Motivation

Please listen to the Buddha’s teaching. We’ll do some prayer, the Heart Sutra, some reading and the lamrim prayer, these two, to leave some imprints, by reading those precious teachings of the Buddha. So maybe we’ll do the lung.

Think like this:

“This time I have received a perfect human body, which is extremely rare to find. I have found the Dharma, which is extremely rare to meet, and not only the Buddhadharma to achieve the happiness of future lives, not only the Buddhadharma where I can achieve liberation from myself, not only that. I have met the Dharma, the Mahayana teachings, which reveal the whole path to enlightenment, how to achieve enlightenment, especially the lamrim, integration of the entire teaching of the Buddha, the whole path to enlightenment, set up in a graduated way for one person to achieve enlightenment. And then at this time I have met a virtuous friend who reveals the path, a sublime leader who reveals the path, not only so I can achieve the happiness of this life, not only achieve liberation from samsara, but I can achieve enlightenment in order to be able to liberate numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric suffering and bring them to full enlightenment.

“So, while I have all these opportunities, before death comes, I must make sure that I achieve a good rebirth in the next life, all the happiness of all the coming future lives. I must make sure of that. Not only that, I must make sure I free myself from samsara, to be totally free from the oceans of samsaric sufferings. I must make sure this happens. Achieving this liberation from samsara only for myself is not sufficient. All suffering comes from the self-cherishing thought, by cherishing the I. All the sufferings come from the I. All problems come from the I. Therefore, I must let go of the I. And all happiness, all the collections of goodness and all the realizations to achieve enlightenment come from bodhicitta. Everything comes from bodhicitta, from cherishing others. That means that everything comes from others. All my own past, present and future happiness, everything comes from others, from every single sentient being and their existence.

“Therefore, the numberless sentient beings are most precious, most kind, most precious, the most kind ones in my life. What they want is happiness; what they do not want is suffering. Therefore I have full responsibility to free them from all the sufferings and for them to have all the happiness, especially peerless happiness, enlightenment. To do that, to cause this, then first I myself must achieve full enlightenment. For that I need to actualize this graduated path to enlightenment, by following guru devotion, which is the root of the path to enlightenment. For that, I need to purify. To actualize the whole path to enlightenment, I need to collect merit, which are the necessary conditions, and to purify the defilements, which are the obstacles.

“Therefore I am going to listen to the oral transmission of the Golden Light Sutra, which plants seeds of enlightenment, which by hearing each word purifies all the negative karma and collects inconceivable skies of merit.”

How to listen to Dharma

Whenever we listen to teachings, it’s good to think like that. This is not saying that I am the Buddha, it’s not saying that, but I explain the meditation. So, it is good to think that. Normally, when we receive teachings from the guru, from the virtuous friend, from our own side we should think, meditate, that Guru Shakyamuni Buddha is giving us the teaching or Maitreya Buddha is giving us the teaching, or Manjushri is giving us the teaching, or Tara is giving us the teaching. Meditating this way, we think there are numberless buddhas, all the buddhas are giving us the teaching. This way, we feel connection with all the buddhas. All the buddhas are doing something for us, guiding us, working for us, benefiting us, bringing us from samsara to liberation, bringing us to enlightenment.

And then we should think, “Each word that I listen to, what it does to me is, it stops the oceans of samsaric suffering. It stops me from continuously experiencing the oceans of samsaric suffering. Each Dharma word that I listen to, what it does to me, it stops my continuously experiencing oceans of samsaric suffering.”

Then we see how precious each word is, how precious it is. The effect is unconceivable, so important, most important, unconceivable. The benefit we get from each word is like limitless sky. Each word we listen to is the most precious thing; it is wish-fulfilling, the most precious thing, the most important thing, so we cannot miss it.

And then we should think, “Each word that I listen to, may all the meaning, which is the path, be actualized immediately within my mental continuum and each word that I listen to, may it be beneficial for all sentient beings. Each word that I listen to, may it become beneficial for all the sentient beings.” If we can think like this normally when we listen to teachings from the guru, from the virtuous friend, if we are able to do guru yoga meditation like this, and also dedicate the words in order to be able to actualize the meaning of the path immediately in our own mental continuum. Each word that we listen to is to be able to become most beneficial for all sentient beings, to cause the numberless sentient beings to achieve enlightenment quickly. And we should also think, “Whenever I reveal these words to others, may it cause them to actualize the path within their heart immediately.”

After the motivation, if we can make our motivation bodhicitta, if we can dedicate like this, each word will be most beneficial to all sentient beings.

As it is mentioned in the sutra, all the dharmas, like conditions, are up to the intention. So you see, it’s up to the intention, it’s up to karma. So if we generate the wish, if we dedicate like this, it creates that karma so that it can happen, and each word can affect that; it can cause us to help actualize the path in the hearts of all sentient beings.

[Chanting]

Golden Light Sutra: Oral transmission

[Student: Page 74.]

Mainly, I would like to have the text in rainbow color. This was a photocopy made in New York by a student whose house I was staying in when she became a nun. She did this and a hundred thousand names of the buddhas, which is highly admired by Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo. If somebody dies, then reciting the hundred thousand names of the buddhas is much more beneficial than reading the Book of the Dead, Bardo Thodol. Because among these names of the buddhas, if we recite them once it purifies one hundred thousand eons of negative karma. We collect inconceivable merits, so many benefits by reciting these buddhas’ names. These buddhas’ names purify different negative karma and also for different success. It is highly recommended that if somebody passes, if you want benefit them, then reciting the one hundred thousand names of the buddhas is much more beneficial than reading the Book of the Dead, how do you say it? Book of the Dead?

[Student: The Tibetan Book of the Dead.]

Huh? It’s not an American book? It’s not the California Book of the Dead? Anyway, I am joking.

This was what the great enlightened Pabongka recommended. Before it was very rare, it wasn’t available. Then I think Ribur Rinpoche received three copies from Lhasa, so I got one, Rinpoche gave me one. But now it seems to be available at Dharamsala, the Tibetan Dharamsala publishing houses have a list of so many texts in Tibetan, a list of Tibetan books.

As I mentioned before, if you dedicate like that, each word has an effect, each word is beneficial for you and all sentient beings.

[Oral transmission]

First, by reciting this dedication chapter, one abandons … [Inaudible]

[Oral transmission]

There is no dot; it’s not clear. The text is not clear. The mind is not clear!

[Oral transmission]

Anybody who hears the drum sound of the Golden Light Sutra, anybody who hears this, admiring the qualities of the Buddha and anybody who hears the words, confessing negative karma—all those sentient beings, anybody who hears these words will collect extensive merit and will benefit so many other sentient beings. And then all the negative karma get purified, you should realize. This is what the Buddha said. So that means having heard this chapter, the drum sound of the Golden Light Sutra, which expresses the qualities of the Buddha, and the confession of negative karma, you have collected extensive merit and you are able to benefit so many sentient beings. By that, you can make so many sentient beings satisfied, happy, and purify all the defilements.

[Oral transmission]

The Buddha said the reason you have such special conduct is because in the past you have praised the Buddha, and also you did extensive prayers in the past. It is the blessings of the Buddha. That’s why you are able to hear these teachings.

[Oral transmission]

Then all the surroundings, the human beings and other nonhuman beings who are in the area, who gathered when the Buddha was giving teachings, they all praised Buddha’s teachings.

[Oral transmission]

The Golden Light Sutra, the king of the sutras, brings incredible benefit because of what it has, what it does. This king of the sutras, the Golden Light Sutra, this one has twenty-nine chapters, this is the medium version Golden Light Sutra. From the twenty-nine chapters, this is the fourth chapter; it’s called the chapter of confessing the dream. So I’ll stop here. It is finished up to fourth chapter, and I am beginning the fifth chapter.

Dedication

[Chanting]

Due to all the past, present and future merits collected by me, and all the three times’ merits collected by others, may tbodhicitta be generated in the hearts of all of us here, in all the family members, all the students, the benefactors of this organization, and those who devote their lives to doing service for sentient beings, the teachings of Buddha, then also may bodhicitta be generated in the hearts of all the rest of the sentient beings.

[Chanting]

May the bodhicitta be generated in my own heart, my own family members and all of us here, in the hearts of all the family members and in the hearts of all the sentient beings who are in this world.

[Chanting]

May the bodhicitta be generated in my own heart, family members, all of us here and in the hearts of all the leaders of this world and all those groups that harm sentient beings, so many people, the terrorists and the Maoists or whatever, all the different groups harming so many sentient beings. May bodhicitta be generated in all their hearts without delaying even a second.

[Chanting]

Due to the past, present and future merits, the three times’ merit collected by me, the three times’ merit collected by others, may all the father, mother sentient beings have happiness, may the three lower realms be empty forever, may all the bodhisattvas’ prayers succeed immediately. May I be able to cause all these to happen by myself alone.

[Chanting]

This incredible opportunity to do lamrim retreat and also to collect so much merit and purify so many defilements, to plant the seed of liberation and enlightenment, so much each day, to make us closer to enlightenment and to be able to purify unconceivable negative karma and defilements, and collect unconceivable merit by giving this Golden Light Sutra oral transmission and by listening to the Golden Light Sutra, all this is by the kindness of the Buddha of Compassion, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

[Chanting]

Do the same dedication for Lama, who is kinder than all the three times’ buddhas. For Lama Ösel to be able to complete his studies in Sera Monastery and to offer limitless skies of benefits to sentient beings and the teachings of the Buddha like Lama Tsongkhapa, by showing the same qualities.

[Chanting]

Due to all the past, present and future merits collected by me, the three times’ merits collected by others, may every sentient being who sees me, touches me, remembers me, thinks about me, talks about me, who harms or helps me, whatever connection they make with me, just by this, may it affect them so they never ever get reborn in the lower realms from that time.

May it cause them to find faith in refuge and karma and generate loving kindness, compassion and bodhicitta in all their hearts, instantly, immediately.

Even if they just mention my name or see my photo, the minute they mention my name may it be able to affect them like this. May it immediately free them from all the sicknesses, heal all sicknesses and free them from spirit possession and harm. May their negative karma and defilements be purified and may all their wishes for happiness immediately get fulfilled, just by their seeing me, touching me, talking to me, remembering me, talking about me and so forth. Even if they dream of me or just mention my name, may it have all these effects on them. May it immediately fulfill their wishes for happiness, so in that way I become wish-fulfilling; even my name becomes wish-fulfilling for all sentient beings and causes them to actualize the whole path to enlightenment. May they achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible.

Due to all the past, present and future merits collected by me and the three times’ merits collected by others, may I be able to offer limitless skies of benefit to all sentient beings and the teachings of the Buddha, by having the same qualities within me as Lama Tsongkhapa has, from now on and in all my future lives, in every second, to be able to be like that, to offer skies of benefits to sentient beings and the teachings of the Buddha.

Due to all the past, present and future merits collected by me, the three times’ merits collected by others, that which appear as real from out there, but which is totally empty, nonexistent, may the I, which appears a real one but which is totally nonexistent, empty—that one, that I is totally nonexistent, empty—achieve Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment, which appears a real one from out there, but in reality is totally nonexistent, empty. May I achieve Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment that appears to me in that way, but which is totally empty, totally nonexistent. And may I lead all sentient beings, who appear as real ones from out there—not the sentient beings who are merely imputed, this is not them, but the sentient beings who appear to me that way, not appearing as merely labeled, but appearing not merely labeled, as real ones from there, but who are totally nonexistent in reality, totally empty—may I lead them to that enlightenment, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment, again, which is merely labeled but appears not merely labeled, appears a real one from there, but which is totally empty, nonexistent, by myself, which again, when you think that, again not appearing merely labeled but appearing not merely labeled, appearing as a real one from there, which is a total hallucination, it is totally nonexistent, empty.

Due to these merits, may I be able to follow the holy extensive deeds, just as the bodhisattvas Samantabhadra and Manjugosha realized. I dedicate all the merits in the same way as the three times’ buddhas dedicated their merit.

May the general teachings of the Buddha and particularly the teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa spread in all directions, may it flourish forever. May it spread in this world, and may it flourish forever in this world by completely actualizing it within myself, in my own heart, and in all of us here, in the hearts of all the students, benefactors of this organization and then particularly those who give up their life to this organization, doing service to sentient beings and the teachings of Buddha. May it be actualized in all of our hearts.

[Chanting]