Cherish Your Precious Time and Cultivate Diligently

Amitabha's mind Nirmanakaya -- Master Padmasambhava's stand-in, the stature of seen liberation, we must regard it as the real object of Tsog Offering, that is, today's mandala, which is very exceptional. It is a rare opportunity to practice such a supreme offering, and everyone's physical, verbal and mental deeds are pure, and they are very serious when chanting, so I am particularly happy to praise everyone's merits. Thank you very much!

Everyone is reciting the [Longevity Sutra] these days, and the merits are very great. I don’t need to explain it in detail. You can just contemplate it when you recite it. This meaning is extraordinary, and if you recite it once, the merits will be very terrific. I am very happy and thank you very much. I can hear you reciting from the third floor. I am very moved. It is hard to keep reciting like this these past few days. Yesterday, a master asked: "Is today's Tsog Offering in the fifth period?" I said: "You can't stand it in the fifth period. It's so hard, so let's do it in the fourth period." You are really working diligently!

When reciting sutras, at the beginning we arouse Bodhicitta, then be diligent, and recite in a still manner. This has great merit. I have also been dedicating my life to the Buddha and making a wish: All eminent monks and great virtues can live in this world for a long time, always turn the wheel of Dharma, and propagate dharma’s prosperous career. Moreover, yesterday I also had a phone call with the attendant of Grand Master Mencuo, saying that we are currently chanting sutras, praying for her to live long in the world, always turn the wheel of Dharma, and propagate dharma’s prosperous career, and to pray for Grand Master Mencuo to give us blessings.

[Longevity Sutra] was recited for four days, followed by the nirvana ceremony of the two venerable. They are also very exceptional. They are all grandmasters who had affinity to us, and the days of their death are also very special. The omniscient Mipham Rinpoche passed away on the 29th, and the Venerable Pangma Dunde passed away on the 30th. We must have a good Nirvana ceremony for these two Venerable. Then the 28th was almost half a year since the death of His Holiness. The Dharma gathering of following the great benevolent Kyabje Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok (Dharma King) should also be held well. It was held like this last year and the year before. The content of the recitation is mainly based on the guru yoga and prayers of the Dharma King.

If Dharma King had not come to this world, although Buddhism existed, it would not have developed so well, especially the Dharma that Tibetan Buddhism has successively translated. Tantra is very rare. To repay the kindness of the guru, it is very important to pray a lot. We have recited [Generation Stage] and [Perfection Stage] a lot, but this merit cannot compare with the merit of remembering the guru for a moment. Why is practicing Guru Yoga so beneficial? Because without a guru, a Buddha cannot exist. All Buddhas have a guru. They all have a guru who teaches them the Dharma, and then slowly practice cultivation, and finally become a Buddha. So who is the guru of Shakyamuni Buddha? It is Manjusri Bodhisattva. In the past, before Sakyamuni Buddha could develop bodhicitta, Manjushri Bodhisattva asked him to develop bodhicitta. After practicing for three asamkhya kalpas, he finally became a Buddha. Therefore, the guru of our master Sakyamuni Buddha is Manjushri Bodhisattva.

It is very important to pray a lot while doing Dharma King’s Guru Yoga. Our Dongji Temple is a holy place blessed by Padmasambhava Rinpoche in his incarnation. And now the conditions are getting better and better. Both the conditions for listening, thinking and practicing Dharma are perfect. It would be a pity if we don’t listen, think, practice Dharma, meditate or recite the Buddha’s name. You must seize the time, there are more people and more things happening every year. You need to control yourself and don't let too many other things waste your time. The more people there are, the more you have to take care of your body, speech and mind, so that the whole place will be quiet. It is so quiet and pure during the Dharma meeting. If we do the same thing in normal times, the Sangha will be very healthy, complete and noble. The stewards of the monks and the Dharma masters who listen to the thoughts are all responsible and must be taken seriously and responsibly. But the most important thing is that everyone does it seriously because everyone has a responsibility. What responsibility? Taking care of one's own responsibilities is called clear knowledge and right mindfulness!

Specifically, what does Right Awareness and Right Thoughts, and not being indulgent mean? It means observing what your body, speech, and mind are doing. Is it right? Wrong? You need to observe all of this carefully. If you are doing it right, you should rejoice, and you must increase your efforts and persist. If you are doing it wrong, you should regret it. If you are doing it wrong in such a pure, special, and quiet place, it is unacceptable, because you leave your family behind, and you have already let go of worldly affairs. What are you doing here? It is to study, contemplate, practice, and attain liberation and enlightenment. This is the purpose, and there is nothing else. Repent with a regretful heart, and you must make progress and change the next day. There must be a change. If you did its wrong yesterday, you can start to be serious today. Many Buddhas did things wrong before they became Buddhas, but later they developed bodhicitta and continued to practice the Dharma and finally became Bodhisattvas and Buddhas.

We have done many things wrong since the beginning of time, and we have done many things wrong in this life, so we must repent. If we do something wrong, we will have bad karma and karmic obstacles, which can be eliminated if we repent. Why? Because karmic obstacles are conditioned phenomena, they can change and are impermanent, so they can be eliminated. The best way to eliminate karmic obstacles is to repent. We should always observe ourselves with a repentant heart. When practicing Dharma, we should not look at others but rather look at ourselves. We should treat our own mind as a mirror. In the mirror, we can clearly see whether there are wrinkles on our face. We should always carefully and lawfully examine our body, speech, and mind to see if we have done anything wrong, recognize it, and then slowly correct it. It is very good. Just like we often say: we are our own guru. In this way, we will make progress day by day, change month by month, and change greatly year by year.

Our [Sutra, Tantra and Terma Dharma Source] should promote the above ides. Whether they are the masters on the mountain or the lay people below the mountain, if everyone works hard, then in the end, everyone has worked together. If you often say that you should work together, but if you don’t work hard individually, how can you have a joint effort? In fact, it is just like the horns of a rabbit, which is something that has never been born. If everyone’s efforts are equal to the total, where does the total come from? It is the sum of everyone’s efforts. If everyone works hard and seriously, then it is meaningful to say, “everyone works hard”, and real power can be generated. All the masters and lay people below are Vajra fellows in the same mandala. The unity now is the ability in the future. If there is no unity and harmony now, there will be no ability in the future. Where there is no unity, there will be a blockage, and it will not be able to move forward.

Especially for those who practice Tantra, it is required to be united and harmonious. If there is no unity, it is very dangerous. Put a snake in a bamboo tube, it has two paths: either up or down. In the same way, if a Tantra practitioner does not practice well, he will go to hell immediately, and if he practices well, he will go up and become a Buddha. So, this path is actually very dangerous. It is very important to observe your actions, verbal and mind frequently. No matter whether each of us has made progress in practice or not, or whether we have practiced well in a year, time will not wait for us. Time passes quickly and continuously. Can you block the river water under Xinlong City? No, it will flow away quickly.

Time is the same, it passes by moment by moment, it will not wait for us, we must seize the time and not waste it. Those who are in retreat should practice seriously, persist in retreat, persist in practicing the Five Preliminary Cultivation and the Righteous Cultivation; those who are studying and thinking should persist in studying and thinking, without interruption. If there are important things to do for one or two days, you can stop for a while, but you must persist in studying and thinking. The ten methods of studying and thinking should be used frequently, and then the effect will be very good.

Some people may think: "The guru doesn't really care about us. We've had this WeChat group for a year or two, but the guru hasn't said a word. The guru doesn't really care about us..." Actually, if every WeChat group talks, even if there are 100 gurus, it's still not enough. I've made it clear that you should do it well. If you can't do it, if you don't have the confidence, don't persist, and don't have the intention, then it won't work even if the guru talks every day.

The Buddha taught eighty-four thousand methods of Cultivation of Dharma, and Bhikkhu Shanxing heard and understood them all, but he did not have faith and did not practice the Dharma and finally became an evil ghost. If the Buddha could not help, then I would have no way either. The Buddha and the great accomplished masters of the past, especially Kyabje Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok, have passed on many methods and tips for listening, thinking and practicing to us. If we listen, think and practice the Dharma according to His Holiness's instructions, there will be no problem. The morning class arranged by [Sutra, Tantra and Terma Dharma Source] is to reveal the path to liberation. It only takes a few words to reveal the path to liberation, but the content is very special and profound. If you want to be liberated and become a Buddha, you must first have renunciation. The way to generate renunciation is the common outer preliminary practices. Then what are the uncommon inner preliminary practices? After having renunciation, you want to be liberated every day, so you need the path to liberation. What is the path? At the beginning, you take refuge in the Three Gems, that is, you have real faith and truly take refuge in the guru and the Three Gems. What does it mean to be real? It is not to chant "Lama Lajia Senqiu, Sangye Lajia Senqiu..." with your mouth, but not to visualize at all in your heart. It is just the mouth that is moving. What is the mouth? It is just the outer skin. What blessing can be gained by speaking with the mouth? It is impossible to have true refuge. True refuge means that we have great faith and vows in our hearts. What does it mean to vow? Even if I die, I will not abandon the guru, the Three Gems. Even if I die, it doesn’t matter. In short, I will not abandon the guru, the Three Gems.

The conditions are very good now. The mats below are soft and comfortable. The sun is bright and warm above. The food you eat is rich and varied. You feel very comfortable. At this time, you may think that the blessings and merits of the Guru and the Three Gems are very great, and you cannot give up the Three Gems. You may think so, but you must study your mind. If many non-Buddhists come to arrest you tomorrow, put you in prison, and arrange to be shot after 7 days, at this time, will your previous thoughts of not giving up the Three Gems change? Will you still persist? Observe. If there is no change currently, this is called taking refuge. If the conditions are very good before, you can recite and think well, but the next day it becomes the situation I just mentioned, and then you say to the non-Buddhists: "This guru is just a Tibetan master. I suddenly met him. I have nothing to do with him. I will listen to whatever you say!" In this way, you may not have cultivated to take refuge. The Three Gems are so easy to lose and change. This is not a complete taking refuge.

What does taking refuge mean? It is a very firm vow. Even if you do not practice the five preliminary practices in quantity, if the quality is good, the effect will come out. Patrul Rinpoche said that if you do not have faith and vow, you will not be able to practice the Five Preliminary Cultivation, and even if you recite the refuge mantra 100 million times, it is not considered true refuge. When we practice the path to liberation, we need to lay a foundation at the beginning of the path, and this foundation is taking refuge in the Three Gems. This is very important. We need to observe how we take refuge in the guru and Three Gems, how we take refuge, and reflect on it more carefully.

Many people who have just started to learn about Buddhism know that great masters became masters through retreat practice. So, some people start retreating right away, not eating or drinking for 7 days, hoping to become a Buddha. But after practicing hard for a month, they don’t feel anything at all, so they start complaining: “I practiced seriously for a month, but nothing happened. My troubles are still the same as before…”, and then they don’t persist. There are many such people. This is because they don’t know how to practice the Dharma, and they don’t know their own abilities or their own situations. The third of the three kinds of understanding we talked about is to know oneself and impermanence, but they don’t know what they are like. They are ordinary people with very heavy karma. They must first realize this, and then the way to practice is to slowly listen and think and then practice according to the standard and correct methods. This is the only way. If you just learned about Buddhism yesterday and retreated for a month today, and there is no effect, you will say that it is difficult to become a Buddha, then think that becoming a Buddha is just a talk in history, and it has not happened in reality. Then you will not persist and stop practicing the Dharma. There are also such people.

We must know that it is not easy to become a Buddha. We have been in samsara for such a long time and our habits are so strong. If we retreat for a month without knowing anything, our troubles will not be eliminated at all. It is the same with Dharma practice. Only when we practice sincerely in our hearts can we receive blessings. For four years, we have been working hard to hold Dharma assemblies in the Saga month. We often take the Buddha as the object of our intention to do good deeds. If we work hard in this way, we will receive the blessings of the Buddha and the guru. We have also seen so many relics born from the Buddha statues.

Whether your practice is effective depends on your own mind. If your mind has changed greatly and you have a very reasonable and lawful mind of refuge, and you practice slowly, whether you are accumulating the two merits or practicing the Dharma, it will be very complete.

We have arranged morning and evening classes by [Sutra, Tantra and Terma Dharma Source]. They are arranged in actual practice. The morning class reveals the path to liberation and is also practiced as a ritual of the Five Preliminary Cultivations. After practicing this, you can also practice the main practice. If you are not so good at practicing Dzogchen, it will be a little difficult to achieve immediate enlightenment. But there is also the evening class, which is the recitation of the three special merits. When should you recite it? Recite it now! After taking refuge in the Three Jewels, you should immediately and uninterruptedly recite the three special merits. In this way, you can be reborn in the Pure Land. This is a very fast path to liberation in the exoteric school. We must persist in practicing the Pure Land method with the three special merits. Our practice is like a plane with double insurance. A plane with double insurance, no worries, nothing will happen, it is very safe. Why do we arrange practice with such double insurance? We are deeply trapped in the sea of ​​suffering of samsara, and it is not easy to get out, so we must have double insurance. One is to practice Dzogchen in a way to achieve immediate enlightenment, and the other is [Three Supremes]( Supreme Motivation, Supreme Deeds, and Supreme Dedication of Merits and Vow) Pure Land method that will allow you to escape from samsara and be reborn in the Pure Land when you die. If you feel that this method is good and you want to practice it, and that method is also good and you want to practice it, you will always feel dissatisfied, such as whether you should practice a method of Mighty Fury, etc. In fact, you don’t have to think like this. It doesn’t matter if you don’t practice other methods. The [Three Supremes] Pure Land methods and the very standard practice of Dzogchen are enough. Other methods are just to help these two methods to succeed smoothly.

What is a better way to practice these two methods? Although the preliminary practice and Pure Land are often arranged, the practice is not so good in the process. In the future, the preliminary practice class and Pure Land class must be carried out seriously. There are also preliminary practice and chanting Buddha's name practice, which will be very good after slowly being carried out. For example, the practice of releasing life is very good. Although using [Three Supremes] steps are very important, if you suddenly tell people in the Exoteric Buddhism Sect who chant Buddha's name and practice Pure Land, they will have all kinds of doubts: "What are the [Three Supremes]? Chanting Buddha's name is very good, but I don't know the [Three Supremes] steps. I just chant Buddha's name by myself. I don't care about the [Three Supremes] steps." In fact, the [Three Supremes] steps should be used to chant Buddha's name. However, if we only talk about chanting Buddha's name together, they will understand it easily. Slowly, we can communicate about the [Three Supremes].  In this way, Chinese Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism can be integrated. How to practice our chanting Buddha's name together, how many times to chant a day, whether to chant more in the Pure Land class, etc., will be carried out slowly. However, the general arrangement has been mentioned at the Dharma Assembly at the foot of the mountain. Everyone has also made a vow to chant the Buddha's name 108 times every day without interruption. This is a very good chanting Buddha's name practice.

Now everyone knows, and I have talked about this a lot in the past, that the Great Perfection and Pure Land Dharma that we practice are the two most crucial and important practices. There are many other practices, and you can practice them, but there is no independent practice that is not related to these two. You must understand that all Dharmas are to help these two Dharmas to be successfully completed. For example, what is the relationship between offering to the Dharma protectors and rebirth in the Pure Land and the Great Perfection? If we do not offer to the Dharma protectors, the Dharma protectors will not help us, and our obstacles will not be eliminated. Whatever help is needed for the practice is provided by the Dharma protectors, so the Dharma protectors must be offered. Rebirth in the Pure Land without obstacles and smoothly, it is also the help of the Dharma protectors. Especially the Great Perfection, Guru Padmasambhava handed it over to the wisdom Dharma protectors. Some masters say that if you practice the Great Perfection without transmission and empowerment, when the Dharma protectors come, the blood in your heart will be drunk.

We cannot just read the Dzogchen Dharma casually. Some people often say that they read it yesterday and it was good, etc. Actually, we can’t read it casually. I’m not trying to scare you. In the past, Longchenpa Drime Ozer always said that the Dzogchen Dharma has actually been handed over to Ekajati. If you read or talk about it casually, Ekajati will come, and your heart will stop, and your blood will be drunk. We must be more serious and stricter in this regard. In the world today, many tantric Buddha statues, especially double-bodied statues, are prevailing and no one can control them. In fact, this cannot be allowed to be seen by ordinary people. They don’t understand and will have wrong views. It is even more serious if they have wrong views about Tantra. The name of Tantra has a reason. It should be practiced in secret. It is not allowed to hear or see it casually. You can buy Dzogchen Dharma books at the airport. There are even pictures of how to practice Togka. There are too many tantric instruments and Buddha statues. If there are too many, they will not be precious. If the earth is made of gold, gold will not be precious or rare. If it is everywhere, it will be nothing.

If we come across a stone, would we say that it is too good and precious? No. It is precious precisely because something cannot be seen in the world. Nowadays, there are tantric instruments, double-body statues and other tantric instruments everywhere. If this happens, the effect of practicing Tantra will become worse and worse. In the future, our [Sutra, Tantra and Terma Dharma Source] should try to follow the requirements of the Tantra. If you have a double-body Buddha statue stored at home, you cannot let others see it. When someone comes, you should immediately cover it with a cloth. The thangka, Dharma texts, bells and pestles of the Tantra should not be seen by people who have no faith. Buddha statues and Dharma texts should be cherished more than your heart, and they must be preserved. Some disciples will say that others also put tantric and tantric double-body statues in many places. Don't think like this. We don't care what others do. We are people who practice Tantra, and we must follow the requirements of Tantra. In this way, the blessings of Tantra will gradually be obtained, and Tantra can be practiced slowly. If the way of practicing Tantra is not right, the effect will be very poor. [Sutra, Tantra and Terma Dharma Source] should work hard in this regard. It should be very secretive and do it according to the requirements and in the correct way.

We teach the source of the Dharma in [Sutra, Tantra and Terma Dharma Source], and we must not only say so, but also do so. We should do what we say! If we say something but don’t do it, it is a very shameful thing in terms of worldly matters, not to mention the supramundane Dharma, and we cannot be considered a virtuous person. Therefore, the practice of the Dharma is stricter, and we should do what we say. What can we get if we can’t do it? Nothing. What do people who practice Dharma want to get? Money, food, clothes, and things they like, right? These worldly matters are easier to get. So what should we get? The two siddhis.

The meaning of the prayer for removing obstacles on the path is as follows: pray to Guru Rinpoche to grant two siddhis and two accomplishments. There are common siddhis and uncommon siddhis. Common siddhis are supernatural powers: knowing what others are thinking, being able to fly in the sky, get into rocks, and crawl into the ground like a mouse. These are small common supernatural powers. Do we who practice the Dharma need them? Might need, and those with good intentions can use them. If the intention is not good, it is too dangerous. For those who want to gain fame, it is better not to get this siddhi. So generally, we don’t need to think about this siddhi. If the intention is very good and you are very capable of benefiting sentient beings, it is also okay to have this common siddhi. So, what is the siddhi that we emphasize so much? It is liberation and Buddhahood. The fruition of Buddhahood is the most supreme, and it is an uncommon siddhi. After listening to and thinking about the truth, we must practice well. Slowly, the afflictions, knowledge, and karma in our minds will be eliminated. When we have accumulated the two merits, we can get this siddhi. If we want to obtain this secret Dharma, we must do it according to the requirements. Practice the four causes of rebirth well. The two obstacles to rebirth are the five heinous crimes of killing one's father or mother and the crime of slandering the Dharma. You must repent for these. You must do what the Pure Land Method requires you to do. It has been arranged with the Great Perfection Dharma and the Pure Land Dharma. If it has been arranged, you must do it. What is the result of doing these two Dharmas? One is immediate achievement; the other is rebirth in the Pure Land.

Today's talk was long and touching many subjects, not typical nor standard. We have invested everyone’s time, and everyone has worked hard.  The practice for a lifetime has been arranged. If you do it, you will truly escape from samsara. This practice is the way to escape from samsara. Otherwise, samsara is too painful. You will suffer a lot, and seeing sentient beings is also painful. You must continue to grow your renunciation mind, continue to strengthen your faith, and truly generate your compassion and Bodhicitta. Many masters say that generating Bodhicitta is not important because it is a matter of intention. It is enough to truly generate it. In fact, arousing Bodhicitta is not important. Truly Generating Bodhicitta mind is important, but when a person begins to practice, it is still very important to intentionally generate Bodhicitta mind. This requires some effort. How to work hard? We must cultivate Bodhicitta in the way of Atisha's seven points. Moreover, the blessings of the three fundamentals of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are incredible. If we pray continuously, they will grant us blessings. Therefore, praying to the three fundamentals and practicing guru yoga are very important. Everyone should work hard together.

Namo Shakyamuni Buddha!

Namo Amitabha Buddha!