Transcending Time
W ISDOM P UBLICATIONS
199 Elm Street
Somerville MA 02144 USA
1999, 2008 Gen Lamrimpa and B. Alan Wallace
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photography, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system or technologies now known or later developed, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gen Lamrimpa, 1934
Transcending time : the Klacakra six-session guru yoga / Gen Lamrimpa ; foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama ; translated by B. Alan Wallace ; edited by Pauly B. Fitze.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-86171-152-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Klacakra (Tantric rite) 2. Yoga (Tantric Buddhism)
I. Wallace, B. Alan.
BQ7699.K34G46 1999
ISBN 0-86171-152-
11 10 09
7 6 5 4 3
Cover image: Klacakra with consort Vivamt. Photo by Peter Nebel. Designed by TLrggms.
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Contents
To be read only by those who have received the Klacakra initiation.
May this be an expression of gratitude
and reverence and love for the Revealer
and the spiritual mentors, for preserving this
precious body of wisdom, and may the
blessings received be passed on to all who
read this, and thereby to all beings .
Publishers Acknowledgment
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the contribution of the students of Gen Lamrimpa (Venerable Lobsang Jampal Tenzin), who, through the Dharma Friendship Foundation Education Fund, helped make production of this book possible.
T he Klacakra Tantra is a Buddhist practice belonging to the class of highest yoga tantras, which are among the most profound teachings of the Bodhisattva Vehicle. According to tradition, Buddha kyamuni appeared in the south of India as Klacakra and set forth this tantra at the request of King Sucandra of ambhala.
King Sucandra then propagated the teachings of Klacakra widely among the citizens of ambhala. The tradition is said not to have reappeared in India until shortly before it was brought to Tibet in the eleventh century. Thereafter, until the upheavals of the present century, it thrived not only among Tibetans, but also among their neighbors in the Mongolian regions to the north, as well as in Sikkim, Bhutan, and Nepal and the Himalayan regions to the south and west.
For those who attend the initiation and wish to cultivate a daily practice of meditation based upon it, it is common to begin by performing a method of six-session guru yoga. This typically presents a concise review of the important points of the generation stage yogas of the Klacakra path, within the context of a prayer to the spiritual master and meditation. Practices of this nature are called six-session yogas because they are meant to be recited and contemplated three times during the day and three times at night.
However, we should not limit our practice to this minimal level of endeavor. The six-session yoga provides the basis for our daily meditation in which we should try constantly to expand our familiarity with the practice of Klacakra.
An increasing number of individuals who do not have access to the original Tibetan commentaries are taking interest in this practice. Therefore, it is indeed timely that a book has been prepared containing an explanation of the practice of the Klacakra Six-Session Guru Yoga , based on his own experience, by Gen Lamrimpa Jampal Tenzin. I offer my prayers that it will enable readers to deepen their understanding and appreciation of this sublime teaching of the Buddha.
Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
I t is with a sense of continuing gratitude that we think of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. With sympathy and understanding for our needs he granted the request made by B. Alan Wallace and the Dharma Friendship Foundation and encouraged Venerable Lobsang Jampal Tenzin, Gen Lamrimpa, to travel to Seattle to lead a one-year amatha retreat in 1988. Gen Lamrimpas two-year stay (19871989) was a rich experience for those fortunate ones able to participate. Besides the amatha teachings and retreatwhich is the subject of another book entitled Calming the Mind , edited by Hart Spragerwe received teachings on many quintessential subjects, including the Klacakra Six-Session Guru Yoga , the subject of this book. With great skill, patience, and generosity he imparted his treasure of knowledge and insight. It brought about not only a tremendous enrichment in our lives, but also gave us much food for reflection and meditation in the future.
We were also most fortunate to have the excellent translation skills of B. Alan Wallace. His vast background in the Dharma and excellent knowledge of Tibetan and English made the teachings a truly profound experience.
To reflect Gen Lamrimpas penetrating erudition as well as profound realizations, we attempted to preserve the traditional Tibetan format of teachings he used. There was some minor shifting of introductions to individual classes to fit into the major chapters.
Tibetan words used in the text are spelled to reflect the pronunciation, and the transliteration in parenthesis is in accordance with the Wylie system. Sanskrit words are spelled according to the standard transliteration system.
I would like to express my gratitude to the many individuals who have made contributions to this project.
First I would like to thank Venerable Lobsang Jampal Tenzin, Gen Lamrimpa, for the many hours he gave during his second stay in Seattle in 1993 to go over the text and to clarify aspects that were unclear to me. The kindness and assistance of Tenzin Tsultrim at that time is also gratefully remembered.
My gratitude also goes to T. G. Dhongthog Rinpoche for checking the entire document and making suggestions for improvements.
Thubten Jampa has earned my undying gratitude for his continuing willingness to help over the many years. Special mention should be made of Ivanka Jakic for her untiring efforts and to thank her for requesting the teachings.
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