His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s Puja Teachings – August 1, 2021

His Eminence Rinchen Dorje Rinpoche presided over the auspicious Amitayus Puja at the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center in Taipei. The guru lit lamps as an offering to the Buddha, and then bestowed precious teachings.

“Today is the birthday of His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang. We will perform the Amitayus to make offerings to His Holiness, praying that he will have good health, live a long life with no illnesses, and have all things being auspicious. In 1982, when I was still learning Exoteric Buddhism, I started then having formed the affinities with His Holiness. The original cause of this connection was that a friend of mine told me that there was a Throne Holder of Tibetan Buddhism doing fund-raising for a monastery to be built. After hearing that, I asked my friend to donate NT$100,000 on my behalf. At that time, he wanted to seek an audience for me with His Holiness. On that, at first, I said to my friend that making an offering was enough for me and there was no need to meet His Holiness. Then, the friend kept on persuading me to do it, so finally I invited His Holiness coming to my home.

I remember that on that day His Holiness went out of his way to bestow a very different kind of blessing on me. For practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism, on the prayer beads held in their hands, they usually will not let others touch these beads. However, at that time when we met, while holding one side of his prayer-bead string, His Holiness particularly requested that I held the other side of it, and he then chanted mantras to bless me. At that moment, I was feeling there was a sort of heat coming from the prayer beads to my hands and continuing on to flow into my body. From that time on, I have always been following His Holiness in learning Buddhism to this day. In the blink of an eye, decades have passed.

His Holiness had gone through many stages in his life, and had also experienced many life-collisions, living a life with hardship. Nevertheless, His Holiness has continuously, with perseverance, propagated the Dharma for the Order and for sentient beings. Now, at the age of 76, he is still busy every day in sorting out the Dharma texts or sutras, and working on things for the continuation of the Dharma lineage. The reason that our Drikung Kagyu Order is flourishing at this time is that besides there being the Drikung Kyabgon Chungtsang, there is also the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang who has unceasingly made efforts and propagated the Dharma overseas to let many people nowadays know that the Drikung Kagyu Dharma lineage exists. As a disciple of the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang, I certainly have no other choices in that I must continue propagating the Dharma, and no matter what happens in the world, I will not cease to do that. Disregarding what matters occur to me, I definitely will not stop spreading the Dharma and will not give up my vow of doing it either!

The reason that we have been able to take refuge in the Drikung Kagyu Order in this life is there being causes and conditions existing in our past lives. After taking refuge in this Order, it does not mean that you will certainly attain achievements in this life though. Starting from the time in 1997 that His Holiness authorized and permitted me to accept disciples, and during the time of my being a guru to my becoming a Rinpoche, through event processes and time passages, there have been many disciples who have continuously followed me to learn Buddhism and do their practices. However, there are also some disciples, for various reasons, left me and the Center. Whether they have remained or left, as long as they have the Dharma affinity with the Drikung Kagyu Order and me in this life, such an affinity will exist through lifetime after lifetime. Only when the person, having left, has determined to undermine the Dharma or slander the guru, will the affinity, of course, no longer exist.

On the path of propagating the Dharma, it is not that all things go smoothly; it is an up-and-down progress with many different obstacles and challenges involved. Fortunately, because of protection and blessings received from Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, the lineage gurus, Dharma protectors and the guru, the ‘walking’ on this propagation path can always be continued.

A few years ago, His Holiness asked me to have a Buddhist monastery built for the Dharma lineage from my own practices. At first, I didn’t have much willingness or aspiration to do it. It was because I felt that for coming to this world in this life, except for repaying all my ‘debts’ – which should be paid off – of gratitude, resentment, enmity and hatred, I did not want to be continuously involved in too much karma. However, under the constant exhortation of my root-guru, the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang, I have started taking on the responsibility of building a monastery. When it has been completely built, of course, it will belong to the Drikung Kagyu Order as one of the Order’s monastery. Nevertheless, because this monastery is one that His Holiness personally instructed me to get it built, it has a significance that it should also belong to the Dharma lineage I have founded.

For all kinds of kindness and benevolence His Holiness has given me, they cannot be repaid with ordinary things in the world, therefore, I can only pay back my debt of gratitude with the Dharma. In order to get this monastery constructed, there are already many people supporting its construction project. As the monastery’s future abbot, of course I have, and will, put in all my efforts on handling construction matters and preparing the money required, continuously supporting the project.

The Dharma that will be performed today is about longevity. Human longevity is still limited. The most important part in the meaning of ‘longevity’ here is letting this Dharma lineage be able to flourish forever in this world, benefiting a great number of sentient beings. Thus, we are going to perform the Amitayus, praying that His Holiness will have good health and a prolonged longevity so that he can continue to let the Order develop further. We will chant the mantra of Amitayus in a moment. As Glorious Jewel disciples, every one of you should chant the mantra at least 1,000 times, making all the chanting as offerings to His Holiness.”

(Rinpoche started to perform the Dharma and led the attendees in chanting the yidam’s mantra of Amitayus. Then the Tsok Ritual and tea-offering ritual were in progress. Every person present received a share of offering items that had been blessed by Rinpoche, as well as the rare and auspicious causal condition to dine with the guru, the Buddha and Bodhisattvas during the puja.)

(Upon the perfect completion of the Dharma performance, Rinpoche led the disciples in the Dharma Protector Achi ritual and dedication prayer.)

Then, scolding the lead male monastic, Rinpoche said to him: “Do not think that because you have a loud voice, your recitation from such a voice will make the Buddha and Bodhisattvas feel moved. If you are disrespectful to your guru, no matter how you recite, it is useless! If you have not, through your practices, attained the state of compassion of Emptiness, will such a loud voice like yours be useful?

A lead monastic in Exoteric Buddhism is called ‘karmadana’, which means ‘yes-man’, a person being obedient! If you are such a lead, when your abbot asks you to recite, you recite; when the abbot tells you not to do it, you don’t. In Tibetan Buddhism, if a Rinpoche asks a lead monastic to recite, the monastic recites; if he is not allowed to recite, he cannot do it. You can ask these disciples of mine here how they feel. When you lead them to recite, they are fretful, but when I lead the recitation, they will be in tears.”

Rinpoche continued the teachings. “Nowadays, in the Age of Dharma Decline, do not think that you are right because you have done things well. Actually, any kinds of obstacles will appear. Even as I am still alive now, it is very difficult for you to seek an audience with me because of the occurrence of this pandemic of coronavirus; there is nothing you can do so as to meet with me! It is why I have always been telling you about this before: do not think that because I am still around, you will definitely be able to see me. Yet, you just don’t believe that! Every one of you feels self-righteous and uses his or her own ways to learn Buddhism. It is already very difficult for you to see even a Rinpoche, who is in the Human Realm, let alone the Buddha or Bodhisattvas.

I met His Holiness in 1982, and then he observed me for a very long time before transmitting Dharmas to me. What His Holiness had watched on me was not about how much money, or how many things, I had made as offerings to him. Rather, he had observed continuously on my practicing methods to see if they had been in accordance with what are stated in sutras. If my methods had been correctly practiced on, he then did the Dharma transmissions to me. Otherwise, how could he? With people of older generation talking, when will it be a junior’s turn to speak? You (the lead male monastic) even competed with your guru in the voice volume during the recitation; did you feel that the more you recited, the more enjoyable it became? Then, what differences are there between you and ordinary believers? I had been in many monasteries before, and found that among believers, one recited more loudly than the other, who in turn, was louder than another; it went on. I have mentioned to you many times that recitation in a loud voice does not mean the Buddha and Bodhisattvas will hear it. Why do you recite louder and louder? Do you think that you are very concentrated in doing it? Do you want to suppress others’ voices so that they will not be heard? Do you feel that your recitation has been going well? Do you have such a haughty and arrogant mindset? If the answers are Yes, then, you have wasted so many years in doing your practices. You yourself have not realized this issue. Is it a good thing to recite in a loud voice? It is indicated in Dharma texts that both ways of recitation – doing it loudly or softly – are wrong. What does the voice volume go by then? It abides by the recitation voice uttered from the guru!

Do you want to get your voice louder than mine? Next time when the Chod is performed, I will let you chant the Great Six-Syllable Mantra by yourself; I will not chant it! After I finish blowing this Dharma instrument, I will not continue performing this Dharma, and will let you chant. I will see if you have the capability to do consciousness-transfer. Such a chanting (with a loud voice) can slightly be interpreted as at a stage of self-forgetfulness that the person doing the chanting has reached. However, the state of being oblivious of oneself is not like this.

Learning Buddhism is not about how sincere you think you are about it, or how many things you have done toward it; it is about your mind, which is a very important factor. If you are careless, you will never master your practices, nor will you attain achievements if you are self-centered and think of only yourself. According to what are mentioned in the Avatamsaka Sutra, all ordained disciples here, at the present time, are not qualified to be monastics. It is indicated in this sutra that, from the time of monastics’ getting up from bed, all their thoughts and every deed of theirs are for sentient beings. And you? Every act you do is for yourself, and you are all self-righteous! You want every thought of yours being right! Then what have you been practicing for? If you are right, it means that sentient beings are wrong; as they are wrong, then you don’t need to do your practices at all!

If sentient beings were right in everything, they would all have been reborn in the Land of Amitabha; why would they still have remained on earth? As there is pandemic of coronavirus now, monastics should be even more mindful of their thoughts and acts. If you still think this thing is not right, or that thing is not good, then does it mean you are good? If you have these kinds of thoughts or behavior, based on what are mentioned in the Ratnakuta Sutra about the three sequential stages for being in the Land of Amitabha, you are totally unqualified to ‘go’ there. Do not behave that when you think things are right, then they are right. This is the first time, in two months, that you have come here to attend a puja (prior attendances were prohibited because of government’s pandemic restrictions), and then you already got scolded by me.

You have an appearance of a monastic already; then do you still have this ‘unreal self’? You have this physical body remaining with you now, and it is to let you have time to do your practices so as to get reborn in the Land of Amitabha. This body of yours is not to let you quarrel or contend with others all day long! You have all received the Bhikkhuni Precepts. In those precepts, it is indicated very clearly that bhikkhunis should not argue with others living in the same hut. Why aren’t you able to observe this precept?

There is pandemic of coronavirus now. I have mentioned very plainly before that those having done negative deeds through lifetime after lifetime, including this one, will have opportunities to get this disease. If you do not work hard doing good, virtuous acts, and if you still live your life selfishly, no matter how you have done your practices, it is of no use. For these past two months, with the blessings and protection of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, you lived a good life. I did and finished many matters though, helping many sentient beings. What about you?

You have no capacity, causes and conditions to help sentient beings. However, working diligently on your practices is also a means to help sentient beings; you should not practice by using your own thoughts! When I expounded the Ratnakuta Sutra last time, I mentioned that there are three types of people who can definitely‘go’ to the Land of Amitabha. Look at yourself to see if you have met those requirements. If not, how can you be reborn in that land? Shakyamuni Buddha said about the requirements very clearly. If not doing your practices based on the methods taught by Shakyamuni Buddha, instead, using those of your own all day long, how are you going to practice right then?

I can tell you more plainly. If you do not practice in accordance with what have been mentioned in sutras and been taught by your guru, even by chanting a million times of the Great Six-Syllable Mantra every day, you still cannot ‘go’ to the Pure Land; there is no way that you will be there. Being reborn in the Land of Amitabha is not complicated; what being complicated is your mind. Having an appearance of a monastic is to decrease affliction. If there is much more affliction for monastics, then why have they been ordained? We laity have not paid off our karma from accumulated past lifetimes, and in this one, we have an appearance of a layman. You, the ordained, do not have heavy karma, and show an appearance of a monastic; do you, contrarily, feel afflicted too? For the female ordained, they can only return to secularization once; for the male ordained, they can secularize seven times.

It is like the situation we are in now. We have not been ‘taken in’ by this pandemic of coronavirus, but we get involved in it. This means that in our past lifetimes, we had done such negative deeds and created our own negative karma, therefore, we have encountered obstacles in this life. You still have not been on your guard and been alert, and you think everything is fine since there is my protection over you. Why have I kept on expounding the Ratnakuta Sutra? It has been teaching you clearly to let you know what kinds of people can ‘go’ to the Land of Amitabha. It is mentioned very clearly in the sutra that these are those three types of people – when seeing the Buddha’s Sambhogakaya (reward-body), seeing His Nirmanakaya (emanation-body) and seeing Him in a dream. Ask yourself which type will you be in line with? If you will not be – with any kind of them – it does not matter; at least you should respect your guru, but on that, you don’t, and are unable, to do! To what I have instructed you to do, contrarily, you don’t listen; I have instructed you not to quarrel with each other.

Do not think that because there are no pujas now for you to attend (due to pandemic restrictions on in-door gatherings.), you can relax a little. Do not think that watching puja-telecasts is different from being in pujas in person, feeling you can relax a little, too. You have been all stuck with negative karma, and that is the reason you cannot see your guru, the Buddha and Bodhisattvas in person. You still have not repented yet, and still live a peaceful and happy life.”

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Updated on January 24, 2022