The brilliant sun illuminates all and acts continually for the benefit and welfare of all beings throughout the very reaches of space. Similarly, powered by bodhicitta, the brilliant sun of omniscience, Buddha, pervades all. May he, along with his speech, the Dharma, and the noble assembly of practitioners be ever victorious.

Shantideva said:

May the teachings of Buddha, which are the sole medicine for suffering
And the origin of every joy, be materially supported and honored;
May they abide for a very long time.

The sole source of benefit and bliss in the world is the stainless teaching of our supreme teacher, the incomparable Lion of the Sakyas, Shakyamuni Buddha; both clear and profound, may it long remain—spreading and increasing throughout the world.

For the teaching of Buddha to remain the sublime ones who hold it must similarly remain. Headed by the sovereign of Dharma, our sublime refuge and protector, the great and omniscient one, the guide for peace in the world, the wish-fulfilling jewel, Lama Vajradhara, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, may all genuine spiritual teachers, and especially the sublime ones who hold the early and later Buddhist lineages of both translation and transmission from the snowy land of Tibet, male and female bodhisattvas, along with everyone else who lives the Dharma and does their best to aid and protect others—may they all abide in pure ethics, be of a single loving intent, have long lives and may their enlightened actions be far-reaching.

Through this force may all beings who grasp at the idea of an autonomous, independent self—the mistaken appearance of things which binds all, physically, verbally and mentally, to the cause or origin, emotion and action (karma), of dukkha (a lack of enduring satisfaction) which will inevitably lead to an oceanic experience of the three types of suffering in which all sentient beings find themselves continually drowning—easily achieve the state of highest liberation, their very own awakening to buddhahood.

In addition, in these most decadent of times, the world we live in has become a frightening place. It is if we are being held between the very fangs of the Lord of Death himself. As such, it is correct to petition the Three Rare and Sublime Ones to send forth a downpour of cooling nectar to extinguish, pacify, and thoroughly wash away the raging fires of the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, may improper action and thought, that which serves to belittle and harm others, sabre rattling, the readying of weapons, and all forms of warfare be naturally pacified. May virtue increase and be completed in a perfect and timely way and may the sun of truth never set on the plight of the Tibetan people.

In essence, may the mistaking of appearances, the clouds of grasping at independent existence, co-emergent ignorance, which shower such suffering, be completely blown away, allowing the naturally bright sun—the natural and spontaneously present wisdom, a natural state of emptiness and awareness conjoined which is arisen in and of itself and abides inherently awake and self-liberated. It is the primordial nature, the basic-space of the ground that pervades all beings—to rise without impediment in a bright and clear sky; it’s natural and brilliant knowledge and wisdom radiating outwardly as the illumination of the unmistaken mutual dependence of things.

I considered that if the causes were correctly assembled, the ensuing result would prove meaningful. As such, the following persons, all of whom share pure, unshakable samaya and a similar resolve gathered:

• The elucidator of the Gelugpa teachings, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, together with his entourage, monks and nuns.
• The elucidator of the Kagyu teachings, Kyabje Mingyur Rinpoche, together with his venerable attendants and entourage.
• The elucidator of the Kagyu and Nyingma teachings, Kyabje Tsoknyi Rinpoche, together with his entourage, monks and nuns.
• The Venerable Khenpo of Og Min Ogyen Mindrolling, Theckchok Gyaltsan.
• The Venerable Khenpo of the Victorious Nyingma Monastery of Shechen, Yeshe Gyaltsan.
• And myself, Khandro Namsal Dorje - together with other geshes, ritual masters, and monastics.

Gathered as one. We performed the following ritual practices with a pure motivation and the blessing of the Three Rare and Sublime Ones:

• On the 26th day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar at Tinchuli, close to the sacred site of the Jarung Khashor, Boudhanath, stupa a ritual to cleanse the site and environment was performed, along with a ganachakra feast and seven simultaneous fire offerings to Hayagriva Khamsum Zilnon.
• On the 28th day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar at the Khundrup Tsekpa Cremation Ground, Tinchuli, a ritual to cleanse the site and environment was performed, along with a ganachakra feast and seven simultaneous fire offerings according to the inner accomplishment of the guru, Tukdrup Yangnying Kundu, from the secret sealed visions of the Fifth Dalai Lama.
• On the 29th day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar at Kopan Okmin Jangchup Choling, a ritual to cleanse the site and environment was performed, along with a ganachakra feast and seven simultaneous fire offerings to the Glorious Yamantaka in a Solitary Form.
• On the 2nd day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar at the Khundrup Tsekpa Cremation Ground, Tinchuli, a ritual to cleanse the site and environment was performed, along with a ganachakra feast and seven simultaneous fire offerings to the sovereign of the desire realm, the Glorious Palden Lhamo.
• On the 6th day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar at Tsoknyi Gechak Nunnery, which lies at the sacred site of Gelongma Palmo, a ritual to cleanse the site and environment was performed, along with a ganachakra feast and seven simultaneous fire offerings to the Secret Accomplishment of Tara according to Zabtik Tara, a mind treasure of Chogyur Lingpa.
• On the 8th day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar at Tergar Osel Ling, which lies at the sacred site of Langri Lungten, Swayambhunath, a ritual to cleanse the site and environment was performed, along with a ganachakra feast and seven simultaneous fire offerings according to the Heart Accomplishment of the Guru, Dispeller of all Obstacles.
• On the 11th day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar at Tergar Osel Ling, which lies at the sacred site of Langri Lungten, Swayambhunath, a ritual to cleanse the site and environment was performed, along with a ganachakra feast and seven simultaneous fire offerings to the Secret Accomplishment of Hayagriva.
• On the 14th day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar at Tsoknyi Gechak Nunnery, which lies at the sacred site of Gelongma Palmo, a ritual to cleanse the site and environment was performed, along with a ganachakra feast, seven simultaneous fire offerings and fifty abbreviated fire rituals to Hayagriva Drekpa Zilnon.
• On the 17th day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar the practices concluded with a ganachakra offering and self-empowerment according to the practice of the Eight Herukas—The Play of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities, from the inner section of the twenty-five secret and sealed visionary teachings of the Fifth Dalai Lama, along with extensive prayers of dedication.

I, along with the aforementioned Lords of Refuge, whose actions and intentions are in exact accordance with my own, gave rise to an excellent motivation and, without the slightest defilement—the wish or thought of acquiring benefactors, finance, or wealth—perfectly accomplished the practices I considered performing. May the blessing and merit of these endeavors quickly ripen in accordance with the intentions outlined earlier.

May this well-accomplished merit—which, through the three spheres of mutual dependence, lies beyond observation—increase and spread far and wide. Well planted in the field of unmistaken mutual dependence, may its wonderous result grant temporary relief to those gripped by the fears of these times and ultimately dredge the very depths of samsara.

May these blessings pervade the very reaches of space and provide relief in the ground of release. The seven-horse drawn carriage draws the sun of merit through this vast and clear sky, where the wonderous brilliance and radiance of the wisdom vajra of the Three Rare and Sublime Ones may pervade everywhere; long may it remain in the world, without ever setting on the gardens of benefit and bliss.

This note of clarification was written on the fourth day of the sixth month of the year of the iron mouse, the anniversary of the Buddha first Turning the Wheel of the Dharma, July 24, 2020. Translated by Gelong Sean Price.