The two main pillars of the Archive’s mission are archiving and dissemination. As a reader of our monthly eletter you know that it’s filled with all the ways we share the contents of the Archive with everyone around the world through our books, e-publications, website, podcasts, youtube and social media. We don’t often talk about all the work behind the scenes which make all this dissemination possible: the collection and cataloguing of recordings and transcripts that are the basis for all our publications.

 

The LYWA, in partnership with FPMT Inc., is in the process of moving our collections of audio and video recordings, images and transcripts into a fully integrated digital asset management system called AssetBank. This process includes verifying the relevant information about each file, identifying and weeding out duplicates, and assigning tags and categories that improve organization and make the files easily retrievable through browsing and searches. This shared system provides tools for improved communication and collaboration among archive administrators, transcribers and editors across the entire organization.

 

Our move to AssetBank helps ensure that the collection of all these assets – the words and images of our precious lamas – are protected and well cared for into the future. The system is safe, supported and well documented, making management of the archive collection transferrable to future generations of administrators. And, once the system is fully populated, we hope to be able to open up various collections of assets for viewing and searching by anyone in the wider FPMT community. We’ll keep you up to date on our progress!

As always, thanks for all your support. Please enjoy this month’s teaching, an excerpt from a teaching given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at the one-month lamrim course held at Chenrezig Institute, Australia in 1975.

Big love,

Nick Ribush
Director

THIS MONTH'S TEACHING: Stories of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s Powers

The Buddha is a worthwhile object of refuge because Buddha himself is released from all suffering and fears. For instance, in the example we talked about in the morning, he fought thousands and thousands of maras only with his pure thought, love, the great Mahayana love. Just even thinking of this, it is unbelievable, it's unbelievable. The highest person in the world, such as the king, no matter if their position is of the highest rank, it is nothing compared to Guru Shakyamuni Buddha's knowledge. No matter how much material power, even the whole world, even the whole universe, all the material power of countries, all the weapons, all the different countries’ material power—there's nothing to compare with Guru Shakyamuni Buddha's mind, the power of his pure thought, nothing to compare.

In the world, even those who are recognized as very knowledgeable and very powerful, who have a higher rank, instead of having pure thoughts and controlling others or subduing their enemies through the power of love, they have anger and pride and other negative minds arising, and then they harm others. So, it’s completely the opposite action.

There are so many other stories and examples from previous times. Ajatashatru always competed with Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, all the time. He tried to give harm to Guru Shakyamuni Buddha and to stop him in many different ways. When Guru Shakyamuni Buddha did something, Ajatashatru was always competing. One day this Ajatashatru—who actually was a king who had murdered his own father—sent a mad elephant, a very crazy elephant, while Guru Shakyamuni Buddha and hundreds and thousands of his disciples, those who also had high psychic powers, many arhats, were coming to beg in the village. This king, who was recognized as the evil king Ajatashatru, sent a crazy elephant from the field onto the road. This crazy elephant ran and killed many people and made much damage.

As they were coming to beg in the town, carrying bowls, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha's disciples, who were arhats, who had very high psychic powers, couldn't stand the crazy elephant, so they all flew into space! They all flew into space! Only Guru Shakyamuni Buddha was left on the road. The king aimed to destroy, to harm, to kill Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, something like this. However, the crazy elephant, the foolish animal couldn't give harm to Guru Shakyamuni Buddha at all. Guru Shakyamuni Buddha had no fear, not a single fear. All the rest, those arhats, the other followers who had very high powers, all flew away. Guru Shakyamuni Buddha had not one single fear of the crazy animal.

Instead of the crazy elephant giving harm to Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, when in the presence of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha he could not do anything, his rage completely subsided and he gave respect to Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. Then Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, who has such incredible powers and understanding to guide the sentient beings, subdued the crazy elephant and explained the teachings. Although this king tried to give harm Guru Shakyamuni Buddha in many ways he couldn’t harm him.

There was not one single fear. There was one person called Angulimala, who was the person in previous stories who killed 999 people, almost one thousand, except for one person. Except for one person it would have become one thousand! During the time of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, he was one person who was recognized as a very evil person. So, this person called Angulimala was trying to give harm to Guru Shakyamuni Buddha when Guru Shakyamuni Buddha was going to make holy works for sentient beings, when he was begging. But even though Guru Shakyamuni Buddha was going so slowly, so slowly, and Angulimala was trying to run so fast, however fast he tried to run, he never reached close enough to give harm to Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. He was running so fast but somehow he didn’t reach even though Guru Shakyamuni Buddha was walking so slowly, not so fast, just there in front. So afterwards, he asked Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, “Why is it that I run to give harm, but no matter how much I try to run so fast, I never catch you? What caused it?” Afterwards he asked Guru Shakyamuni Buddha this.

Guru Shakyamuni Buddha has incredible powers and cannot be given harm by evil sentient beings. Also one benefactor invited Guru Shakyamuni Buddha to his home, actually not with pure thought but in order to give harm, to destroy Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. The family arranged to give harm to Guru Shakyamuni Buddha and his disciples, so before inviting Guru Shakyamuni Buddha they made holes in front of their door. Where there was a path to enter the house, they dug many very deep holes. They filled the holes with hot coals and the big holes were covered with dust on the surface, so that when Guru Shakyamuni Buddha walked there he would fall down. This was what they were expecting.

So they invited Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, who accepted the invitation. Guru Shakyamuni Buddha and his disciples were coming on that day and beforehand Guru Shakyamuni Buddha had told his disciples he would go first. The families who invited Guru Shakyamuni Buddha were thinking that Guru Shakyamuni Buddha didn't know anything, because that was the way they saw Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, their mind projection. They didn't see Guru Shakyamuni Buddha as enlightened, as he has complete power of the knowledge of omniscient mind. They saw him as an ordinary person who didn't know, so they invited him with the projection that Guru Shakyamuni Buddha would fall in the hole with the fire. Of course, there was no problem for Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, he clearly sees, he's a holy being who sees all past, present and future. He has no problem seeing any existence.

So they were coming and when they were near the house, before walking on this road, underneath which there was a hole and fire, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha told his disciples that he would go first. As Guru Shakyamuni walked on this path, on each step, instead of falling in this hole on the path covered by dust, on that road, there were lotuses appearing as he was taking steps. He took steps on the lotuses. Just as there are lotuses on the water, like this, lotuses appeared and he walked on the lotuses instead of experiencing the suffering of falling down in the fire. Then all his disciples came and walked on the lotuses. They also walked on lotuses. So that family couldn't give harm, anything.

This teaching is an excerpt from Lecture 19 given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche during the Lamrim Meditation Course at Chenrezig Institute, Eudlo, Australia, in May 1975. You can find more lectures from this course here on our website.