THE ORIGINAL ‘MOTHER’ OF THE KARMA KAGYU FOUR-SESSION GURU YOGA: Lama Zhang’s four-session guru yoga, the vajra words of the dakinis, pure visions of 8th Karmapa and his students, and Karma Chagme’s texts on its practice and origin (17th Karmapa, Spring 2023 teachings, Day 11, part 2)

“”The root Guru, Mikyo Dorje is thought to be in nature truly Avalokiteshvara,
and one in essence with the eight forms of the guru, the eight Zhangs;
and the embodiment of the eight Karmapas,
From a sealed text of the Collected Works of Zhang
Even though a little is added to it,
Mikyo Dorje wrote these four-sessions from that.”
—Karma Chagme in Extremely Clear Notes and Visualisations of the Four-session Guru Yoga

“It says: “If you want to practice a guru yoga to accomplish me , there is no difference between Zhang and me. For this reason, the guru yoga of Zhang Rinpoche is the guru yoga of me.” Thus, I think probably during the consecration of the silver space statue it was the guru yoga of the tradition of Zhang’s Sealed Works.”
—17th Karmapa (Day 11, Spring 2023 teachings)

“Reciting this prayer, known as “Making a Connection Is Enough,” just once within the hearing of beings in the animal realm will close for them the many gates of rebirth in the lower realms. In the end, Noble Avalokiteshvara, Jetsun Dorje Yangchen himself, will extend his far-reaching arm of brilliant white light from the western pure realm of Sukhavati and guide them there in an instant by merely extending and drawing back his arm, as he has promised.”
—8th Karmapa in Four-Session Guru Yoga

Introduction

In the second half of the Day 11 teachings (from 1 hour 5 minutes), the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, gave a fascinating and original piece of research (one of many by the 17th Karmapa, unparalleled among Tibetan Buddhist lamas) on the original textual basis of the renowned Karma Kagyu four-session Guru Yoga practice written by 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje, a translation of which can be freely downloaded here. The 17th Karmapa also helped to compile a collection of commentaries on the four-session guru yoga which can be also be freely downloaded here.

The 17th Karmapa revealed that the ‘original’ mother text for this four-session guru yoga by 8th Karmapa came from sealed text by Lama Zhang Yudrakpa Tsondru Drakpa (zhang g.yu brag pa brtson ‘grus grags pa) (1123-1193).  The 17th Karmapa explained why this was also probably the guru yoga text they did during the consecration of the ‘silver space’ statue of 1st Sangye Nyenpa (after he had passed away) which contained within it vajra words from a song of the dakinis.  Mikyo Dorje himself stated that if followers wanted to accomplish him and/or Lama Zhang they should recite the four-session Guru Yoga, as he was no different from Lama Zhang.

Although the 17th Karmapa did not go into much detail about Lama Zhang, he  was an important spiritual and political figure in Tibet and said to have been a student of Je Gampopa. One interesting anecdote in his life-story related to Lama Zhang and the 1st Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa (the 17th Karmapa did not mention this) was:

At least one exception was made in 1189, when the First Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa (kar+ma pa 01 dus gsum mkhyen pa, 1110-1193) traveled all the way from Kham in order to persuade him to put a stop to his militant activities. It is said that after hearing the Karmapa’s arguments, Lama Zhang grasped the Karmapa’s finger, danced wildly, and from then on abstained from violence. Other stories, however, indicate that Lama Zhang and the First Karmapa considered each other equals, and that his methods were not entirely frowned upon by his Kagyu colleagues. One story has it that during the Karmapa’s visit to Tsel Gungtang he was sleeping surrounded by fierce Khampa guards. Lama Zhang entered, jumped on the Karmapa and slapped him three times. Before the guards could attack the Karmapa stated “Lama Zhang has just extended my life by three years!”

The 17th Karmapa concluded by stating that the blessings of hearing and reciting the words of the text were enormous, citing the end passage of it. Also, that in the Karma Kamtsang tradition the four-session Guru Yoga was a way to keep all one’s commitments to the yidam deities and practices and was the ‘essence of all the practices of the Karma Kagyu’. He urged everyone not to just talk about it but to practice it.

Music? Four-Session Guru Yoga chanted by the 17th Karmapa, and You Are Everything by The Stylistics.

Compiled and written by Adele Tomlin, 15th May 2023.

The ‘mother’ origin of the 8th Karmapa’s four-session guru yoga

17^th Karmapa, Spring 2023 teachings, Day 11, part 2

“Now I am going to speak about the four-session Guru yoga, the reason I want to speak about it is because during the consecration of the silver space statue, they consecrated it through Guru yoga sadhana and supplications. This is the instruction that Sangye Nyenpa gave Mikyo Dorje in his pure perception. In our Karma Kagyu, among all the guru yogas that we practice, the most well-known, or important is the four-session guru yoga. It is related to this. I do not have too much to say about the four-session guru yoga, as we are not really talking about the four-session Guru Yoga, so I will not say too much. There is no choice but to give a brief introduction.

Lama Zhang’s Sealed Works as the ‘mother’ origin of the 8th Karmapa’s four-session guru yoga

First, the reason it is called the four-session guru yoga is from Zhang Tsalpa. When we talk about the eight elder and eight younger Kagyu lineages, this is an interesting term we talk about, we normally say the four elder and the eight younger lineages. But when we use this term, it can create some debate [for a previous teaching by the 17th Karmapa on these lineages, see here]. In any case, if we use those terms, one of the four elder lineages is the Tsalpa Kagyu. The founder of that lineage teachings is Zhang Tsalpa, or Zhang Yudrakpa Tsöndru Drakpa (1122–93) (zhang g.yu brag pa brtson ‘gru brags pa) [i]. In a text of his called the Practice of the Four Sessions (Thun Zhi Nyamlen):

Lama Zhang says, the reason we talk about four sessions is because we divide the day into four: two sessions in morning before noon, and two in the evening. Because we do the Guru Yoga in these four sessions per 24 hours, that is why it is called the four-session Guru Yoga.

To speak about the origin of the practice of the guru yoga, there is a text by Khedrub Karma Chagme called Extremely Clear Notes and the Visualisations of the Four-session Guru Yoga, in which he says:

“The root Guru, Mikyo Dorje is thought to be in nature truly Avalokiteshvara,
and one in essence with the eight forms of the guru, the eight Zhangs;
and the embodiment of the eight Karmapas.
From a sealed text of the Collected Works of Zhang
Even though a little is added to it,
Mikyo Dorje wrote these four-sessions from that.”

So, what this means is that Lama Zhang, the founder of the Tsalpa Kagyu and in his Collected Works[ii] there are several volumes, and among them there is one called the Sealed Works (Kabum Kagyama), So Mikyo Dorje took a few passages from that, and added a few of his own words. That is how the four-session guru yoga came into existence. That is what Karma Chagme says.

Now it seems to me that the way Karma Chagme describes it matches how it must have been. Of course, if we are talking about it in terms of research, Karma Chagme’s description is accurate. The reason for this is because in Mikyo Dorje’s Collected Works there is a text called Some Supplications to Accomplish the Guru (Tshenpa Ga).  Among those supplications they contain the passage from our present day four-session Guru Yoga from the “Namo Guru, Above my head, the wisdom dakini…” until “now is the time to supplicate from my heart.” That is all in this text.  Within that it is very clear that some of these are the words of Zhang because he made notes. Any word that was from the Sealed Works of Zhang, Mikyo Dorje put a note there saying it was from those Sealed Works. This text in the Collected Works of 8th Karmapa called Some Supplications to Accomplish the Guru, is like the ‘mother’  basis of the four-session guru yoga. Later other words of Mikyo Dorje were added and some words of his great disciples who were also great siddhas. That created the complete present-day four-session Guru Yoga.

So I spoke about the Sealed Works of Lama Zhang. As I said, there are five to seven volumes in Lama Zhang’s Collected Works, and there is one volume called the Sealed Works. And this contains 98 different texts. So that volume is called the Sealed Works of Lama Zhang.

The text called Miraculous Blessed Words that Zhang Rinpoche, Protector of beings said to Lord Nyenpa Drubthob in a Dream

Not only that, in Mikyo Dorje’s Collected Works, there is also a text called the Miraculous Blessed Words that Zhang Rinpoche, Protector of beings said to Lord Nyenpa Drubthob in a Dream. Its length is four folios, in Tibetan we say the folios, which includes the back and front, not each page which are just one. In Tibet we say the whole folio. So, it is 48 folios long or 96 pages.  What it says is that when Mikyo Dorje’s root guru Sangye Nyenpa was 28 years old, in Tibetan this was the Dragon Year, and is 1472 in western calendar, on the 8th day of the 7th month of the Dragon Year. Sangye Nyenpa had a dream of being blessed by Lama Zhang and Dusum Khyenpa among others. It was very vivid and amazing dream. So he wrote a Guru Yoga (Ladrub) at that time.

In this guru yoga, I think it had three different points, the first was an extraordinary and connected to the guru yoga of the primordial awareness of inner heat (tummo yeshe gi naljor). The second was the empowerment of great bliss vajra the yoga of four kayas luminosity (Osel Ku Zhi Neljor). The third is the yoga of phowa (transference of consciousness), or Mahamudra. In other words it is connected to these three practices of tummo, luminosity and phowa.

It seems that Sangye Nyenpa taught this practice  orally and Mikyo Dorje recorded notes of it.  If we look at this text, it is also sealed. As Lama Zhang (and Dusum Khyenpa) appeared in Sangye Nyenpa’ s vision and it came from those blessings, also it was a sealed text.

The origin according to Feast For Scholars

However, in the Feast for Scholars by Pawo Tsuglag Trengwa, there is a passage:

What it says is that 8th Karmapa Mikyo Dorje himself wrote the sealed Guru Yoga sadhana because he saw the eight forms of Guru Rinpoche, the eight forms of Zhang and the eight incarnations of the Karmapa were inseparable.  If we look at this then Mikyo Dorje himself must have written a sealed guru yoga practice.

However, when you look at the catalogue of Mikyo Dorje’s works, prepared by the 5th Zhamarpa. Nowadays, the manuscripts of the Collected Works of Mikyo Dorje that come from the Potala and the Drepung libraries, when you look through these, there is no other edition of text we saw of the Miraculous Blessed Words that Zhang Rinpoche Protector of Beings said to Lord Nyenpa Drubthob in a Dream. There are probably no other texts that talk about a sealed Guru Yoga sadhana.

I think when the Feast for Scholars says there is  a Sealed Guru Yoga practice by Mikyo Dorje, it means the one that Sangye Nyenpa taught and Mikyo Dorje recorded in notes. It does not mean that there is one that Mikyo Dorje wrote himself. I don’t think there is such a one that Mikyo Dorje wrote himself. Generally, when you look at the catalogue of Mikyo Dorje’s Collected Works prepared by 5th Zhamarpa, there are a few texts that are not included in that catalogue. Now is not the time to speak about that. Yet, merely saying it is not in there does not mean it does not exist.

Anyway, the main point is that the sealed guru yoga sadhana does quote the words of Sangye Nyenpa. There is a real point to them. This is what it says:

“If you want to practice a guru yoga to accomplish me, there is no difference between Zhang and me. For this reason, the guru yoga of Zhang Rinpoche is the guru yoga of me.”

Thus, I think probably during the consecration of the silver space statue they probably performed the guru yoga of the tradition of Zhang’s Sealed Works.

Is it the longer one that Mikyo Dorje had taken notes on that came from Sangye Nyenpa?It is clear that it was a guru yoga from the tradition of the sealed works of Zhang. However we cannot tell which one it was because there are two that Mikyo Dorje wrote that are related. One of these is the one that came from the oral tradition of Sangye Nyenpa that Mikyo Dorje wrote in some notes. The other one is the present day four-session guru yoga whose basis is the words of Zhang, with a few passages added my Mikyo Dorje. So which of them it was, the Nyenpa one of the four session Guru Yoga cannot be stated with certainty.

The reason for that is that we cannot really say with any certainty that the four session guru yoga that we currently recite was complete at that time or not. The reason there are these texts I mentioned before in Mikyo Dorje’s Collected Works such as Some Supplications there are some words which were added to to make the four-session guru yoga. These are like the foundation, the mother. In addition, the four session guru yoga adds a few words extra by Mikyo Dorje. That makes the complete four-session Guru Yoga.

17th Karmapa’s breakdown of different passages in the four-session Guru Yoga and where they come from

In order to make this clear, I thought I would introduce each of these. For example, at the beginning of the four-session guru yoga [readers can download it here] it says this: There is the ‘all mothers’ passage , ma nam kha la. It is a tradition to recite the ‘all mothers, is probably something that is added. It probably was not originally in the four -session, but we have the tradition of reciting it. Karma Chagme said there is a tradition of reciting it, so you have to add it.

The beginning of the four-session guru yoga, begins:  “Namo Guru, above my head, the wisdom dakini.” Then there is a passage that goes from there to the passage “Now is the time to supplicate from my heart.” This is also in the text Some Supplications to Accomplish the Guru.

There are also the two supplications: “Kye, appearing while empty of all appearing” from there to “grant me the blessings of the guru’s mind” and “Kye, when the Guru Ratna approaches” to “quell all enemies and obstructors”. These two are in the supplications from the tradition of Zhang’s Sealed Pith Instructions. The way we know that is for two reasons:

1) There is a note in the text Some Supplications to Accomplish the Guru saying it is from the Sealed Works of Zhang.

2) If we look at the Sealed Works of Zhang themselves there is a text called the Sealed Empowerment and Blessings along with the Practice. In that, are these two prayers I just mentioned before. The order is slightly different.  Likewise, the supplication to the body speech and mind, we normally put them altogether, but in the sealed works of Zhang, for each of the body, speech and mind, there is a supplication, invitation and descent of blessing for each of them. So the words are a little bit longer.

After that, there is a supplication of the seven forms of Zhang, Dechen Dorje, Tsokye Dorje, Mikyo Dorje, Zhedang Dorje, Rolpe Dorje and Gawai Dorje. These are seven secret names of Zhang. If I show it will be easier.

 Another name for the Supplication, is the Supplication to the Seven Secret Sites. The reason it is called this is because Lama Zhang practised this at seven different sites. Yarlung Drongbu, Samye Utse, Zangyul Mondon, Drongbu Chikung, Tsalgang Chochil, Lhasa Trulnang, and Tragyu Drag. So these are seven sites where he practised. Each of these seven places, he performed different deeds and acts and for that reason there is this supplication of the seven sites. So we can call it that, or the secret supplication of the secret names.

In Mikyo Dorje’s Collected Works, there is the supplication to the seven secret sites, it is like independent, it is just before the Zhang sealed guru sadhana taught by Sangye Nyenpa that Mikyo Dorje had written in notes, but it is called by a different name there. It is called the Lineage Supplication of the Sealed Works of Zhang (Zhang Kagyai Gyu Rim Sol Deb): Zhang bkaʼ rgyaʼi brgyud rim gsol ʼdebs.) How did this supplication originate? It is said to be a Praise of Lama Zhang that was written when he achieved the supreme siddhi in this lifetime. It was made by the 28 guards of constellations, the 28 inner Ishvaras and the 28 secret dakinis. So when Lama Zhang achieved the supreme siddhi of awakening then the dakinis arose and made this praise and vajra song. Thus when we do the four-session guru yoga, when we say the vajra words sung by the dakinis, these are the words it is speaking about. The words of Zhang’s sealed guru yoga are words that were actually sung to him by the dakinis.

Eight forms (or names) of Zhang and ways to visualise them

In any case, both Karma Chagme and Pawo Tsuglag Trengwa mentioned the  the eight forms of Zhang, the eight Karmapas and the eight forms of the Guru. What are the eight names of Zhang? What are the eight Karmapas?  Who are the eight gurus? I did not know this before. Of course, we know the eight names of the Guru but I did not know the eight names of Lama Zhang. However, yesterday when I was doing some research, I was able to learn what the eight names of Zhang are. I would like to show them to you. If we say the eight Zhangs, eight Karmapas and eight gurus are the same essence, but we cannot say who the eight Zhangs are, that is kind of strange.  These are the eight forms, or names of Zhang:

1) Zhang Pema Vajra

2) Zhang Dechen Dorje

3) Zhang Tsokye Dorje

4) Zhang Mikyo Dorje

5) Zhang Zhedang Dorje

6) Zhang Rolpe Dorje

7) Zhang Gawai Dorje

8) Zhang Dewai Dorje

When you meditate on the eight Zhangs, how do you visualise them? What is the practice? In the Sealed Words of Zhang it says in a text called the General Empowerment of the Mondongma Lama, that all eight forms of Zhang are similar in colour and all wearing white bone ornaments that are clacking and jangling. That is how you visualise them. In the sealed guru sadhana of Mikyo Dorje’s Collected Works, it says you should visualise the eight Zhangs as wearing Chakra vajra emblems and holding vajras and bells in their hands. So there are two different ways to visualise them.

Relation between the Eight Zhangs and the Eight Karmapas

We also need to know how the eight Zhangs and eight Karmapas are related.

In the Collected Works of Mikyo Dorje there is a note in the little supplication of the Sealed Works of Zhang:

1)Zhang Dewai Dorje – 1st Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa

2) Zhang Pema Vajra – 2nd Karmapa, Karma Pakshi

3) Zhang Dechen Dorje – 3rd Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje

4) Zhang Tsokye Dorje – 7th Karmapa, Chodrag Gyatso

5) Zhang Mikyo Dorje – Gelong Chodrub Zangpo [8th Karmapa]

6) Zhang Zhedang Dorje – 5th Karmapa, Dezhin Shegpa

7) Zhang Rolpe Dorje – 6th Karmapa, Thongwa Donden

8) Zhang Gawai Dorje  – 4th Karmapa, Rolpe Dorje

So the eight Karmapas (Karma Rab Gye) are from Dusum Khyenpa to Mikyo Dorje. When we combine them with the eight Zhangs, this is how you do it, not any way whatever.

The eight form of Gurus Rinpoche are well-known but how the eight Zhangs, eight Karmapas and the eight gurus go together is not clearly indicated. So I cannot immediately say. If I have the opportunity in the future, then I will let you know.

More analysis of the passages from the four-session Guru Yoga sadhana

I will continue now speaking about the four-session Guru Yoga.

“The green wisdom dakini appears in space”. I have not seen this in Mikyo Dorje’s Collected Works.

“Filling space, Mikyo Dorje AH”. I have not seen these words in Mikyo Dorje’s Collected Works either.

“Exalted master, lord of the four kayas” to “Karmapa Khyenno”  is found within the text in Mikyo Dorje’s Collected Works called Some Supplications to Accomplish the Guru.

“Embodiment of compassion khyenno” to “Protector of beings, may I be just like you.” Is in this text called Supplications to Accomplish the Guru.

But they are followed, in that text, with a colophon that says: “Supplicate thus and I exhort my disciples to write these two prayers to the Karmapa.” Other than that, there are no other words in the four-session guru yoga.

Then, the supplication from “Omniscient Only Father”, to “look upon me at this time of panic and anguish”, are they included in Mikyo Dorje’s Collected Works or not?  They are not in the Some Supplications to Accomplish the Guru, but they are in Mikyo Dorje’s shorter works.

Then, the passages “precious guru” holder of the true lineage” to “protect all beings forever” are in the Some Supplications text but the order of lines is different. Because this is before the passage “Exalted master, Lord of the Four Kayas” which comes first in the four-session Guru Yoga.

Then there is the passage: “I supplicate the Lord to bless me to have fortitude in my heart.” I have not seen that in Mikyo Dorje’s Collected Works.

Then the three stanzas “Calling from my heart, death is certain” to “Chakrasamvara the glorious, sublime bliss”, I have not seen them in the Collected Works but they are in the Kamtsang Prayer book prepared by Situ Penchen, where they are attributed to Mikyo Dorje.

Then, the verses from ” I dedicate all virtue” to in all my lives may I never be parted from glorious Sangye Nyenpa and his sons.” This is included in Mikyo Dorje’s Collected Works called practicing the Songs.

Then there is the Supplication to Make Connection: “I pray to the unequalled Dagpo Kagyu” to “I supplicate the mighty Dharma Lord who grants the relief of fearlessness.”  These are included among the short works of Mikyo Dorje.  Because the guru yoga tradition is to add each lineage master, we cannot say the whole passage is there because for each Karmapa the names were added, but the other words were all Mikyo Dorje’s words, this is clear.

Then, finally,  the three stanzas, “In all my lives may I be of good birth and swiftly attain the state of Vajradhara”. This is a well-known aspiration in Tibetan Buddhism, not just Kagyu, but in Sakya, Nyingma and Gelug. It is well-known, but if you ask who wrote it, it is hard to say.

Liberation-Stories of the Six Kamtsang Masters and Disciples by Negowa Karma Zhenphen

If you ask what reason I am explaining to you which words from the four session guru yoga come from Mikyo Dorje’s Collected Works or not? I think this is something that will become clearer. The reason is that there is a direct disciple of Situ Penchen called Negowa Karma Zhenphen Gyatso who wrote the Liberation-Stories of the Six Kamtsang Masters and Disciples. it says that:

“The four-session Guru Yoga by Gyalwang Mikyo Dorje is a superior Guru sadhana, there is clearly a similar visualisation to accomplishing the vajra master of the Sambhuta Tantra.  That very text is said to be a secret song of the dakinis and the words of supplication are of Mikyo Dorje, who is the nature of all the victors. That appeared in the pure visions of Mahasiddhas compiled by his own disciples. It is then followed by the supplication. “I supplicate the great mighty Dharma Lord who grants the great relief of fearlessness. This has greater blessings than any other supplication.”

So most of the words of the four-session Guru Yoga are Mikyo Dorje’s own words. However, some are by his students. There are also the secret songs of the Wisdom Dakinis.

So what was written by Mikyo Dorje and what was the secret song of the dakinis and what was by his disciples? It would be good to know this, I thought I would try to figure that out but I have been unable to do that. The secret song of the dakinis generally means the sealed supplication by Lama Zhang Tsalpa. Most of the words in the four-session guru yoga are Mikyo Dorje’s own words that are in his Collected Works. If we look at the words that are not in those Works, they were probably written by Mikyo Dorje’s students who had achieved realisation. Some people say some words could have been written by Zhamarpa Konchog Yenlag.

In any case, in terms of the meaning that the four-session yoga communicates, there is the Sambhuta Tantra, which has a chapter called Accomplishing the Vajra Master, which is in Tibetan in the Kangyur. At the end of the first section there is a passage called the Perfect Blessings of the Master of the Mahamudra. This is what we are speaking about. So this passage, Negowa says that there the chapter Accomplishing the Vajra Master is probably what he means is the passage at the end of the first session called Blessings of the Master of Mahamudra.  But I think it must be the same but I have not figured it out. So I will not speak about it now. Other than that, the sealed words of Lama Zhang and Sangye Nyenpa’ s pure visions and the pure visions of Mikyo Dorje and his disciples, these are all combined in the four-session yoga.

In the past, when I was teaching the four-session Guru Yoga in Bodh Gaya, at that time, as I was teaching and reciting, I had a feeling that was different from before. It was like, I think this was a pure vision described in the visualisation. Not something that they just thought. Now, as I said before about the consecration of the silver space statue of Sangye Nyenpa, and mentioned the many pure visions that Mikyo Dorje and his disciples had, and some of these are actually included in the four-session yoga. But I won’t go through it in detail. Most of the words are from Mikyo Dorje, there are a few from the Sealed Works of Zhang and some from Mikyo Dorje’s disciples who had accomplishment.

The end of the four-session guru yoga passage

In particular, at the end of the four-session yoga, it says:

“Reciting this prayer, known as “Making a Connection Is Enough,” just once within the hearing of beings in the animal realm will close for them the many gates of rebirth in the lower realms. In the end, Noble Avalokiteshvara, Jetsun Dorje Yangchen himself, will extend his far-reaching arm of brilliant white light from the western pure realm of Sukhavati and guide them there in an instant by merely extending and drawing back his arm, as he has promised.”

Jetsun Dorje Yangchen is Mikyo Dorje himself. So he is saying that if anyone hears this prayer making a connection, if they just hear it once then it will block all the gates to rebirth in the lower realms and be able to guide them to Sukhavati. So there is no need to mention how strong the blessings are.

These supplication words at the end of the text, sometimes there are texts that have a lot of poetic devices that only people with an education can understand, but these are not like that, they are easy for everyone to understand, and they easily inspire faith and devotion. So, when you recite them, you have no choice but to feel faith and devotion. It can also be combined with any practice such as Sutra, Tantra, Mahamudra. There is an old text by the 9th Karmapa, Wangchug Dorje on the Visualisations for the Four-Sessions (Thun Zhi Mig Rim), where he combines it with the practice of the six yogas. Anyway, this guru yoga is different from any other and essence of the Karma Kamtsang practice is in this four-session Guru Yoga,

Karma Chagme’s Extremely Lucid Notes on the Visualisation on the Four-Session yoga and punishment in Tibet did not used to mean beating people up

 In Karma Chagme’s Extremely Lucid Notes on the Visualisation on the Four-Session yoga, it says this very clearly how it was practised.

What this says is that:

“in the meditation camps, such as Yangri, Zur ri and Dratsang there is a custom of reciting these verses of prayer in three sessions day and night. Three times at evening, midday and daybreak, a gong would sound and the master of discipline would circle the camp checking each one man tent, and punishing those who slept or did not chant. This is the principle practice of the Kamtsang.”

So it talks about the three, Yangri, Zurri and Dratsang. So if you ask people at Tsurphu who have not studied much and ask them where these are, they do not know. Zuri is Zuri, and Dratsang is Dratsang, they would say. If one had not looked at any histories, one would not know. Later, when I looked where these three were, as I said before, during the time of 10th Karmapa, Choying Dorje, there were three parts of the great encampment that focused on practice, the Sangha (Gedun) Yangri, Zurri and Chogdrawa.  These were people mainly doing meditation practice and Mahamudra. There were also other meditation camps.

So if one was practising, then three times each day and night there was a tradition of them doing the four-session yoga in particular. In the evening, when the sun is setting, at dawn, at midnight, and around 3-4 am in the morning, they would ring a gong and at that time, they had to get up. Most of the people never took off their clothes or belt, they slept sitting up. So when the gong was rung, they immediately woke up and had to recite the four-session guru yoga. At that point, the discipline master would patrol the encampment and he would go and look in the one person tents and he would go and look in and see if they were up and reciting or not. If they were not doing that they would be punished.

Now when we think about punishment in Tibet in the olden days, we normally think it means being beaten with a stick or an iron rod. However, during the time of the 7th, 8th and 9th Karmapas, if you look at the documents of that time, you never see anything about beating anyone.  It says prostrating, or reciting the confession practices, but nothing about beating. Later, in some Instructions there is talk about beating them exactly one hundred times but these are basically, the worldly rules got their way into the monastery and encampment rules. In the encampment there was nothing about beating during those times. If you look at all the rules that the 7th-9th Karmapas established for the monasteries, there was nothing about beating in them. So when we think about punishing them, we might think it means beating them, but that is not what it means.

Great tradition in the Karma Kagyu of practising the four-session guru yoga and keeping all samaya commitments with it

During the time of the 16th Karmapa, this is like the first part of his life. Later, there were the great difficulties. In the first part of his life, at Tsurphu Monastery, after they had their supper, they would recite the session gong, a small gong at the Mahakala shrine room. When they rang the gong, all the senior monks had to sit in their own rooms and do meditation, recitation and so on.  There was also a gatekeeper, he was the person who would protect the gate. He would close the main gate stopping all movement in and out of the monastery, so people were no longer allowed to go in and out. Then after the gatekeeper, who was a layperson, the discipline master would patrol the surrounding area. To see if people were keeping their sessions. I think this tradition seems to be a continuation of the earlier traditions of the encampment, of having sessions to recite the four-session Guru Yoga.

There was this great tradition in the Karma Great Encampment.  In the past, in Bodh Gaya I said it was very important to recite the four-session guru yoga, not only for monastics but also for laypeople. There were people who got the empowerments, hundreds of thousands of times, when you take the empowerment, you make the commitment and promise to do this. Taking the empowerment alone does not help, after you take it, you get the permission to do the secret mantra practice. It is another thing to see if you have the realisation of the meaning of the empowerment. but to talk about it simply then it is like the permission to practice the secret mantra vajrayana. So now you have the fortune to practice, so you have to practice it.  There is no reason to having the empowerment if you do not practice it. Now if we had to recite the practises of all the deities of the different classes of tantras we had received, there is no way we could do it.

Once there was an old monk of ours, a senior monk, they would recite a lot, in the morning he would spend three or four hours reciting texts. If we said everyone had to spend three or four hours reciting texts that would be difficult, different times and a lot of work to do and it would be difficult to do it. For that reason, if you do guru yoga of your root guru with the idea that they are the embodiment of all the yidam deities then this automatically fulfils all the commitments you have made. It is like a substitute for all the commitments to do all the different practices. That is good. In the Gelug tradition they do the six-session Guru Yoga and in the Kamtsang tradition we have the four-session Guru Yoga. As I said before, I do not need to speak about its great qualities, just talking about its qualities is not beneficial, you have to practice it.”

Further Reading/Sources

Lama Zhang – Treasury of Lives biography 

E-book: Four-Session Guru Yoga by 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje 

Four-Session Guru Yoga Session One by 17th Karmapa (February 2017)

 

Endnotes

[i] Also known as Gungtang Lama Zhang (gung-thang bla-ma zhang) and often simply as Lama Zhang, was the founder of the Tshalpa Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism.  He was a prominent religious figure, and his extensive involvement in the political and military conflicts of Tibet was controversial at the time.^[1] Lama Zhang played a key role in the medieval Buddhist revival in Central Tibet, also called the “Tibetan renaissance”.^[2] Despite his controversy and complexity, Lama Zhang was highly respected by the great Tibetan meditation masters in his time, and he had an important role in Tibetan history. A significant symbol of his place of prominence is Gampopa‘s red hat that Lama Zhang wore and that is depicted in paintings and sculptures of him. The hat was passed down by way of Gampopa’s cousin Gonpo Tsultrim Nyingpo. The hat marks Lama Zhang’s legacy in the transformation of Tibetan society and power structures.^[

Lama Zhang was most likely the first to establish a system of theocratic rulership centered on the figure of the charismatic lama in the Lhasa area of Central Tibet. He created a template for later theocratic leaders of Lhasa, including the future Dalai Lama.^[3] Together with Phagmo Drupa Dorje Gyalpo and Tsongkhapa, Zhang Yudrakpa was considered as one of the “Three Jewels of Tibet” (bod nor bu rnam gsum).^[4]

[ii] I found three extant editions of these collected works on the BDRC .

• bLa ma zhang brtson ʼgrus grags pa. gSung ʼbum brtson ʼgrus grags pa. Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC), purl.bdrc.io/resource/MW8LS32733.
• bLa ma zhang brtson ʼgrus grags pa. gSung ʼbum brtson ʼgrus grags pa. Gam-po-pa Library, 2004. Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC), purl.bdrc.io/resource/MW26673. A collection of the works of Zhang Yudrakpa in nine volumes (edited by Khenpo Shedup Tenzin and Lama Thinley Namgyal) was published as dpal ldan tshal pa bka’ brgyud kyi bstan pa’i mnga’ bdag zhang g.yu brag pa brtson ‘grus grags pa’i gsung ‘bum rin po che: (The Collected Works of Zhaṅ brtson ‘grus grags pa 1123-1193). Kathmandu: Shree Gautam Buddha Vihar, 2004.

• bLa ma zhang brtson ʼgrus grags pa. gSung thor bu brtson ʼgrus grags pa. The Sungrab Nyamso Gyunpel Parkhang, 1972. Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC), purl.bdrc.io/resource/MW1KG10016. [BDRC bdr:MW1KG10016]