... a very simple answer is, of course, not easy to understand, but one needs to learn, one needs to meditate, one needs to learn to understand deeper the reason why the teaching of Buddha is important, exist in this world. So, why it’s important to learn, why it’s important to make research, to examine and to practice and to actualize, so because, yeah, however, the all this, including death, that we don’t like to experience, death, and the suffering rebirth, we don’t know how the rebirth is suffering, how the, I’m not, there is rebirth which is not suffering, nature of suffering, which is with free will or with the manifested. There is a death which is nature of suffering, experienced under, caused under the force of the action and delusions, caused by delusion, ignorance, anger, attachment, the actions, or karma, so all the problems, all the sufferings that we do not like, all came from impure mind, ignorance, anger, attachment and then the actions. So therefore, there’s no machines which can remove the cause of the suffering, there’s no machines that can take out the cause of the suffering. The cause of the suffering is karma and delusion which is mental, which is mental, delusion and its action, which is the mind, the negative mind of the sentient being, impure mind of the sentient being, you can’t take out that one by machine or by operating, by doctors’ operating you can’t take it out. There’s no tablets, there’s no medicine, tablets, you can remove the delusions and its action, karma, the negative imprints left on the mind, you can’t remove, take it out by tablets. There’s no external method, there’s no external means can remove cause of the sufferings. The cause of the sufferings is the mind, has to removed by sentient beings’ their own mind, which is the path. The mind transformed in the path, then that removes the suffering and cause of the suffering, which is their own mind. It’s only in that way. It doesn’t, no external means can remove that.

So therefore, so as I mentioned before so it’s done by your own mind, by transforming into path, then that removes the cause of suffering, all the defilements. So therefore, so the Buddha explained, with his own experiences, the fully enlightened being, with his own experiences, that he was taught by his guru and he correctly practiced and completed the path and removed all the defilements, all the delusions, and liberated from all the sufferings and enlightened. And then with his complete experience then he revealed the teachings, he revealed the path, for other sentient beings how to remove the, how to be liberated from the oceans of samsaric suffering, how to be free from the cycle of death and rebirth, old age, sickness, all the sufferings, so Buddha himself revealed the path to us sentient beings.

And those who correctly practice, follow the footsteps of Buddha, who correctly practice, who did listening, reflecting, study, after one listened, have wisdom of listening, then you try to examine on that and then meditate on the path, then the realization what you achieved then you develop that, completed that training. So, listening, reflecting, meditation practice, so they did that as the Buddha explained and numberless yogis, after that numberless yogis from India, from different countries, numberless yogis achieved what Buddha has achieved, full enlightenment, the peerless happiness, cessation of all the mistakes of the mind and achieved all the qualities of cessation, achieved all the qualities of realizations, achieved full enlightenment. And the numberless pandits, so many from India and other places, I think even from the Muslim countries, so pandits, they then also so many achieved enlightenment. They also analyzed the path, they analyzed, they tasted, they explored, they examined the path that taught by Buddha, and then so many achieved enlightenment up to now, from Buddha’s time up to now still happening, attaining the path that taught by Buddha, so there are so many caves and so many places in not only Tibet, in India, many great yogis’ places, many pandits, great yogis where they achieved, where they had attainment in Nepal, in many places. I think also in the Afghanistan where there’s large Buddha, two large Buddhas, largest Buddhas in the world, where it was bombed, destroyed, there were many, many caves there, so there happened Kalachakra initiation in the past, I think maybe Buddha’s time, Kalachakra initiation happened. And there were many, many caves full of, many caves around that area, who meditated and attained the path in the ancient time.

So, however, so that’s the discovery, attaining the path to enlightenment, it has been happening up to now. And still there are meditators who are progressing the mind in the path. So not only Eastern people, not only Tibetans, not only, also among the Western students as well, having, developing the mind in the path, having experience, correct experiences as explained, also those who collect a lot of merit and a lot of imprint from past lives. So, it is not just belief, it is not just blind faith. So here it’s not just, attainment is not just from blind faith, achieving enlightenment is not just from, doesn’t happen from blind faith. Achieving liberation doesn’t happen from blind faith. So Buddha himself mentioned that, he asked the others, his disciples, to practice, to analyze, to check his teachings, what he taught, he asked his disciples to examine, the bhikshus, the wise ones. Check my teachings like checking the gold, by burning, but cutting, by rubbing, whether the gold is pure or not, so like that, Buddha asked his disciples to check, he didn’t ask them, You’re not allowed to check, you must believe. He didn’t say that, he asked to examine, to check like how people check the gold, so then in that way follow the path to enlightenment.

So however, so therefore, what removes, so fundamental teaching of the Buddha that liberates us from sentient beings, liberates us sentient beings from the suffering and causes is by the teaching four noble truths. So first explained true suffering and then true cause of suffering, from where the suffering came, so then we know, then whether it can be removed the cause of suffering, so then that, then revealed we can achieve the cessation of the suffering and causes. Then whether it can be, how to do that then Buddha revealed the true path, how to do that. So that’s the fundamental teaching of the Buddha that shows the, that teaches us how to go about to liberation, or how to get out of suffering and causes. So therefore, if this is our goal is to be free forever from suffering and causes, then we need to learn Buddha’s teaching on the four noble truths.

So our goal is to be free from suffering. What we do not like is suffering; what we want is ultimate happiness, in that case then we need to learn the four noble truths. By actualizing true path and then we achieve true cessation of the suffering. So therefore, so Buddha’s teaching has complete path to liberation and complete path to enlightenment. Complete, nothing missing, and that education, that experience is still existing in the holy minds of the great masters, not only who learned the words but who practiced and who had experience of the path. So still existing, so therefore we can learn, we have great opportunity. So that’s importance of, why Buddha’s teaching is important exist in the world. So it has complete answer, complete path to liberation, enlightenment, not just some part.

So, the other thing is, so, my master, Lama Yeshe, who founded the idea of, who advised to build the statue, that is to last, the teaching of the Buddha to last a long time on this earth. That’s his, the reason why he left the will for me to build this statue, Maitreya Buddha.

However, so then one particular benefit of making this statue is, so anybody who offer service to build this statue, even the coolies, even the porters, even the people who do labor to build the statue, transportation, whatever service they offer, not only people who benefact to build the statue, who offer ideas, even people, even the porters who transport things, however, they all make connection to Maitreya Buddha and when Maitreya Buddha descends in this world, after Buddha’s teaching stopped then Maitreya Buddha descend in this world and then reveal Dharma in this world, that time everybody who did service to the statue and anybody who learned the teaching of the Maitreya Buddha and who lived in the vows during Buddha’s time, Eight Mahayana Precepts or five lay vows, besides the higher ordination, so all those then will be the first, will meet Maitreya Buddha, will be guided by Maitreya Buddha and will meet Maitreya Buddha when Maitreya Buddha descend in this world. And will meet Maitreya Buddha’s teaching.

And one particular thing is, all those who are doing service to build the statue, even including the porters, everyone, every single person who do service, become the first disciple of Maitreya Buddha, receive the teaching directly from Maitreya Buddha, receive prediction for your enlightenment. So that’s one, to receive enlightenment during those times, so that’s one particular benefit. Also by reciting Maitreya Buddha mantra, so also offering to Maitreya Buddha.

Now the next, one particular advantage of, benefit of making Maitreya Buddha statue is that before Maitreya Buddha descends in this world, there will be eons of war. The whole world, the whole entire world, not just one country, the whole entire world suffer with so unbelievable killings, war, everywhere, all over the world, and much, much heavier than it is now. There’s eons, there’s time of war, I said “time for war,” anyway, like making time for the war, anyway, I made a mistake, sorry. So war, there’s eons of war, period for the war, such heavy war happening, then there’s period of famine, very heavy famine all over the world happening, so many people dying. Then the, nothing grows and so many people dying on this earth, then sicknesses, all over the world such heavy sicknesses, everybody, so many people dying, so there’s, that these periods have to come, they will be coming. So by building Maitreya Buddha statues, more number of Maitreya Buddha statues, it shortens the period, the eons of the war and the period of the famines happening in this world, period happening the sicknesses in this world, so becomes shorter, it shortens. So that’s a particular benefit of making Maitreya Buddha statue. So there are particular reasons for that.

So that’s a brief introduction, general and particular , so like that. So if my introduction is too long then I think maybe with the cold then long introduction may not go together, anyway.

So anyway, so here doing this, so this is partly introduction to the retreat as well. This is not only for this practice, for this puja practice but this covers also for the retreat. A general introduction and particular about Maitreya. So doing meditation-recitation of mantra of Maitreya Buddha has these particular benefits.

So here making the thousand offerings, so this is to create the cause, we need a lot, a lot of merit to be able to build this holy object in this world, so the idea is two, one which was going to be here before, now it’s, give Kushinagar, where Buddha, holy place where Buddha passed away sorrowless state. But here, according to the original plan to build not that big size but smaller size here, that’s the idea. So, according to our master Lama Yeshe’s advice, the very original advice, then it gets done, in the same place. So we need a lot of merit to be able to build a Maitreya Buddha statue and then many statues all over the world, to build many thousands of statues, different sizes, different parts of the world, so as I mentioned the purpose before, to help with that, reduce the sufferings in the world. So then, yeah, then the teaching of the Buddha to last a long time we need a lot of merit so from the sentient beings’ side, so that’s the reason why we do this thousand-offering practice tonight, okay.

So, [turning pages], so I don’t know whether everybody can, I don’t know whether you can see the, whether you can read the text. So not necessary to read only Tibetan, you can read in English. I don’t think we have it in Chinese, but you can read in English and then you understand what it’s saying, what it’s talking about. So, I mean, then those who like to read Tibetan can do that, but I think you can read in English.

So before, yeah, this is here, I think, the motivation then the refuge merit field, things like that.

[Maitreya Buddha puja.]

Sometimes also good to also read in the English. Can you read the English this part, just we have done now. Do loudly.

[Maitreya Buddha puja continues.]

Do in English, the third one.

[Maitreya Buddha puja continues.]

Read the next in English.

[Maitreya Buddha puja continues.]

Read in English first.

[Maitreya Buddha puja continues.]

Again read in English.

[Maitreya Buddha puja continues.]

English.

[Maitreya Buddha puja continues.]

Next English.

[Maitreya Buddha puja continues.]

English.

[Maitreya Buddha puja continues.]

So for the sake of, there are numberless hell beings who are most unimaginably suffering now, right now, and they need help or they utmost need right now, so the numberless hell beings who are the most unimaginably suffering to liberate them from all the suffering and causes and bring to enlightenment, those numberless hell beings from whom I receive all my numberless past happiness, happiness that I have received from beginningless rebirth and present happiness and all the future happiness, including liberation, enlightenment, from each hell being. So who is the most precious, most kind one in my life, so to free them all the suffering of samsara and particular suffering of the hell realm and bring to enlightenment as quick as possible.

So numberless hungry ghosts, I receive from each of them he numberless happiness, all my past happiness from beginningless rebirth and present and all the future happiness and liberation, enlightenment, everything I receive by the kindness of every single hungry ghost, from each of them. So they’re the most precious, most kind one in my life, so I must free, so they’re experiencing now, there are numberless of them experiencing most unbearable suffering, the hunger and thirst, so I must liberate them from all the suffering and causes and bring to enlightenment as quickly as possible.

Then the numberless animals I receive numberless happiness that I experience, received from beginningless rebirth so I received from each of them, and present happiness, all the future happiness, liberation, enlightenment, everything, from the kindness of each and every single animal, from each and every single insect, from each and every single fish and mosquitoes, from each and every single bug, so from each of them. They are the most precious, most kind one in my life, I must free them, so unimaginably they are suffering, so must free them from all the suffering and causes, and especially the animal sufferings, and bring them to enlightenment as quickly as possible.

Then same, the human beings. From each of them, there are numberless human beings, from each of them I receive all my numberless past happiness, present, future happiness, liberation, enlightenment, everything. They’re the most precious, most kind one in my life. I must free them, that they have so much suffering, being under the control of karma and delusion, they’re experiencing the pervasive suffering, having the aggregates which is nature of suffering, so by having taken that, so experience pervasive suffering, then on top of that then the suffering of pain, the suffering of change, the samsaric temporary pleasures, which is only nature of suffering, that they’re hallucinated that’s as it is pure happiness, that they’re hallucinated as it is happiness, instead of seeing as suffering they hallucinate as it is pleasure, and then with attachment they’re continuously they’re reborn in samsara and experience suffering. So like this, so experience so much problem, so must free them from all the suffering and causes, bring them to enlightenment as quickly as possible.

Then, same suras, asuras, also similar. Then the experiencing the suffering of pain, the suffering of changes, pervasive compounding suffering. Even the form realm experiences the suffering of change and pervasive compounding suffering, even they don’t have suffering of pain. But in the formless realm, even though they don’t have the suffering of pain and suffering of changes, but they’re not free from the third suffering, pervasive compounding suffering, being under the control of karma and delusion, having aggregates contaminated seed of delusions. So therefore, from each of them I receive all my numberless past happiness, all the present, all the future happiness, liberation, enlightenment, they are most precious, most kind one in my life, suras, asuras, human beings, all those, intermediate state beings the same. So therefore I must free them from all the suffering and causes and bring to enlightenment as quick as possible.

So therefore then I need to achieve enlightenment, then quickly, as quick as possible, then therefore, I’m going to do the practice prostration, making offering, then meditating on the steps of the path to enlightenment and create the cause of the pure land.

[Maitreya Buddha puja continues.]

So first we make charity all the offerings here and offer the offerings at the Root, all the lights there and the offerings, water offerings, so forth, all the light offerings there at the Root Institute, and all the extensive offerings that which are in all the FPMT centers’ gompa, in the meditation hall, prayer hall, all the offerings, that which are performed and in the United States, Aptos house, California, where I live, all the flowers outside, inside, all the lights outside, inside, and all the, those thousands of lights and many hundreds of water offerings, food offerings and all those, and Washington, Amitabha Pure Land retreat place, all those flowers outside, inside, and all the lights outside, inside, and all the water offerings, all the food offerings. So, all these offerings we make charity first, before we offer, we make charity, we give to every hell being [pause], every hungry ghost [pause], every animal, every mosquito, every bug, crickets or the, how to say, [pause] cockroach! Every cockroach. So every animal, every insect, charity. Every human being, including your enemy. There’s somebody you don’t like, including to that person, make charity. Every sura being, every asura being, every intermediate state being. So, also arhats, even those who are free from samsara still need to collect merit, need to achieve enlightenment, still need to complete the path, so also them. Then even the arya bodhisattvas, for them to achieve enlightenment. Then we offer on behalf of them.

Then, now, anybody died in your, in one’s own family members, friends who died by cancer or other disease or died in war, any family member who died, we can, all these offerings here, at the Root, in all the FPMT center gompas, Aptos house, Washington, all those offerings we give them, we dedicate to them. All those who died in war, different countries, recent times, all those who died by bombs, so we dedicate to both, those who killed, those who are called terrorists, who are labeled terrorists, we dedicate also for them, all those people who died, we dedicate for them. All those people who died in tsunami, earthquakes, all those past years, we dedicate for them, give it for them. And those who are sick now in the hospital, at home, who are so much suffering. [pause]

So now, on their behalf, on the behalf of every hell being, hungry ghost, animal, human being, sura, asura, intermediate state beings, even the arhats, on behalf of all the bodhisattvas, so we, then all those, on behalf of all those who died in the wars, tsunamis, different countries, in Iraq and many places, those who died in the war. Then those who killed, people who did killing, also for them, so we dedicate for them. So now on their behalf we do puja, we offer, so then we make offering to the merit field, okay, on their behalf. And besides the success of the projects, all the Maitreya Buddha statues and all the projects that already began, that which already began, which haven’t begun, so for the success of all those projects and to actualize and to be most beneficial for sentient beings, okay, besides that. And the success of every center, their projects, every center has projects, to benefit, social service for sentient beings and to educate Dharma, so all the projects. Some are looking for retreat land, some centers are buying a new house, so they have difficulties to pay back money, unable to find places, some have much, a lot of debts to pay and so many things each meditation center has, so this is for every individual center, for their success, success to benefit for sentient beings and the teaching of Buddha. So besides this, all these other things which I mentioned. Those who are dying now in the hospital, those who are dying at home now, those who are sick at hospital, without discrimination, anybody in the whole world, people who are dying, sick, in the hospital, dying, sick, at home, so this is puja for everybody. So this offering is for everybody, all these offerings.

So now we offer all these offerings here, all the offerings, every single light at the Root, all the offerings there, all the offerings at all the FPMT center gompa, all the offerings at Aptos house, Washington, all those think nature of great bliss, then now we offer the Maitreya Buddha statue here, think that this is guru His Holiness the Dalai Lama, then whatever other, then you can think that, the essence, you meditate from your side, all the buddhas, all the Dharma, all the Sangha, and that this statue that is also all the ten-direction statues, stupas, scriptures, everything, so we make offering. Generated infinite bliss by offering all these, by making all these offerings to the Maitreya Buddha, the statue that is everything, all the guru, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, by visualizing, meditating this way. This is all the ten-direction statues, stupas, scriptures, everything. And prostrate with the two palms together to the Maitreya Buddha statue that is all the guru, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, all the ten-direction statues, stupas, scriptures, everything, so with the two palms together prostrate also.

Now next we prostrate two palms together towards all the ten-direction Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, by meditating that they are all embodiment of guru, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Now we offer all these offerings here, which essence is great bliss, okay, then every single light at the Root, all the other offerings there and all the offerings FPMT center gompas and all the offerings Aptos house, Washington, which are nature of great bliss, so we offer to all the ten-direction Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, who are embodiment of guru, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. [pause]

Now next, we prostrate, two palms together, towards all the ten-direction statues, stupas, scriptures, all the Buddha’s relics, all the holy objects, prayer-wheels, all the holy objects that which exist in this world, thinking that they are all embodiment of the guru, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. [pause]

Now we offer every single offering that which is here, thousand offerings here, incense, water, the flowers, all these nature of great bliss, think, and every single light then the offerings at Root and all the offerings in the FPMT center gompas, Aptos House, Washington, all those, Aptos House, the Khachoe Dechen Ling, all the offerings there and Washington retreat place, all the offerings there, nature of great bliss, we offer towards all the ten-direction holy objects, the embodiment of the guru, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. [pause]

We offer all the offerings here and at the Root, and all the rest of the FPMT centers gompas, all of them, Aptos House, Khachoe Dechen Ling and Washington, Amitabha Pure Land retreat place, all the offerings we offer to the seven Medicine Buddhas, bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, Thousand-Arm Chenrezig, thinking that they’re all embodiment of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. [pause]

Next, so generate infinite bliss in all their holy minds. Sorry, I forgot to mention that. After offering then normally we should think, generated infinite bliss. It’s not that they haven’t achieved great bliss, not that. They have completed the bliss, there’s nothing more to develop, but for us to collect merit, it helps for us to collect merit and then it creates the cause for us to complete the bliss, to experience the dharmakaya, ultimate, the dharmakaya.

So now we prostrate two palms together towards all the holy objects that which exist in this world, all the statues, stupas, scriptures, all the prayer-wheels, all the holy objects that which exist in this world, who are embodiment of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. We offer every single offering that which is here, all the lights and then all the offerings at the Root, and then all the extensive offerings that which are in all the FPMT centers gompas, Aptos House, Khachoe Dechen Ling and also Washington, Amitabha Pure Land retreat place, all the offerings there, which are nature of infinite bliss, we offer towards all the holy objects that which exist in this world.

So, having made this extensive offering on behalf of every hell being, hungry ghost, animal, human being, sura, asura, intermediate stage beings and on behalf of all those people who are dying today, dying now or sick now and all those people who already died in the war, tsunami and all those people who did killing, so they all get this merit. So they all get, we did for them, so they get all these extensive merits, so therefore, should rejoice. Any of your family member died, so they also get all these extensive merits, because you collected for them. So already we have done the puja, already we have done the extensive puja. Preliminary, extensive puja preliminary, which is preliminary. So within such a short time we already did this, so many times skies of merit we collected, we’re able to collect for them, for others, for all the sentient beings, numberless cause of enlightenment, numberless cause of liberation, numberless cause of happiness of future lives, all that. So rejoice.

So for this, so one thing I forgot before is, for the world peace, world peace depends on compassion, generating compassion in everyone’s heart. Even one leader, even one person, even one leader generate compassion it can bring many millions of people, it can bring so much peace and happiness in many millions of people’s mind, in their lives, so much peace and happiness they can bring, one person or one leader of the country, by having generated compassion realization, good heart, you can bring so much peace and happiness in many millions of people in the country, in his or her own country. And also the whole world. So by one person generating good heart can bring so many people, including family members, including him- or herself bring so much peace and happiness. So to generate compassion it has to come from good karma, it has to come from collecting merits. Without collecting merits you can’t generate compassion from just words. Just from the words you can’t generate compassion. You have to have cause, collecting merits, from the side of the sentient being. And you need to purify the defilements. In order to generate compassion, good heart, you have to purify the obstacle, defilements.

So therefore, making holy objects, statues, making holy objects, the stupas and scriptures and the statues, the statues of Buddha such as Maitreya Buddha, so bigger it is, so many sentient beings come to see, come to circumambulate, come to make offerings, come to prostrate, so that helps, and bigger it is, so many sentient beings get involved to build, so many sentient beings have to work. So therefore, so many sentient beings, all those sentient beings get purified, who are actually building the statue, doing laborer or donating, so then after it’s built, how many hundreds, thousands of years it lasts, all those people, including animals, insects going round the statue, so everyone, how many hundreds, thousands of years the statue lasts, all those sentient beings, so many sentient beings in this world get so much benefit, create so much merit and purify so much defilements. Even each day so many sentient beings come to see, they circumambulate, by seeing their mind gets purified so much defilements, they create so much merit going round, circumambulating, making offerings, so they collect so much merit. So then from that, then there’s opportunity to generate compassion. Then there’s opportunity to generate, to transform the mind, that the mind become softened, from the merits and purifying the defilements then there’s opportunity to soften the heart, generate compassion, wisdom, develop wisdom, compassion towards sentient beings. Then through that that’s how they can complete the path and remove all the defilements, the cause of the sufferings and achieve liberation, enlightenment.

So….