Tsongkhapa guru yoga question

[lorem]

Study Lamrim Gelukpa. Atisha, Gampopa, Tsongkhapa, His Holiness.

Mahamudra Karma or Shangpa.

Dzogchen Longchenpa, Garab Dorje, Jigme Lingpa, Padma.

Lamdre Virupa, etc (not too familiar)

Chod Machik, Padampa.

When study think its okay to visualize and practice the masters.

Follow teacher of course but don't settle. Practice and practice to your best ability

Just my thought

[Lotus_Bitch]

Okay, LZR wants a HYT to do this practice. Then yes needs to be Gelukpa HYT.

Yeah, looks like a HYT is indeed required (for visualizing Tsongkhapa in heart, that is).
I have not yet received answer from FPMT, but IMHO I think that it really could be any HYT deity and lineage, not just those that are practiced in Gelugpa.
Otherwise, I think it would sound a bit secterian. Like for example, there is two Chakrasamvara (or Vajrakilaya) practitioners, the other one is doing it according to lineage that Gelugpas practice, the other one according to some other lineage, that is not found in gelug commonly....

Practice lineages, even of the same deity, aren't necessarily identical with one another. If you have an HYT empowerment from one of the other Sarma lineages (i.e. Hevajra, Cakrasamvara, Kalacakra, etc.), then you may only require lung from a guru to engage the practice of a deity, but even this is not always the case. In relation to your predicament: a Vajrayogini empowerment may suffice even if its not traditionally associated with Gelug.

[jmlee369]

There are many different ways of practising Gaden Lha Gyema, even based on the same text. It is a matter of visualisation. For those with HYT initiation, absorbing the guru into the lotus at your heart is the standard practice. Without HYT initiation, the guru will probably remain at the lotus on your crown. Actually, there are some further distinctions made for those with HYT initiation, but it is probably best for these details to be learned through a guru. The same would apply to the phowa practice in relation to Lama Tsongkhapa. If you have received instructions personally from a teacher, it should be okay. Otherwise, it is probably best to wait until one can receive instructions. Even with the same practice, the details for phowa differ from teacher to teacher. Therefore, best to receive personal instructions from your own guru.

In terms of what HYT initiation qualifies a person, I would think that all four empowerments (vase, wisdom, secret, word) are necessary. However, the different lineages use different historical figures to represent the individuals' root guru. Since the teacher that bestows four empowerments is considered your root guru according to the Gelug view, it would seem a bit off to me personally that when you receive a Kagyu HYT intiation, rather than practising the guru yoga of the Kagyu lineage, you practice a Gelug guru yoga. Why not do the Kagyu guru yoga practice instead? And if you want to fully practice Gaden Lha Gyema, why take a root guru who doesn't share the lineage of Lama Tsongkhapa's teachings, and probably cannot teach you the practice in detail?

[qwerty13]

Ok, people, I finally have some answers with me!

These are the answers that nice people of FPMT gave me:

1: So, first of all, in order to visualize Tsongkhapa in your heart, you need a FULL HYT initiation ( A great initiation, last 2 or more days). So HYT Jenang is not sufficient.
2: The HYT ydiam does not have to be a "gelug yidam".
3: If you have great HYT initation in to any deity, you can do the powa, no need for special transmissions.

[Tsongkhapafan]

You can visualise Je Tsongkhapa at your heart if you have received the blessing empowerment or Jenang of Je Tsongkhapa which is only action Tantra. It's not necessary to have received a HYT empowerment.

[jmlee369]

You can visualise Je Tsongkhapa at your heart if you have received the blessing empowerment or Jenang of Je Tsongkhapa which is only action Tantra. It's not necessary to have received a HYT empowerment.

Even though the jenang may be classified as Kriya class, the visualisation of absorbing the guru into your heart is only permissible for people who have received HYT initiation. For the people taking jenang without HYT initiation, the guru remains on the crown. This has been my experience of receiving the jenang from two different lamas. In general, receiving any jenang requires some sort of two day wang of the same or higher class.

[Mu Mut]

I'm at a bit if a loss to understand your answers; I'm not an expert in this field !

Here's a simple explanation and video of tibetan yoga: http://spiritualityireland.org/blog/ind ... n-on-film/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think it asks some interesting questions.

[qwerty13]

In general, receiving any jenang requires some sort of two day wang of the same or higher class.

Yes, that is the traditional way of receiving empowerments. Thats how Tsongkhapa himself explained it. These days though, 90% of the time lamas give jenengs to basically anyone, and instruct that disciple has permission to self-generate as the deity (for anyone who does not know: traditionally jenangs would not give you ability to self-generate, but like I said, today lamas mostly give jenangs along with instruction that disciple should visualize himself as the deity).
Its not easy to find great empowerments (wang), I quess they are mostly given in private settings, only to few people at time (Dalai Lama`s Kalachakra empowerments are of course huge exception) .

[jmlee369]

In general, receiving any jenang requires some sort of two day wang of the same or higher class.

Yes, that is the traditional way of receiving empowerments. Thats how Tsongkhapa himself explained it. These days though, 90% of the time lamas give jenengs to basically anyone, and instruct that disciple has permission to self-generate as the deity (for anyone who does not know: traditionally jenangs would not give you ability to self-generate, but like I said, today lamas mostly give jenangs along with instruction that disciple should visualize himself as the deity).
Its not easy to find great empowerments (wang), I quess they are mostly given in private settings, only to few people at time (Dalai Lama`s Kalachakra empowerments are of course huge exception) .

While many lamas give jenangs as blessings to people who have not received wang, they usually tell people to visualise the deity above their crown if that is the case. But yes, there is much confusion about this.

However, I would say wang are not that difficult to encounter. For one thing, most of the common HYT initiations are wang, with the two major exceptions being Vajrayogini and Cittamani Tara.

As for lower tantra, 1000 armed Avalokitesvara is a very common one. HHDL often confers this wang, even if he does condense it to a single session (it can be done!). He has given it recently in Vancouver and also at the end of the 2013 Jangchup Lamrim teachings. If you go through the livestream videos or photo galleries for those events, you can see the indications that despite being given in one session, those events were wang. HHDL has also conferred Yoga tantra wang in a single session at Koyasan at least twice.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has been known to bestow 1000 armed Avalokitesvara and Medicine Buddha wang over two days. However, I'm not sure if this scheduled wang at Chenrezig Institute actually happened.

Choden Rinpoche has given Medicine Buddha wang several times. Check here and here.

Khensur Lobsang Tsephel Rinpoche has also given 1000 armed Avalokitesvara wang over two days at his Land of Compassion Buddha centers.

Jhado Rinpoche will confer an Ushnishavijaya wang in January 2015 at Land of Medicine Buddha

[ngawang gyaltsen]

I don't know.
When I recieved the initiation (FPMT lama), the explanation about heart absorption was very blurry.
My FPMT booklet ends with heart absorption with no note or "disclaimer"... but I have often heard about this topic.
The only HYT Yidam I got was Tara Cittamani with no guru yoga committments and a verbal personal permission for reading the commentary booklet which includes HYT inner practices.
So I'm not a HYT practitioner according to the gelug - FPMT standards but I've always done heart absorption with migtsema.

[lorem]

I don't know.
When I recieved the initiation (FPMT lama), the explanation about heart absorption was very blurry.
My FPMT booklet ends with heart absorption with no note or "disclaimer"... but I have often heard about this topic.
The only HYT Yidam I got was Tara Cittamani with no guru yoga committments and a verbal personal permission for reading the commentary booklet which includes HYT inner practices.
So I'm not a HYT practitioner according to the gelug - FPMT standards but I've always done heart absorption with migtsema.

Yeah I can only speak for myself. Just looked in His Holiness the Dalai Lama Illuminating The Path 2000 booklet and it does not say anything either. I just follow the Guru Yoga, then if time The Lamp and Lines of Experience.

I've just always done heart visualization before and after receiving HYT. Funny this whole time I had never even heard of a req for heart absorption.

[Kunzang8]

I recommend the book Hundreds of Deities of Tushita by Choden Rinpoche in which he explains clearly and in length how to do the practice of JTK Guru Yoga, according to Tantra and according to Sutra. The first part he explains all the practices and visualizations that one can do when one has HYT initiation, and the second part he explains what one can do on a Sutra level. Unfortunately I don't remember much as I read it just to get an overview the first time so can't answer your question specifically, but pretty sure the answer is in there as it is detailed.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PV27DWK/ref ... le_ext_tmb

P/S - wanted to post a picture of the book cover but have no idea how to do it here. If someone wants to give me some quick instructions, appreciated. tq.