Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 61-minute teaching from a Hong Kong retreat, Lama Zopa Rinpoche focuses on the Kṣitigarbha Sūtra’s power to purify the five uninterrupted karmas—patricide, matricide, killing an arhat, shedding the Buddha’s blood, and creating disunity in the sangha. He explains their consequence: rebirth in the eighth hot hell for an intermediate eon, a timespan so vast that human lifespans cycle from ten years to eighty thousand and back. He shows how recitation practices like the thirty-five Buddhas purify even these heaviest karmas, and illustrates the immense merit from reading even a single syllable. The teaching culminates in practice: Lama Zopa describes playing sūtra recordings in his car and home in Washington DC, allowing birds, animals, and neighbors to receive purification through hearing alone.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 14 KR.mp3
UUID: 982d33c4-4477-4b62-96ed-79f3ec4542d2
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: z Kṣitigarbha Retreat Hong Kong (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 2005 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 61.0 minutes
Words: ~3,417
Good morning, everyone. So, to continue the oral transmission of the. And So what I recollect the essence, what Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, one of the Gurus from my many teachings and initiations. So one time the oral transmission, what would be explained, meaning the Ārya Kṣitigarbha Sūtra. I sort of mentioned that, that so those who those who you have have to who have read Ārya Kṣitigarbha Sūtra, probably would remember the unimaginable benefits that are spent by listening, even just by listening, and the reading the writing.
So the very first thing that benefited that Buddha The first benefit that Buddha has explained is that just by hearing even a few words However, just the minute when you hear, the minute when you heard Ārya Asangata Sūtra, the minute when you hear, it purifies the five uninterrupted karma, such as killed one’s father, mother, killed Arhat , who has already destroyed, seized the cause of the suffering, delusion, karma, and liberated from the saṃsāra. That so even such a being, say, having killed an Arhat and caused blood to flow from Buddha, caused harm to Buddha and harmed Buddha and caused disunity among the Sanghas. See? So, any of that any of from this five, any of this is committed to it, to it’s very heavily karma. That that right after death, without interruption in another life, then you get reborn there immediately.
You get reborn in the hell or in the hell, the number eight, the hot hell, the heaviest one, which has the heaviest suffering in the hell realm, which means heaviest suffering in the amount of suffering of the whole entire saṃsāra. And duration, length of life, the lifespan is one intermediate eon. One intermediate eon. Yes, like, for example, to get an idea of intermediate eon that is so the original age of the human being, see, the original human beings happened on this earth, the conscious consciousness came from the form realms, mind, the original human beings. So, they were able you live unimaginable immeasurable long life.
Doesn’t mean uncountable, it doesn’t mean numberless. Something that you can’t see in the beginning is not like that, but it’s so long, it’s called unimaginable life. So, then as the mind gradually get degenerated, you see, the mind the delusions become gradually become stronger and stronger grow. More and more grow, then their life becomes shorter shorter and shorter. The the age of the human beings in this world become shorter and shorter.
It goes down to ten years. The then again, goes up gradually, again, by collecting merits from ten years. Age of human beings in this world from ten starts to go up, you see, to eighty thousand, up to eighty thousand, then again goes down. So, so going up due to the merits, you see, collection of merits, then then from eighty eighty thousand, you see, age, then it goes down. And shorter, shorter, shorter goes down ten years.
So one curve like that. It’s called one intermediate. When it goes down, back to ten years. So it’s that takes an unbelievable, you know, it’s a lot of time to going up from ten years. They’re going up, then coming down from, say, eighty thousand, say, dehumanize, and then gradually gradually getting shorter and shorter going down, say, to ten age.
So, the one curve like that is one intermediate eon. So, there’s twenty like that. Duration of how long does the world take to get evolved? Twenty like that. And then, how long does it last?
Twenty like that, like a curve, twenty times. And how long does it take to completely end this world, the whole earth completely? You see, it’s just mixture of the end and just want a special accuracy. So so twenty curve like that, twenty intermediate units. Then how long that being spaced?
Again, twenty intermediate units. So, twenty intermediate units. So, each one is one great eon. So, one great eon has twenty of this, twenty of these curves. So, to get an idea what it means, intermediate eons like that.
So, duration of that hell being is the very last one, twenty intermediate eons. One curve like that you see, There’s one intermediate eon from from ten years going up to eighty thousand years, and then gradually coming down. As you become shorter, shorter, shorter. So, it’s all to do with the afflicted mind. It’s all coming from the mind, the life getting longer and shorter, shorter, The degeneration is the degeneration of mind, delusion, the So therefore, So, always it is important to remember this whenever we see by chanting mantra, so the such as by reciting reciting the names of the thirty five Buddhas, you see, by doing the by doing the confessing the bodhisattva downfalls.
That by by doing that practice, you know, even just a one time well, then it is power to purify this five uninterrupted negative karma. That Actually, the commentary explained that because by correspondence, asked the question that in the Lama Tsongkhapa’s life story, it doesn’t talk much talk, you know, having done many hundreds of thousands of Vajrasattva. Even though it’s a very common practice, you know, one of the very powerful practice of purification, to say to purify, very common. You see all the four traditions, Tibetan Mahāyāna Buddhism, but in the Lama Tsongkhapa’s life story, it talks about having done many hundred thousands of prostrations in the cave, images,, the place in Tibet, a place called, many hundred thousands of prostrations, by reciting the thirty-five because if this practice this one, this if is done even just one well, it is power to purify this five uninterrupted karma. So, yeah.
So, anyway, so, in any practice, when we see that the purified this negative karma, five uninterrupted karma, it’s very important to remember that result in the lowest hell realm, hot hell, the most heaviest one, and the length of life of one intermediate eon. So, that to be be born in that lowest hot hell, you know, if if to suffer, you even one hour, can’t imagine that, even one hour. You see, it’s like it’s like the most you see, it’s suffering. They suffer heaviest that it’s like suffering for you, for the mind, you see. I mean, it’s the most unbearable, you see.
So, sort of that. So, if you think like that, you can understand what it means, how it is most unbearable that one intermediate eon to be in that hell realm and experience. So then you so then you understand this practice is so precious, you know, the most precious. So you you see the value of this practice. So similar here now, I saw the the minute when you hear, it get purified all the all those five uninterrupted karma even once committed to all those five.
So the benefit of the benefit of the listening the Ārya Kṣitigarbha Sūtra, you see, so like that. So, of course, Buddha is of course, you see, you know, Buddha completes the merits of wisdom and merits of virtue. And achieved. But having completed the two types of merit merit that merits wisdom, which cause of dharmakaya, merits of virtue, which cause of rupakaya. So, we are having completed the nature of the two kinds.
So, here, I see one who say, who is the most merit? So they are So like this so Buddha, equivalent in or equaling the number of the sand grains of the Ganges. So, means here, this context doesn’t mean the in India, Varanasi, the river Ganga, not that. The Pacific Ocean. And the a sand grain is the smallest atom.
It’s most atom. So six of them makes another makes another atom. So one of this is water atom. Atom atom of the water. So then gradually, you build up, I say, bigger and bigger like this.
So, the meaning of sand grain, they explain that, the atom of the water. So, Buddha’s equaling numb equaling number of the atom of the water of the Pacific Ocean, so this unbelievable number. So, like that, you see. And like that, you see, twelve times. There are many Buddha like that twelve times.
So, one collect that much merit, and they said that so, if one reads, then how much merit one collect is that much more than that. So, is said, you see, Buddha is equaling the say, Buddha’s equaling the atom of the water, the Pacific Ocean, see, number of Buddha equivalency like that. So so twelve here. So, you know, each side twelve twelve twelve, you see. So this side twelve twelve, this side twelve twelve, this side twelve twelve, then this side twelve twelve.
So that I think I forgot the name. Forget the the total number. I think that’s say, eighty. Anyway anyway, so even there are many Buddha explains the benefits of reading the Kṣitigarbha Sūtra, cannot finish. Number of Buddha explain, the humans cannot finish explaining.
You see, this is the benefits of reading. And then, if you if you write one word from this, how much merit you practice there? The more than, say, the kings. How many wheel-turning kings? So, equivalent number of atoms of the great trichiliocosm, three thousand galaxies.
I mean, great great trichiliocosm, three thousand universes. Universe. Great thousand or three thousand to make universes. Universes. So that how many atoms that many universe has?
So that many wheel-turning kings’ merit, you see. So we’re writing one syllable from the Asaṇga Sūtra, you get far more greater merit than that many number of wheel-turning kings. Merit, equal number of, you see, wheel-turning kings, equal number of the atoms of the great trichiliocosm, three thousand universes. So, why wheel-turning king is used when by Buddha, when we do prostration, the benefits of prostration to give an idea about how unimaginable, unimaginable, made it to reflect. By by doing just one one time prostration.
Just one time prostration. So See, Buddha has used an example of the wheel-turning king here. So if you when you do yeah. So so mentioned that in the benefits of the prostration, see. So here, to get an idea of much merit one gets, if you write even just one syllable from the Ārya Asangata Sūtra, so to be born as a wheel-turning king, one lifetime to be born as a wheel-turning king, it needs projects, big projects to do.
So, it costs many million many millions of dollars, you know, like that, an example. So, that’s so like the five-hundred-feet stupa, for example, so to the I say, a hundred million and fifty million, on top of fifty million. So, that to be born as a wheel-turning king, one lifetime, you need to collect inconceivable merits. Inconceivable merits, so much. And what wheel-turning king means, the only the world doesn’t have two world and king, only one.
It’s a king who has no other has no other king equal, see, by power in the world. So, it it happens only one. It doesn’t happen two, at same time, same world, only one, the most powerful, so forth, you see. So so that so here, just writing one word from this you collect a far more greater merit, then the it collected by the wheel-turning kings. How many wheel-turning kings?
You see, equivalent of atoms of the great trichiliocosm, three thousand universes. So, universe one, two, three, four, like that, ten. So, like that, it’s like that one thousand. Then, one thousand universe like that, one, two, three, four, like that, you see, then thousand, then that second thousand. Then like that second thousand, you see, one, two, three, four, five, you see, then twelve thousand.
For that, the thousand that great great thousand or three thousand universes like that. So, so that is unbelievable, the merit. It’s one method say, of the method which is such an unimaginable method of collecting extensive merit. So of course, usually, more merit means more merit in our daily life, collecting more merits, by doing practices, whichever practice collect more merit, prostration and so forth. That means easier to achieve realization of the path to enlightenment, easier to be free from saṃsāra, oceans of saṃsāra sufferings, Easier, quicker to achieve enlightenment.
Easier, quicker to you to liberate the numberless, I say, sentient beings from the oceans of saṃsāra sufferings and bring them to full enlightenment, which is the ultimate goal of your life. So this so when we when we have a lot of difficulties in our life, not not talking really not talking developing of mind and the spiritual path, you see. Without talking that, just genuine in our life. Facing many obstacles, business or whatever the difficulties to have to have success. So, So, if you have a lot of merit, then everything goes very smooth, You see?
Even even more than what you wish, even more than what you think, you have more success than what you think. You see, even like that. This is success greater than even what you think. However, things go very smooth, you see, without obstacles. So, yeah, that so when you when you are when you say when you when you haven’t collected the merit or, say, so little thin merit, then the negative karma is stronger.
So then then you see, face a lot of difficulties in the life, you see, whatever work you want to success succeed, you see. So that so so therefore, read, Ārya Asangata Sūtra that when you are facing difficulties in life, success in business, whatever happiness you want to achieve. That’s unable to find a job and so forth, this. So we put effort to read that. That’s so eighty thousand goes down to ten years.
Ten years. Yeah. Yeah. That’s right. Oh, yeah.
Go goes down to ten h. That’s right. Goes down ten years, then it goes up. Yeah. One copy.
That’s right. Yeah. Twenty Yeah. Twenty twenty curve like that. Yeah.
It’s it’s a one great eon. Yeah. Sure. Yes. So you’re right.
Just come down and go up. So when there’s a lot of merit, then your wishes, whatever you have, then they they get it. Then they get extra light without much effort. Because that it is an incredible, unbelievable, say, this source, say, so much power to purify, say, those heavy negative karma. So so in the in the United States, when when I was there, Washington, the the richest place.
So so this tape played outside the house day and night for the for the animals. Outside the house, one side of the house, then the other side of the house, not the typical not the typical outside, but the birds, you know, come, see to there’s a bird, say, fruit, you know, there. So little house there on the ground, the garden. So there’s different places around the house, bird, bird food hanging. So many birds come, so they want to travel to other side, house to other side to plan.
Sometime, the Dharma sūtra, mostly playing the dharma sūtra, which is reading, you know, the Ārya Asangata Sūtra. So of course, when the house people that they hear, you know, so we get purified, but also outside animals, know, the deers or birds, and they come outside. So they get incredible benefit. So so much is purified. If those are very heavy ones get purified, so no question about the ten non-virtuous actions.
So they get Not only this line, but they get karma collected in the past. So so I I used to go I used to go for shopping from the house. Today, there’s a Walmart Walmart, big big big shopping center for Walmart. So played this as a and kept the window down so that the people in the house next road is there, people living in the house or outside. And the animals that that made a road around the sea.
So, they all came here. The minute they’re here, they have five non-virtuous actions, but the five uninterrupted negative karma get purified immediately. So, they were that’s unbelievable advantage and benefit that they received. So from their side, without any effort, just hearing this sound, the words, purification done. So you see, without any knowledge from their side.
So one time so there was a very windy weather foggy and cold. There were two nuns sitting back side, I said. So the wind is going through when they come into the window, going back going back side from my window, you see. But, of course, they get very cold. Then then all these other sentient beings, animals, people, neighborhood, all these house, they want they want to hear.
They want get this great advantage, particularly by hearing the sound. So I thought I thought we had to choose the more numbers and it’s a choose the there are only two, so I think outside there’s so many. So, you know, when you drive a car, road to the Walmart, you see. So anyway, so I came down the window then and cried there. So like the people, young people driving around with a big with a stereo, with the music, you know, art music.
So that’s why yeah. So here, Ārya Asangata Sūtra, you see. So I play So each time when you go to the shopping, you will come back. So many sentient beings get liberated from the lower realms. So that’s so it is also, when we have, you know, when we have long drive, one stay in America, one to one stay, two to stay, have we so so play.
So So here, you just one time put the city there, you press the button, you don’t need to put any effort, you see. Then all those all those hours, you know. What do you see? You just need you just need to hear the sound, That’s it. And then unbelievable, unbelievable purification is done.
While you’re driving while while you’re driving car, those hours. So similar. Usually, from the house, we go to office every day. Sometimes, you know, hours to drive, come back. But so much time so much time you spend in the car, so much of life you spend in the car.
So they put something like this where you don’t put where you say you just need to hear the sound so that sufficient unbelievable purification and collecting all those merits which I mentioned before. So such such unbelievable, easy such easy way to make life meaningful, to not waste your to not waste the precious precious human life that that we the special perfect human birth is we received, as I mentioned last night, just just about once just about once we got to receive this time. So you see, you are yourself and then they also I mean, if the outside, the same thing being taken here, then it’s you are liberating so many things like that. So the one student, Harvey, who has been director of office and Lama Tsongkhapa Institute, the biggest center in Italy where there’s this five year program, which they’re starting now in two years. And seven year program, master program, they’re teaching through the philosophy, the extensive teachings, the seven year program, so that we finished which they finished one, the first one, and they’re going to start the next one.
So, he’s been director there for quite some time, and then also he was director, I think also, in in England, Mañjuśrī Centre. You when that center was an academic center. So he was also director at that time, so worked for the organization for so many years. So he studied the commentary of Lam Rim Chenmo by Lama Tsongkhapa, which kind of then, all of few times plus to me and the students. So what is driving car?
Know, going for work, back and forth, you see. So he started the commentary like that. You know, what is driving car? So like that. So making life, not wasting your precious human life, then making life so that one can make makes life so meaningful don’t like that.
Even even when we drive, especially when we drive very long, so many hours like that.