodies and guru, purifying all negativities and obstacles oneself and others created since beginningless time, and particularly all the obstacles, negativities that prevent us from generating the stages of the path in connection with correctly devoting to spiritual friend. These all leave us through the pores of our body. The nectar fills up our body and those all sentient beings filling us with merit, wisdom, long life power, and particularly granting all the blessings so that our minds can ripen very fast in a stage of the path of correctly devoting the spiritual guide.
So begin by recognizing your goal is to transform your mind to be able to develop the faith that sees all these gurus as buddhas. To have that constant awareness. So focus on the gurus and think, just as a single moon in the sky appears as separate reflections on the surfaces of water standing in different containers, in lakes, in oceans. The primordial wisdom mind of all the Buddhas appears in various aspects to subdue different disciples. Though manifesting spontaneously in countless different forms for countless different sentient beings, all of these are the one dharmakaya mind, the absolute guru.
This is what my gurus are. It says in the sūtra father and son, all the Buddhas manifest countless forms in accordance with different skillful methods in order to liberate countless sentient beings. They manifest as Pratyekabuddha for those with the capacity to see them that way. They manifest as body sufferers for those who have the karma to see them as body sufferers. They manifest as pure monks for those who have the karma to see them that way.
They even manifest themselves in the form of birds and wild animals for those who are suitable to be tamed by such beings. The reason that Buddhas manifest themselves to us as ordinary spiritual teachers is because is because this is the form that suits our merit and level of mind. Therefore, these spiritual masters who are guiding me are actually Buddhas manifesting an ordinary aspect in order to communicate with me and guide me. The fact that I see them in ordinary aspect is their unbearable, incredible kindness to me in manifesting an ordinary aspect so that they can contact me and guide me. So our gurus are all skillful emanations of the Buddhas created in order to subdue us perfectly according to our minds.
If they appeared in higher forms as Sambhavakaya, I could not perceive them directly. If they manifested in lower forms such as animals, I would not develop faith in them. So these forms of my gurus are the most perfect ones to fit my mind. Think that just as an actor can play many roles in different films. In the same way, vajradhara takes many different roles, many different forms, but they are all the same.
The dharmakaya, the absolute guru. No matter how they appear, no matter how differently they behave, they are all one in essence, the dharmakai mind of all the Buddhas. Like one actor playing many roles. Take the example of flour. Flour can be made into many foods of various shapes and tastes, flat noodles, round noodles, bread, cakes, and so on.
But despite all the hundreds of different shapes and different names, all of these are flower. It’s the same with a guru. All these different spiritual teachers, without exception, have all been emanated by vajradhara as an act of skillful means to tame us and guide us. Just as somebody is elected from a country to be sent as an ambassador to to another one and then does all the activities for that country, the whole government works through that person in the other country. In the same way, these gurus perform all the activities of all the Buddhas.
Just as a magnifying glass focuses the sun’s rays, we receive the blessings of the Buddha’s in dependence on the magnifying glass of the guru. The guru is a performer of all the Buddha’s good works because it is they that make you perform all your positive actions. We receive all the blessings and enlightened activity of the Buddhas through our gurus. In order to bring us from suffering, to bring us to enlightenment, The Buddha’s need to give refuge to us, give teachings, oral transmissions, vows, commentaries, tantric initiations and teachings, advice, and guidance. All these activities are performed through the vehicle of the gurus.
There is no doubt that the actions of our gurus are definitely guiding us to enlightenment. That is one hundred percent guaranteed. Buddhas do not need to depend on ordinary beings to accomplish their activity and carry out their work for them. They don’t need to do that. Buddhists don’t need to rely even on the bodhisattvas.
Therefore, all these gurus are the actual Buddhas themselves. Buddhas emanate themselves as ordinary beings simply as a means of enabling us to perceive them. Therefore, to the conclusion that all these gurus are the buddhas. Not only that, but Buddha vajradhara himself promised in many teachings that in degenerate times, he would appear amongst us in the form of gurus. Buddha himself and vajradhara himself said, in the future, I will manifest as a guru, as a spiritual teacher, as an abbot in order to subdue sentient beings.
In the root tantra of Harvaja, vajradhara said, in the future, in the time of five degenerations, which is now, I’m going to manifest in ordinary forms in order to guide you and sentient beings. Recognize me in those ordinary forms and have faith. Buddha also said, although I’m not blind, I will manifest as blind. Although I’m not lame, I will manifest as lame. There are many quoteachings like this.
Even though Buddha himself has no suffering, he manifests having suffering. Even though Buddha has no faults, he manifests having faults. Out of his unbearable compassion, guiding us like children, Buddha told us that he would manifest in an ordinary form as spiritual guides being born, growing up so that we could contact him. There are countless quoteachings like this, and they’re not interpretive. They are definitive to the absolute truth spoken by Buddha himself.
Therefore, come to the conclusion that these gurus are all the buddhas and focus on that. Generate this mind and then hold it firmly. This is the root of the path to enlightenment from which all blessings come. May I notarize heresy even for a second in the actions of glorious guru. May I regard whatever actions are done as pure.
With this devotion, may I receive the blessings of the guru in my heart. Choose the master three times guided by me, Buddha’s, bodhisattvas, and all other sentient beings. May bodhicitta cherishing others, letting go of oneself, letting go of the eye, which is source of all the happiness and success of myself nor other sentient beings be generated within my own mind and minds all sentient beings without even a second’s delay. May that which has already been generated increase. Due to the master three times, credit by me, Buddha’s, bodhisattvas, and all other sentient beings.
May all the father, mother, sentient beings of happiness, may three of our realms be empty forever. May all bodhisattvas prayers succeed immediately, and may I be able to cause all this to happen by myself alone. Due mass the three times guided by me, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, all other sentient beings. May his holiness to Dalai Lama, Buddha, compassion, all other holy beings, all our virtuous friends and stable lives. May all the holy wishes succeed immediately.
Due to the masses three times guided by me, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and all other sentient beings, may I be able to offer skies the benefit to all sentient beings as lamaskaramkapa does by having within me the same qualities lamaskaramkapa has from now on in all my future lifetimes. Due to master three times, guided by me, Buddha’s, bodhisattvas, all other sentient beings, which are totally non existent from their own side, near the eye which is also totally non existent from its own side, chief guru shakyamuni buddha’s enlightenment which is also totally non existent from its own side, And lead all sentient beings were totally nonexistent from their own side. That enlightenment was totally nonexistent from his own side. But myself alone is also totally nonexistent from his own side. I dedicate all my merits in a way greatly admired by the Buddhas and bodhisattvas three times and realized by Svamtabhadra and Mañjuśrī.
May I be able to completely actualize the AmTsongkhapa teaching which unifies Srutra and Tantra within my mind and spread these teachings and minds to all sentient beings. Thus, may AmTsongkhapa teachings flourish forever. Due to manners the three times created by me, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, all other sentient beings, may I, the members of my family, all students and benefactors organization, and all the rest of sentient beings, be only perfectly qualified with Mahāyāna Gurus in all our future lifetimes. From our side, may we see them only as enlightened beings. May we do only actions most pleasing to the holy minds, to virtuous friends, may we be able to fulfill the holy wishes immediately.
Perhaps in my life, not to turn happiness to myself alone, but to free each and every sentient being from suffering. Therefore, I’m gonna make this food offering and also make charity to sentient beings. Especially by making charity to all the beings within my body, through this in the future, may I be able to offer them the dharma. Purify the food in the kitchen, the emptiness, everything you’re going to eat, everything will be eaten by others. Then generate it as uncontaminated wisdom matter by using the deity that one practices.
Palms together offering numberless oceans of food. nectar. To Guru Puja mat field, with awareness, every single mat field is root virtuous friend. Even each pore of all gurus is all the mat field. By making offering, generate infinite bliss in the holy mind.
Lay charity to every number to numberless hell beings, numberless hungry ghosts, numberless animals, numberless humans, numberless sewers, numberless as sewers, numberless intermediate state beings. They all fully enjoyed liberated from all suffering, causes, actualized paths, or became enlightened in the form of deity of own practices. By this, we accumulate unimaginable cause of enlightenment. Due to all these merits, may I and my family members, all the organizers of course, members of Buddha House, everyone offering service here, all the students and benefactors of the organization, and all other sentient beings, especially those who died for this food, suffered to provide this food, worked for this food, created negative karma and evolution of this food, and the benefactors of this food. May all of us sentient beings in our future lifetimes never separate away from triple gem, always collect merit by making offerings of triple gem and receive organizations of the path from guru devotion up to enlightenment without delay even one second.
To you we offer as our enjoyment of this circle of magnificence so please stay by being pleased and satisfied instead of uncontaminated bliss grant us the holy body, speech, mind. Please grant blessings to achieve in this life. Mahāmudrā, profound vajra Yoga, inseparable with method and wisdom. So next session is Sri Kath, but at one thirty, Vaan Dundrup will give an introduction to the three kayas meditation and blessing the inner offerings, inner and outer offerings. So that’s extremely, essentially, incredibly important and vital.
If you’ve received highest yoga tantra and you’re not familiar with it, even if you are familiar with it can we do it in the Gompa? It will be in the Gompa. So really that’s vital and essential that cannot be guided. I cannot guide that with people who don’t have initiation. So this is your opportunity to find out and to take notes and to be clear what you’re doing.
It’s very, very, very important to this practice every day. Other than that, we were supposed to be trying to keep silent. And my only comment is just because the time is running and we don’t have much time. And this is like the special kind of every or every condition come together to try and really put the mind in these meditations. So if we don’t do now, then it’s very difficult once we dispersed.
So to really try in the breaks to do the practices, guru devotion, reminiscent kindness, special kindness appearing ordinary aspect and emptiness, then that will contribute in the session times when Nunuchi teaches. So thank you very much everybody. Enjoy lunch.