在靈感中翻譯佛法，在業力下努力微笑

噶千仁波切2015年西雅圖弘法：0705 Fivefold Profound Path of Mahamudra (IIa) by H. E. Garchen Rinpoche

[Beginning with the opening prayers (p.1):] “All mother sentient beings . . . “

So, Tashi Delek, my Dharma friends! We come back to the teachings of the Dharma. So, first of all we need to understand that all Dharma is the same, no matter what Buddhist lineage or tradition we follow. It is really important to understand that. Ultimately, all Dharma, all the Buddhist teachings, have really the same essential meaning. And that was already shown in the morning when we read the opening prayers, which say: “May all sentient beings have happiness and the causes of happiness.” If you read only that prayer, these words actually represent the heart of all of the different Buddhist traditions, which all Buddhist traditions share in common.

So all beings want to be happy.   But also, we need to understand the causes of happiness. The qualities, the Buddha gave us, when giving us the Dharma, is that the Buddha had recognized what actually is happiness, and what are the causes of happiness. And then, the Buddha gave us, as an offering, those causes of happiness, the cause of happiness is love and compassion.

Actually, we need to understand that if we care for others, if we cultivate love for others, then that is actually our own greatest benefit. So, if we want to benefit ourselves, actually the greatest way we can do that is to cultivate compassion for others, to have an altruistic mind towards others. That is something that nobody apart from the Buddha had known. So cultivating compassion for others, caring for others, is actually the best way to care for oneself. Because if we cultivate compassion, once the block of ice of self-grasping melts, the mind becomes very open and vast. And so that openness, that vastness of mind, comes from thinking about others. So that is the cause of happiness—it is love and compassion for others. So if you understand that, then you also know that if, for example, you experience happiness in this life, you know that this comes from actions that you have done with a mind of love in previous lives.

And then we say “May beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.” So the Buddha also introduced what suffering is, and then, what are the causes of suffering. The causes of suffering are self-grasping and then all of the afflictions that come from self-grasping. And the way to destroy self-grasping is to cultivate compassion. And that, really, all the Buddhist traditions share in common. So we always read in the beginning, that the refuge and the motivation of Bodhicitta is the same in all Buddhist traditions. So when we take refuge, we first take refuge in the Buddha. So what does that mean when we take refuge in the Buddha? The Buddha taught us—introduced us to—the workings of karma and the causes of happiness. The Buddha said: if you wish to be happy, then you have to create those causes of happiness. So that is why we take refuge in the Buddha.

And then we take refuge in the Dharma. And what is the Dharma actually? It is nothing else but love and compassion. So when you take refuge in the Dharma, the Buddha says, you should not allow your love and your compassion to become spoiled, even at the cost of your life. Because if you lose your love, you have lost your cause of happiness. And then there is no benefit in having just this great knowledge about the Dharma.

And so then we also take refuge in the Sangha, because all of that—the Dharma, the teachings of karma, love and compassion—are given to us by our spiritual teacher. What we learned from the transmission of the spiritual teacher is something that we can never really fully grasp by just reading many books and so on. So we need to actually rely on a teacher. That is why we take refuge in the Sangha. And so we take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. And the Sangha represents, or is the embodiment of, all those Three Jewels.

As we mentioned yesterday, 'Sangha' means someone who has become liberated from suffering and therefore can also show the way to liberation to others. According to the sutra system, the guru—the lama—represents the Three Jewels. The guru's form the body, is the Sangha; the speech is the Dharma; and the mind is the Buddha. And no matter how bad a lama he might be, there is no guru—no teacher—that doesn’t know karma and that wouldn’t teach you about love and compassion. So therefore, even though the lama’s conduct may be questionable, you should not investigate that and criticize the teacher, but rather you should hold on to the words of that teacher and practice them. Because the point of our relying on a teacher is to liberate ourselves, not to liberate that teacher. So there’s no need to criticize or investigate whether they are doing things right, because we are the ones who want to be liberated—who have yet to be liberated. From our perspective, therefore, we have to cultivate a pure perception towards our teacher, without too much investigating and criticizing the teacher’s conduct. So according to the sutra path, therefore, we should see that teacher as the embodiment of the Three Jewels. So 'form' is the Sangha, 'speech' is the Dharma, and 'mind' is the Buddha. So how is it the 'mind' is the Buddha? The guru’s mind is a mind of love and compassion. And wherever there is love and compassion, that mind is exactly the same as the mind of the Buddha.  

And actually on this basis, ultimately, our mind is also one with that Mind. Ultimately, the guru’s mind, the Buddha’s Mind, and our own mind is the same. But, then, the difference between us is that the guru has cultivated love and compassion, whereas we still hold on to a self, we are selfish. So the, therefore, guru can help us, with his love, to overcome our selfish mind. It is compassion that destroys the self-grasping mind. And that is why, in the Sutra path, we see the Guru as the embodiment of the Three Jewels. Today we move on to the next part of the Guru Yoga practice. So we always read this Refugee Prayer in the morning. That is very important. And once you understand its meaning, every time you read it, you should remember the meaning of it.

For example, when you read “May all beings have happiness,” you should remember that the causes of happiness: love and compassion. And the causes of suffering are self-grasping and all of the afflictions. If I engage in actions that come from a mind of love, everything I do becomes a practice of the six paramitas. So that really is like the intersection, the juncture, between going up and down. It is the crossroads of self-grasping or altruism. In the 37 Bodhisattva Practices it says: “All suffering without exception comes from wishing for one’s own happiness. The perfect Buddhas arise from the altruistic mind.” And also in the Samantabhadra Prayer it says: “There is a single ground, yet two paths and two fruitions.” So that is really the essence of it—the life force of the Dharma. Apart from that, there are many different words of explanation, but it all comes down to this one meaning. And if you understand only this, your path will be unmistaken. You will have a direction in which to go and a freedom to go in the right direction. So again, in the beginning, when we read those opening prayers, we bring to mind that, according to the sutra path, the guru—the lama—is the embodiment of the Three Jewels.

So then, according to the Vajrayana, we practice the Guru’s 'four kayas'. As we have said, in the sutra system, the Guru is the embodiment of the three jewels. Then in the tantric system, when it comes to the actual practice, the Three Jewels become the three roots: the lama, yidam and dakini. But the meaning of those is the same. When it comes to practice, we practice the three roots, which also have the nature of the Three Jewels. So here, then, the Guru’s body, the form is the lama, the speech is the yidam, and the mind is the dakini. And so then, we can also call these three roots the 'inner three jewels' when it comes to actual practice.

So the Guru’s form is the lama, the teacher that we can see with our eyes, with a physical form. This name, or term, 'lama' also has a meaning. We actually can refer to the lama in different ways, like our spiritual friend, our spiritual teacher, and so on.   But this term 'lama' is explained for example in this way, also in other ways. The first syllable la is like the spirit of all sentient beings, in a way, like the kind of life-force spirit of sentient being, which means something that all beings think about. When we think about it, we feel inspired. So it is like an inspiration to sentient beings. When they think of that being, then they feel joyful and happy. So it becomes like a kind of inspiration. For example, like His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Actually, everybody loves His Holiness. But then, we wonder: really, why do we? What is it that makes us think of His Holiness all the time? What is it that inspires us? Why do we like him? He never actually goes around and passes out candy, giving us presents. So why is it that we like him? So, I ask myself, too. I love him, but why is that? He’s never given me anything.

That is because he has great love for all beings. And because of his love for sentient beings, sentient beings are inspired by him and they think of him. So he becomes something that people think of, that they keep in mind. And why do they always think of him? Because he loves all beings like a mother loves her child. That's the second syllable of 'lama', the ma means 'mother'. So beings think of him because he sees them as his children, like a mother sees her child. He loves them like a mother loves her child. For example, when we take the Bodhisattva vow, we also take the vow to cultivate love for all beings in the six realms, just like a mother loves her child. So at this time we become like the mother of all sentient beings. Another example is when we start a Dharma center. Actually those who work for the Dharma center should see themselves as parents and all the disciples who come as their children. If they have this perception, then the Dharma center will turn out well. So that is how we can understand this term 'lama': as the inspiration, the spirit of all sentient beings, and like the mother of all sentient beings. So that is the form, which is the guru, the lama.

And the guru, actually, is more kind than our mother. Because our mother—although she protects us in this life and gives us our precious human body—can only protect us in this life, at most for as long as we live, but not beyond this life. But our spiritual teacher, the lama, can protect us throughout future lives. It begins with taking the refuge vow, and then if we engage in practice, we will be protected in all our lifetimes. And ultimately, for our own purpose, we attain the kingdom of the Dharmakaya. And for the purpose of others, in order to benefit others , we continue to appear, in the form of Rupakayas, steering their steps away from samsara, for as long as samsara exists, as we mentioned yesterday. So what is it that will really protect us? It is the love that we receive from the lama, from the teacher. We have received the teachings of the Four Immeasurables. If we cultivate that, then naturally we will always achieve happiness in the higher realms temporarily. And ultimately we will attain enlightenment, even if we are not wishing for it. In the Samantabhadra Prayer, it says at the beginning that, by reading this prayer “samsaric sentient ones cannot help but become buddhas.” So what is meant by that? We cannot help but attain enlightenment. So right now our mind, due to self-grasping, is like ice. But when the weather， gets hot, then the ice will naturally melt. So even if a ice block says, “I’m going to remain ice; I don’t want to melt,” if the weather is warm, it can’t but melt. And when it melts, it becomes water. So it is just like that.

When we cultivate love and compassion, there’s nothing else that we need do; we naturally will attain enlightenment. And even if we have no wish to attain enlightenment, even if we say “I don’t want to attain enlightenment,” if we have love, we will attain enlightenment. Likewise, lacking love, even if you wish for enlightenment but do not cultivate love, you will not attain enlightenment, you cannot attain enlightenment.

So this is what is given to us by our spiritual teacher, the lama. So that is why the lama becomes our real protection, temporarily and ultimately. What you receive from this lama is the teachings, the path on karma and the two truths: these are the words that we should hold on to and practice. And apart from that, we should have a pure perception in regards to the teacher. Anyone who is able to sustain that pure perception, will find that it is, to their own best advantage. And whoever cultivates the wrong view, will find that it is actually only harming themselves, not harming the teacher.   If one person has no faith in that teacher, another one will come and have faith in him. If one person doesn’t accept him, someone else will accept him. That is due to the blessings of the Three Jewels. But if we cultivate a wrong view, a negative mind, then that will only obscure or blind our own mind.

The Buddha taught that there are three states that should never be present in our mind, namely: covetousness, harmful thoughts, and wrong view. These are basically the three poisons. Covetousness is attachment, harmful thought is hatred, and wrong view is ignorance. So ignorance, or wrong view, comes about because, even though we don’t know any better ourselves, we still debate others; we do not accept others. So that is a wrong view. So we should not criticize and see the teacher in a negative way because this will only result in our own loss. We should take the words of the Dharma and put them into practice. Then we will definitely never be mistaken on our path.

So, the form of the Guru is the lama. And then, we have said, the speech is the yidam. And, because through the guru’s speech we received the instructions on the various tantras—we received the transmissions, the empowerments, and various other pith instructions on the secret mantra, the various skillful means of secret mantra, the meditation on the yidam deity—the speech [of the lama/guru] becomes the yidam deity. Moreover, after the guru, the lama, has died—it is really only the body that dies—the mind continues, remaining with even greater clarity in the nature of the yidam deity in the bardo, becoming one with the Sambhogakaya of the yidam deity. Ourselves also, having received the instructions of the yidam deity, after death will become the yidam deity, through having received those words of the guru.

So the words, or the speech, is the yidam, and then the mind is the dakini—because the ultimate dakini actually represents the ultimate nature of emptiness. So, ultimately, your mind and the guru’s mind are indivisible. It is only due to a [mis]perception of the self that we perceive a duality. But, in actuality, our mind is empty, and therefore is one with that of the guru. And the dakini represents the nature of this emptiness. The dakini also represents the Dharmodaya [chöjung], the source of all phenomenon, which is basically space—the space-like emptiness. That is, whenever duality has dissolved, we realize this space-like nature, the space-like nondual primordial awareness. And this state is what we have called the wisdom dakini. So for this reason, we say that the guru’s mind is the dakini. So, according to the tantric system, or from a practical perspective, the guru is the embodiment of the three roots.

So then, having put into practice those three roots, ultimately as a result we attain the qualities of the Buddha’s three 'kayas'. When we realize the nature of our mind as it is, we see that those three kayas naturally are actually complete within our own mind. So we realize that the nature of the mind is emptiness and this empty essence of the mind is the Dharmakaya quality of the mind. So when you meditate and look at your mind, it is like space, without any sense of a boundary; it is just like space—empty—and that is the quality of the Dharmakaya. So the essence is 'empty', without sense and boundary.

But then, it is not only emptiness, nothingness. This empty expanse also has a clear, knowing quality. So it is not just 'nothing'—we also are conscious of 'something'.   We are aware of our own empty nature. We know the nature of mind is empty, like space. So this conscious, knowing capacity is the quality of the Sambhogakaya, the clarity aspect.   So when we meditate, and then thoughts arise, there is an awareness that recognizes, that knows that the thoughts are arising. For example, you know when anger arises: this is 'anger', another affliction, an emotion. Or this is 'love', and this is 'compassion'. So that is the wisdom that knows, a discerning awareness that knows how to distinguish between what to do and what not to do. For example, when you are eating food, there is a knowing awareness that knows that 'this is good to eat' or 'it's wrong to eat that'.

So then, if you look at that consciousness, that consciousness is always there. It never actually goes away. So that is the space-like nature of the mind that is naturally clear because it naturally knows. So the essence is empty, like space, and the nature of this space-like nature, is clarity, this clear awareness. So it is not just emptiness or nothingness. So that dispels both extremes: it is free from the extreme of eternalism because it is empty, and it is also free from the extreme of nihilism because it is also clear and conscious. So this clarity is where the Sambhogakaya arises from. And then this union, of emptiness and clarity, is an all-pervasive union of Great Compassion. This emptiness and clarity is a unity; it is one expanse. It cannot be taken apart. Just like you cannot separate water from milk—it is one expanse. It is a vast expanse like space, that is everywhere, and that expanse is clear-knowing. And this all-pervasive nature, pervades with the radiance of love. And that is the quality the Nirmanakaya arises from. So how does it arise? When you realize the nature of this mind, you realize that the actual nature of mind is very blissful. And it is unchanging. It doesn't arise and it doesn't decline. And it is never born and it never dies. In the Samantabhadra Prayer, therefore, it says: “Even if the three worlds were to be destroyed, there is be no fear.” So even if this world would come to an end, it would not affect the mind at all. It is because we have a body that we are afraid of death, but this is just a physical level. We fear death, but actually the mind cannot die.

４９：２７However sentient being have not realized that, and because they have not realized that, they suffer incredibly. And then even the slightest difficulty causes them great torment. For example, they are a little bit sick or they have a little bit of a problem.   Or if they are not really sick, they are very sad, and so on. They have problems and they suffer greatly. For example, we live in a country like America, for example, which is really like the pure land of Dewachen—it’s a free country. But then, on the inner level, people have a lot of problems. They have a lot of worries about their work and have all kinds of negative emotions; they get sick and often people are overwhelmed and even commit suicide. So all of these sufferings—this inner suffering of our worries, and our emotions and feelings—we actually cannot see all of that. It is nowhere in actuality. But although it’s not actually there, it causes a lot of suffering— unbearable suffering. When one realizes the nature of the mind, one sees this confusion. And then really, from the bottom of one’s heart, one feels great compassion for all of those sentient beings who cannot see this confusion, and who really suffer about something that does not actually exist.

And so, if one has realized the nature of the mind, one sees all of that as an illusory play or like a dream—a temporary, illusory play　of body and mind in this world. But it is just like a dream. When you are dreaming at night, for example, then it seems to be real; but then in the daytime, it is gone. So now we think that our nighttime experience of the dream is not real and just our day time is the reality. But it is the mind moving between those two states. And because the mind is moving between those states, the experiences of those states are impermanent. Everything is always constantly changing, like an illusory play. So now it is here, but the next moment it’s gone again. For example, last night’s dream is gone now. And when you are in the next dream, then today is gone. Then whatever you have experienced during the daytime, in your waking state, all of that is gone. And when you come back to the waking state again, all of the dream is gone.

And so in this way you go around in circles, and both of these states are not actually true; they do not actually, inherently exist. So this is what we have called “circling in samsara.” This is how the mind circles in samsara. And while it is doing that, the underlying basis of clarity and emptiness always remains as it is, unchangingly. And when you realize that, you realize that all the play on the surface is just like an illusion—an illusory play. And then, when you realize that, there is no suffering. But then you see all of those beings who have not realized that, and you feel great compassion for their confusion. That is the quality of the Nirmanakaya, this all-pervasive compassion. So in this way, the three kayas are complete within your own mind when you engage in practice—you meditate and realize that—you realize that within. The three kayas are complete within your mind.

So that is the three kayas. The mind does not go out to find the three kayas on an external level, but the three kayas are actually reflected within one’s own mind. And so, realizing that then, you give devotion to your own mind. Because you realize: my own mind, the guru’s mind and the Buddha’s mind are all one. It is just like light, or electricity in this world. You might have a hundred light bulbs, for example, as 'forms' of light. They appear to be a hundred different 'things', but essentially there is only one 'light'. There is only one such thing which we call light. They are all the same—the same kind of light. And so, just like this one 'light' in this world, we all have the same mind, the same qualities of the three kayas. So when you realize that the three kayas of the guru are actually complete within your own mind, that realization is the fourth kaya, the Svabhavikakaya or the 'essence' kaya. So that is to recognize that the three kayas are not somewhere 'in' the guru—some 'elsewhere'—but are actually qualities of my own mind.

So, it says, “Dharma Lord Jigten Sumgon which says: ‘If the sun of devotion does not shine on the snow mountain of the Guru’s four kayas, (four bodies) then the stream of melted snow of blessings will not flow.” This says “the guru’s four kayas,” but you realize that 'the mind of the guru and my own mind are actually the same'. So realizing that is the realization of the four kayas. And so, then, the qualities of realizing the four kayas, are actualized when we cultivate devotion as a method—to actualize that, we cultivate devotion. So it says, “when the sun of devotion shines, then the stream of blessing will flow.” So unless it (the sun) shines, the stream of blessing will not flow. The sun of devotion is like sun that shines on the snow mountain. The word 'devotion' in Tibetan, mö-gün, [55:15] also has two syllables. The first, mö means to aspire. And what are we aspiring to? We aspire to become liberated from samsara, from self-and-others. Because we do not want to suffer in samsara—we want to become liberated—we aspire to liberation. And because we aspire to liberation we will do whatever the guru tells us to do.   Because we aspire to liberation, we will practice anything.   And so, the second syllable of mö-gün—gün—means to respect. We respect, we consider, the words of the guru. That is significant because there is no benefit in embracing the form of the guru. It is more beneficial to embrace the guru’s words, the guru’s speech—to practice what the guru tells us to do. And when we do that, then our mind will merge with the mind of the guru.

Jigten Sumgön has said: “I’m a yogi who realized the guru’s mind, the Buddha’s mind, and my own mind to be one.” That means there are no other outer objects in whom we place devotion, ultimately, but all of the qualities are complete within our own mind. So, of course from our perspective, as a beginning practitioner who has not realized that, we first develop that. We practice by cultivating devotion to our outer guru and we develop trust. 'Trust' is mainly trust in karma, in cause and effect, and that is to understand relative truth. Here, we know that when we understand karma, we know that by cultivating love and compassion, self-grasping will then diminish. And when there is no longer any self-grasping, we will realize the ultimate truth. We will naturally realize the nature of the mind. And when we realize the nature of the mind, we realize that our own mind is indivisible from the mind of the guru. So then it is like the ice melting and merging into one with the ocean. 　

So first we cultivate trust, and trust in karma; then faith, devotion to the guru, which really means to respect and consider the words of the guru, the teachings of the guru and not only the body. So, for example, when I enter the room, you are getting up—that is a form of showing respect to the guru’s form, the body, which is also a good thing, but it is more important to hold onto the guru’s words, the guru’s teachings. It is said that the best, the supreme devotion is to uphold the authentic words of the guru. So we do that, unless that sun of devotion shines, the current of blessings will not emerge. And so when we pay respect or devotion to the guru, we need to consider the guru’s words, the guru’s teachings.

So when we do the guru yoga practice, according to the sutra path, we must first understand the qualities of the guru. So, in regards to that, in the 37 Bodhisattva Practices, it says you should hold the guru as even more dear than your own body. That is an important point that we should really consider, again and again: The guru is even more dear than one’s own body. In this life there are various forms of protection: for example, our parents, our country. They protect us, but only in this life. If you understand karma, however, then you will have some protection in all future life times. If you understand karma, you know that the cause of happiness is love and the cause of all suffering is self-grasping. So if you know that, then also it is necessary to really try to find that within your own mind, by looking at your own mind. It is not sufficient just to understand that, to just know that. It is also important to really find that in your own mind, to apply that to your own state of mind. And how can we really develop that? How we can find love in our own mind? What is the method to develop that?

Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok said that love is something that we cannot buy, even with thousands of golden coins. We cannot buy that for any amount. It is something that we need to habituate, that we need to cultivate in our own mind. And so therefore, we need to gradually rely on the Dharma that we have received from our guru. And it begins with cultivating the 'four thoughts that turn the mind'. That is the method used to cultivate Bodhicitta where it has not yet arisen. It is especially to contemplate the suffering of samsara and so on. Second, is the method to not let Bodhicitta decline where it has arisen. And that is the Bodhisattva path, where we develop the qualities of Bodhicitta. And then, the third method is to further increase Bodhicitta, which is to understand that ultimately, self and others, Buddhas and sentient beings, do not exist—they are actually one. So that is the Vajrayana path, the ultimate cultivation of Bodhicitta.

So when we engage in the Vajrayana path of the practice, we practice the path of the three roots. And the secret practice is how the three kayas are actually complete within one’s own channels, winds, and drops. The seed of the Nirmanakaya is present in the channels. The seed of the Sambhogakaya in the winds. And the seed of the Dharmakaya in the drops, the bindus. So when we know that, we realize that the elements—the elements within us—the nature of the Buddha, all the qualities of the Buddha, are actually complete. And in order to realize that, we rely on the skillful path of practice—for example, the Six Yogas of Naropa. And in order to rely on such a path, we need to rely on a guru. We cannot cultivate all these qualities by only relying on ourselves, without following the guru. And that is why the lineage is so significant. So we follow the practice lineage of blessings, where the method is transmitted from one master to another master, from master to disciple, uninterruptedly.

According to the new tantric , for instance, it is transmitted from the Buddha Vajradhara through Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa, Milarepa and so forth. And then also, according to the Nyingma system there is a different division of transmission. There is the sixfold transmission of lineage or often, also, a ninefold transmission, but it is very complicated in the various lineages. In brief, we can say that all of them are gathered into three lineages. That is, the lineage of the profound view, the lineage of vast conduct, and the practice lineage of blessings.

The lineage of the profound view, transmitted since the Buddha Shakyamuni, is the cultivation of the twofold Bodhicitta. Then the lineage of the vast conduct refers to the practice of the six paramitas— putting this Bodhicitta into practice. And finally, there’s the practice lineage of blessings.   As a result of practicing, according to this lineage, we attain the actual, the ultimate, result. As we have mentioned, one first becomes liberated, and then is able to liberate others. So in order to do that, we need to rely on the guru. And even if we are unable to engage in various other practices, it is sufficient to only practice the guru yoga. Everything is included in that. So when we practice the guru, we should see the guru as the embodiment of the nine jewels. That is, he is the embodiment of the Three Jewels (the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha), the embodiment of the three roots (the lama, yidam, and dakini), and the embodiment of the three kayas (the Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya, and Nirmanakaya).

So the guru is the embodiment of those nine jewels. And by realizing the guru, we will obtain all of the qualities that are present in the guru’s mind. So that, speaking in terms of the guru here, it is not only this one guru, one’s own guru, but actually all of the teachers in the world. We should see them all as very kind and very precious, regardless of whether it is a worldly teacher or a religious teacher. Even a worldly teacher would teach us things about this world, like sciences and so on. They are all very kind. For example, a school teacher teaches children. When I see a school teacher, I think that this is a person who has a lot merit because he passes on these many great qualities to the children. And that is very valuable, because what happens if we do not learn anything, even in a worldly sense? America, for example, is like a pure land, like Dewachen, but still there are many people who have not learned anything and they are really helpless, then. They cannot find their own food and they sleep on the street, they take drugs, and so on. And that leads to a decline of wisdom. So, whether it is clear to us or not, whether we want that or not, in this way we are creating the causes of birth as an animal. So such a person may seem to be like a human, but they are conducting themselves more like an animal, or even worse, because they are taking all kinds of drugs and drinking and so on. So when you see that, for example, and you understand the qualities of a teacher, even a worldly teacher, you might think: I don’t want to be like that, I don’t want to be born as an animal. I want to pay respect to my teachers and I want to learn something, whether in a worldly or in a Dharma sense. We need to learn from both of these systems and consider all teachers as very precious.

So when we think in this way then, how do we see our spiritual teachers? So where does a spiritual teacher come from? The teacher comes from the Buddha’s teachings, and the teachings come from our teacher, the Buddha. And that comes from understanding, what the Buddha taught us, is on a conventional level, the workings of karma, the causes of happiness. So if you understand the preciousness of the teacher, even if you just see, for example, a monk’s robe, a piece of a robe, you will think: this is very precious, it is the robe of a teacher. If you have this state of mind, your mind becomes like an open flower, a blossoming flower. By cultivating faith and devotion in any teacher, your mind becomes vast and you accumulate great merit.

So, how does it look if that is not the case? If that is not the case, if you cannot see the preciousness of teachers, then, for example, you will only see everything in a critical way. And that critical viewing of things comes from, first of all, a dualistic perception of self and others, and then one’s own afflictions of the mind. Then, wherever you go—for example, if you come to an assembly of sangha—you will only see faults there. So you will come to a monastery and see a sangha, an assembly of monks and then you might think: oh, it’s like a joke, they are just playing around, and they are doing all kinds of terrible things, so you criticize their conduct. And you think that all of this is not serious and so on—you only see their faults. However, you should consider that, in a monastery for example, let’s say you have a thousand monks there Within those thousand monks, a hundred, or maybe at least fifty of them, might turn out to be Bodhisattvas by being in that monastery. That is meaningful!

Another example: if you have a flower, a flower gives out a hundred seeds, so then you have a hundred seeds. Not all of them will turn into a flower. Most of them will become spoiled, but if even one of them becomes a flower, then it will do what flowers do. And so, in the same way, a guru will do what a guru does, so if even one guru emerges from an assembly of many, it is already very meaningful. Then the assembly already is meaningful. And wherever we go in this world we will always find faults and qualities together. So that is why we should see it all in a pure way, having a pure perception of all spiritual teachers, because whatever they do, on a personal level, they open the eyes to karma—of what to do and what not to do—to sentient beings. They give us a refuge vow and so, therefore, they are all very precious. So if you see in this way, your mind opens up and becomes vast.

When the mind opens up, you will want to practice. And if you practice, your devotion will increase even more. So that is why it is necessary to first cultivate a pure perception, of faith and devotion. And so when we practice the guru yoga, the essence of guru yoga is to obtain the qualities of the guru’s mind. So when we practice the yidam deity, for example, we first visualize the guru at our heart, which represents our mind. When we come to actual practice, therefore, when we put the three roots into practice, then the body, speech, and mind shift a little bit. Then the mind is the guru, the body is the yidam and the speech is the dakini. So the mind is the guru at our heart. The body is the yidam because we visualize the yidam. And the speech is the dakini, because with our speech we recite the mantra. Through the mantra we attain accomplishment: we liberate all the afflictions and thoughts in our mind and we liberate them into the state of emptiness. So again, the dakini represents emptiness, which is accomplished through the mantra recitation. Therefore, here, in this conduct of practice, the dakini is the speech. So when it comes to practice, then, this is how we see the guru as the embodiment of the three roots.

Some people have the opportunity to engage in practice and others want to practice, but do not have the opportunity—they do not have all of the conditions necessary to do a lot of practice, to practice in retreat. If that is the case, then you can actually just practice the guru yoga. Within the guru yoga practice, everything is complete—all practices are complete. And then, regarding the number of gurus, there doesn’t have to be just one guru. The more gurus you have, the better it is. It is excellent. And so, the qualities a guru should possess are that his words must be in accordance with karma. His words are beneficial, introducing the disciple to love and compassion, and so on. These are the words—of any guru—that we need to respect, to consider. For example, there was a siddha, Thangtong Gyalpo and when someone asked him how many root gurus he had, he said: I have 500 different root gurus, higher and lower, of all kinds of different tastes. So that shows that, no matter how many you have, whoever tells you things that are in accordance with the Dharma, whose words are beneficial, you can consider them as a root guru.

But then, although you might have a lot of gurus, among all of these gurus, there might be a very special karmic root guru with whom you have a connection from previous lives. If you meet such a guru—a karmic guru from past lives—you will have a special feeling of devotion and trust in that guru and a special feeling of love. And so that is a very precious guru then. The most important quality to look for in a guru is someone who has sincere love, or Bodhicitta, for their disciple. Milarepa and other gurus, like Atisha, have said that how we recognize a guru is that he possesses the lineage and possesses great compassion for the disciple. Those are really the most important qualities. So, two criteria, the two conditions that come together are your devotion to the guru and the guru’s love for you. And if you find such a guru, then you can hold this one, this guru, as a root guru. Then a special feeling arises, and because this special feeling arises due to this special connection, you will always think of the guru—you will always remember the guru. And when you remember the guru, you remember the guru’s mind of love.

Love is really the heart essence of all practice: it is your devotion to the guru and the love that the guru has for you. These two establish the connection between the disciple and the guru. And that guru you should consider as the embodiment of all the Buddhas of the three times—the embodiment of the Three Jewels. So, as we have said, the form is the Sangha, the speech the Dharma, and the mind the Buddha. And then also, the embodiment of the three roots: the form is the lama, the speech the yidam, and the mind the dakini. And also, with the three kayas: the form is Nirmanakaya, speech Sambhogakaya, and mind the Dharmakaya. So the guru should be seen as the embodiment of all of these, of all the Buddhas of the three times. And the three Buddhas of the three times share the same Bodhicitta. Their practice is the same, their teaching is the same, their mind of Bodhicitta is the same. So also, therefore, they are one with that guru; the guru embodies them all. So this is how you should view the guru.

~ 感謝Diane, Kaya, Xiaosong, Iris, Freda, Natalie & DJ（美國西雅圖直貢道場、臺灣普賢法譯小組等成員）英聽、中譯、校對與完稿，標點符號（）為同一名詞可作不同的解釋，［］為譯校所加的連接用語，為的是幫助讀者理解。本篇待續。一切善德迴向上師長壽康健常轉法輪，文稿若有錯謬敬請來信指正：sstc.roc@gmail.com，感激不盡！