Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 40-minute session on day three of a Mahāyāna precepts retreat, Ven Thubten Dondrub guides practitioners through the ceremonial taking of the eight Mahāyāna precepts. He begins by generating strong refuge in Buddha mind through the image of Avalokiteśvara, the Buddha of Compassion, and cultivates bodhicitta by reflecting on the suffering of all sentient beings and one’s responsibility to achieve enlightenment for their sake. The core of the teaching walks through the preparatory visualisations: purifying the space, making vast offerings through mantra recitation, invoking the presence of Avalokiteśvara and the field of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. He then leads practitioners through the three recitations of the precept vow, emphasizing the importance of generating genuine bodhicitta motivation before taking the precepts. The session concludes with recitation of the ethical commitments mantra, dedication of merit to benefit all beings, and long-life prayers for the lineage teachers. Designed for practitioners already engaged in a retreat setting and familiar with Mahāyāna practice.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 14. Day 3 Eight Mahāyāna Precepts.mp3
UUID: 774fecc6-f382-4cb6-b7ba-207c0720a177
Teacher: Ven Thubten Dondrub
Collection: KI Retreat (Ven Thubten Dondrub)
Date: 2005 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 40.4 minutes
Words: ~2,274
So we begin by generating the motivation again recognising that our mind is what gives rise to all happiness and suffering and that the only way to reduce the suffering we experience and cause to others and to increase our own happiness and the happiness of others is to work with our own mind. But we have to do this in a very particular way with great skill and compassion and wisdom. So from our own side now our confused mind doesn’t possess those qualities. So this is why we have to rely on a perfect method to depend on a perfect unbetrayable method. And that can only come from perfect mind, which is Buddha mind.
So we generate this right now, this very strong refuge in the Buddha, in Buddha mind, and therefore in the Buddha’s teachings, which logically must be perfect and unbetrayable because of coming directly from that unmistaken mind of enlightenment. And also generating a strong refuge in the aryasamgha, those realized beings who have gained a deep abiding unmistaken experience of the teachings, especially the wisdom teachings of the Buddha. So think that because of our strong refuge and wishing to practice out of the formless dharmakaya state, the Buddha’s manifest in the form of thousand armed Avalokiteśvara, the very embodiment of all the compassion of all the Buddhas. Oneness with our own spiritual master appearing very clearly in front of us, surrounded by all other Buddhas, Śākyamūni Buddha, all the bodhisattvas, arhats, and so on. The Guru is Buddha, the Guru is Dharma, the Guru is Sangha also, the Guru is the creator of all happiness, to all Gurus I go for refuge.
So as we say the prayer of generating bodhicitta again, it’s important to make this meaningful by thinking of all the different kinds of sentient beings and those suffering, so visualising them surrounding oneself, standing with one’s parents on either side and so on. One visualises or can visualise all the different kinds of beings in human form because this is something that we can relate to but think that those human beings are experiencing the sufferings of the preta realms, the animal realms, the hell realms and so And so it’s for these beings who are trapped right now, who can’t help themselves right now, that I’m taking refuge and going to take these eight Mahāyāna precepts. In the past those beings who are now bodhisattvas and buddhas did this for my sake so now I can do it for others’ sake. To accomplish my own and others’ aims I generate the mind seeking enlightenment. So with the next prayer we visualise this place becoming completely free of all contamination, no longer a place of true suffering, a pure place, a pure land, a perfect environment in which we can invite Avalokiteśvara and all the other Buddhas and bodhisattvas to actually be here so that we can receive the precepts from And then we fill the whole of space with every kind of beautiful offering and vast numbers of each offering.
And for those who have some connection with the lamas of Rinpoche, you may know that Rinpoche has places throughout the world where people are offering water bowls all the time, hundreds and thousands of them, so that students around the world can think of these and offer these to the Buddhas all the time, at any time, so we can think of all those offerings that are set out in various places. So there are the actual offerings we make but also those we visualize. So with the dharani that we recite, the offering cloud dharani, we feel that as we recite this, this acts as a cause for all the Buddhas, all the field of refuge, to be able to receive all these offerings, that they accept them and it generates great bliss in their minds. By the power of truth of the Three Jewels, of the blessings of all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, by the power of the great mind of the completed two collections and of the completely pure, inconceivable sphere of reality, may all these offerings become just so. So now with the invocation prayer we imagine that from the dharmakaya state, the actual wisdom consciousness of Avalokiteśvara, the Buddha of Compassion manifests and then it descends down above the Avalokiteśvara, the commitment being that we’re visualising, it then begins to dissolve down into that, merges with it and becomes inseparately oneness.
And from then on we should feel that the Buddha of Compassion Avalokiteśvara, Chenrezig, is definitely present in front of us and we will be able to receive the precepts, the eight Mahāyāna precepts directly from Avalokiteśvara. So now we make three prostrations. So do the seven-limb prayer, we’ll do this in English or maybe we can do a Tibetan because it gives it more time to think. And we’ll stop on the fourth line which is the rejoicing line just to do that practice a little bit.
So we rejoice in our own merits and the merits of other ordinary beings, especially the fact that oneself and one’s Dharma brothers and sisters right now are taking these precepts, this is a wonderful thing to do. We can rejoice in all those ordinary beings who have ever taken these precepts in the path or will do in the future. Then we rejoice in those practitioners who are practicing very, very intensively and purely. And then in the realized beings, the great bodhisattvas, the buddhas, and especially rejoicing in the qualities and activities and virtues of our own spiritual masters. Thinking how wonderful, how wonderful.
Then offering the mandala of the whole universe to create the cause, to be able to receive precepts purely in our mind. The objects of my attachment, aversion and ignorance, friends, enemies, strangers, and my body, wealth and enjoyments, without any sense of loss, I offer this collection. Please accept it with pleasure and bless me with freedom from the three poisons. So now having prepared our mind in this way we can take the eight Mahāyāna precepts but in doing so firstly it’s very important to put some effort into as much as we can generating the bodhicitta mind. And we do this by firstly reflecting on our own suffering and potential for suffering, The while our mind is controlled by delusion and karma, there is no real peace, no real happiness.
There is only different kinds of suffering but no real escape from it, no real peace. So since just as this is true for one’s self, it is true for all other sentient beings controlled by delusion and karma, no matter what their outer appearance. If the mind is controlled by delusion and karma, there is only suffering and the potential for suffering. And most sentient beings are experiencing the very worst kinds of suffering being trapped in the lower realms. And these sentient beings are very closely connected to me.
They have been kind to me in so many ways, life after life. I have had every possible intimate connection, relationship with every sentient being, especially that of sentient beings being my mother. They’ve been my human mother many times, my animal mother many times, preta mother many times. They’ve sacrificed their life for me many times, created all sorts of negative karma for me many times. So try to feel that suffering, how unbearable it is.
So I must do something about it. I have to do something about my own suffering, but also about I can’t leave mother sentient beings to suffer. So the only solution is to achieve enlightenment. It’s only as a Buddha that I have the qualities that can completely benefit others. So this is what I have to do and I have the potential to do it because of the very nature of my mind.
And right now, I have the precious human rebirth, the optimum chance to realize my Buddha nature. So this is what I’m going to do for the sake of all sentient beings. But in order to achieve enlightenment, I have to follow the path. And in following the path to enlightenment successfully, I have to continuously purify my mind that which removes the obstacles to realisations. I have to continuously accumulate merit that empowers my mind to gain realisations.
And one of the fastest, easiest ways to do that and to accomplish both purification and merit is to take the eight Mahāyāna precepts and to keep them purely. So this is what I’m going to do for the sake of all sentient beings. So hold that thought, those thoughts, very strongly in the depths of your heart. So with this motivation we can take the precepts. So since one has already received the ordination from Geshe-la, we will just recite the prayer together, not repeating it after myself or something, three times.
Traditionally what one does when you take the precepts, of course, put your hands in the prostration mudra and one should bow down on your right knee. Geshe-la said yesterday not to do that because it’s painful for your knees but actually it’s a good thing to do. It’s the respectful way to do it. So if you want it, so you don’t have to but if you want to, if you feel you can do it then it’s really good to do it. All Buddhas and bodhisattvas dwelling in ten directions, please pay attention to me.
Just as the previous Tathagatas, foe destroyers, perfectly completed Buddhas, who like the divine wise horse and the great elephant did what had to be done, performed actions, laying down the burden, subsequently attaining their own welfare, completely exhausted the fetters to existence, and had perfect speech, well liberated minds, and well liberated wisdom for the welfare of all sentient beings, in order to eliminate famine, in order to eliminate war, in order to stop the harm of the four elements, in order to eliminate sickness, in order to fully complete the thirty seven practices harmonious with enlightenment, and in order to definitely actualize the unsurpassed result of perfect complete enlightenment, perfectly perform the restoring and purifying ordination. Result of perfect complete enlightenment, shall perfectly undertake restoring and purifying ordination. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas dwelling in the ten directions, please pay attention to me. Just as the previous Tathagatas, foe destroyers, perfectly completed Buddhas, who like the divine wise horse and the great elephant, did what had to be done, performed actions, laid down the burden, subsequently attained their own welfare, completely exhausted the fetters to existence, and had perfect speech, well liberated minds, and well liberated wisdom for the welfare of all sentient beings in order to stop the harm of the four elements, in order to eliminate sickness, in order to fully complete the thirty seven practices harmonious with enlightenment, and in order to definitely actualize the unsurpassed result of perfect complete enlightenment, So now think strongly that one has received the ordination from Avalokiteśvara.
So really rejoice, feel very happy that this has happened. Just as the foe destroyers in the past have abandoned all misconduct, body, speech, and mind, So now we can sit down. So now we recite the mantra together. We can do it three times slowly and then together and then rest quietly. May I maintain faultless morality of the rules and immaculate morality.
May the perfection of moral conduct be completed by keeping morality purely and untainted by pride. So we can think that this is my contribution to the peace and happiness of all sentient beings and in particular to the peace and happiness of all the sentient beings of this world. So now we can dedicate the merit. Because of the merits of taking the ordination and keeping the precepts, may I and all sentient beings achieve the two enlightened holy bodies created by the two vast accumulations of merit and transcendental wisdom. May all beings everywhere plagued by sufferings of body and mind obtain an ocean of happiness and joy by virtue of my merits.
May no living creature suffer, commit evil, or ever fall ill. May no one be afraid or belittled with a mind weighed down by depression. May the blind see forms and the deaf hear sounds. May those whose bodies are worn with toil be restored on finding repose. May the naked find clothing, the hungry find food.
May the thirsty find water and delicious drinks. May the poor find wealth, those weak with sorrow find joy. May the forlorn find hope, constant happiness, and prosperity. May there be timely rains and bountiful harvests. May all medicines be effective and wholesome prayers bear fruit.
May all who are sick and behold quickly be freed from their ailments. Whatever diseases there are in the world, may they never occur again. May the frightened cease to be afraid and those bound be freed. May the powers find power and may people think of benefiting each other. And then we finish with the long life prayers.
It’s always more auspicious to do the long life prayers first thing in the morning. Page twenty six. You who uphold the sublime Dharma way, who served as the bountiful bearer of all, sustaining, preserving, and spreading Muni Jina’s victorious doctrine, who masterfully accomplished magnificent prayers honoring the Three Jewels. Saviour, myself and others, your disciples. Please, please live long.
So we finish with, three prostrations, and then we have the job of being mindful of our precepts for the rest of the day.