/Whichever way, whichever accent, or whichever way one recite mantra, mainly the success, the power of the mantra or the result of the mantra, accomplishing the result from the mantra that depends on how much faith that one has, which way of reciting one has more faith in it. [gap in recording] how much correctly you recite, it depends mainly which way of reciting you have more faith.

Probably, those who have heard teachings for a long time, you’ve heard this story already. Why it depends so much faith that, one story is to do with the Chunda, the deity’s called Chunda. So there was one old mother, [gap in recording] the deity Chunda’s mantra and she was able to cook the stone with that mantra, eat. That must be [gap in recording] normally you don’t need to eat stone, but maybe that might be method for, maybe method when there’s a famine or maybe who are living in very isolated place, difficult to get food, might be something like that, I would think. Otherwise why you need to cook stone and eat while there’s plenty of food?

So old mother was reciting, she was reciting mantra, the actual mantra is OM CHALE CHULE CHUNDE SOHA, but she has been reciting OM BALE BULE BUNDE SOHA, totally wrong way. Totally wrong.

So her son who was a getsul, living in thirty-six vows, came to home, came back to home and heard the mother reciting OM BALE BULE BUNDE SOHA. So her son, the getsul, corrected her saying, that’s wrong, that you should recite OM CHALE CHULE CHUNDE SOHA. Then she tried to recite, OM CHALE CHULE CHUNDE SOHA she tried to recite that way but she was unable to cook the stone with the correct mantra. With the OM BALE BULE BUNDE SOHA, the one that she had been reciting the wrong way, she was able to cook the stone. There’s a result, she was able to accomplish the result even though the mantra was totally wrong, so I think what happened was, she had more faith, maybe, even though it’s correct but she didn’t have faith in that. So seems the stone didn’t get cooked by the correct mantra.

Then the other one is, one lama, somebody came to request for teachings. Maybe I mention this story first, anyway. One person came to ask for teachings from the lama. So this lama was, anyway, maybe busy or something, this lama told, Your nose is like raksha. That person must have a big nose. Hole, like raksha is a big mala that sadhu’s wear, very rough. So the person must have a big nose, I think, with a lot of holes. So then the lama told, Your nose is like a raksha.

So then the other person thought the lama taught him, gave a teaching, gave him mantra. So he believed that this is a mantra, Your nose is like a raksha.

So then he kept chanting, Your nose is like a raksha. He had been chanting for a long time, and then he became a very famous healer by chanting that. He was able to help so many people. So one day the lama who taught that, who told that, the lama had some infection, some, in the throat. So then the attendant, well, I guess nothing helped him for long time. So the attendant said there is a famous healer arrived in the valley, in the area, so actually that person. So the lama said, yes, okay. So then when they invited to this person, he was that person, so he came and then he recited this, Your nose is like a raksha to the lama.

So the lama burst out laughing. The lama burst into laughter, so because the lama burst into laughter, so this infection, so the pus came out. Got better. And so that’s the story.

[Translator: Rinpoche, the raksha means….?]

The raksha, the sadhus, they wear a big mala, very long, very rough mala. Very rough, very big, I think maybe this size.

So the conclusion it’s due to their faith. They recite, the achievement from mantra is mainly due to the faith, it’s not how much correctly you recite.

Similar, as you know the story that mother, Buddha’s relic, wanted so much Buddha’s relic, and then the son forgot, he did not find or forgot to bring this relic back to home, so then suddenly remembered on the way back to home that his mother had asked him to bring Buddha’s relic. So then he picked up a dog’s bone and gave it to his mother, This is Buddha’s relic. So the mother has been worshipping every day and then actual relic came out of the bone. Even though it’s a dog bone but she worshiped as Buddha’s relic not dog bone. Buddha’s relic. So one day actual relic came out. So the main cause of the relic is not the bone, bone is just a condition. Main cause of Buddha’s relic came from her devotion.

So same thing here mantra, the result, achievement, result, effect, came from the faith. The mantra is just the condition but actually the cause is the faith.

Then another person also came for teachings, another person came when the lama was so busy, asking for teachings, so the lama said ?Su ma ra le za, maybe that’s Sanskrit, I’m not sure, it’s not Tibetan. And he did like this [Rinpoche motions], means go away. ?Su ma ra la za means go away. So he did like this. But then the person thought he received teachings, so ?su ma ra la za. So the person thought this is a mudra. This doing like this, this is a mudra. ?Su ma ra la za, so thought he received teaching or a mantra and so he kept on reciting ?su ma ra la za, and then from that he also got some [gap in recording].

So I think these things and the mother who devoted to the dog bone as Buddha’s relic and actually got Buddha’s relic, what she wanted, so these stories has also a connection, these stories have also, makes to understand the guru devotion. These stories are also connected to that, helps to understand guru devotion and how that, it helps your attainment realizations of the path, including the ultimate goal, enlightenment. You get also idea from that.

So without that, if the disciple’s side doesn’t practice guru devotion, then nothing happens. There’s similarity like that also in the guru devotion.

At Buxa, there’s a place, it was a concentration camp before. There’s, during Monlam, I think, the Monlam that is arranged by Lama Tsongkhapa, the great, celebration called prayer, that is combined with the Lama Tsongkhapa’s [gap in recording] to benefit for sentient beings [gap in recording] the examination of the monks, those who have ?done the lifetime study and after they went through the classes and studied all of the five major Buddhist philosophical texts, sutra texts, then they have examination in the Monlam, while there’s all the monks from Sera, Sera Me and Je, Ganden, the two, Jangtse and Shartse, and then Drepung, Loseling and Gomang, then the other monasteries, among the many, many, all the learned monks, then they have examination on the five basic philosophical texts. The Pramanavartika and vinaya, and the Abhisamayalmakarika, the teaching taught by Maitreya Buddha, and Madhyamika teachings.

So, and also in the mornings, the Gaden Tripa, who is the regent of Lama Tsongkhapa talks about the Buddha’s life stories, Jataka Tales, the Buddha’s past-life bodhisattva life stories to inspire the people how Buddha sacrificed his life to other sentient beings and followed the path. So to inspire, to remember Buddha’s kindness, and to inspire to the people to be able to follow the practice of how Buddha did.

Then other times, many prayers dedicated for people, it is for the monks themselves to complete their studies and realizations, as well as the people who ask, so people who come to make offerings during this Monlam, so many people come and make so much offering, money offering, tea offering, food offering, so forth. So the monks then they recite many prayers, and dedicated sentient beings particularly those benefactors.

So anyway, so the Lama Tsongkhapa is so skillful that, because in these fifteen days, one collect 100 million merit, whatever offering one does becomes 100 million. So Lama Tsongkhapa combined together the monks’, the examination, doing these activities, reading Buddha’s life stories and then, the lay people to come there to make offerings, butter lamps and offerings to the Sanghas, so forth.

So like that Monlam started in India, at Buxa. So during those, one of the Monlam, also, I think very hot, that, this part of India is very hot, especially at Buxa where the concentration camp was. Very, very hot. So anyway, there was one monk, so in the, the monks they sit by lined up. So one monk said, I’m sick, I have a fever. So the next monk, from that the monk told, he rolled his body like this, then the dirt on the body he made pill and he gave it to the next monk, I don’t know what he told him, anyway, and the next monk took and his fever is gone, recovered.

So anyway, I mean, this monk maybe could be holy being, but I’m not sure, anyway, but what story sounds is, gave this dirt saying this is a blessed pill, I’m not sure what it is, then the other person took it with faith and his fever is gone.

So the faith is, so the, say, these are, in the mantras, in the guru devotion and so forth, these are faith that, it’s useful faith, because if you have that then you achieve, you have the attainment, you achieve enlightenment. The disciple can achieve enlightenment. So it is most useful. It is most [gap in recording].

So by reason, because the effect, great effect what it has, then that’s why should practice, the faith. Okay? Now we’re going to start.

[The group repeats after Rinpoche the ?longest Chenrezig mantra.]

So finally finished.

Okay, so I think maybe they should chant NAMO RATNA TRAYAYA.

[pause]

[The group chants NAMO RATNA TRAYAYA…]/

And then without wandering mind, one focus on Compassion Buddha. Then recite this mantra, this is the way to do, this is how it is explained here in the text, in the teachings, in the text, the way to recite the mantra.

So before reciting this mantra, remember Amitabha Buddha. First remember Amitabha Buddha, then one-pointedly concentrate on Compassion Buddha, then recite this. Because, the reason is, Compassion Buddha became enlightened in the essence of Amitabha Buddha. In other words, the crown deity, the buddhas, different deities have different crown deity, from five types of buddha, so one of them on their crown. Also on the statue having that buddha on the crown. So like Maitreya Buddha has a stupa, which represents Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, respecting, so become, even after enlightenment, respecting to Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, respecting to the guru.

So like that, other deities have, one of the, from five types of buddha, one of the buddhas on the crown. So one way it means become enlightened in that essence, also means still respecting the guru after, even after enlightenment, it has these significations. So might be that. So first, think of Amitabha Buddha. And then so the way to recite this ?mantra, so what you can do is, at the beginning you can chant some Amitabha mantra, by thinking of Amitabha Buddha, then recite this mantra.

[pause]

[Rinpoche and group chant in Tibetan.] [music]

So whatever music we offer, it has inconceivable benefit. Whatever music we offer to Buddha, it has inconceivable benefit. So therefore, immediately it become cause to achieve enlightenment, by the way it become cause to achieve liberation from samsara, it becomes cause to achieve good rebirth, all the happiness of future lives, so then by the way, so much merit in this life. So therefore, as many music as you can offer, [gap in recording] so very good opportunity to collect merit.

The sound of the drums, cymbals, bells, any sound, it causes to have temporary benefit, very sweet voice. Like those famous singers, whose, their voice that, everybody gets drawn, everybody’s so enchanted. So like this, those benefits and there are other causes, but also offering music to Buddha, becomes cause of that. Then with that quality one can benefit so many sentient beings, so many sentient beings get drawn and you can lead them, bring them to enlightenment. As well as, then Buddha’s holy speech. The ultimate Buddha’s holy speech, that sentient beings how much they listen, never, can never be satisfied. So like the holy body, very enchanting. So anyway like that, the qualities of Buddha, one achieves the qualities of Buddha’s holy speech.

So it’s very good to use during the offering part, to use there, music here, the big gong and the bell, whatever it is. So very good opportunity to offer very good music there to Compassion Buddha, so somebody to offer, to beat during the music, it’s extremely good. The big one, and then the small ones, very good to use, somebody to use, to ring that during the offering. So much merit you collect. That’s such a great sound.

This, what’s it called? This is a bell or what is this?

[Rinpoche chants in Tibetan, with recurring short gaps in recording; Rinpoche chants Presenting the Offerings to the front generation.]