The Oral Instructions of Mahamudra. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

He is also our Spiritual Guide, Je Tsongkhapa and Buddha Shakyamuni, and is therefore called ‘Guru Sumati Buddha Heruka’.

      In short, offering the mandala is offering a Pure Land generated through the power of correct imagination. There is no difference between offering a Pure Land generated through the power of correct imagination and offering an actual Pure Land – both are mere appearance to the mind. If we have a pure mind both exist, and if we do not have a pure mind neither exists.

      It is said that a person who has strong faith who practises Tantra continuously with correct imagination can accomplish Tantric realizations easily. Sometimes we see people who have faith who externally appear to be dull and foolish and not to know much, but who in fact have achieved high Tantric realizations through the force of great faith and imagination. The Kadampa Geshe Jayulwa for example, spent all his time in the service of his Spiritual Guide and did not have time to listen to Dharma extensively or to meditate, but his practices of faith and correct imagination were extremely powerful and as a result he attained high realizations. This was widely known among the scholars of the time.

      There is no such thing as a Pure Land that exists from the side of the object; the Pure Land is merely an appearance to a pure mind. Equally, there is no such thing as an impure world that exists from its own side; an impure world is merely an appearance to an impure mind.

      If our mind is impure we are an impure being, and if our mind is pure we are a pure being. In Ornament for Clear Realization, Buddha Maitreya says:

      Impure worlds develop because living beings are impure. This proves that we can accomplish a pure world, or Pure Land of Buddha, by becoming a pure being ourself.

      This clearly shows that if we really want to be born in a Pure Land we must purify our mind and make it pure and clean. Every day we clean our body regarding this as important, but how much more important is it to make our mind clean and pure so that we will experience everything as pure, including the world?

      How do we accomplish a Buddha’s Pure Land? Through the power of faith and correct imagination we stop all our appearances of an impure animate and inanimate world, and generate all our appearances as a pure animate and inanimate world. If we meditate on this generation continually, then through this practice our mind will become pure and so we will become a pure being, and in this way we will be able to attain a Buddha’s Pure Land.

      The practice of attaining a Buddha’s Pure Land just explained is included in the practice of offering the mandala. If we are born in a Buddha’s Pure Land in dependence upon this practice, it is almost no different from becoming a Buddha for one’s own purpose.

      An extensive general explanation of how to offer the mandala can be understood from the clear explanations in Lamrim texts.

THE FOURTH GREAT PRELIMINARY GUIDE, TRAINING IN GURU YOGA, THE GATEWAY 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