Dudjom Rinpoche Jigdral Yeshe Dorje

Guru Yoga

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

The Importance of Guru Yoga in the Dudjom Tersar Lineage

1. The Root of Blessings

Dudjom Rinpoche teaches that all accomplishments arise from devotion to the Guru. He explains that the guru is not merely a person but the living embodiment of all the Buddhas—the root of blessings. Through Guru Yoga, one connects directly with the enlightened mind of the lineage, especially Guru Rinpoche, and receives the nectar of realization through blessings.

“The root of all attainments is devotion to the Guru. When unwavering devotion arises, blessings enter the heart.”

— Dudjom Rinpoche, from his commentary on the Ngondro

2. The Swift Path of Realization

In Dudjom Rinpoche’s Ngondro commentary, he emphasizes that Guru Yoga is the swift path. It condenses the essence of all paths and allows for direct transmission beyond conceptual understanding. When we dissolve the dualistic view and recognize the guru as inseparable from our own awareness, realization dawns.

“When you see the guru as the Buddha, and devotion arises naturally, realization will come without delay.”

3. Dissolving the Illusion of Separation

“The guru is not outside you. Your own awareness, when freed from clinging, is the ultimate guru.”

— Dudjom Rinpoche, oral instructions

4. Protection from Obstacles

In the practice of Guru Yoga, especially as taught in the Dudjom Tersar lineage, one visualizes the guru (often in the form of Guru Rinpoche) above one’s head, radiating light and wisdom. At the moment of merging, the boundary between self and other dissolves. This reveals the non-dual nature of mind—the ultimate Guru is your own awareness.

Dudjom Rinpoche also explains that devotion and Guru Yoga protect the practitioner from obstacles—both outer and inner. When you are connected to the wisdom heart of the lineage, you are like a child in the arms of a mother, safe and guided.

5. Essential for the Practice of Dzogchen

In the Heart Essence teachings of the Dudjom lineage, Guru Yoga is not preparatory—it is essential. Without the blessings of the guru, the recognition of rigpa, the innate awareness, remains obscured. Guru Yoga ripens the mind so that recognition is possible.

From A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom: Complete Instructions on the Preliminary Practices ~ Dudjom Rinpoche Jigdral Yeshe Dorje

“Whether our teachers present in person are ordinary beings or emanations of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas, if we are able to pray to them considering them as the Buddha, there is absolutely no difference between them and the Buddha or Bodhisattva or yidam deity in person, because the source of blessings is devotion. So whichever profound practice we are undertaking, whether the generation phase or the perfection phase, we should begin by making the teacher’s blessings the path. There is no more to it than that. But as long as we have not received the blessings, we will not be genuinely on the path. It is said that if disciples who keep the commitments give themselves wholeheartedly, with devotion, to an authentic diamond master, they will obtain the supreme and common accomplishments even if they have no other methods. But without devotion to the teacher, even if we complete the approach and accomplishment practices of the yidams of the six tantra sections, we will never obtain the supreme accomplishment. And we will be unlikely to accomplish many of the ordinary accomplishments either, such as those of long life, wealth, or bringing beings under one’s power. Even if we do manage to achieve a little, it will have necessitated a lot of hardship and will have nothing to do with the profound path. When unmistaken devotion takes birth in us, obstacles on the path will be dispelled and we will make progress, obtaining all the supreme and ordinary accomplishments without depending on anything else. This is what we mean by the profound path of Guru Yoga. Now in making devotional prayer the path, the objects of our prayer are the ones who actually bestow on us the greatest kindness—the teachers themselves. We can therefore meditate on them in any form. Nevertheless, if we visualize our teacher in the form of the second Buddha, Padma Thöthrengtsel, who is the speech of all the Buddhas of the ten directions and three times appearing physically as a diamond master, all unfavorable circumstances and obstacles on the path will naturally be dispelled and we will accomplish the twofold goal in accordance with all our wishes. The dakini Yeshe Tsogyal speaks of this most essential and profound point as follows: 

In general terms, and for the people of Tibet in times to come, 

The Lotus-Born is your predestined teacher. To accomplish the Guru you should strive, Perceiving your own teacher in the form of Padma. 

Thus the blessings of compassion will flow the more abundantly. 

Practice on the Teacher’s Mind in sadhanas both long and short: I promise, you cannot but accomplish Buddhahood in one life. 

And according to his own diamond words, 

“For fortunate beings who have devotion And yearningly pray to me, 

By virtue of my special prayers of aspiration— Cause and effect being connected— My compassion is swifter than that of other Buddhas.”

The Three Supreme Methods

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

Whatever practices we do, whether the common ones of taking refuge and making prostrations, the various trainings in bodhichitta, the methods for purifying the defilements of body and speech, or the uncommon practices of the Secret Mantra (the visualization and recitation of Vajrasattva, guru yoga, or meditation on the yidam deity), all that we do—and this is very important—should be accompanied by the three “supreme methods.”

The first of these methods is the attitude of bodhichitta. All beings possess the tathagatagarbha, the seed of Buddhahood, but this is obscured and veiled. As a result, they wander in samsara. The first method is therefore to be determined to liberate them from this ocean of suffering. The second supreme method is to have a mind free from conceptualization, which means to practice without distraction. Even if we make only a single prostration, we should not just go through the motions mechanically, with our thoughts and words elsewhere. On the contrary, we should practice with a concentrated mind, and never be carried away by distraction. The third supreme method is to conclude with dedication. Whatever merit has been generated must be dedicated for the sake of beings, who are as many as the sky is vast. In fact, if we forget to round off our practice with the excellent attitude of bodhichitta, dedicating the merit to others, this merit could be destroyed in a moment of strong anger or defilement. For this reason, all positive actions should immediately be followed by an act of dedication for the welfare of all beings. The benefits of this supreme method are immense; dedication renders merit inexhaustible and causes it to increase constantly.

What is the sign that someone has received the teachings of the supreme Dharma and is practicing them? Whoever has heard and absorbed the teachings becomes serene and self-possessed. Ours is not a tradition that inculcates anger and encourages us to fight; it does not encourage us to get involved with our defiled emotions. On the contrary, the Buddha has taught us to get rid of our defilements as much as possible. The point is that having received the Dharma teachings, we should find when we examine ourselves, that, even though we may not have been able to eradicate our defilements totally, our anger has at least diminished a little. We should find that, even if we do get angry, we are less involved and are able to keep ourselves in check. This is the sort of sign we should be looking for. The sign that we are assimilating the teachings is an increase in serenity and self-control. It is said that if practitioners do not examine themselves frequently, and if they fail to practice correctly, the Dharma itself will lead them to the lower realms. Some people claim to have received the teachings, but they don’t practice them. On the other hand, it is obviously impossible to eradicate defiled emotion just by listening to the teachings. We have been in samsara from beginningless time and are immersed in the habits of defilement. These cannot be whisked away by the mere act of listening to something. So, turn inward and examine your minds. You should at least have a glimmer of understanding!

In addition, we have all entered the Vajrayana. We have received profound empowerments and instructions of the Secret Mantra. This is said to be very beneficial, but it is also very dangerous. Even if we are unable to bring our practice to accomplishment, if we keep our samaya unbroken, it is said that liberation will be achieved in seven lifetimes. After crossing the threshold of the Secret Mantra, however, if we ruin our samaya by displeasing the Lama, causing havoc among our fellow Dharma practitioners and so on, the only possible destiny for us is the vajra hell. The saying goes that practitioners of Secret Mantra either attain Buddhahood or go to hell. There is no third alternative. It’s like a snake inside a cane: it must go either up or down. There’s no way out halfway! Think carefully about the benefits and hazards of samaya and observe it purely and perfectly. To do this, it is crucial to keep a close watch on your mind, a practice in which all the essential points of the teachings are condensed. It is vital to examine and watch your mind. You have all received instructions through the kindness of your teachers. This is what your Dharma practice should be like.

Counsels from My Heart
Translated by Padmakara Translation Group
Shambhala Publishing

Pudri Rekpung ~The Razor that Destroys at a Touch

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

Dudjom Rinpoche Jigdral Yeshe Dorje

In the fire Ox year, 1937, on the full moon day in the Trumtö month, I, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, was thirty-four years old and doing practice to make the dharma nectar medicine according to the Vajrakilaya sadhana, Sword of Meteorite, at Paro Taktsang in Bhutan. In a dream, a woman with a beautiful dress and ornaments whom I knew to be Yeshe Tsogyal handed me a six-inch clearly detailed meteorite phurba and said, “This is the actual ritual implement that Guru Rinpoche held here in this place, when he transformed into Dorje Drolö and put under oath all the eight classes of mighty invisible beings, and in particular the gyalpo and senmo. Later, at Gungtang Mountain Pass, Guru Padmasambhava gave me this phurba as a farewell gift. Now I am giving this to you. You must keep it as your heart treasure.” She began to put it in the fold of my chuba, and at that moment I was so happy, I grabbed it quickly, and thought, I am going to receive an empowerment. I touched it to my forehead and throat. When I touched the heart center, instantly that phurba and I became inseparable. The upper part of my body was as it is now, but my lower body had become an iron phurba with sprking flames. I was chanting the Vajrakilaya mantra and felt the whole earth tremble and shake. At that moment that girl said to me, “That is the real empowerment and blessings. This is the treasure of all tantra teaching and pith instructions in one single state. Don’t’ neglect this, it has great purpose. Do you remember completely receiving these teachings, empowerment, and pith instructions from Guru Padmasambhava in ancient times?” Then she pulled my hand, extending my arm, and I woke up. At that very moment I remembered many things past, and, particularly, all the Vajrakilaya teachings I had received came clearly in my mind. If transcribed directly as it was arising within the expanse of rigpa, this Vajrakilaya teaching would be much larger than those of the two tertöns. There were many instructions and action practices that those did not include. Revealing terma involves you in a lot of work with little to show for it, so I set it aside. However, at the age of forty-five, in the Earth-Mouse year in the first month of the lunar calendar on the tenth day, urged by many internal and external circumstances not to neglect my own share of the teaching, I transcribed a small portion of these teachings as the heart-drop of the root teachings. Dakinis and ocean of dharmapalas, you are the owner of these teachings. Please secure them.

Yeshe Jigdral Dorje

Tulku Thadral Rinpoche Vajrayana Foundation Spiritual Director

The Vajrayana Foundation Vajrakilaya Gutor-Losar Retreat at Pema Osel Ling begins January 31, 2024 with the Pudri Rekpung Empowerment with Tulku Thadral Rinpoche and concludes on February 10, 2024 Losar Day. Year of the Wood Dragon. To make offerings and to register for attendance in person at Pema Osel Ling or by YouTube Livestream ~~~> https://www.vajrayana.org/events/247/

Thangka Painting by Lama Pema Dorje  1942 ~ 2018

Pudri Rekpung The Razor that Destroys at a Touch is a Vajrakilaya practice revealed as a gongter by Dudjom Rinpoche Jigdral Yeshe Dorje’s in 1937 while in retreat in Paro Taktsang, Bhutan.