Lama Tsongkhapa

Guru Yoga

Dulnagpa Paldan Zangpo’s

“Hundred Deities of Tushita” (Ganden Lha Gyama)
Translated and Compiled by
Lama Zopa Rinpoche
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Notes Regarding This Practice

Altar Set-up
Set out one complete set of offering bowls on the altar, from left to right when
facing the altar. Alternatively, set out as many offerings as you can. As you put
each offering on the altar, bless it by reciting OM AH HUM.

Ritual Implements
It is good to have a vajra and bell, as well as a mandala set for the mandala of-
fering.

Throughout the text, small symbols such as bells or hands in various mudras,
such as prostration mudra or holding up the vajra, , appear in the margins
to indicate when to play the ritual instruments, and when to do certain mudras.
 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga 3

Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga

According to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, if this is your only daily guru
yoga practice and you do not have a daily sadhana commitment,
it is good to recite the prayers in “The Preliminary Practice”
section (pp. 4-6), as they make the practice complete. If you
do these prayers in the context of another practice, start with
“Taking Refuge and Generating Bodhichitta” below, then turn to
“The Actual Practice” on p. 7.1

The Preliminary Practice

Taking Refuge and Generating Bodhichitta

Visualize the objects of refuge. You can either do the elaborate
visualization of “one into many,” as found in Jorchö, or the simple
visualization of “many into one,” in which all the objects of refuge
are embodied in Guru Shakyamuni Buddha.

Sang gyä chhö dang tshog kyi chhog nam la

I take refuge until I am enlightened
Jang chhub bar du dag ni kyab su chhi
In the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Supreme Assembly.
Dag gi jin sog gyi päi tshog nam2 kyi
By my merits of generosity and so forth,
Dro la phän chhir sang gyä drub par shog (3x)
May I become a buddha to benefit transmigratory beings. (3x)
4 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga

The Four Immeasurable Thoughts

Immeasurable Equanimity
Sem chän tham chä nye ring chhag dang dang dräl wäi tang
nyom la nä na chi ma rung
How wonderful it would be if all sentient beings were to abide
in equanimity, free from the closeness of attachment and the
distance of hatred.
Nä par gyur chig
May they abide in equanimity.
Nä par dag gi ja o
I myself will cause them to abide in equanimity.
De tar je nü par la ma lhä jin gyi lab tu söl
Please, Guru-Deity, bless me to be able to do this.

Meditate briefly on tonglen, taking on all the disturbing emotions

of sentient beings and giving them to your self-cherishing thought,
thus destroying it.

Immeasurable Loving Kindness

Lama Zopa Rinpoche replaces the original words “to have happi-
ness and the causes of happiness” with “to achieve buddhahood,”
because “happiness” tends to bring to mind temporary samsaric
happiness, whereas what sentient beings actually need is enlight-
enment.3 For the original version, see note 4 on p. 34.

Sem chän tham chä sang gyä kyi go pang dang dän na chi
ma rung
How wonderful it would be if all sentient beings were
to achieve buddhahood.
Dän par gyur chig
May they achieve buddhahood.
Dän par dag gi ja o
I myself will cause them to achieve buddhahood.
De tar je nü par la ma lhä jin gyi lab tu söl
Please, Guru-Deity, bless me to be able to do this.
 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga 5

Meditate briefly on tonglen, transforming your body into a wish-

granting jewel that gives every sentient being every kind of tem-
porary and ultimate happiness that they desire and need.

Immeasurable Compassion
Sem chän tham chä dug ngäl dang dug ngäl gyi gyu dang
dräl na chi ma rung
How wonderful it would be if all sentient beings were free
from suffering and the causes of suffering.
Dräl war gyur chig
May they be free from suffering and its causes.
Dräl war dag gyi ja o
I myself will cause them to be free from suffering and its causes.
De tar je nü par la ma lhä jin gyi lab tu söl
Please, Guru-Deity, bless me to be able to do this.

Meditate briefly on tonglen, taking upon yourself all the suffering

and causes of suffering of all sentient beings.

Immeasurable Joyfulness
Sem chän tham chä tho ri dang thar päi de wa dam pa dang
ma dräl na chi ma rung
How wonderful it would be if all sentient beings were never
separated from the happiness of higher rebirth and liberation.
Mi dräl war gyur chig
May they never be separated from these.
Mi dräl war dag gi ja o
I myself will cause them never to be separated from these.
De tar je nü par la ma lhä jin gyi lab tu söl
Please, Guru-Deity, bless me to be able to do this.

Meditate briefly on tonglen, giving all your past, present, and future
merits and their results, including enlightenment, to all sentient
beings.
6 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga

Purifying the Place

Tham chä du ni sa zhi dag
Everywhere may the ground be pure,
Seg ma la sog me pa dang
Free of pebbles and so forth,
L ag thil tar nyam bäi dur yäi
As level as the palm of the hand,
Rang zhin jam por nä gyur chig
In the nature of sapphire, and soft.5
 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga 7

The Actual Practice

Invocation
Gan dän lha gyäi gön gyi thug ka nä
From the heart of the savior of the hundred deities of Tushita,
Rab kar zho sar pung dräi chhu dzin tser
On the peak of a cloud resembling a clump of extremely white
fresh curd,
Chhö kyi gyäl po kün khyen lo zang drag
King of Dharma, omniscient Losang Dragpa,
Sä dang chä pa nä dir sheg su söl
Please come here together with your sons.

Request to Remain for a Long Time

Visualize numberless replicas of yourself offering beautiful golden
lion thrones adorned with jewels and a double vajra.

Dün gyi nam khar seng thri pä däi teng

In the sky before me, on a lion throne, lotus, and moon,
Je tsün la ma gye päi dzum kar chän
My perfect, pure6 guru smiles with delight.
Dag lo dä päi sö nam zhing chhog tu
Supreme field of merit for my mind of faith,
Tän pa gyä chhir käl gyar zhug su söl
Please abide for a hundred eons to spread the teachings.
8 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga

Prostration
She jäi khyön kün jäl wäi lo drö thug
Your holy mind has the intelligence that understands
the full extent of objects to be known.
K äl zang na wäi gyän gyur leg shä sung
Your holy speech, with its excellent explanations,
is an ear ornament for those of good fortune.
Drag päi päl gyi lham mer dze päi ku
Your holy body is radiantly beautiful with glory renowned.
Thong thö drän pä dön dän la chhag tshäl
To you, who are meaningful to see, hear, and remember,
I prostrate.

Offerings
To bless, multiply, and present the offerings7, turn to p. 27.

Yi ong chhö yön na tshog me tog dang

Pleasing drinking water, various flowers,
Dri zhim dug pö nang säl dri chhab sog
Fragrant incenses, lights, scented waters, and so forth,
Ngö sham yi trül chhö trin gya tsho di
Oceans of cloud-like offerings, both actually arranged
and mentally emanated,
Sö nam zhing chhog khye la chhö par bül
I offer to you, the supreme field of merit.

For an extensive offering meditation, turn to p. 29.

Confession
Gang zhig thog me dü nä sag pa yi
Whatever nonvirtue of body, speech, and mind,
Lü ngag yi kyi mi ge chi gyi dang
Especially those opposite to the three vows,
 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga 9

Khyä par dom pa sum gyi mi thün chhog

That I have collected from beginningless time,
Nying nä gyö pa drag pö so sor shag
I confess each and every one with fervent regret from my heart.

For an extensive meditation on confession, turn to p. 30

Rejoicing
Nyig mäi dü dir mang thö drub la tsön
You strove for much learning and practice in this degenerate age,
Chhö gyä pang pä däl jor dön yö je
And made your freedoms and richnesses meaningful
Gön po khyö kyi lab chhen dzä pa la
By abandoning the eight worldly concerns.
Dag chag sam pa thag pä yi rang ngo
Savior, we sincerely rejoice in your extensive deeds.

For an extensive meditation on rejoicing, turn to p. 32.

Request to Turn the Wheel of Dharma

Visualize numberless replicas of yourself in the form of Brahma,
each offering beautiful, thousand-spoke, gold Dharma wheel. If
you have an actual small Dharma wheel, hold it up in your hands
while reciting the verse and doing the visualization.

Je tsün la ma dam pa khye nam kyi

Perfect, pure, holy gurus, from the billowing clouds of
Chhö küi kha la khyen tsei CHHU DZIN THRIG
Wisdom and compassion in the sky of the dharmakaya,
Ji tar tsham päi dül jäi dzin ma la
Please let fall a rain of profound and extensive Dharma
Zab gyä chhö kyi chhar pa wab tu söl
Upon the receptacle of those to be subdued, exactly as they need.
10 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga

Dedication
Dag gi ji nye sag päi ge wa di
May whatever virtue I have collected
Tän dang dro wa kün la gang phän dang
Benefit the teachings and all transmigratory beings,
Khyä par je tsün lo zang drag pa yi
And, in particular, may it cause the essence of
Tän päi nying po ring du säl je shog
Perfect, pure Losang Dragpa’s teachings to shine forever.

Mandala Offering
Sa zhi pö kyi jug shing me tog tram
This ground, anointed with perfume, strewn with flowers,
Ri rab ling zhi nyi dä gyän pa di
Adorned with Mount Meru, the four continents, the sun
and the moon:
Sang gyä zhing du mig te ül wa yi
I imagine this as a buddha land and offer it.
Dro kün nam dag zhing la chö par shog
May all transmigratory beings enjoy this pure land.

Requesting Prayer by the Fifth Dalai Lama

Lama Zopa Rinpoche sometimes elaborates on the first line of this
verse with: “By the merits of having offered this mandala to Lama
Tsongkhapa and his two sons, may I, my family members, and all
sentient beings be able to meet, practice, and actualize the teach-
ings of the victorious one, Losang Dragpa...”

Mä jung nam thar tsang mäi thrim dang dän

May we meet the teachings of the victorious one, Losang Dragpa,
L ab chhen gyäl sä cho päi nying tob chän
Who had the morality of an eminently pure way of life,
De tong chhog gi rim nyi näl jor chö
Was courageous in the extensive conduct of the sons of
the victorious ones,
 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga 11

Lo zang gyäl wäi tän dang jäl war shog.

And accomplished the yoga of the two stages of
supreme bliss and emptiness.

IDAM GURU RATNA MANDALAKAM NIRYATAYAMI

Common Meditations for the Migtsema Recitation

Visualize Lama Tsongkhapa and his two spiritual sons in the space
in front of you; then focus on Lama Tsongkhapa in particular. For
this to become a guru yoga practice, it is important to maintain the
awareness that your Root Guru is inseparable from Lama Tsong-
khapa, who in essence is the three deities—Manjushri, the
embodiment of all the buddhas’ wisdom; Avalokiteshvara, the
embodiment of all the buddhas’ compassion; and Vajrapani, the
embodiment of all the buddhas’ power.

Visualization for Cleaning Impurities

De tar shug drag söl wa tab päi thü
By the force of having fervently requested in this way,
Je tsün yab sä sum gyi thug ka nä
Hollow beams of white light are emitted
Ö zer kar po bub chän thrö päi ne
From the hearts of the perfect, pure Father and Sons,
Chig tu dre nä rang gi chi wor zug
And, combining into one, enter my crown.

Ö kar bu güi jug ngog lä jung wäi

White nectar, the color of milk,
Dü tsi kar po o mäi dog chän gyi
Flows from the opening of the tube of white light,
Nä dön dig drib bag chhag ma lü pa
Cleansing all my sicknesses, spirit harms, negative karmas,
obscurations, and their imprints without exception.
Trü nä rang lü dang säl shel tar gyur
My body becomes as pure and clear as crystal.
12 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga

Nine-Line Migtsema
If you wish, recite the “Nine-Line Migtsema” a few times, while
doing the “Visualization of Cleaning Impurities,” before beginning
the recitation of the “Five-Line Migtsema.”

Ngö drub kün jung thub wang dor je chhang

Vajradhara, lord of sages, source of all realizations;
Mig me tse wäi ter chhen chän rä zig
Avalokiteshvara, great treasure of nonobjectifying compassion;
Dri me khyen päi wang po jam päl yang
Manjushri, master of stainless wisdom;
Dü pung ma lü jom dzä sang wäi dag
Lord of Secrets, destroyer of the entire host of maras;
Gang chän khä päi tsug gyän lo zang drag
Losang Dragpa, crown ornament of the sages of
the Land of Snow:
Kyab sum kün dü la ma sang gyä la
To you, Guru-Buddha, embodying the three refuges,
Go sum gü päi go nä söl wa deb
I make requests respectfully with my three doors.
Rang zhän min ching dröl war jin gyi lob
Please bless me and others to be ripened and liberated.
Chhog dang thün mong ngö drub tsäl du söl
Please bestow the supreme and common realizations.
[Nyur du khye rang ta bur jin gyi lob]
[Please bless me to quickly become like you.]

Five-Line Migtsema
Recite many migtsemas while doing the “Visualization for
Cleaning Impurities” on p. 11. Concentrate mainly on purify-
ing negative karmas collected from beginningless time in rela-
tion to the Guru, such as having harmed the Guru’s holy body,
disobeyed the Guru’s advice, disturbed the Guru’s holy mind,
given rise to nondevotional thoughts about the Guru, criticized
the Guru, and broken and degenerated your samayas with the
 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga 13

Guru. This is because these actions are the heaviest negative kar-
mas and the greatest obstacles to achieving enlightenment.
Then continue the recitation of migtsemas while doing the
“Visualizations for Achieving the Seven Wisdoms” below.
Spend more time on purifying negative karmas than on achieving
the wisdoms. For instance, if you are doing three malas of mig-
tsema recitation, do two malas for purifying and one for achieving
the wisdoms.8

Mig me tse wäi ter chhen chän rä zig

Avalokiteshvara, great treasure of nonobjectifying compassion;
Dri me khyen päi wang po jam päl yang
Manjushri, master of stainless wisdom;
Dü pung ma lü jom dzä sang wäi dag
Lord of Secrets, destroyer of the entire host of maras;
Gang chän khä päi tsug gyän tsong kha pa
Tsongkhapa, crown ornament of the sages of the Land of Snow:
Lo zang drag päi zhab la söl wa deb
Losang Dragpa, at your feet I make requests.

Visualizations for Achieving the Seven Wisdoms

According to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, focus mainly on the first four
wisdoms. The visualizations for the last three wisdoms can be
done as needed, depending on which of the activities of explain-
ing, debating, or composing you are involved in.9 Continue reciting
the “Five-Line Migtsema” while doing the following visualizations
for achieving the wisdoms.

1. Great Wisdom
Rab jam zhung dön je la thog me päi
Please bless me to achieve the great wisdom
lab chhen she rab thob par jin gyi lob
That is unimpeded in discerning the meanings of
the infinite scriptures.
14 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga

L ar yang chhe wäi khyen rab mar ser gyi

Once again great wisdom flows forth in
Dü tsii nam par jung wä rang lü gang
The form of orange nectar, filling my body.
Dü tsii dül nam je tsün jam yang kyi
From the atoms of the nectar clarified in
Nam par säl lä ö thrö chhog chu yi
The form of perfect, pure Manjushris, light radiates.
Gyäl dang de sä chhe wäi khyen rab nam
The great wisdom of the victorious ones of the ten directions
and their sons
Lha küi nam par tim pä rang lü gang
Absorbs into me in the form of bodies of the deity,
filling my body.

2. Clear Wisdom
K a nä thra zhib ma dre je pa yi
Please bless me to achieve the clear wisdom
She rab säl wa thob par jin gyi lob
That is not confused about subtle and detailed difficult points.

L ar yang säl wäi khyen rab mar ser gyi

Once again clear wisdom flows forth in
Dü tsii nam par jung wä rang lü gang
The form of orange nectar, filling my body.
Dü tsii dül nam A RA PA TSA NÄi
From the atoms of the nectar clarified in
Nam par säl lä ö thrö chhog chu yi
The form of A RA PA TSA NA, light radiates.
Gyäl dang de sä säl wäi khyen rab nam
The clear wisdom of the victorious ones of the ten directions
and their sons
Zung ngag nam par tim pä rang lü gang
Absorbs into me in the form of the mantras, filling my body.
 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga 15

3. Quick Wisdom
Ma tog log tog the tshom nyur chö päi
Please bless me to achieve the quick wisdom
She rab nyur wa thob par jin gyi lob
That quickly cuts through nonunderstanding,
misunderstanding, and doubt.

L ar yang nyur wäi khyen rab mar ser gyi

Once again quick wisdom flows forth in
Dü tsii nam par jung wä rang lü gang
The form of orange nectar, filling my body.
Dü tsii dül nam DHIH yig mar ser gyi
From the atoms of the nectar clarified in
Nam par säl lä ö thrö chhog chu yi
The form of orange DHIH syllables, light radiates.
Gyäl dang de sä nyur wäi khyen rab nam
The quick wisdom of the victorious ones of the ten directions
and their sons
Sa bön nam par tim pä rang lü gang
Absorbs into me in the form of the seed syllables,
filling my body.

4. Profound Wisdom
Zhung dön je la tug pa me pa yi
Please bless me to achieve the profound wisdom
Zab päi she rab thob par jin gyi lob
That is unfathomable in discerning the meanings of
the scriptures.

L ar yang zab päi khyen rab mar ser gyi

Once again profound wisdom flows forth in
Dü tsii nam par jung wä rang lü gang
The form of orange nectar, filling my body.
Dü tsii dül nam leg bam räl dri yi
From the atoms of the nectar clarified in
16 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga

Nam par säl lä ö thrö chhog chu yi

The form of texts and swords, light radiates.
Gyäl dang de sä zab päi khyen rab nam
The profound wisdom of the victorious ones of the ten direc-
tions and their sons
Chhag tshän nam par tim pä rang lü gang
Absorbs into me in the form of the hand implements,
filling my body.

5. Wisdom of Explaining
Tshig dön kün la nge pa chhög ter wäi
Please bless me to achieve the wisdom of explaining
Chhä päi she rab thob par jin gyi lob
That gives supreme ascertainment regarding all the meanings
of words.

L ar yang chhä päi khyen rab mar ser gyi

Once again the wisdom of explaining flows forth in
Dü tsii nam par jung wä rang lü gang
The form of orange nectar, filling my body.
Dü tsii dül nam chhä jäi leg bam gyi
From the atoms of the nectar clarified in
Nam par säl lä ö thrö chhog chu yi
The form of the texts to be explained, light radiates.
Gyäl dang de sä chhä päi khyen rab nam
The wisdom of explaining of the victorious ones of the ten di-
rections and their sons
Leg bam nam par tim pä rang lü gang
Absorbs into me in the form of the texts, filling my body.

6. Wisdom of Debating
Ma ngän pob pa meg me throg pa yi
Please bless me to achieve the wisdom of debating
 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga 17

Tsö päi she rab thob par jin gyi lob

That thoroughly deprives evil propounders of
their self-confidence.

L ar yang tsö päi khyen rab mar ser gyi

Once again the wisdom of debating flows forth in
Dü tsii nam par jung wä rang lü gang
The form of orange nectar, filling my body.
Dü tsii dül nam räl drii khor lo yi
From the atoms of the nectar clarified in
Nam par säl lä ö thrö chhog chu yi
The form of wheels of swords, light radiates.
Gyäl dang de sä tsö päi khyen rab nam
The wisdom of debating of the victorious ones of the ten direc-
tions and their sons
Khor löi nam par tim pä rang lü gang
Absorbs into me in the form of the wheels, filling my body.

7. Wisdom of Composing
Dra dön phün tshog lo säl ga kye päi
Please bless me to achieve the wisdom of composing
Tsom päi she rab thob par jin gyi lob
That gives rise to a joyous, clear understanding of
the excellent actually signified meaning.10

L ar yang tsöm päi khyen rab mar ser gyi

Once again the wisdom of composing flows forth in
Dü tsii nam par jung wä rang lü gang
The form of orange nectar, filling my body.
Dü tsii dül nam leg bam khor lo yi
From the atoms of the nectar clarified in
Nam par säl lä ö thrö chhog chu yi
The form of texts and wheels, light radiates.
18 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga

Gyäl dang de sä tsöm päi khyen rab nam

The wisdom of composing of the victorious ones of the ten
directions and their sons
Leg khor nam par tim pä rang lü gang
Absorbs into me in the form of the texts and wheels,
filling my body.

Request
Lama Zopa Rinpoche usually recites these two verses three times.
They can either be recited together three times, or the first verse
can be recited three times followed by the second verse three
times.

Thö sam gom päi she rab phel du söl

May my wisdoms of listening, reflecting, and meditating
increase.
Chhä tsö tsom päi lo drö gyä su söl
May my wisdoms of explaining, debating, and composing
develop.
Chhog dang thün mong ngö drub tsäl du söl
May I be granted the supreme and common realizations.
Nyur du khye rang ta bur jin gyi lob
Please bless me to quickly become like you.

De chhen lhän kye ye she chhar du söl

May my transcendental wisdom of simultaneously-born
great bliss arise.
Ngö dzin thrül päi dri ma säl du söl
May my stains of mistakenly grasping things as real be puri-
fied.
Sem nyi the tshom dra wa chä du söl
May my net of doubts that are only mind be cut off.
Nyur du khye rang ta bur jin gyi lob
Please bless me to quickly become like you.
 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga 19

The Foundation of All Good Qualities

Yön tän kün gyi zhir gyur drin chän je
The foundation of all good qualities is the kind and perfect,
pure guru;
Tshül zhin ten pa lam gyi tsa wa ru
Correct devotion to him is the root of the path.
Leg par thong nä bä pa du ma yi
By clearly seeing this and applying great effort,
Gü pa chhen pö ten par jin gyi lob
Please bless me to rely upon him with great respect.

L än chig nye päi däl wäi ten zang di

Understanding that the precious freedom of this rebirth is
found only once,
Shin tu nye ka dön chhen she gyur nä
Is greatly meaningful, and is difficult to find again,
Nyin tshän kün tu nying po len päi lo
Please bless me to generate the mind that unceasingly,
Gyün chhä me par kye war jin gyi lob
Day and night, takes its essence.

Lü sog yo wa chhu yi chhu bur zhin

This life is as impermanent as a water bubble;
Nyur du jig pä chhi wa drän pa dang
Remember how quickly it decays and death comes.
Shi wäi je su lü dang drib ma zhin
After death, just like a shadow follows the body,
K ar nag lä drä chhi zhin drang wa la
The results of black and white karma follow.

Nge pa tän po nye nä nye päi tshog

Finding firm and definite conviction in this,
Thra zhing thra wa nam kyang pong wa dang
Please bless me always to be careful
Ge tshog tha dag drub par je pa la
To abandon even the slightest negative action
20 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga

Tag tu bag dang dän par jin gyi lob

And accomplish all virtuous deeds.

Chä pä mi ngom dug ngäl kün gyi go

Seeking samsaric pleasures is the door to all suffering:
Yi tän mi rung si päi phün tshog kyi
They are uncertain and cannot be relied upon.
Nye mig rig nä thar päi de wa la
Recognizing these shortcomings,
Dön nyer chhen por kye war jin gyi lob
Please bless me to generate the strong wish for the bliss
of liberation.

Nam dag sam pa de yi drang pa yi

Led by this pure thought,
Drän dang she zhin bag yö chhen po yi
Mindfulness, alertness, and great caution arise.
Tän päi tsa wa so sor thar pa la
The root of the teachings is keeping the pratimoksha vows:
Drub pa nying por je par jin gyi lob
Please bless me to accomplish this essential practice.

Rang nyi si tshor lhung wa ji zhin du

Just as I have fallen into the sea of samsara,
Mar gyur dro wa kün kyang de dra war
So have all mother transmigratory beings.
Thong nä dro wa dröl wäi khur khyer wäi
Please bless me to see this, train in supreme bodhichitta,
Jang chhub sem chhog jong par jin gyi lob
And bear the responsibility of freeing transmigratory beings.

Sem tsam kye kyang tshül thrim nam sum la

Even if I develop only bodhichitta, but I don’t practice the three
types of morality,
Gom pa me na jang chhub mi drub par
I will not achieve enlightenment.
 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga 21

Leg par thong nä gyäl sä dom pa la

With my clear recognition of this,
Tsön pa drag pö lob par jin gyi lob
Please bless me to practice the bodhisattva vows with
great energy.

Log päi yül la yeng wa zhi je ching

Once I have pacified distractions to wrong objects
Yang dag dön la tshül zhin chö pa yi
And correctly analyzed the meaning of reality,
Zhi nä lhag thong zung du drel wäi lam
Please bless me to generate quickly within my mindstream
Nyur du gyü la kye war jin gyi lob
The unified path of calm abiding and special insight.

Thün mong lam jang nö du gyur pa na

Having become a pure vessel by training in the general path,
Theg pa kün gyi chhog gyur dor je theg
Please bless me to enter
K äl zang kye wöi jug ngog dam pa der
The holy gateway of the fortunate ones:
De lag nyi du jug par jin gyi lob
The supreme vajra vehicle.

De tshe ngö drub nam nyi drub päi zhi

At that time, the basis of accomplishing the two attainments
Nam dag dam tshig dom par sung wa la
Is keeping pure vows and samaya.
Chö ma min päi nge pa nye gyur nä
As I have become firmly convinced of this,
Sog dang dö te sung war jin gyi lob
Please bless me to protect these vows and pledges like my life.

De nä gyü dei nying po rim nyi kyi

Then, having realized the importance of the two stages,
Nä nam ji zhin tog nä tsön pa yi
The essence of the Vajrayana,
22 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga

Thün zhii näl jor chö lä mi yel war

By practicing with great energy, never giving up
the four sessions,
Dam päi sung zhin drub par jin gyi lob
Please bless me to realize the teachings of the holy Guru.

De tar lam zang tön päi she nyen dang

Like that, may the gurus who show the noble path
Tshül zhin drub päi drog nam zhab tän ching
And the spiritual friends who practice it have long lives.
Chhi dang nang gi bar du chö päi tshog
Please bless me to pacify completely
Nye war zhi war jin gyi lab tu söl
All outer and inner hindrances.

Kye wa kün tu yang dag la ma dang

In all my lives, never separated from perfect gurus,
Dräl me chhö kyi päl la long chö ching
May I enjoy the magnificent Dharma.
Sa dang lam gyi yön tän rab dzog nä
By completing the qualities of the stages and paths,
Dor je chhang gi go phang nyur thob shog
May I quickly attain the state of Vajradhara.

Request to Abide at the Heart

Päl dän tsa wäi la ma rin po chhe
Magnificent and precious root Guru,
Dag gi nying khar pä möi teng shug la
Please abide on the lotus seat at my heart,
K a drin chhen pöi go nä je zung te
Guide me with your great kindness,
Ku sung thug kyi ngö drub tsäl du söl
And grant me the realizations of your holy body, speech,
and mind.
 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga 23

Päl dän tsa wäi la ma rin po chhe

Magnificent and precious root Guru,
Dag gi nying khar pä möi teng shug la
Please abide on the lotus seat at my heart,
K a drin chhen pöi go nä je zung te
Guide me with your great kindness,
Chhog dang thün mong ngö drub tsäl du söl
And grant me the supreme and common realizations.

Päl dän tsa wäi la ma rin po chhe

Magnificent and precious root Guru,
Dag gi nying khar pä möi teng shug la
Please abide on the lotus seat at my heart,
K a drin chhen pöi go nä je zung te
Guide me with your great kindness,
Jang chhub nying pöi bar du tän par shug
And remain steadfast until I attain the essence of
enlightenment.

Guru Lama Tsongkhapa enters into your heart and becomes com-
pletely one with your body, speech, and mind.

Dedications
Tshe rab kün tu gyäl wa tsong kha pä
By the force of the victorious one, Tsongkhapa,
Theg chhog she nyen ngö su dzä päi thü
Acting as our direct Mahayana virtuous friend in all our lives,
Gyäl wä ngag päi lam zang de nyi lä
May we never turn away for even a second
K ä chig tsam yang dog par ma gyur chig
From the pure path highly admired by the victorious ones.
24 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga

Tshül thrim tsang zhing mang du thö pa dang

May we be able to live a life of pure morality,
listen to many teachings,
Jang sem jong dang ta chö tsang wa sog
Train in bodhichitta, and have pure view and conduct,
Lo zang gyäl wa nyi päi tän pa la
Without corrupting or polluting the teachings
Se lä me päi nam thar khyong par shog
Of Losang Dragpa, the second victorious one.

Päl dän la ma khye ku chi dra dang

Glorious Guru, whatever your body,
Khor dang ku tshei tshä dang zhing kham dang
Retinue, life span, and realm,
Khye kyi tshän chhog zang po chi dra wa
Whatever your supreme and excellent name,
De dra kho nar dag sog gyur war shog
May I and others become exactly like that.

Khye la tö ching söl wa tab päi thü

By the force of the praises and requests made to you,
Dag sog gang du nä päi sa chhog der
May all diseases, evil spirits, poverty, and quarrels be calmed,
Nä dön ül phong thab tsö zhi wa dang
And may the Dharma and good fortune increase
Chhö dang tra shi phel war dzä du söl
In the regions in which I and others dwell.

Päl dän la mäi ku tshe tän pa dang

Please bless us that the lives of the glorious gurus be long,
Kha nyam yong la de kyi jung wa dang
That all beings equaling the extent of space be happy,
 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga 25

Dag zhän ma lü tshog sag drib jang nä

That I and others without exception collect merits and
purify obscurations,
Nyur du sang gyä thob par jin gyi lob
And that we quickly achieve buddhahood.

Päl dän la mäi nam par thar pa la

May I not give rise to heresy for even a second
K ä chig tsam yang log ta mi kye zhing
In regard to the actions of the glorious Guru.
Chi dzä leg par thong wäi mö gü kyi
May I see whatever actions are done as pure.
L a mäi jin lab sem la jug par shog
With this devotion, may I receive the Guru’s blessings
in my heart.

Chhö kyi gyäl po tsong kha päi

For the Dharma king Tsongkhapa’s
Chhö tshül nam par phel wa la
Way of Dharma to flourish,
Geg kyi tshän ma zhi wa dang
May all signs of obstacles be pacified
Thün kyen ma lü tshang war shog
And all conducive conditions be complete.

Dag dang zhän gyi dü sum dang

Due to the two types of merits
Drel wäi tshog nyi la ten nä
Of the three times of myself and others,
Gyäl wa lo zang drag pa yi
May the teachings of the victorious one, Losang Dragpa,
Tän pa yün ring bar gyur chig
Shine resplendent forever.
26 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga

Dedication for the End of All Guru Yoga Practices

Due to the three time merits collected by myself, the numberless
buddhas, and the numberless sentient beings, may I, my family
members, all those who rely upon me, all those for whom I have
promised to pray, all those whose names have been given to me,
all the students, benefactors, and volunteers in the FPMT organi-
zation, and all sentient beings be able to meet perfectly qualified
Mahayana virtuous friends in all our future lives. From our side,
may we always see them as enlightened, may we always do only
actions most pleasing to their holy minds, and may we always fulfill
their holy wishes instantly.

Prayer for the Long Life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Gang rii ra wä kor wäi zhing kham dir
In the land encircled by snow mountains,
Phän dang de wa ma lü jung wäi nä
You are the source of all happiness and good.
Chän rä zig wang tän dzin gya tsho yi
All-powerful Chenrezig, Tenzin Gyatso,
Zhab pä si thäi bar du tän gyur chig
Please remain until samsara ends.

Prayer for the Long Life of Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Thub tshül chhang zhing jam gön gyäl wäi tän
You who uphold the Subduer’s moral way, who serve as the
bountiful bearer-of-all,
Dzin kyong pel wä kün zö dog por dzä
Sustaining, preserving, and spreading Manjunath’s victorious
doctrine;
Chhog sum kur wäi leg mön thu drub pa
Who masterfully accomplish magnificent prayers honoring the
Three Sublime Ones:
Dag sog dül jäi gön du zhab tän shog
Savior of myself and others, your disciples, please, please live long!
 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga 27

Appendix 1

Blessing, Multiplying,
and Presenting the Offerings

Offering Prayer
Lha dang mi yi chhö päi dzä
May divine and human offerings,
Ngö su sham dang yi kyi trül
Both actually arranged and mentally emanated,
Kün zang chhö trin la na me
Become clouds of the finest Samantabhadra offerings,
Nam khäi kham kün khyab gyur chig
Filling the entire realm of space.

Offering Cloud Mantra

By reciting this mantra, the offerings are blessed, multiplied (they
become numberless), and offered.

OM NAMO BHAGAVATE VAJRA SARA PRAMARDANE

TATHAGATAYA / ARHATE SAMYAKSAM BUDDHAYA /
TADYATHA OM VAJRE VAJRE / MAHA VAJRE / MAHA TEJA
VAJRE / MAHA VIDYA VAJRE / MAHA BODHICHITTA VAJRE /
MAHA BODHI MANDO PASAM KRAMANA VAJRE / SARVA
KARMA AVARANA VISHO DHANA VAJRE SVAHA (3x)
28 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga

Extensive Power of Truth

With this verse, the offerings that you have visualized as num-
berless actually appear to the buddhas and bodhisattvas and are
received.

Kön chhog sum gyi den pa dang

By the power of truth of the Three Rare Sublime Ones,
Sang gyä dang jang chhub sem pa tham chä kyi jin gyi lab dang
The blessings of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas,
Tshog nyi yong su dzog päi nga thang chhen po dang
The great wealth of the completed two types of merits,
Chhö kyi ying nam par dag ching sam gyi mi khyab päi tob kyi
And the pure and inconceivable sphere of phenomena,
Chhog chu na zhug päi sang gyä dang jang chhub sem pa tham
chä kyi chän ngar phag pa jam päl dang kun tu zang po la
sog päi nam par chhö päi trin gyi phung po sam gyi mi khyab pa
zä mi she pa nam kha dang nyam par jung war gyur chig
May these piles of clouds of offerings arising through
transformation by the bodhisattvas Arya Samantabhadra,
Manjushri, and so forth—unimaginable and inexhaustible,
equaling the sky—arise and, in the presence of the buddhas
and bodhisattvas of the ten directions, be received.

Return to p. 8.
 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga 29

Appendix 2
Extensive Meditations
Offering Meditation
If you have not already done so, recite the prayers for blessing,
multiplying, and presenting the offerings on p. 27.
Make charity of all the offerings to all sentient beings so that you
can then offer them together. Offer all the offerings—water bowls
as nectar, flowers, lights, food, music, and so on—in your room,
in all the FPMT center gompas, in Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s hous-
es in America, in the various students’ houses, and so on. Think
that these offerings are in the nature of great bliss. By offering
them, great bliss is generated in the holy minds of the objects of
offering, the essence of which are the Guru.
Do the three actions of prostrating, offering, and generating
infinite bliss 108x, 21x, or as many times as possible with respect
to each of the following groups, thinking that each one is in es-
sence your Root Guru.

• Lama Tsongkhapa and his two disciples

• All the Buddhas, Dharma, and Sangha in the ten directions
• All the statues, stupas, and scriptures in the ten directions
• His Holiness the Dalai Lama and all your other virtuous friends
• All the holy objects in:
• This place
• This country
• India, especially the Mahabodhi Stupa in Bodh Gaya
• Tibet, especially Samye Monastery and the Guru Shakya-
muni Buddha statue in the Jokhang Temple
30 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga

• Nepal, especially Swayambunath and Boudhanath stupas

• All the other Buddhist countries (such as Burma, Sri Lanka,
and Thailand)
• The rest of the world
• The eight Medicine Buddhas for success; Bodhisattva
Kshitigarbha to fulfill the wishes of all sentient beings im-
mediately; and Thousand-Arm Chenrezig to develop great
compassion and liberate numberless sentient beings from
all their suffering and bring them to full enlightenment

Return to p. 8.

Confession Meditation
If you prefer, simply visualize Vajrasattva above your head.

Visualize Lama Tsongkhapa in front of you. At his heart is

Manjushri. To his right is Gyaltsab Je, at whose heart is Four-Arm
Chenrezig. To his left is Khedrub Je, at whose heart is Vajrapani. At
the hearts of Manjushri, Chenrezig, and Vajrapani is Vajradhara,
at whose heart is the concentration being, a syllable HUM. All
three Vajradharas transform into Vajrasattva and a replica comes
to the crown of your head.

Visualize all sentient beings on a moon disk at your heart, in-

cluding anyone you wish to pray for. Purify both your own and
their negative karmas as you recite the Vajrasattva mantra. Do
the three visualizations with, for example, seven long Vajrasattva
mantras each:
1. Purifying down: Nectar flows down from the heart of Vajra-
sattva on your crown, washing out all your negative karmas, defile-
ments, sicknesses, and spirit harms, in the form of dirty black
liquid, through the lower openings of your body.
 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga 31

2. Purifying up: Nectar flows down from the heart of Vajrasattva

on your crown, filling your body. All your negative karmas, defile-
ments, sicknesses, and spirit harms, in the form of dirty black
liquid, come out through the crown of your head and the openings
of your senses.
3. Instant purification: Nectar and beams are emitted from the
heart of Vajrasattva on your crown, illuminating the inside of your
body, which becomes clear like crystal. Your negative karmas,
defilements, sicknesses, and spirit harms, in the form of darkness
at your heart, instantly become nonexistent, like darkness
instantly dispelled when a light is switched on in a room.
OM VAJRASATTVA SAMAYA MANUPALAYA / VAJRASATTVA
TVENOPATISHTHA / DRIDHO ME BHAVA / SUTOSHYO ME
BHAVA / SUPOSHYO ME BHAVA / ANURAKTO ME BHAVA /
SARVA SIDDHIM ME PRAYACCHA / SARVA KARMA SU
CHAME / CHITTAM SHRIYAM KURU HUM / HA HA HA HA HO /
BHAGAVAN SARVA TATHAGATA / VAJRA MAME MUNCHA /
VAJRA BHAVA MAHA SAMAYA SATTVA AH HUM PHAT (21x)

Generate strong faith that you have completely purified all the
negative karmas, especially those of having broken the three
types of vows, collected from beginningless rebirths.

Make a promise to never again commit those negative actions

from which you can easily abstain, and to not commit for a day,
an hour, a few minutes, or at least a few seconds those negative
actions from which you find it difficult to abstain.

Guru Vajrasattva is extremely pleased with you. He melts into

light and absorbs into you at the point between your eyebrows,
completely blessing your body, speech, and mind. Or, if you have
received a highest yoga tantra empowerment, do the meditation
on Vajrasattva entering your heart.

Return to p. 9.
32 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga

Rejoicing Meditation
First, rejoice that Lama Tsongkhapa completed the path to en-
lightenment by practicing the Dharma purely in these degenerate
times, and that he was free from the stains of the eight black
worldly dharmas, the eight mixed worldly dharmas, and the
eight white worldly dharmas.

Then rejoice in the extensive activities Lama Tsongkhapa

performed for the teachings of the Buddha and for all sentient
beings. By giving the clearest explanation of the teachings, Lama
Tsongkhapa made it easy for us to gain unmistaken understanding
and realization, without wasting time holding wrong views.

To rejoice extensively, reflect how Lama Tsongkhapa:

• Studied all the Buddha’s teachings of sutra and tantra, as well

as the commentaries composed by the great pandits and yogis
of India and Tibet; took teachings from teachers of the Sakya,
Kagyu, and Nyingma traditions; reflected on the meaning of
these teachings, analyzing what was correct and gaining un-
mistaken understanding; and meditated on this understand-
ing, gaining unmistaken realization.
• Composed eighteen volumes clarifying the scriptures of su-
tra and tantra, while supporting his points with hundreds of
proofs, particularly the difficult and subtle points where other
famous meditators and scholars made mistakes, such as the
subtle points of developing shamatha, the Prasangika Madhya-
maka view, and the tantric completion stage method.
• Kept the three types of vows perfectly and established mon-
asteries with many disciples upholding the vows.
• Led an ascetic life, completing 3,500,000 prostrations to the
Thirty-Five Confession Buddhas, over one million mandala of-
ferings, and so forth.
 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga 33

• Constructed holy objects, established the Great Prayer Festi-

val, and so forth.
• Taught and guided many disciples who achieved enlighten-
ment and who in turn guided many others to enlightenment.
They also established many great monasteries that uphold
the teachings and have produced great bodhisattvas, tantric
practitioners, and qualified teachers.
• Even today Lama Tsongkhapa is guiding us; through his kind-
ness we can practice the three principal aspects of the path,
purify negative karma, and accumulate much merit every
day. Our understanding of the Dharma comes from teachers
whose knowledge came from Lama Tsongkhapa. Therefore,
Lama Tsongkhapa is leading us to liberation and enlighten-
ment.

Rejoice, thinking: “How wonderful that Lama Tsongkhapa illumi-

nated the Dharma, like the sun rising in this world.” Feel happi-
ness in your heart. Each time you rejoice you create the cause to
become like Lama Tsongkhapa.

At the end dedicate: “May I be able to offer extensive benefit to

the teachings of the Buddha and to sentient beings by having all
the qualities of Lama Tsongkhapa within me from now on and in
all my future lifetimes.”

Return to p. 9.
34 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga

Notes:
1. Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Jinsiu Failin, Taipei, Taiwan, 1996.
2. Lama Zopa RInpoche advised to change SO NAM (Tib. gsod rnams) in the
third line to TSHOG NAM (Tib. tshogs rnams) in accordance with His Holiness
the Dalai Lama’s advice, and to translate TSHOG NAM as “merits,” rather
than “accumulation” or “collections.” Rinpoche explains that the two types
of merits are the merit of virtue and the merit of wisdom (often respectively
translated as the accumulation of merit and the accumulation of wisdom).
3. Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, March 2016.
4. The original version of the “Immeasurable Happiness”:
SEM CHÄN THAM CHÄ DE WA DANG DE WÄI GYU DANG DÄN NA
CHI MA RUNG
How wonderful it would be if all sentient beings were to have
happiness and the causes of happiness.
DÄN PAR GYUR CHIG
May they have happiness and its causes.
DÄN PAR DAG GI JA O
I myself will cause them to have happiness and its causes.
DE TAR JE NÜ PAR LA MA LHÄ JIN GYI LAB TU SÖL
Please, Guru-Deity, bless me to be able to do this.
5. Lama Zopa Rinpoche prefers to translate the Sanskrit word vaidurya as “sap-
phire,” rather than as the common translation “lapis lazuli.”
6. The word jetsün (Tib. rje btsun), which Lama Zopa Rinpoche has translated
here as “perfect, pure,” has many meanings. Je (perfect) means: (1) having
renounced this life, (2) having renounced samsara, (3) having no self-cher-
ishing thought, (4) having eliminated the ignorance holding a truly existent
I, (5) having given up ordinary appearances, and (6) having ceased dualistic
views and subtle negative imprints. Tsün means pure and disciplined due
to having realized (1) the path of the lower capable being, (2) the path of
the middle capable being, and (3) the path of the higher capable being. The
subtle meaning of jetsün is having the perfect qualities of cessation and re-
alization of the wisdom of nondual bliss and emptiness, the dharmakaya.
7. In Bendigo, Australia, September-October 2014, Lama Zopa Rinpoche ex-
plained that an invocation should come before the prayers for blessing,
multiplying, and presenting the offerings. The reason for this is that these
prayers cause the offerings to actually be received by the buddhas and bod-
hisattvas. Therefore, these prayers should be inserted at this point.
8. Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, March 2016.
9. Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, March 2016.
10. DRA DÖN (Tib. sgra don; literally, object or meaning of a term) here refers to
the meaning generality, generic image, or mental image (Tib. don spyi), since
sgra don and don spyi are synonyms. The definition of both is dngos kyi brjod
bya, “that which is actually signified,” i.e., that which is actually indicated
 Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga 35

by the words. This is in contrast to TSHIG DÖN (Tib. tshig don), the literal
object or meaning of a word, which comes in the “Wisdom of Explaining.”

Colophon:
Hundred Deities of Tushita (Dga’ ldan lha brgya ma): Composed by Dulnagpa
Palden Zangpo, it consists of only the invocation verse followed by the seven-
limb prayer. The “Common Visualization for Migtsema Recitation” is from A
Storehouse of Precious Treasure of Instructions (Zab lam dga’ ldan lha brgya
ma’i rnal ‘byor nyams su len tshul snyan brgyud zhal shes lhug par bkod pa’i man
ngag rin chen gter gyi bang mdzod) composed by Pabongkha Rinpoche, which
is in turn based on the works of earlier Gelug authors. This whole practice was
translated and compiled by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Transcribed by Ven. Lhundup
Nyingje (Paula Chichester) in Madison, Wisconsin in Summer 1998, and Aptos,
California in October 1998. Lightly edited by Ven. Constance Miller, FPMT Educa-
tion Department, August 1999. Revised edition, July 2001. Updated December
2003, August 2006, 2008, and 2009. Revised and edited by Ven. Tenzin Tsomo,
Ven. Joan Nicell, and Joona Repo, FPMT Education Services, July 2016, based
on Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s commentary, Rinpoche’s original translations from
May and October 1998, Rinpoche’s way of leading the practice, and the Tibetan
texts of Hundred Deities of Tushita and A Storehouse of Precious Treasure of In-
structions.

The Foundation of All Good Qualities (Yon tan gzhir gyur ma): Composed by Lama
Tsongkhapa. Translation from the Jorchö booklet edited by Ven. Ailsa Cameron
(Wisdom Publications, 1988). Lightly edited by Ven. Constance Miller and Nick
Ribush, April 1999. Phonetics checked and amended by Ven. Tenzin Tsomo, FPMT
Education Services, June 2016.

Appendix 1: Blessing, Multiplying, and Presenting the Offerings: Excerpted

from the FPMT Retreat Prayer Book (FPMT Education Services, 2016). “Offering
Prayer” revised by Ven. Joan Nicell and Joona Repo, FPMT Translation Services,
May 2016). “Extensive Power of the Truth” translated by Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Appendix 2: Extensive Meditations: Excerpted by Ven. Sarah Thresher from teach-

ings given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche during the Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga Re-
treat held at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Pomaia, Italy, September 2004. Lightly
edited by Ven. Gyalten Mindrol, FPMT Education Department, August 2006. “Of-
fering Meditation” lightly edited by Ven. Joan Nicell, FPMT Education Services,
July 2016, on the basis of an extensive teaching on offerings given by Lama Zopa
Rinpoche in Brisbane, Australia, 2000 (edited by Nick Ribush and posted as The
Yoga of Offering Food on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive website). ”Confession
Meditation” revised by Ven. Joan Nicell, FPMT Education Services, July 2016, on
the basis of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teaching, 12 September 2004.
Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition