"Mahamudra of devotion" in relation to Guru Yoga practice? – H.E. Garchen Rinpoche
Question: Could Rinpoche please explain the “mahamudra of devotion” in relation to Guru Yoga practice? How does one approach this?
Garchen Rinpoche: When you realize that your own mind and the mind of the guru are one, then you have uncontrived devotion. First, we give rise to devotion by thinking of the guru’s qualities, even to the point where tears come to our eyes. However, we do not grasp at this thought, but instead rest in the natural state.
Within Mahamudra, our mind, the mind of the guru, and the mind of the Buddha are one.
Receive empowerments from the guru in the practice of Guru Yoga
Question: Yesterday, Rinpoche spoke about different levels of the guru. When one receives the empowerments in Guru Yoga practice, are there different levels of empowerment corresponding to this? Please explain how to receive the empowerments from the guru in the practice of Guru Yoga?
Garchen Rinpoche: There is no separate empowerment for the Guru Yoga practice, but during the Guru Yoga practice we take the four empowerments from the visualized guru. These are self-empowerments and are included in the sadhana. The essence of this is devotion to the guru. The guru empowerment is devotion.
Special Teachings on Guru Yoga
Garchen Rinpoche added the following to his teachings on guru yoga. The lama is subsumed within mindful awareness, and in the “37 Practices of Bodhisattvas” we read, “36. In brief, whatever activity you engage in Ask, “What is the state of my mind?” With constant mindfulness and alertness Accomplishing others purpose is the practice of a bodhisattva”.
Milarepa said that mindful awareness contains all seven royal attributes. When he was in Nepal at Katya Cave, he was invited by a Nepalese king, but Milarepa refused to go. And the king’s messenger said, “A great king is inviting a penniless beggar like you, and you’re not going?! You’d at least get some food.” Milarepa replied, “He’s not the king. The king is me. I have all seven royal attributes,” and then he gave an explanation. But the root point was taught by Gar Chödingpa, who said that the seven royal attributes are contained within mindfulness, mindful awareness. So the guru is subsumed within mindful awareness, and what is the quality of mindful awareness? That it has the seven royal attributes within it.
Here is Gar Chödingpa’s song:
- The precious wheel of mindfulness – Leads us down the path of great enlightenment
- The precious elephant of mindfulness – Bears the burdens of beings’ suffering
- The precious supreme horse of mindfulness – Travels the highway of the Buddhas of the three times
- The precious jewel of mindfulness – Brings supreme and common siddhis down like rain.
- The precious queen of mindfulness – Is never separate from undefiled great bliss
- The precious general of mindfulness – Turns back the samsaric armies of ignorance
- The precious minister of mindfulness – Transforms conceptual thought to dharmakaya – Skilled in the councils of both samsara and nirvana
