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The Pre-eminent Qualities of Je Tsongkhapa and his Doctrine

The essence of Guru yoga is to develop strong conviction that our Spiritual Guide is a Buddha, to make prostrations, offerings, and sincere requests to him or her, and then to receive his profound blessings. According to the Guru yoga of Offering to the Spiritual Guide, we develop conviction that our Spiritual Guide is the same nature as Je Tsongkhapa, who is an emanation of the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri. The commentary to this practice is presented under the following two headings:

1 The pre-eminent qualities of Je Tsongkhapa and his doctrine

2 The Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa

THE PRE-EMINENT QUALITIES OF JE TSONGKHAPA AND HIS DOCTRINE

One day, when Buddha Shakyamuni was giving teachings to his disciples, delivering the King of Giving Instructions Sutra, a young boy, who in reality was an emanation of Manjushri, appeared before him. He offered Buddha a crystal rosary with the prayer ‘May I become the holder of the lineage of pure view and pure deeds.’ Buddha then prophesied that in the future that boy would appear as a monk called Losang Dragpa at a place called Ganden near Drikhung, and that he would become the holder of the lineage of pure view and pure deeds. Just as Buddha predicted, Je Tsongkhapa, whose ordained name was Losang Dragpa, appeared in Tibet in the fourteenth century and founded his first monastery, called Ganden, near a place called Drikhung.

Although Je Tsongkhapa was an emanation of Manjushri who possessed clairvoyance and miracle powers, he did not appear as a special, exalted being, but manifested as an ordinary, humble practitioner. In this aspect he showed an immaculate example to others, gave pure teachings, and led thousands of people into correct spiritual paths. He spread a very pure Buddhadharma throughout Tibet, showing how to combine the practices of Sutra and Tantra, and in particular how to practise the Vinaya and Highest Yoga Tantra together.

Je Tsongkhapa

Je Tsongkhapa was like a mother teaching her children. A mother patiently teaches her children everything they need to know, from how to eat and how to walk, through to how to read and how to write. In the same way, Je Tsongkhapa patiently taught the Tibetans everything they needed for their spiritual development, from the initial step of entering into a spiritual practice through to the ultimate attainment of Buddhahood. Clearly and unmistakenly, he taught how to practise step by step – how to take the initial step of entering into the Buddhadharma, how then to enter into the Mahayana, and finally how to enter into the Vajrayana and attain full enlightenment; and he also showed special methods to accomplish these results swiftly. The incomparable kindness of Je Tsongkhapa was celebrated by the first Dalai Lama, Je Gendundrub, in his Song of the Eastern Snow Mountain, in which he says:

For the fortunate people of Tibet, the Land of the Snows, your kindness, O Protector, is inconceivable.

Especially for myself, Gendundrub,

The fact that my mind is directed towards Dharma

Is due solely to your kindness, O Venerable Father and Sons.

From now until I attain enlightenment

I shall seek no refuge other than you.

O, Venerable Father and Sons

Please care for me with your compassion.

Although I cannot repay your kindness, O Protector,

I pray that, with my mind free from the influence of attachment and hatred,

I may strive to maintain your doctrine and cause it to flourish

Without ever giving up this endeavour.

Before Je Tsongkhapa appeared in Tibet there were many other high beings practising Dharma, but most of them revealed their spiritual attainments to others by displaying clairvoyance, miracle powers, and so forth. Je Tsongkhapa regarded such displays as of little value because they did not help living beings to overcome their ignorance, which is the principal cause of their suffering. If a Teacher displays clairvoyance or miracle powers to his or her disciples, by levitating in front of them for example, how does that help them? Rather than helping, it may even cause hindrances. The disciples may become suspicious or develop doubts, and some may even feel uncomfortable in the knowledge that their Teacher has the power to read their minds and discover their innermost secrets. Such worries only cause obstacles, both for the disciples and for the Teacher. In the past, practitioners who have revealed their miracle powers to others have been accused of practising black magic and some have even found themselves in danger of their lives. It was for these reasons that the Kadampa Geshes and Je Tsongkhapa made a rule forbidding their followers to display their miracle powers. In the monasteries of Je Tsongkhapa’s tradition any monk who made a public show of his miracle powers would be asked to leave.

Other traditions regard the display of miracle powers as a sign of great attainment, but according to Je Tsongkhapa’s tradition such demonstrations have little meaning. After all, birds can fly in the sky and mice can travel beneath the ground, but they remain as deluded as before, and are no nearer to liberation or enlightenment as a result. Moreover, during our countless former lives each one of us has possessed miracle powers many times, but our minds remain clouded in ignorance and we continue to take uncontrolled rebirths in states of suffering.

As a manifestation of the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri, Je Tsongkhapa realized that the best way to help living beings to overcome their ignorance was to set a good example and to give clear and profound teachings. Like a mother caring for her children, Je Tsongkhapa devoted his whole life to helping others eliminate their ignorance through his clear and profound teachings.

Je Tsongkhapa’s teachings are like keys that unlock the meaning of Buddha’s Sutras and Tantras. Without Je Tsongkhapa’s works, simply by reading the scriptures we would find it impossible to discover Buddha’s intention. These days we are able to practise the stages of the path to enlightenment, Lamrim, only because of the kindness of Je Tsongkhapa. The Lamrim teachings originated from Buddha himself, but they were arranged in their systematic form by Atisha, the great Indian Buddhist Master who was invited to Tibet by the king, Jangchub Ö. Everyone regards Atisha as very kind because he founded the pure tradition known as the Kadampa Tradition and because he wrote the original Lamrim text, Lamp for the Path, but if we look at this text we will see that it is only a few pages long and that the complex meaning of all the stages of the path to enlightenment is condensed into very few words. Without explanation and commentary it is impossible for us to understand these teachings and put them into practice. It was Je Tsongkhapa who provided the essential explanations that enable us to practise Atisha’s precious instructions. In his Great, Middling, and Condensed Expositions of the Stages of the Path, Je Tsongkhapa provides a completely clear and unmistaken guide to each of the essential practices of the path to enlightenment.

Je Tsongkhapa gave an especially clear and unmistaken explanation of profound emptiness according to the view of Protector Nagarjuna. Prior to Je Tsongkhapa’s appearance in Tibet many practitioners had developed misunderstandings with respect to Buddha’s teachings on emptiness. Unable to distinguish the precise object of negation, they fell into the extremes of permanence and nothingness. Many Tibetans felt that if phenomena were completely empty of inherent existence it would be impossible to establish the infallibility of cause and effect, and so there would be no basis for practising moral discipline or other method practices such as compassion or bodhichitta. On the other hand, they felt that if there were a basis for the method practices, phenomena would exist from their own side, and consequently emptiness would be impossible. Je Tsongkhapa showed the errors in this way of thinking and clearly established that there is no contradiction between emptiness, the lack of inherent existence of all phenomena, and non-deceptive cause and effect. In this way he was able to establish the correct view of the middle way according to Nagarjuna’s intention and thereby protect his followers from falling into the two extremes.

Besides Lamrim, Dharma practitioners today are also able to practise the special methods of training the mind, or Lojong. These practices, which are extracted from Lamrim and given particular emphasis, are powerful methods for generating a special bodhichitta through the practice of equalizing and exchanging self with others combined with the practice of taking and giving. As with Lamrim, the original instructions on Lojong are very brief and difficult for us to understand. For example, Geshe Chekhawa’s root text, Training the Mind in Seven Points, is only two pages long. If we were to try to practise Lojong by relying upon this text alone we would find it very difficult to make progress. Je Tsongkhapa’s commentaries unlock the hidden meaning of the texts on training the mind and enable us to put them into practice. We are able to practise the instructions on training the mind today only through the kindness of Je Tsongkhapa.

Je Tsongkhapa’s works are also indispensable for the practice of Secret Mantra. If we were to try to practise Secret Mantra by relying upon the Tantras alone we would find the scriptures indecipherable. Without Je Tsongkhapa’s commentaries to unlock their meaning, scriptures such as Vajradhara’s Root Tantra of Guhyasamaja, or his Heruka Root Tantra, which also includes the instructions on Vajrayogini Tantra, would be like sealed treasure chests to which we could not gain access. In his Tantric teachings, Je Tsongkhapa explains the essential practices of all Tantric Deities. These days, for example, many people are able to practise the special yogas of Heruka and Vajrayogini only through the kindness of Je Tsongkhapa. Following Je Tsongkhapa’s explanations, later Teachers wrote the exceptional sadhanas and commentaries of Heruka and Vajrayogini that are practised today.

From his profound wisdom Je Tsongkhapa presented a very special arrangement of Sutra and Tantra practices which, if followed sincerely, can lead to full enlightenment in one short human life. According to this arrangement we begin by practising Lamrim, the stages of the path, then we progress to Lojong, training the mind, and finally we advance to Vajrayana Mahamudra, which is the actual quick path to enlightenment. There is a Tibetan saying, ‘cho ma nor chag lam lo sum’, which means ‘The unmistaken Dharma is Lamrim, Lojong, and Mahamudra.’ Je Tsongkhapa taught how to incorporate all Dharma practices into this sequence. The first two, Lamrim and Lojong, are preliminary practices and Vajrayana Mahamudra is the actual practice. Many of Je Tsongkhapa’s faithful followers have reached enlightenment in three years by practising the Vajrayana Mahamudra of the Gelugpa Tradition.

Before Je Tsongkhapa appeared in Tibet there were many misunderstandings and wrong practices with respect to Buddha’s Tantric teachings. Many Tibetans felt that the practices of Tantra were incompatible with keeping pure Vinaya vows, and as a consequence they either abandoned Tantra for the sake of practising the Vinaya or they abandoned the Vinaya for the sake of practising Tantra. Je Tsongkhapa refuted these wrong views and showed how all Buddha’s teachings can be practised purely without contradiction. Externally he showed how to practise the pure moral discipline of the Vinaya by keeping all two hundred and fifty three vows of a fully ordained monk immaculately; internally he showed how to engage in the vast practices of the Bodhisattva’s deeds by maintaining pristine Bodhisattva vows; and secretly he showed how to practise the two stages of Secret Mantra, which culminate in the supreme union of bliss and emptiness, by cherishing his Tantric vows and commitments more dearly than his life. These remarkable qualities of Je Tsongkhapa are praised in a special dedication verse that is often recited in Dharma Centres:

May I meet the doctrine of Conqueror Losang Dragpa,

Who has a pure practice of stainless moral discipline,

The courageous practice of the extensive deeds of a Bodhisattva,

And the yogas of the two stages to supreme bliss and emptiness.

Although Je Tsongkhapa never made a public display of his miracle powers while he was alive, there were occasions when he revealed them privately. For example, at one time when he was residing in central Tibet he received many messages from his mother, who was a long way away in eastern Tibet, saying that she missed him very much and wanted him to return home. Because he was so busy helping others Je Tsongkhapa felt that he could not interrupt his work to make such a long journey, and so to console his mother he drew a portrait of himself on a piece of paper and sent it to her through a messenger. When Je Tsongkhapa’s mother received the portrait it spoke to her saying ‘Don’t worry, dear Mother, I am here.’ Later the portrait was taken to Kumbum Monastery where it became a holy object of offering and prostration for thousands of monks.

When Je Tsongkhapa passed away, the whole country was overwhelmed with sorrow at the loss of their precious Teacher. Not only could they no longer see him directly but, since there were very few representations of him, most people were unable to see even his likeness. Consequently, many craftsmen set about making statues and painting thangkhas of him. Although Je Tsongkhapa had not publicly displayed his miracle powers while he was alive, after he passed away he performed many miracles through these statues and thangkhas. Eight statues in particular have since become very famous. They are known as:

(1) Je she par ma (The Venerable One who Disappeared with a Smile)

(2) Je nga dra ma (The Venerable One who is a Better Likeness)

(3) Je shen pen ma (The Venerable One who is More Beneficial to Others)

(4) Je ku thim ma (The Venerable One who Dissolved into the Body)

(5) Je nam pur ma (The Venerable One who Rose into Space)

(6) Je tsong pon gelek ma (The Venerable Chief Merchant Gelek)

(7) Je tso dog ma (The Venerable One who Pacifies Conflicts)

(8) Je ling pur ma (The Venerable One Gone to Another Land)

The story of the first statue is as follows. At one time a humble practitioner tried to find a statue of Je Tsongkhapa for his retreat but was unsuccessful, so during his retreat he made a small statue and placed it on his shrine. For him this statue was like the living Je Tsongkhapa, and every day before beginning his meditation he made offerings and prostrations in front of it. One day as he rose from meditation he noticed that the statue was gradually melting into light. As he watched, the statue suddenly smiled and, rising into space, completely disappeared. The meditator was astonished and could hardly believe what he had seen. After reflecting for a long time he decided to go to his Teacher to tell him what had happened. His Teacher was delighted and told him to make another statue exactly like the previous one. This he did, and it is this statue that subsequently became known as The Venerable One who Disappeared with a Smile.

The second and third statues were made by two craftsmen who were engaged in a friendly contest to see who was the more skilled at making statues. They took the two statues to a high Lama to adjudicate. As the Lama was examining them with a faithful mind, one statue spoke saying ‘I am a better likeness.’ Then the other statue retorted ‘But I am more beneficial to others.’ This is how these two famous statues received their names.

The fourth statue is named after one that belonged to a practitioner called Nyungnay Lama, whose main practice was the Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa. He used to keep a statue of Je Tsongkhapa on his shrine, and he regarded this statue as the living Je Tsongkhapa. Each day he would practise Guru yoga from going for refuge up to dissolving Guru Tsongkhapa into his heart. Because he practised so sincerely he developed a very pure heart and attained a special experience of concentration. One day, while visualizing Je Tsongkhapa dissolving into his heart, he experienced his statue actually dissolving into him, and when he rose from meditation the statue on his shrine had completely disappeared. After this he quickly attained many high realizations. News of this event spread and the craftsman who had made the statue became very famous. Later he made another statue of Je Tsongkhapa to which he gave the name, The Venerable One who Dissolved into the Body.

The fifth statue belonged to a monastery where it was often seen by one particularly sincere practitioner to rise into space and then return to its place on the shrine. Because of this, the statue became known as The Venerable One who Rose into Space.

The sixth statue was made by a government minister who was a faithful disciple of Je Tsongkhapa, and Je Tsongkhapa himself had blessed it. One day however an evil person out of jealousy stole the statue and, taking it a long way away, threw it into a large river. Some time later an important merchant called Gelek was travelling on horseback in that area when he noticed a brightly coloured rainbow standing vertically in space, apparently emerging from the bed of a river. Thinking that this was an unusual sign, he decided to spend the night nearby. The next morning the rainbow was still there and so he decided to investigate further. Although the local people could see nothing in the river, Gelek was not convinced. Securing himself with ropes he waded into the icy river and dived to the bottom. There he found the statue of Je Tsongkhapa radiating brightly coloured rainbow lights. When he came to the surface the onlookers were astonished to see that he had not drowned, and even more astonished to see the precious statue that he was holding. Since it was the chief merchant Gelek who retrieved the statue, it subsequently became known as The Venerable Chief Merchant Gelek.

The seventh statue comes from a part of eastern Tibet where at one time there was prolonged civil war. The local people longed for the fighting to stop and so they went to a nearby Lama who was renowned as a great meditator and asked him what they should do. He told them to construct a large statue of Je Tsongkhapa in their town and make offerings and requests in front of it. This they did and soon afterwards the fighting stopped and peace prevailed throughout the region. This statue later became known as The Venerable One who Pacifies Conflicts.

The eighth statue is named after a much revered statue of Je Tsongkhapa that mysteriously disappeared from Tibet. Pure practitioners with clairvoyance realized that the statue had gone to another land far away where the ground was strewn with diamonds and where the language and customs were completely different. They also realized that the statue was benefiting the people of that land, and so they decided to make another one similar to it and named it The Venerable One Gone to Another Land.

Miracles such as these are not confined to ancient times. Even today there are many statues and other representations of Je Tsongkhapa that possess special qualities. For example, there was one Geshe called Geshe Jatse whom I knew well when I was at Sera Monastery in Tibet. When he had completed his Geshe training he withdrew to a mountain cave to do retreat and remained there, living just like Milarepa, for the rest of his life. When he died his many disciples, together with a large number of onlookers, went to the cave to pay their respects and, to their astonishment, saw that Geshe Jatse’s statue of Je Tsongkhapa had grown teeth and hair. I heard this account directly from these disciples, some of whom I knew well.

My first Teacher in philosophy at Ngamring Jampaling Monastery was called Geshe Palden. At one time he did a long close retreat on Je Tsongkhapa counting Migtsema prayers. At the end of his retreat an image of Je Tsongkhapa appeared on one of the beads of his mala. He showed this to me and I saw it very clearly.

There are many other stories such as these which show that, even in these impure times, faithful practitioners can receive unceasing blessings from Je Tsongkhapa. If we keep a painting or statue of Je Tsongkhapa on our shrine and, with deep faith, regard that representation as the living Je Tsongkhapa and make offerings, prostrations, and requests in front of it, our life span and Dharma realizations will definitely increase. In particular, it is said that if a statue of Je Tsongkhapa is kept in a house the members of that household will not experience problems of poverty and their wisdom will naturally increase.