Teachings at Medicine Buddha Puja (Audio and Unedited Transcripts)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Shakyamuni Center, Taiwan 2007 (Archive #1610)

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave these teachings during a Medicine Buddha Puja at Shakyamuni Center, Taichung, Taiwan on March 10, 2007. The teachings include extensive commentary on the Thirty-five Buddhas practice, the offering bath and dedications, along with the recitation of the puja.

The teachings were being translated into Chinese and while we have edited those sections out you may still occasionally hear the Chinese interpreter's voice in the background.

Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche, 2004.
Motivation for Thirty-five Buddhas Practice

[Rinpoche chants the verse for refuge three times.]

With the wisdom and compassion, perseverance, abide in the front of the ten-direction buddhas, in the presence of the ten-direction buddhas and I will generate bodhicitta.

With the wisdom, compassion and perseverances, I abide in the presence of the ten- direction buddhas and I generate bodhicitta.

?We generate the altruistic mind to achieve enlightenment for sentient beings.

And now, purifying the place, before we invoke Buddha, we purify the place, visualize like Amitabha pure land as much as possible, of course, pure quality, purest enjoyment, which has purest enjoyment and everything is wish-fulfilling.

Before we invite ?Buddhist master or king first we clean the place, we make beautiful the place, make offerings or similar, before we invoke all the ten-direction buddhas, bodhisattvas, for our devotional object to do the various practices, to purify, to accumulate merit, and to increase the merits and to request for attainment of the whole path to enlightenment. So we purify the place, which means we stop thinking this place is ordinary. We visualize Amitabha pure land as much as possible, where there’s no suffering, even the name suffering, no sicknesses, no old age, no death, no rebirth, and not even the name suffering. The purest enjoyments, which has all the beauties, everything is wish-fulfilling. Every sound you hear is Dharma.

Lapis lazuli ground, blissful lapis lazuli ground, filled, the whole space is filled with a scented smell, blissful scented smell. Even the sound from birds, even the sound from the trees blown by wind, everything is Dharma teaching. Most wonderful beautiful but nothing causes to rise delusion.

So everything’s wish-fulfilling so as offering to all the buddhas, bodhisattvas that we invoke.

So this way we are creating the cause to experience Buddha’s pure land.

In the future no impure place, only pure place appears. Only beautiful, the perfect enjoyment, purest enjoyment.

Tham chä du ni sa zhi dag….

Now blessing the offerings. Blessing all the offerings here, thousand offerings, all the offerings upstairs, all those water offerings and the various offerings. Not only we bless all the offerings here, thousands of offerings here and upstairs, all the many water bowls, not only that, we bless in all the FPMT center, the organization gompas, all the center gompa there’s extensive offerings, we bless all those. Also we bless house in California, the Khachö Dechen Ling, where I live, there’s many flowers, flowers inside, outside, as well as many, so many thousands of lights. Now there’s night-time there so many thousand light outside, inside. Then many water offerings inside. Washington Amitabha Pure Land retreat place, there, there’s many flowers outside, inside, many thousands of light offering, many water, hundreds of water offerings, so we bless all that. Also in Singapore, Derek’s house, one student family, upstairs so many crystal bowl many water offerings that we can offer. Also the Malaysia, Lillian Too’s house, upstairs so many offerings which you can offer. So we bless all this and then we make offering.

Lha dang mi yi chhö päi dzä….

[Rinpoche plays cymbals and recites the Offering Cloud Mantra three times, then The Power of Truth.]

So now invoking the merit field.

Invoking all the ten-direction buddhas, bodhisattvas, all the guru, deity, mind-seal deity, yidams, buddhas, bodhisattvas, the arhats, like 16 arhats, so forth, dakas, dakinis, Dharma protectors.

The reference of this practice invoking Buddha, by holding incense in the hand is, in the past when Buddha was in India, in Magadha, there’s one couple, the wife is Buddhist, the husband is Hindu. So wife, Magadha Zangmo wanted to invite Buddha to make food offering. Where Buddha was abiding was very far, another place very far. So didn’t send invitation letters or telephone or fax or anything, Buddha to come for lunch. So husband said, “Buddha won’t come.” So anyway, she made all the lunch, she set up, made the place very clean, made everything ready. Then she stood outside, by holding incense. Then she recited this prayer. I guess she composed this prayer.

Or send e-mail to Buddha.

She was waiting, standing with the incense in the hand and chanted this prayer. So she recited this prayer. Then the disciples, one by one came. They all, by riding over a snow lions or dragons, various animals, they came, not walking on the ground but ?between ?the ?mountains they came with their psychic power. They all looked so glorious and magnificent so the husband Hindu thought, Oh, maybe this is Buddha. So each time, every time somebody came they looked so magnificent or glorified, so they are all disciples, so he thought maybe this is Buddha, maybe this is Buddha, maybe this is Buddha. So she said no, no, no, no. So Buddha came last, very last one is Buddha. So this a practice from that, during invocation holding incense, invoking, came from that.

So, except our mind is obscured by, covered by karmic obscuration so don’t see, cannot see numberless buddhas is there right in front of you but we can’t see, and also as we invocate they actually come. So when our mind is pure from karmic obscuration then we see that’s happening, there are numberless buddhas right in front of you.

Ma lü sem chän kün gyi gön gyur ching….

[This verse is followed by extensive offering of music.]

Before we prostrate, before we do prostration to the merit field, so the practice to be powerful, effective, so we need to generate strong bodhicitta and strong thought of regretfulness of the negative karmas and strong thought of impermanence, then bodhicitta. So that our practice doing prostration, reciting the Thirty-five Buddhas’ names become extremely powerful. Reciting the Thirty-five Buddhas’ names, just reciting name itself is just unbelievable. Just reciting the first name, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s name, it purifies, another text mentioned ten million eons of negative karma, more than ten million eons, like that, a hundred times, like that, a thousand ?and hundred times like that mentioned in one text. Even just reciting the first buddha’s name, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s name is unbelievable powerful, just recite one time it purifies that many eons of negative karma. Then many of the buddhas’ names, many thousands of eons of negative karma get purified. Six thousand, two thousand, so different negative karmas. So there’s one Buddha’s name, de zhin she pa me tog päl la chhag tshäl lo, "the buddha whose name is Glorified Flower", something like that, so if you recite that, 100,000 eons of negative karma get purified. Just recite name one time, it’s unbelievable.

So it’s like atomic bomb on the negative karma. Not atomic bomb outside but atomic bomb on our delusion, on our defilements, negative karma. So powerful, like the most powerful weapon in the world that destroys the world, so here the inside world, the delusions and negative karma.

For example, somebody healed cancer, a doctor or healer, well, you would think that person gave you life. So precious, that person is so kind, so precious, somebody who healed your cancer or AIDS or something. We think that’s a miracle, unbelievable. But here the cancer came from, if there’s no negative karma, if there’s no delusion, there’s no cancer. If there’s no disturbing thought attitude, the obscuring disturbing thought attitude, the delusion, that and the karma, there’s no sicknesses. So the, for example, the arya bodhisattvas, even before becoming enlightened, who has achieved the Mahayana right-seeing path, the exalted path, the third one, even that time, that bodhisattva has completely abandoned the suffering rebirth, sicknesses, old age, death. Then same, the next one, the bodhisattva attainer of the path of meditation. Then learning, then of course no more learning is the Buddha. So when there’s no cause of sicknesses, the delusion and karma, there’s no sicknesses. So it’s impossible to rise sicknesses. It’s impossible. So like it’s impossible without planting corn or apple or whatever, without planting, impossible to grow, in the garden, without planting impossible to grow. So exactly the same.

So here cancer is just one, that problem of life, samsaric suffering, just one tiny atom, this big earth, one tiny atom. So now, by reciting this name it purifies, not only heals the sicknesses but it purifies the cause, karma and delusion. So that means it becomes healing for all the sicknesses, how many there are, 400 sicknesses. This one practice purifying negative karma that becomes antidote to all the sicknesses. That curable with medicine or not curable, whatever, so you see how it works, how it become, one practice becomes antidote to all the sufferings.

So sicknesses again, sicknesses are just one small problem, sicknesses are one small suffering of samsara. There’s so many other problems, oceans of suffering of samsara. There’s so many other sufferings. So when you purify the cause, delusion and karma, it affects, it becomes antidote to all the sufferings. You can see how it works.

That’s why by doing the Vajrasattva or reciting OM MANI PADME HUM or the Tara mantra, prayer, why the cancer get healed, even without taking medicine. Why the sicknesses get healed through practice, even the person didn’t take medicine. How it works, because it purifies, and especially by bodhicitta practice. You take other sentient beings’ sufferings on yourself, experience the sickness, cancer, whatever for others, then you let them to have all the happiness up to enlightenment. Especially this one, exchanging oneself for others, this bodhicitta practice, so there are many people whose cancer recovered. There are many amazing stories, many heavy sicknesses recovered by this.

In Colorado there’s one elderly lady, she had cancer. The doctor said, “You won’t survive, you will die soon. The cancer will go through the blood, spread in the blood.” So she did tong-len practice then she went to the hospital to check and then doctor said, “There’s no cancer. No cancer.” That’s one story but there’s many others. By doing nyung nä, Chenrezig retreat, two-day intensive retreat, so many sicknesses got healed, cancer. Also England one girl who did four nyung näs and did Chenrezig mantra, healed and she is very healthy. Then I saw there, married, lived in England. So because it purifies the cause of sicknesses so that’s why the sickness get recovered. That’s how it works, like that.

Therefore, the conclusion what I’m going to say is now here, one life, this life cancer is recovered by some healer or someone, so that’s a miracle, amazing, this person is so kind. Now here what about that, one hundred lifetime cancer, you never get cancer, what about that? It’s much more amazing. Miracle. So anyway, so now here we’re talking about purifying, here we’re not talking about one small problem of samsara to not experience, we’re not talking about that or even the whole entire sicknesses, not talking about that. We’re talking about purifying the cause of all the, cause of sicknesses, cause of all the samsaric suffering, karma and delusion, where all the suffering comes, suffering of samsara, karma and delusion. We’re talking about purifying that one, from where all the oceans of samsaric suffering comes. Here we’ re not talking about one lifetime negative karma is purified, we’re not talking about that. 100 lifetime negative karma purified, we’re not talking about that, 1000 lifetime negative karma is purified, we’re not talking about that. Here we’re talking about eons of, 2,000 eons, 5,000, 6,000 eons, 100,000 eons of negative karma get purified by reciting one time. If you analyze it, if you think well, analyze like this, then it means any negative karma created how many eons ago, during those times, get purified. So that is unbelievable. That means it helps, by purifying those negative karmas, then all the sufferings of samsara which are a result of that, you don’t have to experience. 100,000 eons of negative karma, that much negative karma is purified, that means that all the negative karmas collected 100,000 eons get purified. That means all the suffering results caused by those 100,000 eons of negative karmas you don’t have to experience. So absence of that is happiness. So that’s ama-a-zing you see. Reciting Thirty-five Buddhas’ name one time, each name one time, is so precious, unbelievable precious. It’s wish-fulfilling. It’s inexpressible how precious it is.

This is Buddha’s, because Buddha has compassion to us all sentient beings. To each of us, to you, to oneself, to all sentient beings, great compassion, not only wishing us to be free from suffering but himself taking responsibility to liberate us sentient beings from all the suffering and causes. So this great Mahayana compassion, due to this, then Buddha, due to this, so Buddha made in the past life when bodhisattva, Thirty-five Buddhas before when they were bodhisattva, so they made so much prayer, each buddha made a prayer, “When they recite my name, may their negative karma, killing negative karma be purified, stealing negative karma be purified, telling lie negative karma be purified, then all the, or rejoicing in others’ creating negative karma or one cause others to create negative karma, the negative karma broke samaya with the guru, rising heresy or anger.” The, with the last buddha’s name, the Thirty-five Buddhas, the last one is to purify that. So that very heavy negative karma is purified. So like that so they made so much prayer. So when they become buddha, one of the Buddha’s qualities is ten powers. So among the ten powers there is the power of prayer, so because they have achieved this so whatever they prayed, made prayer during bodhisattva’s time, so everything get succeed. So then their name has power. When sentient beings recite they get all this benefit. So it all came from compassion. All this benefit, power, where it came from is from the compassion. Came from the root of compassion to us sentient beings. Came from compassion. So unbelievable kind Buddha, for us sentient beings.

Also Kyabje Rilbur Rinpoche, who came one time in Taiwan to give teaching, who is one of my gurus, also took cancer in the belly, but Rinpoche said he did a lot of tong-len practice, bodhicitta practice, taking other sentient beings’ sufferings and giving, letting all sentient beings have all the happiness. So he did this practice, so actually the cancer’s gone. So Rinpoche said, he told me quietly, said actually that what made to recover was by the bodhicitta practice of tong-len. There are many other stories, and there’s also a person who had AIDS. By doing tong-len, after four days doctor could not find AIDS. So there happened.

So the purpose of my life is to free all the sentient beings from all the suffering and causes and bring to enlightenment. The numberless hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, human beings, suras, asuras, intermediate state beings, from whom I receive all my past happiness, present happiness, all the future happiness, including liberation and enlightenment. To achieve enlightenment to benefit for them, to be able to enlighten them, then I need to actualize the path. For that I need to purify defilements. So, now, one negative karma such as gossiping or covetousness, when we do shopping with attachment, with covetousness, things like that, or the telling lies, the ten nonvirtuous actions, that basic example of negative karma, so one like gossiping or killing or telling lie, whatever, so one complete negative karma produces four suffering results. Rebirth in the lower realm, ripened aspect, rebirth in the lower realms, then three sufferings you experience in the human realm later, the possessed result to do with the environment, with the place, very unhealthy, very terrifying, with a lot of danger for the life. Wars, famines, disease, tortures, there are many things which harm the life. Things like that. Even you eat food, cannot digest, like for example, I have diabetes so you can’t have all the delicious food, it makes you sick. So those things, even you eat food, become side effect and medicine, side effect, even though it’s correct medicine but for that particular person become side effect. So there are many things to do with the place, to do with the enjoyments.

Then experiencing the result similar to the cause, so what you harmed to others in the past you receive harm back from others. Experiencing the result similar to the cause. Then you do again next lives, you create again, you engage in the same negative karma because of the negative imprint left on the mental continuum by the past negative karma, the habituation. So you experience the four suffering results from any of these, one negative karma, this complete one from ten nonvirtues, any of these, one negative karma from this, that one engaged, so that which is complete one produce four suffering results. So one of these doing again the negative karma, so then that produce four suffering results. One of them is doing again then that produce four suffering results, so endless suffering. So from this one negative karma you experience suffering endless.

Now there are so many other negative karmas that done in one day, within one hour, one day and then week, month, year, from birth, from beginningless past life, there are so many which we haven’t purified. Even though we did a lot of retreat, even though you have a story that “I did many months retreat” or “Many times I do retreat, I did this practice, that practice, did practices,” but it’s nothing. “One thing that I did a lot.” But, you see, negative karma collected from beginningless rebirth. So what practices, what little what you did, is nothing. It’s like an atom, nothing, then the amount of negative karma that there is, practice what you did is nothing.

Anyway, there is so much, now on top of that, that is talking about the ?rang zhin… [Tibetan], the natural vices. Anybody who engages in creating negative karma, then now on the top, those who have taken vows, lay people or lay who have taken lay vows, the five precepts or eight precepts, so they broke, or degenerated. Also the ordained ones, the higher precepts. So anyway the pratimoksha vow, who is ?practicing pratimoksha vow. Then on top of that, those who have taken bodhisattva vow, degenerated, so a hundred times much more heavier than broke pratimoksha root vow, the receiving the bodhisattva, even the secondary, heavier than broke the pratimoksha root vow. Then receiving the, who have taken tantric vow, then the gross or the heavy vices, this is not the root vow, this is not the root fall, the secondary, then the heaviness, bonpo in Tibetan, so by receiving this, this vice’s negative karma is 100,000 heavier than broke bodhisattva root vow, mentioned by great enlightened being Pabongka in the commentary of Six-Session Yoga.

So anyway, now we add all this, this life, past lives, then negative karmas collected with the guru, which is the heaviest one, so from beginningless rebirth we think of this, unbelievable. Therefore now, if the death happens right now then rebirth in the lower realm, in the hell realm. Even one tiny fire-spark of the hell, how hot it is, compared to all the human beings’ fire energy, all that is like air-conditioned, very cool compared to one tiny fire-spark from the hell. So like that, an example, therefore, and rebirth in the lower realm can happen any time. Even today, any moment it can happen. It’s just a question of while we have this breath, in the human realm; once the breath is stopped, in the lower realm. So it’s a question of this breath, when it stops, breathing in and out. While we have this, in the human realm, while it’s functioning, this very, nothing solid, nothing fixed, nothing solid, while it’s breathing. But the minute, whenever it stops, [snaps fingers] lower realm. So, this can happen any time. Can be actualized, it can be experienced any time. Therefore I must purify, must purify all this immediately, all these negative karmas collected from beginningless rebirth right now, without delay even a second. Like the person who has eaten poison wants to get rid of it immediately, without delay even a second, by taking medicine, whatever can do, so can’t stand! Even one second they can’t stand. Can’t wait.

Therefore, I am going to do prostrations by practicing the Confessing Downfall, reciting the Thirty-five Buddhas’ names. Then you come back, before, too much thought of your negative karma purifying it, but now you come back to bodhicitta, for the benefit of numberless hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, human beings, sura, asura, intermediate beings. So the last attitude you come back on bodhicitta. That’s the motivation.

Many may be familiar with the prostrations, may have received teachings in the past many times. In case there are some who do not know, mainly the prostration, whether we do the Chinese traditional way, or the full-length prostration, the according to Mahayana tradition or the great yogi Naropa, ?did the full-length prostration. So whichever tradition we are prostrating, but the most important is to be not disrespectful, to be very respectful manner, that’s the main point. So we do very respectful, either which way one does. The manner how you do with the hands, feet, is very respectful, otherwise if it becomes disrespectful, because the object is Buddha, very powerful object, so you create obstacle, negative karma. Same thing with the offerings.

After the motivation of bodhicitta then you put feet together, not separate, put together. That may sound like little bit army, anyway just, I’m joking. Then you put thumbs inside like offering jewel, not empty hand, like this. This has signification, signifies whole path to enlightenment. This signifies the path of wisdom, this is path of method. The Lesser Vehicle path, the Buddha has revealed three levels of path. Hinayana path wisdom and method to achieve liberation. Then the Paramitayana, the path of wisdom and method, then co-operatively practicing then you achieve rupakaya, dharmakaya. Then the Mahayana Secret Mantra, Vajrayana, so the one mind practicing one mind not separate mind, before it was separate minds practicing method and wisdom, now here one mind practicing method and wisdom, so unified of method and wisdom, which makes to achieve enlightenment in one lifetime, much quicker than the Paramitayana path, the Mahayana Paramitayana which takes three countless great eons to collect merit then you achieve enlightenment. So here with this one mind practicing method and wisdom, so unbelievable merit, incredible powerful purification so you achieve enlightenment in one life, or even with Highest Tantra, in a brief lifetime of degenerate time. So what you achieve is the unification of rupakaya, dharmakaya.

This empty one signifies dharmakaya, this one rupakaya, so the goal. So this, when you put the two palms together, base, two truths, the whole entire Buddhism, base, two truths, conventional and ultimate truth, then true path, method and wisdom, then goal to be achieved, rupakaya, dharmakaya. So dharmakaya is the empty space, then this is rupakaya, so the whole entire Buddhism is in the significance of this prostration. So when you put palms like this, so if we remember that meaning then also that plants seed of the whole path to enlightenment. Those who have studied the whole path to enlightenment, like the ten bhumis, so forth, five paths to liberation, five paths to enlightenment, tantric path, the Highest Tantra two stages, however, then also lower tantra, _____ _______ method and wisdom, however, so whoever studied, who understand, so when you put palms together you remember so it’s like meditation, within that like direct meditation on the whole path.

Then you put here, when you put, it creates the cause to achieve the pinnacle, Buddha’s special sign of the holy body. There are thirty-two holy signs, eighty holy exemplifications. So one shows that, why Buddha, all the pinnacles and here, the white hair, like this length, the white hair, zupu, curled then the long ears and all the webs between the fingers. So the thirty-two signs, the eighty holy exemplifications, one shows what attainment Buddha has. One shows what merit Buddha created in the past, so signifies like that. All this, you need this, it’s like the doctors have their own costumes, and the armies have their own costumes. Anyway, so this aspect is need for the benefit of sentient beings. The exalted bodhisattvas, they see Buddha with the sambhogakaya aspect, so with all these signs. So you need this aspect to benefit sentient beings. Therefore, we need to create the cause to achieve these special signs of Buddha.

So you see the pinnacle here. Then when you do this, you achieve the zupu, the white hair, this length, like rubber, when you pull out, you can stretch out but when you let go then it goes back and it stays curled to the right side, it’s white.

So, many years ago in Geshe Sopa, at that time it wasn’t called Deer Park, Geshe Sopa Rinpoche’s place, Geshe Sopa Rinpoche held a course. There was Geshe Rabten Rinpoche who’s also my teacher, who taught beginning teaching of philosophy. Lama Yeshe wasn’t there. I went there to do my Mickey Mouse teachings, lamrim teaching. That was the first time held a course, Geshe Sopa Rinpoche, then Kyabje Denma Lochö Rinpoche came, then later Zong Rinpoche came. So that time I was painting Geshe Sopa Rinpoche’s Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha statue, I think which is there now. So I painted the eyes, I think I made this one green, blue, I think maybe I did blue. So that time Geshe Sopa Rinpoche explained it’s white hair, because I made a mistake. So then I remembered that for a long time. So it was useful that I made a mistake that time so that I can remember.

Then it causes, this causes to purify all the negative karmas collected with the body and to achieve all the limitless skies of qualities of Buddha’s holy body. Then here purifies all the negative karmas of one’s own speech collected from beginningless rebirth, get purified. Also achieve Buddha’s infinite qualities of holy speech. Then when you do that it purifies negative karmas collected with your mind from beginningless rebirth and cause to achieve infinite qualities of Buddha’s holy mind. So it has these benefits.

So the meditation what you should do, when you put palms together here like this think that you are purifying, when you put palms together here, in the mind you think “I’m prostrating to all the ten-direction Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, who are one’s own spiritual master, so this way it becomes guru yoga. So if you prostrate with the guru yoga mind you collect most, the highest most extensive merit. Even that many number, so it’s unbelievable. Then here “I am prostrating towards all the ten-direction statues, stupas, scriptures, which are the guru. Then here “I’m prostrating toward all the ten-direction Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, also guru.” Here think, “I’m prostrating towards all the ten-direction statues, stupas, scriptures, all the holy objects, who are my guru.” So it means they are all manifestations. This way doing prostrations to the guru, one’s spiritual master who directly gives you teaching, brings you to enlightenment. With every single word he brings you to enlightenment. Liberates from the oceans of samsaric suffering, so one prostration to that creates, of course, far more greater merit than having done prostration to numberless Buddhas, Dharma, Sangha, numberless statues, stupas, scriptures. So now here we prostrate by thinking everything is a manifestation of the guru.

So it’s just like business, when you do business, you take profit from, while you’re travelling, while you’re actually doing business, you think, always you think what is the highest profit you can get. In business life. Now here this is the most important business, collecting merit. What you get is all the realizations the path to liberation, total liberation forever, free from the oceans of samsaric suffering, forever free. Once you are liberated from that, you are free from all these oceans of samsaric suffering, hell, hungry ghost, animal, human being suffering, all this ocean of suffering which is ?removed forever. It’s just one time work. [pause] All the realizations of the path to enlightenment……

So I think, I lost now, I lost what I was talking about. [pause] Anyway, I think I lost what I was talking before.

So anyway, so you collect, one prostration to the guru then you collect much greater merit than having made prostration to all the numberless Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, numberless statues, stupas, scriptures. Therefore, here when we practice Dharma, we should think what is the most profitable, how you can collect the greatest extensive merit, then that one you do. Then it makes it so easy to achieve enlightenment, so easy to be free from samsara, so easy to achieve enlightenment. Without taking much time, quicker, you can liberate numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric suffering and bring to enlightenment, quicker. So that’s the objective of our life. Why it is so important, why we try so much every second to live, every day, every hour, second to live, survive, why it is so important, why we spend so much money to live, treatment. So that is to achieve this goal, if you achieve enlightenment, by achieving enlightenment then you liberate numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric suffering and bring to enlightenment. Okay, then that’s it.

So if there’s no space to do prostrations, so what you do is, you put palms together like this, you can do like that, this one you can do and then you visualize numberless of your body covered the whole earth doing prostrations toward the holy objects. So you can do that.

The other way is, how many paintings of Buddha, statues there is, you think, This is all the guru, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, all the ten-direction statues, stupas, scriptures, everything. Even there’s only one statue of Buddha or painting of Buddha, only one, think this is all the gurus, all the numberless Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, numberless statues, stupas, scriptures, all the holy objects of ten directions. Then, you just think that, meditate on that, then do prostration.

The other way is, as I mentioned before, so you prostrate, from here you are prostrating to every holy place, from here, from right this spot, every holy place, every holy object in the temples, every temple, every holy objects, statues, stupas, scriptures, exists in everybody’s house, any family house, any monastery, any shop, statues, stupas, scriptures in the shop to sell, so from here prostrating. Not only this universe, but holy objects in all the universes. So many holy objects there is, numberless, you collect numberless causes of enlightenment, numberless causes of liberation from samsara, numberless causes of happiness of future lives, just ?by this. So like that, so making life, even you do just one prostration, unbelievable your life is made most fruitful. Okay, so that’s it.

So before one prostrates, so the prostrations begin with this mantra, this Buddha’s name and this mantra, so then each prostration increases ten million times, one prostration becomes ten million. This is same for when you circumambulate, if you recite this name mantra each circumambulation to the statues, stupas, scriptures, holy objects, ten million times. So it’s very, very important to take the opportunity so that more skillful way of prostrating, circumambulation, so we, that makes to achieve enlightenment quicker.

Then the next one, OM NAMO MANJUSHRIYE NAMAH SUSHRIYE NAMA UTTAMA SHRIYE SOHA, then that one, you also chant that one, so each prostration increases 1,000 times. But there’s many other benefits, to not receive harm from others as well as it creates the karma to actualize the right-seeing path, the exalted path in this life, so of course, it’s the ?main benefit. So we’ll begin the prostrations with this, by reciting this mantra.