So now human beings, so many, as human beings, so much suffering. Not just completely under the control of karma and delusion, no control over delusion, ignorance, anger, attachment, jealous mind, all these, totally under their control, no freedom at all. Under control of karma, whatever is happening is karma, being under control of karma and then they experience all these sufferings. So for somebody who is born deformed, so born deformed or they become deformed in life, what can they do? How many years, seventy, eighty, ninety, how many years the person has to suffer? So anyway, then so much suffering, unbelievable suffering, being under the control of, maybe not here but generally in the world, under the control of husband, they suffer so much, the wives, they suffer so much. Or the husband suffers so much being under the control of the wife. They unbelievable, unbelievable suffer, their whole life suffer so much. There are so many things, then sicknesses, poverty, many things. Due to uncontrolled desire or anger then they engage in so many harms to others. Then they have to go to prison or punished, unceasing problems. Being in the war, how much they suffer. Sick people in the hospital, if you think of a hospital, there are so many hundreds of people suffering so much. Some have unbelievable pain, some have coma. Some you can’t tell whether they will die today or not. Some are dying. Many people are dying by cancer. Then same at home.

Anyway, we dedicate the merits having done a prostration to all of them, to every single human being who is suffering, poor people suffering, rich people suffering, President suffering, so much suffering, no happiness, peace. Powerful king, beggars, the suffering of old age, suffering rebirth as explained in the text, we don’t know, we can’t remember how we suffered in the mother’s womb, during the birth, we don’t remember and after that we don’t remember. Due to pollution we don’t remember all the suffering. You don’t remember your own suffering. Mother knows only her pain but doesn’t know the baby’s suffering. Anyway, it’s unbelievable.

So we dedicate the merits, for example, from this one prostration, unbelievable merit we collected with all these meditations. We give the merit and the result, all the temporary happiness, ultimate happiness, liberation, enlightenment, everything we give to all the living beings, to all the each realm sentient beings. How fantastic, how wonderful is that, for their happiness up to enlightenment. Like the animals, the ants, there are numberless ants in this universe, other universes there are numberless ants, so you give it, even just animals, so you do the practice for them, you dedicate the merits, all the happiness up to enlightenment for them. The numberless, all the fish, tiny insects that you see only through machine. Then big ones, in the water, in the ocean always eaten by another one, always they run away from enemy, always fear all the time. So give all the merits you collect by doing practice, even one prostration, however, all this extensive merit we collect, to numberless of those beings, all those shell beings on the beach, there are so many on the rocks, like big piles in the ocean. Unbelievable suffering. So we can dedicate like this.

Then each type of animal is numberless, suffering unbelievable. Each worm is numberless, those earthworms numberless and suffering. Then there’s another animal, I thought the worms, earthworms they are safe, I thought they don’t have enemy. When you liberate in the ground I thought they don’t have enemy that eat them. For a long time I thought they are the most safe ones. Because we liberate worms in two places, in Washington and Aptos House, California, both houses, retreat place, in both places we have Sangha there. So every week we liberate worms, so several hundred worms we liberate, take round the stupa and pray, purify with blessed water and liberate. So I thought they were the safe one, they go underground but then I heard there was actually like a mouse, not a mouse but some animal in the ground that eats them. They eat the worms in the ground. So it’s amazing.

So anyway, so same now the Medicine Buddha puja, so we dedicate. Yeah. So the very first thing is long life for His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Compassion Buddha, who is the sole object of refuge of us all sentient beings and originator of all sentient beings’ happiness. The Compassion Buddha, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, to have stable life, all the holy wishes be succeed immediately.

Then Kyabje Denma Lochö Rinpoche and Kyabje Chöden Rinpoche, the gurus, other, ____ ______ Rinpoche, and Kyabje Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche who passed away, then ?Chogye Trichen Rinpoche who gave Kalachakra initiation some years ago. Those holy beings now those who passed away, so both, all their wishes to be succeed. And those who are living. And those who passed away to reincarnate soon, to return back soon, to return back soon, to be able to see the new holy body, new form, with the smiling face, new face. Then continuously to receive teachings and bring us to enlightenment, to happen that, and then benefit for all sentient beings.

Then those holy beings to have long and stable lives, all the holy wishes to be succeed. Then all other holy beings different traditions, all other holy beings, same, who are only in this world only to benefit sentient beings, to have long life, all their holy wishes succeed.

Then all the Sanghas. So without holy beings there wouldn’t be teaching in this world. Teaching existing depends on the holy beings ?having in this world. So very important to dedicate for their long life and wishes to be, so the Medicine Buddha puja for them.

Then all the Sanghas, who preserve Dharma, spread Dharma, including the Sanghas in the organization, so their long life and as well to succeed all the attaining the path, complete understanding of the Dharma and attaining the path to enlightenment, based on living in vinaya, so the vow, receive all the protections in the life, all the needs. So then the teachings to last a long time in this world, to be spread, to last a long time, from where the happiness of sentient beings comes, the teaching of Buddha. Then without benefactors, helping supporting Sangha and the teaching of Buddha then that won’t happen so the Sangha, practicing Dharma, spread Dharma, depends on benefactors, supporters.

So they have long life and all their wishes to serve the Sangha, teaching of Buddha, to be succeed, so Medicine Buddha practice is for them.

Then after that, your own family members, their long life, to be healthy. The purpose of long life is not just to suffer, not to suffer, the purpose of long life is not for suffering, not to create problems, for that, so that delusion create problems, not for that. That’s not the purpose of long life. The purpose of long life is to have a meaningful life, to have meaningful life, to be able to practice Dharma, purify, as I mentioned at the beginning of the prostrations, purify the mind, all the defilements, negative karma. What is already done, negative karma already collected, purify, such as by reciting Thirty-five Buddhas or many other practices to purify. Then to collect extensive merit, through Dharma practice, collect extensive merits and then meditate on the lam-rim, meditate on the path to enlightenment. The common path, the sutra, uncommon, the tantra, if one is able to practice, so complete path to enlightenment, to meditate on that, to learn, to meditate on that. However, to leave positive imprint as much as possible by reading, by studying.

Then, what makes life most meaningful is by developing compassion to other sentient beings, the compassion to sentient beings. Developing devotion to the guru, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, as well as the compassion to sentient beings, so what makes life most meaningful is that, compassion to all _______ beings. So however, a meaningful life is to be able to benefit others with compassion. Then everyday life as much as possible to purify, collect merits, plant the seed of enlightenment by studying Dharma, even by reading the text which shows the complete path to enlightenment, lam-rim, especially that. So at least leave a positive imprint as much as possible by reading. And everyday life helping others, small, big, whatever one can, with compassion. So those are the purpose or meaning, the way to make life meaningful. Not only human beings but even the animals, insects, whatever you can help, for them to have happiness, free from suffering.

So however, then any family member who passed away, so this Medicine Buddha practice is for any family member, any of your family member passed away, it’s for them. And those who are living ones to be able to have long life, meaningful life, to be able to actualize the three principles of the path and the two stages of tantra, bodhicitta, right view, renunciation. Then for the family members who have passed away, so if they are in the lower realms, immediately liberate and to be born in pure land where they can become enlightened. Or receive a perfect human body and meet perfectly qualified Mahayana guru, Mahayana teaching, and achieve enlightenment quickly.

Same thing, numberless hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, all those immediately, who are in unimaginable suffering immediately be reborn in pure land where they can become enlightened, or receive a perfect human body by meeting perfect qualified Mahayana guru and Mahayana teaching achieve enlightenment as quick as possible.

And then each Medicine Buddha, here each Medicine Buddha made so many prayers to stop this problem, that problem, that problem. Those who took vow but broke, then created so much heavy negative karma to be born in the lower realms, so to purify. So each Medicine Buddha made many, many prayers for sentient beings. So here we recite these words ?way/where they did prayers, so at the same time we should think in the mind, “This I am reciting for all these sentient beings who have these sufferings.”

So however, the essence is to be liberated as quick as possible all the sentient beings from all the sufferings of samsara. However, realize the four noble truths and actualize bodhicitta, then enter in the Mahayana path. For quickest enlightenment you have to actualize the tantric path, so like that, to achieve enlightenment as quick as possible. And especially generate bodhicitta, in everyone’s heart, in all sentient beings, especially in this world. Then all the leaders in their heart to generate bodhicitta. Then so that many millions of people in each country they will have so much peace and happiness and they will be led in the correct path to peace.

Then generate bodhicitta in the hearts of all the different religious peoples in the world, the Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Christianity, all the religious people, in their heart, generate bodhicitta. So there’s no religious war or suicidal bombs, that’s constantly happening, so there’s so much problem because the, believing religion but it’s not religion, all this, so, creating so much problem in the world, so generate bodhicitta in all their heart so then to have perfect peace and happiness in this world.

Then the last thing, your family members and all your, whatever activities, what you need to succeed, Medicine Buddha puja for that.

Then last thing is the FPMT organization here the, all the Maitreya Buddha statues in this world, accomplished, and then all the holy objects, serving the monasteries, who preserve Dharma, spread Dharma, all the Sanghas. Then all the various social services that we do in the organization. Universal education for the young people to become kind person, to have all those precious human qualities of mind, tolerance, loving, compassionate, forgiveness, all these qualities that each one can bring peace in the world, at least in the family, in their own lives. Antidote to war, famine, disease, torture, poverty, dangers of the four elements, by developing the good heart.

So then the prison project, helping the 140 or some number of prisoners. So many are doing practice, many hundred thousands of mantras, prostrations, taking eight Mahayana precepts, so those to be able to help, continue.

Then the hospitals, the eye hospital, the hospitals those who are giving medicine to the sick, giving food and shelter, those poor ones. So all these and then distributing Dharma books in different parts of the world, all those social services to be succeed. Then every center, they have different projects, social service, spreading Dharma, many projects, each center, then all the centers in Taiwan, here, then the Shakyamuni Buddha Center, so all the plans, wishes, to succeed as quick as possible. And then to be most beneficial for sentient beings, the teaching of Buddha, like that, then particularly to spread Lama Tsongkhapa’s teaching.

So that’s it, finished. Now the Medicine Buddha Puja finished. So there’s nothing now till dinner time.

She-shei. [applause]

Putting tsa-tsas on the house, well, decorated that’s not such a good word to use, decorate, because then that looks like not respecting holy objects when you say decorating. In America one student’s house the tsa-tsas put very nice lined up, the small tsa-tsas. Somebody did tsa-tsa, a lot of tsa-tsas, so then some student used tsa-tsas in the house, lined up very nicely, and they used in the meditation hall. So it’s very beautiful, and also you can offer Christmas lights at the bottom, very beautiful. So, or cover the whole wall then it becomes the altar, then you make the offerings there, set of offering, many lights, Christmas lights, you can set of offerings there. So you can fill the whole wall, empty wall, very nicely with tsa-tsas. So they do that, so it’s very nice, it’s very inspiring, become inspiring, a good example for other people how they can use the tsa-tsas for collecting merits, for purification and to attain the path to enlightenment. A model or good example for other people what they can do to collect extensive merit every day.

So every day, when you have many holy objects then every day, I mean, the light offerings once they’re on you can keep all the time, so just reminder have to think while you’re driving the car or wherever you are, whichever part of the world you are, you can offer from there. Remember all the offerings that are set up in the house and offer like that to all the holy objects in the house or the ten-direction Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, ten-direction statues, stupas, scriptures, all that, the Guru Puja merit field, like that, the gurus. So wherever you are in the different parts of the world you can remember the offerings at your house, then offer. Makes it very easy, while you are driving a car you can offer, wherever you are, once it is set up there, the offering, or there’s somebody in the house. In Derek, some families in Singapore, Derek, whose house upstairs many crystal bowls of water offering. So he had three Philippine maids, these Philippine maids they make the water offering. They themselves don’t offer, but the Philippine maids, they make the offerings and it seems they enjoy very much the making offerings, water bowl offerings. And one had a problem, one maid had a problem. Then somehow she made a prayer to Medicine Buddha and the problem’s gone so then that gives them faith, very strong faith.

So also Lillian Too, the one who does, the one who sells the feng shui book, probably most in the world. Same also Philippine maids, so they make the water offerings. So one morning she tried to make water offerings then the maids got up even earlier next day and made offerings, so that anyway, so seems they enjoyed making offerings very much, the maids, even though themselves not particularly Buddhist, but it seems, Christian or something, but anyway it seems they enjoy.

However, the main thing is, so wherever you are, every day, I mean, not just one time, a few times a day you can make offerings, in the house there’s somebody making offerings.

So then, some student did that in the United States so I’m just saying that can be good example for other people, how they can collect merit every day.

Then, the other one is, I was also talking about prostrations, so the, if you haven’t received a great initiation, then yourself ordinary body, tall, like, long like the mountain ridge, covered the whole ground. But if you have received a great initiation like Chenrezig, great initiation, then you can become Chenrezig, the thousand arms, eyes, then easy to cover the whole ground. Easy to cover the ground, so four directions, corners, covered by yourself Chenrezig, the holy body, so then it’s easy to cover the ground, so it makes easy.

So anyway, as Lama Tsongkhapa explained, how many hundreds, thousands you can visualize doing prostration you collect the same amount of merit as your actual body doing prostration. Already explained about the atom and the wheel-turning king, all that. So therefore now same like this, how many bodies you have visualized doing prostration, you get same amount of merit, that’s what I’m saying. The number of atoms covered by body and that many, equaling the number of that, you create cause to be born as wheel-turning king that many lifetimes, one thousand lifetimes, the idea of merit, so same. So that’s unbelievable method that Lama Tsongkhapa explained.

So that’s it. So we’ll do, begin some prayer then stop for dinner, I think.

It also helps the people who have to do preliminary practice, many tsa-tsas, and it’s one way how you can give many people and how it can be used. Other one is to put in statues, stupas. When there’s a stupa built then you can offer the tsa-tsas to put inside or big statues, to put inside. Otherwise, bigger the number of tsa-tsas then difficult where to keep it. So that’s different ideas I’m just mentioning, also to help that, person who did a lot of tsa-tsas, so it helps for that.

Also, the other way to use is, so if you have a garden, either in the house somewhere or in the garden you can make layers, sort of like a table or some large circle of square, then another layer, another layer, another layer, you have five or six layers, then all the tsa-tsas can be around, all, can be filled up all the space, the layers, like that, fill up all the tsa-tsas, all the layers, every direction layers, you can fill up with the tsa-tsas like this, nicely every layer. Then starts to become sort of like stupa. Outside people can circumambulate, the family circumambulate, also you go round while you’re doing commitments, your mantras, your prayers, practices, while you’re chanting, because if you sit, you fall asleep, so go, also going round and doing at the same time your commitments, also very good. Also animals, dogs, cats, if you have dogs, cats, or insects in the house you find, you carry them round the, where, it’s like you made stupa, many, many holy objects, so this is so unbelievable beneficial. Take around and then put where it’s, safe place. So also your own pets, dogs, cats, so then to make their life meaningful, take them round, then next life they get higher rebirth, or I mean, they achieve enlightenment, that causes them to achieve enlightenment, besides liberation from samsara. So there’s many ways how you can use, make highly beneficial to yourself and others.

So that’s it. No more tsa-tsas now. Now ?my tsa-tsas finished.

You can put inside, not only outside, you can put inside, inside there’s sort of like, like the base of a stupa, like that, square, inside you can fill up with tsa-tsas. Little bit high up from the ground, then inside you can put tsa-tsas, all the inside, then also outside layers, so it becomes like stupa.

So now think, in the heart, all the sentient beings in your heart, in the place of I, my happiness, in the place of that in your heart, sentient beings, their happiness, so happiness of all the hell beings, happiness of all the hungry ghosts, animals, all the numberless human beings, suras, asuras, intermediate state beings, so numberless sentient beings their happiness, this is what should happen there in the heart. Then, we do the, then for them, all the happiness up to enlightenment, then do the Medicine Buddha practice, okay.

So now, the text. Taking refuge.

[Rinpoche chants refuge and bodhicitta in Tibetan, while Ven. Sophia recites in Chinese.]

Third time. So this refuge prayer I like very much. This, the first one, talking, how it describes the root guru, embodiment of all the ten-direction buddhas, that’s very powerful, very deep teaching. The embodiment of all the buddhas’, tathagatas’ holy body, holy speech, holy mind, qualities and action, that’s unbelievable, so this one, all this embodied into this, this is the embodiment of all this, originator of 84,000 teachings and possessor of all the exalted Sanghas.

In the monasteries when they begin the puja, when they begin the prayer in the hall, this is what they recite first time, this is what they recite at the very beginning, the refuge prayer.

[Rinpoche chants the third repetition.]

So with the whole heart totally rely on them, whatever happens in the life. Whatever happens in the life, completely, totally rely upon them. So and then, all the prayer, all the purposes what I mentioned before, you think now also all the sentient beings to be free from suffering and to achieve happiness up to enlightenment then you completely, totally, rely upon them with the whole heart, go for refuge.

[Rinpoche chants refuge and bodhicitta verse.]

As oneself has been suffering in samsara, experiencing the general suffering, particular suffering of the lower realms, numberless times from beginningless rebirth, so all my mother sentient beings have been also suffering, experiencing general suffering, particular suffering of the lower realms, numberless times from beginningless rebirth. So to free them from all the suffering and causes, I myself, all sentient beings, go for refuge Buddha, Dharma Sangha, which are abiding in front of me, who has all the power and qualities. Totally take refuge to them.

So this is the Mahayana way of taking refuge, so the aversion to your own samsara, understanding that it’s only in nature of suffering, so useful fear to your own samsara. Then, compassion towards sentient beings, by thinking how they have been suffering in samsara. So then, to free them from suffering and cause, then with the whole heart, with faith to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, that they have the qualities and the power, then whole-heartedly, one-pointedly relying on them, so that mental factor is the refuge, Mahayana refuge, because of the compassion. Without compassion it’s Hinayana refuge.

So the next one. Due to the merits, all the three-time merits collected by oneself, three-time merits collected by all other beings, sentient beings and buddhas, the merits of wisdom, merits of virtue, charity and so forth, the five paramitas, that you collected and what you collected with the wisdom, so due to those collections of merits then, in order to lead my kind mother sentient beings, from whom I receive all my past, present, future, all the happiness, so in order to liberate them from all the sufferings of samsara, including cause, and bring to enlightenment, may I, so in order to benefit all transmigratory beings, so the meaning of that, so therefore, may I achieve enlightenment. So, generating bodhicitta. So the previous one is generating the thought seeking happiness for others, then the next one is seeking enlightenment, oneself seeking enlightenment for that purpose. So that combines the two intentions, bodhicitta, so such a principal consciousness, extraordinary special principal consciousness, so that’s bodhicitta.

[Rinpoche chants second and third repetition in Tibetan, then three repetitions of The Four Immeasurables; three repetitions of Special Bodhicitta; Purifying the Place; Offerings; Offering Cloud Mantra (3x).]

We did already the blessing before at the beginning, so but if you didn’t do at the beginning then here you must do the, chant the mantra, added the mantra there. Then invocation.

[Rinpoche chants the invocation.]

So we do the offering bath. No, we don’t do offering bath. We don’t go to the shower room to have bath. But we have a mental bath, because by offering bath to guru, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha we purify our mind, so mental bath. Mental bath.

My memory’s very bad. I have to read, not very short one, kind of middle version offering bath. More elaborate. So we’re going to offer bath to each group in the merit field, the lineage lamas then each group. I’ll mention each group, not the translation of the whole thing, just mention each group, but the main meditation is that they all are, starting from Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, it’s all one being. It’s all one being. The way to meditate, way to understand, discover, way to meditate is that the root guru, it’s all one being. Many forms but it’s one being, the root guru. So however, each time offering bath then generated infinite bliss. So you transform the goddess with the vase, offering bath, from the swimming pool take the water, that visualize, offer bath. Then merit field, so they’re on the kind of like a throne, platform, on the high platform, then their robes outside in the park, hanging on the trees, like that, so that’s like in bath, the offering bath.

However, the most important meditation is that they are guru, whomever it’s offering, different groups, including protectors, but it’s one thing, one being. Not, the guru, not ordinary being, not that, what the ordinary mind think, not that one. But the, whose holy mind is dharmakaya of all the buddhas. So generated infinite bliss, so that’s very important to keep that meditation, that’s the essence. Not details, just rough. Then yourself as deity then can transform, can do that. However, here there’s no mention of self-generation, doesn’t have, but whichever deity you’re practicing normally, so you can generate yourself in that deity.

So beautiful swimming pool which has four golden steps coming down. Then the jewel pillars with all the jewel decorations, so like in the prayer, then jewels down below sand all jewels, gold, like that.

So first the Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, okay. So may have prayer there. I think you have the little bit more extensive one, in Chinese I think you have.