Advice by Zopa

Tonglen and Emptiness

Kopan Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal

1 April 2020

Transcribed live by Ven. Joan Nicell and Ven. Tenzin Tsomo, , 1 April 2020.

© FPMT Inc., 2020

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Tonglen and Emptiness Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1 April 2020

Tonglen and Emptiness

Good morning, good evening, good afternoon, good night! In the world there are different times at the same time. At the same hour, different times, and also the hours are different at the same time. To all my most dear, most kind, most precious, my wish-fulfilling, wish-fulfilling students and friends and fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, from whom I have received all the happiness from the past beginningless rebirths, now, and in the future, including enlightenment, , the total cessation of obscurations, mistakes of the mind, and the completion of all realizations. For numberless times from beginningless rebirths you cherished me and loved me, your life you dedicated to me, for my happiness, well-being, education, protection, for everything, for my happiness from beginningless rebirths and also in the future. How I see the mothers, even including animals, [such as] the monkeys who take care so much of their babies, even looking at the animals and people, how they cherish [their children] is unbelievable. Day and night they worry, they always think of the happiness of the child, for them to not get sick, to not suffer. [According to] whatever capacity the mother has, she does everything. Like that all sentient beings have done to me. All did and all sentient beings have done like that to me. You understand?

Why is the Coronavirus is Happening in the Powerful Countries? Last time I was talking [about how] this time in particular, this year in particular, [due to] the virus, coronavirus, so many, it is unbelievable, unbelievable, bah, bah, bah, in Italy how many people die in one day, in America, New York, in China. All the bad news is true, but about the good news, I have some doubt. That our friend China has good news, I have some doubt. Then in Spain and many other countries, it has spread. Bah, bah, bah. But it is said just, in Nepal, I think, one person got the virus but got recovered. That first one [happened] when I was in India. Then, there were two or three others, that is all. Then I think in Bhutan it happened two or three, something like that. The interesting thing is, my question is, the interesting thing is, I think I mentioned it in the previous talk, Western people think Nepal is so poor, so poor country, all that. According to Western people, they think, “The virus has to happen in Nepal first.” “In the poor countries, it has to happen first, then die many people.” Then, “In America and China, so much unbelievably developed countries, nothing will happen.” So many, so many [deaths], you can imagine, whatever, like that, supposed to happen but it happened the wrong way—China first, then America, so many people died in New York, then Italy. Ssssh. So those countries, countries were powerful countries, as an example, in America, like that, so many [deaths], in France, so many, in Spain, especially in Spain. It happened the other way around. So that is my question—why? Why? That is my question. That is what I asked to Roger a few times.

1 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Tonglen and Emptiness Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1 April 2020 Advice from His Holiness the and Khadro-la for the Coronavirus Of course, as His Holiness advised, [you can do] . Tara is very easy to recite. It is very easy to recite, if somebody wants to pray. Even non-believers want to do something because they are afraid. They don’t know what [methods] to look for as the country doesn’t have [any solution] other than isolation. His Holiness said to do Tara prayer. His Holiness said to do Tara prayer, so if you recite Tara prayer, His Holiness prays for you. You have His Holiness’ prayers. You have to know that, to understand it in that way. If you recite the Tara prayer, you receive His Holiness blessings, his guidance, protection. You have to know that, in that way.1 Then, [as advised by Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme (Khadro-la)], doing retreat, doing retreat on the basis of His Holiness’ guru yoga, as I mentioned last time, 600,000 MANI PADME HUMs.2 Then incense [puja].3 As I mentioned the other day, she [Khadro-la] requested His Holiness to do that every day on the roof. So do those, if they can be organized. I have a relative, Pemba, who is a [center] director. The co-director is Ester, who does all the external things, money, finance. Then Pemba teaches [and is on] the board of directors of the Hong Kong center, Cham Tse Ling. He translated a long time ago the Padmasambhava incense puja. He translated it because Trisha, who became nun, who worked for the centers and was the director at Root, she needed it. She has disease of the liver. Khadro-la said she needs to do this incense puja, so it was translated. I did one or two for her at Root, on the roof. Those who, if you can… You can get the translation and those who can organize, you do that. Then you can do the Padmasambhava incense not just only for you to not get disease or to get recovered, no, for the whole world. Do the puja for the whole world, of course, as a puja for six-realm sentient beings, and for the virus to not spread in the world. Okay.

The Coronavirus is Persuading Us to Practice Virtue and Purify Negative Then I said, here there is the virus and so many people are dying. Therefore, I said it’s appealing, kul wa, ge jor kul wa, it is persuading to practice Dharma, virtue. So then, do whatever you can, the various methods to purify the negative karma collected from beginningless rebirths, [such as] or tsog . You can do that [tsog offering] even if you haven't received a great initiation of a highest deity. Even if you haven't done the retreat, still you can do tsog. It is so powerful to purify the degenerated and vows with the guru and the negative karma collected with sentient beings. Whatever, negative collected with Buddha, Dharma, and [are

1 Recite the Tara mantra (OṂ TĀRE TUTTĀRE TURE SVĀHĀ), as recommended by His Holiness the Dalai Lama 2 Recite the short Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara) mantra on the basis of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Avalokiteshvara Guru Yoga, as recommended by Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme (Khadro-la) 3 Perform Nölsang (Incense Ritual by the Great Master Padmasambhava Called “The Divine Blue Water Clearing Away Contamination), as recommended by Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme (Khadro-la)

2 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Tonglen and Emptiness Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1 April 2020 purified with] tsog. Anything. Even just [reciting] is powerful, most powerful. Then with bodhichitta, [recite] as much as possible. Even without bodhichitta if you recite OM MANI PADME HUM you collect merits more than the number of sand grains of the Pacific Ocean. You collect without bodhichitta [equal to] the number of the grass growing in the world. Even without bodhichitta, reciting [the merits of reciting] OM MANI PADME HUM are more than the number of drops of the Pacific Ocean. It is so unbelievable. [But] with bodhichitta, skies of merit—the sky has no limits—you collect with bodhichitta. Not just OM MANI PADME HUM, but anything you do with bodhichitta. If with bodhichitta you recite OM MANI PADME HUM one time, you collect skies of merit. Then anything, whatever actions you do with body, speech, and mind, is like that with bodhichitta. Bah, bah, bah. If you are going somewhere with bodhichitta, going shopping or whatever, circumambulation, if you are going somewhere with a bodhichitta motivation, then with each walk [step], you collect skies of merit. It is the same thing when teaching Dharma, or talking, or doing consultation [counseling] with bodhichitta—with each word you speak, you collect merits like the sky. You have to know like that, the benefits of bodhichitta. This is just to give an idea for those who don’t know or who don’t think [of that]. So that, so this makes you more pure. Because of the virus—whether it happened to you or not—you get done so much practice. Those who have received a great initiation can do retreat. Those who do retreat can recite the [self-]initiation, then purify the negative karmas of having degenerated the pratimoksha vow, in particular I’m talking, in particular, degenerated the pratimoksha vow, vow, and tantra vow. Lama khyen, lama khyen. If you die right after that, it is the best. Oh, then, you go to a , where it is easy for you to become enlightened, especially like that, where you can become enlightened. It is unbelievable. There is [also] , like Lama Tsongkhapa did, so many hundreds of thousands. I thought for a long time he did six or seven hundred thousand prostrations but no, that is nothing. So much, so much Lama Tsongkhapa did reciting the Thirty-Five Buddhas. Kyabje Denma Locho Rinpoche, I asked Kyabje Denma Locho Rinpoche, from Australia I asked him, I said I’d didn’t hear so much in [Lama Tsongkhapa]s] life story—of course, I didn’t read it completely while paying attention—about Vajrasattva, that he did many hundreds of thousands of Vajrasattva, only Thirty-Five Buddhas so much were done. So Rinpoche replied back, “Your request is like a king giving orders”! “[It is like] ka gya, sealed advice,” sealed, ka gya, ha-ha, Rinpoche said like that. So Rinpoche explained if you do Thirty-Five Buddhas carefully, [since] that has the remedy of the four powers, so if you do as it is explained there, even the tsham me nga, the five heavy negative karmas no break… There are five heavy negative karmas, tsham me nga, killed father, mother, an who is free from samsara, caused disunity among the sangha, and caused blood to a buddha. Those heavy negative karmas, those very heavy negative karmas, that by creating them, there are so many other heavy negative karmas but they all get delayed. Then this is so heavy, then you get reborn straight [away], you get reborn in the heaviest suffering, the hell suffering that is the heaviest among the suffering. Now among the hells, in number eight, Nyalwa Narme, there is unbearable suffering. Nyalwa Narme,

3 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Tonglen and Emptiness Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1 April 2020

Inexhaustible Hell Realm, among the hell suffering this is the heaviest, and then you experience it for eons. I think the length of time is for eons. The suffering is for eons. Even if the world becomes empty but if your karma in that number eight hell suffering is not finished, you get reborn in another universe—it has the six realms, that universe, so that universe’s hell realm—in the number eight hell realm, you get reborn there. Lama khyen, lama khyen, lama khyen. So [the five heavy negative karmas without a break] get purified if you do the Thirty-Five Buddhas one time, even just one time. Oh, then they get purified, Rinpoche said that. If you do it well, then they get purified, Rinpoche said. That is why, for example, Lama Tsongkhapa when he goes to bed, that is his daily practice, he does thirty-five prostrations by reciting the Thirty-Five Buddhas’ names, thirty-five times. Then that makes the mind so kind of free and happy. [It made Lama Tsongkhapa] a happy monk, free, a very happy monk, no fear of the lower realms, all these, to get reborn, no fear, no worry at all. Then with a very happy mind, go to bed. Lama Tsongkhapa [did] like that; as a daily practice he did like that. So much negative karmas, [such as] abandoning the holy Dharma, [there are] so many heavy negative karmas that we committed. Not only from past lives, even in this life, most are there. So with the Thirty-Five Buddhas, they get purified. So much is like that. Every day doing a hundred prostrations by reciting the Thirty- Five Buddhas is so good, at least a hundred prostrations every day, in daily life, even when you are traveling. There was one American, I don’t know his name, in my he was the only one who knows , Chakrasamvara, Guhyasamaja construction, one who knew well, he was a long time in India studying with Kyabje Zimey Rinpoche, his heart guru. He did practice when he was traveling. He has no money. He gets an animal shed, and when he is in the animal shed he does prostrations. People give him food. While he is traveling, he does the preliminary practice. I don’t remember [his name], now it is so long. Ven. Roger: Michael Perrot. Rinpoche: Michael Perrot. He has many commentaries from Kyabje Zimey Rinpoche, Kyabje Zong Rinpoche, many commentaries. , I think, he is supposed to produce a commentary book, but he needed help by Gonsar Rinpoche or myself, so it didn’t get done. I worked with him a little bit before. It got stuck. Sorry. Yes, he is my very dear friend. Okay. When we met Buddhadharma, so that is a great advantage. It makes so happy. Then [due to] the virus, so many people dying, but you are full of things you can do to purify negative karma. Every day you can collect so much merit. Bah, bah, bah. Lama khyen, lama khyen. Whether the virus happens or doesn’t happen, what you can do with your life, bah, bah, bah, is incredible, incredible. That is the kindness of Lama Yeshe and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the kindness. Wow, wow, wow. It is an incredible opportunity. What an opportunity. What an opportunity. Now so many people in the world are dying, so many, thousands, so many hundreds, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, now you can develop compassion for them. They haven't met Dharma, so except they did things with a good heart, even if there is no belief in reincarnation and karma, but with a good heart they did something, good things, for insects, at least for ants or insects or people, good things they did with good heart, those [people]

4 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Tonglen and Emptiness Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1 April 2020 don’t get reborn in the lower realms. From life to life, for millions, hundreds of thousands, from life to life they enjoy the result, happiness, health, a long life, whatever. In particular it is related to how they helped, [whether] they helped with money or something, wealth, life to life, so many gave wealth. Then, at the end, they achieve buddhahood, those who lived a good life, a sincere, good life with a good heart, all those. Otherwise, bah, bah, bah, they have nothing. Ssssh. What they can do in the life to help, nothing to help others, but [also] help to yourself, nothing. Bah, bah, bah. What to do? Tsk, tsk, tsk. So what is left is only negative karma. Then, I don’t know whether I should mention it here or not. Maybe I should mention it here. It is like this, it is said, I don’t know, maybe by Shakya Legshe, in ’s teachings: མཁས་པའི་ིག་པ་ཆེ་ནའང་ཡངས། ། ན་པོའི་ིག་པ་ང་ནའང་ཆེན། །

KHÄ PÄ DIG PA CHHE NA’ANG YANG Even if the negative karma of the learned is heavy, it becomes light. LÜN PÖI DIG PA CHHUNG NA’ANG CHHEN Even if the negative karma of the foolish is small, it becomes great.

“Learned ones, when they create negative karma, very heavy negative karma…” There is zhi, the base, sampa, the thought, motivation, action, then the goal. Those nonvirtuous actions which have the four, then it becomes very heavy. Even if the actions are those very heavy negative karmas, even when a learned one creates negative karma, heavy, but because the learned one knows Vajrasattva practice, how to purify, knows Vajrasattva practice, the tantric practice, so even if the karma is heavy but they can make it very small by doing Vajrasattva practice. So here at Kopan now they finished, quite a few people, quite a number people, I think twenty or twenty-five, twenty-five, who just finished Vajrasattva retreat two or three days ago. [Now] some are leaving for the West. I told them it is the best thing they did. It is the best thing generally but especially now, with the virus, for you and sentient beings, it is the best thing what you did; I was telling them. Vajrasattva. Then for a foolish one, [even if] the negative karma when it is created is very small but then [because he] doesn’t know Vajrasattva practice, every day practicing Vajrasattva they don’t do that, so what happens is that when the negative karma was created it was so small, but then it doubled. The first day, it doubled, then the next day, it tripled. One small negative karma collected today if you don’t do Vajrasattva, it increases and becomes double tomorrow. Kyabje Choden Rinpoche says it becomes twice, double tomorrow, then triple. Bah, bah, bah. Lama khyen, lama khyen, lama khyen. Then after fifteen days, after fifteen days, that very light negative karma, small negative karma, by increasing day by day, after fifteen days, it is the same, karma-wise, even though you don’t have a history of killing a human being, but after fifteen days it is exactly as if you have killed one human being. The karma, by

5 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Tonglen and Emptiness Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1 April 2020 increasing, after fifteen days same as having, the karma becomes very heavy as if you have killed one human being. That is for one karma increasing day by day. After fifteen days, it increases one hundred thousand and ten thousand, or eighteen thousand something, the last part I don’t remember.4 Sorry, my memory is very bad. I will deal with it next [time]. That is very important, very important. So, it increases day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year. Later, when you die, that one small negative karma, by increasing, becomes like mountains. Now for your life what happens, for the sentient being’s life, for eons and eons they have to suffer in the lower realms. Even if you are born a human being, there is the possessed result in a human life. Then [there is] experiencing the result similar to the cause. What you did to others, this time, even if you are born a human being due to another good karma, you receive harm from others. Then creating the result similar to the cause: due to the habit you do the negative karma again, you harm others. [It goes] on and on—bah, bah, bah, lama khyen, lama khyen bah, bah, bah—for eons and eons, like that. Like that. So we really need to pray for sentient beings. We really need to pray for those people who died generally and now so many people died due to the virus in those countries, hundreds, thousands. We need to pray, do tonglen, King of Prayers, or , Guru Shakyamuni Buddha mantra, Vajrasattva [mantra]. When you do Vajrasattva, you visualize sentient beings in your heart, in your heart all the sentient beings, then your family, enemies, friends, strangers. When you do Vajrasattva, it purifies you, then it purifies all the people who died from the virus. Can you imagine? Wow, wow, wow. Tsk, tsk, tsk. So much suffering even for those who are not dead? Then, now, there are so many people now [experiencing] famine the more they do [self-]isolation. The government has to understand that the common people, poor people, common people have so much suffering. The news in India, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah. Tsk, tsk, tsk. They don’t get food, no money, no job, no money. Even though people have a job normally but this time [they don’t have one]. Then there are the normal poor people. I explained the the day before yesterday. Like that, dedicate your merits like that. Even those people [experiencing] famine, not only virus, sickness, but then famine. If it goes longer and longer, people will die from famine. Many people will die from famine.. So I’m saying [do these practices] to help those. Even if they are dead, we are responsible to pray for them. We are responsible to pray to help them. All those practices, purification, we dedicate for them, things like that, whatever you do, whatever you can. When you do Vajrasattva, if you think all sentient beings in your heart, your families, friends, enemies, strangers, Kyabje Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche said if you do like that, when you do powa, helping others to shoot the consciousness in a pure land, then at that

4 Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, p. 184, says: “With the strongest form of confession, you purify the sin to its very roots; the medium form lightens the sin; and at the very least you prevent the sin from increasing in strength. But if you do not confess the sin at all, the sin doubles every day, and small sins become large. For example, killing a louse is a light sin, but if you do not expiate it, after fifteen days the sin is 16,384 times stronger. It has become about the same as killing a human being.”

6 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Tonglen and Emptiness Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1 April 2020 time the powa works because of this, because you did Vajrasattva purification like this by visualizing the sentient beings in your heart. Then that helps when you do powa to others. It works. It is able to help them. It is not just your visualization, but you are able to help. Rinpoche was saying it has that particular benefit. It is so good. Then you are so happy to help others. Bah, bah, bah. So tonglen is very, so good, tonglen practice. In recent years Fred from Singapore, who was commander for many years, an army commander, when he was army training at certain times you have to stop. So what he does is he says his prayers. When in the army he has to stop, he does his prayers, commitments. He has to talk… I think [every] two or three months he has to talk to the army. One Indian Sikh man came, after one, two, or three months he came to see him. He said that actually… He [Fred] was talking about compassion, the man, the Sikh man, said, “Actually you are talking Dharma.” He was, I think, very inspired. Then, because his [Fred’s] wife suddenly died, I told him to become a monk. Now he is at Rolwaling in a Padmasambhava cave, a very wonderful Padmasambhava cave, where nectar drops from the roof. When I was a very small boy, I was taken there but we didn’t do ribu sangcho, incense puja [there]. There is a mark in the roof from Padmasambhava’s hat. There is wax in the center. They put wax where the drop comes, the nectar. The monk who took me there didn’t do incense puja. He [Fred, Ven. Drachom] is there now doing retreat. So there was one army [man] who has cancer, he [Ven. Drachom] told him to do tonglen. I don’t think was somebody who practiced Dharma, philosophy, not even . I don’t think so. He told him to do tonglen, to take all sentient beings’ suffering on him. He did that very sincerely, he recovered, his cancer recovered. Then recently, there was one patient, with cancer, I think. What happened is, it wasn’t tonglen, but there was a . He turned the prayer wheel. I don’t remember whether he did a visualization. From a prayer wheel you can do a visualization of beams emitted, healing the cancer. He did like that and recovered from cancer. That happened in recent times. As he [Ven. Drachom] advised, they really believed that. To help, so that [tonglen] is to help. Generally poor people, to help people; people who have so much suffering, to help them; and those who have the virus, to help them, it [tonglen] is so good. For example, in , in an animal leather boat—they were made by ?? in old times—there were a lot of people. They are afraid. The people were afraid to sink, to sink in the pool, in the swimming pool, sorry, not swimming pool. Ven. Roger: River? Rinpoche: The big water, huge water? Ven. Roger: Lake. Rinpoche: Then two men who had good heart, they jumped out for the rest of the people to not sink. Two people decided to jump out to save the rest of the people. Then, due to that—not a rainbow, a round [arc], not that, ja means different color clouds—different clouds happened when they jumped

7 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Tonglen and Emptiness Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1 April 2020 out of the boat. That is incredible; it is due to the power of good heart. Then there are more [stories], full of stories, about good heart. In Dehradun, India, I was taking initiations from His Holiness Sakya Trizin, the rare initiations in Gelugpa. Rato Rinpoche—he passed away a long time ago, his voice is like my root guru Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche’s when he speaks, he is very much like, he was a disciple of Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche—he had [the initiation] but nobody requested the initiation—Dorje Trengwa, it is called, the initiations of Dorje Trengwa, Vajra Garland.5 He passed away a long time ago. Even in Tibet, Amdo, they didn’t have it, some monks have half [of the set of initiation]. Then I took… I sponsored His Holiness Chogye Trichen Rinpoche, from whom His Holiness took initiation, Sakya Lamdre. Rinpoche gave two times or three times. Each time maybe fifteen, something like that. Then I sponsored, then Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche took, then to spread in the Gelugpa monasteries that initiation, to many other and . But then Rinpoche didn’t come after that. Rinpoche said it was too cold or something. Then I asked His Holiness, maybe even one or two each year. Then, Rinpoche did accept [to give] one, maybe even one, but I wasn’t quick enough, I was lazy, and then Rinpoche passed away. So sorry. Then I took from His Holiness Sakya Trizin, the rare ones with some Gelugpa lamas and monks, except the ones Gelugpa has the of, those Rinpoche didn’t give. But the other Gelugpa lamas want to receive all that from His Holiness Sakya Trizin, so I did request it last time in Boston, so Rinpoche did accept. But for a long time Rinpoche didn’t accept to give the ones that the Gelugpa has the lineage of. So we haven't started yet. The reason I’m talking about this, I forgot now, I forgot. It is said in the Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by Kyabje Phabongkha, the small negative karma by increasing in fifteen days becomes ten thousand and eight thousand, one hundred eighty-four; ten thousand and eight thousand one hundred eighty-four (18,184), it increases [by that] after fifteen days. So karma-wise, negative karma-wise, you don’t have a history of killing one human being but a small negative karma, due to increasing after fifteen days, is the same. In reality, karma is very heavy if you don’t do Vajrasattva practice. That is what happens. In the past, old time in the past life, it says after fifteen [eighteen] days it becomes one hundred thousand and seventy-two.6 That is a rough outline that I remember—after fifteen days. So I mention that.

5 Lama Zopa Rinpoche later mentions that this was Wang Gya Norbu Trengwa. The initiations in Wang Gya Norbu Trengwa exist in a set of initiations called Gyude Kundu, which exists in the Sakya school. For this reason His Holiness Sakya Trizin (the 41st) was requested to give them. 6 At a break in the teaching, Rinpoche clarified that, according to Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, after fifteen days a small karma has been multiplied 18,184 times, becoming equal to the karma of having killed one human being. After eighteen days, it has been multiplied by 100,072.

8 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Tonglen and Emptiness Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1 April 2020

So like that, the foolish ones, even if the negative karma is very small, because they don’t know Vajrasattva practice, which stops to multiply the negative karma, it increases, so after fifteen days it is the same as killing one human being—one small negative karma with body, speech, and mind. In one day so many negative karmas [happen] like rainfall with anger, mostly with attachment, sometimes with anger. Or like sacrificing an animal to offer to a god, with ignorance, ignorance. But it also can be [done out of] attachment, so that your wishes in this life, your attachment, goals, what you are attached to, succeed, so you make offering to god. There is ignorance of karma but there is attachment way back; there is some things you want success in so you are making an offering to a god. So there are rainfalls of negative karma with body, speech, and mind, wow, all day and night you create without understanding, without knowing, Dharma, the actions which protect from suffering, yourself and others from suffering. Doesn’t know Dharma, doesn't know Dharma, doesn’t know Dharma, then doesn’t do, doesn’t practice Dharma, so everything is in the service of attachment, ignorance, anger. Can you imagine one day like this? Then what happens is without practicing, without knowing, Vajrasattva, it is like so many people are killed after fifteen days. [Someone] who doesn't know Vajrasattva practice killed so many people after fifteen days. It goes on and on. When you die, one small negative karma increases and becomes mountains, [like] one small atom increases and becomes huge mountains. [The result is] numberless eons in the lower realms. Even when you are born a human being [again] due to another good karma, there is so much suffering. As I said, the possessed result, depending on the negative karma, [there is] that type of suffering. Killing, for example, you kill fish, you go fishing for your enjoyment, even if you don’t need [fish for food], you are not poor, not like that, but for your enjoyment. In the West, you go for enjoyment. For example, somebody, somebody, somebody like you fishes, like you do fishing, [does] the same thing. If somebody is doing like that for their enjoyment, how would you do feel? You can accept that? You are so happy that someone is enjoying you for their enjoyment, do you feel like that? Caught in the mouth the hook, so much pain, would you enjoy it so much, [thinking], “It is fantastic, this pain”? You can’t bear even a small thorn went inside the feet. You can’t imagine the pain [of the hook], but that you know. You can remember that. That is our experience. Wow. So we are unbelievably fortunate—we met Buddhadharma and accept Buddhadharma. This time our mind is open, able to accept it. We have the merit to accept the Buddhadharma, to feel devotion to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, bah, bah, bah, then [we accept] karma, bah, bah, bah. Then we met tantra. [We have this] opportunity; so many people received Vajrasattva initiation already. So many didn’t receive it but they know [about it] and will take the opportunity to receive initiation and practice Vajrasattva. Also, like that, it should be similar, I think, to the virtue. It should be similar, that is logic; if nonvirtue increases, then virtue should increase. To stop multiplying the negative karma the next day, if you recite the one hundred syllable [Vajrasattva mantra] twenty-one times, that number has much power to stop it multiplying the next day. Even if you don’t know any other thing, Dharma, but just you know Vajrasattva benefit and you do that in your daily life to make the negative karmas lighter, whatever you collected in the past to make lighter and to stop multiplying, it helps

9 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Tonglen and Emptiness Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1 April 2020 unbelievably. It helps so much—unbelievable, unbelievable—your life quickly to be free from samsara and to achieve enlightenment. Bah, bah, bah. Just even, even if you do just that. If you don’t do the long one, you do OM VAJRASATTVA HUM. There is OM VAJRASATTVA AH, but my root guru, Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, said it is better to recite OM VAJRASATTVA HUM. It is more comfortable. To stop the negative karma multiplying, you have to do it twenty-eight times. If your life is very distracted by worldly things, but at least you can attempt Vajrasattva. Even if you didn’t get the jenang, the permission to practice, but at least you get the Vajrasattva from somebody, a or somebody. Because you have to regard them as your guru—[if you take] lung, commentary, initiation, vows, then you have to regard them as your guru—so somebody, a Western sangha, somebody to whom you have devotion, a geshe (now there are Western geshes, you can do that), to somebody you have devotion you can take lung. That is why the learned ones’ negative karma is heavy but it becomes small by knowing Vajrasattva, the benefits, by that power. Then a foolish one, no idea of Vajrasattva, [does] a small negative karma but [because he] doesn’t know Vajrasattva, then it increases. When they die, it becomes like mountains. That is very important to know. Of course, of course, then the best one, the highest, greatest purification and the highest way to collect merits is pleasing the guru. So that I’m saying, I’m saying, I was telling people, from time to time, to concentrate your mind. If you want to achieve enlightenment, what you have to concentrate on, focus on, is the practice of pleasing the guru, your guru from whom you received lung, commentary, initiation, vows—pratimoksha vow, , tantra vow—things like that, tantra, , tantra, initiation, explaining tantra, root tantra, those, then advice. So whatever you can do to please the guru, that is the way to [create] the most pleasing, highest merit [and do] the greatest purification; it is the best one. For example, you broke samaya with the guru or something, you do something displeasing the guru, and at the same time you are doing a lot of Vajrasattva, but you don’t change that, you continue to displease the guru, you kind of continue to criticize the guru or whatever, you broke the samaya with the guru, things like that, that becomes kind of funny. I just mentioned. [To go back to] what I was telling you before. A good heart, in general I was explaining. When I was in the West there was one girl, a Nepalese girl, she has very high blood pressure. She went to many hospitals but it never went down. She had a talk with a monk; the monk asked me. I sent [a message] to do tonglen practice, giving the body, possessions, and one’s own merits to other sentient beings. That is the second. The first is taking other sentient beings’ negative karma and suffering on one’s heart, giving it to the self-cherishing thought, destroying it, in the heart. Maybe I [also] suggested some Tibetan [medicine], I don’t remember. Only after [doing tonglen] her blood pressure went down. Things like that [happened], for example. But I came back and I didn’t meet the girl. So that happened like that. You have to know why. Then a Swiss man who has been taking pictures all his life, he lives in Mongolia now, Ueli Minder, he was in Nepal maybe one year ago, something like that, two

10 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Tonglen and Emptiness Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1 April 2020 years or one year, he had very high blood pressure. I told him to do tonglen practice, it takes a half hour. Every time he does it, his blood pressure comes down. I’m just telling some stories. That is the power of good heart. Good heart! You are doing that. You have to keep it in mind. Sometimes, even if medicine works, it is for your disease, but many times Western medicine has side effects. It causes another disease, so [it can be] very dangerous. That is enough. What is saying, to continue about Khadro-la. I started from that. I was taking initiation from Kyabje Sakya Dag Thri Rinpoche, from whom we requested the Wang Gya Norbu Trengwa. There were Sakya lamas and there were Sakya monks, things like that, that time. Then in Dehradun, Khadro-la was there. Also Pari Rinpoche was advised by His Holiness to go to take Rinchen Terdzo, , the Rinchen Terdzo initiations, from His Holiness Kyabje Trulshig Rinpoche’s nephew, nephew, I think, Tsipri, it is not Tsipri.7 The rinpoche, not Tsipri Rinpoche. Sorry, sorry, today I forget the name, Rinpoche’s holy name, so Rinpoche was giving the initiation, sorry, I forgot today, I think maybe that time. There was one monk who for thirteen years didn’t have sleep. He was a very good monk, but for thirteen years he didn’t have sleep. Then slowly, slowly they found out what Khadro-la [could do]. They brought… Some lamas, I think Tsognyi Rinpoche, Mingyur [Rinpoche], some of the lamas knew Khadro-la. They brought [the monk] to Khadro-la. Khadro-la was able to help him. For thirteen years he was not able to sleep, then Khadro-la was able to help him. Because Khadro-la became known to those lamas, there was a Tibetan boy harmed by spirits. There was a Muslim who died and was born as a spirt. It occupied six Indian people. Six people died, were killed by the spirit. The seventh one was a Tibetan boy, a young Tibetan boy. They did many pujas [for him] but nothing changed, so they brought him to Khadro-la. The boy came. Dzamling, who was appointed by His Holiness as [Khadro- la’s attendant], the spirit held Dzamling’s neck. Then laid down on the floor, the body got stuck on the floor, the spirit made. Khadro-la slowly got up and patted his feet, leg. Then she got unbelievable compassion, she didn’t do any particular prayer or puja, just compassion, then she patted on the leg, then the spirit said it wanted to leave. Then the boy became free, only then. Pujas were done before but they didn’t help, only good heart. Similar in Tibet, I don’t know where, Pembo or somewhere, I think maybe the family of a girl, daughter, possessed by spirits, shouting, very violent, they tried pujas, many pujas in the country, but they didn’t help. One monk came, one simple monk came maybe begging food. The family asked him to help. The monk did a [offering] for the girl possessed by the spirit. The spirit was able to recite the same thing back to the monk. The monk gave up offering [the torma] to the spirit. Then he wrapped up his head with his and generated compassion to the spirit that was giving so much violence to the daughter; then the spirit left. So therefore, that is the best, best Dharma practice when you offer to sentient beings. When you offer to sentient beings, offer service with your body, speech, and mind, oh, it is the best practice, the best cause of enlightenment, the best cause. I will be talking much more about this, the details, but not now; now something else. It is the best Dharma practice, the best cause of enlightenment, to

7 This should be Taklung Tsetrul Rinpoche, who passed away 23 December 2015.

11 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Tonglen and Emptiness Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1 April 2020 enlighten, to free the numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and bring them to enlightenment. It is not something medicine can help, not like that. In the West I heard there are many people, what is it called? Repeating the action. There is a group put together in the West, Australia, what is it called? You do the same again and again? These kinds of people, the person who can, who lives, the person who has bodhichitta is the best, BEST! Kamlungpa… Gyalwa Dromtonpa he saw him. He went to ask Kadampa geshe Kamlungpa, who wrapped his head in zen and was always crying. Gyalwa Dromtonpa took off his hat and prostrated like this. He praised [Kamlungpa because] he developed so much compassion for the sentient beings. Gyalwa Dromtonpa is the translator of Lama Atisha, he himself was Chenrezig, but he took of his hat and put his hands like this [in prostration]. He praised Kadampa geshe Kamlungpa. Spirits came to harm Kamlungpa. The spirits said, “He is thinking of our suffering with compassion, so there is no way to harm him.” They went away, the group of spirits. So, therefore, service to the most difficult sentient beings, the most difficult, whatever service you can do with your body, speech, and mind, you offer yourself, that is the best Dharma practice, the cause to achieve enlightenment. (Rinpoche points to one of the stuffed toys) I must write something here. That would be more fun. The doctors and nurses who offer themselves to help the people who got the virus, that is real dedication. They know the danger but they offer service, that is an unbelievable, incredible thing. That is real kind of—even if they haven’t met Buddhadharma, don’t know Buddhadharma, haven't studied, but they have a good heart, they really can exchange oneself for others—really incredible. Those are not reborn in the lower realms. Those who offer themselves to serve, they are never reborn in the lower realms; the opposite, [they receive] a higher , or pure land. That is the best practice. When you do that, to even insects no matter how tiny it is, and to human beings no matter how big it is, animal or human being, to offer service, that is the best practice. Okay. So when this virus is happening for people, yes, with good heart, it is the best time to dedicate, like that, in difficult times, you offer yourself. Then, generally as I mentioned, as you are going on a dangerous road you pay more attention to be careful; the same here, you do the practice of purification and collect merits as much as possible, yes, on the basis of, well, if you are familiar, on the basis of guru yoga practice, like Six-Session Guru Yoga, those who are doing it, or Lama Chopa, wow, that is the best. For those who received great initiation of tantra, that is incredible, incredible. All the different practices are there for you to quickly achieve enlightenment. Okay. That’s all. Just being panicked… Well, the rest of the people in the world, they don’t know, they don’t know Dharma, haven’t met Dharma, so pitiful, so scared, so scared, not sure of karma, they don’t know Dharma, don’t know karma. Many people don’t believe in next life, ending like candle light, and some are not sure, so fear, big fear, unbelievable fear. Us, we met Dharma, and all that. If you haven't met Dharma at least practice good heart, then you don’t need to be afraid. Then especially us, we met Dharma, there is so much to do in the life, no need to panic, no need to be afraid of death, no need to

12 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Tonglen and Emptiness Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1 April 2020 panic, not only death, but here to be free from samsara, to be free from the lower , even that, and to achieve enlightenment, great liberation, for yourself to free the numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and bring them to peerless happiness, enlightenment. Bah, bah, bah Lama khyen, lama khyen. Wow, wow, wow, we are so fortunate, what we can do. Okay. That's it. Then, okay, then.

The Importance of Realizing Dependent Arising Lama Tsongkhapa said in the prayer Tendrel Topa, Praise to Dependent Arising, that Guru Shakyamuni Buddha has found, realized this, the meaning of dependent arising, which comes in the meaning of emptiness, ultimate reality, and the emptiness in the meaning of dependent arising. The Buddha himself became enlightened, free, because of that—free from the disturbing thought obscurations, nyondrib, and shedrib, the obscurations to a fully knowing mind. Then the Buddha has revealed this. It already enlightened numberless sentient beings, [it brought them] to enlightenment already. Then, it made free numberless sentient beings from samsara already, and the Buddha is also liberating us now from samsara. He revealed all these teachings, wow, wow, wow, in this world. They are left in the world, the teachings, then Paramitayana teachings, sutra, Mahayana tantra, the complete path, wow, wow, wow, such clear. Bah, bah, bah. The base, the two truths; the path, method and wisdom; the goal, dharmakaya and rupakaya, what to achieve, are studied by the monks in the monastery, and nowadays by nuns. All day they study them in the monastery and practice. [They keep] pratimoksha vow, bodhisattva vow, and tantra vow, then practice. They learn so extensively. Then they become perfectly qualified teachers. They teach for any sentient being whatever fits. We see like that. So we have karma, if you want to study philosophy so deep, so expansive, or just the essence, middle, or just lamrim and , and achieve enlightenment through that. We are so, sooooooooooooo fortunate, unbelievable, unbelievable, most unbelievable fortunate. You understand? You have to recognize that. [Otherwise,] “I’m a Buddhist,” that is sort of, then, after some time, you become a Hindu, then after some time you become something else, like in the restaurant you taste different food. Then after that you die, not like that. Tendrel Topa, [Praise to the Buddha for Revealing Dependent Arising, says]: འཇིག་ེན་ད་པ་ཇི་ེད་པ༎ དེ་ཡི་་བ་མ་རིག་ེ༎ གང་ཞིག་མཐོང་བས་དེ་ོག་པ༎ ེན་ཅིང་འེལ་བར་འང་བར་གངས༎

JIG TEN GÜ PA JI NYE PA However much suffering there is in the world,

13 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Tonglen and Emptiness Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1 April 2020

DE YI TSA WA MA RIG TE The root of all that is ignorance. GANG ZHIG THONG WÄ DE DOG PA By realizing this, you are able to eliminate ignorance. TEN CHING DREL WAR JUNG WAR SUNG Therefore, the Buddha taught dependent arising.

Jig ten gü pa ji nye pa, I don’t know how others translate it, “all the worlds suffering,” suffering of samsara. Jig ten gü pa ji nye pa, “How much, all,” ji nye pa means “how much there is,” all the oceans of samsaric suffering, “all the sufferings of the world.” De yi tsa wa ma rig te. It didn’t come from outside. It didn’t come from outside, from food, by eating wrong food, or water, or something. It didn’t come from outside, from somebody, an insect, ants, some people, some evil people, very evil. It didn’t come from [that]: it is not like that. It came from, the suffering of sentient beings, the samsaric suffering of sentient beings came from their own mind. All your suffering came from your own mind. It is one. So what is that mind? Oh, it is ma rig te, ignorance, your ignorance, unknowing mind, ignorance. Then your unknowing of what is the I, not knowing the ultimate reality of the I, unknowing how the I is existing, doesn’t know the ultimate reality of the I, ignorance of that, unknowing that, because of that doesn't know how the mind is existing, it is existing in mere name. It doesn’t know that, the way the mind is existing. So not knowing the ultimate nature, don dam den pa, the ultimate nature of the mind, it doesn’t know that, so kun dzob den pa, truth for the all-obscuring mind, it doesn’t know that. De yi tsa wa ma rig te, your mind… All your suffering, in the six realms you reincarnate and the suffering of hell, hungry ghosts, animals, the oceans of suffering of animals, human beings, asuras and suras, came from your mind. It didn’t come from outside. It didn’t come from God. It didn’t come from Buddha. It doesn't come from God. It came from your mind, ignorance, your mind. The way to eliminate that, the way to be free from the oceans of samsaric sufferings is then to eliminate the root of samsara, your root of samsara, the ignorance, the unknowing mind. That is by realizing emptiness, ultimate reality. So to realize ultimate reality, emptiness, then the Buddha taught dependent arising. It is said here by [’s Four Hundred Verses, v. 1368]: ེན་ཅིང་འེལ་བར་འང་བ་ནི།། མཐོང་ན་གཏི་ག་འང་མི་འར།། དེ་ིར་འབད་པས་ན་ིས་འདིར།། གཏམ་དེ་ཁོ་ན་བད་པར་།།

8 ད་མ་བཞི་བ་པ།

14 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Tonglen and Emptiness Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1 April 2020

TEN CHING DREL WAR JUNG WA NI When you see dependent arising, THONG NA TI MUG JUNG MI GYUR Ignorance does not arise. DE CHHIR BÄ PÄ KÜN GYI DIR Therefore, with all your effort TAM DE KHO NA NYÄ PAR JA Only look for talk of this.

“If you see,” ten ching is dependent, drel war means connection, jung wa means arising, existing, arising, “If you see the phenomena, whatever it is,” ten ching drel war, “dependent arising”—to make it short, “dependent arising.” Then, the unknowing mind, ignorance, the root of samsara, the root of samsara or the cause of samsara, the main one from where delusion comes, the negative, all the delusions comes, even the 84,000 delusions, ignorance, attachment, anger, all that comes, from where that comes, the six root delusions, twenty secondary delusions, 84,000 [delusions], ignorance, and karma—from delusion and karma—then, from there, samsara, the oceans of suffering of samsara arise, are experienced. “If you realize dependent arising, then the ignorance, unknowing mind, gets eliminated.” “It doesn’t arise.” It gets eliminated, because it can be eliminated. “Therefore,” De chhir bä pä kün gyi dir / Tam de kho na nyä par ja, “Therefore, with all the effort,” Tam de kho na nyä par ja, “only look for,” study, study, meditation practice on this dependent arising, “this talk,” dependent arising, “this subject,” Tam de kho na nyä par ja, only this. Nagarjuna [Aryadeva’s Four Hundred Verses, v. 136]:

TEN CHING DREL WAR JUNG WA NI When you see dependent arising, THONG NA TI MUG JUNG MI GYUR Ignorance does not arise. DE CHHIR BÄ PÄ KÜN GYI DIR Therefore, with all your effort TAM DE KHO NA NYÄ PAR JA Only look for talk of this.

You have to understand the point, the dependent arising, the subtle dependent arising, how when you meditate, when you meditate, to meditate on dependent arising is so important. [This verse is] to emphasize that, how important that is. Also Nagarjuna said [in Letter to a Friend9(v. 112)]:

9 བཤེས་ིངས་ལས།

15 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Tonglen and Emptiness Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1 April 2020 ེན་ཅིང་འེལ་བར་འང་འདི་ལ་བ་ཡི།། གང་གི་མཛད་ི་གཅེས་པ་ཟབ་མོ་ེ།། གང་གིས་འདི་ནི་ཡང་དག་མཐོང་བ་དེས།། སངས་ས་དེ་ཉིད་རིག་པས་མ་མཆོག་མཐོང་།།

TEN CHING DREL WAR JUNG DI GYÄL WA YI This dependent arising is the most cherished SUNG GI DZÖ KYI CHE PA ZAB TE And profound treasure of the Victorious One’s teachings. GANG GI DI NI YANG DAG THONG WA DE Anyone who sees this well SANG GYÄ DE NYI RIG PÄ NAM CHHOG THONG Sees a buddha, the supreme aspect.

It is mentioned in the , not the , the Tengyur, the pandits’ teachings, these are Nagarjuna’s words. ?Sem rin po che nam par jang wai rim pa zhe ja wai jung ni, that is the title of the teaching, The Letter That is Called Graduated Purifying, Training, the Mind in the Precious Thought. It means bodhichitta, no, sorry, absolute bodhichitta. There is absolute bodhichitta and conventional bodhichitta. What it is saying, Ten ching drel war jung di gyäl wa yi, “The dependent arising is victorious,” gyäl wa is victorious, the buddhas, “that is the most cherished, profound treasure of the Buddha’s teachings. Anybody who sees this well, then that being sees the supreme aspect, this buddha, buddhahood.” Oh-hoh. You see? To cease the obscurations directly is not by bodhichitta, bodhichitta helps, but realizing emptiness you need to cease the two bodhichittas, no, to cease the two obscurations—disturbing thought obscurations, nyon drib, and she drib, the obscurations to a fully knowing mind, those two—then you see a buddha, you become a buddha. You see a buddha, you become a buddha. I’m just introducing this. You need to meditate actually. You have to meditate. This is… We have been suffering unbelievably in samsara, the oceans of samsaric suffering, from beginningless rebirths, no beginning, beginningless rebirths, but our mind is so blocked by ignorance. So blocked. It is like the sky that is totally dark, no star, no moon, no sun, nothing, not only that, but filled with black fogginess. So it is like that. Bah, bah, bah. It is ignorant like that, like the sky, skies of ignorance. Bah, bah, bah. Lama khyen, lama khyen, lama khyen. So sentient beings are suffering, suffering sentient beings are suffering in samsara, lama khyen, the six realms’ suffering. Lama khyen, lama khyen. It is so difficult to meet Dharma, so difficult to open the mind to Dharma, bah, bah, bah, then you don’t understand. They are scared. They run away even if you try to explain it. Bah, bah, bah. There are so little sentient beings who have karma, the merit, to meet Dharma and to understand it, to be able to, to have the merit to be able to believe in that. Bah, bah, bah. They are almost nothing. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Therefore, now, now, now is the right, right time. Now is the RIGHT time! Okay. You have to shake

16 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Tonglen and Emptiness Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1 April 2020 your brain—now is the time! From your side you received a perfect human rebirth, the eight freedoms and ten richnesses, which are so difficult, impossible to receive, but you received it now. You know Buddhadharma, the Mahayana teachings, wow, impossible… The Buddhadharma, Paramitayana, then Mahayana, the first Paramitayana teachings, to realize, to meet, impossible thing but you met it. It is most rare, so difficult, so much merit for Mahayana teaching to meet. Then not only Mahayana sutra, you need so much merit to meet the tantra teachings, lama khyen, lama khyen, but you have met them. You can’t figure out how it happened, so much merit, but then you met. Then, a perfectly qualified guru you met, real Chenrezig, His Holiness. Generally a perfect virtuous friend, a general guru, to meet, it is an impossible thing to meet, but you met [a perfect virtuous friend], who shows the unmistaken path to liberation from samsara forever. Not just a vacation for a few weeks or a few months, no, forever you don’t come back because the cause is purified. Then, great nirvana, peerless happiness, the total cessation of obscurations and completion of realizations, bah, bah, bah, [the perfect virtuous friend who] shows the complete path to enlightenment is impossible to meet but you have met. Then, not just one, but many, for many of us, but especially His Holiness, compassionate, real compassionate buddha. Tsk, tsk, tsk. When His Holiness teaches he can remember, he can say anything from any sutra, from any tantra subject, even age became very old aspect but he can remember, lama khyen, lama khyen, bah, bah, bah, many. Even for us ordinary beings’ minds, we see so many things, qualities, impossible to happen, incredible qualities, buddhas’ qualities, ’ qualities, buddhas’ qualities, bah, bah, bah, lama khyen, lama khyen, so fortunate, so fortunate. Therefore, I say, this is the RIGHT time! Don’t fall down. Don’t mislead yourself into the lower realms and samsara, on a wrong path, a wrong way, yourself, this time. Don’t let yourself be distracted. If you are mainly holding the pleasures of this life, then you mislead yourself by yourself, by your attachment, by your self-cherishing thought. You should be careful; be careful of your life. Every day of your life, every hour, every minute, every second you are responsible for not only the next life but the next life of the next life, millions, billions, and zillions, how long you live in samsara, to have happiness. Only in the higher rebirth you have an opportunity to practice Dharma, not in the lower realms. So, therefore, every day, every hour, every minute, every second you are responsible for all your life’s happiness until you are free from samsara, then enlightenment. You are responsible, you have a responsibility for your enlightenment. Then, you free the numberless sentient beings from, the numberless sentient beings who are most dear, most precious, most kind, wish-fulfilling sentient beings, you free them from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and bring them, everyone, to enlightenment, peerless happiness. You are responsible, you have a responsibility, not just, not only for your happiness, ultimate, your ultimate happiness, not just that. Your responsibility, you have a responsibility, you should know that every day, every hour, minute, second. So that is why the best Dharma practice is bodhichitta. If you can do that, That is why. If you have a good heart, bodhichitta, also then, then you can succeed in all this. You can succeed in all this. Every day, by practicing bodhichitta, every hour, every minute, do as much as you can. When you have bodhichitta, when you have a bodhichitta realization, then everything, even breathing, even breathing in and out,

17 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Tonglen and Emptiness Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1 April 2020 is for every single ant, every single mosquito, every single snake, every single bug, every single sentient being, the six-realm sentient beings. Even if you breathe in and out, even if you do peepee and kaka, everything is for sentient beings. Even if you drink one coffee or tea, every sip is for sentient being. Even if you eat one momo, it is for every sentient being. If you eat one pizza, a pizza, one bite, it is for sentient beings. Wherever you are going, every step is for sentient beings. Every sleep is for sentient beings. Every talk is for sentient beings. So like that. Before that, then, yes, meditate on lamrim. You don’t like renunciation, the suffering of samsara you don’t like, the lower realms you don’t like, just bodhichitta, bodhichitta. Many people do that because they don’t know lamrim, bodhichitta. Then you can’t really get a bodhichitta realization without renunciation of samsara. You have to see your samsara how it is the nature of suffering, unbelievable. It is like being in a fire, like being in a fire, you can’t bear it even one second. It is like that. It is like sitting on a thorn, sitting on a needle, put it up, the tip up, then you sit on that. It is like sitting on a thorn bush, your naked body. When you don’t want to be in prison, then, [you don’t say], Please put me in prison,’ in your samsara by believing how that is only nature of suffering. Then after that, when you have a realization of that, then you think of all sentient beings who are in samsara, how much suffering they have. Like this, they are hallucinated, total hallucination, they don’t realize this, a total hallucination, then you develop compassion. Especially compassion arises when seeing emptiness, realizing emptiness, dependent arising. Unbelievable compassion to sentient beings, then from there, bodhichitta comes. Otherwise, your bodhichitta is just between the lips, not from the heart, between the lips. It is like tsampa; when you throw tsampa on a river or lake, the tsampa doesn't go inside, it stays on the water, like that. Gold or something like that, it goes in the water. So many people do that; they don’t know lamrim, how important it is to develop realizations like going upstairs, the first step, second step. Then you go upstairs, however many floors there are. Many people don’t do that, then you don’t get strong bodhichitta because you don’t have strong compassion for others. You don’t have strong renunciation of your samsara, so you can’t generate compassion for sentient beings. What was I saying? Okay. Then, that is why I’m saying it is so important to learn, to listen, reflect, do meditation practice on emptiness. It is so important. Okay? That is why I say before you recite , don’t recite Heart Sutra buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh. Like myself, “I have been suffering in samsara from beginningless rebirths, the oceans of the six-realm sufferings, bah, bah, bah, from beginningless rebirths, bah, bah, bah, then now, and in the future, again endless, if I don’t meet Dharma, don’t practice Dharma.” Lama khyen, lama khyen, lama khyen. You can’t imagine, you can’t breathe just thinking of that. Bah, bah, bah. You have to realize emptiness right now, without the delay of even a second. So like that, you can’t wait. Think that. Then think of sentient beings, not just one, the numberless hell [beings], hungry ghosts, animals, human beings, suras, asuras from whom you received all your happiness from beginningless rebirths, now, and in the future, continuously, all the happiness up to enlightenment. They have been suffering from beginningless rebirths in samsara. Bah, bah, bah. They are numberless in each realm. Bah, bah, bah. They are just like yourself, just like yourself. Bah, bah, bah. That is very

18 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Tonglen and Emptiness Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1 April 2020 important—using yourself as an example. When you think of yourself, it is so difficult. You don’t want to be [in samsara] even for one minute, second, then use that example for sentient beings, then it becomes very strong, you generate compassion for others. Not only they have experienced suffering from beginningless rebirths, the oceans of suffering of the six realms, but if they don’t meet Dharma, don’t practice… Lama khyen, lama khyen, lama khyen. Oh, so, “Therefore, then to free them from samsara and bring them to enlightenment, therefore I must achieve enlightenment. Therefore, I must realize emptiness. Therefore I’m going to meditate on and read the Heart Sutra.” Then it makes big sense. Buh, buh, buh you recite. Whether you know or don’t know, but keep the mind in the words, not mind wandering, the mind going to the beach, to museums. Then, here, the mind, not like that. If you don’t pay attention, you may not leave, mind buh, buh, buh, then mind going, you may not leave even a positive imprint if the mind is distracted. Keep the mind on the words. Any prayer you do, if you understand it or not, it is so important to keep the mind on the prayer, leave it there. Even if you don’t know, pay attention. Keep the mind in that. It leaves a positive imprint. Otherwise, if you do buh, buh, buh, even a positive imprint is not left, totally wasted. You have to think that, know that. If you don’t understand, don’t understand, you don’t recite it, no. Even if you don’t understand it, each time you recite it, it leaves a positive imprint, then sooner or later you are able to understand. If you leave a positive imprint in the past life, even if you don’t receive much teachings, but a little bit you meditate, realization comes because you left so much imprints in the past, the past of this life, and the life before this past. Some things, like bodhichitta, renunciation, emptiness, you may think it is impossible for me to achieve the realization. No self-cherishing thought, wow. Now you are living, living life with the self-cherishing thought is the only way. It is the only life you know, so you think it has to be like that only, you can’t understand [what it would be like] without the self-cherishing thought. But if you practice correctly according to the lamrim, then within seven years, within five years, within even one year, you can change. The mind can change. Now, it is totally self-cherishing thought; then, next time, you totally cherish others, no self-cherishing thought. Like that, you realize emptiness. Then the tantric realizations can happen if you practice correctly. Okay. So like this. To begin, it will help very much to reduce the fear, particularly of the virus, this panic and all that, by the way it will help also for that also, generally death, even without virus, generally death, all those. Okay. So, in reality how the I exists, whether there is I or not, and if the I exists, how the I exists, the self. I’m not talking about this eye. I comes into existence: the mind focusing on the aggregates, and that same mind not only labeled “I,” but merely labeled “I.” There are four schools, four : Vaibhashika; Sautrantika; Jedragmawa10 [Vaibhashika]; Semtsampa,11 Mind-Only School; then

10 ེ་ག་་བ། 11 སེམས་ཙམ་པ།

19 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Tonglen and Emptiness Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1 April 2020

Umapa12, . Then Madhyamaka has two, Uma Ranggyupa,13 Svatantrika, then Prasangika.14 Without going back to previous schools, Madhyamaka has the Svatantrika school, Uma Ranggyupa. Uma Ranggyupa’s right view, of course, is the I doesn’t not truly exist. That it exists completely from its own side, that is gagja. According to Uma Ranggyupa, that I is the object of refutation. That I is the object of refutation. Ranggyupa’s right view is that.

12 ད་མ་པ། 13 རང་ད་པ། 14 ཐལ་འར་བ།

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