Teachings from the Medicine Buddha Retreat (Audio and Unedited Transcripts)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Soquel, CA 2001 (Archive #1331)

The audio recordings offered here are of the teachings which form the basis of the book Teachings From the Medicine Buddha Retreat.

The teachings which form Chapters 8 through 10 are included. Rinpoche gives teachings on a variety of topics such as making offerings and meditating on emptiness.

Chapter 8 Part B: Meditating on Emptiness; Tea Offering to the Protectors

Tuesday October 30 Part B

…normally I try to do the, like I do at the end of the practice, lead, so similar to that. So by mentioning merely labeled, so go like that seven times, well, if you can think properly then of course makes very powerful. So however, so in the mind you think, I, others, merits, enlightenment, everything are empty, or empty of existing from their own side, empty of those real, empty of the real what is appearing from there. After you, with that awareness you dedicate or with the awareness of merely labeled I, merely labeled others, merely labeled merit, merely labeled enlightenment, like that, so with that awareness then dedicate, either way, by looking at empty or by, awareness in the dependent arising, merely labeled, so you can do either way. So recite, I and others, myself and others’ merits dedicated to achieve enlightenment. Yeah, that or I dedicate my and others’ merits to achieve enlightenment. So what the Tibetan here says, myself, dag, I, ?she, others’ merit is dedicated to achieve enlightenment, so it says. So do seven times.

So meditation then all those, by thinking merely labeled or what they appear real to you, something real from their own side, it’s hallucination, like that. So this way the dedication is done by sealing with emptiness, which protects, when anger, heresy rises cannot destroy the merits. So please read that seven times.

[Ven. Rene: “I dedicate my own merits and those of all others to the great enlightenment.” (7x)]

Okay. You have done already the four immeasurables? [Ven. Rene: Uh huh.] It was done, no? It was done before. [Ven. Rene: Yes.]

Here this, I think maybe just the, maybe we sleep tonight. Here emptiness, in this part, in this section, emptiness, it might be, I mean those who have experience then that’s different, who is able to recognize what is the object to be refuted, what is hallucination, who is able to recognize, then it’s easy also, then once you are able to recognize what is the object to be refuted or what is the hallucination, false view of the false object then, that is apprehended by the ignorance holding it truly existing, apprehending. Who is able to recognize that, then it is, that person has the idea of what it’s empty of, has recognition of emptiness, what is emptiness. So it’s easier to, there’s correct idea of emptiness so then try to meditate, try to get to that point. But, and those who have many experiences can go immediately to on that, emptiness. But otherwise maybe it’s good to, it might be good in this part to use different techniques, different meditation techniques, tong pa nyi du gyur, they become empty, emptiness only. Then to, like the dharmakaya meditation in the sadhana, like that. So you meditate each session, maybe good idea to use different ways of meditating on emptiness, techniques. So maybe also when you do retreat this also might be good. Like when you do, not only here but when you do Highest Tantra deity’s retreat, each time when you meditate on dharmakaya, so it’s the same idea you can use there. Maybe different techniques.

But generally whichever technique is more powerful, effective for your mind, you apply that. However, first might, different techniques so that if not this, if one technique is not more effective, another techniques is more effective. So to, kind of to, different taste or, like that. But it’s all tea but different taste of tea. So it is like that. That might be good idea, because this, we should know that this, such this point is one of the very important point of meditation in the practice, as you know, lam-rim, emptiness is one, emptiness is one basic one, that this is the only one that, this wisdom understanding emptiness is the only one directly cut the delusions, defilements. It’s only this one, directly, directly cut the root of samsara. So this is the only so therefore it’s quite important in our daily practice or retreat to meditate on emptiness. To try what you can, effective as possible.

Then sometimes, due to your strong guru devotion and a lot of merit, and purification, support of this, it’s possible suddenly you can have experience, so like that.

Okay. So maybe, anyway, maybe, not tonight . So we try tomorrow or other times.

Okay.

So this, you saw the word and you heard new word which you never heard before, that’s the emptiness only. You never heard anybody’s translation, anyone’s translation. This is the first time probably. So the Tibetan, the Tibetan word, so tong pa, tong pa is empty. So that can, tong pa is empty. Then so there is ordinary emptiness like the sky, absence of substantial phenomena, space is the absence of substantial phenomena. So it’s ordinary, it’s also emptiness. So then cup is empty of tea, ordinary. Cup is empty of tea and the stomach is empty of food. So anyway, so all this, absence of substantial phenomena. So, all these are ordinary emptiness. Purse, purse is empty of money, so all that. So all these are ordinary emptiness.

So therefore now, have to specify what kind of emptiness, has to specify. So tong pa nyi, so the word, then extra word comes, nyi, in Tibetan, nyi, not just tong pa, but nyi. So nyi cuts the ordinary emptiness, only, cuts the ordinary emptiness, and then what kind of emptiness? Then it’s emptiness of, so also like this, in the Madhyamika teachings or in the lam-rim comes also this, so if the bell is empty of bell then that means the bell is nonexistent. If this bell is empty of bell, then bell is nonexistent. It negates itself. So same thing with all the rest of the phenomena. If the house is empty of house, then it negates the conventional truth. So it means the house doesn’t exist. It’s another way of saying house is nonexistent. This is not house, house is nonexistent. Like that, you see. So therefore, [pause] while the bell is existing, it’s empty. So while it is existing it is empty. So it’s not empty of bell but it’s empty of something, empty of something about the bell. So, empty of bell existing by nature. The bell empty of the bell that which appeared and believed by one’s own ignorance, not bell not merely imputed by the mind. So that, so truly existent, not merely imputed by mind so that bell doesn’t exist. Appears to us that way and we believe that way but it is not there, it doesn’t exist at all. That bell is total hallucination, false. So that is totally empty, nonexistent, totally nonexistent right there. [long pause]

So the bell is totally empty of existing from its own side. [long pause]

So now here, when you meditate, so then it becomes emptiness only. So now, so when, your mind meditating on this, so emptiness only, like, [pause] by cutting ordinary emptiness, the absence, devoid of true existence. The emptiness negated, totally negated the object to be refuted. There is no, in the view of your mind there is no appearance of conventional truth. No appearance of non-affirmative appearance or ma yin ?gak. [pause]

So tong pa nyi, the nyi stops the ordinary emptiness, then shows the emptiness, [pause] in the view of your mind totally nonexistent the object of refutation, the true, the object appearing truly existent, that one’s totally nonexistent, totally empty. Not space but like space, in the view of your mind, so during that time it’s like that. However, I guess somebody who see emptiness, realized emptiness, see emptiness, not just looking at sky, not just like absence of people in the house, empty house where there is no people, absent, like that, not like absence of tea in the mug, not like that. But empty, I guess that person’s mind would see emptiness, something very intensive, something very strong, very intensive. [pause] In the view of that mind there is no, during that time there is no such thing, this and that. This is I, the meditator, this is emptiness, like this. There is no dual, like this. There’s no subject and object. There’s no such thing, discrimination like that during that time. There is no this and that. [pause]

I and so forth, the phenomena which appears, which you apprehend inherently existent, so total absence of that, total nonexistence of that. [pause]

So, okay, so _______ just read.

[Ven. Rene: So we do the abbreviated sadhana. OM SVABHAVA SHUDDAH.... All phenomena are empty by nature and thus become emptiness only. While they are emptiness, a PAM appears...reaching pure land.]

…do the mantra for the long life for His Holiness and all other virtuous friends, all other holy beings, their wishes to be succeed immediately.

And I’m going to recite this mantra, then every single hell beings to be quickly liberated from all the suffering and causes and bring them to full enlightenment. And every single hungry ghost to free them from all the suffering and causes and bring them to enlightenment. Every single animal to free them from all the suffering and causes and bring them to enlightenment. And every single human beings to be free from all the suffering and causes and bring them to enlightenment. I am going to recite the mantra, every single mantra, to free every sura beings from all the suffering and causes and bring them to enlightenment. And I am going to recite mantra every single asuras from all the suffering and causes and bring them to enlightenment. To free them from all the suffering and causes and bring them to enlightenment. I am going to recite each mantra every single preta, every single intermediate stage beings from all the suffering and causes and bring them to enlightenment. As well as all the rest of the sentient beings, to free them from all the sufferings and causes and bring them to enlightenment as quickest as possible by myself alone.

Therefore then, I am going to [pause] recite this mantra, I am going to recite the mantra and as well as for the world peace. So think, what I mentioned before, nobody experience war, famine, disease, hunger, poverty, dangers of fire, water, earth, all the problems, all the undesirable things and what they experience now to be pacified and what, and they never experience in the future.

And as well as success of all the FPMT projects, every, all the centers including LMB and the Maitreya project, for the success.

[Ven. Rene: “At my heart on a moon disc is the resounding mantra circle...sentient beings/]

…as well as the different protectors. So oceans of uncontaminated great bliss in a very extensive jewel container, think that or according to Highest Tantra in a skull, like that. Then by offering to these, each different deities, protectors, these merit fields, then generated infinite bliss, fully inspired to, generated infinite bliss within them and fully inspired that, so that cause to fully inspire to grant, to pacify obstacles and to grant all the success, your wishes, whatever, and, wishes and prayers, so all things which I mentioned, yeah, essence, beginning of the session, during the recitation, before we recite the mantra, like that. Then whatever particular success you want to achieve, then remember those, and then request, then fully accepted to grant help immediately. Then near the end, not near the end but there’s also worldly devas, the landlord and the nagas, wealth-giving protectors, nagas, then also the devas, then all the, how many there are, all these asuras or the groups, the worldly devas, the worldly beings, eight groups, called ______ ge, so in particular all the nagas, devas, landlords in these areas. So includes the whole world, Tibet and the whole world you offer, then particularly in the area who are beings situated, then asking them to help. They are fully inspired to help.

So it’s very good if you have danger, anyway, by the way I mention, just mention here, so this is very good for your travel to not have obstacles. And particular the tea-offering to ?de ge, this powerful, these groups of worldly beings, they are very powerful. They are connected to the weathers, they control, so if they are, basically due to people’s karma, of course the whole thing is to do with people’s karma, negative karma done in the past, related with those, delusions and karma.

That’s the main cause. And whatever, so things what they did, so these devas they kind of upset and angry and then they come, then they can harm, lots of harms, storms, hailstorms, they can, drought, no rain. So that was nagas, they receive harm, nagas, pollution from people, destruction to them, to their place, then all these they can harm, they can cause all these things. Unsuccess to the people, sicknesses and unsuccess, so many obstacles can cause in the life. So anyway, to the country.

So normally, travelling or before you build a monastery or a house, so you do these things before you start those big projects or things, so that everything goes smooth by asking them to help, to not cause obstacles. And the, so it’s very common this is done when they do tantric wrathful actions, that, evil beings, interferers who harm many sentient beings or many holy beings or things, cause much obstacle, then through tantra wrathful actions, Highest Tantric practice, wrathful actions, when peaceful means cannot fit to those evil beings, then you use tantra wrathful actions. Externally that can be violence but the motivation is great compassion, of course, anyway, externally, it’s kind of violent action, but correct way to do is that without danger, without becoming negative karma to yourself, to the practitioner, oneself, who engage in that action is by having unbearable compassion to that being, to those evil beings that, like the bodhisattva’s story, that you can sacrifice your life to be born in hell realm for that evil being. So like that, have to have great compassion, background, the act, the motivation of the act has to be great compassion, like that. Then of course more, to be more qualified is realization of emptiness, to do such those wrathful actions, like that. Then divine pride that you are the deity, clear appearance, like realization of generation stage, like that. Yourself as deity, clear appearance and especially very stable divine pride that you are the deity. So stable concentration. On the top of lam-rim then having those, then you are qualified to do these types, these activities.

So you transfer, you hook the consciousness of that being and then transfer in the pure land. So that’s the practice, transfer, you hook that being’s consciousness into the figure that was made, then you shoot the consciousness, you throw the torma and then that’s, by throwing that, then the torma with the design of flames, the wrathful torma you thrown, that with your meditation, anyway, doesn’t need to tell detail things here at the moment. So that person’s, that being’s consciousness shoot up in the pure land. So this way then that being doesn’t have to engage any more negative karma, harming any other beings, like that. These are quite commonly done in monasteries by those qualified geshes or qualified tantric practitioners, like that.

So, [pause] it might be a little bit strange, it might sound a little bit strange, it might be little bit strange getting into details, but I did mention in the letter to Bush, I didn’t mention, I mentioned, just gave some idea of this, that if you request to the, especially, particular, there are many religions but in particular the Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism, the leaders of each tradition the monasteries, if you request they can do pujas for months and years and this way you don’t have to, your own people don’t have to die, army, your own militaries, your own people don’t have to die and you don’t have to, there’s no side effect. It’s only focused on that particular person so there’s no danger to any other people. You don’t kill, many other people get killed and then your own country people so many get killed, you don’t have that danger, in this case. That, and how much one muscle, not muscle, missile, how much one.… Lama, Lama Yeshe used to call, you know Marcel, the monk? Who has been working for quite a number of years very hard for Maitreya project and for the organization. So Lama always call, Marcel, muscle. So, Marcel. In Lama’s book, Lama writes the expenses, how much money borrowed, how much money went away, expenses but then also Dharma notes. One page, one side Dharma notes, very effective, from His Holiness or Dharma notes, and then other side expenses. Money to Yeshe Khadro, money to Marcel, Peter, money out, money came and gone. Then another page also Dharma notes. Anyway, I just remembered, muscle, something, Lama wrote.

So anyway, one “missile,” how do you say? One missile costs, I think, probably quite a few millions of dollars. So I said here the expenses is hardly anything, if you sponsor many, you can sponsor many monasteries, different traditions, the four Tibetan traditions. I mean also of course, Sri Lanka, Burma, of course many monks can pray too. There are many pure monks so their prayers have much power. And ____ ______ ______ very powerful sutras. Mainland China. So anyway, so then particularly Tibetan, the tantra method. So anyway just a rough idea I mentioned there. It might look a little bit strange but anyway, I thought anyway offer my ideas. Where it cost nothing, hardly anything and then if you compare one missile, how many million dollars it cost.

So anyway, yeah, and world people, different countries they don’t have to get upset. That doesn’t upset so many other Muslims. But of course the war makes so many Muslims get upset. Like that. But here, like this. It is, it only focused that very person, so like that. So nobody knows, no other countries, so there is no protest or nothing, upset, to the country which has, I mean, comparing war here nobody knows.

Anyway, I was thinking very strange not using the spiritual ______ to solve the problems. There are so many religions in the world. So these practices, if you have problems, like hurricane or tornado or...