Tergar Shrine Hall,
17 March 2025

The nuns and their teachers gathered in the shrine hall at 2.00pm for the Gyalwang Karmapa’s final teaching session during the 9th Arya Kshema. This was followed by a final Grand Debate.
The All-Night Grand Debate [ མཚན་ཕུད་དམ་བཅའ་ཆེན་མོ་] is the traditional conclusion of monastic debate gatherings; in some Tibetan Buddhist schools it still lasts all night. However, the Kamtsang tradition is to end the debate before midnight.
It was a final opportunity for the nuns to demonstrate the skills they have developed in debate in front of the whole assembly. and included debates on all three topics presented this year—Dupa, Lorig and Tarig.
As this is the celebratory conclusion of all the debates during the Arya Kshema, the nuns wore ceremonial robes and the three responders wore the tsesha, the yellow pointed hat.



Following the Guru: Cultivating Devotion and Abandoning Pride

16 March 2025

The Essential Characteristics of a Qualified Guru

During the third day of the Spring Teachings, His Holiness the Karmapa pointed out that sometimes there are too many characteristics of a guru taught in the treatises, which can become a source of confusion if we cannot properly understand them or grasp the main points. 

He then gave a presentation of a few masters’ summaries of the essential characteristics of the guru. The first was Gampopa, who had practiced the teachings on the Kadampa pith instructions and the practice lineage of Milarepa in union, spending most of his life practicing in retreat. He became recognized as the great founder of the Tibetan Practice lineage. Karmapa emphasized, “Gampopa's teachings were not mere words, but were connected to his own experience of actual practice, making them particularly beneficial.”

In Gampopa's dharma talk called the "Excellent Deeds," (Tib. ཚོགས་ཆོས་ལེགས་མཛེས་མ།) which condensed the many characteristics of a guru taught in both sutras and tantras into three characteristics:

The first is that they must have an unbroken lineage of the word, the second is that they have a good character and great compassion, and third that they have given up lesser attitudes and are a basis for rousing devotion.

Lord Dusum Khyenpa said in a dharma talk:

There is not a single scripture in the secret mantra or the prajñāpāramitā that does not speak of the characteristics of a lama. In Gampopa’s words, “You need someone who has cut the ties of dependence on this life, who can guide others on the path through great wisdom, and who, because of great compassion, does not forsake their students.”

These concise words of Gampopa were considered extremely beneficial for actual practice.

Karmapa then turned to Lord Tsongkhapa, who was highly learned in all texts on sutras and tantras, and first looked for a source in the commentaries on the sutras and tantras when he taught. Tsongkhapa writes in his commentary Fulfilling All the Student’s Hopes: An Explanation of the Fifty Verses on the Guru  (Tib.བླ་མ་ལྔ་བཅུ་པའི་རྣམ་བཤད་སློབ་མའི་རེ་བ་ཀུན་སྐོང།): To summarize these points, intelligent students should take as their master someone who has five qualities: great compassion; stable, unshakable faith in the Mahayana; knowing the treatises of the common and special vehicles well; being thoroughly skilled in the steps of guiding disciples; and having tamed their senses by restraining from negative actions of the three gates.

These five qualities were considered essential for a guru, and finding someone with these qualities would make them worthy of being taken as a master.

Next, Karmapa referenced Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye, who had studied teachings across different traditions including Sakya, Gelug, Nyingma, and Kagyu. According to his Treasury of Knowledge (Tib. ཤེས་བྱ་ཀུན་ཁྱབ་མཛོད།), there are five characteristics of a guru:

The characteristics of a guru are that their lineage must be unbroken from Vajradhara to the present and they must have no stains of samaya; they should remain within the discipline of their vows and samaya; they must have pith instructions that have been passed down in the lineage; they must know the meaning of the word and treatises in general and in particular of the tantras; and they should have a compassionate altruistic mind.

Karmapa clarified that in the context of the secret mantra Vajrayana, although there are six different types of gurus, the common understanding of a guru primarily refers to one from whom one receives an empowerment. Regarding the minimum characteristics required for such a guru, we can refer to Tsongkhapa's Great Stages of the Path of Mantra (Tib: སྔགས་རིམ་ཆེན་མོ།):

The absolutely necessary characteristic as the Tibetan scholars say, is that they must have received the empowerments in full, dwell in samaya and their vows, and by seeing the practice of the lineage of gurus, know the ten suchnesses and be knowledgeable about the rituals of giving empowerment. They must have completed the approach, and be allowed or not prohibited by the deity. They definitely must have these three qualities.

Following a Guru

After outlining the stances of Gampopa, Tsongkhapa, and Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye, Karmapa pointed out two feelings that might arise. First, when we see the many characteristics of a guru that are taught, we realize an authentic guru is as rare as a buddha; we might then wonder to what degree we would be able to think of the guru as an actual buddha. 

The second feeling is the realization that finding a guru fulfilling all these characteristics as taught in Vajrayana would be incredibly difficult.

Karmapa then quoted from the Collection of Inspired Sayings (Udānavarga):

People are ruined by following the lesser. 

Following one’s equal, one remains the same.

Following the best, one gains the highest.

Therefore we must follow those who are the best.

This explains that a guru should be someone superior to ourselves in qualities, rather than someone of equal or inferior qualities. He pointed out that it would be difficult to find someone without any faults who possesses all the positive qualities. Karmapa said, “We need to measure them; it’s like putting them on a scale. If the faults are more, we should not follow them. If the qualities outweigh the faults, then following such a person as a guru will be appropriate.”
 
From The Ultimate Approach (Skt. Paramārthasevā):

Due to the age of strife, gurus have mixed qualities and faults. 
They are not entirely free of misdeeds.

Therefore, examine well whether they have more qualities, 

And then the children should follow them.

During this age of the five degenerations, gurus are a mixture of qualities and faults. Therefore, we need to compare their qualities and recognize that someone who has more qualities is worthy of following.

His Holiness emphasized, “You can’t just simply follow any lama. Not everyone who is called by the name of ‘lama’, who is able to hold a vase in their hand, is the sort of guru you should follow. The reason for this is because we follow the guru to fulfill our wishes not just for this lifetime, but also for our future lifetimes.”

Given this, he advised that we need to maintain an impartial or objective attitude and examine whether the guru has the characteristics. We should not follow someone merely because in the short term we have some sort of feeling, or because someone tells us, "This is a good guru" or, "This is a good lama." Neither should we follow a guru simply because our parents or elders instruct us to do so. Some people might insist that we must go along and take empowerment from a particular guru, but we should not just agree to it. 

He explained, “Before following a guru, we must be incredibly careful. Once we have started following a guru, we need to remain stable. No matter what circumstances occur, we need to keep our faith and samaya.”  Even if we become sure that the guru that we have started following does not have the necessary characteristics, we should simply distance ourselves from them instead of criticizing or speaking badly of them. Karmapa cautioned that this would ruin the circumstances that would allow us to meet a good guru in the future.

The Guru and Student Connection

Next, what benefit comes from finding a guru who has these qualities, and why should we look at all these characteristics? Gampopa said in his String of Pearls: A Collection of Dharma Talks (Tib: ཚོགས་ཆོས་མུ་ཏིག་གི་ཕྲེང་བ།):

Thus, when a qualified guru and a receptive student come together, all the qualities can be accomplished in just an instant.

Likewise, from Gampopa's Questions and Answers with Düsum Khyenpa (Tib. དུས་གསུམ་མཁྱེན་པའི་ཞུས་ལན།):

It is just the nature of things that when a guru with realization gives genuine blessings to an authentic student, all the qualities will arise as if being heaped on all at once. They will receive the blessings of all gurus of the three times. They will receive the blessings of all the baskets of scripture. They will receive the blessings of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas. All the dakinis and dharma protectors are included in that.

In general, all Mahayana dharma arises from blessings. Within that, all the dharma of the Secret Mantra arises from blessings. In particular, Naropa’s dharma, the Kagyu lineage, arises from blessings. This lineage of mine is a transmission of blessings of continual siddhas. The Kagyu have spread, and the earlier ripen and liberate the later. The later ones cherish the earlier like jewels in the crown or like eyeballs.

This demonstrates that even if we have no qualities, we can still become accomplished because the guru has all the characteristics and qualities. This is because it is the lineage of blessings.

In addition, Tsangpa Gyare said in a song:

If you do not lack devotion for the lord,

Even if you do not know the dharma, that’s enough.
Even without instructions, that’s enough.

Even if you can’t meditate, that’s enough.

As a substitute for the yidam, that’s enough.
As dakinis and dharma protectors, that’s enough.
For gathering the yakshas’ wealth, that’s enough. 
For sponsors and places, that’s enough.

As a precious jewel, that’s enough.

This shows how genuine devotion will give us everything. In general, the guru is important to the Secret Mantra. In particular, in the Kagyu lineage, the connection between guru and student is extremely important. The guru blesses the student, and the student arouses devotion for the guru. This relationship is incredibly significant, as can be seen from the lives of the previous Kagyu masters and their writings.

Karmapa asked, “If we find a guru who has these characteristics, what should we be careful about when following them?” He proceeded to explain this by combining the Fifty Verses with the outline given in Tsongkhapa's commentary Fulfilling All the Student’s Hopes.

The teachings on how to follow the guru have two parts: 1. Abandoning disrespect, and 2. How to be respectful.

The first of these has four different points: 1. Abandoning criticism and denigration, 2. Abandoning upsetting the guru, 3. Explaining the unseen faults, and 4. A summary of those.

Abandoning disrespect for the guru includes three aspects: denigration, criticism, and upsetting the guru.

Karmapa explained that once we find a qualified guru with all the characteristics previously discussed, and receive empowerments, transmissions, and teachings from them, we have formed a connection of guru and student.

He shared a story from the life of Drukpa Kunley. Some people asked Drukpa Kunley if he would go to a guru who was giving many empowerments. Drukpa Kunley replied, "If I can take the empowerment but don't have to keep the samaya, but will still reach enlightenment, then I'll go and take the empowerment. Otherwise, if I take the empowerment and then I have to keep the samayas that are explained in the tantras, I'm afraid that I can't keep the samaya." He added, "I can't just go and take empowerments from whatever lama comes by."

If we look at this from the outside, we think about keeping samaya as doing what the guru says or not having wrong views. Karmapa stressed that this is not so easy: “If we have to do what an authentic guru says, then doing anything that is not dharma is basically breaking their words.”

When we talk about the samaya of the Secret Mantra, there are tens of millions of them. However, the main aspect of samaya comes down to the guru. Gampopa said, “When following a qualified guru, this is the ultimate samaya of the path of the Secret Mantra.” Karmapa explained that we need to keep this samaya assiduously; it is incredibly important to keep the samaya of the guru's body, speech, and mind.

The need for keeping samaya is not like keeping the present day law of a country, where you will be punished if you do not follow the rules. There are many aspects to keeping samaya, making it complicated and difficult. Some people want to practice Vajrayana but worry about not being able to keep the samaya and therefore avoid the practice altogether.

Karmapa pointed out that, unlike human-made laws where breaking them leads to punishment, the precepts and samaya are connected to the student's own practice of the dharma. The scholars and siddhas of India and Tibet taught samaya according to their own experience. He explained:

They encountered difficulties because they didn’t keep samaya. It is actually linked to their own experience. It’s not like someone writing down what they thought and making up the rules. If we don’t keep samaya, difficulties arise; if we keep it, great benefits arise. This is why keeping samaya is assiduously emphasized.

He clarified that samaya is something both the student and the guru need to keep. Some people mistakenly think that samaya applies mainly to what students do, while gurus can do whatever they want. This is incorrect because the guru is also the student of another guru.

According to the first of the fourteen root downfalls:

Because the vajra holders said 
That accomplishment follows from the master, 
Therefore, to denigrate them 
Is taught to be the first root downfall.

Denigrating or criticizing the guru is the first root downfall of samaya. Likewise, in the Fifty Verses, the first thing taught is that we need to abandon denigrating and criticizing the guru. It then teaches how to follow the guru and provide them with service and respect.

Verse 10 reads:

Those who, having become their student, 
Intentionally deride such lords 
Have denigrated all the buddhas. 
They'll reap perpetual suffering. 

Karmapa then explained this according to Tsongkhapa's commentary Fulfilling All the Student’s Hopes. Once we follow a guru with all the characteristics, we will experience perpetual suffering if we criticize or speak badly of that guru. Deriding the guru could be such as saying, "That guru is immoral; they don’t keep their discipline," or considering them lacking in diligence or qualities. If we think about it, making offerings to the vajra master has the same benefit as making offerings to all buddhas, but similarly, criticizing the guru is the same as criticizing all buddhas. Therefore, when we criticize the guru, it is an incredibly grave offence; when we are respectful of the guru, it brings many benefits.

The Importance of Devotion for the Guru

His Holiness gave an analogy to explain this. He recalled that when he was young, they would use flint to start fires by rubbing it on a rock, or some would use magnifying glasses to focus sunlight onto tinder. Similarly, the guru is like the magnifying glass, all the buddhas and bodhisattvas are like the sunlight, and the student's mindstream is like the tinder that can catch fire. The guru is the gateway to receive all the blessings of the buddhas and bodhisattvas. We have not yet reached the level where we can follow the buddhas and bodhisattvas directly.

The second reason is that the person who gives us the supreme and ordinary siddhis is the guru. Thus, if we criticize the guru, it is really a grave fault or offense. This is not just in the Secret Mantra, but is also sound in the teachings of the Foundation Vehicle. 

In the Treasury of Abhidharma (Skt. Abhidharma-kośa):

Although they are not noble, gifts

To parents, the ill, or Dharma teachers,

The Bodhisattva’s last rebirth

Bring yields surpassing any measure.

This talks about four types of fields: the fields of wanderers, suffering, benefit, and qualities. Among them, the guru and spiritual friend are taught to be the field of benefit. In Vasubandhu’s Auto Commentary on the Treasury of Abhidharma (Skt. Abhidharmakośa-bhāṣya), he details that dharma teachers belong in the field of benefit, because they give beings blinded by ignorance the eye of prajñā. They also teach them how to practice virtue and give up non-virtue and perform all the activities of the Buddha. Thus, it is not just in the Secret Mantra, but it is also the same in the scriptures of the Foundation Vehicle.

Likewise, Gampopa asked many gurus whether it was truly possible to achieve Buddhahood in a single lifetime in a single body. While many lamas said it was possible but really difficult, when Gampopa asked Milarepa the same question, he replied, "When a guru with all the characteristics and a receptive student meet, the best will awaken in this lifetime. The middling will awaken in the bardo. And the least will awaken in the next lifetime."

Gampopa also asked many Kadampa gurus about the most powerful way to accumulate merit in order to reach buddhahood. 

When he asked Milarepa, he replied, “Doing what the guru tells you to do, just as they say to do it, and supplicating the guru with devotion and practicing properly is the greatest merit.”

In brief, the extent of devotion we have for the guru determines the extent of blessings we will receive. As Gampopa said, "The greatest blessings are for those with the greatest devotion,  middling blessings are for those with middling devotion, and the least blessings are for those with the least devotion."

Even before Gampopa first saw Milarepa, he already had strong devotion. Merely hearing Milarepa's name brought tears to his eyes and gave him goosebumps. Milarepa told Gampopa that in the future, he would develop even more uncontrived and genuine devotion, and at that moment, he would perceive the nature of the dharmatā. Karmapa explained that if we have uncontrived and strong devotion, it enables us to realize the nature of dharmatā. 

Earlier, we spoke on Gampopa’s explanation on the three characteristics of a guru: having the unbroken lineage, having great compassion for beings, giving up the lesser intentions and being a basis for rousing devotion. The third has two different parts: a good basis for oneself to develop devotion and for others to develop devotion.

If we think the guru does not have a lot of pith instructions or has lower realization than ourselves, thinking, “I have more blessings and higher realization,” then no matter how long we follow that guru, we will never receive blessings or develop realization. Thus, it is incredibly important to have devotion for the guru, and many faults will arise if we are disrespectful.

The Fault of Pride

Karmapa explained that one way faults arise is through pride. It is often taught in the Mahayana sutras that pride is a great impediment to the development of qualities. For example, in The King of Samadhis Sutra (Skt. Samādhirāja-sūtra), when the Buddha was a cakravartin, a universal emperor, he was able to gain power over all the countries up to the realms of the gods. When he got to the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, the lord of gods Śakra came to welcome him, and he felt great pride and competitiveness. Immediately, he lost his miraculous powers, fell back to earth, and his life ended. 

Likewise, the Gaṇḍavyūha-sūtra (The Stem Array Sutra) teaches nine types of cognition, including thinking of ourselves as inferior to the guru, such as being like garbage, rather than succumbing to pride.

Karmapa pointed out that sometimes when we get to know a guru too well, we start to think we are the same as them. We might think we eat the same food, have to wear clothes and use the bathroom; the only difference is the title. Similarly with friends, at first, there is some respect. Later, as people get to know each other, respect diminishes, and eventually, they just criticize each other.

He emphasized that we should never think of ourselves as better than the guru, but to always consider ourselves lower. As the Kadampa gurus of the past said, “The water of qualities cannot get into the balloon of pride.” To develop qualities and improve, we need to see our weaknesses and faults, and then take a humble position. We also need to improve by seeing other's qualities and continue studying. If we have a lot of pride, we cannot see our weaknesses or other's qualities. In addition, we start to denigrate others. So, for this reason, in Vajrayana, if we think that we are superior to the guru, then in addition to not being able to develop any of the qualities, we will lose all the ones that we already have. 

Another example is the great mahāsiddha of Cakrasaṃvara named Kṛṣṇapāda. His guru Jālandhara told him he was not ready to go into yogic conduct, but he went off and engaged in the conduct anyway. In the past, this meant going off into the forest with a consort. When Kṛṣṇapāda did this, his activity flourished and he gained several thousand students. One day he got on a ship heading for Sri Lanka. On the way, the ship capsized and sank in the ocean. All of his students drowned except for Kṛṣṇapāda, as he had miraculous powers and could walk on the water without sinking. He thought, "I have this miraculous power that even my guru doesn’t." At that moment of pride, he lost his miraculous powers and sank into the water. Jālandhara appeared in the sky and scolded him. Kṛṣṇapāda confessed to the guru, who then told him, "You're not going to achieve supreme siddhi in this life. But you should write some treatises, then in your next lifetime, you will achieve the supreme siddhis."

Karmapa then continued with a story regarding the great Tibetan master, Milarepa. He had two main disciples, Gampopa who was like the sun, and Rechungpa who was like the moon. Rechungpa sometimes did not listen to what the guru said and did strange things quite a few times. 

Rechungpa went to India a few times, but one time he went he met Tiphupa, the Tree of Secret Mantra. He also met Machik Druppay Gyalmo, and received the incredible cycles of the teachings of the formless dakinis. On the way back, he met a non-Buddhist, who said to him, “Rechungpa, you are going to Tibet to spread, uphold, and protect the teachings. To protect them, these instructions of mine are indispensable, so if you have any gold, give it to me.” Rechungpa gave him a bit of gold and spent seven days studying sorcery with the man.

At that time, Milarepa was in retreat at Drakmar Chongling, and had a vision that Rechungpa was initially like a stupa with brilliant light, but because a non-Buddhist had taught him black mantras, that crystal stupa disappeared and became like a tornado. Milarepa began to feel a little bit uneasy, sensing his student might have a problem, so he left his retreat and went to Palmo Plain to welcome him.

The master and disciple saw each other coming on the plain from far away, and Rechungpa thought, “I went to India and I have received all these dharma teachings and pith instructions. Now the guru is probably coming to welcome me, right? So, if I prostrate to him, is he going to prostrate to me?" However, when they met, Rechungpa prostrated to Milarepa, but Milarepa did not return the favor. He just sat there without saying a word. Rechungpa didn’t know what to do.

Rechungpa then asked, "Guru, how are you? Are you well?" Milarepa replied, "There is nothing wrong with me. I am a yogi; nothing is ever wrong with me." Rechungpa then explained, "I worked hard. I went to India and brought back the dharma cycles of the formless dakinis. These are incredible empowerments. For these dharmas to flourish in Tibet, please see if it is suitable for you. If you think it is good, then you should praise this dharma and celebrate."

At that point, Milarepa realized that Rechungpa had become very proud, so he sang a song to reduce his pride. Milarepa then picked up the pack of Rechungpa’s books and set off very quickly. Since Rechungpa had already travelled a long way, he was exhausted and unable to keep up with the guru. He thought to himself, "If I can't keep up with him, he might give all my books to some pointless person." Rechungpa then ran after him and told the story about how he went through so much difficulty to get all these instructions and dharma teachings. Milarepa then sang a song, saying "I have a better and deeper connection to Tiphupa than you do. Compared to you, I have been with Vajravārāhī longer; she is an older acquaintance of mine than of yours."

Then as the master and disciple went further up Palmo Plain, Rechungpa had a wicked thought, “With other dharma practitioners, they always have dharma provisions. While doing retreat, they have a bit of food to eat. But my guru, forget about having food to eat, he doesn't even have a good house, a good place to sit, or a good bed for the night. Look at his body, it’s going blue and decaying. His hair has matted into locks like felt. He has spent his entire life wearing a single cotton robe. He says he has reached accomplishment, but I've never seen any signs of that. A siddhi would probably not be a beggar with bad karma.” Rechungpa was disappointed and unhappy since he had undergone a lot of hardships to bring back all the texts from India, but Milarepa acted as if he did not really care about them or want them. 

At that point, they came across a yak horn. Milarepa said, “Son, it is said that if you find unnecessary jewels, at some point they will become necessary, so carry that yak horn.” Rechungpa thought, “Sometimes my guru says that you need nothing at all. Like the saying, sometimes he is angrier than an old dog and greedier than an old man. What good is this yak horn? You can’t eat it, you can’t wear it.” Milarepa replied, “There will come a time when we need it.” A bit later Rechungpa asked again, “Do we really need this?” and Milarepa urged, “Carry it just a bit longer.”

It was a really beautiful clear day, but all of a sudden, the clouds gathered all at once and great hailstones the size of fists fell. Rechungpa threw down the yak horn and tried to run for shelter. But it was hailing so hard that he could not find any place to hide, so he just sat down and covered his head. He had no idea where the guru went and did not even think about it.

After a little while the hailstorm cleared, Rechungpa got up to look around. He looked everywhere, but he could not find the guru at all. Then, he heard the clear sound of a song. He wondered where it was coming from. As it seemed to come from the yak horn, he tried to pick it up. However, it was as heavy as a rock and he was unable to lift it, so he put his cheek down to the ground and looked inside the yak horn.

Without the yak horn getting any bigger, or without Milarepa getting any smaller, he saw Milarepa was way down inside the thinnest part of the horn. Not only that, he was doing yoga moves, and sang a song to Rechungpa. The main point is:

Rechungpa, sometimes your view is high, and sometimes it is low. Your meditation is sometimes clear and sometimes unclear. Your behavior is sometimes very relaxed and sometimes hurried. You aren’t stable. I’m in the thinnest part of the yak horn, there’s more room, so you should come into the wide part and stay with me.

Rechungpa wondered how to get in since even he could not fit even his knuckles into the horn. He then immediately supplicated the guru and gave a confession. Only then, Milarepa came out of the yak horn and gazed up at the sky. Immediately all the clouds just disappeared, and the sun shined really warm. All their clothes were wet from the hail, so they stayed there while they dried. 

Karmapa pointed out that Rechungpa was actually very fortunate because Milarepa helped him to subdue his pride. There are many stories like this illustrating the difficulties and experiences Rechungpa faced, due to not doing everything the guru said, and doing what he was told not to do.

The teaching concluded at this point. 

Tergar Shrine Hall
16 March 2025

Chöd is one of the central rituals in the Arya Kshema Spring Dharma Gathering. It is a practice regarded as of special importance for female practitioners. Its aim is to cut through attachment and ignorance, especially attachment to the body, ego-clinging and the dualistic idea of a self, and thereby lead to the realisation of emptiness. Of the Eight Great Chariots— the eight practice lineages of Tibetan Buddhism —Chöd is the only one originating with a woman, the 11th century Tibetan yogini, Machig Labdrön, who developed the practice. 

Traditionally, the Karmapas have a strong connection with the practice, and the text used at the Arya Kshema is called Chöd: A String of Jewels, which was composed by the third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje.

The Dorje Loppön, a senior nun, led the practice, supported by umdzes and musicians. The nuns sat in rows in the shrine hall, turning the special green Chöd drums in their right hands to one rhythm and ringing their bells with the left to a different rhythm - a difficult technique to learn!  
 

Verse 9: Specific Characteristics of the Guru and the Ten Suchnesses

14 March 2025

His Holiness 17th Gyalwang Karmapa began by saying he would resume the teaching from where he had left off the other day. 

Characteristics of the Guru

The characteristics of the gurus, or spiritual friends, are taught from the Foundation vehicle all the way up to the Secret Mantra. They are not only taught in the Secret Mantra. Within the teachings of the Foundation vehicle, the characteristics of the guru or master are taught as:

    Those who have discipline, know the rituals of the Vinaya, 
    Have compassion for the sick, have a pure retinue, 
    Strive to benefit with Dharma and material things, 
    And give timely advice are known as teachers.

These are the five characteristics taught for the khenpos and abbots in the Foundation vehicle. 
Also, in the Mahayana it says in the Ornament of the Sutras (Skt: Mahāyāna-sūtrālamkāra-kārikā by Maitreya/Asaṅga):

    Follow a friend who is subdued, peaceful, and pacified;
    Who strives for higher qualities and is rich in scriptures, 
    Who has realized suchness, is eloquent, 
    Has a loving character, and has given up weariness. 

The characteristics of the guru in the Secret Mantra are scattered throughout the tantras, and there are quite a few of them. Their essence, which can be found in individual tantras, are gathered here in the Fifty Verses of the Guru (Skt: Gurupañcāśikā). Because this text combines all of these, it became very influential in both India and Tibet. 

In general, in Secret Mantra, you have the word lama which is the Tibetan translation of the word guru. There are several different meanings of the word guru. One of the meanings is that the guru is heavy or weighty, someone who has the heft of qualities, the weight of all their qualities. This is what we mean when we say, “a guru.”

Six Types of Gurus in Secret Mantra

Another important thing that we need to understand is that there are several types of gurus taught in the Secret Mantra. For example, in the Black Yamāri Tantra (Skt. Kṛṣṇayamāri-tantra) by Kṛṣṇapāda  it says:

    Reading the true Dharma, giving, 
    Explaining, teaching pith instructions, 
    Bestowing empowerments, and performing mandala activities:
    We assert there are six types of masters.

The Sanskrit commentary [Skt: Gurvārādhana-pañjikā] on The Fifty Verses of the Guru is called, The Textual Explanation on Serving the Guru. It is not clear who the author of the commentary was, but the text was translated by the kindness of an Indian Pandita. 

The word master appears later in the Sanskrit text but does not appear in the Tibetan translation. In any case, because of engaging in activities, such as giving empowerments, they are called master. The Sanskrit commentary is basically the same as Kŗșņapāda’s commentary. 
Many Tibetan scholars also say that, in terms of the masters or gurus taught in the Secret Mantra, there are six different types. The Chariot of the Karma Kamtsang (Tib: ཀརྨ་ཤིང་རྟ།) teaches:

1) Reading the true Dharma: The person who teaches the precepts of Mantra.

2) Giving: Even before the empowerment begins, a dough ball is used to determine who your special deity is. They are also the person who the transmission [Tib. lung].

3) Explaining: The master who explains the tantra. 

4) Teaching the pith instructions: The master who guides the student through the paths of the creation and completion, or giving the instructions. 

5) Bestowing empowerments: This refers to the guru who bestows the empowerment, which is the preliminary to practicing the Secret Mantra. 

6) Performing the activities of the mandala: The master who performs the consecration, fire pujas and so forth.

When we talk about the types of gurus we speak about several different types, not only those who give empowerments. There are gurus who give instructions, who are also gurus of the Secret Mantra. You have to also consider the people who give you transmissions to be gurus. The individuals who teach you the tantras should also be considered gurus. We normally think if we receive an empowerment from someone, instructions, or transmissions, they don’t need to be considered gurus, but that’s not quite right. In any case, the gurus who teach you the Secret Mantra, or introduce you into the practices of the these Dharmas, should also be considered gurus. 

Root Guru

There is another way of classifying gurus that is very well known in Tibet: the guru and root guru. The root guru is even more important and significant than the six general gurus. In this way, we make a distinction between the guru and the root guru. So, what do we mean by root guru? The most well-known explanation in the Kagyu tradition is by Gö Lotsawa Shönnu Pal, who wrote in The Blue Annals (Tib: དེབ་ཐེར་སྔོན་པོ།): 

    The glorious Dakpo Kagyu is not a lineage of words but a lineage of the 
    Meaning. The meaning is that it is a lineage of the realization of stainless
    mahāmudrā. The guru from whom you gain realization of mahāmudrā is 
    considered your root guru. 

The Eighth Karmapa Mikyö Dorje also praised this way of describing it. According to the Kagyu definition, your root guru is the guru from whom you are able to recognize the nature of mahamudra. They should be considered your most important guru. Mikyö Dorje speaks about the topic of the root guru in his Hundred Short Instructions (Tib: ཁྲིད་ཐུང་བརྒྱ་རྩ།).

The word “root” has a lot of significance. There are two words: root and guru. The meaning of the word root is very important. In the Mahayana, the guru or lama is, at best, the one who can rouse the two types of bodhicitta in ones being; relative and ultimate bodhicitta. In the Mahayana, that guru should be considered your root guru. 

In terms of Secret Mantra, it is the guru from whom you are able to develop the realization of the inseparability of bliss and emptiness. In brief, they are the one who first produces that quality in your being. The one who helps you realize the nature of your mind when you have not seen it before, that is your root guru. Also, they should be the one you feel is the most significant. In Secret Mantra, the view of the inseparability of bliss and emptiness is the most important view. It is the guru who produces that in you, who instills that in you, who should be recognized as your root guru. This is such a kind root guru who has those qualities. If a thousand Buddhas were to come and tried to prevent you from having faith, they wouldn’t be able to stop your faith. Even if they were to say, “That guru of yours is no good, you shouldn’t feel faith in him!”  They couldn’t prevent you from feeling faith because it is faith that is irreversible. A fervor that you have, a really strong fervor. Because of the incredible kindness of that guru, this is that type of fervor and dedication that you should have. 

As I mentioned before, in the Mahayana, it is someone who produces relative and ultimate bodhicitta in your being. In terms of Secret Mantra, he is the one who is able to produce the realization that bliss and emptiness are inseparable. 

At the very least, it is the guru who helps you realize that the time of death is uncertain. That type of guru can be considered your root guru. The one who is teaching you the actual, real Dharma. The one who gives you the real experience of that, you can call them your root guru. 

Even if you only receive a single word of Dharma from that person and you realize that they have produced that quality within you, from that point on you can consider them your root guru. And even if they haven’t taught you a single word, but you merely see their face and you receive those blessings, if they have this influence on your being, if they change your way of thinking that much, then you can consider them your root guru. Sometimes, you’ve never met that guru, for example, if the guru lives far away, or the guru has passed away, even in that case, if you just merely hear him and it produces that transformation in your mind stream, if someone is able to produce such a strong imprint in your being, then you can consider them your root guru. 

Conversely, if someone is not able to influence such a great change in your mind stream, and even if they have taught you tens of thousands of Dharma texts, or you may have received hundreds of thousands of empowerments, and instructions from them… no matter what they have done… and this could be a good lama, a good guru, they would not be considered your root guru. If they really are learned, venerable and good; you think this, but because of that guru you haven’t developed revulsion or a sense of urgency. Or you have not developed the recognition of karmic cause and effect. If you haven’t had even the slightest bit of change in the direction of Dharma because of them, then it is difficult to say that guru is your root guru. So, that is what Mikyö Dorje said. This is a really important thing to understand when we think about a root guru.

Specific Characteristics and the Ten Suchnesses 

As I mentioned yesterday, in the commentary on The Textual Explanation on Serving the Guru according to Jetsun Drakpa Gyaltsen, Tsarchen Losal Gyaltso, and Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö, the characteristics of the guru can be classified as two, as the common and specific characteristics. However, as I described before, in the Sanskrit commentary, there are lamas who describe the classification of the common and specific characteristics in the same way but differently in how they are specifically divided. For example, Jetsun Drakpa Gyaltsen says that the six qualities from “Stable, subdued…” up through being honest, are the six common characteristics. Everything after that, the remaining nine, are specific characteristics. I believe ‘common’ means, the characteristics that a guru must have that are common to both the sutra and the tantra, versus ‘specific’ which means those that are particular to the Secret Mantra. In any case, today I will be speaking about the specific characteristics. The other day we spoke about the common characteristics. 

The text that teaches the specific characteristics, according to Jetsun Drakpa Gyaltsen, and so forth, is, The Textual Explanation on Serving the Guru. A couple of the characteristics that I spoke about the other day also need to be included. From “Stable, subdued…” up through “being honest”, and all of the others, are the specific characteristics. The Textual Explanation on Serving the Guru states:

“Well-versed in the ten suchnesses, 
Skilled in the rites of drawing mandalas, 
Able to explain the mantras, 
Sincere, and with their senses tamed.” (9)

His Holiness displayed a screen with a table showing four translations of the above verse, and described it as follows: 

When I was teaching last year, I mentioned that there were two Sanskrit manuscripts, but neither of them was complete. However, there is an old Sanskrit commentary that was recently discovered and is a complete manuscript. So, this is showing the Sanskrit manuscript found in Tibet as well as the Tibetan, Chinese and English translations.

From The Textual Explanation on Serving the Guru, it says:

To continue teaching the qualifications of the guru well-versed in the ten suchnessess. 

Ten is the well-known or generally accepted number of ‘suchnessess”. Today I am teaching primarily what is in the Sanskrit commentary on the Fifty Verses of the Guru. What are the ten suchnesses?

1) Mandala 
2) Samadhi
3) Mudra
4) Mantra
5) Dance Steps
6) Seated Postures
7) Recitation
8) Fire Pujas
9) Engaging in Offering Activities
10) Dissolution

In general, in the Secret Mantra texts there are several different enumerations of the ten suchnesses. There are five or six actually. They are: the external, the secret, the ten suchnesses of activity, and so forth. If we were to go through all of the different enumerations, it would be extremely complicated, and there is also not enough time. Today what I will explain, among all the ten suchnesses, are the basic ones that are necessary. When we talk about the ten external suchnesses that are taught, they match the ten that are taught in the Sanskrit commentary, The Textual Explanation on Serving the Guru. 

What I will teach today are the external ten suchnesses taught in the unexcelled yoga tantra Ornament of Vajra Heart (Skt. Vajra-hṛdayālaṃkāra) . Or the ten suchnesses that are necessary for the Vajra master as taught in the yoga tantra the Compendium of Suchness of All the Tathāgatas (Skt. Sarva-tathāgata-tattva-saṃgraha). 

The Ten Suchnesses as listed in the Sanskrit commentary: 

The Textual Explanation on Serving the Guru:

1) Suchness of Mandalas: Being knowledgeable about the presentation of mandalas which are the basis of rituals and empowerments. “There are three types of mandalas: mandalas of body, speech and mind.” A guru who is “Leaned in the rites of drawing the mandalas.” One who is knowledgeable in the general presentation, such as being skilled in the practice of drawing them in sand or on canvas.  

2) Suchness of Samadhi: “There are three types of samadhi, because of the classification as the initial application, the supreme king of the mandala, and essence of the supreme king of activity.” These three samadhis are the main practice of many different sadhanas. For this reason, in the yoga and mahāyoga tantras, these three samadhis are taught. 

Also, in the mahāyoga tantras there are the father and mother tantras, and these samadhis are also taught within them. In terms of the application, it is primarily for the benefit of oneself and the other two are primarily for the benefit of others. This explanation is similar in the higher and lower tantras. However, there are differences in them in terms of what they actually mean. What is the “supreme king of mandalas” and the “supreme king of activities”?  They are explained differently specific to each of their contexts. For example, in the yoga tantra, all of the steps for gathering the accumulations, meditating on the self-visualization and the awakening stages, are taught as the samadhi of the initial application.

When the deities of the mandala are emanated from the heart of the principal deity this called, “the supreme king of the mandala.” When the wisdom beings are dissolved, sealing with the four mudras, and performing activity, this is called “the supreme king of activity.” 

In the unexcelled yoga tantra in Jñānapāda’s tradition of the Secret Assembly (Skt. Guhyasamāja-tantra), emanating the mandala that comes from the womb and then making the wisdom beings enter, the empowerment, offerings, praise and the meditation on the subtle mind, these are all, “the supreme king of the mandala.”

The samadhis of performing pacifying and other activities are “the supreme king of activity.” 

Thus, there are many different classifications of these and the descriptions of them. In any case, the vajra master must know all of the stages of the deity and the stages of the generation of the deity. 

3) Suchness of Mudra: “There are two types of mudras, the mudras of hands and mudras of the mental body.” In general, these are taught in the kriyā tantras, such as the Root Tantra of Mañjuśrī (Skt. Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa). They are also taught in the caryā tantras such as The Tantra of the Manifest Enlightenment of Vairocana (Skt: Vairocana-abhisaṃbodhi-tantra) and  the yoga tantras such as the Tattva-saṃgrahaand the Omniscient (Skt. Sarvavid). There are quite a few different hand mudras. We need to feel that our ordinary body, speech and mind are the activity of the deity. 

We also meditate with the mandala and so forth, we meditate on this internally. The external representations are the mudras. The point of mudras is taught in the Supreme Glorious Tantra (Skt. Śrī-paramādi-tantra):
    
    A body without a mind is like a wall, and a mind without a body is 
    like space. They are unable to perform activities such coming and 
    going, but when the two are combined they have the power to ful-
    fill aims. Similarly, the internal mudra in primary, but only when 
     they come with the hand mudras and one remembers the deity, do
    they have the great power of achieving the result.

“A body without a mind is like a wall.” It is just material, matter. “A mind without a body is like space.” Like space, it cannot actually do anything. “It is only when the body and mind are combined that you can do activities, then you have the capacity to perform actions. When these two are combined, the mudra and the visualizations of samadhi, the are very important. When the two, external and internal mudras come together, they are able to produce a result.”

It is said in the lower tantras that if you omit the mudras then the ritual is incomplete. This is also said in the unexcelled tantras. The guru must be learned in all of the different mudras. 

4) Suchness of Mantra: Each yidam has many different mantras. The guru needs to know all of these different types of mantras. 

5) Suchness of Dance Steps: “There are many different dance steps such as the net of bees. The net of bees comprises extending the left right leg, extending the left, and stepping equally. There are also the vajra step, turtle step, the ocean movement and many other types of dance steps. In the yoga tantra there is also the Yoga Dance, for example. Also, in the The Wheel of Time (Skt. Kālacakra), the Ocean of Ḍākas or Heroes (Skt. Ḍākārṇava-tantra) of the Wheel of Restraint/Bliss (Skt. Cakrasaṃvara), the Vajra Tent Tantra (Skt. Vajra-pañjara-tantra) of Hevajra, the Vajra Rosary Tantra (Skt. Vajramālā-tantra) of the Guhyasamāja, and others, there are many different dance steps. These are primarily in the ritual of taking the ground. There are also offering dance steps. 

Likewise, in Tibet, we have cham or lama dancing. There are also movements called gar. It is generally said that movements done primarily with the hands are called gar and those that are primarily done with the feet are called cham. 

For example, when you look at Bhutanese dance, they do a lot with their hands. Likewise, in Ladakh they do a lot with their hands, many mudras with their hands. In Kham, of course, they move their hands, but they have such long sleeves, you can’t actually see what their hands are doing! So, in Kham, the steps done with their feet are more important. 

In any case, the movements of the gar are primarily with the hands and the cham are primarily movements with the feet. 

The vajra master must be very well learned in gar and cham. 

6) Suchness of Posture: From The Textual Explanation on Serving the Guru: “The seated postures are summarized as four types: the lotus posture, vajra posture, sattva posture and wrathful posture.” Here, posture is the way that the that the deities are sitting. There are others that are not mentioned in this text such as, the posture of the good, the squatting posture, and posture of supporting oneself and so forth. The vajra master needs to know all of these as well. 

7) Suchness of Recitation: “There are four types of recitation: wrathful, vajra, radiating and cessation recitation.” These are the different ways to recite and to count the mantras. There are also mantras associated with the presentation of the mala used for recitation, the mantra recited and the number of recitations. There is a lot that the guru needs to know, which requires a very thorough understanding of these various points. 

8) Suchness of Fire Pujas: “There are four types of fire pujas: peaceful, enriching, magnetizing and destroying.” These are the fire pujas that we often perform. 

9) Suchness of Engaging in the Activity of Offering: “Engaging assiduously in the offering activities of outer, inner, and secret offerings.” When we speak about these three types of offerings, the outer offering refers to the sense pleasures of form, sound, and so forth. The inner offerings consist of the five meats and five amṛtas. The secret offerings are those of non-dual great bliss. The vajra master must know all of the different visualizations and practices for making these different types of offerings.

The text also says “engaging in activity.” There was a master named Praśāntamitra who in his commentary on The Net of Illusion (Skt. Māyājāla) said engaging in activity means, “the protection field, invitation and so forth.” 
Master Ānandagarbha explains it as engaging in the peaceful activities and so forth. 

10) Suchness of Reabsorption: The concluding ritual is the ritual of reabsorption or dissolution. “There are two types of reabsorption, requesting the mandala to depart and dissolving the samaya mandala.” This is in general. In the unexcelled yoga tantra there are times when one does not ask the wisdom deities to depart. The way this is done, in terms of ritual, is the gathering of sand and so forth. The vajra master must know all of the concluding aspects of the ritual sādhanas. 

Lord Tsongkhapa said that the masters of the lower classes of tantra must know the external suchnesses well, as taught in the Tattva-saṃgraha. While the vajra master of the unexcelled yoga tantra must know the ten secret suchnesses as well. The levels of the vajra masters are different from the lower tantras and the unexcelled tantras, and they should be different. 

That completes the explanation of the ten suchnesses. 

Skilled in the Rites of Drawing Mandalas

The Textual Commentary of Serving the Guru states:

The rites of the mandalas, the purification of the ground, taking the 
ground, stabbing the kīlas in obstructors, binding the four directions
and the four corners and so forth. 

  Lord Tsongkhapa also says, “Being skilled in drawing the mandalas also means being skilled in drawing the diagrams, painting the colors and so forth.” It means the practice of being well-versed in creating the mandalas. It is important to know the presentation of the mandalas, but here, we’re talking about actually drawing the mandala. When you erect the mandala, first you must do the ritual of the ground. This includes, examining the ground, taking the ground, purifying the ground, grasping the ground and blessing the protection field. These are the five parts to the ritual of the ground. 

Then there is the preparation. This is generally said to have four parts: preparation of the earth, preparation of the deities, preparation of the vases and the preparation of the students. 

The Secret Mantra vajra master also needs to know this. As I said before, one of the responsibilities of the guru is to bestow empowerments. This is an indispensable function. When an empowerment is given, the preparation is the main part along with the concluding ritual. The guru absolutely must know this. From the earth ritual onward, the vajra master/guru must do all of these activities themselves. Sometimes there is what is called a “vajra of activity” or the shrine master, and they may be asked to assist, and it’s okay to ask for assistance, but primarily, the guru must do it themselves. 

Tsongkhapa wrote in his Great Stages of Mantra (Tib. སྔགས་རིམ་ཆེན་མོ།): 

The master and the assistant must draw the karma lines together as the great Indian masters had said. Similarly, the tantras say that when you are building a sand mandala that you put in the colors, and if the master in unable to put in all of the colors themselves, then it is acceptable to ask for assistance. For the lines, the student and master may draw the lines together. However, if there is no student then the master should draw the lines. There is no exception for the master not to be present when the lines are being drawn.

In brief, there are many rituals; the ritual of the ground and so forth. The vajra master must be present for these. If he is not there, then it is not okay to do them. Thus, the guru must know the practices of all of the rituals of the ground and so forth, because if they don’t it cannot be done. That is the main point. 

Ability to Explain the Mantras

When we talk about being able to explain the mantra, this is someone who is skilled in doing this. “Able to explain the mantra” pertains to the highest, middling, and lowest faculties. A master who is able to give the mantras and so forth. In this case, within the Tibetan translation, of The Fifty Verses on the Guru it only says, “Able to explain the mantra”. The translation that we have now is that by Go Lotsawa Shönnu Pal. However, Tsongkhapa’s commentary Fulfilling All the Student’s Hopes: An Explanation of the Fifty Verses on the Guru  (Tib. བླ་མ་ལྔ་བཅུ་པའི་རྣམ་བཤད་སློབ་མའི་རེ་བ་ཀུན་སྐོང།) mentions another translation, by Chak Lotsawa, but I do not know if it is still extent now. I did put some effort into looking for it, but I am unsure if I’ll get a copy in the future. 

According to Je Tsongkhapa, Chak Lotsawa’s translation says “The master skilled in teaching the mantras.” Because you need a master who skilled in teaching mantras to others. 

In addition, Tsongkhapa uses the word ācārya (master). The Sanskrit manuscripts we have include this word ‘master’ but the extant Tibetan translation only says “skilled in the path of teaching the mantra” and it doesn’t include the word master. 

When we talk about being skilled in the way of teaching the mantra, the way Jetsun Drakpa Gyaltsen explains it in his commentary Elucidation of the Fifty Verses on the Guru “To be able to explain the mantras meaning in accordance with the faculties of the student; highest, middling and lowest.” When teaching the tantra you really need to know the level of the student’s being. There is a story that if you teach the mantra without knowing the student’s level, this causes the māra Maṭaṃruṭa to appear. So, the guru needs to teach the mantra in accord with the student’s level. 

Likewise, the Seventh Karmapa Chödrak Gyatso says:

Being skilled in explaining the path of the receptive, the unreceptive,
six extremes, four modes and so forth to the students.

Being Sincere and Having Sincere Faith

The next topic is being sincere. Sometimes this can be said as being completely pacified and other times as being sincere. So, completely pacified or sincere. From The Textual Commentary on Serving the Guru it says:

Sincere means delighting from the heart with no stinginess.

This is difficult to explain when you look at the Sanskrit commentary, however, in many of the Tibetan commentaries the way it is explained, for instance in Tsongkhapa’s commentary it says, “Someone who is always delighted by the Mahayana.” This means they have sincere devotion and faith in the Mahayana, and in particular, in the Vajrayana. The guru should have sincere and stable faith in the Mahayana and Vajrayana.

The Seventh Karmapa Chödrak Gyatso writes, “Being dedicated to the stages of the vehicles of the Vajrayana, Prajñāpāramitā and so forth.”

Tsarchen Losal Gyatso writes in his commentary, “Sincerity is single minded faith in general and Vajrayana in particular.” 

Sincerity here means, when we talk about faith we talk about sincere faith, conviction and longing; three types. In Lord Gampopa’s Great Dharma Talks (Tib. ཚོགས་ཆོས་ཆེན་མོ།), when he spoke about sincere faith, what he said was:

Sincere faith is when you see the face of the guru or hear their
words. Or when you come into the presence of a great sacred
object, you get goosebumps and your eyes fill with tears.

This can happen right? It happens just naturally; in our mind we feel this sincere faith. All of your afflictions are pacified, your mind is very clear and sincere. You experience very clear appearances. That is what is meant by sincere faith. 

When we talk about the Dharma of the Secret Mantra, when we hear about it, we should feel excited. Just merely seeing the face of your Secret Mantra guru, you have a very special feeling, you get goosebumps, your eyes fill with tears… if that happens, that is what we call sincere faith. 

In any case, the vajra maser should have sincere faith for Mahayana in general, and in particular, for the Secret Mantra Vajrayana. 

Having Senses Tamed

The last point refers to a guru who is tamed in their faculties. From The Textual Commentary on Serving the Guru it says: 

One who is sincere and with their faculties tamed.

When we talk about their “senses being tamed”, what this means, according to the Sanskrit commentary, is that they have gained mastery over the senses, such as the eye, and tamed them. What this seems to mean is that, the eye does not fall under the control of desire. When you see beautiful forms and what not, the eye does not get attracted by them and attached to looking at beautiful forms. Because, that’s what usually happens right?

And the ear does not fall under the control of hatred. When you hear, you hear many different, various things, right? When you hear everything there is a danger that it will disturb your mind. So, you must be careful that your mind does not fall under the control of aversion. The mind does not fall under the control of distraction. 

In any case, when we meditate on the creation phase, there is the delusion vajra in the eye and the hatred vajra of the ear, and so forth. This is a way of teaching us to tame the senses. 

Je Tsongkhapa writes:

Their senses tamed, they have restrained the gates of the senses 
with mindfulness and awareness. They have completely ceased 
the distractions toward improper objects.

The main point is that the guru of the Secret Mantra must be able to take control over their body, speech and mind. They need to be able to take care of it, they need to be able to direct their body, speech and mind. It shouldn’t be that they are unable to control their senses, or unable to direct their senses. To catch them all with mindfulness, awareness and carefulness. In the Guhyasamāja-tantra it says:

Externally act like a shravaka.
Internally enjoy the joined objects.

This means that, no matter how high the guru’s own experience and realization may be, it is important that externally they are very peaceful and subdued with their body and speech. 

Conclusion

If brief, as I mentioned before, we’ve spoken about the characteristics of the guru that we need to follow. When we think “What type of guru should we follow?” we should consider these characteristics that I have just taught. 

When we think about all of these characteristics, you may think, are these just something that are taught in the texts? Because, in actuality, there is really no one like this, that is what you may think. Is it really like that? Or is it in actuality? Are there actually gurus who have all of these qualifications and characteristics that are taught in the texts? We think, it would be really great if there was someone like that! It is as if we make a list; “this guru has that quality… he has that one…” Taking all of their best qualities and putting them together, writing all of the good things that they should have. Are there really gurus who actually have those characteristics? It would be nice if they did. 

If we look at the life stories of the past masters of the Sakya, Geluk, Kagyu and Nyingma schools, we can see that all of the gurus definitely had all of the characteristics that are taught in The Fifty Verses on the Guru. When we look at the namthar of these great masters of the past, when we look at their life stories, they followed many spiritual friends from all of the different schools. They meditated and practiced; taming their own being and they became great scholars and siddhas. All of them definitely became like that. Not only that, there was nothing in all of the ten areas of knowledge, the three pitakas, and four classes of tantra that these masters didn’t know. We can have confidence in this is by looking at the writings of these gurus. There are many masters in the Sakya, Geluk, Kagyu and Nyingma schools, all of these gurus definitely had these characteristics, exactly as they’re taught in the The Fifty Verses on the Guru. It’s not just that you’re hoping you could meet gurus with all of these characteristics, it’s an actuality. They aren’t simply empty words but something we can know through direct experience. We may think, well it’s like that during a good time, a good era, there must have been gurus with all the characteristics during the good eras, but now we’re in this really bad time. Now we are in the era of the five degenerations. Even in a time like this, there are more than a few gurus who have all of these characteristics and this is really a great fortune that we have. 

For example, in my own life and experience, I have had the great fortune to meet many gurus who have the characteristics that are taught in The Fifty Verses on the Guru. This is really important. There are really significant, great gurus with all of these qualities. We need to recognize that they have these qualities. Otherwise, it is like having jewels but mistaking the jewels or mistaking other things for jewels. For example, if we wanted to buy a really important thing, first you have to know that it is a really important thing, otherwise, you can get really fooled. Many people mistakenly think the fake things are the original. If you are buying a really valuable jewel and you have no experience at all, then you may not recognize that jewel for being the jewel that it is. There are many great, authentic gurus with all of the characteristics, and when you see them, you see that they are like hidden yogis. All of the gurus that have all of these characteristics have hidden their qualities; even if they have qualities, they hide them. So, what we see, we fail to see them as having those qualities. They have intentionally hidden them. For that reason, you have to have enough merit to see that the guru has the characteristics. Only a student who is going to be receptive is an appropriate vessel and is able to follow the guru, and one who is not receptive, is not able to follow the guru. And so, for that reason, we should think that there are gurus who have all of these characteristics and we can meet them. We should understand how important it is to follow the gurus as taught in The Fifty Verses on the Guru.