Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 64-minute session, Lama Zopa Rinpoche guides practitioners through an elaborate guru yoga practice to develop profound devotion and bodhicitta. After preliminaries that stabilize the mind, he leads an extensive visualization of the merit field with the root guru as Śākyamūni Buddha surrounded by all lineage gurus and deities. The practice then moves through refuge and the four immeasurable thoughts, followed by the core component: recognizing each being across the six realms as one’s mother and taking on their suffering while generating the aspiration to liberate them through enlightenment. The session concludes with a detailed bath offering ritual and extensive dedication prayers. Pitched at experienced practitioners who have received initiation.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 89 2004 04 28 MR.mp3
UUID: 39f54729-cbfa-4da5-a9c3-c4127168a80d
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: y Mahāmudrā International Retreat (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 2004-04-28
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 64.4 minutes
Words: ~4,230
So in the Lama Chöpa, we’re on page nine visualizing further merit. Before we begin with that, we’ll do the preliminaries sitting in the crown position as much as you’re able, so according to your ability, then checking the mind, eliminating the thoughts of eight worldly dharmas, seeking happiness this life, clinging and grasping to the happiness of this life. And then cleansing the subtle winds by means of the nine round breathing, bringing the mind to a state of equanimity. In space in front of me is a large jewel throne supported by eight great lions. On top of this is a seat of a variegated lotus and moon and sun mandalas.
And on top of this sits 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 uṣṇīṣa on the crown of his head. Śākyamūni Buddha has one face and two arms. His right hand is in the mudra of touching the earth, and his left is in the mode of concentration, holding a bowl filled with nectar. He’s wearing the saffron robes for 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 position in the center of an aura of light rays. Surrounding my guru are the direct and indirect gurus, deities, buddhas, bodhisattvas, dakas and 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 a 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 that kindness. I feel great devotion towards them.
Surrounding me, going out endlessly, 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 guide them in taking refuge. From beginningless time until now, I and all mother sentient beings have been experiencing the various general sufferings of saṃsāra and numberless times, especially the sufferings of evil gone realms. Still, it is difficult to see the end of saṃsāra to see the depth of suffering.
At this time, I’ve received a perfect human rebirth, qualified by the eight freedoms and ten richnesses, which is difficult to find, but once found is highly meaningful. It can be used to attain a good future rebirth, liberation, and even enlightenment. Now after having met the precious teachings of the Buddha, which is so difficult to meet, if I did not try to attain the most sublime state of full enlightenment, which is beyond the state of peace and all samsaric sufferings, I will have to experience over again the general sufferings of saṃsāra and the particular sufferings of three lower realms. Generate a mind of fear, fear for one’s own suffering, and also how unbearable it is that all sentient beings continually suffering. Then generate a mind of faith.
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 sentient beings. Therefore, I’m going to take refuge in my guru and the three precious gems. Focus on the gurus, your root guru and all those gurus with whom we’ve made Dharma contact, and also all the lineage lamas, the indirect gurus.
Feel that you’ll completely entrust yourself to these gurus. Take refuge in them in the depths of your heart, not just with words, but totally entrusting your whole life to their guidance. Purify all negative karmas created with the gurus. And also purified all the obstacles to seeing all these gurus as actual Buddhas. Received all the qualities, blessings, realizations of the guru, including the realization, seeing the guru as all the Buddhas, stable, intensive devotion in the depths of your heart.
Think now I and all sentient beings have come under the protection of the gurus. Focusing on the Buddhas, the deities, the four classes of tantra, as well as the nirmanaka of Buddhas. Purify it all the negative karmas created with Buddhas. Received all their blessings and realizations and qualities. I and all sentient beings are now under the protection of the Buddhas.
Focus on the Dharma. Visualize a text made of light. Golden writing on lapis lazuli paper, each letter making its own sound like a tape recorder. Blissful nectars falling down from each syllable like dew on the morning grass. Take refuge in each word of the Dharma, each syllable.
Purify negative karma created with the Dharma. Receive all the realizations of the holy Dharma from devotion up to enlightenment. Myself and all sentient beings are now under the guidance and protection of the holy dharma. Focus on the Sangha, the bodhisattvas, the bodhisattvas, the dakas and the dakinis and the dharmapalas. Completely entrust yourself to the Sangha. Just as somebody who has to go to a dangerous place and doesn’t know the way, entrust themselves to a powerful guide who can take them there and protect them.
Received all the blessings and qualities. bodhicitta and the six perfections with the vows. The three high trainings and the arts. The wisdom of nondual bliss and voidness, and the dakinis, and the four activities from the protectors. Oneself and all sentient beings receive these.
Think. Now I and all sentient beings under the protection and guidance of the Sangha. I go for refuge until I’m enlightened to the Buddha, the Dharma, and supreme assembly. Has caused refuge, result refuge? Cause refuge is taking refuge in those who’ve attained refuge, who’ve become Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, who’ve actualized this.
Result refuge is taking refuge in the Buddha Dharma Sangha that you too will become in the future. Then strong thought to achieve enlightenment for others. By my merits from giving and other perfections, may I become a Buddha to benefit all sintering beings? I go for refuge until I’m enlightened to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the supreme assembly. By my merits from giving and other perfections, may I become a Buddha to benefit all sentient beings.
Rejoicing, Buddha, extremely pleased with you, absorbs into you, you absorb into light and transform into Śākyamūni Buddha. From every pore of your holy body, beams of light go out. On tip of each beam is a Buddha, comes the crown of all sentient beings’ hands, ripening and liberating them. Their minds become dharmakaya, their bodies become rupakaya, they transform into Śākyamūni Buddha, and the beams absorb back into you. Feel great joy that now you have enlightened all beings.
Then with the awareness, this is just visualization, reality, sentient beings are still suffering because they still have the causes of suffering, delusions, and karma in their mind. Therefore, I’m going to generate the four measurable thoughts. Remember, disadvantage is self-cherishing. It has harmed me continually in the past. It is harming me now, and it will constantly harm me, blocking all my realizations, not allowing me to achieve ultimate happiness or even temporary happiness.
Therefore, I must destroy this completely from the root. How wonderful it would be if all sentient beings who 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 for all sentient beings which will 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 and happiness and the cause of happiness. May they have happiness in its causes. I myself will cause them to have happiness in his causes.
Please, Guru Deity, bless me to be able to do this. How wonderful it would be if all sentient beings had happiness in the cause of happiness. May they have happiness in its causes. I myself will cause and have happiness in its causes. Please, good deity, bless me to be able to do this.
Now taking on the whole package of sufferings of each being, each hell being, each hungry ghost, each animal, each deva, each human, each being, each intermediate state being. Imagine taking on the whole package of sufferings that they have to experience along with all the causes of those sufferings, taking them right into your heart onto the self-cherishing and destroying it completely. 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, good deity, bless me to be able to do this. How wonderful it would be if all sentient beings were free from suffering and the causes 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.
Think generated immeasurable compassion in my mind and the minds of all beings. 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 that. Special, bodhicitta.
Each hell being is most precious and kind one in my life. Each one is a source for my past, present, and future happiness. Each one has been my mother countless times. It’s so unbearable for me that even one of these hell beings should have to experience intense suffering of heat and cold and all the other sufferings in the hell realms for even an instant. And there’s not just one.
There are numberless. It’s completely my responsibility to free all these hell beings from their suffering, each one of them. Therefore, I must achieve enlightenment. Therefore, I’m going to do this profound quick path of Guru Yoga. Each hungry ghost is source for my past, present, future happiness.
Each one has been my mother countless times in the past. Each one is the most precious and dear one to me. It is so unbearable for me to think of even one of these primitive beings experiencing the intensive hunger and extensive suffering, hunger and thirst for even an instant, and they are numberless. Therefore, I must do something. I must achieve enlightenment.
Therefore, I’m going to do a profound quick path of Guru Yoga. Each animal being is a source for my past, present, future happiness. Each one has been my mother countless times. Each one has created so much negative karma for me, sacrificing their lives for me countless times each day. It’s so unbearable for me to think even one of these animal beings having to experience the sufferings the animal realm for an instant and their numberless.
Therefore, I must achieve enlightenment. Therefore, I’m going to practice profound quick path of Guru Yoga. Each human being is a source for my past, present, future happiness. Each one’s been my mother countless times, protecting my life from danger, numberless times each day. It’s so unbearable for me to think even one of the human beings experiencing all the different types of suffering in the human realm for an instant.
And they are numberless. Therefore, I must do something. I must achieve enlightenment. Therefore, I’m going to this profound quick path, Guru Yoga. Each deva being is a source for my past, present, future happiness.
Each one has been my mother countless times. So unbearable for me to think of these beings experiencing suffering for an instant, and they are numberless. Therefore, I must achieve enlightenment, therefore, I’m going to this profound quick path, Guru Yoga. Each asura being is the source for my past, present, future happiness. Each one’s been my mother countless times.
Cherishing me with the greatest affection and love. It’s so unbearable for me to think of even one of these asura beings experiencing the suffering in these asura realms, and they are numberless. Therefore, I must do something. I must achieve enlightenment. Therefore, I’m in this profound quick path, Guru Yoga.
Each intermediate state being has been my mother countless times, cherishing me with utter kindness just as my present mother has cared for me when I was totally helpless, completely dependent on them. They created so much negative karma for me. Each one is the most precious and kind one in my life. It’s unbearable for me to think even one of these intermediate state beings having to experience the sufferings in intermediate state for an instant, and they’re numberless. Therefore, I must do something.
I must achieve enlightenment. Therefore, I’m going to do this profound quick path of Guru Yoga, which is full of blessings and by which countless beings in the past have achieved the state of full enlightenment. For the sake of all mother sentient beings, shall 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 and Buddhahood. Therefore, I shall now practice profound path of Guru Deity yoga.
The merit field absorbs into light, which absorbs into oneself. Everything absorbs into emptiness and does the practice of taking the three kayas and arising in the form of the deity. Endowed and sudden destroyed, the one gone beyond, fully awakened being, perfect in knowledge and conduct to gods and humans in the world, supreme guide of humans to be tamed, teacher of gods and humans, conqueror and destroyer, fully awakened one to all of you here, I offer this bath possessed of all qualities. The bathhouse is an extremely sweet fragrance, a crystal floor, and beautiful sparkling jeweled pillars. The roof is covered by a canopy decorated with shining pearls.
Just as after the birth of Buddha, the gods made offerings of pure water. I also offer a bath of the pure water of the gods. Holy body created by ten million excellent virtues. Holy speech fulfilling the hopes to infinite migratory beings. Holy mind seeing all existence as it is to I offer this bath to the One Gone to Bliss.
I offer this bath to the body of extensive conduct. I offer this bath to the body of profound view. I offer this bath to the lineage gurus. I offer this bath to the holy body of lineage gurus. Guru Vajradhāra encompassing all three refuges, taking the form of the virtuous friend from a vast array of jewels, granting sublime and common realizations to kind gurus.
You who uphold and reveal sūtra and tantra texts’ meanings, and you gave vows, initiations, and commentaries on tantra. To the direct and indirect gurus, I offer this bath. For total control of the speech of the hero Mañjuśrī, preserving the teachings with the Thos, Sam, Shay traditions, completely controlling the three realms to you the incomparable one. I who spread the vast teachings from Gateway to Liberation for the Fortunate. Using skillful means with love and sense of duty, eliminating wrong views of spiritual friends, I offer this bath.
Guhyasamāja, blissful, glorious Chakrasamvara, and the rest. The deities of the four classes of tantra, I offer this bath to all the assembly of deities. This next verse is a lot. There’s a lot. There’s a lot.
Includes the thousand Buddhas, the fortunate aeon, the thirty five Buddhas, the eight Medicine Buddhas, all the bodhisattvas, including the eight close sons, the Maitreya, Mañjuśrī, Tārā, Khasarpana, all the other bodhisattvas, the sixteen arhats, all the dakas and dakinis and the dharmapalas. So there’s there’s there’s a lot you’re offering bath to in this one. I offer this bath to holy bodies, the founding Buddhas. I offer this bath to protecting Dharma. I offer this bath to guiding Sangha.
I offer this bath to the three precious gems. In times gone past before the Bhagawan, having committed to supporting beings as your children. Your common practices according to Dharma to the assembly of Dharma, protectors and supporters that offer this bath. To the five long life goddesses, supporters of the Dharma, all the protectors in the snow land of Tibet, especially those in this country in this place, to all the local gods, nagas, landlords, and some spirits that I offer this bath. Towards the guests with a golden vase of scented water, beautifully filled up, with excellent songs with variety of music I offer this bath.
I now dry the holy bodies with incomparably clean, sweet smelling cloth. Just as a goldsmith polishes gold, already pure and refined, so do I apply the best fragrance permeating billions of universes to the holy bodies, the controlled ones. They offer in these soft light, divine clothes with indestructible faith and those retained 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 ornaments.
By offering these supreme jewel ornaments, may all sentient beings achieve the holy body adorned by the marks and signs. By offering this auspicious vase, beautify with jewels and filled with various essences, may the stains of common delusions of all six realms sentient beings are purified. May they be moistened with the wetness of bodhicitta. With most excellent light radiating forth in ten directions, spreading good fortune ablaze everywhere. This crown ornament of precious golden powders, the crown of the Shakya king, I offer.
May thereby the precious teachings spread into ten directions. The world become pervaded by major happiness and by becoming the crown ornament of transmigrators, gods included, may they all gain the level of one endowed with ten powers. Out of your loving compassion for myself and my retinue, oh Bhagawan, please remain, and by the force of your magical powers, as long as I continue to make offerings. So we’ll stop then to dedication, prayers. Due to the masses three times guided by me, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and all other sentient beings, May bodhicitta, cherishing others, letting go of oneself, letting go of the I, the source for the happiness and success myself nor other sentient beings be generated within my own mind and minds all sentient beings not even a second’s delay.
May that which has already been generated increase. Due to master three times guided by me Buddha’s bodhisattvas not other sentient beings may all the father mother sentient beings have happiness may three lower realms be empty forever may all bodhisattvas’ prayers succeed immediately may I be able to cause all this to happen by myself alone Due to master three times guided by me Buddha’s bodhisattvas non other sentient beings. The Tenzin Gyatso Dalai Lama, Buddhas, compassionate other holy beings all our virtuous friends have stabilized and may all the holy wishes succeed immediately. Three times guided by me, Buddha, bodhisattvas, non other sentient beings. May I be able to offer limitless benefit to all sentient beings as did by having within me the same qualities as from now on in all my future lifetimes.
Due to merits three times guided by me, Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and all other sentient beings which are totally nonexistent from their own side. May the eye which is also totally non existent from its own side. Chief Guru Śākyamūni Buddha’s enlightenment which is also totally non existent from its own side. Lead all sentient beings who are totally nonexistent from their own side. To that enlightenment which is totally nonexistent from its own side.
But myself alone who’s also totally nonexistent from its own side. I dedicate all my merits, as greatly dedicated by the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the three times and realized by Samantabhādra and Mañjuśrī. May I be able to complete the glorious Lama Tsongkhapa’s teaching which unifies Sūtra and Tantra within my mind and spread these teachings and minds all sentient beings. Thus may Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings flourish forever. Due to all the merits three times guided by me, Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and all other sentient beings.
The only 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 they be liberated from all disease, spirit harms, negative karma, defilements, and quickly achieve enlightenment by actualizing the whole path of the bodhicitta. May any any sentient being that I hear is sick, may that it cause that person to immediately be recovered. By my hearing that somebody has died, may it cause that person to immediately be born in a pure realm where they can get enlightened.
Can I just have a show of hands how many people took precepts this morning? Okay. So I want to start the next session a little bit earlier and finish by eleven thirty so that you won’t have to miss anything. But all the people took precepts, you leave at eleven thirty. Right?
The people who took precepts, I don’t want you to miss anything the next session. So I’ll finish at eleven thirty. Okay. Tomorrow, we’ll take precepts again. So for those who are to have breakfast, actually for all of us to generate the merit, Blessing the food, to purify my life, not just to happiness myself alone, but to free each and every sentient being from suffering.
In order to do this, I’m going to I need to accumulate oceans of merit. Therefore, I’m going to make this food offering. Also, I’m going to make charity to all sentient beings in my body. Through this connection, may I be able to teach them the Dharma. Purify the food and kitchen offerings into emptiness, then generate it as uncontaminated wisdom that, by means of one’s own deity.
Putting palms together, offering all the food, all the tea. Numberless oceans of not just that, but also offering all the offerings, all the offerings here, all the offerings in the various centers, taking the opportunity, offerings of Rinpoche’s houses, and visualizing numberless more, taking the opportunity of all these offerings in the nature of infinite bliss to the guru yoga merit field. With awareness, every single member of the merit field is the root virtuous friend. By making this offering, generate great bliss in the holy minds. Make charity to every human being, every hungry ghost, every animal, every human, every sura, every asura, every intermediate state being, they all fully enjoyed, liberated from all suffering as they actualized the path.
They all became enlightened in the form of the deity one practices. Through this, accumulated infinite merits to dedicate. Due to all these merits, may I, my family members, all the organizers of this course, and everyone who’s offering service, all the students of benefit to the organization who sacrificed their life for Buddhist teachings to serve sentient beings, and all other sentient beings, especially those who died for this food, who suffered to provide this food, who created negative karma for this food, who were involved in the production of this food. May all of us sentient beings who are our future lives never separate away from the triple gem. Always collect merit by making offerings to the Triple Gem and receive all the realizations from good rebirths up to enlightenment without delay even one second.
To you we offer the enjoyment of this circle of magnificent offerings. Please remain and be pleased, satisfied with uncontaminated bliss. Grant us the holy body, speech and mind. Please grant blessings to achieve in this life Mahāmudrā, the practice of vajra yoga inseparable. So this is between break session. Please keep silence in the and also outside the. We should keep be keeping silence all morning until lunchtime. Then we’ll start again ten o’clock. Two announcements.
One is anyone who wants to learn the special long life Puja tunes. Does that mean the special long life or does that mean all the Guru Puja tunes aren’t you taught? Just the special ones. The long life one. Okay.
So there’s a long life one. Then to meet this morning in the Sangha Lounge during the breakfast break. And then the other announcement is the root text for the Geluk Kagyu tradition of Mahāmudrā on which this course is based is at the door. And the Lobsang Namgyel Geluk Kagyu commentary are coming soon and possibly also commentary. So pick pick up this text by the door as you leave.