Teachings at Amitabha and White Tara Initiations and Retreat (Audio and Unedited Transcripts)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Shakyamuni Center, Taichung, Taiwan (Archive #1604)

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave these teachings during Amitabha and White Tara initiations and a White Tara retreat at Shakyamuni Center, Taichung, Taiwan, February 18-21, 2007. The teachings include lung  (oral transmission) of the Amitayus mantra and the long-life sutra. 

Please note: the teaching was being translated into Chinese and while we have edited those sections out, you may still occasionally hear the Chinese interpreter's voice in the background. 

Final Dedications

The reason why I said even before meet Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism, Buddhism that you learned is, by the kindness of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the reason why I said this is because His Holiness is the Compassion Buddha in this world in human form, so Compassion Buddha is embodiment of all the buddhas’ compassion. So therefore, you can see the connection, even before met Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism, whatever Buddhism you learned that every single correct understanding of Buddhism, every single purification, every single merit that you collect is by the kindness, is by this reason, that Compassion Buddha is the embodiment of all the buddhas’ compassion. So Compassion Buddha is the embodiment of Shakyamuni Buddha’s compassion, Avalokiteshvara, the embodiment of Shakyamuni Buddha’s compassion. So teaching that you learned is Shakyamuni Buddha’s teaching, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. So that means the same. So that means they are one, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha and Chenrezig they are one. They are one, mentally one, so here His Holiness the Dalai Lama is human form in this world to bring peace and happiness, preserve, spread Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s teaching, so therefore, so because they are one, Chenrezig and Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s one, so they are embodiment of each other, so therefore, His Holiness in human form of Chenrezig, so that’s the reason why I’m saying, even before that, it’s by the kindness of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Gang ri ra wäi

The next one, I didn’t see the English translation yet, I don’t [a couple of words missed], this is a prayer that head of the Nyingma lamas, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, who is also, from whom His Holiness received also initiation, requested His Holiness to give some prayer that he can recite every day to fulfill His Holiness’s holy wishes. So then His Holiness immediately came out this prayer from his holy mind and gave to, offered to Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

[Tibetan] The path that is unified of emptiness and compassion, the savior of the Snow Land, the transmigratory beings and the teachings, who highly propagated, or clarified, clarified or propagated, [Tibetan] to the Lotus in the Hand, Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness’s holy name, I request, may all your intentions, all the wishes be succeed immediately.

So that’s what it’s saying.

No, no Dudjom Rinpoche. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

[Rinpoche chants the prayer in Tibetan.]

Pal den la mai ku tshe…

Due to all the past, present, future merits collected by me, the three-time merits collected by others, may I be able to offer extensive benefit, skies of benefit to sentient beings, teaching of Buddha, like Lama Tsongkhapa, by having the same quality within me as Lama Tsongkhapa from now on in all the lifetimes, in every second to be like that.

Myself just being in this world, due to all the three-time merits collected by me, collected by others, others means numberless sentient beings, bodhisattvas and buddhas, then just myself just merely just being in this universe, world, country, area, place, house, just by that may all the sentient beings living in this universe, country, place, house, may their negative karma immediately get purified and just simply being here in this universe, world, country, area, place, house, then able to affect, able to be extremely beneficial to other sentient beings, so all the sentient beings living in this universe, world, country, area, place, house, may they negative karma immediately get purified and may their sickness immediately get healed, free from spirit harms and may they immediately find faith in refuge and karma and actualize loving kindness, compassion, bodhicitta and may all their wishes succeed immediately and complete the path, achieve enlightenment as quick as possible.

And war, famine, disease, torture, poverty, sicknesses and dangers of fire, water, air, earthquakes, any undesirable thing that’s happening in the world, may it be stopped immediately, whichever part of the world happening, may it be stopped immediately and may nobody in this world experience all these undesirable things, any of these undesirable things forever.

So, please dedicate all the merits in particular during these days, by having done the White Tara meditation, the long life and all the merits collected, due to all the three-time merits collected by oneself, the three-time merits collected by others, may the numberless hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, and then any students who passed away up to now, benefactors in this organization, may they immediately get liberated from the unimaginable sufferings of the three lower realms and be reborn in a pure land where they can be enlightened or may they receive a perfect human body, meet a perfectly qualified Mahayana guru, Mahayana teachings and may they achieve enlightenment as quick as possible.

Then one can include any family members who passed away then same, to include in this prayer.

Then due to all the three-time merits collected by me, the three-time merits collected by others, and especially all the merits collected by doing the long-life White Tara meditation, then [pause] oneself, all one’s family members, and then all the students in this organization, all the organizers and all the benefactors who support and particularly all those, so many of those who sacrifice their life to the organization in order to offer service to sentient beings, teaching of the Buddha and those who rely upon me, whom I promised to pray, whose name is given to me, who are doing service, everyone, may everybody have long life and to be healthy, so we include also all the resident teachers at the centers, here then Geshe Gyume and all the other, in all the centers, many resident teachers, so also have, everybody have the long life, then able to succeed all the spreading Dharma to sentient beings, all the wishes, whatever wishes to, benefiting others and attaining the path, then, so, same, all the organizers, all the students, and the supporters, all those who sacrifice their life to the organization doing service to others, everybody all the wishes be succeed immediately according to the holy Dharma and especially meet Lama Tsongkhapa’s stainless teaching, unified of sutra and tantra, in all our hearts to happen that in this very lifetime without delay even a second.

Then all the Sanghas in this organization, then able to also have long life and healthy body and mind and to complete the understanding of Dharma, as well as realizations of the path to enlightenment, in this very lifetime. Able to complete the lam-rim realizations in this very lifetime by receiving all the needs, all the protection in their life.

But here, there’s some Sanghas not here in the teachings, so not very happy of that, that if they have more important things to do than here listening to teachings then it’s very agreeable, or the retreat.

But if there’s no connection from beginning that’s different. But as, but if they have no connection from the beginning then it’s different.

But if something more important thing to do then of course that’s agreeable, if there’s more important things to do in the life than doing here retreat or listening the teaching, the retreat.

Then next, due to all the past, present, future merits collected by oneself, three-time merits collected by others, may all the, every single statue of Maitreya in this world, different parts of the world and all those accomplished as quickly as possible. And all the rest of the holy objects in the different parts of the world, which causes sentient beings, quickest way to purify their defilements and collect merits and change their mind, transforming their mind in the path to bodhicitta, right view, however, to achieve enlightenment quickly, all those to be succeed immediately without any obstacles, by receiving all the needs. And as well as continuing the offering service to all the monasteries and especially these large monasteries where the main place of learning the extensive Buddhadharma in this world and the other monasteries, and as well as support in the Sangha in this organization and also the monasteries, nunneries to build in different parts of the world, preserve Dharma, spread Dharma for sentient beings, all those to be succeed immediately by receiving all the needs, as well as all the various social services, doing hospice and prison project and printing the Dharma books and distributing in all the different parts of the world, different languages and all those, then, giving treatment for the sicknesses or giving food, shelter and the eye operation, so forth, all those, various ______ hospice and those various social services, all those to be, universal education, and this, to bring up the children or the young people, meaningful life, to grow up kind person that only bring peace and happiness to the world, to the family and to oneself, not become harmful. And also there’s, Peaceful, Loving Kindness Peaceful Youth, that’s another one that recent years has been setting up. So in Australia His Holiness is coming soon, near future His Holiness, soon His Holiness is coming to Australia, so one young student, so she organized so there’s supposed to be 10,000 young people, she organized to come, school children, 10,000 to hear from His Holiness, so this is another one, besides the Universal Education school this is a different one. So but the goal is the same, but the goal is the same, to help to solve the problems among the young people, drugs and all sorts of things, all the emotional problems, all sorts of things to solve and then to develop good heart, to learn various things, meditation and to offer…