So now, next one, when you look for the great happiness, when your aim, goal of your life, attitude of your life, seeking the great happiness, when you do that, by the way you achieve the small pleasure, you achieve the happiness of this life, like the beginning, every time the beginning of preparation, the motivation comes, when you look for enlightenment, liberation, so when you work for that the happiness of this life, success of this life just comes by the way. Because you always create good karma so the happiness of this life comes by the way without seeking for it, without desiring for it see. If you have renounced, looking for great happiness, so you renounce the small pleasure, or happiness of this life, so you renounce. When you renounce, there’s no desire for that, you renounced but as a result you achieve. So in other words you achieve without desiring for it, without attachment, you achieve.
So, we collected unbelievable extensive merits by listening, your listening and my explaining, such as the lung, so I think we should do extensive dedication, King of the Prayer, that’s one way, and also if we recite King of the Prayer, today is also a special day of Buddha so therefore the second day, for the 14th, so therefore we collect merit having recited one hundred million times, so this is another one very powerful for purification, the King of the Prayer. And if we generate faith, when the faith, when you generate faith in the King of Prayer as it says, from that you definitely achieve enlightenment. Every time when we generate faith in the King of Prayer, then no question about at the time of death this is one of the prayers every day one should recite and then you get reborn Amitabha pure land. [pause]
So as it is mentioned there, [pause] merits, at the beginning is, how much merit you collect just by hearing and one verse, that is four words, equaling the number of Buddha, merits, buddhas equaling the number of subtle atoms of the Pacific Ocean, so that much merit you collect. Then later it comes out, there is section there where it says, you collect merit, than buddhas equaling the subtle atoms of the Pacific Ocean, how many Pacific Ocean? ?Thirteen times, there’s that one part that says that. So we collected unbelievable, unbelievable merits.
So that, well, doing this lung what happened is, so when I was taking oral transmission this, which has eighteen or nineteen volumes, Kachen Yeshe Gyaltsen, this great lama who benefited the teaching of Buddha, sentient beings like a sun rising in this world, unbelievable, incredible, whose teachings are like nectar, it’s unbelievable, unbelievable teachings. So it happened to be in Sera Monastery this time, before Drepung but this time in the Lama Osel’s house, organized there, so Kyabje Khyongla Rato Rinpoche, who lives in New York, which is senior lama of Drepung, that the heart disciple, very close disciple of His Holiness Ling Rinpoche. So yeah, so this time the lungs was given in Sera, Sera Monastery, so Osel labrang, Lama Osel’s house, all those incarnate lamas, young incarnate lamas, then all those, there’s also ex-abbots and things like that, and some monks. So that time, here, I don’t know Chinese name, [RL] called Thubten Chödron, anyway, so met two times, part of her practice, part of her preliminary practice, collecting merits, there is not so much other preliminary practices, but this comes out, I don’t know how many.… So then to do lung, so she decided rather herself alone taking the lung in Taiwan, so that many other people can receive, to do public so that’s how it happened, why this lung is done. So anyway, so how much merit we collect was, she requested for the lung, to do public so that’s also, so also it’s the kindness of sentient beings, her, that she requested to do public.
So we should do King of Prayer, okay, do extensive dedication for sentient beings.
Dag gi ji nye sag pai ge wa di….
[Recitation of King of Prayers by Rinpoche in Tibetan and by group in Chinese]
There’s one Maitreya Buddha prayer, not the one talking about the benefits of the statue, not that one. That came from Maitreya Buddha himself. [pause]
So the prayer that was composed by Lama Tsongkhapa, Beginning and End, it’s in Chinese? Is there available in English? Beginning and End? So this is extremely wonderful prayer, this Lama Tsongkhapa, composed by Lama Tsongkhapa, it’s extremely, if that can be translated into Chinese it will be extremely good.
[Rinpoche recites in Tibetan]
Then there’s dedication that, those who are benefacting, supporting the Maitreya statue, so forth, that prayer.
[Rinpoche chants in Tibetan, then der ni ring du…]
Jang chhub sem chog…. [3x]
Gang ri ra wai….
[Rinpoche then chants the prayer for fulfilling His Holiness’s wishes]
Je tsun la mai ku tshe rab ten ching….
Please dedicate all the merits, His Holiness to have stable, this obstacle year to be pacified immediately and His Holiness to have stable life, and all the holy wishes be succeed immediately.
We dedicate all the merits for the success of all the projects, all the Maitreya Statue projects and various holy objects to build in different parts of the world and serving, continuing offering service to the monasteries, to the Sanghas, Sanghas in this organization, building monasteries, retreat places in the world and so to receive all the needs for that.
Then social services, treating the, medicine, treating patients, the eye clinic in Tibet and so forth, giving food and shelter, also education, for young people’s education, the heart of the education, all those to be most beneficial everyone who comes to learn, may it be spread all over the world, especially in the violent countries, may everybody who comes to learn, all the students may it become cause of, may they become originator of all the peace and happiness in the country, in the area, in the country, in the rest of the world.
The publishing Dharma books, spreading in different parts of the world and then the prison project, so forth, all the hospice, all these to be most beneficial for sentient beings, and receive all the needs. And every center, including the Shakyamuni Buddha center, all the centers in Taiwan, all the rest of the centers to be most beneficial for all the sentient beings, then generating faith to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, and bodhicitta in their heart, and especially spread Lama Tsongkhapa’s teaching in the hearts of all sentient beings, by receiving all the needs. Then whatever project each center has, whatever, buying a house for the center or land or whatever, so forth, social service, whatever project each center has to be most beneficial [recording fades to become inaudible].
Then last is, Due to all the past, present, future merits collected by me, the three-time merits collected by others, that which are empty from its own side….
[pause]
Due to all the three-time merits collected by me, the three-time merits collected by others, all the numberless hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, then all the students who passed away now, those who rely upon me, whose name is given to me, whom I promised to pray, who died including the Terry Leach, the director of New Zealand center, Mahamudra Center, who had cancer and passed away, the day before that, early morning, I think, something like that. So all those to be liberated and in case born in the lower realms, in case, to be liberated immediately from there, all those beings, numberless hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals to be liberated from the lower realms and then to be born in a pure land where they can become enlightened or receive a perfect human body, by meeting perfectly qualified Mahayana guru, Mahayana teachings, then _______ to enlightenment.
So actually it seems maybe died in a positive way. So when he was dying what happened was, found out later, but in my observation it seems, didn’t come out pure land that time but very good, it came out very good, human being, so seems some positive there. So there is another ex-director of Mahamudra Center who did for many, many years, who actually created the center, Sally and Roy. Sally now, she was at Tushita, Dharamsala director for many years and now she became director of Land of Medicine Buddha. So her ex-husband, Roy, so Roy came to see him, the Terry Leach, so he put his hand in the hand of the director who was dying, he put his hand on his hand then kind of repeated, let go, let go, let go. He repeated, let go, let go, let go, like this. And then, from the beginning when he saw his eyes were already closed, then when he heard, when he heard Roy’s voice, he opened the eyes, he smiled. Already closed eye, smiled. Then Roy said, by putting his hand in the hand of that person, then he kind of slowly repeated all over, let go, let go, let go, like that, some kind of tune, anyway, like this, let go. Then go to pure land. Then, seems he was still able to speak, so “Which pure land?” he asked, Which pure land? So then Roy said, any pure land. So then he even more smiled, then his breath stopped. Even more smiled, closed eyes, then his breath stopped. So I think it’s very positive.
So, seems very positive, yeah? So ordered some tsa-tsas at the Aptos House, Medicine Buddha, seven Medicine Buddhas a few, then Thirty-five Buddhas a few, then Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, there’s this size tsa-tsa, very nice one, there’s ?statue, so things like that and then also I tried to do some my Mickey Mouse prayer, Mickey Mouse prayer, just some kind of ______ anyway, just try, because he worked very hard for the center. But sometimes, his main business is discovering gold.
So from this story also you know how to help the dying person. So, somebody who is not Buddhist, the basic thing is letting go, so that’s same for Buddhist, non-Buddhist, it’s the foundation, letting go. If letting go doesn’t happen you can’t go to pure land or, then, yeah, mind is not free. So whether Buddhist or non-Buddhist, so that’s for both. Buddhist, of course, taking refuge, things like that. So but the pure land, pure land even for non-Buddhists, that’s something, something wonderful place. You mention the name, the name is very important, like Tushita or the Amitabha pure land, the name is very important, rather than saying just the pure land. The specific name is very important. So then the person has got name to hold onto, name, person has got name to hold onto, then that generating a wish to be there then that helps to be born there. If you don’t, so therefore name is very, giving specific name is very important. So something much better than here, whatever the person wishes. If the person likes to play with the ball, the person likes to play soccer or the person like to cricket or the, what’s it? Huh? Tennis, no. Golf, yeah! The person, his interest, hobby, if that is golf, you can say, but there’s much better golf or something in that, in this pure land there is much better golf, that you can win over many people or something like that. So according to what the person is interested in, mentioned that, that in that pure land there’s much better, how many billion times much better, whatever. If the person wants to have many beautiful friends and then this pure land has much better, many hundreds friends, like that or the like place, beautiful place, whatever the person, if you know that person’s interest, much hundred times much better, much thousands much better there, like the same story this, one old monk he knew the technique of po-wa, transferring consciousness in the pure land but it was not working when he is dying. He was trying to do the po-wa but it was not working. So then his guru knew, his guru with clairvoyance knew the old monk was having difficulties, so he immediately sent a young monk to pass a message that there’s better Tibetan tea, there’s a better sha, sha means the butter leftover tea. Tibetan tea’s made with butter, so the butter left over, butter left on the bowl, after you drink tea, then left over. Anyway, so the problem is the lama knew from distance he is attached to butter leftover tea, sha. So even though he knows the technique very well but his consciousness unable to transfer.
So then as soon as the monk, the young monk came, the lama’s disciple, gave the message, there is better Tibetan, there’s better sha in Tushita pure land, immediately he was able to shoot his consciousness to pure land. Use that example to help the people who are dying. So anyway, relating to what the person’s interest is. However, I think it’s important to mention the name of the, even if it is non-Buddhist but still you mention how wonderful thing is there, so then his wish goes there, _____ there. Of course, I mean, of course that person has to have merit to be born there. If doesn’t have merit then also person whose help, has to have merit and also a person, meet somebody who can help that time, like this Terry, met this other director, then able to go to the pure land.
So this gives an idea, what I mentioned gives an idea what [a couple of words inaudible] Buddhist, also non-Buddhist, to tell person who is dying. So letting go, that’s the ?secret, to make the person free. So anyway….
Due to all the past, present, future merits collected by me, the three-time merits collected by others, these all are empty from its own side, may I, the I who is also empty, maybe mention [a few words inaudible].
[Ven. Sophia starts mandala offering.]
No, not finished, not finished. Wait a little bit, wait ________.
Due to the three-time merits collected by me, the three-time merit collected by others, which is empty from its own side, may the I who is also empty from its own side achieve Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment, that which is also empty from its own side, lead all the sentient beings, who are also empty from their own side, to that enlightenment which is empty from its own side, by myself alone who is also empty from its own side. [pause]
So I just want to mention something here, so idea, I guess, so here, a person called Mark, okay, so you look for Mark, where is Mark? Then this is not Mark, this is not Mark, this is not Mark, this is not Mark, then you don’t find Mark at the end. You don’t find Mark at the end. You search with just name, just that, by leaving out the, by leaving out, Mark exists, there is a Mark, but when you look for, when you meditate on emptiness, you look for the Mark, this, this, this, even all the collection of these, so at the end there is, so at the end, [pause] so even the collection is not Mark, so you don’t find. There is no Mark. There’s no Mark, so there is no Mark. But there, it becomes unclear, at the end, confusion, so, it doesn’t help the existence of Mark. Mark exists, so it doesn’t help to the Mark existing, that way of meditating, it didn’t help, how Mark exists. So it harmed the dependent arising, existing Mark. So it becomes nihilism, falling in nihilism, it didn’t help.
If you are meditating, if that is correct, then it should help, after analysis, after you realize that, it should help the existence of Mark, the dependent arising of Mark, the Mark exists is dependent arising, it should help that realization. So should realize empty then that as a result you realize the Mark exists, exists dependent arising, that merely imputed by mind. Because there’s the base, so the Mark exists, merely imputed by mind, relating to that, relating to the base. Because of the base Mark exists, exists merely imputed by mind, okay. So it should help to realize that.
So now, so before that Mark, the Mark, the name Mark, so you leave out the extra thing that which we have to realize empty, which appears to you, what is that? That is truly existent, truly existent, existing from its own side by its nature, all this. Real, as real, in the sense existing. So that one you didn’t touch, that one you didn’t touch at all the hallucination, object to be refuted, this, which is totally nonexistent, this extra thing, extra than what is merely imputed by mind, more than what is merely imputed by mind that which appears to you, you believe, in daily life, so that doesn’t exist at all, not even slightest atom. So that one, so realization absence of that, absence of that is the emptiness of Mark, absence of that, when you realize that is empty, that is the, that’s the emptiness, realizing the emptiness of Mark.
So, that additional thing, the real one in the sense existing from its own side, more than what is merely labeled by the mind, so this additional thing, appeared and believed, this is nothing touched, object to be refuted nothing touched. That’s the one what you are supposed to look for and, look for and then analyze, then if you do that then conclusion is you don’t find that, you see it doesn’t exist, so you realize emptiness of Mark. Then that helps to realize that Mark, the conventional truth of Mark, that Mark exists, dependent arising, merely imputed, because of the base Mark exists, merely imputed by mind. So the Mark exists but it’s empty, at the same time it’s empty, its nature is empty While Mark is empty, it exists. So you see the Prasangika’s view, like in the Three Principles of the Path, when you see the Mark, whatever, the I, unified emptiness and dependent arising then you have completed the analysis of the emptiness.
Anyway, what I’m saying…. So you leave this, the part of the hallucination, the gak cha, object to be refuted, this real Mark, the real, in the sense existing, you leave it, that, unnoticed or didn’t realize that’s what you have to look for, check. So you just look for the name Mark and could not find at the end, could not find at the end, so there’s no Mark. So how is that feeling? How is that feeling when you don’t find Mark. This is just name you check, Mark. That is confusing, that, how there is no Mark.
Now you check the Mark, how does the Mark appear to you? Merely labeled or not merely labeled by mind? Appearing not merely labeled by the mind and that you believe a hundred percent it’s true. You trust that’s true. So that you look for, you don’t find. So something very deep, so when you see, when you realize, I guess, I mean this is what the guru’s, the meditator experience, they say. So when you see, when you realize that, when you realize that totally nonexistent, the real Mark, in the sense of existing from it’s own side, totally nonexistent, so for the wisdom seeing that is empty, discovering it’s empty, so there is no, for that wisdom during that time there is no conventional truth, anything. What it realizes, what we see is just the emptiness, just the emptiness, only. There is not even a thought, I am seeing emptiness, not even that thought that time. This and that, not even that thought, just only the emptiness. So even some other thought rises, I’m meditating on emptiness, this, then become obstacle to see the emptiness, meditate on emptiness.
So there is, so that one is something very deep, big difference that and then you look for the name Mark and you could not find there. You look on the mountain whether there is cow, you don’t find cow on the mountain, that and then the real cow, cow that is appearing to you not merely labeled by mind, existing from its own side, by nature, and that you trust, that you hold onto it, now when you don’t find that, it’s very deep, intensive emptiness that, I guess, this the meditators, ?of course, way they explain it in the teachings. So however, something very deep, that truly existent, real cow, you see that is totally non existent, empty there. So there’s huge differences.
So when we, so I guess, so what, trying to guess what they those meditators what they explain, so when you dedicate the merits, Due to the three-time merits collected by me, three-time merits collected by others, that which is empty, so that time the way of your thinking is like this, same as nonexistent, look for the Mark, where’s the Mark and then you don’t find Mark, so that’s, it’s like that. Then that’s not correct, that’s nihilism, if that. So, something that is empty as to be something, the merits that appear to you real and that you hold onto it, true, like that, so that itself is totally empty there. That which is something real appearing to you, totally empty just there. There’s no such thing there. So it’s much, I think, I guess, maybe much deeper, that emptiness is much deeper, something very deep, intensive, very deep. So, totally nonexistent just there. From where it’s appearing, from where it’s appearing to you, you’re discovering, you’re realizing it’s empty right there. So something very intensive, something very strong. So I guess it has to be something like that. So not, when you look for the Mark name, where is it? Then don’t find. You look for animal, cow, on the mountain then you don’t find, like that. So that’s big difference. So it’s, so something totally empty right there, intensive. So that’s the same thing then I, enlightenment, sentient beings and all that. So anyway, all this which appear not real one in the sense not merely labeled by mind, that’s totally nonexistent right there.
So normally, as I mentioned the mudra, this mudra of the gak cha. So you see, like this. Something appearing from there to you, to your mind, something appearing from there, from its own side, something real, like that. Then seeing that, totally nonexistent, totally nonexistent right there. Totally nonexistent there. So like that, when it happens to the I, when the self, so this real I that you’ve been, that has been appearing, a real one not merely labeled by mind in the sense, then you have been holding onto this, trusting this, holding onto this, believing in this from beginningless rebirth, not just from this morning, not just from the birth, from beginningless rebirth believing this, that it’s real, that there is such a I. So now, only now then you see suddenly due to so much merit and ?entering the path and the guru’s blessings then your meditation, the words, it worked, like shooting on the enemy, it hits on the right point, so here, so suddenly you see empty. So suddenly what you have been believing from beginningless rebirth up to now, suddenly here you discover there is no such thing there. Suddenly you discover totally nonexistent, totally nonexistent.
So like you, so often I say, give example, another mudra is this. So, this is your mind, holding the I, real I, in the sense existing from its own side, so from beginningless rebirth like this, holding this, ____. But now, today, this hour, due to the blessing of the guru, due to your strong guru devotion and so extensive merits, purification, so now here, suddenly now, you see, there is nothing there, there is nothing there from beginning, from beginningless rebirth there is nothing there, but didn’t discover that. There’s nothing there to hold onto, so only now you discover there’s nothing there. Before then, from beginningless rebirth holding there’s something there, because of that then we have been die, reborn in samara again and again and then die and experience all the sufferings. So now you see, now you suddenly discover, there is no such I from beginning, from beginningless rebirth, there’s nothing there to hold onto, but didn’t see it’s nonexistent. So now only you see there’s nothing there.
So therefore this is deep emptiness, very deep, very profound, very deep. So then because of that, the fear comes for the lower intelligent beings, even the bodhisattvas, so fear comes. So the fear, very deep fear, not just ordinary fear that you meet tiger or something, very deep fear, very deep from the heart. Because what you have been believing up to now, kind of lost. So, very deep fear.
So the higher intelligent bodhisattvas, it’s said that incredible joy and tears come out, and the hairs from the pores stand up. So the, among the Western students there’s some Sanghas, one monk who, yeah, so for him when he realized, when he discovered emptiness, whenever he meditate on emptiness he has so incredible joy, so much joy, he experiences, so much joy, and also makes him to laugh. So much incredible joy that tears come out, then makes him to laugh because he see empty, so I think he laugh, because it becomes like joke, maybe, the other part of the life, believing there is something real there, you live whole your life like that, which is not there but you believe, I mean, that and everything, the rest, something real existing from there then you believe, then you, on that basis you live the life, so which is kind of, which is, so that makes totally to laugh, childish or nonsense.
So I just give the differences. [RL] So when you look for Mark, you don’t find that and then real Mark not merely labeled by mind, that’s appearing to you, that you have been believing all the time, so don’t find that. Totally empty. That’s deep emptiness. So what I’m trying to say is, the two different experiences.
So then when you meditate, then you know, you get some idea, the way you think is correct or not, you feel is correct or not, what is nihilism. So, so much, if you don’t know how to analyze, how to, so much can be just nihilism, like this example, you look for Mark, where is Mark, then cannot find. So, confusion. So when we meditate on emptiness, if we’re not careful, at the same time we don’t analyze how we are doing meditation, then could lead, could be like this ordinary, in other words, space, ordinary emptiness, Lama Tsongkhapa calls ordinary emptiness, emptiness from the substance.
So maybe stop there.
Chhö kyi gyäl po….
Dag dang zhän gyi….
So also dedicating merits for her, who requested to give teaching, her long life and her wishes to be succeed according to holy Dharma, and to be able to have attainment of bodhicitta and so forth.
