Kopan Course No. 33 (2000): Audio and Unedited Transcripts, Continued

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Kopan Monastery, Nepal. (Archive #1257)

The following are excerpts of the teachings given by Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche at the Thirty-third Kopan Meditation Course, held at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in 2000. Included is an oral transmission of the Medicine Buddha mantra and portions of the Diamond Cutter Sutra.

Lectures 6-10 are below; the first five lectures can be found here. You can also read the entire lightly edited transcript here.

Day 7: Bodhicitta - Special Attitude, Dedications

... suffering and pervasive compounded suffering, they are constantly attacked by three types of sickness. So they themselves do not have opportunity, while myself, because I have received perfect human body and have met the blind leader virtuous friend and have wisdom eye, Dharma eye, so therefore I have all the opportunities to develop my mind in path to enlightenment and to help sentient beings, to help my mother sentient beings free them from all the suffering causes and bring them to enlightenment.

I have all this opportunity to help them. So not doing that, while my kind mother sentient beings suffering so much, which I have the opportunity to do, that is so selfish so ungenerous, shameless, so cruel. So my turn to help. I have all the opportunities I am responsible as I have all opportunities to do that, I am responsible. Therefore I must free them from all the suffering and causes and bring them to enlightenment by myself alone.

Before, compassion, great compassion, loving kindness: “I will do it.” Now, here: “Alone. I will do it by myself alone.” The extra word – alone - remember that.

Then now, to do that… now I think that’s what Geshe Sopa Rinpoche also mentioned. That, at the moment I cannot guide even one sentient being to enlightenment. Even arhats, who are free from samsara, can not do perfect work towards sentient beings as they do not have omniscient mind. They still have the four unknowing… the secret actions of a Buddha, they cannot see that and subtle karmas, they cannot see. I think two others, unbelievable distance of a place and then I think unbelievable length of time. I hope those last two, should be checked whether they are correct or not, the four unknowing things, the arhats have.

Even though they are totally free from samsara, all the suffering causes, delusions, karma so those arhats cannot see subtle karma of the sentient beings. Therefore still there is possibility to make mistakes so that means they cannot do perfect work towards sentient beings. The tenth bhumi bodhisattvas who are close to enlightenment they do not have omniscient mind so same, so cannot do perfect work towards sentient beings. Who can do perfect work towards sentient beings is only Buddha, omniscient mind, who knows every single being's mind, level of mind, intelligence, karma and characteristics and every single method to bring them from happiness to happiness to enlightenment.

Therefore I must achieve Buddhahood or the state of enlightenment. This special mind, is really the bodhicitta, is a principal consciousness, is not mental factor, is principal consciousness which is harmonious with the mental wish to achieve enlightenment. First seeking the works for others, when you generate the special attitude. Then next one seeking oneself to achieve enlightenment, seeking enlightenment.

When you have actualised this bodhicitta then like Lama Atisha, when Lama Atisha sees a cow tied, ropes on the stake, Lama Atisha feels so uncomfortable that… Lama Yeshe says, calls "mother," "mother is suffering," tied to ropes on the stake, Lama Yeshe called "mother," even animals called mother and suffering. So that realisation at the beginning, realising all sentient beings are mother, so you already have that.

So with every sentient being, any sentient being that you see, you have this spontaneously arising thought, yourself to achieve enlightenment, to bring that sentient being to enlightenment, you feel that with any sentient being that you see in daily life, you feel this naturally, spontaneously, you feel that. Very intensely from bottom of your heart, as the prisoners living in the prison every day 24 hours have aversion to the prison, spontaneously wishing to be free from the prison 24 hours. So intense, day and night. So like that you feel like this to liberate every single sentient being anybody you see to liberate from samsara and bring them to enlightenment, free them from prison of samsara and bring them to enlightenment. Feel that every day life spontaneously and then for that to achieve enlightenment.

So if like that happens without any effort from the heart so intensely then stable like that, but stable not just for a few days, long lasting stable, that is bodhicitta realisation. When you have that you have entered the door of the Mahayana path to enlightenment, then you are a bodhisattva, the heart son of all the Buddhas. This son is nothing to do with the physical body, the shape of physical body, this extra body hanging, it is nothing to do with that. This is spiritual son, son of all the Buddhas. So then as Geshe-la mentioned many quotations from Bodhicharayavatara the benefits of bodhicitta, all those happen. I think, maybe I do just two pages and only two pages (Rinpoche reads in Tibetan). Maybe just half page two pages (Rinpoche reads in Tibetan). I think just finish this one. Almost finished this part, so stop here (Rinpoche reads in Tibetan).

[Chanting.]

Even the past and future merits collected by oneself, three times merits collected by others, so all the merits collected today, particular merits collected today, unconceivable merits, by taking precepts and so forth, listening to teachings, meditating and all that explaining, listening dharma, may the bodhicitta, which is source of all the happiness and success in the world for me and for all sentient being may it be achieved without delay for a second in ones own mind as well as all the family members as well as the mind of all those sentient beings and then which may it be increased. (Chanting Tibetan). Dedicate to wisdom in same way. Due to all the three times merits collected by myself and others may all the father, mother sentient beings have happiness may the three lower realms be empty forever, may all the Bodhisattvas prayers succeed immediately may I cause all this to happen by myself alone. (Tibetan chanting).

Due to all the past, present, futures merits collected by me three times, collected by Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, sentient beings, from now on whatever action I do life, I experience; eating, working, sleeping, doing jobs, whatever life I experience, ups and downs healthy, unhealthy, happy, unhappy, so whether I have sicknesses or whether I don't have sicknesses, whatever happens, so even including cancer or anything, whether one has or doesn't have so any sicknesses, happy or unhappy, poor, rich, gain or loss, living or dying, whether I am receiving praise or receiving criticism from other people, Even born in hell realm, whatever happens, life experience, happens to me from now on most important thing is to become beneficial, useful for others, sentient beings my life.

To be useful for others, that is the most important thing, that is meaning of my life, purpose of my life. Having long life alone is not meaning of my life, being healthy, even for thousand years, eons being healthy no sicknesses, that alone is not the purpose of my life. Being wealthy alone is not the purpose of my life. Being famous is not the purpose of my life having power in this world that alone is not the purpose of my life. The purpose of my life, when my life becomes useful for others, that time I am fulfilling my life.

So therefore, whatever action I do, whatever life I experience, even to be reborn in hell realm, may all my experiences from now on may it be most useful for all sentient beings and cause of all sentient being to achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible.

Due to all the past, present and future merits collected by me and others, that which is like dream, like mirage, like illusion, I whose like dream, illusion and mirage achieve Buddha Shakyamuni's enlightenment which is also like dream, like illusion, like mirage. By using the example try to get idea that it doesn't exist from its own side, that it is empty of what is appearing real from its own side. The example is to get that idea, example using those examples is to break, to see empty, to get, feel false or empty object of ignorance and lead sentient beings who are like dream, like illusion, like mirage and so forth to that enlightenment which is like dream, illusion and mirage by myself alone who is like illusion, like dream mirage so forth.

I dedicate all the merits in the way that three times Buddhas Bodhisattvas dedicated, the way they dedicate I will dedicate my merits the same way.

Due to all the three times merits collected by others may the purest teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa unified sutra and tantra be actualized completely in my mental continuum as well as in the mind of all my family members and in the minds of all the students in this organisation as well as all the benefactors in this organisation especially those who sacrifice their lives during the service to others through this organization.

May those whom I promised to pray for whose names I have and those doing service for me to actualise all this in this way in their lifetime without delaying for a second.

May all the virtuous friends have stable lives all the holy wishes to succeed immediately including the great compassion His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Due to all the three times merits collected by me and others may all the sanghas in this organisation complete their scriptural understandings and realisations of path to enlightenment in this very lifetime by receiving all the needs and all the protections.

May all the meditation centres, social service centres, pacify immediately the suffering of the body and the minds of all sentient beings, actualize the teachings of Lama Tsongkapa in the minds of all those sentient beings by suitable needs. May all the projects and all the organisations succeed immediately by His Holiness, as well as all the projects, building temples, statues and stupas and scriptures including the 500 feet Maitreya project may succeed immediately by receiving needs. May all these projects and centres cause bodhicitta in the minds of all sentient beings. Due to that may everybody have perfect peace and happiness. May nobody experience war, pain, diseases, torture, poverty, sicknesses, dangers fire, water, air ,people dying by aeroplanes, cars, so forth. May they never experience all those undesirable problems and may all these centres statues and all the projects cause all sentient beings to achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible, and may Lama Tsongkhapas teachings spread all over the world and be glorious forever. May I be able to cause all these things by myself alone.

(Tibetan chanting).

So thank you very much, complete maybe tomorrow.