by yellow anthers. Above this is a white moon disc, and above that a yellow sun disc. Upon this sits our principal Spiritual Guide in the aspect of the Conqueror Buddha Shakyamuni. His body is the colour of gold and he is in the posture known as ‘Buddha Shakyamuni Conquering the Demons’. His legs are in the vajra posture. His right arm is held with the elbow at the hip and the forearm on the right thigh extending to his knee so that his fingers touch the sun disc. This gesture indicates that he has conquered the Devaputra demon. His left hand is held palm upwards below his navel in the gesture of meditative equipoise, and holds a precious bowl made of lapis lazuli containing three nectars indicating that he has conquered the demon of uncontrolled death, the demon of contaminated aggregates and the demon of the delusions. He wears the three robes of an ordained person and his body is adorned with the thirty-two major signs and eighty minor indications of a Buddha. Buddha Shakyamuni is the main object of refuge because he is the founder of this present doctrine of Dharma.
We do not imagine the body of Guru Buddha Shakyamuni as if it were hollow or two-dimensional like a painting, or as if it were composed of any material substance like a statue or like the body of a human being with flesh, bones, inner organs and so forth. Buddha’s body is composed of light, clear and translucent. It radiates an aura of light of five colours: white, yellow, red, green and blue. It is the body of a real person, an enlightened being. As we behold Guru Buddha Shakyamuni in front of us we let his appearance remind us of all the good qualities of his enlightened mind: his wisdom clearly and directly perceiving all objects to be known; his compassion towards every single living being without exception, like a mother towards her only child; and his perfect skilful means, whereby he works unceasingly to bring all living beings to the unsurpassed happiness of full enlightenment.
At Guru Buddha Shakyamuni’s heart is a lotus, and above that a sun disc. Upon this sits Conqueror Vajradhara. His body is deep blue with one face and two arms. His right hand holds a golden, five-pronged vajra, and his left hand holds a bell of white silver. He wears eight jewelled ornaments: a crown, earrings, three necklaces of different lengths, bracelets, anklets and a jewelled waistband. His body is adorned with skirts and other garments of silk. He sits in the vajra posture embracing his consort, Vajradhatu Ishvari, whose body is also deep blue and adorned with similar garments and ornaments. She is in the lotus posture.
At Vajradhara’s heart is a blue seed-letter HUM radiating light of five colours profusely in all directions. This blue HUM is the concentration being, representing Buddha’s Truth Body; Vajradhara is the wisdom being, representing Buddha’s Enjoyment Body; and Guru Buddha Shakyamuni is the commitment being, representing Buddha’s Emanation Body. By visualizing these three beings we are gaining familiarity with the three bodies of a Buddha and creating the cause actually to perceive them in the future. By regarding our main Spiritual Guide as in essence one with these three beings we receive inspiration more quickly.
From the heart of Guru Buddha Shakyamuni light radiates to his right where he emanates as Maitreya seated on a throne, lotus and moon disc. Maitreya is in the aspect of the Enjoyment Body, adorned with ornaments and silk garments. He sits in the half-vajra posture. His body is red-yellow, with one face and two hands held at the level of his heart in the gesture of turning the Wheel of Dharma. Between the thumb and index finger of each hand he holds the stem of a naga tree. Beside his right ear the flower of one of the stems blooms and supports a golden wheel. Beside his left ear the flower of the other stem blooms and supports a long-necked vase.
In front of Maitreya, on a lotus and moon disc, sits Arya Asanga. His legs are crossed in such a way that his left leg extends from under his right thigh with the sole of his foot facing outwards, and his right leg, crossed over his left, extends several inches beyond his left knee. His right hand is in the gesture of expounding Dharma and his left hand is in the gesture of meditative equipoise. He wears the three robes of an ordained person and a Pandit’s hat. To his left is a spherical vessel. All the lineage Gurus of the vast path form a circle starting with Asanga and going clockwise around the central figure of Maitreya.
From the heart of Guru Buddha Shakyamuni light radiates to his left where he emanates as Manjushri seated on a throne, lotus and moon disc. His body is the same colour as Maitreya’s and he has the same posture except that he holds the stems of upali flowers. The flower that blooms beside his right ear supports a wisdom sword, and the flower that blooms beside his left ear supports a text of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra in Eight Thousand Lines. This posture is known as ‘Manjushri Turning the Wheel of Dharma’.
In front of Manjushri sits Nagarjuna in the half-vajra posture, wearing the robes of an ordained person. His hands are in the gesture of expounding Dharma. He has a small crown-protrusion and, arched over his head without touching it, is a canopy of seven snakes. All the lineage Gurus of the profound path form a circle starting with Nagarjuna and going counter-clockwise around the central figure of Manjushri.
To the right of the lineage Gurus of the vast path sit the lineage Gurus of Kadam Lamrimpa, and to the left of the lineage Gurus of the profound path sit the lineage Gurus of Kadam Shungpawa. Behind the lineage Gurus of the vast path sit the lineage Gurus of Kadam Menngagpa. Each of these Kadampa Gurus sits on a lotus and moon disc.
From the heart of Guru Buddha Shakyamuni light radiates behind him where he emanates as Buddha Vajradhara seated on a throne, lotus and moon disc. Surrounding him are all the lineage Gurus of Secret Mantra from Tilopa down to our present Spiritual Guide.
From the heart of Guru Buddha Shakyamuni light radiates in front of him where he emanates as our principal Spiritual Guide. We visualize him or her as radiant and youthful without any physical imperfections. His right hand is in the gesture of expounding Dharma, indicating that he dispels his disciples’ ignorance. His left hand is in the gesture of meditative equipoise holding a life vase, indicating that he destroys the power death has over his disciples. These two, ignorance and death, are the greatest obstacles to our spiritual development. Ignorance prevents us from understanding Dharma, especially the instructions on superior seeing, which is the very antidote to ignorance; and death destroys the very life that is the basis for practising Dharma. Surrounding our main Spiritual Guide we visualize all the other Spiritual Guides who have taught us pure Dharma directly in this life.
In front of these groups of Gurus we visualize the Deities of Highest Yoga Tantra. On the right is Vajrabhairava, on the left Heruka and in the centre Guhyasamaja, Vajrayogini or whoever is our personal Deity of Highest Yoga Tantra. In front of these in successive rows are: Deities of Yoga Tantra, such as the assembly of Sarvavid, the main Deity of Yoga Tantra; Deities of Performance Tantra, such as the assembly of Vairochana Deities; Deities of Action Tantra, such as Amitayus, Green Tara and White Tara; Buddhas of Sutra, such as the one thousand Buddhas of this Fortunate Aeon, the Thirty-five Confession Buddhas and the Seven Medicine Buddhas; Sanghas of Sutra, including Bodhisattvas such as the eight Great Sons, Solitary Realizers such as the twelve Solitary Realizers, and Hearers such as the sixteen Foe Destroyers; Sanghas of Tantra, such as the Heroes and Heroines of the Twenty-four Auspicious Places, and supramundane Dharma Protectors such as Dorje Shugden, Mahakala, Dharmaraja, Vaishravana and Kalindewi.
In this vast assembly all the Gurus, Deities and Buddhas are the Buddha Jewel; and all the Bodhisattvas, Solitary Realizers, Hearers, Heroes, Heroines and Dharma Protectors are the Sangha Jewel. In front of each of the holy beings is a small marble table supporting scriptures that they have composed. These scriptures are in the nature of wisdom light, and they represent the Dharma Jewel. When we visualize them we regard them as in essence the inner realizations of the holy beings. These inner realizations are the actual Dharma Jewel.
We construct this visualization gradually, making it as vast as we can imagine because the objects of refuge are countless, pervading the whole of space. Each one is an emanation of the main object of refuge, Guru Buddha Shakyamuni.
When we have established this visualization we imagine that we are surrounded by all the countless living beings who experience the sufferings of the six realms of samsara. We imagine them all in human
