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File: 8. Day 4 Eight Mayahana Precepts.mp3
UUID: 5e3fdebd-bd00-4b7d-8665-dfb8f6f8ad54
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: z Teachings DTL (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2006 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 36.8 minutes
Words: ~2,689
Gives us such incredible vast opportunity to be a real benefit to ourselves, make our lives incredibly meaningful for ourselves and others. Reaffirm that mind at refuge very strongly right now, the determination to master one’s mind and to totally rely on the triple gem in order to accomplish that. But more than that, to master one’s mind fully realise one’s Buddha nature for the sake of all beings. Think of them all surrounding you right now, your parents on either side, and so on. Strongly feel their presence and how they are trapped in suffering and helpless without a refuge.
So I have to help them. They have helped me in countless ways, life after life. Now I’m in a situation where I can really benefit them, so I’ve got to do this. And doing it is the most beneficial, wonderful thing anyway. By genuinely helping others, this is the very best way, the most accurate, precise way to benefit myself, to be free of suffering and become enlightened to experience peerless, everlasting happiness.
So then think out of great compassion from the dharmakaya state, all the gurus and buddhas manifest in the aspect of the Buddha of compassion, Chenrezig, with a thousand arms. Or one can visualize Śākyamūni Buddha, and you can think that Chenrezig is at his heart. And whichever holy being you visualized as the main object of refuge, think that surrounding that Buddha are countless other Buddhas, bodhisattvas, all the gurus of this life, all the lineage lamas, all the arhats, and so on, the whole field of refuge is there. The guru is Buddha, the guru is Dharma, the guru is Sangha also. The guru is the creator of all happiness.
To all gurus, I go for refuge. To generate the bodhicitta mind very strongly, that intense wish to really give up the self-cherishing thought completely and cherish others totally to the point where one is willing to undergo every practice to achieve enlightenment for their sake, willing to undergo every hardship as we’ve been taught by Geshe-la, such as engaging in the inner most jewels of the Kadampa. To accomplish my own and others’ aims, I generate the mind seeking enlightenment. Seeing this place as a pure like a pure land, a perfect place to invite the Buddhas. And then imagine making countless offerings, And it talks about the Samantabhādra offerings, which means that the great bodhisattva Samantabhādra, when he visualized making offerings to the Buddha, he would, for example, visualize one beautiful object, and then he would imagine from that one object infinite replicas would go out, and then from each of those replicas, infinite more numbers of that same object would fill out and continuously expanding.
So this is the way to make offerings that we try to do, that we visualise incredibly beautiful things. And then from each of those, infinite numbers come out, and from those in more infinite numbers come out, just continuously expanding, filling the whole of space. So with the offering of Vajradhāra flowers, we imagine that this acts as a cause for the Buddhas to receive all these offerings and that they generate incredible bliss in the mind of all the field of refuge. Of course, the beings already have minds of bliss. This is just effective for our mind.
By the power of truth of the Three Jewels, of the blessings of all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, by the power of the great mind of the completed two collections, and of the completely pure, inconceivable sphere of reality, may all these offerings become just So now we invite the wisdom beings to enter what are called the commitment beings, that is Buddhas that we’re visualizing, and we imagine the wisdom beings dissolving into the visualized Buddhas and become oneness with them, and then we should really feel with strong faith that Śākyamūni Buddha, Chenrezig, and so on, they are definitely present here and will grant the ordination to us. Again, we’ll stop at the fourth line of the heavenly prayer. So as we say the words of the matter, it’s important to, as much we can to try to visualise all the beautiful things of the universe, trying to imagine the universe in general, then specifically all the beautiful things. But as it says in the inner Mandala prayer, even all the things that cause aversion, indifference, absolutely everything we visualise and offer it up to Buddhas really wanting. And the main thing is really having that thought.
I I I don’t want to be involved in any way in any of this stuff, either through attachment, aversion, indifference. I want to be completely free of it, like, for my mind believing that any of this is meaningful. It’s actually meaningless. So I offer it up in order for my mind to be free to receive the blessings of the Buddhas. In this case, for my mind to be completely receptive, to be able to take the precepts and keep them purely.
The objects of my attachment, aversion, ignorance, friends, enemies, strangers, and my body, wealth, and enjoyments, Without any sense of loss, I offer this collection. Please accept it with pleasure and bless me with freedom from the three poisons. So it’s very important to generate as strongly as we can right now the bodhicitta motivation for taking the precepts. The whole basis of bodhicitta is having great compassion for sentient beings and that can only arise if we have developed genuine compassion for ourselves, recognising how we are trapped inside of existence. And no matter what pleasure we experience in this life, it it it it doesn’t last.
And and waves of suffering come again and again, sooner or later. Why in cyclic existence we, in fact, never experience a moment of real peace. So this is really terrible, awful. The more we can feel that for ourselves, then we can feel that no matter what the outer appearance or situation or position of any other living being is, they also, if trapped in cyclic existence, are only suffering. And all these beings have been my mother many, many times, I’ve been my father, best friend, teacher.
They’ve saved my life millions of times. They’ve sacrificed their lives for me millions of times. They’ve done every conceivable thing and will continue to do so. In every moment of my life, I’m totally reliant on other living on on all these suffering beings. So now with this precious human rebirth, I’ve got the chance to repay that kindness in a really profound way, not in some superficial short term way, by showing them the path that leads away from every kind of suffering and that leads towards and ends with the experience of the peerless, everlasting happiness and enlightenment.
So to show that path and guide mother sentient beings on it, I have to have accomplished that path myself. So I’ve I’ve got to achieve enlightenment for the sake of all beings. And to achieve enlightenment, I have to purify my mind and and accomplish a vast amount of merit. And a very simple, direct, easy way to do that is to take the eight Mahāyāna precepts and keep them very purely. So that’s what I’m going to do for the sake of all beings, for their ultimate enlightenment, and also for the sake of peace and well-being on the earth just right now.
So with this kind of thought strongly in our mind, we kneel on our right knee with our hands and our hearts, strongly thinking of Chenrezig or the Buddha in front of us. And we take the precepts. All Buddhas and bodhisattvas dwelling in the ten directions, please pay attention to me. Just as the previous Tathagatas, foe destroyers, perfectly completed Buddhas, who, like the divine wish-granting horse and the great elephant, did what had to be done, performed actions, laid down the burden, subsequently attained their own welfare, completely exhausted the fetters to existence and had perfect speech, well liberated minds and well liberated wisdom. For the welfare of all sentient beings in order to benefit, in order to liberate, in order to eliminate famine, in order to eliminate war, in order to stop the harm of the four elements, in order to eliminate sickness, in order to fully complete the thirty seven practices harmonious with enlightenment, and in order to definitely actualize the unsurpassed result of perfect complete enlightenment, perfectly perform the restoring and purifying ordination.
Similarly, also I, who am called, from this time until sunrise tomorrow, for the welfare of all sentient beings, in order to benefit, in order to liberate, to eliminate famine, in order to eliminate war, in order to stop the harm of the four elements, in order to eliminate sickness, in order to fully complete the thirty seven practices harmonious with enlightenment, and in order to definitely actualize the unsurpassed result of perfect complete enlightenment shall perfectly undertake restoring and purifying ordination. All Buddhas and bodhisattvas dwelling in the ten directions, please pay attention to me. Just as the previous Tathagatas, foe destroyers, perfectly completed Buddhas, who like the divine wish-granting horse and the great elephant, did what had to be done, performed actions, laid down the burden, subsequently attained their own welfare, completely exhausted the fetters to existence and had perfect speech, well liberated minds and well liberated wisdom for the welfare of all sentient beings in order to benefit, in order to liberate, in order to eliminate famine, in order to eliminate war, order to stop the harm of the four elements, in order to eliminate sickness, in order to fully complete the thirty seven practices harmonious with enlightenment and in order to definitely actualise the unsurpassed result of perfect complete enlightenment, perfectly perform the restoring and purifying ordination.
Similarly also I, whom called [name], from this time until sunrise tomorrow for the welfare of all sentient beings in order to benefit, in order to liberate, in order to eliminate famine, in order to eliminate war, in order to stop the harm of the four elements, in order to eliminate sickness, in order to fully complete the thirty seven practices harmonious with enlightenment and in order to definitely actualise the unsurpassed result of perfect complete enlightenment shall perfectly undertake restoring and purifying ordination. All Buddhas and bodhisattvas dwelling in the ten directions, please pay attention to me. Just as the previous Tathagatas, foe destroyers, perfectly completed Buddhas, who, like the divine wish-granting horse and the great elephant, did what had to be done, performed actions, laid down the burden, subsequently attained their own welfare, completely exhausted the fetters to existence and had perfect speech, well liberated minds and well liberated wisdom, for the welfare of all sentient beings in order to benefit, in order to liberate, in order to eliminate famine, in order to eliminate war, in order to stop the harm of the four elements, in order to eliminate sickness, in order to fully complete the thirty seven practices harmonious with enlightenment, and in order to definitely actualise the unsurpassed result of perfect complete enlightenment, perfectly perform the restoring and purifying ordination.
Similarly also I, who am called from this time until sunrise tomorrow, for the welfare of all sentient beings, in order to benefit, in order to liberate, in order to eliminate famine, in order to eliminate war, in order to stop the harm of the four elements, in order to eliminate sickness, in order to fully complete the thirty seven practices harmonious with enlightenment, and in order to definitely actualize the unsurpassed result of perfect complete enlightenment shall perfectly undertake restoring and purifying ordination. Just as the foe destroyers of the past have abandoned all misconduct of body, speech, mind, such as taking the lives of others, so I, for the sake of all beings,, abandon for one day these wrong actions, and devote myself to the pure practice of the training. From now on I shall not kill, steal others’ possessions, engage in sexual activity or speak false words. I shall avoid intoxicants from which many mistakes arise. I shall not sit on large, high or expensive beds.
I shall not eat food at the wrong times. I shall avoid singing, dancing and playing music. And I shall not wear perfumes, garlands or ornaments. Just as the Arhats have avoided wrong actions such as taking the lives of others, so shall I avoid wrong actions such as taking the lives of others. May I quickly attain enlightenment and may the living beings who are experiencing the various sufferings be released from the oceans of existence.
May I maintain faultless morality of the rules and immaculate morality. May the perfection of moral conduct be completed by keeping morality purely and undertaken with pride. This is my contribution to the peace and happiness of all sentient beings and in particular to the peace and happiness of all sentient beings of this world. Because of the merits of taking the ordination of keeping the precepts, may I and all sentient beings achieve the two enlightened holy bodies created by the two vast accumulations of merit and transcendental wisdom. May all beings everywhere plagued by sufferings of body and mind obtain the notion of happiness and joy by virtue of my merits.
May the living creature suffer, commit evil, or ever fall ill. May no one be afraid or belittled with the mind weighed down by depression. May the blind see forms and the deaf hear sounds. May those whose bodies are worn with toil be restored on finding repose. May the naked find clothing, the hungry find food.
May the thirsty find water and delicious drinks. May the poor find wealth, those weak with sorrow find joy. May the forlorn find hope, constant happiness, and prosperity. May there be timely rains and bountiful harvests. May all medicines be effective and wholesome prayers bear fruit.
May all who are sick and ill quickly be freed from their ailments. Whatever diseases there are in the world, may they never occur again. The frightened cease to be afraid, and those bound be freed. May the powers find power, and may people think of benefiting each other. You do the long life prayers.
That’s on page twenty of the teaching materials. Maybe some of those, but that’s probably the closest. You who uphold the Sugatas’ moral way, who serve as the bountiful bearer of all, sustaining, preserving, and spreading the glorious victorious doctrine, who masterfully accomplished magnificent prayers honoring the Three Jewels, savior, myself, and others, your disciples. Please, please, live long. And then Geshe-la’s prayer.
Migshe Kyi, I pray to the divine assembly who bestows a beautiful life, to please bestow the siddhi of deathlessness on my root guru whose kindness is without evil, who is vajradharan in body, all the conquerors of the three times. I pray at the feet of my glorious guru who bestows upon fortunate disciples all the stages of the paths of Sūtra and Tantra that forms the essence of the Muni’s teachings and compassionately and fearlessly disseminates the conqueror’s words. May this great guide of migrating beings have long life who possesses all the characteristics of a holy spiritual friend, such as pure in the three vows, undaunted and altruistic, qualities derived through experience from hearing contemplation and meditation. May this great holder of the tradition of teachings have long life who teaches the pure paths of Sūtra and Tantra without contradiction as they are, who protects the internal states of the yogas of method and wisdom of the two stages and beautifies the saffron robe through diligence and practice. May you live long, protector who is held in the lotus petals of pure white Dharma and spreads the teachings of the conqueror with all embracing skill and means to eliminate the darkness of confusion of mother migrating beings by the strength of my pure intention, the truth of the nondeceptive dependent arising of karma and effect and the pure, precious blessings of my Guru.
May the meaning of this prayer be quickly and easily fulfilled.