It is said in the teachings that morality is like the earth, for the running and the non-running. [Running means sentient beings and non-running means the earth.] The Buddha taught that morality is the support and foundation for all good qualities.

Keeping extremely pure morality is very important. This is the root of the Buddha’s teachings. There is great benefit if we maintain and protect our morality well, but there are many shortcomings if we do not.

Whether the teachings of the Buddha exist in this world or not depends on the root of morality, the pratimoksha vows.

The Vinaya text Lung shi contains a definition of how the holy Dharma exists:

The teachings of the holy Dharma exist only when the Vinaya activities are done precisely.

If the activities of the Vinaya such as the sojong, gar nä and yar nä [the Sangha confession ceremony, the rains retreat and the conclusion of the rains retreat] are not practiced, the teachings are not Buddhadharma and the holy Dharma has degenerated. Even the existence of bodhisattvas with high tantric realizations doesn’t meet the definition for the existence of the teachings of Buddha. Therefore the Buddha said in the Pratimoksha Sutra,

When I pass into the sorrowless state, morality will be your Buddha.

He meant that after his passing, the morality in our mental continuum would be his regent. Thinking in this way, we must preserve the vinaya, our morality.

In the sutra Langru Do, which was given on Langru mountain, Shakyamuni Buddha said,

At that time the Destroyer Qualified Gone Beyond One (the Buddha) proclaimed to the devas, the four guardians and so forth, “Son of the race, you can’t accomplish what you have promised without perseverance. Son of the race, I have borne hardships for three countless great eons to give these teachings. Offering to the stupa Gomang Sela Genda, including the country, I hand over to you devas. Protect this! Devas, remember this, keep this, and protect the teachings of Buddha.”

Regarding Gomang Senla Genda, this is the Swambunath stupa, not the one we see on top, but the crystal stupa inside the mountain that was not made by people.

Anyone who renounces the householder’s life (rab tu chung na) and lives in the ordination to achieve liberation from the oceans of samsaric suffering, protects those who have taken this vow (rabjung).

Why? Because even one lay person, who every day for hundreds of years collects extensive merits cannot compare with the merit of someone who has renounced the householder’s life and is living in the vow of the teachings for just one day. The person living in the vows collects unbelievably far greater merit than the other person. There’s no comparison.

This is the reason that buddhas equaling the number of sand grains of the Ganga all abandoned the householder’s life, lived in the ordination of renunciation, and through that conduct completed the six qualities gone beyond and the ten grounds, and achieved great enlightenment.

This is what is said in the teachings. I hope you read this again and again.

Regarding Lawudo, you emphasized giving teachings to Western people and having Sangha like before, but you did not think about having a monastery or building a monastery.

Kopan Monastery started from Lawudo. [Young monks came to Kopan from Solu Khumbu region.]

If you start a monastery with monks who live in pure morality and take responsibility for giving teachings on different things, such as lamrim, subduing the mind, dura, and some beginning debate, then after some time the new monks can go to Kopan. So it is very important to start a monastery. Although it is expensive, you can start slowly with a small number of monks. Then depending on how many monks come, they can learn the Tibetan alphabet, grammar and those things.

Starting a monastery means the teachings of the Buddha are preserved in Solu Khumbu. Even though there are other monasteries there, this should happen as much as possible. Having as many monasteries as possible is unbelievable for the country, for the people. Also, the monks can do pujas for the people. The people need an object of refuge, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, so [the monastery is] preserving the teachings of Buddha. This is incredibly lucky for the country. Even if there is only one bhikshu preserving the vinaya, the ordination, it’s unbelievable, it’s very, very good.

Also maybe some Western Sangha can help give talks to other Western people sometimes, if there are no Tibetan or Sherpa monks who have experience in teaching Westerners.

When Sangha come to Lawudo to give Dharma talks to the people, even teaching one verse is unbelievable, unbelievable. This is most beneficial for the minds of the sentient beings, who have been suffering in the oceans of samsara due to ignorance, not knowing Dharma and not practicing Dharma.

It is said in the teachings that the number of sand grains of the river Ganga—that number of worlds filled with gold, diamonds and so forth—by giving one verse of the Buddha’s teaching to one sentient beings, we collect unbelievable merit. Then if we give Dharma to two sentient beings, it’s double the merit, and if there are three sentient beings, triple the merit.

So you must realize this. Thank you very much.