TO RECEIVING BLESSINGS
Offering to the Spiritual Guide, or Lama Chopa, is commonly regarded as the Guru yoga that is the preliminary practice of Mahamudra. It was composed by the first Panchen Lama, Losang Chokyi Gyaltsen, who was an emanation of Buddha Amitabha appearing in a human form. The way to practise this Guru yoga is explained in the book Great Treasury of Merit, a commentary to Offering to the Spiritual Guide.
The Guru yoga of The Hundreds of Deities of the Joyful Land, which is extracted from the Ganden Emanation Scripture, can also be used as the preliminary practice of Mahamudra. This is not so widely known and has to be understood through instructions from Gurus of the Ganden Oral Lineage.
There are two ways to practise the Guru yoga of The Hundreds of Deities of the Joyful Land: according to Sutra and according to Highest Yoga Tantra. They differ in the way of visualizing the principal commitment being of the Field of Merit. According to Highest Yoga Tantra, the principal commitment being of the Field of Merit should be visualized as Je Tsongkhapa with Buddha Shakyamuni at his heart and Heruka Father and Mother at his heart. This principal commitment being of the Field of Merit is called ‘Guru Sumati Buddha Heruka’. In this context ‘Guru’ means one’s own root Guru, ‘Sumati’ refers to Losang Dragpa – Je Tsongkhapa’s ordained name – and ‘Buddha’ refers to Buddha Shakyamuni.
We can understand this through the following explanation. Although Buddha Shakyamuni appears in a different aspect in reality he is Conqueror Vajradhara Heruka, although Je Tsongkhapa appears in a different aspect in reality he is Buddha Shakyamuni, and although our Spiritual Guide appears in a different aspect in reality he is Je Tsongkhapa. These Gurus are simply one person appearing in different aspects, just as an actor might appear in different aspects performing different roles while in fact being the same person. Through recognizing our Spiritual Guide in this way and then practising this Guru yoga, we will receive powerful blessings very quickly. This is proved by the experience of many practitioners, including myself.
As mentioned above, this Guru yoga according to Highest Yoga Tantra differs from that of Sutra mainly in the visualization of the principal commitment being of the Field of Merit; there is no difference in the remaining practices from inviting the wisdom beings up to the dedication. The practice of this Guru yoga is a very blessed instruction and is easy to practise, so we can use it as a preliminary practice for Mahamudra in all our sessions.
What is the relationship between the practice of Mahamudra and its four great preliminary guides? The practice of Mahamudra is like a car with four wheels. By depending on it we can swiftly travel to the ground of the Union of Buddhahood. The four preliminaries are like the four wheels of the car. If any of the wheels is missing, the car will not be able to function; and, in the same way, if any of the four preliminaries is missing we will not be able to travel to the Buddha ground through the practice of Mahamudra.
Therefore, if we really wish to attain permanent liberation from the sufferings of samsara and experience the ultimate bliss of enlightenment by depending upon the practice of Mahamudra, it is very important that we put great effort into the practice of the four great preliminary guides. The function of the preliminary practices is principally to accumulate merit, purify non-virtues and receive blessings; therefore we need to practise these every day with our daily activities when we are not in meditation sessions.
Commonly, completing the four great preliminary guides means that in the practice of refuge we accumulate or collect a hundred thousand refuge prayers, in the practice of meditation and recitation of Vajrasattva we accumulate a hundred thousand Vajrasattva mantras, in the practice of making mandala offerings we accumulate a hundred thousand mandala offerings, and in the practice of Guru yoga we accumulate a hundred thousand Migtsema request prayers. Guidelines for practising the four great preliminary guides of Mahamudra can be found in Appendix I.
How to practise The Hundreds of Deities of the Joyful Land According to Highest Yoga Tantra is as follows. We begin by reciting the following while contemplating the meaning:
In the space before me appears my root Guru, Guru Sumati Buddha Heruka, surrounded by all the Buddhas of the ten directions.
We meditate briefly on these objects of refuge and commitment beings of the Field of Merit generated through the power of correct imagination.
Then we contemplate and promise:
O Gurus, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas please listen to me.
I and all mother living beings as extensive as space
From now until we attain enlightenment
Go for refuge to the Three Precious Jewels – Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
By reciting this promise three times we take the Mahayana refuge vows.
Then we contemplate and think:
For the sake of all mother sentient beings,
I shall become the Guru-Deity,
And then lead every sentient being
To the Guru-Deity’s supreme state.
By reciting this promise three times we generate bodhichitta and take the Bodhisattva vow according to Highest Yoga Tantra.
We then recite:
From the heart of the Protector of the hundreds of Deities of the Joyful Land,
To the peak of a cloud, which is like a cluster of fresh, white curd,
All-knowing Losang Dragpa, King of the Dharma,
Please come to this place together with your Sons.
We think that the wisdom beings that we invited dissolve into the commitment beings and they become inseparably one.
We then recite the remaining verses from ‘In the space before me on a lion throne, lotus and moon,’ up to and including the dedication in the usual way while contemplating the meaning, and then we make either a long or short mandala offering. We then recite the Migtsema request prayer according to Highest Yoga Tantra seven or more times.
Then, we meditate briefly on Lamrim, Lojong and the two stages of Highest Yoga Tantra while reciting the prayer Request to the Lord of All Lineages (see here). We do not just recite the words but focus on the meaning of each stage of the path with strong concentration. If we do this every day in two, three or four sessions, through the force of this meditation it will not take us long to develop realizations of the entire Lamrim of Sutra and Tantra. This is very important advice that we should keep in our heart.
After this we recite:
O Glorious and precious root Guru,
Please sit on the lotus and moon seat at my heart.
Please care for me with your great kindness,
And grant me the blessings of your body, speech and mind.
As a result of this request, all the Buddhas of the ten directions in the space in front melt into light and dissolve into Je Tsongkhapa. He in turn melts into light and dissolves into Buddha Shakyamuni at his heart. Then Buddha Shakyamuni melts into light and dissolves into Heruka at his heart.
With delight, Guru Heruka comes to our crown and abides in the centre of our crown channel wheel. Lights radiate from his body and bless the channels,
