Mahamudra Teaching - Dharma Media

moment, cannot be compared to the power of the blessings due to meditation practice of the deities
for 100 kalpas or eons. So therefore, supplication to and confidence in the lama is far more important
than just reciting mantra and visualizing deities.
Of course yidam deities are important. They are all a part of the authentic and great lamas. For
example, when Marpa met Naropa, Naropa manifested Hevajra and all the yidam deities in space so
that they were visible to Marpa. Then Naropa said, “Today to which one do you want to do the
prostrations? To the lama, here, where I am sitting here, or to your yidam, who is in the space in front
of you.” So Marpa thinks, “Oh, I see my lama everyday, but I don’t see my yidam everyday. This
looks like a very, very great opportunity. Today I will make prostrations to the yidam.” And Naropa
said, “Oh, that is not right. This yidam is the lama’s manifestation” and then Hevajra and all the
yidams dissolved into him. There never has been a Buddha in the past that became a Buddha without
dependence on the lama. All the Buddhas of the three times manifested, attained Buddhahood
through the lama’s instruction.
This lama is not just the “outside lama”, but there is also the “inner lama.” The inner lama is as
important as the outer lama is, but to manifest the inner lama we depend on the outer lama. All of the
100 deities, the wrathful and peaceful ones, all of these yidams are within us, within our nature. The
Buddha nature includes all of these deities. So that’s why it is said that the outer yidam dissolves into
the lama. We need to develop respect to both lamas but we first put emphasis on the outer lama since
it is through the outer lama that we get to the inner lama. Once we get to the inner lama, at that time
you realize that there is not so much difference between the two.
The Special Preliminaries
The Practice of Guru Yoga, Devotion and Confidence
All of this including the importance of devotion to the lama was explained in order to actualize the
Mahamudra meaning. Now to do actual practice visualize yourself manifest as Vajrayogini, or as any
of the other deities you have been practicing. If you don’t know who Vajrayogini is, you don’t have to
worry. If you know Chenrezig or Tara or Vajrasattva, or any yidam, just visualize that to yourself.
Then in the space in front of you visualize the lama upon a lion throne, on a sun and moon disk seat.
Above the seat visualize lama Vajradhara. Vajradhara is the Dharmakaya of all the Buddhas. Just see
this, that “my lama is in the form of Vajradhara.” Regard this Vajradhara to be the embodiment of all
the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions.
If you find it difficult to visualize, you can look at a picture first. Repeatedly just look at the picture,
meditate, and then again look at the picture. I also found it difficult to visualize at first but what you
have to do in any case is have confidence that this is Vajradhara and that this is the embodiment of all
of the Buddha’s wisdom and compassion. If you find it difficult to see all of this vividly and precisely
just meditate in this way. If you can see it vividly and precisely of course this is wonderful. If you can
see all the attributes of Vajradhara clearly, meditate that with the nature of great compassion he gazes
at all sentient beings including yourself with a smiling and peaceful face and meditate that the lama’s
mind is in the ultimate meditative state of mind, which is vajra-like, indestructible.
This is important since devotion to and confidence in the lama is one of the most important factors or
methods by which to experience Mahamudra or, in the case of the Dzogchen practitioner, to
experience Dzogchen. When we have some genuine devotion to and confidence in the lama, it breaks
all the arrogance within our mind. Even if we have such a strict and rigid mind, it gives us the