Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this two-hour class, Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaches mandala offering, a foundational Tibetan Buddhist practice for accumulating merit. He begins with ritual consecration of the mandala base and scattered rice, then carefully walks students through the practical setup: how to bind the mandala cloth around the waist, the mudras and hand positions for purifying the base, and how to position oneself comfortably. He emphasizes that newcomers should approach without tension or fear of mistakes. Rinpoche then delivers extended teaching on why mandala matters: merit is essential not only for long-term liberation but for sustaining effort through initial practice obstacles, and all great teachers from Buddha’s disciples through Lama Tsongkhapa to contemporary gurus prioritize it. He demonstrates both the long form (thirty-eight heaps) and short form (seven heaps), showing how the practice channels emptiness and bodhicitta into vast offering to Buddhas and charity to all beings. Finally he gives detailed instruction on the actual offering: purification and accumulation sequences, pouring technique, visualization of transforming a small mandala into infinite universe, and how to wrap and store the mandala for repeated use. Accessible to practitioners at all levels, though particularly suited to those beginning preliminary practices or seeking to deepen commitment to the path.
File metadata (for organising)
File: Mandala Class.mp3
UUID: c32b76f3-8d34-4274-9336-18ef7c0984e9
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 3
Collection: Mandala (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 3)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 135.2 minutes
Words: ~12,862
I did the consecration based on Kurukulla Tārā and also based on the Namgyalma. So so this vast nectar has the the vast nectar is consecrated, which now possess the water when this finger the water is it it it has the ability to to purify impurity of the mandala base and also purify the impurity of the mandala substance. And at the same time, he also purified the Namgyalma is one of the very powerful goddess help to purify even physical sickness and mental sickness, especially skin diseases, especially skin problems, especially, like, at the harms of Naga, harms of a landlord, harms harms of Naga and harms of a landlord. It’s it’s very, very effective. So thank you.
So so I will come to I will come to the line. So at the one round, I will be sprinkling the bathwater. So when I sprinkle the bathwater, I will take care of the the purification of the mandala base and the mandala substance. And if you wish to participate for the purification of your own, like, physical, you know, like, any discomfort, sicknesses, pollutions, especially the harm that received through Naga and the landlords that, you know, always get rashes, always get, skin itchiness, including the cracking. So those skin allergy, skin diseases is one of very powerful purification.
So for that, you have to involve you have to engage into the practice by thinking that the moment the the sprinkling water touch to your your your body, you should feel that it is washing out. In in actual practice, it’s supposed to wash entire your body. You know, at least your whole head is supposed to pour so much water. You know? But here, may be not possible, so I would just sprinkle around.
So so that time, you should feel that your skin diseases, skin allergy, harms of naga, harms of themselves are purifying. So before we do that, that that is the one section. And second round, I’ll I’ll I’ll come into your line to throw the rice. So this rice also also consecrated consecrated by the the self-generation of deity and through the power of the mantra. You know, in order to consecrate some other object, first, the rice and the water have to consecrate it.
So the rice also consecrate. So when I throw the rice around, it’s also, you know, consecrate. After purifying, now consecrate the mandala base, the mandala, the the substance offering, including your jewelries that you’re hanging on your neck hanging on your ear, hanging on your necks, or bracelets, or watch, or anything, or if you happen to bring your vajra bell inside your bag or whatever. So all these items will consecrate as an object. The moment you use the object, it drives the the four activities of the Buddha.
You know? The moment once consecrated the moment you hold, the moment you hear the sound of mandala, the moment you start to use the mandala, the moment you start to ring the bell, the moment you touch the earring, the object transforms as substance to drive Buddha’s blessing, drive the protector’s blessing, drive the dakini’s blessing. So that’s the whole reason why the practitioners keep vajra bell and damarus, before using it, know, must consecrate. You know, why you need to do that? That has a reason.
Because once you consecrate, it just naturally whenever you you you you use it, it it naturally drives the blessing of the Buddha. So that has the effect. So before we get go into before before I come down, so I would like to if if there’s any newcomers, so I would like to you you to how to say it? You know, display the mandala base, you know, very comfortably. Just maybe you, you know, you it comes in the wrapping like this.
So just happily, you know, look around, feel easy. Don’t be like, oh, maybe I might do wrong. I might miss fall into mistake. Don’t be tense. Just it’s just one something or some object.
So feel easy. If you want to concentrate, look this here. If you don’t, you just go around. You know? Just make sure to throw out.
Throw out also is good generously. So like this. So you want to open. And after that, stretch your leg. Either you sit like Tārā.
Sitting Tārā is the best. Sitting like the Tārā’s posture. The is is the one of the best posture for the mandala practice. You know? That’s the best.
If not, you just, like, put both your leg stretch out, make it hollow. You know? So then so then after that, open and, yeah, the string. Some of the practitioners, they just put like this. They tie here.
Or some even just do one, three, four, five round. So no need to even tie because sometimes there’s danger. You know? Tie to tie. You know?
Or suddenly, you got a your alarm phone alarm rings, rush, and the mandala is too heavy. Dangerous. You know? But, anyway, just tie like this. So it’s it’s it’s it’s it’s enough.
But if you if you are if you are tying belt, then you just think. You just simply like this. So then you just you just, of course, start in your belt. It’s also one of the easiest one of the easiest way. But I will still recommend the belt is like this one.
Just this cloth go up to your neck. Yeah? And after that, one two round is enough. So it’s it’s it’s sufficient for a few few few rounds of mandala of shrimp. So like this.
Then from the three corners, just stretch a little bit out. Just stretch out like this. Okay. So you see? So feel like you can just throw anywhere now.
So so much big space. So Yeah. Anyway, when you when you complete the mandala thing, then you just simply take out, pull like this, pass through here, pass here, pass all together, then grab grab like this. Yeah. String pull out.
And again, like how you tie your hair. Like this and wrap. Like this. Pull. You know, here.
Pass to this finger. Help with the right finger. Pull up. It’s so easy. You can you you can just put on the table or you put in your bag and and and and this is, in fact, it’s very easy.
And nothing to worry about the the the the offerings, you know, like, how to say, split inside anywhere. And you don’t have don’t have to worry. That’s these are complete. So, anyway, this is just for you. I will say at the end of the session, but just to complete how to open and how to tie.
You know? That’s it. So, anyway, keep the scissors open. Yeah. So then after that, you have to help me to hold left hand handful of the grain.
Okay. And I’ll pass the mandala to the left hand. Hold the grain the mandala base. Hold. Okay.
So since your table is in front, you put your ring in front. If no table, you you just put on top of your knee. Yeah? So then after that so okay. So so now let me come and blast.
Okay. So you just fall like this. Okay. You just hold like this. So let me come and bless, then we will start.
Oh, sorry. I missed I missed one thing. From your side, there’s a mudra. There’s a special mudra to bless the mandala base. There’s no particular mantra.
But, normally, what they use is the. There’s there’s one medical substance which mixture with the cow dung, and the the cow have to be, like, from very pure place. Like, they always eat medicinal herbs. So that mixture with some of the six medicinal herbs, blackberries, and you apply with the saffron water. After that, you you you clean.
You know? But, anyway, we don’t we don’t have that. But I put I did put manipulins in here. So later when when I come when I come to Springer, that time, you have to use this motor. But right now, for us to practice, put your the first finger to the center of the mandala.
Yeah. So then after that, your thumb, put it at the at the front side, front from you. Front side out out outside. And after that, do anticlock after the halfway. Yeah.
So do three times. One, two, three. And now change change like this. From here, from the front to the back. One two three.
One two, three. So so so so you you you you get what? You you got? Finger from the out out front to the in. One, just a half.
One, two, three. And after that, front to the in or in to the front. Into the front. I I don’t have a particular a nice word to use, so you just have to look out. One two three.
Okay? So when I come back, sprinkle. So you can do this three times anticlockwise and three time three times clockwise. Thank you. Okay.
Now you can rest. So you can have a just one, two minute rest. So here, the mandala practice is no. Before before we get into the the actual process of the practice, that are very important for us to engage into right motivation in order to actualize this practice as a cause of fully enlightenment. So, therefore, the best way to set the motivation is set the motivation in altruistic mind, the Bodhisattva motivation, by thinking that from this very moment on, whenever I engage into the practice of mandala offering, whenever I inspire to practice mandala offering, whenever I I, you know, I make the actual process of the mandala practice or including, you know, keeping mandala within your house, in your car, or carry up mandala along with you.
You know? May all this act of mandala practice be the complete cause for myself to actualize Buddha to actualize Buddha within myself by purifying the two obscurations, the the obscurations obscuration within the self, you know, obscuration of the inherent self existing and obscuration of the inherent self existing of the phenomena. Then by actualizing the the two accumulations of merit merit or method by practicing by engaging in the practice of loving kindness, compassion, bodhicitta renunciation, and actualize the the merit of wisdom by engaging into the practice of emptiness and as as well as the engagement of the practice of the unification of greatness and emptiness, including the practice of three kayas and as well as the practice of the the two stages of path, the path of generation and path of completion. So and the purpose of oneself actualizing fully enlightenment also for the benefit of numberless mother sentient beings to to to liberate them from entire oceans of saṃsāra to the, you know, to the, is the state of cessation where there’s no where there’s not even a single moment of experience of suffering. You know?
So the purpose of practicing mandala, purpose of engaging into this this, you know, wonderful accumulation of merit practice is have to be inspired by the two inspiration. The inspiration to oneself to become Buddha and inspiration oneself to become Buddha just for the benefit of numberless beings. So these two are the the purpose why we are engaging into the practice. So then from tomorrow on that whenever you whenever you remember, you know, whenever you are engaging with the practice of mandala, if you remember to motivate, that’s wonderful. That’s very, very even more effective.
But even in case you happen to miss out, you know, generating the right motivation, then today’s motivation can be sufficient even, you know, for the coming days until the ones have actualized the practice of the the stages of the path through the practice of mandala through the practice of mandala. So, therefore, once you think that my motivation, whatever motivation is set up today, may be a motivation for entire coming days of practice of mandala. And by the way by the by the way, practice of mandala for the purpose of fully enlightenment, may I able to, you know, purify all the temporary, the obscurations, obstacles such as obstacle in business, such as obstacle in the work, business, obstacle in the family relationship, obstacle in, you know, encountering the conducive condition for a spiritual practice. So the purpose of doing mandala practice is for that. And and purpose of doing mandala practice, by the way, is also for, you know, to generate the the good causes, good karma, to encounter all the necessary conditions in order to success your business, work, relationship, and the the spiritual practice on during the preliminary stage, you know, spiritual practice during the preliminary stage.
When we first when we first time, you know, get into the practice of preliminary, into Dharma, there’s so much obstacle. You know, there’s so much obstacle encounter. You know? So much encounter of obstacles. You know?
And since our mind is so fragile, since our mind is, like, so used with the negative influence, you know, that is so easy to discourage, so easy to give up Dharma practice, so easy to give up Dharma practice. And that also is due to lack of merit. You know? The the the practitioner who have very weak mind, the practitioner who have a weak mind, the practitioner who who cannot overcome the obstacles during the preliminary stage in the practice. And we all are in the preliminary stage of practice unless you’re already Buddha, you know, unless you’re already Buddha.
If you are not Buddha yet, whatever form of practice, including the Lamrim meditation, including the study of Lamrim getting into Lamrim meditation, including the meditation emptiness bodhicitta, all are in a preliminary practice. All are all are preliminary practices. You know? So so if if all if if you don’t have enough merit, it’s so easy to give up. You know?
One small obstacle comes, give up. You know? You know? If your prayer didn’t if you if your prayer, you know, didn’t answer by tomorrow morning, you give up the practice. If your prayer didn’t answer by tomorrow morning, you give up Buddha.
You know? You give up refuge. You know? It happens. You see?
And all this happens due to lack of merit. All this happens due to lack of merit. So there were some of the practitioners who didn’t didn’t didn’t ask here. You know? Some of you or many of you, even the first time when you encounter Dharma, the the encouragement, you know, the inspiration is huge.
You You haven’t learned Dharma yet, you know, but the moment you see Buddha’s holy objects, the moment you hear of the one word of Dharma, and if your inspiration is huge, that means you have so much merit. And that merit is definitely accumulated in the path, could be in the path lifetime. Definitely must be past lifetime. Because within this life, we we we’re quite clear that we haven’t engaged into any Dharma practices. Isn’t it?
So you see? So so even today, you know, after practicing Dharma, whatever strength, whatever conviction in in you for conviction in your own faith, your own faith to Buddha’s Buddha Dharma, own faith to Buddha’s blessing, and all on oh my god. The the, you know, the conviction, belief, the strength of the belief for your own practice is all is all due to the accumulation of merit. You know? So, you know, the practice get deeper and deeper, harder and harder.
You know, the Buddhadharma is the more you learn, the deeper it goes. You know? It it sounds like the harder it it goes. You know? If you happen to learn if you happen to receive Lamrim teaching first time, you feel like you are you’re quite you’re quite knowledgeable.
You know, you you you learn a lot. But when you go to listen Lamrim teaching second time, you know, you you you will be more lost. You know, I thought I I know everything, but now I found out that what? So deep, much more deeper. When you go to listen, I’m not teaching same teaching third time.
It’s like kind of like, how come, you know, I I I become less and less wisdom? How come my understanding is, like, getting lesser and lesser? But in fact, your understanding is not getting lesser. The understanding on the teaching is getting deeper. You know, your wisdom is actually getting greater, but, you know, like this.
You see? So if not in a merit, it is so hard, you know, to to to to continue. You know, it’s so hard to continue. You see? So we need so much merit even even during the process of preliminary practice, even during the process of, you know, the initial the learning process of learning process in Dharma, if if we don’t have a merit, it’s so difficult.
So difficult to continue. Then if we if we want to contemplate worse, we need even much more greater merit. Otherwise, you know, once the moment you you start to close your eye or start to think of the meanings, you know, almost like your head your head is, like, cracking. When you start to feel like your head is cracking, you know, cracking. Or or some huge modernist to put on your head and the whole limb rim tax is, like, so heavy, put on your your head.
You feel like so heavy. You know? So the thing is you need even more merit for in order for you to success to do the contemplation. Without without learning, no contemplation. Without no contemplate without contemplation, no meditation.
In order to without without meditation, no realization in the path. So in order to gain the purpose of studying Dharma is to gain the realization in the stages of path. In order to gain the realization in the stages of path, we must do meditation. In order to do the meditation, we must contemplate on the meaning of the teaching. In order to contemplate in the meaning of the teaching, must study, must hear the teaching, must listen the teaching, must read the books, you know, must do discussions, must explore, you know.
So it comes up with study, you see. So even to get into Dharma study, you need so much merit. Majority of human being, they don’t need Dharma. You know? Even even many of us, you know, we we we heard of Buddha and we know that we are Buddhist, but the way getting into a study of Dharma is, like, after many, many years later.
After many, many years later, somehow we stuck somewhere. You know? Somehow, something is pulling back. You know? So you see, all this about merit.
No merit, not possible. I’ll share you one story, like, in a monastery when we study philosophy. When we study philosophy, it says, like, a, three bowls. You know? Like, say, the three ball.
The the amount of the study that you you amount of listening, amount of, you know, like, discussion, amount of homework it’s just about one ball. But amount of accumulation of merit, need to in order to success this one bowl of knowledge, you need to accommodate the two bowls quantity of merit. Otherwise, you cannot handle. So the the the teachers of courage never miss going to puja. You know, they will make sure when you’re up three o’clock, send you to puja.
You see? If you want to become Geshe, you have to accumulate merit. Just going for debate, just coming to the teacher and learn learn, that doesn’t happen. That’s only one. From three, only one.
The majority is about merit. If you don’t have merit, how smart you are, you still will be the failure. You know? So meanwhile, they will introduce us, you know, doing prostration, doing mandala offerings, doing water bowl offerings, you know, know, so all sort of like, you know, these preliminary practices in order for us to help to accumulate merit, in order for us to sustain to complete the study. You see?
So like that. So like that. So now here. So now here. So you see, why we need to practice mandala?
Because we need so much merit. We need so much merit. So that’s the that’s the that’s the one reason. The purpose of becoming Buddhist, purpose of coming into Buddhadharma the purpose of becoming Buddhist practitioner, like like, all of us here, is not just to gain some comfort in our day to day life. It’s to it is to obtain the liberation.
For that reason, without merit, not possible. So, again, for that purpose, we need to accumulate merit. You know? For the short term benefit, such as success in our business, success in our including, you know, the center’s activities, your home, your your your family’s matters, activities, you know, results, you need merit. No merit, you know, all this is not possible.
Even you think that you have so much merit, but if you if you don’t continue to accumulate merit the merit, there will be a total exhaustion. You know, you will you will be complete you will completely exhaust. And from that day, you wish to recover almost like impossible. You know? Almost almost likely impossible.
Everything is possible, but here and now, it’s almost likely impossible. You know? Once you get into a failure, then from, you know, from there, you want to stand up, oh, so difficult. So in that point of view, we are so lucky. You know?
We are not not rich like a Bill Gates. Maybe maybe many of you must be, I have no idea. You know, in in a money form, you know, in a in a dollar form, we are not necessarily. You You said not this like bill yet, but we are not poor like poor Himalayan, you know, the the the the the families, many Himalayan families, we are somewhere that everything is quite enough, perfect. It’s kind of like everything is like in a perfect perfect stage.
You know? So so due to due to the situation where we are, that’s the only way that that somehow encounter, you know, or introduce us into dharma. And that brings us opportunity to accumulate merit constantly. And that makes even greater opportunity than greater benefit in our life, greater meaning in our life. Then even even then, maybe, we get maybe he must he must be the richest man in the world, but I’m I’m hundred percent guaranteed that he he don’t have opportunity to do a one single mandala offering, you know, and one single prostrations.
You know? Know? Crazy. So you see? So so in in reality, we are actually even better standard than those people.
You know? So you see? So so from that point of view, then we we call our our our rebirth as a precious human rebirth, the rebirth that which, you know, obtained it all the qualities and opportunities and abilities, you know, which we can able to move on our life, to make our life the most successful by actualizing all the all the meanings in life. And all those meanings are not just like a material success, but the meaning of our life is to success to obtain the liberation. You know?
In this very moment, even though the world environment is so difficult, but by understanding dharma that we are still content, that we are still okay. We understand. We at least know how to accept it. And we have the wisdom to purify the mistakes. We have a wisdom to kind of upgrade ourselves, to learn from the mistake and to be a better person by creating more opportunity to bring more conducive causes.
And that is the we are proceeding to actualizing all the good results until after the what do call it? Up to the everlasting happiness, which is we call the fully enlightenment, you see. So so so therefore, it has a reason for us to, you know, practice mandala offering. There’s, you know, hundreds of reasons, you know, to to practice the mandala offering. And also, you know, all the past great living beings, you know, great holy living beings, such as, you know, the, you know, how much that that how much effort that he he used to to accommodate a merit from the from the method of, you know, using the mandala practice.
You know, all of us, we are aware that he’s a great scholar, the Lama Tsongkhapa. You know, even though that he he can explain emptiness so clearly, he can compose the the, you know, treaties on the emptiness, but there’s a obstruction for him to actualize the realization on emptiness. You know, once we don’t have the realization, even we are, you know, like, the great scholar on on that subject, but there’s no possibility of actualizing the liberation. So such like Lama Tsongkhapa was recommended by Mañjuśrī, Guru Mañjuśrī that the obscuration is because of lack of merit. You might have a knowledge, but lack of merit, there’s obscuration for you to obtain the the realization in the path.
So Guru Mañjuśrī recommended Lama Tsongkhapa to go to Olka Cholung to practice the mandala offering. And then he complete many, many hundred thousands. Not just one hundred thousand, many, many hundred thousand. One million eight hundred thousand. You know?
One million eight hundred thousand. And one day, you know, just just spontaneously, you know, he he gained the direct realization of emptiness. It’s just just like just like that. You know? Not because of getting into further study.
Just Just awaken his mind. Just awaken. So all of us here, we have so much knowledge, but still there is lot of obscuration. We even don’t realize that what really means by realization. Sometimes we miss out whether it’s realization or whether it’s a fault.
So all those are the the lack of merit that we cannot differentiate. And and on top of that, that’s the, like we we cannot gain the realization. You see? So it’s, again, it’s lack of merit. So we take an example of, like, Lama Tsongkhapa, how much he take this practice as as one of the serious practice as a as a form of preliminary in order for him to gain the realization in the path such as emptiness.
You see? So then this practice is not just Lama Tsongkhapa applied. Even before Lama Tsongkhapa in India, such as during Buddha’s time during Buddha’s time, is the two disciples, Śāriputra and Maudgalyayāna. No. Where wherever he travels wherever, you know, the the the two disciples travel with the Buddha disciple Guru Śākyamūni Buddha to to to teach, you know, Dharma into different states and different villages.
Then before the teaching after the teaching, they take advantage of making offering of mandala. At that time, you know, they don’t have such kind of a container like what what we have, like, with all this design. By the time, they they they use, what do call it, brass brass container. It’s like brass plate. You know?
During that time, all the, you know, the Brahmin families, the rich rich families, you know, they they eat food in the one one brass plate. Once you eat in a brass plate, it’s regarded, you know, very special, very rich, and very, very, good. So so they use that those plates, and then they use, like, wheats, rice, and corns. You know? And they make their own, like, rings.
So there’s some have nine rings, some have three rings, some have one rings, you know, all very various but but most importantly, they use the base to to put the heaps, then offer to Guru Śākyamūni Buddha before teaching, after teaching. You know? So this practice is not just it’s a create not just a not is a not creation of Tibetan lamas. So this practice has come from Buddha’s time. Then later, in the Nālānda monastery, about eight hundred years later, Nāgārjuna came to to this southern wall four hundred years after Buddha Śākyamūni passed away.
Then then then later, around eight hundred years, Nāgārjuna I was at Nālānda monastery was established. You know? So then they’re over there. Like, Ārya Atisha was studying. Asaṇga was studying.
Dharmakīrti was studying. Candrakīrti was studying. So all those, like, great seventeen pandits were studying there. And one of their main practice for them to even to be a scholar in Buddhist philosophy, one of the practice is the Mandal offering. And at that time, again, many of them, they used this brass container, you know, brass base.
So then later, when we came to Tibet, like I mentioned, like, Lama Tsongkhapa, and even before that, the Nyingma practitioner, Kagyu practitioner, Sakya practitioners who came earlier than Namaham Tsongkhapa, they even they they are very serious of this preliminary practices. You know, Mandala practices, like like one of the supreme preliminary practice must complete before getting into a deity yoga retreats. You know, before they go into a three year great retreat, you know, they will not allow you to do the three year great retreat before finishing the hundred thousand hundred and ten thousand mandala practice, hundred and ten thousand prostration practice, water bowl practice, one hundred and ten thousand tsa-tsa practice, one hundred and ten thousand, what you call the, Vajrasattva practice, one hundred and ten thousand Vajradhāra, fire puja, one hundred and ten thousand fire puja individually practicing, and one hundred and ten thousand guru yoga practice, for the yoga practitioner. Then there’s one hundred and ten thousand practice of refuge in bodhicitta. And most of the the refuge in bodhicitta practice, you know, do together.
The first two line is a refuge. The second two line is a bodhicitta practice. You know, the Sangye Chöpa practice. So they accommodate hundred and ten thousand. You see?
So then including water bowl, hundred and ten thousand. So that so before finishing before at least finishing mandala, Vajrasattva, mandala, Vajrasattva, prostration, Guru Yoga, before finishing these four fundamental preliminary, they don’t even let you to do a deity yoga practice. Even nuns or monks must finish this because it’s otherwise, deity of a practice become like a just a combination of mantra. You know? It’s kind of like a they they give an example of a straw.
Straw. You know? Straw. Right straw. Inside hollow.
You know? Outside look very nice, very hard, but inside hollow. You know? So so it’s it’s like no essence. You see?
So so all the the four Tibetan Buddhist tradition regarded mandala practice as very serious practice. So just to let us know how serious practice it is. Then refer to our own tradition and our own gurus. That’s the Lama Zopa Rinpoche. I’ve mentioned a few times that about about his practice.
You know, we all know his his schedule is, like, twenty four hours, twelve months a year, and then year after year, nonstop, you know, at one place to another place. I’ve heard that he never stay in one place more than one month because there’s so many center he need to cover everywhere. So I did follow lama’s karma for three years and, you know, day and night. You know? So I I see within one twenty four hour how busy he is.
And even he even he’s traveling from, let’s say, from Nepal to America, like, almost, like, twenty six or twenty four hours. Even during that period, he will make sure to take all the mandala and do the mandala off in the plane. You know, at least, let’s say, half an hour or one hour. You know? No.
That’s I mean, you can say that exhausted from the ongoing teachings, nonhistoric ongoing teachings, you know, which is done. You know? Then meeting people, you know, let’s say he end his session morning, three o’clock, go up in his room, do prostrations. At least thirty five Buddha’s prostrations. You know?
Then, you know, when he do prostrate, he will set up all his relics. You know? He will put a relics and his thirty five Buddha prostrations, and he will make a circumambulation of the Vitis. Putting the railing in the center, second ovulate. Second ovulate.
While second ovulate, chant the mantras. After sit down, immediately do mandala of it for half an hour to one hour. So we we can see how successful he is in his dharma activities. I mean, he’s one of the most one of the very courage courageous you know, courageous person that you know, who’s who’s building one of the huge project, like a mantra project. And everything is, like, hundred thousand times, one million times, all like that.
You know? He said, want to build a stupa, hundred thousand stupa. Want to build a monastery, hundred thousand. And and and he says, and it happens also. You know?
It’s just actualized because of merit. You know? Because of merit. You see? So so so if if the Mandala offering is not not a one of the main tool to accumulate merit, why he need to put so much effort and, to do this practice.
So then, as my own spiritual father, the Khensur Rinpoche Geshe Thubten Rinpoche, who proved to our world that it’s one lifetime enlightenment through the of two thousand five hundred years ago, Gurukshayakamuni Buddha, when he performed the activities of parinirvana, going to pure land. So when the disciples cremated his body, produce the five colors of relics. You know? Five colors of relics. Then he left his heart, tongue, and eye without burn.
That, the first Buddha and the and including the Buddha Kāśyapa, they also never relics. Even today, we we we can view and we can feel Buddha Kāśyapa’s relics, which is how many thousands and thousands of years ago, you know, Buddha Kasava’s relics. And they all through the you call it a legend or whatever, you can discover the five colors of relics is one of the most obvious proof that the practitioner obtained enlightenment in their very life. Means, their very life. So the explanation comes in the Buddhist scripture.
One of the most clear scripture is the the Tantric scripture, the Guhyasamāja Guhyasamāja Tantric root text. In there, Buddha have described when he gave the Tantric teaching, he have described each of the relics reasoned. Like, red relics, what is the cause? What practice makes to produce red relics?
And what what is the symbolism of the resultant kind of form of Buddha of of proving in in in a form of red relics? Then blue, green, white, you know. And it is a very, very convincing, you know, even though we say, oh, who knows? Buddha says so. You know, I even don’t know if the Buddha is really there or not.
When you go into detail, the commentary, as well as the good text explanation, then it talks about the it is so convincing about how we can purify our karma. The first explains about how karma creates by this person. Then after that, it talks about what it means by person. It involves the teaching of emptiness, how the aggregates come together. Not the five aggregates.
Five aggregates come together. And the subtle five aggregates, how it continues life after life, moment after moment. And because of merely labeled person based on the correlation of the five aggregates, which continues life after life, came up to today from lifetime, and how the practice effect to purify the impure aggregates. By purifying the impure aggregates, it brings about the purity of the person of obtaining purer aggregates. Let’s say, yesterday, who I am could be terribly impure because I create so much negative karma.
Who create? I create. Who am I? That the label, which is based on the collection of the five aggregates. That’s the person.
That’s me. There’s no no other people. You know? And today this morning, there’s so much mandala offering or other practices. By today, by by now, it still look the same, but I’m much more purer.
Why purer? Because the person who accumulated negative karma have already purified by the the action of the person himself who is didn’t suffer. This one. What do say? You know, no particular there, but this person, which is again exist in the collection of aggregates.
So you see so when when the when the death comes, gross coalition of aggregates cease, but the subtle continues. It means the person continues, you know, even in the intermediate state. Even in the formless realm. Even if we happen to be born in the formless realm, the person continues. The person continues.
You know, the person continues. So so whatever we practice today is not wasted because the person carries along, as a part of imprint, which is part of their life. Carry on, carry on, and become purer and purer and purer. One day, the person becomes completely pure, means the aggregate becomes completely pure. When the form aggregate become pure, you know, it it the form aggregate become Amitābha’s form, red.
So then for the ordinary aspect, it comes into red color relics. You know, Vairochana come into white color relics. The purification of our what what do call it? What do you call it? So anyway, I don’t remember exactly.
Actually, I have I I think one of the the my class last year, I mentioned, you know, the each Dhyāni Buddha belong to what aggregates. So so this will understand during the initiation. Whenever we go for initiation, all the initiation, will all the time talk about five Dhyāni Buddha or five Dhyanid Buddha. After initiate, ornament by five Dhyani Buddha, Amitābha, Vairochana. That shows that within during the initiation, you’re obtaining the causal level of enlightenment.
When you’re obtaining the causal level of enlightenment, it’s about causal level of obtaining the Dhyāni Buddha. Dhyāni Buddha. So by remaining continuing practice in this process, then once the the total purification of the negativities and purity, accommodation of the all the two causes, the merit, then one day we become Buddha, means we become five Dhyāni Buddha. Know? Form aggregates become one of the Buddha, and feeling aggregates become one of the Buddha, so we we will obtain into the state of the five Dhyāni Buddha.
So so five Dhyani Buddha has a five color. So the sign of the your obtained Buddha and the person will naturally like a magic, like a miracle from the body, from the cremation, it just produce five color relics. So you see. So so so what I’m trying to say, I’m a. I almost did my my almost, you know, almost my past ten, twenty years.
You know? My my most of time is with him. Every day, how busy he is, he will spend about three hours just doing on the offering. Just three hours every day. He have so many other prayers.
All the reading, all this, you would do like this. You know what mean? You have a day prayer book. I mean, you can’t see. I I I can’t look.
It’s like just just showing to you that, you know, practice is very important. Maybe teaching us that, you know, better do sadhana. You know? Better make sure that complete everyday sadhana. You know?
But he’s completely in the meditation. You know? He just but he spent time doing mandala offering three hours. Three hours. Every day, wherever he go.
You know? Until the the the last stage of his life, he was quite weak. So he was unable to, you know, do. But he he asked asked to, you know, like, put the mandala his mandala on on on the on the altar. Everything we have to offer and put on the altar.
Every day, we have to take up take down, put on altar. And anybody come to see him, if they want to be near to near to him and want to stay with him, and I will ask you to those who who don’t have initiation, he will ask you to do mental health things. Those who have initiations, we will ask you to do self initiation. You know, remain here two, three hours to self initiation of the day. If you are just a preliminary practitioner, you do a mandala offering.
So so like this. So what I’m trying to send a message is that it is very important practice. And all these lamas are, you know, we regarded their enlightenment. You know, these two amazing examples is our lifetime our our lives. You know?
Twenty first century example. You know? The gurus are leading in twenty first century, and and and, you know, one of the best special examples. You know? They practice so seriously, and they are one of the most successful people.
You know? Materially, you know, they have everything. Whatever they want is comes. They want just comes. Whatever they wish just comes.
You know? It’s amazing. It’s amazing. And they they do the greatest charity. Even I don’t think even we can do that, you know, the way they do the charity.
I’m beautiful. And you spend a time with them, then their charity is, like, limitless. It’s it’s embarrassing. But things come into their life, and they have a potential to do it. Without merit, I don’t think it’s possible.
And especially the spiritual realization, no question. So you see? So, again, come conclusion all about merit. So so don’t regard Mandala practice as just a newcomers practice. Don’t regard this is just, you know, those who are beginner or those who are not so advanced in practice, so they should do Mamandala.
We? Not necessary. Not like that. So this practice is important for everybody. Yeah?
Just to just to to let you know. Okay. So now today, I don’t want to go through the meanings of the different steps. You can read the books, and I have in fact, many of you have attended last time last class. And if you wish to explore the meaning so you can read the book, it’s very easy to understand.
It’s all about visualizing the the or visualizing or remembering the different names and and the different continents and different precious and precious offerings, you know, like such as egg offerings, such as egg royal and offerings, you know, and continents, like, such as the four continents, eight subcontinents, including Mount Meru, such and such. It’s very, you know, it’s it’s very easy to understand. You know, those are no? So the in short, the whole purpose is you just you just don’t want to make a very limited limit what do call it? Very limited offering.
You just want to offer entire universe to the the to the to the divine beings. You know, the reason is, again, comes about accumulation of merit. Accumulation of merit comes to relating to two two different objects. One is divine being, and one is the sentient beings. One is the Buddhas, and one is the sentient beings.
The the engaging to the practice of offering to towards the Buddhas accumulate extensive merit. Making a sense of charity to the living beings, ordinary beings, accumulate extensive merit. So there’s only two object where we can, you know, engage into the the accumulation of extensive merit, such as engaging the mandala offering. There’s only two object that we can we can do the relate the practice, by making offering to the Buddhas and by making charity to the sentient beings. You know?
And what we are offering? Entire universe. Not only the precious gems or, you know, precious things, including even the nonsense one. Every single existence. You know?
Every single existence, including your body’s vision line. You know? And through the power of samadhi, means through the power of meditation in emptiness, you know, and concentration, then and through the power of the dependent arising, the emptiness, and through the power of your sincere devotion, sincere sense of making charity, and sincere sense of making offering. And these three courses, you know, and and these three causes combined in the practice of the mandala. And when you make offering, the Buddhas, the divine one, receive actual offerings.
And the sentient beings just receive the actual charity. You know? Say that you want to create the offering Mandala offering as a charity, a wish fulfilling gem, and you’re offering to a own noble spirit, and there’s one being who need house. So how how your generosity actualize into the person that which the person need a house? It’s it’s not like saying Idam Guru Ratna Mandalakam then immediately, you know, he immediately somebody buy house for her or him.
It’s not it doesn’t happen like that. How how does it happen? Immediately, maybe, you know, due to your practice, due to your dedication, the person start to have a suddenly, well, such a such a enlightening idea of maybe maybe business or enlightening idea of suddenly, you know, like, make call to one on one friend and then close the deal. Done. You see?
So that’s how how how how how effect through your dedication, through your prayers. So after he after he or he get a deal, she has he or he have the money to go and buy the house. That how that’s that’s how the our charity or practice works, you know, through dedication of all of sentient beings. You know? So wish-fulfilling gem, those who need food, we influence them to get a food.
You know? We we create a condition to get them a food. We create a condition to put them to actualize a house, then to actualize a car, then to actualize you know, if they are fairly in business, then to, you know, be be, you know, gain some success in their business. So so that’s how that it works. So you see?
So now here, what you’re offering is entire universe. Entire universe, including your body, speech, and mind with the three important base, Samādhi, emptiness, and sincere, hara, making offerings or making charity. So through the understanding of emptiness, you actualize your mandala base. You actualize your mandala base you actualize your mandala base as vast as a as a universe. I know.
As vast as a universe. Huge. You know? As infinite as a space. You know?
As a deep you know, the container is as deep as, you know, you can host entire entire universe. So how that how that happens through the understandliness is by thinking that dependent on the sincerity of my heart and dependent on the mandala base and dependent on the inspiration of the path Buddhas and the gurus and dependent on the the valid teachings of the mandala by the Buddhas and all this you know, by dependent on all these cause and condition, yes, definitely, my mandala base is really become infinite and vast. So so because of dependent all this dependent on the all these cause and condition, in fact, in reality, it it does become very infinite. It does become very vast even though you’re holding just a small plate, but it really become very vast. How the how that become very vast?
The benefit what you receive from that that that practice is infinite. It’s very vast. Even though you’re holding one small plate, but through the creation of this offering with the emptiness understanding, the benefit of what a human being benefit of what you receive, the offering that what Buddha has received, the charity, what does Sanjin will receive, it is as a big amount as infinite, even though we are only holding this much. So you see? So that how it works.
So that how it is. So now, simply, inspired by the gurus, by the gurus, and have a conviction in the the the the teachings of the mandala. You know? And based on the the the the scripture that you are having the right, you know, tool for the mandala offering, then we just make yourself conform in your living, in your heart. Yes.
Infinite offering is Buddha definitely received. Infinite charity is definitely received on the sentient beings. So you have to you have to confirm yourself. If your heart is shaken, the benefit is minute. If you think it’s maybe not sure, the benefit is also not sure.
If you think it’s that is real, that is definite, you know, just let the emptiness to take care, Buddha’s Buddhism to take care. Everything is possible. Anything is possible. And whatever you do, it really become a real. So that’s all about it.
So so now here, the offering is entire universe yourself offering to Buddha and making sure you do aspiration in mind. You know? So now there’s a there’s a various hips. The various hips. Thirty seven heaps, thirty eight heaps, twenty seven hips.
You know? So there’s, like, only seven hips. So I would like to introduce thirty seven hips. I think that’s thirty eight. Thirty eight.
Because the the possessions of the old humans and gods, if you add that, it become thirty eight. You know? In the number, they will come thirty seven. So let’s say thirty eight hips. Let’s say thirty eight hips.
When you do the long mandala offering, pull thirty eight hips. Just remember thirty eight hips. When we do the short mandala offering, just remember seven hips. That’s it. So make it simple like this.
You know? So okay. Seven hips and thirty thirty eight and seven hips. Yeah. So so the direction, you know, the the placement of the hips the placement of the hips, it has a direction, like, direction, like, four continents, south continent, east continent, north continent, west continent.
So it pull onto different directions. But I find it is necessary. But if that distract your visualization and it become unnecessary, If by by placing right direction, hips to the right right right direction, southern continent keeps putting on the south direction, northern colonnium putting on the north direction, if that disturbed if that disturbed your meditation on visualizing emptiness, visualizing the sense of charity, the overwhelming of the heart of charity, bodhicitta, overwhelming the the heart of like, the inspiration of making open to Buddha. If that disturbed, forget about even the the pouring in the right direction. You know?
Just pour at least just pour thirty thirty eight heaps and forget about pouring into here, pouring into there. Don’t have to concentrate. Not necessarily. But if you can manage, do together. But if you cannot you miss the the number, you miss the number.
Right? You miss the number and direction, but focus on the visualization. So keep pouring it hundred times, two hundred times, three hundred hips. You know? And when you pour, don’t be stingy.
Pour a lot. You know, like some people pour more more You know, it’s even that bring an effect of my. So now you’re making offering to Buddha, and you’re making charity to the being. And what you have the what you have the offering what you have, the substance what you have, that when you’re going to make offering, it’s unexhaustible, immortal, unexhaustible offering. So this is just when you pour the heaps, you should be almost like.
Just keep for it. And remember, do the visualization. Overwhelm with the Bodhicitta or emptiness. You know? If you can remember on top of that, the numbers, thirty seven thirty eight, please remember.
If not, never mind. On top of that, if you remember the direction, do it. If not, never mind. Okay? So so like that.
So now we we we try to do we try to do without we try to do without remembering the direction. You know, it’s keeping the direction and remembering the number thirty eight times. Yeah? Again, in the in the in the teaching, in the in the in the text, the first ring has a certain number of gifts. Second ring have a certain number of gifts.
And that also if that distract your visualization on emptiness and the offerings and bodhicitta better skip. You know? When when your when your first round is completely filled, put the second round. When your second round completely filled, put the third round. But keep on folding until you complete the thirty eight number.
Once you complete the thirty eight, then only you put the count. No. Otherwise, So then during the during the chanting, when you when we when we use the the prayer when we use the prayer, sometimes the the prayer is too slow, but your hip is too fast. Too fast. So before prayer finish, your hip is already complete.
In that case, you have to look at the chanting master. Until you finish, you keep on pouring Until the chanting master come to the end, you also continue to pour. But if you ring by yourself alone, you pour until you finish your chanting. You pour until that you are satisfied that, oh, yes. Now it’s complete my offering.
I offer entire universe completely on here. Even it takes one hour, keep for. Keep for. You know, if it takes five minutes, just keep for. Until you are totally satisfied that, yeah, entire universe, all my body, spirit, mind, everything is on here.
Now go. Thank you. No. So so so so what I’m trying to say, be flexible and take easy. Take it easy.
Okay. Now we start from the first step. Remember that the left hand holding a handful of the the optic nerve and pass the mandala base to the left hand and hold hold tight. And if your mandala base is very heavy or if you have a hand pain, then you either rest at your belly or either rest at your your your lap. You can you can also rest like that.
Or if if if you are if you can manage, then you just hold somewhere at the above navel like this. Okay? Something like So then left hand, scoop handful handful substance Handful substance. Yeah. All so before pouring the hips, you have to do purifying.
You know, for the purpose of meditation, you have to do the purification practice. When you do it in the public, you do three times. But if you do it at home by yourself, you can do until you are satisfied to purify that. So now here, we do three times. How you do?
You pour. You gradually pour and wrap the plate with what you call? Wreath. Wreath. Wreath.
Wreath. This. How you do is like this. So three times. One, two, three.
So now after that, after three to five, now accumulation. Accumulation of. Same thing. Clobite. Three.
One, two, three. That’s very easy. Why we need to use a wrist? Especially wrist wrist here, it has the there’s a knowers. And these knowers link to the ring finger.
And these knowers is called the bodhicitta channels. bodhicitta channels. By wrapping that, it enhance the buddhicitta. By wrapping that, it stimulate one of the knowers in your heart, in the in the second chakra. So by stimulating that, your compassionate, your bodhicitta increase.
Okay. So that’s the purpose why you need to wrap here. So this is like this this one, we do in the public because we have to follow the same kind of a sequence. But if you are doing by yourself, let’s say, somehow last few days, you know, the anger is the strongest delusion in me. Somehow, attachment, very little.
Rest of the delusion, very little. But the anger is huge. So I need to purify anger. So now here, how to purify? By meditating on this advantage of getting angry, by meditating on the advantage of being patient, meditating on being patient on meditating on patient, the advantage of being patient, disadvantage of being disadvantage of getting angry is is a form of purification of anger.
Visualize Guru Vajrasattva Vajrasattva Satyamani Buddha or Tārā on your crown. Then drive nectar, white nectar, white light, entering from your crown, greatly entering from your throat, greatly entering from your heart, gradually completely fill the entire your body, completely fill the entire your mind, then purify all the impurity. So what do you do? Keep carry on. Now now two minute meditate on disadvantage of getting angry.
Or getting angry is absolutely no good. Getting angry is only make me tougher. Getting angry destroy the peace in me, peace in others. Angry, I become ugly. Getting angry, you know, there’s a danger of even dropping hair and dropping dropping teeth.
Also, wrong thing is bad. Getting angry is absolutely bad, very dirty, very negative. Getting angry will destroy entire my merit accumulation of this. Not one moment of angry, you should say that. Getting angry for one moment will destroy merit.
And you start to feel kind of scared to get angry. You start to feel regret of getting angry. You start to feel bad about getting angry. Like that. So until you are satisfied, oh, feel like relief.
Feel like sense of like, now I understand why I cannot get angry. I must control. You feel like you are kind of like a like bless your heart. Be stronger and make sure that never get angry. Then stop.
Stop. Your job done. Purification job done. So now I need to accommodate merit. You know, accommodate virtue.
But my weakness is the humility. humility, humbleness. I’m good in wisdom. I’m good in compassion. I’m good in understanding of emptiness, but my weakness is I’m not friendly.
I’m not friendly. Very, very tough, not friendly. So now may guru, Buddha, Buddhism, bless me, you know, bless me to be humble, you know. Not like even I have a huge compassion like a Maitreya, but if I’m not humble, you know, I cannot bring that much benefit of being compassion. If I’m not humble, you know, I destroy other peace of mind.
If I’m not humble, I never receive extra knowledge. So so so like that. So until you feel that you receive some kind of some kind of and your mind is convinced that being humble is so necessary, so important, then you stop. So now in order to actualize the completion of the purification of anger and and completion of actualizing the what do you call this? The the realization on humility, I offer, You know, now I offer entire universe to the Buddhas, and I want to make extensive charity to the all remaining beings.
So then it starts from offering a Mount Meru, four continents, then it comes thirty seven rings. You put the press ring. Now you start. One, two, three, four, five, six, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, completely full. Now put the third ring.
Nineteen, twenty, twenty one. By twenty one, already completely full. By twenty one, already, all three round is three ring is full. Never mind. Twenty eight, twenty nine, thirty, thirty one, thirty two, thirty three, thirty four, thirty five, thirty six, thirty seven, thirty eight.
Thirty eight complete. Now you put the the the crown. It’s complete. It’s complete. Complete.
Isn’t it? So after complete, for the for the gesture of respect, you will offer you will offer by two hand Internet. So, again, you don’t want to be empty handed. What you do, you scoop a handful. You your right hand also scoop a handful of the of the grain, then hold from the other side together with the hips.
Okay. Go like this. So then you hold around your your heart level. Okay. If you know the prayer, you chant the prayer.
I offer all the universe or whatever. If you don’t know the prayer, now you do the visualization again. You know? If you happen to do visualization at the beginning, this is a complete you are offering entire complete wish-fulfilling gem to the Buddha. Entire universe, human being, yourself, your Buddhist vision, mind, every single existence in the form of wishful gems, and you’re offering to all of the ten direction Buddhas.
At the same time, all this wishful gems making charity to the numberless beings. And if you are doing this alone by yourself, when you make charity, you know, so many dakini goddesses dakini goddesses comes out from your your central heart. Then eminent eminent infinite numbers of the mandala offering like this and holding each Dakini, each dakas, each offering goddesses holding a mandala and travel to the different Buddhist realms, Amitābha Buddhist realm, you know, Vajrayoginī, Śākyamūni Buddha. And not only one time, but hundred million numberless times and make offering. And those offering goddess come into your heart and at the same time travel to all universe, make charity.
Those who don’t have a shelter, you know, this Mandala offering transform into a shelter. Those who don’t have a food, this Mandala offering transform into a food. Those who don’t have a protection, this Mandala offering, you know, transform into protection. So you are you you you you just you send offering goddess, which emanated from your heart. Emanated come out from your heart, send to different directions, to the to the infinite infinite beings, and provide their needs.
So then after that, you feel wow. You have done extensive offering to the Buddhas. You have done charity to every single living being. Then to conclude with so much happiness and rejoicement then, you see, then you you pour down. Pull pull pull back.
So it’s quite easy, isn’t it? Three purification. Okay. Clock clockwise and three accumulation and anticlockwise. And after that, pour one heap.
Then after that, put the first ring. Then after that, put the, you know, the hips until you complete twenty eight heaps. Twenty eight hips. Okay? So now if you want to follow the prayer, then before doing, please look at me.
You you yourself just look at me. If you want to do the prayer, first, you should do like this. Just look at me. Hold like this. So we chant the prayer, the the mantra for Om Vajra Bhumi Ah Hum.
And that mantra is, again, glazing mantra of the ground. It means creating the vajra ground. Because entire universe have to be formed by this plate. So without creating a vajra ground, vajra plate, no way can hold. So you create so doing the the Meru keeps come, you do the purification, you also do the accumulation.
So how I so how I do? For for more for accumulation of more for accumulation of merit for more for accumulation of more for purification in. Then when you pour the mandala when you pour over the oh, I’m sorry, sir. This mandala offering, if you are if you’re practicing more to receive blessing, you know, blessing or purification, blessing or accommodation or merit by the Buddha, when you pull when you pull, you pull inward. But if this is mainly mainly practicing for offering to Buddha and mainly practicing for charity to the sentient beings, when you fall, you fall outward.
We just pour, but don’t have to concentrate on the. I will chant. Or maybe maybe chant in English. So that maybe chant in English. One each each name, one.
Okay. Now we do. Okay. Now we do the seven now. Very easy one.
Before I before we do the seven now, I would like to clarify one thing. If your mandala base is very big and your rings are very heavy, And in that case, it’s not necessary that you have to use all the three rings even during the long mandala offering. The long mandala offering. What you can do is that the initial process, purification, accumulation, any any mandala offering is the same as long as you use the mandala base. Three three purification, three accumulation, then four, one heap first.
Then after that, use one one drink. Then after that, the. You can also use one ring. Not necessarily. You must use three ring.
Right? If you happen to bring four ring, also no longer is okay with you. Yeah? So if you manage three ring, those are the common common common usage. Now we go to the seven, the short Mandala offering, which commonly practice.
And short Mandala offering short Mandala offering, we practice in the group whenever we recite only the four line prayer. At that time, we do the the short mandala. Because to pour the the orders, thirty seven thirty eight tips is not enough time to do the short term muscle. But if any of you feel pouring twenty eight hips even during the long mandala offering, then just by using the mandala base and doing the only seven hips also, they are sufficient. It’s okay.
Not wrong. What is it? Okay. You can combine mandala retreat together with the refuge bodhicitta retreat combined together, and it’s fabulous. And and and that that what’s that?
These two prayer combined together even make us easier to do the mandala. So how it does? During the purification and accumulation process, we chant the refuge and bodhicitta. And just nice. When during the hips offering, seven hips offering, chant the mandala offering, four lines, and end with the idam guru ratna.
So just let’s see here. So the refuge bodhicitta prayer is a there’s a four line. Normally, recite any every puja. It’s like I go for this until, you know, enlightenment to the Buddha, Dharma, and Thanda. Then, you know, by the practice of generosity and so forth, you know, for example, also, know, even beings or something like that.
So if you want to do very slow, So we don’t have to follow the sequence of the prayer. As long as we complete the refuge and bodhicitta, and as long as we complete the four line mandala offering, and as long as we complete the seven heaps, it is completed the mandala offering. So if you combine this practice together, if you accumulate one time, you are accumulating of refuge one time, bodhicitta one time, and mandala offering one time. When you complete hundred and ten thousand, you complete three retreat together. Okay?
So when doing the retreat, we do very fast. Very fast. It’s confusing or it’s okay? It’s quite okay. Yeah.
No confusing. Same. Yeah. Oh, yeah. You’re right.
The the east east always start with the direction. It start with the east. You are offering mandala offering mainly to receive blessings, the east start inward. But if this is offering as a as a offering to Buddha and making charity, it’s just. So these two are the different.
Yes. You okay? Okay. Yeah. Mount Meru, four continents, and sun and moon.
Let’s say we want to start the east from sun, from inward. Yeah? Do the three purification, and where you go? Clockwise and three accumulation anticlockwise. After that, four one one hits, exactly the long mandala.
Then after that, you start with the Mount Meru in the center, one hit. In front, east continent, one hit. South continent, north continent, west continent. Sun at the left, and moon, otherwise. So not to confuse, start it from here.
Front. Everybody, you can just start. In the center. More. From your left thumb, from your right, you can move.
But anyway, don’t have to if you happen to meet sun and moon, never mind. As long as you pour the seven heaps, you know, don’t worry. You know, don’t no need to know them to worry. Okay? Okay.
I will recite the. So you just follow this. Okay? And when you when you say, pull back. Before pulling the hips, you do three purification.
Three operation. Okay. Start now. One two three four five three seven three down. Okay.
Start. One two three One, two, four, five, three, seven. Again, it’s done. One two three four five two seven. One two three four seven nine.
Oh, Oh, thank you. Okay. My fault. Four, five, two, seven. Very good.
One, two, three, four, five, three. One, two, three, four, three, four, One, two, three, four, five, six, It doesn’t matter. As long as before, as long as you complete the seven now, it’s enough. It’s okay. Just because we are we never done.
Yeah. We are not usually so if you do three, four times, it become very easy. Okay. I will do repeat four lines. Then after that, I will I will recite number seven.
Okay? After number seven. One, two, three, four, Okay. Okay. So we we we we we we don’t bother about where the sun is.
Right or left. Just complete number seven. Okay? Make it easy. Okay.
One two three. Very good. Now we do just the seven. Number seven. Just seven.
One, two, three, four, five, two, seven. Now I will chant in the prayer, but not number. Seven. Okay? But I think maybe not relevant because many of you don’t know the prayer.
Yeah? Never mind. I think it’s quite quite good. I understand. You know, it’s not used to you.
Yeah? Okay. Good. Yeah. Okay.
I will try with one prayer. I will try with the prayer. Okay? Or eight line prayer. Okay.
Fantastic. Now we do the long one with the number. Okay? Okay. I will recite zero zero zero six times.
That time, three purification, three accumulation. Then last number seven zero is to put one heap. Then after that, we start with number one to number thirty eight. Okay? Zero zero zero.
Zero zero zero zero. Oh. Call y three zero zero zero. Cologize, three, zero zero zero. One zero.
One two three four five three seven eight nine eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, fifteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty one, twenty two, twenty three, twenty four, twenty five, twenty three, twenty seven, twenty eight, twenty nine, thirty, thirty one, thirty two, thirty three, thirty four, thirty five, thirty six, thirty seven, thirty eight. Good. We will do one more time. We’ll do one more time. Okay.
We’ll start. One two three. Clockwise. Three zero. Zero zero zero.
Anticlockwise. Zero zero zero. One zero one more. One zero. Now it’s done.
With the first ring. One two three four five two seven eight nine ten Okay. Never mind those not complete. Never mind. Okay.
We have to use the three rings. Okay? Once the first ring is squeezed, then you use the second ring. Once second ring is squeezed, the third ring. Clockwise, zero zero zero.
Anticlockwise, zero zero zero. One hip, One zero. Now first ring. First ring. One two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve thirteen fourteen fifteen sixteen seventeen.
Second round second ring. Eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty one, twenty two, twenty three. Third ring, twenty four, twenty five, twenty six, twenty seven, twenty eight, twenty nine, thirty, thirty one, thirty two, thirty three, thirty four, thirty five, thirty three, thirty seven, Okay. We do one last, then you can practice at home. Okay.
We do one last one. Okay? Slowly, everybody together. Now this time what I do, I will chant in a the prayer together. So you just simply think that you’re making extensive offering to Buddha, extensive charity to the same beings.
Okay? So now you you you that you’re making you come you have you have the complete offering of the entire universe in the aspect of the wish-fulfilling gem. You’re offering to all the Buddhas. At the same time, you’re making charity throughout the same evening. Okay.
Now how to tie you know, how to pack the mandala bear. Okay. So please kindly look look towards me because we might not have a time to do mandala offering tomorrow. Maybe they have it tomorrow. Whole whole week, we will be busy.
No no no time. But we want to make mandala offering in every single moment. So what we do is we do the same sequence of purification and the accumulation. After that, we we do the three rounds together. Purification.
Acumulation. So now here, you pour it on. You pass the mandala to that hand. Okay. You put the filling inside.
Yeah. Okay. And now we do the twenty eight hips. Now it’s full. Then you put the the the crown inside.
Like this. So you see that some hollow, you better fill up. Make full. After this, you hold a handful of tips from the right hand. Hold and place around your heart, and you chant the the same offering or you visualize.
You’re making offering. Now instead of doing the engine part, you place nice gently on your cloth, then you you you wrap up. So you grab. Yeah. Yes.
Good. Okay. Now you hold the the string. You know where it is. Then after that, like this.
Then you you make round, tiny, one round, two round, or three round. It’s up to you. You have to you have to hold like this, from the top. You have to you have to rest from below like this. Hold like this.
From here, not from here. This way, cannot this way, unable to rest until whole night also. You know? So So you have to tap from the below like this. So that didn’t make sense.
You know? Like this. Like this. So it comes. Then you pass the string inside.
Yep. Right. Back. Anyway, this one, if you do one time, two time, after that, very easy. It was clear first time, so you you will feel inconvenient.
So not to worry. Good. Thank you. Good. Very, very nice.
Okay. I would still encourage all of you to read the book, understand the meaning, and I think that’s very important. Find out in in the the conclusion is whatever explanation I explained before, most important thing is the visualization of making entire universe offering and making charity. Offering the Buddha charity to the sentient beings for the accommodation of merit in you. You know?
Again, which is what you bring to others. So that’s it. You know? So so when there’s a pujas, maybe you bring along your own mandala. So at least one or three time in the public, do together.
Somehow that it is form of practice. At home, if you have time every day to wear at least one or two times. If you don’t have time, just put like this. Put in a car or put it at home until next time. When you when you use until next time you use what you call reuse, you are constantly keeping mandala.
And next time when you when you when you when you want to use again you dismantle the mandala. You open like this. Then open like this. Then after that, you you hold up like this. After that, then I can get it used.
And at the end of the session, reps, same same thing like that. So something like that. So this one is unique physical kind of practice by yourself. You know? It’s very easy, but because we are not used to it, it feels very steep, very uncomfortable.
By using one or two, three times, you will be very you’ll be totally okay. So thank you very much. I hope I didn’t confuse you. So I dedicate the merit, you know, inspiration of practicing this mandala offering. May this be the complete cause for myself to be most meaningful life, which able to bring, you know, great benefit to my family member family members, you know, for this country, friends, and all the all the all the living beings in this world.
You know, they’re all living beings in entire universe after fully enlightenment. That is the whole purpose of my why I am learning about mandala offering and why I’m going to do this mandala offering in coming days. That’s it. I know. And never give up.
Even though you feel very strange, very uncomfortable, don’t give up. Try to do one or two times. You you will you will love it. Please, you know, it’s it’s something it’s very nice. Okay?
Thank you. Thank you. Good night. Sorry for half an hour late.