Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 44-minute teaching, Lama Zopa Rinpoche addresses how to recite the morning puja with genuine mental engagement—specifically, how to join the bliss and emptiness experienced in the torma offering with the prayers and chanting that follow. He covers the proper sequence of prayers, the reasoning behind different practice traditions, and why it matters to learn the correct arrangement from one’s teacher. He contextualizes the role of many ritual practices: while the Lamrim forms the foundation for all progress, secondary practices like Tārā puja and medicine puja serve those who are sick or dying and help draw others to Dharma. He also addresses variations in chanting across lineages and advises students to follow their teacher’s guidance. Suited for practitioners already engaged in daily practice.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 01 MP.mp3
UUID: 8c7e465a-8412-46bb-8d15-43fc3d05158e
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: z Morning Puja (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 1990 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 44.4 minutes
Words: ~2,881
One, one, one, one. Two to taste, with the offering practice, with the Guru Puja. Right right after right after the so it’s offered the to the vajra master and when that is done, then the long life the long life prayers are if the once one recite long life prayers, then one recites during that time. Then after that, one then one recite the the supreme queen prayer. That’s that is how that is how normally that is done, the the arrangement of the prayer. I heard that from that he’s on the explained the the reciting the prayer, the supreme queen.
So It’s it’s thinking this. The say, yoga, yoginis or however. By, in fact, the by by enjoying the torma, then, say, is it singing that you singing that The by eating by, by having the taste, that. Having developed, having developed, experienced the bliss and voidness. So so with that blissful mind with that blissful mind and singing then singing this, which which means kind of a which means kind of a thing. What you would I say, what you are what you are experiencing, then kind of putting to the song The bliss, what you experienced, what developed within within you, and it’s putting to the song.
So as enjoying, you know, sort of. I don’t remember word by word exactly, but so this is advised that. So this is a recite. So as a song, you know, say, or enjoyment, you know, by having torma. So therefore, after this is to recite after after everyone had the torma.
However so normally, it stands, if they’re once they’re gonna recite the long life prayer, then recite it. After the making of offering to the vajra master, you know, then do the long life prayers over there. If one is gonna recite, then do that, do that, then afterwards. That’s the the supreme queen prayer. However however, I think the however the arrangement or arrangement of the prayers or however the practices, it’s good that that particularly, I think, is to pay attention and to keep in mind so that everybody knows, everybody knows what the conventional way according to the instructions with the guide with the guideline or whatever.
It’s not So it’s useful for one’s own development and also beneficial service as a community of Sangha or higher to this, towards the sentient beings, towards others. Then so that so this way, everyone everyone said so this way, everyone can know, everyone become capable to do to lead the various the various types of, say, practices or Those different pujas or practices, which which benefit or which benefit to oneself, one’s own development of the mind and develop I say, to benefit, especially to benefit others. So those various things. One should learn more. Those different practices for that to help for dying people or sick people.
However, there is things to do to benefit others, to To so this way, there’s something to offer. So there’s, you know, one is able to fulfill more the needs of others. Even though even though the best even though the main the long run benefit, the main one now in the future, the the main one, of course, the maintaining the Lamrim. The to complete the qualities of cessation, the realizations, the qualities of cessation, the realizations and qualities of the realizations so that one can do perfect one can one can offer perfect service or guide perfectly. Then just matter that.
So, however, to learn more different things, more different practices. Maybe there are also things to learn from, you know, also, Geshe-la. And that need for Sangha community to be able to offer service to others and to to fulfill others, you know, to fulfill more, say, other cherishing needs. Things like that. Even though when it’s on Lamrim, that’s the, you know, basic one.
That’s the main one. That that whether one is in the city or whether one is on the mountain, isolated isolated place, that no that you see nobody. Mention on the is that, of course, that’s the most that you know? That’s the main one. Then those others are then those others are branches.
Other these other things are branches. The service which are kind of, you know, branches, you know, secondary. But it’s still but they have but they have say, It’s something to purify a sentient beings of mind and to them to accumulate merit. And especially if there’s a strong immediate effect, especially if there’s an immediate effect in their lives, then they will become cause of will become strong faith cause of that many other sentient beings to meet Dharma or to practice Dharma. So that there’s there’s deeper benefit in this.
There’s a deeper benefit. There’s deeper benefit benefit one can offer to this. There is a practice you know, the pujas such as tara puja, medicine puja, there are many other different things to do for sick and dying and various, you know, people for various problems. To this had to do with the mind, not just the body, to the mind. So deeper there are deeper benefit.
The service is deeper. Besides solving temporary problem, besides solving present these life problems of of of them of their present problems. The other thing, when we chant like, traditionally, normally, how it stands, when you’re gonna chant if you’re gonna do the if you’re gonna do the long chanting, then the first one is chanted in the last two seconds than the shorter one. So like that. But if it’s but if you’re doing auspicious prayers, then you chant the last one.
If you’re not gonna chant the whole if you’re not gonna chant the whole verses, then you chant the last one like So that one one chant. But like requesting prayers, you chant first, The first one, you know, then the rest of one. That’s one does. Like, if one is gonna chant, raise them. You know, one does.
You know? One the one’s going to is that quicker? And then that case, instead of chanting the last if you have to repeat three times then instead of chanting the last one, then you chant the first. But but the first two are actually but the first, that’s normally how it’s done. But the first two, if one is gonna recite into English, then I guess, okay.
That because in this way because in this way, the well, especially first to a research in English, the last one, Then those then people who are challenging have all they have already have already idea the what is contained in the chanting. Already, the feeling is generate feeling is generated. So one can do the chanting, you know, with the with the with that feeling, that the feeling which generated generated with the mind and the heart. Then so as long as you use advice. There are so many chantings.
So many of the chantings that how’s it? This is the lama chopa and so forth. Not exactly sure whose chanting is correct. The one one person say, oh, my chanting is. Another one says, this another one says, my chanting is. But this is different.
So there’s no I think there’s no tapes, you know, that Changkya, Pabongka, Changkya, Pabongka, all those ancient great yogis or something, you see. There’s no tapes there’s no tapes or videos. So So they are according to lineage, they are my they are, I think, they are different. But, however, the arrangement of the prayers are basically is done according to advice instruction. Then somewhat yeah.
Then there’s there’s he said on the song, which is chantings of Lama Chöpa. I saw the Chanting Guide. You said that when one leads, one leads the prayer. Say that one. I also don’t remember all the time.
But remember you you said use advice. Was teaching the chanting so a lot of about the different things, different prayers, which is advised when you begin. One must be not straight, you know, like for example, Instead of standing straight, one bows and then begins Or no in Tibetan it says a One One lead the prayer. But one one start instead of staying straight, and then so you bow like this. That every prayer, you know, what happen?
One beginning. So I must have like that. That or one put out, one. They are like the way of offering. Raise the raise the the hands like this and make make noise from here.
Anyway, answer. So that’s advice. So so much used to advice like that. Then Tārā’s Tārā puja mandala offering. That’s yes.
Thank you. The twenty yeah. I think it must I think it might be in the sadhana. The I think it’s twenty-four heaps. Twenty-four heaps.
Twenty fourth twenty-four heaps. Not the normal thirty-seven heaps. Twenty fourth hip. That is it. When he’s in the song which the the in the which is the sadhana of the Ganden monks.
The one which was doing. They Pabongka’s self-initiation or Pabongka’s mandala offering. You know? There. There’s a long version for mandala offering and Tārā puja practice, and then normally what we do is the short one.
When when when I was dealing with, often, the mandala offering the number of mandala offerings is done according to what is according to what is mentioned that one. I think twenty twenty-four heaps, I think. It is it is mentioned in that, in the the mandala, how the number, you know, how it comes. Normally, we’ve been doing the general, we have thirty seven that I go Songtsen Gampo, one very high king who conquered the whole I think the first time who conquered you know, the first time history, the first first time, the old the old the old Tibet the whole Tibet was in pieces, you know, pieces of kingdom. So all everything came to say, everything become one.
And become one. And, you know, it was offered to, and he was king. And king of this become the king of the whole Tibet. So that’s the first time that everything’s united. All all the pieces of Tibet is united the first time.
So so this normal according to the and this this is this is related to the Nandala. The number one is thirty seven. That is according to this this is an image. The explanation. The different different number of mandala offerings.
So that that that’s thirty-seven heaps. So there are different number of heaps of mandala offerings. So it’s related to different there is a mandala, you know, mandala. Like that. So, normally, we have been doing the normal way.
The common one: thirty-seven. But I think it’s or I think Bodh Gaya Bodh Gaya or Tuśita. We were doing testimony for for mental or from testimony. This Tuśita mandala offering practice is Highest Yoga Tantra. There there is another for mandala offering, the mandala offering Tārā puja.
The normal one that’s done in all the four sects, that is lower Tantra. That is commonly done. And it’s very common Tibet that also other sect invited for invited a Sangha for it’s a it’s a it’s a it’s a common that for there was no fully ordained nun in Tibet. So fully ordained monks they invite and to do Tārā Puja. So I think it’s got to be very effective, very powerful for the for the family’s success.
However, so who is the heart who is the heart disciple of Pabongka? Who is the heart disciple? His face, which is what, most of his face, whichever. Many times, you know, but his face is in the aspect, you know, is in the vision, which many times, the face is in the aspect. But but that but whenever when when when that time, face is the is the most most peaceful, most most pleasant most pleasant face was very was, according my view, very rare to see.
Well, the example. I’m not sure how that fits, but the example that I used used to think it was like butter melted butter melted. That’s which means soft connotation, soft, not concrete, not hard. So Rinpoche’s face turns out very the expression when Rinpoche when Rinpoche in of Rinpoche, you know, face. Very soft, say.
Very pleasant, extremely pleasant face. So the one one there might be others, but one heart disciple. The one who prays the most. There is one who is called the mandala, I think. One.
There might be others, but this is from my view. When I remember to receive that time, Lama requested to give all those sets of all those commentaries and beginning with the initiation commentary. Then after that and then after that, became a little bit known to the other sects. Other sect is known is is familiar to other sect, you know, the Western students, but not known. The Gelug tradition, they among those are practicing, no.
But but but the initiation, then there’s such a practice and then become more somewhat didn’t become known in the in our organization. In general, the the centers in the west. So then supported a commentary on the mandala offering and Heruka, for many things were given during that time. This lamas kindness, unbelievable. So many students had incredible, unbelievable fortune.
It’s a miracle. From from a great enlightened being in the form of in the form of human body. So like that. So that so that during those months, as you may say, kindly with much compassion. That means I accepted to give all these teachings.
And and then yeah. So that was my experience from that time. I want to keep, you know, different people that just have to come to see. There was a religious expression. Many times, very terrifying.
Many many times, it’s an aspect of face. This is something that you say. That image might scold or some, you know, wrathful. Many times wrathful aspect. There are two dedications for this morning’s puja.
Three, actually. Please send healing energy to Greg Blizzard who is recovering from surgery and is having radiation therapy. May he find peace and happiness in his life. May the child about to be born to Sue Gardner find peace and happiness in his life. And dedication from Chris Gwynne for my daughter’s second birthday today.
Please dedicate that Mari Rose embraces the holy Dharma, is guided by virtuous friends and blessed with realizations, and that her life is of a maximum benefit to all sentient beings. Now visualization of the refuge object on page three of the Jorcho. In space in front of me is a large jeweled throne supported by eight great lions, on top of which is a seat of a variegated lotus, moon, and sun mandalas. On this is seated the essence of my own root guru and the aspect of the conqueror, Śākyamūni Buddha. The color of his holy body is the purest gold, and he has an uṣṇīṣa on the top of his head.
Śākyamūni Buddha has one face and two arms. His right hand is in the position of controlling the earth, and his left is in the position of concentration, holding a bowl filled with nectar. He is wearing the saffron robes of a monk and is adorned by the marks and signs. His holy body in the nature of transparent light, he sits in the vajra posture in the center of an aura of light rays. Surrounding him are the direct and indirect gurus, deities, buddhas, bodhisattvas, dakas, dakinis, and protectors, in front of each of these holy beings on a lotus throne, as the Dharma explained by them, in the form of texts having the nature of light.
All of these beings in the merit field are in the aspect of being pleased with me. By remembering their qualities and kindness, I generate great devotion towards them. Generating the motivation. From beginningless time until now, I and all the mother sentient beings have been experiencing the various general sufferings of saṃsāra, and particularly the suffering of the lower realms, numberless times. Still, it is difficult to see the end of saṃsāra, to see the depth of suffering.
At this time, I have received a perfect human rebirth, qualified with the eight freedoms and ten richnesses, which is difficult to find, but once found is highly meaningful. It can be used to attain a good future rebirth, liberation, and even enlightenment. This time, having met the precious teachings of Buddha, which is so difficult to meet, if I do not try to attain the most sublime liberation of full enlightenment, which is beyond the state of peace in all samsaric sufferings, I’ll have to experience all over again the sufferings of saṃsāra in general, and in particular, the sufferings of the three lower realms. Who has the power to protect me from these sufferings? Only the guru and the three precious gems who are abiding in front of me.
I must achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all mother sentient beings. Therefore, I am going to take refuge in my guru and the three precious gems.