Lama Zopa Rinpoche

light more and some illusory body. The tantras that emphasize clear light are called mother
tantras whereas those that emphasize the illusory body are called father tantras.
Even though both father and mother tantras show how to achieve the clear light and illusory
body, the Guhyasamaja tantra explains how to achieve the cause of the rupakaya, the illusory
body, more extensively and in more detail than any other tantra. I have heard that before
Lama Tsongkhapa’s time there was no really clear, extensive explanation of this, so that is
one of the benefits of Lama Tsongkhapa coming to teach. When he began studying, the
Nyingma, Kagyü and Sakya traditions were already established. He and his main disciples,
Gyältsab Rinpoche and Khedrub Rinpoche, were originally Sakya.
Lama Tsongkhapa had received teachings directly from Manjushri well before the time that
Gyältsab Rinpoche came to meet him. At first he was not a disciple and sat on the same
throne as Lama Tsongkhapa, but later, seeing the profundity of Lama Tsongkhapa’s
teachings and their great benefit, he sat below him as a disciple.
Khedrub Rinpoche was also Sakya before he became Lama Tsongkhapa’s disciple. After
that, he would debate with anybody who criticized Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings, especially
his right view, which was the most subtle one—the Prasangika view actualized by the
Buddha, Nagarjuna and Padmasambhava. Later on, Khedrub Rinpoche even debated with
famous meditators who contradicted Lama Tsongkhapa’s view in order to dispel their wrong
concepts.
Having received teachings directly from Manjushri, Lama Tsongkhapa was able to explain
the Buddha’s teachings on sutra and tantra in the clearest possible way, even the most
difficult points, clarifying the past mistakes of the many famous meditators. We are
unbelievably lucky to have met his teachings.
As Pabongka Rinpoche said in Calling the Guru from Afar,
Thinking of how the actual form of all buddhas arises in the aspect of the lama
And mercifully guides me—reminds me of you, Lama.
Thinking of how you show the excellent unmistaken path to me,
An unfortunate wretched being, abandoned by all the buddhas—reminds me of you, Lama.
Pabongka calls himself an “unfortunate wretched being.” Likewise, we too are unfortunate
because we have been abandoned by all the buddhas of the past. That means all the
buddhas—Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, Buddha Kashyapa 109 before him and the buddhas
before that. Even though during the Buddha’s time there were so many enlightened beings,
we were not able to be their disciple and directly receive teachings from them either.
Thinking about this shows us the kindness of the guru, how he has revealed the unmistaken
teachings, and particularly the teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa, his teachings on the
Prasangika right view of emptiness as well as tantra, the details of how to achieve the illusory
body. With study we can recognize how precious the teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa are;
how they are the correct, unmistaken teachings.
As Pabongka Rinpoche said, thinking about this reminds us of the very special kindness of
the guru. So we are unbelievably fortunate. However, if we don’t study Dharma, if we don’t
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