Prayers for Afghanistan

Prayers for Afghanistan

Date of Advice:
September 2021
Date Posted:
October 2021

Students at a Dharma center asked what they could do for the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul in August 2021, when hundreds of thousands of Afghans were displaced by Taliban militants. Rinpoche advised these prayers for peace in Afghanistan and the world.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Maitripa College, 2010. Photo by Marc Sakamoto.

For Afghanistan, Padmasambhava prayers came out best: the prayer for simultaneous success, Sampa Lhundrupma, (100,000 times) and the prayer for quick success, Sampa Nyur Drupma, (300,000 times). It is good for these prayers to be recited at the nunnery, but not the best.* 

Also, recitation of the Prajnaparamita in 8,000 verses (Tib: gye tong pa) five times. It’s best if this is recited at the nunnery of Kyabje Sengtra Rinpoche, who has passed away now. He received all his teachings orally from his guru, then he meditated and achieved the path—like the lama from Zigar Monastery who I received lungs from. He received teachings in the same way, and became learned, pure in morality and good-hearted, and he teaches his disciples in the same way.

Drugchuma puja: to be recited one hundred times by Gyume Monastery in India. Actually, it came out to do thousands of these, but start with one hundred.

I have composed this dedication for Afghanistan. My request is to have great peace in Afghanistan, for the people not to be tortured by the Taliban (the people’s great fear), and for the Afghan people and the Taliban to have great peace.

[Recite the Dedication Prayers recommended by Rinpoche, followed by this dedication especially for Afghanistan.]

May the people of Afghanistan never be born in the lower realms, may everyone generate loving kindness and compassion, be kind-hearted, not harm each other and benefit each other. May they generate bodhicitta in this life, and only benefit others in this and future lives, bringing them liberation from samsara and enlightenment.

May the rest of the world, not only Afghanistan, also be like that, having loving kindness and compassion based on education. May all beings benefit each other, stop harming and give happiness.

For our own peace (and also for others) may we have satisfaction and contentment, free from drugs, alcohol, uncontrolled sex and other things like that, for which we end up in prison or are executed.

May everyone practice forgiveness and when we make mistakes or harm others may we immediately apologize, thus bringing peace to the world.

May all beings practice the source of happiness, ethical discipline, as His Holiness says, and ultimately, may everyone achieve enlightenment as soon as possible.

May there be much freedom, and perfect peace and happiness in our own country. May everyone generate loving kindness and compassion, and patience, all this, and may all beings have a positive mind, only benefiting each other.

* The Padmasambhava prayers recommended by Rinpoche were recited by Kopan Nunnery and sponsored by the FPMT center in Hong Kong.