“A SPONTANEOUS RAINFALL OF DEEP-RED ROSES IN THE OUTER, INNER AND SECRET “VAJRA SEAT”/BODH GAYA: Actual explanation of the three kāyas, their connection to the three kham (realms),  visualisation and practice (12th Gyaltsab Rinpoche, Day Two)

“In the lower house of Pullahari, nirmanakāyas fell in an unimpeded rain.”—Marpa the Translator

“As for  pointing out the three kāyas, when we practice the Dharma, it is not like we are creating the three kāyas anew, it is called ‘pointing out’ (ngo-tro) or introducing the three kāyas, that are always present and inseparable from each other in the Buddha Nature.”

“It is also taught in all the Tantras, that there is a connection between the external universe and the internal body. It says within the body, the central channel is the Vajrasana (Vajra Seat/Dorje Den/Bodh Gaya)  inside our body, it is the indivisible Buddha nature of Bodh Gaya (Vajrasana). Because of this, since Bodh Gaya/Vajrasana is within our body, since all the sacred sites come from that, all the other sacred sites are in our body. All of the sacred sites in Tibet, India, and other foreign countries are inside our body.” –12th Gyaltsab Rinpoche (2025)

Introduction

On the second day of HE 12^th Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche’s teaching on Pointing Out the Three Kāyas by 3^rd Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje, he first spoke about how within the Kagyu lineages, the way the Karmapa taught Mahāmudrā, was special and extraordinary, via the the Buddhist view of the three kāyas (forms/bodies). I have compiled Day 1 and 2 Introductions and transcripts into one pdf file downloadable here: Pointing Out Three Kayas by 3rd Karmapa and teaching transcript (Day 1 and 2) by 12th Gyaltsab Rinpoche.

First, Rinpoche reviewed the four points taught the previous day: posture, devotion, winds, physical exercise. This was followed by the basis of the four points, tummo (fierce heat) practice, explaining that one could also visualise one’s yidam deity, if one did not have the empowerment or Vajravarahi.

Rinpoche emphasized how devotion was very important for the guru and that the 8^th Karmapa’s four-session Guru Yoga , as well as the short Guru Yoga, The Continuous Rain of Nectar that Nurtures the Sprouting of the Four Kayas, of the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa, was a great method to develop and increase devotion.

Also, Rinpoche explained that once the impure winds in the body are purified that leads to the attainment of the Sambhogakāya appearance of the yidam/pure body. Then, there was an interesting pith instruction on how the physical posture and exercises, manifest virtuous minds and Buddha nature. While impure minds like anger, jealousy, pride and so on manifest specific physical expressions in the body, so do virtuous mind states, which are a function of Buddha Nature.

Some instructions on tummo practice

Then Gyaltsab Rinpoche again spoke about the basis of the practice, tummo, explaining that:

“When our bodies come into contact with impure fire, our bodies are scorched and hurt. When it comes into contact with pure wisdom fire, it does not cause suffering it brings an experience of bliss and Buddha Nature, of the naturally present awareness-wisdom. When that wisdom fire occurs it brings an experience of bliss.

In Tibet, the practitioner who was the greatest at tummo was Lord Milarepa. He was able to show the signs of tummo practice, and was able to melt ice and snow on glacier mountains.  There is a story that the first Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa was even able to melt rock through the heat of his tummo practice. These are explained in the Life of Milarepa.”

After that, came the main and actual teaching on the three kāyas and their relation to the three kham (realms). This involved an explanation of the formless realm (Dharmakāya), form realm( Sambhogakāya ) and desire realms (Nirmāṇakāya ):

“Also with an animal body from the time one is born , one grows up and gets older and until the body is finished, one goes about doing the worldly activities. Within that impure form is the Nirmāṇakāya  from birth until the time of death. In the bardo, one is the Sambhogakāya . And at the time of death it is the Dharmakaya, when one faints into blackness. Those are the three kāyas.

Also when we think about it in other terms of our states, our waking state is Nirmāṇakāya , dreaming state is Sambhogakāya , our dreamless sleep is Dharmakaya. There are many other presentations of the three kāyas, that are very profound  that we should not really speak about in public, but there are many different levels of these teachings.”

The actual teaching on the three kāyas: the Vajrasana (Vajra Seat Bodh Gaya/Dorje Den) inner, outer and secret place

Rinpoche then taught the passages about the three kāyas, teaching the Nirmāṇakāya  and Sambhogakāya  together unique to the Vajrayāna:

”In general, in the common vehicle we first teach the pointing out on the Dharmakaya, then we point out the two form kāyas, that is how it is usually taught. Here because the three kāyas by their nature are naturally present from the beginning they are taught together. So first it teaches the form kāyas of the Nirmāṇakāya  and Sambhogakāya  together, and then it teaches the Dharmakaya. So this is a different way of presenting it.”

Then was the instruction on the visualization of oneself as a golden Shakyamuni Buddha, the Nirmāṇakāya, transforming with the breath all sentient beings and surroundings into Buddhas.

Rinpoche then explained that in the 3^rd Karmapa’s text there is a quote by Marpa, who sings about all the Nirmanakāyas falling like rain in the lower house of Pullahari.

“Pullahari is the place where Indian pandita, Nāropa lived, and there was a lower house/temple or shrine hall. So as he breathed out, they became Buddhas and as he inhaled, they gathered into him, and breathing out they become Buddhas and then gather back into him. That is the meaning of these two lines. Based on these two lines, Karma Pakshi wrote the explanation of them being in that way.”

So the visualization can be done as Shakyamuni Buddha, or as Avalokiteshvara (red or white), and visualizing and breathing the same way, transforming all beings with a rainfall of Nirmanakāyas.

“It is also taught in all the Tantras, that there is a connection between the external universe and the internal body. It says within the body, the central channel is the Vajra Seat (vajrāsana; Dorje Den རྡོ་རྗེ་གདན་) Bodh Gaya, so, inside our body, there is also the vajra seat. which is the indivisible Buddha nature. Because of this, since the Vajra seat is within our body, since all the sacred sites come from that, all the other sacred sites are in our body. All of the sacred sites in Tibet, India, and other foreign countries are also inside our body.

So here, when it says “in the lower house of Pullahari” it refers to the navel, the source of the Nirmāṇakāya . So now we are incredibly fortunate, we are staying in the external world at the sacred site of the Bodha Gaya Vajra Seat in India, and internally we have the sacred site of the Vajra Seat, they are both now gathered/joined together. So we have an incredible amount of fortune and merit, and we should rejoice and recognize that great merit and fortune.”

A Rainfall of Red Roses and Nirmanakayas

“In the second part of the teaching, after the break, there was a group practice in the Kagyu Monlam tent of the visualisations. Starting with a visualization of Shakyamuni Buddha, as the meditation continued, led by the vajra master Gyaltsab Rinpoche, on the secret/unspoken level, the visualised golden Buddha, within and on the vajra seat at the Bodhi temple, spontaneously produced a perfect red rose from his heart, full of the energy of romance, joy, bliss, love and compassion, and endless perfect red roses and petals started raining down everywhere in the Kagyu Monlam tent, and outside in the surroundings of the materially poor and undeveloped Bodh Gaya, where children sleep on the streets with dogs.

Roses were lovingly airdropped to every sentient being, and children and adults felt loved and joyful and happy. All their desires were fulfilled in accordance with Dharma. The whole of Bodh Gaya (the central channel) became a bed of stunning, dark blood-red roses. Spontaneous tears arose within as the Buddha on the vajra seat in the central channel and the physical, inner and secret one in the Bodhi temple itself, manifested huge rays of light of love, compassion, passion, bliss, love and care for all sentient beings in Bodh Gaya and beyond. The Shakyamuni Buddha then transformed into Red Avalokiteshvara in union with secret consort, the eternal vajra love, bliss. A stunning video-song of a young boy’s joy after chasing some balloons suddenly receives a rainfall of balloons memory appeared. All were filled with love, joy and well-being. Children laughed and played.

Afterwards, when typing up this transcript, I had received several emails requesting the 3rd Karmapa’s short daily sadhana of Gyalwa Gyamtso, and when I quickly checked the translated sadhana, I saw the lines:

“དེ་ནས་སྟོང་པའི་ངང་ལས་རང་གི་རྣམ་པར་ཤེས་པ་ཡི་གེ་ཧྲིཿདམར་པོ་ལས། འོག་ཕྱོགས་སུ་འོད་ཟེར་ལས་གྱུར་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཞིང་ཁམས་པད་མ་ར་ག་ལས་གྲུབ་པའི་ཆོས་ཀྱི་དབྱིངས་དང་མཉམ་པ།”

Then, from within emptiness, one’s consciousness transforms into a red letter HRIH, from which light rays radiate in all directions transforming into a pure Buddha realm of a red Pema Raga (flower), equal to a Dharmadhatu expanse.”

Reading these words again, I realised the blessings of Red Avalokiteshvara and the central channel of the Vajra Seat/Bodh Gaya had indeed rained down on us all. A shower of joy, love, romance, bliss, innocent, playful joy and well-being.”

Message from the 16th Karmapa, Rigpe Dorje?

At the end, when chanting the final dedications, a secret vision/energy of the 16^th Karmapa, Rigpe Dorje descended. Entering the kham/expanse of body, speech and mind, with black hat and crystal mala, then looking directly at 12^th Gyaltsab Rinpoche in front, he spoke strongly but without anger:

“They kept me too long in the hospital in the USA, I should have been allowed to go and pass away in retreat in a mountain or isolated place or monastery in Asia. They should not have kept me alive in a hospital in the USA with all that medical equipment and medication like that for so long. I allowed them to do so to make you all happy”.

Also, he said:

“The prediction letter about my incarnation I hand wrote and gave to 12^th Tai Situpa. It is mine, my hand wrote it. It is also protection for the Karma Kagyu. Why are you all hiding it? It should be shown to all Dharma followers and devotees.”

This vision alternated between performing the black hat ceremony, meditating in his room at Rumtek and laughing with a big smile, and then he dissolved into the 17^th Karmapa photo seated above 12th Gyaltsab Rinpoche’s throne.

Masses  of deep red, rose petals and the black vajra dakini hair crown a fitting finale to the pure samaya and devotion to the Guru of 12^th Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche. Samaya Dza Dza Dza! Dedicated to the root guru, Buddhas, Dharma, yidam deity and Protectors.

Music? Shakyamuni Buddha mantra,  Holes by Mercury Rev (the boy chasing balloons),  Rose that Grew From Concrete by Tupac, Everything is Coming Up Roses by Black.

Transcribed and compiled by Adele Tomlin.

 

Pointing Out the Three Kāyas by 3rd Karmapa

HE 12th Gyaltsab Rinpoche, Transcript of Teaching Day Two (First session)

See video (with English translation) here.

“In the land of Tibet, from the time of Marpa the Translator there were the Kagyu lineage, the four elder and eight minor.  In terms of Mahamudra, there are many different teachings and lineages, many different specifics.   Among all of them, in our Karma Kagyu there is the way the Gyalwang Karmapa taught it, the extraordinary, superior way, which is the teaching on Pointing Out the 3 Kayas.

Yesterday, we spoke about the four points, the wheel of dharmata, and the first of that is devotion to the guru and supplicating the guru, because if we do not have that, we will not be able to practice, it will not arise in our beings,  and bring it to its completion. So the real crux of our practice is supplicating the guru.

Developing Devotion

For this point on devotion, there is the 8^th Karmapa ‘s four session Guru Yoga, which is very good for developing devotion to the Guru. History shows us this, during the time of the 6^th and 7^th Karmapas, there were many great meditators in the tradition but then they became fewer. It was during this time that the 8^th Karmapa wrote the four session Guru Yoga. Then people started to practice and developed in their being, and there became many great meditators.

Then there is the 16^th Karmapa, Rigpe Dorje’s short Guru Yoga practice by the 16^th Karmapa this is the practice called Growing the Sprout of the Four Kayas and this is also a good practice to do.   The name of it is sprouting the nectar of growing the four kāyas.  The three kāyas and four kāyas are the same. So, it covers the same point and meaning as Pointing Out the Three Kayas. So if one combines the understanding of these two practices it is very beneficial point I think,

So, also during the passage on the wheel of four points, the wheel of Dharmata, it also teaches the three kāyas, but the way it is taught is not so explicit.

Purifying the winds

Following that is the point on the winds, if one meditates on the winds we can achieve the Sambhogakāya . When the winds have been purified then one can achieve this. This is taught in all the Tantras of the Secret Mantra Vajrayana. This is a way of manifesting the Sambhogakāya  in one’s being.  As the function of the impure winds decreases, the functions of the pure winds become more evident. So the pure wisdom winds are the same as the Buddha Nature/Desheg Nyingpo that is naturally present within all sentient beings.

Physical postures and manifesting virtuous and non-virtuous mental states

Then, in dependence on the fourth point, the body/exercise training. In this one sits up straight, feet crossed in vajra posture, the upper body is straight, and chin is slightly tucked. In the body is the central channel, the Avadhuti. This is taught in all the Tantras, and this is also by nature the Buddha Nature. When sitting up straight the nature of mind becomes evident, clear. Then its function such as faith, compassion, Prajñā, and all the virtuous minds can also manifest.

During our impure phase, then sometimes our minds are disturbed by the afflictions, and each has a physical expression. When we feel hatred or desire there is  a particular expression of it in the body. And also with jealousy or pride there is a particular expression of it in the body. Each of the afflictions has its own physical expression. This is not something we need to train in, it is something that happens due to the strong imprints in our mind since beginningless time.

Also, when we are doing the things that are the function of Buddha Nature, such as feeling faith in Buddha Dharma, there is a particular physical expression that accompanies that. When we are being generous there is an expression for that, when we are giving up the afflictions and practicing discipline there is an expression for that. So following our mind there is an expression of our body, the Buddha Nature functioning, which also produces virtuous mind states.

In any case here, the body comes down to the mind, so when resting relaxed and loosely without altering the mind, the body also naturally comes to settle. So when the mind is abiding in the body, there are many things that happen inside the subtle channels and so forth.

There are some great meditators from Burma and some of them, when they examine the electro cardiograms of them while they are meditating, their heartbeat patterns are different than when they are meditating and this is well-known.

In this way, these points on the bodily posture, are ways to point about the Nirmāṇakāya  and the Sambhogakāya , and then there is the way the mind rests, and that is the way of pointing out  the Dharma kāya ?  These are taught in a brief form, and implicitly, it is not taught explicitly.

The great ‘purifying fire’ of Tummo practice

Following that is  the basis for the four points, tummo. As I explained yesterday, it is a function of Buddha Nature, it is not a function of impure mind.

When we have impure fire in the impure states, it will burn grass and wood and transform them. When it is a pure wisdom wind, it will burn up the impurities and afflictions, because it is Buddha Nature. So as it burns all the afflictions it will purify and cleanse all the impurities and obstacles in the channels and winds.

So when our bodies come into contact with impure fire, our bodies are scorched and hurt. When it comes into contact with pure wisdom fire, it does not cause suffering it brings an experience of bliss and Buddha Nature, of the naturally present awareness-wisdom. When that wisdom fire occurs it brings an experience of bliss.

In Tibet, the practitioner who was the greatest at tummo was Lord Milarepa. He was able to show the signs of tummo practice, and was able to melt ice and snow on glacier mountains.  There is a story that the first Karmapa was able to melt rock through the heat of his tummo practice. These are explained in the Life of Milarepa.

Then in this passage it says directly to visualize oneself as Dorje Phagmo/Vajravarahi. However, with Vajravarahi, there are other yidam deities like Gyalwa Gyamtso, or Hevajra, they are the same nature pure bodies as Vajravarahi. Whether you visualize as Hevajra, Gyalwa Gyamtso,  or Vajravarahi is implicit that it is alright to visualize as another deity.

Following that is the teaching on the pointing out of the three kāyas. This is the passage where the three kāyas are pointed out clearly and explicitly.

The three kham and three kāyas

The Bhagavan Buddha taught in the tantras that all appearances are the nature of the three kāyas.

When we talk about the three worlds/kham, this is explained in the Abhidharma. There is the formless realm, the form realm, where they have the gods of the form realm, then the desire realm (dod-kham)that has all the sounds, tastes, sights and so on that we get attached to and fixated on.

These are all confused appearances, when the impure has been purified in their pure nature, then the formless realm is the Dharmakāya, the form realm is the Sambhogakāya , and the desire realm is the Nirmāṇakāya .

Also with an animal body from the time one is born , one grows up and gets older and until the body is finished, one goes about doing the worldly activities. Within that impure form is the Nirmāṇakāya  from birth until the time of death. In the bardo, one is the Sambhogakāya . And at the time of death it is the Dharmakaya, when one faints into blackness. Those are the three kāyas.

Also when we think about it in other terms of our states, our waking state is Nirmāṇakāya , dreaming state is Sambhogakāya , our dreamless sleep is Dharmakaya. There are many other presentations of the three kāyas, that are very profound  that we should not really speak about in public, but there are many different levels of these teachings.

Pointing Out (Ngo-tro)

As for  pointing out the three kāyas, when we practice the Dharma, it is not like we are creating the three kāyas anew, it is called ‘pointing out’ (ngo-tro) or introducing/showing the three kāyas.

When the perfect Buddha taught the true Dharma, sometimes he taught the three kāyas in a very distant manner. Sometimes he pointed them out very closely, in a direct way. There were these distinctions in how he taught them.

This depends on the minds of the disciples. Some can see things from a distance, and some can see it closely. For some people, if you point out the three kāyas directly , and they do not recognize it, it can be a bit dangerous.

There is a history about this, there was a demon called the Ma-tram Rudra who got the three kāyas instructions, but did not understand them, and so developed many misconceptions. He followed a guru and received the instructions, did not understand them, he did not have the proper fortune to do so, and his afflictions grew stronger instead of decreasing. Because of this, he became a terrible demon, and was able to gain control over lots of demons and gods, and able to gain power over the whole world and cause lots of problems and no one was able to overcome him. This was because he was unable to realise the instructions.

There are also people to whom it is alright to point the three kāyas to them. They have the merit and fortune to understand them.

There are also stories in the life of Gampopa and 2^nd Karmapa, Karma Pakshi, there is a borderland/desert area between Tibet and China. There was a person there who did not have any great qualities or education and was illiterate, yet he was able meditate on the three kāyas and recognize the nature of mind. So, on a worldly level, he did not have merit, but on the Dharma level he had a lot of merit. So, sometimes, on the outer level people have a great deal of merit, intelligence and education, but in terms of recognizing the nature of mind, they lack the merit. So there are different types of merit.

We see this in our Kagyupas, this is a time of degeneration. There are more sicknesses and afflictions, so it is an unfortunate time to be born. Yet, even in this era, there are still quite a few people who have the merit to purify the afflictions and gain realisations, even though they do not have the merit to be born in a more fortunate age.

Visualisation as Shakyamuni Buddha

Now I will teach the passage on pointing out the three kāyas.   In general, in the common vehicle we first teach the pointing out on the Dharmakaya, then we point out the two form kāyas, that is how it is usually taught.

Here because the three kāyas by their nature are naturally present from the beginning they are taught together. So first it teaches the form kāyas of the Nirmāṇakāya  and Sambhogakāya  and then it teaches the Dharmakaya. So this is a different way of presenting it.

Then sitting in the posture as taught in the four points of the wheel of Dharmata, then visualize oneself on a lotus and moon seat as Buddha Shakyamuni, golden in colour. Here, one should first meditate on the breath and winds, there is the strong/great breath and the lesser/gentle/subtle breath, and rest in equipoise on that.

As it says, the Buddha is adorned with the marks and signs. The perfect Buddhas are a different from ordinary people, their teeth, eyes, faces, arms and so on. So if you can, you should visualize yourself in this form as it is taught in the texts.

So one visualises the mandala of the Buddha’s body, which always has an aura of light, it has light and miraculous Buddhas.  So from his body issue forth a 1002 and Buddhas, and Nirmanakāyas that go out in the form of light. And as it says in other texts on the three kāyas, they teach Dharma to sentient beings, they perform the twelve deeds, and bring sentient beings to attain the result.

So, in this way, these lights touch all sentient beings, and they all then become Buddhas. And you visualize that all the beings and the universe all become Nirmāṇakāya  Buddhas. Here one helds the gentle breath, and breathe evenly in and out.

So one needs to visualize clearly that you are the Bhagavan Buddha, Shakyamuni.  So, while visualizing that practice the point of the breath. So as you inhale the consciousnesses of all sentient beings become Shakyamuni Buddha. You also imagine they come together and dissolve into you, through your nostrils and pores of your body.

So, as you visualize this one should rest in samadhi, and direct your attention to the centre of your navel.  So then all visualized Shakyamuni Buddhas come to you like falling rain and dissolve into you.

The rest in equipoise and direct attention to the navel. Meditate and make it stable, never free of inseparable emptiness and compassion. There is compassion but it cannot be established. So you rest in meditation, never separate from emptiness in union with compassion. As you exhale, you imagine that all sentient beings become Buddha Shakyamuni. When you inhale you imagine their consciousnesses all gather and dissolve into you. As their physical forms fall on you like a blizzard of snow. Meditate on the point at your navel.

Here it is also said that because of mediating this, you will realise all appearances are the Nirmāṇakāya . Here one meditates as Buddha Shakyamuni, however in other instructions, such as the instructions by the 7^th Karmapa on the three kāyas, it says that you may visualize as Avalokiteshvara, white in colour, or as the nirmāṇakāya , Gyalwa Gyamtso (red in colour). This is also fine. So when you visualize yourself in this manner, then you visualize that Red Avalokiteshvara goes out and transforms all sentient beings into Avalokiteshvara and then they dissolve into you into your central channel.

As it says here: “When you achieve stability in  your own aggregates, elements and spaces, have all been nirmanakāyas from the very beginning, by nature. Due to meditating on this, one will rise as a Nirmāṇakāya . One will be able to emanate many different Nirmanakāyas from a single body that will benefit sentient beings.

Here, there is a quote from Guhyasamaja, which says:

“In sum, there are the five aggregates that are known as the five Buddhas, then the sense spaces, aggregates, elements and faculties and so forth, are all the different Bodhisattvas, like Manjushri and so on, they are the supreme retinue of Bodhisattvas.”

Then another method of meditation that is taught here, is as you inhale the breath, whatever method you use, one thinks it brings all the blessings of all Buddhas of all the realms. There are countless Nirmanakāyas in the impure and pure realms, and  they gather and dissolve into you, and all sentient beings become the nature of Nirmanakāyas. Not only do you receive the blessings of the Nirmāṇakāya , also the sentient beings of the six realms also become Nirmanakāyas and are also gathered into you.

One can also meditate on this for each of the beings of the six realms, with one breath, one visualizes all hell beings become Nirmanakāyas, another breath all hungry ghosts, then another breath all animals become Nirmanakāyas, and so on. So one can visualize with each breath the different types of beings in the universe becoming Nirmanakāyas individually by type.

Another way of meditating is as you exhale, as I explained before, there are all the obscurations, impurities in your mind, the dualities, the confusion, the impurities and faults in the winds and channels. So one imagines they are expelled out and they all become purified. This is another instruction that is contained in the instruction manuals.

So when Marpa the translator, received these instructions from Naropa, he said some words in his songs that are like a form of pith instruction. So as it says in the quote in the text:

“In the lower house of Pullahari, nirmanakāyas fell in an unimpeded rain.”

Pullahari is the place where Naropa lived, and there was a lower house/temple or shrine hall. So as he breathed out they became Buddhas and as he inhaled they gathered into him, and breathing out they become Buddhas and then gather back into him. That is the meaning of these two lines. Based on these two lines, Karma Pakshi wrote the explanation of them being in that way.

It is also taught in all the Tantras, that there is a connection between the external universe and the internal body. It says within the body, the central channel is the Bodh Gaya inside our body, it is the indivisible Buddha nature of Bodh Gaya (Vajrasana). Because of this, since Bodh Gaya is within our body, since all the sacred sites come from that, all the other sacred sites are in our body. All of the sacred sites in Tibet, India, and other foreign countries are inside our body.

So here, it says “in the lower house of Pullahari” which refers to the navel, the source of the Nirmāṇakāya . So now we are incredibly fortunate, we are staying in the external world at the sacred site of Bodh Gaya, and internally we are in the sacred site of Bodha Gaya, they are both now gathered/joined together. So we have an incredible amount of fortune and merit, and we should rejoice and recognize that merit and fortune.”