4. Bathing with Bodhichitta
When you are washing, before washing generate the motivation: “I am going to free the numberless sentient beings from whom I have received all my past, present, and future happiness and bring them to enlightenment by myself. Therefore, I am going to offer a bath to the guru and the Three Rare Sublime Ones.” (Lama Zopa Rinpoche)
Photo: Bill Kane, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 2016
When you are washing, before washing generate the motivation: “I am going to free the numberless sentient beings from whom I have received all my past, present, and future happiness and bring them to enlightenment by myself. Therefore, I am going to offer a bath to the guru and the Rare Sublime Ones.”
If you have received an initiation, either a higher or lower tantra initiation, purify in emptiness and visualize yourself as the deity. But the most important thing is not the deity; it is to focus on the guru from whom you received that deity’s initiation or your root guru. Mainly focus on him; then you collect the most extensive merit. When washing, offer a bath to the guru. Initiating deities, or goddesses, initiate you with the vase water. You can think that, then generate great bliss. That is not so much mentioned in the lower tantra, but it is okay to do. While washing, meditate on that: yourself, the guru, experiencing that – infinite bliss. It is fantastic! You don’t have to wash with a depressed mind, with a self-pitying mind.
If you want to do it the short way, when washing recite or chant this:
Offering a Bath to the Gurus
KYAB SUM KÜN DÜ LA MA DOR JE CHHANG
Guru Vajradhara, embodiment of all three refuges,
GANG LA GANG DÜL SHE NYEN TSHÜL ZUNG NÄ
Takes the form of the virtuous friends to subdue beings in whatever way is needed,
CHHOG DANG THÜN MONG NGÖ DRUB TSÖL DZÄ PÄI
And grants the supreme and common realizations:
DRIN CHÄN LA MA NAM LA KU THRÜ SÖL
To the kind gurus, I offer this bath.
OM SARVA TATHAGATA ABHISHEKATA SAMAYA SHRIYE ah hum
“Yourself, Guru Vajradhara, encompassing all the three objects of refuge,” Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, “taking the form of the virtuous friend,” having various aspects for whomever they subdue, manifesting in the form of the virtuous friend, “for whomever is to be subdued.” Relate this meditation to your virtuous friend. Here, I am not saying that I am a buddha. I am not saying that, but this is the meditation. Then, “Who grants the common and sublime realizations.” It is very important to focus on yourself as the guru. Do the same thing when you do the Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga. Of course, there is the name “Lama Tsongkhapa,” but if you don’t understand it, you might think it is only Lama Tsongkhapa, the Tibetan Lama Tsongkhapa. In India, anyone who is Tibetan, who speaks Tibetan, is called “lama.” Like the police, if people speak Tibetan and are from Tibet or are Sherpa, even the Indian police call them “lama.” In Nepal, there are many Sherpa leaders in the government who are called “lama.” When we are talking about Lama Tsongkhapa, we are not talking about that. Also, “Guru Shakyamuni Buddha” means that he and your root guru are oneness. This is the meditation: oneness – your root guru and Guru Shakyamuni Buddha; oneness – your guru and Lama Tsongkhapa; oneness – your guru and Tara.
There is one lama whose incarnation lives in France, from whom His Holiness Song Rinpoche received initiation. In his past life, he called all the deities “guru.” That is extremely good for reminding the mind.
You chant that. The short way is just to chant “KYAB SUM KÜN DU LA MA DOR JE CHANG…” while washing; it reminds you of that meditation. Then, if you want to elaborate, do it like the offering bath. [See FPMT Retreat Prayer Book: Lama Chöpa Jorcho]. There are gradual prayers; you can follow the short, middle, or elaborate offering bath.
If you want, you can bless the water by chanting OM MANI PADME HUM or [the mantras of] the five powerful deities of purification (See Supplementary Material: Five Powerful Mantras). Chant each of their mantras a few times and blow on the water, whereby it becomes powerful to purify negative karma, such that if touched it purifies negative karma.
Then after the offering bath, comes perfume. For those who, not sangha, but those who use perfume or scented smell after a bath, lay people, then it is very good to see yourself as the guru, the embodiment of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, and make offerings to yourself, so you collect so much merit.
Anointing the Holy Bodies
TONG SUM KÜN TU DRI NGÄ DANG WA YI
Like polishing gold already pure and refined,
DRI CHHOG NAM KYI THUB WANG NAM KYI KU
So do I apply the best of perfumes,
SER JANG TSO MA JI DOR JÄ PA TAR
Fragrantly filling the billion universes,
Ö CHHAG BAR WA DE DAG JUG PAR GYI
To the dazzling holy bodies of the Munis.
Then when you dress, offer dress to yourself, the guru-deity, reciting the prayer:
Offering Divine Dress
Hold up a fine cloth with both hands in the sparsha mudra.
SAB JAM YANG PA LHA YI GÖ
By offering soft, smooth, and fine divine dress
MI CHHE DOR JEI KU NYE LA
With indestructible faith in
MI CHHE DÄ PÄ DAG BÜL NA
You who have attained the indestructible vajra holy body,
DAG KYANG DOR JEI KU THOB SHOG
May I too achieve the vajra holy body.
“Thin, light, divine dress to the indestructible vajra holy body, I offer with devotion.” At that time, although the Tibetan prayer says “May I also,” you include all sentient beings: “May myself and all sentient beings achieve the vajra holy body.” It is fantastic.
Lay people, when putting on ornaments, those who wear ornaments normally, recite this prayer while offering ornaments to the guru, the merit field:
Offering Ornaments
Hold up a mala with both hands in the sparsha mudra.
GYÄL WA TSHÄN PEI RANG ZHIN GYÄN DÄN CHHIR
Because the victorious ones are adorned by the natural ornaments of the signs and exemplifications,
GYÄN ZHÄN DAG GI GYÄN PAR MI TSHÄL YANG
They do not need any other kind of ornament.
RIN CHHEN GYÄN CHHOG PHÜL WÄ DRO WA KÜN
But by offering these supreme jewel ornaments,
TSHÄN PE GYÄN PÄI KU LÜ THOB PAR SHOG
May all transmigratory beings achieve the holy body adorned with all the signs and exemplifications.
Chant that and make offerings to yourself, the guru-deity, so you collect unimaginable merits. “May I achieve the holy body adorned with the signs and exemplifications.”