Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 37-minute teaching from a Mahāmudrā International Retreat, Lama Zopa Rinpoche begins with guru devotion, explaining how the guru embodies all Buddhas and manifests in forms according to sentient beings’ karma. He shows how all past, present, and future gurus are expressions of a single compassionate activity. He then reflects deeply on the kindness of sentient beings—all Buddha qualities arise from depending on them—and from this reflection generates bodhicitta and establishes practice’s ultimate purpose: achieving enlightenment to liberate all beings from suffering. The session then moves into guided practice: taking one-day restoring and purifying ordination, reciting specific precepts (avoiding killing, stealing, sexual conduct, false speech, and intoxicants), and making extended dedications for the relief of suffering and the wellbeing of every sentient being. Suitable for practitioners at any level, particularly those in intensive retreat.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 53 2004 04 22 MR.mp3
UUID: fea3b7bb-c6e2-46bf-aab9-9a9c5a52fbcd
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: y Mahāmudrā International Retreat (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 2004-04-22
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 36.8 minutes
Words: ~2,392
In the ordinary mind, the mind that sees the guru and the Buddha’s as separate. With a pure devotional mind that sees the guru and Buddhas as one, the same. Remember the meaning of guru. All the Buddha’s holy mind, the dharmakaya, pervades, which has no beginning and no end, this holy mind bound by infinite compassion manifests to guide us. It manifests infinite pure, and impure forms exactly according to the karma of sentient beings.
It has to manifest in order to communicate with us. And the moment we don’t have the karma, the pure mind, to be able to see the guru pure, in pure forms, Therefore, it appears as a conventional lama, in ordinary form, as a human being, having mistakes, having suffering, having delusions. In these forms, all Buddhas guide me to enlightenment. Guide me from the suffering and the lower realms, from happiness to happiness, to liberation and enlightenment. When you remember the meaning of Guru, then you can see how all our past gurus, all our present gurus and all our future gurus are just one.
They are one being. Focus on that. These present Gurus have been guiding me in the past, are guiding me now, and they will guide me in the future up to enlightenment. These present gurus are all one being. They are simply the activity of all the Buddhas.
They perform all the actions of all the Buddhas for me according to my karma, according to my level of mind. Why does the Absolute Guru work for us? Because of compassion. Compassion is like the fuel or like the pilot or like the driver. Like the pilot of a plane who flies the airplane bringing people different places wherever they wish.
The Absolute Guru bound by powerful compassion towards all of us sentient beings without leaving out even one manifests in these forms as my gurus. The Guru is Buddha. The Guru is Dharma. The Guru is Sangha also. The Guru is creator of all happiness.
All Gurus are objects of refuge. All my past, present and future happiness comes from bodhicitta. bodhicitta came from great compassion. And great compassion came by depending on the existence of every single suffering, obscured, sentient being. All the limitless qualities of the past, all the inconceivable qualities of Buddha came from sentient beings.
Therefore, each sentient being is so precious and so kind. Every time I generate bodhicitta, I collect limitless skies of merit. And this is due to the kindness of every single insect, every single ant, every single mouse, every single beetle. All this comes by depending on each sentient being. Numberless past Buddhas, numberless future Buddhas, and numberless present Buddhas in whom I take refuge, upon whom I rely completely come from the numberless sentient beings, the numberless suffering obscured sentient beings.
From the very beginning, Buddha generated compassion to all sentient beings. Buddha comes from sentient beings. The whole path is generated by depending on sentient beings. Therefore, there are no words to express how kind and how precious each sentient being is. Each sentient being is wish fulfilling, Most precious.
More precious even than Buddha because Buddha, Dharma, Sangha came from each single sentient being. The conclusion is that the happiest life I could have is that of serving these sentient beings. The greatest joy that I could experience comes from benefiting these sentient beings. To fulfill all their wishes just as they fulfill all of my wishes. What these sentient beings want is happiness, the highest happiness. Even though they don’t understand about future lives, enlightenment, but in their hearts, this is what they’re seeking.
Therefore, I will achieve enlightenment in order to bring all these beings to that state. This is the meaning and purpose of my life. To accomplish my own and others’ aims, I generate the mind of bodhicitta. Blessing all the offerings set out here, blessing all the offerings set out in Ven. Yeshe’s room above, blessing all the offerings set out in all the various different FPMT centers, well as the student homes. Wherever there are offerings, actually arranged for the Buddhas and mentally visualizing the skies, more offerings. Offering all of these by reciting the offering cloud mantra, causing them to appear before numberless Buddhas and be received by them.
By the power of the truth, the vast accumulation of all Buddhas and bodhisattvas, by the power of the great merit, the complete two collections, and in the completely pure and inconceivable sphere of reality, may all these offerings become just so. OM SVABHAVA Visualize this face in front, one’s own root guru, inseparable from Guru Śākyamūni Buddha and many Buddhas, surrounded by a multitude of Buddhas and bodhisattvas going out in all directions. Reverently, I prostrate with my body, speech, mind. We present clouds of every type of offering, actual and imagined. Declare all my negative actions accumulated since beginningless time.
And rejoice in the merit of all holy and ordinary beings. Please remain until the end of cyclic existence. And turn the wheel of dharma for living beings. I dedicate all merits and those of all others to the great enlightenment. The objects of my attachment, aversion, ignorance, Friends, enemies, strangers, my body, wealth, enjoyment.
Without any sense of loss or after this collection, please accept it with pleasure and bless me with freedom from the three poisons. Remember the motivation, Oneself becoming Buddha for all sentient beings. Have a very wide attitude covering this whole world, all the problems, and all other universes, countless worlds, thinking and taking these precepts for all those who are sick and suffering, all those who are dying, all those in the wars, all those who are homeless, jobless, depressed. I’m taking these precepts and keeping these precepts as a puja for all sentient beings.
By my taking these vows and living in these vows, just as the past Buddhas have done. May this create the cause in the future for me to be able to give to all sentient beings whatever they need and remove not just their sufferings, but even the causes and subtle imprints of those causes so that every being can be free from suffering. All Buddhas and bodhisattvas dwelling in ten directions, please pay attention to me. Just as the previous tathagatas, foe destroyer, perfectly completed Buddhas, who, like the divine wise horse and the great elephant, did what had to be done, performed actions, laid down the burden, subsequently attained their own welfare, completely exhausted the fetters to existence, and had perfect speech, well liberated mind, well liberated wisdom, for the welfare of all sentient beings, in order to benefit, in order to liberate, in order to eliminate famine, in order to eliminate war, in order to stop the harm of the four elements, in order to eliminate sickness, in order to fully complete the thirty seven practices harmonious with enlightenment, and in order to definitely actualize the unsurpassed result of perfect, complete enlightenment, perfectly perform restoring, purifying ordination.
Similarly also I, whom they call, from this time till sunrise tomorrow, for the welfare of all sentient beings, in order to benefit, in order to liberate, in order to eliminate famine, in order to eliminate war, in order to stop the harm of the four elements, in order to eliminate sickness, in order to fully complete the thirty seven practices harmonious with enlightenment, and in order to definitely actualize the unsurpassed result of perfect complete enlightenment, shall perfectly undertake restoring, purifying ordination. All Buddhas and bodhisattvas dwelling in the ten directions, please pay attention to me. Just as the previous tathagatas, foe destroyers, perfectly completed Buddhas, who, like the divine wise horse and the great elephant, did what had to be done, performed actions, laid down the burden, subsequently attained their own welfare, completely exhausted the fetters to existence, and had perfect speech, well liberated minds, well liberated wisdom, for the welfare of all sentient beings, in order to benefit, in order to liberate, in order to eliminate famine, in order to eliminate war, in order to stop the harm of all elements, in order to eliminate sickness, in order to fully complete the thirty seven practices harmonious with enlightenment, and in order to definitely actualize the unsurpassed result of perfect complete enlightenment, perfectly perform restoring purifying ordination.
Similarly also I whom they call from this time until sunrise tomorrow, for the welfare of all sentient beings, in order to benefit, in order to liberate, in order to eliminate famine, in order to eliminate war, in order to stop the harm of the four elements, in order to eliminate sickness, in order to fully complete the thirty seven practices harmonious with enlightenment, and in order to definitely actualize the unsurpassed result of perfect complete enlightenment, shall perfectly undertake restoring and purifying ordination. Again, remembering the motivation. All Buddhas and bodhisattvas dwelling in ten directions, please pay attention to me. Just as the previous tathagatas, foe destroyer, perfectly completed Buddhas, who, like the divine wise horse and the great elephant, did what had to be done, performed actions, laid down the burden, subsequently attained their own welfare, completely exhausted the fetters to existence, and had a perfect speech, well liberated minds, and well liberated wisdom, for the welfare of all sentient beings, in order to benefit, in order to liberate, in order to eliminate famine, in order to eliminate war, in order to stop the harm of the four elements, in order to eliminate sickness, in order to fully complete the thirty seven practices harmonious with enlightenment, and in order to definitely actualize the unsurpassed result of perfect, complete enlightenment, perfectly perform restoring and purifying ordination.
Similarly also I whom they call, from this time till sunrise tomorrow, for the welfare of all sentient beings, in order to benefit, in order to liberate, in order to eliminate famine, in order to eliminate war, in order to stop the harm of the four elements, in order to eliminate sickness, in order to fully complete the thirty seven practices harmonious with enlightenment, in order to definitely actualize the unsurpassed result of perfect complete enlightenment, shall perfectly undertake restoring purifying ordination. Think now I’ve received the pure vows of my mind stream. Just as the foe destroyers of the past have abandoned all misconduct of body, speech, and mind, such as taking the lives of others, so should I, for the sake of all beings, abandon for one day these wrong actions, and devote myself to pure practice of training. And when you recite this prayer and you say, should not eat food at the wrong times, that that time you have to pay particular attention to that.
And so wrong time means eating after twelve. For Rinpoche, eating after twelve. So if that’s not possible, then you have to have to be aware of that when you take the vows. From now on, I shall not kill, steal others possessions, engage in sexual activity or speak false words. I shall avoid intoxicants from which many mistakes arise.
I shall not sit on large, higher expensive beds. I shall not eat food at the wrong times. I shall avoid singing, dancing, and playing music, and I shall not wear perfumes, garments, or ornaments. Just as the Ahants avoided wrong actions such as taking the lives of others, so shall I avoid wrong actions such as taking the lives of others. May I quickly attain enlightenment, and may the living beings who are experiencing the various sufferings be released from the ocean of cyclic existence.
So then this mantra has three benefits. First of all, it purifies broken, degenerated vows. Secondly, it makes one to receive the completely pure morality of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. And thirdly, by reciting this, one is able to keep purely the vows that one has pledged to keep. May I maintain flawless morality that rules in immaculate morality.
May perfection and moral conduct be completed by keeping morality purely and untainted by pride? Think, this is my contribution to the peace and happiness of all sentient beings, and in particular, to the peace and happiness of all sentient beings in this world. May supreme jewel, bodhicitta, that has not arisen, arise and grow. And may that which has arisen not diminish, but increase more and more. Because of the merits of taking the ordination and keeping the precepts, may I and all sentient beings achieve the two enlightened holy bodies, created by the two vast accumulations of merit and transcendental wisdom.
May all beings everywhere plagued by sufferings of body and mind obtain an ocean of happiness and joy by virtue of my merits. May no living creatures suffer, commit evil, or ever fall ill. May no one be afraid or belittled with a mind weighed down by depression. May the blind see forms and the deaf hear sounds, may those whose bodies are worn be fully restored and finely composed. May the naked find clothing, the hungry find food, may the thirsty find water and delicious drinks.
May the poor find wealth, those weak with sorrow find joy. May the forlorn find hope, constant happiness and prosperity. May there be timely rains and bountiful harvests. May all medicines be effective and wholesome prayers bear fruit. May all who are sick and ill quickly be freed from their ailments.
Whatever diseases there are in the world, may they never occur again. May the frightened cease to be afraid, and those bound be freed. May the powerless find power, and may people think of benefiting each other. For as long as space remains, for as long as sentient beings remain, until then, may I too remain to dispel the suffering of the world. So Khandro-la and Michel’s instructions in previous retreats, when there are older students or you’re taking precepts in a row, there’s no need to put a lot of emphasis on other motivation because people know.
But instead, when there’s time, then to read the benefits of taking precepts that Rinpoche explained from the Vajrasattva book. So we don’t have time today, but that’s just I’m passing on the advice to you. So now do your prostrations. From the heart of Guru Śākyamūni Buddha in front and separable from one’s own root guru, come five colored light rays.