His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s Puja Teachings – July 26, 2026
His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche ascended the Dharma throne and expounded on “Scroll 33,‘Chanding Paramita’(Chapter 10, section 3)” of The Mahayana Sutra of the Bodhisattva Treasury of the True Dharma Taught by the Buddha.
After ascending the Dharma throne, Rinpoche began to recite the Hundred-Syllable Mantra. Then, Rinpoche instructed the monastic disciples to lead the assembly in reciting the Refuge Motivation Prayer, the Prayer of Four Immeasurables, the Sevenfold Offering Prayer, the Prayer for Dharma Transmission, the Sutra of Recollecting the Three Jewels, and the Prayer to the Eight Noble Auspicious Ones.
Following, Rinpoche recited the Great Six-Syllable Mantra for a long period. The assembly all felt the chakra vibrate, a warmth flowed through, and the whole body grew warm. When the recitation was about to end, melodious music and birdsong resounded from the void. Rinpoche’s sacred body and the mandala manifested a blazing and dazzling golden radiance, while a sublime and miraculous fragrance permeated the air. The afflictions of all those assembled immediately subsided, able to concentrate fully and receive Rinpoche’s incomparably wondrous and pure teachings of the Buddha Dharma.
Rinpoche bestowed precious Dharma teachings:
It was through a democratic process to hold the Sunday puja in the morning. (The assembly laughs.) Under the leadership of a government that claims to uphold democracy, we should take democratic actions. As long as a child could speak, the child was allowed to vote. In the end, only three votes were against it. In the spirit of democracy, the minority must submit to the majority. The three people who voted against it all did so because of transportation issues. Is Disciple Wang here?(Disciple reports: No.) Absent immediately today? Pass the message on to her and tell her that she is not respecting democracy, which is rather ironic for someone who has appeared in election campaigns. If she thinks she can’t come to puja in the morning, then there is no need to come in the future, don’t make her suffer so much. She is now a ‘madam’, she’s no ordinary person anymore—she now holds a position of status.
Last week, I spoke about several Buddhist terms. Because I am not someone who learns from sutra teachings, towards many Buddhist terms, I have not researched. What is spoken, the Five Roots and the Five Powers: first, believe; second,Vīryapāramitā(Puja Teachings Index 18); third, mindfulness; fourth, ding(Puja Teachings Index 06); and fifth, wisdom. To believe does not mean superstition, it means to believe that the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and the guru are continuously helping sentient beings to leave the suffering sea of reincarnation, rather than satisfying those little worldly desires of oneself. Believe in what? The Buddhist sutras state that sentient beings are equal, all sentient beings possess the same pure self-nature as the Buddha. However, because throughout lifetime after lifetime we have accumulated so much virtuous and evil karma, our pure Buddha nature has become obscured. Therefore, we should believe in the Dharma taught by the Buddhas and the guru, for it can help reveal our pure self-nature.
Believe; not to believe that he will definitely make me become very capable or improve my health, these are not the key points. The main point is to believe that the Buddhas have cultivated from the state of sentient beings. Since the Buddha says that all sentient beings are equal, if we are able to practice according to the methods taught by the Buddha and Bodhisattvas and the guru, one day we will definitely be able to attain Buddhahood just as the Buddha did. Believe means believing in this. Second, believing that all the Buddha Dharma are pure. Whether you can accept it or believe in it depends on your own doubts, not a problem with the Buddha Dharma. Whatever is found in the Buddhist Canon or in the śāstra written by the great practitioners throughout the ages is pure Buddha Dharma. Your not understanding it or not being clear about it does not mean that there is something wrong with it; that is believing. Just as I often say: when His Holiness speaks Tibetan during the pujas, I do not understand it. Yet I believe that it is all pure Buddha Dharma. Therefore, this pure Buddha Dharma naturally enters my pure-nature, this is what is meant by believing.
Vīryapāramitā(Puja Teachings Index 18) does not mean how much one does every day; rather, it means choosing methods that are useful for practice, instead of believing hearsay and doing all sorts of nonsensical things. Nor to practice according to worldly or cultural customs. It should be based entirely on the teachings of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and the guru, so that we may continually progress in the Buddha Dharma. The word ‘jing’(Vīryapāramitā means jing jìn in Chinese) means that the Buddha Dharma is the very essence of all that exists in this world. Therefore, we should practice in this way.
Mindfulness does not mean how many times one recites the Buddha’s name; rather, it is the mind and the power of mindfulness. The power of mindfulness is thinking about sentient beings, the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and the guru. Mindfulness does not mean thinking about them, it means that every single thought is about him, nothing else. The power of mind that is cultivated from such a way is virtuous. When the virtuous power of thoughts continually arises, evil thoughts will no longer be present. After the evil thoughts disappear, these minds are pure and clean.
Ding (Puja Teachings Index 06) does not mean simply sitting there without moving. The meaning of ding (Puja Teachings Index 06) is that at that very moment, there are no other distracting thoughts, and the mind is focused on a certain state. For example, focusing on reciting the Buddha’s name, reciting mantras, prostrating to the Buddha, offering incense, or offering lamps, this is called ding (Puja Teachings Index 06). Ding (Puja Teachings Index 06) does not necessarily mean sitting cross-legged and remaining perfectly still. Rather, it means being fully focused on one thing. Therefore, those who are often careless or forgetful lack the power of ding (Puja Teachings Index 06).
Rinpoche called on Disciple Chueh and asked why she lacked ding (Puja Teachings Index 06). Because she is having too many distracting thoughts, she keeps wanting to show herself very capable and very smart, and so she will forget things. People without the power of ding (Puja Teachings Index 06), not to mention learning Buddhism, even handling worldly matters, are not able to do it. Why do people become careless while driving? Lack of the power of ding (Puja Teachings Index 06); minds are distracted and thinking about other things. Why does one hit others while driving? The lack of the power of ding (Puja Teachings Index 06). You cannot say that you were absent-minded, did not pay attention, or simply did not notice. From the perspective of the Buddha Dharma, there is no such notion. I drive as well, every time I pass a crosswalk, I stop and look carefully; Even if the cars behind me honk, I do not care, I still look carefully. When passing through an intersection, I also look carefully because nowadays too many people like to drive in an overly excited manner, and car accidents happen.
Ding (Puja Teachings Index 06) is not something you imagine that is the sake of learning Buddhism, it can be applied in daily life. Without ding (Puja Teachings Index 06), even when pouring water, one may accidentally scald oneself. Where does ding (Puja Teachings Index 06) come from? Concentration. When you are doing something, focus on doing it properly, there is no such thing as dividing your attention between two things at once. According to Gongchig (dgongs gcig, The Single Intention) by Jigten Sumgon, there is no such thing as multitasking. It is always the same mind, it is simply that our thoughts keep changing from one moment to the next. The speed at which thoughts change is extremely fast; so fast that no instrument can detect how quickly the thoughts of humans, including animals, change; it is even faster than the instant of a finger snap. According to the Buddhist sutras, in the time it takes to snap one’s fingers, more than ten thousand thoughts can arise. Therefore, ‘using the mind for two purposes at once’ is a lie. Can your mind be split into two? Impossible! It is only that thoughts move very quickly, and the reactions are also very quick, so it feels like the mind is being used for two purposes at once. Whether it is using the mind for two purposes, three purposes, four purposes, five purposes, or six purposes, it is all about one mind that is moving.
The mind is very easily influenced by both external and internal factors. The external factors are greed, hatred, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt; the internal one is all the karma accumulated over past lifetimes. When you feel your mind is moving, for example, when you are doing something and suddenly forget, there is definitely something interfering with you. You need to calm down for a moment, see clearly, think it through, then do it again. Do not think that one does it in a hurried manner because oneself is nervous. Why does one feel nervous? One is afraid of doing things wrong and losing face. If today one were not afraid of being scolded by others, using ding (Puja Teachings Index 06) to handle matters, would you still be scolded?
Learning Buddhism is not simply about practice; in fact, it needs to be applied in worldly matters. For example, this thought that just being spoken of, if your thoughts are‘When I am at work, then work,’ with no other thoughts present, then the work will be done very quickly, and you will hear very clearly what your boss says. For example, I scold the Dharma Affairs Group all day long. Before I have even finished speaking, his thoughts start to move. Once it moves, he cannot hear anything I am saying, and then he gets beaten. You are all like this, especially young people nowadays, who are even more prone to this because they keep scrolling on their phones. Why do I urge you not to scroll on your phones when there is nothing to do? It is not that I forbid you to use phones. Nowadays, many countries in Europe and Australia have prohibited children under the age of fifteen from using social media. They have begun to understand where the harm lies, while our government has not yet done this. Therefore, you are already used to having the mind being messy. Especially those now in their twenties; their minds are even more messy, because from childhood they have grown up with phones and computers. Once the mind becomes messy, there is no mindfulness and no ding (Puja Teachings Index 06); naturally, there is no wisdom. Everything depends on machines, once the phone is lost, one no longer knows how to live.
Learning Buddhism is not what you think, making yourself better. Buddha Dharma is to teach us how to properly carry out the fundamental matters of the human realm. Therefore, the Buddhist sutra says that only when the human path is accomplished can the Buddha Dharma be accomplished. It is precisely because you have done many virtuous deeds that you are able to be born in the human realm. How, then, can one continue to remain in the human realm? One must do virtues well, and must adjust oneself. One can’t be selfish and self-serving. For example, Disciple Wang voted against it because she felt that coming up from the south was very troublesome, and so she opposed it. She didn’t think of the many people who are in the north, only thinking about herself, and that is selfish. Therefore, believe, vīryapāramitā(Puja Teachings Index 18), mindfulness, ding(Puja Teachings Index 06), and wisdom have nothing to do with her at all.
Ding(Puja Teachings Index 06) is something you must train in during ordinary times. The Buddha can’t bless you to make you possess ding(Puja Teachings Index 06). At most, while you are present at the site, you have ding(Puja Teachings Index 06); but once you leave, you begin to become distracted again. Therefore, you must continuously train yourself. When ding(Puja Teachings Index 06) is obtained, wisdom arises. Wisdom is different to intelligence. Intelligence is merely the accumulation of experiences from one’s lives throughout past lifetimes, together with the experiences of this present life. Therefore, you are intelligent, but that doesn’t mean you possess wisdom. Wisdom is natural; it is something originally possessed. Another characteristic of wisdom is that it analyzes many matters clearly before making a decision to do something. Therefore, one avoids doing many matters that create evil karma. It is even more powerful than AI.
Recently, a foreigner sent me an email. I have forgotten the details, but in his message he said that he had read in Jigten Sumgon ’s writings that arhats can’t attain Buddhahood. He thought it was incorrect and asked me for my opinion. If it were you monastics, you would have started debating right away. Are you kidding! He had asked Rinpoche, Rinpoche of course had to answer him, right? But as Rinpoche, I do not debate, I felt that he must certainly have had some particular idea, so then he found me. So I first asked him, ‘Have you actually taken refuge? If you have, then are you practicing the Hinayana, the Mahayana, or the Vajrayana? Only then will I consider whether or not to give you an answer.’Then he began to show his true intention. He said, ‘I have taken refuge. I once helped His Holiness translate Jigten Sumgon’s Gongchig (dgongs gcig, The Single Intention). It seems that Gongchig (dgongs gcig, The Single Intention) does not have a Chinese version. If you need a Chinese version, you can let me know.’There it came! (The assembly laughs.)
In his second email, he also said that he was a researcher of the Buddha Dharma, so he wished to research this matter. I replied to him, ‘I am someone who practices and realizes through actual cultivation. I am not researching the Buddha Dharma, I am practicing the Buddha Dharma. You are someone who conducts research, which is different from me, so I can’t give you an answer. If you need an answer, you may read the Ratnakuta Sutra, because all of Jigten Sumgon’s writings come from the Ratnakuta Sutra. Within it are the answers you need for your research. A Chinese translation of Gongchig (dgongs gcig, The Single Intention) has already exists, you do not need to concern about it.’ He wrote back at great length and then said, ‘We have also translated all twelve volumes of Gongchig (dgongs gcig, The Single Intention) into English, and they are available for sale on online shopping platforms.’So he had begun doing business. I replied him again, ‘Thank you! Whatever I need, I only have to call the Songtsen Library, or even ask for guidance from His Holiness, and everything will be available. Thank you for your concern.’ At the very end, I added: All the best.
If, at the very beginning, I had acted according to the way you think, that when someone asks about the Buddha Dharma, as a guru I must explain it to him, then it will end up arguing back and forth. He must certainly have had a set of distorted arguments prepared there to debate with me. If his distorted arguments had grown longer and longer, I would have been causing him to go down a wrong path. I don’t want to debate with him merely for the sake of my own face. It is not that I could not win a debate with him. I can expound the Buddhist sutras, how could I possibly be unable to out-debate him? But there is no such good thing in this world. Among so many Rinpoches, he specifically came to me, he must certainly have had some kind of intention. As for where that intention lay, I do not know either. If one has not cultivated wisdom, one will be deceived. As it turned out, he wanted to sell me a set of books. It is not that I was unwilling to buy them. If, from the beginning, he had said that there was an English version and asked whether I was interested, I could have answered him. But he went in circles and played games with me. Then let’s play. He wanted to lead me around in circles, I’ll lead them around in circles too. He thought he was very clever, then I am also very foolish, cleverness set against foolishness makes for a very strong contrast.
The meaning is that learning Buddhism can avoid many troubles, but don’t be superstitiously believing that learning Buddhism is for the sake of helping oneself escape this debt, or suppressing this debt, there is no such thing. If one learns Buddhism diligently, then it is possible. However, if one seeks the Buddha Dharma solely for this kind of matter, unless one has tremendously big fate from past lives with the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and the guru, one may perhaps receive it. If not, then one follows fate, following the fate to go, continually attends puja, takes refuge in Buddhism, and learns the Buddha Dharma, then matters will change. If one only attends puja but does not take refuge, what will happen? Nothing. Nothing will happen, it is only that one’s evil karma will never be purified. Therefore, the Five Roots and the Five Powers are the foundation of learning Buddhism.
The Seven Realization Branches are: the Realization Branch of Dhamma-vicaya, the Realization Branch of vīryapāramitā(Puja Teachings Index 18), the Realization Branch of joy(prīti-saṃbojjhaṅga), the realization branch of praśrabdhi, the Realization Bbranch of equanimity (upekṣā-saṃbojjhaṅga), the Realization Bbranch of ding(Puja Teachings Index 06) (samādhi-saṃbojjhaṅga), and the Realization Bbranch of mindfulness(smṛti-saṃbojjhaṅga). Realization refers to these seven methods, which train you to gradually begin to reach realization. Branch means branching, it is not the main body. What does it mean? Our true main body is pure self-nature. At present, we have not reached realization because we have covered our pure self-nature, so we are unable to reach realization. Thus, we use many tools to help us accomplish this matter.
First, The Realization Branch of Dhamma-vicaya. How do you choose a method that is suited to your own capacity and is useful to you? Of course, it is the guru who teaches you and tells you. The methods used by the guru are beyond what you can imagine, why? Because the guru sees many things that you cannot see. For example, yesterday Disciple Fang brought his son here to repent, I forced his son to repent to him, because his son did not respect his father. I didn’t teach his son how to repent. In the end, his son went to repent to him and, at the Buddhist Monastery, brought him a basin of water and washed his feet. He felt that his child was very filial. Only yesterday did I tell him why today he was able to have a child wash his feet. I have lived to the age of eighty, and none of my children has ever washed my feet. I have always washed them myself. I told him how this happened: when my mother was in the hospital, he once helped wash my mother’s feet. He planted this virtuous cause, and only today did he receive this virtuous result. For every matter, where there is a cause, there will certainly be a result. Nothing appears out of thin air. There are many elderly people here who all have children. Have your children ever washed your feet? No! Because you never washed your own parents’ feet. Do not now go and take your parents’ feet and wash them. That will be useless, because it does not come from a heart of filial. If you do it merely in the hope of getting a good outcome, then it is of no use.
No cause and effect is contrived, it happens naturally, and then it appears. Only yesterday did Disciple Fang suddenly come to a realization of how many wrong things he has done in this lifetime. Even such a small matter can have karmic retribution, then do you think there is karmic retribution for doing other things? Yes. You are in bad luck, because Rinpoche’s memory is very strong, even more powerful than a supercomputer. I remember things from several decades ago. At that time, I asked Disciple Fang to go to the hospital and take care of my mother for a few days, because my mother only understood Cantonese. Once, when I went to the hospital, I saw it. At the time, I said nothing and didn’t praise him for having done well. I waited to see when this karmic retribution would appear, I waited for several decades, and then taught him this lesson all at once.
Now you should understand that whatever Rinpoche does is to help open a cause for you. When will the result appear? I don’t know. But I will certainly help you plant virtuous causes. Scolding you is also a virtuous cause, hitting you is also a virtuous cause, driving you away is also a virtuous cause. When will the result appear? That depends on your fate. Cause and effect and fate are intricate and complex. It is not simply that one equals one. For example, I told the son of Disciple Fang to properly apologize to him, but I didn’t teach his son how to apologize; he never imagined that his son would do such a thing also, suddenly taking his feet and playing with them. What is there to play with in the feet of a man in his seventies? Therefore, every matter has cause and effect. You truly don’t believe in cause and effect. Why is it that when you come to attend a puja, if I catch sight of any movement or action of yours, I will definitely scold you? Because puja is virtuous. Within the puja, any movement or action unrelated to the puja is evil. I will absolutely scold you. This then is the Buddha Dharma. It is not that beating the wooden fish every day and reciting two or three sutras is what is called the Buddha Dharma. Therefore, The Realization Branch of Dhamma-vicaya, you are unable to choose for yourselves the Dharma that is useful to you, it is the guru who helps you.
The Realization Branch of vīryapāramitā(Puja Teachings Index 18). Guru sees what time it is appropriate to force you to do something, or to urge you to do something, and then definitely makes you do it; this is to help you to do vīryapāramitā(Puja Teachings Index 18). Many people often come to plead for The Four Extraordinary Foundations of Vajrayana Ngondro. If they recite too slowly, I scold them; if they recite too quickly, I also scold them. Why are they scolded even when they recite quickly? Of course they are scolded, because it exceeds your physical strength. Some time ago, the father of one of the Eight-Offering girls was doing 1,200 grand prostrations a day. I told her to go back and tell her father to do 600 prostrations a day, because he still had to go to work. The family’s finances depended on him. Although his wife would not admit it, in reality, they do still depend on him. If he exhausts his body doing grand prostrations and can’t work, then I’m in trouble. Why? Because I would have to support and raise several more people. Therefore, I told him that doing 600 prostrations a day would be enough. Sometimes, I want you to prostrate more. If you have energy and physical strength with nowhere to release it, then prostrate more. Each person is different. Sometimes, when you recite too slowly, I will not transmit the Dharma to you either, because you are not diligent. Why should I transmit Dharma to you?
The Realization Branch of joy(prīti-saṃbojjhaṅga)— this joy is not merely making you happy or pleased, for any teaching of the Dharma will cause the mind of joy to arise in you. Just as Disciple Fang was very happy yesterday — being of advanced age, he felt too embarrassed to laugh out loud, so he laughed wildly inside (assembly laughs) — because the Dharma caused this joy to arise in him. The Dharma is not so rigid, not so formulaic — the Dharma is very lively, adapting to your various fates, circumstances, and backgrounds, using skillful means to help you, to transform you, to enable you to understand. When the day truly comes that one has genuinely entered into understanding, the joy that arises is beyond what words can describe — what is called to be filled with Dharma Joy. It is not that reciting sutras today in a very happy mood fills one with Dharma Joy — rather, it is because of learning the Dharma, cultivating the Buddha-Dharma, under the guidance and supervision of the guru, that afflictions diminish — and even cease altogether — and what arises from this is joy.
If you constantly remain within suffering, then Buddhism cannot benefit you. So why do I teach you that you must recite more, prostrate more, endure hardship — because if the fate for suffering has not been dissolved, the Realization Branch of joy(prīti-saṃbojjhaṅga) will never arise. Why shouldn’t one be lazy in learning Buddhism? Because when you are lazy, you are seeking a life of ease and comfort. Like these old men now in their seventies who are completely inactive — coming home every day, at most lighting some incense, changing the water in the offering bowl, then they go and lie in bed, remaining motionless, waiting to die. Even dying requires physical strength! Everyone thinks that being in their seventies means they should have no capacity to move. I am 80 years old, I exercise for half an hour every day, I still expound the Dharma, still manage so many affairs, still scold people loudly. To cause this joy to arise in oneself — of course in the Anuttarayoga-tantra (Highest yoga Tantra) there are methods, but these I cannot transmit to you, nor will I tell you what they involve. But in Exoteric Buddhism, it is possible to become filled with Dharma joy— how? Listen, and naturally the afflictions will keep diminishing.
The Realization Branch of praśrabdhi is also known as the Realization Branch of tranquility and ease. In the Chan(Puja Teachings Index 06) tradition, it is said that Chan(Puja Teachings Index 06) practice produces praśrabdhi; in the Vajrayāna, this term is not used — in the Vajrayāna, the term used is joy, the Realization Branch of joy. What is praśrabdhi? When afflictions become lighter, when afflictions become fewer, when afflictions shift from coarse afflictions to subtle afflictions. What are subtle afflictions? Hunger is also an affliction; feeling very hot is also an affliction; wanting to sleep is also an affliction. These light afflictions are what the body requires for its activity — and so the Buddha did not say you are absolutely forbidden from having such things. But the coarse and heavy afflictions arise from your body, speech, and mind.
We perceive all external phenomena through our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body, and generate reactions of body, speech, and mind. When our reactions of body, speech, and mind feel the need to satisfy certain desires or thoughts, then vexations arise. We learn Buddhism to pause our vexation, or even lessen and eliminate them through reciting sutras, Buddha’s name, and chanding (Puja Teachings Index 06), and that is why one feels tranquility and ease (praśrabdhi). Ease is the sensation of feeling one’s body lighten when there are no vexations. You must all have had the experience of feeling your bodies being weighed down before an exam, but after completing the exam—whether or not you passed- you suddenly became relaxed; all of you who have gone to school must have felt this sensation, right? (The assembly replies: Yes.)
For example, two people dating suddenly have a row—when the other person ignores you, you will be very troubled for a long time. But if the other person suddenly calls you on the phone, how would you feel? Earlier we explained the term: to be filled with Dharma joy (the assembly laughs)—but that’s not your case as you would be filled with the joy of desire, and that is to be tranquil and at ease (praśrabdhi)—to be rid of vexation. To be tranquil and at ease (praśrabdhi) means the lightening, lessening, or the cessation of one’s vexation. When the sensation of tranquillity and ease (praśrabdhi) occurs—this is how Buddha Dharma can help you.
The Realization Branch of equanimity (upekṣā-saṃbojjhaṅga)— when we recite the Four Immeasurables, the last one is ‘abiding in equanimity, relinquishing love and hatred’ — that is precisely this equanimity. What is loved must be relinquished, what is disliked must also be relinquished. So-called equanimity is not abandonment — not rejection, not seeing something now and deciding one does not want it. It is not not-wanting — it is not clinging to it. Just as I often say: go along with fate as it arises, be at peace with whatever one encounters. Whether good, it is still 24 hours; whether not good, it is also 24 hours — it depends on how you pass through it. If your mind of attachment is severe, if you do not cultivate compassion (maitrī and karuṇā), joy and equanimity, the Realization Branch of equanimity (upekṣā-saṃbojjhaṅga) will have nothing to do with you. When you are unwilling to relinquish, naturally the Realization Branch of ding(Puja Teachings Index 06)(samādhi-saṃbojjhaṅga) will not arise; when the Realization Branch of ding(Puja Teachings Index 06)(samādhi-saṃbojjhaṅga) does not arise, the Realization Branch of mindfulness (smṛti-saṃbojjhaṅga) will not arise either. Because in a person who possesses ding(Puja Teachings Index 06), their thoughts are also within ding(Puja Teachings Index 06)— only then does the recitation of the Buddha’s name be effective; otherwise it cannot have any effect.
Earlier when I recited the Great Six-Syllable Mantra, did you all smell the fragrance? (The assembly replies: Yes.) Did you hear some melodies or chirping of birds? (The assembly replies: Yes.) This is the arising of the Realization Branch of mindfulness (smṛti-saṃbojjhaṅga).
What follows speaks of the Noble Eightfold Path — also known as the Eight Correct Paths. This does not mean that the Dharma is classified as deviant or correct — the sutras also speak of those who attach themselves to Buddhism from external paths (non-Buddhism), who on the surface speak of the Dharma but are in fact on external paths. The meaning of ‘correct’ is this: any method that helps liberate ourselves and sentient beings from the cycle of samsara is considered correct; anything that causes us to cycle in samsara is called deviant. Therefore, Correct View, Correct Thought, Correct Speech, Correct Action, Correct Livelihood, Correct Diligence, Correct Mindfulness, and Correct Ding (Puja Teachings Index 06) are all for the purpose of helping oneself and sentient beings depart from the ocean of suffering of samsara. Some people interpret Correct Action as meaning one cannot engage in the karma of killing — that other endeavors constitute right action. In fact, this karma is not worldly enterprise — it is any action whatsoever performed through body, speech, and mind. Any action performed through body, speech, and mind that causes samsaric functioning to arise in you — that is not Correct Action. Even encouraging someone to recite the Buddha’s name — if the motivation is not correct, it is also not Correct Action
Correct Speech and Correct Thought are also explained this way. When we speak of going in the correct aspects, it means that everything we do in body, speech, and mind should be to help liberate ourselves and other sentient beings from the suffering ocean of samsara—only so can one be correct. Therefore, the Dharma texts speak of the Correct Guru, which doesn’t mean a formal or right guru, but instead, it means the guru that helps and teaches you how to leave the suffering ocean of samsara. This kind of guru will never joke around or speak amiably with you. If you like it when the guru looks at you pleasantly and compliments you all the time—get ready to keep toiling in samsara. Because you have given rise to greed, and think that the guru compliments you and thinks that you are practicing well, and that gives rise to arrogance. This is of absolutely no benefit to liberation from life and death.
These things I spoke of today are merely the foundation—the fundamental concepts. You must clearly understand why you want to learn Buddhism, and you must not go down the wrong or crooked path. Although Rinpoche is not familiar with these terms, I have never gone on a crooked path, as I have always been on the correct one. Why is it correct? Perhaps it has to do with the fact that I had learned Buddhism in a previous lifetime, and perhaps that era was different from the current one. In the past, there were fewer chances to do bad things; at present, there are too many chances to commit evil. For example, on the internet or in group chats, you might type a few words to criticize others. If you intend to criticize someone in person, you might be afraid of being scolded back or getting punched by that person, so you wouldn’t dare, right? But when you criticize people on your phone, you don’t know that person’s reaction. You will keep berating them to your heart’s content, and anyway you can turn off the phone and ignore him. But you have committed evil speech, haven’t you?
Everyone knows that all information stored on mobile phones is kept in the cloud — as long as this cloud exists for one day, the karma of evil speech exists for one day. Unless, in the future, a machine is invented to replace the cloud and eliminate it entirely. But then another thing appears — AI, artificial intelligence — and AI stores even more. So this kind of science causes people to create more and more evil karma. Someone uses AI to strike at you — it is not me striking you, it is me watching it strike you. Now robots can fight — send a robot to war, I haven’t done anything wrong! So one must understand this: we are born in the age of the Dharma Decline, in what is called the world of the Five Turbidities — to have the opportunity to learn Buddhism and listen to the authentic Dharma, is already an immensely great
fortune. Do not take it all for granted.
Since the beginning, up to now that the Monastery is built, the Glorious Jewel has never arranged for the Grand Donors, nor have I ever tried to climb the social ladder to meet powerful people. I tend to distance myself from someone who has become powerful, because I can’t afford to offend them. At our Glorious Jewel, I am a lay practitioner. Additionally, since it is difficult to ask others to become ordained, I try my best to transmit my Dharma to lay persons because it’s very difficult for laypeople to attain achievements through practice. The Ratnakuta Sutra states very clearly that both the ordained and the lay may practice the Bodhisattva Path, but the ordained have lighter evil karma, while the lay have more severe evil karma. The above-mentioned means that to have a family and dependants is to possess evil karma—it’s impossible not to—which family doesn’t argue?
Sutra: ‘With śamatha, there arises the mind of equanimity.’
Śamatha means cessation and insight — it is a part of chanding (Puja Teachings Index 06). What do cessation and insight mean? This is a process we must cultivate within chanding (Puja Teachings Index 06). Cessation is stopping; insight is looking inward. When we ordinarily cultivate Chan (Puja Teachings Index 06) practice, what is called stopping is not actually stopping — it is simply not allowing unvirtuous thoughts to continue uninterruptedly. In terms of Mahāmudrā: when a thought arises, do not chase after it, and do not chase it away. To give a metaphor: it is like a lion standing before you — if you throw a stone at it, it will bite you to death; there is a horse running before you — if you chase after it, it runs faster and faster, and you cannot catch it. The principle is this: when a thought arises, you must use many methods to allow the thought to pause briefly, to stop for a moment. There are many ways — some employ the method of looking at a Buddha Statue, reciting the Buddha’s name, using a virtuous thought to replace the unwholesome thought
Insight means introspecting—asking what exactly one is doing. Is one practicing or toiling through worldly thoughts endlessly? For example, when some people calm down for the slightest bit, they think of all sorts of things from the past—whether right or wrong. When they think of unhappy thoughts, they think that they should be a particular way. These are all the lack of cessation—cessation and insight are the first steps to learning Chanding (Puja Teachings Index 06). Why do we recite mantras in Vajrayana? Only through reciting the mantras can we help prevent and cease scattered thoughts. With prevention, the pure and clean self-nature rises, which then enables one to visualize the incomparably wondrous nature of Buddha Dharma. If one does not employ cessation and insight to practice chanding (Puja Teachings Index 06), one will only feel more chaos as one sits. Why the chaos? Because your thoughts arise endlessly, thus I don’t transmit chanding (Puja Teachings Index 06) that easily. When your karma is severe, you can’t learn chan (Puja Teachings Index 06); when you’re irreverent to the guru and the Buddha Dharma, you can’t practice chan (Puja Teachings Index 06) even if you tried. One must first clear up a portion of one’s karma before beginning to learn chan (Puja Teachings Index 06).
There arises that mind of equanimity. One who has been able to cultivate cessation and insight gradually begins to see clearly: all things are cause and effect — and one does not discriminate between good and bad, liked and disliked, but regards everything with a mind of equanimity. It is just like Disciple Fang having done many wrong things — Rinpoche has continually given him chances. Why? Because he has a virtuous heart and once helped my mother. This small act of virtue — even though he has done many wrong things — I still give him chances. And you will say: had we known, we would all have gone to attend to your mother. (The assembly laughs.) Had we known! I do not ask casually.
Sutra: ‘With vipaśyanā arises the rare and omniscient mind that observes the noble truths.’
Vipaśyanā means introspective insight. Introspective insight does not mean to visualize your heart and the other five organs and six bowels. Introspective insight means that whether you are practicing chanding (Puja Teachings Index 06), reciting mantras, or practicing any Dharma methods, you shouldn’t let your heart loose. Even if you are reciting the mantra or Buddha’s name, you must introspect—who is reciting Buddha’s name? What do they say in the Pure Land School? (A monastic disciple replies: Who recites the name of Buddha?) Who recites the name of Buddha—this is Vipaśyanā (Introspective insight). Is it your mouth reciting? Or is it your consciousness reciting? Or is it your heart reciting? You must find out who is reciting.
To uncover who is reciting—it doesn’t happen overnight. ‘I first see that I am reciting,’ indeed, it is your mouth reciting; that is correct. However, from the concept of śūnyatā (Puja Teachings Index 21), how does your mouth begin to open and move? Your consciousness and thoughts. Where does your consciousness come from? It starts within your Ālayavijñāna, then from your Manasvijñāna, and Ālayavijñāna; thus begins this thought, this notion. When the thought rises, the laws of experience tell you what to do. For example, when you learn Buddhism, the guru tells you to recite the mantras; you listen, and it gets stored inside your Ālayavijñāna. When you engender this act, your Manasvijñāna takes motion, and once it spins into motion, your mouth begins to recite.
Is it truly your heart reciting? No. It is your consciousness reciting; you’re thinking that you’re reciting instead of reciting naturally from the heart. Therefore, one must practice Vipaśyanā (Introspective insight) on oneself— one must see clearly what one’s idea of learning Buddhism is. If you’re doing it for worldly matters, then you’re not learning Buddhism; you’re on the external path (non-Buddhist Path). If you hope that Rinpoche will praise you for doing well, or hope that Rinpoche might do something, then it’s all just of the external path (non-Buddhism), and you’re not practicing Vipaśyanā (Introspective insight).
Another definition of Vipaśyanā (Introspective insight) is to see which aspects of you you have not improved or discarded. What does it mean to discard? One must continue to discard greed, hatred, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt— until one day, once everything has been cleaned up, one’s original nature will emerge, and all will be great. Similar to the way that Rinpoche has dealt with the foreigner—I had no greed, hatred, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt. When he wrote to me, I did not feel joyous, for I could finally have a foreign disciple. Therefore, Vipaśyanā (Introspective insight) means that every day, after practicing the Dharma, you shouldn’t just get up right after completing the recitations. Why did I tell you to sit in ding (Puja Teachings Index 06) for a bit? When you sit for a while, you’ll naturally become clear and have a look at your mindset for learning Buddhism. When your mindset is incorrect, you’ll remain the same even if you recite for another ten or one hundred lifetimes.
Where does one’s motivation and mindset come from? I taught you already through the Four Immeasurables and the Four Refuges— everyone recites but does not look closely. The Thirty-Seven Practices of the Bodhisattvas teach you how to examine yourselves with it—this is Vipaśyanā (Introspective insight). However, you only recite but refrain from examining yourselves. What’s the use of reciting? There’s no use. Disciple-Lee tells me that she recites it every day, but is there any use? One must examine oneself with The Thirty-Seven Practices of the Bodhisattvas—this is Vipaśyanā (Introspective insight). You don’t have the ability to see your own shortcomings, so Rinpoche and Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva approve of the use of The Thirty-Seven Practices of the Bodhisattvas as the tool for this purpose.
It isn’t about asking you to recite it for a certain number of times each day; instead, one must employ the Thirty-Seven Practices of the Bodhisattvas to counteract oneself each day—this is Vipaśyanā (Introspective insight). Do you do it? You’re too lazy to do it and think that you can get protection and blessings just by reciting. Then, what do we mean when we say that we practice all day long? Why not just say that one recites—there’s no need to use the word practice—all you need to do is listen and recite, right? You don’t listen; you are all lazy and want to live peaceful lives, and examining yourselves is really too much hardship to endure. Moreover, you think, ‘I did so much today, how can I remember?’ ‘I live like this every day, what have I done wrong?’ ‘I have lived to my seventies, what have I done wrong?’ ‘I received pretty good grades on my exam and got into university, how can I make any mistakes?’ ‘My son passed the exams to be admitted to a school abroad, how can I have any mistakes?’This is not performing Vipaśyanā (Introspective insight).
I have not spoken of Vipaśyanā (Introspective insight) before; today I have spoken of it, and that means I have already taught it. You have not done it! During every puja I constantly remind you: every day you must use the Thirty-Seven Practices of the Bodhisattva to examine your body, speech, and mind. Are you willing to do it? You are not. Why aren’t you willing? Because to admit that one is wrong — that is impossible since you have lived like this for so many years already. In particular, those who hold official positions, those with power and influence — how could they possibly be wrong? If one does not practice Vipaśyanā (Introspective insight) to see if one is mistaken— when one day these errors have accumulated to a certain energy, it will be a great and irreversible mistake, and there will be no possibility of turning things around.
Therefore, what is the key point in Buddhism? Apart from faith, one must practice. Even if you think you are old, cannot practice, cannot recite, you should still have the ability to examine whether or not you have misspoken, made mistakes, or given rise to the wrong notions, shouldn’t you? The elderly have the most thoughts—who has wronged me, so and so has behaved a certain way! You think of all these things every day—your sons and daughters have behaved a certain way! You all have many thoughts, but you must perform Vipaśyanā (Introspective insight) to contemplate yourselves; but you insist on not thinking this way. Therefore, those of you who do not practice Vipaśyanā (Introspective insight) will never have any contact with Buddhism.
Only by practicing Vipaśyanā (Introspective insight) can one give rise to and generate observation of the noble truths—the noble truths being the Four Noble Truths spoken by Buddha, and only then can you see Suffering, the Cause of Suffering, the Cessation of Suffering, and the Path that leads to the Cessation of Suffering (Dukka, Samudaya, Nirodha, and Magga), and that all Dharma is rare—how difficult it is to hear the Buddha Dharma. The omniscient mind—it is only in a general sense that one knows what the minds of all sentient beings are like. Of course you cannot accomplish this now, but at the very least you must be able to see yourself. If you cannot even see clearly where your own problem lies, and yet spend the whole day talking grandly about liberating beings — liberate whom? If you cannot see where your own problem lies, how are you going to liberate beings? Do you have my kind of patience? I have been patient with Disciple-Fang for decades, and only yesterday settled accounts with him once. Do you have that kind of patience? You do not.
Sutra: ‘Through maturing sentient beings, there arises that original, pure mind.’
When the omniscient mind arises, only then can one attain achievement and maturity, to help sentient beings practice Buddhism. There arises that original, pure mind–this is what Rinpoche is doing for you now. You are not mature yet; this means that you are not yet on the path of learning Buddhism, and so I must help you get on this path, and help give rise to the pure hearts that you all possessed originally.
Sutra: ‘In that Dharma Realm, they attract (Puja Teachings Index 22) the authentic Dharma with a cluttered mind.’
In that Dharma Realms, they attract (Puja Teachings Index 22) the authentic Dharma means to attract (Puja Teachings Index 22) all the authentic Dharma throughout the entire void. There are countless Buddhas within the void —the Buddhas of the past, present, and future, too numerous to enumerate, and every Buddha has authentic Dharma to propagate. As a great Bodhisattva, one does not rely solely on one’s own practice but must attract (Puja Teachings Index 22) the authentic Dharma taught by all Buddhas. With a cluttered mind means that, by doing so, the cluttered mind will neither arise nor be there in you.
Sutra: ‘With the forbearance of non-arisings of Dharmas (anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti), give rise to the not-obtaining mind.’
The most difficult thing of practicing kṣāntipāramitā (Puja Teachings Index 17) is the forbearance of non-arisings of Dharmas . The forbearance of non-arisings of Dharmas does not mean not giving rise to the Buddha Dharma of forbearance. We clearly understand that all fame and gain, slander and humiliation arise through fates and the law of cause and effect. By their very nature, fates and the law of cause and effect are sūnyatā (Puja Teachings Index 21) and non-arising. This means that when fate arises, it naturally comes to an extinction. Once a cause appears and ripens, that cause and effect process comes to an end. Therefore, if we cling to what others have said and insist on retaliating or striking back, then we are not practicing the Dharma method of kṣāntipāramitā (Puja Teachings Index 17).
Like the story I told you just now about the foreigner who wrote to me. If I had not practiced the Dharma method of kṣāntipāramitā (Puja Teachings Index 17) and had been eager to show off my knowledge of Buddhism to him, a whole series of problems would have followed. Instead, I held back for a while, observed for a while, and gradually began to have a conversation with him, and also placed myself in a position that could not be attacked. He described himself as a researcher, whereas I am a practitioner. Then we are not in the same position, there was no basis for further discussion and nothing more to say. It is like someone saying to you, ‘Buddhism is mere superstition,’ and you replying, ‘I am not superstitious. I practice the Buddha Dharma.’ What does that mean? It means that the conversation should end there; there is nothing further to discuss. Others think that you are superstitious, while you say, ‘I am not superstitious. Every day, I examine myself to see whether I have done anything wrong.’ What people find most difficult to endure is the fear that others will look down on them. (Rinpoche then addressed a female monastic disciple: You are exactly like this.) Whether others respect you does not depend on how scholarly you are or how admirable your moral character may be. People respect you because of how you conduct yourself and handle matters. In worldly life, it is reflected in how you conduct yourself and handle matters; in the Buddha Dharma, what matters is the state of your mind.
What does the forbearance of non-arisings of Dharmas, and give rise to the not-obtaining mind mean? It means that people who have practiced the Dharma method of kṣāntipāramitā (Puja Teachings Index 17) clearly understand that all Dharmas are generated . They do not exist naturally or independently, they arise through fate and go with fate. Therefore, when all Dharmas arise, we must forbear them. Forbearance however, does not mean merely suppressing our emotions, refraining from reacting, or leaving matters unresolved. Take the incident about the foreigner that I mentioned today. I did cope with it; I did not ignore him. But I had to be patient. What did I have to forbear? I had to set aside all concern for my own fame and profit. I could have said, ‘I am a great Rinpoche and I understand the Buddha Dharma. How dare an ordinary believer write to me like that?’ I could also have rebuked him, could I not? Yet I did not. I took a step back and gave him room to express his perspectives. In this way, the matter reached a perfect completion. At the very least, he did not feel that I had offended him. I simply let him know that I can have whatever I needed, so I had no need for it now, while still thanking him. All the best.
What does ‘All the best’ mean? (Disciple Wei replies: It means bye.) It does not simply mean goodbye. (Disciple Wei replies: Reported to Rinpoche, it means ‘I wish you all the best’.) Rinpoche then said to Disciple Wei: You can translate it as ‘goodbye,’ but you should first translate the phrase itself. When a foreigner says ‘All the best’ to you, it means that they do not intend to see you again and are simply leaving you with their good wishes. It is like when a couple quarrels and one of them says, ‘I will always wish you well. We can still be friends!’ It means the same thing. You have all said things like that before. ‘Friends,’ indeed, what nonsense!
Forbearance does not mean enduring something. Buddhist terminology is very difficult to explain adequately in words, so we have no choice but to use the word forbearance even though it carries a sense of enduring something reluctantly. But in the Buddha Dharma, forbearance is, in fact, not taking something to heart and not trying to get to the bottom of a matter in an aggressive manner. Yet simultaneously, you understand the matter through wisdom, without making the other person feel attacked. The not-obtaining mind is not a mind that you can acquire by imploring it. It is naturally present from the very beginning and exists everywhere. As stated in the Heart Sutra, this mind is inherently there in you: you cannot obtain it by imploring or seeking it, nor can you see it by trying to look at it. It has always been there, but we are unaware of it. Through practicing the Six Paramitas, we will naturally come to perceive it, not by seeing it with our eyes, but by experiencing how and where it works. What effect does it have? Then we no longer plant any further evil causes. Everything we do will plant virtuous causes, and we will also be able to deal with things in a well-rounded way.
The Buddha Dharma is not what you imagine it to be, something intended to relieve your suffering and keep you from falling into the Three Evil Realms. Buddhism is actually a continuous process of changing many forms of human behaviour. Only when such habitual human behaviours are reduced, or even abandoned altogether, will you have the opportunity to become a Bodhisattva and attain Buddhahood. Of course, throughout the process of cultivation, you still need this ‘human’ body to assist you. Without this instrument, it’s impossible, because there has never been a Buddha or Bodhisattva who did not come from the Human Realm. Therefore, we inevitably pass through the Human Realm. While we are here, we must understand both its strengths and its shortcomings. Once we clearly recognize them, we should preserve the strengths while reducing the shortcomings, and eventually stop those behaviours altogether. Only then can we progress diligently beyond Human Realm: practicing the Hinayana to attain arhatship, practicing the Mahayana to become a Bodhisattva, and practicing the Vajrayana to attain Buddhahood. You must distinguish clearly. The guru’s role is to help you do this. ‘Helping’ does not mean doing it for you, but teaches you what you should do, while you don’t mess them up with your own thoughts.
The usual explanation of the forbearance of non-arisings of Dharmas is that it has not arisen and this Buddha Dharma forbears. (Rinpoche asked a monastic disciple who had been ordained for more than thirty years) Is this how it is explained elsewhere? You have explained the sutras before, so you should know. (The monastic disciple replies: Yes, Rinpoche. That is how it is explained.) How is it explained? I am only a layman in this field, so you explain it. (The disciple replies: The forbearance of non-arisings of Dharmas is the state of Bodhisattva of the Eighth Ground, an immovable ground.) But why is it called the forbearance of non-arisings of Dharmas? If you talk about the Eighth Ground, they will not understand that either. Explain it in the way you used to explain it to believers. (The disciple replies: the forbearance of non-arisings of Dharmas refers to one’s intrinsically pure nature. Before attaining that state, one cannot experience it. It is just as Rinpoche explained earlier: it functions every day and is always with us, but we neither recognize it nor know that it is there. It is through learning Buddhism, the Buddha Dharma…) Therefore…, please continue. I am sorry for interrupting you. Go ahead. (The monastic disciple: Rinpoche, please explain it.) You speak first. I interrupted you. What were you saying? (The disciple: It fades away. ) Now you are involving me in a Chan (Puja Teachings Index 06) riddle! I have also forgotten what I wanted to say. (The assembly laughs)
The forbearance of non-arisings of Dharmas is the highest state of the Dharma method of kṣāntipāramitā (Puja Teachings Index 17) among the Six Paramitas. Without attaining the forbearance of non-arisings of Dharmas, one cannot possibly attain the fruition level of a Bodhisattva. It is indispensable for Bodhisattvas progressing from the First Ground to the Eighth Ground. The forbearance of non-arisings of Dharmas means the insubstantiality of Dharmas (dharmanairātmya) , selflessness(anātman). When I perform a Dharma, there is no ‘I’ present. For example, when I chanted the Great Six-Syllable Mantra just now, there was no self. I only visualized a pure land for everyone, wishing that all of you would be able to reach a pure land in the future. This is the insubstantiality of Dharmas (dharmanairātmya). To what extent must you do to attain existence the insubstantiality of Dharmas (dharmanairātmya)? Those who know the importance of practicing dānapāramitā (Puja Teachings Index 15) and making offerings, who can relinquish even their bodies and lives, and who can let go of all their emotions and desires can realize the insubstantiality of Dharmas (dharmanairātmya). As for selflessness(anātman), one clearly understands that the human body is merely an instrument assembled through karmic forces. This instrument enables one to practice and benefit sentient beings in this lifetime, but it does not mean that this is one’s true self. He is selfless(anātman). Another explanation is that all people are equal. Whether you are red, black, white, blue, or yellow, everyone is equal because everyone’s self-nature is equal.
Only by realizing the forbearance of non-arisings of Dharmas and selflessness(anātman) can one attain the forbearance of non-arisings of Dharmas. My response to the foreigner’s letter was the forbearance of non-arisings of Dharmas. If I placed importance on my own status and regarded him as merely someone who had not learned Buddhism, I would attack or provoke him with my words, or even try to lecture him. If I attain the forbearance of non-arisings of Dharmas, the so-called the forbearance of non-arisings of Dharmas and selflessness(anātman), I would realize there was an intention behind his words. Whether that agenda was good or bad, I would not allow it to cause harm to either himself or others. I only need to let him know the difficulty and back out. If I had engaged myself with him in lengthy debate over whether practicing Arhat Path can attain Buddhahood, there are already numerous passages in the sutras addressing this issue, it is not for me to add anything further. My role is to teach people how to learn Buddhism and how to practice. The sutras already contain the relevant debates, so there is no need for me to speak of the matter. Lord Jigten Sumgon also taught extensively on this subject, so there is no need for me to say anymore. I am only here to oversee your practice.
To attain the forbearance of non-arisings of Dharmas, and give rise to the not-obtaining mind. To put it more simply, why is Rinpoche able to perform the Phowa? It is because of the forbearance of non-arisings of Dharmas. Without the forbearance of non-arisings of Dharmas, one cannot achieve the Phowa. Because I must give rise to the not-obtaining mind. I do not help someone because I have a compassionate(maitrī and karuṇa) mind or a heart of what. Instead, I am that person. I know that he is suffering, and so I must help him. That is the forbearance of non-arisings of Dharmas. I do not think that I am a Bodhisattva, and I have come to save him, or that I am the one who must help him. The mind of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is to help sentient beings be liberated from the reincarnation’s sea of suffering and eventually attain Buddhahood. Once I have cultivated this mind, I can learn from the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and continually benefit and help sentient beings. What does it mean to have learned this? It is to let go of many things.
Sutra: ‘At the ground of non-retrogression, give rise to the mind that turns those minds have not turned.’
Which Ground of a Bodhisattva is on the ground of non-retrogression? (The monastic disciple replies: The Bodhisattva of Eight Ground.) When you attain the Bodhisattva of Eighth Ground, the ground of non-retrogression, your mind to liberate sentient beings and attain Buddhahood will neither weaken nor turn back. You are constantly regressing and turning around, you turn back again, then return, and then turn away again. All of you are like this. For example, as soon as the Disciple Jiang began enjoying a slightly more comfortable life, she decided that her son’s studies were important while learning Buddhism was not, and so she regressed. Of course, you are not Bodhisattvas of Eight Ground, so it is impossible for you to never regress. This is why the guru helps prevent you from regressing, once you have regressed, it is extremely difficult to move forward again. Because you have planted the cause of regression, its karmic retribution is that, even if you attain the fruition level of Buddhisattva in the future, you may one day regress from it.
You simply do not believe in cause and effect. You regard learning Buddhism as the least important and smallest part of your lives, only for securing a comfortable life, keeping your families safe and peaceful, making your children obedient, making your husbands or wives obey you, and ensuring success in your careers. If that is the case, I sincerely advise you not to learn Buddhism anymore, because it is entirely different from what the sutras teach, isn’t it? Since it is different, why bother and waste your time? The sutras state in this way, so I teach accordingly. I have no alternative. This does not mean that I personally feel helpless; it simply means that there is no other way, because I have no choice. Even if I were given a choice, I would not choose otherwise, because I will not regress or turn away. I must teach you authentic Dharma. If you wish to listen to authentic Dharma, this is how it goes. You say, ‘This is too difficult; we cannot make it.’ It is not that you cannot do it, you are simply unwilling to do so.
I often say that I am a lay practitioner just like all of you. Why am I able to do it? You have families, and so do I. You have businesses, and so do I. You have jobs, and so do I. Why have I been able to achieve it? The difference is that you have not made a determination. You do not understand the fear that arises at the time of death. I personally witnessed the entire process of my father’s death. In my heart, I told myself very clearly, ‘If I do not learn the method, I will have lived my life as a human being in vain.’ Everyone is going to die, who doesn’t? Therefore, throughout this lifetime of learning the Buddha Dharma, I have always undertaken the most arduous Dharma methods. Helping the deceased attain liberation is extremely demanding; it is not something an ordinary person can do.
Everything I have said today constitutes a foundation, the foundation in Exoteric Buddhism. You must take it to heart. Do not think that learning Buddhism is so demanding, troublesome, and difficult; while thinking learning Buddhism means chanting a Buddha’s name, making prostrations to the Buddha, and reciting a few sutras, that is not what the sutras teach. Since I am expounding on the sutras, I speak of the things about the sutras. If you feel unable to accept the sutras because you cannot put the teachings into practice, that is all right. The Buddha did not require you to accomplish everything immediately, the Buddha taught you how you should practice. However, if the Buddha Dharma taught in the sutras differs from the Buddhism you have imagined, so you reject it, then you are not learning Buddhism. I did not write the Ratnakuta Sutra. It is such an enormous work, how could I possibly have written it? I only graduated from high school, and the Chinese used in it is extremely profound. Therefore, all of you must carefully and sincerely reflect on this question: Why do you learn Buddhism?
For example, when I first began learning Buddhism, it was because my father had died and I had not been able to help him, this caused me great suffering. But what about you all? Your suffering is entirely self-centered, you suffer because you hit someone with your car, how selfish! The Dharma is not to deal with such trivial matters. Experiencing suffering is beneficial, because at least it allows us to understand what suffering feels like. Once we have experienced suffering, how can we free ourselves from it? We must practice vīryapāramitā (Puja Teachings Index 18), be obedient, and learn the Buddha Dharma.
After I gained a clear understanding on the matter of life and death, my afflictions genuinely diminished a great deal. Even death has become clear to you, what problem can you not resolve? If something cannot be resolved, just let it be, there is no need to resolve it! For example, if my child is unfilial, I could perform a Dharma every day until he comes back to me. Such a Dharma method does exist, but why should I trouble myself so much? If he wants to leave, let him leave. The Dharma text says that those with a fate remain; those without a fate, they can leave whenever they wish to. I follow the Dharma text’s instructions very closely. The same applies to all of you. If you have a fate with me, you stay. When that fate is gone, you may leave, I will certainly not try to keep you. Everyone knows very well that whenever a disciple has left me, no one has ever gone after that person and asked, ‘Have you thought this through carefully?’ Never. Only ‘All right, thank you.’ The only thing missing is, ‘Thanks for your visit.’ (The assembly laughs) But we are not making money here, so I cannot say that, of course.
Give rise to the mind that turns those minds that have not turned. Once a practitioner has attained the stage of non-retrogression, he gives rise to the intention to turn around those minds that have not turned. In other words, only after he himself has become irreversible does he possess the ability to help those who are about to regress. He can turn around those whose minds are still wishing to turn away, enabling them to return to the path and refrain from regressing. Chinese used before was written far too simple. Give rise to the mind that turns those minds that have not turned, this phrase is really giving me, the translator, a hard time!
Sutra: ‘Regarding the forms that are attained, give rise to a mind free from forms.’
Here, forms do not refer to a person’s physical appearance. Rather, when a practitioner attains this level of practice, certain phenomena will manifest and certain things will be acquired, yet the practitioner does not consider that he has attained anything. For example, an arhat has the form of an arhat, a Bodhisattva has the form of a Bodhisattva, and a Buddha has the form of a Buddha. Would a Buddha be attached to these forms? Would a Bodhisattva be attached to them? Neither would, because they clearly understand that such appearances arise only as manifestations of their accumulated good fortunes. If they cease to accumulate good fortunes, these forms will disappear. Similarly, our appearance continually changes from youth to old age. This is not merely because we grow older, but also because we have nearly exhausted our good fortunes. If you have plenty of money and spend a great deal on cosmetic procedures, then I have nothing to say. Nevertheless, your appearance will inevitably change. It is impermanent, there is no appearance that remains unchanged. Whether these signs are tangible or intangible, they are constantly changing according to the law of cause and effect. Therefore, one gives rise to a mind free from forms.
For example, when I perform a Dharma practice, you may see my appearance change or even witness certain unusual phenomena. How do these signs arise? While performing the Dharma, I attain the yidam, and the yidam’s appearance then manifests. When I am not performing the Dharma, you cannot see that appearance. Therefore, a mind free from forms means that when a guru performs a Dharma practice, he does not do so for his own sake or deliberately manifest a particular form for you to see. Rather, the form appears because his mind has attained the mind of the yidam. Once the Dharma performance has been completed, that form also disappears. It arises entirely through fates and is not fixed or unchanging. If I were to manifest the same furious appearance
as the Hevajra, who would dare approach me? You would not dare, would you? Likewise, if I manifested the appearance of Dorje Phurba, who would dare come near me? You could not, could you? This passage therefore means that the signs you manifest depend on what you are doing. For example, people working in finance have a particular manner of dressing and presenting themselves, while laborers have the appearance of laborers. These signs arise in connection with their work. After returning home and taking off their work clothes, however, they become a husband, father, or mother within the family, and a different set of signs appears.
Forms are therefore changeable rather than fixed and immutable. Regarding the forms that are attained, giving rise to a mind free from forms means that after attaining the mind of non-retrogression, a practitioner may manifest certain forms and acquire some good fortunes. Yet these are without inherent forms. The mind itself is likewise without any fixed form or independent existence; it manifests only in dependence upon fates. Therefore, if someone tells you that you are becoming increasingly dignified and radiant through your practice, be careful, you may grow old at any moment. A mind free from forms does not mean that forms do not appear. It means that no form is eternal or unchanging; all forms are subject to change at any moment.
Rinpoche then led the disciples in practicing the Dharma Protector Achi Liturgy. Afterwards, he instructed the monastic disciples to lead the assembly in reciting the dedication prayer.
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Updated on July 29, 2026