Guru Shakyamuni Buddha's Kindness (Audio and Unedited Transcripts)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Shakyamuni Center, Taichung, Taiwan, March 2007 (Archive #1608)

Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave these teachings at Shakyamuni Center, Taichung, Taiwan, March 3 and 6, 2007.

Guru Shakyamuni Buddha's Descent into this World and Life Story

According to bodhisattva, from bodhisattva scriptures how he generated bodhicitta and how proceeded on the path, bhumis, so there are very extensive stories. So in each life how many Sanghas, unbelievable number, for example, born as, born to the king, born to one king, called ?Shundu Tsondru Chöpa, one time born to one king, so Buddha’s past life who is the son of that king ?Shundu Tsondru Chöpa. Then Tathagata ?Pangpa Chenpo and all the Hinayana, the Hearer-Listeners, the Sanghas for ten million years, ten million years like that, ninety-nine, ten million years ninety-nine, for that much length of time made offering, offered service, generated bodhicitta, like that, this is just an example. There are many other stories, with each, in each life how many years, so many thousand years made offering to buddhas, with all the entourage, sanghas, there’s so many stories. This is according to bodhisattva, from bodhisattva’s scripture, so much more.

For example when the Buddha’s past life, Bodhisattva Gyalpo Dawö, born as king, Dawö, so that time, in the front of one tree, then Brahma ?Lui-te-tsa, called ?Lui-te-tsa came to beg the head. So then that time Buddha’s past life Gyalpo Dawö told to the Brahma ?Lui-te-tsa, “In front of this tree I already made charity of my head nine hundred and ninety-nine times, I already made charity my head in front of this tree,” so told ?Lui-te-tsa that, when he came to beg for the head. So Buddha’s past life, Gyalpo Dawö said, “Under this tree already I made charity, nine hundred and ninety-nine times I have made charity of my head.” So it is explained from the Fool and Wise, this sutra of Buddha’s life stories, the Foolish and Wise. So even in front of one tree that many, about a thousand times Buddha made charity of his head to others, so no question about the other countries, how much bodhisattva deeds, holy deeds is done, so will be unbelievable. So like this completed the bodhisattva deeds, completed all the merits, the transcendental wisdom merit and merit of fortune.

Then in Ogmin, in the pure field Ogmin, adorned with, “adorned with the essence of flower, adorned with the base and essence of flower,” I am not sure what the meaning is, so in that Ogmin field, enlightened. Then in the numberless field of sentient beings, equaling the sky, did work for transmigratory beings with unconceivable, unimaginable transformations that it can subdue the different sentient beings, different world sentient beings. So in the past Buddha bodhicitta was generated and he made prayer, so that is ripened, as he made prayer it ripened, to benefit sentient beings in this world, this unforgettable world, so I think in our world, this southern continent.

So when the Buddha is very close to show the holy deeds, the supreme transformation, ?shakpa tulku, the supreme transformation, then took the birth in the Tushita, as the deva’s son Dampa Tog Karpor [Sveta-ketu], in Tushita, then satisfied the devas in Tushita by teaching Dharma. So when the time to descend in this world happened, then revealed to the perfect Maitreya, Jetsun Jampa and so forth, many devas in Tushita, one hundred eight different Dharmas revealed in Tushita, so many, [pause] the perfect Maitreya and so many other devas there. Then put crown on Maitreya’s head, put jewel crown and then inaugurated as regent there, the substitute of the Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha, and saw ways, five different ways then with the numberless entourage of devas, with the numberless unimaginable so many different offerings, then descended in this world from Tushita.

Then in this world the king Ze-tsang, Ze-tsang is the father, his wife, the younger one, her name Gyutrul Chen-mo, so Buddha was conceived there in her as she was abiding in the purifying and reviving, sojong, so conceived in her, the right side, the right side there then there is the celestial mansion, the unfathomable celestial mansion that which transformed, the right side of her body. On the throne, in this celestial mansion there is a throne, then with robes on, ten months abided there. [pause] Then in the, so this is the uncommon view, that numberless bodhisattvas and the nagas and devas, all those white-side ones, nöjins and so forth, numberless sentient beings who are object to be subdued, even during those ten months [pause] when the Buddha’s in the mother’s holy body, revealed Dharma, revealed Dharma to the sentient beings and liberated, ripened and liberated, so brought to liberation, enlightenment.

Then with thirty-two wonderful signs, in Lumbini Park, like sun rising through the clouds, between the clouds, sun shining, so then from the mother’s right-side rib, under the shoulder born. Then many nagas, devas made offering and then four directions, right after birth Buddha made seven steps in the four directions. Then said this verse by Buddha himself, “In this world I am the supreme one,” so made this, announced, proclaimed the melody of the snow lions. Then the devas and human beings they made numberless offerings. While they are making numberless offerings then invited in the palace of ?Segya.

When the Buddha took birth [pause] then the king, the father, Ze-tsang, all his wishes actualized. Then the nöjin Shakya Pel and Brahma, Indra and so forth, many devas, all those devas prostrated. Then the Shakya ?Thunbo, Shakya, the angry one, the Shakya the angry, wrathful one, those beings, those Shakyas then they, Buddha’s holy body, Buddha’s magnificence, the glorifications, unbelievable so much, they could not bear that, so par kun ba, I’m not sure how to say, Buddha’s holy body is so glorified, so magnificent, kind of, [pause] I guess, I think they felt small, they themselves felt small, I think, I’m not sure the exact translation. Gradually called deva of the deva, gradually Buddha is called deva of the deva, it means highest. Called “Bringer of all success” and “deva of the devas” and Sakya Thubpa, these holy names are offered.

Then the people who check the signs of the child, signs of, special sign of the child, those who check, astrologers or the, who check the signs of the body, they said that, if you are, if it is stayed, the child, that means the Buddha, [pause] lived in the, if the child lives in the palace then he will become a wheel-turning king. Then he will renounce the householder life and he will become enlightened. He will be ordained and will become enlightened. So those people who check the sign, the sign of the child, predicted this.

Then, after that, Buddha accepted to do the work for sentient beings, to do the work for sentient beings with play, handicraft and with art, [pause] here it says, according to the worldly beings, the young time competition, doing competition, like normal in the world, who can lift up heavy things or there is another competition by, what is it, juggling or huh? This is common in India, not juggling, I’ve forgotten. The wrestling? Yes, wrestling. So accepted to do the work for the sentient being with the art, with the handicraft and art and then wrestling and so forth, these competitions. Then as he was persuaded by the father, then he learned reading and writing and astrology and so forth, all those common education. So then that time he revealed, Buddha, the child, revealed in regards letters and astrology and shooting arrows and jumping and all those, so forth, this kind of act, play, act, that nobody can do, that no one can do, Buddha revealed, has shown skillful means. With this means numberless devas, human beings, ripened their mind through this, through these plays, through these acts.

Then as, like normal in the worldly life, do like that, the ?tak ze ma, so forth, sixty thousand accepted, sixty thousand wives. Then with skillful means to hold the king’s reign according to the holy Dharma, then ripened unimaginable numberless creatures by that skillful means: holding the king’s reign according to Dharma. So that was not as, whereas these days countries, there is a government, there is spiritual and separate the government from religion, not like that here. So continues or holds the king’s reign according to Dharma. So with that skillful means ripened numberless sentient beings, unimaginable numberless creatures, brought to Dharma, ripened their mind.

Then as ten-direction buddhas, devas, white-side devas, then also songs, various music, those sounds persuaded, then Buddha [pause] that young time thought, Now this is time to renounce householder life, to take the ordination of renunciation.

Then gradually, he saw through the four doors of the city, gradually he saw that sentient beings who are old aged, sick, and died and then after this saw a bhikshu, who is a transformation, who is a manifestation. After seeing through the doors, sentient beings’ old age, sick and died, then he saw this monk, bhikshu, who is a manifestation. Then he showed the aspect, Buddha in young time showed aspect that he realized the shortcomings of the lay life, householder life and saw the benefits, he perfectly saw, realized the shortcomings of lay life, householder life and the benefits of living in the ordination of renunciation.

Then when he was 29, when Buddha was 29 age, [pause] when that happened, 29, even though hundreds of bodyguards who are outside of the king’s palace, even they tried to stop [pause] from inside the king’s palace, from the celestial mansion, from above, there happened steps, divine steps, deva’s steps put there. Then went through that, then went over the steps, the deva steps, to go down, then rode over the horse then the four guardians they lifted up the horse, the four legs, the four guardians they lift up. Then many entourage of devas and inconceivable particular offerings, then went so fast, went very quickly across the country of Shakya, Ge-ta and Khayul, crossed by these places, Manna, those towns. Then, so six phagtses went away. [pause] So reached to the, there is a river, reached the near, one town called ?Yil pon che, Avoiding Country. Anyway, near that town there is a river, beautiful river, so reached near.

So the phagtse, this has different ways of counting according to Abhidharmakosha, then there’s according to Kalachakra, there are different ways of measurement. I think Abhidharmakosha….

[Rinpoche converses with the ?geshe in Tibetan.]

The Abhidharma way of counting, which is different from Kalachakra, so the five fathoms is one gyangtak and maybe eight gyangtak is one phagtse. So that says six phagtses so he went beyond.

In the presence of the stupa Chöten Namdak, in the presence of the stupa then he cut the hair by himself. Then took the renunciation of householder life, the ordination of renunciation, by taking the robes that was left by the previous Brahma, previous sages, so taking the robes from Indra. Then all the ornaments and the horse gave to the helper and then returned back. Then crossed the River Ganga and went to Magadha. The Buddha crossed the River Ganga and went to Magadha. Then he lived in austerity, Magadha I think that’s Bodhgaya, Bodhgaya, so lived ascetic life, renounced life, ascetic life, twice harder than the Hindu sages, ascetic life, double than them, those sages. So then he is called by others the great virtuous training.

Then that time, five hundred servants sent, maybe by [pause] from the city Segya, the five hundred servants are sent to Buddha, maybe by the parents, not sure. Then from those five hundred servants then only five accepted by Buddha then all the rest he returned, let them to return back. Then at the water Narenja, the great river Narenja there he lived six years of ascetic life, then he abided in the concentration there, he abided in the meditation, concentration, not concentration camp , concentration. Then with the, with that skillful means then ripened, benefited so many devas and sentient beings, devas, trag trig, one, twelve trag trig human beings and devas, and sixty-four ten million devas and human beings, with these skillful means ripened their mind. Living ascetic life there near the great river Narenja and abiding in meditation, with that skillful means benefited so many sentient beings, ripened the mind of the twelve trag trig, I think it’s a billion or one hundred billion, like that, twelve devas and human beings, number trag trig, then ten million like that, sixty-four ten million, devas and human beings, their mind is ripened.

Then he rose up from the meditation and then took food, there’s, where you abide, you live in meditation without food, without any eating, without gross food, then abiding in the food of meditation, food of concentration. So here after six years living ascetic life, rose up from the meditation, then took the gross food, then did washing at the River Narenja.

Then from the village called, a girl, Lekyema and Kandroma, two girls offered milk from one thousand cows, like that, [pause] put together, [pause] I’m not sure what it means. Made kind of essence. I’m not sure whether they churned, milk from thousand cows maybe churned, I’m not sure what it means. Anyway, made the essence and then offered to Buddha. Then Buddha become very glowing, holy signs of exemplification, become very radiating. Then Buddha went to Bodhgaya for enlightenment. [pause]

Yeah, mention that.

Then Buddha went to Bodhgaya to achieve enlightenment, took the grass from the grass-seller, Tashi, the crab grass, then used for the seat. Then with crossed legs sat, for enlightenment, to achieve enlightenment. Then from the center of the two eyebrows, from here beams emitted away, then the beams made to move all the place of the maras, then the maras they find out. Then the numberless hosts of maras, the war, numberless hosts of the maras’ war came, the chief of the maras with the numberless hosts of the maras’ war, so the entourage, came in front of the bodhi tree where Buddha was residing there, to achieve enlightenment.

So they made rainfalls of weapons to the Buddha’s holy body but the Buddha without the slightest movement of the body, just holy mind abiding in the concentration of loving kindness, due to that all these weapons turned into rainfalls of flowers.

Then that time the maras they told Buddha, “Hey, young king, king’s son,” the maras said, “Hey, Gyalpo Zhonnu, that’s the name, Gyalpo Zhonnu, get up, get up and engage in the king’s reign, the activity of the king. How you can achieve liberation, just from this much merit, how you can achieve liberation, tell us,” the maras said. Then Buddha said like this, in Tibetan [Tibetan] so Buddha said that, this is interesting part, I won’t be able to translate word by word exactly but I have only ?captured the meaning. So Buddha told to the mara, I guess the king of mara or something, that for you, from one offering, from one charity that you become the possessor of the desire realm. I did numberless times, numberless made offering of charity, so is it possible that I don’t achieve enlightenment? You, from one offering of charity you become owner of the, you become possessor of the desire realm. So I did numberless times the offering charity, why is it not possible that I won’t achieve enlightenment?

[Rinpoche converses in Tibetan with the ?geshe.]

So anyway, there’s the word denpa that perhaps that may be “witness,” but I am not a hundred percent sure. So Buddha said to the mara, I think it might be probably the king of the mara, “You become the possessor of the desire realm by one offering one charity which doesn’t have a witness,” the last word may be witness, but I’m not sure. Anyway, so the essence is that. Then Buddha said, I did numberless times the offering charity, then why is it not possible that, is it possible that I don’t achieve enlightenment?

Then the mara said, “My witness that by my doing one offering charity become the possessor of desire realm is you, is the Buddha,” because Buddha said you become the possessor of the desire realm by having done one charity, one offering.

So then mara is saying, my witness is you, that I become possessor of the desire realm by making one charity, one offering. So then mara said, “Who is your witness that you did numberless times you made offering of charity?” Then the bodhisattva, the Buddha, then bodhisattva, then put hand like this, put the hand like this on the ground, then said, “This [Tibetan]: this earth is the place of all the transmigratory beings, the moving ones, unmoving ones, all equal, there is no closer or harboring, keeping in the mind, kind of keeping in the heart, bad, harboring, might be that. There is no closer and harboring. This is my witness I’m not a liar. So you should be my witness.”

Then the earth, when the Buddha said that, the whole earth moved, shaked six times. Then from the earth, the earth goddess came out, [Tibetan] earth goddess came out then with the two hands put together, smiled. Then said, the earth goddess told Buddha, [Tibetan] “You the great holy being, it is true what you said.” So she became the witness, the earth goddess. “It is exactly what you said, this is direct perception to me,” the earth goddess said. Then the earth goddess said, “But you are the witness of devas, the whole world,” earth goddess told. Then she disappeared. [pause]

Then the many mara girls showed various deceiving forms, magical, various magical deceiving, cunning, showing body uncovered and so forth, to distract Buddha’s holy mind. So Buddha abided in the concentration of ugliness. Then Buddha blessed these girls, these young girls showing magical deceiving forms, magical deceiving, showing beauty, all these bodies uncovered, so then the Buddha blessed to old ladies, transformed into old ladies.

Then the groups of maras are scattered away, so many maras they generated bodhicitta. Then Buddha abided in the meditation covering the sky. Then the Saka Dawa, it’s the name of the Tibetan fourth month, on the 15th, the dawn time, when the dawn rose then showed the holy deed, achieved enlightenment. Then the devas offered flowers, they offered so much flowers, so much flowers from the sky, that when you walk which reaches up to the knee. Then the whole earth, shaked. The whole world is illuminated, covered by light.