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Togden Jampel Gyatso

Why We Need to Practise the Guru Yoga of Je Tsongkhapa

THE GURU YOGA OF JE TSONGKHAPA

The Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa will now be explained under three headings:

1 Why we need to practise the Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa

2 The origin and lineage of these instructions

3 The actual instructions

WHY WE NEED TO PRACTISE THE GURU YOGA OF JE TSONGKHAPA

Because we are so attached to worldly activities we usually have little desire to practise Dharma at all, let alone the Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa. This is our main obstacle. To overcome it we need to reflect on the reasons why it is necessary to practise this special Guru yoga.

There are two main Guru yogas related to Je Tsongkhapa: Offering to the Spiritual Guide, or Lama Chopa, which is practised in conjunction with Highest Yoga Tantra, and The Hundreds of Deities of the Joyful Land, or Ganden Lhagyema, which is a more general yoga that can be practised in association with either Sutra or Tantra. This second practice is very famous and all followers of Je Tsongkhapa memorize it and practise it regularly. Contained within this practice is a special prayer called the Migtsema prayer. If we understand this prayer we will realize why it is so important to practise the Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa. The prayer is as follows:

Tsongkhapa, crown ornament of the scholars of the Land of the Snows,

You are Avalokiteshvara, the treasury of unobservable compassion,

Manjushri, the supreme stainless wisdom,

And Vajrapani, the destroyer of the hosts of maras;

O Losang Dragpa I request you, please grant your blessings.

mig me tse wai ter chen chen re zig

dri me kyen pai wang po jam pal yang

du pung ma lu jom dze sang wai dag

gang chen khe pai tsug gyen tsong kha pa

lo sang drag pai zhab la sol wa deb

This prayer is very blessed because it was originally uttered by Manjushri. It comes from Manjushri’s Emanation Scripture, which he transmitted directly to Je Tsongkhapa. When Je Tsongkhapa received this prayer he changed two of the lines and offered it to his Spiritual Guide, Rendapa, but Rendapa returned it to Je Tsongkhapa in its original form saying that it was more suitable for him.

Many of Je Tsongkhapa’s followers have attained very high realizations through the practice of Migtsema combined with the Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa. Those who have completed an action retreat on Je Tsongkhapa can do a hundred and eight ritual practices associated with Migtsema, which were composed by later Lamas. These include rituals for healing mental and physical illnesses; for overcoming various obstacles; for averting inauspicious signs and bad dreams; for making or stopping rain; and for increasing life span, merit, and Dharma realizations. Above all, the Migtsema practice is the best method for increasing our faith in Je Tsongkhapa and his doctrine. If we have faith and practise Je Tsongkhapa’s teachings on Mahamudra sincerely, we can attain enlightenment in three short years. Our main problem is lack of faith.

The Migtsema prayer indicates that Je Tsongkhapa is an emanation of Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri and Vajrapani. As an emanation of Avalokiteshvara he is the embodiment of the compassion of all the Buddhas; as an emanation of Manjushri he is the embodiment of the wisdom of all the Buddhas; and as an emanation of Vajrapani he is the embodiment of the spiritual power of all the Buddhas. Because Je Tsongkhapa is an emanation of Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri and Vajrapani, when we make prostrations to him we make prostrations to all the Buddhas, when we make offerings to him we make offerings to all the Buddhas, when we make requests to him we make requests to all the Buddhas, and when we receive his blessings we receive the blessings of all the Buddhas. Therefore we definitely need to practise the Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa.

By relying upon Je Tsongkhapa our compassion, wisdom, and spiritual power naturally increase. In particular, because Je Tsongkhapa is an emanation of the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri, his faithful followers never experience difficulty in increasing their wisdom. Wherever there is a community of faithful followers sincerely practising Je Tsongkhapa’s teachings, their inner wisdom naturally increases. Wisdom is very important. The more wisdom we have, the less ignorance we have; and the less ignorance we have, the less suffering we experience. If we have wisdom there is no basis for experiencing problems.

What is wisdom? Ordinary intelligence is not wisdom. For example, some people are very clever when it comes to making weapons, poisonous chemicals, or other destructive or harmful substances. Others have great expertise in business or politics. Similarly, some animals are very clever. Cats, for example, are very skilled at catching mice, and mice are very skilled at stealing food. However, these are not examples of wisdom. Wisdom never causes suffering or non-virtue.

Wisdom is a virtuous, intelligent mind that understands its object unmistakenly and functions to dispel deluded doubt. Because it is a virtuous mind, wisdom always causes happiness; it never causes suffering or problems. Moreover, because it understands its object unmistakenly, wisdom always leads to correct paths and correct actions; it never deceives living beings. If we always engage in correct actions there is no basis for problems to arise and so we always experience good results. Moreover, wisdom dispels deluded doubts which obstruct the development of faith and impede our spiritual progress.

If our wisdom is weak we experience obstacles, but if our wisdom is strong we have no problems. Wisdom teaches us what to do and what not to do; it is like an inner Teacher that we carry in our hearts, and like a Protector that protects us from engaging in wrong actions and having to experience their unpleasant results. When we are discouraged, disappointed, or depressed, wisdom lifts our mind and makes us happy; and when we are over-excited or distracted, wisdom calms our mind and reduces our distractions. With wisdom our mind is always balanced and comfortable.

In the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra Buddha says that if we lack wisdom we are like a blind person, but if we possess wisdom we can see everything. Wisdom is the supreme eye that enables us to see all the different types of path. Ordinary eyes can see only external paths that lead from one external place to another, but wisdom eyes can also see internal paths. There are many different types of internal path. Some lead to rebirth in lower realms, some lead to rebirth in higher realms, and some lead to rebirth in Pure Lands. Some internal paths lead to liberation, others lead to enlightenment. Wisdom eyes can see all these different paths. Moreover, wisdom guides us to make correct decisions about which internal paths to follow. Without wisdom it is very easy to follow wrong paths. Because of our lack of wisdom, we have been following wrong paths since beginningless time. Although we have always sought happiness and contentment, hitherto our actions have resulted largely in suffering and dissatisfaction. This shows that we have been following wrong internal paths.

There are many different types of wisdom, such as wisdom arising from listening, wisdom arising from contemplation, wisdom arising from meditation, wisdom that realizes conventional truths, and wisdom that realizes ultimate truth. Each of these has many levels. If we want to be completely free from suffering and attain lasting happiness we definitely need to develop these different types of wisdom. Therefore we need to practise the Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa.

Wishing to eliminate our ignorance and increase our wisdom while ignoring or rejecting the Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa is a contradiction because Je Tsongkhapa is the Wisdom Buddha. Whereas most of the Tibetan Lamas prior to Je Tsongkhapa emphasized the attainment and display of miracle powers, Je Tsongkhapa saw his main responsibility as helping sentient beings to eliminate their ignorance through improving their wisdom. He understood very clearly that the development of wisdom is the only certain path that leads to freedom from suffering. Therefore, instead of revealing miracle powers, Je Tsongkhapa spent his whole life giving teachings, revealing clearly and unmistakenly the path to liberation. If we reject the practice of Je Tsongkhapa we will only increase our ignorance.

Just as we need to improve our wisdom, so we also need to improve our compassion and spiritual power. Since Je Tsongkhapa is an emanation of Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of compassion, and of Vajrapani, the Buddha of spiritual power, if we practise the Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa our compassion and spiritual power will naturally increase. Wishing to increase our compassion and spiritual power while ignoring or rejecting the Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa is also a contradiction. More detail on the practices of Migtsema and Ganden Lhagyema can be found in the commentary entitled Heart Jewel.

From the point of view of Highest Yoga Tantra, the Lord of the compassion lineage is Heruka, the Lord of the wisdom lineage is Yamantaka, and the Lord of the lineage of spiritual power is Guhyasamaja. To attain enlightenment swiftly, we must receive the blessings of these three Deities. When we practise the Guru yoga of Offering to the Spiritual Guide, the principal object of refuge and Field for Accumulating Merit is Je Tsongkhapa who, as an emanation of the Wisdom Buddha, is the same nature as Yamantaka. Within his body we visualize the thirty-two Deities of Guhyasamaja, and at the same time we generate ourself as Heruka. In this way we are able to receive the blessings of all three Deities and engage in all the essential practices of Highest Yoga Tantra within one session.

As already mentioned, the sequence for attaining enlightenment in one short human life is first to gain some experience of Lamrim, then to practise Lojong, and then to engage in Vajrayana Mahamudra. The Guru yoga of Offering to the Spiritual Guide includes all these practices. Because it contains all the instructions on the stages of the path to enlightenment, it possesses all the pre-eminent qualities of the Lamrim texts. Thus, by relying upon this practice we will understand that there are no contradictions within Buddha’s teachings, we will take all Buddha’s teachings as personal advice and put them into practice, we will easily realize Buddha’s ultimate intention, and we will naturally become free from the great fault and all other faults. Moreover, because this Guru yoga contains all the instructions on training the mind, it also possesses the pre-eminent qualities of the Lojong texts. Thus, as Geshe Chekawa says in Training the Mind in Seven Points ‘It is like a diamond, like the sun, and like a medicinal tree.’ More detail on the pre-eminent qualities of Lamrim and Lojong can be found in Joyful Path of Good Fortune and Universal Compassion.

Offering to the Spiritual Guide is also a preliminary practice for Vajrayana Mahamudra and includes all the stages of the generation stage and completion stage of Highest Yoga Tantra. If we engage in this practice regularly and sincerely we will receive special blessings, so that when we finally engage in a three year retreat on Vajrayana Mahamudra we will find it very easy to gain realizations. Many of Je Tsongkhapa’s followers such as Mahasiddha Dharmavajra, Gyalwa Ensapa, and Khedrub Sangye Yeshe have attained enlightenment in three years through relying upon this special Guru yoga. Unlike Milarepa, who did not have access to this practice, they did not have to undergo great hardships to gain realizations but were able to progress smoothly and swiftly through the stages of Vajrayana Mahamudra by relying upon this Guru yoga. This is the uncommon quality of Je Tsongkhapa’s Guru yoga. Therefore, if we want to attain enlightenment swiftly and easily we definitely need to develop faith in Je Tsongkhapa and practise his Guru yoga sincerely.

The extent to which we receive the benefits of this Guru yoga depends upon our faith in Je Tsongkhapa. To increase our faith we need to contemplate again and again why we need to practise the Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa. Then, if we follow Je Tsongkhapa’s tradition purely without mixing with other traditions, and rely upon his Dharma Protector, Dorje Shugden, our faith in Je Tsongkhapa, and therewith our realizations, will naturally increase. If we follow this advice – to develop deep, unchanging faith in Je Tsongkhapa, to follow his tradition purely without mixing, and to rely sincerely upon the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden – we will definitely receive great benefits. If a Teacher encourages us to do these things it is we who experience the benefits, not the Teacher. There is nothing partisan about this advice; it is given only for our benefit. Experience shows that realizations come from deep, unchanging faith, and that this faith comes as a result of following one tradition purely – relying upon one Teacher, practising only his teachings, and following his Dharma Protector. If we mix traditions many obstacles arise and it takes a long time for us to attain realizations.