Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 36-minute session from a Mahāmudrā International Retreat, Lama Zopa Rinpoche guides practitioners through the preparations for taking a one-day Mahāyāna ordination. He opens with guru devotion — viewing the teacher as the embodiment of all Buddhas — then shifts to cultivating compassion by recognizing sentient beings as infinitely precious, having been our own mothers in past lives. From this, he leads the generation of bodhicitta, the commitment to achieve awakening for the benefit of all beings. The teaching then moves into the formal vow ritual, specifying the precepts to observe: abstaining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech, intoxication, and various lifestyle restrictions, all with the unified motivation of benefiting all sentient beings. For practitioners ready to take or renew ordination vows.
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File: 83 2004 04 27 MR.mp3
UUID: ba0dc0f8-27e1-485a-91fa-cf438f4c9626
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: y Mahāmudrā International Retreat (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 2004-04-27
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 35.9 minutes
Words: ~2,045
Is completely faulted all the time and extremely limited. Therefore, the fact that I see these gurus as ordinary does not prove they’re ordinary. If I look at them as pure, as Buddha, then I will see them that way. Seeing Guru as Buddha doesn’t come from the Guru’s side. It has to come from my side with much continual effort.
Now looking at these gurus as all the Buddhas, let them appear that way to your mind without the slightest doubt. Not only all the Guru is Buddha, but every action they do, every word they say, every advice is that of all the Buddhas. Therefore, today, I’m going to abide in the guru’s advice, which constantly brings me closer to enlightenment. Guru is Buddha. Guru is Dharma.
Guru is Sangha also. The Guru is the creator of all happiness to all those that go for refuge. Now look at sentient beings with the awareness that they’re most precious and most kind, with the awareness that every single one of our past happiness has come from all sentient beings. Every single one of our present happiness, especially this opportunity to practice Dharma, to do this retreat, in each moment able to accumulate skies of merit, has come from each one of these sentient beings. And every single one of our future happiness comes by depending on each one of the sentient beings.
Therefore, every single sentient being from the tiniest insect up to the hugest whale is the most precious and kind one in our life. By looking at sentient beings this way, allow them to appear this way to your mind, most precious, most kind, most important one in my life. Every single one of these sentient beings has been suffering continuously without a break, endlessly cycling from realm to realm since beginningless saṃsāra, experiencing the three types of suffering. Except for some short times in the formless realm experiencing these three types of suffering without break. And they will continuously do so until the causes of suffering are eliminated from their minds.
Therefore, there is nothing more important in my life than to work for sentient beings. Therefore, I would generate the thought of enlightenment in order to free them from the sufferings and the causes of those sufferings. And I will take full responsibility to make this happen by myself alone. To accomplish my own and others’ aims, I generate the mind seeking enlightenment. Blessing all the offerings that aren’t here, blessing all the offerings that are in the FPMT centers.
In the room, she has room above, in room, she has houses in America and in Washington state, blessing all the offerings as she arranged and mentally visualizing skies more offerings of the highest quality by reciting this mantra causing all these offerings received by numberless Buddhas. By the power of the truth, this rituals, with the blessings of all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, by the power of great mind, the completed two collections, completely pure and inconceivable sphere of reality, May all these offerings become just so. Reverently, I prostrate with my body, speech, and mind. And present clouds of every type of offering, actual and imagined. I declare all my negative actions accumulated since beginningless time.
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 rejoice in all along and dedicate my own merits and those of others to great enlightenment. The objects, my attachment, aversion, ignorance, friends, enemies, strangers, my body, wealth, enjoyment, without any sense of loss to offer this collection.
Please accept it with pleasure and bless with freedom from the three poisons. So first, bring to mind one’s own situation, how our minds are completely hallucinated with so many wrong views. We see things which are impermanent as permanent and cling to them, creating so much cause of suffering. We see things which are only in the nature of suffering as happiness and run after them and cling to them, only creating causes of suffering. We see things which lack even the slightest atom of true existence as being truly existing and cling to them.
Believing them to exist that way give rise to so many negative emotional thoughts and actions that cause suffering to ourselves and others. In this way, our minds are so overwhelmed, drowning in wrong views. Blinded by ignorance, habituated to negative actions. Trapped in the prison of self-cherishing. Constantly creating causes for suffering, Only with great difficulty creating virtue, the cause of happiness.
And then very easily destroying all those virtues through our habituated negative minds of anger. It is like this for every single sentient being. Not only that, but on top of the mental suffering, there’s also the physical suffering, wars, famines, not finding enough to eat or drink or to take care of one’s family, sicknesses, paralysis, dying, aging, even birth itself is suffering. Therefore, saṃsāra is unbearable. Unbearable for myself and unbearable for others.
And until I put a stop to it, it will never end. Therefore, right now, that I have this precious human rebirth. I’ve met with the teachings. I’ve met with perfect fully qualifying gurus, and come under their care and guidance. I must definitely emerge from this endless cycle of suffering.
And I must take full responsibility to liberate all beings who have been my mother’s countless times from their suffering. In order to do this, just as the previous Buddhas in the past generated bodhicitta and and abided, lived in vows, I too am going to take these Mahāyāna precepts for the welfare of all beings, and particularly for the peace and happiness of all beings in this world. 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 lifted the divine white 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, 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 pacify famine, in order to pacify war, in order to pacify the harmful elements, in order to eliminate sickness, in order to fully complete the thirty seven practice harmonious with enlightenment, in order to definitely actualize the unsurpassed result of perfect enlightenment. Therefore, we perform the restoring purifying ordination.
Similarly also I, [name], from this time, 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 harmful elements, in order to eliminate sickness, in order to fully complete thirty seven practices of enlightenment, in order to definitely exercise the unsurpassed result of perfect complete enlightenment, shall perfectly undertake restoring purifying ordination. All Buddhas and bodhisattvas dwelling in ten directions, please pay attention to me. Just as the previous tathagatas, foe destroyers, perfectly completed Buddhas, who lifted the divine white horse and the great elephant, did what had to be done, performed actions, laid down the burden, subsequently attained own welfare, completely exhausted the fetters, and 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 harmful 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, perfectly formed, restoring, purifying ordination.
Similarly also, I, [name], from this time until sunrise tomorrow, for the welfare of all sentient beings in order to benefit, in order to liberate, in order to eliminate famine, in order to eliminate war, in order to stop the harmful elements, in order to eliminate sickness, in order to fully complete practice harmonious with enlightenment, in order to definitely actualize the unsurpassed result of perfect complete enlightenment. shall perfectly undertake restoring purifying ordination. All Buddhas and bodhisattvas dwelling in ten directions, please pay attention to me. Just as the previous tathagatas, foe destroyers, perfectly completed Buddhas, who lifted the divine white horse and the great elephant did what had to be done, performed actions, laid down the burden, subsequently attained own welfare, completely exhausted the fetters, and have 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 harmful elements, in order to eliminate sickness, in order to fully complete thirty seven practice harmonious with enlightenment, in order to definitely actualize the unsurpassed result of perfect complete enlightenment, perfectly formed, restoring, purifying ordination.
Similarly, also, I, [name], from this time until sunrise tomorrow, for the welfare of all sentient beings in order to benefit, in order to liberate, in order to eliminate famine, in order to eliminate war, in order to stop the harmful elements, in order to eliminate sickness, in order to fully complete thirty seven practice harmonious with enlightenment, in order to definitely actualize the unsurpassed result of perfect complete enlightenment, shall perfectly undertake restoring purifying ordination. Just as the foe destroyers of the past avoided wrong conduct of body, which are mine, 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 or training. From now on, I should not kill, steal others possessions, engage in sexual activity, or speak false words. I should avoid intoxicants from which many mistakes arise. I should not sit on large, high 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, ornaments. Just as the avoided wrong actions, such as taking the lives of others. So should I avoid wrong actions, such as taking the lives of others.
May I quickly attain enlightenment? May the living beings who are experiencing various sufferings be released in the ocean of cyclic existence. May I maintain flawless morality rules and immaculate morality. May perfection and moral conduct be completed by keeping morality purely and untainted by pride. This is my contribution to peace and happiness all sentient beings, and particularly for peace and happiness of all sentient beings in this world.
May the supreme jewel bodhicitta that has not arisen arise and grow, May that which has arisen not diminish, but increase more and more. Because of the merits of taking ordination and keeping the precepts, may I and all sentient beings achieve enlightened holy bodies, created by 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 with evil or ever fall ill.
May no one be afflicted with a mind weighed down by depression. May the blind see forms and deaf hear sound. May those whose bodies are worn and weary be restored and find repose. May the naked find clothing and hungry find food. May the thirsty find water and delicious drinks.
May the poor find wealth and 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 those sick and ill quickly be free from their ailments.
Whatever diseases that 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, till then, may I too remain to dispel the suffering of the world. I’ll make two prostrations.