Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Walking heap by heap through the 37-heap mandala offering, Geshe Pema Tsering gives a step-by-step guide to a practice many students recite without fully grasping. In this 45-minute commentary, he names each heap in order — Mount Meru, the four continents and eight subcontinents, each continent’s four treasures, the seven jewels of the wheel-turning king, and the eight offering goddesses — explaining placement and meaning throughout. He instructs practitioners to visualize the heaps as the substance of a Buddha’s omniscient mind and to recall that the universe being offered is the collective karma of all sentient beings. The story of young Ashoka offering dust thinking it was gold illustrates how intention multiplies merit. A short Q&A covers root of virtue, how anger destroys virtuous seeds, and the three poisons.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 10 LR 2002 02 12.mp3
UUID: 49b0a620-a11e-46e1-95f1-a53252be70a4
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Lam Rim 2002 Bodhisattva Deeds (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002-02-12
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.0 minutes
Words: ~2,935
Grains or the sand, which are jewels and so forth in one’s right hand, and then proceeds to place in the different directions of the mandala the heaps of those substances. Now one also visualizes the merit field, and this is the merit field, for instance, in Lama Chopa and so on, whether they’re very extensive or more abbreviated. But here, these are visualized in front of oneself. So then as one makes progression around the mandala base in a clockwise direction, one begins to recite the words of the mandala offering. And then starting really in an eastern direction, which is the closest to oneself.
So really one first starts with a heap in the center as one recites Ri Rab. And then Shar Lu Phagpo, as one is reciting Shar Lu Phagpo, then one places a mound of grain in the eastern direction from Mount Meru, which is in the center. The eastern direction is the direction closest to oneself on the mandala base. So firstly, one places a mound for Shar Lu Phagpo. Shar means east.
So Lu Phagpo is referring to the region in the eastern direction from Mount Meru. Then as one progresses clockwise around, then to the left of the Mandala base, which is the south, one states Lho Dzambuling. Dzambuling refers to the earth itself where we live, our planet. So one there constructs the planet earth by stating Lho Dzambuling. And then Jang, which means north, the furthest point away from oneself.
Jang Draminyen. And then, sorry. Nub. Nub Balangcho. So Nub Balangcho is referring to the west. So we drop a mound of sand in the west, then Jang, which is north, Jang Draminyen. So that completes the four planets or the four continents surrounding Mount Meru.
And then having completed the continents or the planets in the four cardinal directions, then one starts with the minor directions. So then in the southeast, one has Lu Tang Lo Phag. And then in the southwest, one has Ngayab and Ngayab Shen. Then in the northwest, we have Yodan and Lam Chogdro. And then in the northeast, has Draminyen and Draminyen Gyatab.
So there were two sub planets or continents with each of the four major continents. This actually comes in the mandala offering itself. I think on page number two. So here we’re simply reciting, if everyone has a copy, at the top of page number two. Right.
We’re going through this line by line. Now we finished up the Draminyen Dan Draminyen Gyatab, which is the two subcontinents or sub planets in the north. So as one is reciting here the thirty seven heaps, in which each of the thirty seven, one is placing a heap of grain on the mandala base, a bit like a kyilkhor, I thought, on a circular mandala base. So already we’ve done one two three four, five, six, seven, eight.
Eight of the thirty seven. So then we do the four treasures. And while we do, the four treasures each require a heap of grain. These are the four treasures: Rinchen Gyalpo, Palgyi Lochen, Dorje Yantab, Norbu Bumpa, which are possessed in the four planets or the four continents. So then we have the seven jewels which are offered.
So then having established the the four treasures possessed by the four continents or the four major planets, then we have the the seven jewels, which are also possessed. And these are actually the jewels of the Chakravartin or the wheel turning kings, and these are also represented by placing grain at the at the four cardinal directions and the sub cardinal directions, a little bit inside the previous. And this is where one recites. And then the next section of the thirty seven heaps if we look at the beginning here, see that this is a Mandala offering of the thirty seven heaps. There’s a shorter one which is the twenty three, which includes the thirty seven.
But here, just for heaps because everyone’s got the thirty seven, we’ll just go through the thirty seven. And then the eight goddesses are then signified by a further eight more heaps, which are placed in in a ring inside the previous ring that was offered. So these are then in Tibetan. And then we have Nima, one for the sun, which is placed to the right of the center of the mandala, then Dawa, which is to the left of the center of the mandala, and then Dawa there represents the moon, then Rinchen Duk refers to the parasol, the umbrella that goes at the top. And then finally Choglé Nampar Gyalwé Gyaltsen, which is the thirty seventh heap, which is placed a little bit nearer to oneself from the very center.
So Also, Mount Meru, which is at the center of the Mandala, which is the first heap that is placed there. So that’s the traditional base of the mandala offering that is made. It’s circular. This one’s made out of silver with jewels with some semi precious stones. And then there’s different rings that are placed on top.
And then one places in here the heaps of the thirty seven heaps go into these different rings as one builds it up and completes the thirty seven heaps which represent the entire universe, and then one offers the entire universe. So as one is building up mandala on the base, then initially one places the first tip for Mount Meru, which is in the center of the universe. And that is a mountain really composed of seven types of jewels and precious objects such as gold and silver and so on. And outside of Mount Meru, facing oneself is the eastern direction. And in that direction we have Shar Lu Phagpo.
Then to our left is the south, which is Lho Dzambuling, which is our earth in the south. Then in the west, there is Nub Balangcho in the west, and Jang Draminyen in the north. Each of these are a different color. In the east, the planet there is of a white color. In the south, it is blue.
That is the Earth. And the blueness of the Earth represents the fact that the southern face of Mount Meru is composed mainly of lapis lazuli, which is of a blue color. And when the sun shines on that, the hue of that blue is reflected in the blue of our sky and so forth, turning it a blue color. Then in the west, it’s red in color.
The planet there, Nub Balangcho, is red in color. And Jang Draminyen is yellow in color. So these different colors represent the reflection of the jewels in Mount Meru on that particular side. Each of these four continents possesses four treasures. So these four treasures are possessed by the four planets.
So for instance, in the eastern continent of Shar Lu Phagpo, we have the precious mountain. And then in the Zambo Ling, we have the the field of the well, the fertile field. And in the west, we have like, the precious cow that produces limitlessly. And in the north, we have the harvest, which is reaped without effort. So these treasures are said to have been possessed in the four planets or the four continents.
So this unplowed harvest refers to a type of harvest that simply naturally grows and matures by itself. It doesn’t require any farm work of getting the harvester out or getting the sower out and the tractor and so forth. It simply grows naturally and is harvested naturally without any effort whatsoever. So then also the next eight heaps which are mentioned in the thirty seven heap mandala offering are Khorlo Rinpoche, Norbu Rinpoche, Tsemo Rinpoche, Longbu Rinpoche, and so on, all of these refer to the particular attributes of a wheel turning king and what is possessed by a wheel turning king.
So that refers to the precious wheel. The first, the Khorlo Rinpoche, is the precious wheel. The wheel by which the wheel turning king controls the four planets or the four continents. Then we have the precious jewel, which is a jewel possessed by that king endowed with marvelous properties and so on. And the third is the precious queen, Tsemo Rinpoche.
And then we have Longbu Rinpoche, which is the precious minister. So then it also includes the fifth precious attribute of the wheel turning king, which is the precious elephant. Then the sixth is the precious horse, and then the precious general. So then also we have the precious horse, Tarak Rinpoche is the precious horse, etcetera. Then we have the precious general, Makpon Rinpoche, and then the precious vase of inexhaustible wealth, Terkhen Norbu Bumpa. All of these, these eight precious attributes or possessions of the wheel turning king, one places in heaps in a clockwise direction inside the previous eight heaps that one made, inside the previous four.
First, there were eight, then four, now there’s another eight in a clockwise direction. And it’s best if one can visualize all of these clearly as one is doing it. But for us beginners, it’s very difficult to do this. As long as one in the offering of the mandala has the sense that they’re there, even though they may not appear to us in our visualization, then that’s sufficient. So here there are various substances that are visualized.
One has the actual grains of rice with some jewels or gems mixed in. One is offering these in heaps. These represent the actual Mount Meru plus the planets plus the treasures of the four major planets plus the eight possessions, the treasured possessions of the wheel turning king and so forth. It’s if one is able to visualize them as one is making their heaps, then that’s good. Also, is beneficial to do is to visualize that all of these objects that one is offering is of the very essence itself of the primordial awareness of a Buddha.
In fact, there is a very substance of the omniscient mind of a Buddha, and one is offering that mental, that omniscient mind, which is manifesting as these objects to be offered to the merit field. So not only the the actual mandala that one constructs on top of the mandala base, but then one along with this is offering all the pure realms as well, such as the realm of Sukhāvati and all the other various pure realms that exist within the universe along with the one that one is offering. Everything that’s pure and worthy of offering, one is offering along with one’s mandala. So there’s great benefit in making the offering in this way. Also, the by reciting this the brief mandala, which is the words on page number four, the very top, called the Ashtamandala.
But often the Ashtamandala, which is these words, that one verse has four lines there in Tibetan, That also represents all the entire offering that occurred on the previous page. So as one is reciting those four lines there, one can visualize that one is building up all the thirty seven heaps of the extensive mandala and offering that at the same time. Even though the words are condensed, one can generate the full visualization on the basis of those. So within one also, in offering the mandala, which is a representation of the universe, which is the universe that is fabricated by the actions of all sentient beings, then one is also recalling this as one is offering the mandala and the fact that one is collecting merit also for all sentient beings in the process. So therefore remembering that everyone has had a hand in building the universe, in fact it’s the collective karma of all sentient beings which establishes the universe at present.
When one is offering the mandala to the merit field, then one also reflects that we’re all offering this together, all sentient beings. It’s a product of all our virtuous action. And one offers in that way as a common offering all sentient beings. And it’s also good that one reflects that there’s not just one Earth. There is, in fact, one billion Earth systems.
So that as one is offering this one mandala, since it reflects the actual external universe, it also represents all billion planetary systems and so on. So one is offering all of these together with the mandala. So to the extent that one is able to increase and multiply one’s offerings, to that extent, one is able to generate greater and greater merit. So the more one is able to visualize, the finer, the greater, and so on, the better. Also, it’s stated that in India, there was a king who lived after the Buddha by the name of Priyadarshi Ashoka.
And Ashoka was this great king in India who constructed many stupas and so forth. But the actions that generated his rebirth in India as a great king was that previously, not at the time of Śākyamūni Buddha, nor the time of Kāśyapa, who is the third Buddha of this eon, but at the time of the second Buddha of this eon, whose name was Kanakamuni, one day when Buddha Kanakamuni was walking along with his arms full, Ashoka in that lifetime as a young child, he picked up a handful of dust from the road. And thinking that it was gold, he placed it in the offering bowl, the begging bowl of Kanakamuni. And the merit of simply offering that handful of dust, placing it in the bowl, but thinking that it was gold, was to take rebirth in the future as this great king Ashoka in India. So therefore, when we offer, we should make very extensive offerings, multiply what is in front of us, increase its value, make it more precious, and so on.
As much as possible, we should increase in number and quality and so forth the offering we have in front of us. And by doing that, then we the merit or the benefit of the offering increases similarly. Therefore, one makes the offering initially reciting the verses of refuge and bodhicitta, and even a short mandala, and then offering whatever one has in terms of all of various precious objects such as flowers and so forth, reciting the mandala offering, the short single verse is okay, but visualizing very extensively the offerings that are to be made. And once it progresses in this way, again and again making offerings. Any doubts that arise in terms of the practice?
So if anyone has any doubts, then feel free to raise one’s hand. Here, the use of the yeah. The use of the cow pat is something that goes back into Indian tradition and the veneration they have for the cow and the five substances of the cow. And at the time of the Buddha, these substances such as the cow pats and the urine and so forth, the milk, used were a sign of purity, and they were used to purify. And in fact, you know, they can be rubbed on the walls of houses or on the floors, you know, like in order to what?
Disinfect. They’re used as a disinfectant. It does have disinfectant quality. So at the time of the Buddha, this is how it was used. So here’s recommended because of that.
No. Of course, we don’t have to use. We can visualize that we use it if we need always want to. At the time of the Buddha, it was used in that regard, and so it’s mentioned in the text because of that. And one can visualize it in that way without, you know, having to actually get a cow pat and put it on the table and Sorry?
[unintelligible] Sorry, sir. Sorry. Sorry. I didn’t quite get it.
In general, here root is a term that indicates cause. So it’s a cause here root of virtue is signifying that it is a cause. Virtue itself is a cause. It gives rise to the result of happiness. So something like anger has the capacity to destroy the causal virtue and therefore destroys the potential for virtue to give rise to a result.
So in fact, when one commits a virtuous action, the the virtue itself, that virtuous action is imprinted on the mental continuum as a latency or like a seed. And that seed will remain there for indefinitely, consider it for a very long period. But anger itself has the potency to even destroy those seeds that exist within the mental continuum. Or if it’s not, it can be strong enough to even do that so that those seeds bear no result, or it can have the capacity to lessen the strength of the result that those seeds can produce. So therefore it’s stated that we should purify anger.
We should completely eradicate anger and prevent it from harming the seeds of virtue that exist. The three poisons are really attachment, anger, and ignorance. Delusion. They called the three poisons because they just simply produce contaminated results. So they’re like a poison in that regard.
Sorry. Yes, sir. Oh, no. Oh, it depends on what this is a translation from the Tibetan. Mandala offering and mandala request to request a mandala, by the sound of it.
Either to as a way of generating merit or requesting some something, like a like in a tenshug or long life puja, or a mandala offering of that sort. Something like that. Yeah.