Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 100-minute session from the 2004 Mahāmudrā International Retreat, Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaches guru yoga with a central focus: recognizing the Buddha’s compassion in ordinary teachers despite apparent flaws, understanding these as either the product of one’s own karma or intentionally shown for spiritual benefit. He guides practitioners through visualization of an elaborate merit field (deities, lineage lamas, and Buddhas arranged in layers), extensive prostrations and offerings, taking bodhisattva and tantric vows of the five families, and purification with the guru visualized as Vajrasattva. Formal prayers, extended reflections on faith, and practical instruction are woven throughout for practitioners engaged in tantric practice.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 95 2004 04 29 MR.mp3
UUID: dd03bbeb-20f6-4147-a8a9-dfde1c9334b2
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: y Mahāmudrā International Retreat (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 2004-04-29
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 100.4 minutes
Words: ~6,366
In the Namarcha Vajra Yoga, we’ve reached the section of making prostrations to guru. Page twenty six, twenty seven. Before that, sitting in a correct position, checking the mind, clearing away the superstitions by means of the nine round breathing meditation. Clearly visualize the merit field in front. In the most pure environment from an ocean of milk comes a wish granting tree composed of seven precious jewels, extremely magnificent, radiating, glorious.
In the center, one’s own root guru, seated on lion throne, lotus, sun and moon disk, in the form of lama, embodiment of all refuge. Beside and behind the lineage lamas, in front one’s own guru, in his ordinary form surrounded by all those gurus with whom one has made Dharma contact. All of them very joyfully looking at you, pleased that you’re engaging in this practice. Their only wish is for you to gain all the realizations. Below in layers, the deities of four classes of tantra.
The Buddhas’ Nirmānakāya aspects, bodhisattvas, dakas and dakinis, the Dharmapalas, and around the edge, the four guardian kings in their own respective directions surrounded by their entourage. The entire merit field is a manifestation of the dharmakaya holy mind of all the Buddhas appearing in these myriad forms for us to purify and accumulate merit. The entire merit field is the absolute guru, the holy mind of all the Buddhas, the holy mind of your own root guru and all your gurus, appearing in whatever form is needed exactly according to the karmic perception of sentient beings. Around you, all sentient beings, you lead them in making prostrations and praises and reflecting on qualities of the merit field. Your compassion grants even the sky of great bliss.
Supreme state of Shri Kayas and in an instant. Guru with a jewel like body, Vajradhāra, I prostrate at your lotus feet. You, the wisdom knowledge of infinite conquerors, appearing in any way to subdue with supreme skillful means, you manifest as saffron robed monk. Holy refuge savior, I prostrate at your feet. You eliminate all thoughts and their instincts and our treasure of infinite precious qualities.
So source of benefit and bliss without exception. Perfect pure guru, I prostrate at your feet. So it it is focused on the fact that the guru’s holy mind is dharmakaya. Therefore, every single activity of the guru is to eliminate a fault in our minds or to produce a quality. Guru’s holy mind is.
Have no doubt about this. Teacher of gods and all in nature Buddhas, source of eighty four thousand pure dharmas, you tower above the whole host of aryas. Kind guru, I prostrate to you. To gurus dwelling in the three times and ten directions, three supreme jewels, all worthy of homage, With faith, conviction, and ocean of limitless praise, I prostrate manifesting as many bodies as atoms of the world. Again, keeping the awareness that the guru, the absolute guru manifest not just in pure forms of the deities, in the Nirmānakāya and Buddha, but also manifests as conventional lama, ordinary gurus, those of pure ordinary forms, and also every single holy object is the guru.
Have no doubt about this. Be aware in your heart the extensive qualities, the extensive kindness of the Buddhas, the gurus. And from that feeling of faith and respect, make these offerings. At any rate, I must achieve this state of full enlightenment in order to benefit all sentient beings. To do this, I need to accumulate extensive merit.
Therefore, I’m going to do this practice of making extensive offerings to the merit field into the most powerful objects, the gurus. Blessing all the offerings set out here, blessing all the offerings set out in all the FPMT centers, in rooms houses, in rooms above, in the houses of students, wherever they’re actually performed offerings and mentally transforming numberless more, the highest quality fitting the entire earth and sky. By reciting these prayers causing them to be received by numberless Buddhas. The human and divine offerings actually arrange mentally created clouds, finest offerings fill the entire space. By the power of truth, the Three Jewels, by the blessings of all Buddhas, by the power of the great minds who completed the two collections, completely pure and inconceivable sphere of reality.
May all these offerings become just so. Make charity of all the offerings to each hell being, each hungry ghost, each animal, each human, each being, each and each intermediate state being. Imagine they all receive these offerings with great joy and delight to have something to be able to offer to the merit field. And think, I’m going to make all these extensive offerings along with every single being so that we can all share the merit.
Prostrating, offering all the offerings to the gurus with the awareness that each guru is the embodiment of all Buddhas, all Dharma, all Sangha, all holy objects at ten directions. Offering all the offerings, which in the nature of infinite bliss, Buddha’s holy mind perceives as infinite bliss, generating skies of bliss in the guru’s holy minds. Do this over and over. Prostrating to all the rest of the Guru Puja merit field, meditating that their essence is one’s own virtuous friend from their own side. Prostrating along with all sentient beings, making all these offerings or the offerings here, the offerings in the centers, or the offerings in Rinpoche’s houses, mentally creating numberless more offerings, all of which are perceived by the Buddhas as infinite bliss, generating infinite bliss in the holy mind over and over.
Prostrating along with all sentient beings, making all the offerings to all ten direction three time Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, and all ten direction statues, stupas, scriptures, relics, holy objects. With the awareness that they are all one’s own kind root virtuous friend from their own side, generating infinite bliss in their holy minds over and over. Prostrating along with all sentient beings, making all these offerings, the offerings of the centers set out here in Rinpoche’s houses and all the numberless offerings to all in the nature of infinite bliss, to the eight medicine Buddhas, for one’s prayers to be fulfilled. Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha to do perfect works for sentient beings, extensive works exactly according to their needs. Thousand arms Chenrezig in order to generate great compassion in one’s heart and take full responsibility to liberate all beings from suffering and place them in enlightenment.
With awareness, all these, one’s own root virtuous friend from her own side generate infinite bliss in the holy mind over and over. Prostrating along with all sentient beings, offering all the offerings in nature infinite bliss to all the holy objects in India, especially the precious stupa in Bodh Gaya, where Buddha and all the thousand Buddhas show the activity of achieving enlightenment. All the relics, all the gurus in India, all statues, stupa scriptures everywhere with awareness that they are one’s own root virtuous friend, manifesting in these forms for us sentient beings to purify and accumulate merit, generate infinite bliss in their holy minds over and over. Prostrating, along with all sentient beings to all the holy objects in Tibet, especially the precious statue of the Buddha, predicted and blessed by Buddha himself, and all the other holy objects in Tibet, all the relics and so forth. With awareness, they’re one’s own virtuous friend from their own side, offering all the numberless offerings in the nature of infinite bliss generating skies of bliss in the guru’s holy minds.
Do this over and over. Prostrating, offering all the offerings in the nature of infinite bliss to all the holy objects in Nepal, especially the precious Boudhanath and Swayambhunath. All the gurus in Nepal, all the relics, statues, scriptures, pilgrimage places, every single holy object with awareness, one’s own root virtuous friend from their own side, generating limitless skies of bliss in the guru’s holy minds. Prostrating, offering in the nature of infinite bliss to every single holy object in this world, all the Buddhist countries such as Burma, Sri Lanka, Thailand, with awareness that every single one of these is one’s own virtuous friend and own side, generating infinite bliss in the holy minds. From these offerings, offerings emanate out all in the nature of infinite bliss.
Countless sets of sixteen offering goddesses emitted from one’s heart. Present these offerings to the merit field, generating skies of bliss in the holy minds. By the merit of having offered this mandala, now in all sentient beings, may we be able to meet the purest instructions of those eminent ones who live in pure morality, have the brave attitude to follow extensively Bodhisattva conduct, Practice the yoga with two stages, the essence of which is the transcendental wisdom, non dual bliss and awareness. 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. Those are taking the bodhisattva vows.
Remember, the extreme urgency to rescue all sentient beings from suffering, to liberate them from their suffering and causes, and to bring them to enlighten as quickly as possible. Short version. I go for refuge, the Three Jewels. I confess and purify my negativities. I rejoice in the merit of migrating beings.
I take hold with my mind the perfect state of Buddha. I go for refuge, the Three Jewels. I confess and purify my negativities. I rejoice in the merit of migrating beings. I take hold with my mind, perfect state of Buddha.
I go for refuge to the Three Jewels. I confess individually all my negativities. I rejoice in the murder of my grating beings. Take hold with my mind, perfect state of Buddha. Think.
Receive pure bodhisattva vows and presence in that field. What has been degenerated is made pure, what has not been degenerated is increased. And this making of taking vows as an offering, is also an offering. Those who take in the tantric vows by remembering, by having awareness, even practicing the Pāramitāyāna path still takes three countless great aeons to achieve enlightenment. For that amount of time, those sentient beings who depend upon me to liberate them from suffering, they have to wait so long.
Therefore, I must become enlightened as quickly as possible. Therefore, I need to take and abide in pure tantric vows. All Buddhas, bodhisattvas, please listen to me. I, [name], from now to reach the essence of Buddhahood should generate the sacred bodhicitta for the welfare to all Buddhas of three times and who showed themselves awakening by generating it. I pledge to uphold the vows of Buddha family to rely on the Peerless Trikaya, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, and the three disciplines of observing proper behavior, gathering virtuous Dharma and benefiting sentient beings.
I pledge to uphold the vajra bell and mudra, the great vajra family, and to honor my teachers. I pledge to practice the four types of giving six times each day, keeping in mind life’s enjoyments, the great Ratna family. For the great Parma family, pledge to uphold individually the holy dharmas that arose from great enlightenment. Those 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, purest, by the chief, for the sake of all, and uphold all samayas without exception. I shall deliver those not delivered, liberate those not liberated, give relief to those unable to find relief and place all beings to stay beyond sorrow. Short version, I shall uphold all the general and specific tantric vows, empowerments of five families without exception. I shall deliver those not delivered, liberate those not liberated, give relief to those unable to find relief and place all beings to stay beyond sorrow. I shall uphold the general specific tantric vows, empowerments of five families without exception.
I shall deliver those not delivered, liberate those not liberated, give relief to those unable to find relief and place all beings to stay beyond sorrow. What caused me to have so many obstacles, my experience, even though I work so hard and study so much, why I’m unable to gain even the slightest realization in my mind, even the slightest transformation is because of all the heaviest negative karmas that I’ve accumulated with the virtuous friend since beginningless lifetimes. Therefore, right now, I must purify all of these immediately by relying upon the guru manifested as Vajrasattva Generate regret, remembering that once the dharma connection has been made, the power is there, So I must devote to the guru whether the guru appears enlightened or not. Visualizing all sentient beings at one’s heart, light from the guru’s holy body from the crown purifying all sentient beings along with oneself. Think, all your negative karmas and obscurations and degenerated samayas are completely purified, generate strong faith that nothing is left.
All the negative karma’s created with the guru and all the broken samayas committed over beginningless lifetimes are now completely purified. From now until enlightenment is 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 and 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’s ever arisen.
Rejoicing in one’s own virtue. With the awareness that without merit, there’s no happiness, no success. There’s nothing you can do. All the realizations, all the happiness of this life, all the good things come from the inner cause, the merit. Therefore, every single man I’ve collected in the past, all the numberless merits is so precious.
All the numberless skies and merits I’m accumulating now are so precious. All the all the numberless merits I will accumulate in the future are so precious. How wonderful. How precious. Rejoicing in all the merit of sentient beings, remembering that what sentient beings want is happiness, what they’re always trying to avoid is suffering.
And this happiness, from the smallest happiness, from the smallest comfort in a dream up to full enlightenment depends on the cause, the merit. There are numberless sentient beings. They’ve created numberless causes of happiness in the past. They’re creating numberless causes right now, and they will do in the future up to enlightenment. How wonderful, how precious.
How wonderful, how precious. Rejoice in all the virtues of bodhisattvas, remember their inconceivable qualities. Remember that the bodhisattvas gladly choose to be born in the lowest hell realms and suffer for aeons without respite even for one sentient being, even to generate one virtuous thought in one sentient being. Every single action they do is only for others. Therefore, they continually accumulate the greatest merit in all this they use for us.
How wonderful, how precious. The numberless body suffers, the numberless merits they’ve accumulated in the past, the numberless merits they’re accumulating now, and the number of merits they will accumulate in the future. How wonderful, how precious. May I become like this? Would you like seeing the minds of those who are just ordinary beings like ourselves.
Then by changing the attitude, letting go of eye and cherishing others, generated the mind of enlightenment, bore great hardship, practiced the path for the sake of every being and then achieved perfect full enlightenment having all the qualities of the mind, able to do extensive activities, effortlessly, spontaneously. The numberless Buddhas or the numberless merits they created in the past or the numberless activities, qualities they’re doing now and every and all the numberless merits of the future. How wonderful, how precious. May I become like this. Remember the biographies of Guru Śākyamūni Buddha, the lineage lamas, the great yogis of the past.
Lama Atisha, Lama Tsongkhapa, Milarepa, all the Dalai Lamas, all the great Kadampa masters, the Pänchen Lamas, the Karmapas, Guru Rinpoche, the twenty five disciples, all the great Kadampas, the great sakhya masters, and so on. How wonderful, how precious. May I be able to gain their qualities? May I be able to do extensive activities for others just as they have done? Please, at full, a rain of profound, 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 for all limitless beings.
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 by perfect pure gurus who are kind in three ways and so attain the unified state of I prostrate and go for refuge, the guru, and the three precious gems. Please bless my mind. I’m requesting you to immediately purify all the wrong conceptions of incorrect devotion to the guru, or to purify the white, red, and dark visions that exist in my mind and minds all my sentient beings. I’m requesting you to immediately generate all the right realizations from guru devotion up to enlightenment in my mind and minds all my sentient beings.
I’m requesting you to pacify all outer and inner obstacles, actualize the entire graduated path to enlightenment in the mind of all my sentient beings. So I prostrate and go for refuge to guru and its three precious gems. Please bless my mind. Requesting you to immediately purify all the wrong perceptions of incorrect devotion to the guru and to purify the white, red, and dark visions that exist in my mind and the minds of all my sentient beings.
I’m requesting you to immediately generate all the right realizations from guru devotion up to enlightenment in my mind and minds of all my sentient beings. I’m requesting you to pacify all outer and inner obstacles to actualize the entire graduated path to enlightenment in my mind and the minds of all my sentient beings. I prostrate and go for refuge, the guru and its three precious gems. Please bless my mind. I’m requesting you to immediately purify all the wrong perceptions of incorrect devotion to the guru.
to purify the white, red, and dark visions that exist in my mind and the minds of all my sentient beings. Requesting you to immediately generate all the right realizations from guru devotion up to enlightenment in my mind and the minds all my sentient beings. I’m requesting you to pacify all outer and inner obstacles, actualize the entire graduated path to enlightenment in my mind and in the minds, all my sentient beings. His Holiness All the rest of the gurus without missing out one. All the rest of the gurus.
In the words of Bhagawan Shri, thinking of how the actual form of all Buddhas arises in the aspects of the lama and compassionately looks after me, reminds me of you, lama. I request the precious guru encompasses all objects of refuge, the past, present, and future. Please bless my mental continuum. I request the precious guru encompasses all objects of refuge, the past, present, and future. Please bless my mental continuum.
I request the precious guru encompasses all objects of refuge of the past, present, and future. Please bless my mental continuum. Five colored nectar beams so forth in the guru’s holy body entering my body and mind and those all sentient beings. These purified 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 the form of liquid smoke or black soot.
They are completely purified. My body becomes the 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 my body, speech, and mind, and those of all sentient beings. All sentient beings are now under the protection of the virtuous friend.
Page sixty nine. Source of virtue, great ocean of good qualities, treasury brimming with jewels and much hearing. Masters, second Buddha clan and saffron, elder, Vinaya holder, I make a request to you. You have the ten qualities suitable for one to teach the path of those gone to bliss. 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, both tantric rituals. And are skilled in drawing and explaining I make a request to you. To those untamed by countless past Buddhas, the unruly migrated as this degenerate age who are difficult to subdue, you show unmistakenly the good way of those gone to bliss, Compassionate refuge savior, I make request to you.
At this time, when the sunlight of the teachings of the sage is setting, you enact the deeds of a conqueror for the many beings who lack a protect refuge. Compassionate refuge savior, I make a request to you. Even one of your hair pores is for us a field of merit more highly praised than all the conquerors three times in ten directions. Compassionate savior, I make request to you. Adorned with the sugada’s three bodies, you manifest from an alluring net of skillful means.
In ordinary form to lead all beings, compassionate refuge savior, and make request to you. Your aggregates, elements, sense bases, limbs are in nature, so goddess, and consorts of five families. Body, surface, and wrathful protectors, essence of Three Jewels, and make request to you. So when you make these requests, you’re focusing on your gurus, and you’re saying this to them, like, I know that you look ordinary. I know that you appear to my ordinary mind in ordinary forms, but this is what you actually are.
I know in depths of my heart, this is what you actually truly are, and I request your blessings to see this. And visualize the gurus extremely pleased that you’re making this request, extremely pleased that you’re planting the root of the path in your heart so that they can pour their blessings into you. Arising from the play of omniscient pristine awareness, you are the essence of ten million mandala cycles, pervading lord of a hundred Buddha families foremost vajra holder, unified primordial savior, I make requests to you. Unobscured, inseparable from the play of simultaneous bliss, pervading everything in union at rest, the nature of all things free from beginning or end. Samantabhādra acts your ultimate bodhicitta and make requests to you.
You are my gurus. You are my yidams. You are the dakinis and Dharma protectors. From now until enlightenment, I shall seek no other refuge than you. In this life and all future lives.
Hold me with your hook of compassion. Free me from saṃsāra nirvana’s fears. Grant all attainments. Be my constant friend and guard me from interferences. You are my gurus.
You are my yidams. You are the dakinis and Dharma protectors. From now until enlightenment, I shall seek no other refuge than you. In this life, and all future lives, hold me with your hook of compassion. Free me from saṃsāra and nirvana’s fears, grant all attainments.
Be my constant friend and guard me from interferences. You are my gurus. You are my gurus. You are the dakinis and Dharma protectors. From now until enlightenment, I shall seek no other refuge than you.
In this life and all future lives, hold me with your hook of compassion. Free me from saṃsāra and nirvana’s fears. Grant all attainments. Be my constant friend and guard me from interferences. Think the gurus joyfully accept.
By the force of having thus requested three times, nectar and light rays, white, red, and and dark blue stream forth from the places in my guru’s 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, the four kayas are received. A replica of the guru happily dissolves into me, and I’m blessed with inspiration. So go straight into the meditation.
I’m going to read from Losang Tendzin’s book again. First of all, the quest. Through the power of having made offerings and respectful quests, you, holy and venerable gurus, Supreme field of merit, I seek your blessings, saviors, root of well-being, that I may come under your joyful care. So according to Geshe Namgyal, the meaning of coming under the guru’s joyful care is that the guru will happily care for us, that they will be very pleased to care for us. Namgyal says, when you do your practice well, you please your gurus and make them really take care of you and hold you in love all the time.
Visualizing one’s gurus in front, focus on guru in ordinary aspects surrounded by all those gurus with whom you’ve made dharma contact. Then with the awareness oneself and all sentient beings been wandering in saṃsāra since beginningless lifetimes because of not having generated the realization of correctly devoting to the virtuous friend. Generate the determination that right now, right this session, right this retreat, I’m going to generate this realization and request the guru’s blessings to be able to do so. Imagine the guru is extremely pleased that you’re making this request. There are only wishes that you generate the root of the path in your heart.
Infinite streams of nectar and light rays pour into you from their holy bodies, completely purifying all the negative karmas and obstacles to generating this realization and filling you with all their blessings so that your mind can ripen very fast in the practice of devotion, correct devotion to spiritual guide. Now reflect on the need to generate faith in the gurus. It was stated in the sutras that all spiritual guides who show us the path are like reflections of the single moon in the sky that effortlessly and simultaneously appear in all the earth’s waters. Just like this, the wisdom of all the Buddhas effortlessly and simultaneously appears as the body of form, the body of utility, ordinary spiritual guides, so forth in whatever forms are suited to tame all pure and impure disciples. It is said particularly in tantras that in the aeons decline, the all pervading lord, holder of the vajra, having shown himself in the form of ordinary virtuous spiritual guides, will lead all degenerate beings.
For that reason, whatever forms and actions they may manifest, there is no doubt that in actuality, all the victorious ones of the ten directions in order to lead us to the path of liberation are revealing themselves in the forms that tame us. Although these forms and actions appear to have faults, our perception is similar to that of Devadatta, Lekpey Karma, and the philosophers who challenged Buddha Śākyamūni. They incorrectly perceived that master teacher who had eliminated all thoughts and consummated all good qualities as being a mass of defects. Just as a man with jaundice perceives a white conch as yellow, so do I, veiled with obstructions and bad deeds, always perceive that which is faultless as having faults. In reality, however, how can Buddha possess faults?
What certainty is there that those forms and actions which appear to have faults were not shown for a purpose? As it’s stated in the sutras and tantras, for the sake of sentient beings, the victorious ones have shown them as emanations have shown themselves as emanations of demons and so forth. While I am not free from bad deeds and obstructions, even if all the Buddhas were to actually come before me, I would not have the good fortune to see their most excellent bodies adorned with the major and minor marks. I would only see them in the form of ordinary spiritual masters such as those who appear to me now. Thus, all the actions of my spiritual protectors which appear to have faults are either the illusory appearance of my own bad deeds or they have been shown for a purpose.
For that reason, however they may appear to me, these spiritual guides have actually eliminated all defects and consummated all good qualities. Each one is the essence of all the victorious ones of the innumerable pure realms combined. So once you have established faith that sees all the Buddhas are appearing as the gurus in ordinary form, then repeat over and over again how this ordinary form that the Buddhas are taking is so precious and so important. It’s so kind. This ordinary form showing this ordinary form is so precious and so important, so kind, so precious, so kind, so important in my life.
Repeat that over and over. You think to yourself, what my gurus are is all the Buddhas. What they are doing is bringing me to enlightenment. These ordinary forms they use are so precious and so kind, the most important in my life. Think that over and over.
After you’ve made the determination that these gurus are Buddhas, do a fixed meditation on that, holding that, recognizing as Buddha, remembering the kindness. In the words of the great Patrul Rinpoche, the teacher is the main refuge, the quintessential union of the Three Jewels. See all his actions as perfect. Follow him with absolute trust and try to pray to him all the time. Put all your determination effort into trying to please him all the time.
No matter what happens to you, be it or unpleasant, good or bad, sickness or suffering, entrust yourself entirely to the jewel of the teacher. Even the smallest positive thought arising in your mind results in the inconceivable power of his blessings. Recognize the Buddha’s compassion in everything that helps you and makes you happy. Kachen Yeshe Gyaltsen’s commentary says, among Dharma practices, this is where you should put all your focus and effort. This practice brings all success for yourself and for numberless living beings.
And it fulfills all your wishes for the happiness of yourself and numberless other living beings. May I not arise 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 blessings of guru in my heart? I humbly beseech you, my precious guru, just as the Buddha’s three times and ten directions of tame sentient beings.
You too enact the Buddha’s deeds in countless realms, taking the form of a saffron robed monk. I humbly beseech you my precious guru esteemed by Vajradhāra for those of meager mind as a field of merit more holy than the endless circles of infinite Buddhas. Every supreme and mundane attainment follows upon pure devotion to you, my protector. Seeing this, I forsake my body, my life. Bless me to practice what will only please you.
Visualize streams of nectar and light rays absorb into you, cascading down from the guru’s holy bodies, clearing away all the obstacles of this realization, filling you completely with all the blessings of all the gurus, all the buddhas, and feel that you’ve generated this realization in your mind, immovable, unshakable, stable, forever, one hundred percent awareness that your gurus and the buddhas are oneness. By myself alone, and the Buddhas, and all sentient beings, which are completely empty of existing from their own side. May the I, which is completely empty of existing from its own side, quickly achieve enlightenment, which is completely empty, existing from its own side, and lead all sentient beings who are completely empty of existing from their own side, to that state, by myself alone, who is completely empty of existing from my own side. Third session second session, due to the merit of the three times created by me, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and all the sentient beings, may I, members of my family, students, and benefactors of this organization, and all the rest of sentient beings be only perfectly qualified 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, the virtuous friends, may we able to fulfill their holy wishes immediately. I offer my life for all sentient beings who are suffering, place them in state of perfect bliss. In order to do this, I’m going to make this food offering, made charity to all the sentient beings. Take care. I’m going to make charity to all the beings in my body so this connection may I be able to reveal the dharma to them. Purify the food in the kitchen, everything you’re going to eat into emptiness.
Then bless and transform it by means of your own deity. Palms together, offering numberless oceans of nectar-like food. To all the Guru Puja merit field, every single merit field is one’s own good virtuous friend. Even each pore of all the gurus is all the merit field. Offer all the ocean and nectar food and also all the other offerings, generate infinite bliss in the holy minds.
The charities, every hell being, hungry ghost, animal, human, sura, asura being, they all fully enjoyed, liberated from suffering this causes, became enlightened to form the deity your practice. Due to all these limitless merits, may I and my family members or the organizers of course, everyone here is offering service, all students benefit to the organization, all other sentient beings, especially those involved in evolution of this food. In all our future lifetimes, never be separated from the triple gem, always make offerings of triple gem, receive realizations and grow in devotion up to enlightenment without delay, even for one second. To you we offer desire enjoyments of this circle of magnificence. So please stay by being pleased and satisfied.
Instead of uncontaminated bliss, grant bliss to the holy body, speech, mind. Please grant blessings to achieve in this life. Mahāmudrā and Atiyoga vajra yoga, inseparable with method and wisdom. So this is the in between session lunch break. We’ll come back at three o’clock, providing nothing changes.
And at one o’clock, Venerable Geshe will do some more on emptiness and also review the tantric grounds and paths. That’s at one o’clock here in the Gompa with Venerable Geshe. Please keep silence in the Gompa. And if you are talking, please make sure there’s no gossip, no meaningless activities. Only Something like that.
I’ve just got a book announcement. Book promotion announcement. Copies of this book here, Spiritual Friends, are available in the bookshop. Maybe you’ve seen them already. But just to give you an idea of what is behind this book, it’s mini-teachings by eighteen members of the Sangha of the FPMT, the IMI.
Each one of these meditations is something that you know these individual members have thought about and you know been a personal experience. So the idea is that that if you you know if you have this book this can be a real resource because it’s not just meditation ideas but it’s something that each one of these people have put into practice. So it could be of use to yourself or it could be of use to your friends as well. So I’m just to read here from what Lama Zopa says, the contributors have not just copied words from the text but have meditated extensively upon the topics about which they write. Furthermore, they have not only visualized these meditations, but have also tried as hard as they can to integrate the meaning of the words into their lives.
This meditation book will prove useful to many readers. So then also, you know, to consider that, you know, it’s not just for yourself, then maybe to get one for a friend. So what we’re also doing, because four of the people who have contributed are actually here at this point of time. So tomorrow is to have a book signing. You can go.
And hopefully those four people here will be, you know, be willing to do. So not too sure of exactly the time. You know, we’ll let you know sometime at lunch break. Okay? Yeah, that’s what I was going say.
The other thing that’s been very important is that the money that’s raised from selling this book goes to the Lama Yeshe Sangha Fund. Sorry? The price of the book is some I’m not too sure because the price here is not necessarily the price in the shop here. It’s somewhere between thirty dollars and forty dollars. Do you know?
Do you three dollars. Thirty two point nine five dollars yeah. And so this Lamayeshi Sanga fund has been set up to support Lamayeshi Sanga fund has been set up to support Sanga in if they’re performing some sort of service for the IMI or the FPMT or if they are engaging in retreat. Retreat is just not any retreat. The person has to be an accepted retreat and also for those people who may be studying.
Can rest assured that the money is going to good cause. So whatever money you spend on here can be useful for your own Dharma practice or the Dharma practice of whoever else gets the book and anyone else who listens to the meditations. Then additionally that money if you think about it goes to support the Sangha. So the money is going to be really well spent. Thank you very much.