Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 50-minute practice, Lama Zopa Rinpoche leads a complete Guru Yoga meditation from a Mahāmudrā retreat. He begins with foundational preparation: nine-round breathing and releasing attachment to this life. He then guides vivid meditations on the four fearful omens of death—burial, drowning, fire, and wind. Next comes visualization of the merit field with the root guru as Śākyamūni Buddha surrounded by lineage teachers and protectors. The practice moves through taking refuge, the four immeasurable thoughts, and bodhicitta meditation on suffering in each of the six realms. He concludes with elaborate deity yoga visualization where the root guru manifests as a deity form containing Vajradhāra, followed by extensive offerings and merit dedications. For practitioners already familiar with Guru Yoga practice.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 84 2004 04 27 MR.mp3
UUID: 08116b09-7e87-4adc-890f-f8ddfeab28b2
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: y Mahāmudrā International Retreat (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 2004-04-27
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 50.8 minutes
Words: ~3,643
So Guru Yoga preliminary practice from page nine, visualizing the merit field. And before that, we do sitting in the correct position, casting out the worldly thoughts, clinging to attachment to this life, and cleansing the mind by means of the nine round breathing. The terrors of the four fearful omens descending upon you are going to come. The appearance of being trapped under a mountain of packed rock and rubble and buried beneath a furious avalanche of earth. What to do?
The appearance of being set adrift on the surface of vast sea and carried away by violent swirling waves. What to do? The experience of your heart and ears being split open by the sizzling and crackling sounds of fiery conflagration. What to do? The fearful experience of being enveloped and swept away by the swirling dark wind to the end of an aeon.
What to do? When you’re driven by the powerful red winds of karma and swallowed up by terrifying darkness, What to do? When you’re bound with a lasso by the messengers of Yama and in total despair led away, What to do? When you’re tortured in so many detestable ways by ox and scorpion headed karmic agents, What to do? When you’re before the Yama king, the lord of death, and he weighs up the whites and blacks, your virtuous and non virtuous actions.
What to do? In space in front of me is a large jeweled throne supported by eight great lions. On top of which is a seat of variegated lotus and moon and sun mandalas. On top of this is the essence of my own root guru in the aspect of the Conqueror Śākyamūni Buddha. The color of his holy body is the purest gold, and he has an Ushiniso on the crown of his head.
He has one face and two arms. His right hand is in the mudra of touching the earth, and his left is in the mudra of concentration, holding a bowl filled with nectar. He’s wearing the saffron robes of a monk and is adorned by the marks and signs. His holy body is in a nature of transparent light, and he sits in the vajra posture in the center of an aura of light rays. Surrounding him are the direct and indirect gurus, deities, buddhas, bodhisattvas, dakas, dakinis, and 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 of the sentient beings have been experiencing the various general sufferings of saṃsāra numberless times, especially the sufferings of evil gone realms. Still, 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 difficult to find, but once found is highly meaningful. It can be used to attain a good future rebirth, liberation, even enlightenment.
Now after having met the precious teachings of Buddha, which is so difficult to meet, if I do not try to attain the most sublime state of full enlightenment, which is beyond the state of peace and all samsaric sufferings, I will have to experience over again the general sufferings of saṃsāra, the particular sufferings of three lower realms. Who has the power to protect me from these sufferings? Only the guru and the three precious gems abiding in front of me. I must achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all mother sentient beings. Therefore, I’m going to take refuge in my guru and the three precious gems.
And go for refuge until enlightenment and to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Supreme Assembly. By my merits and giving and other perfections, may I become a Buddha to benefit all beings. I’ll go for refuge and tell him enlightened Buddha, Dharma, supreme assembly. By my merits and giving and other perfections, may I become a Buddha to benefit all sentient beings. Refuge Buddha absorbs.
You transform into Śākyamūni Buddha. The beams and the pores of your holy body ripen and liberate all sentient beings. Think they all become Śākyamūni Buddha. How wonderful it is that I’ve been able to lead all beings to full enlightenment. Then recognizing in reality this is not true because sentient beings still have the cause of suffering in their minds, delusions and karma.
Therefore, I must generate the four measurable thoughts. Think about the thoughts of self-cherishing, how it’s harmed in the past, it’s harming now, and will continually harm in the future until I destroy it. How wonderful it would be if all sentient beings were to in equanimity, free from hatred and attachment, not holding some close and others as 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 were to abide in equanimity, free from hatred and attachment, not holding some close and others distant. May they abide in equanimity, and 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 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. Now doing the practice of giving happiness, the body transforms into a wish granting jewel. And from that, send out whatever sentient beings need for happiness.
Not just temporary happiness, but ultimate happiness, liberation and enlightenment. Send to each sentient being in all six realms whatever they need, whatever they want. How wonderful it would be for all sentient beings and happiness and the cause of happiness. May they have happiness and its causes. I myself will cause and have happiness and its causes.
Please, Guru Deity, bless me to be able to do this. How wonderful it would be for all sentient beings and happiness and the cause of happiness. May they have happiness in its causes. I myself will cause and have happiness in its causes. Please, Guru Deity, bless me to be able to do this.
How wonderful it would be for all sentient beings and happiness and the cause of happiness. May they have happiness and its causes. And myself will cause and have happiness and its causes. Please, Gurudej, he blessed me to be able to do this. Think.
I’ve generated the realization of loving kindness in myself and all sentient beings. 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 and be free from suffering and its causes. Please, Gurudej, 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, 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. 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. 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 them never to be separated from these. Please, guru deity, bless me to be able to do this.
Special bodhicitta. Each hell being is a source of all my past, present, and future happiness. Each one is the most precious and dear one in my life. It’s so unbearable for me to think of even one of these hell beings experiencing the intense suffering in the hell realms for even an instant, and they’re numberless. Therefore, I must do something.
Therefore, I must achieve enlightenment. Therefore, I’m going to engage in this quick path of Guru Yoga. The kind mother of preta beings are a source of all my past, present, and future happiness. They’re the most precious and dear ones in my life. It’s so unbearable for me to think of even one of these preta beings having to experience intense sufferings of hunger and thirst in the preta realm for even an instant.
And there are numberless beings experiencing these sufferings for a great length of time. Therefore, I must do something. I must free them from these sufferings. Therefore, I’m going to engage this profound quick path of Guru Yoga. The kind mother animal beings are source of all my past, present, future happiness.
They’ve been my mother countless times. They’re the most precious and dear ones of my life. It’s so unbearable for me to think of even one animal being experiencing the sufferings the animal realms for even an instant, and they are numberless. Therefore, I must do something. Therefore, I must achieve enlightenment.
Therefore, I’m going to do this profound quick path of Guru Yoga. The kind human beings, the source of all my past, present and future happiness, the most precious and dear ones in my life. It’s so unbearable for me to think of even one of these human beings experiencing suffering, many times of suffering in the human realm for even an instant, and they’re numberless. Therefore, I must do something. I must achieve enlightenment.
Therefore, I’m going to engage in this profound quick path of Guru Yoga. The kind mothers, sura and asura beings, the source of all my past, present, and future happiness. They’ve been my mother countless times, cherishing with the greatest affection and love. So unbearable for me to think of even one of these beings experiencing the sufferings, and the sura and asura realms for even instant, and there are numberless. Therefore, I must take full responsibility.
I must do something. Therefore, I’m going to do this profound quick path of Guru Yoga. The kind mother intermediate state beings, the source of all my past, present, and future happiness. They’re the most precious and dear ones in my life. It’s so unbearable for me to think of even one of these intermediate state beings suffering for even an instant, and there are numberless.
Therefore, I must do something, therefore, I must achieve enlightenment. Therefore, I’m going to this profound quick path of Guru Yoga which is full of blessings. For the sake of all mother sentient beings, shall quickly, quickly in this very life, attain the state of primordial Guru Yidam Buddha. I shall free all mother sentient beings whose suffering and place them in the great bliss of Buddhahood. Therefore, I shall now practice profound path of Guru Yidam Yoga.
The mind field gradually absorbs into light, absorbing into yourself. You absorb into emptiness, and then do the meditation on taking the three kayas into the path and arising in the form of the deity. In the vast space of indivisible bliss and void, amidst billowing clouds of offerings and the crest of a wish granting tree, adorned with leaves, flowers, and fruit, There’s a lion throne ablaze as 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, in aspect, a saffron robed monk.
With one face, two arms, and a radiant white smile. Right hand in the 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 hat. In your heart sits all prevailing lord vajradhara with a blue body, one face, two arms, holding vajra and bell embracing Vajrayoginī Ishvari. You delight in the play of simultaneous bliss and void or adorned with jeweled ornaments of many designs and closed in garments of heavenly silk.
Radiant with countless light rays adorned with a major minor signs. You sit in the vajra position and circled encircled by a five colored rainbow. Your skandhas are the five goddesses, your four elements are the four consorts. Your senses, channels, sinews, and joints are actually bodhisattvas. Your hair pores are twenty-one thousand arhats.
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, hosts of mandala deities, Buddhas, bodhisattvas, heroes, and dakinis encircled by an ocean of Dharmapalas. The three vajras mark their three doors from whom hook light rays radiate to invite the wisdom beings and initially they abide separately. To the transcendent destroyers who have gone beyond, the destroyers, perfected, fully awakened being, perfect in knowledge and conduct, the guardian of the world.
Being teacher of gods and human beings, the fully awakened one to all of you here offer this bath possessed of all qualities. The bath house has an extremely sweet fragrance, crystal floor, beautiful sparkling jewel pillars. The roof is covered by a canopy decorated with shining pearls. Just as after the birth of Buddha, the gods make offerings of pure water. I also offer a bath to the pure water of the gods.
Holy body created by ten million excellent virtues, holy speech fulfilling the hopes of infinite migratory beings. Holy mind seeing all existence as it is, I offer this bath to the one I offer this bath, the holy bodies, the lineage gurus of extensive conduct. Offer this bath, holy bodies, lineage gurus of profound view. Offer this bath, holy bodies, lineage gurus of the blissful practice. Offer this bath, holy bodies, all lineage gurus.
Guru Vajradhāra encompassing all three refugees, taking the form of the virtuous friend from the marvel of Three Jewels, granting sublime and common realizations to the kind Gurus Who taught me education, who reveals sūtra and tantra text advice, and who gave vows, initiations, and commentaries on tantra to direct and indirect gurus. For his total control of speech, Maitreya and Asaṇga, you, preserving the teachings with Nāgārjuna’s one patience. Completely control in three realms using comparable one. Eyes to view all the vast teachings, stream gateway to liberation for the fortunate. It is skillful means to lovingly subdue the illuminating spiritual friends, offer this bath and praise.
Great Samantabhādra, blissful, most glorious, the rest. Protectors of the four wheels, countless tantras, to all the assembly deities offer this bath. I offer this bath of holy bodies, the founding buddhas. I offer this bath to the precious Dharma. I offer this bath to the guiding Sangha.
I offer this bath to the three precious gems. All sources. In times long past, before the Bhagawan, you committed to sporting as a child among beings. what can be practiced according to Dharma, to so many Dharma protectors and supporters are offered this bath. To the five long life goddesses who support the Dharma, to all the protectors in the snow land of Tibet, especially those of this country in this place to all the local gods, Nagas, landlords, and spirits offer this bath.
Pour, scatter on their princes, many jeweled vases of scented water, beautifully filled up, with excellent songs and variety of music, offer this bath and flowers. I now dry the holy bodies with incomparably clean, sweet smelling cloth. Om, hum, trum, tri, kaya vishodhana, svaha. Just as a goldsmith polishes gold, ready, pure and refined, so do I apply the best fragrance of the finest billions of universes to the holy bodies of controlled ones. By offering these soft, light, divine clothes with indestructible faith in those who attain the indestructible holy body, may I also achieve the vajra holy body?
Because the conquerors are adorned by 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 all the marks and signs. By offering this auspicious vase, beautified with jewels and filled with various essences, May the stains of karma and delusion of all six realms into being so purified. May we be moistened with the nectar of bliss. The most excellent light radiating forth in ten directions, sending our good fortune ablaze everywhere.
This crown ornament of precious golden powder, the crown of the Shakya king, I offer. May thereby the precious teaching spread into ten directions. The world become pervaded by major happiness, and by becoming the crown ornament to transmit greatest gods included, may they all gain the level of one endowed with the ten powers. Out of your loving compassion for myself and my greatest of Bhagawan, please remain as long as I continue to make offerings by the force of your magical powers. Due to the merits of the three times created by me, Buddha’s, bodhisattvas, and all other sentient beings.
The bodhicitta, cherishing others, letting go of oneself, letting go of the I, is a source for happiness and success. May it be generated within my own mind and the minds of all sentient beings without even a second’s delay. May that which has already been generated increase. Due to the merits of the three times created by me, Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and all other sentient beings. May all the father, mother sentient beings have happiness. May the three lower 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 to the merits of the three times created by me, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and all other sentient beings.
May all the father, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Buddha of compassion, all other holy beings, all our virtuous friends have stable lives and may all the holy wishes succeed immediately. Due to the merits of the three times created by me, Buddha’s, Bodhisattvas and all other sentient beings may I be able to offer service and benefit to all sentient beings as Lama Tsongkhapa did by having within me the same qualities that Lama Tsongkhapa has from now on in all my future lifetimes. Due to the merits, the three times created by me, Buddha’s, Bodhisattvas, and all other sentient beings who are totally nonexistent for their own sign. May the I which is also totally nonexistent for its own sign. Achieve Guru Śākyamūni Buddha’s enlightenment which is also totally nonexistent for its own sign.
And lead all sentient beings who totally nonexistent for their own sign. To that enlightenment which is totally nonexistent for its own sign. By myself alone who is also totally nonexistent for my own sign. I dedicate all my merits in a way greatly admired by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas the three times and realized by Samantabhādra and Mañjuśrī. May I be able to complete and spread Lama Tsongkhapa’s teaching which unifies Sūtra and Tantra within my mind and spread these teachings in the minds all sentient beings thus may Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings flourish forever due to all the merits of the three times created by me, Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and all other sentient beings may any sentient being who hears me touches me remembers me thinks about me talks about me with appraising or criticizing, abuses me or treats me badly simply by having made that connection with me.
Never ever be reborn in the lower realms. May those sentient beings may be liberated from all disease, spirit harms, negative karma, and defilements, and quickly achieve enlightenment by actualizing the whole path, especially bodhicitta. By my hearing that any sentient being has become sick, may it cause that person immediately to be recovered. By my hearing that somebody has died, may cause that person immediately to be reborn in a pure realm where they can get enlightened. So between session and breakfast time, we’ll come back at nine thirty.
Come back at nine thirty. So please keep silence. I’m afraid I can’t immediately do Rinpoche’s chants. It’s going to take quite some time. So you just have to put up with what comes out.
It’s a little bit like, you know, trying to realize the highest view. You know, you work, you get the wrong one, and then you just or like trying to get the realization, you get a little bit, and then a little bit, and then So it takes time. So