THE PRACTICE OF GURU YOGA
Assume the Five-Point Meditation Posture
1. Sit crossed-legged.*
2. Hands are in equipoise position: palms are facing up; the thumb of each hand lightly
presses the base of the ring finger of the same hand; the fingers of the left hand rest
on the fingers of the right hand, and are placed four finger-widths below the navel.
3. Spine is straight with channels and joints aligned.
4. Chin is pulled slightly in, lengthening the back of the neck.
5. Shoulders and chest are open, elbows away from the body like a garuda’s wings.
*If seated in a chair, cross the legs at the ankles. The spine is upright and balanced,
free of the support of the back of the chair. All else is as described above.
The Nine Breathings of Purification
Visualize the Three Channels
The central channel begins four finger-widths below your navel, rises straight up through the
center of your body, and opens at the crown of your head. It is a channel of light, blue like a
deep autumn sky. In diameter, it is the size of your thumb. There are two side channels, one
red and one white. They each are slightly narrower than the central channel. On your left
side is the red channel, on your right, the white channel. The three channels meet at a
junction four finger-widths below the navel. The side channels rise straight up the body on
either side of the central channel. However, as they approach the crown, they curve forward
under the skull, pass behind the eyes, and open, one at each nostril. The right white channel
represents male energy and method or skillful means and opens at the right nostril; the left
red channel represents female energy and wisdom and opens at the left nostril.
Reflect and then Select
As you settle into the posture and experience the presence of the three channels of light,
connect with the stillness of your body, the silence of speech, and the spacious mind. Then,
reflect upon what you want to change or transform in your personal life or your spiritual
development, particularly as it relates to the three root poisons: anger, attachment, and
ignorance. Feel this in your body; experience the raw emotion and how it affects your energy
and breath; notice how this occupies your mind. Experience it directly without judgment or
analysis. This is how you select what is to be deleted or released through the breathing
practice.
With the first set of three breaths, we clear the obstacles of anger, releasing through
the right white channel. With the second set of three breaths, we clear obstacles of
attachment, releasing them through the left red channel. With the third set of three breaths,
we clear obstacles related to the root poison, ignorance, releasing doubt and lack of
confidence through the central channel.
The First Set of Three Breaths
Raise your right hand with the thumb pressing the base of the ring finger. Close your right
nostril with the ring finger. Inhale the pure air element as green light through the left nostril
filling the red channel. Move your hand to the other side of your nose and close the left
nostril with the right ring finger while exhaling through the right nostril. Imagine the air
travels up through the white channel and is released in the form of purple air. Repeat this
for a total of three breaths. With each exhalation, feel the obscurations associated with
aversion and anger are expelled through the white channel and dissolve into space.
The Second Set of Three Breaths
Change hands and block the left nostril. As you inhale the pure air element through the right
nostril, green light fills the white channel. Then block the right nostril and exhale through
the left nostril, expelling the impure air that moves up and out through the left red channel
and is released in the form of orange air. Repeat this for a total of three breaths. With each
exhalation through the red channel, obscurations associated with attachment, desire, and
greed are expelled and dissolve into space.
The Third Set of Three Breaths
With hands in equipoise position as described above, inhale the pure air element as green
light through both nostrils. While the gross exhalation of impure air moves out through both
nostrils, focus upon the subtle wind moving up through the central channel and out the top
of the head. This subtle breath releases through the crown in the form of dark reddish-
brown smoke. Repeat this for a total of three breaths. With each exhalation, obscurations
associated with ignorance, lack of confidence, and doubt are expelled through the crown and
dissolve into space.
Rest in Open Awareness
Bring clear attention to the opening in the channels and rest in open awareness.
THE PRACTICE OF THE NINE BREATHINGS OF PURIFICATION
AND
~WHAT IS CLEARED~
Channel of Light Right ~ White Left ~ Red Central ~ Blue
Cause Anger Attachment/desire/greed Ignorance
Disease Wind disorder Bile disorder Phlegm disorder
Disturbances Male potencies Female potencies Nagas
Time Past lives Future lives Present life
Color releasing Purple Orange Dark red/brown
OPENING YOUR HEART WITH GURU YOGA ~ LA MÉ NEL JOR ~[la mé nel jor]
Imagine the space before you is a clear and open sky. In the sky is a rainbow circle of light,
in the center of which is Tapihritsa, a peaceful, luminous being of white light seated in
meditation posture. See the details of his form vividly and clearly. Try to maintain a stable
visualization for as long as possible. Tapihritsa is a living buddha, and not just the product of
your imagination. Try to experience him as the real embodiment of the three kayas, the three
jewels, all the masters, all the buddhas, and as possessing great wisdom and compassion,
with the ability to help all beings who suffer. Particularly experience him as the embodiment
of your root lama, the one who has shown you kindness in this lifetime and who generously
reveals the path to liberation from the suffering of cyclic existence. By personal reflection,
cultivate devotion and inspiration. Bring your hands together at your heart and recite the
guru yoga prayer three times
Purify your karmic traces through the three active elements by visualizing wisdom
light coming from the seed syllables RAM YANG MANG in the heart of Tapihritsa. Think
that these lights are the weapons that destroy all karmic traces. From a red RAM in
Tapihritsa’s heart comes the essence of wisdom fire as red light that enters your body and
burns your negativities and karmic traces. From a green YANG comes the wisdom wind
element in the form of green light that enters your body and blows away negativities and
karmic traces. From a blue MANG comes the wisdom water element in the form of blue
light that enters your body and flushes negativities and karmic traces. If you wish, sing each
syllable three times as you visualize this in order to support the experience of purification.
Finally, experience yourself as totally pure and clear like a crystal vase, ready to receive the
nectar of the teachings, the blessings, and the empowerments.
Receive blessings through A OM HUNG. Radiating from the white A in the
forehead of Tapihritsa to your forehead is white light, carrying the blessings and the
empowerment of the enlightened body. The blessings and the empowerment of the
enlightened speech radiate as red light from the red OM in the throat of Tapihritsa to your
throat. From the blue HUNG in the heart of Tapihritsa to your heart come the blessings and
the empowerment of the enlightened heart/mind. To support the visualization you may wish
to sing each syllable three times.
Having received the blessings and initiation through these lights, you become of the
same nature as Tapihritsa and are filled with wisdom and compassion. Imagine that you are
continuously receiving the blessing lights as you accumulate the recitations of the four-lined
guru yoga prayer, either in Tibetan or in English.
At the conclusion of your recitation, dissolve the visualization in the following way:
The A in Tapihritsa’s forehead dissolves into light, which descends into the OM at
Tapihritsa’s throat, which then dissolves and descends into the HUNG at his heart. As the
HUNG at Tapihritsa’s heart dissolves, his body dissolves from its periphery into its center.
There, a luminous tiglé remains—a sphere of white light—which comes toward you and
dissolves into your heart. In this way you become inseparable from Tapihritsa. Remain in
this state of inseparability as long as possible and then proceed with the rest of the ngöndro. If
you are concluding your practice here, say the dedication of merit.
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GURU YOGA PRAYER ~ LA MÉ NEL JOR (bla ma’i rnal ’byor)
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Chi tsuk de wa chen pö po drang du
From the crown of my head, palace of great bliss,
SA/-(J/-l-2:A-]-3-=-$?R=-2-:.J2?,
Drin chen tsa wé la ma la söl wa dep
I pray to you, benevolent root lama.
?%?-o?-?J3?-?-!R/-0-<A/-0R-(J,
Sang gyé sem su tön pa rin po ché
O precious one, grant me the blessings
<%-%R-<%-$A?->J?-0<-LA/-IA?-_R2?,
Rang ngo rang gi she par jin gyi lop
To recognize my own true nature as a buddha.
2}R-(R/,
DEDICATION~ NGO MÖN (bsngo smon)
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Go sum dak pé ge wa gang gyi pa
All pure virtue done through the three doors,
#3?-$?3-?J3?-&/-i3?-GA-.R/-.-2}R,
Kham sum sem chen nam kyi dön du ngo
I dedicate to the welfare of all sentient beings of the three realms.
.$-$?3-2?$?-0:A-=?-1A2-!/-L%-/?,
Duk sum sak pé le drip kün jang né
Having purified all afflictions and obscurations of the three poisons,
{-$?3-mR$?-0:A-?%?-o?-M<-,R2->R$,
Ku sum dzok pé sang gyé nyur top shok
May we swiftly achieve the complete buddhahood of the three bodies.
Explanation of terms in the dedication:
three doors ~ body, speech, mind
three realms ~ desire, form, formless
three poisons ~ aversion, desire, ignorance
three bodies (or dimensions) ~ bön ku or dharmakaya; dzok ku, long ku, or sambhogakaya;
and trül ku or nirmanakaya
