Amitabha will make arrangements

Dharma Master Daozheng

One afternoon, I went to the Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital to visit the sister of a Buddhist society member along with a group of professors and students from the National Taiwan University’s Buddhist Society. Our group intended to go to the "Surgical Intensive Care Unit." However, just as we were about to take the elevator, we saw that the floor in front of it was being washed and was covered in soap suds. So, we changed our route and took another elevator. The correct button was pressed but when the elevator doors opened, it was the terminal cancer ward.

Knowing that this ward was usually not open to visitors, I did not dare to enter. We took another elevator, again pressing the button for the surgical department. Strangely enough, when the doors opened, it was again the terminal cancer ward.

The third time, the same thing happened. This time, however, there were Tzu Chi volunteers waiting outside the elevator with warm smiles. They invited us to watch their sign-language performance for the terminal cancer patients, with the title "Spreading Love to the World". Finding it hard to decline such a warm invitation, we accepted and took our seats to learn from the event.

A patient before us had a large tumor on the face was sitting there listening to the volunteers' songs…(during the performance,) I could not hold back my hot tears. Just as I was wiping them away, a woman I never met before suddenly approached and respectfully knelt before me, saying, "Master, could I invite you to the ward to give my mother some Dharma guidance?"

Seeing a monastic in the ward, she had seized the opportunity to make a request. I thought that since most cancer patients were in low spirits, the family was probably asking me to encourage and comfort the patient. Of course, I was duty-bound to oblige. However, observing Tzu Chi's rules, I first asked the volunteers for their permission.

When I entered the ward, this patient had already been unconscious since that morning. Furthermore, her eyeballs would occasionally roll back and move around while she was moaning, looking like she was in considerable pain.

When I first laid eyes on the patient, I found her looking somewhat familiar. Amitabha! Then I remembered. We had briefly crossed paths in the past. A few months ago, I visited Tzu Chi for another reason and coincidentally walked past her hospital bed. She had been lying down, but upon seeing a passing monastic, disregarding the many IV tubes inserted into her body, she immediately struggled to prop herself up, wanting to get out of bed to prostrate to this monastic she had never even met before.

Seeing this, I could not bear it and hurriedly said, "Please, no need to bow." As I stepped forward to help her lie back down, she compliantly did so, pressed her palms together and smiled, apologizing for "not prostrating." I was very moved at the time and praised her.

Consequently, a volunteer standing nearby took the opportunity to introduce her, saying: "This patient is a Tzu Chi committee member, she has already signed papers to donate her body for medical school studies." Due to her natural reverence for the Three Jewels and her body donation, she left a particularly deep impression on me.

 

I never expected that months later, when we met again, she would be unconscious and approaching the end of her life… I asked her daughter, "Does your mother usually have any attachments or worries?" Her daughter replied, "No, she usually keeps repeating: I hope the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will come sooner to bring me to the Pure Land."

But I recalled her "body donation" and wondered if the physical agony at the end of life (due to the autopsy or extraction of organs) might cause her mind to become chaotic and attached. However, donating her body was already a fact, and at that critical juncture of impending death, it was not a time for analysing whether it was appropriate or not.

Rather than worrying blindly, it was better to quiet down, give rise to faith and recite Amitabha, praying to the Buddha. Therefore, I sat by her and quieted my mind, chanting Amitabha, praying for Amitabha Buddha to compassionately receive her and bless her transition to be free of any obstacles. I also prayed for Amitabha to guide me so that I would know what to do for her.

Everyone chanted Amitabha together. Strangely enough, her ward was filled with a group of people devoutly reciting Amitabha, who had actually arrived there by taking the wrong elevator! The elevator might stop at the wrong floor, but the law of cause and effect makes absolutely no mistakes! Even the Tzu Chi nursing assistant who usually cared for her knelt by her bed and chanted along. This was truly the inconceivable response from her daily faith and aspirations!

After chanting for a while, I said softly in her ear: "You are a great Bodhisattva, and we all respect you deeply. Since you have already donated your body, your body is now a 'body of Great Love'; it is no longer yours. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will naturally make arrangements for the body of Great Love. Therefore, you no longer need to worry about it, nor do you need to suffer for it. Just entrust this body of Great Love safely to the arrangements of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Amitabha Buddha and his ocean of retinue have already prepared a grand welcoming party to welcome you and present you with an award. Hurry up and go to Sukhavati to collect your award.”

As I said this, amazingly, she stopped moaning and even smiled. She reached her hand out from under the quilt, fumbling to shake my hand. However, her eyes still could not open. I brought out the Great Compassion Water blessed by my benevolent master, Master Chanyun and dipped a cotton swab into the Great Compassion Water, I wiped it around her eyes, silently praying in my heart for Amitabha Buddha to bring her illumination and mindfulness. I hadn't expected it, but just as I finished wiping, she blinked her eyes, her rolled-back eyeballs returned to their normal position and she opened her eyes!

Honestly, I never anticipated such a dramatic turnaround. The Buddha's power is truly inconceivable! This also proves that through her daily faith in chanting Amitabha and her vow to be reborn in Sukhavati, even though she fell unconscious at the end of her life, Amitabha still had a way to help her. Amitabha's great vows will definitely be fulfilled and everything will be wondrously arranged. The Buddhas-Bodhisattvas not only arranged her deliverance but also helped our group by increasing our faith and aspiration.

Think about it, none of us in the group had ever met her and I was originally going to visit someone else. Yet, due to the karmic condition of the "elevator", we all ended up going to assist her with chanting. Isn't this incredible and interesting? Furthermore, her dramatic transformation after the chanting gave us tremendous faith and encouragement.

After she woke up, she asked the doctor, "Is my body completely failing now?" The Tzu Chi doctor was very compassionate and answered tactfully, "We all love you very much, but this is a natural process." She accepted this response calmly and requested supportive-chanting for her rebirth in Sukhavati.

We started chanting in the supportive-chanting room of the terminal cancer ward. It was a conducive and welcoming environment. Later, she passed on with a clear mind of mindfulness!

If it were arranged by human effort, it would be extremely difficult for our group to gather from everywhere in Taiwan to Dalin to chant for the duration of one incense stick. She didn't know where we lived or how to contact us either. Yet, her daily faith and chanting naturally invoked the blessing of Amitabha, causing everyone who took the wrong elevator to gather and assist in chanting.

I am sharing this story to encourage everyone. Amitabha’s vows are not empty promises. There will naturally be wondrous arrangements. We just need to believe in Amitabha’s power, rely on Amitabha’s power and chant Amitabha!

Whether there is intubation or not, whether the body is donated or not, Amitabha will arrange for our rebirth in Sukhavati. There is no need to waste energy doubting or debating on it. Those who worry too much simply lack sufficient faith; they should put more effort into "faith."

By focusing the mind's attention on faith in Amitabha, there will naturally be no obstacles. The Buddha can even save us from the hell realms —the mountain of knives and the forest of swords —blessing us to feel peaceful and be reborn in Sukhavati. How could trivial issues like intubation or body donation pose a problem to Amitabha?

If ordinary doctors can use anesthesia to stop pain, how much more so can Amitabha stop your pain when he comes? His blessings can certainly free one from pain and confusion.

One must believe that Amitabha has his own ways. Only then can one truly chant the Buddha's name peacefully without distraction. An undistracted mind at the end of life is achieved only through the compassionate blessing of Amitabha and the holy assembly.

It is the blessing of Amitabha that keeps us undistracted. Since it is the Buddha's power, what is there for us to worry about or debate? Rather than worrying blindly, it is better to chant Amitabha with faith.

Whether you are intubated or not, you are embraced by Amitabha’s vows and will be received by him. At the critical juncture of death, one only needs to raise one's faith and chant Amitabha. There is no room to discuss too many minor details. If the mind is consumed by thoughts and debate, it is not on chanting Amitabha, then it would be a great pity to miss this chance.

About resuscitation and life-support

Of course, if it is clearly known that the patient is on the verge of death, I do not recommend the extraneous act of "intubation." However, this is very difficult to determine in advance. From the standpoint of the medical personnel or family members, they can only do their utmost to save the patient.

Whether it is the end of life depends on the outcome of the rescue efforts—if they can be saved, it naturally doesn't count as the end of life; if they cannot be saved, it is the end of life. In fact, there are also many people who were critically ill and were saved.

Therefore, if one is always telling people “do not resuscitate", there might be the fault of "costing a person's life" or "treating human life with utter disregard." Unless the patient and their families decide beforehand to sign a refusal of resuscitation, medical personnel will be blamed if they do not attempt a rescue.

Thus, it is very difficult for bystanders to make this decision on their behalf. One should not decide for others as ordinary beings lack the clairvoyance to know the wish of the dying person. Using our scattered and delusional mind to self-righteously make any decisions on the patient’s behalf is not wise.

It is better to be humble and respectful, and to single-mindedly chant Amitabha. Then there will naturally be a good path forward.

For someone who is "already intubated," if one deliberately pulls the tubes right before death, how can you be sure that removing the tubes is not the trigger (that leads to death)? Everyone knows that touching a wound hurts more than leaving it alone, right? The patient might feel that they are being "suffocated", "deprived of their chance to live" or even "murdered".

If they have faith and seek rebirth in Sukhavati, of course there is no problem. But, suppose they do not wish to be reborn in the pureland and simply wish to live on in this world. If others act on their own initiative and forcefully remove the tubes, the patient might give rise to anger and resentment. They won't necessarily be freed from suffering just because they stop breathing due to removal of the tubes.

Therefore, I feel it is better to remain still than to do something (reckless), concentrating all my energy on faith in Amitabha and chanting his name.

Understanding the purpose and paying attention

Jet Li
(Jet Li is a student of Lho Kunsang Rinpoche, Yangthang Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsultrim Lodro etc)

People often ask me about my early prowess with martial arts. Was I some kind of prodigy? My answer is that from the time I was a young boy, I was always asking, “Why?” I seemed to stand outside of life, observing it from a distance: “Why are things the way they are? Why are we doing it like this and not like that?” My siblings never understood what I was talking about. They were content with the business of life, not the structure underneath.

So when our (martial arts) training started to get serious and the coach said, “Do this one thousand times!” most of my schoolmates just did it a thousand times. Others were tired: They wanted to escape the torment and practiced the movement five hundred times. 

But I asked, “Why a thousand?” I thought about the reason and the result before I practiced it. The reason is that an athlete needs to put in energy and repetition to develop skill. But what is the desired result? Perfect execution of the movement.

If you perform a movement a thousand times without thinking, you’re just working your body. You’re not using your mind. The body moves a thousand times, but your mind doesn’t move at all. You may not even be paying attention to the movement. You’re focused only on the number, not on the desired result. 

Why drill the movement a thousand times? To make sure you develop muscle memory so your body is completely familiar with the movement and can execute it perfectly every time. But if I use my mind, I can say, “I’m going to do this seven hundred times, each time perfectly.” 

I pay attention every time I do the movement. I unify my body and my mind. Then I don’t need to do it a thousand times because my body will remember the perfect movement after only seven hundred times. I wanted to get the benefit of a thousand repetitions with only seven hundred movements.

I was always looking for a shortcut, but I never slacked off. I never said, “Oh, I’ll just do it a hundred times.” If I didn’t work hard enough, the physical component wouldn’t be strong enough. I needed to get the body and mind in balance to produce the result I wanted—quickly and perfectly. 

As a result of my way of thinking, I had a different target than my peers did. Their target was to reach the number 1,000; mine was to achieve the result of perfect execution in the shortest amount of time. So every time I did the movement, I contemplated it before I executed it. This way of practicing came naturally to me, and it would characterize my approach not only to martial arts, but later to filming and to Buddhist practice. 

Mistaken understanding of "bliss" in Vajrayana context

Khenpo Sodargye

What is referred to as "great bliss" in Tantra is beyond the comprehension of our ordinary conceptions. What we usually think of as “pleasure” or “joy” is not at all “bliss” in the context of Vajrayana. Rather, it is suffering.

~~

Sutrayana determines the emptiness of all phenomena in depth through reasoning, but there remains considerable clinging to this emptiness that is free from all conceptual elaborations. In Sutrayana’s view, phenomena are emptiness.

Sutrayana does not admit this, but in ascertaining (emptiness), although Sutrayana speaks about being free from all conceptual elaborations, the conceptual clinging to "non-existence" within the mind of ordinary beings remains quite strong.

In terms of ascertaining (ultimate reality) as being free from all conceptual elaborations, Vajrayana has no difference from Sutrayana. However, in order to dispel (possible) clinging to emptiness through Sutrayana's view, Vajrayana introduces the wisdom of great bliss. This is the unchanging wisdom of appearance-emptiness.

This wisdom of great bliss in Vajrayana is not merely described in broad strokes in the texts; rather, through the Guru's pith instructions, it is personally experienced in a manner that transcends subject and object. Those with even a slight understanding of Dzogchen know that the mind is not only emptiness but is inseparable from great bliss.

This ultimate reality of non-dual bliss-emptiness can be personally experienced when one transcends subject and object—this is the true hallmark of Vajrayana practice. Although Sutrayana has ascertained that emptiness is free from all conceptual elaborations, does it enable one to personally experience this wisdom of great bliss in a manner that transcends subject and object? Sutrayana is absolutely unable to achieve this.

A reminder is appropriate here: some people think a state of happiness or joy is the wisdom of great bliss or that generating immense pleasure within one's mind is the wisdom of great bliss.

Sometime ago, a lay practitioner said he was practicing very well, frequently abiding in the state of bliss-emptiness. I asked him, "What is this so-called "bliss-emptiness" like?" He said: "This is the highest state of Vajrayana. ‘Bliss’ is the greatest joy a human can experience.”

Nowadays, many people studying Vajrayana think that the “wisdom of great bliss” just means feeling extremely happy. Some people who are unable to overcome their lust refer to the desire between men and women as the “great bliss”. These explanations are a complete perversion of the true meaning.

What is referred to as "great bliss" in Tantra is beyond the comprehension of our ordinary conceptions. What we usually think of as “pleasure” or “joy” is not at all “bliss” in the context of Vajrayana. Rather, it is suffering.

Why is that so? Leaving aside Vajrayana for a moment, the Four Hundred Stanzas (in the Sutrayana) says: "Whatever is impermanent is sure to decline; whatever declines is not happiness. Therefore, all impermanent phenomenon is suffering.” Therefore, all feelings or sensations are of the nature of suffering. This type of suffering belongs to the category of pervasive suffering among the three types of suffering described in the texts.

The Uttaratantra Shastra and Gorampa's commentary on the Madhyamakavatara both upholds the Mahayana view that all impermanent phenomena are of the nature of suffering. Moreover, the Hinayana views all feelings of joy or happiness as of the nature of suffering too.

In the Four Seals of Dharma, it is said that "all feelings are suffering." As long as a feeling exists, it is actually of the nature of suffering and cannot be called “bliss”. Only the state of wisdom in which feelings are unchanging can be called the “wisdom of great bliss”.

We must absolutely not misunderstand the “wisdom of great bliss”. Some practitioners say they want to find a consort to enjoy the wisdom of great bliss. In that case, you are intentionally breaking your Tantric samayas (vows). The “wisdom of great bliss” in Vajrayana is not some blissful feeling imagined by ordinary beings.

All blissful feelings in the realm of conceptual thinking are impermanent and of the nature of pervasive suffering. Only when the impermanent and suffering nature truly transforms into a type of wisdom can it be called “bliss” (in the Vajrayana sense).

Such “wisdom of great bliss” is described in both the Kalachakra Tantra and the Guhyagarbha Tantra. When studying Vajrayana, you must understand the specific vocabulary. Historically, there are many accounts of people breaking their Tantric vows based on such misunderstandings, thereby falling into the Vajra Hell to suffer for eons. Thus, the true meaning of Vajrayana must be taught by a qualified master…

Some people, by referring to their ordinary worldly experiences, think that the “wisdom of great bliss” is being very happy—like the happiness of suddenly finding some vegetables when you can't get any food in the mountains. If you call this the “wisdom of great bliss”, then even a yak (animal) possesses the wisdom of great bliss.  Also, it cannot be said that this wisdom is unattainable through practicing Sutrayana.

Through the Guru's pith instructions, when subject, object and even all of one's thoughts are completely extinguished. The mind is free from all discriminations and there are no thoughts, this is called the "dharmadhatu (ultimate reality) of non-dual bliss-emptiness."

“Bliss" here refers to the luminosity that is unchanging and "emptiness" refers to the nature that is free from all conceptual elaborations. The state where these two are inseparable is "nondual bliss-emptiness."

Otherwise, some people think, "I am very, very happy, this is nondual bliss-emptiness". But when you are blissful, it is not empty; and when it is empty, there is no bliss. How then could it be called “non-dual”? Genuine great bliss is unchanging.

In Sutrayana, the Buddha-nature cannot be directly experienced but this is not the case in Vajrayana. One can directly experience the emptiness and luminosity of the Buddha-nature.

In the Great Chariot, omniscient Longchenpa cites many scriptural proofs. Buddha Shakyamuni also praised and emphasized the Third Turning of the Dharma Wheel in the Sutra of the Great Drum because the luminosity taught there is quite close to the view of Vajrayana.

I hope that those with wisdom can properly understand the "bliss" spoken of in Tantra. That is to say, because there is no suffering, it is free from impermanence. The luminosity aspect of the Buddha-nature is free from impermanence and can be provisionally understood as “bliss”.

The Guhyagarbha Tantra refers to "emptiness" as original purity, and "bliss" as equality. When this tantra ascertains the right view, it often uses the phrase "inseparability of equality and purity". Generally speaking, it is hard to accept this state in the view of Sutrayana.

Mipham Rinpoche said that ordinary beings can recognize the nature of mind by relying on proximate/example wisdom on the path of preparation. This can be called a direct realization although it is a proximate wisdom.

The true realization of the mind-nature is only attained upon reaching the first bhumi (of the path of seeing). Nonetheless, one already realizes the nature of the mind and all phenomenon in a proximate manner (on the path of preparation), hence it is called proximate/example wisdom. Although this is called a “direct realization” it is merely a conventional expression; genuine direct realization is only attained at the first bhumi.

Practice is drop by drop

Dharma Master Jingjie

When the Tzu Chi organisation first started, Master Cheng Yen asked her members to donate one dollar every day. Someone said, "Master, this is too troublesome. I might as well just give you thirty dollars a month." Cheng Yen replied, “No, when you donate one dollar every day, you generate the virtuous thought of giving every day.” This is called “repeatedly activating (the good karmic seeds)". If you give thirty dollars in one day, you only give rise to the virtuous thought once and then you forget about it.

Master Cheng Yen possesses great wisdom. Master Chanyun’s practice was similar— accumulating bit by bit, drop by drop. For example, if you only attend one seven-day Amitabha recitation retreat a year and during that retreat you bow one thousand times a day. For the rest of the year, you do not bow to the Buddha at all. This cannot compare to bowing forty-eight times a day for a whole year. This is what is meant by accumulating drop by drop.

Honestly speaking, practicing in a “rainstorm” manner is not effective.

You do not bow to the Buddha daily, but when you attend a retreat, you bow one thousand times a day, bowing for twenty-one days, then stop bowing altogether, this is not of much effect. You can’t collect water this way! If you bow forty-eight times daily for three years then it is inconceivable! You will realize the importance of regular daily practice.

We do not want the “rainstorm” style where a lot of water suddenly comes; that will only cause a flood disaster. If you practice bit by bit, drop by drop, constant dripping water can even wear through stone.

As you slowly come to understand the principles of cause-and-effect, you will know what conditions help your practice to progress and what conditions are not much help to your progress. The binge-eating style of practice is not of much help. Relying on sheer brute strength and bravery will not change your mind on a deep level.

Therefore, consistent and sustained effort is all about frequency (of practice). The “drop by drop” style of practice far surpasses the “rainstorm” style of practice because it activates (the positive karmic seeds) repeatedly, (thereby inculcating a deep habit).

The transformation of our mind requires a period of time to slowly brew and be infused with the good qualities. So, no matter what good karma you create, the frequency must be high and consistent. It is better to do a daily practice; in this way, you strengthen the power of reciting Amitabha, making the good karma infinitely more powerful due to sustained effort.

 

Principles of Karmic Fruition with explanatory stories

Dharma Master Jingjie

For both ordinary beings and enlightened beings, there are times of comfort and happiness in their lives. Whether it is the joy of an enlightened sage or the momentary feeling of relief in the sufferings of hell-realms -- all are produced by good karma.

Take the Avici Hell, the Hell of Uninterrupted Torment, for example. The suffering there goes on all the time. The beings are thrown into boiling oil to be fried; after being fried to death and reduced to a skeleton, they are scooped out. A cool breeze blows and revives the body, then it is thrown back in to be fried again.

For beings in the Avici Hell, there is only a single instant of happiness or comfort. That is when the cool breeze blows to restore their body. Where does this pleasant sensation come from? It is the result of past good karma.

Even the pleasant sensation of that cool breeze in the Avici hell is the result of good karma, because it is impossible for comfort and happiness to arise from negative karma.

Therefore, as long as it is a good result, it must be due to good karma. For instance, being able to walk right now—this itself is good karma. Do not think that walking is your natural entitlement; not everyone can walk. Being able to eat this bowl of rice and enjoying it is also good karma.

Not a single thing happens without causes. Being able to drink this cup of water and being nourished by it is the result of good karma. Anything that makes you feel comfortable and happy in this life is entirely due to good karma, and you should praise your past good deeds for it.

If you can walk, you should praise your past merits; if you can eat or sleep well at night, it is due to good karma! Nothing must be taken for granted. This is the first principle you must know: that all happiness is a result of good karma.  There is not a single exception to this law.

~~

When the Buddha was in the world, there were many lay practitioners who were benefactors or protectors of the Dharma. The most important protector was Elder Sudatta. Elder Sudatta grew up in a very wealthy family and he deeply loved giving alms to the poor and neglected elderly people. Therefore, he was also called Elder Anathapindika (Giver to the Destitute).

He had seven sons. The first six had already married... and Sudatta asked many people to make inquiries for a suitable wife for his youngest son. Later, he heard that in the neighboring country, in the city of Rajgir, there was a woman who was very beautiful, possessed of perfect virtues and from a wealthy family. Elder Sudatta took his attendants and travelled to Rajgir to propose marriage. The prospective in-laws had also heard of Elder Sudatta's name and invited him to stay in their guest quarters.

Towards dusk, Elder Sudatta saw many people busily preparing a vast amount of food. Elder Sudatta asked, "What are you all busy with?" and was told, "Our master is going to invite the Buddha to come tomorrow so as to make offerings."

Elder Sudatta asked again, "What is the Buddha like?" "The Buddha has thirty-two major marks and eighty minor characteristics, adorned with boundless qualities." According to the scriptures, upon hearing of Buddha's qualities, Elder Sudatta’s hairs stood on end and a great joy arose. This showed that Sudatta had deep virtuous roots.

When night fell and everyone went to sleep, Elder Sudatta could not contain himself any longer; he wanted to hurry and see the Buddha. He was unable to wait until tomorrow. In the middle of the night, he left his in-laws' residence to visit the Buddha by night.

The omniscient Buddha knew that Elder Sudatta was coming and waited for him. As soon as he arrived, the Buddha first emitted a great radiance. Upon seeing the Buddha, Elder Sudatta immediately fell to his knees. The Buddha taught him the Dharma of the Four Noble Truths and Sudatta gained the realization of Stream-Entry right away.

Due to realizing the first level of Arhatship, Elder Sudatta now had unwavering faith in the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha and the Shila (precept discipline), known as the Four Irreversible Faiths. He felt that there was no need to attend the banquet the next day, so early the next morning, he hurriedly returned home with his attendants. He felt that he had to build a monastery in the Kingdom of Sravasti and offer it to the Buddha.

However, the Buddha's monastic community was enormous, comprising one thousand two hundred Bhikkhus. Sudatta asked around to see where a monastery could be built; finally, he found a suitable place in Sravasti. It was a garden that belonged to the crown prince of King Prasenajit, Prince Jeta.

At first, the prince did not want to sell but he could not afford to offend this Elder, so he asked, "Why are you buying this garden?" Elder Sudatta said, "I want to make offerings to the Buddha and his monastic community. I plan to build many monks' quarters and a teaching hall and invite the Buddha to reside here and teach the Dharma."

Upon hearing this, Prince Jeta realized it was a good deed. Unable to flatly refuse but reluctant to agree, he decided to make it difficult for Sudatta instead. Jeta said, "If you can cover my entire garden with gold, I will sell the garden to you." Elder Sudatta replied, "Done! It's a deal!"

Prince Jeta said, "No, wait, I was just joking with you." Elder Sudatta said, "You are the crown prince today and the future King, can you speak words in jest?" Left with no choice, Prince Jeta had to sell it to him. Prince Jeta said, "You pave the ground with gold, but the trees will count as mine." That is how the name Jetavana (meaning “Prince Jeta's trees”) Anathapindika's Park came to be.

According to the scriptures, after Elder Sudatta bought the land, he used elephants to transport a huge amount of gold to pave the ground and he also built the monks' quarters and the teaching hall. When the construction was finished, all his money was spent. He became so poor that he didn't even have money left for food.

So what is there to do? Sudatta managed to find a sandalwood bucket in the storehouse. He took this bucket to exchange for a little money and his family cooked a pot of rice, preparing to eat. Just as they were about to start their meal, Venerable Maudgalyayana arrived to beg for alms.

Now, Sudatta was already a noble being who has achieved the first stage of realisation. Such beings have an unshakable understanding of cause-and-effect. They know that virtue will only bring happiness. We ordinary people might be influenced by the ups and downs in the situation, but Elder Sudatta’s mind was unshakably established in the Dharma.

Therefore, he said, "Divide the rice in half and offer the half-portion to Venerable Maudgalyayana." The family prepared to make do with the remaining half. Right then, Venerable Sariputra also arrived. Again, Sudatta had to make a difficult choice. Should he choose the current karmic result (rice) he already had, or should he prioritize creating a virtuous cause for the future? But the Elder's mind was resolute, he said, "Divide it again and offer half to Venerable Sariputra."

(Note: Shariputra and Maudgalyayana were great Arhats who were the foremost disciples of Lord Buddha.)

When Sudatta’s family was finally about to consume the last one-quarter of their ration of rice, the Buddha himself arrived. The Elder declared, "So be it! We will just go hungry today to make offerings to the Buddha." Elder Sudatta personally took this one-quarter portion of rice, ran to the Buddha, knelt down and offered it.

The Buddha compassionately accepted it. After accepting it, according to the scriptures, Lord Buddha spoke a four-line verse.

"This day onwards,

sins extinguished, merits born,

eternally prosperous,

never lacking ever again."

Lord Buddha said, “By this act of giving, Sudatta has eradicated the very last trace of stinginess and greed remaining from his past lives. In all his future lives, until he attains Buddhahood, there is only one type of situation he will find himself in —wealth and prosperity. Even though he has not attained Buddhahood, the word "poverty" will no longer exist in his life.”

We all know that the Buddha either remains silent or speaks the truth. The moment Buddha says something, it becomes fixed and unalterable. This is called the “Golden Mouth." As long as the Buddha gives a prophecy, there is no room for change in the matter. For example, the Buddha said that King Virudhaka would die in seven days and this fate could not be changed. Even though the king fled by boat, it was useless.

What is the point of this story? It shows that virtue definitely ripens into good results of happiness.

~~

Cause-and-effect often spans across lifetimes before bearing fruit. For example, some vegetarians attribute their poor health to their vegetarian diet, saying that it makes them unhealthy. This is illogical. Poor health comes from the karma of killing in past lives; it has nothing to do with a vegetarian diet. Even if there is any connection, it is only a secondary condition. (For example, when one eats an unbalanced vegetarian diet due to a lack of knowledge.)

By not killing, the result is a long life. When we practice good deeds, it is very easy to be misled by the results of existing karma from past lives. This is very troublesome. If good results from virtue appeared immediately, it would be very easy to believe in doing virtue and everyone would do it. If you practice charity and immediately gain wealth, this would be highly motivating.

But where does the difficulty lie? This is especially hard for beginners because their life’s karmic forces are suddenly shifting in direction. It can happen that when one is cultivating virtue, suffering intensifies instead. This is the most difficult part. It tests your understanding of the Dharma and how strong your refuge is in the Dharma.

Virtue can never cause suffering. It is extremely important to have conviction in this! Therefore, it is impossible for vegetarianism to be the cause of poor health. Absolutely impossible! There is no such logic in this world. If this were possible, then all the teachings spoken by the Buddha would be dismantled and cause-and-effect isn’t true.

So what is the explanation for poor health? Eating a vegetarian diet is based on a heart of compassion; this is karma that leads to longevity and good health. However, this karma does not ripen immediately; it is first stored. Karma must go through a phase of dormancy before it manifests in the next life. Present suffering of ill health is the result of other previous karma of killing. One needs to undergo the residual karma from past lives. This is how cause-and-effect works.

You must always believe this one thing: practicing virtue cannot possibly lead to suffering. This is absolutely impossible! Because cause-and-effect will never be mixed up or mistaken. Today's good karma cannot be used yet and must first be deposited into the "bank." Most of the karma we create in this life has not manifested. The seeds sown in the spring cannot be eaten as rice yet; they can only be harvested in the autumn. The rice you eat this spring was planted last year.

Therefore, in your understanding of cause and effect, you must remember the framework of past, present, and future karmas so that your mind is resolute in its faith. Otherwise, it is very difficult to cultivate. As soon as you are hit by obstacles or difficulties, your mind regresses and it is hard to walk the path steadfastly.

~~

What is virtue? It is any act free of afflictions. For instance, a mind free from desire or attachment as in the mind of generosity; a mind free from anger as in the mind of kindness and compassion; or a mind free from delusion as in wisdom. All these are virtues.

What is non-virtue? Any act initiated by the mental afflictions of attachment, aversion and delusion is non-virtue. If it is neither an affliction nor a virtue, it is a neutral karma. For example, when you are taking a walk or trimming your nails, if you are neither having a virtuous nor non-virtuous motivation, this is called neutral karma. It is neither good nor bad.

The formation of karma is determined by one's thoughts and intentions. If the mind is non-virtuous, no matter what you do, it is bad karma; if the mind is virtuous, even if you are scolding your son, it is good karma…

In Buddha’s time, King Pasenadi had three princesses, one was named Princess Virtuous Light. She was very beautiful, loved by people and had virtuous conduct. She was the most famous among King Pasenadi's three daughters. Due to her beauty and empathy, King Pasenadi doted on her most. Often, after finishing his official duties, King Pasenadi would take a walk in the garden with the princess and chat with her.

One day, during their walk, King Pasenadi said, "My daughter! You look so beautiful and are praised by others. This is due to my love and blessings for you." The princess was usually very compliant with her father, but this time she replied, "Father, what you said is not true. My karmic rewards in this life are due to past good karma."

Upon hearing this, King Pasenadi departed in a bad mood. The next day, he brought it up again, saying, "Your good karma comes from my favour and blessings on you." The princess’s answer remained the same. She said, "This is my good karma." For three consecutive days, she gave the same answer which enraged King Pasenadi.

So, King Pasenadi said, "Fine, let us see whether the power of your good karma is greater or my power is greater." He ordered his attendants to go to the streets to find a beggar. After finding one, the king said to the beggar, "I will marry my daughter to you, how about that?" The beggar said, "That's wonderful!" Thus, the princess was married to this beggar.

After marrying the beggar, the princess accepted her fate. People who really understand Dharma are different from others. Her conviction and refuge in the Dharma did not change.

After marrying the beggar, she asked him, "Where do you live?" The beggar replied, "I have no home, I am a beggar." "Then where did you live when you were a child?" The beggar said, "When we were young, we were originally a wealthy and prominent family. Later, a fire broke out and our parents died, so we siblings had no choice but to wander outside as beggars."

The princess said, "Alright, let's go take a look at your old home." The beggar took the princess to see his old home. It was in ruins and the house had burned down. The princess said, "It doesn't matter, let's settle down first." The two of them started growing vegetables and farming the land.

While the couple was farming, as they dug down with a hoe, there was suddenly a "clink" sound. It turned out that they found treasures left behind by his ancestors. The beggar excavated the treasures and built a residence even larger than the one that the princess had lived in before, with furnishings that were even more luxurious.

King Pasenadi, in the meanwhile, had just been acting out of a momentary fit of anger. After his anger subsided, he sent someone to check how the princess was doing. When the attendant took a look, he came back and reported, “The place that the princess lives in now is even better than her previous residence.” King Pasenadi was extremely surprised! He hurried over to see for himself.

The princess joyfully invited her royal father in. The king looked around and it was true! The furnishings inside were even better than before.

So, King Pasenadi took the princess to meet Lord Buddha and asked the Buddha to explain the causes and conditions that led to this karmic fruit. The Buddha said that the princess enjoyed giving to others in every life. This generosity had already formed a deep habit and transformed into a virtuous root. This means that her virtuous thought has now developed into a kind of conviction, her understanding of this Dharma principle is embedded into her very nature and is now very firm.

The Buddha said that the princess's wealth in this life comes from one past life. During the time of Kashyapa Buddha—the Buddha immediately preceding Shakyamuni Buddha— Kashyapa Buddha had four great disciples and the princess in that life had made offerings equally to these four great disciples.

At that time, the princess was a jobless woman. Her husband earned the money. Outside of what was used for their daily lives, she took a little of her husband's money to make offerings to Kashyapa Buddha's four great disciples. Initially, her husband opposed this, saying, "It's better if we just use this money ourselves, why should we make offerings to practitioners?" But the princess repeatedly persuaded her husband, saying that they should make offerings so that they would have wealth in future lives. Eventually, her husband reluctantly agreed.

Therefore, when the princess’s karmic reward ripened, there was a difference between certainty and uncertainty. Where did the money for the offerings come from? It was earned by the husband, so of course her husband had a share in the merits.

But why was the princess’s karmic fruit so firm and unshakable that it would not change no matter what the King did? Why did this beggar (her husband in that past life) have to meet the princess before his karmic fruit could be activated?

This was because he was passive in making the offering. He did not have joy and a firmness of intention in making the offering. In other words, his mind of generosity was weak. Although both the princess and him made offerings at the same time, their karmic fruitions were different.

It is like two identical horse carriages; one is pulled by a strong horse, the other is pulled by a weak and slow horse. Therefore, the karmic force these two people created are different in power.

Practicing virtue after understanding Dharma principles is completely different from doing so without understanding! Say you are attending a seven-day Amitabha recitation retreat because the president called you to attend. You attended out of a feeling of obligation, you feel embarrassed to refuse the invitation. This is also good karma, but when the karmic reward is received, its power will be weak because you only came out of obligation.

If you are proactive and enthusiastic and drive for four or five hours to attend the retreat, making a big effort, then that karma will be completely different. When the Amitabha’s name enters your mind, the feeling is very different.

The formation of karma itself is dominated by mental intention. When the mind or intention is strong, the karma is heavy and the karmic result will correspond to the level of the karmic force.

Even the princess’s father, a king, could not obstruct her karmic fruition. Her merits had reached such a level that it could no longer be obstructed by anyone. Even when her father married her off to a beggar, her good fortune manifested all the same. What is due to her still came forth; nothing could stand in its way. This is only because when the princess created the karma, her mind was firm and indestructible like a diamond and she had powerful aspirations.

Therefore, you must understand that the karma is absolutely guided by mental intention to produce its karmic force. Your intention governs the strength and direction of the karma.

'Amitabha' is also a mantra

8th Pureland Patriarch Lianchi

The Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra states: "Prajnaparamita is the great transcendent mantra, is the great awareness mantra, is the unparallelled mantra, is the supreme mantra." This implies that (the wisdom of) Prajna itself is the mantra, it is not merely referring to the phrase starting with "Gate gate…" as the mantra. 

People today think that mantras only belong to the secret (tantric) teachings, but (we can see that) the Heart Sutra belongs to the sutric teachings.  Therefore, sutric teachings can also be mantras. This is something that mantra practitioners overlook and fail to recognize. 

Furthermore, the four characters "A-Mi-Tuo-Fo" (Amitabha) are entirely Sanskrit. If earlier masters had not added commentary, how would “Amitabha” differ from the awareness mantras, Cundi Mantra or other mantras from the Tantric section? 

People today only think awareness mantras or the Cundi mantra are mantras, while Amitabha is the name of a Buddha. Actually, the Buddha's name is also a mantra. This too is something that mantra practitioners overlook and fail to recognize.

Story of the 6th Pureland Patriarch (an emanation of Amitabha)

Master Yongming Yanshou (904–975) was a monk during the late Tang and Five Dynasties periods. He is revered as the Sixth Patriarch of the Pure Land School and the Third Patriarch of the Fayan School. His secular name was Wang Chongyuan, and he was a native of Qiantang (present-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang). From a young age, he believed in Buddhism, abstained from killing and liberated living beings. During the reign of King Wenmu of the Wuyue Kingdom, he served as a tax official. Whenever he saw fish, shrimp, birds and other animals, he would buy and release them. When his own salary was exhausted, he used official funds to continue this practice.

His unauthorized usage of the treasury funds was eventually exposed, a crime punishable by death. When Wang was escorted to the execution ground, King Wenmu instructed the executioner that if Wang showed fear, he should be executed; otherwise, he was to be released.

Right before the execution, Wang remained perfectly calm and his expression did not change at all. He said, "I have not used a single penny for myself; I spent it all on buying and releasing lives, countless in number. I will be born directly into Sukhavati when I die. Is that not a joy?" Hearing this, King Wenmu pardoned Wang and set him free.

Following his release, Wang went to Mingzhou and became a monk under Chan Master Cuiyan at the age of thirty. The Biographies of Eminent Monks in the Song Dynasty records the Master's ascetic life in the monastery: "He performed hard labor to serve the congregation of monastics, completely forgetting himself. His clothes were coarse and his food was plain. He spent his days in this manner." He labored during the day and practiced Chan meditation at night, subsisting on wild vegetables and fruits while living a simple, detached life.

Later, he visited National Master Deshao at Mount Tiantai where he quickly grasped the essence of Chan meditation. The Biographies records: "While Yongming was in Deshao's Dharma assembly, during a communal work period, he heard the sound of falling firewood and suddenly achieved awakening. He said, 'What falls away is not some other thing, what pervades everywhere is not dust. The mountains, rivers, and great earth all reveal the Dharma King's body.'" Through this realization, he became the Third Patriarch of the Fayan School.

(Note: 'Dust' is commonly used in Buddhist philosophy to refer to the sense objects, because they defile an unenlightened mind.)

Afterward, the Master set up an altar at Guoqing Temple on Mount Tiantai to practice the Lotus Repentance for twenty-one days. He also traveled to Tianzhu Peak in Jinhua to recite the Lotus Sutra for three years, deepening his cultivation and meditation skills.

During this period of practice on Mount Tiantai, he saw Guanyin Bodhisattva pouring sweet dew (amrita) into his mouth during meditation, conferring upon him great eloquence. While performing walking meditation in the middle of the night, he saw the lotus flower offered before the statue of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva appearing in his own hand.

Feeling undecided about the life-time focus of his practice, the Master went to Zhizhe Chan Monastery and wrote up two lots: one read "One-Pointedly on Chan Practice," and the other read "Myriad Virtues to Adorn the Pure Land." After calming his mind and praying, he drew lots seven consecutive times; each time, he drew "Myriad Virtues to Adorn the Pure Land." Resolving his doubts, the Master committed himself wholeheartedly to cultivating Pure Land practice.

From then on, the Master vowed to seek rebirth in Sukhavati, chanting the holy name of Amitabha Buddha 100,000 times a day. At dusk, he would walk to another peak to circumambulate and recite the Buddha's name, often accompanied by hundreds of followers.

On clear, moonlit nights, heavenly music and the sounds of conch shells were said to echo around him. King Zhongyi deeply respected the Master's virtue. Upon hearing of these occurrences, he was moved and remarked, "Since ancient times, among those who seek the Pure Land, there has never been anyone as earnest as this!" The king subsequently built the Western Incense Adorned Hall to support the Master's practice and bestowed upon him the title "Chan Master Zhijue."

The Master resided at Yongming for fifteen years, guiding thousands of disciples. He frequently conferred the Bodhisattva Vows upon the assembly and established 108 Buddhist practices as his daily routine, including reciting mantras, bowing in repentance, chanting sutras, sitting in Chan meditation, releasing lives, and teaching the Dharma. Every night, he offered food to spirits in the wilderness, dedicating all merits to sentient beings as a provision for their rebirth in the Pure Land.

*Manifesting Parinirvana*

In 974 (the seventh year of the Kaibao era of the Northern Song Dynasty), the elderly Master returned to Mount Tiantai. He established an altar to transmit the Bodhisattva Vows to more than ten thousand attendees, marking his final large-scale precepts-transmission ceremony.

Knowing that his worldly karmic affinities were drawing to an end, the Master closed his doors to visitors to concentrate solely on reciting Amitabha's name. On the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month in 975, he rose in the morning, burned incense, bowed to the Buddha, addressed the assembly and passed away while sitting in the full lotus posture at the age of seventy-two, having lived forty-two years as an ordained monk.

*Anecdotes*

In 976 (the first year of the Taiping Xingguo era), his disciples erected a stupa and monastery on Mount Daci in his memory, which Emperor Taizong named "Shouning Chan Monastery." Later, a wandering monk from Lin'an regularly circumambulated this stupa. When asked why, he explained: "When I fell ill and entered the underworld, I saw a portrait of a monk enshrined to the left of the hall, before which King Yama bowed in reverence. When I asked about it, I learned it was Chan Master Yongming of Hangzhou who had achieved the highest grade of rebirth in Sukhavati. King Yama revered his virtue, and so I have come to pay homage to his relic stupa."

According to tradition, King Qian Chu of the Wuyue Kingdom once held a grand vegetarian feast for a thousand monastics. Afterwards, the King asked Master Yongming, "With a thousand monks gathered today, did any enlightened beings attend?" The Master replied, "Dipankara Buddha came today as Monk Da-er."

The King immediately went to pay respects to Monk Da-er to repent for not receiving him with proper honor. Da-er was meditating, but opened his eyes and said, "Amitabha talks too much," and immediately entered parinirvana. Startled, the King realized Master Yongming was Amitabha Buddha and rushed back to Yongming Monastery. Just as he arrived at the mountain gate, an attendant met him with the news that Master Yongming had just passed away. Because of this account, later generations established Master Yongming's birthday, the 17th day of the 11th lunar month, as the celebration of Amitabha Buddha's birthday.

Benefits of Offering Feast Offerings (Ganachakra/Tsok)

Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye Rinpoche

The Naturally Arisen Perfection Tantra states:

"The virtues of performing feast offerings
Are such that the obscurations of countless past and future lives
Will be purified in a mere instant in the presence of the peaceful and wrathful deities."

The two obscurations, the habitual tendencies, the general downfalls of transgressing the three vows, and the particular transgressions of the root and branch samayas of secret mantra that have been accumulated since time without beginning—all of these are purified and restored. The tantra continues:

"Wherever you are born in your lives to come,
You will never lack necessities,
The wheel of Dharma will always turn for you,
And you will always have an abundance of wealth,
Enjoyments, sustenance, and belongings."

As the karmic ripening, you will have mastery over a sky-treasury of both spiritual and material enjoyments. You will be blessed with an excellent environment, pure intentions, and vast accumulations of merit and wisdom. Such benefits will be reaped not just in your future lives, but you will experience them in this life too. Moreover, the Vajra Net tantra states:

"From among all types of merit, the practice of gaṇacakra is supreme.
Through these, all your aims for this life will be fulfilled,
And all negative forces and obstacles pacified.
In your future lives, in the pure realms of victorious vidyādhara,
You will reach the level of Samantabhadra."

As stated, all adversities—such as diseases, harmful forces, and hardships—will be pacified, and your lifespan, merit, and prosperity will increase. The infinite activities of pacifying, increasing, magnetizing, and subjugating will all be accomplished, just as you desire. The samayas of the boundless three roots (deities) will be fulfilled. The protectors and guardians of phenomenal appearance will be delighted, all beings of the six classes will be satisfied, and all siddhis will be effortlessly attained. In short, the benefits are limitless...

The Naturally Arisen Perfection Tantra continues:

"There are also the higher qualities that you will receive:
In the intermediate state, you will recognize your own perception as the wisdoms.
Being liberated there, you will remain on the unchanging ground.
Filling the three-thousandfold realm with emanations, you will fulfill the benefit of beings.
Qualities like this you will attain!"…

Those of the highest capacity will experience their innate, intrinsic nature dawning from within while seated in the gathering, and delusion will thereby dissolve without trace. For those of middling capacity, through the cause of gathering the two accumulations through the feast offering, they will capture the stronghold of accomplishment after death.

For those of lesser capacity, when the appearances of the intermediate state manifest, they will be invited to the pure celestial realms by vīras and yoginīs, accompanied by displays of offerings and a symphony of music. There they will be reassured and uplifted by the vajra-gurus abiding at the levels of great vidyādharas, and will be established at the supreme state. The Laghusaṃvara-tantra states:

"When practitioners pass away,
Glorious herukas and yoginīs
Will welcome them with flower-filled hands.
So-called ‘death’ will greet them
With victory banners and parasols,
With symphonies of music
And choruses of song,
And will lead them to the celestial realms."

~~

Gonpo Tseten Rinpoche
(A siddha who is an emanation of Vimalamitra)

Yeshé Tsogyal said:

“On the tenth day of the waxing moon and the tenth day of its waning,
On the eight day and the fifteenth,
Gather the gaṇacakra and make offerings.
Offering the gaṇacakra merely once will close the doors to the lower realms,
Is it not certain that one will be born in the irreversible stage?
Understand that this can be established with certainty, through logic.”

The victorious Longchen Rabjam said:

“Amongst all conditioned virtue, there is no merit greater than gathering the profound gaṇacakra.
Its excellent benefits are as follows:
It perfects the accumulations of merit and wisdom.
It restores all transgressions of samaya.
Assemblies of ḍākas and ḍākinīs will gather in the places of the practitioners and will accomplish the activities.
The masters and the gathering of the deities of the maṇḍala will be delighted.
The ocean of samaya-bound guardians will guard and protect you.
Your present life will be long, free from disease.
You will enjoy renown and numerous enjoyments and helpers.
Whatever you wish for will be effortlessly and instantly accomplished.
The supreme and ordinary siddhis will be attained.
All obstacles and negativities will be purified
And in a future life you will gain unsurpassable awakening.
Like this, you will attain inconceivable and unutterable qualities!"

Yeshé Tsogyal said:

“On the tenth day of the waxing moon and the tenth day of its waning (the twenty-fifth day of the lunar month),
If you pray with fervent devotion from the depths of your heart
To Orgyen Tsokyé Dorje, the Lake-born Vajra of Uḍḍiyāna,
With his retinue of ḍākas and ḍākinīs,
And if you generate bodhicitta—
Vast heart of the awakened mind for the benefit of beings,
If you strive in offering the gaṇacakra wherever you may be— In whatever land, place, great sacred site, monastery, or city— You will reap benefits and results defying the imagination.

In all lands and all places, crime will be averted, as will famine, war, evil, and unfavourable circumstances.
Rain will fall on time, harvests will be abundant, and auspiciousness will prevail throughout the land.
If you offer the gaṇacakra every month without interruption, the obstacles to your life will be pacified and whatever you wish for will be spontaneously fulfilled.
Material possessions, food and wealth will effortlessly come to you.

If you offer the gaṇacakra a hundred or a thousand times, you will take rebirth as a king with the power to transform the entire world.
If you offer the gaṇacakra ten thousand or a hundred thousand times, you will become a universal monarch with dominion over multiple world systems.
If you offer the gaṇacakra a million times, you will bring the three realms under your control; your glory and splendor will outshine the three planes of existence; you will accomplish without difficulty the four activities; and in your next life you will take rebirth in the buddhafield of Lotus Light, amidst vidyādharas and ḍākinīs, where you will receive the nectar-like speech of Guru Rinpoche. Thus blessed, you will be able to benefit beings in infinite ways.”

It is also said:

“Whoever strives in practicing the gaṇacakra
Will reach, in the future, the pure stages of the vidyādharas
In the realm of Lotus Light.
There is no doubt – they will not return to saṃsāra!”

The Guru’s Jewel Ocean by Pema Lingpa states:

“If we link the excellent benefits of practicing on the tenth day to the supreme siddhis of the four vidyādhara stages, then:
Offering a gaṇacakra on the tenth day of the tiger month will lead you to attain the mahāmudrā vidyādhara;
Offering a gaṇacakra on the tenth day of the snake month will lead you to attain the vidyādhara with power over life;
Offering a gaṇacakra on the tenth day of the monkey month will lead you to attain the spontaneously accomplished vidyādhara;
Offering a gaṇacakra on the tenth day of the pig month will lead you to attain the matured vidyādhara.

Or, if we link the excellent benefits to the ordinary siddhis of the accomplishment of the four activities, then:
Offering a gaṇacakra on the tenth day of the rabbit month will lead you to accomplish the pacifying activity;
Offering a gaṇacakra on the tenth day of the horse month will lead you to accomplish the enriching activity;
Offering a gaṇacakra on the tenth day of the bird month will lead you to accomplish the magnetizing activity;
Offering a gaṇacakra on the tenth day of the rat month will lead you to accomplish the subjugating activity;

Offering a gaṇacakra on the tenth day of the dragon month, will mean all illnesses, negative forces and obstacles will be pacified;
Offering a gaṇacakra on the tenth day of the sheep month will mean lifespan and merit will increase, and wealth and enjoyments abound;
Offering a gaṇacakra on the tenth day of the dog month will mean whatever you wish for will effortlessly come to be;
Offering a gaṇacakra on the tenth day of the ox month will mean all harm from unfavourable circumstances, enemies and obstacles will be pacified.”

The same benefits apply to the tenth day of the waning moon (the twenty-fifth day) of every month. The blessing that comes with gathering the gaṇacakra on every tenth and twenty-fifth day of every month will purify, without exception, all negativity and evil accumulated with body, speech and mind, and will guarantee that we become, in future lives, a buddha. Inconceivable and unutterable benefits such as these will be ours.

Always back to first principles

Phurpa Tashi Rinpoche

Our kind root guru Lama Achuk Rinpoche often admonished us, "For a beginner, practicing the Dharma is not the main point; the top priority is to thoroughly understand how to practice."

If we do not know how to generate the right motivation (of Bodhicitta) or do not know how to practice, even if we do good deeds in appearance, it may contravene the authentic Dharma in reality.

For example, some people were Buddhists for their entire lives, but after their death, when great masters observed (where they had taken rebirth), it was said that they were wandering in the bardo or even in the three lower realms.

Many people do not understand how this could be possible -- why is the outcome for a Buddhist the same as someone who has not learned and practiced the Dharma? Actually, it is quite common for a practitioner who does not know how to practice correctly to end up this way.

I believe that most of us have engaged in a fair amount of good deeds since we entered the Buddhist path, but do these good deeds conform to the principles of the Buddhadharma? How should we judge?

One just needs to look at how much the afflictions of desire (attachment), anger (aversion) and ignorance have reduced in the mind, and how much one's faith and compassion have grown. This is the standard of measurement.

The Buddhist view is very objective and fair. In the Dharma, “virtue” is not defined by external appearances, such as the size or quantity of the good deeds or how many prayers one recites. These are not indicators of the authentic Dharma.

As practitioners, we say that we wish to be reborn in Sukhavati and attain ultimate liberation. But where is Sukhavati and liberation? Just as the Sixth Chan Patriarch, Master Huineng, said, "For one whose mind is virtue, Sukhavati is right before their eyes."

That is to say, Sukhavati is not located at some specific location, it is an appearance or perception manifested by a pure mind.

Better not practice than practice wrongly

Dharma Master Jingjie

Externalists do not have the methods of Dharma to deal with thoughts. They use meditative concentration (samadhi) to extinguish thoughts; it is called the samadhi of non-thought. This suppresses thoughts like a stone pressing down on grass or like ice encasing a fish.

But why do they fall instead of ascending to liberation as they wish? This is because, after being reborn in the heavens in their next life, when they return to the human realm in the following life (the third life), their afflictions will become coarser and heavier than those of ordinary people. This is the result of suppressing afflictions at the causal stage.

You should take note of this! If you do not rely on Buddha's wisdom to transform your afflictions, but only use mantras and Amitabha’s name to suppress your thoughts, after suppressing them for a long time, when they rebound in your future lives, your afflictions may be even heavier. The Dharma uses the wisdom of Prajnaparamita and various skilful means to transform thoughts, but externalists rely entirely on brute force to suppress them.

In short, afflictions should not be merely suppressed because they will arise again. When the externalists lose their meditative concentration or exhaust their merits, the afflictions that surface will be heavier than those of ordinary people. Then they are very likely to create negative karma and fall into the lower realms. This is because your method of handling afflictions is wrong. This is the biggest blind spot of the externalists.

Thus, the consequence of not learning Dharma principles and investigating the scriptures is that, even though you are courageous and diligent, you may end up becoming a heavenly mara or externalist. This comes from not understanding the Buddha's skillful means…

Just as it is said in the Shurangama Sutra, our minds have many knots. The externalist's method is like pulling the rope from both ends, making the knot tighter. If this is the case, it would be better not to practice; because once they practice, they add another delusive thought on top of a delusion. Adding delusion to delusion is what makes an externalist.

Ordinary people have only one delusion, but externalists have two delusions—they have an additional wrong view. Buddhist disciples have the transmission of the Buddha; they know that this knot must be untied from the center, it should not be pulled from both ends…

This is the sorrow of the externalists: they very much want to improve, but they lack the right method, as a result, they make themselves worse off than if they hadn't practiced at all. Therefore, according to the Shurangama Sutra, practicing incorrectly is worse than not practicing. The Shurangama Sutra indeed has this meaning. When the past masters explained the Shurangama Sutra, they said, "One would rather go a thousand years without realisation than be possessed by the demon of wrong view for a single day"…

I met a Bhikshu in Taiwan who had ordained in his middle age, but he did not study Dharma theory. He told me that he didn't wish to study or read the texts. He was very earnest in bowing to the Buddha and reciting the sutras. I said, "Why don't you study the Dharma?" He replied, "Because I don't want to be a Dharma teacher."

Actually, studying the Dharma has nothing to do with being a Dharma teacher. If you want to practice, you must clearly recognize how to walk the path. That is to say, the principles of the Dharma are there to guide you, not for you to guide others. Of course, if you gain insights later on and wish to share them with others, that is doing your part according to the situation.

But the key point is, without the guidance of the Dharma, how would you know how to start dealing with the deluded thoughts you've accumulated since beginningless eons? This is the real point of learning Dharma.

Buddha said, "Take the precepts as your teacher"

Khenpo Yeshe Phuntsok

According to Lord Buddha’s and the lineage masters’ teachings, beginners on the Dharma path must uphold pure precepts and engage in listening, contemplation, and meditation/practice. The foundation of precept discipline must be solidly established before the profound and vast qualities of the Buddhadharma can truly arise.

The precepts transmitted by Lord Buddha under the Hinayana, Mahayana, and unsurpassed Vajrayana vehicles are different. They are respectively the outer Hinayana Pratimoksha vows, the inner Mahayana Bodhisattva vows, and the secret Vajrayana Samayas. 

Hinayana Pratimoksha vows primarily target the physical bodily actions and speech of sentient beings, hence they are called "outer." Mahayana bodhisattvas, who aim to widely benefit beings through the six paramitas, must generate supreme Bodhicitta, thus the Bodhisattva vows primarily target the level of thoughts or mental karma, hence they are called "inner." 

The Vajrayana directly engages in practice based on the nature of ultimate reality (Dharmadhatu), therefore the vows observed are even more subtle. Furthermore, the Vajrayana engages in secret conduct, thus its secrets are not revealed to those who lack the necessary caliber, who have broken samayas, or who have not entered the mandala through receiving the relevant empowerments, hence it is called "secret"…

After Lord Shakyamuni Buddha generated supreme Bodhicitta while on the path, he practiced for three asamkhyeya (immeasurable) kalpas and perfected the accumulations of merit and wisdom through the six paramitas by giving away his own flesh and blood countless times. After he attained the unequalled state of Buddhahood, Buddha first taught the view of non-self in the first turning of the Dharma wheel; in terms of conduct, he established the system of precept discipline and emphasized it greatly. 

Buddha Shakyamuni deemed it very necessary to have pure conduct. Through his omniscient wisdom, regulating one’s conduct was the very first thing that Buddha taught karmically-linked disciples upon entering his teachings.

Although the Buddha has passed into parinirvana like the setting of the sun, Buddhist disciples nowadays can still bask in the glory of Buddha's light—and that light is emitted by the precepts which are like the bright and pure radiance of the rising moon. Before his parinirvana, Shakyamuni Buddha earnestly exhorted his disciples to "take the precepts as their teacher" after his passing. He repeatedly pointed out that any disciple who practices properly according to the genuine Dharma will most certainly uphold pure precepts…

After receiving precepts, one must learn and understand the training of the precepts, otherwise keeping the precept-substance pure is not possible. Moreover, (without learning how to keep the precepts,) faults will increase day by day, causing more and more obstacles to obstruct one’s Dharma practice; at the end of one’s life, one finally falls into the hell realms. 

A moving car with a driver who doesn’t know how to operate the car or who doesn't know the traffic rules will inevitably end up in some sort of accident that damages both car and people. Venerable Milarepa once said, "Not understanding the precepts yet claiming that their observance of vows is pure — this is patently impossible. People who say this will only be mocked by others."

In the many commentaries on the Abhisamayālaṃkāra, it is said that before a merchant does business, he must first check what trade to engage in and how to make a profit. At the same time, he must know what could lead to a loss and how to prevent this from happening. 

Similarly, one seeking liberation must uphold the precepts, and to uphold the precepts, one should know the trainings of the precepts, the vast benefits of keeping the precepts, the consequences of breaking the precepts, and the methods for preventing such breakage.

If beginners only see one or two quotes from the scriptures regarding the benefits of upholding precepts and the faults of breaking them, it is impossible to produce a deep impact on their mind-stream (so that they have the determination and strength to keep the precepts). Hence, it is necessary to utilize many scriptural proofs from various texts to elucidate the drawbacks of breaking the root precepts and the benefits of keeping pure precepts.

Mind-states determine karmic fruition

Dharma Master Jingjie

Cause-and-effect is entirely directed by consciousness. Therefore, when your state of mind changes, your karmic force changes and the result or fruition correspondingly changes too.

For example, if a practitioner who is usually laid-back and lax suddenly becomes vigorous and diligent in Dharma practice, oftentimes, many karmic obstacles arise for them. This means that the flow of their mind-stream was originally heading for the three lower realms, but suddenly changed course (due to their diligence). When this happens, the karmic force of the defilements within their mind will definitely be expelled first. This detoxification then arises as obstacles.

Therefore, the more diligent you are, the more obstacles you face. This is just how things work. Of course, if you endure and get through it, then eventually you reach a state of spacious freedom (when the karmic energy of defilements is exhausted).

The reverse is also true. Perhaps you were seriously observing the precepts and generating the karmic result of peace and happiness, then you suddenly break the precepts. It is sometimes said that a monk who breaks the precepts experiences great fortune (at first). This is because when you first change directions, your virtuous karmic forces will also be forced out first.

For some people, their cultivation is gradual — they go from defilement to purity slowly, so the obstacles they face will not be so obvious or heavy. But when you make the change in a very strong and drastic manner, then the obstacles easily manifest, because your life and mind-stream have undergone a massive reversal in direction.

Therefore, (when you change directions,) the existing karmic force within your mind-stream must first be released because it no longer fits with your new direction. This is saying that our karma has a storage place and this storage place is our mind-consciousness which is a continual stream of thoughts.  This is how karmic forces are stored and manifested as results from the perspective of conditioned phenomena where there is arising and ceasing.

Perverse aspirations - case studies

Khenpo Sodargye

There was an old monk in Xinlong with a submissive character who was frequently bullied by others. Later, he recited the Mahakala mantra 700 million times and on his deathbed, he made an evil aspiration, "In this life, I have been bullied by everyone. May I be reborn in my next life as someone with great power over people."

After he died, he was reborn as the tyrant Gonpo Namgyal in the Xinlong region (who lived around the 18th or 19th century). Throughout his life, this tyrant murdered many monastics and laypeople. Sometimes, Gonpo Namgyal would let little children drink their fill of milk and then throw them down from a nine-story building. After the children's bodies were smashed, the white milk would splash all over the ground. Seeing such a terrible sight, he would clap his hands in joy. He often killed people for amusement using various methods. This story of cause and effect was recounted by HH Dodrupchen Rinpoche.

Some biographies state that Gonpo Namgyal once forced Dodrupchen Rinpoche to promise that when he (Gonpo) died, Rinpoche would perform deliverance for his spirit, threatening to kill Rinpoche if he did not agree. HH Dodrupchen Rinpoche had no choice but to agree.

Later, when Gonpo Namgyal died, HH was in the Qinghai area. Upon hearing the news, he immediately rushed back to Xinlong. Rinpoche said: "Because I made a promise, I have no choice but to perform deliverance for Gonpo Namgyal. However, his karmic burden is too heavy; I can only prevent him from falling into hell this time, he will still be continuously reborn in the hell realms in future lives."

After seeing this case-study, we must remember that as a Buddhist practitioner, especially a Mahayana practitioner, you must not make a wrong or negative dedication of your merits!

(Note: The proper way of dedication is towards the attainment of Buddhahood for the benefit of all beings. Any other way of dedication could lead to unintended results as shown in this case.)

In the text “Cautionary Histories that Edifies The Mind in Virtue”, it is said that there was once a general Wu who forged a sword and went to a temple to make a vow: "May I use this sword to kill a thousand men." That very night, he dreamed of the temple deity who said: "A person must not make evil vows. I will protect you so that you do not die by the hands of others." Later, he was defeated in battle and committed suicide by slitting his own throat with that sword. This was a karmic result of the evil vow he had made before.

In the past, there was a high-ranking official Wador in the eastern Tibetan region. He had a feud for many years with Jamyang Shepa of the Gemang area. The two fought endlessly and in the end, Jamyang Shepa could not defeat Wador. However, after Wador died, his blind son Walong continued to wage battles against Jamyang Shepa. Finally, Walong was defeated.

Later on, Walong recited the Mani mantra 200 million times. On his deathbed, he made an evil vow with this merit. As a result, after he died, he was reborn as an evil demon that wreaked havoc in the Gemang area, doing many wicked things that harmed humans and livestock.

The “Great Tang Dynasty Records on the Western Regions” records that there was once a sage in the kingdom of Magadha who had attained the five spiritual penetrations through meditation. The local king revered him deeply and invited him to the royal palace every day to receive offerings. Each time the sage would fly to the palace and the king would personally carry him in his arms to the throne.

One day, the king had to go out on business, so he instructed a palace maiden, "Today, when the sage comes to receive offerings, you must attend to him just as I do." At noon, when the sage came to the palace, the maiden carried him to the throne as the king did in the past.

Due to his physical contact with a woman, the sage gave rise to a mind of desire and lost his powers instantly. Previously, he would fly back after eating, but now he could no longer fly. Feeling very embarrassed, he gave an excuse, "I heard that the people of this country have always wanted to see me. Today, I am willing to make a karmic connection with these people. I will walk back so that the masses may receive blessings."

The palace maiden believed his words, so she notified the people to sweep the streets and see the sage off respectfully. Thus, the sage walked back to his place of solitary retreat. Later, during his practice, there were many birds chirping and chattering in the forest that it was too noisy for him to enter into meditative absorption. So, he went to the riverside to practice, but the fishes in the river also made noises.

The sage got extremely annoyed and made an evil vow, "May I become a giant flying beast in the future, with a body three thousand li wide and two wings each spanning one thousand five hundred li, consuming all the birds in the forest and the fishes in the rivers."

After aspiring in this way, he resumed his practice and soon accomplished meditative absorption. After his death, he was reborn in the heavenly realms... After his heavenly lifespan ended, he turned into the flying beast that slaughtered fishes and birds.

During his practice, this sage made an evil vow because of the disturbance around him. Therefore, fellow practitioners should be careful. When someone disturbs you during your meditation or chanting, do not get angry and think, "This person is truly annoying. In the future, I will turn into a demon and eat them."

Creating merits on one hand while having evil thoughts or aspirations on the other hand will lead to truly terrifying consequences. Therefore, I hope that everyone will do their utmost to control their minds, engaging in virtuous thoughts/aspirations and putting a stop to evil ones.

(Note: Even a momentary thought can become a powerful aspiration.)

~~

HH 4th Kyabje Dodrupchen Rinpoche's last instruction before he passed into parinirvana:

We hear many stories of famous Lamas and spiritual leaders, many with big names. Geshes who have culminated their scholarship on the five great texts, the Buddha's canon and the great Indian treatises; big-named Lamas with names of "Khenpo," "Lama," and "Tulku," who have failed to tame their own minds, and therefore have become the servants of their emotional poisons, making heinous negative karma. They lead themselves and others to ruin.

To give you some examples, during Jetsun Milarepa's time, there was a Geshe named Geshe Tsagphuwa, who was so jealous of Jetsun Milarepa that he offered Milarepa yogurt laced with poison. Or the Geshe who accompanied Dragyur Marpa Lotsawa from India to Tibet, and became so jealous of Marpa Lotsawa that while the two were on a boat, he threw all of Marpa Lotsawa's sacred texts which Marpa had brought from India into the river. There was also the Geshe who led the Chinese army into Tibet, and then the Geshe who, when he was in debate with another Geshe, stuck a metal rod into the ear of his debate opponent. When we think of such things, it is truly horrifying and saddening. And there are countless more cases like the ones I mentioned.

Similarly, there are retreatants who stay many years on retreat, meditating on deity yoga development and completion stages, but whose minds are still not imbued with renunciation or bodhichitta, and their minds are turned in the opposite direction from the authentic path. They are bound up by their attachments and clinging, and they fall into the trap of thinking the deity exists as a real entity from its own side. So they end up turning into ghosts and king demons of broken samaya. There are many stories of these things happening as well.

For example, in my home country there are different demonic entities which are known as the Nyigyal demon, Dzigyal demon, Lug-gyal demon, and so forth. All of these demons were once retreatants and Lamas who turned into ghosts and demons. There are many demons, like (here, Rinpoche named a spirit), who were once big-name Lamas and hermits who spent many years on retreat. But because they did not tame their own minds, they went down the wrong path and ultimately became reborn as ghosts and demons who have taken the life-breath of many sentient beings. The root cause of all of this is not taming one's own mind. That's what it comes down to.

So I ask the teachers to please only teach the Lojong, the mind-training practices that tame the mindstream. Focus your teachings on the mind-training practices and teach in such a way that tears helplessly fall from your students’ eyes. Without mind-training, they will not become good Dharma practitioners. If you teach mind-training well and people practice mind-training, they will become good practitioners.