Virtue and Reality

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Decatur, IL, August 1997 (Archive #1082)

This book contains methods for transforming everyday actions into the cause of enlightenment, anger into patience, and the ordinary view of phenomena as inherently existent into the wisdom realizing emptiness.

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Dedication (V&R)

The reason that we dedicate the merit generated by any virtuous activity is in order to protect it from destruction by negative forces, such as anger or wrong views, and to direct it toward the goal that we always specify in our motivation—the enlightenment of all sentient beings. You can use the elaborate dedication given below whenever you have created merit of any kind. Just pause for a moment after each paragraph and meditate on its meaning.

Please dedicate the merit of having read and practiced the teachings in this book as follows:

Due to the past, present and future merit accumulated by myselfand all buddhas, bodhisattvas and other sentient beings, may bodhicitta arise in my mind and in the minds of all members of my family and all other sentient beings, and may the bodhicitta that has already arisen in our minds only increase more and more.

Due to the merits of the past, present and future, may His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s life be stable and may his holy wishes succeed immediately. May all our gurus’ lives be stable and may all their holy wishes succeed immediately. May Lama Ösel Rinpoche’s life be stable and may he be able to offer benefit as vast as space itself to all sentient beings and to the teachings of the Buddha, just as Lama Tsongkhapa was able to do.

Due to the past, present and future merit accumulated by myself and all buddhas, bodhisattvas and other sentient beings, may I and all the other students of the FPMT (or whatever Dharma organization you belong to), all the benefactors, all the members of (insert the name of your Dharma center), everybody else who comes here to study, and all the rest of the sentient beings, in this and all future lifetimes, be able to meet only perfectly qualified Mahayana gurus, see them only as enlightened beings, act in ways that only please the holy minds of our virtuous friends, and be able to fulfill their holy wishes.

Due to the past, present and future merit accumulated by myself and all buddhas, bodhisattvas and other sentient beings, may I be able to offer benefit as vast as space itself to all sentient beings and to the teachings of the Buddha, just as Lama Tsongkhapa was able to do, by developing all his holy qualities within myself in this and all future lifetimes.

Due to the past, present and future merit accumulated by myself and all buddhas, bodhisattvas and other sentient beings, all of which are empty from their own side, may the I, which is also empty from its own side, achieve Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment, which is also empty from its own side, and lead all sentient beings, who are empty from their own side, to that enlightenment, which is empty from its own side, by myself alone, which is also empty from its own side.

Due to the past, present and future merit accumulated by myself and all buddhas, bodhisattvas and other sentient beings, may my Dharma center (mention its name) be able to fulfill all sentient beings’ wishes, immediately pacify the sufferings of their body and mind, spread the complete teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa throughout the minds of all sentient beings, and receive all conditions necessary to do so. May all who come to the center, even animals, insects and spirits, by just entering the place, never again be reborn in the lower realms, immediately purify all their obscurations and negative karma, be free of all sickness and harm from malevolent spirits, immediately actualize bodhicitta, and attain enlightenment as quickly as possible. May this come to pass at all other FPMT centers as well.

May all members of this center and all benefactors, students and other people connected with the FPMT, particularly those who sacrifice their lives in service of others and the teaching of the Buddha,have long and healthy lives, have all their Dharma wishes come true, and, especially, actualize the entire path to enlightenment in this very life.

May Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings exist and flourish in all directions until samsara ends. May all projects of the FPMT, especially the 500 foot Maitreya statue at Bodhgaya, receive all necessary conditions, actualize immediately, and, most importantly, be of greatest benefit to all sentient beings, causing them to actualize loving kindness, compassion and bodhicitta. Through this, may all war, famine, disease, earthquakes and all other natural disasters and undesired experiences never occur, and, like the rising sun, may all beings enjoy the happiness of Dharma and spend their entire lives only helping, never harming, each other. May we all attain enlightenment as quickly as possible.

 

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