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Generating the Mind of Enlightenment
Geshe Rabten gave this commentary on the Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga practice in By HH Dalai Lama
Dharamsala, India, in June, 1975. Translated by Gonsar Rinpoche. Edited by Dr.
See Things as a Hallucination
Nicholas Ribush and Sandra Smith.
By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche

You can read an extensive commentary on Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga ! and
Taking Refuge
listen to the oral transmission of this practice ! given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche on By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
the LYWA website.
Beginning to Understand Karma
Read further teachings on this practice by His Holiness Serkong Tsenshab By Lama Thubten Yeshe

Rinpoche.
What is Dharma?
By Lama Thubten Yeshe
A Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga practice booklet, ! translated and arranged with
additional prayers by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, is available from FPMT Foundation
Store. TAGS

aggregates bodhicitta bodhisatt-

The Guru Yoga of Tushita’s Deva Host va buddha buddha nature cause and effect
cherishing others compassion death deity
(Bla-ma’i-rnal-‘byor-dga’-ldan-lha-brgya-ma)
practice dependent arising de-
pendent origination dharma dharma in dai-
Today the teaching will be a brief discourse on the
ly life dharma practice
practice of guru yoga called Gan dän lha gyäi ma. Both
Gan dän lha gyäi ma and the Guru Puja are guru yoga
emptiness (shunyata)
enlightenment equanimity four noble
in connection with Lama Tsongkhapa. The only truths guru devotion happiness igno-
difference between them is in the elaboration of the rance impermanence karma lam-rim

Photo from a course at Tushita
Retreat Centre, Dharamsala, India,
in June of 1975, taught by Geshe
Rabten and translated by Gonsar
Tulku. Photo by Dan Laine.
guru yoga, if you listen carefully and practice every day it will be very beneficial for
you.
words. In meaning they are exactly the same.
The qualities we need to develop most are wisdom,
compassion and power. The practice of this guru
yoga in connection with Lama Tsongkhapa is the best
method to accomplish all three. Through the practice
of this guru yoga we can accomplish these three
attributes of the Buddha, particularly his wisdom.
Since you have all come here with the will to practice
(path to enlightenment) medita-
tion mind mind training (lo-
jong) motivation object of refuta-
tion offering perfect human rebirth prayers
q&a refuge renunciation samsara
(cyclic existence) self-cherish-
ing selflessness spiritual teacher
(guru / lama) suffering sutras
tara tong-len (exchanging self and others)
wisdom

In ultimate nature, Lama Tsongkhapa is form combined with the wisdom, power and
compassion of every buddha. When Lama Tsongkhapa manifests in the wrathful
form of a Highest Yoga Tantra deity, it is Yamantaka. When he appears in the
peaceful form of a bodhisattva, a buddha, it is Manjushri. When he appears in the
form of a human being as a master guru of many sentient beings, it is Lama
Tsongkhapa. What we see on the altar is a statue of Lama Tsongkhapa.

The full life story of Lama Tsongkhapa is beyond explanation. It comes in such a big
volume that it cannot be finished in a few hours. Also it is not necessary at this time
to give you a full biography of Lama Tsongkhapa. Lama Tsongkhapa is one with
Manjushri. Therefore, the actual nature, the essential nature of Lama Tsongkhapa is
the wisdom attribute of the Buddha. There are various ways of accomplishing and
increasing wisdom. But this method, the practice of guru yoga in connection with
Guru Manjushri is the best method. It is the supreme method for the
accomplishment of wisdom.

Many people think that this planet on which we live, this small Earth, is the only
world, the center of the universe or the only world with beings. People may think
this, but it’s not right. There are countless worlds smaller and larger than this;
countless realms of beings other than this Earth on which we live. There are
countless impure realms like this one, where beings are endowed with suffering;
completely oppressed with suffering, karma and delusion and so forth. There are
countless such worlds in the universe and also there are countless pure worlds, pure
realms where beings are free from this kind of suffering.

Among these pure realms, the Buddha Heavenly Abode of Tushita is one of such
pure realms where beings are separate from all the gross forms of suffering and
their cause and even the word suffering does not exist. But it is not the Tushita that is
a few yards away [Lama Yeshe’s Tushita Retreat Centre, Dharamsala ! ]. Generally
speaking, Tushita is a deva realm. There are many different deva worlds and ordinary
Tushita is one of the deva worlds. Tushita Buddha Abode belongs to and is part of
the ordinary Tushita deva land but it is separate and much higher—in reality and in
essence.

It is in the higher realms of this Tushita of which we are speaking—the one that is
separate from the ordinary deva land Tushita—that buddhas, bodhisattvas and
many other beings live. They are all completely free from suffering. Of course, the
buddhas are completely free from suffering, but even the bodhisattvas and other
unenlightened beings are much higher and free from these gross obstacles. By the
blessing of the environment itself it is easy for these beings to practice Dharma and
to progress and develop their minds. Here, virtuous qualities of mind such as
compassion, love and so forth are easy to generate and increase. So, it is a purely
heavenly abode where the beings are free from all obstacles and suffering and
endowed with everything necessary for spiritual development.

Also the qualities of the Tushita pure land, such as the beautiful flowers, lakes,
mountains and so forth there, are not just ordinary substantial phenomena, but
manifestations of the buddha mind, reflections of the great beings who live there.
The qualities of this abode are beyond the comprehension of ordinary beings. Even
the sound of the leaves blown by the wind gives teachings on emptiness, bodhicitta
and so forth, and the songs of the beautiful birds in the trees are also Dharma
teachings.

From here, in India, the direction of Tushita is to the north, high above us in space. At
present, the lord of this abode is Buddha Maitreya. [Geshe Rabten points to his
altar.] That painting up there is one form of Buddha Maitreya and that little statue to
the left side of Lama Tsongkhapa is Maitreya Buddha. Buddha Maitreya is the lord of
this abode Tushita but is not like a worldly lord, like a king or ruler of a country. He is
the lama, the master of all those bodhisattvas and other beings who live in this
world. He is constantly turning the wheel of Dharma for the sake of the beings who
live in Tushita and the other bodhisattvas who come there from other worlds to
receive the nectar of Buddha Maitreya’s teachings.

At present in this world in which we live, the Dharma of Buddha Shakyamuni is still
flourishing. But this will gradually degenerate and completely end, after which a new
era of Dharma will start. That will begin by Buddha Maitreya appearing in this world.
Lama Tsongkhapa is, in one way, as I explained before, the combined form of all the
attributes of Buddha Maitreya in nature. But at present, he is in Tushita in the form
of a bodhisattva called Jampel Nyingpo, remaining there in that form as a chief
disciple of Buddha Maitreya. Also, Lama Atisha is also there place in the form of a
bodhisattva called Namkha Trimame, another chief disciple of Buddha Maitreya. But
although Lama Sumati Kirti [Losang Dragpa, that is, Lama Tsongkhapa] is in Tushita
at the feet of Buddha Maitreya, as disciple, as prince of the devas there, other
manifestations of him are also in many different forms in many different worlds.
Even in this world, there are countless forms of Lama Sumati Kirti helping sentient
beings. There are many scriptural sources, stories and reasons to prove that Lama
Tsongkhapa is presently with Buddha Maitreya, but I won’t explain them at this time
as it would take too long.

Practicing the guru yoga of Lama Tsongkhapa is of great benefit because it

establishes a great relationship with Lama Tsongkhapa, Manjushri and Buddha
Maitreya as well. It becomes a preparation for us to be able to reincarnate at the feet
of Buddha Maitreya when our present life ends and continue towards accomplishing
our goal in Tushita.

When practicing this guru yoga, we invite, or invoke, Lama Tsongkhapa from the
heart of Buddha Maitreya. I will explain from the beginning what we must do in this
guru yoga, including the preparation.

To practice this guru yoga you should first clean your place, the environment in
which you are going to meditate. Then, if you have a thangka, statue or picture of
Lama Tsongkhapa to serve as a base, or an object, of your meditation, that would be
highly beneficial. At the front of that you should arrange all your offerings nicely;
place everything in a pure, proper and correct way…the water offering, flowers,
incense, light, fruit and so forth.

Then sit facing the altar and begin your practice by inviting Lama Tsongkhapa from
Tushita from the heart of Buddha Maitreya and then make the offerings, prostrations
and the following limbs.

However, it is not enough just to invite the deity; you must also make certain
preparations from within yourself. The best such preparation is to take refuge in the
Triple Gem and generate bodhicitta.

Kön chhog sum la kyab su dro

Sem chän tham chä dag gi dröl
Jang chhub nä la gö par gyi
Jang chhub sem ni yang dag kye

I go to the Triple Gem for refuge

I will liberate all sentient beings
And lead them to (or establish them in) the stage of bodhi (full
enlightenment)
I will perfectly generate bodhicitta

I will not explain refuge and bodhicitta in detail because I have already explained
these in previous teachings.

First we take refuge in the Triple Gem. After taking refuge, what we wish and are
willing to do is liberate all sentient beings from all suffering. Therefore, the second
line is, “I will liberate all sentient beings.” By liberating all sentient beings from
suffering, then where will we lead them; to what kind of stage? It is to liberation, or
nirvana, that we wish to lead them. This nirvana is not the ordinary nirvana of the
arhats but the ultimate bodhi stage of buddhahood. Therefore, the third line is:

And for that purpose, to liberate sentient beings from suffering

and lead them to the stage of enlightenment, then what I want to
do, what I am going to do, comes in the next line:

We should recite the above verse three times, not only repeating the words but
contemplating the meaning deeply.

After this comes another verse blessing the place or the environment:

Tham chä du ni sa zhi dag

Seg ma la sog me pa dang
Lag thil tar nyam bäiduryäi
Rang zhin jam por nä gyur chig

Everywhere may the ground be pure,

Free of the roughness of pebbles and so forth
May it be in the nature of lapis lazuli
And as smooth as the palm of one’s hand

That is the blessing of the ground, the place where you are meditating. Then there
follows another verse to bless the offerings:

Lha dang mi yi chhö päi dzä

Ngö su sham dang yi kyi trül
Kün zang chhö trin la na me
Nam khäi kham kün khyab gyur chig

May human and divine offerings

Actually arranged and mentally created
Clouds of finest Samantabhadra offerings
Fill the entirety of space

There are two purposes of meditation. One is to purify all obstacles and
interferences; the other is to grow and develop all the inner qualities. Blessing of the
environment—preparing the pure ground, or place, for your meditation—symbolizes
purification of the obstacles, all inner roughness. Making infinite offerings to the
buddhas symbolizes infinite development of all inner qualities and richnesses.

Now, the actual visualization of this guru yoga will be explained according to this
illustration. If you can find such a picture it will be beneficial. The place above Lama
Tsongkhapa is the Tushita abode, the abode of Buddha Maitreya. The actuality of this
abode is beyond painting or drawing, but to symbolize this actuality we see some
radiance, clouds and things like that around the palace. The Tushita pure land is not
dependent on the light of the sun or moon. It does not have to be illuminated by
some other astrological body; it is illuminated by the radiance of the beings that live
there.

The central figure in Tushita is Buddha Maitreya. He is shown demonstrating the

Dharmachakra mudra, the gesture of turning the wheel of Dharma. He is not sitting
cross legged but on a chair. The significance of this special position is that it shows
that he is prepared to get up soon—he is not fully relaxed, settled or firmly seated;
he is just about to get up and come into this world as the successor of Buddha
Shakyamuni. Showing the Dharmachakra mudra means that he is constantly turning
the wheel of Dharma for the benefit of sentient beings, now and also after life in this
world.

There are also some other smaller figures to each side of Maitreya Buddha: Atisha
and Lama Tsongkhapa’s Nyingma lama, Lhodrag Namkha Gyeltsen. These are the
chief disciples and there is also a great assembly of bodhisattvas and many other
beings surrounding Buddha Maitreya, receiving Mahayana teachings from him.

After taking refuge, generating bodhicitta, purifying the place, blessing the offerings
and so forth, we begin the actual guru yoga by inviting Lama Tsongkhapa from the
heart of Buddha Maitreya.

Invocation

Gan dän lha gyäi gön gyi thug ka nä

Rab kar zho sar pung träi chhu dzin tser
Chhö kyi gyäl po kün khyen lo zang drag
Sä d’ang chä pa nä dir sheg su söl

You who emanate from the heart of the savior of the hundred
devas’ Joyful Realm
On the peak of a cloud (water holder) resembling clumps of
extremely fresh white curd
The king of Dharma, omniscience Losang Dragpa, with your sons:
I request you to come to this place

This is the invitation. Ganden is Tushita in Tibetan and lha gyä literally means the
hundred devas of Tushita, “hundred” being not literal but meaning very many
buddhas and bodhisattvas. Gön means lord, or savior. So, the one who is the lord of
the hundred devas of Tushita is Maitreya Buddha, who is lord not in the sense of a
worldly lord leading a country but in the sense of being the spiritual master, leader or
guide of all those beings.

When we meditate here, it’s not that we are inviting Lama Tsongkhapa with strong
devotion but up there, Buddha Maitreya and the others are paying no attention to us
and just keeping themselves busy with whatever they’re doing. It’s not like that. The
way we should meditate is that they are all paying full attention to us, completely
involved with what we’re doing. All the bodhisattvas, and Buddha Maitreya in
particular, are looking directly down at us with radiant smiles, with much affection
and love, looking at us, ready to help.

Thug ka nä means from the heart. This is where Lama Tsongkhapa comes out from.
First a pure white radiant cloud, which is in the nature of compassion, emanates
from Buddha Maitreya’s heart, or holy mind—the love that Buddha Maitreya has for
the sentient beings of this world. It is not just an ordinary cloud but one with deep
meaning, symbolizing the purity and perfection of his great compassion. It should be
as white and radiant as possible and very thick, like a heap of fresh, white curd. The
thickness of the cloud symbolizes Buddha Maitreya’s strong love and compassion for
sentient beings. It springs out and rolls down and remains there in front of us. If you
meditate and practice seriously, you sit quietly in your room, read the words slowly,
then visualize as clearly as possible with all your effort. The cloud rolls down and
stops in front of you. At its end there is a large heap of cloud. This is like preparing
the way and the seat.

In front of you there are three big heaps of clouds. On the central cluster is a golden
throne decorated with precious stones. To each side of it there is a lower, smaller
throne. The golden throne is supported by eight lions and on it are a lotus and a
moon disk. Then, after visualizing this cloud, when we recite the last two lines of this
verse, Lama Tsongkhapa and his two chief disciples, or spiritual sons—Gyältsab
Rinpoche and Khädrub Rinpoche—emanate from the heart of Buddha Maitreya.
Lama Tsongkhapa is an emanation of the wisdom of all the buddhas; Gyältsab
Rinpoche is an emanation of the compassion of Maitreya; and Khädrub Rinpoche is
an emanation of the power of Maitreya. These three, master and spiritual sons, come
down on the white cloud. They spring forth instantly and come down effortlessly,
without any difficulty, like being completely tired after a long journey with heavy
luggage on their backs; not like that. They come down instantly, suddenly;
spontaneously. Lama Tsongkhapa and his two chief spiritual sons are one in nature,
but when the compassion of Lama Tsongkhapa takes form it is on his right side as
Gyältsab Rinpoche and when his power takes form it is on his left side as Khädrub
Rinpoche. But all three are one in nature. Therefore, when we practice this kind of
guru yoga it helps us accomplish all three attributes of the Buddha: wisdom, power
and compassion.

Lama Tsongkhapa is called the king of Dharma not because he is some great
monarch who rules over many subjects but because he is an emanation of the
wisdom of all the buddhas. Fully accomplished wisdom is that which rules over all of
Dharma. Therefore, Lama Tsongkhapa is called the king of Dharma. It is similar when
he is called omniscient. In Tibetan, kün khyen means one who knows all—because
Lama Tsongkhapa is an emanation of the wisdom of all buddhas, he is omniscient.
Nothing is hidden from the Buddha mind. Losang Dragpa (Skt: Sumati Kirti) is his
human name, his Dharma name as a human being. So, we are requesting the
assembly of all three, master and spiritual sons, to come down and remain in front of
us.

The actual way to accomplish wisdom, the method to employ, comes at the end of
this guru yoga, where the guru mantra of Lama Tsongkhapa is recited.

Requesting to have a stable life

This second verse is the request to always remain in front of us.

Dün gyi nam khar seng thri pä däi teng

Je tsün la ma gye päi dzum kar chän
Dag lo dä päi sö nam zhing chhog tu
Tän pa gyä chhir käl gyar zhug su söl

In the sky before me, on a lion throne, lotus and moon disk,
The jetsun lama smiles with delight.
Supreme field of the merit of mind’s devotion,
I beg you to abide for a hundred eons to increase the teachings.

Dün gyi nam khar means in the sky, or space, in front of us—about two meters; not
too high, not too low, but about the level of our forehead. At that spot there is the
heap of cloud, which is in three parts, as explained before. On the center one is the
golden throne with lotus and moon disk. On top of that sits Lama Tsongkhapa. On
each side of the main throne are two smaller golden ones, also with lotus and moon
disks, on which are seated the two chief disciples.

These golden thrones are supported by lions. Actually, they are lions in appearance,
but in nature they have the quality of the enlightened mind. Among animals, the lion
is king; the victorious one who is not afraid of any other animal. The throne of the
lama is supported by four lions, which symbolize the four great qualities of the
buddha mind called the four fearlessnesses.

On each golden throne supported by four lions is first a lotus disk, or seat, whose
nature is Lama Tsongkhapa’s fully accomplished renunciation. On top of that is a
moon disk, or seat, whose nature is Lama Tsongkhapa’s fully accomplished
bodhicitta. On top of that sits Lama Tsongkhapa, who himself is in the nature of
wisdom, the fully accomplished right view of shunyata. Thus, these three—lotus,
moon and lama—symbolize the three principal aspects of the path.

The words in this practice are very simple and easy to read but have extremely
profound meanings. Just the words je-tsün lama are highly significant. Je signifies the
path in common with the small scope; tsün signifies the path in common with the
medium scope; lama signifies the path of high scope. Lama Tsongkhapa, by
practicing all these three stages of the path and gradually accomplishing them, finally
accomplished the state of buddhahood.

Gye päi dzum kar chän means smiles radiantly with delight, with a radiant delightful
smile, which means that Lama Tsongkhapa and his two chief disciples, the three
lamas, are looking down on us, not in an unhappy or displeased way but in a
radiantly smiling way full of compassion, love and affection. The way the lamas look
at us delightedly rather than unhappily is an auspicious preparation for our always
being able to please our lamas and never disappoint them and have a close
relationship with them.

Dag lo dä päi means the faith and devotion of our mind; expressing the strong faith in
and devotion to our lama in our mind. Out of strong devotion we want to accumulate
great merit in connection with our lama. The supreme field for accumulating merit
out of devotion is the lama, therefore, we request Lama Tsongkhapa to always
remain so that we can create merit in the highest possible way.

Tän pa gyä chhir käl gyar zhug su söl. Apart from acting as the supreme field for
accumulating merit out of devotion, there’s another reason for asking the lama to
abide, which is for the dissemination, or flourishing, of the Dharma in the ten
directions. For that purpose we also request you, the jetsun lama, to remain for a
hundred eons (Skt: kalpa).

Since the flourishing of the Dharma and the happiness of sentient beings is the
supreme request, there is no request superior to it, therefore, in this particular
practice, it is placed here first. Generally in the seven limb puja, the request for the
long life of the lama or the buddhas is the sixth of the seven limbs. But here, because
it is such an important request, it is explained first of all.

As I explained before, the most important object—the Triple Lama—is visualized

front and center, but also, all of space surrounding the lamas is filled with clouds of
offerings, as we visualized at the beginning. So, when meditating on this, we visualize
in space many offering deities—many offering gods and goddesses holding various
offering objects—on the clouds to either side and above the three lamas.

Prostration

She jäi khyön kün jäl wäi lo drö thug

Käl zang na wäi gyän gyur leg shä sung
Drag päi päl gyi lham mer dze päi ku
Thong thö drän pä dön dän la chhag tshäl

Your holy mind understands the full extent of objects to be

known.
Your eloquent speech is the ear-ornament of the fortunate ones.
Your holy body is glowing and glorious with fame.
To you, who is meaningful to see, hear and remember, I
prostrate.

Next, following the usual order of the seven limb puja, which here we are offering to
Lama Tsongkhapa, comes the limb of prostration. We prostrate to the lama by
expressing the qualities of his body, speech and mind. Usually when we prostrate to
and praise the body, speech and mind of the Buddha, we do it in that order—body,
speech and mind—but in this guru yoga, mind comes first, then speech, then body.

We start with mind instead of body because in essence, Lama Tsongkhapa is, in
nature, the wisdom of the Buddha; wisdom is the essential aspect of the enlightened
mind. Therefore, instead of body, we first praise the buddha mind, the mental quality
of the Buddha, of the lama. She jäi khyön kün means the entire extent of knowable
objects, everything that exists; jäl wäi means to realize or cognize. So the entire
extent of knowable phenomena is realized or cognized by what power? It is realized
by the power of the buddha mind, the omniscient mind of the lama.

The second line of this verse praises the qualities of Lama Tsongkhapa’s holy speech.
Käl zang na wäi means the ear of the fortunate ones, those who have received the
opportunity to practice Dharma in general and the Mahayana in particular. People
who have the great fortune of following and practicing the Mahayana Dharma are
the most fortunate ones. This ear ornament, gyän gyur, is not an ornament like the
earrings Indian women wear. The true ear ornament of the fortunate is not material
but is the eloquent speech, leg shä sung, the teaching of the Buddha that is well
explained, vast and profound. This is the true ear ornament of the fortunate.

When the fortunate ones, those who practice the Mahayana Dharma, hear a teaching
of the vast and profound Buddhadharma, it pleases their ear sense. Therefore, it is
called an ear ornament. If that’s true for the Mahayana in general, what need is there
to specify the teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa? They are unbelievably deep, profound,
vast and clear; not indecisive, but extremely decisive and definite. They dig the
depths of the Buddha’s teachings and make them clear. In Tibet, the Dharma
masters used to say that if you’re undecided about the meaning of a teaching, look to
the teachings of Je Tsongkhapa, because they are so decisive.

The next line praises the qualities of Lama Tsongkhapa’s holy body. Because of his
omniscient mind and eloquent speech, as explained before, he became extremely
famous in the Land of Snows, Tibet, for the glory of his being. Everybody praised him.

Since Lama Tsongkhapa came along later, he did not go to India to receive teachings
from the Indian masters, but there’s not a single part of all hundred volumes of
teachings of the Buddha in the Kangyur that Lama Tsongkhapa didn’t study and
learn. There’s no way to explain in just a few words Lama Tsongkhapa’s qualities. If
you are interested you can read his extensive biography, which explains in his life in
great detail.

Not only was Lama Tsongkhapa extremely learned in all the texts but he was also
highly realized, having gained many great inner experiences through the practice of
tantra. If you are really interested, you can read another biography called In Praise of
the Sacred Life: the Story of Lama Tsongkhapa, which makes all this very clear. If you
can receive teachings on that text it will be evident. What I am giving here is just a
very simple introduction. If you want to know these things more deeply, you’ll need
to receive teachings particularly on his life.

So, drag päi päl means the glory of fame and lham mer dze päi ku means resplendent
form, or that merely his appearance is very powerful and glorious. Just by his
appearance he overshadows or overpowers all those who see the manifestation of
his form. This power of his appearance is not external power; it is inner power.
Through his inner realizations, his inner power, his appearance becomes so powerful
to sentient beings that it completely releases them from their life sufferings.

His power not being external means that he has no high rank, social status or
external superiority. As you probably know, Lama Tsongkhapa was born in Amdo in
East Tibet in a poor family. In the same way that many students came from far
eastern Tibet in those days—begging for food along the way and carrying their
bedding and other small things on their back on a bamboo frame—Lama
Tsongkhapa himself also traveled alone to Lhasa, in central Tibet. It took him about
six or seven months. Once there, he met many great masters and not only put great
effort into studying all the teachings of the Buddha, but he also meditated on them,
realized their profound meaning, and became so glorious that he became like the
sun, completely illuminating the whole of Tibet with the light of Dharma. There are
many other things like this that could be explained, but we don’t have enough time to
go into them now.

The fourth line of this verse tells us that because Lama Tsongkhapa is endowed with
such a body, speech and mind, to see his physical manifestation, to hear his name or
about his life or to listen to his teachings, and to remember him from our mind
becomes beneficial, worthwhile and very fruitful for us. Of course we have to
prostrate to the lamas, but first we should know the reason for doing so. If we don’t
know why we are prostrating, then even if we do bow down, it won’t become
particularly beneficial or be sensible to do so. When we bow down to someone, we
need to know the qualities of the object of prostration to make it meaningful.
Therefore, this brief explanation of Lama Tsongkhapa’s body, speech and mind are
explained. The purpose of prostration is to express our respect and to accumulate
merit; this is enhanced by knowing the details of the life and qualities of the object of
prostration. Prostration is also an antidote to pride.

Offering

After prostration, the next limb is offering. The material offerings you are making
should already have been placed on your altar before beginning the puja. The
offering limb comes in these lines:

Yi wong chhö yön na tshog me tog dang

Dri zhim dug pö nang säl dri chhab sog
Ngo sham yi trül chhö trin gya tsho di
Sö nam zhing chhog khyö la chhö par bül

Beautiful drinking water, various arranged flowers,

Fragrant incense, light, scented water and so forth;
Actually performed and mentally transformed oceans of clouds
of offerings
I offer to you, the supreme field of merit.

Yi wong means pleasing. That means the offerings should be pure, clean and good in
appearance. Making an offering that doesn’t even please ourselves is not at all good
for the accumulation of merit. Yi wong chhö yön actually means pleasing water
offerings, but it doesn’t have to be only water. We can also offer tea, milk, yogurt or
any other kind of liquid. However, in this practice it is not right to offer wine, beer,
spirits and so forth because Lama Tsongkhapa was a bhikshu. Na tshog me tog means