Great Treasury of Merit. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
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realms of samsara as a human or god, but, although the initial effect is good fortune, the long-term effect is all the suffering and misery of another rebirth in samsara. This point is explained by Chandrakirti in the second chapter of Guide to the Middle Way.
The next two lines of the root text reveal the way to go for refuge. We go for refuge not merely to seek protection for ourself, but to free all sentient beings from their suffering. We imagine ourself surrounded by all mother sentient beings, a vast assembly as extensive as space, and then lead them in the practice of going for refuge. For auspiciousness we imagine all these beings in human form, but with compassion we remember that in reality each one of them is still experiencing the sufferings of their particular realm. Furthermore, we do not go for refuge just for a short time, but continuously, until we and all other living beings have attained the essence of great enlightenment. If we think like this it will strengthen our practice of refuge. Otherwise we may remember to go for refuge when we are experiencing manifest difficulties, but at other times complacency may get the better of us and we will allow our refuge to degenerate.
The last line of this verse reveals the objects of refuge, the Guru and Three Jewels. According to Offering to the Spiritual Guide, the principal object of refuge is Je Tsongkhapa, the Unification of Three Holy Beings, or Lama Losang Tubwang Dorjechang. Thus, according to this sadhana, we visualize our Spiritual Guide as Je Tsongkhapa who has Buddha Shakyamuni at his heart, and Conqueror Vajradhara at his heart. Why is this? There are two main reasons. Firstly, we need a common visualization for our Spiritual Guide. It is possible that a practitioner may have more than one Spiritual Guide. If we did not have a common visualization we would need a separate Guru yoga for each Spiritual Guide, which would display a complete misunderstanding of the nature of the Guru. Moreover, if we have a common visualization, when we are practising Guru yoga in a group there is no need to decide whose Guru we should visualize because we all visualize our Spiritual Guide as Lama Losang Tubwang Dorjechang.
The second reason for visualizing our Spiritual Guide as Lama Losang Tubwang Dorjechang is that to attain Tantric realizations it is essential to regard our root Guru as the same nature as all the Buddhas. When we visualize Lama Losang Tubwang Dorjechang we do not think that there are four separate beings in front of us – our Spiritual Guide, Je Tsongkhapa, Buddha Shakyamuni, and Conqueror Vajradhara – but only one being who has four different aspects. In reality they are all the same nature. Conqueror Vajradhara is the subtle Enjoyment Body of Buddha. He appears directly only to highly realized Bodhisattvas to whom he gives Tantric teachings. To benefit those with less fortune, Conqueror Vajradhara manifested a more visible form as Buddha Shakyamuni, who is an Emanation Body aspect. Buddha Shakyamuni gave extensive Sutra teachings to countless beings in this world. There are two types of Emanation Body – a Supreme Emanation Body and an Emanation Body appearing as an ordinary being. Buddha Shakyamuni is a Supreme Emanation Body. Even though it was possible for ordinary beings to see him and receive teachings from him, they had to possess immense good fortune. Compared with beings in these impure times, beings who were born during the golden age when Buddha Shakyamuni was actually teaching had great good fortune. As times became more and more impure and sentient beings’ fortunes declined it was necessary for Buddha Shakyamuni to manifest another form as an Emanation Body appearing as an ordinary being. This he did by manifesting in the form of Je Tsongkhapa. Thus, although Je Tsongkhapa appeared in an ordinary form as a Tibetan monk, we can be certain that in reality he is the same nature as Buddha Shakyamuni who, in turn, is the same nature as Conqueror Vajradhara. In fact, Je Tsongkhapa is often referred to as the ‘Second Conqueror’. Later, when times had become even more impure, Je Tsongkhapa manifested again as an ordinary being, this time in the aspect of our Spiritual Guide.
If we think in this way we will have no difficulty in regarding Lama Losang Tubwang Dorjechang as one being who has four different aspects. Every time we see our Spiritual Guide we will immediately recognize him as Conqueror Vajradhara, Buddha Shakyamuni, and Je Tsongkhapa; and whenever we think of Conqueror Vajradhara, Buddha Shakyamuni, or Je Tsongkhapa, we will immediately remember our Spiritual Guide. This is a very profound experience. If we achieve this we will easily understand the experiences of great practitioners such as Naropa and Milarepa, and we will have no difficulty in attaining Highest Yoga Tantra realizations.
How do we visualize the objects of refuge? In the space in front we visualize a vast jewelled throne supported by eight snow lions. In the very centre of this there is a much smaller throne of the same type. On this throne, on a seat of a lotus, moon, and sun, we visualize our root Guru in the aspect of Lama Losang Tubwang Dorjechang. He is in the aspect of a fully ordained monk wearing a golden Pandit’s hat. His right hand is in the mudra of expounding Dharma and his left hand, in the mudra of meditative equipoise, holds a jewelled bowl filled with three nectars. Between the thumb and forefinger of his right hand he holds the stem of an upala flower which blossoms at the level of his right ear. Upon this stands a blazing sword of wisdom similar to that held by Manjushri. His left hand holds the stem of an upala flower which blossoms at the level of his left ear. Upon this rests the Kadam Emanation Scripture.
There is great meaning in the hand mudras of Lama Losang Tubwang Dorjechang. His left hand symbolizes that his mind, the Truth Body, never moves from meditative equipoise but always remains mixed with emptiness, like water mixed with water. His right hand indicates that without rising from meditation on emptiness he is able to perform activities of subsequent attainment such as giving Dharma teachings. This quality is unique to Buddhas. Even highly realized Bodhisattvas are unable to perform activities of subsequent attainment while remaining in meditative equipoise. When they are in meditation and ultimate truth, emptiness, is appearing directly to their mind they are unable to cognize conventional truths and therefore cannot perform actions such as giving teachings. On the other hand, when they rise from meditation and directly cognize conventional truths, emptiness no longer appears directly to their mind. Buddhas however are able to cognize both truths simultaneously because they have completely abandoned the conception that holds the two truths to be different entities. Their minds realize directly and simultaneously all objects of knowledge. Thus, without their mind moving from a state of single-pointed absorption on emptiness, they are able to talk and give teachings to others.
Lama Losang Tubwang Dorjechang’s mudras also have other meanings. His right hand indicates that first we should listen to and contemplate the meaning of Dharma teachings, and his left hand indicates that we should then meditate on the meanings we have understood. In this way we will become free from the four maras. Freedom from the mara of the delusions, the mara of contaminated aggregates, and the mara of uncontrolled death is symbolized by the three nectars within the jewelled bowl held in his left hand. Freedom from the Devaputra maras is symbolized by the mudra of meditative equipoise itself. Thus these mudras indicate both that Lama Losang Tubwang Dorjechang himself is free from the four maras, and that by relying upon him we too can attain the same freedom.
In each of the four cardinal directions around Lama Losang Tubwang Dorjechang is another throne. On the throne to his right sits Maitreya surrounded by all the Gurus of the lineage of the stages of the vast path, such as Asanga and Vasubhandu; on the throne to his left sits Manjushri surrounded by all the Gurus of the lineage of the stages of the profound path, such as Nagarjuna and Chandrakirti; on the throne behind him sits Conqueror Vajradhara surrounded by all the Gurus of the lineage of Secret Mantra, such as Tilopa and Naropa; and on the throne in front of him sits our present root Guru in his normal aspect surrounded by all the other Spiritual Guides from whom we have received teachings in this life, who share the same lineage and view as our root Guru. Above Lama Losang Tubwang Dorjechang are all the Gurus of the lineage of Vajrayana Mahamudra, seated one above the other. At the very top is Conqueror Vajradhara, and beneath him all the other lineage Gurus appear in the aspect of Manjushri. Around these five groups of Gurus are all the other objects of refuge: Deities of the four classes of Tantra, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Emanation Hearers, Emanation Solitary Conquerors, Heroes, Heroines, and Dharma Protectors.
Within this visualization, Lama Losang Tubwang Dorjechang, the five groups of lineage Gurus, the Tantric Deities, and the Sutra Buddhas are all Buddha Jewels; and the Bodhisattvas, Emanation Hearers, Emanation Solitary Conquerors, Heroes, Heroines, and Dharma Protectors are all Sangha Jewels. Within the mental continuum of each of these beings are special realizations, such as the direct realization of emptiness, as well as permanent cessations