The Lama Is the Dharma

When you have an authentic Lama there is no need to bring in or add the Dharma as something extra, because the Lama’s own way of thinking is the Dharma.

To think that the Dharma we want to learn is separate from the Lama – that the Lama is teaching us the Dharma, and we are learning the Dharma – may hinder our understanding, especially when it comes to teachings such as the Great Seal (Mahamudra). This is something we need to know.

Let’s say, for example, I am a Lama who teaches the Great Seal, you think that the Great Seal is something separate from me as the Lama, and that I am going to introduce you to it as if introducing you to a new person. There is no way that could work. Because as long as you see the Dharma and the individual as being separate, you will always remain separate from the Great Seal.

But it is not like that. A Lama who can teach the Great Seal is someone who has recognised their own mind, gained experience of it, and realised it. When they teach you, they are teaching their own mind so that you can understand your own mind. It is not about a Great Seal text, such as Mahamudra: The Ocean of the Definite Meaning, nor something you need to keep in mind. Essentially, you are introduced to your own mind. If you have to memorise your understanding of the Great Seal, it will forever remain separate from you. But that’s not the way of it, in truth. The Great Seal is taught to be your own mind. When you know your mind, that’s what is meant by recognising the Great Seal.

So, the Lama is the Dharma, and the Dharma is the Lama. This is why faith is so precious and crucial. Only when we regard everything the Lama says to be valid, can we be influenced by them, receive their blessings, and come to understand what they have understood.

13th July 2024, Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Centre, Nepal