Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 177-minute teaching, Lama Zopa Rinpoche guides practitioners through the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth commitments of Lojong, or mind training. The sixteenth commitment cautions against turning the teaching itself into an inflated ego practice, warning that if self-grasping strengthens rather than weakens, the practice becomes a nurse to the enemy of delusion rather than a cure. Rinpoche explains the difference between worldly gods, who can turn harmful if commitments are broken, and enlightened Buddhas, whose vows protect rather than punish. The seventeenth commitment advises against seeking happiness by wishing harm on others or capitalizing on their misfortunes. The eighteenth commitment, marked as the heart of the teaching, directs practitioners to identify and directly address their strongest delusion first—whether anger, attachment, or pride—by finding its root cause and applying the precise antidote through meditation and habituation. Throughout, Rinpoche emphasizes that the essence of Buddha’s teaching is mind transformation, and that all conduct must be tested against whether it subdues delusion or strengthens it. The session is framed as taking place on the Buddhist festival day celebrating Buddha’s first turning of the wheel of Dharma. Includes discussion of refuge vows, karma, and compassion for all sentient beings.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 10 Lojong.mp3
UUID: 0087f421-4163-4be6-91df-568c4b7b5682
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 3
Collection: Mind Training (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 3)
Date: 1990 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 177.4 minutes
Words: ~12,335
For numberless problems encountered by all the numberless beings. Whatever merit good is, whatever one does, one need to see whether it is subduing our delusion or not. If they are not causing negative emotion to subside, then it is not Dharma. Otherwise, even if one goes to the cave for many years, but once delusion doesn’t once delusion getting stronger and more agitated, then that is not engaging as dharma. You will just be labeled as a dharma practitioner.
We totally surrender ourselves to delusion. Therefore, we live in constant fear. Mind training help us to be fearless by transforming one’s attitudes. When we are calm and contented in the present moment, that helps us to live a happy life. If we are if we can sustain that every moment, you would have such a wonderful hour and day.
Once you understand karma, fifty percent of your stress is relieved. So there is some opportunity to experience peace and happiness. Page one hundred and thirteen. Commitment. Do not place the load of the ox onto a horse. This means do not transfer one’s fall and burden into others.
This is referring to the conventional truth of bodhicitta, which seeks to help which seeks to help all beings to eliminate entire suffering by oneself alone. It also involves the practice of taking and giving, which is strongly practiced. The fourteenth commitment, do not spring to win a race. Avoid wanting to be the first in order to be the best. In other words, don’t be selfish.
One must destroy one’s self grasping and self-cherishing mind. Offer all the goodness to others, so no need to risk to get all good things for ourselves. Grasping for ourselves brings so much unnecessary suffering. By understanding karma, learn to accept one situation, and then we start to be able to find the solution. Learn to let go and see all experiences in this life are the results of our past karma.
The fifteenth commitment, do not abuse this practice as a right. Do not treat mind training teaching as a form of protection from harms by spirits and demons. The motivation is to actualize enlightenment. Otherwise, there is no difference than those practicing it with the concerns. Whatever virtuous actions with the intention of this life’s gain is not Dharma.
Dharma is for the gain of next lifetime. Even one says that one is praying or making light offering for others. One thinks I want to create merit for my own protection. Then that is that action is non Dharma. So purpose of one training must be to become antidote to delusion to enable us to become Buddha to benefit countless beings.
Finally, do not misuse Dharma. Use don’t use right method for wrong purpose. Instead, use right method for the right purpose. Hello? Hello?
Hello? Hello? Yeah. Thank you. This mic only works when we don’t touch.
That works. Yeah. Anyway, you know, you bring some prayers normally before we start the Mahāyāna course. You know, we chant, you know, various prayers. So it has a significant of cleansing obstacles to to engage into, you know, Dharma study or Dharma practices because the the Dharma practice is so precious.
So in order for us to adapt our, you know, this coarse ordinary person, adapting such a pure practice, you know, something encounter obstacles. Obstacles such like cannot generate conviction and faith in the teaching, you know, and at the same time, so difficult to understand, you know, and naturally misinterpret. And then just laziness, you know, coming into our our mind such as dullness, like, feeling sleepy, you know, no clear mind, like, cloudy mind. And sometimes it’s, like, the obstacle what do you call, the excitement. You know, mind wander outside.
Rather, mind concentrating to to to digest the teaching. Rather, mind wander, you know, hang hang outside your body here, but mind go away. It want wondering my, you know, my body here, but mind planning for tomorrow’s dinner party, such. You know? So, again, cannot digest the teaching.
So in another way is even though that you understand the Dharma, understand the teaching, but somehow always find obstruction to apply into one’s day to day life. There’s so many emotional kind of obstacle to accept the the the Dharma method to bring into one’s day to day life experiences the transformation of mind. So so the prayers are helpful to do by by by doing those powerful prayers such as Heart Sūtra, it cleanse, it purifies the obstacles. So, normally, there’s a saying by the past practitioners. In order to actualize the one quarter, you know, like like, I’ll say the three portion, you got one quarter in order to actualize the one quarter of One third.
Or one third. You you in order to actualize one third of the understanding and realization on the and gaining the realization in the practice, you need to accumulate two two thirds of of accumulation of merit. Means to to actualize the the one third of digestion of the Dharma, you need two third you need two third of merit to to able to absorb. So the the So so so you see? So, yeah, obstacle.
So in this, it’s obstacle. Yeah. So so that’s the reason that why we why we start some projects before the teaching. And that’s So so here, we are we are trying to do the same purpose. So so that’s and also offering Mandala, you know, the practice of Mandala offering recite the prayers.
Otherwise, sometimes people might think I come to get some kind of study, like knowledge, but yet half an hour wasted by chanting all sorts of prayers which I don’t even understand. People might feel that. So the reason why we introduced some of the prayers is for that reason. Thank you. Okay.
So in order to actualize this virtuous action as a practice of pure Dharma and to actualize causes actualize the causes for the enlightenment, we need to set the right motivation, bodhicitta motivation, by thinking the purpose of engaging into mind training study, contemplation and meditation, the discussion is to solely dedicate it to actualize fully enlightenment for the purpose of obtaining the entire abilities to eradicate the numberless mother beings’ sufferings of the saṃsāra and to actualize enlightenment within every single living being. For that purpose, I’m here today for that purpose, I’m going to try my very best to try to understand the essence teaching of the Buddha, which is in the mind training teaching, and able to actualize the realization in the listening, the mind training teaching, the Dharma, and also may I able to actualize the realization of contemplating whatever the understanding that you actualize by listening this mind training teaching and to actualize the realization in the stages of the path, such as actualizing five paths and ten grounds and by eradicating entire afflictive emotions such as the twenty secondary afflictive emotions and the six root afflictive emotions or the delusions. And by actualizing the two causes of the enlightenment which is the conventional bodhicitta and ultimate bodhicitta the emptiness and to actualize the completion stage of the entire knowledge, which is the the state of Buddhahood.
So one should one should express from deep within one’s heart why we are here today. So as Buddha have stated in all his teachings, as well as what I emphasized strongly in last classes, the teaching of the Buddha, so referring to the mind transformation, the teachings of the Buddha is the teaching which bring the transformation of one’s mind. The transforming, the afflicted emotion or the delusion, the disturbing mind, the confusion mind into a path, into a positive the transformation in the negative emotion into a positive the positive experiences within the mental continuum so that one can able to introduce positive actions or the karma to one’s body and speech so that one can able to rescue this precious human rebirth by protecting from the accumulation of negative karmas such as engaging into ten non virtuous actions, such as engaging into the engaging into the ten non virtuous actions and in particularly not practicing bodhicitta and those of practitioners who obtained bodhicitta and giving up bodhicitta instead of increasing rather give up bodhicitta practice and in short giving the heart of cherishing others. The essence of Buddha’s teaching is mind transformation or the training of the mind.
So that’s what we what we are studying or what what we’re going to discuss today here so I would like to follow the text so we are on the discussion on the eighteen commitments of the mind training teaching, and we are up to we are up to sixteen or fifteen? Sixteen. So we start we we today, we start from there. We finish that. Today is sixteen.
Yeah? Okay. So in the text, it stated that do not turn the gods into demons. Do not turn the gods into demon demons. So the commentary here explained when when when displeased, the worldly god cause harm.
You know, the gods are supposed to be beneficial in general, so if they cause harm, they then become demons. You know, Similarly, mind training is supposed to subdue self grasping, avoid their force becoming inflated by this practice and generating conceited thoughts such as I am an excellent practitioner of mind training. Others like this as spiritual practice. Avoiding ridiculing and insulting others out of their sense of superiority. If practitioners strengthen their grasping at the self existence of phenomena, their practice becomes an nurturer of the enemy.
It becomes the act of allowing the yak to escape into the forest while looking for its footprint on the Rocky Mountains. Avoid all such conduct and, by disgracing to the self grasping, ensure that the medicine is applied right where the illness is. Comfort yourself as the lowest of the low among the servant of all sentient beings. So this is the commentary. So the essence meaning of this this is the the sixteenth commitment and the commentary is do not turn do not do not turn the gods into demons.
Do not turn mind training teaching to increase the self grasping mind rather than decrease of the self grasping attitude. So that’s the essence. So here, when we go through the commentary, it says that the worldly god caused harm. So here, other than Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, the object of refuge, such as worldly gods, the gods who are residing in the self existent, such as the gods who reside within the sixth realm, in the god realm, or within the demigod realms, or within the form realms, the gods of the form realms, god of the formless realms. So even the god which resided in the peak of Samsāra, when we take refuge under them or when we regard gods are the object of your spiritual guidance as well as protection from the falling into the lower realm.
So then as well as taking guidance for samsaric gains such as praying and making offerings and relying the refuge under the holy gods by making praises, by making homage, by making supplication, and by making commitments, and particularly by making commitments. So those gods do have the power to provide the temporary gains or temporary, know, I would say, the gods, they have the power to fulfill our temporary samsaric wishes, but we break the commitments or we break the promise such as we forget to pray one day or we even misplace the offering or we change the object of our prayer such as such as if you are praying to Shiva then suddenly one realize that Ganesh is more powerful than we you switch your object of prayer to Ganesh. Then the gods supposed to be helping you, but at the end, they turn into a a harmful, you know, harm giver. So so it’s like god, you turned into a demon. So that’s what he is trying to explain.
At the same time this teaching is going back to the root teaching which is the teachings of the refuge. At the very beginning once we take the refuge, the one of the commitment after taking refuge in Buddha you know the one of the the commitment is not to take refuge under take refuge under holy gods you know not take refuge under holy gods but in our day to day life you know we seek refuge under spirits we seek refuge even under psychic or we do seek refuge even under human being ordinary human beings. So as long as one take refuge other than enlightened Buddha, first of all, one break the vow of refuge precept, then secondly, one throw oneself into a very dangerous situation that even though the temporary gains are provided, but there’s more dangerous in the relation to praying to holy gods and to receive harm. So that’s the whole reason why after practicing Dharma that we should do the first security to protect us from the serious damage in our spiritual practice and the overall protection is to practice the refuge vow, which is to solely practice refuge, go under the refuge of Buddha Dharma Sangha and to cultivate virtue and do not, you know, harm the other living beings by taking the refuge by going under refuge Dharma, then always engaging and always, you know being in the conducive condition of the positive or the virtuous friends and avoiding you know non virtuous negative friends who introduce us to engage into the negative creation or negative karma so you see so it’s like that.
Here’s the gods are supposed to be beneficial in general the gods their their spirit is higher than the ordinary human being. And when we seek their benefit, and when we seek their help, they do provide. But that throw us into greater risk, you know, such as praying to landlord. If you forget to pray one day or the commitment is to the family generation to generation and to pray and making offerings to a landlord in a sense of totally reliance of one’s life protection. Then one day, you know, one forget to pray, then next day, you know, it generate harm.
You’re being harmed. And the harm can be not just for this life, even with harmful life to life after, and even harm can create for generation to generation. So therefore even in our ordinary life, our ancestors, they are so into praying all the spirits, all the gods such as landlords, then through the astrological checking, find that there’s so much harm from landlords, such as harm from landlords, nagas, is not because you create your own karma this life, the collective karma created by the past ancestors, and that’s how they influence even to this generation. And if you continue this practice, even there’s a danger of bringing harm to the next generation. So that’s the whole reason why once engaging in Buddha Dharma practice is to solely take refuge under Buddha Dharma Sangha, avoid reliance on the holy gods and holy spirits.
So why, you know, saying that gods become demons? Because they harm you, because they bring harm to us. So that’s the reason that why I call demon, because it’s giving harm. And then might arise a question, then how about Buddhas? If you take initiation and if you forget to do the commitment, Guru says that if you forget to do the commitment, then deity, I mean Jowo, one gets punishment.
You know, such as like you take the Yamantaka initiation then you forget to do the commitment then what is the consequences? And there’s a lot of threatening, saying that one will fall into lower realm, like hell realm. In fact, there’s no such thing. By practicing the initiation, such taking initiation commitments like Tantric vows, Buddhist vows, is to protect us from the karma to born into lower realm, the karma which is committed from past lifetimes. Commitment that one receives from receiving Bodhisattva and Tantric vows or five lay vows is to protect us to experience the consequences of past lifetimes, the past negative creation of karma it’s just a matter of protection so since oneself already committed a cause to fall into lower realm and if we don’t practice the protection due to karma one throw into lower realm not because of due to breaking the commitment of Bodhisattva and Tantra Vow that’s why you fall into lower realm so it’s clear After taking the tantric vow, Buddhist vow initiation, even in text it say that if you break the commitment, we’ll punish you by the dakas and dakinis and will even fall into lower realms.
So it’s quite scary. It’s almost no different than breaking the commitment with a holy god and, you know, and bring harm. There’s no difference. Here we have to differentiate. We have to understand this.
Why breaking the commitment one might fall into lower realm? It’s because of due to one’s karma, not because of Yamāntaka is the one throwing you into a lower realm. You know, Yamāntaka will never throw you into a lower realm. Yamāntaka is trying his best to help us to protect, give you a lot of commitment which is protection. So since you already have the karma and you want to practice the commitment, the protection, then it is your fault and you will go because you created the cause in the past already.
It’s not because you break the commitment that’s why you are throwing into lower realm. All of us here, those who have tantric initiations or even a vow, five lay vows such as a vow of not killing, stealing, you know not lying, not sexual misconduct, not intoxicant even that you break the vow people will say oh you will go to hell you know you will go to hell you know after taking the refuge vow you break the refuge vow you’ll go to hell they might say that you know so that means better we might think better not to take refuge vow better not to take any initiations, better not to do any deity yoga practices because it’s so scary. Because if don’t practice continuously the samaya, if you happen to break one day that will throw into lower realm. You see? So this is totally misunderstanding.
By practicing refuge vow, by practicing Bodhisattva, Tantra vow, by even taking initiations, is only protect us, never harm us. It only protect us from the karma which we have committed in the past. It helps to purify those karma and it helps for us to obtain the positive result in future lifetimes. So that’s the reason that why we need to take the vows, you know, why we need to take the vows. Don’t you think have you ever interpret that way?
Oh, I break the vow. I break I break the the the the Buddhist sabbath vow. Now how to purify? Because I might fall into lower realm. We we I’m sure I used to think that in the past, and I’m sure some of you might be thinking that, oh, I took Yamāntaka initiation and one day somehow I fall asleep.
Then supposed to do daily sādhana. I forgot to do the sādhana. So that means it’s already said you break the samaya, it will go to the the lowest, you know, vajra Hell. You know? You know?
And and and we we we interpret this message as kind of after taking the initiation is almost like throwing us into vajra Hell. Yomenta God is the one who initiate to throw into vajra Hell. So it’s absolutely not like that. But in relation to worldly gods, yes they do harm us. The worldly gods, once we displease them, once we break the commitment, yes they do harm us.
They do harm externally and internally. Externally, physical the suffering experiences we have to face. Internally, it will disturb our emotion. It will enhance our delusion. You know, after enhancing our delusion, that created the cause to the lowest rebirth, you know, the lowest rebirth.
That’s how that by breaking the commitment, it will definitely throw into lowest rebirth, but not with the Buddha, not with Dharma, not with Sangha. So mind training and teaching as Buddha stated is to transform one’s mind you know it’s supposed to transform one’s mind means to subdue one’s mind subdue one’s grasping mind you know subdue one’s confusion the egoistic emotions but instead of subduing one’s grasping mind instead of subduing the Egoistic. Egoistic. Instead of subduing egoistic mind, you start to feel more and more proud. You start to feel more and more arrogant.
You know you start to feel you are very smart you start to feel you are somebody very special you start to feel that you are like Mahasidha you know you know some practitioners even feel like I’m Mahasidha because I practice mind training teaching you know and some even exposed that oh by now I achieved the essence of the mind training teaching which is bodhicitta and you start to bossy, you call bossy, you know. So if that happens then the mind training teaching due to the it called the improper application of the right method, you know, which is the mind training teaching turned out to be the cause of the creation of negative karma cause of creation of negative karma cause of enhancing the development such as self grasping mind. So it means when we practice mind training teaching is to dominate the self grasping mind. We have to see the sign verbally, physically, mentally the state of subduing one’s delusion, subduing one’s ego, subduing one’s grasping mind. So it’s not somebody else outside to check or analyze or investigate, rather oneself looking into one’s mind and to observe every single day to day life, every single movement, every single action to analyze within ourselves whether am I, you know, is there any fields or is there any kind of the stages of deconstruction of grasping mind?
The construction of self and the the cherishing of other or not. So one should look in, you know. So so physically, one naturally show the physical gesture of subdued, like very humble, very respectful, mindful of the others’ well-being. You know, verbally, you know, even one single word, you know, in relation to other, make sure that it is pleasing, you know, a with a full awareness of others well-being you know not to accuse not to offend and so those are also is a sign of the mind training teaching you know apply for the right purpose and it’s actualizing the result of the practicing mind training teaching. When one self practicing mind training teaching, one even shouldn’t think that I am a great practitioner, I am a Mahāyāna practitioner.
One shouldn’t even have such kind of thought, such kind of mind within you thinking that I’m a great vehicle practitioner. I am better than the Hīnayāna practitioner. In a verbal, you usually even express this word. Say that I am a great practitioner. I am a great vehicle practitioner.
I am a mind training practitioner. All these should be sealed. Rather, one should perform the act of selflessness and cherishing of others’ well-being. So in our in our special life, you know, like, we naturally follow the Mahāyāna teaching, you know, we even follow the vajrayana teaching, then we we you know when we when we interact with the other Buddhist practitioners such as Theravadan practitioners then we start to kind of like even say and even think that they are lower capable practitioners. I am a superior practitioner.
If you have a sense of that kind of thought, you have a you know such kind of word expressed by your mouth then one fails as a practitioner of mind training teaching. Rather one should even respect as a junior practitioner, I would say senior practitioner. The Theravadan practitioners are senior in the one circle of Buddha’s life. Buddha’s twelve deeds in his one circle of descending in this universe. Buddha have taught the teachings of the Hīnayāna.
First turning wheel of Dharma is the teaching for the Hīnayāna practitioners which is today which is the real turning day which is exactly today. The first turning wheel of Dharma is the teachings on the Four Noble Truths, the teachings on the Four Noble Truths and the disciples are Brahmins whose karma is ripened to actualize the first wheel, the teachings of the first wheel which is to renounce very life Samsāra and which is also renounce the next lifetime samsaric existence which is to renounce entire aspect of Samsāra within themselves and to actualize the state of the nirvana which is the total freedom from the Samsāra you know by actualizing the part of selflessness no, by actualizing part of the self grasping gaining the realization on the emptiness of selflessness and to purify the clinging on the samsaric pleasure, the existence of the six realm and to actualize the nirvana. So therefore as a Mahāyāna practitioner, which Buddha only turned the wheel of Dharma in the second turning. Therefore even in this aspect, even in the Buddha’s life, the Theravadans practitioners are senior than us, senior than Mahāyāna practitioners. You know, they are our elder brother or elder sister in our spiritual practice.
In that aspect, especially as a mind training practitioner, as a Lamrim practitioner or Mahāyāna practitioner we should respect them. We rather should even regard they are superior than us. Even though in the world we are called the great vehicle follower. They are called the small vehicle follower. Even though there’s such a word there, it has a reason to label that.
But in reality, they are senior, they are our senior. But without understanding this teaching, we practitioners do mistake, disregard them, disrespect you know like that. Not only that we do even criticize our religious faith, other religious faiths. So as a mind training practitioner we have to respect every differences of the living beings. We have to respect all the differences in the entire living beings.
So in short, We should respect every single living being So here if practitioners strengthen grasping at the self existent, then there’s no opportunity for us to actualize the emptiness even in the small vehicles assertion, know, even there’s no opportunity for us to actualize the emptiness in the assertion of the small vehicle which is the the small vehicle. There’s opportunity for us to realize emptiness in the assertion of small weaker. There’s no doubt. No, my English is totally upside down. So there’s no opportunity for us to actualize the emptiness, level of inherent existence in the assertion of the prasangika view if we still have the grasping mind.
As long as we have a grasping to the self existent, you know no question about actualizing did I say the right thing? No question about actualizing the realization on the emptiness selflessness of like inherent existence there is not even opportunity to actualize the emptiness based on the assertion of lower capable being which is the emptiness of selflessness which is emptiness of selflessness so it means there’s no way that one can actualize the emptiness of selflessness of phenomena if one unable to actualize the emptiness of selflessness of self. Emptiness of selflessness of self emptiness, selflessness of phenomena or aggregates. So it’s it sounds a bit maybe some of you find is like, I don’t know what you are talking about. So so it’s it’s it’s not to worry.
So just give in and the next time you will say, oh, I see. Yeah. Yeah. So second time, it’ll be okay. So don’t worry.
Don’t worry today. Okay? So here in the text it stated, If the practitioners strengthen their grasping at the self existent phenomena, instead of negating the negation of the emptiness which is the level inherent existence on the phenomena, rather it will enhance or rather it will be even enhanced grasping towards the self independent existence on the phenomena. If that happens and there’s no even a liberation from the saṃsāra. Means in order to gain liberation from saṃsāra just from saṃsāra not about actualizing enlightenment.
Even one wish to attain the freedom from Samsāra without realizing emptiness directly one will be unable to free from Samsāra. So that’s the conclusion. In the Prāsaṇgika Madhyamaka, the commentary by Nāgārjuna, Candrakīrti, and say Candrakīrti, Nāgārjuna, and as well as various commentaries on teaching stated that even to actualize freedom from the saṃsāra one have to realize direct realization on emptiness. So how crucial the understanding of emptiness is here. Even to be free from saṃsāra we need to realize emptiness directly.
If we are unable to do that don’t talk about that we will become Buddha but we will not even able to free from saṃsāra. So then here it says, page one hundred and twenty two their practice becomes a nurturer of the enemy. So the enemy referring to the self grasping mind. Nurturer of the enemy. The enemy refers to the self grasping mind.
So as long as one do not realize the selflessness of self and selflessness of phenomena, in short, if we do not realize emptiness, whatever practice we do, you know, there will always encounter always bring the enhancing of the self grasping mind. So as I mentioned in earlier sessions that we have an instinct, an instinct, we have a kind of inborn instinct inherent existing perception. Our instinct of the five senses are inherent existent. When we perceive, when look at this cup, our perception is perceiving in the perception of inherent existence. So due to that it brings the obstruction to freedom from the saṃsāra.
So again here without realizing emptiness there’s no freedom from the Samsāra rather it will become the intensifier of self grasping self grasping of self and self grasping phenomena So it becomes the act of allowing the yak to escape into a forest while looking for its footprint on the Rocky Mountain. So if we if we are true practitioner of dharma you know our main search our main search is to find the object of eradication which is the grasping mind. Object of eradication which is the grasping mind. Grasping to the self and grasping to the phenomena. As long as we are unable to recognize the object or indication, no matter how much meditation we do in the emptiness, it’s almost like we are, you know, as it says here, almost like you are the one that who let the yak go in the jungle and you go to search the yak on the Rocky Mountain.
So it will be like that. So means at the end of the practice you will be empty handed, unable to gain the purpose of the Dharma, unable to gain the purpose of why you’re practicing Dharma. Here means it’s one must put effort to find out what is the characteristic of grasping mind. So once we realize the the characteristic of the grasping mind to self and grasping mind to phenomena then we try to eradicate that then there’s a possible of oneself to actualize realization direct direct realization on emptiness and once we are able to do that then there’s a possibility for us to actualize the freedom from the saṃsāra and of course here then there is a possibility for us to actualize fully enlightenment so here avoid all such conducts means never you know we why we are why we are still in saṃsāra You know there’s so many fortunate Buddhas already descended in this this continent You know so many Buddhas already descended in this continent. So many Bodhisattvas are manifested by the Buddhas to actualize, assist in our practice, come in the form of the Sangha refuge.
You know, and there’s so many Buddhas in the past spoken the entire aspect of eighty four thousand teaching, the teachings of the three vehicles. But why we are still suffering? Why we are still in saṃsāra? Why we are still stuck here? Why we are still stuck here?
You know because we never avoided such conduct so here such conduct is we always follow the conduct of we always follow the instruction of ignoring we always follow the instruction of grasping mind you know we are totally you know very disciplined disciple of the grasping mind We are very disciplined disciple of grasping mind. We are very disciplined disciple of attachment. Of course, ignore it. Attachment, anger, pride, jealousy, you know, confusion, you know, all the rest of the emotions. We are very, very well trained disciple, you know, you know, and we are we are very ethical in that means we are like very obedient, you know.
So as long as we are unable to avoid those mistaken conducts, we will ever tie in the chain of the samsaric in a circle of saṃsāra existence. By discarding to the self grasping, that contact is the contact of working for the self grasping mind. By discarding the self grasping, ensure that the medicine apply right where the illness is. Here, right medicine is a selflessness. Right medicine is referred to the selflessness of self or selflessness of eye and selflessness of phenomena is the right medicine.
Right illness is referred to the self grasping of self and self grasping of phenomena. So we have to read, by following the right doctor which is the Buddha or the teacher of the mind training teaching and following strictly the prescription that prescribed by the right doctor, the qualified doctor which is the mind training teaching asking us to discuss, asking us to avoid the contact of following under the guidance of self grasping, then our illness of suffering will be able to cure. So here for us to understand from this commitment, from the eighteen commitment, number sixteen, the commitment, we have to keep in our mind one thing, right medicine and right illness. The right medicine is selflessness of self and selflessness of phenomena. The illness referring to the self grasping or the self-cherishing mind.
What is the freedom? What is the freedom or the recovery of the illness? It’s to actualize the freedom from saṃsāra. Freedom from saṃsāra. When we get the right medicine, when we actualize the emptiness directly.
When we are in the process of consuming medicine, right medicine, it’s in the process of learning the right method, like what we are doing, You know? Like like the the the study, contemplation, meditation on the teachings of the emptiness or teachings of the mind training. K? So, you know, so we are actually every day taking one pill or two pills. So if you want you can take more pills or maybe increase the dosage.
How to increase the dosage? Do more sessions of meditation on the mind training teaching. Normally maybe doctor prescribed maybe for one day, one pill means Dharma teacher recommends to at least meditate, spare time from your busy busy lifestyle maybe one five minute in one day five minute meditation to learn to let go learn to you know lessen the attachment towards your body, towards the eye, attachment towards the life experiences. You know so if you feel that the medicine is very effective go back to doctor or you should increase the dosage to meditate maybe ten minutes or maybe twenty minutes or maybe three four times you know so this medicine you will never overdose it and there are no side effects also so no overdosage you know it’s not like the ordinary medicine yeah so no overdoses so you made it you you you take you take the the right medicine more you are you are nearer to the recovery of this chronic chronic sort of pain, chronic sort of suffering so one of the way to do that one of the way for us to be a very obedient patient one of the way for us to be a very obedient patient patient patient patient so sometimes you know you meet such a qualified wonderful doctor and at the same time you meet wonderful nurse and you encounter such an advanced, perfect organic medicine, whatever, but we are lazy.
Sometimes we don’t take the medicine. We sometimes have an excuse of not taking the medicine. So in order for us to not to get into laziness and at the same time for us to continue to take the medicine which prescribed such as like to meditate on the selflessness which is advised by the Buddha then is to start with the practice of regarding oneself is the lowest. You know when we come into community, when we come into contact of you know one and another and one always should practice to regard oneself as lowest. Start with that, you know, lowest among even the servants.
You know, that means one should gradually deconstruct ego. One gradually should deconstruct the egoistic mind, deconstruct the self centered mind, deconstruct the self-cherishing mind, you know, by engaging in the practice, in the mindfulness practice of regarding oneself, it’s like it’s just lowest of all. Means it’s not asking us to feel no confident it’s not asking us to practice low self esteem it’s not asking for us to practice low self esteem It’s not asking us to be no confident. It’s asking us to be respectful to others. Be humble.
Yeah. Be humble. Also good. Be humble. You know, mentally, physically, verbally respect other, regard other more important than you, regard other superior than you.
You know, it’s like that. So by engaging into this training, then gradually one can able to total eradication of the self grasping mind or self-cherishing mind. So this is the advice for us to start from there. So even that is not easy for us, isn’t it? For us to, you know, immediately, if somebody showed that it’s better than you, you feel sour.
You know, you feel you feel very difficult, you know. You know? And somebody somebody tells, even like, you know, you are if if somebody tells that, you one hair dropping from the front also you feel difficult. One hair just come down. Just one hair happen to forget to comb and just come down.
Somebody just happened to say with such a pure intention say, you know one hair dropping down, you already feel sour. You know? You know? So all all those are it’s because of self-cherishing, self grasping mind. self-cherishing mind.
You know? No respect to other. No concern of other, you know, there’s so much like the ego grasping due to that and that is all comes about because of ignorance there and rest of the delusions is within us due to that. Okay. Now we go to, the commitment seventeen.
Do not seek, do not do not seek misery as a means to happiness. So the commentary here, this refers to not drawing personal gratification from others’ mysteries. Do note, for example, horrible thoughts such as, if my spouse or this particular friend dies, their family lineage will come to the end. If the wealthy benefactor becomes ill or die, I will have the opportunity to accumulate merit and root of virtue. If my meditator colleague of this region dies, I alone will have the opportunity to accumulate merit.
And if this enemy dies, I will enjoy happiness. You know? And the and the master said that since sentient beings experiences their own individual merit, no matter where you go due due to karma, you will find enemies and friends. Let’s see. So the the meaning of the title as well as the the commentary is do not seek happiness by causing unhappiness to other.
Do not seek happiness in you by causing unhappiness to others. So that is the whole meaning. So the commentary word by word, this refers to not drawing personal gratification from others, which they do not, for example, the. So here, know, due to ego, due to anger, due to, you know, the the the negative emotion, you know, when when when somebody, you know, get into a failure, then you start to feel happy. You know, you know, you express somebody rather die or rather go wrong, something goes wrong in them.
You know? So in that way that you you feel sense of, like, happy or you see sense of joy because the harm giver is experiencing unfavorable or unfortunate. The experience of happiness in you actualizing by causing harm to other and that harm not necessarily by physical harm, intentional harm and this harm refer to the karmic cause. You create the karma within yourself by the negative in relation to your enemy. By expressing from your heart may this enemy die as soon as possible so that I will feel relief you know so if you achieve such kind of if you get such kind of happiness or such kind of satisfaction then it is against Lojong teaching, is against the Buddha’s teaching and it is called the creation of negative karma and the consequences that one have to suffer the suffering.
One have to suffer the suffering even though you feel some kind of joy and satisfaction by seeing others failure or unfortunate in your enemy but you yourself have to experience the consequences therefore Buddha is advising us not to have such kind of negative attitude If the wealthy benefactors become ill or die, then I will have opportunity to accumulate merit and root of virtue. So this is especially very dangerous for the lamas, you know, like somebody well respected, you know, especially those who sit on very high thrones, you know, you know, show so much respect or regarded holiness and this and that. If not well trained of their mind because of the including the Sanghas, including like me, people always come and request prayer. So if I don’t have the mind training teaching or if I don’t have a Dharma, if more people die, I get more requests of prayer. If more people get into trouble, I get more attention of asking you to pray.
There’s a danger of having such kind of negative thoughts. There’s a danger, you know. So this is actually especially those who have some kind of ability to benefit others in order to receive attentions or receive kind of respect or receive kind of requests then there’s a danger of having such kind of deluded thoughts you know so even you are you know providing your benefit to them but having that kind of negative thoughts is a negative creation of karma and it’s against Buddha’s teaching, it’s against mind training teaching so even my excuse you know, that if somebody some some something goes wrong so that, you know, like like, something goes wrong so that so that we can we can can gather more people for using that reason to actualize more light offering. That kind of negative kind of thought to actualize virtuous action by using or by hoping that something goes wrong. I don’t know how to put but it’s something like that.
So even though you’re performing virtuous action but it’s something is that the initiative of that virtuous action in relation of intentionally or physically harm caused to other it against Dharma it against mind training teaching If my meditator colleague of this region dies, I alone will have the opportunity to accumulate merit. Means in Buddha during Buddha’s time during Buddha’s time You know the Sanghas and mahasiddhas and practitioners are to advise to practice simplicity, renounce home, renounce possessions, including the possessions such as renounce of food, even to live a life with an which set this rule to his fellow dedicated practitioners such as Sanghas is to give opportunity to accumulate merit to the lay community. At the same time, by having a vow in the Sanghas and by practicing series such as an ethical practitioner within the monastics, when people make offerings, when people pray to them make any Dharma practice relation to them, they also do accumulate merits, enhance their merits. So by practitioners understanding that if rest of the meditators die, I will be alone there in the region so that everyone will come and pay respect to me so that I will accumulate merit in relation to all those people.
So even there’s so much benefit of creation of virtue in other in relation to you but having that thought against Dharma against my training teaching is wrong to do so that’s the advice Master says that since sentient being experience their own individual merits, no matter where you go due due to karma you’ll find enemies and friends. In short, one have to realize every single living being has an individual past creation of causes to enhance the present creation of virtues and at same time present creation of negative karmas, you know, negative karmas. Here advising us that even though there is a even though there is what I say? Even a practitioner can able to influence or able to bring you know assist in the accumulation of merit in others but you are not the complete cause of accumulation of merit in other. At the same time, you are not the complete cause to actualize the purification of karma in other because each individual’s karma lies in each individual’s responsibility, not by the second party or the third party means karmas are individual you know creator is individual means even how powerful practitioner is even you think that every single living being come to create merit and perfection in relation to you at the same time it helps to enhance your own merit.
It is only due to the self grasping mind again so therefore you have to we have to understand that karma we have to understand karma so that we can able to understand the creation of merit or creation of negative karma is is in individuals are labeled not by the third party or not by the not by the others. You you get what I mean? Yes. I myself will confuse. When I hear what I say, I confuse.
You know? In my heart, I’m saying things, but when I hear my word, I feel like confused. So if you understand, amazing. Okay. So now where I am.
Okay. So So here the seventeen commitment is advising us to realize the karmic law in effect. Once we realize the karmic law in effect that also assist us to actualize merit and actualize purification. At the same time, we will learn to purify, the negative in relation to the enemies and we, we will enhance the positive relation to the friends and the friends here refer to the virtuous virtuous, virtuous friends, the most supreme virtuous friends such as enlightened Buddhas who come into aspect of Guru. Then in the ordinary label, the friends who always encourage the engagement, your engagement of virtuous action.
Enemies regarded from from a slight negative emotion up to the root that the three person attachment anger and ignorance okay so the eighteen commitment which we you don’t see here the eighteen commitment is purify your Greatest delusion first. So that is the eighteen commitment the last commitment purify your greatest delusion first So that’s the the purify your greatest delusion first. So what you what you what you what you what you understand from this this this this this word or this quote, It purifies your greatest delusion first. Most of us, we study Lamrim. We also study philosophy.
So it’s a common, what you call it, intellectual knowledge for us practitioners. Purify your greatest delusion first. So, what what what do you what do you understand from here? Any suggestions? No.
Purify or correct your greatest delusion first. Purify your greatest delusion first. So you have to get the meaning from the greatest dilute greatest delusion then first. So you have to put into a kind of understanding what is really advising us, and it’s very, very important. There’s so much in a purifier is to purify dilution there’s there’s numberless delusions so here is advising us to purify the greatest delusion first so how to go about it Purify greatest delusion first.
How to go about it? Yes. That’s that’s the that’s the explanation. That’s that’s the explanation. So thank you.
Thank you to you all also. So so that’s that’s exact word. You know? It’s exactly like that. I say, okay.
So now here, it require both, concentration meditation and analytical meditation in order to see, in order to find what the delusion is the greatest in our mental state. So once we capture that then we should purify that first. Should put extra effort to purify that and we should even purify My my my English makes makes myself unbelievable. So how to say? Yeah.
So here, if in in your life you know if you have if you have the most difficult and negative emotion to deal emotion to deal a life such as anger, is anger and even though we have all the negative emotions all the delusions attachment hatred pride everything but anger is the one of the worst or one of the most forceful in other words anger is one of the most most forceful most you call most spontaneous most powerful, most spontaneous in your mental continuum and that is the delusion that you should purify first even though you have ignorant, you have attachment, you have pride whatever it is you should put them aside and you should focus to purify the greatest delusion first but how to go about it first is to capture the the characteristic of to learn the characteristic of the delusion learn the characteristic of the anger suppose as an example anger learn the characteristic of the anger you know how to how to learn the characteristic of anger is the cause which brings anger in your emotion. How the anger arises. You should analyze how the anger arises. Once you find the the scenery of how the anger arises in you due to the circumstances by capturing the circumstances or the factor or the cause to actualize the anger in you then you should learn the antidote to eradicate the cause first.
Let’s say that anger arises because you’re very impatient. One of the major cause for oneself to always get into anger is because of impatient. So if the impatient is one of the major cause causing oneself to generate anger and what is the antidote for the impatientness impatient you know and it’s to be patient so how to eradicate how to destroy the impatient which is cause of your anger is to learn about the advantage of being patient and to learn about disadvantage of being impatient. You know how to discover that If something goes wrong, if something is not happening according with what you want, you start to feel impatient. When you feel impatient, the the manifestation impatientness is anger.
It’s anger. You know? So so by analyzing the advantage of being patient is instead of instead of like getting impatient rather be patient you have a more kind of like clearer mind to solve the problem. You have a more kind of time to solve the problem. First of all, at least you are calm.
It disturb your mind. And at the same day, won’t disturb the surrounding environment, the people around you. So that is one single example of the advantage of being patient. Disadvantage of being patient, firstly, destroy the peace in your mind. Secondly, the nerve system just like kind of being intense.
You are somehow the entire aspect of your system is like block. You know even you see the method right in front of you somehow you will not see because of it’s totally overwhelmed with the hallucination of impatientness due to that somehow it delay the solution of the problem, delay the cure of the problem. And duration of the period you suffer more and if that is due to karma even how much you’ll be impatient nothing will work because karma is for you to experience that you know karma is to experience that so therefore if nothing can fix it is still a karma then why is that why you would be impatient why you’re causing yourself so much suffering or being impatient if there’s a karma there then why again being impatient because things will naturally work so rather go back to go back to the bed and just lie down just wait and just wait let let karma to handle and let karma to handle you see so so this is how to analyze the advantage and disadvantage straightforward according with the with the scripture accordingly you know straightforward is when you arise when you arise anger the omniscient one says the Buddha says it will destroy the evils of merit and you know once they’re putting how many days, how many hours, you know maybe how many lifetimes in the past you know try to accumulate so much merit through making generosity through taking so much precepts you know like vows you know restrict yourself you know and meditate on emptiness event and you have even meet with the enlightened Buddhas directly and you accumulated so much merit through physically, verbally, mentally but one anger just wipe out every single thing and it’s an entire accumulation of countless eons merit.
That’s it. Just one single impatientness will destroy everything. You know, will destroy everything. Whether we want to trust or not, this is what the wise man, the omniscient man the Buddha said you know if you are smarter than him then okay you say no such thing but if you think that you are he is slightly smarter than you then rather accept at least it will help you to help you to secure the peace of mind at least whether you even you don’t want to trust what Buddha say but by just thinking that he is wiser man and he is slightly clever than me If you don’t want to see that he’s omniscient one at least think that he’s slightly wiser than me and take his comment you know and that at least helps for you to have some peace of mind. If you didn’t listen to him you are totally disturbed and that naturally create a karma to destroy your mind create a karma to destroy your merits create a karma destroy your health it’s all wrong things happens the entire wrong things comes you know so therefore if the anger is the one of the strongest delusion in us you know rest of the delusion let them you know let them put as your secondary kind of a task you know whatever meditation you do whatever meritorious action you do whatever purification you do anger is the main focus to fight to eradicate to purify you know the way to purify is first understand the cause what makes you anger and on that to find the right antidote.
The right antidote is to understand the right antidote is by meditating or by contemplating an advantage and disadvantage of that negative emotion, that impatientness. So when to meditate is when you are calm. It’s not when you already get impatient. Well, you are impatient somebody said now you practice patient will get more burst up. It will get worse.
You know? Like you are using Dharma to suppress me. You know? Like you you you will fight with you, you know? Will go worse so the best time to practice is when you are calm when you are gentle when you are there’s no anger in you that’s the time that you should so called as do meditation means do contemplation habituation on the advantage and disadvantage.
Just implant as much imprint as possible. Imprint as possible. Call as a habituation means make it part of your habit. So one day, two day, three day you know many many hours you’ve been keep thinking on that since you are you are the worst negative emotion is anger. So you’ve been meditating you’ve been thinking about the advantage of patience and disadvantage of anger ten twenty thirty times maybe one month maybe even one year you are totally habituated a part of your habit when small things disturb you and about to disturb you your mind is already dominated by the understanding the alertness of seeing disadvantage of getting angry that naturally subside that’s how it helps so same to attachment same to rest of the negative emotion so the the eighteen commitment is advising us first of all we sit down and we think what within entire negative emotion what is the what is the most forceful what is the more obvious what is the most frequent in our in our life So some can be attachment, some can be ego, some can be pride, some can be jealousy, some can be anger.
So then each individual, you know, then as I’ve taught in the as we discussed in the past class, to find a right antidote. You know, we remember we discussed in the past classes, you know, what is the right antidote for attachment? What is the right antidote for pride? What is the right antidote for anger? So we already define those right antidotes even though entire Buddha Dharma is antidote for entire negative emotion but without applying the right antidote you will be unable to eradicate you know just practicing so called as a Dharma it will suppress it will purify certain amount of the negative emotion but it will be unable to purify from the root because it’s not right antidote so each negative emotion we have to find each right antidote each right antidote so in the Lojong teaching there’s one section for us to find the right antidote for right delusion right antidote for different delusions you know in the text the word it says appropriate antidotes in the text it says appropriate antidotes.
So you know that day we had a lot of discussion you know we’ve been asking you know what is antidote for pride so different people have a different opinions so at the end as we all come into a conclusion there’s one particular antidote is right antidote for pride so we even discuss when to apply how to apply you know so once you are in that track then there is an opportunity to naturally seize entire negative emotions. Otherwise it’s like we’re just superficial level we are practicing Dharma. It’s like almost every Dharma practice is almost like a brain food. Not not not not really, like, affecting your emotion. It’s it’s not not eradicating emotion.
So much information there, but never goes to here. So then, it’s like that. So, anyway, we stop here. Any question? Oh, no.
No. It’s it’s it’s a know I think the Buddhist vow is not not saying to point mistake of others. No. It’s it to is referring to the responsible, you know, even the long term teaching I would we discussed before that such as you know like a Sangha if they break the vow we ordinary people only will create a negative karma of accusing or pointing the faults of the breaking the vow but as an abbot of the Sangha if you don’t point he will create a negative karma but for us we point we create a negative karma so in the vow it’s referring to those responsible such as five lay vows you have to receive from Abbots and Lobpon you know Abbots and the Master. So Master has the right to point your vows if you break the five lay vows.
Buddhist vows, you have to receive in the presence of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas has the right to point your value of Bodhisattva vows. Then, Sangha vows has have received from Khenpo and Lobpon because Abbot and the Sangha community, you know, the Sangha community which is, you know, for fully ordained Sanghas. So have the right to point. So so I think it’s it’s it’s about that.
Yep. Yep. Because it’s in the it’s a it’s kind of family commitment. You know, your your your like you say, ancestor used to pray, then you pray, then your children is kind of like a family tradition. So it’s it’s it’s a family is coming to this world with a collective karma.
So the karmic in in the karmic relation is somehow that it bring effect. Yeah. There is involvement of individual karma, but it’s a major karmic effect is collective karma for the family members. Yeah. Okay.
Can you say again? Yep. I see. Yep. So it’s a business world.
It’s a world. So here in the mind training teaching is talk is a is a teaching purely Dharma. So it’s Dharma and worldly world is totally conflicts. It’s like opposite opposite. So in business world, I guess if you if you think that you are the lowest of lower, I think you might lose entire your business.
So in Dharma world, if you regard that if you if you regard that you are the lowest of the lower, maybe you will really actualize the realization in the path. So in business world, it’s it’s how to say? It’s very difficult to to apply this teaching. But at least maybe start with honesty and respectful others. But even honesty, if you are too honest in business, you might lose your business also, isn’t it?
I can see that in business world, I don’t think there’s honesty. I don’t think there’s you know, to to get a one cent of profit, you must say something a little bit twisted. You know? So if that’s the case, again so it’s like that’s why, dharma and saṃsāra is like that. Only only saṃsāra activities and dharma activities totally is opposite.
You know? If you really want to do pure dharma you have to you have to give up only only only only concern So it’s a so we are actually trying our best only Almost like there’s no no no no pure kara, no pure realm in saṃsāra. But of course, at least like you can you can, you can transform through being positive, through the right motivation like such kind of like with the bodhicitta motivation. I must gain great success so that I can able to bring assistance to a large number of practitioners and dharma and to assist those needed. So in that way, I think at least that’s a creation of virtue, but at the same time This is a business, so There’s negative karma also there, so there’s no no no state of total purity Okay, so we stop here Okay.
So we will start with the today’s prayer before we do the dedication. So as I mentioned earlier, today is a very important day for for us, for Buddhist practitioners. It’s the it’s the day that when Buddha first time, you know, turned the wheel of Dharma after Buddha obtained it fully enlightenment under the Buddha tree. According accordance with the Hīnayāna teaching, it’s Buddha’s first time enlightened under the Buddha tree, according with the Mahāyāna assertion, Mahāyāna teaching assertion, Buddha have obtained enlightenment, you know, Siddhartha was obtained enlightenment much more before, you know, three countless eons, much more before many many countless eons, you know. He came to this world to liberate the sentient beings by performing the twelve deeds.
So one of the deeds is to get enlightenment, then to turn the wheel of Dharma. To turn the wheel of Dharma. But the Theravāda practitioner, they assert, is the Buddha first time obtained enlightenment the start of first time obtained enlightenment under the Buddha tree, which is about two thousand six hundred years ago from today. And after that he went into a deer park in the jungle to meditate for forty nine days because there’s no sincere request of teaching by the human being. So then after forty nine days, the King Brahmin, you know, initiate to request the teaching by blowing the right conch shell and offering the Dharma wheel.
So then I kneel down and request to turn the wheel of Dharma. So then so then from the from the deer park he walk You know across to the one one one side where Buddha Buddha have taught the five disciple so then there due to the past karmic connection the five Brahmins was traveling through that route. And the five Brahmins the reincarnation of the five tiger family who in the past when Buddha take the Bodhisattva life as a great hearted, Nyingpo Gyalpo, the great hearted Bodhisattva in Nepal, in the place called Namo Buddha where he make the generosity of his own flesh to the five family. At that time, he make a prayer to the five tiger family to consume his flesh and to born as a first disciple when Siddhartha, as a prince Siddhartha actualized enlightenment, he come to turn the wheel of Dharma to be the first disciple. That’s how these five Brahmins are the first contact of the Buddha’s teaching who received the first turning wheel of Dharma, which is the teachings of the Four Noble Truths, which is today.
So from that very on, then we have the karma to to to actualize Buddha’s teachings. You know, do we have the karma to actualize Buddha’s teaching? So it’s very, very important day for us. And whatever the opportunities to learn Dharma including my training teaching, the sense of faith and conviction in Buddha, Dharma, Sangha and the mind of ethics to practice virtue and not to commit non virtue and to have a karma or the merit to understand life and rebirth, and have a karma and merit to understand the karmic law in effect, have a karma to understand the definite of Buddha’s enlightenment and definite of Buddha’s teachings, such as Four Noble Truths, the valid teachings of the Buddha. So all this happened because Buddha taught the teaching.
So therefore, it is a very auspicious and very important day. And also regarded today as a merit multiplying day. So that’s the reason why we try to do some action of accumulation of merit, such as offering lights, offering flowers to our aspects, as holy objects, such as statues, such as scriptures, such as stupas, and also to bring some inspiration within the dharma practitioners to inspire to a combination of merit. So like that. And those of you who who don’t want to offer light or flower, then you just visualize, you know, the the light and flower that I’m I’m holding or the rest of the Dhamma brothers holding.
Then you visualize through the understanding of emptiness. You visualize that offering. So also you are, you know, making offerings to the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. And it is with Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. So we recite we use the prayer text.
So we will do in English. We will do in English, so please reflect on the meaning. And please kindly chant slightly louder because my my pronunciation will will never lead you the right direction. So there are some of the prayers are in Tibetan some are English There’s no translation so we have to do from the refuge such as those are in Tibetan and English The three time recitation, the two time we do in Tibetan, one time in English. The one recitation we do in English like that.
I go for refuge until I’m enlightened to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Supreme assembly. By the matter of giving and another perfection, may I become a Buddha dependent on all sentient beings. May all sentient beings have happiness and the causes of happiness. May all sentient beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. May all sentient beings be inseparable from the happiness and free from suffering.
May all sentient abide equanimity, heteroper. So recite in English. I prostrate to all the victorious ones and their children. I present a cloud every time of offering, actual and imagined. I declare all my negative actions accumulated since the beginning last time and rejoice in the merit of all holy and ordinary beings.
Please remain until the end of cyclic existence and turn the wheel of Dharma for living beings. I dedicate my own merit and those of others in great in life. So we recite the praise of the lord and the teacher by way of his twelve deeds in English. Through skillful compassion born in the shakya clan, unclear was the viewer for the mother. King of the shakya, homage to your faith.
You who first contacted thought of the body, then come forth with the accumulation, merit and wisdom with the vast merit and wisdom becoming. Being protected in the age, our praise, knowing when attaining the gods, it was time to king. Okay. So the prayer of beginning, middle, and end of the practice. This is by the Lama Tsongkhapa.
I bow before the conquering Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and I heard of the all direction at all times. I offered this boldness prayer with the presence of the mind to free all that drink from the stirring existence. By the power of the uncommon Three Jewels and the great riches So now we do the mandala offering. Please hold the lights. I go for refuge until I’m enlightened to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Supreme Assembly.
By the merit of giving another perfection, may I become a Buddha to benefit all? So page twenty one. So we go for the we we do the dedication. So please dedicate that Saturday to this special merit multiplying day by, you know, listening the mind training teaching again, making my offering, making flower offerings, generating bodhicitta compassion, you know, reflecting meanings on emptiness. And whatever plus positive physically, mentally, verbally action that you accumulated, it multiplies infinite.
So therefore, may this merit be the complete cause to actualize enlightenment within every single living being. And may this merit be the complete cause to actualize long life, good health, fulfillment of entire holy wishes of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and our Guru Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Kyabje Khensur Rinpoche, Pabongka Rinpoche, Choden Rinpoche, the rest of the individual gurus, and all the holy beings who brings so much benefit or compassion in this world. And may this merit be a complete cause to actualize long life, good health, prosperity in family members and your individual, whatever wishes you may have, actualize. May this merit be a complete cause, our Lotus Sanctuary Centre, the committees, directors, and the rest of the committee, you know, all our sincere selfless volunteer to serve Buddhadharma, to serve Guru His Holiness Dalai Lama and the Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Kyabje Khensur Rinpoche. So to serve our members and to serve the centre.
So may they have a long life, good health, prosperity and since they provide so much time in the centre, also affect their ordinary business life. Was so much time they had to provide volunteers to the centre. May this merit be a complete cause to clear all the obstacles in their life, as well as have so much conducive time and condition to serve the Buddhadharma to the center. We may dedicate this very big complete cause to actualize good health and long life and prosperity, and to actualize enlightenment within all the rest of the volunteers who established this center and all the members and all the friends who directly and indirectly connected to this center and to our gurus and those who ask me to pray. So all those to actualize their prayers through the cause of this merit.
And may this merit be a complete cause to actualize sister centers such as Karunā Hospice, CGC Penang and Rinchen Jangsem Ling, Pahang so all those ASCO members and volunteers all actualize the entire beneficial purpose for the sentient beings and to serve the Buddhadharma and may encounter all the conditions and conditions by purifying all the obstacles. In short, may this merit be the complex cause to actualize auspiciousness days and nights and every single moments within every single living being. Due to the merit of this virtuous action, may I quickly attain the state of the Guru Buddha and lead all living beings without Okay. So now we will go one round around the Namcho stupa. So we put all the candles outside there.
I have a present for all of you. It’s a it’s a cookie from Australia. It’s a I think there’s, you know, one of our member, very kind member called Gigi. I don’t know full name, but her name is Gigi. So she sent all the way from from Australia.
I appreciate so much care and love for, you know, our brother sister. So I would like to later you you enjoy because I need to leave for over outstation, not oversea. Outstation. So later. So so you just enjoy the cake, the biscuit, and I will enjoy my journey.
Thank you. The session is over. The session is over. And then maybe