{"id":11313,"date":"2026-07-09T23:26:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T15:26:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gloje.org\/en\/?page_id=11313"},"modified":"2026-07-29T23:28:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T15:28:52","slug":"journal_20260705","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.gloje.org\/en\/journal_20260705","title":{"rendered":"His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche\u2019s Puja Teachings \u2013 July 5, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Mahayana Sutra of the Bodhisattva Treasury of the True Dharma Taught by the Buddha<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n

His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche ascended the Dharma throne and expounded on Scroll 33, Chanding Paramita (Chapter 10, section 3) of <\/b>The Mahayana Sutra of the Bodhisattva Treasury of the True Dharma<\/b><\/i> Taught by the Buddha<\/b>
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\nAfter ascending the Dharma throne, Rinpoche began reciting the Hundred-Syllable Mantra for a while. Then, he instructed the monastic disciples to lead the assembly in reciting <\/b>the Refuge Motivation Prayer<\/b><\/i>, <\/b>the Prayer of Four Immeasurables<\/b><\/i>, <\/b>the Sevenfold Offering Prayer<\/b><\/i>, <\/b>the Prayer for Dharma Transmission, \u2018the Sutra of Recollecting the Three Jewels,\u2019<\/b><\/i> and<\/b> \u2018the Prayer to the Eight Noble Auspicious Ones.\u2019<\/b><\/i>
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\nRinpoche then recited the Great Six-Syllable Mantra for a long period; his sacred body and the mandala emitted a golden ray of light, a miraculous fragrance permeated the air, and the earth trembled. The assembly all felt the chakra vibrate, and their whole body grew warm, especially the chest and heart region. Everyone deeply felt an unprecedented sense of tranquility and inner peace, so they could receive Rinpoche\u2019s incomparably wondrous and pure teachings on the Buddha Dharma.<\/b>
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\nRinpoche bestowed precious Dharma teachings:
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\nSutra: \u2018Therefore, there are no fetters within birth and death.\u2019<\/b>
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\nYou are not able to achieve this, but it can be achieved in Vajrayana. Throughout our life journey, we inevitably face birth, aging, sickness, and death. They will absolutely arrive. When people face death, all kinds of fear come. All kinds of suffering come with your birth as well; this is the karma you cannot resolve. However, when one has cultivated to the level of a Bodhisattva Mahasattva or a Dharmakaya (Dharma-body) Bodhisattva, birth and death exist only for the purpose of benefiting sentient beings. Strictly speaking, there is no birth and death for a Bodhisattva. It\u2019s just through the power of vows, a Bodhisattva manifests the process of birth and death. For example, to liberate human beings, a Bodhisattva must appear as a human. Likewise, in former lives, when Shakyamuni Buddha was liberating deer, he manifested as the king of deer. When he was liberating macaques, he manifested as a macaque. Therefore, he went through the birth and death we perceived. But in fact, both birth and death are \u015b\u016bnyat\u0101 (Puja Teachings Index 21).
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\nWhat is meant by \u015b\u016bnyat\u0101 (Puja Teachings Index 21)? It means that all phenomena arise from a fate and cease when that fate comes to an end. If we can break away from birth, then naturally there will be no death. To break away from birth means resolving the attachment to birth and the karmic forces that bind us to cyclic existence within this very lifetime. To resolve them means repaying all of our karmic debts. Once those debts have been repaid, there is no need to be born again\u2014unless, through the power of my vows, I choose to return to liberate sentient beings. Death means that all karmic forces have come to an end and have been completely exhausted. Many people think that death simply means the physical body dies and everything is over. That is not the case. This physical body is a karmic body\u2014the result of the virtuous and evil karma we created in previous lifetimes. Because of that karma, we have obtained this body in our present life. Throughout this lifetime, both virtuous and evil karma continue to manifest, though virtuous karma usually outweighs evil karma. When all of that virtuous and evil karma has run its course, this karmic body disappears; that is what we call death. Until one\u2019s karmic debts have been fully repaid, one cannot die.
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\nSome people should already have died, yet because they are concerned about certain things, they are unable to die. For example, I sometimes teach children to make prostrations to the Buddha on behalf of their parents. Their parents\u2019 karmic bodies have reached the end of their time and should no longer be expected to sustain life. Yet, because they remain attached to certain things, the force of their evil karma continues to persist. One common attachment is money. Is attachment to money a sin? Yes, it is, because they are reluctant to make offerings. So they cannot die and continue to suffer. The Sutra of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha\u2019s Fundamental Vows<\/i> also teaches that some people lie bedridden, unable either to live or to die, because the karma keeps on binding and entangling them. That is why we should help them engage in many Buddhist activities.
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\nThe meaning of this sentence is that once a person\u2019s pure original essence has been revealed through cultivation, within \u015b\u016bnyat\u0101 (Puja Teachings Index 21), everything that occurs in the cycle of birth and death arises solely through the power of vows and is no longer concerning virtuous or evil karma. At that point, one\u2019s mind is no longer bound by the process of birth and death, nor does it become entangled in countless thoughts about it. Why do people suffer so much before they die? Because they do not want to die. They are bound by birth and death. However, a Buddhist practitioner understands that the karmic debts of this lifetime have been repaid and that there will certainly be future lives. Then, if he has complete reverence and faith in his guru and knows that the guru will continue to help him in future lifetimes, the suffering he experiences at the time of death will be greatly reduced or may even disappear altogether.
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\nMany people think that they are learning Buddhism and cultivating, and that has nothing to do with the guru. Of course, it is you who are practicing. The crucial point, however, is that with your own limited strength, you are incapable of transforming your karma. You must rely on the blessings of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and the guru for the power to transform your karmic force to arise. That is why the bodies of those whom I have blessed immediately undergo visible changes. The disciple who spoke earlier explained this very clearly (see Traces of Liberating Beings, No. 1334). Many people think these changes simply make the deceased look better; that is not the point. The auspicious signs clearly demonstrate that the body has changed for the better. For example, some people suffer from ascites before they die. After I bless them, the ascites disappear. It does not drain onto the bed or the floor; it disappears. Why do the ascites disappear? Ascites reflect the deceased\u2019s greed in this lifetime. They consume much flesh of sentient beings. At death, the beings become a fluid flow out of their bodies. Where does the fluid lead the deceased toward? Hell. After my blessings, those sentient beings depart, and the ascites disappear.
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\nMany of my disciples have had family members who have had ascites before passing away. As long as I bless them, even before I transform their consciousnesses, the ascites disappear. Those of you who have witnessed this, raise your hands. (Many people in the presence raised their hands.) Have you seen it? I am not making empty claims; I did not even need to be physically present before the deceased; I was able to accomplish this from far away. As long as I know the deceased\u2019s name and Chinese zodiac sign, once I bestow my blessings, the ascites disappear. When ascites fills the abdomen, it prevents the deceased\u2019s consciousness from ascending, so the consciousness will definitely descend toward the Three Evil Realms. Therefore, if an elder in your family passed away with a severely swollen abdomen, or with ascitic fluid soaking the bed sheets and blankets, I cannot say with absolute certainty that they fell into the Three Evil Realms, but I can say that they certainly did not go to the Three Virtuous Realms. Some people think that as long as they are vegetarians, they invite someone to recite sutras. It is true that being a vegetarian creates some good fortune for the deceased. However, if the person reciting the sutras lacks the heart of compassion (maitr\u012b and karu\u1e47\u0101), merit, and the capability of helping, then reciting the sutras is no different from playing a recording; it is of no use. I have a monastic disciple who used to make a living by reciting sutras for the deceased. She knows this very well; not a single deceased person was ever liberated in that way, nor did the appearance of a single body improve after the sutra recitation. She was a monastic!
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\nSome people think that if they recite at home for their mother, she will certainly go to Amitabha\u2019s Land. That is haughtiness and arrogance! It won\u2019t happen. If you have read the Five Sutras of the Pure Land School<\/i>, you will know that nowhere do the sutras state that reciting the Buddha\u2019s name on someone else\u2019s behalf will ensure the person to be reborn in Amitabha\u2019s Pure Land. Because when Shakyamuni Buddha transmitted the Pure Land teachings, he taught only Exoteric Buddhism. The Buddha only transmitted Vajrayana to his aunt. The Sixteen Visualizations of the Pure Land is Vajrayana, but the Sixteen Visualizations of the Pure Land have now been lost in China. Rinpoche asked the monastic disciple who had been ordained the longest: Do you know how to practice the Sixteen Visualizations of the Pure Land? I don\u2019t even know whether you practice chan (Puja Teachings Index 06) or the Pure Land. (The disciple replies: I have read about the Visualization of the Sun.) How do you visualize it? (The disciple replies: By visualizing the setting sun, the sun.”) By staring at the sun as it goes down? Go ahead and try it today. If you don\u2019t lose your sight tomorrow, I\u2019ll take your surname. First, visualize the sun; the second is of the moon; and there are sixteen visualizations in all. When Shakyamuni Buddha transmitted the Dharma to his aunt, he did so privately, one-to-one, with no one else present. What he transmitted was the Vajra Dharma of the Pure Land, the Phowa Dharma.
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\nMany people believe that simply reciting sutras is enough for the deceased to attain liberation; these monastic disciples have read many sutras. Do any of the sutras say that reciting them will certainly liberate the deceased? (The assembly replies: No.) In all the sutras taught by Shakyamuni Buddha, we are encouraged to cultivate while we are still alive. Only the Sutra of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha\u2019s Fundamental Vows<\/i> explains how to help the deceased leave the Three Evil Realms. However, the conditions it sets forth are so tough that almost no one can fulfill them. I have previously given teachings on the Sutra of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha\u2019s Fundamental Vows<\/i> (His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche Expounding on the Sutra of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha\u2019s Fundamental Vows<\/a>), and you may refer to them. If the person who is liberating others has not liberated himself from the fetters<\/b>, how can he possibly liberate someone else? It is like someone who wants to travel to another place but has neither transportation nor money for the journey. He comes to me and asks whether I have a vehicle or some money to lend him. I reply, \u2018No. But in my heart, I sincerely hope you can get there.\u2019 Can he reach his destination? It is the same when people say, \u2018May the deceased be reborn in Amitabha\u2019s Pure Land.\u2019 Can they really get there? If you have given them nothing, how can they possibly go? It is very difficult to break this superstition because it has become such a widespread custom. It is very popular to chant for the deceased.
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\n\u2018Chanting for the deceased\u2019 taught in the sutras refers to a person who has practiced the Pure Land School while alive. Dharma brothers from the same Pure Land School gather around that person because they fear that, at the moment of death, the person\u2019s mind may become disturbed. But the important thing is that the dying person must foreknow the time of his death. His Dharma brothers continuously recite Amitabha Buddha by his side, so that his mind remains calm and settled. That is what the sutras mean by chanting for the deceased. It does not mean waiting until the person has stopped breathing and then surrounding the body and reciting for eight hours. How many of you have chanted for the deceased? Raise your hands. (Some people raised their hands.) Does it work? (The assembly replies: No.) Why not? (A monastic disciple replies: There is no merit.) How long did you recite? (The monastic disciple replies: For more than eight hours.) Why didn\u2019t it work? He is even a monastic, and many of you recited with great sincerity and earnestness. Without compassion (maitr\u012b and karu\u1e47\u0101) and without merit, it won\u2019t work.
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\nI can say that, for the past several decades, I have primarily focused on transferring sentient beings\u2019 consciousnesses. Why? Because my father died suddenly of a heart attack. My father was a highly accomplished Taoist practitioner. He could draw fu to heal illnesses, and I learned those methods from him as well. He was able to take us to the Heaven Realm to witness what was there, and also places near Hell to see what is going on there. Yet when his time came, he passed away without a single sign. At that moment, I made a vow to myself that I would learn a Dharma method capable of liberating my father, and of liberating sentient beings as well. We also follow Chinese custom; as the eldest son, I stepped on a tile\u2014that is, breaking the tile, not the Phowa Dharma. In the end, it was of no use. I knew very clearly that I had not transferred my father\u2019s consciousness.
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\nLater, after I began learning Exoteric Buddhism, I acquired the Eighty-eight Buddhas Great Repentance.<\/i> On behalf of my father, I made one full prostration after every single line. I made full prostration for about three hours each day, continuing for more than two years. Only then did my father appear to me and allow me to see that he had been reborn in the Heavenly Realm. Could any of you do that? Even the monastics cannot make one full prostration after every line, so do not compare yourselves with me or speak of who is more capable. Don\u2019t even have to mention Vajrayana; we speak of a purely Exoteric Buddhism method. Rinpoche asks the monastic disciple who has been ordained the longest: Do you know the Eighty-eight Buddhas Great Repentance<\/i>? (The disciple replies: Yes.) Normally, how long does it take to complete the full prostration? I do not mean one full prostration after every line, but the usual way. (The disciple replies: About forty minutes.) I practiced for three hours because I recited one line and then made one full prostration. I had not yet learned Vajrayana at that time. It was not until three years later that I clearly dreamed of my father in the Heavenly Realm. Just as the Sutra of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha\u2019s Fundamental Vows<\/i> explains how Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha made offerings to the Buddha and thereby came to know the realm into which her mother had been reborn. Likewise, I accomplished it myself, so I know with certainty that I can do it. None of you can.
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\nIn addition to making one prostration after every line, I also recited the sacred name of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara ten thousand times, the Great Compassion Mantra forty-nine times, the Heart Sutra, the Rebirth in the Pure Land Mantra, and the Universal Gate Chapter every day. On top of that, I spent another three hours every day. At that time, I was still a lay practitioner, not yet a guru, yet I practiced every single day. I knew that my father was suffering, so I must do it. Could any of you do the same? So do not speak to me as though you know better, saying, \u2018My master said that if we recite Amitabha Buddha\u2019s name for eight hours, continue for forty-nine days, or hold a seven-day retreat, the deceased will certainly go to the Pure Land. I have never seen any sutra that teaches this. What does forty-nine days mean? After death, a being in bardo remains sleeping and awakens once every seven days. At each awakening, if someone is reciting sutras or the Buddha\u2019s name on that person\u2019s behalf, there may be an opportunity for the deceased\u2019s consciousness to avoid falling into the Three Evil Realms. However, the one performing the recitation cannot be just anyone; it must be a realized practitioner; only then can it benefit him. After forty-nine days, the person enters reincarnation according to his karma. Does that mean rebirth always takes place on the fiftieth day, or perhaps ten years later? Not necessarily. The oldest ghost I have encountered had remained for nearly three hundred years. Some people, burdened with heavy karma, descend immediately after their last breath. Others, whose karma is lighter, may linger for several years before moving on. It\u2019s complicated.
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\nWhy is it that every time I perform the Chod, as soon as I blow the Dharma instrument, all of you immediately feel a chill? It is because many sentient beings have not yet gone into their reincarnation, and they come here. They sense that there is a compassionate (maitr\u012b and karu\u1e47\u0101) power here that can help them, and so they come. Only then am I able to help resolve the matter of birth and death for them. If I had not cultivated compassion (maitr\u012b and karu\u1e47\u0101), then even if I blew the thigh-bone trumpet a hundred times, they would not come. That is why the liberation of sentient beings is an extremely serious and exacting matter. It is not something to be taken lightly.
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\nBack when I was still learning Exoteric Buddhism, a friend once took me to a Vihara. Such places are no longer as popular today, but in those days, it was quite popular for one or two hundred people to run a Vihara and gather weekly to recite the sutras and hold a puja. My friend invited me to join them. The moment they announced that they were about to begin reciting sutras to liberate the deceased, I immediately pulled my friend aside and said, \u2018We should go.\u2019 Do you know why? Because we are there in the present. As they began reciting the sutras, ghosts came. Once the ghosts arrived, however, those people had no ability to liberate them. The ghosts would then become angry, and when they became angry, everyone present would have trouble. Because I had previously learned Taoism, I understood these matters very clearly. They believed that by reciting sutras, they were liberating sentient beings and thereby accumulating good fortune and merit. Let Rinpoche tell you one more story. I had not intended to mention it, so today I may spend a little less time on the sutras.<\/p>\n

When I was learning Exoteric Buddhism, the first time I attended a liberation puja, before participating, I stood before the tablets for liberation and made a vow that this liberation puja would liberate all sentient beings, whether they have fate with me or not. That night, I did not sleep, nor could I fall asleep. Sentient beings of every color- red, white, blue, green, and all came and lined up at the entrance of my master\u2019s Buddhist monastery. Therefore, there must also be people who make this kind of vow. If not, no matter how much one recites, sentient beings won\u2019t come. Today, Rinpoche speaks about this story not to say that I am very capable. But if I were not capable, for me, who performed liberation for several decades, I couldn’t live to the age of eighty; I would definitely have passed away long ago. I can live to eighty, which shows that I have liberated sentient beings and helped sentient beings. Therefore, sentient beings will not become obstacles to my learning of Buddhism.
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\nSutra: \u2018Why is this so?\u00a0 It is because one has been completely liberated from the fetters of karma-producing actions, the bonds of all afflictions, and deluded attachments.\u2019<\/b>
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\nOne can be completely liberated from the karma power of life, all afflictions, all fetters, and all attachments. How can one be liberated? One must cultivate the Wisdom of the Equal Self-Nature. Learning Buddhism, one must cultivate the Five Wisdoms, and one of them is called the Wisdom of the Equal Self-Nature. The Wisdom of the Equal Self-Nature is facing towards the matter of life and death, with the Wisdom of the Equal Self-Nature to see; neither craving life nor fearing death. One simply regards life and death as a process and a tool for liberating sentient beings. To a Bodhisattva, the karma force of life and afflictions is not to fetter him. Therefore, being born, he will follow the power of his vows and ceaselessly cultivate, continually benefiting sentient beings; even if he encounters many obstacles and many disturbances along the way, the final ending still remains in the liberation of sentient beings.
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\nSutra: \u2018 Moreover, one does not damage Mah\u0101y\u0101na. One accomplishes and realizes all Buddha Dharmas. Yet, when these Buddha Dharmas are sought thoroughly in the ten directions, they cannot ultimately be found.\u2019<\/b>
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\nWhat does \u2018does not damage<\/b>\u2019 mean? Even if he continually takes birth, being reborn again and again, the attitude toward cultivation and the mind of liberating sentient beings are not damaged. Still the same; continuously come to help sentient beings. I believe that in past lives, I must certainly have practiced before; in this lifetime, drawn by karma force, I took birth. However, my heart of liberating sentient beings appeared when the time came. There is no need to deliberately think, \u2018I want to do this and that.\u2019
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\nHere it states that although a Bodhisattva comes through reincarnation, this reincarnation is not his karma force, but his power of vows. Because his vows have not been damaged, therefore, he is also able to obtain attainment and a fruition level of Mahayana in this life. All the Buddha Dharma that he learned, \u2018sought thoroughly in the ten directions, they cannot ultimately be found.\u2019 <\/b>To put it simply, even if one searches for it throughout the ten directions, it still cannot\u00a0
\nbe attained. Instead, its power arises naturally. As His Holiness often says, “My accomplishments in Dharma practice came about naturally. \u2018Naturally\u2019means that I had no preconceived ideas and no intention of trying to achieve anything in particular. As long as I practiced, the accomplishments arose of themselves.
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\nSutra:\u2018Furthermore, all Dharma are acted in accordance with the Buddha Dharma. Therefore, Buddha Dharma is all Dharma. Yet, if one deliberately seeks after Dharmas, one will not attain them.\u2019<\/b>
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\nFurthermore, all Dharma are acted in accordance with the Buddha Dharma. <\/b>It means that everything he does is in accordance with the Buddha Dharma. Therefore, Buddha Dharma is all Dharma. <\/b>\u00a0So the Dharma is everything he does. Yet, if one deliberately seeks after Dharmas, one will not attain them.<\/b> If one intentionally seeks after all methods, it would instead be unable to be sought. Why can\u2019t it be obtained? Because our own pure self-nature possesses this Buddha-nature, there is no need to search for it. As long as one can attain pure self-nature, the pure Buddha-nature will naturally appear; there is no need to seek.\u00a0 Therefore, the reason why Buddhism isn\u2019t called non-Buddhist (outwardly) religions is that it\u2019s not about seeking outwardly; nor is it about seeking inwardly.\u00a0 It\u2019s about clearing away the matters and things that should not exist; once our self-nature exists, it possesses tremendous power to benefit both ourselves and all sentient beings.
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\nSutra: \u2018Whether calculated or not calculated, it equally transcends all distinctions, without the slightest diminution.\u2019<\/b>
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\nThese two lines mean that whether it is calculated or not, nothing is diminished\u2014it remains exactly the same. It equally transcends all distinctions, without the slightest diminution.<\/b> Simply put, the pure Dharma-nature and the pure Buddha-nature do not become greater because one practices more, nor do they become less because one does not practice. The pure Buddha-nature neither increases nor decreases. The key lies in how one practices. Then why do we need to practice? Because if we do not transform the actions that keep us in sa\u1e43s\u0101ra, our inherently pure Dharma-nature and Buddha-nature will never manifest naturally. We rely on the Buddha Dharma in our practice, yet if our Buddha-nature does not manifest, none of the Buddha Dharma can truly benefit sentient beings. Therefore, those who confidently claim that merely reciting the sutras or mantras can liberate their family members are completely mistaken. Their self-nature has not yet manifested. They are merely reciting with their mouths, reciting with their ordinary consciousness, and reciting according to their own ideas\u2014not from their pure self-nature. Why is Rinpoche able to liberate beings? Why can my blessings bring about change when you encounter issues? It is because I act through my Buddha-nature.<\/p>\n

What are we cultivating? Having heard and cultivated so many Dharmas, it is to stop, reduce, or even eliminate the virtuous and evil karma we have brought from accumulated lives which influence and hinder us from practicing the Dharma. Therefore, we cultivate the Bodhisattva Path, so-called bh\u0101van\u0101m\u0101rga; it does not mean cultivating myself to become a Bodhisattva; rather, it is to practice ourselves to eliminate the way we do things as an ordinary human. What we had spoken previously: all Dharma is Buddha Dharma. When you say that all Dharma is Buddha Dharma, then you are within the Buddha Dharma. Just as the disciple who shared before the puja about how Rinpoche does business, this is Buddha Dharma. I do business according to the Buddha Dharma. Yet you will not see Buddha statues displayed in my shop, nor will you hear Buddhist sutras being played there, because as long as my heart is doing it, then it is fine. Some people might not be Buddhists; once he hears it, he might not like to come. As long as everything one does is carried out in accordance with the Buddha Dharma, controls the greed, hatred, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt well, has conscience and acts in good conscience towards others, then that is enough.\u00a0
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\nThe Buddhist sutra does not say that we can\u2019t make money, but you need to have conscience. What does conscience mean? Rinpoche\u2019s store uses only the best ingredients; it is not that I am boasting, I really use the best things. Why was our restaurant able to pass the city government’s inspection and be recognized as an outstanding establishment on the very first inspection? Because the inspectors had never seen anyone run a business this way. They even said that we could serve as a model for others. Many of my disciples still have not been there. Is it because you look down on it, or because you cannot afford it? If you cannot afford it, that’s all right. Come and register at my restaurant. I am planning to set up an account so that disciples who are short of money can eat there free of charge. All right? Don’t eat indiscriminately elsewhere. There is a problem with cooking oil now. I use only the best cooking oil\u2014indeed, I use rice bran oil for almost everything. Only when frying do I use a small amount of vegetable oil; everything else is prepared with rice bran oil. You all know how expensive rice bran oil is. I source it from a traditional Japanese manufacturer. They value their reputation and take great pride in their name. Traditional Japanese businesspeople operate quite differently from us because they still uphold values rooted in Confucian ethics. What Rinpoche teaches you today is also something I demonstrate in my own daily life. Yet you do not appreciate it. Instead, you would rather go to all-you-can-eat restaurants. Then, when you become sick, you have only yourselves to blame. All illnesses begin with what you eat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When you conduct yourself and handle matters in accordance with the Buddha Dharma, everything is Buddha Dharma. What is called Buddha Dharma? Buddha Dharma is not to do evil, to act in virtue, and to observe all the precepts. For example, yesterday a disciple came to implore the Dharma text of the Great Six-Syllable Mantra, but I refused. First, he came holding a very thin red envelope. It was not about the money; I have said it many times before. Shakyamuni Buddha once instructed a Bodhisattva to implore the Great Six-Syllable Mantra from a lay practitioner; the Bodhisattva made a great offering. Why did he want to learn the Great Six-Syllable Mantra? It is because he knew that the Great Six-Syllable Mantra could help many sentient beings, so he went for imploring.
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\nWhy did the disciple who came yesterday implore it? It is for the sake of his daughter, hoping that by reciting the Great Six-Syllable Mantra, his daughter would become better. Why is it that none of you take in what I say? My children are unwilling to learn Buddhism, yet I never recited the Great Six-Syllable Mantra for them additionally. This was his karma, and also my karma. Why does no one understand? We must cultivate ourselves properly; when you practice well, then naturally, your children will become better one day. Perhaps it is not in this lifetime, but at least you will no longer owe him in this life. In the next lifetime, everyone can remain at peace, without seeing each other again. Yet you refuse to listen, no matter how many times I tell you.
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\nThere was another one who was even more remarkable. In the past, he had learned a bit of Tibetan from Disciple Lin, and he said that he would wait until he had mastered Tibetan before imploring the Dharma. His Holiness once told me, and I had also asked His Holiness, I said, \u2018Should I learn Tibetan?\u2019 His Holiness said no need. Why? Learning Tibetan is no different from learning Chinese; both are just words. Learning Tibetan and being able to read Tibetan Dharma texts, will you be able to cultivate better? It is impossible! If that were the case, then every Tibetan would be a Rinpoche, right? This person is a teacher; he treats Buddha Dharma as an academic subject, thinking that once he learns Tibetan, he will understand what they are saying. Why can a person be so foolish? Refusing to listen, no matter how many times I tell you, you still insist on learning Buddhism in your own way.
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\nI have told you many of my stories; it is not that I am asking you to imitate me, but it needs a basis, rather than recklessly making things up and practicing according to your own. Therefore, here, it states very clearly: as long as everything one does follows the Buddha Dharma, then it is Buddha Dharma. If you do not apply the Buddha Dharma to do worldly matters, then it is truly not Buddha Dharma; even if one recites sutras every day, it is still no use.<\/p>\n

Sutra: \u2018Thus it is said that there is neither Dharma nor non-Dharma. If one can fully understand both Dharma and non-Dharma, one will not abide in or become attached to either.\u2019<\/b>
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\nHere, non-Dharma <\/b>does not mean something that is against the law. Rather, anything that is not in accord with the Buddha Dharma, it is non-Dharma<\/b>. Buddhism teaches us how to liberate ourselves from sa\u1e43sara and transcend birth and death. It teaches us how to practice the Bodhisattva Path and attain Buddhahood; that is what the Buddha Dharma is all about. Therefore, anything unrelated to these aims is non-Dharma<\/b>. If a Bodhisattva is able to fully understand both Dharma and non-Dharma, then he clearly knows whether what he is doing truly accords with the Buddha Dharma or not. Two weeks ago, a long-time disciple came and said, \u2018Reporting to Rinpoche, my family is in Mainland China, and because\u2026\u2019He went on and on, telling me a long story. After I had listened to the whole thing, he finally said, \u2018I want to go back to worship.\u2019I replied, \u2018Fine. You may go back and travel, but you should no longer be my disciple.\u2019
\n\u00a0
\nWhen you took refuge, I told you that you must not worship ghost deities, and he did not listen. He thought that since it is a person from his family, it would be okay for him to worship. When you took refuge, I also told you that if the elders in your family are still present and there are ancestral tablets at home that you are asked to prostrate, you may simply place a stick of incense there, do not speak, ask for nothing. He didn\u2019t listen. I have discovered that these old men- why are you so stubborn? The two people I am speaking about are both elderly men; one is seventy-one, and the other is seventy-two, and neither of them listens. He thought that by making a report, Rinpoche would be very happy. If using Confucian thought, it was correct. But what are we learning now? Learning Confucianism? No. Why did one throw a concept of Confucianism to me? Although the Ratnakuta Sutra<\/i> states about respecting one’s ancestors, it does not say worshiping!! Respect means don\u2019t forget who your ancestors are. Like many people here say that we are not from over there, we jumped out from a stone; that is disrespectful to the ancestors, even saying that he is from the southern side. (The assembly laughs.) The skin is clearly white, while the South are dark. How could it be possible? Did genes change? Not to discuss this, but towards ancestors, one must pay respect but not worship.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Therefore, when you do things that are non-Dharma, the guru must speak it out. If I don\u2019t speak it out, I\u2019m not a guru; I could also go along with it and say, \u2018Very good! You truly still have such a type of longing for the family. Not bad! You are quite a good person.\u2019 But if I spoke in such a way, I\u2019m not a guru. By worshiping, is it helpful for his family to be liberated from reincarnation? No! Therefore, he is not my disciple. Why do you spend all day long testing Rinpoche? I will say it again: I started from a Daoist background. In the past, when I learned Daoism, I could heal illnesses and see many things. If you were bleeding, I could draw a talisman, stick a paper, and the bleeding would stop immediately. If a fishbone was stuck in the throat, once my hand made a gesture, it went down. I gave up all of these because they are not ultimate and can\u2019t liberate one from life and death. Those are customary practices, and I can choose not to use them. Even if I get sick, I never take out any of the things from the past. It contains many sacred talismans for healing. Whatever illness can be named, there is a talisman for it. Yet I do not use them. I learn Buddhism because I seek only the pure Buddha Dharma, the authentic Dharma, and the true Dharma. They must not be mixed with anything else. Once they are mixed, the Buddha Dharma is no longer present.
\n\u00a0
\nSutra: \u2018Further, the meaning of the various Dharmas is also something not to be clung to or dwelt on. If one clings to meaning, there is no great meaning or benefit. If one dwells on neither meaning nor non-meaning\u2014there too one abides in nothing whatsoever.\u2019<\/b>
\n\u00a0<\/b>
\nThese few sentences tell us to caution ourselves not to casually act disobediently; do not think that one has repented, or that one has repented to the guru. Of course I will accept your repentance, but there will be obstacles along your future path of practice. You say that it\u2019s fine since you\u2019re old now. Indeed it\u2019s fine now, but in the future you will know how it\u2019s not all fine. \u2018Further, the meaning of the various Dharmas is also something not to be clung to or dwelt on.\u2019 <\/b>One must abide by the meaning and not the word\u2014we must understand the meaning of Buddha Dharma, not based on its words or written content.\u00a0
\n\u00a0
\nFor example, one of my disciples believes that by learning Tibetan, she would be able to practice better, and that she abides by the word and not the meaning. Why did His Holiness tell me there\u2019s no need to learn Tibetan? Because I am old, I shouldn’t waste my time learning Tibetan. Second, nowadays most Dharma texts have been translated, so there is further reason for one not to learn Tibetan. Third, all Buddha Dharma focuses on meaning. Fourth, even if you had a Tibetan Dharma text, there are many visualizations which, without the guru\u2019s word, are useless. His Holiness said to me in person once, as His Holiness handed me a Dharma text, midway in speaking he broke off, \u2018Many Rinpoches do not know the meaning.\u2019 Everyone could see this one sentence, but without his explanation of its meaning, everyone remains ignorant of it. Therefore, this sentence is simple and tells you clearly that you shouldn’t think that one can transfer consciousness through reciting the sutras or the name of Buddha Amitabha, have you attained the compassionate (maitr\u012b and karu\u1e47\u0101) heart? Have you attained s\u016bnyat\u0101 (Puja Teachings Index 21)? How reverent are you to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas? If not, then you’re just reciting as if playing a recording for others.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Further, the meaning of the various Dharmas is also something not to be clung to or dwelt on. <\/b>None of the meanings of Buddha Dharma is stagnant and unmoving, nor is it always a certain stereotypical way, or that one must do things a particular way. This means that all the meanings of Dharma<\/b> generate different explanations based on different types of fate. Based on what types of fate? For instance, if you are learning Hinayana Buddhism, one could not teach you about s\u016bnyat\u0101 (Puja Teachings Index 21); if you’re learning Mahayana Buddhism, one could not teach you Hinayana Buddhism. It\u2019s also stated in the Ratnakuta Sutra<\/i> that if you\u2019re practicing Hinayana Buddhism, he would definitely not expound the meaning of s\u016bnyat\u0101 (Puja Teachings Index 21) to you. It is also stated that if you practice Mahayana and Bodhisattvayana, he would absolutely not expound the meaning of Hinayana Buddhism to you. Why not? In fear that your heart might change.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Therefore, the guru must give and instruct each sentient being based on their root capacity. If this disciple is self-righteous in thinking that once they receive the Dharma text, they can attain achievement through their own practice, and refrain from imploring the guru, then they shall never attain achievement. You will definitely ask, \u2018Didn\u2019t His Holiness transmit the Dharma to Rinpoche, and Rinpoche practiced and attained achievement?\u2019 First, I speak Cantonese Mandarin, and you don\u2019t. (The assembly laughs.) You don\u2019t speak Cantonese Mandarin, do you? Second, I have absolute faith in the guru; no question marks at all. In 2007, when I went into retreat in the snow mountains of Lapchi, the mantra bestowed upon me by the guru had many translation mistakes in that the pronunciation was incorrect, but I still recited accordingly. I felt that the recitations did not flow very smoothly, but I still recited regardless, and I did not ask the guru whether or not the pronunciation was correct, because whatever the guru bestowed was accurate, and thus, I attained achievement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But you would definitely want to clarify things. When you want to clarify things, who is the one making things clear? It is your consciousness trying to clarify, and you are treating it as knowledge that needs to be made clear. Of course, it does come down to what kind of guru you follow! If a guru has reached enlightenment, he can pick up anything at random and explain Buddhism to you, just as when Shakyamuni Buddha held up a flower and smiled, and the Venerable Mah\u0101k\u0101\u015byapa was immediately enlightened. To be able to enable someone to reach enlightenment by random gestures is not what you imagine\u2014no matter how much he has learned. The guru must learn a great deal. Why? Because he needs to liberate sentient beings. You all do not need to learn this much, and you mustn\u2019t think that by constantly pleading for the Dharma you will be able to learn better, you\u2019re simply not cut out for that. Most importantly, we remind all disciples in Drikung Kagyu: The guru is of utmost importance, and your heart towards the guru is very important. The heart does not mean you should love me; you must absolutely not say that you love me, nor should you say that you like me, say neither of these words (The assembly laughs).\u00a0
\n\u00a0
\nBy heart, it means that you must believe that the guru is the Buddha. By Buddha, one does not mean that this person is Buddha, but instead his heart is that of Buddha\u2014he no longer possesses the heart of an ordinary human being, and he employs Buddha\u2019s heart to help you. Therefore, when you think that he is human, you shall receive the help of a human being; but when you believe that the guru employs Buddha\u2019s heart to help you, you shall receive the help of Buddha\u2019s Dharma. Why is it that although one has received the Dharma text, one still cannot attain achievement through practice? Because he constantly believes that he can practice, and he does not believe in the guru. Without the guru to teach and transmit the Dharma, he cannot attain anything. He cannot attain success even after having received the Dharma text. Similarly, very few people dare expound the Ratnakuta Sutra<\/i>, why? Because without having practiced completely, one could not expound its content. What must one practice? One must have practiced the Bodhisattva Path to be able to teach its meaning instead of explaining the meaning and content word for word.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sutra: \u2018Should one directly perceive meaning, then wisdom shall be unobstructed. If wisdom is unobstructed, then there is no more superposition and calculations.\u2019<\/b>
\n\u00a0
\nShould one directly perceive meaning, then wisdom shall be unobstructed. <\/b>If this Bodhisattva can establish all Buddha Dharma\u2014the content, meaning, and deeper import\u2014 as authentic knowledge (samyagj\u00f1\u0101na) and authentic view (samyagd\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e6di), his wisdom will be unobstructed. If it is mere words\u2014just as one might believe that one needs to learn Tibetan\u2014then it is through mere words and not through meaning. If a Bodhisattva, regardless of what the words are, can understand and be clear about the meaning of Buddha Dharma, his wisdom would be unobstructed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If wisdom is unobstructed, then there is no more calculations. <\/b>When wisdom is unobstructed, <\/b>there is no more partiality, hence no more calculating<\/b> and disputing. Many people often say, \u2018Rinpoche berated me.\u2019Why do I berate you? What good will berating you do for me? How much did I reject yesterday in terms of offerings? (The monastic: Reporting to Rinpoche, NT$ 1.3 million.) If I didn\u2019t berate people, I would have pocketed NT$ 1.3 million, right? And thus I berate, refuse, and reject. Why do I reject it? Because Rinpoche looks at your heart, not at your red envelope. If your heart has no intention to make the offering, and you show me your action superficially, I will not accept it; I do not wish to be indebted to you in terms of human affection through money. I am not indebted to you, but I do not want to be indebted to the money in terms of human affection. What does this rejection mean? Because this wisdom is unobstructed<\/b>, his wisdom can penetrate completely; therefore, naturally he will not be hindered by any worldly phenomena or give rise to any partial or incorrect plans to propagate the Buddha Dharma.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sutra: \u2018If<\/b> there are no more calculations, then there is no opposition. If there is no opposition, there is no abiding.\u2019\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

When a Bodhisattva has no partiality or calculations, then there is no opposition. <\/b>What does this mean? There is no right or wrong, only karma (cause and effect). Do you understand? You all say \u2018I need to change,\u2019 but what are you changing? Because you think you are wrong. When Rinpoche looks at you, it isn\u2019t that \u2018you need to change,\u2019 but instead, \u2018you need to practice,\u2019 practice to be rid of those bad things you hold, not change. When you make this error, you correct this matter, but you\u2019re still wrong since you did not get rid of the fundamental quality of it. Therefore, to him, nothing is right or wrong; there is only karma (cause and effect). He looks at what you do\u2014whatever cause you sow will lead you to reap its fruit; thus, he will prevent you from creating evil causes. Even if you may have already created evil causes, he will prevent the evil fruit from emerging. If you hope to hear pleasant words, do not come to learn Buddhism here from me. You have all created evil causes, 1000 percent. For example, the disciple who wanted to go worship and commemorate his sister\u2014he has created an evil cause, and had I not stopped him, it would have been equivalent to giving up his refuge precepts. What would happen if you give up your refuge precepts? You will definitely fall into the Three Evil Realms. No one is afraid of falling into the Three Evil Realms. You think that if one speaks casually about the matter, all is fine; it’s a very severe matter!\u00a0
\n\u00a0
\nIf there is no opposition, there is no abiding. <\/b>When there is no right or wrong, your mind will be attached to anything\u2014to abide<\/b> in something in particular.\u00a0 What does this mean? You would not think that this person is right, that person is wrong. <\/b>You do not view things through the matter of karma (cause and effect), you only see right or wrong through human feelings. There are so many conflicts in the world because we see the right or wrong of human beings through our feelings. What he does is harmful to me, therefore he is bad; what he does may benefit me, so he is good\u2014this is calculations. <\/b>Also, you become attached\u2014your mind becomes fixated on a particular stage and never progresses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sutra: \u2018If there is no abiding, there is no interruption. If there is no interruption, there is no hollow or false action.\u2019\u00a0<\/b>
\n\u00a0<\/b>
\nWhen his heart is not abiding by or fixed on a particular matter or object, there is no interruption<\/b>\u2014his compassionate (maitr\u012b and karu\u1e47\u0101) heart and Bodhicitta will not be severed; they will flow on continuously without end. I keep on berating people, but my Bodhicitta still continues to emerge; I keep on berating people, but my compassionate (maitr\u012b and karu\u1e47\u0101) heart still continues to emerge. I have not been interrupted<\/b> because I do all for your good, not for whether or not you make offerings; it\u2019s not about whether you smile at me or not, or whether you are ugly or beautiful\u2014it\u2019s not related to any of this. If your heart abides<\/b> in something, you sever your Bodhicitta and compassionate (maitr\u012b and karu\u1e47\u0101) heart. Why do I forbid any of my monastic disciples from accepting even a single penny in offerings? Because the instant they accept offerings, their distinguishing mind will emerge gradually; with the rise of the distinguishing mind, one cannot continue to cultivate the compassionate (maitr\u012b and karu\u1e47\u0101) heart.<\/p>\n

If there is no interruption, there is no hollow or false action. <\/b>When his compassionate (maitr\u012b and karu\u1e47\u0101) heart and Bodhicitta are uninterrupted, there is no hollow or false action, <\/b>which means that any of the Dharma he speaks of will be truthful and never hollow or false. What does this mean? One will definitely reach attainment. For instance, earlier when I recited the Great Six-Syllable Mantra, wasn\u2019t it fragrant? ( The assembly: It was fragrant.) It was particularly fragrant today, wasn\u2019t it? ( The assembly: Yes.) It was very warm! ( The assembly: Yes.) Your heart felt warm! Right? ( The assembly: Yes.) So your heart rates will all be normal when you go home today. ( The assembly: Thank you, Rinpoche.) This is Buddha Dharma, one sentence and the next interlocked with each other. Had I not attained achievement today, I wouldn\u2019t have been able to explain this at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What does there is no opposition <\/b>mean? There is no correctness, but what does there is no correctness mean? Because Buddhist sutras were all translated in the Tang Dynasty, the characters used were all very simple. I am not someone from the Tang Dynasty, I was born in the Republic Era\u2014how do I understand it, and how to write such simple language? Once we practice to a certain stage and can comprehend the meaning<\/b> from the Buddhist sutras, one can speak about it naturally. Why don\u2019t I ever need to make preparations ahead of time? I dare not say that I have practiced very well, but I have reached a certain state of mind, and so when I read the sutra, I know what it means and can explain it.\u00a0
\n\u00a0<\/b>
\nThere are no hollow or false actions\u2014<\/b>this means that when I recite mantras, Buddhas\u2019 names, touch you, or blow a breath of air, it is all effective. Because my compassionate (maitr\u012b and karu\u1e47\u0101) heart has never been interrupted. Rinpoche asks the monastic disciple who has been ordained for over thirty years, \u2018Do you understand? What\u2019s the matter? Staring into space? Has it gotten more exciting the further you listened?\u2019(The monastic disciple ordained for over thirty years replies: Rinpoche has attained the Dharmakaya, and all of the merits have taken effect.) Could you speak on the matter if I asked you to? (Monastic: No, I couldn\u2019t.) Is it because just by looking at the text that you couldn\u2019t explain it? (Monastic: I couldn\u2019t.) The Ratnakuta Sutra <\/i>really gives people a hard time.\u00a0 (Monastic: Yes.) They have all been monastic for years, and they have not even heard of anyone else expounding The Ratnakuta Sutra<\/i>. (Monastic: No, I’ve never heard.) Rinpoche asked the other monk: Have you heard?\u00a0 (Monastic: No, I haven’t.) They never teach from it out there.\u00a0 Rinpoche asked the female monastics: Have you heard anyone expound The Ratnakuta Sutra<\/i>? (Female Monastics: No.) It is not that they are unaware of how great this sutra is, but it is truly inexplicable if merely through words\u2014it\u2019s impossible to explain. Therefore, when they debate about the words, I tell them there is no need\u2014I speak through meaning<\/b>. For example, when I look at the Dharma text, only by glancing through the beginning do I know whether there are mistakes in the middle. Many people think, \u2018When I translate, I will use certain words on purpose.\u2019 Don’t mess with me because I’m perfectly clear about it. When a mistake is made in translating the Dharma text, the karma would be extremely severe should one recite the text accordingly. I dare not say how severe\u2014I do not know\u2014but translation cannot be done casually.<\/p>\n

\u00ab Previous<\/a> - Puja Teachings<\/a> - Next \u00bb<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Mahayana Sutra of the Bodhisattva Treasury of the True Dharma Taught by the Buddha 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 \u00a0 After […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-11313","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t