)
In general there are three types of enpowerments or initia- tions.
In general there are three types of enpowerments or initia- tions.
Wang-ch-ug-Dor-je-Mahamudra-Eliminating-the-Darkness-of-Ignorance
If there are two pieces of fruit, one ripe and one rotten, and the
person next to you takes the ripe one, it is only due to your own greed that you accuse him of being greedy and selfish. If you were unattached to the fruit, it would not matter to you which one he took-you would simply sec him as having taken
a piece of fruit.
Likewise, if you can train yourself to see only good qualities llDd never any faults in your Guru, this positive outlook will come io pervade, amplify and reflect your own state of mind. As everyone has the basis Mahamudri or Buddha-nature within him-the clear, uncontaminated state of pure mind established without any true independent existence-then if you can see your Guru in terms of a Buddha, you have the possibility of activa- ting and realising your own Buddha-nature, that is achieving the resultant Mahamudri. If you see only faults, you merely rein- force your own shortcomings and negative attitude, whereu
if you see only perfection, you will be able to attain the perfec? tion of Buddhahood yourself. Therefore one of the main practices of Guru-yoga, particulary in Mahimudri and the tantra, is to realise the inseparability of your own mind with your Guru, the Buddhas and your meditational deity, who is a pure form manifestation of the Enlightened mind. Thus Guru-
devotion is the root of all attainments.
If your Guru acts in a seemingly unenlightendcd manner and you feel it would be hypocritical to think him a Buddha, you should remember that your own opinions are unreliable and the
apparent faults you see may only be a reflection of your own deluded state of mind. Also you should think that if your Guru
? acted in a completely perfect manner, be would be inaccessible and you would be unable to relate to him. It is therefore out of your Guru's great compassion that be may show apparent flaws. This is part of his use of skilful means in order for him to be able to teach you. He is mirroring your own faults; therefore check within and learn from him how to remove your short- comings. If you are only intent on criticising your Guru, you will never be able to benefit from him.
It was Buddha VajradhAra himself who said that your Guru is to be seen as a Buddha. Therefore if you have faith and take refuge in the Buddhist teachings, you will try to understand what Buddha meant by this statement. Buddhas exert a great positive influence on the world in the same way as does the sun. But just as a magnifying glass is needed to focus the rays of the sun in order for tinder to catch fire, so too a Guru is required to focus the Buddhas' virtuous conduct into a disciple's mind-stream and inspire him to follow a spiritnal path. Thus as living eJtamples representing the Buddhas, Gurus carry on the work of all the Enlightened Beings, acting as an accessible focal
point for your practices to gain Buddhahood yourself.
Through devotion to your Guru, showing him respect, sowing him and making offerings, you build up the merit that will allow you to become liberated from ? au your suffering. Such service is done not to benefit your Guru, but for your own sake. When
you plant seeds in a field, it is not to benefit the earth. It is -you yourself who will harvest the crops. Therefore with the proper devotional attitude towards your Guru-seeing him as a Buddha-the more positive energy you exert in his direction, the closer you come towards Buddhahood yourself. Likewise, if you hate your Guru and generate negative energy towards him, you are deliberately casting yourself away from his state of Enlightenment and its freedom from pain. As a
result you bring intense suffering upon yourself. Therefore if you see faults in your Guru and tend to belittle him, remember your opinions are unreliable and only unhappiness can result from despising the state of happiness be represents.
Remembering your Guru's kindne~s to teach you during tbis degenerate age after Sakyamuni Buddha bas passed away, you must develop loving respect for him. You Guru teaches
GURU-DEVOTION 161
? 162 MAHAMUDRA
you despite your delusions and does not force you to undergo such hardships as Je-tziln Mi-la rli-pa and others have had to endure in the past. He. gives you initiations, oral teachings and tr~nsmits the unbroken lineages coming from Buddha. He inspires you to attain his state and helps you materially when you need it. If you lack loving respect for, your Guru, it is impossible to become Enlightened. If you do not have respect for the state of Buddhabood he
represen~s. how can you attain it ?
These various aspects of devoting yourself to your Guru by
means of your thoughts are taught extensively in such texts as the "GaQI;lavyuha Siltra". These points and their scriptural references are found in detail in the "Lam-rim ch'en-mo" by Je Tzong-k'a-pa. The "Gurupaiicll? ikA" by A~vagh0$8 is the most comprehensive summary of bow to devote yourself to your Guru by means of your actions. lts scriptural sources are a wide range of tantric texts, including the "Guhyasamllja", "Kalacakra", "Cakruarlwara", "V ajra4ikinl" and "Vajra~ hrdayilamkara Tantras". The specific tantric sources for each verse are given in the "La-ma nga-cbu-pl nam-~hi", a ccm- mentary on this text also by Je Tzong-k'a-pa.
For the study and practice of tantra, Guru-devotion is even more essential and receives more emphasis than in the sQtra path. This is because the tantric practices are extremely difficult and complicated. I f done correctly they can bring you Buddha- hood within your lifetime, but if done improperly they may be
very dangerous and bring you extremely dire consequences. Therefore the direct personal gtsidance of a Guru is indispens~ able. As the "Gurupaikli? ika" outlines specifically how a disciple should act with his Guru, it is the custom to teach this text be- fore giving any tantric enpowerment or initiation. Once a Guru? disciple relationship is established, the disciple is taught Guru- devotion and the common path of renunciation of the suffering of satilsara, the Enlightened Motive of Bodhicitta and the correct view of Voidness (SilnyatA). Then after receiving the proper enpowerments, he can be led gradually through the stages o( tantra on the firm foundation of his Guru-devotion and the above "Three Principal Paths",
? Text
Homage_tothe. J;lhagflV. JO Va. Jrasattva.
Bhagavan is one of the man. Y epithet~ used for an Enlight? ened Being, a Buddha. The Tibetan term for it, "Chom-din-da (tiCom? 'lnan~? aas)". -ts etymologised- . ai fbua1t. _ . -'(:hom'" means'- :tb dvetcdJtlb. ,_Buddbas! l h~'lei ? DvJ:fCOJDO: hQth the ob! ltileleS' p. ioventin$: Li. betat. iP. ~: ~o4? . ,tJ\q(IA J:d~ttventing Omnbcienc;c;. Th~formor,. . jpcbs~e. tbc ddu~tU>ns-. o. r-. mQraland me. D~Al de~ffl~llt~ 0\IC. ~ill? as well 's the. ! r_ . ? nst. )pctp? . and the ignoranceofgraspingfortrue? indepen~eilfex1sten. ce. 'llielatter refers _to the instincts of thi$'fgnorance; 'Dllb 'm-ean- to possess. Blid'dlia'S) ~SC! iS' a1l good. qualitie! lr. llll"'inf oompleted 'their aetU'nttihttlon~? of1? botl1? meritnantl1ih~iglit? M:! sotfltlg ialllitf~FtWD\1 and' wi~dottt BBdi~s respectiVelY=. - . ,Bfi? ? -blt:tns:t~}1ai~b8)'bnifP.
. BmfaliaS'1iave'phs~~WeyO'dd ~liifisarl{l,uthtrcJ! ole:bflUftCO"nltbti&a? rcbnl~ w i t h l~ffertn~ d U t J ' t l j l k ' i l r n i ! i l a r i d , U d l u f i o b l .
''I'<Jte! hrttden nteal'ltng? of! Jil. llilsattYii~? ! ndtcji. Jtteitf. ! (iltl(tD~ sems-dpa') in Tibetan, C"dlf'A~6~? llisbbv~r@clft6~it-s. ayDYology? . "'Dor-je" means indestructible <\iP. -JUond-lightning. Here it refers to. th" di~Jro. qn<l-hard. wis. dom of the non~<tualitv of Voidness and Btiss:--that. Js. the-,nob-duality? . or---orltte. ~und? :tHat"'has bare perception~r. Voioness,expenencC. d \Vitha_fe~htfgof-~re"atBliss ana? (Zft'bt1. Voi'dtlt5Slt_ttat'l'Stlic--''6bj~t? ciftlds-mi'nd: ~''sem-pa'"
meiu1Silth6 one with' &lierdlc ntW. tJ. : ltJsignificJ:] som~e who J-4t}ttl11'n:t&ulf) a~anl! loru=dnaJI 4lj:lltJ~ions? . ? lsn<>r&~nce ? . a. u. d. their instincts and has the heroic min~ . tha~:i4 I;Cffqy,_1Q,J! Cj\p,. gJhcrs in a. ll. p~j_\>)~:fNR-YII,.
1JJ. ui. Bh. agllviin ? ~tjrasattY. a. rcf~r$. . t~. tll~s. \JJ~. oJ;Vairidbir"- tb~fqr. Wt:B-"441l. fl;~~cr1U1J;! ~qt~t~8. s! A~1tho way, to. attaiil thl? ~PJigll~nea,? ,tat~,~~,,tbr:oQ&b Oururdevot;oQ? . '. 4\Sv. agho,a. be. sliis b. l$1)VP. f~JlWAJll>tJ:Iis~:JU~~g! =; .
? 164 MAH. . lMUDRA
(1)
Bowing in the proper way to the lotus feet of
my Guru who is the cause for me to attain the state o f a glorious V ajrasattva, I shall con- dense and explain in brief what has been said in many stainless tantric texts about Guru-
devotion. (Therefore) listen with respect.
(2)
All the Buddhas of the past, present and future, residing in every land in the ten directions, have paid homage to the Tantric Masters from whom they have received the highest enpowerments. (Is there need to men? tion that you should too?
)
In general there are three types of enpowerments or initia- tions. causal, pathway and resultant. The first is to ripen your mind-stream, the second is an actual path of practice through which to gain E~lightenment and the thir~ is into the actual
liberated state of Buddhahood. Everyo. te who ever has or will attain Enlightenment does so through receiving these highest cnpowerments from their Tantric Masters.
{3)
Three times each day with supr:: me faith you must show the respect you have for your Guru who teaches you (the tantric path), by pressing your palms together, offering a ? maQ<;lala as well as flowers and prostrating (touching) your head to his feet.
As a disciple you must regard your Guru as an Enlightened Being. Even if from his own point of view he is not Enlightened and you, his disciple, have gained Buddhahood before him, you must still show him respect tlnd pay homage. For instance, Maitreya, the fifth and next Buddha of the thousand of this world age, who now presides over Tu$ita Buddha-field, became Enlightened before Jiis Guru, Sikyampni Buddha. To demon?
? strate respect for his Guru, Maitreya has a stQpa or reliqJJary monument on his forehead. Likewise Avalokitdvara. '4he incarnation of the compassion of all tho Buddhas, is crowned in his eleven-headed aspect with the head of his Guru, Amitibha Buddha, the one who presides over Sukhlvati Buddha-field.
Thus learning from a Guru should not be like killing a d~ to extract its musk and then discarding its corpse. Even after attaining Enlightenment you must still continue to honour your C'tru who made all your achievements possible.
(4)
Those who hold ordination vows, if (your
Gu. ru) is a layman or your junior, prostrate (iri public) while facing s u c h ? things as his scriptur~l texts in order to avoid worldly scorn. But in your mind (prostrate to your Guru).
(5)
As for serving (your Guru) and showing him
respect, such as obeying what he says, stand? ing up (when he comes) and showing him to his seat-these should be done even by those with ordination vows (whose Gurus are lay- men or their juniors). But (in public) avoid prostrating and unorthodox actions (such a$ washing his feet).
One of the ? ordination rules is that monks and nuns should not prostrate to laymen. This is taken to mtan that in public you should not show this type of respect for yo. ur lay Guru as it might cause misunderstanding and scorn among those who casually observe. It is better to prostrate facing scriptural te-~ts or Buddha images near him, while directin& your rever?
en. . e in your mind to your Guru.
For example, the great Masters Caildragoml and Candra~
klrti often debated with one another. The former was a layman, the latter a monk. One day Candrakirti invited Candragoml to his monastery. He wanted all the monks to form a procession, but the lay Master objected that the local townspeople would
? 166 MAHAMUDRA?
find it strange. Candrakirti told him. not to worry. . He place( a? -statue of,Maiijusd on a. ? higll throne and in the procession hac a monk: carry it. dir! =CJI>: be(qr~ ,Ca~dragoml. ,? All the ~opl thought that this cer~lJlO. t:JY . w~s i" bonour. of Maiijusri, . tl manifestation? of. the ,Buddhas: wisc;lom, and thus the moo! . avoi<! ed any bad feelings.
Although restraint a_nd indirect means of showing respc are often called for out of consideration for others, in private, disciple must follow all the proper procedures of Guru-devoti?
no matter what the status o( 1his Guru may be. Howevc general respect, such as rising. when he comes, must be shown 1 alftimes. ?
Onbisownpart~however,aqurushould alwaysbe? humble ''_,. ,III. . . . . . I? 'I
never arrog~nt <ir pompous thinlcing himself great arid worthy o. honour. P'a-rii. Rhipoehe,' one ? Of" the most realised? disdples ol the Senior: and Junior Tutors;of? ~His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, always kept a scriptural text by his seat. Explaining why, h~ said tl}. a~. w~en . pc;0,PI~ would come to visit him and prostrated, at least they. would gaio some mefil from showing respect to the scriptures since he himself had noqualifications. .
(6)
In order for the words of honour of neither the Guru nor th~ disciple to degenerate, there must be a mutual examination beforehand (to determine if each cart) brave a Guru-disciple relationship. .
At tantric enpowermenh many sets of vows are taken never? to abar. don the practices and procedures essential for spiritual progress. The disciple ? pledges his word of honour never. to? transgress tht. >e vows, such as always to visualise his Guru as inseparable from the meditations! deity into whose practice he has just been initiated. Such deities, 3s well as the Gurus, share the same Enlightened nature; as, all the Buddhas, differ- ing onlyiin the physical. aspect they; manifest. ?
The Guru, tbo, has previously? pledged his word of. honout' never to disclose the timtric secrets:. to those who are unable to undersiand and. keep them. . ' iust as the milk of:a lion" sbj,uJd
? -~ot, b e ~ept . i~ a : c'~y p o t ? . s o , l M p. i-qfo~nd a p d p o w e r f u l m e t h o d s of the? . tantra should . not. b~ entrusted . . to those who are not
s~ch'vows;. 'eith~r,the 'ouru. ()r disciple
ready. . ! If; havirig taken
.
. . . :
. . .
'. .
should , allow his weird of honour 'to degenerate, it will be im-
possible for either to 'attain;. ariyofhis goafs and very serious unfortunate consequences will ? follow for both. Therefore it is extremely. important for thcro? to'. be a . muJu'at examination between. the Guru and? disciplo 'before :they entet! ! il. formal re. lationship?
. In ancient ,times . in . or~c;r; tQ, rcce. ivq:,all? t~D~. werment a potential disciple would have to ask over a periq<Jpfitbree years.
_An initiation_ wa<J n,9t. ~t aU . ~~~rt~ing,fllS~~t. B~,~alci~the disciple wait so bog, ? a Gurtfimpresse<J on'him the seriousness
of entering the'tahtri~ patit; te'~ied his' comrti. itm:nt ilD. d ensure<t 'that he~as properlY'prepared. . :'brti:W~. q~;~? ~;>~td. . ? ~~~ea disciple' wait ? even l. onger b! foi"e ? 'agre'cing to' teach: 'him. any- thing. 1-le would repeat~d-ly '; tes't. bis . character~ a~d. 'orily wh~n he had' u'nde'rstood him well' would be' adccpt him as. his disciple.
The disciple also m~st test his potential'Q11ru and de~er? mine if he is fully qualified. . a~? must. '~eco:l'\ftdei). t :~h'at~e~ill be able to devote himse~ff~! ly'~Q. thi_s_'M. ,a~,ie~:;)~f~f~~~i~~fJ~g. ~ formal Guru-disc~ple. relatipns~ip, y~~; ~~~. C:9:"1P! ~,t~. frefrdom of choice. But once. such ~. bond. . ~a~ J? ecn ,es~ablishe~,? . t~~$e
. teachings on. Guru? devoti~n.
person next to you takes the ripe one, it is only due to your own greed that you accuse him of being greedy and selfish. If you were unattached to the fruit, it would not matter to you which one he took-you would simply sec him as having taken
a piece of fruit.
Likewise, if you can train yourself to see only good qualities llDd never any faults in your Guru, this positive outlook will come io pervade, amplify and reflect your own state of mind. As everyone has the basis Mahamudri or Buddha-nature within him-the clear, uncontaminated state of pure mind established without any true independent existence-then if you can see your Guru in terms of a Buddha, you have the possibility of activa- ting and realising your own Buddha-nature, that is achieving the resultant Mahamudri. If you see only faults, you merely rein- force your own shortcomings and negative attitude, whereu
if you see only perfection, you will be able to attain the perfec? tion of Buddhahood yourself. Therefore one of the main practices of Guru-yoga, particulary in Mahimudri and the tantra, is to realise the inseparability of your own mind with your Guru, the Buddhas and your meditational deity, who is a pure form manifestation of the Enlightened mind. Thus Guru-
devotion is the root of all attainments.
If your Guru acts in a seemingly unenlightendcd manner and you feel it would be hypocritical to think him a Buddha, you should remember that your own opinions are unreliable and the
apparent faults you see may only be a reflection of your own deluded state of mind. Also you should think that if your Guru
? acted in a completely perfect manner, be would be inaccessible and you would be unable to relate to him. It is therefore out of your Guru's great compassion that be may show apparent flaws. This is part of his use of skilful means in order for him to be able to teach you. He is mirroring your own faults; therefore check within and learn from him how to remove your short- comings. If you are only intent on criticising your Guru, you will never be able to benefit from him.
It was Buddha VajradhAra himself who said that your Guru is to be seen as a Buddha. Therefore if you have faith and take refuge in the Buddhist teachings, you will try to understand what Buddha meant by this statement. Buddhas exert a great positive influence on the world in the same way as does the sun. But just as a magnifying glass is needed to focus the rays of the sun in order for tinder to catch fire, so too a Guru is required to focus the Buddhas' virtuous conduct into a disciple's mind-stream and inspire him to follow a spiritnal path. Thus as living eJtamples representing the Buddhas, Gurus carry on the work of all the Enlightened Beings, acting as an accessible focal
point for your practices to gain Buddhahood yourself.
Through devotion to your Guru, showing him respect, sowing him and making offerings, you build up the merit that will allow you to become liberated from ? au your suffering. Such service is done not to benefit your Guru, but for your own sake. When
you plant seeds in a field, it is not to benefit the earth. It is -you yourself who will harvest the crops. Therefore with the proper devotional attitude towards your Guru-seeing him as a Buddha-the more positive energy you exert in his direction, the closer you come towards Buddhahood yourself. Likewise, if you hate your Guru and generate negative energy towards him, you are deliberately casting yourself away from his state of Enlightenment and its freedom from pain. As a
result you bring intense suffering upon yourself. Therefore if you see faults in your Guru and tend to belittle him, remember your opinions are unreliable and only unhappiness can result from despising the state of happiness be represents.
Remembering your Guru's kindne~s to teach you during tbis degenerate age after Sakyamuni Buddha bas passed away, you must develop loving respect for him. You Guru teaches
GURU-DEVOTION 161
? 162 MAHAMUDRA
you despite your delusions and does not force you to undergo such hardships as Je-tziln Mi-la rli-pa and others have had to endure in the past. He. gives you initiations, oral teachings and tr~nsmits the unbroken lineages coming from Buddha. He inspires you to attain his state and helps you materially when you need it. If you lack loving respect for, your Guru, it is impossible to become Enlightened. If you do not have respect for the state of Buddhabood he
represen~s. how can you attain it ?
These various aspects of devoting yourself to your Guru by
means of your thoughts are taught extensively in such texts as the "GaQI;lavyuha Siltra". These points and their scriptural references are found in detail in the "Lam-rim ch'en-mo" by Je Tzong-k'a-pa. The "Gurupaiicll? ikA" by A~vagh0$8 is the most comprehensive summary of bow to devote yourself to your Guru by means of your actions. lts scriptural sources are a wide range of tantric texts, including the "Guhyasamllja", "Kalacakra", "Cakruarlwara", "V ajra4ikinl" and "Vajra~ hrdayilamkara Tantras". The specific tantric sources for each verse are given in the "La-ma nga-cbu-pl nam-~hi", a ccm- mentary on this text also by Je Tzong-k'a-pa.
For the study and practice of tantra, Guru-devotion is even more essential and receives more emphasis than in the sQtra path. This is because the tantric practices are extremely difficult and complicated. I f done correctly they can bring you Buddha- hood within your lifetime, but if done improperly they may be
very dangerous and bring you extremely dire consequences. Therefore the direct personal gtsidance of a Guru is indispens~ able. As the "Gurupaikli? ika" outlines specifically how a disciple should act with his Guru, it is the custom to teach this text be- fore giving any tantric enpowerment or initiation. Once a Guru? disciple relationship is established, the disciple is taught Guru- devotion and the common path of renunciation of the suffering of satilsara, the Enlightened Motive of Bodhicitta and the correct view of Voidness (SilnyatA). Then after receiving the proper enpowerments, he can be led gradually through the stages o( tantra on the firm foundation of his Guru-devotion and the above "Three Principal Paths",
? Text
Homage_tothe. J;lhagflV. JO Va. Jrasattva.
Bhagavan is one of the man. Y epithet~ used for an Enlight? ened Being, a Buddha. The Tibetan term for it, "Chom-din-da (tiCom? 'lnan~? aas)". -ts etymologised- . ai fbua1t. _ . -'(:hom'" means'- :tb dvetcdJtlb. ,_Buddbas! l h~'lei ? DvJ:fCOJDO: hQth the ob! ltileleS' p. ioventin$: Li. betat. iP. ~: ~o4? . ,tJ\q(IA J:d~ttventing Omnbcienc;c;. Th~formor,. . jpcbs~e. tbc ddu~tU>ns-. o. r-. mQraland me. D~Al de~ffl~llt~ 0\IC. ~ill? as well 's the. ! r_ . ? nst. )pctp? . and the ignoranceofgraspingfortrue? indepen~eilfex1sten. ce. 'llielatter refers _to the instincts of thi$'fgnorance; 'Dllb 'm-ean- to possess. Blid'dlia'S) ~SC! iS' a1l good. qualitie! lr. llll"'inf oompleted 'their aetU'nttihttlon~? of1? botl1? meritnantl1ih~iglit? M:! sotfltlg ialllitf~FtWD\1 and' wi~dottt BBdi~s respectiVelY=. - . ,Bfi? ? -blt:tns:t~}1ai~b8)'bnifP.
. BmfaliaS'1iave'phs~~WeyO'dd ~liifisarl{l,uthtrcJ! ole:bflUftCO"nltbti&a? rcbnl~ w i t h l~ffertn~ d U t J ' t l j l k ' i l r n i ! i l a r i d , U d l u f i o b l .
''I'<Jte! hrttden nteal'ltng? of! Jil. llilsattYii~? ! ndtcji. Jtteitf. ! (iltl(tD~ sems-dpa') in Tibetan, C"dlf'A~6~? llisbbv~r@clft6~it-s. ayDYology? . "'Dor-je" means indestructible <\iP. -JUond-lightning. Here it refers to. th" di~Jro. qn<l-hard. wis. dom of the non~<tualitv of Voidness and Btiss:--that. Js. the-,nob-duality? . or---orltte. ~und? :tHat"'has bare perception~r. Voioness,expenencC. d \Vitha_fe~htfgof-~re"atBliss ana? (Zft'bt1. Voi'dtlt5Slt_ttat'l'Stlic--''6bj~t? ciftlds-mi'nd: ~''sem-pa'"
meiu1Silth6 one with' &lierdlc ntW. tJ. : ltJsignificJ:] som~e who J-4t}ttl11'n:t&ulf) a~anl! loru=dnaJI 4lj:lltJ~ions? . ? lsn<>r&~nce ? . a. u. d. their instincts and has the heroic min~ . tha~:i4 I;Cffqy,_1Q,J! Cj\p,. gJhcrs in a. ll. p~j_\>)~:fNR-YII,.
1JJ. ui. Bh. agllviin ? ~tjrasattY. a. rcf~r$. . t~. tll~s. \JJ~. oJ;Vairidbir"- tb~fqr. Wt:B-"441l. fl;~~cr1U1J;! ~qt~t~8. s! A~1tho way, to. attaiil thl? ~PJigll~nea,? ,tat~,~~,,tbr:oQ&b Oururdevot;oQ? . '. 4\Sv. agho,a. be. sliis b. l$1)VP. f~JlWAJll>tJ:Iis~:JU~~g! =; .
? 164 MAH. . lMUDRA
(1)
Bowing in the proper way to the lotus feet of
my Guru who is the cause for me to attain the state o f a glorious V ajrasattva, I shall con- dense and explain in brief what has been said in many stainless tantric texts about Guru-
devotion. (Therefore) listen with respect.
(2)
All the Buddhas of the past, present and future, residing in every land in the ten directions, have paid homage to the Tantric Masters from whom they have received the highest enpowerments. (Is there need to men? tion that you should too?
)
In general there are three types of enpowerments or initia- tions. causal, pathway and resultant. The first is to ripen your mind-stream, the second is an actual path of practice through which to gain E~lightenment and the thir~ is into the actual
liberated state of Buddhahood. Everyo. te who ever has or will attain Enlightenment does so through receiving these highest cnpowerments from their Tantric Masters.
{3)
Three times each day with supr:: me faith you must show the respect you have for your Guru who teaches you (the tantric path), by pressing your palms together, offering a ? maQ<;lala as well as flowers and prostrating (touching) your head to his feet.
As a disciple you must regard your Guru as an Enlightened Being. Even if from his own point of view he is not Enlightened and you, his disciple, have gained Buddhahood before him, you must still show him respect tlnd pay homage. For instance, Maitreya, the fifth and next Buddha of the thousand of this world age, who now presides over Tu$ita Buddha-field, became Enlightened before Jiis Guru, Sikyampni Buddha. To demon?
? strate respect for his Guru, Maitreya has a stQpa or reliqJJary monument on his forehead. Likewise Avalokitdvara. '4he incarnation of the compassion of all tho Buddhas, is crowned in his eleven-headed aspect with the head of his Guru, Amitibha Buddha, the one who presides over Sukhlvati Buddha-field.
Thus learning from a Guru should not be like killing a d~ to extract its musk and then discarding its corpse. Even after attaining Enlightenment you must still continue to honour your C'tru who made all your achievements possible.
(4)
Those who hold ordination vows, if (your
Gu. ru) is a layman or your junior, prostrate (iri public) while facing s u c h ? things as his scriptur~l texts in order to avoid worldly scorn. But in your mind (prostrate to your Guru).
(5)
As for serving (your Guru) and showing him
respect, such as obeying what he says, stand? ing up (when he comes) and showing him to his seat-these should be done even by those with ordination vows (whose Gurus are lay- men or their juniors). But (in public) avoid prostrating and unorthodox actions (such a$ washing his feet).
One of the ? ordination rules is that monks and nuns should not prostrate to laymen. This is taken to mtan that in public you should not show this type of respect for yo. ur lay Guru as it might cause misunderstanding and scorn among those who casually observe. It is better to prostrate facing scriptural te-~ts or Buddha images near him, while directin& your rever?
en. . e in your mind to your Guru.
For example, the great Masters Caildragoml and Candra~
klrti often debated with one another. The former was a layman, the latter a monk. One day Candrakirti invited Candragoml to his monastery. He wanted all the monks to form a procession, but the lay Master objected that the local townspeople would
? 166 MAHAMUDRA?
find it strange. Candrakirti told him. not to worry. . He place( a? -statue of,Maiijusd on a. ? higll throne and in the procession hac a monk: carry it. dir! =CJI>: be(qr~ ,Ca~dragoml. ,? All the ~opl thought that this cer~lJlO. t:JY . w~s i" bonour. of Maiijusri, . tl manifestation? of. the ,Buddhas: wisc;lom, and thus the moo! . avoi<! ed any bad feelings.
Although restraint a_nd indirect means of showing respc are often called for out of consideration for others, in private, disciple must follow all the proper procedures of Guru-devoti?
no matter what the status o( 1his Guru may be. Howevc general respect, such as rising. when he comes, must be shown 1 alftimes. ?
Onbisownpart~however,aqurushould alwaysbe? humble ''_,. ,III. . . . . . I? 'I
never arrog~nt <ir pompous thinlcing himself great arid worthy o. honour. P'a-rii. Rhipoehe,' one ? Of" the most realised? disdples ol the Senior: and Junior Tutors;of? ~His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, always kept a scriptural text by his seat. Explaining why, h~ said tl}. a~. w~en . pc;0,PI~ would come to visit him and prostrated, at least they. would gaio some mefil from showing respect to the scriptures since he himself had noqualifications. .
(6)
In order for the words of honour of neither the Guru nor th~ disciple to degenerate, there must be a mutual examination beforehand (to determine if each cart) brave a Guru-disciple relationship. .
At tantric enpowermenh many sets of vows are taken never? to abar. don the practices and procedures essential for spiritual progress. The disciple ? pledges his word of honour never. to? transgress tht. >e vows, such as always to visualise his Guru as inseparable from the meditations! deity into whose practice he has just been initiated. Such deities, 3s well as the Gurus, share the same Enlightened nature; as, all the Buddhas, differ- ing onlyiin the physical. aspect they; manifest. ?
The Guru, tbo, has previously? pledged his word of. honout' never to disclose the timtric secrets:. to those who are unable to undersiand and. keep them. . ' iust as the milk of:a lion" sbj,uJd
? -~ot, b e ~ept . i~ a : c'~y p o t ? . s o , l M p. i-qfo~nd a p d p o w e r f u l m e t h o d s of the? . tantra should . not. b~ entrusted . . to those who are not
s~ch'vows;. 'eith~r,the 'ouru. ()r disciple
ready. . ! If; havirig taken
.
. . . :
. . .
'. .
should , allow his weird of honour 'to degenerate, it will be im-
possible for either to 'attain;. ariyofhis goafs and very serious unfortunate consequences will ? follow for both. Therefore it is extremely. important for thcro? to'. be a . muJu'at examination between. the Guru and? disciplo 'before :they entet! ! il. formal re. lationship?
. In ancient ,times . in . or~c;r; tQ, rcce. ivq:,all? t~D~. werment a potential disciple would have to ask over a periq<Jpfitbree years.
_An initiation_ wa<J n,9t. ~t aU . ~~~rt~ing,fllS~~t. B~,~alci~the disciple wait so bog, ? a Gurtfimpresse<J on'him the seriousness
of entering the'tahtri~ patit; te'~ied his' comrti. itm:nt ilD. d ensure<t 'that he~as properlY'prepared. . :'brti:W~. q~;~? ~;>~td. . ? ~~~ea disciple' wait ? even l. onger b! foi"e ? 'agre'cing to' teach: 'him. any- thing. 1-le would repeat~d-ly '; tes't. bis . character~ a~d. 'orily wh~n he had' u'nde'rstood him well' would be' adccpt him as. his disciple.
The disciple also m~st test his potential'Q11ru and de~er? mine if he is fully qualified. . a~? must. '~eco:l'\ftdei). t :~h'at~e~ill be able to devote himse~ff~! ly'~Q. thi_s_'M. ,a~,ie~:;)~f~f~~~i~~fJ~g. ~ formal Guru-disc~ple. relatipns~ip, y~~; ~~~. C:9:"1P! ~,t~. frefrdom of choice. But once. such ~. bond. . ~a~ J? ecn ,es~ablishe~,? . t~~$e
. teachings on. Guru? devoti~n.
