Teachings at Maitreya Puja (Audio and Unedited Transcripts)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Shakyamuni Center, Taichung, Taiwan (Archive #1611)

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave these teachings during a Maitreya puja at Shakyamuni Center, Taichung, Taiwan in March 2007. During the teachings Rinpoche gives commentary and oral transmission of the Namgyälma, Stainless Pinnacle and a number of other mantras.

The teaching was being translated into Chinese and while we have edited those sections out you may still occasionally hear the Chinese translator's voice in the background.

Namgyalma mantra, Stainless Pinnacle mantra - lungs

[Rinpoche completes the lung with ge wa di yi….]

Then next one, Namgyalma, oral transmission of Namgyalma mantra. But there’s a, before the Namgyalma mantra, there’s a very beautiful praise, request to Namgyalma. Very beautiful request. I think it must be composed by Kachen Yeshe Gyaltsen, I think, a very beautiful one, so, I’m not sure, I don’t think, maybe I may have received the lung, because this time we have taken the Kachen Yeshe Gyaltsen’s all the teachings, collections of teachings. There are some parts which didn’t have the oral transmission but most of it received at Sera this time from Kyongla Rato Rinpoche at Lama Ösel’s house. Quite a number of incarnate lamas and then monks and abbots and the ex-abbots, some ________.

So the next one is Namgyalma mantra, oral transmission, okay.

The different texts, sometimes different texts, difficult the mantras everything come out same, sometimes there are mistakes, they are like that, so this what I’m going to read, this is based on from Tibetan University, Sarnath, from their text. There’s Sanskrit and there’s, this is in English accent, how to say, the Sanskrit letter there but also in English, there’s some accent in English and Tibetan.

So this is supposed to be more the correct one, so and then a few syllables, there is one person I met, while I was, when I was reciting the Namgyalma mantra, trying to recite some more, during those times, when I was in Hong Kong, I met one Chinese person in Hong Kong whose main practice is Namgyalma. So he came somehow, I don’t know why he came and then his text has a few extra syllables. So I added into this. [pause]

So when we chant Namgyalma mantra, there is a visualization. It is in the, in English there is the Namgyalma long mantra, there is also the visualization how to do so, that yourself generate in Namgyalma if you have received, well basically if you have received either Highest Tantra initiation or lower tantra the great initiation, so then you can generate yourself Namgyalma and then there is a lotus, moon disc, then at the heart, in the center syllable DRUM. Then the mantra’s clockwise around, starts in the front of the DRUM, not right in front but the edge of the moon then it goes around.

And then you can visualize all the gurus in the syllable DRUM, the ball, round circle, all the gurus up there, then above the Sanghas then maybe on the moon disc you can visualize your family members and anybody whom you want to pray, somebody who is very sick or something, you want to pray and to have long life or who has life obstacles.

Then all the sentient beings around, hell, hungry ghost, animals, six realm sentient beings around, then first thing is purify. Then you can visualize, then from all the ten direction buddhas, bodhisattvas, nectar beams, absorbed to your heart mantra then from, syllable DRUM and then mantra, from those then beams emitted. Beams emitted from those and then completely eliminated, like you switch on, dark room you switch on so total light, the dark is gone. So from the syllable DRUM, from the mantras, then light beams emitted and then totally the delusions, all the sentient beings’ delusions, negative karma, obscurations, all them instantly gone [snaps fingers] purified. Can think that, and they all become enlightened in Namgyalma. Can do that, that is also very good. That includes everyone, who engage in virtue, nonvirtue.

Then the other thing, then the next thing is, then, all those who do good things for, all those who chant OM MANI PADME HUM, or NAMA AMI TO FU and OM MANI PADME HUM, all those who chant and all those who practice morality, who lives in morality, not only ordained person but even lay, who is living in morality, so all those who doing something beneficial for their life, that and then all those who do good things for others, all those then the, say, then the long-life nectar come from mantras to, and you think from all the buddhas, bodhisattvas, received like a waterfall. And then, however, from the syllable, the mantra, syllable, like a waterfall, the nectar, long-life nectar and then filled the gurus, their holy bodies filled with long-life nectar, then all the Sanghas, all those which I mentioned, your own family members and then also you yourself completely filled with nectar, immortal nectar, so increase the life, fortune, merits, freedom, realizations. So first, one’s own virtuous friend stable life, and then all other holy beings who preserve Dharma, spread Dharma, work for others, then Sanghas who preserve Dharma, okay. Then benefactors, all the benefactors who help the Sangha to preserve Dharma, then who help the teaching of the Buddha to be spread.

Also can think, like all the students in the FPMT, in the organization, benefactors, and then particularly those who has cancer, somebody who has life obstacles, those, can think of those.

Then, somebody who died then this Namgyalma mantra is regarded, from my root guru, His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche, then he spread Namgyalma. It’s an excellent one to chant for somebody, family member or somebody who died, then this is very good to chant.

So His Holiness, one time we were in Ganden Monastery in South India, so we went to see, with Lama and myself, Lama went to see, then Rinpoche was talking to us but also he was in meditation state, so chanting, and then he talked to us. So then Rinpoche said, Oh, he’s reciting Namgyalma mantra because he received many offerings, he said many pollutions, I receive many pollutions, means money and things like that, people who are living and died, from the ten directions, from all over the world, I receive so many pollutions, therefore I am reciting Namgyalma mantra, so Rinpoche said, people think this is only for long life but it’s not, it’s very powerful to recite for, to purify negative karma.

So then if you want to pray for somebody, then you also can think of those beings there and then purify the negative karma, okay, can do also like this. However you think, as long as you dedicate the mantra, you think of that person, who even though that person has already been born in the lower realm but you, by thinking of that, then you chant the mantra, Namgyalma mantra and then that being get liberated from the lower realms and get a higher rebirth.

So this one is only the Namgyalma mantra, all the five powerful mantras, the Kunrig, the King of the Deity Purifying the Lower Realms, so that’s the same, ?has benefit, somebody who has been born in the lower, that one, then somebody who is already born in the lower realms, then to liberate, it has also that benefit. You think of that person who’s already in the lower realm then you chant the mantra for that, ?may they be completely liberated from. Same as Mitrukpa, also then the, Stainless Pinnacle, same, then the OM PADMO USHNISHA VIMALE HUM PHAT, this Pema Tsugtor, this Lotus Pinnacle, this Stainless Lotus Pinnacle, something like that, so same, it also has that benefit. The five, called ?sung chen de nga, the five groups of the, the five divisions of the great, well, simple way is maybe sung, simple way is just the mantra. The simple translation, but I’m not sure that is exact translation for the ?sung chen de nga, but….

So ngak, when you say ngak, then this is mantra. Sung, it means, to make simple translation, mantra, but I think itself, I think I mentioned in the past, I mentioned some days ago, the unforgettable awareness, then awareness or remembrance, I think, [pause] engage, abandoning nonvirtue, engaging in virtue, so that’s one. Unforgettable, there’s remembrance, unforgettable the wisdom, whether that is wisdom or not, there is some doubt. So anyway, just for the time being the unforgettable remembrance and the, say, awareness, abandoning nonvirtue and engaging in virtue. So that’s the meaning of the sung is that, but wisdom, I’m not a hundred percent sure there’s unforgettable wisdom instead of awareness, but the remembrance is there. [pause]

So that’s an excellent thing to recite, chant. Then when you chant, it doesn’t have to be somebody that you, somebody died, born in the lower realms, it doesn’t have to be that, so you can think of all the, chant this mantra thinking of all the hell beings, all the hungry ghosts, animals, so, by thinking of them can chant, whether there is, even there is somebody who died you want to pray but you can include all the hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, chant for them, so then it helps everyone, it helps all the numberless hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, to help, okay, to get liberated quickly.

Yeah that’s how, when you do Namgyalma mantra that you can use for purification not only for yourself for all sentient beings and also for long life, that is the purpose how you can use the mantra and visualize, okay. So when you do the purification also all your body filled with the, the light, the beams, and then all the negative karma collected with the body, speech and mind from beginningless rebirth, all the defilements, purified, like that. Then your mental continuum become totally pure at the end.

So the Namgyalma, it is said in the Buddha’s teachings, if you hear the Namgyalma mantra, this the last, this is the very last, I mean, the end of the lower realm sufferings. Means, it is also mentioned that the human beings, animals, whoever hears, never get reborn in the lower realms. So it is said in the benefits of Namgyalma mantra taught by Buddha, this is the last, said, this is the end of the lower realms. So, this is unbelievable most precious mantra to chant for yourself and to chant for others. [pause]

Alle, I forgot the praise, the request to Namgyalma.

[Rinpoche chants praise to Namgyalma in Tibetan]

It’s a very beautiful prayer but I’m not sure whether I’ve translated it into English or not. I don’t remember.

[Rinpoche gives the oral transmission of the long Namgyalma mantra.]

I will repeat this again. So actual the, [pause], so I think the actual mantra is completed, then there is the last part of the mantra that…. [pause] When you do the actual Namgyalma Puja then you recite, how many times you recite this mantra before then the last one you recite a few times with the, I think the mudra like this, mudra or gesture of thank, like this, just curve the pointing finger, [pause] curve the pointing finger. The this, the last part I didn’t make clear. [pause] Because the mantras they come in different texts a little bit different, there’s some mistakes so I’m not sure…. So I repeat this again.

[Rinpoche continues the oral transmission.]

[pause]

So this is last one, so the previous two ones should be ?erased, so the last one. So there, in the puja, Namgyalma Puja, where it says recite a few times this one.

[Rinpoche continues the oral transmission.]

Due to all the three-time merits collected by me, collected by others, may I achieve Namgyalma enlightenment and lead all the sentient beings into Namgyalma’s enlightenment.

So I’m not.… [pause]

So the next one is Stainless Pinnacle Deity’s mantra. So I am not going to continue the, talking the benefits. So if you recite this one hundred or 1000 times then even somebody committed the five uninterrupted negative karma, born already in the lowest hot hell, Inexhaustible hell realm, which has the heaviest suffering of samsara and lasts one intermediate eon, then even those beings get liberated completely.

So, so this, so if you, on the eighth, Tibetan eighth, fourteenth or fifteenth, then if you, this is called wish-granting jewel, precious mantra. This root mantra and heart mantra of the Stainless Pinnacle. So if you recite one hundred times both on those days and if you circumambulate the stupa which has relics, this relic doesn’t mean a relic that…, there are three types of relics: dharmakaya relics and the _____ _____ _____ ringsel, I don’t know how to do exact, _____ ______ means relics like from the Buddha, from the holy beings, the hairs, or the parts of the holy body. Then the next one is ____ ______ ringsel, so the relics like mustard seeds. So relics doesn’t have to be only that. So the highest relics is these mantra and these four mantras, the secret relic dharmakaya, then the, of course, ?sang wa ringsel, then the Stainless Beam Deity’s mantra, Stainless Pinnacle, then the Ornaments of Enlightenment. These are, these which normally you write on the life tree that goes in a stupa and statue. I mean, when it is statue when it is big, a bigger one. So with gold, because that, because this is what that gives unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable power to the stupa, statue, anybody who, how to say, so if it’s a stupa then, [pause] so each mantra has unbelievable benefits.

So even rain comes on the, rain falls on the stupa and then the water gets blessed and then it goes down in the ground and purifies the worms and they get liberated from the lower realms. And then the wind touches, the stupa, gets blessed and goes away touches any being, their negative karma gets purified. Human beings, animals, whoever, how far the wind goes and touches any being, so their negative karma gets purified, they get liberated from the lower realms.

And then, also dust goes on the stupa or statues that contain these dharmakaya relics and then it goes away, blown by wind, touch any being then the dust, touches any being then their negative karma gets purified, get liberated from the lower realms. It’s unbelievable meaningful. Besides that, even without the mantra, anybody who see from far the stupa or statue, their negative karma get purified and plant seed of enlightenment, all that, it’s unbelievable, unbelievable. And then no question, and enlightened, anybody who sees the holy objects, even without these mantras, so like that. So then, of course, by having these mantras no question then you touch the stupa, even somebody who dreams of the stupa become cause to achieve enlightenment. And who remember the stupa every time then it plants the seed of enlightenment and brings them to enlightenment, okay, the holy object. So that’s so unbelievable, such an easiest way to liberate sentient beings, to bring to enlightenment, by building holy objects.

So here what it is saying is, the stupa containing these mantras, okay, this relic means the highest relic is that, okay, so then you circumambulate, while you are chanting this wish-granting jewel precious mantra these two, Stainless Pinnacle, the root and the heart, so you circumambulate the stupa containing these mantras, the relic, okay, then just by mere recitation it says then the sound come from the stupa, saying “Yes.” And then also, immediately purifies the defilements and the delusions, the attachment, hatred, the stains of ignorance and miserliness, jealousness, all these, so person becomes free from these. Then the stainless body completely pure and then whomever you talk, after this then whomever you talk, man or woman, the children, girls who, whomever you talk, so those people get liberated from all the negative karma. So, whomever, after the recitation of mantra, it says circumambulating the stupa containing these relics, okay, all those people whom you talk, their negative karma gets completely purified and even you talk to the animals, then all those animals they get liberated, they get completely liberated from the animal realm.

Then it says, even you talk to the birds, groups of birds, then all those group of birds they completely get liberated.

Then you do the same to the dogs and turtles and snakes and I think might be cat, ?chila, and then ?semo, I’m not sure what that one is, semo, maybe monkey or something, there are different types of monkeys, maybe one of them. So even creatures, various creatures if you talk then they all get liberated from the lower realms.

And then if you chant on the sand grain, sand is just an example but you can chant on powder or any, water, powder, mustard seed, anything, twenty-one times this mantra, you sprinkle over the cemetery, then if you touch on the bone, that doesn’t mean a complete body but any piece of bone there in the cemetery, then that being who is born in the hell realm, will completely ___ in higher rebirth. Then when that person get, when that being reborn in higher realm, the deva, human being, during the birth, then flower rain happens, with that being’s body.

Even the animals and birds, even the animals, that means the dogs or wolves, even the animals and various birds who go who go to the cemetery where you sprinkled these sand grains or water, whatever it is, that you chanted this mantra twenty-one times, okay, so to that cemetery, even the animals, birds, various birds who go to that cemetery, even those animals, those transmigratory beings, even they get liberated from lower realm and go to higher rebirth.

Then if you sprinkle this on the mountain, this blessed the sand, whatever the material is, then you sprinkle over the mountain then animals that live on the mountain, birds flying around they all get liberated, they go to a realm of the happy transmigratory being.

So if you have this mantra inside a stupa, Stainless Pinnacle mantra, even one there, then anybody who do even one circumambulation, one offering, one prostration, then it purifies five uninterrupted negative karma, even harmed Buddha, caused blood to Buddha, killed arhat, all this get purified and it become long life and then also get reborn in a pure land.

So it is extremely important whenever we build a stupa, we must if possible, even microfilm, microfiche, if you can’t, if it’s a small one, a big one you can put paper, if you can put 100,000 mantra the Stainless Pinnacle inside the stupa, if you can, when you build a stupa it seems very important to put, this 100,000 mantra of this. Then if you put inside stupa then the stupa it becomes really growing unbelievable power. Then you, then all the prosperity, inner prosperity, outer prosperity, everything like fire burning, like blazing, so you can progress. Then you never, your life never go back, only towards enlightenment. So unbelievable, so that’s one thing to be kept in mind when you build a stupa, must this mantra, even microfiche, if it is a small stupa then you put microfiche. Anyway, whatever can fit. So, if possible one hundred thousand; if that is not possible then as many as possible.

So even the people who are doing the stupa activities, they all the life no returning, only goes towards enlightenment, and definitely they become peerless, complete fully enlightened.

Even the animals, insects, creatures who wish to be there where that stupa is, even those creatures insects, animals, dogs and cats whoever who wish to be there where the stupa is, even those, so even them their life never go down, no returning to back. No, I don’t mean back, I mean, you don’t go back to the next life, but…. I don’t mean you’re going back towards the next life, I don’t mean that. But you don’t, life only gets better, life to life you only get higher and higher, better and better, you go to enlightenment. So only went up, no returning back.

So even the shadow of the stupa touch any being, so their negative karma, they get liberated from the lower realms by purifying their negative karma. So then it says no question if you do many activities, the stupa, one ?way, the benefits cannot be finished expressing, explaining.

Also then the people who keep this mantra, who normally, keep this mantra means chant this mantra, then the protectors, all the four guardians Vajrapani, four guardians and the Brahma and Shiva, I don’t know whether, I’m not sure, maybe Krishna, I’m not sure. ?Tham duk and Mahadeva and the Deva’s Son from Tushita, Indra from Thirty-three Realm, so all those beings, [pause] so even they, after Buddha gave this mantra and explained all the benefits, then they promised that we will follow, anyone who chant this mantra, keeps this mantra, we will follow after them and we will always protect them and guide them and hide them from danger, we will look after them like a child.

So like that, that’s it. So I think there are so much, anyway, there is so much benefits, but for the meantime that’s the essence.

So I think maybe stop there. ?Okay, the, yeah, mantra.

Can you translate?

[Rinpoche recites OM AH HUNG three times]

Guru, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha.

[pause]

This is the root mantra of the Stainless Pinnacle Deity.

Also I was very surprised that when we went to, the Abbot, what is the name of the Abbot? Hai-tao. Liberating animals. So then there was a statue of a monk that, with lots of animals around, then he said, “This is Stainless Pinnacle.” Well, I was quite, I was very surprised, because by seeing the benefits of the mantra it’s just, it’s one of the things unbelievable, so, the power, so I was very surprised, because normally you don’t see the statue of this deity. I mean I’ve never seen. Maybe possible sometimes maybe in the books, art books or something but you don’t notice. But I was very surprised that, so he said, “This is the statue.” I was quite surprised, surprised in the sense very happy to see the statue.

So the Abbot said he is going to give me that one, the one that is next to the, what, it’s Amitabha or…? It’s the same as the, then after finishing liberating animal then he said, when we come back, he said, “Do you want that one or you want the down, on the table there’s a small one.” I think it’s the same.” So I said, maybe that one, or up to you, I’m not sure what I said. Maybe, that one, maybe the bigger one or the, whatever, it’s up to you. So anyway, yeah that.

[Translation into Chinese, until Rinpoche interrupts to say:]

Same as the Stainless Beam Deity, this I haven’t seen this deity’s picture or statue.

[Rinpoche starts to give oral transmission of Stainless Pinnacle Deity’s mantra.]

I will repeat again.

[Rinpoche repeats, then continues.]

I’ll repeat this one again.

[Rinpoche continues.]

I’ll repeat this part again.

[Rinpoche continues.]

I repeat this again.

[Rinpoche continues.]

I’ll repeat this again.

[Rinpoche continues.]

That’s the root mantra. Now the heart mantra.

[Rinpoche gives oral transmission.]

That I repeat again.

[Rinpoche continues.]

BUSHNISH, but probably normally in Tibetan BUSHNIKA, but I think in Sanskrit it’s ZA.

I’ll repeat again.

[Rinpoche continues.]

Yeah, that’s it. [pause] So I think afterwards. [pause] So I come down to finish the [a couple of words missed].