Kadampa Teachings (Audio and Unedited Transcripts)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Root Institute, Bodhgaya, India; 26 December 2003 - 02 January 2004 (Archive #1470)

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave these teachings at Root Institute, Bodhgaya, in December 2003. There were seven days of teachings; days 1 through 4 are included here. You can listen to the remaining days here.

During these four days Rinpoche covered various lamrim topics and gave an oral transmission of Atisha's Jewel Garland and began to give commentary on it. 

Day Three: Dedications, Awareness of Emptiness, Food Offering

May the bodhicitta be, due to all the three time merits collected by me, three time merits collected by others, may the bodhicitta be generated within one’s own heart, one’s own family members, in the hearts of all of us here, all the students, benefactors of this organization, those who give up their life to the organization, doing service to sentient beings, teaching of Buddha, in all their hearts, may it be generated in the hearts of all the sentient beings and particular in the hearts of the sentient beings in this world and particular in the hearts of all the leaders of this world and particular also in the minds of all these groups, gangsters, the Maoists or the terrorists, all the different groups whose intention is only to harm others, to harm to sentient beings, and totally to change their intention of harm into bodhicitta, only benefiting others. [long pause]

Due to all the past, present, future merits collected by me, three time merits collected by others, that which are like a dream, may the I, who is like a dream, achieve Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment, which is like a dream, lead all the sentient beings, who are like a dream, to that enlightenment, which is like a dream, by myself alone, who is like a dream.

By meditating everything like a dream, the idea, the purpose, so affect the mind to get the idea that it’s empty. Not empty of itself, not empty what is merely labeled by mind, but empty of hallucination, the truly existent appearance projected on the merely labeled I, merely labeled sentient beings, merely labeled enlightenment, merely labeled merits, all the truly existent appearance, hallucination we projected, that our mind projected on all these phenomena, covered all these phenomena, which exist in mere name, merely labeled by mind, but completely covered. As I mentioned before, that the animal sends, shoot glue, completely cover that insect’s body, by shooting again and again that insect’s body is completely covered by this kind of glue, so like that, so made everything real, real in the sense existing from their own side. Instead appearing them back merely labeled by the mind, appearing that they exist in mere name, merely imputed by the mind, instead appearing this way, as they are, but appeared back totally false, after the mind merely imputed the phenomena, this and that, then appeared back totally something else, false, false I, false mind, false body, false aggregates, false cushion, false gompa, false floor, false ceiling, false statue, false shoes, false dinner, false kitchen, false plates, so all that, so appeared totally something else, truly existent appearance, totally something else, which is not there. When it’s appeared back, appeared back totally something else, which is not there, which if you look for it, you can’t find anywhere, neither in this universe, nor on that base. Nowhere you can find if you look for, so which is not there. So therefore, all these phenomena are totally empty of existing from their own side.

So that is what we need to practice mindfulness and that’s what we need to realize. Only by realizing the ultimate nature, emptiness, and developing this wisdom, only then we can end our samsara, which continuation has no beginning. But if we realize emptiness, we develop wisdom, not any what is called emptiness, but by realizing Prasangika, the four schools of Buddhist philosophers, the fourth one, Madhyamika school, the second one, Prasangika school. By realizing emptiness the unmistaken right view, that which is Prasangika school view, then only by this we can end the oceans of our samsaric suffering and achieve the everlasting happiness. And with this experience, the path, we can liberate others, who are numberless, suffering in samsara, can liberate them from the oceans of, the numberless sentient beings, each of them, from the oceans of samsaric suffering.

The purpose of my life is to free numberless sentient beings from all the suffering of samsara and bring them to enlightenment; therefore I must achieve enlightenment, therefore, I’m going to make food offering. Food offering to guru, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, and yoga of eating, I’m going to practice the yoga of eating and make charity to sentient beings, three things. And charity, sentient beings living in one’s own body, all those sentient beings living in one’s body, and bring them to enlightenment by revealing Dharma to them, when they become human being, through the connection that I made charity to them at this time, so that is the bodhisattva’s way of eating, yoga of eating. Bodhisattva’s way of eating food. The yoga of eating or way of eating according to Lesser Vehicle path, then without the three poisonous minds, without attachment, just to survive to practice Dharma, to eat the food just for that, not eating with the attachment, so that is, that basic thing is called the yoga of eating, the way of eating according to Lesser Vehicle being.

So, according to tantra, way of eating, the yoga of eating according to tantra, not eating with this ordinary body, with ordinary appearance and concept. By purifying this in emptiness, this ordinary appearance and concept, purifying in emptiness this truly existent appearance and concept, as ordinary person, ordinary food and ordinary person, so by purifying in emptiness, the wisdom understanding emptiness, one’s own wisdom, into pure appearances, then not only oneself as deity, then the food in nectar, as well as also mandala. Then, offering as a tsog, oneself the guru-deity making tsog offering.

Or way of eating food, yoga of eating food, like offering burning practice, oneself as guru-deity, then the left hand is the ?kang-ser, ?kang-ser is the thing that you put things, the butter and the things. Then, the right hand, ?kang-ru, then the substances, the nectar, offering oneself the guru-deity, that means all the buddhas. Not only that deity but in reality all the buddhas, oneself, however, that or at the heart visualize, if one is doing body mandala or the syllable, that is all the guru, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, then same as doing fire puja, offering burning practice. So, each time when you offer, when you eat, then generating that experience of the Highest Tantric path, generating that experience. So this way, because you are offering to the guru, the essence is you’re offering to the guru, so you collect most extensive merit than having offered to all the numberless Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, numberless statues, numberless stupas, numberless scriptures, that which are in any direction. You collect more merit than having made offering to all of those holy objects, each bite, each drink, by offering to yourself, the guru. So much more merit than offering just the deity. So you collect most extensive merit with each eating, with each drinking. Then it becomes also extremely powerful purification, purifying negative karma and each time becoming closer to enlightenment. So, this way, even one is not living in the pure morality, pure vows, so that the offerings offered by, with devotion by other, by the benefactors, so it doesn’t become pollution, it doesn’t endanger your clarity of mind, it doesn’t obscure and it doesn’t interfere to develop the realizations, it doesn’t become pollution and also it doesn’t become debt, karmic debts to the people who offer food, it doesn’t become karmic debts. And that which become pollution, which is like poison, then here, with the tantric practice, especially with tantric practice, with offering tsog or doing fire puja, then it’s completely transformed into medicine, so the poison into medicine, like that, only to purify negative karma and collect extensive merit and to achieve enlightenment quickly.

Yeah, so therefore now, think, the food is, just general without particular tantric practice which I mentioned before, the blessing. So all the food in the kitchen is transformed into nectar. All the food in the kitchen, that the cooks are waiting to serve, or unable to wait, anyway, so all transformed into nectar in a jewel container, in extended jewel container. Then, bless. [Recitation of multiplying mantra three times, then Words of Truth]

So, numberless oceans of nectar food, by reciting this mantra, blessing with this mantra, numberless buddhas, each one receives skies of nectar food, so the mantra has this power, just recite OM AH HUNG, I do both, when I remember, so OM AH HUNG blesses according to tantric, Highest Tantric practice, do that, but also you do this long mantra, clouds of offerings, because there is so many, unbelievable benefit to recite this mantra. However, there are numberless buddhas, each one receives skies of nectar offerings, so even just that first one is incredible, even the very first, the one benefit of this mantra, just even that one is unbelievable. Then, by reciting the words of truth, konchog sum kyi denpa dang, then how many you have visualized, the offerings, then they receive that many extensive offerings as how many you have visualized, so second one has that power.

So numberless nectar offerings, offer to Chenrezig, as you visualized Chenrezig, that’s all the guru, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, all the ten-direction holy objects, generated infinite bliss.

Now offer these oceans of nectar food, numberless nectar food towards all the ten-direction Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, by meditating their essence is guru.

Offer these numberless oceans of nectar food towards all the ten-direction statues, stupas, scriptures, all the various forms of holy objects, every single holy object that which are in the ten directions.

Now offer to Seven Medicine Buddhas for success, so means even just offering to Medicine Buddha it becomes incredible cause of success in your life, your wishes to be fulfilled.

Offer to the bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, so that you can fulfill the wishes of sentient beings for happiness instantly as bodhisattva Ksitigarbha does.

You offer to Thousand-arm Chenrezig. You get the same merit as having made offering to so many billions and billions of buddhas and to generate great compassion, so that one ?get the full responsibility to liberate all the sentient beings from all the oceans of samsaric sufferings and bring them to enlightenment as quick as possible.

Now, this nectar, oceans of nectar food you make charity to every hell being, every hungry ghost, every animal, every human being, every sura being, every asura being, every intermediate state being. They all fully enjoyed the oceans of nectar food and purified all their defilements, liberated from all the sufferings of samsara and they all become enlightened by completing the path to enlightenment. And they all become the deity that one practices.

Numberless, so now we dedicate the merits that, so many times, limitless skies of merit collected with bodhicitta motivation at the beginning, then all those different the merit field that we offered one after another, we collected so many times limitless skies of merit, and last one, by having made charity to all sentient beings.

So, due to all the past, present, future merits collected by me, three time merits collected by others, numberless sentient beings who died, in the evolution of this food numberless sentient beings died, who died, who created negative karma harming others, who suffered, in the evolution of this food, in the long-run evolution of this food, people who did the work and people who did cooking, so including all these sentient beings, and then all the rest of sentient beings, may we never be separated away from the Triple Gem, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, always collect merit by making offering and receive blessing of the Triple Gem, that which is realization from guru devotion up to enlightenment, especially bodhicitta, clear light, may it be actualized within one’s own heart and in the hearts of all the sentient beings, in the heart of oneself, in the hearts of all those sentient beings who suffered, died, created negative karma, worked for this food, then if there’s a benefactor, then also include the benefactor of the food, then all the rest of sentient beings. [pause] Without delay even a second, to actualize all these paths, within oneself and all those sentient beings who died, suffered, created negative karma for this food, then all the rest of the sentient beings.

[lama sang gye, lama cho....; dak sog kor cha...]

So, in emptiness, nothing exists, no I, no merits, no sentient beings, no enlightenment, nothing, so while you are focusing on that, then the mind label this and that.

Due to all the three time merits collected by me, so mind labeling this and that, merely imputing this and that, while you are focusing in emptiness, Due to all the past, present, future merits collected by me, three time merits collected by others, may the I achieve Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment or one’s own deity’s enlightenment and lead all the sentient being to that enlightenment by myself alone.

So, please enjoy the nectar for all night. Okay, so maybe there’s short teaching after that, not sure, so maybe there might be, maybe there’s some short teaching after that, if you really enjoy the food.