Teachings from the Mahamudra Retreat (Audio and Unedited Transcript)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Adelaide, Australia (Archive #1443)

The following are excerpts of Lama Zopa Rinpoche's teachings at the Mahamudra Retreat hosted by Buddha House, in Mylor, South Australia, from 9 April to 4 May, 2004. These recordings do not form a complete record of the retreat, as they do not include teachings by other Sangha, various prayers and dedications, and portions of the initiations and secret teachings.

Day 3 Part A 2: Recitations from the combined Jorchö and Lama Chöpa Puja (continued)

[Verses 21-22 in Tibetan and English]

So here before we do the blessing the offerings, I would like to take the opportunity to explain the benefits of that mantra. It’s not just only blessing the offerings and that has power to multiply the offerings, each buddha, there are numberless buddhas, each buddha receives skies of offerings, whatever you offer, each buddha receives skies of offerings, so that’s why it’s called the mantra of the clouds of offerings.

So this mantra has, there are about eight benefits, from the Kangyur, from the Buddha’s teachings, Kangyur, maybe, it must be Lhasa print, so from the syllable ka, it follows the index of the (?) volume nga. I think, Western page, I think, it’s the thousand, then Tibetan page, I think, 29. Anyway, that doesn’t matter. Doesn’t matter. So anyway, nga, in the volume.

So, the minute when you remember this mantra, the buddhas abiding in the ten directions, how many of them? Equaling the number of the atoms of the sand grains of the Pacific Ocean. Here in the text usually it says ganga (?) nyi, ganga, but ganga is not only River Ganga. When you bless the wealth vase, I’m sorry, I think my mouth is very much used of wealth vase. So anyway, habituated with wealth vase. When you bless the vase, it talks about Ganga, the divine water Ganga, but that one is River Ganga, that’s the interpretive meaning, River Ganga, because that’s what Hindus they believe holy water and so forth. But the real meaning of Ganga, even that has definite meaning of the divine water of Ganga. The actual meaning of the divine water of the Ganga, when you bless the vase, what it says in the prayer, that is totally different, another one, totally different meaning, that is the transcendental wisdom of nondual bliss-voidness. So that’s the definite meaning of the divine water, Ganga. But here, in many of the texts when it talks about the benefits, it’s not the River Ganga, it’s the Pacific Ocean. It’s said by Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo in the commentary of the Bodhicaryavatara and in other teachings as well, as other lamas’ teachings, like that.

So the minute when you remember this mantra, the mantra of the clouds of offerings, you get the benefit having done offering towards buddhas abiding in ten directions. So, how many? Equaling the number of the atoms of the sand grains of the Pacific Ocean. So, that many buddhas. [Snaps fingers] You already get, the minute we remember the mantra, you get, you have done offering [snaps fingers], you got the benefit of having made the offering to that many buddhas.

And the second benefits having done prostration to all those buddhas. So you can see the mantra, this is not just, not easy mantra, anyway, benefit beyond from our imagination.

Then, you get benefit, third, get benefit having made offering flowers, incense, garlands of flowers, so the incense, the smoke, the scented smell and the substances, whatever it is, powder or whatever it is, stick incense, like that. Then, ornaments, the buddha’s holy body and it says powder, so might be some scented, must be, I think. And then robes, Dharma robes to the buddhas and having offered umbrella, banners and animals, make offering, animals. Then, food to the buddhas, so forth. And also ornaments. You get benefit having made all these offerings to that many number of buddhas, to all the buddhas abiding in the ten directions. So that’s number third.

Number fourth, you are free from all the negative karmas, that’s number fourth.

Number fifth, you have all the merits.

Then number sixth, that this causes to see all the buddhas, bodhisattvas, and so they liberate you, they give you breath, it says, completely, that’s what it says, means they liberate you.

Now the number seventh, I’m not sure some of those are, what, I don’t know exactly some of those beings, different types of beings, so only a little bit, so can be checked later, just the Tibetan word, the name, and then can be checked later with the, yeah, those maybe good translators or from books. So, number seven, the benefit what you get by reciting this mantra is you are protected, so like this, nagas, devas, harm-givers, it’s called nöjin, harm-giver, but I’m not sure whether this means actually giving harm, but I think maybe giving protection to you from harm, could be that. In Tibetan it’s called nöjin, but in round, the Medicine Buddha has entourage, the twelve great groups of nöjin, yeah, just simply having made offering to the Medicine Buddha, you are protected every day of those twelve great groups of nöjin, and they are surrounded by seven hundreds of protectors, so they all protect you if you make, everyday life if you make offering to Medicine Buddha, so just from that. So anyway, so there’s many nöjins there. It’s my guess is that, there may be also nöjins who give harm like that, but my guess is here, depend on whom you use this word, maybe means giving protection to you from harm, could be that.

Then, the smell-eaters, those spirits, the intermediate state beings, smell-eaters, people died and born there in the intermediate state, so then things like that, smell-eater, where we do the sur, particular aim to (?) bring the sur practice is giving, like food for them. Then, asuras, then garudas, so there’s different types of beings, cannot tell what, not really idea, the (?) myemchi. So if you write down the Tibetan, then you’ll find later. (?) Memchi, and Dorche Chenpo, this may be naga, I think, might be naga, maybe Dorche Chenpo, anyway, Dor-che, Dor-che Chenpo.

So all those beings, then Vajrapani, so forth, the Owner of the Secrecy, that’s Vajrapani’s name, and the four guardians, they always follow you, they’re always after you, not always after you to catch you, not that. They always follow you, they always perfectly follow you and protect you and guide you and then maybe there’s some harms, others, other people or other beings giving harm, they hide you from that.

Then, number eight, you, when you die, your consciousness transferred from here, then you get born in the Amitabha Buddha pure land, Blissful Realm.

So these qualities, benefits of mantra, without to do retreat, just remembering the, once remembering the mantra you will achieve. Just merely remembering the mantra you achieve.

So I thought to take the opportunity to explain here the, this mantra that I often recite even during the, not every single eating, but as much as possible, even try to use that often with the offerings, before, after the food is blessed then often try to recite this mantra, even though it’s not common to recite food offering this, but because multiplying so that was the main reason, blessing and multiplying, so I was reciting the, so every, in our daily life, every single opportunity that you can collect, every time that you can collect most extensive merit, you collect merit but most extensive merit you can do, so we want any kind of, we want all the happiness, so then therefore you must create all the cause of happiness, the merit, however, the merit one must attempt the largest, the greatest, most extensive, so makes easy to achieve enlightenment, then all other success.

But here now the benefit is not just that, there’s all these eight benefits. So I thought it wasn’t too bad, I thought that I wasn’t too bad using this mantra for even the food blessing. It wasn’t completely crazy. So, just, Buddha is so compassionate for us sentient beings, so making available these mantras that so easy to purify and, so easy to purify our negative karma and so easy to collect extensive merit and to however, conclusion then to achieve realizations (?) quicker and to achieve enlightenment.

So we bless the, chant. So here now I want to emphasize, must memorize the mantra, must memorize, because you can’t bring, I mean the prayer book doesn’t always come with you in the restaurant when you eat food, prayer book doesn’t come in the office, anyway, I’m just joking anyway. So the, anyway, so anyway everybody should, must memorize, if you haven’t memorized this mantra, it’s a great loss, it’s a great loss. Even just thinking blessing and multiplying, and that multiplying, each buddha receives skies of offerings, just even from that, without knowing all those, without all those other benefits. So it’s such an easy way to achieve happiness, enlightenment, and then if you don’t do it, so there’s no more crazy than that, there’s no more foolish than that. It makes, animals they can’t because they don’t have human body, but we have a human body, all the opportunity, so if we don’t do it, then that looks more foolish than the animals, because they can’t do it. Even they wish, how much they wish, but they can’t do it, there’s no way to do, they can’t read, they can’t learn letters, they can’t, cannot understand the meanings or cannot recite. So therefore, even how much they wish, the would like, but can’t. So, and a human being can, because of the human body which gives all the opportunities. So then if one doesn’t do, then this is your own, there’s nobody to complain to, it’s all loss, it’s your own loss. There’s no complaining to Buddha, there’s no complaining to the bodhisattvas, no complaining to sentient beings, it’s all one’s own, yeah, maybe, not knowing how important it is and maybe not seeing the value of the practice and also maybe laziness. This is not long, just very short mantra. So and many, they do normally, they use that, recite by heart, so it’s good. So once you have in your heart, then wherever you are you can do that, even you’re not with the prayer books, in all those places, so yeah, in the airplanes or wherever, I’m just using an example, so every time you can collect, every time you get these eight benefits, by reciting three times. So even just in the first one, there are numberless buddhas, each buddha receives skies of offerings, so even just that is, just that is amazing, just that is amazing, just that, how much merit you collect, so I’m not going to go through much here now.

So then, blessing all the offerings here, all the lights, not only what’s at the altar but all the lights here, all the extensive offerings that which are in all the FPMT centers’ gompas and all the extensive offerings, in the United States, Aptos house, where I live, in California, Aptos house, so there are many, so many hundreds of water offerings and so many, now must be nighttime there so so many thousands of light offerings, light offerings inside and outside, so many, and tea offering and food offering there. Also Washington, the retreat house, which is called Amitabha Buddha Pure Land, again there’s so many, two rooms so many water offerings and so many thousands of light offerings outside and inside. So, I have been, recent times I have been mentioning at the different centers that, no question about students in the FPMT organization, even people from outside, when they do sadhana, whenever they do seven-limb practice of making offering, they can use all the offerings that arranged by the monks and nuns, the nuns there, who live there, who, all those, Aptos house all those extensive offerings and Washington, they can remember that and make offering. Not only the students in the FPMT but even outside people, anyone can make those offerings when they do, during their practice. So I’ve been advertising that. Advertising that everybody can make offering, can remember, so it’s for everybody to collect merit. So by the way I thought to bring up this here also.

Also, so either, one doesn’t have time to make offering, extensive offering or one can’t afford or one doesn’t have space to make extensive offering at the house, so having arranged, so therefore one can offer all those extensive offerings, like that. If you’re in the car, remember those offerings then offer. Even one can’t think of much, but at least offer to the gurus and that you collect the most extensive merit. Even in the car, while driving or whatever, or even one is walking can do that.

[Verse of offering then offering cloud mantra 3 times]

The purpose of my life is to free all sentient beings from all the sufferings and causes, bring them to enlightenment; therefore I must achieve enlightenment; therefore I’m going to make charity of all these offerings, offerings here, all the extensive offerings that which are in the FPMT Centers’ gompas, in all the Center, then those Washington, Aptos house, all those extensive offerings, I’m going to make charity and make offering. So first all these offerings that I mentioned, make charity to every hell being, all the offerings that which are in all the FPMT Centers’ gompas we can offer, any center, and Aptos house, Washington, all those then so make charity to every hell being. [Pause] Every hungry ghost, every animal, every human being, every sura being, asura being, intermediate state being.

So the point is that by having made charity to them and if you offer on their behalf or either together with oneself, yourself represent all sentient beings and make offering on behalf of everybody, or together with oneself, so this way every sentient being, they get merit. So even human beings, there are so many people who have lost jobs or who could not find job for years, so much difficulties in their earning a living, and there are so many people who are homeless and sick, so like this, so many people lost jobs, failed in business, so all those require merits for their happiness, for success, so this way everybody get merits, cause of happiness, become help for the success of their happiness. So the idea to make charity first, before you make offering is that, taking that opportunity to benefit for all sentient beings.

So now, all the offerings here which are in the nature of infinite bliss, all the extensive offerings that which are in the FPMT Centers’ gompas, which is nature of infinite bliss, all the offerings Washington, Aptos house, which is nature of infinite bliss, so now offer. First offer to the holy gurus, by meditating that their essence is all the guru, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, each one is all the guru, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, all the ten direction holy objects. [Pause]

Prostrate with your two palms together towards all of them.

Now next, offer all the offerings here, which is nature of infinite bliss, as well as all the extensive offerings that which are in all the FPMT Centers’ gompas and Aptos house, Washington, all these extensive offerings, which are nature of infinite bliss. Offer to all the rest of the Guru Puja merit field, meditating their essence is the root virtuous friend from one’s own side. [Pause] Generated infinite bliss in them. And put the two palms together, prostrate towards all of them.

Now next, all the offerings here and in the FPMT centers’ gompas and Washington, Aptos house, all those extensive offerings, which are nature of infinite bliss, offer towards all the ten direction Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, by meditating essence is the root virtuous friend from one’s own side.

Then offer towards all the ten direction statues, stupas, scriptures, all the ten direction statues, every single statue, stupa, scriptures, Buddha’s relics, any other forms of holy objects, such as, yeah, so like that. By meditating their essence, all their essence is the root virtuous friend from one’s own side. Generated infinite bliss within them. [Pause]

So that’s the, so there’s more offerings to do, but that can be other times. So we do the prayer there.

[Rinpoche chants verses 23-31]

So here the part, the five desire enjoyments, or five sense enjoyments, then here you do, one visualize skies of eight auspicious signs, eight substances and seven royalty and those sixteen, from the Chakrasamvara, sixteen the goddesses carrying the various offerings or as vast as one can, think of and make offering. And generated bliss in the holy mind of the merit field, so that’s the very essence of offering.

[Ven. Sarah: Page 34, verse 32]

Can read in English, the mandala and then offering the practice, all that, so I think everything read in English.

[Group starts to recite verse 32]

No, no, no, no, no. Not the mandala offering, just from the mandala offering. Just from mandala, je wa trag gyai... in English.

[Group recites verse 32 in English, Requesting Prayer, verses 33-37]

So here extremely urgency and important, most urgent rescue or the safety or the actual fundamental method that makes possible to achieve enlightenment, to be able to enlighten all, liberate numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and bring them in full enlightenment, so bodhisattva vow and then the next, tantric vow, then, since it is so unbearable that sentient beings suffering even one second, so therefore to liberate them, to enlighten them as quick as possible, so then one need to achieve enlightenment as quick as possible. What makes to do that is only if one live in tantric vow, so taking the bodhisattva, tantric vow, then what has been degenerated, make pure and what is not degenerated, it increases. And also have to understand, and also by taking the vow a few times a day that helps, so the root vows to not receive root fall, complete root fall, as you have gone through yesterday, bodhisattva vow, like that, then as well as tantric vow, so by taking the vow again and again in one day, it helps, it becomes, for example, even the safety, in the airplane before you, in the airplane, the hostess they explain always the regulation, the safety-ness. So however, if you don’t have negative karma, even the airplane is crashed, you don’t get reborn in the lower realms; but if there’s negative karma, if the vows are degenerated and not revived, then one get reborn in the lower realms, in those hells. So, that living in these three levels of vows, pure, of course itself become protection, itself become protection from those, even those dangers, like those airplanes, those obstacles of traveling, all the dangers, itself become protection from those. So anyway, so if one doesn’t have negative karma then even death happens, the consciousness can go to pure land, can achieve higher, better rebirth and practice Dharma better.

So therefore now here, like that safety in the airplane always emphasized, make sure the people study or read, to be ready in case something happens. So now here, that death can happen any day, even today, in any moment death can happen, so therefore, taking the vows again and again becomes the best protection, safety, safety from the lower realms, where you cannot, no opportunity to practice Dharma, to learn Dharma and to practice Dharma. So, it helps to not, even there’s some part it’s happened, but it helps to not receive root fall, complete root fall, the four things need to be gathered to become root fall, most of the precepts, bodhisattva, tantric vow. So, to receive complete root fall, so it helps for that, even such as heresy, those things which doesn’t require the four things, then also by taking the vow again it helps to not continue the negative karma, that heavy negative karma.

So however also the tantric root vow, if one broke, then every second create karma to be in the heaviest, lowest, the hot hell realm, (?) na-me, (?) nyawar na-me, it’s called, there many eons, how many seconds passes having broke tantric vow, then that many eons one has to abide there, suffer. So therefore, the minute when you’ve taken the vow again, so it stops that continuity, stops that continuity of that karma to abide eons equaling each second, to be born there and suffer, so that’s unbelievable, unbelievable source of happiness, risk, safety. So it has many importance like this.

Therefore, think, I’m going to take the bodhisattva vow, okay. Then, tantric vow. Yeah, so English.

[Group takes bodhisattva vows]

Received pure bodhisattva vow, think that, in the presence of the merit field.

Do you have the prayer of the short one, the tantric vows, the short one?

[Group takes tantric vows]

Received pure tantric vow, what has been degenerated has been restored, what is not degenerated, increased.

Now read in English, thog me du nä, English.

[Group reads verses 38-39]

Rejoice one’s own all the past, numberless past, present, future merits. There’s, without merit there’s no happiness, no one single success, so they’re so precious, how fortunate I am. So by thinking of all that past, present, future merit then thinking, remember that in the heart, how it’s so precious, then think how fortunate how I or how wonderful it is. So either way, whatever makes you to feel happiness, just repeat that over and over. [Very long pause]

Rejoice other sentient beings’ merit, their all the numberless past, present, future merits, which includes bodhisattvas. Then all the buddhas, their past, present, future merits. Then all the sentient beings, which they can, from that which they can receive so much, all the temporary, ultimate happiness, up to enlightenment. And bodhisattvas, buddhas, they use the merit to benefit for us sentient beings, rejoice their three-time merits. [Long pause]

May I be able to collect that much merit for the benefit of every single sentient being.

Now do the rest part of the prayer.

[Group recites verses 40-42]

Then, the mandala offering and the three great purpose.

[Long mandala and request for the three great purposes; nine-line migtsema 3 times; requesting the guru; visualization (p.57)]

Do in English, the qualities.

[Group recites verses 43-54, ge wa di yi....]

Also we collect inconceivable, so many times numberless merit this time, during these sessions, so not only we dedicate to achieve enlightenment, but one must seal with the emptiness, so that to protect from heresy and anger, those to not get destroyed by, to not become weaker, dedicate to achieve enlightenment so that the merit doesn’t get completely destroyed and by relating with emptiness, so even the merit is dedicated to achieve enlightenment, it doesn’t get weaker, it doesn’t become smaller, weaker.

Due to all the past, present, future merits collected by me, three-time merits collected by others, which appeared existing from their own side, but it’s totally nonexistent, that which is totally nonexistent, may the I, who appeared existing from its own side but in reality it’s totally nonexistent, that one is totally nonexistent, empty, achieve Lama Losang Thubwang Dorje Chang’s, Guru Vajradhara’s enlightenment, which appears existing from its own side but in reality there’s no such thing, totally nonexistent, empty, lead all the sentient beings, who appear as real one from their own side, but which is totally nonexistent, empty, to that enlightenment, which appears also real one from its own side, that which is totally nonexistent, empty, by myself alone, which also appears real one from there, from its own side, but in reality it’s totally nonexistent, empty.

Jang chub sem chog....

So, in the, sometime, I don’t know whether the last part, the section of lam-rim or before that make the requesting prayer, depending on the time. So then can do, complete the lam-rim prayer or maybe end of the initiation or however some time this afternoon can be done that.

So with the food transformed into nectar, all the food in the kitchen transformed in nectar. Make offering for the benefit of, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings.

La ma sang gye.....

Due to all the three-time merits collected by me, by others, may I and all sentient beings, may I and then one’s own family members, all of us here, all the organization who here, who arranged the course, and all the rest of the sentient beings, may we always meet, never be separated away from guru, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha in all the lifetimes and to always collect merit by making offering to guru, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha and receive blessings of the guru, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, that which is realizations from guru devotion up to enlightenment, especially bodhicitta, clear light, to be actualized within oneself and in everyone’s, here the organizers, all of us, then numberless sentient beings who died in the evolution of this food, who suffered in the evolution of this food, who created negative karma harming others and who did work for this food, in all their hearts, and the hearts of all sentient beings.

Oh, I left out OM AH HUM. I just remembered. Then I lost. So offer the nectar food, so we bless with OM AH HUM then offer the Guru Puja merit field, so offer Guru Puja merit field, which is the root virtuous friend, and it’s all the guru, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, all the ten direction holy objects, so can (?) do like that.

OM AH HUM, OM AH HUM, OM AH HUM.

Okay, so good afternoon.