Giving Creates So Much Merit

[Rinpoche and students recite Prayers Before Teachings]

I was going to do just the motivation but it got expanded into the tonglen practice so I think I will just complete that since it happened.

[Video extract: Give Away Your Body, Enjoyments and Merit to Others]

[The second part of tonglen] is, by generating loving kindness, we give everything to sentient beings, giving our own body, enjoyments and three-time merits. About the body, I wrote to my root guru, Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s younger tutor, asking a question. I think he wrote back that we don’t visualize the skeleton and flesh, we visualize our body as an eight-sided wish-granting jewel.

I think I explained that wish-granting jewels are taken from the ocean. I saw a Tibetan—I don’t know if he was a geshe or an old meditator—who explained how in the Tibetan medicine texts it says that after a long time the Buddha’s relics go in the ocean and become wish-granting jewels. In the past, universal kings, maybe bodhisattvas who have so much merit, go in the ocean and find wish-granting jewels. They put the jewel on top of a banner on the fifteenth day [of the lunar calendar], an auspicious day, and then whatever people pray for, the needs and enjoyments of this life, materialize. I think at the beginning of the course, I compared the wish-granting jewel to our perfect human rebirth. Which is more precious? Do you remember that I told you at the beginning of the course, I think on the first day?

Even if we have not just one wish-granting jewel but the sky filled with wish-granting jewels, that alone cannot stop the negative karma to be born in the lower realms; it cannot stop rebirth in samsara; it cannot make us achieve a higher rebirth as a deva or human being. We cannot achieve everlasting happiness, nirvana. That alone cannot make us achieve the great nirvana, full enlightenment. But with our human body, by practicing Dharma, we can purify the cause of the lower realms; we can stop rebirth in the lower realms, and by taking refuge and protecting karma, by living in the precepts, we can create the cause to receive a higher rebirth of a deva or human body, we can be free from samsara and achieve nirvana, and, with bodhicitta, we can achieve full enlightenment. I explained that before. This is why this our human body is so precious!

But when you explain this teaching to others, you don’t have to make a lot of noise! If you do, maybe they will think that you have taken drugs or have gone crazy. Then, they won’t be sure what you are going to do next, whether you are going to hit them or what you are going to do.

This body is so precious, more precious than a wish-granting jewel that can give us whatever comforts of this life we pray for. I mentioned Sai Baba. Do you remember? So, [for tonglen] we visualize our body as not just one wish-granting jewel but numberless. This is my explanation of what I try to visualize when I do the practice, but I don’t know, maybe normally people just visualize one wish-granting jewel.

Then, we offer numberless wish-granting jewels to every hell being, and there are numberless hell beings experiencing the heaviest suffering right now. We offer numberless wish-granting jewels to each one. There are numberless hell beings, not just one or two, and we offer to everyone! This is more precious than diamonds and sapphires. Comparatively, they are nothing.

Then, we offer to the numberless hungry ghosts. I haven’t told you yet about the sufferings of the hungry ghosts but you can read the book. We offer our body as wish-granting jewels to the numberless hungry ghosts, to every hungry ghost.

Then, we offer our body as wish-granting jewels to the numberless animals, to every mosquito and ant, to every tiny insect, even those we can’t see with our eyes but only with a microscope. There are numberless universes and there are numberless animals in each universe, and to them we offer numberless wish-granting jewels.

Then, we offer our body as wish-granting jewels to the numberless human beings. There are numberless universes with numberless human beings. Don’t only think of this world. There are numberless universes and numberless human beings and we offer our body as numberless wish-granting jewels to every human being.

Then, we offer to every one of the numberless sura beings and every asura being, asuras, whose lives are full of distraction, who are totally distracted, totally lacking in conscientiousness. Conscientiousness? [Student: Conscientiousness.] Unconscientiousness. Even if they live for an unbelievable length of time, they are still totally distracted. If they were to meet the Dharma, it would be so hard to remember anything because they are so totally distracted, their life full of all the unbelievable enjoyments. They are like the extremely wealthy people who have so many varieties of sense pleasures, whose life is fully occupied with attachment, so they have no time to meditate, no time to think of the Dharma. Even if there were an opportunity, because they are fully occupied with attachment to sense pleasures, they would never [do anything].

The heaviest suffering of the suras is the five nearing signs of death and the five distant signs of death. And the asuras fight [the suras] because of the great jealousy they feel for the suras’ wealth. They always fight.

The suras have an elephant with six trunks, and when it blows air from the nose.… What do you call it? From the nose? [Students: Trunk.] From the trunk. No, this one is the trunk. This one? [Student: Tusks.] When it blows air from the trunk, the whole [asura] army is blown away, like being blown by a typhoon or a big tornado. When they fight, wherever the asuras are hit, they die, whereas the suras only die if they are hit in the neck.

So, we offer to the numberless sura beings and asura beings.

Of course, if we want, we can do it one by one, slowly, giving our wish-granting body, then our wish-granting enjoyments, then our wish-granting merits. After each, they get everything they want and need. They get everything they need. First, what they want. Next what they need. They need a perfect human rebirth; they need to meet Dharma, to meet the Mahayana teachings, to meet a perfectly qualified Mahayana virtuous friend who reveals the correct path to enlightenment. That’s what they all need. They need to receive teachings and actualize the whole path.

Then, everyone in the six realms can become free from all the gross and subtle defilements and they can achieve enlightenment. They achieve the enlightenment of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha or Maitreya Buddha or Chenrezig—whatever we want, depending on our deity.

So, if we want to, we can do it one by one, giving after each one, [body, enjoyments and merit] or we can do all three at once. If we don’t have much time, we can do it like that.

It is much more elaborately explained in the teachings. This is the essence.

Then we give our enjoyments. We give every enjoyment, for example, our hats. We have many different hats, so we give every one. And money! Don’t forget the money in the bank, everything, every piece. We have shoes for inside, shoes for outside, shoes for when we go to the mountains. We have so many clothes. We give everything, every single possession is wish-fulfilling. Whatever they need, they get from that. Every single thing is wish-fulfilling for them. You have to think like that. I saw it in a text. Every single piece, even money in the bank. I’m using an example. Even a tiny needle, we offer everything. Everything is wish-fulfilling for them, for the numberless hell beings, the numberless hungry ghosts, the numberless animals, the numberless human beings, the numberless sura beings, the numberless asura beings. The powerful devas kick out the weaker ones.

Even if we only have one rupee, we give them that. This is an unbelievable practice. How many shoes we have to wear at different times, inside and outside, and hats, we offer to the numberless sentient beings. In each realm there are numberless sentient beings, so we offer everything. We dedicate, we give everything away with loving kindness. With each material possession we give, with each small coin of money we give, we collect skies of merit. With the motivation of loving kindness, with each one we collect skies of merit. You have to know that. From each piece.

However many possessions we have, when we give them in the practice of tonglen, we collect unbelievable merit. Making charity to the numberless hell beings, we collect skies of merit; then to the numberless hungry ghosts, we collect skies of merit; then to the numberless animals, we collect skies of merit.

After that, we offer all our merits—all the past merits from beginningless rebirths, all the present merits and all the future merits—we completely offer to the numberless hell beings, the numberless hungry ghosts, the numberless animals, the numberless human beings, the numberless sura beings, the numberless asura beings and the numberless intermediate state beings.

[Video extract continues below]

With Karma We Can Transform Our Life

When somebody dies, the family does puja for them. They either do the practice by themselves or they invite monks or nuns from the monasteries to do pujas, dedicating the merits for the person who has died. In that way, they purify that person’s heavy negative karma and, even if they are already born in the lower realms, by purifying the negative karma and collecting merits, they get a higher rebirth. Lamas and meditators can even do powa, where they can shoot the consciousness into a pure land.

Even beings reborn in the lower realms, when the family dedicates the merits, it purifies their karma and helps them to get a higher rebirth, maybe in a pure land. Besides for ourselves, we can do like that for our family members—our father, mother, brother or sister—or for other friends, even for our enemy who has died. We can help. It’s incredible to do that. Normally, we are so sad when a friend dies but so happy when an enemy dies. But here we do puja for our enemy who has died. That is so good, so special. That is what a bodhisattva does; that is the bodhisattva attitude. That person has given us harm but in return we give them benefit. That is the best.

There are the Fifth Dalai Lama’s very powerful words. I have to read them but I don’t know them by heart. I’ll just introduce you. If somebody like our parents, somebody very kind to us, has died, is gone, if we feel there is nothing we can do, it’s not like that. That is because we haven’t studied Dharma; we don’t know karma. Even saying a mala of OM MANI PADME HUM and thinking of that person saves them from the lower realms. We can pray to Chenrezig and say OM MANI PADME HUM. There are many things we can do. You should know that.

There are numberless things we can do to help. It’s good to know that [instead of thinking] “Oh, they are dead. There’s nothing to do.” Or “They are dead; they’ve become nonexistent.” It’s not like that.

I’ll just ask one question. Even in one family of five children, they all have different lives, different mentalities, different [personalities]. They are not all the same. With food, one person likes one sort, another one doesn’t like it. They don’t like the same things. These different lives, different characters, where did they all come from? Why do some have to experience so much unbelievable suffering their whole life, with problems one after the other? Some presidents, some kings, suffer in all kinds [of ways]. Why? Why do they have different lives? That is a good question.

If you don’t think there is karma, why? All the different characters, all the different lives, where did they all come from? That is my question. [The children] have different characters from their parents. They don’t all have the same mind as their parents; they don’t have the same intelligence; they don’t have the same compassion. Some don’t have compassion; some have unbelievable compassion. There are all kinds even in one family. In one family, one child cries with compassion when they see other people killing animals and insects, while the other child, just by seeing that, wants to kill.

Where did all this come from? Did it come from the rocks or the trees? Did it come from water? No. There is the continuation of consciousness. It’s karma, the continuation of consciousness. It came from past lives. Of course, we can change. That’s why we meditate; that’s why we learn Dharma. We meditate to change ourselves, to get better, to develop our mind toward enlightenment, to become a better human being.

OK. Finito. Now we’ll go back.

The Bodhisattva Attitude

[Video extract continues: Give Away Your Body, Enjoyments and Merit to Others]

Now, all our merits, all our past, present and future merits we totally give to the numberless hell beings right now. It’s so important. They need it. Because they need it, we give it to every one of them. Then, [we give all our merits] to the numberless hungry ghosts and the numberless animals. As you know, there are numberless mosquitoes, numberless ants, everything, and this includes animals we don’t like, like rats or something. We give everything.

We give all our merits to the numberless human beings, and we give them to the numberless sura beings and the numberless asura beings.

I’m giving an example. When a person dies, the family members request lamas or meditators, the monks and nuns in the monasteries they go to. They make offerings for them to do prayers and pujas for the person who has died. There are many different practices [for that person] such as jangwa, the purification practice to get a higher rebirth, to be born in a pure land. Then, they dedicate the merits. Here, it’s the same [in the tonglen practice]. We give all our merits to everybody. It’s such a wonderful practice; it’s so good that we give everything.

Then, they have everything, whatever they want. The hell beings receive everything they want; the hungry ghosts receive everything they want; the animals receive everything they want; the human beings receive everything they want and the suras and asuras receive everything they want.

Now, what they want is done. The next thing is what they need. I already mentioned this before. We think that what they need is to attain a perfect human rebirth, to meet the Mahayana teachings and a perfectly qualified Mahayana guru who reveals the unmistaken path to enlightenment. They [need to] receive the whole path to enlightenment that frees them from gross and subtle obscurations and allows them to complete the whole path. Then, having ceased the gross and subtle defilements, everyone becomes enlightened. All the hell beings, the hungry ghosts, the animals, the human beings and the suras and asuras become enlightened. We can visualize them becoming Guru Shakyamuni Buddha or Chenrezig or our own deity. Whoever we want. It’s our choice. This is great.

When we do that practice, when the practice comes, the old students who have taken a Highest Yoga Tantra initiation and do the six-session guru yoga day and night know there is a long or short tonglen there—giving the body, possessions and merits to numberless sentient beings. If we just recite it “Ooo-ooo-oooh” and then it’s finished, it’s like going for a walk. We don’t even notice it. We don’t even notice the prayer if we just do it [quickly] like that. This practice is there in the six-session guru yoga. If we stay aware as we are doing it, it’s an incredible practice. It’s the best practice.

I’ve already told you, skies of merit are collected with each [thing we offer]: our human body, our possessions, [our merit]. So many times, skies of merits are collected. Then, it is unbelievable purification. The heavy negative karmas collected from beginningless rebirths, harming others, are purified. Every time we do this practice, so much negative karma is purified. You have to know that. Every time we do this, we become closer to being free from samsara and each time we become closer to enlightenment, to buddhahood. We become closer to buddhahood so quickly. [Rinpoche snaps his fingers]

You must know the benefits. That is the happiest life. If you want to know what the happiest life is, it’s this. We might think that having parties is the happiest life, but they are nothing but suffering, the suffering of change. [But with this practice] there are so many times skies of merit and so much unbelievable purification. Each time we get closer to enlightenment. If we do this practice every day, our life becomes unbelievable for sentient beings. [Our life] becomes precious for sentient beings.

I want to say this. When we eat, the food we are eating belongs to sentient beings. We are eating for sentient beings, to serve sentient beings. Do you understand? The clothes we wear belong to sentient beings; we wear clothes to serve sentient beings. It belongs to sentient beings, so we dedicate it for them. Our house belongs to sentient beings; we use it to serve sentient beings.

We are like the servant or the maid and sentient beings are like the master. How do you say, master? Like dog and master. We are a servant to sentient beings. Everything belongs to sentient beings so we use it for sentient beings. Everything the servants of rich people use belongs to the owner. They eat to survive, in order to serve the master. This is exactly same. We use things but it is in order to serve sentient beings. Do you understand?

That is the bodhisattva attitude; that is the bodhisattva conduct. That means we are able to practice the bodhisattva vows. If we have that attitude, we are able to practice the bodhisattva vows, which are the cause to achieve enlightenment. If we want enlightenment, we take the bodhisattva vows.

[End of video extract]

Fred, in Singapore, was a commandant. He was in the army, a commitment? [Student: Commander.] Commander, yes, commander. I make everybody a comedian. When a person is a thief, they think others are thieves. They point to everybody and think they may also be thieves. A person with a good heart thinks others are positive. But somebody who is very selfish [thinks], “Maybe this is a spy.” It is like that if you know people’s lives. I’m just joking. I’m making everybody a comedian. Sorry. I apologize for that.

It is very easy to think [like this]. It helps. Instead of thinking “This is mine,” and having all the worry and fear of losing it, we think that it belongs to sentient beings and we take care of it for sentient beings. We take care of our house or our things for sentient beings. We take care of them, but we do it for sentient beings. That is the way to live a bodhisattva life. We use them to offer others. We use these things to help sentient beings, to work for sentient beings.

I mentioned Fred. For a long time in this life, he has been in the army as a commitment. [Student: Commander.] Oh, commander. His wife suddenly died. She looked young but she suddenly died. I told him to become a monk, so he became a monk. He became a monk and he usually takes students or people around Mount Kailash in Tibet. I think he has already been many times. There was a person who was sick with cancer, so Fred told him that he must take all the sentient beings’ cancer on himself, by doing the tonglen practice of taking. The person accepted it very seriously and he did it, and he recovered from the cancer. That was not so long ago. When you get cancer, you never know when the doctors will say. If they have good luck, they will practice. They will do it. This man recovered from his cancer.

In Tibet, there was a yak-skin boat going over a lake but there were too many people in it and it was about to sink. So, two men dedicated their lives and jumped in the lake. They gave their happiness to the people in the boat and they just jumped. Then, a rainbow came. A rainbow is usually like this [Rinpoche makes the shape of a rainbow with his hands] but it was not that. It was just colorful clouds and they received incredible benefits.

I’m telling you that as one example. This is the same as tonglen. They gave their happiness to the people in the boat so it would not sink; they gave their life for them. But when they jumped in the lake, beautiful, incredible colored clouds appeared.

Kadampa geshe Chekawa always prayed to be born in hell for other sentient beings. The day he was passing away a vision of a buddha’s pure land happened around him. He told his attendant, a young monk, “I didn’t succeed in my prayer,” because he had been praying to be born in hell. Giving up ourselves for other sentient beings with bodhicitta, we never get reborn in lower realms. When he was dying, he had a vision of pure land around, so he told his attendant “I didn’t succeed in my prayer.” His own wish was to go to hell to help the numberless sentient beings suffering in hell. He decided to suffer in hell for all the sentient beings. So that sentient beings didn’t have to be in the hell realm suffering, he would suffer for them. But when he was dying, Kadampa geshe Chekawa had a vision of a pure land.

Transforming Suffering

[Video extract: Transform Your Experience of Suffering into Happiness]

Please write this down. I’m not going to talk much blah blah blah. But it is very important, very important. When we have problems, relationship or business problems, or cancer or an incurable disease, we must recite this; we must do this practice. [Choje Gotsangpa said:]

By my experiencing this, may all sentient beings be free from all diseases, spirit harms, negative karmas and defilements, and achieve enlightenment.

We can just repeat this, like reciting OM MANI PADME HUM with a mala, OM MANI PADME HUM, OM MANI PADME HUM. In the same way, we recite, “By my experiencing this, may all sentient beings be free from all diseases, spirit harms, negative karmas and defilements, and achieve enlightenment.”

Like reciting OM MANI PADME HUM, we recite this, sitting or walking; it’s fantastic. Whether we have cancer or any other curable or incurable disease, even a headache or knee pain, whatever, we make it beneficial for every sentient being: for the numberless hell beings, the numberless hungry ghosts, the numberless animals, the numberless human beings, the numberless suras, the numberless asuras. There are numberless universes with numberless human beings, as well as numberless sura and asura beings, and numberless intermediate state beings. We are making our condition useful for every sentient being.

Otherwise, we kind of torture ourselves, suffering not only physical pain but also mental pain. We give ourselves so much mental torment. Negative emotions make the condition worse. Even if we didn’t have cancer, it can cause us to have cancer. People who are so worried, with a really selfish mind, people who have so much anger, often have a blood clot and die. They have blood pressure. Blood pressure? [Student: High blood pressure.] High blood pressure, a blood clot.

Scientists have checked and noticed people who have a lot of anger, the majority have heart attacks. You understand? Write it down! I heard that a number of years ago they found out that the majority of people dying of heart attacks have anger problems. Definitely a peaceful mind, with compassion, loving kindness, patience, tolerance and satisfaction [helps us stay healthy]. We have to learn these things, otherwise we will die with so much suffering. We live our life with negative emotions, causing so much suffering all the time. Even if we live longer, we have so much suffering.

That is why, whether we believe in reincarnation and karma or not, everybody has to be a good human being. That is what we have to practice.

With this practice, we have no obstacles. We use whatever problems, obstacles or sickness we have on the path to achieve enlightenment, to achieve the total cessation of obscurations and the completion of all the realizations. We use everything, every problem, to achieve the path to enlightenment. Everything becomes useful—every sickness, every problem. We use every problem to achieve buddhahood for sentient beings. Whatever problem or sickness we have, we use it for sentient beings. We use it to achieve enlightenment for all the sentient beings

This Tibetan Mahayana Buddhist practice came from the Buddha; it came from Nalanda. It is so amazing, so incredible, so wise. Making everything in our life, even our problems, into the path to enlightenment is thought transformation. These are the benefits of thought transformation.

[When we do that] our body is called “a pure land.” Amitabha Buddha Pure Land. I mentioned that one. Whether it is very tall or very short, by practicing bodhicitta, thought transformation, our body is called “a pure land.” We use every problem on the path to achieve enlightenment. We use every problem for the happiness of all sentient beings, to bring them to enlightenment. Because of that, there is so much joy; there is incredible happiness in our life. It says that in the teachings that this small body becomes a pure land.

The great Kagyu yogi, Choje Gotsangpa advised us to do this practice, which is his own practice. He almost passed away three times due to having so many lice on his body. He voluntarily kept them, not getting rid of them. He dedicated himself completely for the lice. He almost died three times. Choje Gotsangpa practiced like this. This was his Dharma practice. He bore hardships for sentient beings; he practiced Dharma for sentient beings. If we boast we have done so many years of strict retreat or so many years of prostrations, whatever we say is just moving our lips compared to him. It is nothing, compared to his practice. He bore so many hardships to practice Dharma for sentient beings. Purposely keeping the lice on his body, he almost passed away three times. It’s unbelievable.

[End of video extract]

I saw the life story when I received the lung, the oral transmission, from Zigar Rinpoche, at Tso Pema, where Padmasambhava [stayed.]¹⁵ There were two wisdom mothers: Khandro Yeshe Tsogyal was one and Lhatsang Mandarava, the king’s daughter, was the other one. The life story is that she went to the mountain where she met Padmasambhava, and because she had the karma, he gave her the initiation. Then the king was looking for her; he came out and saw this. The king was very famous, and he [went] down and made a sandalwood fire, which was so hot.

For seven days he piled wood and he put Padmasambhava in the middle to burn in the fire, but what happened was that instead of Padmasambhava being burned, water appeared. There was no water before, but a lake happened around there, and maybe a lotus. When the king heard this, he went down there and then he realized that Padmasambhava was no ordinary being. The king then did prostration and invited Padmasambhava to his palace. The lake is called Tso Pema, and it has continued up to now. It has never dried up.

I went there two or three times. So I got the lung from the abbot of the great Drugpa Kagyü monastery, and a few other lungs. This is one practice to do when we have problems. To dedicate for sentient beings, make it useful for all sentient beings. It’s incredible.

I’m supposed to practice it, but sorry, I don’t.

Developing the Bodhisattva Attitude

[Video extract: How to Think When Seeing Suffering People and Animals]

Sometimes, when some pain comes, we might think it’s not very serious, but also fear that perhaps it’s cancer or something. At that time, we should recite a tonglen prayer, such as the short one by Nagarjuna:

Whatever suffering transmigratory beings experience,
May it ripen on me.
Whatever happiness and virtue I accumulate,
May it ripen on others.¹⁶ 

I recite this. Even if it is just a very slight pain, the pain stops. If there is eye pain, even not very serious pain, by just remembering the words, the pain stops.

The purpose of thought transformation, lojong, is not to stop the pain. It is while we are experiencing a problem, making it useful to achieve the path to enlightenment. We utilize it on the path to enlightenment! We utilize it for all the sentient beings to achieve enlightenment while we are experiencing it. It’s not to stop the problem. We have to know the real purpose of thought transformation, but I’m just talking about what happens if we practice. The real practice is to use the problem to achieve enlightenment in order for all sentient beings to achieve enlightenment.

The very best practice, especially when we have sickness and problems, is to take all the problems of all sentient beings on ourselves and let them be free.

I want to tell you one thing. When we walk in markets or on the city streets in India and Nepal especially, we see many suffering animals and human beings. We see beings with [impaired] legs or no legs at all; we see all kinds of suffering. We can’t immediately help them get legs. So, what we do is pray for them to not have much suffering in this life, to not be reborn in lower realms and to be reborn in pure land where they can become enlightened or at least receive a perfect human rebirth, meet the Mahayana teachings, meet a perfectly qualified guru, and achieve enlightenment by most pleasing the holy mind of the virtuous friend.

We pray they may achieve enlightenment and we do tonglen, taking all the suffering they are experiencing now and its cause, negative karma. We take it into our heart and let it destroy our self-cherishing thought. We can practice that while we are walking. We can practice that when we see an animal about to be killed in the road or a buffalo being used to farm the land. What do you call the thing for making the land soft? [Student: Plow.] Plow. We can practice that when we see a horse carrying a huge load. Horses have to pull [huge loads] even when the weather is so hot. We take all their suffering. When we see them, we take all their suffering and its cause.

Then we pray, as I said before. When we take it, it destroys our self-cherishing thought. Then, we recite OM MANI PADME HUM. It is so good, so good. Even for sick people, for dying people, when we recite OM MANI PADME HUM, if we do it with tonglen, it is so good, so good. There is nothing much we can do to help right away, but we can do tonglen practice. Some people have the karma, so they can get better from us doing tonglen. There are many stories.

OK. I think that’s it. I’ll finish there.

Verses from Praise to Bodhicitta

[Praise to Bodhicitta says,

[89ab] Remember bodhicitta when you feel down.
Remember bodhicitta when you are scared.]

As I mentioned before, when we are afraid, remembering bodhicitta is the best. The best! When we are dying, with our last breath, if we remember bodhicitta, that is the best. It is the best way of dying. His Holiness often says that to remember bodhicitta is the best way of dying. You have to know that. You must write that down because we all have to die. I think I told the Kopan monks and nuns some years ago to write that down in their book so they will know what to do when they are dying.

This is what you want to do when you are dying. Write it down! This is the practice and meditation you want to do. Write it down! Prepare! You can prepare! You understand? It is so important.

We make so many other plans. “I’m going to the moon,” or “I’m going to Mount Everest.” But death can happen anytime. Death can happen anytime. It can happen tonight. We can’t say. We are neither omniscient nor clairvoyant, so how do we know? How do we know when we are going to die? We make plans but this plan is so important. “I’m going to Mount Everest,” or “I’m going to Tibet.” Like we are making plans for the next thousand years. But death can happen anytime, so this plan is the most important. It is so important to know what we will do, how we will practice.

I don’t remember whether I explained the Mahayana practice of the five powers near the time of death. We need to use this most fundamental, most important practice! I don’t remember, sorry. At Kopan, the five powers near the time of death are based on bodhicitta. You must get that book and read it. I wrote a book called… What is it called; it’s about death? “How to Help Yourself?” [Ven. Robina: How to Enjoy Death, Rinpoche.] How to Enjoy Death. I’ve explained there about the five powers near the time of death. That is a Mahayana practice.

That is the fundamental practice, the best practice [Rinpoche snaps his fingers] to apply at the time of death. The five powers are integrated into a whole lifetime’s practice for everyday life, but there are also the five powers near the time of death. I’ve explained it there, so read it. Study it. Write it down in your notebook, in your diarrhea book. It is so important to make preparations for what to think.

There is a tantric practice, powa. With powa, the [channels] get swollen, hair and pus come out, and then you have to do “hick” many times, so powa will not necessarily work. But the five powers are definitely the best practice of bodhicitta. You must write down what to do. Then you are very wise! Suddenly you will find it. When you are dying you will know that this [practice] is what you will do. Then you are very wise.

OK, sorry. Now, I won’t expand on that.

[Praise to Bodhicitta says:

[89cd] Remember bodhicitta when you suffer.
Remember bodhicitta when you feel joy.]

Even when we are happy, we must remember bodhicitta. When we are successful, when we have pleasure, when we have so much, when people are praising us and we are totally distracted with attachment to pleasure, we are then unable to practice the Dharma. Our life has become negative. Totally distracted by attachment, by the pleasures of this life, our life is wasted. It doesn’t become meaningful. Therefore, the best thing to do is remember bodhicitta, even when we have pleasure. The best way to make life meaningful is to remember bodhicitta.

For example, say we are staying in a five-star hotel, where there is so much comfort. We dedicate all this comfort to all sentient beings. When we have incredible pleasure, we dedicate it to sentient beings, we give it to sentient beings. Here, when we remember bodhicitta, our pleasure becomes useful for all sentient beings.

Maybe I’ll recite this. [Praise to Bodhicitta says:]

[159] If you lack bodhicitta you will not become enlightened
Even if you restrain from wickedness,
Even if you gather together wholesome dharmas,
Even if you meditate on the channels, winds and drops.

Even if we abstain from all the vices and collect all the virtues, even meditating on the chakras, winds and drops—we do all these things—but without bodhicitta we cannot achieve enlightenment. You have to know that. Without bodhicitta none of these things we do will cause us to achieve enlightenment for sentient beings.

[Praise to Bodhicitta says:]

[216ab] With bodhicitta one’s own purpose is accomplished.
With bodhicitta others’ purposes are accomplished.

If we have bodhicitta, we are able to accomplish all the work for ourselves and all the work for others. So, bodhicitta is the best. Even to complete all the work for ourselves, practicing bodhicitta, actualizing bodhicitta is the best. If we have bodhicitta, it’s the best. And to complete the work for others, if we have bodhicitta it’s the best.

[Then it says:]

[216c] With bodhicitta one gets rid of what causes fear.

If we have bodhicitta we are free from fear, free from danger. If we have bodhicitta, devas, nagas and all those spirits are very happy with us. Without a selfish mind, only cherishing all sentient beings and wanting them to have happiness, the nagas, the spirits, those outside beings who normally harm people, all help us wherever we are. They don’t harm us because we have a good heart, by having bodhicitta. This is very common for bodhisattvas.

It is a common story for bodhisattvas to stop a river so they can cross and then the river restarts. I think this is the same for Christians. Saint Francis in Italy wore ragged clothes, black robes with many patches, like the Tibetan meditators, the Kadampa geshes. He led a very simple life, a very humble life but he had great realizations of the path. He achieved that for sentient beings. Many great holy beings are like that.

Saint Francis and his disciples wore ragged clothes. When the priests above them saw them on the road, the priests, wearing very expensive white clothes, all spit on him because he did not look like them. But his level of realization was same as the bodhisattvas, as the Kadampa geshes. He had bodhicitta.

Once, there was water running where his disciples were meditating. It’s a place close to Lama Tzong Khapa Institute in Italy. What’s it called? [Student: Assisi.] Assisi. The water was running from the mountains, and the disciples nearby could not meditate because of the noise of the water. Calling the water “Sister,” he said, “Sister, please stop because my disciples can’t meditate.” Then, the water stopped. You can see the mark where the water ran, but so far, since that time, it hasn’t returned. They say that if the water returns, it will be very bad for Italy or something.

Bodhisattvas are like that. Bodhisattvas who have realizations can cause water to stop. Bodhisattva Jamyang Monlam, who is Keutsang Rinpoche in this life, was a bodhisattva in Tibet many lifetimes before. There was a flood coming toward Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, so he wrote on a stone, “If it is true that I have bodhicitta, please turn back.” Then the flood water turned back. Western scientists have no idea that it is controlled by the mind. Bodhicitta has the power to control outside elements, to stop danger. So, the water went back.

What was I going to say?

[Praise to Bodhicitta says:]

[216cd] With bodhicitta one gets rid of what causes fear.
With bodhicitta an antidote clicks in.

Then it says:

[231] When happy remember bodhicitta.
When sad remember bodhicitta.
When old remember bodhicitta.
When dying remember bodhicitta.

When we are happy, we must remember bodhicitta. When we are suffering, we must remember bodhicitta. When we are old, we must remember bodhicitta. It brings happiness. No matter how old we look on the outside, it makes our life so meaningful. No matter how many years, how many months, how many days, how many hours, how many seconds we have left in this life, it makes it so worthwhile for every sentient being. Even if we are dying, we must remember bodhicitta. I told you that.

[Praise to Bodhicitta says:]

[296] If one is in possession of bodhicitta
It is fine if one is sick, fine if one is dying,
Fine if one is studying and fine if one is meditating;
One seems to be fine no matter what one is doing.

If we have bodhicitta, everything is good. If we have bodhicitta, it is very good to get sick, because we dedicate the sickness for sentient beings. We utilize it in the path to enlightenment. We take all the sentient beings’ suffering, so our life benefits all sentient beings. Even if we die, it’s good because dying with bodhicitta is unbelievably beneficial for sentient beings, as I told you. With bodhicitta, if we listen to teachings, it is very good, because we listen for sentient beings.

Sorry, I didn’t get to tell you the motivation for listening to these teachings!

When we listen with bodhicitta here in Kopan, we are listening to the teachings for the tiny ants walking around. When we go out, there are the birds and insects and we are listening to the teachings here, doing retreat, doing everything for all the dogs, for all the animals, for all the insects, for all of them. When we do it with bodhicitta, not one is left out. Listening to teachings, meditating, taking the eight Mahayana precepts with bodhicitta, it is for all of them. It is for all for the tiny ants walking around. It is to benefit them. The tiny ants, mosquitoes, the insects walking around, those we never relate to, we feel we have no connection with, if we can feel we have taken the eight Mahayana precepts today for this ant, that is so good. If we can recognize what we are doing in this way.

It benefits everybody, even the people we see. It benefits everybody, even the birds we see when we go around the mountain. We must do that. Our life benefits all those insects. Normally we say, “Sentient beings, sentient beings,” but we never relate it to this, “This is a sentient being; I’m a human being.” Do you understand? It’s not like that.

“Even listening to teachings is good, even meditating is good.” Whatever we do is good. If we have bodhicitta. even if you are making kaka and pipi, whatever we do, we do it to benefit sentient beings.

[Praise to Bodhicitta says:

[338ab] When you walk, walk with bodhicitta.
When you sit, sit with bodhicitta.]

If we are walking, we walk with bodhicitta. If we are sitting, we sit with bodhicitta. Did you read the book or not read it? [Ven. Robina: Yes, Rinpoche, we did a little bit yesterday.] A little bit. How much? OK.

[Praise to Bodhicitta says:

[338bcd] When you sit, sit with bodhicitta.
When you stand, stand with bodhicitta.
When you sleep, sleep with bodhicitta.

[339] When you look, look with bodhicitta.
When you eat, eat with bodhicitta.
When you speak, speak with bodhicitta.
When you think, think with bodhicitta.]

Whatever we are doing, sitting, standing, lying down, looking, eating, speaking, even examining something, we should do it with bodhicitta. Of course, when we eat, we must make sure that is the motivation. Having a bodhicitta motivation is so important, even to visualize making the offering, we must do it with that motivation. “If you eat, eat with bodhicitta. If you speak, speak with bodhicitta. If you think, think with bodhicitta.”

It’s five o’clock so I’ll stop here. One or two minutes more and then I’ll stop. I want to maybe still mention one or two things.

Benefiting Sentient Beings Is Benefiting the Buddha

I must mention this today. I explained the tonglen practice. With tonglen, when a sentient being, a beggar or someone, asks us for help, to give them money or food or whatever, it’s an incredible pleasure to give help in whatever [way possible]. Whether they ask or not, they are the most precious thing, as I described to you, they are the being we receive all the past happiness from, from beginningless rebirths until now, and we receive all the current happiness from and will receive all the future happiness from, including all the realizations, liberation from samsara and enlightenment.

So, this sentient being is so precious. Even the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha we always take refuge in—to be free from the lower realms, to be free from samsara, to be free from lower nirvana and achieve enlightenment—even the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha came from this sentient being, therefore they are so precious, so precious. They are most kind, most dear, most precious; they are wish-fulfilling. Now, to be able to give them something is most precious; we are most happy to give. Numberless Buddha, Dharma and Sangha came from this sentient being.

The Buddha bore so many hardships and collected the merits of wisdom and merits of virtue for three countless great eons for sentient beings. For three countless great eons the Buddha made charity of his holy body to the sentient beings. He practiced morality with many hardships for sentient beings for three countless great eons; he practiced patience for three countless great eons; he practiced perseverance for three countless great eons, and then meditation, concentration and wisdom.

So, for three countless great eons even the Buddha himself made charity of his body and practiced morality with great hardship for this person. Then, he practiced patience, perseverance, meditation and wisdom for three countless great eons, bearing so much hardship for this sentient being. Therefore, to give them one rupee or a little food or some clothing, that is so precious. It is the happiest thing we can do. Even if we can’t do like the Buddha did, it is so unbelievably precious to give something. [The Buddha said,]

Under the control of compassion, I completely gave
My wives, sons, wealth and a great king’s reign,
My flesh, blood, fat, eyes and bodies to anyone.

Therefore, if you harm them, you harm me.
Therefore, if you benefit sentient beings, it is a supreme offering to me.
Harm to sentient beings is the worst harm to me.

The Buddha is talking about his own experience. He gave his extremely beautiful wife and his dear son from his heart. He gave his wealth and a great king’s reign. He gave his own flesh, blood and fat—not fart!—his own eyes and all his bodies countless times, being under the control of compassion for that sentient being.

It means all these things that I mentioned, all the parts of the body, even the most beautiful wife and the most heartfelt, dearest son, and all the king’s wealth, we offer to sentient beings.

Shakyamuni Buddha said that if we harm that sentient being, we harm him. It’s the same thing if [we are Christian and think that] God created the world. If we then harm people, we are harming God. If we can understand that, it brings peace. And if we benefit this particular sentient being, that is the best offering to the Buddha. You have to know that.

Even if we give a glass of water or a candy to a beggar, we give something that is the best offering to the Buddha, and not only one buddha but numberless buddhas and bodhisattvas. That is the best offering. Whatever way we can help, carrying somebody’s heavy luggage or something, whatever help we can give. That is the best offering to numberless buddhas and bodhisattvas.

So, the focus is sentient beings; not the Buddha but sentient beings. Taking care, cherishing them, doing whatever we can for them, even if we recite OM MANI PADME HUM and dedicate the merits, that is the best. That is what pleases the buddhas and bodhisattvas.

[End of video extract]

OK, I’ll stop here.

[Students offer a short mandala of thanks]

[Dedication prayers]

“Due to all the past, present and future merits collected by me, all the three-time merits collected by numberless sentient beings and numberless buddhas, which is merely labeled by the mind, may I, who is merely labeled by the mind, achieve buddhahood, which is merely labeled by the mind, and lead all the sentient beings, who are merely labeled by the mind, to that buddhahood, which is merely labeled by the mind, by myself alone, who is merely labeled by the mind.

[Dedication prayers continue, including the long-life prayer for Lama Zopa Rinpoche]

Good night.

---

Notes 

¹⁵ Tso Pema, or Rewalsar, is a sacred pilgrimage site in Himachal Pradesh, India, revered by Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs. [Return to text]

¹⁶ See FPMT Essential Prayer Book, p. 216. [Return to text]