This guru yoga of Marpa, Milarepa, and Gampopa (གསང་ཆེན་མྱུར་ལམ།) is written by Lama Tashi Norbu of Kyabche Monastery in Kham. The inscription ritual (མར་མི་དྭགས་གསུམ་གྱི་བླ་སྒྲུབ་བྱང་ཆོག །) that can be added to it is a very skillful means as it is easy to practice and of great benefit but little danger. For us Kagyupas, devotion is the all-sufficient virtue. If one has genuine devotion to a true guru, based on this alone, blessings will enter one’s being, and one will be capable of leading the deceased along path.

In general, one doesn’t need to receive an empowerment to supplicate a guru. However, since this guru yoga of Marpa, Milarepa, and Gampopa is a ritual practice of the Secret Mantrayana, it would be very good to receive an initiation. Since the inscription ritual for the guru yoga is part of the Sutra tradition, even one who has not done approach and accomplishment practices is permitted to do it. But there is a need for devotion to a guru; performing an inscription ritual without that would be no more than child’s play.