Affiliated with the FPMT

Lama, think of me.
Lama, think of me.
Lama, think of me.

The wisdom of great bliss of all buddhas, one taste with the dharmakaya, is itself the ultimate nature of all kind lamas. I beseech you, Lama, dharmakaya, please look after me always without separation, in this life, future lives, and the bardo.

Wisdom’s own illusory appearance, the conqueror with seven branches, is itself the ultimate basis of emanation of all kind lamas. I beseech you, Lama, sambhogakaya, please look after me always without separation, in this life, future lives, and the bardo.

The play of various emanations, suiting the dispositions of the many to be subdued, is itself the behavior of the sambhogakaya of the kind lamas. I beseech you, Lama, nirmanakaya, please look after me always without separation, in this life, future lives, and the bardo.

The play of the inseparable three kayas, appearing in the form of the lama, is itself one with the very essence of all kind lamas. I beseech you, Lama, the inseparable three kayas, please look after me always without separation, in this life, future lives, and the bardo.

All the infinite peaceful and wrathful yidams are also the lama’s nature, and since no yidam exists apart from the kind lama himself, I beseech you, Lama, who comprises all yidams, please look after me always without separation, in this life, future lives, and the bardo.

The ordinary form of all buddhas arises in the aspect of the lama, therefore no buddhas are observed apart from the kind lama himself. I beseech you, Lama, who comprises all buddhas, please look after me always without separation, in this life, future lives, and the bardo.

The very form of all conquerors’ wisdom, compassion, and power arises as the lama, therefore the supreme arya lords of the three families are also the kind lama himself. I beseech you, Lama, who combines three families in one, please look after me always without separation, in this life, future lives, and the bardo.

The hundred, five, and three families, however many elaborated, are the lama. The pervasive master himself in whom they are all included is also the lama. I beseech you, Lama, as master of all the families, please look after me always without separation, in this life, future lives, and the bardo.

The creator of all buddhas, Dharma, and Sangha is the lama. The one who combines all three refuges is the kind lama himself. I beseech you, Lama, whose presence combines all refuges, please look after me always without separation, in this life, future lives, and the bardo.

Thinking of how the actual form of all buddhas arises in the aspect of the lama and mercifully looks after me – reminds me of you, Lama.

Thinking of how you show the excellent unmistaken path to me, an unfortunate wretched being, abandoned by all the buddhas – reminds me of you, Lama.

Thinking of this excellent body, highly meaningful and difficult to obtain, and wishing to take its essence with unerring choice between gain and loss, happiness and suffering – reminds me of you, Lama.

Thinking of the experience of not knowing what to do when the great fear of death suddenly descends upon me – reminds me of you, Lama.

Thinking of the experience of just now suddenly separating from all the perfections of this life, and going on alone – reminds me of you, Lama.

Thinking of the experience of my naked body falling into the terrifying fires of hell and being unable to bear it – reminds me of you, Lama.

Thinking of how the suffering of hunger and thirst, without a drop of water, is directly experienced in the unfortunate preta realm – reminds me of you, Lama.

Thinking of how very repulsive and wretched it is to become a foolish stupid animal and what it would be like to experience it myself – reminds me of you, Lama.

Thinking of a refuge to protect me from this, since I am now about to fall into the wretched states of bad migration – reminds me of you, Lama.

Thinking of how white and black actions are experienced and of how to practice thorough and precise engagement and restraint – reminds me of you, Lama.

Thinking of a method to escape this prison of endless existences, the source of all suffering – reminds me of you, Lama.

Thinking of the plight of my pitiful old mothers, pervasive as space, fallen amidst the fearful ocean of samsara and tormented there – reminds me of you, Lama.

Therefore, Lama, please bless me to generate in my mental continuum effortless experience of the profound three principles of the path and the two stages.

Please bless me to strive in one-pointed practice of the three trainings with the intense thought of renunciation, in order to reach the secure state of liberation.

Please bless me to train in the precious supreme bodhichitta with the special attitude taking responsibility to liberate all migrators by myself alone.

Please bless me to follow after the ocean of conquerors with the will to cross to the very end of the great waves of deeds of the conquerors’ children.

Please bless me to realize the supreme view, free of extremes, in which emptiness and dependent arising, appearance and emptiness, complement each other.

Please bless me quickly to generate the experience of taking the three kayas into the path, ripening the bases of birth, death, and bardo.

Please bless me to arise as the illusory divine body itself, the play of the four joys and four emptinesses when the wind and mind absorb in the central channel.

Please bless me to meet the ultimate lama – the bare face of my innate mind with the covering of perception (of true existence) and perceiving (it as true) removed.

Please bless me to be one with your three secrets, Lama, in the vast dharmakaya of great bliss, which has exhausted the elaborations of the two obscurations.

In short, please abide inseparably in the center of my heart until the great enlightenment, and mercifully bless me, the child, to follow after you, the father.

Lama, think of me.
Lama, think of me.
Lama, think of me.

Calling the Lama From Afar
Abbreviated Version

Lama, think of me!
Lama, think of me!
Lama, think of me!

Magnificently glorious guru, dispelling the darkness of ignorance;
Magnificently glorious guru, revealing the path of liberation;
Magnificently glorious guru, liberating from the waters of samsara;
Magnificently glorious guru, eliminating the diseases of the five poisons;
Magnificently glorious guru who is the wish-granting jewel;
I beseech you:
Please grant me blessings to remember impermanence and death from my heart
And to generate the thought of no-need in my mind.

Magnificently glorious guru, please bless me to abide one-pointedly in practice in isolated places, not having any hindrances to my practice.
Magnificently glorious guru, please bless me so that all bad conditions appear encouraging.
Magnificently glorious guru, please bless me to accomplish effortlessly the two works of self and others.
Magnificently glorious guru, please bless me soon, very soon.
Please grant me blessings on this very cushion.
Please grant me blessings in this very session.

After reciting these verses, recite any requesting prayers to your own guru that you wish.

May I not arise heresy even for a second
In the actions of the glorious guru.
May I regard whatever actions are done as pure.
[With this devotion] may I receive the blessings of the guru in my heart.

Then recite the following verse and meditate on the guru entering your heart.

Magnificent and precious root guru,
Please abide on the lotus and moon seat at my heart.
Guide me with your great kindness,
And grant me the realizations of your holy body, speech, and mind.

Colophon for the short version: Author unknown. Translated by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in 1985. Transcribed and edited by Ven. Thubten Dondrub. The two final verses following the main prayer were also translated by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Lightly edited by Ven. Constance Miller, FPMT Education Department, January 1999.