“When we think about all the qualities, what are the most important and indispensable ones that a teacher must have? Again, if we take our compassionate teacher, the perfect Buddha as an example, we can see that the Buddha himself had many different and great special qualities that enabled him to bring benefit to beings that needed to be benefited. Among all these qualities, the main and first one is great compassion, love and compassion for others. Second, an unmistaken knowledge of the path to liberation, the great prajna wisdom (sherab). The third quality is that they are not bound by the ties of the eight worldly concerns of this life. “
“If someone acts in a way we expect them to, then we accept them. we might immediately think they are an authentic lama. If they do not, then we have trouble accepting them.”
“Every day, in this human life, when we talk about meditating on guru yoga. We try to meditate on their body, and their appearance but that is only a method. The real point is we must try to fulfil the guru’s intentions in our daily life. We need to see what kind of a connection there is between the guru’s wishes and our own thoughts and intentions. We need to do what we can to try bring our own intentions, thoughts and actions closer to those of the guru’s. That is the really important point. If that happens, our guru yoga practice is effective and meaningful.”
A couple of days ago, 30th September 2023, the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa gave a live video talk on Guru Yoga. This was not publicized widely and I only saw it yesterday posted on the Thrangu Canada centre Youtube and social media (from 15 minutes in on the video). The 17th Karmapa has not taught online for several months now, so it was a joyous and moving occasion to see and hear him speak about an important practice and topic, guru yoga. For this bittersweet teaching (joy at being able to see and hear the 17th Karmapa after a long break, but sadness at his still not being able to freely visit and teach in person) I offer a full transcript of the teaching below, based on the Tibetan original and English translation.
At the beginning of the teaching, the 17th Karmapa bestowed the transmission of the Guru Yoga he had recently composed for the recently passed 9th Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche (for chanting of that yoga, with English and Tibetan phonetics, see here). He then spoke for about half an hour on the topic of a guru and what makes someone a qualified guru and a qualified student. In particular, he emphasised the main quality of great compassion, wisdom and also being without worldly and self-interested aims. He also explained that having a clear aim and intention when seeking a guru was important as a student too. So if someone thinks they cannot find a qualified or good guru one should look at if one has the correct and suitable purpose. The Karmapa then gave the example of how people are very quick to dismiss and not pay attention to a person (who may be an accomplished yogi meditator spending all their time in mountain retreat) who may be unwashed, smelly, dirty, hot-tempered or not interact with us how we wish or want. But people only seek someone who they can have ‘nice’ conversation with. The 17th Karmapa reminded us how to maintain the connection with a guru who has passed away (or is not present physically), by recalling their kindness and great qualities every day.
At the end of the teaching, the Karmapa spoke in English and explained that he was a bit sleepy as it was late where he was, which means he is not in North America and possibly in Asia!
This reminded me of another teaching the 17th Karmapa gave several years ago, where he talks about how guru yoga should not be mistaken for actual bodily (sexual) union with the teacher out of desire and attachment, which would be strange. He speaks about how the guru yoga, means the guru resides in our hearts and so via that, one is able to oneself, by one’s own power overcome and apply the antidotes. For more on the essential qualities of an authentic teacher, see also this advice by the great Jonang and Shangpa Kagyu master, Jetsun Tāranātha.
I offer this with continuing devotion, love and sincerity to the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, we all long to behold your face in person again and pray and hope you will be able to return to teach in India, Asia and travel and teach wherever you wish. Forgive us our endless faults and mistakes.
Music? Karmapa Khyenno by Dawa Tsona, Devotion by Earth, Wind and Fire, The Heart Asks for Pleasure First by Michael Nyman, Die 4 U by Prince, and The Enemy Mumford and Sons.
Written and transcribed by Adele Tomlin, 2nd October 2023.
Transcript of Guru Yoga teaching by 17th Karmapa
for commemoration of 9th Thrangu Rinpoche (30th September 2023)
“Guru Yoga, sometimes people think say it is a secret and difficult, and big secret, but on the other hand, it is not that complicated or difficult. As everyone who has entered the practice of Buddha Dharma knows, the spiritual friend is very important, they lead on the path, and teach the Dharma and in dependence on that one can realise the nature of the Buddha’s teachings. In brief, when we speak about the spritiual friend or master, or use the Tibetan word, lama (teacher we say), it generally means the same thing. So we all understand that the spiritual friend, or teacher is extremely important.
One needs a spiritual friend who is authentic and that means qualified (endowed with qualities: tsenden in Tibetan). For Buddhists, the person who gave the best example of this is Buddha Shakyamuni came to this world and showed the manner of full awakening and Buddhahood. Not only that, he did not hide the nature of the sacred Dharma that he had himself realised. He also taught it to others and gave others guidance. For example, he taught the good group of five and gathered many other students. Therefore, the Buddha Shakyamuni is like the perfect example and the main example we have for what a teacher should be like the mother.”
So, if we think about the best, number one, or top example of a teacher, it is the Buddha Shakyamuni. Is it possible for people to have those qualities of a Buddha? It is difficult. To have a teacher that has 100 percent all the qualities of the Buddha, that is difficult to get. However, even if we do not have teacher with all the qualities like that, at least if they have some of those qualities. If we thought we had to have a teacher with all of the qualities, that is too high a level and would be very difficult. So we need to have a teacher who has at least some of the qualifications, if not all of them. They must have the most important qualifications.
When we think about all the qualities, what are the most important and indispensable ones that a teacher must have? Again, if we take our compassionate teacher, the perfect Buddha as an example, we can see that the Buddha himself had many different and great special qualities that enabled him to bring benefit to beings that needed to be benefited. Among all these qualities, the main and first one is great compassion , love and compassion for others. Second, an unmistaken knowledge of the path, the great prājña wisdom (sherab), that knows what should and should not be done. Third quality is that he is not bound by the ties of the eight worldly concerns of this life. In order to be able to benefit other sentient beings one cannot be tied down by thoughts of your own self-interest about this life. Instead one needs totally pure thoughts for others and to be completely free of self-interested thoughts. One has to have the good heart and mind free of such attachment to this life. If one has that then one will be able to genuinely bring about benefit for other beings. So, whichever teacher or person has those three qualities, out of all the qualities to have. they are the most important for a teacher to fulfil.
[17th Karmapa then asked that he wanted to see the audience while they were doing the translation, otherwise he will see himself, ‘big face’.]
When practising guru yoga, to have a guru with such qualities is important. But when following a guru we need to think carefully about our aim/purpose in serving and relying on the guru. Some people don’t really have a clear purpose/intent about what they want to accomplish. So, we might find a lama who is very handsome, good looking and charismatic, we might find one be like that but it may be doubtful as to whether they are a guru who can lead us on the path to liberation.
So, when we look for a guru, it is very important to first check and know what our motivation, purpose and aim is, that needs to be clear. If we do not do this, then it will be very difficult to find an authentic lama. Thus, from one perspective, the guru may have faults and be good at deceiving people and so on. The other aspect is we ourselves may not be very clear in our aim and purpose in finding a guru. In that respect, it is a fault on both sides. So it is important to consider whether or not there is a fault from one’s own side in relation to what we are searching for in a guru and why.
Sometimes, when saying ‘I cannot find a qualified or good lama’ we need to ask , is it because there is not a qualified lama and we are not able to find one? Or is it that we cannot recognized a qualified guru? This is very important to ask.
In Tibet, there are lamas who stayed in the mountains, meditating and only practiced Dharma. Sometimes,when you meet them, they haven’t washed, and look dirty and black and their clothes are not clean. And they are a bit smelly and have body odour and seem a bit hot-tempered and don’t want to talk to anyone much and don’t pay any attention to us. We might immediately think that such a lama is really ‘too much’. However, among such people, there are lamas who look and act like that who are actually qualified. We go to them and instead of seeing them as qualified, we might think ‘of they are dirty, and angry and bad-tempered and don’t pay us any attention and don’t think we are there’. Instead people want to go and see a teacher who will say ‘hello’ or ‘good morning’ , and we can have a nice conversation with. If someone acts in a way we expect them to, then we accept them. we might immediately think they are an authentic lama. If they do not, then we have trouble accepting them.
The way we need to follow a teacher, and the connection between a lama and student is very important. This is mentioned in the Sutras and treatises, not just once but many times. It is a very important point and need to be careful about and pay attention to. It is not just something we can think about once only and then let go.
Here is this context, we do not need all those complications and difficulties Thrangu Rinpoche was a qualified guru and we have all had the opportunity to make a Dharma connection with him, and we have had great fortune to make a connection with him.
Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche has passed away but the connection between the teacher and the student remains and we need to continue that connection with the guru. So, we need to see what we can do to continue being good students of Thrangu Rinpoche. We are now at the time, and this is the question we need to be interested in and give some mental energy and focus on.
How do we become a qualified or a good student? This is a question of how we are following a guru. Part of this is first of all remembering we are students and that Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche is our teacher. We have to remember this and put it into practice. It depends upon that. Also, every day we need to be mindful of this in what we do with our body and speech. There are two aspects of this, our thoughts and our actions. In terms of our thoughts, we need to think and recall again and again about the qualities and kindness of Thrangu Rinpoche. About what it was like when we met him. How he treated us with compassion and cared for us. Remember the times we were with him and did things with him. We need to constantly recall the qualities of the guru and the kindness he showed us. Then in terms of our actions, we need to do the things that would please him or not please him. We can guess those things that would not please him would have been. Basically, in our daily life, we need to recall our connection and sustain our connection with the guru. This is something that should not be artificial or forced but should well up naturally with us. So, we need to put a little bit of effort into making that so.
Every day, in this human life, when we talk about meditating on guru yoga. We try to meditate on their body, and their appearance but that is only a method. The real point is we must try to fulfil the guru’s intentions in our daily life. We need to see what kind of a connection there is between the guru’s wishes and our own thoughts and intentions. We need to do what we can to try bring our own intentions, thoughts and actions closer to those of the guru’s. That is the really important point. If that happens, our guru yoga practice is effective and meaningful. Instead, if we just practice a couple of hours a day visualizing the guru above the top of our head, and focus on the image of the guru and yet in daily life we forget about the guru and our daily actions and thoughts are disconnected from that of the guru. That is really not practicing the guru yoga. If we forget about that and only do a couple of hours doing guru yoga and other than that the guru has no real connection to ourselves, then the guru yoga is not working.
So that is enough. Where I am it is quite late and I am starting to feel a bit sleepy and my mind is not so clear, so that is enough for now.
[The Karmapa then spoke in English and Chinese]
My English has not really improved, that is why I am always a bit scared to speak in English. Today, our resident lama, I cannot even remember his name, my goodness, I think today everything is like a joke (laughs). Dungse Lama (laughs) asked me to speak a few words about Kyabje Thrangu Rinpoche. I tried my best and my mind is not so clear because I am a little bit sleepy. But I am happy to join with all of you together in this commemoration ceremony. I think this is very meaningful and important.”
“