Experience Obstacles for All Sentient Beings

Experience Obstacles for All Sentient Beings

Date of Advice:
October 2016
Date Posted:
January 2017

Rinpoche gave this advice to a student who asked about doing the preliminary practice of offering water bowls.

My most dear, most kind, most precious, wish-fulfilling one,
Thank you for your kind email. It is a very good idea to do the water bowls practice. Even if obstacles happen, that is very good because it means you are purifying very heavy negative karma. If the karma not purified, then you will have to experience it by being born in the lower realms or something like that instead. This means by purifying it now, in future lives you will have happiness to happiness and your life will be like the sun shining.

If obstacles happen, it’s very important to think that you can experience this for all sentient beings; you can experience it for all sentient beings. Whatever obstacle, sickness or problem you have, it is negative karma and defilements that are being purified. Therefore this can actually be even more beneficial than doing water bowls, prostrations or mandala offerings, if you can use the problem, whatever it is, by taking other sentient beings’ suffering and experiencing that [problem] for other sentient beings.

It is like the Buddha, who practiced the six paramitas for three countless great eons. He made charity for three countless great eons and he practiced morality and patience for three countless great eons. He did that for us and he became enlightened for all sentient beings, in order to free all beings from samsara and bring them to enlightenment.

Whatever you do, please do it with bodhicitta motivation.

With much love and prayers...