There are many kinds of visualization which are used for Guru Yoga. One is called “visualizing like gathering in the market” In this, the root lama (rTsa.ba’i bla.ma) is surrounded by many lamas of the lineage, yidams, ḍākas and ḍākinīs, buddhas, Dharma, and Saṅgha. Another is called “visualized in tiers.” In this, the lamas sit one above the head of another. Another is called the “system of gathering all together into the jewel.” In this, only the jewel-like vajra master is visualized. This means that the essence of all buddhas is gathered together into the varja master. We may practice whichever method we find convenient. In order to obtain the blessing of wisdom, we visualize ourselves as the wisdom ḍākinī. It is not that the varja master has desire for women, but rather that the wisdom ḍākinī is without obscuration, and by visualizing ourselves in this pure form, we can quickly obtain the blessing of wisdom.

When we have visualized the lama in front and ourselves as the wisdom ḍākinī, we recite the seven-branch prayer for accumulating merit:

We prostrate as an antidote for pride. We emanate hundreds, thousands, millions, countless numbers of body emanations to make prostrations before the lama. Making prostrations purifies obscurations, brings benefit to our body in the present and all future lives, and helps us to attain the body of wisdom and many other excellent qualities.

We offer as an antidote for greed. We offer all our various substantial possessions, as well as offerings emanated by mind, enough to fill the sky. The benefit of these offerings is that great merit is made and fortunate opportunities come to us. We confess as an antidote for anger or hatred.

We confess and make strong repentance for breaking Hīnayāna, Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna vows. The benefit of this confession is that we are liberated from the suffering of the lower three realms.

We rejoice as an antidote for jealousy. We rejoice in all virtues, with and without karmic outflows, because in so doing, we share in the virtues made by others.

We request as an antidote for ignorance. We request the Buddhas and bodhisattvas not to remain quiet, but to turn the Wheel of Dharma and to teach the Dharma for the benefit of all sentient beings. The benefit of this request to turn the Wheel of Dharma is that in this and future lives we will be able to hear the teachings of the precious Dharma.

We pray as an antidote for disbelief. We pray to the buddhas not to depart into nirvāṇa, but to remain amid saṃsāra’s suffering in order to help sentient beings. The benefit of this prayer for the buddhas to remain is that the sins we have committed in harming the lives of sentient beings are purified.

We dedicate as an antidote for doubt. We dedicate all the merit that has been gained so that we and all sentient beings may reach the state of enlightenment. The benefit is that all the virtue that we accumulate will not be exhausted until the time we reach enlightenment.

After we finish the seven-branch prayer, we recite the mantra:
OṂ AḤ HŪṂ VAJRA GURU PADMA SIDDHI HŪṂ one hundred times, one thousand times, or as many times as we can at one sitting. The meaning of this mantra is as follows.

OṂ is the essence syllable of the wisdom body of all the buddhas.
AḤ is the essence syllable of the wisdom speech of all the buddhas. HŪṂ1 is the essence syllable of the wisdom mind of all the buddhas.
VAJRA (rDo.rje) means indestructible, never divisible, never holding to the phenomena of duality. The dorje has seven dharma characteristics: it is uncuttable, indestructible, true, firm, fixed, completely unobstructed, and completely undefeatable. In this system, the name given to the dharmakāya is Nangwathaye or Öpame.
GURU means lama. La means “life itself,” that which is so precious; ma means “mother,” because just as a mother has great love for her children, so the great aimless compassion of the dharmakāya arises spontaneously in the sambhogakāya form of Thugjechenpo4 (Chenrezig). Lama also means lanamepa or unsurpassable because there is no one more precious than the lama. The lama always dwells within the sambhogakāya’s seven branches of conjunction.
PADMA means lotus. Just as the lotus grows from the mud but the mud never stains the lotus, Padmasambhava always remains in saṃsāra to benefit sentient beings, but he is never obscured by the faults of saṃsāra. Also, if all buddhas are collected into the five buddha families, then Padmasambhava is in the padma or lotus family, because he is the nirmāṇakāya emanation of the dharmakāya Nangwathaye and sambhogakāya Thugjechenpo, who are the padma or lotus family.
SIDDHI (dNgos.grub) refers to attainment of “general siddhi” (Thun.mong gi dngos.grub) and “supreme siddhi” (mChhog gi dngos.grub).

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Small golden Key
Thinley Norbu
Shambhala