Guru Yoga

The Teacher

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Guru Rinpoche Face

The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Experiencing the Hook of Compassion”

The teacher is considered to be the very door of liberation. The students are looking to walk through, just as they’re wanting to exit that burning house. They want to walk through that door. And it’s a really amazing thing.

In the Vajrayana tradition, we are taught that when a tulku appears in the world, a tulku is considered to be an emanation of Lord Buddha or Guru Rinpoche’s enlightened compassion. The teacher is considered to be an extension of that. Guru Rinpoche himself said, “I will appear in the world as your root teacher.” The root teacher is defined as the one with whom you have such a relationship that upon meeting this teacher, upon hearing this teacher, you have immediately understood, or perhaps over time, have understood something of the nature of your mind. You have seen something; you have recognized something. And -perhaps through some words that the teacher has given you, perhaps simply through being with the teacher; perhaps through some experiences that you have had while you are with the teacher,  you have come to understand something of your own mind. You’ve come in some small way to see your face. That may not necessarily be pleasant at first. You see?  You think that that should be a beatific experience, and you’re waiting for the Hallelujah Chorus . That may not be the way it happens to you. It may be painful at first. You may realize how puffed up you are at first. You may realize how vapid your life has been thus far. That’s painful. Of all realizations, that’s the most painful. And you may take account of yourself; and the account may not be so good. And suddenly, suddenly you have this urge and this yearning. That’s your face. That’s your face just as surely as if you had been struck enlightened immediately upon seeing your teacher. That is your face. That face that turns you around and moves you… That’s your face too.

So when you meet your root teacher, that relationship becomes so fantastic, so wonderful. And that is the display of Guru Rinpoche’s touch. That is how Guru Rinpoche has appeared in your life. You cannot doubt that. That is how the Buddha has appeared to you, because that is the beginning. That is the face; that is the movement; that is the method of enlightened awareness. That is the beginning of the awakening. So that must be the Buddha. That must be the Buddha appearing in your mind.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo All rights reserved

 

Guru Yoga: From “Excellent Path to Enlightenment” by H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

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GuruRinpocheThankgaJAL-M

The following is respectfully quoted from “Excellent Path to Enlightenment” by His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche:

In the so-called preliminary or foundation practice, the most extraordinary section is Guru Yoga, or “union with the Guru’s nature.” It is through this practice that primordial wisdom can arise instantly in one’s being.

Guru Yoga is the way to pray to an authentic teacher and express our deep and unchanging devotion. Through devotion, our minds and the Guru’s mind become one. Why is this practice necessary? Because there is not a single Buddha in the past, present, or future who has achieved or will achieve enlightenment without relying on a spiritual teacher. Whichever of the nine vehicles of the Buddhist teachings we practice, we have to rely on a spiritual teacher, receive his or her teaching and practice according to his or her instructions. There is no other way.

Even if we have met a teacher and received his instructions, however, we will never be able to receive his blessings if we do not have fervent devotion and complete confidence in him and his teachings. And without his blessings we will not progress along the path. First of all, therefore, we need to generate devotion.

Devotion rarely comes spontaneously in the beginning. We have to generate and nurture it. First, for example, when we hear about the teacher and his life, we think about his marvelous enlightened qualities. Then, when we meet him, we see that those qualities are authentic, and our confidence and faith grow stronger and stronger. Our prayers become more and more profound, and his blessings begin to penetrate us more and more deeply.

All accomplishments are due to the Guru’s blessings. We are not referring here to minor accomplishments like obtaining good health, long life, or wealth, but to the supreme realization of the Guru’s enlightened nature, which is none other than our own Buddha-nature.

THE VISUALIZATION

As an aid to generating devotion, the text contains the following verse:

Before me in the sky, in an expanse of rainbow light,
Is my root teacher, Pema Thötrengtsal,
Surrounded by the ocean of Knowledge Holders of the three transmissions.
He is the union of all objects of refuge.

The Power of Devotion: Wisdom of Kyabje Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche

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The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, quoting her Root Guru, His Holiness Penor Rinpoche:

From His Holiness Penor Rinpoche:

In the Tantras it is stated again and again the importance of relying on the Lama as the source of blessing in one’s practice. Regardless of the particular prayer that the student offers to the Lama, regardless of how small and insignificant it may be if it is based upon the student’s complete trust and faith in the Lama then the blessings of the Lama are always accessible to the student. In the Tantra of the Ocean of Timeless Awareness it states that it is much better to recite one small prayer to one’s own Lama out of pure faith and devotion then it is to perform hundreds of millions of recitations of Diety Mantras. The effect of prayer is far more powerful when it is truly an expression of one’s own faith and devotion in one’s Lama.

Heart teaching from Kyabje Drubwang PemaNorbu Rinpoche

What Are You Looking For?

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An excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Longing for the Guru”

In order for you to be with your Teacher, however good or bad that Teacher may be, if you are in a situation where you are close to your Teacher and consistently so and have a great deal of relatively intimate guidance, you must have spent a great deal of time longing for the Teacher.  It must be that you have spent a great deal of time making wishing prayers that you would never be separate from your Teacher.  There had to be a great deal of time spent in that consideration and with that intention.  It’s the only karma that will allow for this situation.

Each of us, then, as we grew up, must have experienced the seeds of that longing.  If we look back at our earlier lives, we may not understand that.  It’s very difficult to understand how we ended up practicing Vajrayana.  We certainly weren’t brought up this way.  We certainly had no idea in our younger lives that we were going to be Buddhists, that’s for sure.

Yet, if we were to look in a penetrating way, we would discover that somewhere in our childhood there was a longing.  That is the seed or the residue of something that we experienced in a previous incarnation.  Because it is not consistent with our culture, because it is not sympathetic with what our culture views as proper, probably when we grew up, we never heard of a Teacher.  We never heard of a Guru.  We may have diverted into different paths.  We may have felt the longing as a need to find ourselves or we may have felt a sense of waiting to be told or to find something that we knew we would find.

For instance, it is possible that you felt a sense of searching and perhaps went from relationship to relationship, searching for someone who would be intimate with you, a certain searching for a fullness that was never found.  It could be that you even went from a self-help group to insight situation to church to different kinds of situations that you thought would bring you the answer and you had no idea that it was a spiritual search.
But now, in retrospect, if you examine that, do you think that perhaps you were looking for something you didn’t find because you did not understand exactly what you were looking for?  Surely, if you examine your life, you will find something of that longing in your past.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

The Guru Above the Crown of My Head

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The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

I’m doing much better with my treatment. I’ve had, honestly, fear (from stalker) and stagnation locked up in my body. I’m working it hard so I can be strong for  Pema Kod. I’m determined.

We have so much power once we decide to change things. And I have, being the only one after all, who can. I am much stronger now, and grateful to the Bliss Gone Guru for answering prayers. Eh Ma Ho!

I’m not gonna stop. The Guru above the top of my head is my strength and safety. Who can doubt it?

Om Ah Hung Benzar Guru Pema Siddhi Hung!

 Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo All rights reserved

Cosmic Lover

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The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

Eyes gaze, mind clear, nothing is seen.
He is beautiful, the Guru.
In the space between molecules non existent he appears,
I feel Him.
His regal stance, His tenderness, the gentle King of all Dharma,
The second one comes in image – again to my heart,
Oh Beloved, your face
Is the nectar I crave and cannot forget, the blessing I crave and hold.
If I cannot see you everywhere I will not see at all.

Yours are the eyes I gaze into, the sea in which I swim,
Never abandon any of your followers!

I offer body speach and mind
To touch the honey, sweetness only possessed by you.
I am yours life after life,
You who are the silence and ecstasy,
I follow you always, my heart..

Cosmic Lover, I am yours.
I will follow you and practice.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo.  All rights reserved

The First Object of Refuge

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The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Essence of Devotion”

Although the Buddha that we remember as Siddhartha, Gautama Buddha, Shakyamuni is not present in his physical body as we understand it right now, we look at the Lama as the embodiment of the qualities, intentions, compassion and activity of the Buddha in the world.  Our Lamas, those reincarnate Lamas who are recognized as reincarnate Lamas, are considered to be the Nirmanakaya form of the Buddha.  They are the Buddha in the world. So we look at the Lama as being the embodiment of the Buddha.  We look at the Lama as being the embodiment of the Dharma because, if we were to try to study Dharma on our own, even though all the books in our bookstore are written with the commentary of a qualified Lama, when you read those books you must also have first of all the teachings from the guru that deepen and ripen the mind ..Empowerment, lung, commentary teaching, the taking of vows, those teachings that deepen and ripen the mind, can only be given by the Lama, only be given by the Lama, and you must have them.  You must have your mind ripened.  A mind that is not ripe may delude itself into feeling spiritual and may even be able to speak spiritually.  However, if it is not ripe, it cannot fulfill itself.  So we should consider like that.

The Lama is considered to be the path.  The Dharma is given to us by the Lama.  The Lama connects us with the Dharma.  The Lama ripens us in the Dharma.  The Lama is the Dharma in that sense.  The Lama is also the Sangha because without the Lama there would be no Sangha.  It is the Lama’s qualities and compassionate activities that sound the note that eventually calls the Sangha.  When one of the Sangha has come to practice in some way, there is a personal and private circumstance that has called them, has pulled them in some secret inner way, particular and unique only to them, and their response is like a bell tolling somewhere deep in their minds—very unique, very individual, very present.  That is the gathering of the Sangha and it is done through the influence and compassionate activity of the Lama.  So the Lama is the first object of refuge, and the supreme object of refuge on the Vajrayana path.  That is our view.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo.  All rights reserved

The Students Call

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The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

Wasn’t feeling well last evening, so students lined the driveway reciting 7-Line Prayer:

Here’s another photo of students calling:

Despite the pain in my back, couldn’t resist the student’s call. Here they are lining the driveway waiting:

Though I couldn’t get out of the car, was able to offer blessings. Here offered blessings to one of the youngest sangha members:

Here are students receiving the Blessings:

Photos courtesy of Ted Kurkowski.

© copyright Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo All rights reserved.

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