The Practice Of Guru Yoga

by Khöndung Gyana Vajra Rinpoche

It is written in the Hevajra Tantra that in order to attain Enlightenment it is necessary to realise the nature of mind, and that the best way to do this is through the accumulation of merit and the blessing of the Guru. And so an essential part of the Dharma path is the practice of Guru Yoga. But if we are going to follow this path, we need to really make certain that we understand its true meaning. Guru Yoga is a well known and popular concept, but it is not one that is fully understood by the majority of Dharma practitioners.

In order to truly understand what Guru Yoga is, we need to educate ourselves as to its nature and its requirements, and then we need to train ourselves to generate the right kind of devotion towards the Guru in order to practise it correctly.

Many people practise Guru Yoga, but its nature and requirements are understood by few. In many cases, just because a teacher shows kindness to certain people, offers them attention or favours, then these people look upon him or her as a wonderful Guru and they develop strong feelings of love for this teacher, a sense of Guru devotion. Of course, these feelings are valid, and this form of Guru devotion has its value. But, whatever its worth, devotion based on material or conventional considerations is not true Guru devotion.

Also, it is common nowadays to see the teacher as a kind of movie star, with students grouping around him like a fan club. Often, the teacher’s qualities lend him a certain magnetism that attracts people. As a result, people feel a kind of connection with the teacher, which creates pleasant emotions like love and joy, a kind of sentimentality. Actually, these emotions we can enjoy with anyone, and they’re not really relevant to a Guru-student relationship.

We see that many Dharma teachers are surrounded by devotees who follow them wherever they go, attend their teachings, make many offerings to them, run errands for them, give them massages, and so on. This is definitely beneficial, but only if it is accompanied by a resolute effort to put into practice the instructions that the teacher gives.

Generally, there are three ways in which a student’s devotion to the Guru can be expressed. These ways are known as the ordinary, the middling and the superior. Ordinary Guru devotion is mainly based on making material offerings to the Guru, such as flowers, clothes, a car, property, etc. This practice is laudable and very meritorious, and it creates a strong bond between the student and the Guru. But it is not true Guru Yoga.

Middling Guru devotion consists of the student making the offering of his or her body, capacities and time to the teacher, by serving the Guru to the best of his or her abilities. This practice means that a substantial part of the student’s activities are dedicated to serving the Guru. It requires a great deal of devotion from the student and in this sense it is highly formative and valuable. But this is still not true Guru Yoga.

Superior Guru devotion is substantially different from the other two kinds. Here, the student offers his or her spiritual practice to the teacher. This is the highest offering that a student can make to his or her Guru, and this is where true Guru Yoga is found.

Real Guru Yoga is only possible if a genuine Guru-disciple relationship is established, wherein the Guru confers the Buddha’s teachings to the student and the student strives with all his or her might to put these teachings into practice. Here, the teacher takes on the supreme role of mentor, guiding the student to Buddhahood, for the sake of all beings.

This pure Guru Yoga requires an unconditional commitment from the student. Many devotees recite Guru Yoga prayers, pledging to do anything for the Guru. But one thing is mentally and verbally offering absolute devotion to the Guru, and another thing is to actually engage in true Guru Yoga practice. This is similar to thinking of going swimming and talking about it but, when the time comes to jump into the water, the enthusiasm wanes. It’s a different matter altogether. Not too many people actually get to test the waters. Likewise, it takes a lot of courage and determination to engage in true Guru Yoga practice.

True Guru Yoga is very demanding, with the disciple relying heart and soul on the teacher’s instructions and engaging his or her entire being into putting them into practice. Since the attainment of Buddhahood is at stake, the teacher’s instructions are often highly challenging and difficult to meet. An unshakeable faith in the teacher is required to overcome these hurdles, and the full confidence that he will lead the disciple to Buddhahood.

Faithfully following the Guru’s advice, the disciple adopts what is virtuous and abandons what is not virtuous and, through the Guru’s wisdom and compassion, gradually acquires a better understanding of the nature of reality.

From his side, the Guru unfailingly guides and protects the disciple along the path, leading him step by step to the ultimate accomplishment.