Okay, thank you. So, no doubt that we have, each and every one of us here, actualized precious human rebirth, which has all the freedoms and endowments to actualize the greatest potential of our mind, which is to actualize the omniscient Buddha’s mind. In order to do that, then to actualize the bodhicitta, one of the greatest aspirational attitudes, which we are capable, absolutely capable to realize it. So, therefore, with the motivation, as what His Holiness the Dalai Lama composed here at the end of the text that yesterday we used, the Prayer to Generate Bodhicitta, it said, With the wish to free all beings, I shall always go for refuge to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha until I reach full enlightenment. So, for the purpose of actualizing a state of full enlightenment within yourself, which is solely dedicated to benefit numberless sentient beings actualizing full enlightenment in each and every single sentient being.
For that purpose, then I will go for refuge under Buddhadharma Sangha. So, therefore, today, before granting the bodhisattva vow, then there will be a granting of refuge, a refuge vow. Those of you who already have refuge, then you can refresh if you like to. And those who are taking it first time, then yes, you will be receiving refuge while you’re on the first time. And the purpose of taking refuge should be for the benefit of numberless sentient beings.
So this refuge will be granted based on the Mahāyāna context, So the Mahāyāna refuge is an uncommon refuge. The refuge is very much dedicated to actualize the state of full enlightenment for the benefit of numberless sentient beings, which is very much inspired by wisdom and compassion. Today in the buddha’s present I generate the mind of full awakening for the benefit of all sentient beings. So having this good person, good human being’s mental attitude, which is very much in the manner of kindness, love, compassion, and that is very obvious to know that you have those qualities. Because of that, you have your family, you have your partner, you have your children, and you have your community.
If you don’t have any such mental state, the most shared, the potential of altruism, then we will be no different than the rock. And not only that, because of that, we are inspired to become Buddha for the sentient beings. Not only that, it is supported by the wisdom, such as the understanding the interconnectivity of self and others, the interconnectivity of self and all the rest of the other sentient beings, as a loving parent and child. Of the interdependent nature, even in the conventional aspect, self and others, then in the absolute nature, every single being lies in the same taste of the dharmakaya. So therefore, the resultant state of dharmakaya, the Buddhahood is definitely possible.
Inspired by the wisdom and compassion, then in the presence of Buddhas and bodhisattvas, I’m going to take the vow of awakening mind, the vow of bodhisattva, bodhisattva, like that. So simply feel the presence of the ten direction Buddha Buddhas and bodhisattvas right here, right there with us. Especially the Buddha’s replicas, such as the statues that you see, not just a material statue, you just regard that they are living presence of Buddha themselves, the receiving of refuge and Buddhist vows. The main purpose is, as long as the space remains, as long as sentient beings remain, until then may I too remain, and dispel the misery of the world, dispel the misery of the sentient beings. So that is the purpose of why all of us are here.
That is the purpose of why you want to become Buddha. That is the purpose of why you want to cultivate bodhicitta. That is the purpose of why you are taking bodhisattva, and that is the purpose of why you are taking Mahāyāna refuge in Buddhadharma Sangha. And that is the purpose of precious human rebirth, and that is the purpose of life. So this is our motivation.
Now, we had a quite elaborate discussion yesterday, and I will just go through this ceremony. So just keep that in mind, then I will do some preliminary practice, preliminary prayers so that involve pacifying, purifying the place, purifying our own self. Then invoking, even though yes, ten direction Buddhas and bodhisattvas are there, but again, for the gesture of respect, then again send the invitations to all the ten direction Buddhas and bodhisattvas to recite here, then the invocation prayers. Then after that, make extensive seven limb offerings, and the cloud of Samantabhādra’s offerings to the ten direction Buddhas and bodhisattvas. Then consecrate all the holy objects here, consecrate the shrine, and consecrate ourselves to actualize this holy object in the actual blessing of the Buddha themselves and display the actual mention of the Buddha’s bodhisattvas.
And ourselves is like registering ourselves to be it’s like getting a birth certificate to be within the family of buddhas, within the family of Buddha bodhisattvas. Even though taking bodhisattva vows itself is the one getting birth certificate, to become a child of the Buddha, consecration is kind of blessing ourselves to actualize among the pure ones, among the Buddhas, among the Buddhas and bodhisattvas. Then after that, we’ll do the ceremony of refuge, then after that, ceremony of granting the aspirational bodhisattva vows, then after that we’ll do the granting of the engaging bodhisattva vows. So there are a few traditions, a few ways, an extensive ritual of ceremony to grant the Buddhist vows, which is very much according to the Lamrim Chenmo. So that’s very elaborate.
There’s a medium which is normally widely conducted based on that, which is based on Lama Atisha’s. Based on Lama Atisha’s way of offering the vows, which is offer Mahāyāna refuge, then aspiration of bodhisattva vow and engaging bodhisattva vow offer separately, by one. So, today here I will follow Lama Atisha’s way of offering this Buddhist vows. So I myself, of course, day to day, try to remind, at least try to take at least twice in the morning and before going to bed. So it has been like that since quite a long time, and received Buddhist vows, like many of you also, and many rounds from His Holiness the Dalai Lama during different initiations and during different teaching occasions.
His Holiness most likely offered the bodhisattva vows. Then, of course, I also received from Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, my late guru, Geshe Lama Konchog, and Kyabje Denma Locho Rinpoche, Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, also from other traditions, Sakya tradition, Sakya Trizin Rinpoche, like that. And also, it’s not just one time, but many, many rounds, so like that. So, there’s no realization, but then at least there’s a consistent pursuing. There may be a lot of transgressions, but then every day try your best to restore it by at least reminding in the morning, reminding at the end of the day.
But then those lineage gurus, no doubt all of them are enlightened beings, so therefore those of you who are receiving this, no doubt that you will definitely receive blessings from those lineage gurus, so I’m just a bridge for you to them. So knowing this, then just feel rejoiced, how fortunate to have this karma or this courage to receive the bodhisattva vow, in particular, the bodhisattva vow. How fortunate to have this merit. It requires immense, immense merit just to meet the Mahāyāna Dharma, and it requires even more merit to be able to aspire to, adopt the bodhisattva’s attitude in our heart by taking the vows. So during taking the vows, in those who are not ready to take the engaging Buddhist vows, then it’s all right.
Just take the aspirational bodhisattva vows. Aspirational bodhisattva vows is very much you’re committing to always reminded that attitude, at least in a motivational level in everyday to day life, at least in a motivational level that I will engage in the deeds with the intention of altruism, and taking that promise is very much an aspiration bodhisattva vow. You’re taking the aspirational bodhisattva vow. Then engaging bodhisattva is, on top of that, trying your best, as I mentioned yesterday, trying your best to remain your day to day activities within the practice of the six paramitas, so within the boundary of the six paramitas. Whether you can remember each and every one of these eighteen root vows and forty six secondary vows or not, but at least whatever you do, try to relate to the practice of six paramitas.
So that is very much making yourself stay engaged with the bodhisattva conduct, and you are promising to do that, and that is the taking of the engaging bodhisattva vows As for those who are taking first time refuge, then your refuge here today is not just to purify the saṃsāra and to actualize liberation, but here you want to purify the saṃsāra of self and the rest of the other sentient beings, and to actualize the highest state of liberation, full enlightenment for that purpose, and going under the refuge of Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. Buddha, of course, is commonly explained during the common refuge ceremony, and the Dharma is the same. The Sangha here is referring to ārya bodhisattvas. In the common, it’s the ārya beings, but the uncommon Mahāyāna refuge, then the Sangha here referring to the ārya bodhisattvas. So while I’m doing short prayers, you just try to remind yourself of whatever thing that makes you inspired.
Feel very inspired in your heart. Feel fortunate in your heart, and try to do some meditation in that. So, now to receive the refuge vow, then do mandala offering. So, those who are receiving refuge, then do three prostrations. Three prostrations, so you stand up, and three prostrations to the Buddhas, prostrations to Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha.
And those inconvenient to do the prostrations, you can just put the palms together like that. Okay, so now you do three prostrations to the refuge master. So you do three rounds. So, then you stay kneel down. Put your right knee on the floor, left knee up, then put your palm together in the prostration gesture.
Your two thumbs put inside your palm, regarded as a wish granting jewel, respectfully to the tendering Buddha bodhisattvas, and also to the refuge master, in order for you to receive the refuge vow. For that, you need to repeat the precept verses three times. What you’re going to recite is saying, Preceptor, please pay attention to me. I will remind you to say your own name. From this time on and for the rest of my life, I go for refuge to the Buddha, the supreme among humans.
I go for refuge to the Dharma, the supreme among those free from attachment. And I go for refuge to the Sangha, the supreme among the assemblies. So that is the meaning of what you are saying, what you are repeating. So you repeat after me. Then when I say tab yin no, then you just say lexo.
Tab yin no means as if you got it, then you just say, Yes, I got it. I understood, and I’m pledging here to be under the refuge of the Buddhadharma Sangha. So then you say legso as the answer. Tabino. Legso.
So then you stand up and do three prostrations. So then, in order to take the inspiration of the bodhisattva vow, then you do three prostrations to the buddhas and bodhisattvas. You feel the presence of the Bodhisattvas in front of you, and make three prostrations in order to receive the inspiration of Bodhisattva vows. So, similar way, you kneel down. So what we are repeating is very much this meaning.
O Buddha, bodhisattvas and gurus, please listen to what I say now from the depth of my heart. Just as all the buddhas of past have developed the thought of enlightenment through bodhicitta, then practice in stages of graded development following the training of all the Buddha’s children. So may I too, for the sake of all beings, develop the bodhicitta and follow the training exactly as all bodhisattvas have done, at least on an intentional level. Is what it means. Repeat after me: Then, same thing, when I say tabino, from the depth of your heart, that I have committed, I have received the inspiration of bodhisattvas, and I’m committed to always staying alive of that spirit in your heart.
Tabino. Legso.. When I say tabino, you just say Lexo. Tabino Lexo. Okay. So then now, do three prostrations.
Okay, so you just stand up like that, you just repeat this. So now, this completes taking the aspiration bodhisattva vow. Now, you do three prostrations, then again kneel down to take the engaging bodhisattva vow. So the meaning is similar. The only addition is similar to the earlier one.
The only addition is that with the intention of Bodhicitta staying alive in your heart, then whatever is in your best ability, you’re going to engage in the practice of six paramitas and the four ways of gathering sentient beings, like always try to speak pleasant, speak kind, always be helpful, generous, and always be the cause of sentient beings’ happiness and causes to eliminate their suffering in one’s best ability. Basically, it’s committing from this very moment onward that I will try my best to do that. Then please repeat this again. So this is the first repetition. So at the end of the third repetition, you feel that by that moment, Mahāyāna refuge, Mahāyāna aspiration of bodhisattva, Mahāyāna engaging bodhisattva, is completely established within your mental continuum.
Then after that, would say, Tabino, you just reply with a legso. Now, do three prostrations. So now you have received all the necessary vows here: refuge, aspirational and engaging bodhisattva vows. Then please kindly be seated. So by the accumulation of vast merit of the past and the present, one has the opportunity to receive, one has the merit to have the bodhisattva vow, have the bodhisattva’s attitude.
So therefore, is absolutely the essence of the precious human rebirth. Therefore, at this very moment onwards, one should recognise that one becomes within the family of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas. Since one becomes within the family of the buddhas and bodhisattvas, then one should, from this very moment onward, perform the deeds of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas in your best ability. So whenever there is the impact of ordinariness, worldliness and those past karmic imprints, if any negativity is performed, then instantly, immediately try to purify it. Then, even if it does degrade any of these eighteen root vows and forty six secondary vows, or one tends to even happen to breach due to some certain circumstances, having to let go of bodhisattva attitude, commitment that you have taken, without delaying trying to retake the vows and trying to restore the vows.
Therefore, it is absolutely auspicious to happen this in your life, in this place, in this world, in this country, in this particular place, people inspire to follow the footsteps of the past Buddhas and bodhisattvas. And that itself is the greatest reason to be rejoiced by all the ten direction Buddhas and bodhisattvas and dharmapalas, and humans and non humans, absolutely those who know this definitely will rejoice. So therefore, now yourself also rejoices to all the past, present, future, merit of the past, present, future Buddhas and bodhisattvas and gurus, and at the same time, rejoice in your own past merit and present a huge accumulation of merit of taking this precept vow. And also, feel happy, feel rejoice from this very moment on, the rest of your life, without any doubt, knowingly or unknowingly, from this very moment onward, there’s a consistent accumulation of merit. As mentioned yesterday, just actualizing for one moment of bodhicitta, attitude, then that just continues to multiply, continues to turn out every single action of one’s body, speech and mind, every single existence of one’s body, speech and mind, turns into virtue.
It becomes a cause to benefit itself, and it brings up full enlightenment. Even if you forget to remember Bodhicitta before going to bed, the entire sleeping time becomes a cause for enlightenment. So it’s an abundance of great virtues that’s going to accumulate. So therefore, feel rejoice, recognise that and feel rejoice. There is conventionally, there’s so much worldly responsibility out there, life is so fragile, precious human rebirths are so rare.
Obtaining this dharma, this virtue, just obtaining this is already making the rest of your future existence into the greatest virtue. How marvelous it is. How great it is. So that itself is so secure, it feels so comforting. So feels the joy.
Now we dedicate the merit. So we dedicate the merit again in Bodhicitta, with the four line prayers of Bodhicitta. Then also dedicate in the emptiness, The four lines of Bodhicitta, the same prayer, but only change changchub sem ju, then you change into tong pa nyi, emptiness. Then also dedicate in the unification of generation and completion stage. Same four line prayer, the only thing that needs to change is rim nyi tawa.
So tong pa nyi means emptiness, rim nyi means generation and completion stage. So that whatever merit that we just accumulated, vast merit, becomes a cause for us to accomplish the entire path in the sūtra and tantra within this very precious human rebirth. Right now, is no transgression of this vow, so it’s so fresh. While having a pure vow, whatever prayer you make, whatever aspiration you make, it saying that you’re going to be a very intense prayer, very intense aspiration, very intense wish, very powerful aspiration. So that it can be so beneficial to actualise one’s wishes.
So therefore, here you can also make dedications and prayers and aspirations, whatever you wish to. And of course, it has to be conjoined with the bodhicitta aspiration. Then you make an aspiration for good health, long life and virtues of your family members, the successful long life of yourself, your family members, and whoever you wish to dedicate. May that be the cause of full enlightenment for the benefit of the number of sentient beings. Here, we dedicate for the long life and the good health of all our gurus, who are the source of happiness, source of enlightenment, such as the Dalai Lama, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, for them to have good health and long life.
Then all the other gurus and teachers, whoever inspires you. And also dedicate Buddhadharma, in particular the Mahāyāna Dharma, to remain in a long time, may all sentient beings ripen their karma to actualize those Dharma and actualize the ultimate liberation. And also dedicate to purify sentient beings’ karma, to those karma that bring great destruction, such as natural disasters, different types of sicknesses, wars, etc. May all those collective karma be purified by the power of my merit, by the power of this aspiration of Bodhicitta that you committed to. And also dedicate, particularly here, the past, present and future, the centres, directors, SPCs, committee members, volunteers and students, whoever directly or indirectly comes in contact with Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Kyabje Lama Yeshe, whoever directly or indirectly comes in contact with the centre.
All the students and people who request prayer dedication from Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche. And also there are a lot of prayer requests, even for myself. There’s a lot people from everywhere. And mostly we go to crisis, like health and relationships, business problems, etc. Or people pass away.
May this collective matter of us be the complete cause to dispel all the miseries and causes of miseries, and actualize all the happiness, starting from temporary happiness up to everlasting happiness, fully enlightenment. And also dedicate, particularly, we have responsibility and have a karmic and special connection. I always call Bill, as it will. Until today I’ve been saying Bill, Bill. Actually, it’s a will, yeah?
But people understand. Will or bill. And if anyone of you here has a certain physical or emotional or whatever difficulties that are going through your health, then may our collective karma be the direct cause, the complete cause to purify the experience of sicknesses and difficulties, and actualize perfect health, long life, and may be complete serviceability, both mentally and physically, to the preservation of bodhicitta, the dharma, and for the benefit of numberless sentient beings. So in short, you should think that my dedication of my past, present and future merit, and particularly the merit of taking the bodhisattva vow, dedicated exactly like the bodhisattva Samantabhādra, how Samantabhādra and all the other Samantabhādra, how they dedicate their merit. May my dedication be exactly like how Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, how he made dedication with his merit, one of the most extensive, elaborate dedications that Rinpoche does.
My dedication will be just like that. His Holiness’s long life prayer. Okay, do the short mandala. Thank you. Rejoice.
Thank you. Teaching to us from the afternoon tea through the talk on Buddha nature, Buddha nature, the public talk, and then yesterday, great instruction for people with regards to the vows that we’ve now been given. And we are so fortunate to have you here because this is not such an easy thing anymore. There are so few teachers who have.