The Guru and Vajradhara as One
10 April 2025
The Guru and Vajradhara as One
His Holiness Karmapa began by welcoming all the monastic sangha listening over the internet and friends from all over the world.
The discussion focused on the point of the text regarding viewing the guru as the Buddha. According to Tsongkhapa’s outline, this section has two points: 1) the actual point and 2) avoiding being disrespectful to their shadow and so forth.
First, His Holiness wished to begin by explaining the Sanskrit commentary the Textual Explanation of Following the Guru (Skt. Gurvārādhana-pañjikā) of the verse in question:
Thus students with qualities of compassion,
Generosity, discipline, and patience
Should not ever consider the master
To be different from Vajradhara. (22)
Interpretation of the Sanskrit Commentary
The first word – “thus” – means the reason why students give offerings to the guru and pay them respect. When we say “students,” what kind of student do we mean? Those students should have compassion and be loving. There are three types of compassion – that with a focus on sentient beings, a focus on dharmas, and a nonreferential focus. They should also have the quality of generosity, which means that they give in three different ways – giving material objects, giving loving-kindness (refuge and safety), and giving dharma. In addition, these students should possess the quality of discipline, which means being free of immorality. There are likewise three types of discipline – the discipline of restraining from harmful acts, of benefiting beings, and of gathering virtuous qualities. Finally, they should also possess the quality of patience, which is a calmness of mind. The three types of patience are contemplating dharma, accepting suffering, and thinking nothing of harm from others. One should work to increase and meditate upon these qualities of compassion, generosity, discipline, and patience.
Now considering the next lines, “different” means “not the same,” and “not” is a negation. The Sanskrit suffix -tva is for emphasis. The Tibetan says lopon, which means master, but the Sanskrit and Chinese versions of the text use the word for guru, so actually it would be better to say “guru” here instead of “master.” In any case, the meaning is that a student with the qualities of compassion and so forth who wishes to achieve siddhi should never see their guru and Vajradhara as different from one another. They should never have this thought at all, even in their dreams. Instead, they should view the guru themselves as Vajradhara. As it is said in the Net of Illusions Tantra (Skt. Māyājāla):
They are themselves always Vajradhara,
The Tathāgata, and Ratnaketu.
They are the great ocean of wisdom,
The wish-fulfilling gem that gives the great purpose.
In brief, viewing the guru as a buddha is taught as being very important in both the Foundation vehicle and in the Mahayana. In particular, it is essential to have this view in the Secret Mantra Vajrayana. This point is confirmed in many of the tantras themselves. It is especially emphasized in the Dakpo Kagyu lineage. As the Eighth Karmapa Mikyö Dorje wrote in his Hundred Short Instructions (Tib: ཁྲིད་ཐུང་བརྒྱ་རྩ།), “The Kagyu lineage being broken will be due to students who are not receptive meeting gurus who lack realization and not seeing the guru as a buddha.”
Thus, if the Kagyu lineage will ever be broken, it will be due to this circumstance. It is most important that Lamas who have realization meet students who are receptive, which primarily means that they have faith, that they see their guru as a buddha. If they see their guru as a buddha, they will receive the blessings of a buddha. If they receive the blessings of a buddha, they will be able to develop the realization of a buddha, and thus they will be able to uphold the lineage.
Avoiding being disrespectful to their shadow and so forth
His Holiness then proceeded to discuss the next verse of Fifty Verses on the Guru (Skt: Gurupañcāśikā):
If you would not step over their shadow
From fear the misdeed would be like smashing
A stupa, what need to mention stepping
Over their shoes, seat, ride, and such? (23)
Interpretation of the Sanskrit Commentary
The first line is taught to explain the guru as one who has great qualities who is able to tame his disciples. A “stupa” simply means a stupa, which is often a representation of the body, speech, and mind of a buddha, or sometimes represents only the mind of a buddha. “Smashing” means to destroy completely down to its foundations. If an individual were to completely demolish a stupa in this way, they would have committed a terrible misdeed and would experience terrifying karmic results full of suffering; thus, they would have fear of this act.
A “shadow” is an image, and the verse here indicates that one would not wish to step on it or walk over it. In the last line, “shoes” means footgear such as sandals, “seat” means the cushion the guru sits on, and “ride” means a palanquin, such as those they use in India where two or four people will carry a person up a mountain on a bamboo pallet supported by two sticks. “Ride” here could also mean horses or elephants, and today it could even mean a car and so forth. When we say “and such,” this means the guru’s clothing, jewelry, and so on. The words “what need to mention” indicates there is not even any need to bother saying these words, it is so obvious that one would not wish to step over these items of the guru.
Tsongkhapa’s Interpretation 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།)
Tsongkhapa’s interpretation of the text is easy to understand. There are five heinous and five nearly heinous acts; destroying a stupa is one of these nearly heinous acts. Since this verse compares stepping over the guru’s shadow to destroying a stupa, it is clear that stepping on the shadow of the guru is thus also a grave misdeed. As such, one should be afraid and avoid stepping on the guru’s shadow. If one is so careful to avoid stepping on even the guru’s shadow, then of course it goes without saying that one should not step on their shoes, their ride, or the rest.
The negative consequences of this act are also taught in the eighth chapter of the Vajra Dome Tantra (Skt. Vajrapañjara-tantra):
Any great idiot who steps
On the guru’s parasol, shadow,
Shoes, seat, and pillow
Will cause people to fall on razors.
Of course, sometimes there are particular situations where one must step on these items of the guru and there is no way around it. In this instance, a remedy is provided in the “Chapter on Beds” in the Vinaya. For example, if you need to put whitewash on temples or you need to clean them, you will have to step on them. In this case, you should recite the verses of the sutra about the temple as you do so; in this case, there is no fault. Likewise, in tantra, there are particular ways to counteract such faults. These methods will be explained later.
There are people in Tibet who truly practice in this way. For instance, sometimes old women circumambulating a temple will avoid stepping on the shadows of the stupas. From one perspective, this is good, as it shows they are very aware of even the most minor karmic causes and effects. You might think this is unnecessary, but it is good to remember even the finest points. If you loosen up with one thing, you might start to become relaxed about the more important points as well.
The main idea of not stepping even on the guru’s shadow is to show that you have great respect for the guru. Perhaps you are worried that it is a prohibition you might not be able to keep – it can be difficult to move around if you are always looking down. But in the Buddhist teachings there are no prohibitions you are not able to keep, as the Buddha would not have made any rules that are unable to be kept since he is compassionate. For this reason, when we discuss not stepping on the guru’s shadow, the main point is not actually about their shadow, but it is about having respect for the guru. If you just feel hesitant about stepping on their shadow, that is a sign of respect.
Fulfilling the Guru’s Instructions
We have now reached the third point of the eight points in Tsongkhapa’s commentary about how to be respectful. The third point is that we should work to fulfill the instructions of the guru. Once we see the guru as a buddha, if we really mean it and it is not just words, we need to accept and follow their instructions. This is confirmed in the Ornament of Mahayana Sutras (Skt: Mahāyāna-sūtrālaṃkāra-kārikā), which states:
Serve the spiritual friend with respect,
Gifts, service, and practice.
***
This instruction corresponds with the verses on serving the guru through practice in Fifty Verses on the Guru. There are two stanzas on this topic in this text; the first reads as follows:
The greatly intelligent obey
The guru’s commands with effort and joy,
But if unable, explain to them
Their inability properly. (24)
Interpretation of the Sanskrit Commentary
According to the Sanskrit commentary, “greatly intelligent” here means having a vast mind. “Guru” is the master, and “commands” means their instructions, what they say. This could mean that the guru has given us specific spiritual instructions, but it also means anything at all that they say. “Effort” means with a desire that seeks merit, and “obey” means to fulfill and to accomplish the wish. Here it means to listen to the instructions and to carry them out. “Unable” means if you cannot do it because of the cause or the result. “To explain” means to request that the guru listen to your explanation of how you are unable to follow the instruction. “Them” means to the guru, and “properly” here means explaining with analogies to demonstrate your point; you should provide a reason.
The essence of this verse then is that whatever the guru tells you to do, that is something you should be able to do. Thus, if you can do it, you should strive with great effort to accomplish it. However, if you cannot do it, are unable to do it, or do not have the time or circumstances, you should not just forget about it. If you just ignore it and disregard the guru, then it becomes a misdeed. Out of fear for the misdeed, you should think about the reasons and explain them to your guru. You should say, for example, that you do not have the ability to accomplish what they have told you to do; you should explain it clearly to the guru. This is the intention of this verse according to the Sanskrit commentary.
Tsongkhapa’s Commentary
In his commentary on this verse, Tsongkhapa explains that “great intelligence” here meansprajñā. Students with great intelligence obey their guru’s commands with great efforts. They work hard, listen to them, and fulfill their wishes. If a king tells you to do something, you have no choice. But here it is not that you are following the guru’s instructions unwillingly because you are under someone else’s power. Instead, you carry out the guru’s wishes with an attitude of great joy and delight.
Should we do everything the guru says we have to do? This is an important question. If the words of the guru do not violate the dharma, then you have to try. However, if you are unable to do it, you should communicate the reason to the guru with words. If you do that, then there is no fault even if you do not accomplish their wishes. Moreover, if you are not able to accomplish the instructions with the proper methods – those that are in accord with the dharma – you need to be sure to explain this to the guru.
In the Tengyur there are many presentations of root downfalls by Indian masters. Among them, Rangjung Dorje’s explanation of roots and downfalls in the Ocean of Samaya is mainly based upon Mañjuśrīkīrti’s work The Ornament of the Essence of Rituals of All Glorious Secrets (Skt. Śrī-sarvaguhyavidhigarbhālaṃkāra-nāma), which states:
With words that encourage nonvirtuous action,
Request them and remain equanimous.
Likewise, The Vinaya Sutras also confirm, “If they instruct nondharma, refuse.” For this reason, even if the guru insists that you do something nondharmic, you should not do it. However, you should not take this as a reason to lose faith in the guru and criticize them.
The next stanza in Fifty Verses on the Guru is also on the subject of fulfilling the guru’s instructions. This stanza states:
It’s from the guru that you receive
Siddhis, high realms, and happiness.
So put your every effort into
Never transgressing the guru’s commands. (25)
Interpretation of the Sanskrit Commentary
“From the guru” means that it is from the master. “Siddhis” here means both the worldly and supramundane accomplishments you desire. For example, a worldly siddhi could include achieving a superpower other do not have, such as seeing treasure underground or going very fast. These superpowers are less useful today since technology can also help us do these things. But invisibility could also be a worldly siddhi, and this one could still be useful today. For example, it could be something like an invisibility cloak. These siddhis come about through mantras, but they are all worldly siddhis that are not beneficial for achieving buddhahood. Supramundane siddhis, on the other hand, are valuable for the attainment of enlightenment. If you see the guru as the same as the Buddha, you can gain these kinds of siddhis.
There are three kinds of “high realms” – the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm. Among these, the desire realm contains the abodes of the gods, demigods, and humans. In addition there are the four dhyanas of the form realm and the four absorptions of the formless realm. You are able to achieve these realms because the guru is the essence of dharma and because of understanding karma and practicing virtuous deeds. The “happiness” mentioned in this verse is also received from the guru; this includes both worldly and supramundane happiness. Worldly happiness includes political power, wealth, and being able to enjoy pleasures. Supramundane happiness means you are able to achieve liberation. You are able to truly achieve such happiness because the guru is the essence of the three jewels and produces every result for happiness both now and in the future.
“Every effort” in the verse means you should act with true effort; if you do this, you will receive all the benefits spoken about here. Furthermore, you should act with every effort with great intention in every situation. The “guru” is the master, and we should not transgress or overstep their commands.
Tsongkhapa’s Commentary
Now we will compare this understanding with that provided in Tsongkhapa’s commentary. If the guru gives an instruction contrary to the dharma, you should explain clearly why you cannot do it and then you should not follow the nondharmic command. However, if the guru’s instruction is in line with the dharma, you need to carry it out with as much effort as you can.
The reason you need to carry out their instructions is because the two supreme and common siddhis come from the guru. The attainment of the bodies of gods and humans in the higher realms requires fulfilling the commands of the guru. The guru’s words are the primary gateway to the guru’s blessings so never transgress them. This second stanza is taken from the Secret Drop of the Moon Tantra (Skt. Candraguhyatilaka-tantra).
The Reason for Fulfilling the Guru’s Commands
At this point in the teaching, His Holiness stated that he wished to digress from the root text to say a few things about his own opinion of the reason for fulfilling the guru’s commands.
First, the Jataka tales state: “The way to honor those who speak beneficially is to practice according to their instructions.” If we want to honor the guru we can worship them and make offerings to repay their kindness. But the best offering is to practice according to their instructions and do whatever they tell you to do. This is taught to be the best way to remember the kindness of the guru and to please them.
Generally, many of us categorize the guru’s speech in two different ways: one is when the guru is giving formal dharma teachings such as empowerments and instructions, and the other is when the guru speaks in the course of daily life. So we could ask ourselves – do we only need to follow the guru’s instructions when they are explicitly teaching dharma, or do we need to follow everything they say?
It is easier for us to fulfill the first kind of instructions where the guru is teaching dharma. There is no question at all about if we should follow these instructions; it is only a question if we are diligent and capable enough to carry them out. However, it is more difficult to always follow the guru’s instructions that include everything they say in the course of daily life. In order to do this, we need to listen very carefully and when they say to do something, we need to do it.
Many of us may think that of course we will do what the guru tells us to do, but in actuality the guru’s instructions might not match our wishes. Perhaps their instructions are not what we hoped to receive. It may be that the guru tells us to do something that does not seem very connected to dharma practice. It is even possible that the guru may tell us to do something that seems nondharmic. If the guru gives us many instructions, we may have a lot of difficulty following through on them. When we encounter such difficulties, we will realize it is not so easy to do everything the guru tells us to do. In actuality, it is frightening to receive an empowerment because we are saying we will do whatever the preceptor tells us to do; we will listen to whatever they say. This is something we have to think about. It is not always easy.
For example, when they first met, Lord Marpa told Milarepa to build many houses. Milarepa suffered greatly working to accomplish this task; it caused him to have wounds like saddle sores covering his back. Nevertheless, Marpa made him continue working; he treated Milarepa terribly. Nowadays, we are many centuries removed so when we read about the life of Milarepa, we think he was able to become a great master yogi due to the kindness of Marpa and his own perseverance. We think it is great that it happened that way, but if we think what it was like for people at that time, they had no way to know the result. They saw only Marpa’s bad treatment of Milarepa. They thought Marpa had gone crazy – here he is abusing a young man who is working so hard! No wonder they thought this way, since they could not see that Milarepa would become a great mahāsiddha.
Similarly, Tilopa subjected Nāropa to the twelve great trials, which are even stranger for us to understand. He made him jump off a roof and more. It is so hard for us to wrap our minds around it; it is impossible to understand. When we think about it, we can see that we may be able to follow the dharma teachings the guru gives us. But if we have to do everything the guru says, it may be very difficult indeed. It is useful then to distinguish between these two kinds of speech so we can have a better understanding of the situation.
Many skillful teachers in our lineage did not immediately provide dharma teachings to their students. Even worse than that, they instructed their students to do minor annoying tasks that seemed unrelated to the dharma, like Marpa having Milarepa build houses. It may well have seemed like pointless work. Sometimes teachers even gave instructions that seemed to contradict the teachings, such as when Milarepa handed Lord Gampopa a skull cup of beer the first time they met. He told Gampopa to drink it even though he knew Gampopa was a bhikshu in the Kadampa tradition who was extremely strict in his observance of the Vinaya. Many of Milarepa’s students were present for this encounter, so Gampopa looked around and hesitated when Milarepa asked him to drink the beer. Upon seeing his hesitation, Milarepa said, “Don’t think; just drink the beer.” Whatever thoughts and doubts Gampopa had disappeared then and he drank the entire skull cup without leaving a drop. Because he drank it, Milarepa thought, “This Gampopa will be able to hold the lineage. He’ll be a suitable vessel for all the instructions because he drank the full cup of beer.” If Gampopa had given the beer back to Milarepa, it would have shown that he probably would not have been able to uphold the lineage and all of the instructions. But it was a sign of interdependence. It was a test from Milarepa to Gampopa.
Giving a bhikshu beer to drink is contradictory to the dharma. We think that dharma and daily life are different. But for Milarepa and other authentic gurus, there is no separation between daily life and dharma. They are all the same, all of one taste. For them, everything has become one with the dharma and everything they do is in accord with the dharma. For us, dharma and our individual lives are separate. We have not yet been able to incorporate all dharma into our being. But when mindstream becomes mixed with the dharma, then even when masters break wind, it is all the dharma.
There is a short story about this subject and the Glorious Düsum Khyenpa. If you go down to the lower part of the Tsurphu valley at a place called Nakhar, there is a meditation cave called “Omniscient Wisdom of Undefiled Knowledge” where Düsum Khyenpa practiced. While he was there, of course he sometimes went to the bathroom. Many relics came out of his waste, and these became known as “Düsum Khyenpa’s fecal relics.” Thus, for such masters, even if they go to the bathroom, it is meaningful. For such gurus, there is no difference between dharma and the world. It is us who make a difference between the two.
The masters always abide within the ocean of dharma. As stated in the Eighth Karmapa’s Hundred Short Instructions:
As long as a master thinks of nothing other than the welfare of sentient beings, it is impossible for anything they do to not benefit sentient beings. Not even a single word of their teachings on what to adopt and what to abandon is anything other than dharma. Therefore, by developing conviction and trust that it is so, whatever they say becomes true dharma, and it is impossible to misinterpret their words as meaningless chatter.
The guru thinks about nothing besides the welfare of sentient beings, and therefore it is impossible that any action of the guru’s body, speech, and mind be for anything other than for the benefit of sentient beings. Likewise, no matter what they say, what instructions they give, it is always dharma that tells you what to do and what not to do in the world. It is speech stating what virtues you should accomplish and what misdeeds you should abandon. If we have certainty in this truth, everything the guru says is dharma and never just meaningless words. The guru will not say anything that does not have a purpose or reason.
For a Lama like that who only thinks of the welfare of sentient beings, everything they say is meaningful. However, the level of our dharma is not at that level, and we do not have realization at that level. As such, we are not able to understand that what the guru says is always true. Since we are not able to understand this truth, we cannot distinguish between what is dharmic or nondharmic. However, there is no distinguishing between regular conversation and dharma teachings from an authentic guru. Everything the guru says becomes dharma and will be beneficial.
Likewise, great masters of the past have said that believing in a guru’s commands and believing in karmic cause and effect are the same thing. Believing in the guru is to have faith in them. Whatever the guru teaches is only teaching the ways for giving up what should not be done and doing what should be done – there is nothing else to say. This is how karmic cause and effect work, so believing the guru and believing in karma come down to the same point. For this reason, Tsongkhapa said that believing the guru’s words and believing in karma are very related, and also very important. All Kadampa forefathers did exactly what their gurus told them to do.
Problems that Arise if you are Unable to Accomplish the Guru’s Instructions
What problems come up if you cannot do as the guru says? As said previously, words of an authentic guru are primarily about practicing virtue and giving up misdeeds. They are about nothing else; all of their words are dharma advice. Even if it does not look like dharma instructions to us, the guru’s words are in fact dharma instructions. Therefore, if you do the opposite of what the guru says, it is a misdeed.
If you intentionally disobey a guru’s instructions or do it with a bad motivation, this can interrupt interdependence and create obstacles. We should follow the guru’s instructions because they are giving us these instructions for our own good. They are not imposing rules and forcing us to carry out their wishes – this is not how we should think of it.
As an example of the importance of interdependence as a reason for following the guru’s advice, His Holiness told a story about the Tsalpa Kagyu tradition. The founder of this lineage, Zhang Tsalpa, thought he should entrust his monastic seat to his disciple Namkha Öd. Zhang Tsalpa thus conferred the Cakrasaṃvara empowerment upon Namkha Öd and told him to maintain and care for the monastic seat. But Namkha Öd said, “I have not accumulated enough merit to uphold the teacher's legacy. I wish to practice in this life and pray that in future lives I may benefit sentient beings like the precious teacher.”
Zhang Tsalpa responded, “Bodhisattvas only think of benefiting sentient beings, not their own peace. Even if you meditate on the Foundation vehicles’ shamatha for a lifetime, you won’t attain buddhahood. Therefore, work for the benefit of sentient beings.” He then gave him all the instructions and did not criticize him.
However, Namkha Öd broke his teacher’s command and experienced many obstacles in life. He only had a few receptive disciples and his activity was not able to spread widely. Nevertheless, Zhang Tsalpa did prophesy that Namkha Öd would achieve buddhahood in a future life.
If Namkha Öd had done as his guru had told him, it would have benefited himself and the whole lineage. Perhaps he did not listen because he was overly humble. On the other hand, he did want to emphasize his own practice and was stubborn, and because of this he was unable to fulfill his teacher’s command. This was a great loss for both himself and others. Today, the Tsalpa Kagyu lineage is not extant, although this is not due solely to these circumstances.
This kind of situation has occurred in the Karma Kagyu lineage too. The First Shamarpa, Togden Drakpa Senge, was one of the chief disciples of Chöje Rangjung Dorje. According to the dharma history text The Feast for Scholars (Tib. མཁས་པའི་དགའ་སྟོན།), Rangjung Dorje planned to entrust his teachings to the great realized master Drakpa Senge, and he instructed Drakpa Senge to go to Kampo Nenang, the first seat of Düsum Khyenpa.
Drakpa Senge began this journey going down into the lower part of Tsurphu valley. But he took with him a white mule he liked, and at a certain point the mule did not want to go on the main road; it climbed up the mountain and no one stopped it. The party followed the mule and when they arrived at the top of the hill, they found a pleasant plain with a spring where the mule had laid down. Drakpa Senge rested there and thought he should build a monastery there, so he did and named it Nenang due to auspicious connections. But he did not continue his way down to Kham and so unable to meet up with Rolpe Dorje, the next incarnation of Rangjung Dorje. Rangjung Dorje’s intention was that Drakpa Senge would bring Rolpe Dorje up to Tsurphu but this was not able to happen since Drakpa Senge did not follow his guru’s instructions. Because of this, Rolpe Dorje did not come to central Tibet. Moreover, because Drakpa Senge did not follow his guru’s instructions, his students likewise did not listen to his instructions.
Breaking a teacher’s instructions can lead to a serious negative consequence such as a misdeed or offense, but even if this does not happen, it can still interrupt interdependence. As another example, Pomdrakpa’s guru Drogön Rechen told him not to go to Markham but after Drogön Rechen passed away, Pomdrokpa went to Markham and then he himself passed away because he had broken interdependence.
When he fell ill in Markham, Karma Pakshi was with him. Pomdrakpa said he was dying because he had broken his guru’s command. As he was dying, he told Karma Pakshi that if he accomplished exactly as he was taught, it would please all the venerable gurus. Not only Karma Pakshi but all his disciples would receive the same supreme and ordinary accomplishments simply by remembering their gurus.
Pomdrakpa’s reason for going to Markham was to continue Drogön Rechen’s legacy. It was not that Markham was a bad place. Pomdrakpa had a good motivation, but because of interdependence, his going to Markham created a bad outcome.
His Holiness completed his talk for the day by stating that he would speak of Rechungpa in the next session. While Rechungpa disobeyed his guru many times, the talk would focus on one story in particular.