His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s Puja Teachings – January 15, 2023

At the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center in Taipei, His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche lit lamps as an offering to the Buddha, and ascended the Dharma throne. He presided over the auspicious Vajrapani Empowerment Puja, and bestowed precious teachings.

“Today, I will bestow everyone the Dharma of Empowerment of Vajrapani’s Auspicious Accomplishment in Subduing Demons. Vajrapani has a wrathful appearance of Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta, and is also one of the Trinity of the Western Paradise. From the outside perspective, this yidam is Shakyamuni Buddha; from the inside perspective, it is Vajrapani; from the perspective of ‘secret group,’ this yidam is Great Vajradhara, holding and controlling the ‘secret treasure’ of all Buddhas in the Three Periods.

If one obtains the empowerment of Vajrapani and regards it as one’s yidam, this person will not be harmed by any devas, nagas and others of eight groups of non-humans. In our lives, there are many disasters, accidents, or illnesses, all being relevant to devas, nagas and others of eight groups of non-humans. They include dragons, ghosts, and garudas, et cetera. We humans have reincarnated in the Six Realms for many lifetimes. In each lifetime, intentionally or otherwise, we have harmed devas, nagas and others of eight groups of non-humans. Hence, in this life, they will harm you, getting you to have many hindrances produced in your Buddhist practices.

For example, there are some people who have been learning Buddhism here for some time. Then, suddenly, they said that I am very strict and what I have been teaching are not what they wanted. This is exactly because they have not made up their minds to be liberated from reincarnation. If one has not determined to be in that mind, and is only learning the Dharma for current enjoyment of happiness and fulfillment of desires, one will be hindered by devas, nagas and others of eight groups of non-humans. They will make this person unable to continue his or her practices. Some people will say that they can go to other Buddhist centers to learn the Dharma. Yes, they can. However, those centers are not the places that will teach you how to get liberated from reincarnation. People there will just tell you that if you go there and join them, they will perform the Jambhala for you to make you rich in your businesses or get you a good health, and so on. All of these are not the Buddha’s real and true meanings.

Why did I say earlier that if one has been practicing this yidam, one will not be harmed by devas, nagas and others of eight groups of non-humans? It is because it is mentioned in the Dharma text that if one practices the Dharma method of Vajrapani and after one has chanted fully 300,000 times of the yidam’s mantra in a retreat, these devas, nagas and others of eight groups of non-humans can be dispatched by Vajrapani and the practitioner who has practiced the method of this yidam, and can be used to help both of them do their deeds. There is another Dharma text of practicing the Dharma method of Vajrapani, and in this text, it is stated that ‘If one practices the Dharma method of this yidam constantly and diligently, devas, nagas and others of eight groups of non-humans will be, without doubts, like one’s servants.’ This means if you practice the methods of this yidam in the long run, devas, nagas and others of eight groups of non-humans are just like your servants; whatever you want them to do, they will do the things for you.

It is stated in the Dharma text: ‘Ultimately, it is indistinguishable from the Vajra of the mind of the Buddha, and steps into the Action Tantra of Vajrayana. The guru, who has implored this Dharma and performed it, will be the Vajra of the Three Worlds.’ This quote means the guru who performs this Dharma – especially being one having conducted retreats – will certainly be a Vajra of the Three Worlds in the future. The Three Worlds refer to the Heaven of Desires, the Heaven of Forms, and the Heaven of Formlessness. To put it simply, the Vajra guru who performs the Dharma method of this yidam is very strict. This is because the definition of Vajra is ‘indestructibility.’ So, the mind of this performing guru cannot be destructed by any things. Thus, when teaching the disciples, such a guru is the same – with an indestructible mind. He absolutely is not to make friends with you, and will not flatter you either. He will also not make you live a good life.

Your so-called good life is letting you live very comfortably, strike it rich, have a good health, not die, or have a happy family, and so forth. All of these are not the real and true meanings of what the Buddha spoke of. Therefore, when a guru who performs the Dharma methods or rituals of Vajrayana, such a guru must be very strict. Where is the strictness? Many people will say that they precisely do not want to be under strict rules – they want to come here learning Buddhism delightfully. Then, do not come here as this is not a place that will make your learning delightfully.

For ‘delightfulness’ we humans speak of, this kind of happiness always has its residual effects and is the source of all suffering. The meaning of Vajra is that it helps you destroy all hindrances that obstruct your practices. Hence, when you want happiness or want your guru to make you feel delighted, to flatter you, or to like you, this is exactly your hindrance. How is it possible that your guru will flatter you? So, once again, I am reminding everyone of you now that you need to remember this clearly: when Shakyamuni Buddha’s younger brother was unwilling to practice the Dharma methods of getting liberated from reincarnation, he was isolated by the Buddha.

Who do you think you are? Which one of you are my younger brother or my sister? What is your thinking based on that I need to accommodate you? That I have not gotten you isolated now is pretty good already. What had the situations of the Buddha’s younger brother been mentioned in the Ratnakuta Sutra? Bhikkhus there were not allowed to sit together with him, eat meals at the same place with him, or hang up their clothes with his on a same clothesline, let alone that they were not to speak to him. Why have some people left me and the Center? I have already told you that Dharma Protector Achi will drive people out of here; you just do not believe it. If you are driven away by this Protector, it is not because you have done something bad or you are not a good person. Rather, it is because that your guru is one who performs the Dharma methods or rituals of Vajrayana. If you do not listen, want to use your own methods to influence other disciples of mine, and influence the ways the guru propagating the Dharma, it will be strange to say that Dharma Protector Achi does not drive you out of here!
All of you have been in this Center for such a long time and should certainly believe that I do not propagate the Dharma for money. (The audience responded: ‘Yes, we believe that.’) If it were for money, this time, with a sale of six hundred Buddha statues, I could have made a lot of money. What Buddhist center is there that it does not use Buddha statues to get some benefits? However, I do not dare to do it and it is because that as I perform the Dharma methods or rituals of Vajrayana, I am clear about causes and effects. It is like, say, if my parents were still alive today and I had asked them to be aggrieved a bit by sending them out to make money for me, would that have been all right? Since it could not have been, as being a Rinpoche, I would have sacrificed myself. For these statues, do not think that by giving me the cost-price, I could have gotten my capital recovered. I still lost money because renminbi, the currency of China, had its value increased recently – I lost money for you, again. This is also nonchalant so long as you are willing to practice diligently.

Why am I going to give you this empowerment? The Trinity of the Western Paradise are Amitabha, Avalokiteshvara, and Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta. I have given you the empowerments of Amitabha and Avalokiteshvara, and then the Vajrapani empowerment has now followed. Do not think that you can ‘go’ to the Pure Land by just reciting the name of Amitabha. In accordance with practicing methods in Exoteric Buddhism, if you want to be certain that you can be in the Pure Land, you need to recite a Buddha’s name continuously for ‘six periods of time in daytime and nighttime,’ a term for ‘day’ on ancient time. That means you are to recite the name of Amitabha unceasingly 24 hours a day. Not to mention it being impossible for you to do it, even I cannot do it. If it were just for one day, it could still have been done though.

You know that in the past there was a practicing method in the Pure Land School in China. There was no bed in a retreat room. When someone conducting the retreat in the room was very tired and wanted to sleep, that practitioner would just lean against the wall to rest a little. Then after the rest, the person would continue to chant mantras there. Will you able to do it? Only this kind of people can go to the Pure Land! Do not think that if you chant mantras all the time with prayer beads by moving fingers on them and by pressing a counter for the number of times on chanting, you can go to the Pure Land. No, you cannot go there in this way. What does my giving you an empowerment mean? It is to grant you an authorization to practice the Dharma methods of this yidam. This can also be explained that for you, besides taking refuge, as registering for a class , you are given a right additionally to listen to the teachings too.

Thus, in this life, if you can listen to what I have taught, get them through your head, and constantly apply them, even after I pass away, you can definitely have the opportunity to be in the Land of Amitabha. You will say that even if you leave me and the Center, you can still chant the mantra, or recite the name, of Amitabha as usual. It was like what a disciple asked me before. He asked if there is a patent for the Great Six-Syllable Mantra. Of course, there is! Who are the people saying that there is no such a patent? If you have not taken refuge, received its empowerment or been transmitted its pith instruction, no matter how you chant this mantra, you cannot go to the Pure Land. This is exactly what ‘patent’ means here. There was no such a term as ‘patent’ in ancient times, and that is why it has been mentioned clearly that you do not believe in its meanings. So, this empowerment is given to you. It is not that after receiving it, you will become Vajrapani; rather, it is to help you form an affinity with the Trinity of the Western Paradise.

It has been stated in a sutra that ‘no lack of good fortune, merits, causes, and conditions….’ Many people think that if they make grand prostrations or prostrations to a Buddha, there will be causes and conditions for them. No, there will not be! People are truly to form affinities with yidams through empowerments. After you have been given empowerments, if you do not listen to your guru’s teachings and guidance, are angry with your guru, leave the guru, or break away from precepts, then not to mention attaining Buddhahood, there is not even an opportunity for you to go to the Land of Amitabha. You will say that if that is the case, you do not want any empowerments. Then it will even be more impossible to have opportunities to go to that land. Some people talk very overbearingly and will say that they simply do not want to receive empowerments or to take refuge. It is all right. What does it have to do with me? You absolutely cannot go to the Pue Land. Some people will say that they will die first. Who knows? What will it be if it happens that I die first? Then you will have no ‘patent’ to be able to be in the Land of Amitabha.

You can ask around, if the empowerments of the Trinity of the Western Paradise have been given in outside world. All the empowerments given out there have been the Jambhala or about Long Life, with Dharma methods to help you handle money. If people in other Buddhist centers can help you handle money, they should help themselves about it first; why will they help you on it then? It is just that there are such smart people, thinking if they go to those centers to participate the performances or practices of methods of the Jambhala, they will strike it rich. Those who promote the Jambhala are to get rich first and then it will be your turn later! I perform the Jambhala only once a year, and I even have the Dharma text on its empowerment. Why do I not give it to you? Because I do not want to constantly satisfy your limitless desires. Whether you have money or not is the result of what you had done in your past lifetimes. If you are willing to make offerings in this life, what money you should have will be brought forth to you, of course; if you are not willing to make offerings, that kind of money will not come along. In the latter situation, you will feel that you are very poor, and then many matters will happen.

Hence, this empowerment I am going to give you today is to get you reborn in the Western World of Utmost Bliss in the future. Vajrapani can help you obstruct devas, nagas and others of eight groups of non-humans as well as your karmic creditors of accumulated past lifetimes hindering you. I have performed the Three-In-One Dharma method for you before, and the ‘Three’ here are Vajrapani, the Garuda, and Hayagriva. This method is useful for the body, especially preventing heart disease. In addition to that, I will give you a Dharma performance today on Vajrapani’s subduing demons to enhance the blessings given to you so as to let you not pass away suddenly because of a heart disease during the progress of your practices. Nevertheless, for those who have not taken refuge, this performance will not be useful; it is just for them to form an affinity with the yidam. Many people think this: ‘I have come to participate pujas. The Buddha and Bodhisattvas should be sympathizing and pitying me. They see me to have come attending pujas with such sincerity and esteem so they should know me!’ The Buddha and Bodhisattvas will not know you. I do not talk nonsense.

Usually, before giving an empowerment, the guru needs to do a preliminary practice. I already did it this morning, and will give you the empowerment this afternoon. There are also some special Dharma methods of Vajrapani, like the methods to resolve the harms done by great kings of ghosts, dragon kings, goblins, demons, mountain goblins, one-legged ghosts, or constellations, and the methods to counter and shield all devas, nagas and others of eight groups of non-humans. For mountain goblins, they will be in places where you climb mountains or in places on mountains where people worship gods or deities. For one-legged ghosts, there are relatively fewer of them. If devas, nagas and others of eight groups of non-humans appear and harm you, they will all be countered and shielded, and you will not be harmed. The Dharma texts of these Dharma methods for treating diseases are termas; they are not Dharmas that have been appeared generally. I perform them for you very rarely because you do not have good fortune to obtain such kinds of Dharmas.”

Rinpoche started to perform the Dharma. Then, the Mandala-Offering Ritual was in progress. After it had been completed, the guru continued the teachings:

“Visualize the guru expounding the Dharma as the yidam. Visualize the disciples listening to the Dharma as family members. For those listening to the Dharma, when they want to listen to the supreme and auspicious Tantra, they need to possess uncommon motives and behaviors. Then, for receiving the empowerment, they are to recite the Prayer.”

Rinpoche led sentient beings to recite the Prayer and the Repentance Prayer.

“This Dharma is the essence – Tantra – of eighty-four thousand Dharma methods taught by Shakyamuni Buddha. Tantra is divided into four groups. Among them, the one at the highest level is Highest Yoga Tantra, which is further divided into three parts: The Father Tantra, the Mother Tantra, and the Non-Dual Tantra. These contain separate essences of the Partial-Truth-Revelation Yoga in the Father Tantra and the Whole-Truth-Revelation Non-dual method. This Dharma I perform today – in the three parts of Tantra mentioned – is Tantra of Vajrapani, ‘esoteric master.’ In its practices, there are three types, and they are causes, paths, and effects. Of these types, on the sequential stages of expediency on ‘paths,’ there are two paths: ‘path of maturation’ and ‘path of liberation.’ In the midst of these paths, for imploring the summary of the stage of ‘maturation’ empowerment in the blessings of body, speech, and mind, or for progressing the empowerment of ‘granting of authorization,’ the participants of the puja recite the Prayer by following the recitation of the guru.

From this Prayer, one can see that, firstly, the guru is to have compassion and caring thoughts bequeathed to you. This means if you have not mastered all the methods of the Dharma in your practices, you will not let the guru’s compassion arise. Do not think that if you kneel in front of me and bawl your eyes out, saying you are very miserable or in much suffering, my compassion will be arisen. What is compassion in the Dharma? It is to help a sentient being if he or she wants to be liberated from birth and death. If such a person does not want that, and only wishes for getting blessings, the mind of compassion will not be raised. Everyone thought that compassion meant Bodhisattvas being good to us. No, this was a wrong thought. If they had been good to us, had helped, or accommodated us on everything, then in this world these phenomena would not have existed. Firstly, there would not have been people being sick; secondly, there would not have been poor people around; thirdly, wars would not have occurred; fourthly, pandemic would not have happened; fifthly, there would not have been divorces; sixthly, there would not have been stillborn. You want all things being good to you! Why are they not so? Because what have happened to you are from your karma or from your affinities.

Do you think that the Buddha and Bodhisattvas are not compassionate? They are very compassionate, indeed. The methods they taught us are to make those things I just mentioned not happen. However, you need to act on those teachings! You are not willing to do them though. You have entangled me with your problems all the time, saying ‘Rinpoche, please save me; Rinpoche, I am sick; Rinpoche, please let me get well….’ What will happen after I get you well? Will the result be useful to this world? No, it will not be. After I make you well, there will be one more person in this world to consume the resources of Earth. If you have determined to get liberated from birth and death, not be reincarnated, and be born in the Land of Amitabha, letting you get healthy is what should be done. You will then have capabilities to continue your practices. Nevertheless, you are not like that – you have not made up your mind to be liberated. So, what have you come here to muddle along for?

How to make the guru bequeath caring thoughts to you? The guru performs this Dharma method or teaches it to you because the Buddha taught it. Although the subject of how to make a fortune is mentioned in its Dharma text, the key point is such a guru has already accomplished the deeds of benefiting sentient beings. He is a pass-by ‘wealth deity.’ If fortune has come to him, it is just that he will resolve where the fortune is to go to. What about you? Once you have it, you will use it for paying mortgages, tuition, credit cards, or buying a good car. You are all like this. In this way, the good fortune that you attained from making offerings and almsgiving in your practices in past lifetimes should be enough to be used in this life! Do you want the Buddha and Bodhisattvas giving you a sum of money suddenly? Many people think that performing the Jambhala will make them strike it rich. I mentioned very clearly about this on Chinese New Year Day that if you have not made offerings in this life, no matter how the Jambhala has been performed, it will be of no use to you.

Therefore, it is mentioned in the first sentence of the Prayer here that the guru is to have compassion and caring thoughts bequeathed to you. This means one cannot learn Buddhism without a guru. How is it to have a guru? One needs to take refuge in a guru first. If you are not willing to do that, that guru is not your guru then. Since you do not consider him as your guru, he will not regard you as his disciple. Then, he cannot help you when you have issues later on. Thus, if you want to learn this Dharma method, you need to rely on your guru completely, and then implore the yidam later for other things. As the guru has already promised giving, and transmitted, this method to you, because of that promise, the yidam will only then bequeath caring thoughts to you. Are you clear about the situation now?

Many people say, ‘There are many Bodhisattvas in the void. We can make prostrations to other Bodhisattvas.’ If your guru does not promise you to give you things which are relevant to the Dharma, will those Bodhisattvas promise to give you the same things? All of those who wrote this Dharma text that is used today, possess the fruition level of a Bodhisattva. They should have written ‘Vajradhara is to bequeath caring thoughts to….’ first, and then wrote about ‘the guru is to bequeath….’ Why was ‘the guru’ mentioned first, and then ‘Vajradhara’? If there is no guru transmitting the Dharma, how will you do your practices then? It is like the situation that if His Holiness had not transmitted the Dharma to me – even if I had mastered my practices very well through lifetime after lifetime – I would still have needed to implore him to transmit the Dharma to me in this life. After he has transmitted it, I myself need to do my practices. If I do not practice what have been transmitted to me, there will be of no use. If His Holiness has not given me the Dharma transmissions, even if a Bodhisattva stands in front of me, such an appearance is also useless. This is an ethic of the Dharma.

Many people think that they can make what kinds of prostrations on their own – they can be successful in learning or practicing the Dharma by themselves. Go ahead to do it then! In all sutras, there are no mentions that any of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas are without a guru except for Shakyamuni Buddha when He was at the period of this lifetime. This is because that He had a guru in His prior lifetime. At that time, He had already achieved attainment in Dharmakaya (Dharma-body), and then just came back to this world to attain Buddhahood. Many people will argue that ‘Shakyamuni Buddha did not have a guru either in this lifetime! He attained accomplishment by conducting retreats.’ However, have you read in sutras what the Buddha said previously? He often said, ‘In that lifetime, I did so-and-so under so-and-so Buddha….’ Did He not say it? Or, ‘I listened to the Dharma expounded by so-and-so Buddha….’ There were these types of things He had said! Hence, your arrogance shown is what has been stated earlier that ‘Today, as I did not understand this Dharma, I have come here to listen to it explained. After finishing listening to it, I will practice it on my own.’ So, those who wrote this Dharma text were very amazing. They told you first that if you do not have your guru’s compassion and caring thoughts bequeathed to you, this Dharma will not be transmitted to you. No matter how you implore it to be given to you, you cannot get the transmission.”

Then, the empowerments of body, speech, mind, and torma were in progress.

While Rinpoche performed the empowerment of body, every person present felt that the pores of the body stood on end with a wave of a warm current whirling and flowing in the body. Then Rinpoche expounded: “Just now, I gave you the empowerment of body. After it is in the statues of ‘granting of authorization,’ the habits from accumulated and defiling hindrances of the body are purified, and the body obtains the empowerment of body without residue. The ‘granting of authorization’ is to start practicing and learning the generation stage of the Dharma methods of the yidam, and only then can the causes and conditions of attaining enlightenment of Buddha’s Nirmanakaya (emanation-body) be possessed. Many people say repeatedly that ‘I want to be enlightened.’ You cannot be enlightened. Without going through empowerments and the practices of stages in sequential order, it is impossible for you to get enlightened.”

Then, the empowerment of speech was in progress. Rinpoche also taught the methods of visualization. “After giving you the empowerment of speech, all your habits from accumulated and defiling hindrances of the speech are purified. Why is your mantra-chanting not good or not done smoothly, even being with no bodily strength? It is exactly because in your speech, there are too many defilements, hindrances and habits that are not good. After the empowerment of speech without residue is obtained, the ‘granting of authorization’ is to start chanting in the generation stage of the Dharma methods of the yidam, and only then can the causes and conditions of attaining enlightenment of Buddha’s Sambhogakaya (reward-body) be possessed.”

The empowerment of mind was in progress. (Then, Rinpoche expounded:)
“You will think that there was really not much had been done on this. In fact, many things had already been done. The empowerment of mind had been given to you completely through the guru’s visualization. After the ‘granting of authorization’ of this empowerment was given just now, the habits from accumulated and defiling hindrances of the mind are purified. After the empowerment of mind without residue is obtained, the ‘granting of authorization’ is to start visualizing and practicing yidam’s mind and the sequential order of dual operation of mind and clarity-Emptiness of the yidam, and only then can the causes and conditions of attaining enlightenment of Buddha’s Dharmakaya (Dharma-body) be possessed.”

Then the empowerment of torma was in progress. At this time, a member of the Dharma Affairs Team of the Center presented a heavy torma with both hands to the guru. All one could see was that the guru held the torma effortlessly with one hand and lifted it up; with the other hand, he rang a handbell blessing participants of the puja. Every person present felt a wave of a strong and warm current flowing from head down, directly into the heart. Then, Rinpoche expounded: “This torma represents that Vajrapani and all Vajrapani’s family members bless you on the crown of your head. Such blessings can implore the elimination of hindrances of temporary adverse conditions and bring about positive conditions. Listen to this clearly: it is ‘temporary.’ What does it mean? When you do your practices, the yidam can help you block conditions that are not good, and positive conditions can be brought about. However, so long as your mind changes, the no-good conditions will start to hinder you again while you practice.

The blessings bestowed to you just now are to bless you that you will obtain a body of a Vajra disciple in the future. The blessings are also for disciples’ speech and mind, and for expelling karmic hindrances of the demons of sickness, for destroying the harms done by evil demons, for flourishing fortune and fame, and for obtaining the fruition of a Buddha rapidly. Disciples have received the good and wonderful empowerments of Vajrapani. From now on until before the fruition of a Buddha being attained, disciples are to make vows for getting Vajrapani as their yidam and to do their best in chanting or reciting more of the essence of Vajrapani’s mantra or words.”

Rinpoche led the attendees in chanting the mantra of the yidam for quite a while.

“After receiving the empowerments, we are to observe and protect all precepts of the Dharma in accordance with the principles of the Dharma and to eliminate the unbenevolent acts of the Three Gates of body, speech, and mind. After all those unbenevolent acts are eliminated, we need to do all good deeds with efforts, observe samaya, and make offerings to the guru and the yidam at the mandala with our own body, fortune, and roots of virtue. After such offerings are made, will they be all gone? No, they will not be. There is also this sentence in the Dharma text: ‘A portion of what have been made as offerings will be transformed into a way of siddhi (accomplishment) to be used by oneself.’ When we do our practices, we cultivate both good fortune and wisdom simultaneously, and when we do that, we attain accomplishment (siddhi). This means for you, do not think that as you have changed to become a good person through learning Buddhism and practicing it, you are to enjoy such a good fortune again. You should know that this is the attainment that you have obtained because of your practices. Most of such attainment has been transformed into the offerings which are made to the guru and the yidam, and the remaining portion of the offerings has been transformed into things to be enjoyably used by oneself. It is not stated that you will be given nothing to use.”

After continuing the Dharma performance, Rinpoche led the disciples in the Dharma Protector Achi ritual and dedication prayer. The Dharma performance came to a perfect completion. Rinpoche continued the teachings:

“Next Sunday will be Chinese New Year Day. It proves that I have also one year less being on the earth, and like me, you will be the same. If you think you will muddle along in such ways every year, there will always be not a single year existing for you. Do not consider learning Buddhism as a sideline occupation for you. Many people think learning Buddhism is like that. They feel that the most important thing in life is having a peaceful and happy family, managing businesses smoothly, or being healthy. There is nothing to say against it because those people are humans. Humans absolutely have these types of desires. Nevertheless, it is just like what has been mentioned in sutras that Shakyamuni Buddha hoped that everyone would become a ‘sacred disciple.’ What does it mean? It refers to people who have determined to get liberated from birth and death. If you have not made such a determination, the participations of your attending pujas are only to accumulate a little good fortune of the Human and Heaven Realms. Such good fortune is of no use for you in this life. I am emphasizing it again: the good fortune is not to be used in this life. Do not think that if you have come to attend pujas continuously, you will have good fortune to use in this life. No, it will not happen that way – the good fortune is to be used in one of your future lifetimes. Which one is that lifetime then? Really, no one knows.

It is like a news report that I watched the other day. There was a dog, the richest dog in the world, with a fortune that was seemingly worth a few billion NT$. There was good fortune for the dog, right? Its prior lifetime was certainly like you. It is like that there are some people who have constantly come for pujas, unwilling to take refuge or do practices; they rely on me unceasingly. They will become a wealthy dog in next lifetime with specialized attendants for servicing dogs. If you hope to become a dog, continue with efforts to behave in your current manners then. You will say, ‘Will it be so – becoming a dog?’ Yes, it will be. If not, I, as a Rinpoche, would have been ‘muddling along’ in vain.

Today, I have given you empowerments. Do not think that after receiving them, you will have good luck or good health and all things will be running smoothly for you. What are the key points of an empowerment? Firstly, it is ‘granting of authorization’ for you to practice the Dharma methods of this yidam; secondly, it is because that you lack too much of good fortune, and through an empowerment, your good fortune of practicing will be accumulated. Such an accumulation is not for things you have of the mundane world. It has also been mentioned in the Dharma text just now that we have practiced so many Dharma methods, there are naturally some by-products appearing. What are they? For example, things are going more smoothly; people will listen to you a little; there seem to be more in your wealth; all matters have become a bit better. Nonetheless, these are just by-products. If you think that you have done very well in your practices in that everything is all right – like, say, these monastics here being included who have the same thought – then you are done for; your good fortune is ‘exposed’ and used up. However, if you transform these by-products, resulted from your practices, into siddhi (accomplishment) and, again, continue benefiting sentient beings, your good fortune will be inexhaustible. It is like my situation that I have practiced for decades, and all the accomplishment I have achieved are used to benefit sentient beings, and only then can my good fortune be used incessantly. Otherwise, with a little over 1,000 people abusing me like this every day, I do not know how many Rinpoches will be enough to be abused excessively ‘to death.’ My force of capability has been consumed by you every day. If I had not achieved attainment in siddhi (accomplishment), I really could not have blocked such a power you have that is to consume me. You are truly so great in your behaviors.

It is like what some people said when they left me and the Center. They said, ‘These are not what I want.’ Of course, the teachings were not what these people wanted. I have not been teaching you to fulfill your desires, and the Buddha did not teach me that either. Although in this Dharma text, there are mentions that the empowerments will make you get fortune and other things, et cetera, those things are for what you will need so that you can continue your practices of the later stages, and are not to fulfill your desires.

Therefore, time is gone year after year. So is our lifespan. There are very few years left that you can use in your life. Even if you are ill this time and I let you get well, it does not represent that I will save you forever. Also, do not think this: ‘We will visualize Rinpoche continuously; Rinpoche will certainly save us.’ Even Shakyamuni Buddha – being a Buddha already – would have left this mundane world one day. Do you think if He had been amazing? We will not mention this subject occurred in such a distant era; let us talk about Lord Jigten Sumgon then. What do you say whether he had been awesome or not? He was able to create the whole Drikung Kagyu Order but he only lived to the age of 71. Nevertheless, in Tibet, being able to live to 71 years old was to have a long life, as at that period of his living, people passed away approximately in their forties or fifties. This was because that there were no such living conditions in that region to make a physical body hold on to life. Even if we have achieved attainment through our practices to get the good fortune of our physical body arisen, it is also impossible for us to hold on to life unceasingly. The reason is that some Dharma methods had already been lost, and not been passed down.

For example, there is a Dharma method called ‘Undying Body.’ It means the physical body will not ‘die.’ Our thirteenth Drikung Kagyu throne holder had mastered this method. However, it needed to be practiced starting in one’s childhood (being a male-child.) Have we done that? No, we have not. Padmasambhava had mastered the method of ‘Undying Body’ too. It is said that Padmasambhava had been a little over 800 years old, and only then did he leave Tibet. In the past, there were also some people in Tibet who lived to the age of 200, 300, or a few 100s before they passed away. Nonetheless, this type of Dharma method had been lost, and not been passed down. Occasionally, someone would have appeared who had practiced until reaching a bit over 100 years old before passing away. For instance, there was a female Rinpoche of Drikung Kagyu Order. She passed away when she was a little over the age of 120 years. There will be one or two practitioners like that appearing on occasion, but such appearances are very rare. Hence, do not hope that I will live to 120 years old. Do not think that I still have 40 or 50 years remaining to live, waiting for you to die first. It is you who will wait for me to die. You are very cruel. You wish I will not pass away that I will wait for all of you to die. What will it be then? Do you want me to remain alone? When I am 120 years old, all of you are dead. Who are to attend me then?” (The attendees laughed.) “Are you not very cruel? This is selfishness. Everyone is so incredibly selfish.

When people get old, they will face the matter of death one day, of course. I have done so many things. Besides preparing well of my own future death, I help all my disciples prepare well on their deaths too. Am I cursing you to die? No, I am not, absolutely. If you should not die at a certain time or in a certain event, you will not die even if you are hit be a car. Recently, the mother of a disciple had a car accident, but the lady did not die. This was the situation we are now talking about, right? Then again, if it is time for one to die, even by taking a medicinal pill, the person will die by choking on it unaccountably. Thus, do not worry about the time, the places, or the incidents of death.

We have been learning Buddhism. The most important focal point of what had been spoken of by the Buddha is how to get liberated from birth and death. Even when His own younger brother was unwilling to learn this Dharma method, the Buddha ignore him. The brother could get to the Heaven Realm to enjoy the greatest good fortune, but Buddha showed him very clearly what the scene would be after his brother’s death. He would fall into the Hell Realm and be in a burning boiler full of oil. So, the term that you call as ‘the Dharma of the Human and Heaven Realms’ means going to the Heaven Realm first and then do practices there. There are only a handful of people who have such a great good fortune like Shakyamuni Buddha’s mother in that the Buddha went to the Trayastrimsa Heaven to expound the Dharma to her. Who else is like Shakyamuni Buddha’s mother then? There is no one. Even for my mother, I needed to ‘send’ her to the Land of Amitabha. What is your thinking based on that you can get to the Pure Land? Why have you still not made up your mind to be there? You even said, ‘Such a teaching is not what I want. Rinpoche is too strict.’ Well, if I am not strict, how do you get to the Pure Land? You cannot go there. Do no think this, ‘I will wait for Rinpoche to perform the Phowa for me when I die.’ How will that be? When the time comes, I will be at the Land of Amitabha. At that time, do I come back here to the world, again, and help you by performing the Phowa? Or, do I help you by performing it with supernatural powers?

It is stated quite clearly in the Amitabha Sutra that for good men and good women, they cannot go to the Pure Land if they do not have good fortune, causes, and conditions. Where do these things come from? Besides relying on your guru’s teachings and guidance, you need to rely on yourself too. Do not be lazy every day. Do not think that if by just reciting Buddhas’ names or chanting mantras a few 1,000s times a day, you can go to the Pure Land. You yourself need to thoroughly amend your own habits which are not good. It has been mentioned in the Dharma text just now that all of your thoughts, words, and actions have a whole lot of no-good habits, and they will hinder you in your practices. Therefore, once your habits are shown – like being very pleased or being unhappy – you need to pay attention to these, say, feelings, and amend your behaviors immediately. We are ordinary people, and even if we have achieved accomplishment in the fruition level of a Bodhisattva, before we have attained such a level to the Tenth Ground, there are opportunities for us to have some issues appearing from our body, speech, and mind. What is the difference between those people, who have not learned Buddhism, and us? We will do a self-examination on our own or take the initiative in such an examination. Do not wait for other people doing it to you.

All your thoughts are detestable; they are really abominable. Now, I have come to think of it that you are reincarnated from dinosaurs. Every thought you have is so extremely horrible in that you think of yourself first; it is like this: ‘Regardless of what extent that Rinpoche can be used, we will do our best to use him until he is “squeezed out dry” by us.’ If I am to be ‘squeezed out dry’ by you, I am nonchalant about it. The problem is – after that final ‘squeeze’ happens, if you are able to go to the Land of Amitabha, I will also make you achieve attainment – that you still cannot go to the Pure Land either. At the end of a year, I am even saying these types of things to give you a stroke of bad luck. If you think that ‘Rinpoche, please bless us to get us auspicious and wishful next year,’ and if you do not practice diligently, how can you be auspicious and wishful? If people can gain the states of these two words by just saying them, then how is it about ‘Tashi Delek’ (Translator’s note: It is a greeting, meaning ‘welcome and wishing you auspicious.’) spoken by Tibetans all the time? Are they auspicious and wishful every day? No, they are not because the term is a catchphrase.

It is equivalent to the saying of ‘wishing you wealthy and prosperous.’ Will the person been spoken to get rich? No, he or she will not. Nowadays, we do not say this term because it has become ‘Happy New Year.’ Have Chinese ever said ‘Happy New Year’?” (Rinpoche asked a Ph.D.-in-Chinese-disciple a question.) (She replied, ‘I am reporting to Rinpoche. Chinese do not say “Happy” in this occasion.’ “What do they say then?” (She answered, ‘Being auspicious and peaceful.’) “They say ‘striking it rich.’ We have been changed too seriously by westerners. What does ‘Happy New Year’ mean? Where is happiness derived from? It has been established on other people’s suffering. How is this explained? On a New Year Day, if you want to be happy for eating in a restaurant, and if there are no restaurants opening, can you be happy? If you like to sing in a karaoke, and if no such systems are available, can you be happy? If there is no one giving you a ‘red envelope,’ will you be happy? If there are no Dharma performances by me to help you, will you be happy? Then, is it not a happiness established on my suffering? Therefore, do not say ‘happy’ in various occasions. That word is the way that westerners speak. All right? Everyone is to change this. When did you change a New Year greeting to ‘‘Happy New Year’ like westerners saying it? All of you are the ones who have come out to ‘mix’ – spending time idly or aimlessly. This ‘mix’ here is like the ‘mix’ in the term of ‘a mixblood,’ not like the ‘mix’ in a term about ‘mixing in a gangland’ or ‘mixing in a foreign country.’ Hence, on next Sunday, the day of a Chinese New Year, there will be Dharma performances as usual. You can find many reasons not to come; for that, I will be delighted too.”

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Updated on January 30, 2025