Bodhgaya Teachings: 2006 (Audio and Unedited Transcript)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Root Institute, Bodhgaya, India 2006 (Archive #1588)

Days 1-3 of teachings given at Root Institute, Bodhgaya, India, December 26-31, 2006. Included are a Maitreya Buddha puja, teachings and meditations on Maitreya, and oral transmissions of the Maitreya mantra, Maitreya prayer and King of Prayers.

Click on the audio links to listen to that portion of the teaching and read along with the unedited transcript. You can listen to Days 4-6 here.

Day Two: How happiness comes from sentient beings; Food offering

The other thing is that, just some meditation, one or two techniques of meditation you spend whole your life, reach nowhere. Reach nowhere. Must make possible to be free from the cycle of death and rebirth, old age, sickness, all this, to be free forever from these sufferings, we should look for that. Total liberation. Totally to be free from the whole entire suffering of samsara, we should look for that. So to finish the suffering, to end. So that depends on removing the cause of the suffering, delusion and karma, karma and delusion, their cause, the negative imprint. So for that, we need to actualize the path to liberation, the true path, to achieve cessation we need to actualize true path, so we need to study. We need to study all those, all the whole entire path, which removes those disturbing-thought obscurations, those seed of delusion. So need to study, reflect and meditate, make familiarized with that, to have the realization then develop that. So we need to that. Otherwise, same story, we die, reborn. Otherwise, as long as we don’t remove the cause of the suffering, the karma and delusion, the seed of delusion, from where the delusion rises, completely remove, as long as we don’t do that, by actualizing the path, as long as we don’t do that, same story. Again we reincarnate, suffer the same thing, which we experienced numberless times, which we experienced, nothing new, even the form realm, the desire realm, where there’s a billion greatest sense enjoyment, pleasure, sensual pleasure, we are born there numberless times.

And in the form realm where there’s no suffering of pain, we are born there numberless times through development of shamatha, calm abiding meditation, those sam ten, firm contemplation, achieving those we did numberless times, born there numberless times. That’s nothing special, that’s another samsaric realm.

And formless realm, where there’s no suffering, not only there’s no suffering of pain but there’s no suffering of change, the temporary samsaric pleasure, which nature is only suffering, where there’s not those two other sufferings. But the formless realm is not free from pervasive suffering, the pervasive compounding suffering being under the control of karma and delusion, contaminated seed of, the consciousness contaminated seed of delusion, so which compounds suffering, which comes out again future rebirth, there. So then when you finish that karma again you reincarnate in the hell realm, hungry ghost, again same thing, so circle round, round, round like this, we did numberless times.

So therefore now, what we should look for, to achieve the path to liberation, the complete path to achieve liberation, so then we need to study, meditate and actualize. So that we need to do in this life. We can’t plan next life. Next life we can’t say, again to have such a precious human body to practice Dharma, we can’t really tell. We can’t really tell because that need pure morality and, to receive again a perfect human rebirth you need to create the cause of eighteen qualities, so that’s not easy. That’s not easy, we can tell, one day’s our way of living life, our way of thinking, so if we check from morning until night, our attitude then we find mostly it’s attachment clinging to this life, as well as anger, things like that, then there’s many other, jealous mind and [Rinpoche knocks the microphone], oh, sorry, sorry. So there are many other things, so this is the attitude, most of us the attitude like this, how we live our life, how our attitude in daily life, twenty-four hours, like that. So all those attitude, attachment clinging to this life, all those, basically that is nonvirtuous thought, that is nonvirtue, that thought is nonvirtue and then whatever activity we do with that thought, attachment clinging to this life, whatever activity we do, everything become negative karma, because that motivation is nonvirtue so whatever activity we do with body, speech and mind, everything is transformed in negative karma, became negative karma, because all those actions possessed by that nonvirtuous thought so then everything become negative karma. So whether you’re eating, walking, sitting, sleeping, doing job, whatever we do, everything become negative karma. Most of it’s done, even we’re trying to practice Dharma but most, if we check, mostly done with that, so most become negative karma. So even sometimes praying, meditating, even those things, making charity, giving money to the beggars or something, sometimes even those then become, done with the attachment clinging to this life, clinging ?another life, happiness of this life, then become negative karma, even the charity become negative karma, even the praying, even the meditating become negative karma. So therefore, did not become Dharma, looking Dharma but did not become Dharma, making, giving charity or doing prayer or something, looking Dharma, looking spiritual but did not become spiritual.

So therefore, from the twenty-four hours, our way of living our life or way of thinking, by analyzing that then we can tell, if I die now [snaps fingers] what will happen. If I die now [snaps fingers], if I die tonight [snaps fingers], what will happen. If I die now, suddenly [snaps fingers] what will happen. So the effect of the, which rebirth you will take, it is scientific. Which rebirth you will take is the effect of the positive or negative thought. If it’s higher rebirth, positive thought, so if you die with a positive thought then there’s [snaps fingers] higher rebirth. If you die with negative thought then lower rebirth. So, in twenty-four hours even we’re trying to practice Dharma, most of our attitude is nonvirtuous thought, attachment clinging to this life, worldly thoughts, so therefore then that, so if you suddenly die with that thought, [snaps fingers] then that’s it. Then not sure when we can come back, so then that’s very hard, so because there’s no opportunity to practice Dharma in the lower realms and then continuously create negative karma on top of that, then continuously wander in the lower realms. So therefore, when we can come back as human beings, extremely hard.

So therefore now, so these reasons so become very important then here to do, doing retreat and so forth, to practice Dharma as much as possible, with much hardships, by putting effort, by putting effort this, being strong, being couraging, strong, putting effort, so then to practice Dharma as much as possible. So, [pause] courage or strong, not courage, strong, following delusions, but here courage, strong, to practice Dharma, hardships, against to delusion, enemy delusion, who causes all the sufferings, so courage and strong, bear hardships. So then, so it become, how important, how unbelievably important it is to practice Dharma, to bear hardships as much as possible, to be strong as much as possible and make yourself stronger than delusion, it’s like a competition, how to say, so here practicing Dharma so you defeat the delusions, who causes you all the sufferings, never lets you to achieve liberation, enlightenment, all this, who don’t allow you, who make you to harm others, who don’t allow you to have all the realizations, to liberate others from the suffering and to bring to enlightenment, who don’t allow this. So, here practicing Dharma, the meaning of practicing Dharma is to defeat the delusion, enemy delusion, from where all the suffering comes, to defeat, so eliminate. So that’s the real Dharma. So actualizing the path is to cease. So to achieve, to go for the goal to achieve, cessation of the suffering by ceasing the cause, by actualizing the path. So that’s what we should, the goal ?forward.

Now that is for yourself, with that aim practicing Dharma and attaining the path, that’s just for your own happiness, but now even more important to practice Dharma that is numberless other sentient beings, the numberless hell beings, numberless hungry ghosts, numberless animals, human beings, suras, asuras, intermediate stage beings, in each realm numberless beings. You receive all your past happiness, present happiness, numberless past happiness, present happiness, future happiness, and then liberation, ultimate happiness, liberation, enlightenment, so everything you receive by the kindness of every hell being, every hungry ghost, every animal, every human being, sura, asura, intermediate stage beings. [pause]

And how does all the happiness you receive by the kindness of each and every single sentient being, how? So there’s evolution of that. So, all your past, present, future, all the happiness, temporary, ultimate, everything comes from your virtuous thought, the virtuous action. And these are actions of Buddha, your virtuous thoughts, your virtuous actions, these are actions of Buddha that which is within the sentient being’s mental continuum. So therefore the Buddha came from bodhisattva; bodhisattva came from bodhicitta; bodhicitta came from great compassion; great compassion generated by depending on the kindness, great compassion is generated by the kindness of the suffering, obscured sentient beings. Great compassion is generated due to these obscured, suffering, each hell being, due to the obscured, suffering each hungry ghost, due to the obscured, suffering every animal, every insect, every human being, sura, asura, intermediate stage being, so compassion is generated, great compassion is generated, the root of bodhicitta is generated by depending on each and every single suffering sentient being, okay. And, so, there’s not even one left out. So that means all your past, present, all your past happiness, numberless past happiness from beginningless rebirth, now and all the future happiness, liberation, enlightenment, everything you receive the root from the sentient beings. From every hell being you receive, from every hungry ghost, from every animal, from every human being, from every sura, asura, so when you walk in the road, every insect that you see, flies or those tiny flies flying on the cow dung, all the flies, every worm, insect that you see in the road, so all your happiness, all the numberless past, present, future, liberation, enlightenment, all the realizations of the path to liberation, enlightenment, everything, the Buddha has limitless skies of qualities, Buddha’s holy body, holy speech, holy mind has limitless skies of qualities, Buddha’s holy body has limitless skies of qualities, and speech and limitless skies of qualities, mind has limitless skies of qualities, so when you become, however, so all these, all completely you receive by the kindness of each of those insects that you see in the road or dogs, goats, whatever, every person that you meet in the road, it came from them.

So same, every person who is here, so all your numberless past, present, future happiness, liberation, enlightenment, everything you receive by the kindness of each person here, you receive, each person here. So now each person here, you can see how it’s most precious for you, happiness from beginningless rebirth you receive from each of these persons here and all the present happiness, all the future happiness, now even more and more precious, then now ultimate, liberation receive by the kindness of each person, now even much more precious. Now then full enlightenment you receive by the kindness of each person here. So now same, when you’re walking in the road, every person you see, every animal you see, every insect you see, so all your, it’s like, so completely all the collection of good things, you receive everything from them, completely from each being. So most precious, most kind one, so this is how we should meditate, this is also how it’s good to meditate when we are walking in the road, shopping or also when we go round circumambulation.

So anyway, so then of course, this is the extensive kindness, but then there’s of course many things, for example, our survival, I mean to have comfort of eating food depends on cooks who are working, so then there’s all these things. Another one, so this is another example, person whom you call enemy, whom you don’t like, now here if you don’t practice compassion, if you don’t cherish this person, if you renounce this person, if you don’t cherish this person, there’s no enlightenment. There’s no bodhicitta, there’s no Mahayana path, all these unbelievable qualities, this path, you can’t achieve, bodhisattva path you can’t achieve, the tantric path, this completion stage, all this, you can’t achieve, the quickest way to achieve enlightenment, this highest skill, skill, method, quickest way to overcome, quickest way to cease the defilements and to achieve enlightenment, doesn’t happen, if you don’t cherish this person, if you give up this person, if you don’t cherish this person, then no bodhicitta, then you can’t achieve all those realizations, from the five paths or the ten bhumis to enlightenment, you can’t, including tantric path, you can’t, can’t complete, so you can’t cease the defilements and you can’t achieve the dharmakaya, rupakaya, buddha’s holy body, holy mind, that you can do perfect work for sentient beings, can’t achieve. So you cannot liberate the numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric suffering, you can’t bring them to enlightenment. So you can’t bring them to enlightenment, which is the ultimate goal of our life. Liberating other sentient beings from the suffering of samsara and bring them to enlightenment is the ultimate goal of our life, so you don’t achieve that. So if you don’t cherish this person who abuse you, who criticize you, who don’t like you, who don’t love you, if you give up this person, if you don’t cherish, then no enlightenment. So all those things stopped.

But now, but if we cherish this person, you have bodhicitta, if you cherish this person then there’s enlightenment. Then there’s enlightenment. Then you can achieve all these Mahayana paths, all these qualities of bodhisattva, all the limitless qualities of Buddha, what Buddha has, all this you can achieve. And you can liberate the numberless sentient beings from the suffering, bring them to enlightenment. You can do that. So now you can see, this person is giving you enlightenment, if you cherish this person, this person gives you all this, these fives paths, ten bhumis, all these, tantric path, all these realizations gives you, this extraordinary gift is this, which is limitless skies of ?gifts, gives you enlightenment, liberation, enlightenment.

Now this person who has anger towards you, who gives you opportunity to practice patience, so, so precious, how this is so precious, unbelievable precious. Even you paid a billion dollars to this person, it’s nothing. Even you pay a billion dollars, it’s nothing. What this person gives you, to train your mind in the path to enlightenment, patience, all these things, so a billion dollars is nothing. That’s nothing, if you think of the benefit of patience, realization of patience, what it benefits to you, what it can benefit to all sentient beings, it brings happiness, peace, to all sentient beings, numberless sentient beings, happiness what ?this can offer, can cause, and bring them to enlightenment. So therefore, what this person gives you is like limitless skies, benefit, so if you give a billion dollars, nothing. So anyway, so now you see how this person is so precious, that by cherishing achieve enlightenment, all the realizations, so most precious, more precious. So even you give the whole world filled with the diamonds, gold, to this person, filled with diamonds and gold, you offer to the person, it’s nothing. Can’t repay the kindness.

So therefore now, now the ultimate reason need to practice Dharma, so now here for the benefit of sentient beings, for the benefit of all sentient beings, for the benefit of each and every single sentient being, numberless hell being, hungry ghosts, all those who are suffering, who are obscured, then, so from whom you receive all your happiness, practice Dharma for them, to help them, okay. So, that’s it.

So I think…. Yeah, maybe do the offering food.

The purpose of my life is to free all sentient beings from all the suffering and causes, bring to enlightenment, therefore, I must achieve enlightenment. Therefore, I’m going to practice the yoga of eating, make charity to sentient beings, including the sentient beings living in my body and bring to enlightenment by revealing them Dharma through the connection having made charity to the sentient beings living in my body, by making charity food to them now, so then later, through the connection then they become human being then I reveal Dharma and bring to enlightenment. And offer to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, okay, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. So three things, think that.

And then I, action of making offering, making charity, eating yoga and then Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, sentient beings, all these, for whom we do all these things, practice, for sentient beings, all these what they are what is merely labeled by mind, so therefore, they exist, they exist in mere name, merely labeled by mind, so therefore, I do not exist from its own side, it’s empty. All these actions do not exist from their own side, they’re empty. And also, all this merit field, they exist but they do not exist from their own side, they’re empty. And the sentient beings exist but they don’t exist from their own side, that they’re empty. So there’s meditation on emptiness. The very important foundation of Buddhadharma, the right, the bodhicitta and the right view, wisdom and method, is done. That is done, and then that includes also renunciation too, bodhicitta based on that.

So now, with these three principles of the path already done, so now then we make offering. So then those who have received a great initiation, you can visualize and then by meditating on emptiness, then you visualize yourself as deity then that means place also in the mandala, the food, all the food and then also in nectar, not only in nectar but oceans of nectar, uncontaminated nectar in extended jewel container, if it’s lower tantra; if it’s Highest Tantra, then of course you visualize that in nectar. Even you haven’t received any initiation then you can still visualize the food into nectar, think uncontaminated nectar and the very expansive, the extended jewel container, so can think that. So numberless like that, oceans of nectar food, can think that. Better quality, more number, if you visualize, if you offer, then more merit you collect, so quicker and easier to achieve enlightenment.

[Rinpoche recites offering cloud mantra three times.]

So while you’re blessing the food, then those who know them mantra, clouds of offering, then the oceans of nectar, numberless oceans of nectar food, then all the light offerings, all the offerings here at the Root and then if there’s still offerings at the land, then all the offerings in the FPMT centers’ gompas, all the extensive offerings there, then Aptos house where I live then all the extensive offerings there, flowers outside, inside, lights outside, the many thousands of light offerings, water offerings, many, then also food offerings, then Washington, the Amitabha pure land, this retreat place, there’s also so many flowers outside, inside, many lights, thousands of lights and then many water offerings, food offerings, so there are many, so then, so not only offering food, but you offer everything. Then all these extensive merits we collect then, at the end we give, we give to all sentient beings, we dedicate, share or give to all sentient beings, like that, so then that’s excellent. So they all get the merits if you dedicate to them. So making offering numberless oceans of nectar food. Yeah.

[Rinpoche recites the offering cloud mantra three times, then power of truth prayer.]

So numberless oceans of nectar food and all the lights here, all the rest of the offerings, inside, outside, then in all the FPMT centers’ gompas there are so many offerings, those in the Aptos House, Washington, all those extensive offerings there, which are nature of bliss, then now we offer to, if you recite the mantra then the numberless buddhas, bodhisattvas, they receive, each offering is multiplied like skies, they receive. Then it’s all embodiment of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and received all these offerings and generated bliss.

Also prostrate, two palms together towards all of them, take the opportunity to collect extensive merit.

Then, now, prostrate towards the Guru Puja merit field, if you’re familiar, then if not, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, that is all the guru, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, all the ten-direction holy objects, all the ten-direction statues, stupas, scriptures, all the holy objects, that’s everything, prostrate to that with the two palms together. Then offer numberless oceans of nectar food to that, generate infinite bliss. And then offer all the offerings here at the Root, all the lights and all the rest of the offerings, the land, all the rest of the FPMT centers’ gompas, all the offerings then Aptos House, Washington, all those extensive offerings, which is nature of infinite bliss, offer.

Now prostrate, two palms together, towards all the ten-direction Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, who are embodiment of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Then offer the extensive, the numberless extensive nectar food offerings, offer them, and also the offerings, all the light offerings outside and any offerings here and on the land, all the offerings FPMT centers’ gompas and Aptos House, Washington, all the extensive offerings, everything, nature of infinite bliss, now offer them. [pause]

Next, ten-direction statues, stupas, scriptures and all the Buddha’s relics in the different parts of the world, prayer wheels, all the holy objects, that which are in this universe, other universes, so who are embodiment of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, guru, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, when you think everything guru then we collect, even we offer one statue or one stupa by thinking of the guru then you collect most extensive merit, the greatest, most extensive merit. So therefore now here, numberless. So prostrate, two palms together, ?toward them.

Now make the numberless oceans of nectar food, all the lights and all the actual offerings here, on the land and in all the FPMT centers’ gompas, Aptos House, Washington, all those, so you offer them, who are embodiment of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

So now here, with the bodhicitta motivation and then up to down to here, the last one is to make charity, the numberless nectar food, make charity to every hell being, every hungry ghost, every animal make charity, every animal, every human being, every sura being, asura being, intermediate state beings, so they all enjoyed, it caused them to actualize the path, cease all the defilements, they all become enlightened. Every hell being become enlightened, every hungry ghost become enlightened, every animal become enlightened, in the deity that you practice, all the human beings become enlightened in the deity that you, all the suras, asuras, intermediate stage beings, everyone become enlightened, or think Guru Shakyamuni Buddha or Chenrezig, whatever.

So down to here we collected, from bodhicitta motivation, we collected so many times limitless skies of merits, numberless cause of enlightenment, numberless cause of liberation from samsara, numberless cause of happiness of future lives, numberless times, we collected so many times, down to making charity to sentient beings. So now all that merit, all that unbelievable merit, so now rejoice, How fortunate I am, in this short time I’ve collected numberless causes for all those happiness, how fortunate I am. So then by rejoicing all the merits get doubled up. So now, we dedicate for sentient beings, okay.

Due to all the past, present, future merits collected by me, the three-time merits collected by others, may myself and, oneself, one’s family members, then all the students in this organization, all the supporters, benefactors, all those, so many people who sacrifice their life to the organization doing service to others and all the sentient beings, this food came from many sentient beings, numberless sentient beings, they died for this food, the long-run evolution of this food, numberless sentient beings died, numberless sentient beings suffered for this, numberless sentient beings created negative karma harming others and numberless sentient beings worked for this food, including those present cooks, so up to there, so this food came from numberless sentient beings, so including all these numberless sentient beings from where this food came, then all the rest of the sentient beings, may we never be separated away from Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, in all the lifetimes and always collect merit by making offering and receive blessings of them, that which is realizations from guru devotion up to enlightenment, especially bodhicitta, clear light, may it be actualized within one’s own heart and in the hearts of all the sentient beings, especially the sentient beings, numberless sentient beings from where this food came, in all their hearts.

So you dedicate these merits, this is something you benefit for them, you help them to actualize the path.

Then last dedication. Due to all the past, present, future merits collected by me, the three-time merits collected by others, sentient beings and buddhas, that which exist but which is empty, may the I, who exists, but who is empty, achieve Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment, which exists but which is empty, and lead all the sentient beings, who exist but who are empty, to the Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment, which exists but that which is empty, by myself alone, who exists but who is also empty.

La ma sang gye la ma chö…

OM AH HUNG [3x]

OM AH HUNG can be done before, either way. Maybe more suitable before….

So that’s it. So please enjoy the nectar.