Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 113-minute introductory session for a month-long Mahāmudrā retreat, Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s organizer lays out the retreat structure and philosophy anchored in one core instruction: if the mind is not in retreat, there is no retreat. Mornings begin at 5am with preliminary prayers and guru yoga (Lama Chopa Jorcha) for experienced practitioners; newcomers pursue parallel Lamrim and Śākyamūni Buddha practice. Lunch at 11am must finish by noon. Afternoons bring unpredictable teachings and protective prayers for the Maitreya project. Rinpoche emphasizes that Mahāmudrā realization comes through guru devotion and receiving blessings via hardship and purification, not intellectual mastery. The session covers precept commitments (optional first two weeks, formal the final two), the Golden Light Sūtra transmission, and extensive guidance on daily conduct, silence, and vows. For both newcomers and experienced practitioners, with clear expectations about mental discipline and lifelong commitment.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 02 2004 04 09 MR.mp3
UUID: 88d4cacf-368f-439e-adae-545634b3e370
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: y Mahāmudrā International Retreat (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 2004-04-09
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 113.3 minutes
Words: ~12,389
In the morning prayer section, page twelve. So Okay, we’ll recite it one time in English, and then we’ll do the chanting in Tibetan. 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. So then in the again, in the green book in the Lam Rim prayer section on page thirteen, I will do the short calling to the guru from afar in English. So the way to do this, visualizing one’s own guru, crown of one’s head, and then with the awareness, with the full awareness, that goes the manifestation of all Buddhas appearing in human form in order to guide us, and then from the heart by reciting each verse and then pausing to think of the meaning. Lama, think of me.
Lama, think of me. Lama, think of me. Magnificently glorious dispelling the darkness of ignorance. Magnificently glorious guru, revealing a path of liberation. Magnificent and precious precious guru, please abide on the lotus and moon seat of my heart.
Guide me with your great kindness, and grant me the realization of your holy body, speech, and mind. And so I’m going to give a short introduction to the retreat. And I did have the opportunity to have some discussion with Rinpoche this afternoon, and he gave some advice and guidelines for the retreat. And then some of the senior Sangha also met with Rinpoche following that. And I was just before Rinpoche came, I was just repeating the various different advice that Rinpoche had given earlier.
And just when I got to the point where it says just when I got to the point where it says, to not always have a fixed idea about what’s going to happen, Rinpoche walked in and said, that’s a very good point to walk in on. And proceeded to change things from what had just been changed before. So I think the message in that is not to hold on to anything. Spontaneity, I think, keep flowing is the key for this retreat. Just keep flowing.
Try not to hold on to anything. So anyway, I will repeat to you the various different advice that Rinpoche gave this afternoon. First of all, he said that this retreat is going to be do you want to write this down? Intense purification and accumulation of merits. Might be quite good to have that written down somewhere.
Then Rinpoche said, of course, the title of the retreat is Mahāmudrā, but it’s not just Mahāmudrā. It’s going to be a well packed retreat just like Rinpoche’s suitcase. He said it’s not just going to be Mahāmudrā getting spaced out in lost retreat. And also, he said, not like people in the west believe that after you died, the spirit come out and flies around the room in space. Not that kind of retreat.
Not that kind of Mahāmudrā retreat. It’s going to be a Lamrim retreat, and it’s going to be a lot of Lama Chopa, Lama Chopa retreat. And when I asked Rinpoche about putting down seats, he said retreat has to do with the mind, not the body. So it doesn’t really matter putting down the seats in the way you normally do with the deity retreat. And he said, if the mind’s not in retreat, there is no retreat.
So that might be another one to write down. If the mind is not in retreat, there’s no retreat. The the guidelines he gave for the retreat is that in the morning, we’re going to do preliminary prayers. This is we just this is we did just now. And then reciting the names of thirty five Buddhas, confession prayers.
Then there are going to be two groups. So there are quite a few people here who are new and then there are quite a few people here who are older students. There are quite a few people who are new students and I think are not planning to take the highest yoga tantra initiation. Could you please put your hands up if you’re new and you’re not planning? Do you get some idea?
Do you get some idea now? It’s quite okay to do this. Rinpoche wants to take care of you. So don’t be shy to put your hand up. We really we need to know because for the organizational because there will be two groups.
And it’s it’s it’s perfectly okay to come to this retreat and not be planning to do the highest yoga tantra. We just want to make sure we cater for everybody. Take care. Those people who don’t not planning to take this initiation and don’t have any other higher yoga Yes. That’s right.
So this is people who haven’t taken high tantra before and they don’t plan to take this time. Okay. So what will happen then is we’ll be divided into two groups. And the those people who have taken high sukha tantra, the main part of the morning is going to be taken doing the extensive Lama Chopa Jorcha practice, which is one of from his heart practices. And that will that will go on for there will be two sessions.
One session will be about two hours and the next one about an hour and a half. So that’s going to be possibly even four hours or over of Lama Chopa Jorcha. That’s the highest yoga tantra practice. And Rinpoche has said, it’s okay if new people want to come to that, but we’re also organizing an alternative for new people and that will be senior members of the Sangha will actually be leading a more simple form of meditation practice based on Rinpoche’s daily meditation practice with Guru Śākyamūni Buddha. And then there will be guided meditations through the Lam Rim.
So we’ll split into two groups. The main group will be in the Gompa and we’ll be doing the Lama Chopa Jorcha. And the other group will be in the second Gompa and that will be guided by different senior senior Sangha members. And the person who’s coordinating the second group is Venerable Dondra. Do you want to identify it?
So Venerable Dondra who has his hand up is leading the second group. Okay? And then I will be taking care of the Lama Chopa Jorcha in the main Gompa. So I think we’ve we’ve roughly worked out the timings for that, if you’d like to write that down. We’ll be beginning in the morning at five o’clock.
Five o’clock start. And we will go the the everybody will meet here at five o’clock, the new people and the older people. And we’ll do the preliminary prayers, and then we’ll do the recitation of names of thirty five Buddhas with prostrations and the medicine Buddhas and confession prayer together. That will probably take till about five forty five. And then the new people will go off to the second Gompa.
We’ll go and have a tea break and go off to second Gompa. And the other people will stay here and tea will be served and the session will continue till eight o’clock. So the first session will be from five to eight in the morning. And we will continue by beginning the Lama Chopa Jorcha practice. There’ll be a breakfast break from eight to nine.
That’s a one hour breakfast break. And the second I’ll just do the main group first. So the main group, we’re from five to eight. There isn’t a tea break. Tea will be served.
And then there’ll be a breakfast break eight to nine. And then the second the second session will be nine to eleven. But although we say there are two sessions, those two sessions are covering the Lama Chopa Jorcha and six-session Guru Yoga at the end. Then for the new people, for the new people, there will be a tea break at five forty five. The first session will be at six fifteen in the second Gompa, and that will go on till Ten.
Till seven thirty. Then there’ll be a breakfast break. So your breakfast will be half an hour before us, and that will be an hour’s break. We start nine to eleven. So you have an hour and a half breakfast break, and then you go from nine to eleven.
Thirty. Nine to ten thirty. Really? There are more people putting up their hands now. So as you see, it’s it is going to be quite intense.
So for the new people, Rinpoche wanted to make it a little bit more easygoing at the beginning. Okay. Then as for the then lunch will be eleven o’clock. The reason why lunch is going to be eleven o’clock is because some of the Sangha are fasting. So Rinpoche wants to support and encourage that.
And also to give the opportunity for anyone who would like to to take the Mahāyāna precepts for the entire retreat. So lunch will be eleven and there’ll be no meat food served. But we are not going to the first two weeks, we are not going to as a group, there might be one or two exceptional days if there’s special days. But as a group, generally, we’re not going to be taking this is the plan at the moment. Remember?
Be taking precepts as a group, but Rinpoche is suggesting that we do more kopan style. And the last two weeks, we take together. We take the minor precepts together, and we keep it in a strict way, which was the instructions of his that when you take the precepts publicly, then you you take in a very strict way and you just have the one meal at eleven o’clock. You don’t have any breakfast. So there is a tradition and that has been carried out at Kopan for all the years since the Kopan course began right up to the present that the final two weeks is minor precepts and it’s kept in a strict way with just one meal.
So it’ll be similar to that. The other the other tradition is that when people take individually, if they’re taking for a period of more than ten days, then they can actually also have breakfast. So I did ask Ramesh if there are some people who want to take for the entire month, whether those first two weeks, if they wanted to take the precepts for the entire two weeks, could they have breakfast also? And Rinpoche said, yes. Those first two weeks, if you want to take individually.
But we’re not taking together as a group. So those people not taking precepts, then there will be breakfast, there will be lunch, and there’ll be dinner. Those people who would like to take precepts, that’s an individual thing. You take it in your own room, and then people taking precepts should go to the front of the queue when it comes to lunchtime. The requirement when you take precepts is you must finish eating by twelve o’clock.
That is Rinpoche’s requirement. That’s why we’re starting eleven. You must finish eating by twelve. It’s generally also the the case that once you start eating, you should remain on the same seat so you can take as much food as you need. But you shouldn’t you shouldn’t keep getting up and going to take more and more food.
So that’s that’s generally how it’s done in the nongne, and that is a strict way of doing it. So those first two weeks, if you individually wanted to and you were taking for the entire two weeks, you can have you can have breakfast as well. But again, breakfast should be in one sitting. You shouldn’t be getting up and down. So that’s optional.
The last two weeks, we’ll be taking as a group. Okay. Rinpoche says in the afternoon, there’ll be quite a bit of teachings. May not always be a fixed idea. That was when I asked what was going to happen.
He said, may not always be a fixed idea. So not to make any concrete plans what time things will start or finish, but it did seem that we will start again in the afternoon at three o’clock. The reason is so you have from twelve to three, you have a long lunch break. And the reason for having a long lunch break is, please everyone do your commitments. Because Rinpoche was quite concerned that the nights may go late.
Rinpoche said, people should know that nighttime can be a little bit late. Maybe ten PM, maybe ten thirty PM. So during lunch break, do the commitments so you can go to bed after the last session. And when I was asking about timing, Rinpoche said, it all depends when I start, when I finish. There’s no such thing as late, no such thing as early.
What time things start all depends on circumstances. So I think that’s very clear, isn’t it? Then Rinpoche said, afternoon, quite a bit of teachings. And he said, when there’s no teaching in the afternoon, there’ll be a lot of meditation. Rinpoche said that’s the only chance you’ll have for meditation.
Real meditation, deep, wide and vast, takes many days to come out. So I think Rinpoche is going to teach a lot. Then Rinpoche just says, this is okay. So this is a lamrim retreat, and it’s based on the Lama Chopa. Or Rinpoche said more or less Kopan style.
And sometimes in the afternoons, there there may be group discussions, bigger group discussions that would be from two to three, and it would be either with a with one with Geshe-la or with the senior Sangha sometimes. But since there are many many older students here, it wouldn’t be necessary. But for the new students, it can be useful. So sometimes, we might have discussion groups. Rinpoche also said that this is one chance to have many Sangha and older students coming together.
So sometimes, we can have organizational things, meetings. And one particular subject that Rinpoche brought up is taking care of senior senior Sangha who are becoming elderly and need cared for. So to actually organize some kind of group discussion about this and everyone giving their feedback and their ideas. So this is a chance when so many Sangha come together and so many older students come together. So there may be topics that we can discuss and contribute ideas towards.
Then Rinpoche said outside people not doing retreat can also attend some sessions. They will be sitting at the back. It depends on the subject. So this is a Lamrim retreat. Rinpoche is going to teach on the Lamrim.
But he said he couldn’t say right now when he would be doing that, when he wouldn’t be doing that. But he did mention that he would like to give the transmission for the Golden Light Sūtra. The complete transmission because we have one month. And this Golden Light Sūtra, the benefits are so extremely powerful that Rinpoche commented in Auckland that after he had read some of the benefits, he immediately put the text to his head and he made a vow that he would spread this sūtra as much as he could throughout the world. Rinpoche said, since this is his vow, he would like to give the transmission for that sūtra.
So there’s going to be a lot of things in this retreat. It’s a well packed retreat. Rinpoche also said that he would like the Sangha everyday to do protective prayers, the Mahākāla practice, four-faced Mahākāla, six-armed Mahākāla for the projects and the success of Maitreya statue and also the tea offering. So Rinpoche said, since there are many Sangha here, it’s very good if every everybody puts their wishes together and their power together to pray for the success of the Maitreya project and also for all the FPMT projects. Particularly for the Maitreya project, he said, now we’re about to climb up the mountain.
The funding is getting nearer and nearer. And also he said the very first thing to pray for, of course, is all his holiness, his wishes to be fulfilled. So those protector prayers, probably we will do at the end of the final session and it will be open to everybody, but it will be a requirement for Sangha to do that. And then at the end of the final session, we’ll be doing dedication prayers such as the king of prayers and various other different prayers. Is that covered?
Okay. So that’s advice that I received from Ramesh regarding retreat. And then tomorrow’s program is that we’re going to actually start after breakfast. And from nine to eleven, and then from about three to five, Again, the senior students will come here and we’ll start doing the Lama Chopa Jorcha. So we’ll start to get into that.
And then the newer students will go down to second Gompa from nine to eleven, and again from three to five. And Venerable Dondra is going to begin the first three days, maybe? Over the first few days, Venerable Dondra will be guiding you to gain some understanding in the Śākyamūni Buddha practice, a daily meditation practice which she’s put together and also guiding different meditations. Yeah. So you should bring volume one prayer book down with you to the second Gompa.
So there wouldn’t be anything before breakfast. It will start at nine after breakfast. So that’s Saturday, Sunday. I’m not totally sure about Monday as Rinpoche said, we’ll see. It depends.
So I think that that kind of covers the advice from Rinpoche so far. Then I did want to say a few things just about doing retreat with Rinpoche. And also just a few things like general retreat advice. So maybe, first of all, I’ll just read through some notes I put together when we did Maitreya retreat in America with Rinpoche. One of the quotes that often comes up when Rinpoche introduces the idea of doing retreat is this one.
Lama Tsongkhapa asked Mañjuśrī this question. What is the quickest way to become enlightened? Mañjuśrī replied, apply yourself strenuously to purify obstacles and accumulate merit while continuously requesting from your heart to the guru seen as one with a deity in order to receive blessings and and also meditating on the path. So purifying, accumulating merit, continuously requesting the guru inseparable from the deity in order to receive blessings, and at the same time meditating on the path. So this was Mañjuśrī’s advice on that.
And when we do a retreat with Rinpoche, he has actually kind of formulated almost a constitution for retreat, which which was explained to Venerable Marzena and also Venerable Dundra in previous retreats. And he’s put it like this. He says, the whole intention of doing retreat is to make our lives as meaningful as possible by purifying our minds, clearing away obstacles, accumulating extensive merit, receiving blessings, and putting all the imprints needed to transform our minds into the realization to the path to enlightenment. Of course, our ultimate and only real goal is to achieve the highest state of enlightenment as quickly as possible so that we can be of greatest benefit to others. And practicing intensively in a retreat situation creates powerful causes for this to happen.
So the whole structure of this retreat and all the different retreats that Rinpoche leads are set up according to Rinpoche’s specific advice in order to make the best use of our time. Generally, it begins by taking the Upāsaka precepts and then doing an extensive Guru Yoga practice. In this case, the first two weeks, it seems we’re not going to be taking as a group the minor precepts. But the entire morning is dedicated to doing the extensive Guru Yoga practice. And it’s always a Lama Chopa Jorcha, always.
This is a particular practice that Rinpoche has put together and elaborated on. And so this is what we will go through and be introduced to and practice together the entire morning. Before each session, we do prostrations, we do the motivation, and we do some meditation to direct our minds the right direction. There’s a recitation of thirty five Buddha’s names. There is a the recitation, the eight medicine Buddha’s names.
There’s also there’s also a way of of meditating, doing confession combined with emptiness. All these different practices Rinpoche has elaborated on and given commentary to, and all the prayers that we do are meant to be mixed with our minds. So I was just in Auckland Rinpoche was leading a medicine Buddha Puja. And it became very clear after about the first half an hour or an hour that Rinpoche wasn’t at all concerned what the words were. He was only concerned about the meaning, that we would get the meaning of the words in our minds.
So whatever the prayers are, the most important thing is that the meaning of those prayers goes into the heart, and the mind transforms into the meaning of the prayers. So we’ll find when Rinpoche leads retreat, his concern is really not that we say the words, but that we really understand the meaning and how that’s to affect our hearts and change our minds. Generally before each session, there are prostrations. And then at the end of each session, you know, characteristic of Rinpoche is the extensive dedication prayers. And then in the afternoon, characteristically Rinpoche teaches, but you can never know when Rinpoche will teach.
And in the evening, there are protective prayers and extensive dedications. We never know when Rinpoche will come. Rinpoche may come in the morning, he may stay all day. He may not come at all. There’s no way of knowing.
We just start the session and we just carry on the session. And then if Rinpoche comes, he comes. And when Rinpoche comes, then we just continue the session. And then sometimes he will come and he will just simply sit down. He won’t say anything.
Sometimes he’ll do one dedication prayer or sometimes he’ll teach. We just don’t know. So the whole characteristic with Rinpoche is the spontaneity. We don’t know. But the essential thing is to attend every single session.
That’s very, important that everyone attends every session and then to put effort to do the best. And if Rinpoche doesn’t come to a session, then you don’t leave. Sometimes you do an entire session and just when you’ve come to the final dedication prayer, Rinpoche walks in and the whole thing starts. Sometimes you walk into session early morning, and it can be four thirty in the morning, and Rinpoche is sitting on the throne. And he’s been doing session all night, and then it begins.
Sometimes the whole session happens and she doesn’t say anything. So it’s it’s really totally totally totally unpredictable. So just for people who don’t have this experience yet, you will have it. So in this retreat, we’re actually quite fortunate because other retreats with Rinpoche, there has been a mantra because it’s generally been deity retreat. There’s been a mantra.
Whenever there’s a mantra, there’s a problem that people tend to fixate on the fact that they wanted to recite the required amount of mantra so they can do the fire puja. Rinpoche repeats over and over and over again, the retreat has nothing to do with the mantra. It’s got nothing to but but it’s very hard for people to hear that. So in this retreat, we’re quite fortunate because there’s no mantra. So you can’t worry about not reciting enough mantra.
So it’s it’s very, very clear that in this retreat, the whole essential thing is to move your mind. Is to move the mind. Is to change the mind. The retreat is the mind. The retreat is changing our minds.
So from the very beginning so every opportunity has to be used to purify, to accumulate merits, to mind toward realization. For this reason, we have to constantly watch our mind generate a good motivation. From when we wake up in the morning, before each session, during the sessions, all the time at the end of the session, between the sessions, there is no time when you’re doing retreat that is not retreat. There’s session time and there’s between session time. But between session time is not not doing retreat.
It’s between session time. Then there’s a practice between session time. There’s a session what you do in the session and what you do between session. So the the whole month is retreat. There is nothing that is not retreat.
So before eating all the time, always have to try and keep a steady positive attitude. And then every difficulty and hardship that comes up, everything that we have to face is difficult. If we cultivate the right attitude and we see the whole thing as a retreat, then instead of putting us off, it becomes very meaningful. We get profit from it, and it strengthens our resolve. So my experience of doing retreat with Rinpoche, I mean, not that I have much experience, but first of all, whatever expectations you have for yourself or from Rinpoche, drop them.
If you expect anything is going to be a certain way and you cling to that, you’re gonna suffer. If you cling to anything, you’ll suffer. When Rinpoche leads retreats, the characteristics total spontaneity, unpredictability and hardship. The whole retreat is set up in such a way that every moment is maximized for purification, accumulation of merit, and planting the seeds for realization. So you have to learn how to flow.
You have to let things be how they are without expecting them to be any different. You must flow. You must be patient. You may think you need many different things, but what we actually need is patience. We have to practice taking the loss and offering the victory to others.
We have to practice. If we don’t practice, we suffer. We have to practice having few needs. We have to accept everything that arises as a practice. So practice is not just in this room.
It’s it’s not just doing the prayers. It’s bearing the cold, the exhaustion, journeying backwards and forwards, waiting for showers, not being able to wash clothes, not getting enough food, all of it, everything is practice. And then also, when you understand that the whole thing is practice, then you develop a gratitude for the hardships. Rinpoche stated one time when he was doing a high tantric retreat that what he was interested in was to see how much people could bear hardship. I found that very interesting.
Why? Well, because it’s the hardships that brings the deepest purification. The more we can bear hardships, the more purification takes place in us. So the teachings can go deeper and deeper into our hearts. The Mahāmudrā, the title for this retreat is Mahāmudrā.
The title, the label is Mahāmudrā. Mahāmudrā is is meditation on emptiness. It’s two types, sūtra and tantra. But I’m not going to get too hung up on the fact that the title is Mahāmudrā. Actually, the Mahāmudrā requires not so much intellect, but devotion.
In the Mahāmudrā, the realization comes through devotion. It comes through bearing hardships. So the great Siddhas who practice Mahāmudrā, you have the names of great masters like Naropa, Tilopa, Milarepa, who gained realization through the power of through the force of their deep devotion and by undergoing great hardships for the guru. So Rinpoche, in one of the Mahāmudrā commentaries Mahāmudrā commentary, the first one he ever gave was actually Chenrezig, Australia in nineteen eighty. And he gave the example of Milarepa who had to wait so long to receive initiations and teachings from his virtuous friend, Marpa.
And spent all those years while he was waiting, working, building a nine story house, and going through much hardship. And she gave told that story and then he said, we easily meet the virtuous friend and receive teachings without going through hardships as they did. However, we can hardly bear the difficulty involved in reciting even one rosary of Vajrasattva mantras to purify ourselves. We can’t stand to spend even that much time. Pänchen Losang Chökyi Gyaltsen, a lineage master of the Mahāmudrā meditated day and night.
He sat in meditation so much that the flesh at the back of his thighs became rotten. With much hardship, he practiced this profound path. For us who can’t bear the hardship of reciting even one rosary of mantras, it is impossible to achieve enlightenment. There’s no hope for us to achieve enlightenment. There’s no hope for us to achieve enlightenment in one brief lifetime, as the saying goes.
There is no way this can happen. There hasn’t been anybody who has achieved enlightenment without needing to cut off the clinging to this life, to the happiness and comfort of this life. Throughout beginningless time until now, there hasn’t been anybody who achieved enlightenment without having to cut off the clinging to living a comfortable, luxurious life. There isn’t anybody who hasn’t needed to experience any hardship to practice the holy Dharma. So that’s a direct quote from Rinpoche’s Mahāmudrā teachings on the path.
Then we have to cultivate the mind that’s actually grateful for the hardships, actually sees all of this as a great blessing, seeing all the difficulties as the most precious opportunity to purify numberless negative karmas from beginningless past lifetimes, to clear away mountains of negative karma. So be grateful, be happy to purify, no resistance. Then the meaning of retreat Generally, in a deity retreat, we explain the meaning of retreat is coming close to the deity. But in this case, Mahāmudrā, what we’re coming close to is is the guru, the ultimate guru, the absolute guru. So for this to happen, it requires intensive purification just as Rinpoche said, an accumulation of merit.
And to also please the guru by practicing, by doing the meditations as instructed, by following the advice. So Rinpoche from his side will do everything to make sure we purify and accumulate intensity so that some experience can ripen in us. As it said, when the mind is purified, nobody needs to teach. The realization comes from within. So we have to trust that whatever arises is Rinpoche guiding.
If you’re suffering, if you’re finding it difficult, your cold, there’s there’s a pain in your body, whatever, when you understand the benefit and you feel grateful, then there’ll be enormous movement in your mind. If you don’t and you cling to the suffering, it will get worse and worse. And then there’s a danger of doubt arising. There’s a danger of not being able to control the mind, and there’s no benefit. So just expect it to be difficult, and expect a lot of negative karmas to ripen.
Expect your mind to be sometimes overwhelmed. Be patient. Be kind with yourself. Be very kind with everybody else. If the mind starts going off on trips, immediately apply the antidote by thinking differently.
One way of thinking, you suffer. Another way of thinking, you’re free. You liberate your mind. So be vigilant continuously. Watch your mind constantly.
That is the retreat. Watching your mind constantly. That is the retreat. The mind is the retreat. Not the body sitting in the room, not the speech reciting prayers.
Recognize every second of every day, no matter what’s arising as an opportunity to practice. What does practice mean? It means changing your mind. You change your mind by changing your view, by changing the way you’re seeing things. Be scared not to practice.
Be scared as you would if you’re about to lose everything precious in your life. And be really clear that there are no problems coming from outside. All the problems are coming from your own mind. The whole thing begins with attitude and motivation. From the very beginning, we have to take time and get the mind in the right place, and then everything flows.
And then again, when problems come up, you check your attitude, change the mind, and let go. The motivation is the key. Before the Maitreya retreat, Rinpoche gave an incredibly inspiring talk, and it’s in this book, Heart Advice for Retreat. So I really it golden colored or sort of brownie yellow? Do you not have it?
Oh, well, I think it’s going to be available in the shop for donation, but I really advise every single person to get a copy of this. And they’re going to make the donation as small as possible so everyone can have just to offset the printing cost. It’s called Heart Advice for Retreat. And at the very beginning, it is a teaching room she gave before the Matuppa Retreat called the meaning of retreat. And it explains the whole meaning of retreat.
It explains how to what to do with your mind. And she says, the very least meaning of retreat is to retreat away from non virtue, the cause of suffering. That’s the most basic thing. Means keeping your body, speech, and mind in virtue. And then Rupesh goes through and explains the different levels of retreat.
So the least is retreating away from non virtue. Then on the basis of that, you retreat away from attachment clinging to this life. You cut attachment clinging to this life. And then on the basis of that, you then cut. You retreat away from the self-cherishing thought.
And then on the basis of that, you then cut. You retreat away from the wrong view of reality, from seeing things existing from their own side. You retreat away from ignorance. And on the basis of that, you practice tantra by retreating away from ordinary view. So I really recommend everybody gets a copy of this book, Heart Advice for Retreat, and read the read the very first, at least the very first section.
The motivation is the key. First of all, seeing how precious this life is. The skies of opportunity we have to practice. And that it’s like a dream that we have this chance. How many people are here?
How many people even of all the thousands of students Rinpoche has here? Even for ourselves, it’s rare. For many of us, it may be the only time we have to retreat with Rinpoche. Even if we’ve retreated with Rinpoche before, it’s still so rare and so precious. Then the power of devotion, recognizing that every single piece of advice the guru gives brings us close to enlightenment.
And this whole retreat is Rinpoche’s advice, everything that happens. So as Rinpoche says, doing even a very small positive action in relation to the most powerful object, the virtuous friend, brings the greatest purification and accumulates the most extensive merit. So think every aspect of this retreat is how Rinpoche is guiding us, bringing us close to enlightenment, closing the door to lower realms and guiding us. Then remembering impermanence and death. First of all, becoming very, clear that we definitely are going to die.
And once this is clear in our minds, deciding that it’s it’s definitely going to happen at the end of the retreat. So this is our only opportunity. And then making it closer and closer that it will happen today, that it will happen tonight, that it could happen any moment. Impermanence and death all the time. Keep this in mind all the time.
When you read the article Meaning of Retreat, that’s a motivation Rinpoche gave, it’s all about keeping the mind in impermanence and death all the time. Then renunciation, seeing the suffering nature of the body and mind. So when we suffer, when there’s pains, when we’re cold, when we’re tired, this is the suffering nature of the body. When the mind is overwhelmed by drowsiness or negative thoughts, this is the suffering nature of saṃsāra. This is reality, and it will never change until we eliminate the cause.
And the only way to eliminate the cause is through the holy dharma. Then the motivation of bodhicitta, this retreat, make the strong decision in your heart that you’re going to be kind. Be kind to everyone. Have compassion. Every single one of us will be pushed.
Look at the creatures, the insects. They don’t have any opportunity. Have compassion. Remember the kindness of others. Everything comes from others.
Constantly keeping the mind in this state. And then emptiness. When the eye is hurting, recognize that this emotional eye, this is the object to be refuted. Look at the whole experience of retreat as being like a dream, a hallucination. Constantly think, I’m doing this retreat for others.
When we’re doing the Maitreya retreat, Rinpoche has told us to think again and again, I’m doing this for others. Always have that motivation. And Rinpoche wrote it on each page of the sadhana, I’m doing this for others. I’m doing this for others. Helped a lot to keep seeing that, those words, I’m doing this for others.
So receiving the so actualizing Mahāmudrā realization depends on receiving the guru’s blessings. And Rinpoche has said that at least the first five days, he’s going to teach on guru devotion. Because without having actualized devotion in the heart, then there’s not the root of the path, and the blessings can’t come, and the mind can’t change. So everything’s intellectual. There’s a a quote I wanted to read out, and then I’ll stick it somewhere.
From the first Mahāmudrā teachings from Rinpoche at Chenrezig twenty four years ago. And it goes like this, Achieving the sublime realization of Mahāmudrā depends on receiving the guru’s blessings in one’s heart. It depends on the guru entering and abiding in one’s heart. In order to achieve the realization of Mahāmudrā by the guru entering into one’s heart, first of all, one should be in the heart of the guru. That means one should be very close to the guru by pleasing the guru’s holy mind.
If from the Guru’s side they feel this disciple did whatever they could, and so the Guru’s holy mind is very pleased, then one becomes close to the Guru’s holy mind. Then the Guru enters into one’s heart and blesses the mind, and one can achieve the sublime realization of Mahāmudrā. If one is not in the guru’s heart, if one hasn’t pleased the guru but done the opposite, the guru doesn’t enter into one’s heart and bless one’s heart and mind. These Mahāmudrā realizations don’t happen. So the Guru Yoga practices that we’ll do is the Lama Chopa Jorcha, the six-session Guru Yoga Yoga and the Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga.
And then for the new people, it will be the daily meditation practice with Śākyamūni Buddha. Ethics, even if you are not taking it, mind the precepts every day, but I hope it’s been made clear that everyone must abide in lay vows. Yeah. There’s a foundation for retreat at least is to abide within the lay vows. Then dress code.
So I don’t think this is gonna happen because things will be very cold. But please, when you’re dressing, dress in consideration the presence that there are ordained members of Sangha. So not to wear any revealing clothes. And that’s the same if you’re going to the showers or coming from the showers. Sitting, we’re not putting down seat, but I think it’s good.
You once Now, if you’re if you’re happy with your seat, just stay with that seat and not to walk over other people’s seats. Silence, the idea is to go easy at the beginning and to just keep silent from the last session of each day through to lunchtime. But we won’t begin this till Monday. But it would be very good if we can keep silence at all times in the Gompa area and also in the second Gompa area, so that those who wish to come and do their practices can do that without being disturbed. And the Gompa is going to be open twenty four hours.
Someone has very kindly agreed to sleep here, which means people in tents or in break sessions can come here and do prayers. So please keep silence in the Gompa. Or if you if it’s necessary talking, please do it in a quiet way. There’s also these yellow ribbons if you really want to go into silence or all the time to wear one of the yellow ribbons. Once the session has started, there should be no speaking aside from the recitation of prayers and mantra.
Eating before and after lunch is should do prayers to bless the food. And while eating, please be mindful of all the creatures who suffered to provide us with the nourishment and dedicate merits for them. This is from Sheth’s instructions. We haven’t set borders, but it’s quite good to have mentally some boundaries in your mind. And also regards contact is it will you should really cut off contact for the retreat.
You should really finish up the worldly business and then just keep your mind in retreat. And even the times when there is talking with other retreatants to avoid gossip and worldly talk or too much talking because this will affect your mind and your concentration. Attendance, everyone must attend every session unless it’s physically impossible due to sickness or there’s a designated job. Also it’s necessary to stay for the entire session. Punctuality, if you can arrive five minutes before each session, so we can always start on time.
Cleanliness, it’s not a deity retreat, but it’s still good to wash and clean your teeth before each session. So Lama Yeshe for the day or two treats will recommend to try and wash the face, neck, arms, armpits and feet. So this is not a requirement but it’s a good retreat practice. Ritual implements for the tantric retreat. Of course, there’s a mala, vajra bell, damaru, mandala set in our offering.
Books, don’t really need many books. And I think this heart advice for retreat is going to be very useful just to read that one over and over again. Between sessions, as I mentioned before, also regarded part of the retreat. So that there are times to relax and engage in activities while still keeping the mind in the meditation. And Rinpoche has has recommended to focus at different times on different days on the various different subjects, guru devotion, renunciation, bodhicitta, right view, pure appearance.
I’m sure teachings will come on that. And that’s that’s all I have to say. Does anyone have any any questions? I think since it’s not a a day to retreat, I can’t see a problem with drinking water. And I haven’t been told by the organizers that it’s not possible.
Is there an organizer here? Gabe here? I think this is perfectly alright because we’ve already discussed serving tea during Lama Chopa Georgia. And there is a drinks tent next to the Gompa. My understanding is the drinks tent next to the Gompa.
So there’s no problem at all to have water bottles and to drink water. Do you agree? Yeah. Don’t see any problem with that. Are you nodding your head in agreement?
Yeah. Yeah. It’s fine. That’s that’s that is the organizer. That’s the mother of all organizers has just said, yes.
It’s fine. Any other questions? This is another one for one of the organizers. The mother of all organizers. Some of us weren’t able to get our books because the recitation Okay.
Rumshai has said, even if you’re not taking the highest yoga tantra, if you have interest, you’re welcome to come. If it were to happen that Rumshai so this didn’t come up. But if it were to happen that Rumshai were here and he has said that he will come to some sessions and he was to be giving highest yoga tantra instructions or guidelines, then you can’t be present. You’re going to have to be mindful of that because we can’t police it. So if if Rameshi is giving any kind of highest yoga tantra teachings and he has said that he will, the specific teaching he said he will give is one related to the Mahāmudrā which is a very profound instruction for the guru entering the heart.
So this is really why Rinpoche decided to give This is the reason Rinpoche gave for giving this highest yoga tantra initiation at the beginning because he wanted those He wanted everyone to have the opportunity to receive this particular teaching on the guru entering the heart. And you cannot take that unless you’ve received highest yoga tantra. We can’t police this. You have to know yourself. So if Ramshi is going to give highest yoga tantra teaching on this, He may well look around and say, does everyone here have this?
If you don’t, please leave the room. But aside from that Rinpoche has said, if you’re new and you would like to attain enlightenment Lama Chopa Jorcha, you can come. You can come. That’s okay. But you must be aware it’s it’s it’s it’s going to be long.
That that came out quite clearly. And Rinpoche is very concerned to take care of the new people. So if you’re trepidatious about it It’s a big word, isn’t it? If you’re trepidatious about it or cautious, then then there’s an alternative because we have extremely qualified senior sangha who are going to be introducing the whole Lam Rim to you. And there’ll be a very nice opportunity.
The second Gompa, the organizer have done everything possible to make sure you’ll be cared for. The commitments that as I understood it, for the highest yoga tantra, you will have to do six-session Guru Yoga Yoga everyday for the rest of your life. You’ll also be taking the bodhisattva vows, the tantric vows. The purpose of doing six-session guru yoga is actually to remind you of the samayas, the samaya vows you’ve taken. And she said that this morning, the reason we do six-session guru yoga is to remind ourselves to keep ourselves in the samaya that we have promised to take.
In addition to that, there was the recitation of mantra daily for the rest of your life or retreat commitment. Is that right? Okay. So I Gabe, have you got that? It’s a short sadhana everyday for the rest of your life or retreat.
I think this was I think this was written up somewhere. The mantra is very short and there there is a short sadhana that people will be given. It’s not that long or it’s a commitment to do the retreat. I think it’s five hundred thousand mantra. Five days?
Within five So it’s a the retreat must be done within five years. Either you do that way or you do a short sadhana everyday. It is a short sadhana and also the mantra is extremely short. It’s not much more than a monopen horn. Not much more than that.
That’s short. So that question before about coming to the Lama Chopa Jorcha, I think when we do succession Guru Yoga, that will be at the end, the very end of second session. Maybe you could get up and leave then. If you haven’t taken higher tantra. I’ll announce.
When we get to the end, Rinpoche said to complete the Lama Chopa and then do this the long six-session Guru Yoga. So I’ll announce, anyone who hasn’t received high yoga tantra can leave now. Okay? That opens it up. Are you alright?
Okay. I’ll just go. Yeah. Well well, the plan is that that will be given on Saturday and Sunday. That is the plan.
I think the plan is that Rinpoche would do preparation in the afternoon. And the idea is that we we actually have invited Venerable Gatsul to give give an introduction to Tantra, what Tantra is about, and also to give an explanation on the bodhisattva vows. So he’s accepted to do that. And that would take place sometime maybe tomorrow afternoon. Rinpoche would do preparation, and the initiation will be will begin in the evening sometime following a teaching.
So everyone will be allowed to come to teaching. There will be preliminary teaching tomorrow. Tomorrow, we don’t quite know what time. Let’s say seven. Let’s just say seven, shall we?
Let’s just all agree it’s seven. But that it could change. So Rinpoche will give a preliminary teaching. We don’t know how long that would go on for. And then there would be the first part of initiation.
And then similarly on Sunday, there would be a preliminary teaching and a second part of initiation. Saturday, Sunday. That’s the plan so far. So for everyone who hasn’t received highest, you have a time for initiation yet. Yeah.
Would would have to leave tomorrow morning after when you say how much is that? So no. What so what I’m going to do is so tomorrow when we do the Lama Chopa Jorcha, we want we want to to intensively because we’re just beginning. It’s to take a little time just to get into the practice. So those people who are not going to take the highest yoga tantra, you can go to the the second Gompa and then come to the teaching with Rinpoche.
And then probably it will happen quite late at night that Rinpoche gives initiation. So that time then you could leave if you don’t plan to take the initiation and it will be announced Or make it really really clear, now the initiation is beginning. If you’re not taking, you can leave. Okay? Or we’ll make it really clear.
I meant it the other way around. If you want to take the initiation but you haven’t had a a initiation yet Yes. Of that kind. So would you would you have to leave tomorrow or not? Do you have to go down until you have the initiation and then stay here?
No. You can come tomorrow. If you plan to take initiation, you’re welcome to come to Lama Chopa Jorcha. As I said, we won’t be doing it very intensively. We’ll just be getting getting used to the practice.
I’m not planning to do that tomorrow morning. Tomorrow tomorrow morning, not planning to do the six-session Guru Yoga Yoga in the morning. Just planning to do two sessions of Lama Chopa Jorcha. So anyone who has six session, you can do it before breakfast. You have plenty of time because we don’t start till nine.
Thank you. That got clear. Yeah. Mhmm. Yes.
Okay. So that so Yeah. There won’t always be so many of us is my answer. I think, actually, there’s like about two hundred over this weekend. And then I think the core group for the retreat is about a hundred and thirty.
So this weekend, you know, it’ll happen as it happened. And then during retreat, I think there’ll be plenty of room to do full length prostrations. This weekend, some people maybe will have to do short prostrations and some people can do long prostrations. And, you know, we can move the seats a bit closer. We’ll work it out somehow.
Do you have any ideas on that? No? So we’ll see what happens. Was it okay before we were doing the preliminary prayers? Could everyone prostrate?
No? Not really? Okay. After the prostrations. Yeah.
Yeah. Okay. So then when she goes to the room, she said to do the way you the way you want. Sometimes. Sometimes go down there, sometimes can’t hear.
Yeah. Once so she wants you all to be comfortable. Yeah. Well, I hope that’s we did we requested Vem Gatso to give an introduction for the people. And we said there’s quite a lot of new people and they’re not sure what initiation is and what it’s about.
And we asked if he’d give an introduction also to answer questions. So he agreed. So that would be happening tomorrow afternoon. But also it was made very clear when we met with Rinpoche, the senior senior Sangha members. It was made very clear that we would like to identify certain people, older Sangha.
And anyone who has any questions can approach these Sangha members and ask the questions. So that would be Okay. Thierry? Thierry? Who’s who’s hiding away at the back?
Thierry. Thierry. Can you put your hand up, Thierry? Okay. So so this is this is also a language thing because Thierry speak what do you speak?
French, Italian, German? No. Just French. Okay. Swiss?
Just okay. Tibetan. I’m not sure. So then also, Venerable Chini. So then venerable Sophia and venerable Katja, they speak Chinese.
And then also, I think there’s quite a few young people. Ingrid? Yes, oh yes, she’s children. I can’t see her from here. Venerable is she children?
Yeah. Norwegian. If anyone has any questions in Norwegian, then So and if you don’t cognize who who who these people are, I mean, many the sangha can help or you can just approach the sangha and they’ll direct you to the right person very quickly. They will very quickly say, no, not me. Ask them.
It will come naturally, effortlessly and spontaneously. No, not me, him. Her. So just approach any member of the Sangha and say, I desperately need to ask a question and you’ll be directed to the right person. So I think this is a very comfortable way.
So one way is you can discuss with Venerable Gatsul who will be there. But if you feel nervous or you want to talk privately about anything, then approach the members individually. And that will go throughout the retreat. So there are very senior Sangha members here. Throughout the retreat, if you have problems or difficulties, then please, Rinpoche has identified these people as people who can help.
Yeah? You you agree? You hope so? Yeah? Yes.
Is there a senior Sangha who’s in charge of the comfort that we can liaise with? Can anyone suggest? Any ideas? Who? Tepa?
Jammu? A bit Jammu, will you will you do that? Okay. Yeah. Can you can you stand up if you’re in charge?
What’s easy is just identify yourself. Okay. In charge of the girl. Alright. Sorry.
Yeah. No. Sorry. No, sir. This is how I see your determination.
And and if you’re taking it, you take it. There’s a very serious very serious commitment. So you you rather take it or not taking. If you’re taking it, you must take it very, very seriously. There are vows or samayas.
They can’t be given back. They’re taken for the rest of your life and they must be kept. And in the case of the highest yoga tantra, if you take and you do not keep the samaya, and you have to be very, clear that in the case of highest yoga tantra, it’s not just a question of saying or do a commitment. That’s not samaya. Samaya is much deeper than that.
Samaya is your bond with the lama. You must not break your sacred pledge to the lama, And there are various different samayas and you must keep those. If you don’t, there’s danger to yourself, there’s danger to the lama. So think very carefully. Yeah.
Thank you. That’s fine. If you’ve taken Vajrasattva initiation previously, you’ve done the retreat, you’ve done the fire puja, you don’t you don’t have that commitment. You just come along to initiation. That’s fine.
My understanding this was lama’s skillful method. Generally, the Tibetan will take on many commitments and lama would give the commitment people to do a treat instead. So that they could get the experience and the practice without having to take many commitments in busy life. More questions? Yeah.
Can I have a Yeah? Would like that too. Okay. Can we have a gong? Because I was waiting for a gong.
Did did somebody hit it? Because I didn’t hear it. So we can work that out. Can we we can have some kind of method. It would be good the best thing to do would be to have a bell fifteen minutes before each session and then five minutes before each session.
So fifteen minutes you know, okay, I better go to the bathroom and brush my teeth or something like that. Then five minutes you know, now I should be walking now. Can we could well, furniture should be there. Yeah. A volunteer to ring the bell?
Okay. Would anyone like to volunteer to ring the bell? But that kind of job we give out like a week at a time. Yeah. Would anyone like to take on the first week of ringing the bell?
Thank you very much. What’s her name? Sue. You’ve got a nine o’clock? Okay.
So Sue has just very kindly taken on that. Okay. That sounds great. Did anyone get another fifteen minutes before I was above by the kitchen and the five minutes is in other words, you should be here is the gong in the Gundagampa. Yeah.
Tsog days, is working often? Yeah. Well, definitely. So there are several special days. I think coming up Wednesday already is a sob day.
There are two tsog days when we’re here. There’s one special lunar eclipse or solar eclipse. I can’t remember which one it was. And there’s also Losar. So all those days will be honored.
What will actually happen? We And when it will happen? How it will happen? I think every single day we take at a time with Rinpoche. Yeah.
Not as your root guru, but but definitely is your root guru in the lineage of Vajrasattva. Yeah. Definitely, he’s the one from whom you’ve received the Gelgatsu. So if there’s a lineage prayer, then he would be the final lineage Lama, definitely. Unless you’d received it from another Lama prayer, and then you could you could choose.
Not as your root guru, but definitely as your guru. If you take initiation, if you take vows, if you make the decision within your mind to for the person to be guru, or if you receive an oral transmission, that person becomes guru. Not necessarily root guru. But he definitely will be your tantric master. If you personally chose Rinpoche to be your root guru, he’s your root guru.
Not by virtue of taking this initiation. By virtue of taking this initiation, he becomes your tantric guru, tantric master, and he becomes a lineage lama from whom you have received this practice. Was that clearly said? Okay. That’s a very important question.
Thank you very much. I mean, no org. Is there any any other things? Yeah. Okay.
That’s a kind of an open ended question. I think it Yeah. I mean, at least it’ll be at least a hundred. It’s a very short mantra. It’s not much more normally.
So it’s a hundred thousand, so it’s probably about five days, isn’t it? That much? Hundred thousand? It’s not much, is it? Okay.
So maybe it’s about a week, ten days. How many? Okay. So Geshe-la says, you can do it in ten days, but mostly it will take three weeks. Is that clear?
And also if you’re doing a retreat, then it requires a fire pooja at the end because high seer the tantra. There might be some more discussion on that later. I’m sorry. I don’t have the experience of doing a retreat. Have you done it?
No? Any So that’s just like a King of Prayers. It’s dedication. In the green books, in the dedication post section, page nineteen. Green Books, dedication prayer section, page nineteen.
I bow down to the youthful Ārya Mañjuśrī. You lions among humans, gone to freedom in the present, past, and future, In the worlds of ten directions, to all of you with bodies, speeches, and seer mind, I bow down. With the energy of aspiration for the bodhisattva way, with a sense of deep respect and with as many bodies as atoms of the world, to all you Buddhas visualize as real, I bow down. Within every atom of Buddha, as many Buddhas as atoms,, each amidst a host of bodhisattvas.
And I am confident the sphere of all phenomena is entirely filled with Buddhas in this way. With infinite oceans of praise for you and oceans of sound and aspects of my voice, I sing the breathtaking accents of Buddhas and celebrate all of you, gone to bliss. Beautiful flowers and garland gardens, sweet musics and lamps and parasols. Sparkling lights and sublime incense, offer to you victorious ones. Fine dress and fragrant perfume, sandalwood powder, heaps of highest quality food.
All wondrous offerings and spectacular rare, I offer to you, victorious ones. With transcendent offerings, peerless and vast, with profound admiration for all the Buddhas, With strength and conviction in the bodhisattva way, I offer and bow down to all the victorious ones. Every harmful action I’ve done with my body, speech, mind, overwhelmed by attachment, anger, and confusion, All these, I openly lay bare before you. I lift up my heart and rejoice in all past and potential, and the Buddha’s and bodhisattvas in ten directions. Those who realize hearers still training in those beyond and of all ordinary beings.
You are the bright lights of worlds in ten directions who have attained the Buddha’s omniscience through the stage of awakening. All you who are my guides, please turn the stream wheel of Dharma. With palms together, I earnestly request you who may enter nirvana. Please stay with us for aeons, numberless as atoms of the world, for the happiness and well-being of all wanderers in saṃsāra. Whatever slight positive action I may have created, by paying homage, offering, and acknowledging my faults, rejoicing, requesting that the Buddha stay and teach, I now dedicate all this to full awakening.
May you Buddhas now living in the worlds of ten directions, and all you who’ve gone to freedom in the past accept my offerings. May those not yet arisen quickly perfect their minds, awakening this fully enlightened ones. May your worlds and ten directions be entirely pure and vast. May they be filled with bodhisattvas surrounding Buddhas gathered beneath the body tree. May as many beings exist in ten directions be always well and happy.
May all samsaric beings live in accord with the Dharma and may their every Dharma wish be fulfilled. Remembering my past lives and all varieties of existence, may I practice the bodhisattva way, And thus in each cycle of death, intermediate state, and birth, may I always abandon the household of life. Then following in the first steps of all the Buddhas and perfecting the practice of bodhisattva, may I always act without error or compromise, ethical discipline, focus, and view. May I teach the Dharma in the language of gods and every language of spirits and nagas, of humans and of demons and in the voice of every form of being. May I be gentle minded, cultivated in the six parameters and never forget bodhicitta.
mind completely cleansed of all stains and omniscience, and every negativity and all obscures awakening mind. may I traverse all my lives in a world free of gross afflictions and interfering forces. Just as a lotus blossom is undisturbed by the water’s wave, just as the sun and moon move unhindered through the sky, may I ease the suffering in the lower realms and the many directions and dimensions of the universe. May I guide all wanderers in saṃsāra to pure bliss awakening and be of worldly benefit to them as well? May I practice constantly for aeons to come, perfecting the activities of awakening, acting in harmony with the various dispositions of beings, showing the ways of bodhisattvas.
May I always have the friendship of those whose path is like mine, and with body, words, and also mind, may we practice together the same aspirations and intentions. May I always meet a spiritual mentor and never displease an excellent friend who deeply wishes to help me and expertly teaches the bodhisattva way. May I always directly see the Buddhas, masters encircled by bodhisattvas, and without pause or discouragement for the aeons to come, may I make extensive offerings to them. May I hold within me the Buddha’s genuine Dharma, illuminate everywhere the teachings that awaken, embody the realizations of bodhisattva, and practice ardently in all future aeons. While circling through all states of existence may have become an endless treasure of good qualities, Skillful means, wisdom, samadhi, and liberating stabilizations.
Gathering limitless, pristine wisdom, potential. On one atom, I shall see Buddha fields, numberless as atoms. Inconceivable Buddhas among bodhisattvas in every field. Practicing activities of awakening. Perceiving this in all directions, I dive into an ocean of Buddha fields.
Each an ocean of three time Buddhas in space always prepared, so I too will practice for an ocean of aeons. Thus, I’m continually immersed in the speech of the Buddhas, expression that reveals the ocean of qualities in one word, the completely pure eloquence of all the Buddhas, communication suited to the very tenets as a beings. With strength of understanding, I plunge into the infinite enlightened speech of the Dharma, of all buddhas of three times gone to freedom, continually turn the wheel of Dharma methods. I shall experience in one moment such vast activity of all future eons, and I will enter into all eons of three times in but a fraction of a second. In one instant, I shall see all those awakened beings, past, present, and future lives among humans.
With the power of the illusion like stabilization, I will constantly engage in the inconceivable activity. I shall manifest upon one single atom the array of pure lands, present, past, and future. Likewise, I shall enter the array of pure Buddha fields in every direction without I shall enter the very presence of all my guides as lights of this world were yet to appear. Those sequentially turning the wheels of complete awakening, those who reveal nirvana, final perfect peace. May I achieve the power of swift magical emanation, the power to lead to the great vehicle through every approach, the power of always beneficial activity, the power of love pervading all realms, the power of all surpassing positive potential, the power of supreme knowledge and obstructed by discrimination, and through the powers of wisdom, skillful means of Samādhi, may I achieve the perfect power of awakening, purifying the power of all contaminated actions, crushing the power of disturbing emotions at their root, diffusing the power of interfering forces, I shall perfect the power of Bodhisattva practice.
May I purify an ocean of worlds, may I free an ocean of beings, may I clearly see an ocean of Dharma, may I realize an ocean of pristine wisdom, may I purify an ocean of activities, may I fulfill an ocean of aspirations, May I make offerings an ocean of Buddhas? May I practice without discouragement for an ocean of aeons? To awaken fully, through this very body,, I shall fulfill without exception all the diverse aspirations the awakening practice of all Buddhas come to freedom three times everywhere. In order to practice exactly as the wise one called Samantabhādra, all embracing good. The elder brother of the sons and daughters of Buddhas, I completely dedicate all his goodness.
Likewise, may I dedicate you to the skillful Samantabhādra with pure body, speech, mind, pure actions and pure Buddha fields. I shall give rise to aspirations of Samantabhādra for this bodhisattva practice all-embracing good, to perfect these practices without discouragement or pause for future aeons. May my pure activities be endless, my good qualities boundless, and through abiding in immeasurable activity, may I achieve infinite emanations. Limitless is the endless space, likewise, limitless are living beings. Thus, limitless are calming afflictions, may my aspirations reach the limitless as well.
One may offer to the Buddhas all wealth and adornments of infinite worlds and ten directions. And one may offer during aeons, numberless as atoms of the world, even the greatest happiness of gods and humans. But whoever hears this extraordinary aspiration and longing for highest awakening gives rise to faith just once creates far more precious positive potential. Those who make this heartfelt aspiration for the body suffer way will be free of all low rebirths, free of evil companions, and will quickly see Amitābha, infinite light. And even in this very human life, they’ll be nourished by happiness and have all conducive circumstances.
Without waiting long, they’ll become like Samandhabadra himself. Those who give voices extraordinary aspiration will quickly and completely purify the five most harmful actions created under the power of ignorance. Blessed with supreme knowledge, acts in body, family, attributes, and appearance, they will be invincible to adversarial forces and demonic forces, venerated by gods and humans, and all the three worlds to make offerings, going quickly to the Bodhi tree and sitting there to benefit sentient beings. They will fully awaken and turn the great wheel of Dharma. Have no doubt that complete awakening is a fully ripened result comprehended only by a Buddha, of holding in mind by teaching, reading, or reciting this aspiration, Bodhisattva practice. Now I too will train just like the hero Mañjuśrī who knows reality as it is.
And just like Samantabhādra as well, I completely dedicate all this goodness just as they did. With that dedication, which is praised as greatest by all the Buddhas gone to freedom in three times, I too dedicate all my roots of goodness the attainments of the bodhisattva practice. When the moment of my death arise by eliminating all obscurations and directly perceiving Amitābha, may I go immediately to Sukhāvati, pure land of great joy? Having gone to Sukhāvati, may I actualize the meaning of these aspirations, fulfilling them all without exception for the benefit of beings for as long as this world endures. Born from an extremely beautiful lotus blossom, in this joyful land, the Buddha’s magnificent mandala, may I receive a prediction of my awakening directly from the Buddha Amitābha, and receive the prediction there in my great vast benefit for beings throughout the ten directions with a billion emanations by the power of wisdom, through even the small virtue I’ve accumulated by offering this prayer to Bodhisattva practice.
May all the positive aspirations of beings be fulfilled in an instant. Through creating luminous positive potential by dedicating this prayers to Samantabhādra’s deeds, may all beings drowning in this torrent of sorrow enter the presence of Amitābha. Through this king of aspirations, which is the greatest of sublime, helping infinite wonders and saṃsāra, through the accomplishment of this scripture blazing with Samantabhādra’s practice, may suffering realms be utterly emptied of all beings. Then the special dedication prayers, which are on page thirty, dedication prayer section. Due to these merits, may all the obstacles to Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche’s health and long life be instantly removed.
May Rinpoche remain the teachers until saṃsāra ends, and may all his and Rinpoche’s holy wishes be instantly fulfilled. May Lama Zopa Rinpoche have a long and healthy life. May he be able to complete all his studies without hindrance, come a great holder and teacher of Sūtra and Tantra in his life. May be of greatest benefit to all sentient beings. May all the obstacles, quick success of the building of Maitreya statue be instantly destroyed.
May this great statue of Maitreya be accomplished exactly according to the wishes of Maitreya and the lamas. May all the centers and projects of FPMT be free of obstacles to spread the holy Dharma of Buddha Śākyamūni, in particular the teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa. May all sentient beings be free from suffering and achieve everlasting happiness and the highest state of enlightenment. May all the students and friends who worked so hard for FPMT in the service of Dharma and who sacrificed their lives to Buddha’s teachings and to relieve the suffering of sentient beings have long and healthy lives. May they realize the path of enlightenment in their own minds as quickly as possible.
May all those who rely on Rinpoche’s specific requests and our aspirations be free of all obstacles to having long and healthy lives. May they be able to achieve all the realizations of the path in this lifetime. May all the students’ activities please a virtuous friend. In all their lives, may they be guided by perfectly qualified Mahāyāna virtuous friends. And may all their wishes succeed immediately according to the Dharma.
Then page fourteen, the long life press. By myself, by all the Buddhas’ bodies, speech,, and by all sentient beings, which are completely empty and existing from our own side. May the I, which is completely empty, existing from its own side, quickly achieve the state of full enlightenment, which is completely empty, existing from its own side. And lead all sentient beings who are completely empty, existing from their own side. To that state by myself, I, who am completely empty, existing from its own side.
Down bottom of page fourteen. So thank you very much for coming. Please set a very strong motivation tonight and then a very strong motivation tomorrow to begin the retreat so the mind is in the right place. And then please, everyone’s welcome to go. I think the sangha should stay behind and do the Mahākāla prayers.
And if anyone else would like to stay behind, we’re going to do the protector prayers. But if you would like to go, then please feel free to go. But I think the sangha, we should stay and do the prayers when she’s requested. So please sit well and stay.