June 2000
Firstly, we must understand what is refuge, whether you are of the superior,
middling or lower capacity, you must understand the meaning of refuge. When you
are undertaking any matter, large or small, you should recite the refuge prayer
before beginning and pray to the Triple Gems. “The Triple Gems are undeceiving
and infallible, the law of karma or cause-and-effect is unequivocally true.” We
are all Buddhists, so from the moment we become Buddhists, we should guard our
conduct according to cause-and-effect like protecting our eyes.
There are countless Dharma teachings in Buddhism but can sentient beings
understand all these teachings? The essence of Dharma is encapsulated in the
six syllables Mani mantra. We must be clear about this point. The Dharma for
sentient beings in samsara is the Mani mantra, if we can recite this, we will
gain independence or control over ourselves. After death, we will not fall into
the hells and will be able to enter the pureland. This depends on each person.
Besides this, no-one can have control (over the outcome), no-one will escape
death.
This is the simplest and yet most profound Dharma. With this, one need
not beg others for help, there is also no need to beat (drums), blow
(trumpets), clash (cymbals) or clap (referring to the rituals). In the age of
five degenerations when Dharma is at its weakest moment, if the person has the
merits to do so, no matter where I go, there are those who are 60 or 70 of age
who will recite 20,000 mantras daily at maximum, the middling quantity is
10,000 and the minimum would be 5000 mantras daily.
This Mani mantra has been practiced in 100 million Mani recitation pujas in
many places in the Himalayas such as Nisha, Kunnu, Ladahk, etc. This is
beneficial to the Buddhadharma and all sentient beings in samsara. It will also
be helpful to reduce the obstacles faced by Tibetans in terms of the
propagation of Buddhadharma in Tibet.
Firstly, we visualize the refuge of Triple Gems, then we can perform all kinds
of large or small positive actions. But what should we do here? We should
recite the Mani mantra of Chenrezig, in this way we will purify all the
negative karmas of this life. We can purify all the negative karmas accumulated
since beginningless time.
In samsara, what kind of negative karmas do we accumulate? The five poisons
(desire, anger, ignorance, pride and jealousy), the three kleshas, thoughts,
three obscurations etc. Due to this, we remain in samsara… Actually, one’s mind
is Buddha, and all sentient beings are Buddhas, but being obscured by
defilements, we need to purify that to attain Buddhahood. Without purifying,
the five mental poisons and negative emotions prevents us from recognising that
our mind is Buddha; once the defilements are purified, one will see that one’s
mind is Buddha. All beings have the Buddha nature, all beings are Buddhas…
In our past lives, how much negative karma we have created, in the previous
past lives, and in lives before that, from beginningless time in samsara, we
have created (enormous) bad karma like we did in this life itself. But if we
recite the Mani mantra that counteracts the defilements, we will purify these
negative karmas. If we do not recite, then these negative karmas will not be
removed. By reciting, we can attain the common and supreme accomplishments, and
reach an irreversible stage through the common and supreme accomplishments. We
can be liberated from samsara. Samsara is like an ocean of suffering, isn’t it
so?
Constantly creating negative karmas, we continue cycling in samsara
endlessly. 100 years on Earth is suffering in hell for one day. How much more
suffering must we go through? All the lineage masters said that we should not
waste this precious human life. When we are in the negative age of five
degenerations, Buddhists who obtain this precious human life are as rare as the
stars in daytime. We should recite the Mani mantra seriously all the time.
Don’t lose this chance. When we face death, there are only the white and black
paths, there is no other path. There is no way we can avoid facing the King of
Death, Yama. In his mirror that reflects the karma of beings, all the good and
bad deeds we have done will be shown clearly. There is no way to give excuses,
debate or lie.
While we have the ability now, in this degenerated age when beings can enter
the Dharma, if we are able to practice Dharma and create positive deeds, the
benefit is inconceivable… everyone must practice Dharma… you must think of
death and impermanence to turn your mind towards Dharma. No-one will not die.
You must all think of the four thoughts that turn your mind towards Dharma. The
four thoughts are to make one think of death. Without thinking of death, you
will not wish to recite the Mani mantra. When you think of death, you will wish
to recite Mani. The main thing is to think of death and impermanence…
Do you have control over your life? No. The mara of death is like a sentry at
the top of the mountain. He will not tell one to come or not to come. When we
wake up every morning, who knows if we will be able to go to bed tonight. This
is impermanence. When we sleep at night, would we be able to wake the next
morning? Just as the teachings say, “The time of death is not certain, the
cause of death is not certain.” You are all students of the Buddhadharma,
thinking of these points, if you should do more positive deeds and recite the
Mani, your obstacles will be purified…
Young people should not lose your culture. Think well. Young people must regard
parents as the main point when observing cause-and-effect. Quarreling with
parents, hurting parents’ feelings, criticizing parents, abandoning their
parents. There are many such people. This kind of person will not have a good
day in their life. Cause-and-effect will not fail. There will be retribution
for such karma.
You must remember that parents have kindness to us. We are all
Buddhists. Just as it is said that the parents’ kindness is equal to that of
the Triple Gems. Parents take much effort to bring us up, one does not take
birth effortlessly. When mothers have us in their wombs, they have to consider
us carefully, afraid to harm the foetus, not able to eat anything they wish.
After 9 months and 10 days, when the baby is born, the baby has no control over
his life or death, with no ability to discriminate, the parents have to take
care of one, all the phlegm and snot, parents have to clean, even using their
mouth, isn’t the kindness of the parents great?
If entering the Buddhist path upon obtaining a precious human birth, we are not
fearful of karma, causing grief to our parents, mistreating our parents, taking
the best for ourselves, this is not permissible. A good child will first offer
food to parents, offer the best clothes to parents, and finally make
aspirations and strong wishes to repay the kindness of parents. Children should
observe cause-and-effect. We are not Buddhists who are careless and negligent
of karma, we should understand these principles. If we do not know this, we are
like animals.
Whatever the situation, the Triple Gems are undeceiving and infallible, if we
meet with all kinds of obstacles, we should pray to the Triple Gems, there is
nothing more superior to this method for liberating one from the obstacles.
In all your actions, walking, standing, sitting and lying down, you should
recall the law of cause-and-effect. Mainly, one should think of our parents. If
we have domestic animals, we should consider them too. All sentient beings have
been our parents. There is no sentient being who is born in samsara without
relying on parents… knowing this one should develop kindness and compassion,
not to harm mother sentient beings, treat all sentient beings as our parents
with love and compassion…
Sentient beings in samsara wish for happiness but do
not know how to create the causes for happiness. They do things in a
contradictory way, bringing opposite results through ignorance, just like a
blind person stranded in the middle of a vast plain. All mother sentient beings
in the six realms are truly pitiful. This kind of compassion is based on
sentient beings, contemplate this way. The best is for one to stop eating meat.
These are the meat of our parents. All sentient beings are our parents. You are
killing them to eat their meat. At least, one should be vegetarian every month
on the lunar 15th ,30th and 8th etc. In short, adopting virtue and avoiding
non-virtue should be done in a very clear-cut manner…
There is no such thing as remaining a long time in this world so we should
contemplate on impermanence and death from the bottom of our hearts. The Mani
mantra cannot be accumulated in large numbers in a short time. One has to start
reciting when one is young, and by the time one is old, one would have
accumulated a large number of recitations. No matter what, positive and
negative deeds will never disappear or be discarded, this point must be clearly
understood.
Everyone looks down on the recitation of Mani, thinking that it is for people
who don’t know anything much else. Such kind of thinking is pure ignorance. The
Mani mantra is very very precious. Please recite the Mani well, safe-guard your
own culture and have faith in the Buddhadharma.
On another occasion:
It does not matter if you have much knowledge or not, or whether you are of
higher, middling or lower spiritual capacity, this Chenrezig’s Heart Mantra
Practice is suitable for everyone. It does not require a deep understanding of
the Dharma as the foundation to practice. It does not require the practitioner
to be very knowledgeable. As long as the
practitioner recites the Six-syllables mantra with sincerity and perseverance,
the person can attain enlightenment. In the past, there have been many
practitioners who attained high realization with Six-syllables mantra practice.
When we are able to tame our mind, eliminate our discursive thoughts, purify
our mental defilements and discover our inherent true nature of mind, we will
be able to awaken our innate wisdom and accomplish Buddhahood.
And further:
Most people think that the recitation practice of the Six-syllable Mani mantra,
the Guru Rinpoche mantra and the Vajrasattva mantra is too simple, so they wish
to learn more difficult practices. In fact, just like the Six-syllable mantra
practice, if the recitation practice is done properly, at the time when we are
about to die from sickness, when the four elements of earth, water, wind and
fire of our body gradually disintegrate, we will still be able to abide in the
single-pointed state of the true nature of mind. At this time, bliss and clear
light can manifest and finally, it is possible to attain rebirth in the
pureland.
This practice is the essence of all the teachings of the Buddhas of the three
times. This is because although there are 84,000 teachings, it is not easy to
practise them. Only the Six-syllable mantra practice is easy to uphold. At the
same time, due to the dedication of the noble aspirations of the Buddhas, it is
easy to obtain blessings through the recitation practice of this mantra. It is
not easy for sentient beings to be born in the Sambhogakaya Buddha Pureland.
However, if you recite the Six-syllable mantra, you will be able to gain
rebirth in the pureland, and even if you do not have sufficient merit, you will
remain in a lotus and able to listen to the teachings of the Buddha until the
lotus blossom for you to see the Buddha. Therefore, even if you still possess
mental defilements and negative karma, you can still be born in the Buddha’s
pureland.
We should maintain mindfulness of our conduct while moving, standing, sitting
and laying down, and constantly keep the Three Jewels in our mind and recite
the Six-syllable mantra continuously. If we just recite the mantra during a
meditational practice session, and after that during our daily life, we only
recite for awhile whenever it comes to mind, then accomplishment in the
practice will be slow. If in our life, we are continuously inseparable from our
practice, then accomplishment will be swift.
If we continuously recite the Six-syllable mantra, then whenever attachment,
aversion and ignorance arise, we will naturally have the inner strength to
purify and eliminate them. If we do not have the strength of practice, we may
commit non-virtuous deed that cause regret and create great karmic obscuration
for ourselves.
We should always go for refuge before the Triple Gems and make the noble
aspiration to benefit all sentient beings. If not, the virtuous merit that we
accumulate will be limited. If we can continuously practice in this way, then
even in the bardo of death, our mind will remain clear and luminous, and more
able to be in accord with the Buddha Dharma.
~~
Nowadays, people are caught up in many activities, the main way for them to
implement the Dharma in their practice is by reciting the Mani mantra. In this
way, in a short time, manifold incredible benefits will arise for them.
We have very strong negative habitual tendencies, hence, there is a need to do
the practice of Six-Syllable Mantra recitation often. We should do the
practices while walking, standing, sitting and lying down. In this way, when we
reach the age of 80 and 90, the merits accumulated will pile as high as the
mountain and we will be able to see the result of our practice.
