Verses 40 – 43: Not Acting Independently from the Guru and Showing Respect
25 April 2025
In the previous session the Gyalwang Karmapa had related accounts of people who had served the guru in an exemplary way. After greeting everyone, he explained he intended to continue these accounts on the penultimate day of the teachings.
He began with the lama who is regarded as the foremost example within the Dakpo Kagyu tradition of serving the guru—Barom Darma Wangchuk.
Barom Darma Wangchuk Founder of the Barom Kagyu Lineage
Barom Darma Wangchuk was one of the four disciples of Gampopa. His lineage is one of the
four elder Kagyu lineages, that descend directly from Gampopa and his nephews. Although some have questioned the term four elder Kagyu lineages and claim that this term only originated later with Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye, His Holiness asserted that it was used prior to that time.
Barompa was born in Penpo, one source of the Kagyu teachings, where there are still monasteries with their roots in the Kadampa lineage. From a young age he had great devotion for Gampopa, even before he met him and there were various signs of his karmic connection with Gampopa. When he was seven years old, he encountered a beautiful woman, dressed in the clothes of a dakini, and accompanied by a retinue of thirteen. He asked her, “Whose student are you?” and she replied, “I’m Dakpo Nyi Gom’s student,” meaning Gampopa.
The young boy questioned this because Gampopa was a monk. "How can Gampopa have any women around him? He doesn't have any women in his retinue, don't lie!" The woman smiled and said, "It's just possible I'm a little better than Gampopa." This infuriated Barompa, he had such great faith in Gampopa. He summoned his playmates and together they threw dirt
and stones at the woman, but she remained calm. "You have a lot of attachment to Gampopa,
don't you?” she said. “There must be a particular karmic connection between you and that guru." This made the little boy immensely happy, and he knew he wanted to meet Gampopa.
Another sign was one day when he dreamed of a swirling white light coming from the east which dissolved into his heart.
When Barompa reached an appropriate age, he became a monk, and studied with many Kadampa masters, including Geshe Chayulwa, who had been one of Gampopa’s teachers. It is also said that Geshe Chayulwa secretly followed Rechungpa; secretly because the Kadampa emphasised the importance of the vinaya discipline and Rechungpa was a lay person.
Finally, at the age of twenty-one, Barompa met Gampopa at a ganachakra (Skt. gaṇacakra; Tib. ཚོགས་ཀྱི་འཁོར་ལོ།) on the tenth day. The Karmapa explained that the tenth day in a lunar calendar could either be the tenth day of the waxing phase or the tenth day of the waning phase, so the ganachakra was not necessarily Guru Rinpoche; it could have been Vajravarahi.
The moment that he saw Gampopa's face, Barompa developed meditative concentration and the certainty that Lord Gampopa was an actual buddha.
Because this was during a ganachakra, Gampopa had a skull cap filled with chang, which he offered to Barompa. Viewing it as a siddhi Barompa drank it; the first time in his life he had ever drunk alcohol. This created a strong interdependent connection between them and pleased Gampopa, who then gave him many empowerments and pith instructions.
Barompa served as Gampopa's personal attendant for tea, bedding, and so forth. He also saved Gampopa’s life on several occasions.
Barompa Saves Gampopa’s Life
The Karmapa recounted two of the stories,
Once, when they were on the road to Lhasa, Barompa was leading Gampopa’s horse when a rabid dog attacked them. The rest of the retinue ran away in fear, but Barompa’s only thought was to protect Gampopa and his horse. He grabbed the cane walking stick Gampopa had been holding, bent it into a loop, caught the dog by the neck, and threw it into a nearby river. The dog struggled out of the river and vomited copiously! Gampopa now told Barompa to fetch the dog because it had recovered from its illness, and told him, "Today, you have defeated a demon who is making obstacles, so you should really meditate on great joy."
When the attendants who had run away returned, they gathered around and Gampopa recounted stories from the previous lives of the Buddha, such as the one when
Devadatta sent a crazed elephant to attack the Buddha, and all the monks, except for Ananda, fled. Gampopa then compared Barompa’s actions to those examples.
"If he hadn’t protected me, it would have been very, very difficult," he said.
The Karmapa pointed out that Barompa’s ability to bend the cane was a sign of his accomplishment. Jonang Kunga Drolchog recorded that the cane was later cut in half by the Sixth Karmapa Thongwa Dönden (1416–1453) who took one half as an object of devotion. One of the halves still exists today.
Another time, Gampopa was invited to conduct a consecration in Dagpo, and the whole region gathered for the event. However, during the ritual, there was a chaotic scramble to get the consecration water, torma offerings, flowers, and coloured powder. Gampopa told the people not to behave like that, but nobody listened, and the subsequent stampede threatened to crush Gampopa. The other members of his entourage were too busy getting their own portion of consecrated water, coloured powder and so forth to notice, but Barompa immediately rushed forward and physically carried Gampopa to safety. "This consecration became really dangerous. If it weren't for you today, those troublemakers would certainly have killed me," Gampopa told him.
Afterwards, Barompa’s dharma friends showed him all they had managed to get, and asked, “What did you get?" Barompa replied, "I got the dharmakāya."
Barompa Serves Gampopa until the End
Towards the end of his life, Gampopa told Barompa to go to Barom, in the region of Mount Kailash, to practice meditation., and gave him some gold, saying:
I don’t give this to others, but you and I have been together for a long time as father
and son, as guru and disciple. Without concern for your body or life, you have served me over and over again, and you have never gone against my word. I am giving you this gold so that in the beginning, you can use it for your livelihood. After that, people will provide you with sustenance.
Barompa reflected:
I have met the precious guru who is like the Buddha himself come to earth. I have served him for many years and received unique instructions that have touched my heart. He has been so kind to me. I even dreamed that Rinpoche passed away and departed for Sukhavati. It's possible he might pass away. He has grown old. Unlike before, he is giving more instructions. I have removed obstacles to his life many times without regard for my own body and life. I have never displeased him even for a moment. It is quite possible he wants me to be with him and has an ulterior motive when saying I should go to another mountain retreat. Even if not, if Rinpoche passes away after I've gone, people will mock me saying, ‘He stayed with Rinpoche for so long, but was absent when he passed into nirvana.’ I myself would also feel regret later. I still must serve him as much as I am able. Some people want to serve him but he does not want it. I can’t bear to part with him unless he has passed away. I will not go anywhere while he is still alive.
Barompa prostrated to Gampopa, told him his decision, and explained that he didn’t need the gold. Gampopa replied, “The gold that I've given you, I've already given you, so it's no longer mine, but if you want to make an offering of it to me, then, by the auspicious connection of doing that, many offerings of gold and such will come to you. Also, I'm going to give you all of the texts.”
Barompa protested that he didn’t need the texts as he had no intention of becoming a guru, but Gampopa said that very thought meant that Barompa needed the texts. And so Gampopa bestowed on Barompa all of his texts and the transmissions for them. He also gave him three gifts, saying:
Don't say you don't want these. Even if you go to a place where you must plough fields with your fingernails, you'll have enough for food and clothing. Even if you beg in the realm of hungry ghosts, you'll find warmth. You don't need to worry about whether you're going to find provisions for your practice, because I know you will. And you shouldn't think to yourself that you haven't made material offerings to the gurus, because what pleases me is the offering of practice, I don't really like the offerings of material wealth. Stay with me for another thirty days as father and son,
After about thirty days, Gampopa passed away, and Barompa stayed for the funerary rites and until the stupa for Gampopa’s relics had been completed.
At the age of twenty-eight he left Daklha Gampo monastery and went north to Barom, and stayed practicing in absolute solitude, except for one person who brought his supplies. He developed many qualities of realisation and experience, and such great compassion that wild animals such as the bharal sheep would circumambulate him, and birds of all sizes watched over him while he slept. He would awaken each morning to the sound of damaru played by ḍākas and ḍākinīs.
Later, he gathered many disciples and founded the Barom Kagyu. Even today, this lineage continues to flourish in northern Barom, Nangchen Kyodrak, and other places.
The Fifty Verses on not Acting Independently
Not acting independently is the eighth section, according to Je Tsongkhapa’s outline, and is divided into four sub-topics:
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Asking for permission when acting for others’ sake
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Offering the gains from such activity
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Not accepting respect from others in the guru’s presence
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Being extremely respectful in your physical behaviour
Verse 40: Asking for permission when acting for others’ sake
When the guru is in town,
Don’t perform mandalas, fire pujas,
Or consecrations, and do not gather
Students and teach them without permission. (40)
The Interpretation of the Sanskrit Commentary
Consecrations means when you invite the deities to enter into sacred objects such as stupas, statues, paintings, texts, residences, and so forth. Mandalas are drawn mandalas. Either a painting or a sand manadala. Fire pujas are fire offerings. Teaching is teaching dharma. Gathering students is to give empowerments, transmissions and instructions to students. Without permission means without the permission of the guru. In town refers to the place or area where the guru is staying. So, unless the guru gives permission, none of the activities should be performed where they are staying.
According to Je Tsongkhapa's Commentary
This is much clearer. If the guru is in the area you must ask permission before performing consecrations, empowerments, fire pujas, or making mandalas, gathering students or giving dharma teachings. The Karmapa explained that in the old days, the place was probably quite a small area. To perform these activities without permission, to act like a guru while the guru is there, might be based on pride or competitiveness.
Verse 41: Offering the Gains from such Activity
Whatever you gain from consecrations
And so forth, give it all to the guru.
When they have taken from what was offered,
Use the remainder as you please. (41)
The Interpretation of the Sanskrit Commentary
Whatever you gain from consecrations, and so forth, give it all to the guru. The Tibetan says
“opening the eyes” (as in consecrations) but the Sanskrit says pratishta (Skt. pratiṣṭhā) which means consecration. So ‘opening the eyes’ and ‘consecrations’ are sometimes synonymous. First, the student must have the guru’s permission, as in verse 40, then
whatever dharma activity you do, all of the gains, i.e. the offerings you receive,
should be given to the guru. When they have taken from what was offered: when the guru has taken what they want from the offerings, use the remainder as you please means you can choose what to do with what is left over.
According to Je Tsongkhapa's Commentary
Je Tsongkhapa uses the term “opening the eyes”, but basically the interpretation is the same as the Sanskrit commentary: Now if you take it according to Lord Tsongkhapa's commentary,
whatever offerings you receive from empowerments and so forth, should be offered to your own guru, and after they have taken what they want, the student may use anything leftover as they choose.
Verse 42: Not Accepting Respect from Others in the Guru's Presence
Don’t treat as students the guru’s disciples,
Or, in the guru’s presence, your students.
Prevent them from offering you service,
Rising, prostrating, and so forth. (42)
The Interpretation of the Sanskrit Commentary
Don't treat as students the guru's disciples refers to those who are the students of your guru. You should not treat them as your own students or make them into your own students.
Or, in the guru’s presence, your students: this refers to your own students.
Even if they're all your students, when you're in the guru's presence, you shouldn't treat
them as your own students.
Prevent them from offering you service, rising, prostrating and so forth.
These are the actions that a student would usually perform in the presence of their teacher. However, if your own guru is present, your students should not perform these actions.
Offering you service : the verse specifically mentions prostrating but the commentary explains that service..and so forth would include things such as bathing and massaging, washing the feet and other ways of attending the guru.
According to Je Tsongkhapa's Commentary
According to Lord Tsongkhapa's commentary, you shouldn't make the guru's disciples into your own students, and you shouldn't teach your own students dharma and so forth in the guru’s presence.
According to Ngok Shedang Dorje some panditas argue that the reason you shouldn’t make the guru's disciples into your own students, is that it causes them to pay respect to you and decreases the respect paid to the guru whom you serve; it reduces the number of people paying respect to the guru.
However, this word “or” in “Or, in the guru’s presence is understood differently by others to mean one should not treat the guru’s disciples as students when in the presence of the guru. One way of understanding, Don't treat the guru's disciples as your students says that in the presence of the guru you shouldn't make the guru's disciples your students.
Tsarchen Lotsawa’s commentary on the Fifty Verses on the Guru
This states:
The guru’s disciples should not be made your own students, and even if they are your own students you should not teach them dharma in the guru’s presence. The reason why the guru’s disciples should not be treated as your own disciples is that if they pay you more respect and the guru less respect, they should not do that. As that demonstrates, in the presence of your guru, if your own students should show respect by dressing you in robes, rising from their seats, prostrating and so forth, say “Do not do that” and stop them.
The Karmapa illustrated the point with another story: from the life of the great Sakya scholar Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk of Nesar.
Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk wished to receive teachings from Tsarchen Losel Gyatso (the founder of the Tsarpa school within the Sakya tradition). First, he had to consult with the stewards, and they agreed to accommodate his wishes. The tradition was, before receiving teachings, to perform a divination to ensure that they were appropriate and would be successful. Khyentse Wangchuk asked his teacher, the great Gorumpa Kunga Lekpai Lodro to perform the divination and it proved favourable. However, Gorumpa was also Tsarchen Losel Gyatso’s guru and when Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk reported the successful divination and requested teachings, Tsarchen refused on the grounds that both he and Khyentse Wangchuk were disciples of Gorumpa, and so to teach him would be an infringement of the rule “Don’t treat as students your guru’s disciples.”
Khyentse Wangchuk went back to Gorumpa and explained what had happened. Gorumpa was clear, "It may be true in general that you should not treat your guru’s disciple as a student, but isn’t it also said you should do whatever pleases the guru? If you give him the teachings, I’ll be happy. So please give him the teachings.”
And so Tsarchen gave him teachings. First, he gave the White Tara long life instructions “The Flow of the Moon’s Water,” and also many initiations such as “Combining the Six Rays of Light”.
During one conversation, Tsarchen asked Khyentse Wangchuk whether he had really done a divination. Khyentse Wangchuk replied that he had followed tradition. Tsarchen then admitted to a strange dream he had had. Someone he thought looked like his father, appeared and said, 'This Dharma Lord from Nesar wants to request teachings from you and he's performing divinations. Should we allow it or not?” Tsarchen replied, “If it benefits the teaching, allow it. If not, then don't allow it." The man responded, “It’s allowed.”
Tsarchen advised Khyentse Wangchuk, “Whatever Dharma teachings you can get from Vajradhara Gorumpa, take them. Get as many as you can. I am merely filling in the empty spaces that you were not able to get from him.”
The Karmapa explained the host disciple would be responsible for all the preparations to receive the guru—arranging accommodation and food, preparing a horse and so on—making everything as comfortable and beautiful as possible. Even though the host student might be a renowned guru, if their guru’s disciples or sponsors came to prostrate or make offerings, they would be turned away. And if the host was a guru, even their own sponsors and students were not allowed to show respect to them in the presence of their guru. Whatever the level of their accomplishment, it was important for the disciple to stay humble. When in the guru’s presence, they should never display signs of being a teacher, geshe, or khenpo. Instead, they should maintain the view that their guru is even higher than the highest, while they are even lower than the lowest.
The point of this protocol, however, as the Karmapa explained, is not to enhance the status of the guru, but to display the greatness of the Dharma. For example, the historical account of when Chang-kya Rolpai Dorje gave the Cakrasaṃvara empowerment to Chinese Emperor Qianlong tells how the guru himself sat on a high throne while the emperor sat on a lower seat, kneeling with focused attention until the empowerment was completed, conducting himself in accordance with the proper protocol.
Rechungpa’s Pilgrimage to Central Tibet
Rechungpa visited many places in the Central and Tsang regions of Tibet during that time. In particular, he visited Je Marpa’s reliquary stupa and Ngok’s monastic seat, Zhung Trezhing (Tib. གཞུང་སྤྲེལ་ཞིང་། ), Ngok Shedang Dorje, the son of Ngok Chöku Dorje, who was an even more renowned lama, welcomed him.
Ngok greatly admired Rechungpa and wished to request teachings from him. However, during their conversation, Rechungpa extensively praised his Indian guru, Tipupa. Ngok was disturbed by this, thinking that Rechungpa was not praising Jetsun Milarepa, the guru who had shown the greatest kindness. “He's not speaking about Milarepa. It’s not right. It's as if he has more faith in the Indian teacher than in Je Milarepa.” Consequently, according to one account, Ngok did not receive dharma teachings from Rechungpa.
When he was very young, Ngok Shedang Dorje formed a close connection with Marpa Lotsawa. One time, he accompanied his father, Ngok Chöku Dorje, to an empowerment to be given by Marpa, and during the empowerment, the little boy climbed onto Marpa’s lap and started pulling at his beard. Marpa was known to have a fierce temper and Ngok Chöku Dorje was so concerned he didn’t bring his son with him on the second day of the empowerment.
Marpa immediately asked, “Where's your son?” Ngok Chöku Dorje explained, and Marpa said, “In the future he will have greater activity than you, so bring him in now!” Even though Ngok Shedang Dorje was very young, Marpa was very happy to have him in the ranks of people receiving the empowerment. Later he received many teachings from Marpa.
Ngok Shedang Dorje wrote a commentary on the Fifty Verses which is no longer extant. It was probably the earliest Kagyu commentary, and well-known to Kagyu scholars at that time.
Verse 43: Being Extremely Respectful in your Physical Behaviour
Whatever is offered to the master
Or else is given by the guru,
The intelligent bow to them
And give or accept it with both hands. (43)
The Interpretation of the Sanskrit Commentary
The Sanskrit commentary says that two terms what and whatever refer to the offerings. What is the offering and then whatever means just a little bit. The overall meaning is “whatever even a small amount”.
Whether the offering is being made to the guru or the guru is giving something to the student, the protocol is the same. First bow or prostrate and then give or accept it with both hands whatever size it is. This is what intelligent students do.
According to Je Tsongkhapa's Commentary
This repeats what is said in the Sanskrit commentary:
Whatever they offer to the guru, intelligent students bow respectfully and offer it with both hands. Not only that, whatever the guru gives, they should bow and accept it with both hands