Teachings from 100 Million Mani Retreat 2009 (Audio and Unedited Transcripts)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Institut Vajra Yogini, France (Archive #1783)

Teachings from a Mani retreat held at the Institut Vajra Yogini, France, in May 2009.     

How to Purify Negative Karma

First to feel happiness, you have to recognize the suffering, how it’s unbearable. Otherwise, it’s just words, and then, even you do the practice, you know, it doesn’t have much feeling, not really need, not really this is the most important thing in the life, in my life. It doesn’t have that feeling. And then, it is something good, but, just good, so, not very important, but something good. So, you see, then you don’t really appreciate, you don’t really, there’s no appreciation to your practice, what you’re able to do, opportunities what you have, no appreciation, do not realize how you’re so fortunate, do not realize, because doesn’t have the feeling of those result of negative karma, those sufferings, there’s no feeling. Don’t feel then becomes just words, then even one do practice, but not very strong, and then one doesn’t feel, one doesn’t have that feeling that I’m so fortunate, most amazing, so fortunate, this, really you see yourself so, most fortunate. Something impossible to happen, it happened this time, this life, now. You don’t feel that. Don’t have that feeling.

Then, [the peacock is “talking” again] so the peacock, you have to know that whether you’re going to do two weeks or four weeks, you have to know that, you have to hear the peacock’s sound. You have to accept. You have to accept that you will hear the peacock’s sound. So, the peacock’s sound is relating to meditation what you’re doing. Each time, which meditation you are doing, so, talking according to that. So if you’re doing meditation on renunciation, so that’s talking about renunciation, it’s telling you how samsara is in nature of suffering; how samsara, how your samsara is in nature of suffering, okay. But if you’re meditating on bodhicitta, then peacock is telling you to cherish sentient beings, to cherish sentient beings, achieve enlightenment to help them, okay. So that. So the peacock’s sound, what peacock is trying to tell you is that. So, if you’re meditating on bodhicitta, okay. If you’re meditating on emptiness, if you’re meditating on emptiness, then peacock is telling you, don’t believe everything, don’t believe, don’t, say, don’t believe everything as it appears a real one, to you. As it appears a real one to you, don’t trust, don’t think that way, don’t believe that way, and that will cheat you. That will cheat you, that will deceive you, as it has been deceiving you from beginningless rebirth up to now, okay. Why you’re still in samsara is because of that, because of that belief, that wrong concept, that ignorance, okay? That you have been creating, so, peacock is telling you that. If you are meditating on emptiness, then peacock is telling you that. So look at everything as empty, empty of [peacock is on cue; making sounds] okay. So he’s, usually he does those things, three or four sounds, you see.

Anyway, so, last one means empty, look at everything, say, you see that, everything what exist, everything what exist: I, action, object, everything what exists is what is merely labeled by mind. It’s that, so what the peacock is telling us, oh, other than that, extra than that, something real from its own side, oh, that is hallucination, that’s completely hallucination, object to be refuted, what is to be realized empty: I, action, object, everything, so that’s what the peacock is telling. That’s a commentary of peacock’s sound, okay?

So, anyway, it’s good to, if we think, if we relate like that, then it becomes a teaching, even hearing noise of peacock, it becomes teaching to us, so that. So, like Milarepa, or the lamas, they say, those great yogis, whatever appears to you, whatever sound you hear, then everything becomes a teaching, to be practiced. Like Kadampa geshes, like they advise.

So anyway, so, say, [pause] then when you’re doing tantric meditation, then relate to that. So can relate to that.

So, however, so you can imagine, wow, it’s unimaginable, that you don’t have to experience suffering result, there are four suffering results of one karma, one complete negative karma, one, the ripened aspect result, rebirth in the lower realms, you don’t have to experience. That’s unimaginable, amazing.

So then, the next one is that, when you’re born in human realm, you know, three suffering results you have to experience: so the experiencing the result similar to the cause. That, say, so you get abused by others, okay, because, yeah, experiencing the result similar to the cause similar to that what one did in the past, so then, when you’re born a human being, you get abused by others, like that. So, your companion, your friend, your companion, the way of thinking is totally against your wishes. Always thinks something opposite. Somehow, doesn’t come to the same point, think, always opposite to your wishes. What the other companion, the husband or wife, or whatever, friend, always the way of thinking is opposite to your wishes. Then, because of that, you don’t get along. And then, life becomes painful each other. Then, even physically, you’re living together, and then, always you live the life without peace, disharmony, fight, and quarrel, even physically you are living together. So, like that. So kind of very unhappy life.

So then, even you’re in a family, the rest of the family, they’re against you. Even you’re in the office, even you work in the office, the other people their wish, they are against you, they think opposite to what you think, what you wish, so like that. So then, your life is always with problems, do not get along with other people. So like that. Even at home, or even outside, so like that.

So, you see, it’s very, very clearly came from your mind, very clear you can see came from your karma, being abused by others, without your own, say, without your own wishes, you know, sexually abused by others, without your own wishes. So all that, you see, result of one’s own past negative karma, sexual misconduct.

Then, the possessed result is to do with the place. Even when you’re born a human being, due to another good karma, where you live, where you live your life is unhygienic, and very dirty place you have to live, very filthy, dirty, filled with excrement, so very bad smell, so, somewhere you have to live like that, you have to live in such a place.

You see sometimes, even for us, even though we’re living in the clean place, nice house, clean place, but sometimes we have to cross over, even for a few minutes, such a terrible smell, very dirty place, we have to go through that. Even that, even a few minutes, you have to go through such a place, dirty place, even that is a result of past negative karma, sexual misconduct. Even that, even a few minutes. So, that’s possessed result, to do with the place. The suffering place.

So you see now, to be free, result of one negative karma, you know, possessed result, experiencing the result, now, you see, experiencing the result similar to the cause, can you imagine? To be free from that, to be free from experiencing the result similar to the cause, you see, of one negative karma. You are free, you don’t have to experience. Can you imagine?

And karma is, you have to understand, karma is expandable; not just one time experienced, then finished, not that, no. From past, one time sexual misconduct, result, you see, experiencing the result similar to the cause, to be abused by, sexually abused by others, whatever, the, others, even you’re living together, your companion, or people in the office, or people where, all you live together, they are against you or their wishes opposite to yours. So, like this, you see, not just one time. This is not just one time. So many times in one life, for many lifetimes, hundred, thousands of lifetimes you experience like this, not just one time—hundred, thousand lifetimes, from one negative karma, experiencing the result similar to the cause from that.

So you have purified one negative karma. You have to understand what it means. So it means you don’t experience all this experiencing the result similar to the cause. Now another one, I already mentioned ripening aspect result, rebirth in the lower realm, I mentioned that. Free. Then, possessed result, to be free. Then, experiencing the result similar to the cause. Can you imagine something which you experience, this possessed result, something you experience hundred, thousand lifetimes, because karma is expandable. One negative karma, result experience many lifetimes, hundred, thousand lifetimes. Many lifetimes, so many in one life, so many, or many, hundreds, thousands of lifetimes.

For example, you plant one seed, this is one very important subject in karma. I’ve forgotten the name of the tree, in India, this huge tree. I think, probably this is the largest tree, Gandhi, something, I’ve forgotten the name. Mentioned in the lam-rim. Does anybody remember? Huh? What? Huh?

Students: Banyan.

Rinpoche: Banyan. Banyan? I don’t remember banyan. Anyway, usually that comes in the subject of karma. Do you remember? Huh? Jack fruit? Huh? Jack fruit? Gandhi, something.

Anyway, so the seed is so small. Mustard, mustard seed. [Rinpoche has a discussion with someone in Tibetan.] So, the seed is so small, so small, but the tree grows huge. The tree, grows from that, huge. And the branches, it has so much branches, and it covers 500 horse carriage, because in India it’s very hot, so branches grow, so covers 500 horse carriages. That’s very commonly mentioned in the lam-rim teachings, in the section of karma, giving an idea, Buddha is giving idea to us. So, it has, thousands and thousands of branches, cover, very long, covers about 500 horse carriages. So that is from one tiny seed.

So now, Buddha is saying that, the karma is even more, one negative karma, result even more than that, even more than external phenomena. That’s what, okay, so experience for hundreds, thousands of lifetimes, that one negative karma, result of one negative karma. So like that. So, I mean, probably also maybe depends on how heavily that done. Among the negative karmas there’s heavier, lighter, then that also affects the result.

So anyway, if I see the name of the tree, then I will let you know, write it on the blackboard. Huge size.

Anyway, so what I’m saying? Then the last one, creating the result similar to the cause, yeah, that’s right, [Tibetan] creating the result similar to the cause. So you do again, because negative imprint left on the mind by the past negative karma of sexual misconduct, so, you engage in it again. When you’re born a human being due to another good karma, you do again, engage in sexual misconduct, for example. So that is part of the result, fourth result, fourth result of the complete negative karma of sexual misconduct, okay?

So now you have to understand, purified completely one negative karma. What does it mean? What does it mean? Now, it means a lot to you. Do you understand? Unbelievable. The four suffering results. You don’t experience at all. Wow! Can imagine? So, like that we have to understand what it means.

Otherwise, you see, then there’s creating result similar to the cause, you do again. Then that produces four suffering results, okay. So one of them, creating the result similar to the cause. Then that produces another four suffering results again. Then one of them is creating the result similar to the cause. Then that produces another four suffering results, okay?

So, this one negative karma of sexual misconduct, this one negative karma if it’s not purified, if it’s not purified, what happens to your life? What happens to your life? Oh, endless suffering of samsara, endless, from there you experience endless suffering of samsara. It goes on, creating negative karma again and again, as a result, and experiencing the four suffering results, again, again, no end, endless. No end. Endless. Endless. So endless. Can you imagine? Oh.

This is how we have to meditate on karma, each individual karma. The harm from each negative karma, continuously, there’s continuation forever, continuation forever if you don’t do anything. If you don’t purify that, endless, it makes endless suffering. From each negative karma, endless suffering of samsara, okay. We have to remember. That, very, extremely important to remember that, to have that understanding.

Then, you see, say, not that, say, oh some negative karma, oh negative karma, yes, negative karma but maybe, yes, it’s negative karma, but maybe you don’t experience, or some result, or maybe it might disappear after some time, after a long time it goes, maybe it can disappear. So, not like that.

So, of course, it doesn’t, if it doesn’t, [pause] by actualizing the path, wisdom directly perceiving emptiness or the perfect confession, perfect purification, confession, remedy of four powers, so, then you see, you know, you see I mentioned the four suffering results. So the, don’t remember hundred percent clearly, but just to give an idea. So the power of dependence, negative karma collected by, with the relationship of the sentient beings, is purified by generating bodhicitta, by generating bodhicitta to the sentient beings, then purified. Then the, what negative karma is collected with the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, gets purified by taking refuge to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha.

So the ripening aspect result, rebirth in the lower realms, gets purified by that or the, [pause] the [Tibetan] the power blaming the negative karma, your feeling of repentance, by reflecting the shortcomings of negative karma, so [pause] I don’t remember exactly, that, and then the [Tibetan], the power always enjoying, but that has to be checked. [Tibetan], so that, such as recitation, like reciting Thirty-five Buddhas’ names or reciting Vajrasattva’s name, so forth, you see, so that.

So they purify, I don’t remember exactly one by one, the antidote, which antidote, which is antidote to the ripened aspect result, rebirth in the lower realms, and which is antidote to the experiencing the result similar to the cause, which is antidote to the possessed result, so I don’t remember specifically, but however, this, when you do the practice of purification, it is said to do perfect powerful purification, it should be perfected with the remedy four powers. The reason is that. So the reason is that, so that you don’t experience the four suffering results of negative karma. Why, you see, when you do confession, in order it to become powerful, perfect, then should be perfected with the remedy of four powers. So like that.

So, the, creating negative karma again, the result of the past negative karma, to not experience that, then you, you see the last power, power to not commit again, so that’s the antidote to that. So the three other powers, antidotes to those, those other sufferings, three other suffering results, and to not commit again, that power, antidote to the creating the result similar to the cause, that negative karma, so like that.

So, it is really amazing. So what I’m saying is, either by generating the path, or the practicing confession, purification with the remedy four powers, then you stop, then you’re able to stop experiencing the negative karma, complete negative karma which has four suffering results, so you don’t have to experience that.

Otherwise, there is, you don’t experience the lower realm suffering, but still you experience the other sufferings in the human realm, so it becomes like that. Even though the result of negative karma, rebirth in the lower realms, experience all those sufferings, even you don’t experience that, even though it’s purified, but still there’s suffering, those result which you experience in the human realm, the three other sufferings.

So here, what I’m informing you, telling, is that, what it means, you have to understand well, purified even one negative karma is unbelievable. So, even one session, in one session what practice we do, not just that, so many other negative karmas, there’s unbelievable, there are all kinds of negative karmas collected, so, purified. So what I’m saying is that, unimaginable, unbelievable just by one session practice, different practice in one session.

So here, what I’m saying, we should be doing this, with full muscles coming out [apparently Rinpoche raised his arms like a wrestler who had just won a match] so, every second we have to do that, every day, every second, minute, 100,000 times much more than the soccer, the Olympics.

Okay, so, what I’m saying is, just thinking of the benefit, here, one session, even OM MANI PADME HUM just reciting one time, can imagine, the benefit is like limitless skies, benefit is like limitless skies, purification and collecting merits.

So even just the beginning of those sessions, by prostrations, by reciting Thirty-five Buddhas’ names, can you imagine? So many different negative karmas. The thirty-five Buddhas, they, to purify the different negative karmas. By reciting one time so many eons of negative karma get purified. And this buddha, de zhin sheg pa me tog päl la chhag tshäl lo, de zhin sheg pa, the Gone As It Is, me tog päl la, the Glorified Flower, by reciting, I prostrate, it purifies 100 million, no, 100,000, sorry, I didn’t mean discourage you, 100,000 eons of negative karma get purified; 100,000 eons of negative karma get purified, not years, not just 100,000 negative karmas, not just that. Not just 100,000 lifetimes’ negative karma. One hundred thousand negative karmas get purified, that’s amazing, unimaginable. Now 100,000 lifetimes’ negative karma get purified. Wow! That’s unimaginable, unimaginable. Can imagine? One hundred thousand lifetimes negative karma get purified. Now here it’s talking about 100,000 eons, 100,000 eons of negative karma get purified by reciting this de zhin sheg pa me tog päl la chhag tshäl lo.

So, you see, so you can understand, from this one negative karma how, what it means to you, one negative karma is purified, the four sufferings that you don’t experience from one negative karma, can imagine?

So if you think like this, there’s so much, there’s unbelievable, can you imagine, unbelievable, so much to rejoice, so much to feel happiness, so much to feel happiness, just one time reciting, beginning of the session, this is even beginning of the session, reciting Thirty-five Buddhas’ names, can you imagine, chanting one time OM MANI PADME HUM, and especially bodhicitta, especially with the bodhicitta, can you imagine? So, should recognize, realize, feel great happiness, joy, this is the most precious time, opportunity, that we have and that we’re taking.