My most dear one,
Yes, I heard that sometimes you think that the buddhas are maybe not true or something.

So it’s like this, after actualizing bodhicitta, after realizing the guru is a buddha, with that realization, correctly following [the guru] with thought and action, then having the realization of renunciation, then bodhicitta and the realization of emptiness. Anyway, on the basis of these realizations; generally, it’s not that category, and the realization of emptiness can happen before or after bodhicitta.

However, after we actualize bodhicitta, then we enter the five Mahayana paths to enlightenment. There is the Mahayana path of merit, then the path of preparation, the right-seeing path, the path of meditation and the path of the unification of no more learning. So there are five paths to achieve enlightenment.

The path of merit has three levels: the small path of merit, the middle path of merit and the great path of merit. The great path of merit is called the concentration of the continual Dharma. So when we actualize the great path of merit, continual Dharma, at that time, the gross obscurations are purified, not completely, but they are purified. So at that time wherever we are—it doesn’t have to be in the gompa or altar or shrine room, wherever we are; even if we’re in the bathroom or even if we’re outside, wherever we are—we will just see numberless buddhas in nirmanakaya aspect. Just as the Buddha appeared to general people in India, with the thirty-two signs and eighty holy exemplifications, we will see all the buddhas appearing to us in that way, because our mind is purified.

And then we continue with the meditation and actualize the path, so the right-seeing path. At that time, we have the wisdom directly seeing emptiness, ultimate nature, not only of the I, but of existent things—form, sound, smell, taste, tangible objects, so forth.

At that time we see the buddhas in sambhogakaya aspect, the higher aspect, which has five definites or certainties. These five certainties include only giving Mahayana teachings, only teaching Mahayana disciples and existing until samsara ends. I don’t remember the others, but there are five definites.

Then, we still develop our mind in the path to enlightenment, so then we achieve the path of meditation and then the path of no more learning. After we achieve that, then we achieve the unification of the holy body and holy mind, the dharmakaya and rupakaya of the Buddha.

That is the time when we achieve the guru, so at that time we achieve all the buddhas. It’s not that we achieve numberless different aspects of Buddha—we achieve this buddha, but not that buddha—it is not like that. That’s why all the buddhas are one in essence.

That is the guru, what we meditate on. So at that time we become one with all the buddhas.

It is said in The Essential Nectar that until we are separated from our evil karma, our obscurations, even if all the buddhas appeared in front of us directly, we would have no fortune to see the adorned holy signs and exemplifications. That means appearing in the aspect of a buddha. What is left is the present appearance, which is ordinary. So what it is saying is that because our mind is obscured, that is why we don’t see a buddha in the aspect of a buddha, pure form.

So, because Buddha can benefit us, he only manifests in ordinary form. We can’t see a buddha’s pure form, because our ordinary mind is so obscured. For example, because our mind is so obscured, the only way His Holiness the Dalai Lama and many of the great lamas or gurus can guide us is by manifesting in ordinary form.

The definition of ordinary is having the root of samsara, ignorance, holding the I as real, while it’s not. The I exists in mere name on the aggregates, the base to be labeled, so the mind focuses on that, and that mind merely imputes “I.” So that’s all the I is. It’s nothing more than that.

Even slightly more than that is a hallucination, and what we discover or realize is that it’s a hallucination. That wrong concept is ignorance, the root of samsara, the root of our samsara, of the whole entire suffering of hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, human beings, suras, asuras and intermediate state beings. So we discover or we recognize that ignorance is the wrong concept.

So [the guru] doesn’t have that, but shows the aspect of having that. [The guru] doesn’t have the self-cherishing thought but shows the aspect of having that. [The guru] doesn’t have ignorance, anger or attachment, but shows the aspect of having that, and making mistakes in their actions.

With much love and prayers ...